#Welsh #LoveSpoons AKA Dad's First #WoodCarving Project

My Dad has been trying some new crafts lately, among them wood carving. The photo at the top of this post is his first ever wood carving project, which he gave to me when I went for my visit to Wales at the start of January. It's a Welsh love spoon.

For those who don't know, here's some information on what one is, and its history:

Welsh lovespoons are hand made wooden spoons that are made from one piece of wood and designed and decorated according to the carver’s imagination.

Love Spoons in the Past
Originally made by young men during the long winter nights or by young men on long sea voyages, they were carved to express that young man’s intentions towards a particular girl. A love spoon would be given to a girl as an indication that he wished to court her. A girl may have received lovespoons from several suitors and these would be displayed on the wall of her home.

The tradition of carving lovespoons is thought to have been derived from the making of culinary spoons and the giving of a spoon became symbolic with the expression of the wish to “feed” or support the object of the prospective suitor’s desire. It was a short step to decorating such a spoon and to investing it with symbols of the suitor’s hopes and wishes. Such a spoon would then have had no practical use and would have been regarded as an ornamental gift albeit vested with meaning.

The earliest surviving lovespoon dating from around 1667 is at the National Museum of Wales at St. Fagans near Cardiff but Welsh lovespoons are known to have been made by the menfolk of Wales before this date.

The practice of making and giving lovespoons by prospective suitors was common in Wales throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries but the custom became less popular towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. There has been a revival of the custom over the last 40 or so years and many people today make love spoons on a commercial basis for customers to utilise for the commemoration of special events in their lives or in the lives of their loved ones.

~Above information taken from this Welsh love spoons site.

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Celebrating Lammas 2011 (FD)

So, for those who have been looking forward to reading it, here is my post about how Lammas went for us this year. The lion kit didn't work out that well. First the glue with it was all dried up, so we had to use some of the PVA glue I have among the craft stuff I brought recently (good thing I brought that). PVA glue often takes some time to dry though, so we did a bit of it Monday, then continued Tuesday. Things went from bad to worse with the kit though. We followed the instructions to the letter, but when we put one piece in it jammed the mechanism in it, and when we went to pull it back out a vital piece of the mechanism snapped. We aren't 100% certain if it was our fault or not, but with the kit reduced to a pile of scrap timber pieces we were forced to admit defeat when it came to the craft kit. *Sigh* Our feast and the bread and juice blessing I mentioned we would be doing were much more successful. We had our sandwiches made with fresh bread, and this yummy apple pie: And we made sure to set aside a piece of each of our sandwiches, a bit of apple pie, and some of the blueberry tea we had as a drink as an offering to Lugh, and any other Gods or Goddesses who may have been in attendance during our feast: After the feast and the bread and juice blessing we put our offering outside, and I had just started setting up for doing the ritual for honoring Lugh, which I'd decided to do as a solitary ritual, when my Dad and Carl (my brother) showed up. They stayed for long enough to have a drink with us, have a bit of a chat, and for Dad and Carl to come with me to walk Kero, then they left. While they were here though Dad reported seeing birds helping themselves to our offering already. I told him to grab a photo, but by the time he actually mentioned it to me they'd noticed activity near the back door and flown off. Shame, because my camera was still on the kitchen counter... Maybe a foot away from where Dad was stood watching the birds. Anyway, Dad also noticed the beginnings of my altar setup for the ritual I was going to be doing, so got curious. I had Kelly take a photo when I was done setting up, so perhaps when you see it you'll understand why he was so confused: When Dad saw it the brailler (red typewriter type machine), knitting stuff, candle and altar tile were all that were on it (well, other than the cloth itself). He said he could understand the brailler, since that would be what I'd use to write stuff down if I didn't want to use the laptop, and the candle and altar tile... He definately understood those. But the knitting stuff really threw him. He was convinced it was going to be a long ritual and I was going to knit during slow parts or something. LOL! So I explained to him that: 1. It's not a long ritual, and 2. Even if it was, I wouldn't be knitting while doing it. I then went on to explain why I had knitting stuff on my altar. I will do the same for anyone still reading this: The ritual is all about honoring skills and crafts, and asking for blessings where needed in aspects of them, so I needed items on there to represent my various skills and the crafts that I do. The brailler is my writing tool - as I already mentioned - since, being blind, I can't just use a pen, and the brailler - for those who are interested and don't know - is basically a form of typewriter for the blind, which writes in braille. The knitting (which, if you're interested, is part of the rocket I was knitting for Emma's little brother) is there to, obviously, represent knitting. I later added a reel of cotton and the little plastic needle container that has a needle threader in it for sewing, the scissors I recently brought for use with paper crafts, and the little tub with seporate sections in it for seporating sequins in to, which was there as a representation of card making, but could be another sewing representation too, I guess. I then obviously had the candle, and my altar tile. Plus, there's the plate with an offering just for Lugh in return for him listening to me, etc. And the lot is on a purple cloth, because it's the only altar cloth I have. I would have also added some representation of harvest time or something, but felt the altar was full enough of items. I mean, the brailler is so bulky that it ttook up a huge chunk of the altar (which is why the candle isn't in the centre properly as it should have been), so I think to add anything more would have made it way too crowded. As it was both the brailled out version of the ritual and the candle snuffer ended up being on the kitchen counter behind me since there was no room for them on the altar. I also totally forgot to put something on the altar to represent the things I make out of clay. I'd already done the ritual before I thought about it though, so it was a bit late by then. Funny thing is, I expanded the ritual a bit by also saying the poem I'd written early that morning, and clay creations were mentioned in that. Yet I still forgot to put a representation of clay creations on there. Well, the altar was probably full enough already. :) So, that was our Lammas/Lughnasadh/First Harvest celebration for 2011. Next year I'm hoping we're in a position to be making our own fresh bread, and also that we have a more successful attempt at doing some kind of craft kit or project together!

Lugh, Master of Skills

Lugh was known to the Celts as a god of craftsmanship and skill -- in fact, he was known as the Many-Skilled God, because he was good at so many different things. In one legend, Lugh arrives at Tara, and is denied entrance. He enumerates all the great things he can do, and each time the guard says, "Sorry, we've already got someone here who can do that." Finally Lugh asks, "Ah, but do you have anyone here who can do them ALL?" Take the opportunity this day to celebrate your own skills and abilities, and make an offering to Lugh to honor him, the god of craftsmanship. Before you begin, take a personal inventory. What are your strong points? Everyone has a talent -- some have many, some have one that they're really good at. Are you a poet or writer? Do you sing? How about needlecraft, woodworking, or beading? Can you tap dance? Do you cook? How about painting? Think about all the things you can do -- and all of the things you'd like to learn to do, and the things you'd like to get better at. Once you sit down and think about it, you might be surprised to realize how accomplished you really are. Decorate your altar with items related to your skill or talent. If your skill relates to something tangible, like sewing or jewelry-making, put some of your craft supplies on the altar. If it's an ability to DO, rather than MAKE, such as dancing or singing, put some symbol of your ability on your altar. Do you have a favorite outfit you wear when you dance? A particular song lyric that you know you're fabulous with? Add as many items as you like to your altar. You'll need a candle to symbolize Lugh, the god. Any harvest color is good, because he came up with the idea of a grain festival to honor his foster mother, Tailtiu. Place the candle on your altar in the center. Feel free to add some stalks of grain if you like -- you can combine this rite with one honoring the harvest, if you choose. Lammas Harvest Ritual Light the candle, and take a moment to think about all the things you are good at. What are they? Are you proud of your accomplishments? Now's your chance to boast a little, and take some pride in what you've learned to do. Announce your own talents in the following incantation. Say: Mighty Lugh, the many-skilled god, he who is a patron of the arts, a master of trades, and a silver-tongued bard. Today I honor you, for I am skilled as well. I am deft with a needle, strong of voice, and paint beauty with my brush strokes.* *Obviously, you would insert your pride in your own skills here. Now, consider what you wish to improve upon. Is your tennis-playing out of whack? Do you feel inadequate at bungee jumping, yodeling, or drawing? Now's the time to ask Lugh for his blessing. Say: Lugh, many-skilled one, I ask you to shine upon me. Share your gifts with me, and make me strong in skill. At this time, you should make an offering of some sort. The ancients made offerings in exchange for the blessings of their gods -- quite simply, petitioning a god was a reciprocal act, a system of exchange. Your offering can a tangible one: grain, fruit, wine, or even a sample of your skillwork -- imagine dedicating a song or painting to Lugh. It can also be an offering of time or loyalty. Whatever it is, it should come from the heart. Say: I thank you, mighty Lugh, for hearing my words tonight. I thank you for blessing me with the skills I have. I make this offering of bread and wine* to you as a small token of honor. *Or whatever else you may be offering. Take a few more moments and reflect on your own abilities. Do you have faith in your skills, or do you deflect compliments from others? Are you insecure about your abilities, or do you feel a surge of pride when you sew/dance/sing/hulahoop? Meditate on your offering to Lugh for a few moments, and when you are ready, end the ritual. Tips: If you are performing this rite as part of a group, family or coven setting, go around in a circle and have each person take their turn to express their pride in their work, and to make their offerings to Lugh. What You Need: A candle to represent Lugh Symbols of your skill or talent An offering of some sort (Above taken from here).

Plans for Lammas 2011

So, as promised, I'm writing the post to tell you about our plans for celebrating Lammas this year. It's going to be a quiet celebration for this holiday; not nearly as much activity as there was in the Litha celebrations. Anyway...

You may remember the post I did about the Timberkit we brought back at the start of July? Well, on Monday we will be putting it together, since that's August 1st, which is - if you don't know - the date we celebrate Lammas (also called "Lughnasadh" or "The First Harvest" as well as a couple of other things, I believe).

Once that's done we will be having a "feast" based on some appropriate Lammas foods. I would have liked to bake some homemade bread, but that isn't an option for us this year, so instead Kelly will be fetching some from a bakery up town, and we will have it made in to sandwiches, and follow it with some apple pie, washing the lot down with some grape juice. But, before we enjoy our meal we will be doing a simple juice and bread blessing. If you're interested in what the blessing is, read on... I'm about to post it for you. I'm afraid I don't remember where I got this from, so I can't give credit for it. Anyway...

***

Juice and Bread Blessing
Person 1 holds the bread aloft, person 2 does the same with the juice.

Person 1: "Here is bread, here is life. The fertility of the land combined with the skill of the people who ground the grain and baked this bread. Here is the body of the Earth Mother and the seed of the gods. Without such gifts we shall perish. I slay thee bread with reverence and joy."

Person 2: "Here is juice, here is life. The water of the Earth combined with the nectar of the green things that grow upon it. Here is the life blood of the Land. This holds the sweet blessings of the Earth. Without such gifts we would perish. I bless this drink with humble gratitude."

The first piece of bread is placed in the offering bowl by person 1, and the first sip of juice is placed in another offering bowl by person 2. All say:

"We give the first of fruits to the gods with gratitude."

Bread and then juice is passed around to each participant. When all present has their bread and juice, all say:

"May you never hunger, May you never thirst."

All present eat their piece of bread and drink their juice.

***

We will be lighting a candle before we start the blessing while inviting Lugh - and any other Gods and/or Goddesses who wish to join us - to attend, and leaving it lit throughout both the blessing and the feast (you probably figured this out, but the feast will begin as soon as the blessing is over). Then, once the candle is extinguished, signifying the end of the feast, we will place the offerings outside somewhere where they can be returned to nature in some way.

Craft kits and supplies

Where possible I like to plan ahead, so within a few days of Litha being over with I started thinking about the next holiday we will be doing something for; Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 1st). It was agreed that we would spend some time doing some kind of craft kit or something together, so I needed to find one that we would both enjoy. If it was just me I'd probably have just spent at least a large part of the day working on my knitting projects and such, but Kelly doesn't knit, so I needed to find something we could do together (or, failing that, something he could do while I work on my knitting projects). I'd heard about a website called "Craft Kits UK" so I went there to look first. It looks like a pretty good website, but it seems to be focusing more on card making than anything, and I didn't really want to do card making. There's nothing wrong with card making; in fact, I'm thinking I might give it another go again in the future, but card making wasn't what I was looking for. So, I decided to do a Google search for "craft kits" to see what I could come up with. I found a website called "Make It Now" where they have a nice selection of craft kits, including sewing kits, candlemaking kits, and some "Timberkits mechanical models" which captured my attention... The following is from the page linked to above: "Timberkits are a range of mechanical models supplied in component form. Each kit comprises a selection of precision made wooden parts which are assembled using the supplied glue and sandpaper, to produce a finished model with moving parts. Timberkits are the perfect introduction to mechanical principles and Automata- one can see the effect of each part on the next and it's simple to understand how gears, cams and drive shafts work! All the components in Timberkits are made from natural wood which is sustainably sourced and FSC certified. Every Timberkit comes with clear, easy to follow instructions, often including illustrations, and all kits are suitable from 8 or 9 years and above. Once assembled, Timberkits can be painted or left to show the natural beauty of wood." They sound like they'll be fun to make, and since both Kelly and I have an interest in how things work, and most of Kelly's craft-like hobbies involve putting together models... Well, it seemed like a great idea. And when I saw the "Flatbits: Lion"" I knew we just had to get it; especially with my love of lions! We ordered it Monday morning, and it arrived on Tuesday morning. I can't wait for Lughnasadh now, because I'm looking forward to building a lion!

Projects (LBE)

You may remember me saying a couple of days ago that I was tidying up the shed in preporation for doing certain "projects" I plan on doing? Well, I'm now going to tell you about those projects. In fact, I'm also going to tell you about the other projects I'm planning on doing... Ones I can do inside... So... On Wednesday my Mam and I were discussing projects we wanted to do to keep ourselves busy. She's figured out a couple for herself, and I said, "what about me?" So she asked what I wanted to do, and what I felt I could do. I told her I didn't know, but that I wanted it to be something useful, and which could lead to other projects or be built on or something. Anyway, we eventually came up with some ideas of things I could try and see if I was able to do them well enough and enjoy them enough to make them worth continuing with. A couple of them are ones I don't really want to be doing indoors though - not because of space, but because of mess - and it's too wet here as a general rule to rely on having dry days to do them outside. Hence tidying the shed to make some space for myself. And what are they? Well, I'll tell you. I'll let you figure out for yourself which ones I need the shed for. ;) The first thing is making things out of clay. I've always enjoyed working with clay. I'm sure I've mentioned before about how I can make almost anything from clay if I know what it looks like well enough, have enough clay to work with, and have enough time to work on it. OK, some things I can make better than others, but that's not important. Anyway, some things made out of clay (e.g. pots, vases, etc) can be useful. Admittedly a lot of things aren't, but clay is a good thing to work with, because you can make so many different things with it. You can make nice figurines as gifts or to display in your own home. Or - as I've already mentioned - you can make useful things like pots and vases. Another thing that I'm planning on doing - which could also be useful - is sewing. I've never been the best seamstress, but I used to do an "OK" job. My issue with sewing is threading needles, but if I get a needle threader then that problem is sorted. Anyway, I'm going to start off making simple things like cushion covers and maybe one of those make your own teddy kits and see how it goes. If I'm enjoying it enough and feel I'm doing a good enough job I may start doing something more complicated. I'd like, for example, to be able to make my own clothes. That way - if I can do it - I can avoid the issues I have when clothes shopping. You see, I'm short in the legs, long in the body, and quite round in the middle. Everything either fits me around the middle but has several inches too much leg, or is several inches too short in the body. It's annoying, it's frustrating, and it makes shopping a nightmare since finding something I like the feel of the fabric of, like the style of, and that fits is VERY difficult. So if I could just buy fabric I like the feel of and then make my own clothes it would be a lot less stressful and give me something to keep my hands busy while I listen to my stories. I've made draw string bags and a few other things before, and the stitching on those held nicely. The draw string bag I made for my plate, bowl, cup and cutlery to go in when I went camping with Guides, for example, lasted the whole time I was in Guides (so a couple of years). It's still in one piece as far as I know... I think it's in the attick at my parents' place. And some of the peg bags I made sold at a bring and buy sale we did at Guides, so I can't have done too bad of a job on them. ;) I also made a rag doll before... Not sure where that is now... Possibly among the toys in the spare room? Anyway, it was able to withstand being pulled about by a three year old, so it can't have been too bad. LOL! OK, moving on... There's also knitting. I've never been very good at knitting, but I'm going to try making some simple blankets to practice with. Then maybe I can progress to making scarves, hats, mittens and wooly socks... And maybe even a wooly jumper or two for myself? Again, something useful that will keep my hands busy while I listen to stories. I've never made anything more complicated than a couple of little blankets, a scarf for a doll, and a wooly hat for a doll. And I never could get the hang of more than plain stitches. But it doesn't matter if it's all done in plain stitches, does it? With the way things are going it will be cheaper to make clothes anyway. Besides, if I can make the stuff then it means that if a seam splits I can mend it instead of throwing it out. Or - at the very least - use the fabric or wool towards making something new. I'm sure my things wont be good enough to sell, but if I can just make things good enough to wear myself then it will be a great help. And maybe then my Mam will get her way and I'll start enjoying going shopping with her? LOL! Anyway... You may also remember me mentioning recently about wanting a bird table but disagreeing with the prices they're asking? If so, do you remember me saying about wanting someone to make a bird table instead? Well... I'm going to do it myself! I know that at least some of you will be thinking things along the lines of, "but you're blind," and "what if you hurt yourself?" And so on... But I want to point a couple of things out before you get started on those thoughts. 1. Yes, I'm blind. But so is Carl (my brother). He's been blind since the age of two and has never had a problem with carpentry/woodworking. He's even used those big machines that cut metal that they have in some workshops in the past. So if he can do it, why can't I? 2. Yes, I could hurt myself... But so could a sighted person. And I haven't hurt myself so far using hammers, screw drivers, etc. That doesn't mean I wont. But - as I already said - anyone could. The guy who laid our carpet, for example, cut the tip of his thumb clean off while cutting a piece of carpet not long before doing our carpet. But if you go through life avoiding something just because you could get hurt then you'll have a boring life and there wont be much you can do. I mean, you can easily get hurt just by turning over in bed if a spring has come through the matress, or if you're closer to the edge than you think and fall out of bed or something. So, like I said, I'm going to make my own bird table. We've got most of the tools already, and it's easy enough to get hold of some wood. So why not? Providing the bird table is successful I'm also considering making the gate we need for the side path that leads round to the front. We have a bit of wire stuff up there right now, but we don't really want access stopped completely. We can't buy a gate because they're all either too big or too small, so one needs to be made. Nobody - apart from Carl, but he lives all the way up in Norwich - seems interested in carpentry/woodworking though, so nobody's all that eager to make it. But I'd like to. I quite like the idea of being able to build things out of wood. And perhaps my wooden items will be sturdier than the flat packed rubbish you buy in most shops nowadays? I certainly hope so! I did consider gardening, but since I've never really had a green thumb, and since - though I enjoy being out in gardens - I've never been in the least bit keen on the year round work involved, I decided to give that one a miss. Besides, even when I could still see I never could tell the difference between weeds and flowers. LOL! So I think I'll leave the gardening to other people. I mean, it would be nice to have a herb garden, a vegetable patch, etc, but when I'm out in a garden I like to relax, listen to the birds, smell the flowers, etc... Not work. So that idea is so out the window! Mam's going to help me tidy up the garden, and Mam and Kelly will then help me keep it tidy (OK, OK, they'll do it, I'll make tea... LOL!) I'm not even going to pretend more than that will happen in our garden though. Anyway - and this one's more something fun to do than a project, but I thought I'd add it on here anyway - Carl told me about some kits you can get where you get some little wooden tools and a block of chalk and you have to use the tools to chip away the chalk and uncover the "fossils" (not real ones, obviously) inside. I like the sound of it, but the chalk gets EVERYWHERE (or so I've been told). I'd like to get one to see if it's as fun as it sounds. OK, I think that covers everything. If not then I'm sure I'll tell you about it at a later date. LOL! Enjoy whatever's left of your day! :) Tori

Birds, books, weather and canes (LBE)

Kelly took this photo for me yesterday.

After I got home from the hospital I let Kero out for a pee and waiting in the yard for me was this little guy... My Blackbird friend... And a few other birds. See, I hadn't fed them before leaving because of how early I left. So, I gave them their breakfast and this little guy seems to have literally only waited long enough for me to shut the door before coming for his fill. Maybe one day this little guuy will even come down for his breakfast while I'm still out there? :)

Kelly just missed catching him actually pecking at food. He moved along the garden to where Kelly couldn't get a photo of him without opening the door after this shot though, and we didn't want to open the door in case it scared him away.

The rest of the birds are still reluctant to stay in view for long enough for a photo. Well, other than the Chaffinch who sits in the hedges and trees nearby singing (the one who was in the post with the first photo of the Blackbird).

We've been looking at prices for bird tables so we can get one to put the food on instead of me just throwing it on the ground, since some birds don't like to eat off the ground. It's amazing how much people want you to pay for something that's literally a pole with a bit of wood on top. They range from about £20 (US$40 aprox) and up! *Looks shocked* I'm wondering if I can get someone to commit long enough to fetch some wood and make one for me... It would be a damn sight cheaper, that's for sure! Especially since we need some wood for other projects in the garden anyway.

***~***

I've just finished listening to an audiobook called "The Life Of Pi" by Yann Martel (I think I spelled his name right). It's the story of an Indian boy who survived for seven months on a life boat with a Bengal Tiger after the ship he and his family were traveling on sank, taking every other passenger and crew member with it. It was a pretty good book. I have to admit though, it wasn't quite as good as it was made to sound. I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong. It's one of those "good book, but it wont make it in to my favourites" type of stories though.

It turned out I finished it just right for the arrival of "Oath Breaker" which - as I mentioned yesterday - arrived not too long after I got home. Which I was VERY pleased about because I'd been dying to find out what happens to Torak, Wolf and Renn next! So, I spent the evening and in to the night listening to it (Oath Breaker, I mean). I figured I'd listen to a couple of disks then go to bed. But how could I go to bed when at the end of each disk Torak, Renn or Wolf were either in trouble or about to make an important decision? I couldn't! I ended up staying up until I'd listened to all six disks. LOL! Luckily I started them around 5:30 pm (ish) so it was only about 1:00 am when the last disk finished. LOL!

I wont bother telling you about the book, because I did a post about the series it's from (The Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness) not long ago. I will, however, tell you that it was as good as the first four books! And that I can't wait until September when the sixth and final book comes out!

The two books I ordered from the Worst Witch series have arrived too, so I think I'll listen to them next. I also have a few others to listen to, and a few braille books I haven't read yet. Will tell you about them as and when I read or listen to them.

I'm still waiting for delivery of an audiobook I ordered last week that I'd wanted for some time but only recently remembered where my Nan got Carl's copy. The book is called "Stonehenge" and is by Bernard Cornwell. If you're eager to find out what it's about then look it up (it's available in print in plenty of places that sell books) otherwise wait until I get it and listen to it and I'll tell you about it myself. :)

Mind you, many of you may actually know at least of the story, even if you haven't read it. Bernard Cornwell is a well known author, so it's quite possible many of you have even read the book yourselves.

Anyway, my Nan says it can often take up to 28 days from ordering from this particular place to get your audiobook though. I hope it doesn't take that long. Although, if it does then at least it will give me time to get caught up with my pile of books and audiobooks that I haven't yet read or listened to. Especially since I have listened to Carl's copy of "Stonehenge" before, where as many of the titles among the ones I haven't read or listened to yet are ones I've never read or listened to, but liked the sound of. If you get what I'm saying.

I still haven't gotten around to listening to the tapes I got off of Carl over a year ago (at the end of 2007). The ones by Terry Pratchett. I've heard some of them in the past, but there are about 30 of them, and I've only listened to the first ten or so. And that was when I was in my very early teens. Since I got them off Carl I haven't gotten around to listening to them. I need to take my construction toys in the bedroom (where my stereo with the good tape player is) and start listening, I guess! ;)

I've also got a couple of non-fiction books coming in braille. One on Stonehenge, which is supposed to have a couple of other stone age monuments and facts mentioned in it too. And one on the Ancient Egyptians. It's taken me this long to find decent sounding books on those topics. As I mentioned the other day during my interview... Titles available in braille or audio are limited in number. Especially in braille, which is the format I'd prefer to have non-fiction books in, because it makes just looking for a spacific fact a lot easier.

Now if I can just find good ones on Native Americans, dinosaurs, astrology and astronomy, and a braille dream dictionary then I'll be happy. I wont hold my breath on the dream dictionary though. I may have a chance with the other two if I persevere, but the dream dictionary is a lot less likely to become available. Well, I'll just keep looking and buy one if I ever find one! :)

Anyway...

It's kinda cold again today. Not as cold as it has been though. And last night it was quite stormy. They've stopped promising snow now and are talking about thunder storms, rain and strong winds instead. So - if they're right - then the light dustings of snow we've had will be my lot for this Winter. :(

Well,that's unless it snows around Easter like it did last year. LOL!

Anyway... For those interested in cane related babbling...

My new cane arrived on Wednesday. There's a little piece of paper in with the spare tip that gives the code for it. So we left it in its little bag with the little piece of paper and put it in the tool box. Wasn't sure where a person would store a spare cane tip, and the tool box seemed like a logical place to me. So, in it went! LOL!

OK, I think that covers everything for today... Enjoy whatever's left of your day! :)

Tori