Our oaks trees produced hundreds of pounds of acorns this summer and .... In addition, Carl made acorn flour from some of the best nuts. So far we've enjoyed acorn cookies and pancakes.
It was a "mast year." We felt guilty about letting so many nuts go to waste that we hand-picked them and carted them out to Rustic Road Farm to fatten their pigs. Lost count of the number of bushels.
To commemorate the year, this year's gift was a sterling silver acorn necklace packed inside one of the acorns, mounted in a tiny box ornament, locked inside a carving of an acorn. The wood for the large acorn came from the yard (a limb that came down) and old shelves from the master bedroom, the three top pieces that form the cap.
Once you look closely, you can find clues how to open the top.
The Golden Acorn is a personal myth that somewhere in this vast forest of oaks, a single golden acorn awaits the lucky forager.
Also originating in 2018 was Two Loons in a Snow Globe. This project is still not quite complete (as of 2021). Within a week of filling the globe with distilled water, glycerin and rubbing alcohol, bacteria formed and made a mess. So, the top was removed and parts were scrubbed. Just awaiting the right day to refill it with mineral oil. In the meantime, the loons sit silently on their frozen pond and call out whenever a passerby moves them.
