One of my incredible Seester's has, in her very large kitchen, an island/bar which is topped with gorgeous blue porcelain tile.
It is (over) ten feet long and thirty inches wide - that's a whopping 33 square feet of horizontal surface.
But, even more amazing than the sheer size of this bar, is what is sitting on, and who is sitting around it, on any given day.
If you walk into Seester's kitchen during 'normal business hours' on a typical day, you will eat (and it won't matter at all whether or not you are hungry) and you will visit with someone you didn't expect to see (and it won't matter at all whether or not you know them).
But, if you walk into her kitchen when out-of-town family is visiting...look out.
When I 'popped in' on Monday to say goodbye to my niece and her children, my Seester had five or six loaves of fresh, homemade bread packaged up to put into the hands of anyone who happened to stop by.
She'd put a loaf on the cutting board and set it on the bar...along with the bread knife and some butter.
She'd made a fresh peach cobbler which was also on the bar...along with a serving spoon and some little plates.
After Me Darlin' Mither, Miss Helping Hands and I were added to the eight relatives who were already there, she whipped out some graham cracker sandwiches made with cream cheese frosting..."For the kiddos, but you should try one".
"Oh, and here are some fresh cucumbers and onions in vinaigrette...if anyone wants some."
About that time, Seester's friend came in with her daughter.
And a few minutes later our Chicken Raisin' Seester arrived with fresh eggs, and she added a blackberry cobbler and some blackberry freezer jam to the bar.
Not to be outdone, my niece pulled some homemade salsa from the fridge and added it, along with a large bowl of tortilla chips, to the spread.
"Oh, here, let me make some Kool-Aid for the little ones."
"And a fresh pot of coffee for the grown-ups...the cups are right there in that pull-out."
Omigersh. It's not even meal time, and I'm not even hungry, but...
"Pour me some of that coffee, will ya?"
It'll go nicely with this bread and butter.