There have been times when we lacked a full compliment of ornaments. There was the first Christmas in Greenfield, and there was the first Christmas in New York City in 1975. The apartment was not large and there were seven of us! Some things had to stay in storage, including most of the ornaments. Once again we sat around the table with sheets of octag and paint. We were still dreaming of the day we would get to our country Shangri-la – hence the cow ornament.
In the city there were more mice ( and cockroaches and even rats) than in the country. The children didn’t like this ornament very much, but you have to work with what you’ve got.
Zounds! That cow is magnificent in her flirtatious loveliness. Had one not suspected that the artist was none other than the illustrator of “The Roses at the End of the Road” (and kudos there as well) one would suspect that tis bovine beauty was the sole farm animal who managed to escape Picasso’s “Guernica”, cross the Atlantic and find safe haven at the End of the Road. The charm and abundance of your Christmas tree is the best argument for making one’s own ornaments; no designer could replicate the spirit of happiness your trees always exude. A final note: that cow needs to have a book (illustrated) written about her. At this point her annual herding to the pastures at the top of the tree must be quite fascinating.
Peter – You might have to collaborate on such a book.