Thanks, Saint Joseph...and to Ruth, too!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through the years, I always have many , MANY reasons to be grateful to

Saint Joseph

......but the latest reason..............is the inspiration he gave to my lovely Internet friend, Ruth.

Ruth was having a Saint Joseph Rosary give-a-way on her blog.......and I signed up. I was nearing the end of a 54 Day Rosary Novena, set to be completed in time for Saint Joseph's feast day in March. The novena was specifically being prayed for my husband (and all husbands!) and Saint Joseph's intercession was a special focus for the novena.

Before the drawing, I received an e-mail from Ruth, stating she wanted to make a rosary just for me........I just had to promise to also pray for her special intentions. Well, that's easy!

A couple of weeks ago, I received this beautifully handmade rosary in the mail, packaged in a lovely silk bag.

Ruth, as promised,

all of my rosaries have also included your special intentions....

....and always will.

Thank you so very much for your generosity. God will SO reward your sweetness!

Love and blessings,

Chari

PS: to find Ruth's handmade Rosaries.....see this website: Loreto Rosaries. Simply divine!

It's a Picture Book Day!

Got a few titles for you....an old favorite, lately rediscovered, and three new choices.....that begged to be picked off the shelf at the library!


PECOS BILL Written & Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

This book is a cute as I remember it! Pecos Bill stories are always fun...and I was able to teach Malachy what a "tall tale" is.......and now I will use this book as a jumping point for other conversations about "tall tales." The pictures are hilarious and well-drawn, with great color. Also, this book reminds me that it has been a long time since we took a stroll through Steven Kellogg's books. The last time we went through his books, I believe Malachy was a mere infant, if he was even yet born. With Malachy's sense of humor, I think he will find Kellogg's books a kick...and I am off to the library for more!!! Garrett may not even remember these stories.

If you and your kids have not yet visited a collection of Steven Kellogg's books...DO GO FOR IT! You will have a blast....and then...we will go after Bill Peet's books, too......same situation as above....and I do not want Malachy to miss out on these great, funny authors!



CATERINA: THE CLEVER FARM GIRL by Julienne Peterson & illustrated by Enzo Giannini

Oh, my, I loved this book!!! It is based on a Tuscan Folktale......and it is delightful! I love the ending......but I cannot tell you what it is......I do not want to ruin it for you! The illustrations are lovely......in fact, it was the cover that popped off the bookshelf at the library and into my hands! Caterina, a clever farm girl charms the king with her cleverness........and, well, you must go read the book to find the rest of the story. I read it to my boys....and they enjoyed it....and I am sure any girl would love it, too. Even a mom! :)

When I went to return the book to the library......my favorite librarian was just leaving.......and she willingly stopped to read this book before she left.....we are both addicted to wonderful picture books. Maybe that is why she is my favorite? :)

I hope this author has other stories......and that our library has more books from the illustrator!

I just searched the internet...only this book as far as I can see..... :(



PAPA AND THE PIONEER QUILT BY Jean Van Leeuwen & Illustrated by Rebecca Bond

Sweet story about a papa who has "wandering feet" and keeps moving his family further west....and of his daughter who wants to make a quilt.....by collecting scraps on the way to Oregon. Sweet artwork.....sweet story....and quilts! I just love quilt stories, don't you?!



THE SQUIRE'S BRIDE by P.C. Asbjornsen & Illustrated by Marcia Sewall

Funny little story based on a Norwegian tale. I do not want to give the story away....worth the read.....nice pencil drawings...or is that pen?



We had not read any pictures books lately, except about eagles & vikings...so it was nice to have a change today!

Have a blessed picture book day, everyday!!!! Or, at least several times a week! :)

Love,

Chari

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!

And to my Grandma!!!

And, to my sisters.......and my cousins........and all of my friends!

Going back only a few generations, my grandma was the offspring of these two people....

My Great-grandparents, William Henry & Era Lee

She was a Winn & he was a Goodwinn. Kind of funny.

They were only 11.5 and 17 years when they married.

Then, they gave birth to my grandmother, below, who then married my grandfather.

This is May Alleen & Ira James.

She hates her first name and goes by Alleen,

but mostly "mom" and grandma," and he went by Jim.

I think this is their 25th wedding anniversary....

...in which case, I must have been born already, I am guessing.

And Alleen & Jim gave birth to BeverLey Kaye, my mother.

My mother was born in Texas, but here above, my grandma with my mom as a toddler, and my Uncle Louis, her older son, are visiting California. This is Morro Bay and Morro Rock which looks much more busy now than it does in this photo!

My grandpa with my mom as a toddler, and my Uncle Louis.

My mom and her younger brother, Stephen.

My mom with her older brother Louis and her younger bro, Stephen.

A school photo of my mom.

The next bunch of photos were taken in 1955 when my mom and her parents and younger brother came from Texas for a visit to California, just before they moved to California.

Their first visit to the Pacific Ocean?

....my grandpa, always ready to play, with my mom and Uncle Steve.

My mom and her younger brother Steve.

My mom.....

My mom......

My mom........

My mom and her brother Stephen with a friend or cousin in the middle.


Then, my mom grows up and gives birth to me after one year of marriage to my dad.

You are going to love the sixties look in these photos......

My mom with me.....notice the clock, the scarf.......the clothes

My mom with my first sister......ntoice the chairs, the sandals.....glasses and "sideburns"

My mom and my dad and me at her elbow, at a Cristmas meal.

Am I whining???

My mom with the black scarf.....with me next to her.....my sister Teresa in the high chair......Uncle Louis and Aunt Martha on the right......and my grandparents on the left, with my cousin Mark. That's my dad's arm. We often went to this Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles......very auhtentic.......I only remember tortilla chips...........and a man singing with his sombrero......"Ai, Yi, Yi, Yi" :)

My mom in the blue dress, me in the red..........Uncle Rex......who later abandoned Aunt Ruth. :/

I always loved this photo of everyone dressed up.....and posing in front of a tent!

This is my mom, my little sister Teresa........my dad's mom....and me!

Love their dresses!

My mom did lots of really cool things for me when I was growing up. I have a serious amount of samples below..........

My sister Teresa and I with our cousins Mark and Michael.

My mom would always set a lovely "children's table" for us at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

She also sewed our matching dresses.

Oh, and curled my extremely STRAIGHT hair!

She always made a beautiful Christmas tree for us.

My grandma feeding cousin Michael..........Aunt Martha in the blue....my mom in the red...and my sister and I and Cousin Mark opening many presents.

Another Christmas.........and another dress my mom made for me...........this time she knit it. I may still have it. Though you can barely see my sister behind me........she crocheted that dress.

My mom and Aunt Ruth are on the couch.

My mom threw great birthday parties for me!

A bunch of friends and relatives.........at the park in Westchester, California.....

......the park I "grew up" at. My dad in the Mickey Mouse shirt.....he has not changed much!

My mom in blue with sun glasses. I am in center with present.

Another year, another party........same park :)

Must have been a cool April day in Los Angeles.

I am the gal with her head bent, to open a present.

Cousin Mark is front and center, with my little Cousin Jimmy to the right.

Mark is now a Professor of Psychology in a Southern California UC school....

...and Jimmy is now an Internist in So. Cal.

I have no idea who most of those kids are....

...my Aunt Sue, Jimmy's mom, my dad's sister.....is to the left.

My mom.......looks my sister-in-law Dana right here......

one of same parties as above......me with pony tails....

.....my sis Teresa with the short blonde hair.

My made great cakes for us.........her first being for my first birthday.

Here, she lights a yulelog cake that she made for one of our Christmas dinners.

Isn't it a sweet cake!

My mom always worked hard to get our family together to see my Cousin Julie,

whose mom (my dad's sister) died when she was one year old.

I always appreciated that........

and now I have been able to maintain that relationship through my adult years.

Julie and I were buds when we first met........like sisters then.

We are only 15 months apart.

Above, you have a lot of cousins, two generations......my dad's cousins and my cousins.

Starting on the left, is my dad's cousin Leslie holding my littlest sister Jennifer Leslie, her namesake.

Leslie and her twin sister Lynn, whose name is the same as my middle name (Lynne), are only nine years older than me.......and Leslie's kids are same age as Anne, so we have a lot in common.

I am in the center front.......in the row behind me are Cousin Julie, my sister Teresa, my cousin Cindy.

Aunt Nancy is holding her baby Garry..........and she is cousins with Lynn and Leslie, because she is my dad's youngest sister.

Lynn is the cousin standing on the right.........

and the grown up in back are Julie's step-mother (I am having a blank on her name) holding her baby, my mom and my Grandma (dad's mom).

She took me to Johnny's Pastrami as many times as we were able.......so KNOWS visiting Johnny's is always priority in Southern California!!!

My mom "tried" to teach me how to sew.........I am still barely just past novice.......I do not sew naturally.......at least my girls do! But, she was able to help me sew this quilt while we had four generations hanging out in Louisiana with my great-grandmother and grandmother (see them above!). Seh helped me sew a quilt when I was 12 years old, too. I still have that one. The one above I made for my new husband..........it has since disintegrated. :/

Lesson learned.......NO Wal-Mart fabrics for permanent quilts!!!

My helped with all of the planning of my wedding in only three months.....

.....my veil, my cake and the decor.

Our family in 1985:

Baby sister Jennifer, my mom, me, my new husband, Marty,

my dad and my sister Teresa.

THANKS MOM FOR ALL OF THE GREAT MEMORIES>>>>>

>>>>OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY MORE.......

......but, not enough pictures to prove it! :)

Blessings to all on this Mother's Day, 2009!

Love, chari

How I Spent My Birthday........

Originally written the evening of April 25th......


So, Louise, my dear friend, whose love language is so obviously gifts..........she specializes in gifts that resemble acts of service.......called me this morning and told me to meet her at her house about 11:30-ish so I could follow her to our destination. She said for all of us to wear flip flops.....swim suits and to bring beach towels. With a high of only 61* expected.........she said 65*......I was a bit scared........but I obeyed.......and brought a sweatshirt, too!



So, we left the house........and on the way.........it was the start of........






........ a very good birding day! The kids said it was because it was my birthday.......and all of the birds came out for me, to celebrate.



First, we watched a Great Blue Heron soar and then land......but I did not get my camera out in time. Then, above you see the next bird. We think it was a kestral hawk. We saw it again......or another one later over the lake. On the way to the lake, we found the Snowy White Egret we discovered in the marsh the other day..........this is only the second time since we have lived here.....20 years.........that I have seen an egret in the area.





Not sure what bird this was.........I think it was the heron......Matthew took the picture.


So, we arrived at our hometown lake.........where we have not been since last September. Where it is often too cold to go to in April. It was a sunny day, and comfortable enough........but for that wind. The wind chill factor definitely brought our temp down. But, it was tolerable enough.....and Louise set out a delicious picnic............she remembers everything.......it is her way. There was pastrami, of course, and cheeses, other deli meat, two kinds of mustard, mayo, bakery bread, 4 or 5 kind of chips, a homemade pasta salad, sliced tomatoes, avocados, pickles, sodas, waters........and cookies, cupcakes & gummy bears!

While we ate, Miranda, Louise's daughter, almost 6 years old, and Malachy explored down by the water. We just shared conversation......and enjoyed having the entire beach to ourselves......it kind of felt like we were on a deserted island. :)






Garrett, Louise, Sarah, Malachy & Miss Miranda walked down to the lake.......to discover the driftwood treasures along the shore. Nice view, eh?







This is "our" lake.........the kids have grown up here........Malachy & Miranda have always known this lake......and will grow up here, too........and so will Miranda's little brother........who is due to join the family sometime at the end of July, early August.....hopefully before I need to take a road trip to San Francisco!




This was one of the uninvited guests at my birthday picnic........they were so well-behaved today! They never barged into our party. I am actually one of those people who enjoys gulls. We also saw cormorants flying over the lake several times..........and once, I think I saw a bald eagle......it sure looked like one..........but I am not sure they camp out near this area.

Maddelyn and Anne showed up a bit late......because Anne was not ready to leave when it was time to go and she needed her own car in order to get to her play on time. This was our picnic base. Sarah made the cake........it was chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.....my favorite!! The cake was oh-so good........so moist!! This is the best ever chocolate cake we have ever tried. It is our standard.........the one we always go back to.......and the one I have not left for a very long time. Mmmmmm.

******

Anne said Sarah wrote my name on the cake.......and then asked Anne how it looked. Apparently she had written C-a-r-i on the cake........Anne said: Who is Cari? I guess Sarah takes after me.........I am infamous in my family for my gigantic birthday banner for Tony which read: Happy Bithday!

I saw Matthew standing, with this background, and had to have it memorialized. It was a beautiful day..........and Matthew loves this mountain........his mountain.

















It was definitely a bit chilly when that wind came up.........even the boys, Matthew & Garrett took shelter in the beach towels.

















Sarah loves......I mean really loves Louise. She thinks Louise is one of her most favorite people in the whole world. She is one of mine, too.

















And, not sure if it was the last bird of the day.....but there was this lone sandpiper at the shore.......he was very busy. I just sat and watched him for a bit.


Oh, of course, we also saw Canadian Geese, Stellar Jays, swallows, Western Scrub Jays and pigeons. :)

The lake was painted with several different colors today.........can you see the subtle changes in colors in the above photo?

I know you can see the BIG volcano (it is actually two......both peaks are volcanoes)......do you see those two smaller bumps with snow to the right of the big mountain? That is where the ski park is located where the kids hang out all winter........as much as possible.........never enough!

I took this shot and then Malachy threw a rock near him and he got up and flew around us and overhead for about fve minutes. He was so fun to watch. It was as if he put on a show for us of all of his flying skills. Miranda and Malachy and I sure enjoyed his show!

Anne & Maddelyn told me that the florist called and said they had flowers for me. They said I could pick them up on my way home from the lake......this is what was waiting for me!

Aren't they sweet! They smell good, too! The card read:

I sure hope they are from my husband! :) He is out of town for four days............and is so not into presents or birthdays..........so, if it is him.....I AM surprised! :) I guess I will find out on Monday........

We got home..........and I meant to take a nap............but I ended up posting my daybook........and then organizing all of the photos off my camera so I could delete them.......and start fresh.

Eventually, someone asked what was for dinner........and I said I was too tired to cook. Garrett asked what I would make if I was not too tired............I told him I had some pork steaks in the fridge. He said, "If I were to make the steaks, what would I do first?" So, I told him..........and then when they were in the oven.......he cut up red potatoes and seasoned them and tossed them in olive oil.........two trays! Then he followed this with washing lettuce and preparing all of the veggie toppings for the salad. He prepared a salad bar. He made a lovely three-course meal..........ALL>BY>HIMSELF! And, he is only twelve!

I am so proud of him..........it was all delicious.

Then.........I ended the day by coming here.......and journaling my day.

Time to go to bed.........just in case I actually work tomorrow! (I didn't! phew!) Oh, my! It is almost midnight!

Love & Blessings!

Chari

Disappointed over the election results???

AND, you love to see nature pictures in Australia???


Well........who would ever think to put gorgeous holiday photos and a journal entry about disappointment over a US election together???

You have to see my sweet friend Anne's blog.


WOW, it SO works!


I love what she wrote.........I love her photos......I love Anne!


Thank you, Anne, for caring so much about US and for praying for US.

We really appreciate you, and all of our Aussie friends, for their prayers. Don't stop! :)


Blessings from the US, in cozy Northern California!

~C~

Exciting Things Happening Today!

First, let me make an announcent:





It's a..............well, let's just say that my 4 1/2 year old niece Avery said today: Yay! I finally have a sister!

It's a GIRL!!!!!!

The sweet baby girl was born at 1430 today.....no name or measurement to announce yet.....though I did tell them that Chari was a fine name. :) I recommended Charlotte as an alternative if Chari did not work for them....but Jennifer said I already had a Charlotte in my life who was already special to me. I guess she is right.......I adore Charlotte and I know she really likes me. :) Well, she likes to come visit me anyway. :)

Jennifer has the best inductions, EVER. Trust me, I have seen a lot of inductions. So, mom and baby and dad are doing well. Grandpa, aka Papa, is happy he can go to Disneyland and not worry over Jennifer and baby anymore.

And, then, the other wonderful and amazing thing that has happened in my life today is this:

John and Gloria have asked me to be Benedict Michael's (due any day now!) godmother. I am so excited, privileged, honored........NOW we can really be "related" to the G family! :)

Thank you so much, John & Gloria, for this blessing in my life. I pray I can be a blessing to you and Benedict.....

........hmmmm, does this mean I can have some say in the wee fella's nickname???

And, now.....I must get packed up for the busi-ness of tomorrow!

Wonderful Blessings!

love, chari

How Can I ever Say Thank You?

I got home from our camping trip last Saturday.........and collected the three days of mail from the mailbox. There was a little package in there.

Hmmm.........I wondered what I was getting from Roman Catholic Sacramentals.......I did not remember ordering anything. I thought maybe I had signed up for something free a long time ago and maybe it was suddenly showing up.

When I got to the house, I opened the package. Inside was a small vial of oil. I saw on the PayPal receipt it was Holy Oil from the Holy House of Loreto.

Hmmmm....I do not ever use PayPal......so, it cannot have anything to do with something I did.

My immediate thought was: someone from the 4 Real message boards must have sent this to me for the healing of my current breathing problems. It brought tears to my eyes.......these ladies are so special. Then, while I was thinking WHO could have been the one...........my heart immediately went to aussieannie as the choice.......

Then, I studied the Paypal receipt..........there was an email there.............I was about to go to the boards to check her email, to see if it matched the one on the receipt......but, before I got to that page, I received notice of a private message for me.

I was right! It was a private message from aussieannie......and it was she who sent the gift.

I am so in awe of Anne's generosity. I always knew she was special....but this goes beyond the simple definition of special. I cannot even find the words to say thank you to her........I have waited a whole week.......trying to think how best to thank Anne........and I cannot get beyond this.

I guess the best I can do is to keep her intentions close to my heart and God's mind, while I pray this summer Rosary Novena.

I would like you to take a moment and visit the beautiful blog kept by Anne: Under Her Starry Mantle. With a title like this, you just know she loves our Blessed Mother.

And, on Tuesdays, Anne has a special devotion to Saint Anne on her blog. Saint Anne is a particular friend of mine.............Marty and I begged her for a baby after two-plus years of marriage and promised we would name our baby after her if it were a girl.......well, most of you know it must have worked!

The Holy Oil comes from the House of Loreto, the stone house in which Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived while in Nazareth. "According to tradition, in 1291, when the Crusaders were finally expelled from Palasinte, Our Lady's stone house was transported 'by angels' first to Illyria (in Croatia), then to the territory of Loreto on December 10, 1294, where it remains to this day.".........from the insert with the oil.

The oil I have received, comes from the leftover oil that burns in the Holy House, and is used as a sacramental. I am using it to invoke Our Lady of Loreto's intercession for healing, especially during this Rosary Novena I am praying. I have been blessing my chest with it whenever I have more moderate symptoms. This was daily at first......and now sometimes every two days. I always have a relief of symptoms when I have used the oil. Thanks be to God. He is so generous in providing us with sacramentals.


More info about the House of Loreto is here.

Anne, thank you so very much.

You are SO sensitive to others' needs.........and I am so humbled to be one of those you were "thinking of"

Thank you so much.......SO MUCH. Someday God will share with you the magnatude of my gratitude.......I SO wish I could give you a hug, in real life. In the meantime, consider yourself hugged.

I was going to beg God to let me know what to do, the next step, and then the Holy Oil shows up in my mail box. I am thinking this is my direction, for now. Thank you.

Blessings to you and yours.........wishing we did not live so far away from each other.....

God will reward you for your generosity, much better than I can!

With love and friendship, across the ocean,

And, in the sweet heart of Mary,

Chari

Ten Beautiful Things.....

............. I noticed today.

1. The sun rising over the snowy world........we have had the snowiest January in 40 years. The snow after the first weekend in February, in my front yard, is as tall as my shoulder, and even taller than me on one edge. I am 5'5".

2. The geese flying in a V over my head, listening to their honking.

3. The sun lighting up Black Butte, covered in snow. Black Butte is small extinct volcano. We have wonderful views of it from our property.

4. The appearance of Mt Shasta after its disappearance a week ago.......completely covered in pure, white snow.

5. The sun setting over the Eddies, lighting up the clouds, with various shades of pink and yellow. The Eddies (mountains) are the view from our backyard. We have some of the most glorious sunsets, year round.

6. The sparkle in the snow.......like jewels glistening.

7. The snow in trees.......I just love the snowy decorations on the evergreen trees.

8. A meadow completely covered in snow, except for a pond, shaped like a stream, where ducks were floating....I love this meadow, year round, passing it sometimes daily. I just love the seasonal changes, and I frequently stop, just to savor the view.

9. Christmas lights in the snow......the snow came fast and furious before most folks got their Christmas lights down. It is so fun, to drive home in the dark, with Christmas lights lighting up the snow falling, and giving colored reflections off of the fallen snow. It is especially lovely when the lights give color to an evergreen covered in snow.

10. The glow in the fire as the flames leap. We heat our house only by woodstove. A few times a week find me sitting and staring into the flames enjoying their dance....perfect for meditation, or just basic "spacing out." :)

I originally wrote this list approximately February 2nd. It takes awhile for me to actually get to the blog. Have you noticed? :)

So, I challenge YOU to look for TEN beautiful things around you, too. If you do, please post on your blog, and leave a note in my comments section so I can come see your list. If you do not have a blog, please leave a list in my comments section.

If I remember, I will try to do this at least once a season.

Enjoy the beauty......it is everywhere around us! Blessed be God!

~C~

Thankfulness Times Ten

Happy New Year, 2008!!

~~~~~~~~

Recently, I read about research showing that folks who use journaling to write what they are thankful for...instead of just a place to vent, find their lives are more happy, more satisfying. It got me thinking......yeah, I know, scary thought.......well, it got me thinking, it might be kind of nice to just find ten things I am thankful for, in the moment. I have no rules...I may go over ten, if I cannot help myself......I may repeat myself.....and, I will write in no particular order of importance. If you feel inspired to do the same....do link yourself here in the comment section.

~~~~~~~~

My friend had a very long list at the bottom of her blog, adding to it as needed. I am not sure if it is there on her new blog. I sure enjoyed the idea.

~~~~~~

Okay, here goes......

1. For my new car.....it is a 2001, but it is new to me. My husband found the perfect car for me....and after traveling cross-country in it for two months, and other various shorter trips.....it performs very well. I think you can find it in one of my first posts on this blog. It is on my mind right now as I travel....and appreciate it.

****

2. For getting to spend some time with mom on this trip. It was great fun looking at really old photos.....and for finding baby pictures of Aunt Jennifer and Cousin Julie...who knew any existed :)

****

3. I am so grateful that I am 43 years old...and I still have my grandma around! She is 86 and a half.....and she reads my blog! :) And, I love that my kids have a relationship with her.....since we go visit her at least once a year. And, I love that she lives near the ocean.......makes visiting her twice as grand! We just love her stew!

****

4. Something I thank God for every day of my life: for the lovely & beautiful Catholic faith. God picked me to join His church 23 years ago.......and I treasure every moment with Him, and especially every opportunity to receive Him in Holy Communion. Sometimes the graces are palpable...aren't they?

****

5. I appreciate the way the use of the internet has brought so many true friends into my life. You know who you are........but especially Willa, Robynn, Su, Erica, Miss Laureen, Mary Chris, et al......

****

6. After living a bit isolated for many years, God provided true friends for me in real life.....Gloria, Cindy, Shawna, Louise & Patty..........are amazing GIFTS. Thank you, Ladies, for just being who you are.....who God is calling you to be.

****

7. My husband, whose love language is "acts of service".....what more can I say :) He takes such good care of his family.........amazingly great care. He is the poster child for "acts of service." :)

****

8. I have six some of the best kids in the world. I thank God regularly, for doing such an incredible job raising these kids in spite of their parents. :) Now, just to remember to tell them more frequently...they sure do deserve to hear it.

****

9. Homeschooling.........I know we have our gaps and are "behind" in a few ways....but the homeschooling lifestyle we live has been one of the best and biggest blessings we could ever hope to receive. My favorite part: my kids have relationships with other, memories with each other.........because we are together almost all of the time.

****

10. My dad....he is kind of different from most dads.........but, he is a great dad. He calls me almost daily........insists on taking us to Disneyland, just so he can watch us have fun....loves to watch movies and eat mint'n'chip ice cream with pretzal sticks. Mmmmmm. Oh, and he is nice and gives great back & neck massages.........come to think of it....he just fell asleep while giving me one....I hear him strirring.....wonder if I can get him to do it some more..... :)

****

I can think of more....but I will save them for next time...I am getting pooped out here......not enough rest lately.

~~~~~~~~

We are away from home right now, visiting my family in Northern Nevada, my former home.......home of my college graduation, wedding and newlywed years and the birth of our first child. Please pray for our travels as we deal with storms in the west on our way home this week.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blessings to you and yours this new year!

~~~~~~~

~C~

"Are We Expecting Someone?"

I was at Marty's work a couple of weeks ago, when my eye caught a beautiful metal, fish sculpture, hanging on the wall. My husband noticed, and said, "I just sold one." I asked him how many he has sold, and he said only two. I told him that is because many people love the sculpture, but cannot justify an expensive decoration item. Like us. You should come see my frugally decorated home. :) I want one of those sculptures, but fish do not figure much into my life. :) Nor expensive decorations. :)

~~~~~~~~~~

So, the next day, we start our morning prayers & Rosary.......and the phone rings, it is my dad, as usual. He always waits till we start our prayers or the Rosary before he calls, regardless of whatever time of day we pray. Uncanny knack. So, I put him off for twenty minutes :) and go back to prayers. But, I cannot find my Rosary. I went looking in the kitchen, and I see someone walking to the front door.........I say, "Are we expecting someone?" I did not recognize the person from the angle. I open the door, and there is Andre. The husband of my friend Debbie, who was the good friend who was there with me when I gave birth to that wee fella mentioned last week. :) And, he is the great guy who invented a way to attach swings to our swing set. (I definitely need to post about the GIANT swingset!)


In his hands, we find this:

He says it is for us.

WOW, I am SPEECHLESS.

He says it is the first of its kind. He has only made fish from these plow discsFor us, we get a bear. That so fits us! In fact, I was in the middle of reading my third book about Yellowstone (I am infatuated with the place since our visit.......I am in the middle of my fourth book right now), titled: PLEASE DO (NOT) FEED THE BEARS, about bear management at Yellowstone from the start of the NPS. Here is a view of the back side, with his signature and date:

Here is his story:

In case you cannot read it, the card states: Andre's interest in metalsmithing began in the Pyrenees Mountains of France, where he was raised, and where he trained and worked with traditional Basque craftsmen. To create his art, he recycles descarded steel and iron. Each piece of metal art is handcrafted and unique. An avid fisherman himself, some of his favorite work features trout and steelhead. Other pieces use Basque themes and symbols. Many California State Parks have benefitted from Andre's custom-forged hardware and decoration. Andre has donated his art to local organizations, including The River Center and Castle Crags State Park interpretive association.

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We are in absolute awe at his generosity. I have seen his handywork at his house. He makes some pretty neat stuff. :) One thing he is "famous" for is the creation of bear-proof food lockers, at some of those CA State Parks. He just recently retired from the state park system, and with all of this time on his hands, I expect he will get to finally embark on his REAL career, ART. :).

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For the curious, these sculptures are made from a plow disc. A plow disc is one of many in a line on agricultural equipment that cultivate dirt. They get worn to the point that they are no use to the farmer and then they are discarded. Then, Andre turns them into art! Here is a photo of the plow......

Thanks, Debbie for the photo! :)

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Andre is going to create these sculptures for the CA State Park store at Burney Falls, and he wanted to see how a bear would look. And, he gave us the prototype, the first one ever made.

Is this cool, or what???

Thanks, friend!

~C~