My wonderful parents were selective and thrifty. If either of them did not find the Valentine that suited them, they simply went to the drawer of the French desk and selected one from years past to re-date and sign.
Now that my daddy is gone, I selected two of his favorites to rework into Valentine decorations. These were supposed to decorate mom’s door at the facility and her home. Covid has kept me at home so I will be sharing these with you instead.
This one was my daddy’s favorite. He used it a total of eight times. He even added a promise of a dinner for two out in 2017. I wish I had taken a photo of it before dismantling it.
I have added a bluebird in the hole in the middle. My daddy loved bluebirds. We say he is a bluebird now and each one we see that is overly friendly must be our daddy. It helps us cope.
I have not finished re-working the Valentine to the right.
That cardinal at the bottom did not suit me, so I am searching for a photo of my mom and dad to glue there instead.
Mr. Flower and I are continuing the tradition with anniversary cards.
Covid 19 finally found me on February 6, 2023. I spent forty eight hours in a stupor. Covid tests were negative the first two days. I did one last test on Friday, February 10 before heading to a many-times-postponed physical (scale included) with my GP. The pink lines on the test card formed before I could set the timer for 15 minutes.
So, the stop and go continues. I am back in a mask. Quarantined in my side of the house. No trips to see my mama. I am holding my breath hoping Mr. Flower and Rose do not get it. Somebody has to keep going!
I hope you enjoy this post of mess and chaos. This is what I usually hide. It has recently come to my attention that my friends are feeling ashamed of their messes, which made me sad. This blog post is for all the women who think they should have a clean and tidy house. Enjoy!
This is the table behind my desk which faces a wall and window. Notice the Valentine decorations for the folks at the facility hanging on the chair, undelivered. The notebooks are family cookbooks for relatives that I have not mailed yet.(sorry Sue, Colleen and Kayla) The bag of chocolates was given to me by Rose because she does not like them. Fireball whisky is for my nightstand when I cannot stop coughing. The book under my antiviral prescription is for a Clickart Program. I got up at 2 AM to select vintage St. Patrick art to glue onto shamrocks but cannot find the disk. The pocket for it in the book is empty. (hi ho)
The other side of the table is covered with my antiviral medication, cup of cold coffee and one of my hundreds of masks I made to avoid Covid. The giant Valentine is one I am reworking into a decoration. (next post…wait for it) There are also various supplies for making ‘Fairy Windows’ for and with my friends.(future post) The plants, puzzles and books in disarray are always there.
The left side of my messy desks is surrounded by photos of folks I love and a follower-mama of my other blog. Notice all the colored pens and markers. My college roommate still likes to rib me about my collection. Now, everybody knows Marybeth. Notice my computer is on books. This is so that when I do interviews the computer camera is not pointed up my nose or straight at my ‘old lady neck.’ My camera is always close-by, of course.
The right side of my desk has a photo of my daddy that I talk to as I work. (Hi Daddy!) There are figurines of my heroes RBG and Fauci. Many owls are about. The black cord was found while looking for the Clickart disk. (?) Beside my wall calendar is one of the Madame Alexander dolls that made it through without a haircut or being lost. That bookcase is full of books on Human Anatomy and Physiology and diseases.
The floor is also full of clear boxes for yet another project. The African violets are my late mother-in-law’s. The poinsettia is a gift from Rose three Christmases ago, blooming again. I made the stained glass yellow iris, Banana Frappe’. Notice the mirror surrounded by nuggets? My mother is reflected in it from a photo on the wall across the room. I couldn’t have set that up if I tried. Mama always did keep a close eye on me!
More books, more family and favorite people photos. I see that my space heater is too close to paper again. I guess I should move those.
So now you have seen my mess. I have nothing more to hide. The rest of my house is like this. I hope you feel better about your house, Sandra. We have better things to do than clean. (Pinch that baby Leprechaun for me.)
All you people can come on over and visit me in my chaos, but please wait until I test negative. Masks are required inside. I am going back to bed. Looking at this mess has worn me out.
A proper blog post will follow when my head quits spinning. For now I will just spew a few thoughts.
Time moves forward no matter what you are doing. Every day you wake up older. We all do, even the young.
You are spending time you will not get back. It would be wise to do things that matter to you.
I have been sorting through my parents’ past. They both have saved items from their parents past.
My mom’s dad died over thirty years ago. I am finding ancient Mother’s Day cards he gave to his mother.
No, they did not go into the trash or recycle piles. My sis and I call it the ‘Keep’ box.
Our hours have been spent discerning what stays and what goes. It is mentally and emotionally exhausting.
When we are done there will be many more hours spent deciding what to do with what stayed.
Mama would not like us doing any of this if she knew. She has dementia, so she would be mad but not for long.
I came back home determined to purge my files. I did toss a few things, but then I felt a circle forming.
My own past was circling back. The children’s sports events, dog flea treatments, orthodontists appointments, school meetings, family parties… All the things I do not do anymore.
I clamped a bunch of it together and attached a note to my children. I guess I saved a circle for them to feel when I am gone or in a home.
Time goes by every day. Do something important with some of it.
If you would like to totally immerse yourself in Native American culture, I have the spot for you. There are many places important to the Cherokee located short drives away from here.
While the Cherokee of the area lived in wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs, the nomadic tribes of the west lived in teepees that could be moved as the buffalo roamed.
This teepee in Cullowhee is twenty-four feet in diameter. The interior has furnishing that follow the native American theme. It is set on a lovely hill with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This dwelling is a product of Nomadics Tipi Makers which furnished the teepees in the movie Dances with Wolves. The teepees of medicine men were decorated to designate their location. This one is beautifully marked with life-sized, wildlife portrayals.
If your entire party does not care to use the charming, nearby outdoor, enclosed shower and outhouse; you can also rent a large, gorgeous cabin on the property.
(My entire family stayed in the cabin last weekend.)
My family has had a weekend full of fun and amazement. There will be several posts about our adventures at Cullowhee, NC.
My daughter graduated from Western Carolina University on Saturday.
This first post covers an historic site of the Cherokee Indians. These native Americans have my admiration. This carved soapstone relic is covered in petroglyphs dating back 300 to 1,500 years.
Judaculla Rock Cullowhee, NC
Soapstone was quarried by native Americans to make stone bowls. This form of stone is carvable. Over 1,500 petroglyphs have been mapped on the rock’s surface.
It is fortunate that the family of Milas Parker has guarded the rock from damage since discovering it in the 1930’s. The family has donated one acre to the Judaculla site and more of the surrounding land for conservation. We all should be grateful that this family has protected this national treasure from damage.
Judaculla is the name of the giant guarding the Balsam Mountains. The foot prints of Judaculla are on the lower right of the huge stone. Legend says Judaculla swooped down to defend the land around Caney Fork from disrespectful hunters and landed on the rock, forming the prints.
It is easy to travel back in time while silently admiring this treasure. I can envision Cherokee people thoughtfully and carefully leaving a message for others to find in the huge soapstone boulder. I am grateful for their vision.
I intend to do more research about Judaculla later.
Stay tuned for my next post ‘A Teepee in Cullowhee.’
floweralley 