March

It was a very mild winter in Michigan this year.  The crocus are blooming early and I find myself taking guilty pleasure in the 70 degree weather we have been having in this most unusual March.  Guilty, because in some ways it seems, well, wrong.  When Faolan was born I remember aching to get her outside to show her the world.  When she was three days old I wrapped her up in soft blankets, even against my mothers worried warnings, and took my daughter out to sit on the back stoop with my face in the sun and a smile in my heart.  It was a warm 40 degrees that day and snow was clinging to the still frozen ground.  On this, her fourth birthday, the crocus bloomed. 

There was something so sweet about this little scene as I walked past Faolan's room the day before her birthday party.  Her little red ladybug dress was pressed and ready and the new little red shoes with polka-dot bows beckoned her like the ruby red slippers from Wizard of Oz.  I want to burn this picture into my memory, for I know the day will come all too soon, that the door might be closed to hide the secret messy living of a teenage girl.  After all, she was just a baby last week.  Now she is four.

I made a little birthday crown out of stiff felt for Faolan's lady bug themed birthday party.  The whole party theme began last summer on an excruciatingly hot July day.  We do not have air conditioning, and it was Tim's birthday.  Turning on the stove to bake a cake seemed like something none of us could bare.  So Finn and I went to the market and got a store-bought cake.  She helped me pick it out.  Her first choice, you guessed it, was a ladybug cake.  "Are you sure that is something you think Daddy wants....or is it something that you want for your next birthday?"  I asked her smiling.  After a moments pause, Faolan agreed that maybe it would be more appropriate for her birthday.  And so the ladybug theme began.  The idea of a themed party is fun for me and I credit it to keeping some of my sanity intact through dismal Februaries.

Here are some photos of our little four year old lady bug queen and her birthday party.

The day of the party we were lucky to have warm enough weather to have an outdoor bug hunt.  I bought a few bags of plastic bugs at the dollar store and hid them all around the back yard.  I think most of the kids had a lot of fun. In attendance were our neighbors the Grobes and their daughter Penelope (who is also Faolan's classmate), cousin Justin & uncle Matt, cousins Bruce & Kate and Uncle Martin & aunt Karen all the way from Swartz Creek, good friends Holly & Joe Campbell with their darling boy Rory, our good friend Joy and her daughter (who is one week apart from Finn) Sabine, and aunt Evie & uncle Brian who came all the way from Detroit to help us celebrate. 

In the first photo "Professor Von Trilobite" explains the habits of these bugs to the children and that the bugs do not hide in the flower beds!  The kids had little bug collecting bags with magnifying glasses and other goodies inside.

After all the ladybug drama over the birthday cake, the market made the wrong one.  It was supposed to be shaped like a ladybug.  But when Faolan saw it she didn't care.  So I didn't care.  Thank Goodness her uncle Matt took some of these photos.  I was too busy scurrying around like a little bee!

Time to open presents!  People were so generous!  Faolan got wonderful crafts and games (her favorites) and she even got her wish of a Darth Vader mask & a Yoda backpack.

In a very rare quiet moment at the party, Faolan's cousin Kate wanted to read to her.  Is that not the sweetest thing?  After the party, aunt Karen took the girls shopping at the fabric store so that they each could pick out fleece for blankets.  Karen is going to make Kate and Finn matching blankets. Neither of the girls have sisters, so I think they decided to adopt each other!

Happy St. Patricks day!  Faolan dressed in green and we walked downtown to see a parade.  I'm not a huge parade fan as it turns out, but it is worth enduring for the enjoyment of my sweet petunia pants.  She giggled in delight when I told her we would go.  Why don't I like parades?  The politics...especially during an election year (why are they allowed?)  and rude people.  The last three parades we went to someone stepped right in front of us and blocked our view.  I swore this time I would speak up and be absolutely abrupt if I had to.  We ended up sitting next to some very nice people.  One older woman actually helped collect candy for Faolan that was thrown to the kids.  The parade was the usual plastic green attire...probably made in China...not a speck of true Irish culture save for the lone man in a kilt.  No pipes. That's ok.  Faolan had a blast.  She got two necklaces, a balloon and a bag full of candy.  It doesn't get better than that for a four year old! 

Faolan is learning to read.  The other day she was playing with the flip book and she sounded out r-o-b.  She ran into the kitchen where Tim and I were and exclaimed with excitement "I spelled my uncle's name!  Rob!"
It touched my heart, so I had to take a picture.  By the way.  It was on "silly sock day" at school, hence her funny striped socks.

Tim gives Faolan 15 minute lessons on the piano every week day.  Her random banging has begun to morph into something very tolerable.  Her enthusiasm and pride in what she is learning makes me think this is the perfect window of opportunity.  Her new chimp that she named "Jane" for Jane Goodall is from aunt Dorrie.  Jane sits to listen to Finn play every day.  Pinky....ring....middle...pointer...THUMB!  Do re me fa so...

I came home one day to find Yoda babysitting one of Faolan's dolls.  If you look closely, you will see that the doll has a doll....a Yoda doll!  Yoda is very useful around the house.  He reminds me of those house elves on Harry Potter.  We treat him with a lot of respect though ;)

One fine day as I drove home from work I decided that I would take Faolan on a walk.  We sometimes call them treasure hunts because she enjoys finding acorn caps, pretty stones and sweet gum balls.  We have so many of these things right now that I thought a good solution would be to take her on a photo treasure walk.  Here are some of the photos she took.

I took this photo of a robin on a walk with Faolan.  The robin, for me, represents hope and change.  My grandparents (Woods) and our family used to have a contest to see who could spot the first robin of spring.  I remember the exhilaration as a child seeing that robin.  I would call Grandpa and Grandma on the phone with glee.  That excitement has never left me.  As I grew older, the robin seemed to appear to me at times of great change.  A whole flock of robins appeared on the bank of the Pine River at my Grandmother's house when we held a memorial for my father in March of 1991.  I was alone outside and it was as if the flock (I had never even seen a whole flock before) was reminding me that there is hope even in grief...spring even after a harsh winter.  Maybe it wasn't so amazing to see a flock of robins in spring, but when you consider a bagpiper was playing tunes, walking along the river bank on and off through the day perhaps you can see the miracle in it!  I would have guessed every bird within a mile would have scattered to the wind with such powerful music! 

I have seen another flock since at another time of great change in my life.  This time in January.  At least 50 of them.  It is comforting now to see them.  Now Faolan, Tim and I have contests.  Tim won this year :) 

May you all have hope and peace this beautiful spring.

February

Happy Valentine's day!  I found these felt hearts at a Christmas clearance.  I thought they would be great strung on some ribbon.  It was inexpensive and ended up looking very charming.  It looks a little Scandinavian don't you think?

Faolan made some valentines for her grandparents and teachers.  She drew flowers and (she insisted) bugs then added bee and heart stickers.  "Bee my Valentine"?  Well, she thought it was funny.

Faolan always wants to needle felt when she sees me do it.  Needles and four year olds don't mix so I have felt bad telling her "no" each time.  I finally figured out a way for her to wet felt. I took some red roving and had her pick out some colors to put on top.  Then we wet it with warm water and added a drop or two of dish soap.  She rubbed the wool between bubble wrap and then put it in a heart shaped cookie cutter.  She then agitated the wool a little more with the bubble wrap.  I did have to needle felt the edges a bit to tidy them up.  Then I sewed a pin backing onto each heart.  Ta-da!  A colorful heart pin!

 I bought this during a weak moment in January at an antique store down the street.  It seemed a bit Scandinavian to me and I knew it would look good with the heart garland.  It's just so sweet!

Finally!  We got a little snow!  This winter has been very strange indeed.  Snow...melt...snow...melt.  We have had several 45-50 degree days here in MICHIGAN!  It has seemed like spring all winter long.  My daffodils agree as they poke their heads up way too early.  "What?  Not spring?  Huh?"  The snow in these photos was gone within two days.  We had fun while it lasted though!

 A snow fort and a wee snow fight.  "Throw snow at me Mommy!  Make me a snowball Daddy!"

                                                     Shovel.  Shovel.  Melt.  Shovel.  Melt.

 I walked into the living room to find Faolan watching TV dressed in this....which, as I stood there silently, realized was her version of Darth Vader.  "Mamma, I want a REAL Darth Vader Mask!"  Notice her Star Wars shirt?  I guess cat masks and paper towel rolls just aren't gonna cut it anymore!

 We love to feed the ducks!  We feed them all year round.  As you can see they don't have too much ice to worry about.  They have a little path down which to parade.  "They've got cracked corn today! Quack!"

 One of Faolan's classmates has cancer.  His name is Oliver.  When he is not in school, his stand in is a stuffed monkey named Banana Banana.  Oliver's family lives just a few blocks away so we made them some yummy banana-blueberry bread and Faolan made him this card.  I was impressed by the flowers...the first time she drew likenesses...even though we had "drawn" them for all the valentines.  Our thoughts are with you Oliver!  May you have a speedy recovery.
 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  May you have Peace & Joy in 2012

Here are a few photos from the past couple of months

Little imp

So I've been really into Scandanavia lately!  Isn't she precious?

No, smile.  Smile please.  Faolan! Smile? *uh* Happy Thanksgiving.

 Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year!  Got a picture of the turkey I was so proud of, but forgot to get good photos of my family.  Doh!  Mom & Dick came up from Georgia this year for the first time, and we had Evie & Brian over as well.  I was so excited to host!  It was good to see my family.  Faolan had her own little table right by my chair.  She decorated it herself!  She also made little pinecone turkeys as favors for everyone.  She is really into "decorations".

Faolan decorated a sugar skull for a Dia de Los Muertos celebration at the Arts Council

Faolan was Yoda for Halloween.  Here she is on "treats & trails" at the nature center.

Baby bunnies AND a hayride?  Heaven.

She rode every pony that day!

Sweet little goats at the pony farm

In the car on the way home from an all day excursion seeing outdoor sculptures

No more baby. She's a little girl now. *sniff* She's beautiful.

corny, but fun

Here are some nuggets of wit and wisdom from our girl:


This is my favorite story.  One day in late summer Faolan and I walked to a nearby playground.  She loves the sandbox, so it was the first thing on her mind.  After about two minutes she came running to me very excitedly saying "Mamma!  Mamma!  It's my LUCKY day!"  I was already giggling inside having never heard her say this before.  "Oh, why honey?" I said.  "Look!" she said,  "I found a bracelet, a digger and a teeny tiny cup!"  She showed me her treasures one by one.....a milk ring, a broken spork, and the cap to a water bottle.  The world is anew through a child's eyes.  I would have looked at those things and scowled with anger at trash in the sandbox.  What a precious gift to be reminded to look at things with a childish innocence every once in a while.

*****************

I got a flat tire the other day when I went to run errands with Faolan.  I pulled into a parking lot and called Tim on his cell phone.  I knew he was home.  He didn't pick up.  I grumbled a few choice words to myself then called the home phone.  No answer.  It was really cold and I began to get worried.  The last time I had a flat tire it took two strong men to get my lug nuts off.  I didn't know if I could do it on my own.  I called Tim again on his cell and he answered.  He was there soon enough and fixed the tire quickly.  As he is on his back on the cold parking lot ground a curious Faolan watched.  When he was almost done she said "Daddy.  Mamma called you but you didn't pick up the damn phone."  Tim looked over at me as I blushed with a sheepish grin.

*****************

"Mamma, does bubble gum taste like bubbles?"

*****************

Faolan:  "Mamma, so where do babies come from?" 
Mamma:  "Well, when you grow up..."
Faolan:  "no, Mamma, I mean after you find a good man"
Mamma:  *cough* "um....er..."

*******************

Faolan:  "Daddy, what is a god?"
Daddy:  "Well, sweetie, a god is a very powerful being. Do you know what a 'being' is? Every living thing is a 'being.' A cat is a living being; we're living being. Gods are beings, and normally people imagine them to be really powerful. Sometimes they're good; sometimes they're bad. And they're normally invisible so you can't see them unless they want you to... although different stories imagine gods in different ways. Sometimes people imagine lots of different gods, and sometimes they imagine only one, or even none. Some people believe there is a real god, only one, and some people believe there are lots of real gods. That's what 'religion' is about--
Faolan: Daddy, I'm Princess Leah.

*******************

‎...meanwhile, in the car the other day, on the way to Lansing to meet up with Faolan's cousins (at an indoor play area with the inflatable, bouncy structures that had Faolan quite excited all morning)...

Faolan: I love you, Dad.
Daddy: I love you, too, darlin'--
Faolan: I love you so much, we don't have to go to Lansing.
Daddy: Really? Should we turn around?
Faolan: Silly daddy. I don't love you *that* much.

*******************

Tim was trying to explain what a "weekend" was. He explained that while most people work during the week, there are some people who work on the weekend.

Faolan: When I grow up, I don't want to work.
Daddy: Well, darlin', the trick is to find something that you love so it doesn't feel like work. Like for me, it's writing. For mama its--
Faolan: Yeah. For me it's not working.

*******************

If you don't know, Tim gets up quite early on the weekends to get some writing done while Mamma and Faolan are still sleeping. Typically, after Mamma and Faolan get up, Faolan will rush into the office to say good morning. One morning, she was sitting on Daddy's lap and wants to type, too. So Daddy saves all his work and pulls up a blank document for her. Typing morphs into odd key-combinations, and soon Daddy's closing windows that say something like, "If you want to enable [that feature], you'll have to configure..." Daddy hardly reads them as he closes them. OK, end of typing. Let's just sit here and talk for a minute.

Did you sleep well? Did you have good dreams? What--

The computer is typing. Slowly. On its own. Word by word. Strange things, like, "whole year the jury notes pass rights..."

Daddy's calm. Daddy's tech. He rules out someone "taking over the computer" almost immediately. Could the software be somehow merging another document into this one? No, he decides.

And still, it types. "...that or of swim lunch..." This is starting to freak Daddy out a bit. If it types, "Hello, Tim" or "I am in the house" Daddy thinks we might discover just how aerodynamic a computer can be flying out of a second-story window.

Suddenly, Daddy realizes that the headphones are sitting beside him and Faolan, on the desk. The headphones with a microphone. Then he recalls what one of the messages said. "If you want to enable voice recognition, you must first calibrate your microphone."

The Golden Bee

A happy nut harvesting-burying-forgetting-finding-losing-finding-burying-harvesting-forgetting-burying season to all! Forgive me for intruding in this space, but I feel the need to stand up and defend the good name of squirrels everywhere. Let me introduce myself. My name is Tintinaboo Fuzzbutt, Esq., and I am at your service.

Let me also apologize for the lateness of this rejoinder. It has been quite the busy summer and fall -- what with the great number of nuts requiring harvesting-burying-forgetting-finding-losing -- so this is really my first opportunity to answer the slanderous barbs so callously advanced upon these pages some months ago.

‘Heinous’ does not begin to describe the opprobrium and vitriol loosed on these pages. I have been vilified. Pilloried. Vituperated! Hmmph! “Garden Rat,” indeed!

Ahh. Here, here. Let us try to keep our heads about us. No reason we can’t be civil to one another. Perhaps we should sit and share a tankard. Your best brew, mind.

--Yes, yours. You pant-wearing monkeys are the ones that figured out fermentation. You’re the ones with thumbs. “Ooh, look at my thumbs! Look at what they do! They bend in the... opposite direction... from my other fingers. Oooh!” And yes, you do sound like that.

Just like that.

Now, where was I? Ah, yes.

Neither I nor my forty-odd immediate family members will deny backyard residency. The food is plentiful, the cats are contained, and our contract is agreeable. Nor will we deny occasionally lopping the head off an obnoxiously cheerful tulip. Nor will we deny occasionally uprooting the entirety of the bulbs you planted. Occasionally. Just occasionally, as is our contracted right.

But not a single one of us is responsible for the despicable desecration of our goddess, Beealzibuzz, The Golden Bee. Since ancient times, we have worshiped her image. Prayed to her glory. Made offerings of the uprooted bulb. Followed her teachings; “If you see a tulip head, lop it off. Do this in my name.” Amen.

No, if you truly wish to discover the malefactor in this sad, blasphemous tale, look no further than Stygius Night, raven, noted apostate, and member of the heretical Blackheart Society. Sightblinder, the children name him. Find his lair and you will find the Eye of Beealzibuzz.

Summer Goals

This is the first summer in a while that I did not have to take grad classes.  It will probably be the last free summer for Tim & I for another few years.  Knowing this, I made some lofty goals for myself, and a laundry list of projects around the house.  Why do I do this to myself?  I don't know.  It turns out Tim & I are "project people".  We feel funny when we don't have a project looming.  I will encourage Tim to explain his goals in a separate post.

This summer my goals were these:
1. Establish an etsy site to sell my paintings that are piling up (and hopefully make a few extra bucks)
2. Get some artwork in a show or two
3. Learn how to grow and store vegetables
4. Trace the "Woods" side of my family to the original from Europe

Well, I'm still working on the first goal, though I have spent much time painting to create sale-able stock.  I went on this sheep kick after seeing the collie and sheep at the highland festival.  I've been painting small 4x4 sheep mostly.  I hit a wall in my tree project, so that is on hold until I can get past my creative challenge.  I am almost done with my logo.  My shop will be called Indigo Lion Arts.  Don't ask.  It was like the gazillionth name I came up with that was finally available at etsy.  Anyway, I'll give it a shot.

I was excited to accomplish goal number two in the spring.  Two opportunities came along at the same time.  One was a juried show at Western Michigan University & the other was a juried competition for a banner in downtown Holland.  It was a crazy week when I had to submit to both shows two days apart.  I had to create new artwork for the banner competition, as it had a specific theme of bicycles.  It's a real no-no to submit wet work, but using oil paint, I'm afraid the canvas had a couple of rather damp spots.  The Holland Arts Council took it anyway.  I submitted two paintings of goats to WMU that I had already done, so I just had to frame them.  I was happy when I got into both shows.  Now when we walk downtown, Finn points up to my banner and exclaims "There's mamma's painting!"  It's so sweet.  I was really happy that the banner was placed smack in the middle of town on a popular intersection!

 I was in such a rush, I never took a photo of the original painting!  Oh well.  Here is the banner.  Coming up with a bicycle theme in this vertical format was challenging!  It also had to have "local flavor" hence the tulip.  I wish I knew how much it brought in from the auction.

Meh.  The color did not scan very well.  While I usually enjoy painting landscapes, this time I let the background dissolve.  There is something delicious about green on a hot pink ground.  The disintegrating landscape also became a sort of comment on global warming in a way.  In the second painting the goat turns it's back, as we humans sometimes turn our back on the environment.  So, sometimes there might be a metaphor hanging out on the edge of culmination, but mostly I just like the form and the color and the shapes that happen.  The Icelandic painter Louisa Mattiasdottir has been a big inspiration to me as she makes negative spaces just as important as the figure.  Animal legs really lend themselves to interesting negative shapes.  I have also been in love with Japanese Woodblock artist Hiroshige & his bold outlines and sometimes satirical subject matter for some time now. 

As for my third goal, I will call this an experimentation or learning year!  I know next to nothing about growing and preserving vegetables, so there was a harsh learning curve.  Throw in the fact that we have very little space in our yard and many many garden rats (squirrels) it's amazing I came away with any eatable food!  Though we have very little yard and live on a buys street corner, I was inspired by Urban Farmer magazine to go for it.  Tim obliged me with his shovel and strength, and before you knew it I had two small veggie beds.  The first housed zucchini, green beans, pickle cucumbers, a blueberry bush, habanero peppers, carrots and a few different herbs.  I grew tomatoes in pots and some in the bed.  I also ended up potting my rosemary after the zucchini threatened to take it over.  May I just say, I LOVE ROSEMARY.  Finn & I pick it for our potatoes, or chicken and the like.  It's delicious.  In my new bed I am attempting a late planting of rutabaga, & cabbage.  We'll see how that turns out.

 Where Finn is standing is now another bed.  Finn loves to water....everything...including herself & me.  Just the green stuff Finn!

Not much, but it's a start!  I was excited with this day's start.  Tim thought I was silly for taking a picture of vegetables.  The beans are actually some from a plant Finn started at Montessori school!

I have been getting together and learning with my friend, Joy, about growing & preserving veggies.  She recently invited me over for a day to learn how to do lactose fermentation.  If you have never heard of it, you should look it up.  It is actually the original way to pickle veggies, and it is easy-peasy.  We did sauerkraut & pickle cucumbers.  I have not tasted them yet, as they get better with time.  I love that the process did not involve any cooking as it has been a hot summer.  I think so many of us have lost the "old ways" of dealing with food.  I am eager to learn all that I can.  I now have a book on root cellars, on lactose fermentation, on solar dehydration, & medicinal herbs.  Speaking of "old ways"...

I have been thinking about my family roots A LOT this year.  Finally, I splurged and bought one month at ancestry.com.  With the help of my grandfather's nephew's wife, Mary, I have an almost complete Woods family tree.  I say almost because there is a little question over the last of my ancestors, Oliver.  I'm still digging.  Some interesting things I found out:

The Woods are from Ireland, (possibly from Scotland before that but we don't know)
Captain Samuel Woods 1740-1825 fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary war
The Maxwell clan were borderlanders in Scotland and the name comes from "Macchus' Well"

As for my Grandma Woods lineage, I have mixed feelings.  It seems that since her father's family was comfortable as far as money and society, her mother's family was not.  Therefore, her mother has been nearly impossible to trace.  Only one photo exists to my knowledge of "Jenny" before she married Hugo.  I remember Grandma telling me that her mother's mother was an indentured servant from Ireland, and her father a ships captain on Lake MI.  He drowned when his daughter was only six.  I don't even know for certain what their last names were.  It's so strange to have been able to trace my Grandmother's father well into Germany & France, early 1700s, but nothing for Jenny.  It seems there was even some family turmoil over Hugo even wanting to marry Jenny in the first place because she was not born of good society. 

Pulling out old photos, and tracing my lineage has been interesting.  I see myself in faces of people I never knew.  I see the importance of family story telling, and passing down heritage.  In my efforts to recover Jenny's family history, I came upon some writing by my Grandmother.  She had begun to document stories about her life, but never finished.  She only got through a few pages.  She mentions Jenny, but never a last name.  I will soon be writing letters to the elders in my family to encourage them to write their stories down.  The good, the bad & the ugly. 

                            Early photo of my Grandma Woods' mother, Jenny

                Grandpa Woods, Robert Vaughn.  My goodness!  See where I get my mouth! 

           Grandma Woods, Ruth Marie Landguth, looking much more serious than she was

Time Machine Tea Party

On the left is Faolan, around her 2nd birthday in March, 2010.  On the right is her great-grandmother, Ruth Woods, circa 1909.  I thought it would be neat to do a photo shoot with a similar set-up.  I got the idea when my mother brought the little frilly dress & pinafore for Faolan.  I thought it looked very sweet & old fashioned.  The tea cup from which Faolan is drinking was actually one from Grandma.  It's one of the few things I have from her.  My father took us to Grandma's every weekend, and after he died I continued the weekly visits.  Many of our visits happened over a cup of tea.  

Faolan and Grandma have a few things in common too.  They were both born in early March (7th & 10th) and Faolan is a spitfire, just like her great-grandmother.  I remember hearing Grandma tell stories about how her mother used to cry a lot because she didn't know what to do with an energetic young girl (not the quiet, sweet little angel she had imagined?).  Apparently, her grandmothers did not care for her either.  Her French grandmother would shake her head often and tsk "Rooty, Rooty, Rooty" then tell her to go home in German.  Her Irish grandmother was slightly better, but not all hugs and love either.  The way I see it, Grandma was really just ahead of her time.  She was born when children were supposed to "be seen and not heard" and girls especially were expected to be contented with quiet doll play in the background.  Women couldn't even vote during her childhood for goodness sake!  My Grandma used to do such things as climb the Chicago "L" twirl on the piano seat and climb trees in her Sunday clothes.  She was spunky, and fearless, from what I gather.  

After being told one of these stories of how out of place Grandma felt, I remember hugging her (she was tiny, my chin fit on the top of her head) and thinking to myself, I would know what to do with a strong little girl like her.  *sigh*   Well, all I can say is thank goodness I have a strong partnership with Tim!  And as my daughter's name, Faolan, or "little wolf" suggests, she is strong, energetic and beautiful!  Tim & I see parenting her as a journey in figuring out how to guide that energy in a positive way.  It's not a negative thing, or it doesn't have to be.  It is exhausting, but parenting in general is tiring.  We know she's going to do amazing things in this world.  And on top of that, she has three grandparents who love her and appreciate her tremendously.  I am confident that Faolan will grow up never questioning weather she is loved.