Christmas and a lady

Isn't this rainbow tree beautiful? Such a good idea, and it looks much more amazing in real life. That lady peeking around is pretty amazing too. That's my Aunt Millie. She came to spend a couple of weeks with me and my family. I always liked her, but after spending so much time with her we found that we are kindred spirits.We stayed up each night talking and she shared many stories about her life with me. 

Like how she came to NYC from Puerto Rico as a child and how she met her husband at a dance in Brooklyn. It was just like a scene from West Side Story, he is Italian and even though they were married her father in law never knew that she was Puerto Rican! He assumed she was also Italian and the family kept the truth from him because "it would kill him". That's just one of the crazy things that I never knew. 

I also found out that Aunt Millie can do anything. She wanted a koi pond. So she built one, with a fountain. She can fix your ceiling fan or your toilet. She is an accomplished seamstress, cook, gardener and has a knack for taking in and nursing small hurt animals. She's had every type of rodent, fish, bird and cat. She once turned her son's closet into a coop for a broken pigeon, she housed an abandoned young hedgehog, she saved a baby squirrel and raised it to maturity. She is sweet, humble and always eager to give.

My girls are as smitten as I am with Aunt Millie. We knew it was a good sign when we picked her up at the train station and she had her guinea pig (Piggy-Woo) with her. She is the first person ever to see my girl's taxidermy and ask for a lesson. So, my daughter taught Aunt Millie how to skin and mount a mouse. She got a real kick out of it.  She told us, "See, you're never too old to learn something new!".

Millie is my Mom's sister so I've "known" her all my life, but I really have never known her until now. It's a shame that it took us so long, but I am thankful that we've connected and now my girls have her wonderful influence in their lives. 

This Christmas I found out that there are riches hidden right under our noses. The people in our lives are the greatest gifts we will ever be given, starting with Jesus Christ himself. 

Thank God for the people in your life and ask him to to deepen your love for them. Be deliberate about seeking out that hidden treasure that may be right under your nose.

M e r r y   C h r i s t m a s   &  G o d  B l e s s  Y o u   &  Y o u r s

The Punk Nugget

Introducing the latest addition to our pig pen. The breeder called her Cream Pie, my girls dubbed her The Punk Nugget. She is sweet and sassy and, as you can see very cute.

This is what she looks like right side up.

The Nugget was quickly accepted by the other gals and has settled in quite nicely. This is our current pig crew- The Groke (formerly Molly), The Punk Nugget, May and Little. We love them all, but we will always remember our first guinea pigs, the ones who started us out on this pig loving journey.

Gone but not forgotten - Pumpkin, Penny (my 1st and all time favorite) and The Woogie. 

Taxidermy: her new thing

For a few months now my daughter has been very interested in taxidermy. I'm not really sure how it all started. She read a lot of books, watched youtube tutorials and jumped right in. The first thing people ask is "Where do you get the animals?". 

So, I will get that out of the way first. Pet stores sell frozen rodents  for snake food. My daughter has gotten rabbits, rats, mice and guinea pigs that way. Also from time to time we come across a creature who has met with a tragic demise. 

Some she poses in lifelike positions.

And some in not so lifelike positions! 

This one reminds me of Beatrix Potter's Tailor of Gloucester. My daughter chased a farm cat for this young water rat, she cornered him, and the cat dropped it in front of her and ran off! I do not advise cornering cats, but in this case it worked out with no harm done.

This was the first rabbit she ever taxidermied. It takes a lot of trial and error to get them to look alive. The raccoon was done after a little more experience. That raccoon causes quite a stir when we take him out. 

There is a fervent community of taxidermy enthusiasts online. They share tips, failures, and success stories. My girl now buys, sells, and trades with people all over the world. You'd be surprised at what people are willing to pay for. Even our pet snake's skin sheds are now bartered off or sold. 

I really hope she doesn't sell this mounted mouse head. It's like something from The Borrower's. I want it for our doll house. 

WARNING: If you are squeamish and this is all too much for you...do not proceed!

There she is on the patio working on that Beatrix Potter rat. It amazes me how fearless and driven she is.  This backs up my firm belief that given the freedom and resources to follow their passions kids will do just that. 

My Measuring Spoons

This is what they look like. Bent up and jumbled, but I still use them. If you have a sink disposal maybe you have some that look like this too. When my Mother in Law visits she often says "You need new spoons". I tell her it will just keep happening so why bother? She gave me a set that she used when my husband was little. I refused them because I don't want to ruin them.There are so many things in a house that are a bit off, like a chipped teacup.  Somehow the imperfect things become more homey to me. 

The messed up can be more endearing, like our new gerbil with the broken tail. I gifted my boyfriend (now husband) a baby ball python for his birthday 23 years ago and we still have her. Over the years my husband has fed her over 200 gerbils/rats. This is the first critter that has been pardoned by love. My daughter fell hard for this little guy with his broken off tail. She said "He's so kind. He's my buddy, how can I do that to my buddy?" Of course we couldn't do that to her buddy either. Maxwell Spock is proving himself to be a very sweet pet.

Magical Rat Creature

We usually spend Labor Day visiting or being visited by friends or family. Since everyone has the day off work and school it's a good time to get together. B-B-Q and pool time. But this year the weekend leading up to Labor Day was enough socializing for my family. Saturday we went to the NY Ren Faire. My big girl was an elf and my small one was a fairy. (I finished my costume sewing as we walked out the door!) 

On Sunday we had church and then our church's end of summer B-B-Q. We got home late and all agreed that we would stay home alone the following day, even though it was Labor Day. We just wanted to relax by ourselves. I'm so glad we did. We had a great day and my older daughter had a nice long chunk of time to make this magical rat creature.

His name is Thaddeus and he has quite a lot of personality. She used Sculpy clay for his head and feet and made his plush plump body out of fake fur that she picked up at a tag sale.

Thaddeus has a wire in his tail, so he can hang on or even hang upside down. We took him out shopping with us and people kept asking me if he was real! 

baby guinea pig: welcome!

After the loss of two pigs this month our two remaining pigs have been uncharacteristically quiet. They barely pick at their food. This happened before when another pig in our pig pack passed away. The only thing that revived them was adding new life. What else can you do when faced with death? More life! A feisty ball of energy is needed to shake things up. 

Yesterday we brought her home. She is tiny, just three weeks old. My daughter named her Jenny, but that won't last. Upon their arrival they are always given girlie names like Penny, May, Molly, and Nellie. As their personalities emerge they end up being called things like Planet, Tuck, Baby Bug, Miss Nose, Pumperdinkle, and The Groke. Our new baby is a distant cousin (same breeder) to May, who we've had for two years.

 May took to baby Jenny immediately. She has became an instant mom. The baby dove underneath May's body, like she did with her own mom. If we take her away from May for too long she shrieks and her ears wiggle. May nipped at my daughter twice when she tried to pick up the baby. She was sad and shocked, because May is never snippy like that. I explained to her that May is not being mean, but when you become a mother you instantly change. Everything from then on is about protecting and caring for that baby. 

I reminded her of something that happened when she was around four years old. A mean looking wasp got into our house and landed on her arm while she was sitting at the table eating breakfast. She screamed. Without thinking I grabbed the wasp, (with my bare hand---eek!) threw it to the floor and stepped on it. There was no forethought, the protective instinct just kicked in. 

Our pigs always lay around the house in baskets or on towels. This habit started with our first, Penny. She trained the new ones as we got them to do the same. May is already training little Jenny. If Jenny tries to walk off the towel she nips her and herds her back. They've all been trained this way, by whichever pig is the oldest.

A couple of years ago my daughter made this felted hamster for a friend's birthday.

I can't help seeing the similarities between our new pig and the felted critter. The obvious is their size. The guinea pig has white under the mouth and neck too, along with the black ears and eyes.

The Aztecs believed that guinea pigs had healing powers. I don't know about that, but I do know that they have the power to make us happy on the gloomiest of days.

Sweet guinea pigs and a sad farewell

This is the guinea pig that started it all, our love of piggies. It was seven years ago, I had just read Pinky Pye to my girls and was inspired to get them a little black kitten for Easter. I found what I thought was the perfect cat online from a local shelter. When I went to meet the kitten, she was feral, she hissed, she bit. She was terrified of people. If it was just me alone I probably would have taken her anyway. But, my youngest was three and I knew this would be too hard. I saw countless cats and felt only sadness as they were so cramped up in cages. Cage on top of cage, it made me want to get out of there. On my way out I saw her. She looked so friendly, her orange coat was shining in the sun. I asked, "What is the orange thing in with the rabbits?".  A guinea pig.  "Can I hold it?". 

The next thing I know I am smitten with this critter. "Why is she here?", I asked. Her family got a puppy so they didn't want her any more. A perceived upgrade. So I went home to get my older daughter who was then seven. I told her of my kitten plans and about the orange guinea pig. I said the choice would be hers. We went back to the shelter to look at every cat, bunny and two pigs. She also fell in love with the sweet orange one who we named Penny.

 Each time we took Penny out of the cage a baby black and white Abyssinian would cry and scream as a big bossy rabbit kicked her mercilessly. Apparently Penny was protecting her, her surrogate mother. How could I not? We took them both. 

We called her The Woogie.  Penny passed away a couple of years ago and The Woogie also passed on just earlier this month. They both lived out their piggie life spans, each one lived a full seven years. When they died it was expected, it was not tragic because we knew they had happy full lives (as far as guinea pigs go).

This is Baby Bug. She was a gorgeous Silkie who we got a little over a year ago as a wee month old thing. My older daughter bonded with her and loved her tremendously. Baby Bug would crawl up onto her shoulder and hang out there licking her and nibbling on her hair. She had a bad habit of nibbling books, hair, anything she was curious about. When she grew out of babyhood we noticed that she was showing some signs/symptoms of having too much female hormone. After researching we found this was not something that they grow out of. It most likely could lead to ovarian cysts that grow and grow until they burst. In an effort to prevent this from happening we decided to get her spayed. We found a vet who was experienced with small animals and he confirmed that this was the best option. He said it was a routine operation for him but there is always a risk with such small animals because the anesthesia could be dangerous.

 He called us after the operation. The surgery went perfectly, Buggie was awake and eating and pooping. That meant we could take her home soon. He called back an hour later to say that she had passed away. It was such a shock. My girls were devastated, especially my older. I felt responsible somehow for making the decision and picking that vet. Even though my girl was dealing with this sudden blow she was a comfort to me. She told me that God knew it was going to happen and no matter what doctor I picked she would have died because it was her time. Her goodness and maturity in the face of pain both surprised me and made me even sadder for her.

We still have Big Bug, Baby Bug's older sister and May, a red and white smooth coat. Big Bug and May were solemn and quiet for two days after Baby Bug died. They didn't even squeak for food, which is unheard of in guinea pigs. I guess they felt Little Bug's absence and were dealing with it in their own way. We will all miss her terribly.

Easter

Through all the fogs through

all earth's wintry skies

I scent the spring, I feel

the eternal air

Warm soft & dewy, filled with

flowery eyes

And gentle murmuring motions

everywhere

Of life in bird & tree & brook

and moss-

Thy breath wakes beauty, faith &

bliss & prayer

And strength to hang with nails

upon Thy Cross.

-Lilias Trotter (from A Passion for the Impossible)

*the photo: We were at The NY Botanical Garden. My daughter inched closer and closer to a little brown rabbit who just stood there for the longest time nibbling on a plant. He seemed oblivious to us. He was straight out of a Beatrix Potter story, all that was missing was his little blue jacket.

Spring, Knitting and Frogs

My daughter has been knitting for around six years, the exact amount of time I have been knitting. She wanted to learn, so I learned so I could teach her. It all started with this book. Although she knits and crochets quite a bit, she never used patterns...until this hood.

 She usually gets an idea of what she wants and just goes to it.  She wanted a fox, so she made this. She doesn't plan it out. She just starts crocheting and as she says, "feels" what to do.

 I can do that with food and fabric, but not with yarn. 

Over the years I have suggested that she learn to read and follow a pattern. She never wanted to.  No need, no interest, why do it? Until the book Woodland Knits arrived. She flipped through it and saw this hood.

 "I'm going to make this hood in green.", she said. 

She ordered the yarn, bought double pointed needles and the circular set that it needed and knocked it out in a couple of days. First time on DPNs and circular. She also altered it, "I didn't want it so long, so I shortened it and added a tassel." Oh, first time for a tassel too. 

When the interest is there, learning is comes naturally and is self motivated.

Today we caught our first frog (and a few crayfish as well).

So for me, it's officially Spring!

Listen to the frog. Yep- he says, "It's definitely spring. Now put me down."

Christmas Doings

Now that the doing is over, I can relax and look back on what was done.  Here is my latest advent wreath, I make a new one each year. Of course I  feel the need to sneak mushrooms and acorns into the  decor whenever possible. Sure the mushrooms are fake but they made it look much nicer, like a walk in the woods.

I was inspired by the The Complete Dickens Christmas issue of The Storybook Home Journal to make this Christmas pie. It is a puff pastry 'package' filled with beef, carrots and gravy. I enlisted my husband's help, an extra pair of hands made the process go smoothly. While he cut out the decorative shapes I worked quickly getting the filling to stay in the dough parcel. He came up with the idea to paint the "berries" before baking with beet juice to make them that pretty red.

My new fish and fungus apron. My friend Andrea, who always knows what I like, gifted me with this mushroom print dish towel. Much too crisp and nice to wipe up slops, I decided to make it into an apron adding an interesting fish print I love but so far have had no use for.

Who is that cutie in my apron pocket? Her name is Mei and she is our new guinea pig. Over the holidays we lost two of our beloved piggies, Penny and Pumpkin. Our remaining girl, Woogie has not been doing well finding herself alone for the first time in her life. She has lived with us and her two cage sisters for the last five years. Yesterday we brought lovable Mei into the family. Woogie has perked up and is acting like her old self again. 

Tea with Squirrel

I’ve never had a tea cozy of my own. Sure I’ve made them to sell and made them for gifts, but never made one for myself until today. Each year when the temperature drops and I have need of a cozy I grab a kitchen towel, wrap it around my teapot and that’s that. It works so well that the real need is gone so I figure why waste the time making one when there are so many other things pressing. This adorable squirrel pattern was so simple and quick that I couldn’t resist it. I whipped it up today from a piece of berry wool felt. It would have been done even faster but my sewing machine has issues with metallic thread and I wanted  gold stitching for this festive Christmas season. Tonight while the children were finally nestled all snug in their beds it was just me and the squirrel for tea. He did his job while I glanced through some of my inspirational Christmas books for more ideas of things to make and do.

After the Rain

It has been raining here a lot. A whole lot. Like every day. I found myself slipping into “snowed in” mode. For me that means not leaving the house, reading, sewing and baking. That’s alright when it really is snowing. But it’s Spring. I should be out there planting, wandering, foraging, smelling Spring, being dazzled by the colors. Finally there was a break. We were sitting at the table reading. I was thinking about what to bake and out it came. The sun! I said to the girls “We need to get out, now! This might not last long.” We ran off immediately for a woodsy walk. 

I am so glad we did. It seems we were not the only ones rejoicing in the sudden break in the rain, all kind of critters were scampering around us. The birds were shaking the water off their feathers and singing. So many mushrooms had popped up everywhere. Even a snake seemed to be enjoying the sun, stretched out relaxing so close to us I could touch him.

My advice is to get out there and grab the blessings while you can. When it rains again you will wish that you had. 

(The photo is of my little one playing with some interesting clumps of mushrooms. She was making believe that she was the "Mushroom Lady",  that her umbrella was a giant mushroom and that she was causing the mushrooms to grow. )

The Goat

Lord, let me live as I will!
I need a little wild freedom.
a little giddiness of heart,
the strange taste of unknown flowers.
For whom else are your mountains?
Your snow wind? These springs?
The sheep do not understand.
They graze and graze,
all of them, and always in the same direction,
and then eternally
chew the cud of their insipid routine.
But I- I love to bound to the heart of all
your marvels, leap your chasms,
and, my mouth stuffed with intoxicating grasses,
quiver with an adventurer’s delight
on the summit of the world!
amen

from Prayers from the Ark by Carmen Bernos Gasztold

The photo is of a fancy gentleman we met on our last Bronx Zoo excursion.

zoo day

Since our Bronx Zoo membership is about to expire, I figured it was time for one last hurrah until we renew in the fall. I was also looking for some creative inspiration and I wasn't disappointed.

I had to be very sneaky to get this close.

Yes, a black swan.