Joseph F. Seisser 1926-2006

Exactly one year ago today my Dad passed
away from this world.
He was a man of faith, and he was ready to
go meet his beloved. He suffered
very much in the last few years. We were
prepared for his death in that we
did not want him to suffer anymore, but we
were not prepared for the tremendous
hole that has been left in our lives.

My father and mother were married for 51 years.
Although my mother is not a particularly
emotional woman, I have seen her walk around
all year as though she has lost a limb.
How do let go of your best friend of 51 years?





Your Long Journey 
written by Doc Watson and Rosa Lee Watson


God's given us years of happiness here

Now we must part

And as the angels come and call for you

The pains of grief tugs at my heart


Oh my darling

My darling
               
My heart breaks as you take your long journey


Oh the days will be empty

The nights so long without you my love
             
And when God calls for you I'm left alone

But we will meet in heaven above


Oh my darling

My darling
                
My heart breaks as you take your long journey

             
Fond memories I'll keep of happy ways

That on earth we trod
   
And when I come we will walk hand in hand

As one in Heaven in the family of God


Oh my darling

My darling
                               
My heart breaks as you take your long journey 

Joseph F. Seisser 1926-2006

My Daddy's last birthday, Nov.25,2005. With Ingrid and Isabel.

And now for something completely different...

I have been doing quite a bit of research on old tombstones, and the angels carved into them. I love the art and symbolism that is on the very old, pre-1850 ones. A couple of years ago, while on vacation in Boston, my son Aidan and I spent quite a bit of time exploring an old cemetary. I was quite surprised at how well a lot of them have aged, you could still read the inspcriptions on almost all of them. I remember it was very hot that day in July, and the rest of the family was sort of tapping their feet waiting for us, but we were just fascinated by them. OK, me, I think Aidan might have been humoring me!
I have learned quite a bit about them since then. Fore instance the oldest ones in America, erected during the more puritan era have death faces with wings. Then later as the influence of Neo-classical art came over from Europe, the skulls began to change to a more human face. The image of the winged scull or face(what looks like an Angel to us) represents the soul leaving mortal life and flying into eternity.

Here are a few common symbols (there are many, many more):

Flying Angel: rebirth
Trumpeting Angel: call to Resurrection
Weeping Angel: grief
Coffin, Pick, Spade, Pall: mortality
Crown: glory of life after death
Flower: frailty of life
Severed Blossom: mortality
Garland: victory
Heart: love, love of God, abode of the soul
Hour Glass; inevitable passing of time(and life)
Winged Hour Glass: swift passage
Scull, Bones, Skeleton: mortality
Winged scull: flight of the soul from mortal man
Winged face: Effigy of soul of the deceased, soul in flight



Of course the epitaphs inscribed on them is what first drew me to these little works of art. Here are some of my favorites:

The ever popular:

When I am dead and in my grave.
And all my bones are rotten,
Remember me when this you see,
Lest I shall be forgotten.

And:

What you are reading o'er my bones
I've often read on others tombs.
And others soon will read of thee
What you are reading now of me.

Then their are the ones that seem odd to us today:

Molly tho pleasant in her day
Was suddenly seiz'd and sent away
How soon shes ripe how soon shes rott'n
Sent to her grave & soon for gott'n

Which by todays sensitivities would probably read:

Molly, pleasant in her day,
Was suddenly seized and passed away.
How soon her mortal remains decay,
And her remembrance fades away.

Then there are the funny ones(which cannot be authenticated):

Here lies the body of our Anna
Done to death by a banana
It wasn't the fruit that laid her low
But the skin of the thing that made her go.

And from a tombstone out west:

Here lies Lester Moore,
Four slugs from a .44,
No Les, no more.

Bent Creek Littles~Bunny

This one is really kind of sweet and cute for me. I actually surprise myself how much I like Bent Creek. I don't usually go in the the cutsie stuff, but I really like so many of BC designs. I finished this one off for my little dowel tree. It was fun to finish it, and I actually figured out how to do it all by myself. I have 2 sheets of card stock inside there, which keeps it really flat and smooth. It is backed with wool felt, which doesn't need it's edges turned under, so no bulk.

progress on Houses

Yesterday I spent the whole day cleaning the house from top to bottom. It always feels so good when everything is clean.The kids messed it up again in no time, but once clean it is a lot easier to put back in order. I rewarded myself by spending the evening stitching and doing the never-ending mountain of laundry. In fact, I even struck floor down there in the laundry room!

Here is my progress on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I simply adore this project. The colors are so primitive and bold. Kathy really has a wonderful sense of color, and it is fun to explore her pallette. For instance, on the second house, that yellow that outlines the windows I would never have touched with a 10 foot pole. I mean it is the yuckiest yellow ever! But paired with everything else, the end result is just fantastic! I am stitching this exactly as charted. I never feel the need to change anything Kathy has done, I really trust her design sense.