Dear Friends of Earnest Efforts -
August and September have been filled with change. The seasons have started shifting and the mornings are now crisp, crunchy and colorful. I always feel re-inspired as autumn comes, which I suppose comes from the natural instinct to ready ourselves for winter.
I find myself staring out at the autumn woods along the creek and wondering where to start. On 17 August, on what would have been our Grandpa's 99th birthday, our Nannie (click on link for an earlier post about a visit with her) started her transition to the other side with my Mom & I by her side. We weren't surprised, because she had been declining over the past year and our Grandpa passed on her 80th birthday. However, when Mom asked her if she wanted to go see Grandpa, she said, "What for?" That was Nannie :-)
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I wont say that her passing was beautiful or that death is beautiful. I don't understand those sentiments, but I will say being by her side, being with my Mom and my siblings, my Pa and my cousins was beautiful. That was what was beautiful & special and those are the memories I will hold dear. We held a perfect celebration of life, 'Nannie's Special Day' with friends, family, her famous biscuits & chocolate gravy and her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that taste like our childhood (I made 350 cookies as I worked through my grief).
We then readied ourselves for a little hike down memory lane with a camping trip to Rock Creek. Rock Creek is a tributary to the North Umpqua River in the Cascade Mountain Range of Oregon and is the place we camped as a large group all through my childhood.
And through the moments we breath life we continue to work and we find solace in that work. Earnie held things together at home and sold at market while I was with Nannie. He kept the sawdust flying in the Sawdust Cathedral cutting gorgeous new boxes and teething rattles & spirit shakers while he grieved and loved on me. And, when I was ready to come home he had plenty of rattles ready to sand for the new indie shops that contacted us. All my gratitude to you, my beloved Earnie, for surrounding me with love and laughter over the past month and our 16 years together...
We are delighted to announce that four new shops contacted us in the last month. Spreading our wings all over the country -
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| Tantrum in the Cole Street neighborhood of San Francisco, CA |
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| Bona Fide Green Goods in Concord, New Hampshire |
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| Ginko Gallery & Studio in Oberlin, OH |
I donated 4 ounces and 16 inches of hair to Locks of Love. It feels GREAT!
Our gratitude goes out to all of you who extended your love and sympathy in our time of loss. Our hearts still overflow with that love.
Take care, be good & kind, and do your darnedest to laugh,
Ellie Efforts
