The Reindeer

From 'Pre-blogging Era' archive 'inklingz': A Reflection While Taking Down Christmas 2000

The Reindeer
Originally uploaded by Moonflower Studio ❄

Since the first year I saw Boston Store’s “forest” of Christmas trees, I’ve made an annual stop in their “Trim-A-Tree” section. That first year, there was a tree decorated with animals of all sorts...perfect additions to my Peaceable Kingdom themed tree. I don’t recall if I bought any myself-probably not. I did tell Mom about it. That same year my Christmas gift from her was a large assortment of the animals. Before the 12 Days of Christmas ended, I received more animals. Mom said they were a ‘Feast of the 3 Kings’ gift.
And so I’ve gone back to Boston Store almost every year, hoping to find more. Mom continued to find animals there, as well as other places. She’d present them to me on occasions or for no reason at all.
Funny...we never went to Boston Store together...
The “Trim-A-Tree” department has changed over the years, There’s no “forest” anymore (sigh) but they still have an unusual collection; unique things you’re not likely to find elsewhere.
I remember stopping there in 2000, Mom’s last year. The array of ornaments was just as enchanting as ever. But even with the bustling crowd of shoppers, there was a bittersweet emptiness. I knew one of Boston Store’s best customers would not be with them this year, or any year to come.
I continued to survey the glittering goodies, hoping to ease the sadness I felt. I was drawn to an assortment of snowmen, and to my delight, I found an ornament for my own daughter’s snowman collection. It was a miniature “snow couple” roasting a marshmallow over a candle. The little ‘snow lady’ appeared to be blowing on the candle’s flame, as if to toast their holiday morsel faster. Perfect...and it was on sale! A new mother /daughter tradition was born.
I made one more wistful inspection in hopes of finding a unique animal. There, back in a corner was a reindeer. He (she?) was a contemporary and graceful creature, with a sleek white body. Its antlers were sparkly green tinsel. Its legs were whimsical red and white striped wires with a curly twist where its ‘knees’ would be. A wreath of metallic holly encircled its neck.
The sleek white body reminded me of an angel’s grace. The green tinsel antlers appealed to my sense of tradition. I was reminded of the passion Mom and I shared for all things red & white striped. Those fanciful legs were yet another twist we’d have enjoyed.
This surely would’ve been the animal Mom would’ve found for me this year. Perfect...and it was on sale!
I came away from the “Trim-A-Tree” at Boston Store with a heart less heavy, and with treasures to keep and to share.
I have a new tradition to carry on. I think Mom would be proud.

Tiny Treasures Tray

I am spending more time on flickr mostly because I am spending more time with my camera. I post something and catch a glimpse of something someone else did. I get inspired, take more pictures, post some...well, you can see how quickly this becomes self-perpetuating. This little collage was going to go to the Creative Challenge Group for the theme of 'Good To Be A Girl'. I was disappointed to find the theme had already been changed. At the same time, however, I found another group: Tiny Treasures. There were several tiny things in the arrangement, so I figured it qualified. Close to the little ladybug is a 'point' (it says '1 POINT' on it) It is a ration point that was used during the Great Depression. I found it inside the small leather pouch in the lower right corner. The oval baby picture is of Mom; the reverse side of which is a mirror.

Next to the oval are tiny embroidered flowers, once used as decorations on a garment. The ribbon came in an order of note cards from Soul Aperture's Etsy shop. It is, by comparison, rather new, but it fit so well. The flickr version of these Tiny Treasures has little notes that tell more of the stories on this tray. Your quite welcome to pop over there to visit. Or you might like to visit Simply Hue's post of her favorites from the past week's challenge: "In A Row". My row of sailboats made it to the set. Like the 'ink' in this post, I'm tickled pink!

My Mom is Glamorous

My Mom is Glamorous
Originally uploaded by Moonflower Studio

Yoko Ono tweeted Friday night about her "MY MOMMY IS BEAUTIFUL" project on both facebook http://bit.ly/MyMomFb and flickr http://bit.ly/MyMommy. You can post photos, messages, stories...whatever. I think it is a wonderful way to share, especially for those of us whose moms are no longer with us. This photo is from the newspaper announcing her engagement. The original photo was not yet in my digital collection, but even this rather faded one shows what beauty she possessed. Thanks to Yoko Ono for creating this project! Now go and share yours!

Queen of the Radishes Encore

Today would have been my Mom's 82nd birthday. It is a day to celebrate fond memories. For the occasion, I've decided to re-post a favorite family story.

Queen of the Radishes-A Story to Relish

Mom loved to set a beautiful table, from the linens and tableware,
to the presentation of the food itself. Garnishes were one way to
delight the eye, as well as the palette.
Her favorite way to attend to this detail was
“radish roses”.
The dinner table was a place where she commanded respect.
We were expected to practice good table manners,
and our conversations were to be pleasant exchanges.
Dad was unfortunate to err in this domain, and his punishment was swift.
Not being one to raise her voice at the table, instead Mom raised her hand.
In her grasp, she held the only weapon at her disposal: a radish.
Her aim was true;
the missile was shot,
landing squarely on Dad's forehead.
Justice was delivered when the radish
rebounded off Dad's astonished face,
back across the table to Mom's awaiting hand.
The event became legendary,
and the story has been repeated many times.
It is chronicled here to honor Mom's memory as a gracious hostess,
matriarch of a genteel dinner table,
and one heck of a shot.

The Queen of the Radishes

(as promised): THE QUEEN OF THE RADISHES

A Story to Relish

Mom loved to set a beautiful table, from the linens and tableware, to the presentation of the food itself. Garnishes were one way to delight the eye, as well as the palette. Her favorite way to attend to this detail was “radish roses”.

The dinner table was a place where she commanded respect. We were expected to practice good table manners, and our conversations were to be pleasant exchanges. Dad was unfortunate to err in this domain, and his punishment was swift.Not being one to raise her voice at the table, instead Mom raised her hand.

In her grasp, she held the only weapon at her disposal: a radish. Her aim was true; the missile was shot, landing squarely on Dad's forehead. Justice was delivered when the radish rebounded off Dad's astonished face, back across the table to Mom's awaiting hand.

The event became legendary, and the story has been repeated many times. It is chronicled here to honor Mom's memory as a gracious hostess, matriarch of a genteel dinner table, and one heck of a shot.

In loving memory of Dorothy Jane Oestreich ( April 29, 1928 - June 27, 2000 ) by her daughter © Susy Thompson 2000

Reflections

Albert Einstein said: ’Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.’ So how does that relate to the deaths of two American icons in one day? Everyone seems to have an opinion, good or bad, on these two people. I think that at one time, Michael Jackson was a talented and electrifying performer, but he became a victim of his own fame. I think Farah Fawcett was a beautiful actress but her tumultuous relationships took a large toll on her life. Both of these people lived in celebrity fish bowls, hounded by paparazzi with their lives defined by hype and media speculation. But quoting the ever brilliant Einstein again, ‘Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish. ‘
It may just be Divine Intervention that neither funeral will be attended by ALL the press. It may still be a circus but the media will have to divide their camps, thereby affording each family a little more space for their grief.

My little space is not going to be too focused on either. I am going to be pondering my Mom, who left us 9 years ago this weekend. I still miss her. Grief never really goes away (how could it? the Love doesn’t go away), you just learn how to manage it better. I know she is with God, and by staying close to Him, I can still stay close to her.
Tomorrow I will post a story about her called ‘The Queen of the Radishes’, with a painting I did in her memory. Stay tuned….