HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - A 'THIS AND THAT' FOR DECEMBER...

...and more from Pinterest. I have been putting this post together for a couple of weeks now. I am hoping to finish it and have it ready to go out on Sunday, December 3rd.  This is quite a ramble just to be forewarned, ha!

A very dreary day and raining heavily. It is 40 degrees Fahrenheit, though it feels colder. We have had several colder days so I can't moan at today's liquid sunshine. It is a little warmer because of the rain, but still a hot chocolate kind of a day.

This is our weather for the next ten days.

 No walkies for Camera Lady and Camera Lady's Husband, though we did pop out and treat ourselves to a cheeseburger and fries at McDonalds, a relatively short trip. Our drive was between rains.  The woods will have to wait. 

Here's a few facts about John Muir.

“He is known as John of the Mountains and the Father of America’s national parks, as well as patron saint of the American wilderness. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas in America. John founded the Sierra Club, which is an acclaimed American conservation organization.”  Thanks Mr. Muir, we owe you a great debt!  You can read more about him at Wikipedia here.

I have been preparing tonight's dinner, one I have had on here before. It is a vegan Lemon Spaghetti with Spinach. The recipe can be found at this link.  We tried it for the first time in June 2020, though we have made it several times since then. It was one our dear daughter-in-law gave us. Though we are not vegan, there are times when I want to put a meatless meal on the table.  However, today we added shrimp, and also another veggie, mushrooms.

I have been unpacking more ornament boxes. Gregg always notices if I don't have any of my old painted ones on the tree. I couldn't find them last year and he noticed then too. As I was a little earlier, I made a special effort to dig deeper and found a few. I also found an old stained glass wreathe. I bought it from a lady when we lived in Monterey for two years back in the early 80s. My dear man put it on the wall in the family room, along with another Christmas wreath tucked in the bottom of the same box.  

Years ago I had a small cottage industry. A friend asked me to join her craft table many, many years ago. I wasn't sure what to do until I found a simple wooden ornament in a shop, the side profile of a policeman. I bought it, looked at it for a while, and Gregg said you could make something like that but turn him into a navy chap, so the seed was sown.  Here's the ornament I made for Gregg.  As I said, very rudimentary but with great sentimental value.

 Shortly after we were driving by a Chinese grocery shop with old fruit and vegetable crates at the back of the store. The owner was in the process of throwing them out. This very kind person gave them to me after we asked if we could take some of them. He wanted to get rid of them and said I could come back if I needed more. We packed every nook and cranny of our car. That sweet gentleman gave me a free supply of wood that lasted the whole two years we lived in Monterey.  

I had no idea how I was going to make my ornaments, so my friend and I went to the navy woodshop for advice. I was taught how to cut out shapes and how to sand them. It was a hoot because there were these dear chaps building cabinets, tables and more, and there I was with my old fruit crates cutting out small, very rudimentary wooden ornaments. I got teased a little which was all in good fun, but they were a good lot, and I left with dozens and dozens of shapes. I painted them with acrylics and sold them at the local annual navy craft fair. 

All those navy ornaments, which were all I had at that first craft show (on navy grounds), sold out early and I had dozens of orders, not only for navy ornaments but wives asking me if I could do the other services too, and also female uniforms. Gregg was in shock when he came home one day to find not only Navy but also Marine Corps, Army and Air Force uniforms hanging up on every door in our apartment. I often wonder what their husbands would have thought seeing their very neatly pressed dress uniforms in such a way.  Probably would have been as shocked as my husband was that first time he came home from the school and saw them.  The doorbell kept ringing every day for a quite a while. The ribbons were important to many, and I found a two-hair paintbrush (slight exaggeration but not far from it) to paint those ribbons, and I was asked to put them in the right order. I also learned how to do parachute medals. Gregg was not surprised when I asked him for a bandsaw and sander for my birthday, which we still have a chuckle about when we think back to those days. He truly had as much fun as I did as he helped getting boxes and boxes into the car and setting up tables. He was my second arm and he loved doing it. He and our son as son got older, would come over to every craft show, sit at the table and take over while I got a quick lunch break.  It kept me very busy for not only the two years we were in Monterey, but for the next 14 years at all the places we lived, and my ornament selection took on many different forms from Angels to Santa Clauses, to anything I could cut out and paint. 

Gregg gave me one of those "Do you remember when..." as I read this out to him.  He reminded me of a story I had all but forgotten, of a lady who called me from the Midwest right out of the blue.  To this day I can’t remember how she found out about me, that information has long since left my head.  Maybe a friend or relative who bought one of my ornaments and sent it to her, who knows?  She asked me if I could make one of her pet cow. I had started making simply shaped animals. She sent a photo of her pet, I found a cow-shape in one of my son’s children's books, outlined it on tracing paper, cut that shape out and then attached it to my broken-down veggie crate.  Then I cut it out, painted it, trying to follow the exact pattern of her pet cow's coat, along with the right color and sent it off.  I had also started taking a Sharpie along to the craft shows and personalized ornaments when asked. This lady had also asked me to add her pet cow’s name which I was happy to do.  I had a thank you letter from her telling me how tickled pink she was, which made the extra effort very worthwhile. 

There is also a story about my Christmas Ornament Mystery at this link and also here. I just remembered that. Blogging friends who have been following me a while may remember this, but it will be new to other friends who have been visiting since then.

Anyhow, this painting wooden ornaments became a passion of mine, I was hooked.  I had so much fun making them, selling them and meeting people everywhere we lived, some of whom became good friends. I did this until my hands gave out and I couldn't paint anymore. However, loads of great memories were made. And just for my dear other half, I still have a whole box of my wooden ornaments to find, and I'm still looking.

From Christmas ornaments and a pet cow, to this lovely Highland cow. 

“These types of cows are commonly found in the Highlands of Scotland. In the old Scots language, ‘coo’ means ‘cow’ so you may find many people still refer to this breed as either Highland cows or Highland coos. Scots language is a variety of English that’s been spoken in the Highlands for hundreds of years. But it’s not the same as Gaelic. In Gaelic, you’d call a Highland cow a ‘ Bò Ghàidhealach’. Now, try saying that with a mouth full of haggis!” 

They usually aren’t dressed this stylishly.

“Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily.

"I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.” 

~J.M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan~

“I will spread my wings until I learn how to fly.  I’ll do what it takes to touch the sky.”

~sung by Kelly Clarkson and written by Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate and Matthew Gerard~

“Peace is the first thing the angels sang.”

~John Kebble~

"The best inheritance parents can give their children is a few minutes of time each day."

~Orlando Aloysius Battista~

"The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree."

~Steven Wright~

“Nothing says ‘holiday cheer’ like a snowman.” 

~Author Unknown~

No words needed, this says it all.

"I'm very happy being me, although sometimes I'd love to be a bird so that I could fly."

~Joy Fielding, Author~

"Baking is my therapy, and the result is pure happiness."

1. ~Author Unknown~
2. Nothing to see here, just a snowman trying not to lose his nose.
3. 
4. What is it with those noses?
5. 

Hang on to your, well you know, your nose!

Taking care of each other, that’s what it’s all about. 

"Be the hand - or antler - that lifts others up."

~Author Unknown~

For everyone of us...

Thanks for visiting and may you all have the happiest of Decembers!

IT ARRIVED

Just over two weeks ago I told you about a story at this post.  A lady whose aunt bought an ornament at a garage sale 28 years ago, came across the ornament with the name of our son on the back, in her aunt's collection of Christmas ornaments.  She saw this particular one had a name,  a date of birth and other info painted on the back (I removed these in Paint Shop Pro just for this post for privacy purposes).  It was an ornament I had painted about 30 years ago, when I first started painting and taking part in craft shows, and wanted to commemorate our son's birth.  

Her niece came across it recently in her aunt's box of Christmas ornaments, was curious and did a search on line.  She found our son's name and sent him a message, asking if he was the one whose name was on the back of the ornament.  He confirmed that it was, and that his mother had painted it.  This lovely lady popped it in the mail and sent it to him.  It arrived and our son in turn brought it over the other day, and now I have this little family treasure back where it belongs.  I wrote about Gregg's theory of how it was lost at my post (link above)  

I am so thankful to this lady and also to her aunt, and will be writing a thank you letter asap.  

To this lady, if you read my post, I do want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  There really are not enough words to tell you how grateful I am for your kindness.  But I do for returning this ornament to our family, and please thank your Aunt for keeping it safe all those years.  It will be hanging up on our tree next Christmas.  I will find a box for its storage, and inside the box will be written the history of its return.  

A STORY FOR YOU...A MYSTERY OF SORTS

Our son told us an extraordinary story a few days ago.  He had been contacted by someone on Facebook who sent him a photograph of a wooden ornament.  She said she had found it in her aunt's box of Christmas ornaments.  It was a Santa Claus and on the back was a name, date of birth and weight.  Her aunt told her that she had bought it from a garage sale 28 years ago, that she had liked the face on the ornament.  

What is extraordinary is that this was an ornament I painted for our son 30 years ago.  It even has my name on the back, done in tiny letters on the bottom, my signature that I put on every ornament I ever painted, with a tiny heart over the name.  

This lady's niece was curious and decided to do a search on Facebook, and up popped son's name.  She messaged him, sent him two photos of the ornament, front and back, and asked if he was the person whose name was on the ornament.  He told her it was and that his mother had painted it!

When he told me I was shocked because there was no way I would have given that ornament away to anyone.  It would have been hanging on our tree for years.  I remember painting the ornament, I remember hanging it on our tree, and then strangely it disappeared out of my memory until now. 

Gregg has a theory. In those days we used to buy live trees, and he thinks we may have overlooked the ornament still hanging on its branches, and that he took the tree to the curb to be picked up for disposal.  Maybe someone found it at the local garbage dump!  

Whatever the story is, it was found at a garage sale by this lady's aunt, in a town between here and Richmond, not too far from Fredericksburg, 65 miles south of us.  This lady is going to send it back to our son, and our son said he will bring it over as soon as he gets it.  Amazing!  

And I would like to say to that lady, thank you so much for returning this to us after all these years, and please thank your aunt for buying it in the first place. You have both done us an incredible kindness.  If there is a return address I will be writing to thank them personally.

Hope you enjoyed our little mystery tale. 

Thanks for stopping by.