of shakespeare, grandmothers, & odd tinkers

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there is nothing in all the world as glorious as shakespeare.

more than all of my obsessions & collections combined, am i swoony for the bard. yes, even over coffee. gasp!

i really ought to have this print properly framed. & i only just noticed the window reflections in the glass; well photographed, me!

i no longer own as many copies of his works as i once did. many years ago a certain manlyman convinced me that i did not need eleventy billion boxes of books (we moved quite a bit), so i culled my collections.

the above is my favorite. it was my grandmother's, from when she attended usc (university southern california). it was also the one i used through high school, so contains notes in both our hands.

this map of shakespeare's britain came with the aforementioned book. actually, i doubt it came with it, but it was inside when she passed the book to me. i wish i'd taken better care of the map; it is now in such a sad state. i suppose i should have it seen to, before it falls apart completely.

my grandmother gave me the wee sonnet book as well. in fact, the four in the first photo, & the one below this also came from her.

there are more books, & other items of a shakespearean nature stored in the garage. one thing i want to dig out is the darling of my collection. it's a page from an old magazine, that shows hamlet's soliloquy, as well as the same written in beat. in beatnik? anyway, it's quite fabulous, & yes, it also came from my grandmother. two peas in a pod, we were.

this is my newest. it was my mother's. i was able to bring home a large box of her books on our recent visit. not near as many as i had wanted, but i am not pouting. much.

i did not check thehobbit's room, to see what he has squirreled away. i know he has a few things. oh! i forgot to take a photo of the brass rubbing of shakespeare's bust i did a bunch of years ago. you shall have to use your imagination for that one. don't forget to make it a bit fuzzy & out of focus, so it matches these photos.

recently my darling tinker went on holiday in england, & visited the globe. whatever! was my reaction as well. i was thrilled to learn that she'd brought me a prezzie from there. can you guess what she lovingly bestowed upon me?

a wee trinket? no. a box of soil dug from the grounds? no, again. a book? a poster? a whimsy? no, no, & still no.

i shan't keep you in suspense one moment longer.

my very own globe theatre kitchen towel. i love my odd tinker, i do.

~peace.

edited to add :: you must watch this show (it is in six parts).

ancient greece studies (the books)

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photo :: found on pinterest

thehobbit  is studying ancient greece over the summer with friends. instead of meeting for classes, they'll do the work on their own time, then meet twice monthly for activities, games, & a party. sort of a freaky, backwards summer camp, i suppose.

because we have so little time, i decided to stick with just a few things: the basics of when & where & who, mythology, & the olympics. that last would not be one of my choices were it not an olympic year.

like i did with our middle ages studies (here & here), i thought i would share resources with you. here are the educational books we are using - in no particular order:

10 best greek legends ever!

groovy greeks

groovy greeks activity book - i've not yet looked through this one, i only just ordered it.

usborne greek myths

ancient greece! 40 hands-on activities - borrowed from auntiepaper.

classical kids - ditto this book

top 10 worst things about ancient greece

oh my gods!

she's all that!

what a beast!

you wouldn't want to be a slave in ancient greece

you wouldn't want to be a greek athlete 

& those for (more importantly) fun:

percy jackson series

the lost hero - i know this one is a series, but book 2 is roman-themed. we'll save this for autumn :)

the fire thief series

whew, that was a lot of linking! links & ideas will have to wait for another day.

~peace.

we're all mad here

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photo :: found on pinterest

are you angry at me for being such a wretched excuse of a blogger? i hadn't intended on staying away, in fact, i have written many a post to you since last we chatted. of course, they were all in my head. that counts, right? no? fine. then please forgive me, pour yourself some tea, & be prepared to be amazed that i can babble on & on by my literary genius.

have we chatted about my love of the alice books? it wasn't one of those love affairs that hit me passionately; instead i just woke one day & noticed that there seemed to be a lot of alicey type things cluttering thebelfry. i cannot tell you what exactly draws me to the stories, but i imagine the nonsensical nature has a lot to do with it.

isn't that photo darling? i found it on pinterest when i was creating my alice board. on pinterest i have found alicey: illustrations, photographs, books, jewelry, clothing, & even the most insanely wonderful tattoos.

my personal collection consists of the following:

* a ring of the characters holding hands. it is as if they were teeny paper cut-outs, going around the finger. i haven't worn it for decades, but cannot seem to part with it.

* three films: the disney cartoon (which i must admit to not liking much), the tim burton version (because a) it's tim burton & 2) it's johnny depp), & my most favorite of them all this! 

* this stunningly gorgeous (i knew alice had black hair like mine) illustration, printed tiny from the computer, & taped to my bedroom wall. (one day i will buy a real one, i promise.)

* a tattered script from a junior high (aka middle school) production, & another from a college production (hatter & alice, respectively).

* a stuffed white rabbit, complete with pocket watch - though i have not seen him in many years. either he is in one of the eleventy billion garage bins, has been lost in one of our moves, or got bored with me so popped back down the rabbit hole.

* books!!!! which brings us to why i am babbling about alicey things. it all comes back to books, doesn't it? in the world of book collectors, my four copies could hardly be called a collection, but to me they are a perfectly respectable beginning. here are my lovelies:

- my childhood copy alice's adventures in wonderland.

- the copy i bought when thehobbit wanted to read the stories, & i could not bear to have another person stare their germy stares at the above copy. alice in wonderland * through the looking-glass.

- alice's adventures in wonderland & through the looking-glass  which i had to have, because it is a pocket book. alice & teeny? swoon.

- the latest edition to my collection of alice books, courtesy of an impromptu thrifting expedition earlier in the week, alice's adventures in wonderland. this copy is the largest of those i own, & the only one not illustrated by the fabulous john tenniel. i feel as though i am cheating on mr. tenniel when i say this, but i do love helen oxenbury's nearly as much. watch an interview with ms. oxenbury here.

& now that you know the extent of my madness, i am off. enjoy your day, do!

~peace.

used book shop - chapter two

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& now for the treasures i mentioned yesterday! this first one is a 1965 copy of punch & judy, illustrated by ed emberley. the cover is gloriously faded & tattered, & just look within:

i was telling manlyman how i never much cared for illustrations from the 50s through 70s, until now. there must be a hormone that is released, when one becomes a certain age, that makes us crave the things we saw in our youth. (i am not a child of the 50s or 60s mind you, most of my books were used even then.)

the other treasure was an old copy of the night before christmas, illustrated by leonard weisgard.

the original was done in 1949, but my copy has a print date of 1978. i nearly walked past the book, as i am not in the habit of buying holiday items once a holiday has passed, but something made me take a peek. oh am i glad i did!

the illustrations are beautiful in their simplicity, & (unlike the cover) there is not a smudge or tear to be found within. i think i need to start a holiday book bin. i imagine the books would last longer were they not stuffed in the bins with their respective holiday decorations. anyway...

do vintage books get you all swoony too? what are some of your favorites?
~peace.

used book shop - chapter one

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my new most favorite place in the world is piccolo's books; a used book shop of gargantuan proportion. it is not just the size of the shop that has me all swoony, it is that they charge only one dollar per book! just writing that last sentence made me a bit dizzy.

i have no intention of admitting how often i shop there, nor how much i spend each time, but i will say that there is talk of naming a wing after me.

that stack pictured above was from my most recent visit. take a close look at the board book teetering at the top of the stack. not just your average book of trucks, this one is in french!

of course to elfling it is just another book of trucks, but one day that won't be the case. & that wasn't the only french book i found for him.

 les dinosaures is ever so cute, as far as dinosaur books go. this one has to be put away; until he's over his love of tearing books; as it is has flaps & fold-outs.

elfling wasn't the only belfry to get new books:

the book of classic board games is going to get a lot of use on lazy summer eves.
flash! bang! pop! fizz! will be thehobbit's science curriculum for summer. we do have a bunch of science experiment books, but this one has pages for recording observations & the like.
botany for all ages is perfect for herbology class.
the roman record will be used in the fall, when we study ancient rome.
the new vegetable & herb expert taunts me each time i walk into the room. (i couldn't find an exact link for you.)

i'm off - a bowl of angel food cake, with strawberries & whipped cream is waiting for me. tomorrow i will share two of the treasures that were found that day.

~peace.

hello from the middle ages - part one

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photo :: property of miss paper

i did not mean to be away for so long,my dear one & only reader. did you know that a pestilence can go through four people in the same home, at different times, & drag the whole blasted affair out for weeks on end? it was not the most fun few weeks of my life, i will say that much. however, all are well now, & i am slowly getting us back to our normal goings on.

one thing we are getting back to is medieval studies; thehobbit & some friends began studying together, just before the dreaded pestilence hit. the above photo is from our first class. they watched the documentary lost castles of england, then set about building a motte-&-bailey castle from pretzels & icing.

over the past few weeks, i have been compiling a list of books to add to our collection. in case your kids are interested, i thought i'd share the list with you. i'll begin with what we already have:

the measly middle ages

living long ago

time traveller books (tinker's book)

knights & castles (paper's book)

the door in the wall (tinker's book)

& now the list:

you wouldn't want to live in the  middle ages

plagues, pox, & pestilence

archers, alchemists, &...

terry jones' medieval lives

the forme of cury

it's not a complete list by far, but it is a good start. if you can only afford one book, i recommend measly middle ages. the horrible histories books are brilliant.

~peace.

gorgeousness, found.

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you  simply must see the gorgeousness found by my dearest tinker. enjoy!

~peace.

in which she talks about books. again.

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are you tired of listening to me babble about books yet? sorry. i did say that i had been thinking about them quite a bit. did you not believe me?

in searching through my books for some faerie images; elfling is currently mad for them; i realized that i had amassed a lovely collection of books containing faeries & their ilk.

i thought it would be fun to share some of them with you - so, in no particular order...

once upon a time


victorian color picture books

lady cottington's pressed fairy book

a field guide to the little people

care & feeding of sprites

gnomes

fantastic beasts & where to find them

fairy houses ... everywhere!

fairy houses & beyond!

filed guide to the fantastical world around you

the garden gnome book

this list does not include the books that thehobbit asked me to store in the garage, nor the eleventy billion books on dragons. still, it is quite enough to get you started on your own collection, should you be of a mind.

some things to note:
a) i did not append the authors, but you can find that information on each book's amazon page - just click on a title in the list.
2)many of my books were found at thrift shops & used book shops over the years. that said, i do not know if any of the prices quoted on amazon are reasonable.

are there any books on magical creatures that you would like to recommend? i am sure i can find room for a few more on my shelf ;)

~peace.

cartoons of a hobbity sort

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thehobbit found this amazing book at a used book shop the other day. i thought he was a cartoon-drawing-fiend before, but in the past few days it's all we can do to get him to stop long enough to eat! & being a hobbit, that's saying something.

he gave me permission to show a few things he has scribbled, & asked me to say that he totally recommends this book. if you buy the book, let us see what cartoons it inspires you to draw!


~peace.
note :: thehobbit wants you to know that the weird fuzziness in the one photo was not his doing . i blurred the bebe's name, that's all.

books - ye olden tymes

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over the weekend thehobbit & i went through his books. the much needed culling was brought about by a certain toddler, who had taken to pulling the homeschooling books off one shelf in the big room, & tossing them. fun if you are the toddler, not so fun if you are the rest of us. in the going through, we found long-forgotten treasures. i thought i'd share a few.

* the forgotten crafts (pictured above) is a how-to for building things they way they did long ago, sans electricity. need a new rake? well this book will show you how to make one! honestly, i don't think this book was meant for kids, but thehobbit has always liked it. & no, he has yet to build me a rake. wretched boy.

* the american boys' handy book was definitely written with kids in mind. actually, only with boys  in mind - the book was originally published in 1882. many activities to fill their days with adventures great & small. 

* the american girls' handy book - you guessed it, for girls only. whilst the boy version is all out-of-doors adventure, the girl version focuses on activities to be done at home. i recommend letting your kids poke through the boy & girl versions. there's fun to be had in both.

* the dangerous book for boys is similar to the handy book. lots of activities that could bring about harm adventures. thehobbit says it's not as old tymey as the other. most likely because it was not written over 100 years ago, so was meant for kids of this age. still, great old tyme fun.

* the daring book for girls is one we do not yet have. i thought i should mention its existence, however. i can't have you thinking there wasn't a female equivalent. sad, all this time later, & still  we are separating boy fun, from girl fun. sigh.

there are more books i want to share, but that shall have to wait for another day. a certain wee elfling wants some snuggles :)

~peace.

the stack of destruction

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this is the ever-growing stack of books that elfling has destroyed. some have had their pages torn, others had their covers ripped completely off. you'll notice that most pictured are board books. board books, people! heavy cardboard books, created to withstand the abuse of curious toddlers. it would seem, however, not elflings. 

~peace.

a blessed companion is a book, - a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,... a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own.  ~douglas jerrold

update (july 26th) :: elfling has added another book to the stack.

thursday things - summer reading

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a few months back i began searching for books. i wanted to compile a summer reading list for thehobbit, but there was just too much from which to choose. each time i asked him what types of books he thought he might like to read, he'd just shrug his shoulders & mumble. helpful, no?

summer was nearly upon me - i decided it was time to start thinking katish. a theme!! you know how i love a good theme. the theme needed to be something that thehobbit enjoyed, that would inspire adventures, & that i wouldn't mind listening to him chatter on about all summer long. a girl has to know her limits. it didn't take long to come up with the perfect theme: steampunk!!

& so, dear one-&-only reader, i give to you the official kats in the belfry summer reading list of 2011 (henceforth known as s.r.l.):

the invention of hugo cabret  - b. selznick

airborn - k. oppel

skybreaker - k. oppel

starclimber - k. oppel

leviathan - s. westerfeld

behemoth - s. westerfeld

goliath - s. westerfeld

larklight - p. reeve

starcross - p. reeve

mothstorm - p. reeve

the cabinet of wonders - m. rutkoski

the celestial globe - m. rutkoski

this list is by no means complete; he is already well into the second novel. as more books of a steampunkish nature are discovered, they'll be added to the roster. my hope is that thehobbit will be inspired by what he reads, & take over the hunt for titles.

what about you? what books are your kids reading this summer? or you?

~peace.

lost & found

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i thought i had long ago lost this cartoon, but found it today! actually, i did lose the original paper version, but hadn't realized i'd taken a photo of it. how fabulous, to stumble upon it!

fellow homeschoolers will recognize this scene instantly. it's a scene played out daily, at libraries the world over, by overly excited parents upon discovering a child's interest in something. i don't think that last sentence even hinted at being grammatically correct.

i sure do miss drawing cartoons. enjoy!

~peace.

(not on) thursday things - homeschooling

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this week's thursday things (ha! do you see how i act as though it's been going on weekly all this time?) is about homeschooling. specifically, things that have enhanced thehobbit's experience this past year. by the way, i'm writing this post on a monday for 2 reasons: 1) i am going to be too busy this thursday, & b) because. 


* murderous maths are amazing books! there are some of them, pictured above. they are clever, silly, & ofttimes obnoxious - perfect for my hobbity teen. we get ours from this website, which also sells the horrible histories  (likewise fabulous for homeschooling). i should say here that thehobbit loathes math, yet still enjoys these books.


* brain pop is a great resource for learning all manner of things. i ate too much, so am too sleepy to explain how it works. i'll let them instead (from their website), "brain pop creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement.". to access the majority of their lessons, you do have to pay an annual fee. that said? there are still enough free lessons to make visiting worth your while. 


* netflix. no, seriously! the site is overflowing with documentaries, plays, & educational television series. just spend some time poking around, & you'll see what i mean.


* google earth blows my mind. it's one thing to read about the annex in which anne frank lived, it is entirely another thing to see it, & be able to scroll your view around however you like. we were able to see the gum, on the sidewalk, in front of the building. touristy gum! don't ask me why this thrilled us so.


which reminds me, you can use a few of these together to create a fabulous experience. an example: thehobbit read the diary of anne frank, watched the bbc's version on netflix, looked up the places she mentioned on google earth, then ended with the brain pop lessons (anne frank, adolf  hitler, holocaust). 


of course this way of teaching may not be your cuppa. or you may not be homeschooling. or have children. or like children. however, if you do have (& like) homeschooled children, & this style appeals to you, give some of these a try. let me know in what adventures you find yourself!


~peace.

thursday things - pestilence

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mama's medicine

pestilence has hit the belfry. nothing serious, just the common cold, in various stages of coldosity (real word). still, it's enough to keep us home. elfling & i are thrilled to for the respite from adventuring, but a certain hobbit would rather be running wild with friends at the park. i decided he was in need of a bit of pampering. this brings us to this month's week's thursday things: pestilence pampering of the pouting preteen.

* iced tea pops. sucking on popsicles is good for easing throat & belly pains, as well as for bringing down a fever. we've even used them for keeping hydrated when unable to keep anything down (the small amount of liquid ingested with each suck doesn't usually trigger vomiting). i've found that juice pops don't soothe as well as pops made from tea. or it could be that thehobbit & i just aren't juice drinkers.

it's simple really, all you need do is freeze tea in popsicle molds. chamomile is a good choice for all pestilence, & especially so when there is nausea. no need to sweeten these pops, by the way. we've used all sors of herbal & fruity teas, even green tea. i've got hibiscus tea pops freezing as i type.

we have this mold. look at these, & scroll down for the description of this set!

* a good book. kids this age can get lost for hours in a book, which is good when feeling crummy. if your pestilenced preteen is not feeling well enough to read, he/she can listen to the book on tape. here is a hobbit-approved list:
- harry potter (series). we highly recommend listening to these. jim dale is the reader, & will blow your mind.
- percy jackson (series). do not judge these books by the mediocre film. the books are clever & fun.
- the red pyramid. the same author as the percy jackson series, same idea, but with ancient egyptian gods, instead of greek.
- theodosia (series). set in 1902 england, with a girl as the main character!
- nathaniel fludd (series). the same author as the theodosia books. we've yet to read these, so can't say if they are good. they are on thehobbit's wish list though.

* entertaining "tv". we haven't cable or satellite, so rely on netflix ("instant watch" on my laptop) when diversion is needed. if your preteen is faint if heart, do not go with either of our recommendations. thehobbit is an odd duck.
- man vs food. he travels the country, taking on the most insane food challenges. insane as in a 12lb burger, or a 72oz steak. yes, we are still vegetarians, we just aren't offended by others eating meat.
- man vs wild. bear grylls in a looney, but my menfolk love him. it's a how to survive show.

* coloring in real books. many years ago thehobbit pointed out that shel silverstein's books looked like coloring books for bigger guys. when he was recovering from surgery a few years later, he received his own copy of a light in the attic. i handed him a box of colored pencils, & he spent a few days healing & coloring. he was also given castle, but said it was no fun coloring so much gray. 3 years later & he still loves coloring in real books. at this very moment he is in bed, working on one of my old calvin & hobbes.

that's all i have for now. i hope you don't have any pestilence ruining your adventures.
~peace.

thursday things - trees

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the true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~henderson

this collage displays but a snippet of my collection of tree photos. more specifically, photos taken from beneath trees, looking up. i don't know why, but i am forever taking pictures such as these. i believe we've chatted about this before, in fact.

i came across these, from 2008, when searching for picture of thehobbit. i never did find that photo, because the trees, they led me astray. lucky for you, because they inspired this week's thursday things, (she said, as if she wasn't forever forgetting to post on thursdays).


* this site is a great educational resource, as is this one. there are many things children can learn from trees, which are enhanced greatly should they learn about the trees first.

* you can find many faery doors doing a google search. this site sells plans to make your own! we have an 80+ year old pecan in the backyard in need of a tiny door. our front yard is home to a giant pine sporting its own magic. we chatted about it a few years ago.

* get involved! my favorite tree-sitter has a website that offers information & inspiration. on her front page she asks, what do you want your legacy to be?

* two books thehobbit loved when he was younger: the tree & tree spirits.

between every two pines is a doorway into another world. ~muir

go hug a tree!

~peace.

thursday things - 3

i did it! i remembered to post on a thursday. aren't you proud of me? to those of you living where 'tis already friday - it is not my fault. i didn't tell you to live so far away.

today i want to share a book that i do not want to give back to the library simply adore. i may be the last in blogland to read it, but the wait-list for it was a mile long. plus i may have forgotten to pick it up the first time it was my turn. i'm not admitting anything.


linen is far & away my favorite fabric. i have probably told you that countless times. i don't know what it is that draws me in; i just cannot get enough. you'd think that my enmity with the iron would keep me from using linen, but nope! i'm happy to go around wrinkled.

i plan to make many items from this book, most especially the house shoes. mary janes! you can see them here, at the top/left of the page. there are a handful of free patterns on that site, by the way.

linen is a good theme for today. take a look at the below links, & get linen-mad with me.

* i heart linen is a wonderful blog. i discovered her a few years back, read without cease, then, well, ceased. i don't know why, i simply forgot about her blog. i do that. swiss. cheese. brain.

* this sling! all her slings are beautiful, but i love the color of this one. plus, it's linen.

* 2 yards of vintage linen for sale in this etsy shop. all my spending cash is going to a hobbity birthday right now, so one of you head over & snap it up.

i could go on & on all day, searching for, & posting lineny things. i would too, were it not for the fact that my teeny elfing is awake. kill-joy. ;)

i hope you enjoyed this installment of thursday things. should you feel the need to thank me with a prezzie, you may send my very own copy of linen, wool, cotton to...

go linen-mad!
~peace.

books alive!!

this is simply stunning!

~peace.

transition

for weeks i'd been promising thehobbit i would take his kitchen set, & the teeny kid items out of his playroom. his kitchen set is big enough for him to still play with, but since he began learning to cook in the actual kitchen, he hasn't touched the toy version. i cannot tell you how bittersweet i find that.

home for the second day with a mild pestilence, i figured today was as good a day to stop procrastinating as any. we began by filling a large bag with toys he no longer plays with, & another, smaller bag with garbage, & broken items. to make the occasion less a chore, we listened to a book as we went along.

soon we had a clear path, so started dragging the kitchen set, & miscellaneous things to the dining room. the shopping cart & doll buggy had been housing stuffies & puppets, so never were removed as he grew (many years ago) too big to push them about.

as with the kitchen set, those are going to be wrapped in moving plastic, & stored in the garage - until our new boy is big enough for them. wow these are those little transitions that most people don't think twice about, but send me into an emotional puddle of goo. still - it helps knowing that i'll get to watch another child of mine play with these beloved items.

part of the kitchen set manlyman & i did not build. this little hutch was instead built about 60 years ago by manlyman's stepfather's father, for his own children. it was given to thehobbit when he was a toddler, & as you can tell by the chipping paint, he loved it well.

here it is in its new home, our bedroom. we're going to use it to house the bebe's things - all we need are a few baskets to keep things from getting cluttered.

when i came up with this idea i was worried thehobbit wouldn't want his hutch used for bebe stuff. he is a generous child, but when it comes to things he dearly loves, he is unwilling to let them go. happily i was wrong! he is so excited by this, & has even asked if he can help get the hutch ready.

of course once it was moved to the bedroom, he was disappointed to learn we weren't going to begin filling the shelves & drawers. it's just going to sit there, empty? until he is born!? not content with my positive reply, he put the stack of receiving blankets (thank you grammie) on the bottom shelf.

& since then thehobbit has been listening to music, & writing letters in code in his newly enlarged playroom. i've been recovering in a cozy chair, & watching martha stewart. so far it's been a pretty good day :-)

what did you do today?
~peace.

the 200-year-old man

february 12th marks the 200th birthday of abraham lincoln. as a child he was my favorite president, to the extent that i had a framed painting of him on the wall of my bedroom. i still think he rocked, but for the life of me can no longer recall why i was that gaga.

thehobbit knew a bit about lincoln, but we never formally studied the man. i thought this would be the perfect time; after all, one only turns 200 once. after poking through a few books yesterday, thehobbit decided we should build replicas of lincoln's childhood home. i was dreading the thought of popsicle sticks & mud, when he appeared dragging his box of lincoln logs. i thought a) whew, & 2) duh - of course lincoln's home should be made from lincoln logs. good thing one of us remembered we had those.

as you can see, thehobbit knew the appropriate hat for the occasion:

as we built cabin after cabin & why does he not tire of things as quickly as i? we talked about all that we'd read, & discussed more lincolny activities in which to take part.

one thing we agreed upon was the need for a birthday cake - we just cannot agree on what flavor licoln would want. i suggested we ask sir fennel (our ghost) to ask lincoln himself; but thehobbit merely rolled his eyes. for a moment i sat there shocked that he no longer believed in his beloved ghost, when he said with a long-suffering voice, i doubt they know each other. lincoln was a president, & sir fennel lived in england. oh. well. how could i have been so obtuse?

i'm not sure what lincolny activity is on the books for today. i do know one of us is interested in more cabin building. i also know one of us is not. one of the books has instructions for making a felt beard that attaches to your ears with rubber bands. this is just odd enough to sound like something we have to make. i wonder if i can convince thehobbit that we should wear them all day? who wouldn't want to run into a bearded mama & hobbit at the library?

i know some of you one & only readers live elsewhere in the world. are there any special celebrations going on in your neck of the woods this year?

time for me to be off. there are beards to sew, chores to get to, & friends to be met. have a great day!

~peace.