My replica of George Washington's Inaugural Sword

George Washington appeared on the balcony of the Federal Building wearing a brown suit and wearing his inaugural sword. At six feet three inches tall he made an impressive figure when the average man was five feet six. His speech showed his modesty as he said he had retired to his farm and had hoped to stay retired.
I have one of 1,000 full size replica copies made in 1974 of his inaugural sword that I inherited from my dad, plus the matching ceremonial silver dagger. Actually these belong to my sons but the sword and dagger are still at my house. The sword is 34 inches in length, made in London, and has a sterling silver hilt and is an exact replica and it could, as the paperwork says "if necessary, be used advantageously in combat." My copy is a strong metal sword made in the traditional way by the Wilkinson Company. The original sword was presented by Washington to his nephew and remained in the family until 1889, when it was obtained by the Washington Association of New Jersey. The original is on display at Washington's Headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey where he spent the winter of 1779.
Here is a description of events at the inauguration of our first President: "George Washington even stooped over and kissed the Bible when he was sworn in as President. Then he led everyone present across the street (in New York City, our capital in 1789) where they participated in a two hour prayer service at St. Paul's Chapel, which still stands a block away from where the World Trade Center stood." From "The Book that Made America" by Jerry Newcombe.
What a handsome and meaningful sword and the detail on it is amazing which makes it a work of art in my view. The same company that made the original sword made this replica, and  that company was founded in 1772. Hurray for Wilkinson Company of Great Britain, and thanks to my dad for passing the sword and dagger along to me, and eventually to my sons whenever they want them.

This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance, book I enjoyed

I found this book by serendipity recently and was very pleased to read it. I love books with senior citizen main characters, in this one Harriet is seventy eight.
Here is my review:

Harriet Chance is a lady I cared about; 78 years old, recent widow, difficult relationships with her son and daughter, and a rather brave gal. There is plenty of humor in this book, and Harriet faces difficult times after the death of her husband a year earlier. She did not have an easy life, starting when she was a baby. The novel moves between Harriet at different ages in an easy to follow way. Will Harriet go on the cruise, deal with some shocking and unpleasant news about her husband, smooth out her rocky relationships with her adult children, be able to keep her home? And what about her dead husband who keeps reappearing and chats with her? I recommend this book with its light hearted yet serious look at aging and its main character, Harriet.

Today it is only $1.20 on Amazon for the Kindle and $9.00 for the paperback. Be alerted that though there is humor here, there are dark things happening. Not everything gets resolved in a pretty happy ending. I don't want to give away any plot turns or the ending so will say no more.

Evison also wrote "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving" which is now a movie "The Fundamentals of Caring." Again, many dark things in that book and movie but I aim to read the Caregiving book and see the movie.Update: on April 17 Evison's "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving" was $1.20 as a Kindle, so I bought it.

Shaping Up: My Kitchen

My yard is shaping up this year. My home is shaping up too. Am I shaping up? Ha ha. That is for others to say.

Above is a photo of six counter top stone samples for my kitchen counters. I like them all. Two are grey/white which will go well with my stainless steel kitchen appliances, the others are brown/tan which will go well with my cabinets. Next step is to choose one. They are from an environmentally friendly company. The new counter will be one solid piece, not little squares, these are just samples. The samples are on my old counter which is mainly white and as old as the house, sixty five years old. Time for a change I say.
Below is a terrifically exciting photo of my new off-white walls. That "exciting photo" is a joke friends. Oh dear, in contrast with my white orchids the wall looks grey. Trust me, the walls are white and make my rooms look more spacious.

Painters came in and painted my kitchen and twenty foot long hall way. The first half day they washed the walls and ceilings,  applied putty as needed and painted trim. The next day they spent eight hours painting. The color is off-white. It doesn't look very eye catching in photos but trust me, it is an improvement. Plus before they worked I took everything off the walls and am keeping most of the things off the walls, a visual de-cluttering which I like.

Easter Sunrise Service at the Ocean

It is foggy and of course dark at this sunrise service on Easter and many people gathered to hear the sermon and worship and I was happy that many strangers came too, some of whom I am sure were just walking along the cliff when they saw us.

Easter is a new creation

  

"On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but of the dawn."

Gilbert K. Chesterton

I admire the talent of people who decorate eggs like the above. They are works of art, aren't they?

Apple Blossom Clematis in my garden

A year ago I planted a small two foot high Apple Blossom clematis and it is now six feet tall and climbing up my back fence and has lightly scented white flowers. Many clematis are deciduous but this type is evergreen and keeps its leaves year round. The flowers are about one inch across. I am looking for a Jackmanii clematis with five inch purple flowers, and which does lose its leaves each year.
In July 2017 I bought a deciduous clematis called Niobe with burgundy red blooms in spring and summer. It was dormant when I bought and planted it from a mail order nursery (Wayside Gardens)  so I haven't seen the blooms yet. It has a few leaves and tendrils at the moment. Below is a photo of Niobe in bloom.

Below are two more photos of my Apple Blossom Clematis, in bloom since March 1, 2018.

Christ Symbol in Ephesus, Turkey and groups we are in

Above is a photo of the pendant my friend bought for me in the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey quite a few years ago. It makes reading Ephesians even more meaningful to me.What a thoughtful gift. We co-authored two books and she knew I attended college in Turkey so she thought of me.
Below is a photo of the Christ symbol you can see if you visit the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey.

The fish in early Christianity was a symbol for Christ.

The Greek word for fish is Ichthys and the letters for Ichthys  are the following:

If you draw each letter on top of the other you will form the symbol O with 6 lines through it, looking somewhat like a pizza that is sliced.

In ancient Ephesus Christians carved this symbol into the stone walk way which you can see today if you visit Ephesus in Turkey. This symbol is also found in Athens and other places in Greece and in Rome. It is believed that like the drawn symbol of the fish (which we still see today in places like bumper stickers) this was a way of secretly announcing that Christians were near. In the early years of the church, as in many countries today, it was dangerous to be a Christian. In fact, Paul wrote Ephesians (letters to Christians in Ephesus) when he was in prison. He was eventually executed for being a Christian. I am reading a book by N.T. Wright called "Paul for Everyone: the Prison Letters, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon".

I also read that the Greek letters of Ichthys are an acronym for Jesus Christ God’s Son Our Savior
Fun to be in a study group
A nice aspect of the women's Bible study group I attend is that I meet new people of all ages and backgrounds. This one lasts for 8 weeks and has 14 members and when it ends I will probably sign up for another study. About 50 ladies showed up so we divided into 3 groups. Isn't it fun to meet new people? And see old friends too.
Are you in a group or groups that meet locally? I know some of you are in book clubs which sound like fun. One blog friend is in a group that reads poetry out loud, that also sounds like a great activity and some of you gather to knit or do crafts, also fun.