The Fairy Folk of Ann Arbor

While in Ann Arbor, Jessica showed us a fairy door! This Fairy door is underneath a store window display, apparently these doors can be found all around the city!

The Wee Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor, Mich.
by Celeste Headlee
May 9, 2006

Fairies are settling in the Michigan college town of Ann Arbor. At least, that's what artist Jonathon Wright would like you to believe.

All across the city, "fairy doors" are popping up. The miniature openings into imagined fairy homes are unsponsored, unauthorized works of public art that have captured the imagination of the city.

A six-inch white wooden door with a carved jamb framed by miniature bricks was the first to appear, outside Sweetwaterz Cafe. Since the spring of last year, seven more doors have appeared at businesses around Main Street.

The human behind the fairy tale is illustrator Jonathon Wright. In 1993, his wife ran a preschool program in their home. On a whim, Wright installed a fairy door in the house. The children's delighted response prompted him to build more.

Noting that businesses in Ann Arbor's downtown section were struggling to attract customers, he thought fairy doors might help. "I'd like to see them thrive, and that's part of what I want to contribute," he says. "Something that's lasting and fun and that can maybe revitalize some interest in the downtown area."

Now children are leaving gifts for the fairies: pennies, candy, hand-knit socks made with tiny needles, teeny felt hats and fairy-sized coloring books. http://www.npr.org

From the creators website...

definitions, catagories:
Now don't go and get anything all bunched if my definition doesn't match yours or if someone/something is omitted.

The Fae or the Fey; The WORLD of the Faerie and the inhabitants which include, but not limited to:
Fairies (regardless of spelling): At one time a "fairy" was a woman with magical powers. Later "fairy" also meant "elves". Early on "fairies were much larger (4-5 feet tall...some MUCH larger) than our popular conception. Some say that the notion of little winged Fairies is a literary embellishment from the Victorian period. Regardless, as with most things of the magical-imagined world...they change. Folk tales/songs change with telling...they grow and shrink and become richer with time.

ALL of the following beings exist in the Fairy Rhelm. Their attributes and characteristics can be debated ....(elsewhere).

Elves, Pixies, Brownies, Gnomes, Sprites, Leprechauns, Goblins, Trolls, Dwarves, Ogres.....etc

More info on the fairy folk of Ann Arbor and Jonathon Wright: urban-fairies.com.

October Blog Party

October is filled with magic, mystery and creativity! I invite everyone to join me in embracing this enchanting month by doing something holiday related everyday in the month of October. Can your life stand some spookiness, mystification and imagination? Children and adults alike benefit from the spark of free-thinking originality that October brings. Halloween, Samhain and The Day of the Dead (November 2nd) are an out-of-the-box and broad-minded lesson in curiosity and possibilities, not to mention an advocacy for honor and respect of the "other side". Enjoy the wonder of the season with your family and enrich each others lives with this unique opportunity of wicked fun!

To participate in this blog party, pledge to do is something holiday related everyday the month of October and blog about it. You do not have to blog everyday, just chronicle what you've been doing on each day when time permits.

Deadline to join is October 1st.

To join this blog party comment below and help spread the word with this button:





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All participating blogs will be listed on my sidebar.

Not sure what you could possibly do for 31 days-in-row related to Halloween, Samhain or The Day of the Dead? Here are some ideas to get you started and visit the other participating blogs for more ideas!

Watch a scary movie
Hold a Dumb Supper
Make a craft, like homemade Halloween costumes or apple candle holders
Have cider spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin bread
Tell ghost stories around a camp fire
Create an altar honoring your family's ancestors and dead relatives
Bob for apples
Plant flower bulbs
Make Pan de Muerto for the Day of the Dead (November 2nd)

Have lots and lots of fun!

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Angelus and I were not able to do an educational play date with Lydia and the Trinity's this month, but we did get together with my sister (Angelus' Godmother) and my Aunt Nancy at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

Queen of Cups Giveaway

In honor of my 100th follower I'm having another blog giveaway! And since I publish a new post daily, I'll have over 300 blog entries by the end of this giveaway, not bad for 9 months! This is an awesome outlet for thoughts, ideas and personal mementos. Thanks to everyone to who reads this blog and shares comments. I've meet a lot of really cool folks, thanks for enriching my life!

Queen of Cups Giveaway


The spirit of The Queen of Cups is a tenderhearted, spiritual and kind homemaker, like so many of you followers. The Queen of this giveaway will win a selection of my personal harvest:

A sachet of dried chamomile for magical endeavors evolving money, love and purification.

A sachet of dried lemon balm which comforts the heart and driveth away melancholy and sadness.

Coal, associated with the North and Earth, and it can be used with any corresponding witchery in that arena. It rules in Winter, Samhain and Yule; at night and in the third quarter to Dark Moon phases. It represents wisdom, the Sage and Crone.

A homemade lavender smudge stick to smoke negative forces away and attract positive forces, most especially love.

To Enter the Giveaway:
Anyone who is a follower of this blog can enter by commenting below! You must be a follower to enter (see sidebar).

Receive 1 extra entry if you are participating in the Adopt-A-Soldier program (see sidebar)

Receive 1 extra entry if you are on my top 10 stalkers list (see sidebar)

Receive 3 extra entries if you post about this giveaway in your blog. You must include a link to your post in your comment entry below.

Giveaway winner will be chosen using a random number generator on September 30th!

Got Roosters?

Welcome to the Show us Your Roosters Blog Party hosted by Bella Vista!









I only have one rooster, actually it's Eds rooster. When Ed was visiting his Aunt Ruth as a little boy, he noticed this plate hanging on his aunts wall and said Aunt Ruth, I like that! So she took it off her wall gave it to him right then and there. Aunt Ruth is no longer with us and I never had the pleasure to meet her, but her generosity lives on.

A Quiet Place

Here are some updated photos of Angelus' Secret Garden

He loves to dig in here and play with the wind chimes hanging in the lilac tree above.

I planted Alyssum around the lilac tree to define the secret garden border. Boy did that pay off, the little space is perfumed with the sweet smell of honey!

I never got around to make a fairy garden with Angelus this year, but I did add this tribute.

A peak at the things he puts on his altar.

Twilight

Meet our first baby, Twilight. She was a Christmas gift to me from Ed 11 years ago and we love her madly. But Twilight has a reputation, some call her evil. She has been known to stalk children and pounce on them when they least expect it. To the neighborhood kids, she is her brutality is legendary. Most of my friends and family have a demonic Twilight encounter that we laugh about at holidays and get togethers. (Until she pee'd on everyones jacket at Christmas dinner. We no longer host Christmas dinners.)

And then there is the other side..the misunderstood side of Twilight we call "Twilight the Sexually Confused Kitty". You see, on Twilight's very first Halloween she escaped the house (I think the demonic forces were calling her) and when we found her she was in the midst of a sexual liaison with a black cat in our back yard. Let's just say she was on bottom. We took her to the vet a couples weeks later to make sure she wasn't pregnant with the feline anti-Christ. The vet checks her out and says, Nope, she's not pregnant.

A few years pass and we decide it's time for Twilight to be spayed. The doctors tell me that they will keep her overnight and won't call unless something goes wrong with the proceedure, so naturally my heart dropped when I got an early phone call from the vet. No. she says, nothings wrong. We just want to let you know we've discovered that Twilight is a HE. hummm. Interesting.

The sex change never stuck, we just couldn't get used to calling her a him, and why didn't the vet notice? (we no long use that vet) Anyway, there are theories that Twilight is so angry and cranky because she is sexually confused. Most men don't want to be called a she and they don't want a Princess sign on their litter box. oh well.

Twilight on her Gay Pride pillow.

Sunflowers Are Here

This is a Sunflower privacy fence.


Funny thing about these ones..I never planted them, they are volunteers! I have no idea where they came from. When I spotted them coming up last spring I thought, gee they look like sunflowers, I'll let them grow and hope I'm not cultivating a weed. Good Gods, they are taller than my gutters!


I'm seeking ideas for sunflowers, is there anything cool I can do with them?

Mackinac Island

Ed and I have booked our first real vacation (i.e. has room service) since having Angelus! We are going to Mackinac Island! Mackinac is a magical little island unburdened by motor vehicles; only traveling by bike and horse drawn carriage is allowed. The first time we went we were celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary, now we are going to celebrate our 7th. Wow, it's the seven year itch! Oh Marilyn...

Anyway, to prepare for our family adventure I'm picking up Mackinac Island tour books and getting Angelus books on horses. He is going to have such a great time, he loves anything equestrian, even horse poop. I swear, he is amazed with horse poop. It's adorable.

We are also going to spruce up our bikes and get in a few long bike rides before the trip to get us prepared for the island. Oh and I want to rent Somewhere In Time with Christopher Reeve. Completely not my type of movie, but it takes place in the island and I like to do a fair amount of research on places we travel too. You never know what handy bit of insight you might stir up.

26 days and counting!

Mackinac 2003

Silver

Cleaning up tarnished silver.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil in a glass bowl.

Put 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons baking soda on the foil.

Fill bowl with steaming hot water, don't worry it's suppose to smell bad.

Dip silver items for up to 5-minutes at a time.

Rinse well & Dry.











Before...

After...

A Dreamy and Magical Light

"Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Perfect Corn

My dad says the best recipe for corn is to pick from the stalk only what you need, and take it inside to boil immediately. If on the way to stove the phone rings or a neighbor stops by to chat, set aside the first harvest. Turn off the phone, lock the door and go pick another batch. The faster you get it into the water to boil, the better it tastes!

Hiking

Angelus and I did a beautiful hike together last week. Well, I hiked...

....he sat....

...and crawled....

Until Mommy agreed to do this for 2 miles.

Martha's 10 Hiking Tips

1. Use a guidebook to plan your hike. Pay close attention to the level of difficulty, distance, and duration. Do not choose a hike that is too advanced for your ability.
2. Check the weather forecast before heading out, and be cautious of wet conditions.
3. Wear comfortable nonslip shoes or boots. Dress in layers, and bring a hat and sunglasses.
4. Bring a small, lightweight backpack, and fill it with basic first-aid needs, a compass, the trail map, tissues, bottled water, and a rain jacket. It's also a good idea to carry a small flashlight, a whistle, and a penknife.
5. Always wear sunblock.
6. Bring your cell phone, and tell a responsible person where you are going and for how long.
7. Obey the region's hiking rules -- follow the markers, and don't veer off the trail. Always hike with another person.
8. Carry a small camera. You never know what you will see: a moose, a wild orchid, an especially beautiful rainbow.
9. On long hikes (more than 4 miles), bring along a healthy snack.
10. Do not take dogs on inappropriate trails. Always carry extra water for pets.

Care for an interview?

I've run dry on interviewees. There are a few out there that haven’t been returned yet; silly dilly dallies, hop to it!

If you would like to be interviewed by me please comment below with your e-mail address and I’ll send you 5 questions. Reply back to me, in e-mail, your answers. Once I publish your interview in my blog you can back link on your blog to your interview!

Click "interviews" in the Table Of Contents to see old interviews.

Witches of Eastwick Movie Night

When I heard about the new fall TV show "Eastwick", I realized that I've never actually watched the movie "The Witches of Eastwick" - The ya-ya's and I fixed that - Movie Night! I came up with some fun drinks for us to enjoy...






Now I really wouldn't bother with the White Witch drink, we all thought it tasted like medicine, but that may just be a reflection on our nature.

I didn't understand at the time, but I was told that cherries must be present at a Witches of Eastwick movie night, I'm so glad I had some! The Ya-Ya's and I had fun with those during the movie moments.
































Black Magic was my favorite drink of the night! I should have known better though, vodka brings out the devil in me...I usually stick to tequila in mixed company.






















The Wicked Witch was also delicious!


The following drink cards are from the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails website. Cheers!

Firefly Tarot

A long, long, long time ago I set out to make a complete Tarot deck based on Firefly, one day I might actually finish it. Boy it needs work, a complete overhaul actually, but I like the concept.









The Rest

Here is when I was playing around with different layouts: