Where Do you THINK It Is????

When you haven't got much storage space, you have to come up with some "pretty" creative ideas. Since the only place to store the vacuum cleaner was to have it wedged alongside the futon in the computer/guest room. That's where it sat, hunkered in the corner looking all 'vacuum cleanery' and belligerent. Whenever one of us needed to use it, we had to put on ninja garb and go to battle getting it outa there.

I've seen some cool vaccum cleaner covers online and in magazines, but most of them looked too quaint for the very tacky Cappy and me. I would have sewn it myself, but my sewing machine was in the shop, and I haven't been in the sewing mood since I burned myself out at Christmas time....again. When I happened onto Hunky Dory Crafts online I knew I had found someone who 'understood' us. I called "Joan, the Bag Lady" herself, (very friendly, and nice) got to pick out our "Broomhilda's" dress and even what color her froggy skin would be. I was amazed that she got it made and sent to us in about three or five days, I forget which, but it was here before other things I had ordered online had arrived...and those people didn't have to custom make the merchandise I had ordered either, as Joan did. Wow! Her craftsmanship is excellant. She put a big ladybug button on the back of the dress, which always makes me smile when I see it, but what almost made me cry was that she had placed a silk butterfly on the back of one of the hands. Ms. Joan had no idea that, to us, butterflies symbolize Love.

Monarch butterflies were my Mom's favorite. Everybody always gave her necklaces with a butterfly on it. When she passed, we were all gathered at her gravesite, and although it was badly threatening to rain, as we stood together, mourning, out of nowhere a very large Monarch butterfly began closely circling low over her grave, then over the crowd, then slowly fluttered up, up, up out of our sight. We stood there staring skyward amazed and comforted.

A few years later, having met Cappy online shortly after losing my Mom, he searched all over New Orleans for hours and hours and hours until he found a special set of Mardis Gras beads for me, with Monarch butterflies on them. How sweet and dear of him. When he was way out in the middle of an huge bay, with no land in sight, he was in his wheelhouse with the doors open, catching some fresh breezes off the Gulf. He said that, (once again) out of nowhere, a very large Monarch butterfly fluttered in through the door and landed directly on his heart, and stayed there for some time. He said that it was the first time he had ever seen a butterfly so far out away from land, and the fact that it had landed right on his heart, had touched him somehow. He said that "from that, I knew that I could dare to let myself fall in love". He stood there almost breathlessly, he and his "passenger"/"messenger" silently keeping company, then after about a very long five minutes, it lightly flew away, as quickly as it had come. And since then, butterflies are always showing up in our life at unexpected times. I did have to laugh when, not long ago another one showed up. (Most all of you know that Cappy hates green when it's man-made...he of course loves it when it's in it's natural state, especially out where he works) He sent me a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day. Although they were beautiful, in a clear colored vase (he's made sure about that) the card holder was a long stem of green plastic, which matches the greenware that I set out to catch the sun when he's on the boat and put away just before he gets home, but the holder itself, 'clutching' the most loving note from Cappy, was a butterfly! He had accidentally sent me a butterfly...he didn't know they were going to do that...but he had sent me a GREEN butterfly, much to his chagrin :-D

But I digress.

Our Broomhilda, here, arrived when Cappy was home, but, not realizing that I was taking the cleaner out to put the new cover on it, and then intending to put it in a place of prominance, instead, he found me struggling to get the vacuum cleaner out of it's 'place' and began helping me. The usual battle ensued and it got lodged in there like a vise, which caused a massive stuggle, beads of sweat and 'sailor language'. He said for me to NEVER, but N.E.V.E.R. put that vacuum cleaner back in there again, not knowing that, that was my original plan. "She" doesn't have to go back into the tight-squeeze of a corner, but can stand anywhere and look just great. And...once Cappy saw the end results he was quite taken with her. He said he never met a frog he didn't like, but when he got a look at the material her dress was made of, he was even more happy with "her". One of Cappy's favorite things to eat is frog's legs, but she aint got none under her skirt; maybe some other Cajun got to her first. Although she doesn't look all 'vacuum cleanery', she still does look kinda belligerent, doesn't she? Still, I think she's a 'sweet' addition to our home, even tho' the dogs don't like her right back.

In all sincerity, though, you should check out Joan A. Webb's website. She's got some of the most wonderfully unique handcrafted gifts and keepsake things that you'll ever find online.

http://www.hunkydorycrafts.com/ , her email is hunkydorycrafts@bellsouth.net and her phone number is (843) 764-3280