06 May, 2020 - A Mother's Smile & A Warm Bed
Dear, Mom -
Tonight I write to you with a cold coming on. I slept part of the afternoon away because I was tired and feeling a bit congested. I'm tackling it early on, so no need for worry. Just a spring cold. I take an herbal remedy called Umcka and since discovering it, I have never had a full blown cold. My nose gets a little drippy, but that's about it. The other side effects of a cold come, too. Just a bit run down.
It's always nice to have a warm bed to take an afternoon nap in. That is healing in itself. I am fortunate and grateful for our house and three square meals I'm able to have, unlike so many people.
So, since I have tomorrow off, I am going to be in the sun and bake out the cold. I'll get gardening done while I wait for my garden bags to arrive for planting my starts. I also have to order a load of dirt to fill my containers up and to also fill up a dip in the driveway. Our gas line runs underneath where I usually park. I think there was enough of a tunnel for the pipe, that it has given way a bit. Now I am parking on the street because I don't want to take any chances with making it worse.
So tomorrow is mowing the lawn and gardening (which means weeding, I suppose). My neighbor Paula gave me some nice squash starts that I will plant under the fir tree. Root vegetables tend to grow well there, so hopefully later on this summer, we will have some nice squash to roast and put in soups. Once I clear out the rest of the weeds and turn the soil well, I will also plant some pumpkins there, too. What I need to add to my list of chores is removing an overabundance of rosemary. I started with two small bushes and it has taken over about an 8ft x 8 ft spot on the outside garden area. It's just too much and I can use that spot for something else. I won't take all the rosemary out because I love to cook with it. Potatoes with olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary are delightful!
Meanwhile, this little scamp known as Elsa decided that one of my maple sticks needed a good chewing on. She always wants the sticks that are too big for her. If I walk around with a tree limb that is 3" in diameter, she'll take it out of my hands and try to run around with it. It doesn't last very long. She prefers soft, squishy toys that squeak.
I wasn't able to carve more on my small spoon today as I was working most of the morning and early afternoon. I plan on buying a few more tools for smaller work to help fine tune the carving process. I also found some neat drill bits that I can use to grind down some parts of the spoons that require a lot of scoop cutting. I'd rather not dull my new knives too fast, so I may try these. I guess the tricky part is doing that without a vice. I will have to think this whole process through before I get much further. It's a fun project, though. Next, I will start a spoon for my neighbor Paula with some lilac wood and a Swedish horse carving for her mother Birgit.
This is one of my favorite pictures of you and I from a while back. Probably about 3 years ago. This is a face I am very familiar with. It is your 'you tricked me into taking a picture' face. Ha ha ha. I love you so much. I know where I got my sense of humor from. You!
And then there is this little, aspiring fisher girl. This is a picture of you from South Dakota when you would go fishing withe Grandpa Arvo. You look like you are up to more mischief than fishing, to me.
I think fishing must be in our Finnish blood. We know how much cousin Doran likes to fly fish and Uncle Wilhelm liked to fish and hunt, too. I guess it was a wondrous retreat after being down in a mine all day, or getting away for the weekend with a nice picnic lunch with the family and friends.
1935
And here you are as just a wee baby sitting down at the same stream with grandma and grandpa. I bet you had your eye on a fish, didn't you?
I love you very, very much, Mom. I will talk to you again, soon. I would like to drop by to see you, too. We can have a quick chat through the window, or I can just talk to you on the video chat like we've done before. It is so hard not to be able to give you a hug right now. Excruciatingly hard. Now that I have a bit of a cold, I should definitely hold off on giving anyone a hug for a while.
Good night, Mom. Good night, friends! Much love --- Sally
Tonight I write to you with a cold coming on. I slept part of the afternoon away because I was tired and feeling a bit congested. I'm tackling it early on, so no need for worry. Just a spring cold. I take an herbal remedy called Umcka and since discovering it, I have never had a full blown cold. My nose gets a little drippy, but that's about it. The other side effects of a cold come, too. Just a bit run down.
It's always nice to have a warm bed to take an afternoon nap in. That is healing in itself. I am fortunate and grateful for our house and three square meals I'm able to have, unlike so many people.
So, since I have tomorrow off, I am going to be in the sun and bake out the cold. I'll get gardening done while I wait for my garden bags to arrive for planting my starts. I also have to order a load of dirt to fill my containers up and to also fill up a dip in the driveway. Our gas line runs underneath where I usually park. I think there was enough of a tunnel for the pipe, that it has given way a bit. Now I am parking on the street because I don't want to take any chances with making it worse.
So tomorrow is mowing the lawn and gardening (which means weeding, I suppose). My neighbor Paula gave me some nice squash starts that I will plant under the fir tree. Root vegetables tend to grow well there, so hopefully later on this summer, we will have some nice squash to roast and put in soups. Once I clear out the rest of the weeds and turn the soil well, I will also plant some pumpkins there, too. What I need to add to my list of chores is removing an overabundance of rosemary. I started with two small bushes and it has taken over about an 8ft x 8 ft spot on the outside garden area. It's just too much and I can use that spot for something else. I won't take all the rosemary out because I love to cook with it. Potatoes with olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary are delightful!
I wasn't able to carve more on my small spoon today as I was working most of the morning and early afternoon. I plan on buying a few more tools for smaller work to help fine tune the carving process. I also found some neat drill bits that I can use to grind down some parts of the spoons that require a lot of scoop cutting. I'd rather not dull my new knives too fast, so I may try these. I guess the tricky part is doing that without a vice. I will have to think this whole process through before I get much further. It's a fun project, though. Next, I will start a spoon for my neighbor Paula with some lilac wood and a Swedish horse carving for her mother Birgit.
This is one of my favorite pictures of you and I from a while back. Probably about 3 years ago. This is a face I am very familiar with. It is your 'you tricked me into taking a picture' face. Ha ha ha. I love you so much. I know where I got my sense of humor from. You!And then there is this little, aspiring fisher girl. This is a picture of you from South Dakota when you would go fishing withe Grandpa Arvo. You look like you are up to more mischief than fishing, to me.
I think fishing must be in our Finnish blood. We know how much cousin Doran likes to fly fish and Uncle Wilhelm liked to fish and hunt, too. I guess it was a wondrous retreat after being down in a mine all day, or getting away for the weekend with a nice picnic lunch with the family and friends.
1935And here you are as just a wee baby sitting down at the same stream with grandma and grandpa. I bet you had your eye on a fish, didn't you?
I love you very, very much, Mom. I will talk to you again, soon. I would like to drop by to see you, too. We can have a quick chat through the window, or I can just talk to you on the video chat like we've done before. It is so hard not to be able to give you a hug right now. Excruciatingly hard. Now that I have a bit of a cold, I should definitely hold off on giving anyone a hug for a while.
Good night, Mom. Good night, friends! Much love --- Sally
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