If This Rocker Could Talk, You’d Hear A Lot Of Cursing

On By SuzIn As blogged by Suz

My Mom has had this rocking chair since Jesus was a small child forever.

It was gifted to her when she was pregnant with my brother Mark by my paternal Grandma, the only Grandma I knew. If Mark were alive, he would have turned 59 this past September. This chair is old; Mom rocked both of us on it. In it? On it?

1966-Mark. I remember that little wooden 3 legged container/table. It held sewing supplies. 

1967- Suz enjoying a beer after a long day of being a baby. Probably not my first, thanks, Dad. Have we discussed recently what a dysfunctional childhood I had? See the rocker in the background? It looks like Mom changed the cushions from yellow to green. 

1972? My G’ma, Mark and myself and my G’ma’s dog. Goodness, Mom has the decorating bug: She added paneling to this wall and a mantle. Do you remember having the Rick Rack trim on stockings?

1976? My parents are now divorced and this is my soon-to-be stepmom and step-sister. It was Christmas Eve, and we were at my Mom’s house because my Paternal Grandparents spent Christmas with us. I distinctly remember my father giving Mary her engagement ring on this night. At my Moms house. Ya’ll, we put the FUN in dysFUNctional! I should write a book. Or at least a pamphlet. I did (and still) love Mary and my step-sister, but they had the worst freaking nine year marriage. The police were involved quite a bit, and always around the holidays. {Merry Christmas, here’s a restraining order!} See the Rocker? Looks like Mom found gold cushions this time. 

I got off-topic. This Chair Gets Around. 

My Mom held onto that rocker forever and talked about painting/refinishing it a few years before she passed away. We moved it from her place in Georgia to our home in Florida, and we held onto it; I pictured myself rocking grand-babies in it one day. 

We brought it up to Georgia when we first moved into our house in 2020. Once it was there, I said: I’d really like to paint it. 

The Coach agreed and said we should bring it back home, and we could have the Custom Cabinet Painting department (which he was just putting together in our shop) paint it for me; much better than me trying to DIY. 

So, it went back to Florida (again) and sat in our garage for two years because the Custom Painting Dept. was flooded with work, and painting the chair was put on the back burner. 

A few months ago, I decided to take matters into my own hands and inquired with a custom furniture painter in our area about the chair. His price was fair, but he wanted to charge me $400 to pick up and deliver. I was shocked at the delivery price so I vented to the Coach, and he said casually: 

Why don’t you have our shop paint it? 

My eyeballs rolled so hard into the back of my head that I almost fainted. 

DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO OCCASIONALLY SHANK THEIR AMAZING HUSBAND? 

I’d been in the shop a few weeks prior and noticed a beautiful cabinet job in the process; it was painted the most remarkable dark, flat color, and I was drawn to it. 

Coach took the rocker to work the next day, and I had it back in a week. Mom had talked about painting it white, but I’m more of a black girl; although I usually identify as white. Goodness, you know what I mean!

There was a large crack down the side/center of the seat, but it was still usable. Our cabinet guys repaired it for me. I recall Mom saying that chair had been airborne at some point; my father had the absolute worst temper.

Is it dark gray? Is it light black? 

It’s SW Black Magic!

Coach’s Mom made me a nice cushion, which is so comfortable. Recently, I’ve been sitting in it near the fireplace, enjoying my morning coffee while rocking a dog.

Hey, I gotta start somewhere!

Fun fact: The logo on the bottom of the chair led me to do a little research. 

“S Bent & Brothers, a furniture company established in 1867 in Gardner, Mass. They closed in 2000. S. Bent and Brothers was known for producing well-made, high-quality furniture. They specialized in the style known as “Colonial Revival.” The two most common primary kinds of wood are maple and ash, stained to look like oak. S Bent & Brothers were known for their well-made chairs, especially Windsor.”

I found several for sale on Etsy and Ebay, ranging from $100 to $599.

Generally I refrain from having antiques in the house because they are haunted; this is the exception because I’m familiar with all the spirits surrounding this chair.

This chair has a new story to be told and it has many GOOD days ahead of it!

Do you have any furniture with a family history?

XO

41 thoughts on “If This Rocker Could Talk, You’d Hear A Lot Of Cursing”

  1. I’m not sure whether to choke with emotion for your mother’s chair, or choke with laughter at you and your first beer. But I do like the black remodel, gives a modern spin to an old classic. And no worries, rocking dogs is completely acceptable until a replacement comes along.
    😉

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    1. Bittersweet is a perfect emotion to sum up this chair.

      I remember your unique chair from the family bar. I love that you always have that piece of history with you.

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  3. Bijoux

    The chair looks fantastic and I love that it’s SW Black Magic! We have a rocking chair my husband bought when I was pregnant with our first and I honestly thought it was super uncomfortable to nurse a baby in. However, your cushions look perfect and comfy!

    Yes, you could write a book with these stories. Dear Lord, between the beer, the dog with the string in the crib/playpen, and the wide slats, it’s a miracle you or any of us survived! I so enjoyed your pictures through the years, despite the trauma you endured. You beat the odds, Suz. I’m saddened about your brother and I’m sure the holidays carry a bit of sadness for you?

    I do have furniture with history. Maybe I’ll do a blog post next year.

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    1. Yes to the eye rolling. The chair turned out great. Glad Coach finally squeezed it into the schedule at the kitchen place. Great color and the cushions are perfect.

      We had my mom’s rocker for YEARS.I always found it uncomfortable. I currently have an end table from my paternal grandparents. It’s out in my garage. Scratched up. A foot missing. I want to refinish it, but I’m afraid. It has a leather inlay on the top. I hope to tackle it someday.

      The beer in the crib and your dad’s engagement at your mom’s house . . . well, you win the quirky family award. How are you SO normal? And wonderful and not completely jaded?

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      1. That fact that you referred to me as Normal just made my day! HA! I suppose with my quirky childhood, there could be a lot of lingering issues. I’ve let all that shit go.

        The end table sounds like you might need a professional to take care of it. Leather inlay? Sounds amazing!

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    2. Bijoux, I didn’t even notice the string toy in my crib! Now that I look more closely, it appears that my crib was a holding area for toys, and I was added in at the last minute. Yes, the slats are not baby-head friendly, are they? Oh, the 60’s!

      I did beat the odds, and I didn’t replicate my parents; broke the cycle, as they say. I honestly don’t have any holiday sadness or bad feelings toward my parents. To quote my Mom: I was raised by wolves!
      My brother has been gone longer than he was alive; I hope to catch up with him the next go-round and have a second chance.

      Yes, please write about your furniture piece!!

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    3. Bijoux, I didn’t even notice the string toy in my crib! Now that I look more closely, it appears that my crib was a holding area for toys, and I was added in at the last minute. Yes, the slats are not baby-head friendly, are they? Oh, the 60’s!

      I did beat the odds, and I didn’t replicate my parents; broke the cycle, as they say. I honestly don’t have any holiday sadness or bad feelings toward my parents. To quote my Mom: I was raised by wolves!
      My brother has been gone longer than he was alive; I hope to catch up with him the next go-round and have a second chance.

      Yes, please write about your furniture piece!!

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  6. What a storied chair it is. I’m sure its final chapter has yet to be written, too.

    This iteration of it is lovely. The colour and the cushions have elevated it and made it look more serene. Well done.

    I had a bentwood rocker with the obligatory cane seat and seat back. The seat wore through, and repair was so expensive that I ended up tossing the whole thing. I have regrets about that; it was a beautiful, elegant rocker full of graceful curves. And it rocked deeply and soothingly. Ah, well.

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    1. Nance, I love the idea that this Chair has not seen its best days yet!

      Thank you for the compliments; I, too, think the chair looks lovely.

      I thought I knew what a Bentwood Rocker was, and upon research, I was correct in my remembering. Those are lovely! I found many for sale on Etsy, eBay, and the like. Who knew something from the ‘old’ days would hold its value?

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  7. I love the way the rocker looks now! It’s great that you have those pictures with it in there so you can associate the memories! But beer?? Good grief! I have an old Singer treadle sewing machine that was my grandmother’s, then my mom’s, now mine and someday my daughters. Its’ from 1952.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your story about the rocker, Suz. It made me feel slightly better about my own family , also dysfunctional but not as much “fun” 😉.

    In my living room are 2 old arm chairs that my immigrant grandparents bought at auction shortly after arriving in Canada from the Netherlands in the early 50’s. The chairs were old already, then. They have been recovered many times and I wouldn’t part with them for anything in the world.

    Deb

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  12. Oh my gosh, Suz, this whole post has me SNORTING with laughter. “Suz enjoying a beer after a long day of being a baby. Probably not my first, thanks, Dad.”

    “Merry Christmas, here’s a restraining order.” Oh mylanta you are hilarious.

    The rocking chair itself is a beautiful treasure and I LOVE the way you refinished it.

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  13. What a lovely retrospective of your time with the chair, although some of those stories sound terrifying. I also grew up in a sometimes unstable family and occasionally I’ll tell a story and my husband’s eyes will get big and I’ll realize that maybe my story isn’t normal. LOL.

    Almost all of our furniture is from an estate sale or family member. I have a tiny high chair (I literally just had to google what this piece of furniture was) that my grandmother’s father made for her. It was my grandmother’s who then gave it to my mother who gave it to me. I don’t have children, but it lives in our guest room and I think it’s a lovely family memory.

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    1. As a kid, you know what you live. It’s not until we grow up that we realize it was so weird!

      I love that you have the tiny high chair; you should share a picture of it.

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  14. Suz, you aren’t going to believe this but my mom had that EXACT SAME chair! I seem to remember getting when my son was born. Unfortunately, because that chair had probably been through some rough times (thanks dysfunctional family; yes I have/had one too) and didn’t last too long.

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  15. First, it looks beautiful! Second, I loved every single photo and all the stories that went with. I love looking at old photos and noticing all the details in the background, like curtains or wall paneling.
    It sounds like you had a really challenging childhood. I think it’s incredible what a strong, funny woman you are – and that you and Coach have built such a great life together!

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  16. M

    OMG, Suz! Well, I’m glad you got off topic. That was a hoot! I mean I’m sure it wasn’t a hoot while those things were happening and you were living it but it was funny to hear/read you relate the stories! That rocking chair — yes, oh the stories it could tell…and the curses it could throw at ya! LOL Well, I think the best thing that came of all of those years is YOU. I believe that we are shaped by our experiences and there are people like you who make delicious lemonade out of lemons!

    Great job on the choice of paint and the paintjob! It looks really nice!!

    I don’t have furniture from my parents/grandparents. My late MIL bought me a rocking chair like that when I was pregnant. It wasn’t very comfortable so I didn’t use it much but we still have it. My stuffed animals sit on them in the corner of our bedroom! LOL

    (P.S. It’s been a busy couple of weeks so I didn’t have much time to read and comment on old posts — but I wanted to say I’m glad to hear you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration in GA!)

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    1. Thank you- I’m glad this was a hoot for you! That is always my intention, even if it’s at the expense of my childhood. Really, did I know any different? NOPE. Indeed I made lemonade out of rotten lemons.

      Funny that most people say the old rockers weren’t comfortable; I find this one very comfortable for me. It sits low, which works for my short legs.

      I hope your busyness slows down and you can enjoy all the good stuff at the end of this year. Thanks for always chiming in and making me smile!

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      1. M

        Yes, based on what I’ve read so far, you like to write in a way that makes people laugh, even those that weren’t really funny when they were happening, or even looking back. And you write them really well; your goal achieved!

        The key to the rocker, I’m sure, is having nice soft cushions. I didn’t have those. I needed a bit of padding when I was young! LOL As for the short legs, my late MIL also made me a footstool that elevates your feet a bit, slanted so your toes are pointing up. Her husband made it in his little woodshop and she painted it with my name. Very sweet!

        Thank you! Two more weeks of busy then I think I can take breather for a few weeks!

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  17. Pam

    I love it! My grandparents had that exact rocker. I have the rocker that my MIL rocked all three of her kids in. It’s in our shed and needs a lotta lotta love. If I had the space for it, I would have already redone it. Gotta get that mansion someday so I can fix grandma’s rocker. 🙂

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  18. Good choice to refurbish the rocker. I’m smiling about your use of SW Black magic. We have a quart of it that we’re going to use on the pedestal part of our old kitchen table. A January project in the making.

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