Inviting in the horde

The need of others to invite heretics, infidels and other interlopers into their home to act like some treasured dignitary brings to me much confusion and horror.

Why invite the enemy in and push our children forth to entertain them. Why bare our throat and chest and smile while doing so. Why present our back for the sticking, with a choice of weapons at hand. Did not our ancestors know that the name for stranger and enemy are the same? Did not our ancestors build their dwellings with thick walls and small apertures? Did they not know the use of walls and moats, of spikes and shards of glass. Did they not know to keep that which is precious out of reach and sight of those that would pillage and destroy it.

And yet we open our doors and invite them into our holy of holies, and count it rude to throw them out. Alas, we have laid bare all that is ours and invited those not our friends and confidants to pick through and plunder not only us, but that which we hold in trust to protect.

A bear for my mom

Over the last few days I have been working on my moms birthday present. I of course bought the normal, a book, this one on artistic outdoor camping, and a puzzle book of cross sums, also known as kakuro. But you know how it is, where is the personal touch? So I decided to give her one of my miniature teddy bears. The one in the picture to the right is the first one I ever made (now living in England), isn't he pretty! In my days of craftiness I have finished 6 bears (and 2 more in various stages of finish), each one an individual, and one with wings (now that was a lot of stitching). I'd put up a picture of the one I sent my mom in all his finery, but often in the frenzy of finishing a project and getting it wrapped I totally forget! Sigh.

Now the truth is the bear I gave my mom has always in my mind been meant for her (the tan one with the vest on in the picture below), but I wanted him to have clothes, in specific a smoking jacket. Also one leg ended up a tad shorter than the other in the making process so I always thought that he should have a walking stick. So here I am, my mom's birthday quickly approaching, no wood for a stick (I didn't want to use pine) and no real idea if I can even make decent miniature clothing. But somehow it all came about. One walk in the cemetery and I had a pretty little twig to carve. And a trip to the fabric store and one dollar out of pocket got me a beautiful pale brocade. Surprisingly the carving and polishing of the walking stick went quite quick (well it was only 2 1/2"). And his little smoking jacket (I used some black synthetic suede I got from a friend a while back for the trim) came together over an afternoon and the next morning. I was able to sew a lot of the jacket on the machine, and went to hand sewing to attach the sleeves and the trim. I actually finished in plenty of time. (I really wish I'd remembered to take a picture.)

I hope you like my teddy bears. I think they're cute and they're fun to make.