FISH TAXIDERMY

ONE OF THE THINGS I MOST enjoy about taxidermy is diversity, and for a considerable time during our golden years, it kept my beloved wife and I magnetically engaged in creativity. Now, losing her after almost fifty years, the day after the September 11 disaster, left my family and me reeling. We were additionally rocked over the diabolical senselessness of the New York event when Tessa died, so it was an overwhelming struggle at first just trying to keep our heads up.

Experience has taught me that having a close relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, and keeping busy, is of monumental significance. When it comes to leaving the traumatic concerns of this troubled world in bigger hands, there is no better place to leave them, especially while trying to cope with the grief and pain over the loss of my closest loved one. Indeed, I miss the encouragement and support of my Tessa, for she was always there and willing to go the extra mile. We'd been through the wars and were closer than two peas in a pod. Just being together was the highlight of every single day of our married lives. She was the one who took all the photos for the previous articles I have written, and we were always interested in what the other was doing.

At least taxidermy gets me off the couch and into my studio every morning. I've always had two left feet when it came to doing too many things at once, so I can either sit down and grieve, or get off my butt and do taxidermy. I also have customers who trusted me with assignments they expected to have completed with a reasonable amount of time. Every one of them, though, waved off the inevitable delay. It took me seven months to get back on track.

For a few years, I have specialized only in fish and birds. This has worked out well for me. Dropping all the other stuff allows me to deliver on time. The big stretching table in the middle of my shop is gone, and the heavy mounting stands are no longer necessary. All my equipment is now...

...Continued in the Spring 2003 Issue of Breakthrough.

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