Tasha Tudor, Continued or Gone to the Dogs!

Living in Montana, one does not come across another person all that often who knows who Tasha Tudor is. It's always a delight when I mention her name and someone else knows who I am talking about. The same goes for her books and such. Few and far between in this state.
This past Saturday at a garage sale I was greeted by 2 Corgis. Of course I thought of Tasha as well as my friend Cat. Take a peek at the newest litter of Corgi pups on her blog! She has been through a lot and lost some of her precious dogs last year, so this is a very special blessing for her. Corgis are happy, intelligent and just fun to look at with those short little legs.
Having just lost Kirby, our Airedale, I know what Cat has gone through with the sudden and unexpected loss of a pet. Kirby was the light of this house. It seems so odd to say that, but it makes me realize what a bunch of dead-beat sad sacks we are. He was always happy, always there to greet you. Always. There is a big hole now and I've been very blue about it. I realize I need to pull myself out of this slump, but it's not easy. We still have Scooter and he's always in my lap if I am sitting down. And Ruger. He's trying very hard to fill the hole, but I am sure they miss Kirby too.
I have been researching herding dogs for several years now and my research has led me to English Shepherds. These are the old-fashioned "Shep" kind of dogs you see in pictures with shepherds and their flocks. They are a working dog, but loyal to their masters and smart as well. I've put a deposit on a pup and he will join our family in early Oct. He comes from a ranch in Idaho, Orchard Hill Ranch. His current name is Hickory.
Somehow this post went from Tasha Tudor to dogs, which seems natural to me. She always had a dog, and sometimes many, from what I've read. I was going to post about a couple of books I found lately, but that will just have to wait for another day.

Tasha Tudor and What She Means To Me

August 28 is the birth date of a children's book illustrator by the name of Tasha Tudor. Although she has been gone for over 3 years, there are many fans of hers who choose to remember her in some small way on her birthday.

I lay no claim to the day, as no one should. It is her day. The day of her birth. A day for us to remember her for what she has brought into our lives.

I first knew of her books when I saw them on the shelf of a home I was cleaning back in the 90's. The first one I saw had been on the coffee table. It was "Corgiville Fair". The homeowners had a Corgi, so that was fitting. It was nice, but I didn't go ga ga over it. Then as time passed I noticed other books about Tasha, not necessarily by Tasha. The one that stands out in my mind is the book about her heirloom crafts. As I thumbed through the pages, I was transported to a wonderful place. Soon after that I began searching out my own books and discovering more of them about her charmed life. Then someone told me about these groups on the internet where people with the same likes hook up and discuss things. Nothing short of an online fan club, but I had to check it out. To make a long story short, I met some very wonderful people in that group and we met to tour Tasha's garden several years later. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. Because of Tasha's failing health, we were not able to meet her or even enjoy a short photo-op appearance, but here we are all together in front of the Rookery. We were told that we were the first American private tour.



We had several things planned back at the motel, with one of them being a needle felted Corgi class that I taught. I brought all of the necessary supplies and we all made little Corgis.



Another project we did was making wool owls and bunnies like Tasha made. They are basically pom-pom animals and Suzanne led us through the process using wool yarn I brought from Montana to share. I thought it would be special to have them made from my wool. What a mess we made, but it sure was fun. I really need to mention the chicken feathers too. I had a Barred Rock die in the barn yard just before I was to leave. I spied her feathers and knew her death was not in vain! I plucked some and took them along on my trip. I know Tasha would have gotten a chuckle from that.







Linda worked her magic in the tea party department. A lovely spread was laid out for all of us and we enjoyed a time of tea and goodies as well as show and tell. Many of the ladies brought items to share from their collections.



We oohed and aahed over all of the treasures, but our biggest aah was when our beloved Kristen, aka Dr. Dolly, came walking in on her crutches, straight from the hospital. She had fallen at the airport while picking Linda and I up. She had ridden along with Suzanne and we only briefly were able to say hello and send her off in an ambulance. Poor dear. She really got shorted and had put so much into that event.
Her dolls and things arrived at the motel and we were able to enjoy her work, but missed her. It was good to see her, although briefly, in pain and pretty medicated!




So what is all of this about? This is about the life-long friendships I have made with true Kindred Spirits. Other women, and as it turns out, 2 men in the internet group, who love a lot of the same things I love. We share ideals, morals, a love of God, family and home. We all came together for different reasons. Some love her art, some love her lifestyle, some love both. No matter the reason, we are Kindred Spirits and without my facination of her life, I would have never met my dear, dear friends.
More than anything, getting to know more about Tasha Tudor taught me that you never have to grow up. It's ok to play with dolls, have tea parties and laugh. She gave me back my childhood as an adult.

Glass Garden Totems

That's what I call them anyway! My dear friend, Linda, was given one of these as a gift for her garden. I had seen them in a magazine or somewhere, so I emailed Linda on the specifics of hers and went from there.
I love glass. I love clean glass. Besides the thrill of the hunt, it's fun to spiff this glass up and come up with varying design combinations.
Here's what I've been up to!

The one I made for Juliana.



This one I made for a friend's birthday. It's shown incomplete.

In Times of Need

Recently, one of my former high-school teachers posted a link on her facebook page about a ranching couple in Ryegate, MT who not only have their farm land under flood waters, but also lost over 200 head of cattle in a freak storm. As it turns out, this ranching family is her sister and brother in law. As I read the story about the cows being spooked by a hail storm and subsequently running to their death over a cliff of rimrocks, my heart and stomach both ached. I immediately wanted to help out knowing cattle are rarely, if ever, insured. My husband quickly did the math and told me their loss amounted to over $200,000. I can't imagine! Not only did they lose their cattle, their livelihood, but my mind went straight to the clean up. You can't just leave it to Mother Nature. My heart ached for them as they looked at that loss square in the face. Such overwhelming sadness.
Time will lessen their grief, but in the meantime, an account has been set up for them at Citizen's Bank in Ryegate, MT 59074. You can send donations for Jay Streeter there.
If you'd like to read a bit more about this, here is a link:
http://www.ktvq.com/news/ag-community-bands-together-for-rancher-who-lost-200-head-of-cattle/

I have set up an etsy sale of my wool yarn with 100% of the proceeds going to this cause. I've sold 4 skeins already and have 4 more to sell. If they sell quickly, I will put another 8 skeins up for the same cause. Every little bit helps.http://www.etsy.com/listing/76104823/2-skeins-wool-yarn-procceeds-of-this

LaVonne

Easter & Spring

It seems I either don't have time or don't make time to blog these days. I need to get back into the swing of things. I love reading what my friends are up to and need to make more of an effort.

I wanted to share my exchange gift from the Take Peace list. Robin had my name and I didn't think to take a picture of it right away. The candy is gone! LOL! There's a tiny little doll too for my Annabelle doll. It's in a sitting position and has no clothes. I have the perfect bathtub for it, so he's currently bathing. I will try to get a pic soon.
This is from Robin. So fitting for spring and Easter! Thank-you, Robin!

Comments

My apologies to my friends who have commented on my posts recently. I wasn't paying attention and I didn't know there were comments. I've changed my settings so now I will be notified. I don't like being in the dark! :-)

Spinning

My head, that is! So much outside work to do and that will just have to wait for now. I am off to 3 classes today. One at Hawthorne and 2 at Longfellow. I get pretty wrapped up in these felting projects I am teaching and have a strong desire to just take them over and finish them, just out of want, not out of need. That's how my head works. If I start something, I want to keep going until it's finished and see what it's going to look like. HOLD ME BACK!
I haven't been very good about blogging lately. Not sure I will have much time with summer coming on, but I REALLY need to be better on the farm stay blog.
Happy Spring everyone. I hope it's peeking out your way!