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| Just in, about 5:30, and unloaded from Saturday and Sunday "Artistry in Wood", carving show at Civic Center. Saturday 10 to 6 and today 10 to 5. Since we are a one vehicle family Mary Ruthe had to go along to get me started on Saturday. She was so fascinated that she stayed all day. Of course she went to a Craft Show that was in the same end of the Center, while I, faithful fellow that I am, stayed with my display table. Sunday we went to church where we team teach a Bible Class. Stayed through the class period. Finished up Amos , chapter 6. Off to show by 10. Mary Ruthe stayed with me all day, again. It was a fun time, not very remunerative, financially, but great fun reacting with the folks who came to see the carvings. Also the fellow carvers. We had about 55 exhibitors, some from out of town and even some from far countries like Oklahoma, and several vendors (of tools, wood, etc). Minny,minny categories of carvings were judged during the day. I won a red ribbon on a Mexican Santa that had been gathering dust in our living room for several years. It was his first trip to a show. While some carvers were there strictly to have their egos stroked by the public viewing of their work, I,true money grubber that I am, actually sold some stuff for real money. Didn't make much over my table rent but had a lot of fun doing it. Mary Ruthe enjoyed visiting with folks, too. She sat through a carving demonstration by a master carver, about an hour during which the fellow produced a human head, young man, then proceeded to age it by subtle cuts and shavings of the original piece. Then she watched a masterful demonstration by a lady who showed how to paint your carvings. Beautiful work. I was being artsy, during this time, whittling away on some small pieces of work I had on my table. Fun two days !! | | |
| Found this in a letter I wrote today, practically same as one I lost.
Mary Ruthe is undergoing a series of treatments at a Spinal Pain Clinic. Four days per week for five weeks. They stretch her, pound her back, exercise her for about 90 minutes each time. She can feel some improvement in her back but wonders if it will last when the treatments stop. Anyway, it’s helping now.
She made a killing on e-bay from our August trip to the estate sale in Kansas. Bought a lady’s gold watch and chain for $90.00 and sold it for $320.00 . Then sold the two bronze, presidential inauguration medals for a total of $250. plus. The best part about the medals is that she didn’t even know she had them until she got the box they were in, after buying it to get something else.That’s pure profit.
Now she is working up details on some other junk we need to get rid of.
I have had two interesting Saturdays lately. On the 10th our Woodcarving club had a table at the local Museum’s “Folk Art Festival”. Supposed to be on the lawn of the museum but moved inside because of inclement weather. While my friends showed off their carving skills I had fun with “BB” -Before Batteries” toys that I have made. I have a little man that climbs ropes when people tug on the ropes, a group of pecking chickens on a board which peck when board is moved about, spool tractors, whimmy diddles, idiot sticks, belt hangers, church fans, etc. All hand powered, or rubber band powered. When no one was at my table I even carved a little to show that I really belonged to the group.
Then last Saturday, 17th, I spent the day at a local Jr. High School’s “History Day” representing our local Archeological Society. There were all kinds of folks in funny costumes pretending to be historical personages. Old gun collectors, old tool demonstrations, pill rollers from the Pharmacy School, Military re-enactors, atl atl throwers, etc. I had four metates with manos, about a bushel of cracked corn and sandwich bags. The kids were given a small amount of corn to grind on the metates. When they were sufficiently tired of the job we gathered up their corn meal into the bags and told them to go home and make cornbread or feed it to the birds.
We had about 110 corn grinders. Weather was nice for those who were outside but I sat in comfort inside the gymnasium, along with period clothing models and old gun nuts.
We are finally getting some wintry weather. Cold rain and chilly, cloudy days. We need the rain but I expect the cotton farmers are not happy with it. This is really Fair Week Weather, but the Fair was last month. Must be Global Warming or hold over from Bush.
From Lewis Grizzard: Fellow walks up to man standing by dog. "Does your dog bite?, he asks. "Nope", second fellow says. First guy reaches down to pet dog, loses two fingers. "Hey", he cries, "I thought you said your dog doesn't bite". "He don't", says second guy, "That ain't my dog". | | |
| Just wrote a long blog and it doesn't show. Wha hoppen? Oh well, off to Panhandle Archeological Society supper and meeting. May do it again later today. | | |
| August 21, 2009
Last Friday, 21st, Mary Ruthe and I began our 63rd year of marriage. We wanted to do something different to celebrate the occasion. So-- First we went to an estate sale over on Hawthorne Street. Not much. Came home to rest and meet Dan and Denise at Applebys where they treated us to an Anniversary lunch. Very good. They went on to Lubbock, taking Cade’s absolute necessities of a new TV and a neat compact refrigerator, both of which had been stored in our barn. Cade’s roomie, Taylor, was bringing the new microwave they had acquired for their dorm room. Tough times at the University level these days. Then-- realizing that many folks take boring Caribbean cruises or Hawaiian trips to celebrate anniversaries, we decided to be different. Left home about 4:15 and drove to Guymon where we checked in to the Ambassador Motel where the rooms have a fridge and microwave, plus TV, just like a college dorm. Mary Ruthe was not feeling well so I went by myself to the Dunaway Manor to visit my 90 yr old sister Cleo. Actually she won’t be 90 until a few days from now. Her daughter Sue was there giving Cleo a manicure, preparing her for a big, pre-birthday bash scheduled for Saturday. She knew me but sometimes forgot how old she was going to be. So-back to motel and a good night’s sleep. Up early, drove 45 miles to Elkhart, Kansas to the reason for our trip, BIG estate auction. We walked amongst the stuff from 8 until 5:30. Even bought a bunch. Mary Ruthe was feeling good, like a kid in a candy shop. Now I know what it takes to get her juices flowing. Better than a cruise. After all, what cruise line ever offered old Pharmaceutical bottles-many with glass stoppers, 1888 tobacco jars impressed with the date, ancient buttons by the dozens, commemorative medals from bygone(early 1900’s) presidential elections, the thrill of almost buying great quilt tops (another lady must have been celebrating 65 years). On and on, they kept bringing up stuff that hadn’t seen the light of day in years. Finally we reluctantly left the show, still several hours of stuff left to sell. After all, we were nearly 3 hours from home and scheduled to teach Bible class this morning. Good thing we didn’t have a pickup or we might still be unloading. Probably won’t wait another 62 years to do this again. Thank the Lord for a good wife and all these years together.
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| Hope you forgive the length of this blog. I was struck by the parallel between Andersen and Johnson.
from Garold Andersen's new book Brand New Bag
Shortly before the Berlin wall toppled, I was in East Germany. Stefan, an actor from Leipzig, was chauffeuring me from one theater to the next. On the road between shows, we casually talked about life, relationships, and sometimes God. One day Stefan said, "I love the piece you do about God creating everything. But do you really believe that it happened the way it’s written in the Bible?" Stefan, who had grown up as an atheist, found that impossible to believe.
In our many conversations I had never tried to convince Stefan that he should believe the way I do; we simply talked. As I considered his question that was deeper than his words had expressed, I knew he needed a unique response. I prayed that God’s Spirit would reveal those words to my heart. I said, "Stefan, I think it’s impossible for the Bible to explain how God created the universe. Instead, the creative images of the Bible tell us the heart behind that event. In Genesis, God kneels down in the clay and forms mankind. Then with a kiss, He breathes life and spirit into His creation. The artistic language of Genesis tells us how intimately God was involved at the beginning and how intimate He still desires to be in our lives."
That day something momentous transpired in Stefan’s life. In that completely normal moment, a barrier, like the iron curtain, dissolved into thin air. Stefan said, "I get it." That was it. No altar call, no "repeat after me" prayer, just one step away from darkness and closer to His light.
From James Weldon Johnson’s "GOD’S TROMBONES"-- “Creation”
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that he had made.
He looked at his sun,
And he looked at his moon,
And he looked at his little stars;
He looked on his world
With all its living things,
And God said: I'm lonely still.
Then God sat down--
On the side of a hill where he could think;
By a deep, wide river he sat down;
With his head in his hands,
God thought and thought,
Till he thought: I'll make me a man.
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till he shaped it in his own image;
Then into it he blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
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