What a Fun Morning!!!

Wednesday morning. Time to get back to normal. No more vacation. Hit those lists and accomplish great things. Ugh!!! 

Washing started. Then I hear my hubby quietly calling me from the back deck. I go out and he points to our empty lot beside our home. There they were. The Canadian geese. They have never come this high before. There is a good creek at the bottom of our hill and they often nest there, never this high up the hill. I really think they are just foraging for food but they were pretty nonetheless.

Yesterday we had a note on our door about an attempt to deliver a package. The only package we are expecting is the one with things we bought at the Terracotta Warrior Factory. Claude drove to the post office yesterday but they told him the Fed Ex driver should have put that it wouldn't be available until the next day at the post office in Sadieville. This morning, after our geese encounter, Claude went to the Sadieville post office to get our package.

Let's just say, we'll be finding bits of Styrofoam for months to come after opening this box. It was a heavy cardboard box lined with thin sheets of wood which held a big, thick Styrofoam box inside a heavy plastic bag. Inside all pieces were encased in bubble wrap. That, my friends, is how China packs to ship to the United States!

Here is a pictorial journey of Claude opening the box. My duties were to take pictures, carry trash to the trash can and generally see how much harder I could make this process.

This is the lacquer chest we purchased. It is lined with newsprint. 

Inside the lacquer chest were the two terracotta warriors and my crane on a turtles back. Claude is now opening the first terracotta warrior.

Once unwrapped, I took this photo. The warrior on the left is named 'The General'. They could tell this by his clothes and hair style. Next to him is the 'Kneeling Archer'. He would have had his bow and arrows when actually placed in the tomb. These are not shown because, when the warriors were uncovered, nearly all the weapons were gone. They were stolen by looters before the ground collapsed around all these warriors. We purchased painted warriors because that is how they would have looked when placed in the tomb. When they are excavated now, their color disappears within two hours as the oxygen works on it. My turtle with a crane on his back represents longevity and plays an important part of the feng shui in a home. 

I marvel at the importance of packaging in China and when we were in Japan. This is the box my turtle/crane came in. The writing is on masking tape which removed easily. Note the little latches on the front. They are little pieces that look like bone with a hole in the end so a piece of fabric ties it to the box. A loop was formed out of the fabric and the bone/latch is placed through it to keep it shut. All that work for a box. Amazing. 

All our treasures are here now. They are in their places and we are going to enjoy them and the good memories they bring of our trip to China. However, even after sweeping and wiping, I assured my dear hubby we will be picking up bits of Styrofoam for many months to come.