Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

"When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

The moon laughs and whispers

'tis near Halloween."

Author Unknown

Freda Sharp

Have you ever heard a Rabbit sing?  No, I hadn't either -- in fact if someone had asked, I would have said that it was impossible.  Then along came Freda.  Apparently she is taking singing lessons.  I didn't ask from whom, but hopefully it is a lark or a wren and not another rabbit.

She is learning all about sharps and flats and chords and such.  Although I reluctantly took piano lessons as a young child, I was glad that she didn't ask me any questions, for my piano lessons sort of went the way of my Latin classes.
  

I did ask her the significance of the key and it seems to be a reminder to herself to always stay 'on key'.  Good advice for all of us I think.  I might have to visit her again sometime -- perhaps later in her lessons -- to see how its going.

"The only thing better than singing is more singing." - Ella Fitzgerald

Changing My Ways

For quite awhile now, I have made dolls (and birds) using colored and or patterned fabric as the body.  Each one was made individually from start to finish.  And then rabbits came into my life.  Because each rabbit is made using the same coffee stained fabric for heads, bodies, legs and arms I found that I could make up a group (or is it troupe) and then add their 'decorations' later.  I can even make all of the faces at the same time, add whiskers and decorate their toes.

This probably seems like nothing to write about -- but its made a huge change in the way I prepare these little critters and I love it.  I work for a day or two and make up 5 or 6 blank rabbits at once.   They will then sit there waiting patiently for me to take one at a time from its perch.  That's the fun part, decorating, making up the stories, etc.
  

I love this new-to-me way of working and I'm looking forward to many hours ahead in the company of rabbits.

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer
. 

Greta Grass

"Gotcha" -- that's what I cried when I spotted this little rabbit collecting the grass seed my resident gardener had just sown.  "Whatever are you doing?"

"Winter is coming and I need to collect the seeds for our grass plot next spring" she said quite meekly.  Oh my, was that me acting so rudely?  Of course there is plenty of grass and seed to be shared.  Happily we went about fitting each seed into her small collecting vial.

As she turned away I couldn't help but admire her flowery tail.

"Nourish beginings, let us nourish beginnings.  Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest.  The blessing is in the seed." - Muriel Rukeyser

"Mouses Houses"

Want to have a bit of fun?  Run over to    Mouses Houses   where you'll get to visit Maggie Rudy's wonderfully special world.  Maggie makes these little creatures to illustrate her children's books.  

Each day I wander over there to look at her exquisite work - to smile - to take a deep breath at her skill and artistry. 

Have fun!

Mr. Scribe

This fine fellow introduced himself to me recently.  It seems he'd heard about my conversations with our local rabbits and wanted to know more about me.  Apparently he is the 'setter of standards' for our little rabbit community.

Quite the guy he is!  He's a very good connection because he keeps the books and records for our little herd.  Whoops - I forgot!  One of the first things he corrected me on was the word "herd ''.  Yes we commonly refer to rabbits as being 'a herd' and living in their 'warren'.  Mr. Scribe believes those are 'common' words and that we should all use the French words instead.  Thereupon I received a quick French lesson. I learned that 'rabbit' is 'lapin', 'warren' is  'garenne' and  'herd' is 'troupe. I must admit 'troupe' beats 'herd' any day.

At first Mr. Scribe seemed a bit standoffish -- but once we got to talking he was quite sociable.  I'm sure he was groaning inside at my pronunciations - but never even winced when I said bonne journee.

"Hello Rabbit", he said. Is that you?" 

"Let's pretend it isn't", said Rabbit 

"and see what happens."  - A.A. Milne

Parlez-vous Francais?

...sadly I don't.  At my parents insistence I took two years of Latin in high school.  Hmmm how many times have I used that?

I've always loved the sound of words in French.  Just recently I've been called upon to learn a few French words.  Am I going to Paris for vacation - sadly no.  A bit of French has come to me quite unexpectedly.

And so for now I'll leave you with these few words to ponder - lapin, gerenne, troupeau and of course merci and bonjour.

"By the way, the secret of speaking French is confidence.  Whether you are right or wrong, you don't hesitate." - Joseph Epstein


 merci and bon jour.

Making a Mess

Recently, I was going through a 'what should I make next' quandry.  It became visual as I started taking out this and that - going through 'stuff', laying things down for consideration.  I finally noticed that the messier I got and the more cluttered my work table became the same thing was happening in my mind.

My thoughts were messy, unformed, full of detritus that was getting in the way of what I might really want to do.

 Realizing that nothing I might make would take each and every scrap of cloth or carefully saved trinket that I had on hand.  A day was spent sorting, processing and stashing stash for another day/project.

Amazingly, as things got tidier and tidier so did my brain.  My concept was becoming clearer.  And with a more orderly studio existence I'm having fun once again -- uh-oh here comes another mess. 

"In the scope of a happy life, a messy desk or an overstuffed coat closet is a trivial thing, yet I find - and hear from other people that they agree - that getting rid of clutter gives a disproportionate boost to happiness." - Gretchen Rubin

Sanctuary

Its that time of the year when I think a lot more about house and home.  Time for a warm, cozy nest to return to.  Time for a home that is safe from the elements. Time for a sanctuary in which to curl up for the upcoming winter.

The creatures know this - as they create a hole in a tree, or a nest high above ground.

Nomads who move with the seasons take their homes with them.

We all need shelter for  we are not made to live out among the elements.  

I am both thankful for my home but also feel a bit guilty that there are so many people who have no place they can call home.  Perhaps that is even more reason for me to savor the safety of a home while continuing to do the little that I toward home and sanctuary for every person and creature on earth.

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." - Maya Angelou