Blessing #16 - Special Presents from My Husband

   My husband is a very kind and loving person always trying to make my working life a bit easier for me.  He does the usual “husband” things around the house like yard work and dumpster runs, but he also cooks on nights when I am too tired to put anything together and spoils me at 5:30 in the morning with hot coffee in an attempt to get me up and started on the right foot. Above and beyond these things, he really gets a kick out of giving me special presents, and two of these have become wonderful blessings in my life.

   First came my “Irish Fiddle” which he surprised me with on our visit to Dublin, Ireland.  For a number of years I had been playing old time music on a beat-up old fiddle I bought probably fifth hand in Galax, Virginia, the home of the famous Galax  Fiddler’s Convention and lots of bluegrass and old time music...there is a distinct difference between the two....trust me! He had been saying he was going to get me a REAL FIDDLE one day,  but I never thought it would happen. Well, it did much to my surprise, and was I thrilled! The owner of the music store knew the history of the old violin which made it even more special.  It has a beautiful sound, and I have studied violin with it as well as playing lots of fiddle tunes at festivals and friends’ homes.  It has brought me endless hours of pleasure and happiness through the years. The icing on the cake is how happy it makes  Bud feel when I play it...that makes it extra special.

   Second is my Ashford spinning wheel.  After being an OCD knitter for more years that I can remember, I started becoming fascinated by fiber and how it got from the sheep to the knitting shops. One day I visited the dearest lady who had a yarn and spinning shop at her home out in the country.  There I played with some wheels for the first time and was immediately hooked.  Once again, Buddy came to the rescue, and before I knew it I had the most beautiful single pedal spinning wheel sitting in our living room. I have spun so much fiber on it, and that led me to learning how to dye my yarn with commercial dyes as well as dye we were able to create from the our apple tree.  Spinning like music is food for the soul.  It calms me when I am upset and gets me to focus my mind and body on calmness and beauty rather than worry and fear.  The soft wool running through my hands and fingers is a feeling I love so much, and it’s such a treat being able to take raw fibers and turn them into beautiful and colorful yarn.

 There you have it! My fiddle and my spinning wheel are two of my most special gifts from my husband. Now, you all can understand why I consider them together as my Blessing #16.