Sorry for the infrequent posts, readers. Summer vacation is almost over and I suddenly feel as if I’m trying to cram all of my fun in this last week. Yesterday I went kayaking and tomorrow I’m hopeful to visit the Museum of Civilizations in Ottawa. Today, my family is visiting to celebrate my mum’s birthday! We’re going on a boat tour in Alexandria Bay and will have dinner at her favorite restaurant. Aside from the money I make sewing, I don’t receive paychecks in the summer. We’re scraping the bottom of our budgetary bucket right now so my original gift ideas will have to wait until Winter Solstice. Still, I think she’ll enjoy what I’m giving her this year!
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| From Tribe |
My mum has a garden but it’s severely lack in herbs. I recently picked up some dried lavender bouquets for my sister’s wedding (from a fellow pagan friend), and my mum loved them. I stopped at my favorite farm stand in town to buy her some living lavender to take home. It smells delectable! I also picked out some local wine and cookies at our farmers’ market. Finally – the duck. My mum wants to start collecting wooden duck hunting decoys. (It’s a big thing in Northern NY.) She bought a decoy at an antique show years ago and found out it was made of foam. Still, she likes it and wants to add to her flock. The problem is they’re usually so, so expensive. When I went to a barn sale with my friend C, I found this poor mallard. His neck had been broken and glued back together. Despite this slight defect, he was very affordable and I immediately thought of my mum. I don’t think he was ever an actual decoy, but still. I hope she likes him!
After our adventures on the river, I plan to catch up with some Nine Moons work. I’ve fallen behind because of my recent oral surgery. I made some offerings to the spirits and have been doing my best to keep up with my shrine devotionals, though, so I can’t be too hard on myself!
Author M. A. Phillips 
That is so awesome. Your mom is going to love those. I always liked the gifts with thought in them over the big ticket items from my kids. My son is 26 now but when he was 10, he knew I loved fairies and he made me a beautiful card and took me out to the local sub shop for lunch…. I love that gift better than the dishwasher he gave me last year. And yes, I still have it, the card I mean, the dishwasher is under my table unused because I find that washing dishes is perfect for my arthritis, the warm water allows me freedom of movement and the stiff joints seem to work themselves out.
My mum did love them! I think she was most excited about the lavender. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s so lovely that you still have his card! I know my mother has boxes of my old drawings.