The Blackburn Digest

Following up on yesterday’s triumphs, I was determined to complete at least one more task-in-waiting today. I had decided that task  would be applying the wood stain to the exterior of my Cypress & Fog room box (created in a workshop taught by the Guys From Texas), so that I could actually begin to furnish it with the goodies I’ve been collecting.  Before I could haul myself upstairs to accomplish that, DD and DG-daughter arrived. I enjoy their company, and watching Sara’s ever maturing ” take” on the world around her, but I Really wanted to get that room box off my list!   No problem – the rest of the family kept Miss Sara happy and entertained while I did my thing up in my Tower. Tomorrow, it will be ready to move downstairs (with help – this beast weighs a ton, probably because of all the field-stone castings that I [and the other members of the class] painstakingly detailed with multiple color washes to achieve a realistic effect)!  The Guys had mentioned that Minwax Provincial Pecan would be a good color choice for the box exterior;  as usual, they were right on target! It calls forth the Craftsman style of the room beautifully.  But that’s not what I’m bragging about – that’s just my “report card”

Nope, bragging rights go entirely to 3.5 year old Sara Elise (aka DGD)!  She has been looking at Grandma’s miniatures since she learned to crawl; Doc Dickory’s Hickory Clock Shop (housed in the base of our grandfather clock, safely below the sweep of the pendulum), the lower shelf of my antique mercantile showcase (housing as-yet-unhomed miniature treasures) and Noel 365  (my year-round Christmas shop, which occupies the lower level of the barrister’s bookshelves in the entryway) were her first introduction to grandma’s obsession. . . . . er, hobby.  When she mastered walking, many more scenes came into view and she realized there were even more which were either hanging on walls or sitting high above her head on shelves,, and she began to request “Up” so that she could inspect them.  Santa’s Teddy Bear Workshop – North Pole hangs on my kitchen wall and hasn’t been fitted with a protective Plexiglas cover yet. She’s always been very attentive to “just look, don’t touch” and very gentle when allowed to hold and examine any of my miniatures.

Today, when I needed to go back up to my Tower briefly, Sara asked permission to go with me.  Since I had already cleaned off the seat of the recliner, I said “sure” and off we went.  (The recliner seat issue is important; I have a bad habit of stacking tool-containers, magazines, file folders I’ve pulled out and  printies I haven’t filed yet on the chair. Naturally, Sara doesn’t see them as “research” or “future minis” – she sees them as an impediment to sitting down comfortably. Her youthful and direct approach is to get her little hands under as much as possible and sweep it to the floor. . .repeat as necessary. My fault for leaving it there – LOL!)  Once seated in the recliner, my multi-drawer organizer full of props for my “Door for All Season” shadow box is a slight glance to her right and within reaching distance.  She wanted to see what was in each drawer, and was extremely gentle in the handling of the contents of each  as she explored. When she removed the October/Halloween drawer, I realized it was time to dress the Door shadow box for Halloween! With some trepidation (hey, she’s only 3 1/2!), I brought the shadow box upstairs and opened it to remove the prior decorations.  She clambered up on my work stool, ready to go to work!   Yes, I was nervous, but the opportunity was just too perfect!  Propping the shadow box where she could reach it, I encouraged her choose a wreath and hang it on the door, pick from the items in the drawer and place them where she wished on the front stoop and the “ground” outside the door; the only help I offered was applying temporary adhesive here and there  and nudging the yard flag a bit as she tried to slip it onto to the hanger.  Throughout, she kept repeating “I’m being careful, Grandma” and she truly was.  At 3.5 years of age, Sara has decorated her first miniature scene – to me, that’s VERY impressive! I am so proud of her carefulness, reasoned choices and patience!  Bravo, Sara – you did a great job, and Grandma is hoping to play with miniatures with you a lot more as you grow up!