Gray Day

The skies were really very beautiful at times yesterday. a rainy or I should say more of a misty Art Walk Saturday, with tiers of gray clouds and slits of a beautiful blue letting us know that the storm would pass and I found myself humming . . . "Blue Skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see" . . . well, bits and pieces showed so there is hope of clearing weather ahead. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain, the wind and the winter days of Oregon, but the sunshine and rainbows are a necessary balance to our lives.

The annual Christmas bazaar was well attended at the high school yesterday. The tables were set up to make a luncheon area on one end of the huge gym and wide aisles between booths gave us an opportunity to browse and see what the artisans had created for this particular show. I was surprised at all of the desert and home made breads that were available this year. I didn't buy any as I would have taken it home and eaten it rather than save it for the holidays. I know me, any desert is like a fish to a fisherman or a duck to a hunter . . . my aim never falters, although I passed up caramel corn, chunks of chocolate fudge, cookies and brownies that probably never would have made it to the car on the way home.

I discovered The Lavender Lady from Bandon, a town some fifty miles from here. I have her card so that Pat and I can look up the lavender farm on our next trip up to Coos Bay. We always stop in Bandon for breakfast at our favorite restaurant where I order the 'Granny special', a scrambled egg along with two biscuits and gravy and great coffee. I bought some honey and lavender which is to make my skin rejuvenate, and last evening decided to try it. The instructions were clear . . . use a wash cloth, wet your face, put 1/2 teaspoon of honey lavender on your face and smooth it on . . . what the instructions did not say is that the honey lavender is thick with honey that sticks in your hair and although it makes your skin feel as smooth as silk, it doesn't do much for your hair do. Now that I have the hang of it I will be much more careful on how I put this miracle gel on to un-age my wrinkles . . . 'fat chance', but who knows I may become a raving beauty overnight. I should go look in the mirror but not before I have a shower and shampoo my hair and undo the clumps left behind.

I did do a little Christmas shopping as I found a couple of lovely small gifts. The lady who made jewelry out of the different types of stones is an artist in her own right. I almost bought one of the old fashioned aprons that I used to favor many years ago. You do not see many aprons that cover, more of them are just a fancy piece of material for show. The old fashioned ones used to cover our clothing and protect us from all the cooking spills. They just went out of style, probably because the younger generation do not cook as we did 'from scratch.' The younger generation can now buy a dinner prepackaged and not bother with 'the mess' but I wonder how many chemicals they are devouring that can't be good for the body. There was so many beautiful hand made items, a new knitted round that could be put over the ears on a cold day or used as a wrap around the neck to ward off the cold winds. Lovely wraps that one clever aritsan added a button hole so she could change the shaping of the wrap to make one look so glamorus. One artisan painted on tree oddities which she had a name for and I cannot recall what it is, much like the beryl but more of a fungus. Some were horns and antlers and well done. The new artistan in town this year was the candle maker. Beeswax candles in all sizes and shapes of animals and people as well. The color of honey and molded to perfection.

Here is my friend Angie and her niece. Angie was up to Anchorage on business so took advantage of her time to meet up with her niece from Fairbanks and see the sights. They looked up son John who squired them around Anchorage and they had lunch and a chance for a short visit.

I saw this wonderful shot made up by members of the armed forces showing that they remember 9-11 on Veterans Day (Armistice Day). Clever and well done.

So today, Sunday, a day of rest . . . hopefully that is just what you will do . . . rest! Kick back and treat yourself to a leisurely breakfast, take time to read the newspaper and don't forget the funnies. We all know laughter is the best medicine. I am going to 'unglue' and follow the instructions more carefully as I use the honey and lavender to make me ''shine", but if it doesn't work, can I put it in your stocking? It smells heavenly. Hugs to all.