Abe

What Abel did in the past year....

Self-Portrait 

Picture of Donald Trump By Abel

Cute boy

July 1st,  2016

Little Farmer

Tonsure

Gua's Kawaii Snowsuit

So Cute! 

I was at a loss as to what to crochet on Sunday.  No pattern in my books agreed with me. And so(as always)I appealed to my Dad for inspiration.  He suggested I make a suit for Gua, my gumma doll which is what you see before you.  It worked out well.  I was very excited about it, especially adding the pop-pom on the top.  I think it gives her character.  I will include the pattern to making this snowsuit another time.  I mean, there are not many people interested in crocheting coats for their kokeshi dolls(I partly made this because Gua has a large dent on her chin and this proved an artistic way to cover up any...you know what I mean)!

20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Pope Francis

Pope Francis, The Holy Father

1.  Pope Francis’ favorite book, other than the Bible, is Diary of a Country Priest.  It is on his bedside table.
2. Pope Francis gave up television in 1990 after making a promise to Our Lady.  He has never broken that promise.  
3. Pope Francis has never been on Twitter. 
4. Pope Francis is the first successor to Peter from Argentina.
5. Pope Francis is the 266th Pope. 
6. He was the eldest of five children.  
7. He graduated with a chemical technician diploma from Escuela Tecnica Industrial secondary technical school.
8. He is very fond of tango dancing.
9. Before joining the Jesuits he was a bar bouncer and as a janitor, sweeping floors.  He also ran tests for a chemical laboratory.   
10.   He was a fan of the films of Tita Merello.  
11. He is a lifelong supporter of San Lorenzo de Almagro football club in Argentina. 
12. He found his vocation to the Jesuits while he was on his way to celebrate Spring Day. 
13. He told the journalists(after his inauguration)that he had chosen the name Francis in honor of the saint and had done so because he was especially concerned about the wellbeing of the poor. 
14. When it became clear he was about to be elected as the new bishop of Rome, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, "Don't forget the poor."
15. On the day of his election, The Vatican declared that his name was not Francis I, but only Francis.  No regnal number will be used until his death. 
16.  It is the first time since Pope Lando(913-914)that a serving Pope holds a name not used by a predecessor. 
17. Pope Francis recalls that some elector-cardinals jokingly suggested to him that he should take the name Adrian since Pope Adrian IV was a reformer of the Church.
18. In February 2015, it was reported that if Pope Francis had been elected in 2005, he would have chosen the pontifical name, John XXIV to honor Pope John XXIII.
19. His motto, Miserando Atque Eligendo, means 'By Giving Mercy And By Choosing. 
20. Pope Francis said that the most powerful message of our Lord Jesus Christ is Mercy. 

Happy New Year!

Now that the cranial nerves are out of the way I can finally wish you all a happy new year! My resolutions are as follows:

• Finish my first novel
• Learn French Canadian fiddle tunes 
• Learn origami
• Keep record of books read in the new year
• Become charitable and patient towards my brothers especially
• Put more pictures on my blog
• Go to confession whenever the opportunity 
• Be a good example of a Roman Catholic 

And lastly, Read good, invigorating books.   

This last Saturday I was sick and tired of words.  Words, Words!  All I can read(which is true, considering:)).  As a homeschooler, I read for every subject and it must have been the gray weather and the bad lighting of the house because I literally refused to read for a good fifteen minutes. And that takes a lot of effort...

The 12 Cranial Nerves

Olfactory Nerve       

Optic Nerve           

Oculonutan Nerve  

Trochlear Nerve  

Trigeminal Nerve

Abducens Nerve

Facial Nerve

Auditory Nerve

Glossopharyngeal Nerve

Vagus Nerve

Spinal Accessory Nerve

Hypoglossal Nerve 

Random but a nice bit of knowledge to have in mind...get my pun?  heeheehe. 

A Doll From Okamoto Usaburo

Gua, a gumma doll

Her stamp, or seal. 

I found this small doll at Goodwill in February of 2016.  I could not make out the stamp as I do not know Japanese script but upon receiving a book about Kokeshi, I found out that my doll(Gua)was made by the kokeshi master, Okamoto Usaburo.  On further investigation, I could not find any Gumma doll of this make anywhere so I am convinced that perhaps I have in my possession a rare Gumma doll.  This was rather surprising because I had no inkling whatsoever that these dolls are in high demand by Kokeshi collectors from all over the world!   

Born in 1917 in Shinto, Gunma Prefecture.

Okamota Usaburo started the art of Kokeshi in 1950. 

Acquired many awards for his creative design of the kokechi doll. 

Died in 2009 at the age of 91.