“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” — Ann Landers

As the last of the remaining warm days dwindle here in Montana, I’ve spent several days this week working on a clawfoot dining room set that I got for free earlier this summer. I got the set because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. At a local flea market, I was caught by a vendor admiring one of the chairs out on the loading dock. He asked if I liked the chair and I replied that I thought it would be beautiful with a little TLC. He told me there was a table with it and I said that my husband would probably shoot me if I spent a bunch of money on a fixer-upper dining set. He said if I loaded it up, it was all mine, free of charge. I jumped at the opportunity and with a little help from a few old guys, I was on the road with a pickup loaded with six dining chairs and a gorgeous hardwood clawfoot table.