Stu is not a Screensaver

The screen that David bought at the auction was huge. It was made up of four mirrored panels framed with dark wood, each seven-and-a-half feet tall, and easily dominated most spaces. We finally decided to set it against a large white expanse of wall that stretched up some 20+ feet. It looked well there, and we were pleased. Until...

One day in the mid 1980s, an unearthly crash startled me and I dashed into the living room, sick at heart at what I might find. What I found was this enormous wooden screen tipped over, splintered pieces of mirror everywhere, and Stuart, wide-eyed but calm, standing where the mirror once had stood. Apparently he tried to squeeze his little toddler body behind it, and sent it crashing onto the tile step. Thankfully, he was unharmed.

The screen, however, was not. After sufficient oohing and aahing from all the kids, I managed to hustle them into a safe location, away from all the tiny slivers, and then assessed the damage. One panel had taken the brunt of the force. The wood frame was damaged slightly, but was easily repaired later. But every piece of mirror in that panel was shattered. I couldn't have imagined how much glass there was; it filled an entire grocery bag with pieces ranging from bigger than my hand to powder-fine.

The screen was repaired and placed back in position. And by strategical positioning of screen and silk plants, we have managed to keep it intact since then.

At least, so far.