February 28, 2016

Ten Days of Little Celebrations – February 2016

February 28, 2016/ Gwen Morrison

Here are my top 10 celebrations for February – there was a lot to celebrate in this winter month:

There were a lot of birds to celebrate through my office window –

The crow with a glint in its eye,

The pileated woodpeckers in the forest,

And the mourning doves that were around frequently including a pair that mated on our deck railing!

I also celebrated good results from medical tests on myself and a family member (that counts as 2 celebrations!). Even when the majority of tests result in good (or benign) findings, there is always worry that builds and the relief translates into a little celebration when the results come back

Every time I wear my new fern imprint jewelry (ring, bracelet an earrings) I celebrate – savoring the living ferns I remember and the event where I made the purchase.

I also celebrated Christmas again every week that I work the cuddle socks one of my sisters gave me as a gift! They are indeed warmer than regular socks and comfy without shoes.

There were outdoor activities to celebrate too –

A walk around the neighborhood in the snow,

A sunny day walk at Mt. Pleasant farm (even though it was cold, breezy, and muddy), and

The birds on the ice at Centennial Park.

February 12, 2016

Tucson Souvenirs

February 12, 2016/ Gwen Morrison

Earrings! They are my favorite souvenirs – not too expensive and small enough to be easily packed for the trek home.

The most unusual earrings I purchased this time were the ones that used cholla cactus stems as a large ‘bead’ (upper left). I noticed the cholla cactus around Tucson because they seemed to be more colorful than just about anything else.

I bought the hummingbird earrings since we did see quite a few hummingbirds during our walks…. again, the earrings are a good reminder of one of our trip highlights.

The bear earrings were a serendipity. I bought them as a reminder of the excellent black bear lecture I attended just before our trip….and I liked the symbolic representation. When I saw the arrow inside the bear symbol I thought of the 20,000 calories a day the bear needs to eat in the fall (does the arrow represent the digestive tract?)!

January 13, 2016

My Hawaiian Souvenirs

January 13, 2016/ Gwen Morrison

I enjoyed collecting earrings in Hawaii. There were made of koa wood, shell, and obsidian....island materials. The shell necklace was a lei from the resort where we spent the first night.

I bought 2 T-shirts: one a tropical weight long sleeved T shirt with botanical motifs and the other covered with Hawaiian petroglyph patterns and a heavier fabric.

I bought a lightweight robe with a flowery motif.

Mauna Kea is a good place for warm socks (I’ve already tried them out on a recent cold day here in Maryland) and a stuff bag that is easy to carry and expand as I need to carry more things.

On our last day in Hawaii before we headed off to our last hikes in the national park, we visited 2400 Fahrenheit – the studio of glass artists Michael and Misato Mortara. We bought two pieces. One reminds us of tidal pools and the other of volcanoes.