Kiwis and Beads

Being a lampwork bead maker and participating in online forums has allowed me to "meet" many interesting people that I would have never met before if it were not for technology. Although I have never met them face to face, I have come to know them and become friends with them through this miracle called the internet. Someone, who has become a very dear friend, is someone whom I have never met face to face. We have talked to each other on the phone. We have chatted endlessly as friends do, and, yet we have never met face to face. The reality is that we may never meet face to face, and when I die, if that is the case, I will honestly say that not having met my friend can be marked as a great regret in the story of my life. However, because we have come to know each other through the miracle of technology, my dear Kiwi friend, Deb, a native to New Zealand, has convinced me that we were, indeed, separated at birth, in spite of the 14 year age difference between us. As a kiwi bead maker, she is in a sense isolated from other bead makers because there are so few in her area. She also relies on the internet for help in developing her skills. Her beads are beautiful as you can see from the photo. She has an ETSY store, and I have the link here in the side bar. Her store name is FireBirdFlameWork. She also has a fabulous blog! Be sure to visit her blog to get to know my dear Kiwi friend a little better. I can say that I am thankful for the great blessing of Deb in my life! Get to know her a bit better and be sure to check out her store. Her beads are fabulous!
So, until later, I can only wish you, the reader, the gift of such a great friendship! Thanks, Deb, to you, too! I have been blessed! The bead's name is Kiana. It's a Persian name that means the elements of nature--earth, wind, and fire. That bead is perfectly named.

Grandma's Button Box

When I was little I remember the button box. It was an old cigar box that held my grandma's precious buttons. She cut them off of clothing that was too worn and ragged to wear, and when money allowed, she would buy herself some beautiful buttons from Woolworth's to put into the lucky recipient's clothing. I don't know why it happened, but when she died, I was given the button box. I know that I didn't take the box with me when I grew up. I don't know where the box is, but I still have the buttons. With all the moves, they have traveled with me from one part of the country to another. It is only recently that I have started to use these wonderful vintage buttons in what I do. As a young bride, I followed in my grandmother's footsteps and clipped buttons off of old shirts and dresses. I also picked them up at garage sales and thrift stores. Now, these buttons don't have the class of the ones she had, but they still have their stories. I don't know the stories, but I remember the ones my grandmother would tenderly hold in her hands. "I cut this one from your baby dress. You were baptized in that dress." "I cut these buttons from your mother's dress. She really loved that dress." Those were just some of the stories and memories. I don't remember them all, but I do remember that box. I wish I had it now.

My Flat Faced Doll's Quilt

I remember sitting by my grandma
As she made a quilt for my
Flat faced doll.
My cousin had flattened my doll's face
With his fist and with a rock
Because he was angry
And he didn't like little girls
Or their dolls.
Drinkwater's face was cracked and broken
When I found her in the sandbox,
Yes, that was my doll's name.
So, when my grandma gave her a quilt
So she would feel better soon,
I loved them both very, very much!

Above the Earth

We ride on silvered wings
Searching for what's past the night,
We glide through forests dark
Into softened, darkened skies above the earth to
Look and see the treasure that we are.

Growing Up in New Mexico

I grew up in New Mexico. Another of my fondest memories is the day that I was finally allowed to eat real chile with my food. Now, this is not the more "modern" type of chile that you eat today. This was the sauce my grandmother made from the chile pods. I was about 5 years old, and I had been whining because I wanted some chile with my beans (frijoles) like everyone else had. My mother looked at my grandmother who looked at my grandfather who looked at my aunt who looked at my older cousins who looked at me. They were in agreement, finally! I could have some red chile with my beans and my meat. I looked in awe as my mother, in this rite of passage, dipped her teaspoon into the delectable sauce. She simply dipped the spoon into the sauce, then brought the spoon to my plate. She dripped 5 drops of red chile onto my beans. Everyone looked at me, remembering when they had those delicious drops of sauce put on their plates as small children. I put my spoon right into the spot where that first drop landed! It was delicious! I think it was the most delicious food I had ever had! I swirled it in my mouth savoring the taste. Then, it happened. I felt the burn! My mouth burned like it had never burned before. I cried. I yelled out, "Help!" My mother handed me a tortilla and told me to eat that. I did and the burn went away. By this time, everyone at the table was laughing. I was determined not to cry again. I looked them all in the eye, and I savored another bite, only this time more quickly than the last, and I ate some of my tortilla right away. Oh, it burned. It was hot chile, but I was determined to be a grown up for the rest of the meal, and I succeeded! My cousins congratulated me on eating my first chile. My mother just smiled at me. When my meal was over, I asked for an ice cream bar, and my grandmother handed me one. She just smiled as she watched me eat it to cool off my mouth. After that, I was invited to partake of the entire feast at each meal. Most of the time, I did. My tolerance for the hot peppers grew, and as I grew older, I could keep up with the best of them. Now, when I dig into that delicious product of the earth, the chile pod, I think of the first time when my mouth burned, and now I smile. Those memories are treasures.