A Pinin' for Pickets

I don’t know why I am so charmed by the sight of a picket fence. In fact if I happen to see one that is showing it’s age with peeling paint, leaning to one side or the other I like it even more. I grew up in Reno, Nevada where suburban sprawl has all but replaced the ranchers who first settled its low lands at the base of the Sierra Nevada’s. Even so, picket fences had their place. It was only in the heart of the old south west section of town where brick bungalows, Cape Cod Cottages and English Tudor homes line the city streets that you could get a peak at a real picket fence or two. What a site for sore eyes they were too! Just as you might expect, those pretty pickets were surrounded by the usual traditional mix of cottage- like flowers and the occasional rose bush or two. I was always infatuated with that area of town and eventually moved into one of those bungalows with my husband. We lived there while we saved enough money to buy our first home which we were blessed enough to do. Let me just say, neither of these homes had picket fences. The bungalow had a long hedge of tall billowing lilacs that you could smell half way down the street on a spring day and that seemed to keep my mind of picket fences for a while. We were young and in love and pickets weren’t at the top of my wish list… then… Fast forward many blessed years later.

Make Each Day Your Masterpiece~

How many times have you heard a friend or relative say to you, WHY WOULD I MAKE such and such WHEN I CAN BUY IT CHEAPER???? Or maybe you went to an arts and crafts show and something caught your creative eye… Chances are you even whispered to your friend as you walked by,” I could make that”… I admit, I have said it myself! Things made from the heart with love are different. They carry energy with them from heart to hands to heart. I have tried many types of creative expression over the years and I am happy to say our daughter is carrying on the tradition. She is a fearless artist and is an inspiration to me each and every day. As a home schooling mom, home maker and artist I am witness to her ability to create just about anything she can picture in her mind. At the young age of 11 she has tried her hand at, book making, origami, knitting, crocheting, painting, diorama, writing music and playing the piano. She doesn't wait for anyone to SHOW her HOW she just dives right in! We provide the supplies and the time she needs to create and she does the rest! Recently she was given my grandmothers sewing machine. The excitement in her eyes was magic as she saw what was inside the big heavy brown box. When I told her who “her sewing machine” was from she just lit up! I admit it! I am fantasizing about special mother daughter moments to come. I get to teach her how to thread the machine, re-thread a bobbin, choose just the right stitch, adjust the tension, how to go in reverse, and where to keep her seam ripper! Yes, if you sew you know these are basic skills but very necessary ones. In reality, these “moments” will be short and sweet because I know my daughter. She will be anxious to make something all on her own. Hm mm? She reminds me of someone I know…

All of us carry a little spark inside of us to create, but some times find it hard to light the fire! Just look around…Be awake to the creations you are surrounded by every day in nature and in those things made with human hands. Art is always present for you to appreciate. Take a page out of our daughter’s book… Don’t WAIT for someone to tell you it’s o.k. to share your creative gifts. SING, DANCE, PAINT, DRAW, TAKE PICTURES, PLANT, WRITE, SEW, BUILD, SCRAP, COOK, PERFORM, you get the idea!

" The world is but a canvas to the imagination"

~Henry David Thoreau

Note: This article was published in Mary Jane's Farm Magazine in the 2009 ~ Tried- n -True ~ October/November issue.   http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/