Related....

Mother on the left and me on the right.

We're about the same age in these two very different presentations.

Mom is holding her favorite doll, one that had a bisque head and was lovingly outfitted by friends of her mother's who gave it to her one Christmas.

Mrs. Wiley cut out the silhouettes of all of us that were in her first grade class.

I look pretty grown up, I'd say.

Do click on the image so that you can see how sweet my Mother looked.

You will see, however, that the paper of my profile is pretty tattered.

I just decided to frame it last year before it disintegrated.

I'm not planning to do the same thing...

Disintegrate, that is!

Elegance and a gift

This lovely porcelain bird was brought to class by one of my

students.

I fell instantly in love.

What a gorgeous form, origami-like in its sharp angles and the

paper white look of it.

The shadows it cast just doubled the visual pleasure.

Here you see two shots I took of it as it sat on my desk.

Then, my lovely student, and new friend,

gifted it to me.

Sigh................

Oh tree of winter beauty!

Sometimes when the weather and season is particularly wonderful,

I drive around the streets in my neighborhood to enjoy it.

A recent wet and heavy snow did amazing things to the trees.

I came across this gorgeous weeping tree and now I am sharing it with you!

Doesn't it look a bit like a stork? Or a crane?

See how it is made!

These youngsters were getting quite a treat!

Seeing how glass can be turned into something beautiful and useful!

This is at the Art of Fire in Laytonsville, Maryland.

artoffire.com

Right now, with our wintry weather, this summer scene and the heat of

the glass furnace is especially appealing!

Gifts for our studio mascot

I admit that I can take my wonderful cat for granted sometimes.

But my students never let me do that.

And so here you see her the week before Christmas with

her new toys courtesy of one student who loves her more than anyone!

Of course how to you measure love anyway?

You don't.

You just know it is.

Words of Love

My Mother would be more than surprised to know I am going to share a beautiful message she wrote to my Dad for a birthday card in the 42nd year of their 70 year marriage. But it makes me see so much of what was the vital factor in their relationship ~ BEAUTY. Here is the letter:

To My Darling

On a most important Day (my Dad's 65th birthday) we've been going around together for so short a time ~ our life a kaleidoscope of color, so much enrichment, so much of joy, that whatever shadows crossed our paths the brilliance of our life has kept them all subdued.

Well, that is how I feel on your birthday ~ I hope you feel that way too.

Many many more wonderful years.

I love you.

Your Ginni

October 20th 1976

Where Have They Gone?

Some folks have fallen off the radar this year.

They were friends of my parents and so are in their sunset years.

Perhaps the sun has set for some of them.

I sent Christmas cards to the few that I have been in contact with

over the last years since my parents left this world.

They, and I, have been grateful for the continued contact

and for the pleasure of remembering my incredible parents.

But where are they in fact?

I tried finding two of them on the white pages in Google, no luck.

One was dear enough to send out cards with her new address

now that she lives with her daughter and son-in-law.

When my parents were here with me we spoke of a long-time friend

with whom they had lost contact.

I decided to try and find out what happened to her and so

managed to get in touch with the retirement community administration office

of the place where she had moved years earlier.

She had died some years ago, they told me.

I told my parents.

We just sat quietly for a while.

People leave this life.

But they are always with us even so.

Fare well old friends.....