I found these glass what-nots and thought, "hmmm, these are too short to be swizzle sticks."
I asked two knowledgeable friends about these glass what-nots, and they both, independently said, "These are knife rests. They keep your knife a little in the air so you don't get butter on the tablecloth." I thought that made sense except the knife rests I had seen previously were more symmetrical.
I then asked a third friend who said, "These are muddlers, for mixing drinks." Sure enough, when I googled "muddler" I found that they were used right after prohibition and into the depression. They are now used for making mojitos and are highly collectible. Having the right name for something is very useful! (and having friends with many different interests is also good)! oh, heck, having any kind of friend is good!
This same friend also identified this cool item as a firkin or sugar bucket. I liked the bucket, but knowing more about it makes me appreciate it even more! She also told me the slats were loose because the wood was dry and I could tighten them up by wetting them. I ran a wet cloth over the wood to clean it and it helped a little but I was nervous to do more then that.
Then there is the annoying spouse...I was talking to Gary about firkins and muddlers, and he accused me of reading too much Harry Potter lately.
