So, we are sitting around the table, enjoying a holiday bowl of Eric’s constantly evolving chili, and she says, “These bowls are just wonderful.” You know her if you took driver’s ed a while ago, or were in kindergarten at Chautauqua an equal while ago.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Wonderful!” You know him. Trust me.

I thought the bowls were rather wonderful, too. Though I didn’t say so out loud, I had bought all four of them at Granny’s. Top-notch crockery with nary a chip nor a crack, in an understated shade of beige. And to really make them worth one dollar each, what looked to be mistletoe was hand-painted around the inside edges.

“Made for Neiman Marcus” was lettered (but not numbered) on the bottom. Where Antiques Roadshow would look for proof of value — not to exceed one dollar, most probably.

We finished the chili, the cookies and the conversation, and off they went — Eric feeling especially pleased about the compliments regarding his chili, me, gratified I had purchased bowls that stood up to the chili.

About a week later, when he and I met Eric for a quick cup of coffee, he (whom you surely know) had a bag under his arm. And in the bag? What could be more wonderful than the four plates that matched the four bowls. I had seen them as well, but thought I wanted only the four bowls. I thought wrong.

“She saw them at Granny’s and knew you would want the plates to match the bowls. They were only a dollar each!” he said.

Eric was simply bent over with appreciation. At least I think that’s why he bent over. Could be his Parkinson’s.

Forward a year. Two other friends were seated at the table enjoying Eric’s chili, which Eric divulged now featured two small revisions. Can anyone guess what they are? (Hint: being ladled up in different bowls was not one of them.)

“You know,” she said, “I think we have some dishes just like this in our basement.”

“Yes,” he said. “They were my mom’s. We had them when I was growing up in California. She passed them on to us, because we never used them.” (Read: like them?) “We gave them to our son, but as far as I know he wasn’t crazy about them and they are still in the basement. Unless he took them to Granny’s. But that would have been over a year ago.”

“Is it a bit sweeter than last time?” she asked.

Margaret Heffelfinger is a longtime local artist. With her husband, jeweler Eric Heffelginger, she co-owned Vashon’s Silverwood Gallery for 18 years. Her work has also been seen at The Heron’s Nest, Gather Gallery, Margaret In The Hallway, Vashon Allied Arts, in Portland at Oswego Lake Gallery, and venues in Santa Fe and Austin.