Sorbet for the Soul, Giant Wishes!

There we were, hiking down a trail in Meyer Ranch, Colorado this summer, when we came upon a meadow with the largest dandelions I’d ever seen. It’s like the universe was saying, “Hon, writing and publishing Kidlit is such a herculean ask, you need wishes big enough, loud enough, and strong enough to be carried all the way from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast. Take a deep breath and blow!”

Turns out the palm-sized puffballs aren’t dandelions, but Western Salsify whose flowers looks like a yellow daisies. Soon after, we met the infamous llamas, Stardust and OnFire, and that chance meeting was even more spectacular than hiking in the Rockies, discovering golfball-sized dandelion lookalikes, listening to the click-click-click of a flying grasshopper, passing an elderly man hiking uphill with a cannula and portable oxygen, and saying hi to many happy dogs with their people.

Then, a week ago I was on a run and stopped mid-stride to take a pic. I asked the homeowner if he’d put “Don’t Give Up” out just for me and he said, “If that’s what you need…”

It is. It’s what I need.

So, in an effort to take a deep breath and blow my wishes and energy and thoughts and words and characters and layers and stories all the way from my imagination to the page to childrens’ imaginations, I’m posting a series called Sorbet for the Soul–photos and sentiments along with literal and figurative signs which beg for my attention.

Maybe if I take a moment to blow giant wishes and absorb messages and do the thing that informs my life–finding the extraordinary in the ordinary–my herculean ask will one day soon come to fruition.

Western Salsify flower, image source: Wildflowers of the United States.

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Show-n-Tell Ceramics, Large Raku Coil Vase

Me and my large raku coil vase.

Playing with Clay

Summer means Raku workshops! Peter Syak, one of my wonderful Ceramics instructors, teaches Raku out of his carriage house/studio. I always learn a ton, meet new students, and have a meditative time working on new projects. This summer I learned how to make a large coil pot, building it up with flat strips of clay. As soon as its smokey scent abates, I’ll bring my vase inside and add some tall decorative branches.

Happy creating!

Stripes of Hasslesmat glaze are painted on the pot.

Aqua lustre glaze is painted over the whole piece.

The raku kiln is loaded.

A peek inside the raku kiln reveals an orange-hot interior and orange-hot pieces.

The Hasslesmat glaze dripped underneath Aqua Lustre which is just what I wanted it to do!

Llama Drama–Photo Story of Rue and Stardust

OnFire and Stardust in CO

After hiking in Meyer Ranch, CO, my daughter, aunt and I got the best surprise–we met two big, beautiful llamas. We had lots of questions! Their names? Where did they live? What were they doing at Meyer Ranch? Were they friendly? Could we pet them? And what about the chihuahuas?

Answers? The dogs are Ruth and Charlie while the llamas have magical names–Stardust and OnFire! The llamas go on regular hikes up the mountain. Stardust looks forward to meeting new people, and if she doesn’t see any she expresses her disappointment by humming. OnFire is skittish, would rather not be pet, and won’t let her “dad” trim her bangs. Ruth and Charlie don’t mind the llamas, but they aren’t big fans of the attention the llamas receive–lol!

As we asked questions, hikers and dogs passed by. A German Shorthaired Pointer named Rue didn’t know what to make of the peculiar animals standing in the meadow.

Rue: “What are you?”

Stardust: “A llama. Want to say hi?”

Rue: “I’m not sure. Do you bite?”

Stardust: “No, and I don’t spit.”

Rue: Sniff.

Stardust. Sniff.

Rue: “Oh, you’re a llama!”

Stardust: “That’s what I said, but I’m friendly. Really!”

Rue: “Nice to meet you.”

Stardust: “Nice to meet you, too.”

Rue: “THERE’S ANOTHER ONE?!”

Kayaking on Lake Dillon, Colorado

Me and Rosanne kayaking on Lake Dillon.

Looks Photoshopped But It Isn’t!

The highlight of this summer? A short trip to Denver, Colorado! (shout out to my aunt, Rosanne and cousin, Alex!) One of my daughters traveled with me, and we took advantage of the beautiful summer weather and gorgeous scenery. We kayaked on Lake Dillon, paddling in ripply, cool water and in a picture-perfect postcard setting. I could not get over how fluffy the clouds were and how blue the sky. Afterwards, we visited the Farmer’s Market and picked up yummy, small-batch chocolates. No wonder we all loved the day!

Hannah and Alex.

Tandem kayaking.

Sweet Summer Style, Elegant Lifestyles Magazine, June 2022

Summer Fashion 2022 is all about bright, candy colors.

As soon as I turned in Sweet Summer Style for Elegant Lifestyles Magazine’s June 2022 issue, I noticed brightly colored, braided, quilted, and puffy sandals and bags everywhere. You know I love a theme, puns and wordplay, so I took sweet and ran with it: “Clothes Dress Up summer in Jelly Bean Brights,” “Shoes Loosen Up in Gummy Bear Flavors,” “Bags Act as Arm Candy in Swedish Fish Colors,” and “Sunglasses Shine in Shades of Ice Cream.”

Personally, I’m a big fan of wearing all white in the summer and accessorizing with a pop of color. Not everyone is a fan of wearing all white. I had a funny interaction with colleagues at the preschool this spring. For Purim–the “Halloween” of Jewish holidays–the preschool director decided the staff would dress up as Tootsie Pop lollipops. She ordered Tootsie Pop t-shirts and requested we wear white pants since Tootsie Pop sticks are white.

Me: “Sure. Do you want jeans, slacks or cargo pants?”

Teacher A: “I don’t own white pants.”

Me: “How do you not own white pants?!”

Teacher A: Makes a face at me and says, “You can wear white pants. I cannot!”

Teacher A turns to Teacher B: “Do you own white pants?”

Teacher B: “Definitely not!”

Teacher B tells director their “sticks” will not be white.

Director: “You don’t own white jeans, at least?”

Teachers A & B: “No!”

My co-teacher enters our classroom.

Me: “Can you believe Teachers A and B don’t own white pants?!”

Co-Teacher: “I don’t own white pants, either.”

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Hon, which camp are you in? Love white pants or would never wear them?!

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Learning About Lapland

Image source: Orange Smile

The first time I posted about Lapland was when my daughter Morgan contributed animation to a very cool six-and-a-half-minute video. Available on Vimeo, “Santa is a Psychedelic Mushroom” explores Laplandic folklore surrounding the origin of Santa.

Another daughter, who is currently studying abroad, spent the weekend in Lapland. She flew from Madrid to Helsinki and from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, with the goal of seeing the Northern Lights. She and her friends crossed into the Arctic Circle by riding on a giant sled pulled by a snowmobile! Fun!

Cool Lapland Facts:

• Arctic Circle “The Arctic Circle is a circle of latitude that runs 66°33′45.9″ north of the Equator. It marks the southernmost latitude where the sun can stay continuously below or above the horizon for 24 hours–these phenomena are known as the Midnight Sun in the summer and the Polar Night (“Kaamos”) in the winter.” https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/love/arctic-circle/

• Midnight Sun “Because almost all of Lapland lies above the Arctic Circle, summer means that the sun (or more accurately daylight) doesn’t go away for between two and four months, depending on how north you venture. In northernmost Finland, the sun just circles in the sky all day and all night. Farther south, the sun may dip behind the fells or trees, but the sky remains bright.” https://www.lapland.fi/visit/only-in-lapland/land-of-the-midnight-sun/

• Polar Night “Polar night happens only in the far north and south, and only during the magnificent Arctic winter. Sometime around late November, the northernmost reaches of Lapland get their first taste of polar night when the sun struggles more and more every day to rise. Until one day it doesn’t. Instead, the horizon simply glows for a few hours at midday. Virtually all of Lapland sees polar night by the solstice, December 21. As the snow piles up, January and February offer stunning polar night and polar twilight vistas, as the blank white landscape reflects the deep warm colors of midday. In late January, the sun finally returns for a few minutes above the northern border, marking the end of true polar night in Lapland.” https://www.lapland.fi/visit/only-in-lapland/polar-night-colors-magical-time/

• Northern Lights “Lapland’s northern latitude means that it lies within the “northern lights belt” or “aurora zone”, a band encircling the earth at latitudes of 65-72°N. In this region the aurora borealis can be seen with the greatest intensity and frequency.” https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/best-time-place-see-northern-lights-finland/

Unfortunately, there was too much cloud cover so my daughter didn’t see the Northern Lights. Maybe another time. And maybe I can come!

Hon, have you seen the Northern Lights? Where did you travel?

Traveling to see the Northern Lights on a giant sled pulled by a snowmobile.

Campfire in the Arctic Circle.

Manifesting a Grasshopper?

Bonding with a striped-leg grasshopper.

One of my favorite sounds is the nighttime chirping of grasshoppers and crickets. Summer chirping lulls me to sleep the same way as ocean waves. Right about now, in mid-October, I pay close attention to insect mate-calling. There will be a night when the air is filled with nature’s stereo, and the next night the record’s put back in its sleeve. Though I love autumn, it makes me melancholy to bid an official farewell to perfect-temperature-nights, warm-sand-days, and a summer’s promise of possibilities.

As I continue to work towards my writing goals, I’ve added something to my thought process–manifestation. I concentrate on my goals; what they are and what it would feel like to achieve them. If you see me gazing at the sky, know that I am sending my independent-minded characters, lyrical writing, and layered stories out into the universe, hoping they find champions who will bring them to life.

Did I know that when I read the poignant poem Postlude, I was also manifesting a grasshopper? I did not, but there he was, away from his lawn forest, a striped-leg, little guy who let me scoop him up. When I opened up my palm, he hung out and studied me with his five eyes. Then, he hopped out of my hand.

Do you think it’s a sign? A coincidence? A message from the universe that my-work-my-heart-my-passion to share the wonder in the world by writing Kidlit is traveling on both puffy white clouds and waving green grass? I pray so.

Postlude

Stay by the hearth, little cricket.
Cendrillon

You prefer me invisible, no more than
a crisp salute far away from 
your silks and firewood and woolens.

Out of sight, I’m merely an annoyance,
one slim, obstinate wrinkle in night’s 
deepening trance. When sleep fails,

you wish me shushed and back in my hole.
As usual, you’re not listening: Time stops
only if you stop long enough to hear it

passing. This is my business:
I’ve got ten weeks left to croon through.
What you hear is a lifetime of song.

by Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winning poet

Poetry & Blooms–Balms for a Reflective Time

L’Shana Tovah! Happy New Year!

It may be 2021 in the secular world, but according to the Jewish calendar it’s 5782. Every year, as the High Holidays approach and summer comes to an end, I look inward, assessing the previous year’s relationships, family, health and work.

Rosh Hashanah (literally “head of the year” or New Year) is the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur, which comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah, is the Day of Atonement. Together, they are sometimes referred to as the Jewish High Holidays. They mark a period known both as the “Days of Awe” and the “Ten Days of Repentance,” during which Jewish people are supposed to reflect on the sins they have committed during the past year. Rosh Hashanah combines the joy of a New Year celebration and its theme of renewal with the seriousness associated with confronting one’s failings and seeking forgiveness both from God and from those one has wronged. Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the Jewish sacred calendar.

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This year there’s much to be grateful for and look forward to and also so many things to worry about. My husband’s mom’s health is the biggest worry for our family. And days before the holidays started, Hurricane Ida devastated many of my town’s businesses and homes. Sometimes, hon, I can barely take a deep breath.

But vivid colors call to me and I contemplate how a blue sky and white clouds frame bright yellow petals, and I search for words to write and read.

Breathe.

A Boat, Beneath a Sunny Sky

Lewis Carroll – 1832-1898

A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July—

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear—

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream—
Lingering in the golden gleam—
Life, what is it but a dream?

Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Oyster Bay, New York

I like every season for different reasons. One of my favorite things about spring and summer is the abundance of gorgeous gardens. I’ve been stopping to smell the roses…and the lilacs and lilies and hyacinths and hydrangeas. This past Mother’s Day was spent at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York which is on Long Island. After that, we stopped at a nursery to buy flowers. Outside on a sunny day absorbing vivid colors and sweet scents? Lovely!

Blueberry Protein Breakfast Smoothie

Hon, you know how it goes. This summer, I’ll work out more. This summer, I’ll recharge my mind. This summer, I’ll eat healthier. I’m trying! One of my favorite “this summer” changes is making protein smoothies for breakfast. This recipe by The Nutrition Twins is my favorite!

Is there something you’ve added to your diet or routine that’s made you feel good this summer?

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Blueberry Protein Weight Loss Breakfast Smoothie

“Enjoy this sipster for breakfast to take the edge off hunger, prevent overeating, flush bloat and help set your mind & body on the healthy track.” The Nutrition Twins

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (I often used frozen mixed berries.)
• 1/2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetend vanilla almond milk (I alternated between almond and coconut milk.)
• 1 scoop vanilla plant-based protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (ok, if not fresh)
• water to blend
• Extras: banana, drops of liquid ginger

Directions:

Blend this all together and drink! Enjoy!