This is what happens when Martin Luther King Day, lots of ice, and two early dismissal school days fall in the same week. Frances and I get down to business. The business of crafting, that is.
It's funny, because on Monday we fought like cats and dogs. It was an ugly, snarling sort of mother-daughter row that seemed to have no root in any discernible cause. I ended the day deflated, baffled by our useless quarreling and the immovable tension between us. When I heard the phone ringing at 5 am the next morning, I knew school was canceled. I wanted to cry. The idea of enduring another round of baiting and taking the bait was more than I could bear.
But it wasn't that way at all. Our ice day at home was completely restorative. Why we were able to come together so effortlessly after that awful day of friction? It could be grace, fatigue, lack of will power, or some combination of these, along with other subtle internal shifts and recalibrations made overnight - but in the moment, I didn't wonder why. I just relished our easy intimacy.
We made bread, listened to Brazilian pop music (see the soundtrack) and worked on a felt valentine garland. Here is what it looked like Tuesday afternoon. It was, for lack of a better word,
dull. Boring. Another bit of holiday-themed decor to cover the window that is missing a curtain panel because last summer Frances cut it in half while lost in some alternate imaginary domestic universe with a toy ironing board and a pair of scissors. Instead of making a new one, I tell myself that having an open window to decorate is preferable. (A little labor-saving self-deception never hurt anyone, did it?)
And so, feeling very dissatisfied with our results (though entirely satisfied with our process), I set out on a walk with Gabriel this morning looking around for fresh inspiration. After a wander down the familiar dead end of collecting far too many dried magnolia seed pods, we found one enormous, awesome stick.
It struck me: a valentine tree! Gabriel was lukewarm, but he did want to paint some rocks found near the stick, so back inside we went to begin assembly.
Soon Frances was home to help us, and her ethusiasm gave the project wings. She brought down six stuffed animals from her bedroom to participate, and with their help she and I made a long sparkling bead garland to loop around the branches and more felt hearts to hang, in addition to our original garland that now looked far more interesting, tied to little jutting knots in the branches.
We worked quietly during Gabriel's nap. At a certain point Frances told me I was not allowed to look at what she was making. It is something secret, a surprise for our whole family, and we are forbidden to open it until Valentine's Day. It might be a paper clip. Or a crumpled bit of foil. Whatever it is, it fits inside this little envelope, and magically carries the spirit of our unexpectedly happy crafting days this week. I will forget by the time the holiday rolls around, so here is my reminder: that odd item or scrawled picture is not something to thoughtlessly toss in the recycling bin after bedtime! It represents the mysterious ways that love can quietly string us together again, melting our hurts away with a gesture as humble as a shared handful of sequins.
3 comments:
I love all those little treasures - both human and objet d'arts (or however you spell that). And now I understand why there is an open window in your kitchen. I had been wondering about that. It kind of reminds me of when I discovered Rachel (age 7 or 8 maybe) cutting a necklace of mine. "Why are you doing that?" "Ummmmm.....I don't know." The mind works in mysterious ways.
I, too, have wondered why that third panel was missing! Great post, and cute Valentine-version of the Xmas tree. I remember loving Valentine's Day when I was a kid (but sure don't love it now). It probably goes against your crafting spirit, but I was all about that box of small size Hello Kitty or whatever brand Valentine cards that you'd give to all your classmates.
We have a large street facing window that we simply close the curtains on. I like to think that, in a couple of years, I might be a part of a crafty team that makes homemade decorations we can display.
And, mom, that necklace is way cuter now. If I'd been older I might have been better able to articulate the fashion favor I was doing for you!
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