Blue Feather Mercantile

09/13/2026

T.I.L.: Snoopy has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

PEANUTS Characters: 1958, 1965 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

09/09/2026

“Refuge in the Storm”

(Isaiah 25:4)

Painted in acrylic for the 2026 Harlan County Art Walk, with touches of gold leaf that aren’t visible in the photograph. (4'x4’)

This painting combines two traditional & classic artworks: the 100+ year-old Storm at Sea quilt pattern, referencing the Gospel accounts of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41, and Luke 8:22–25), and Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam.

The darker blue center represents the eye of the storm.

When we are tried, we may see only the storm around us, God sees our lives from Heaven’s perspective. Not even a sparrow falls without His knowledge and care. How much more, then, does He see and hold His children. He knew us from before the foundations of the world. The Bible tells us that He knew us before we were ever formed, and He knows even the number of hairs upon our heads. Nothing about us is hidden from Him—not our beginning, not our ending, and not a single moment in between. He sees the whole picture and every thread He is weaving together for our good and His glory. Our perspective is narrow and finite; His is eternal. We may see only tangled threads of the hinder part, but He sees the beautiful pattern. And even in the fiercest storm, His Sovereign hand is still stretched toward us.

Though the men in women in Scriptures did not know what the outcome would be, they trusted Him. He was with Daniel, Joseph, Abel, Esther, Nehemiah, Peter, Stephen, Isaiah, the Hebrew boys, Ruth, Job, Abraham, Shiprah and Puah, a host of mothers who feared God above man: Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Jochebed, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth, Eunice…so He is with us.

They could not see the whole picture in the midst of their fiery trial. (1 Peter 4:12) They saw only the flames, the pain, and the uncertainty... But God saw the pattern for good. He saw what they could not, the purpose and beauty He was weaving through it all. His Sovereign hand was with them every step, even when they could not understand or see Him.

And He is still the same God today. We may not see the whole picture, but He does. He is faithfully weaving every thread according to His perfect purpose. It's an eternal work.

The hands, inspired by Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, represent the Lord’s willing hand reaching out to help all those who call upon His name, to sustain us, rescue us, and save us in the midst of the storm, even if that means we will have to be there in the danger for longer than we want.

I cry the same prayer of Peter:

“Lord, save me.”

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” -Matthew 14:3

All my life the Lord, my God has been Faithful and good to me, even when I did not know him. I trace His goodness back through every season of my life, remembering all the ways He has been faithful to me.
“that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” -Romans 2:4

“For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” -Isaiah 25:4

And we know all these things happen, for our good and His glory. He is our Refuge.

“His hand is stretched out still.” -Isaiah 5:25

09/04/2026

Customers buy my ads for all kinds of reasons. I enjoy selling them because I get to see so many things that trigger nostalgic recollections....like this ad here.

Sometime around 1978, my brother and I teamed up to sell American (brand) Seeds. In the 15 years since this ad ran, things had changed a little. I seem to recall that by 1978, the price per pack had risen to a quarter. And instead of getting a box of packets to sell, we sold packets from a paper list and then we sent the orders to the company. They came to us by mail in just a couple of weeks, and when we remitted the money order to the company for the delivered seeds we also selected our prizes.

Thanks to generous relatives, neighbors, friends, strangers, teachers... we sold several hundred packs and got some great prizes. I'm sure I can't remember them all, but among them were, a hatchet, a pup tent, two fiberglas recurve bows, two mess kits, two utility (Swiss army-type) knives,... maybe a battery lantern also. It was a lot of cool stuff.

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for American Seed Co Lancaster PA Print Ad 1963 - Vegetables Flowers Kids Get Prizes at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

09/02/2026

08/18/2026

"To sell an item, you need the cheapest one, the best one, or the only one."

I don't know who said that first, but I picked it up from George Higby (The Antique Nomad).

This item I listed on ebay today is the only one - at this time. And the gas mask image (which draws high buyer interest), combined with World War II era subject matter - and a heavy dose of dark humor - makes this a pretty special item in my opinion. I rarely price items in my store over $100, and I've only sold a couple. We'll see if this one can command that price.

Gas Mask Glamour Girl 1941 Magazine Photo 1940 - WWII Dark Humor Blonde Model [Two full pages on one sheet, printed on the front and back. See photos for exact size]

04/30/2026

12/16/2025

"WHEN THE LAST BOMB GOES HOME... "

"Some dawn, our orders will come in.

"In the mist and the half light, we'll 'bomb up' as always. Strap on our parachutes. Take our places. Buckle our safety straps.

"Once again...familiar thunder will burst about our ears as the motors are gunned and the props bite bright circles in the air. Under our rumbling wheels the runway will tremble. Once more, the long driving rush and roar as we take to the sky!

"Some day, the cross-hairs of my sight will center a target. And at the cry 'Bombs away," the last train will leave the bay and the last bomb will begin its long curved run to earth.

"And in its dull, exploding echoes, I shall hear the sullen crumble of walls, the crash of falling masonry and shattering glass, as the very name of the last stronghold of hate and lust and tyranny is purged for ever from the world in one final burst of flame!

"Then I'll turn homeward in the dusk. Home to my country, home to my town where I want unchanged, just as I left it, everything that is America to me. Everything! I hope they haven't even fixed the fence where the third picket from the gate was missing!

"Out here, America has come to mean just this to me...where I can live the way my folks and I have always lived...a country where there's work to do, where no one is ashamed to work, where there are no limits on a man's ambition or his opportunity to go as far as ability can take him-to grow as great as he wants to be. What-ever you do, don't change that, ever! I know now that's what I'm fighting for!"

Taken from an advertisement for Nash-Kelvinator Corporation - Detroit, Mich.
National Geographic - August, 1943

07/23/2025

Did you know Roper's Market carries an assortment of handcrafted items from Harlan Mountain Farmstead?

You’ll find mini-portraits, large canvas paintings, and dual-purpose art cards, the favorite Harlan County Foraged Immunitea, handmade salves, beard oil, hair oil, and clean antioxidant face and body oils. There's a variety of beautiful creations from other local artists, as well. 🎨 🖼 🫙 🍯 🫖