More Treasures!

A number of years ago when my oldest son was in his early teens, he took an interest in woodcarving. Nothing elaborate, just small-scale items made from pieces of wood that he would find in the yard. Actually, it all started with a pocketknife that Papa (my dad) gave him. Being a mom, I was a bit dubious about his owning this knife and for good reason. We had already had several bouts of missing fingertips that had caused me to confiscate the Swiss Army Knives that he had stashed in his dresser. He had cut himself on several earlier occasions and I guess I was just not ready for another trip to the emergency room at the hospital. He was "all boy" and had no fear of trying new things. This new interest in woodcarving did assure me that he would no longer carve on the furniture in his room..I made sure he had a ready supply of wood pieces handy! There just so happened to be a cedar tree in the yard that forever had dead limbs that need trimming. A win/win situation in the making! He could have all of the cedar to carve if he just trimmed the limbs!

That year he made two items as Christmas gifts for Papa and Grandma. Papa received a hand-carved and painted fishing lure while Grandma's gift was a carved pendant in the shape of a seagull. I was impressed not only with the quality of carving that he did on both of these pieces but also that he stuck with the job until it was finished. He did well. Later that year, the older son carved a small boat and even a paddle for the younger son. The tiny boat and paddle were just as well carved..again I was impressed........ By the way, it took us several hours to get back home from the emergency room at the hospital with his reattached fingertip.

A flood of memories came back to me as I went to raise the windows in the living room of the Little Bayou House. There, since her death, hangs Grandma's pendant. The little seagull forever flies near the Bay as it hangs on the window blind hook. Not only did this bring back the memories of his carving escapades and severed fingers but also the memories of smiles on a proud Grandma's face as she opened the gift from her young grandson. She and Papa were proud to have homemade gifts just as they were proud of him...just as I am proud of him.