End of Winter

As the North East returned to more like winter weather, the old time residents are still excited about the mild winter.  As we jump into Spring  and Easter Sunday coming up, I always think of renewal with the flowers coming  back up, trees budding and flowering, song birds singing in the mornings and the sound of the geese flying over.  On the farm, potatoes were already in the ground, lettuce was up, new chicks in the brooder house and plans being made as when to plant the corn or beans.  Dad always walked with a little more spring in his step and one of the jobs was to "re-stack" the wood pile, and check all the implements that would be needed for spring.

I try to take stock of what is going on with carving and projects.  Speaking of projects, mom sent out some of her quilts to be "quilted" to a local woman who does machine quilting-takes way too long to hand quilt as mom has produced way too many projects this winter.  One of the quilts that she sent out was one that one of her grandmothers made some time around late 1800's or early 1900's-I have a hard time that material would still be good but the quilter said that it would be no problem.  Makes me think about the legacy that we leave for our generations to come-mom has numerous quilts that still are used by all the grand daughters and great grandkids.  Some of the quilts contain pieces that were left overs from PJ's, shorts or shirts that mom made for them-memory quilt?

Pat's 9 Patch

Mom's Flower Garden on the Diagonal 

I found the first decoy that I made, produced in the mid 1980's.  I hope that I am better now than I as then, but Pat has kept it  because it was #1 in my line of decoys!  Where will it be in 100 years?

Decoy #1 Pintail Drake

I also look at the leaves and feathers that I carved.  All the leaves are copies of leaves that have long returned to the soil but the wooden leaf will be here for a while.  I wish that I had kept a better record of the exact location of these leaves-the ones from hence forth will have this description.  The shoveler decoys seems to have hit a block-there are times when I just can't seem to match or make the colors that I want or expect and rather than screw it up, I just wait.  Glad it is not a commission.

A maple leaf from New Hampshire

Feathers and Leave

Shoveler Decoy

The Santa is carved from a piece of basswood from the Canaan Valley in the Ossippe Mountains; the tree was harvested by a Master Carver in the valley that I met at camp last summer.  He saw me carving in pine and brought me back this piece of wood-easy to carve and even more special I know where the wood came from.  A local house built by the Colony family in the 1700's is being torn down; these folks were part of the Keene history as they were connected to the Textile Mills that were important in Keene's history.  What I would give to get a piece of wood from that building to preserve a little Keene history.

Unfinished Santa

I wish that I had a "how to do" something in this writing but sometimes just too philosophical. Did go to the local library for their annual book sale with one of the grandsons today.  For $5 got a grocery bag plus a plastic bonus bag to fill with books-he hit the history, Star Wars and sports for his books, me I went for some sports books and some books that I can use for patterns to "make stuff".  Also picked up some books on dancing, horses and girl stuff for his history.  So much better than one of those electronic reader things, especially the smell, turning the pages and opening and closing the cover.  Life does get good.

Make sure that you measure twice and cut once; if you happen to be waist deep in some trout or bass water, keep a tight line.  Peace