[To save you the trouble of clicking through to Cottage Garden, I am double posting today's installment!]
I find this picture so amusing—the whole place is one giant haystack (reed-stack):
It looks quite pretty when the sun hits it:
This detail was a nice surprise—a cross hatch pattern in the thatch above the entryway:
Ladders, ladders, everywhere!
The transformation of the cottage is well underway. Much more of the roof has been completed, and there is golden reed everywhere. It's all around the front and sides and all over the driveway. And there is an honest-to-goodness haystack—truly a rarity in suburban Long Island! [Updated photos in The Cottage Garden.]
I had to laugh when I realized that (quite by accident) the place is a temporary reflection of that Haystack Full of Needles book cover painting, though quite a bit messier!
in the Cottage Garden:
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (unabridged)! [Captions from the script appear above each corresponding photo.]
"If music be the food of love, play on."
"What country, friends, is this?"
"By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier o' nights."
[Patrick.]
"I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal."
"He's but mad yet, Madonna, and the fool shall look to the madman."
"I will on with my speech in your praise, and then show you the heart of my message."
"I am bound to the Count Orsino's court. Farewell."
"Were not you even now with the Countess Olivia?"
"Would you have a love song, or a song of good life?"
"What a caterwauling do you keep here!"
"My masters, are you mad?"
"Mistress Mary, if you prized my lady's favour at any thing more than contempt, you would not give means for this uncivil rule."
"If I do not gull him into a nayword, and make him a common recreation, do not think I have wit enough to lie straight in my bed. I know I can do it. "
"My purpose is indeed a horse of that color."
"But if she cannot love you, sir?"
"Get ye all three into the box tree: Malvolio's coming down this walk."
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."
"I could marry this wench for this device.
--So could I too"
"Nay, but say true, does it work upon him?"
[The scenes above were from Acts I and II.]
Too bad the rhododendrons weren't blooming!
********
Gorgeous scenery by Mary Maggio-Smith and others
Beautiful costumes by amazing seamstress Hope Giambalvo (age 16) assisted by Mary Smith and others
Directed by Kari Riess
Our children's parts:
Agnes: "Maria"
Theresa: "Viola"
Margaret: "Feste the Clown"
Marie, Patrick, and Maureen: sign carriers
A day in May begins with Twelfth Night practice.
Our director gave notes to the cast:
in the shade of a large oak:
A sword fight broke out (and, no, this was not part of the play):
We observed the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with a small altar (can you find it?):
Here is a closer view:
And here it is again after the younger ones (the brothers and sisters of cast members) spent the day adding flowers to it!
A birthday was celebrated:
Make that two birthdays:
And a good time was had by all!
[From left to right: Maria, Feste, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek conspire against Malvolio.]
particularly those of the children of our homeschooling group.
Here are perhaps a little more than half the children who attended our annual May Crowning yesterday. By the time this group shot was taken, most of the others had already skipped off to the swings, scooters, and snack tables. As usual, blue was the color of the day.
Before the guests arrived, I stockpiled a basket full of medals, cards and books for the children.
The ribbons and medals were part of a simple craft planned for the children--beribboned medals to wear to the crowning. Browsing the craft store, I found favor ties meant for weddings and thought they would be perfect for making wearable pins, particularly because the lilies, white flowers and bells (reminding me of the Bell's of St. Mary's) are so perfect for Our Lady. When crafting for a crowd, it helps to save precious time, and favor ties meant less cutting and measuring of ribbon.
Here is one of the gorgeous little rosary books I picked up for the children--small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but featuring full color illustrations of all four mysteries (yes, even the Luminous). These books will need to wait a bit though--in the hustle and bustle of the day's events, I forgot to give them out!
The simplest, quickest Marian activity in the world, step-by-step:
The children worked on the pins as they arrived:
My girls love to add their own stamp of creativity to any idea, so here are a few samples they made in the morning:
[Cost per project: about 75 to 99 cents, except for larger medals.]
We began the Crowning with a procession led by the first communicants, followed by all the children. Our music--including Queen of the Holy Rosary, Regina Coeli, Bring Flow'rs of the Fairest, Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above and others were led by the girls from Our Lady of the Angels Choir under the direction of Miss Lynn Wilson. (I am proud to say that Agnes and Theresa are members.) We said the rosary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. [From the appendix of True Devotion to Mary, Montfort Publications.] I had originally hoped to fill a basket with the petitions of all our group members, but this is another of those things that was lost in the shuffle of a busy day.
As you can see, our festive Marian Lanterns made a fitting backdrop for the occasion:
The sight of first communicants in May makes my heart sing--how well I remember being among the joyful first communicants processing into the school yard of St. Mary's School many, many years ago. We too sang "Bring Flowers of the Fairest." The Catholic Faith is the stuff of beautiful memories.
The crowning moment:
And how much do you love this picture of our gorgeous first communicants with Heather's daughter Lily smiling directly at the face of Our Blessed Mother?! I have no doubt Our Lady is smiling right back!
May the grace of the mystery of the Coronation of the Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth, come down into our hearts.
********
May Crowning trivia: Our three first communicants banner image was taken during last year's crowning.
And oh, when the heart faints with longing,
He is there, though our eyes cannot see;
The Compassionate One, bending o'er us,
Stoops to hear the heart's sigh, "Pray for me!"
--from The Wayside Shrine by Martha Elvira Pettus
When I was a small child, I fell in love with the roadside shrines of Ireland. It makes me smile to think back upon one afternoon in particular: As my father cast a hopeful line over the River Blackwater in County Cork, I piled wildflowers at the foot of a shrine to Our Lady.
In hopes of recreating this sweet and simple memory, we spent the weekend fashioning miniature wayside shrines small enough to grace a pot of pansies, but so lovely they just might remain in my children's hearts forever.
Several months ago, I purchased these church-shaped wooden garden stakes at the craft store for fifty cents each:
We began by painting a base coat in acrylics:
We added moss, silk flowers, small statues and crucifixes, and other embellishments.
Here are a few of the shrines we made so far:
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (spring theme):
Roadside Crucifix (winter theme, complete with a touch of artificial snow):
St. Anthony (summer theme):
Agnes' St. Jude (Agnes is taking "Judith" for Confirmation this year):
Marie's St. Joseph (a gift for Grandma):
Margaret's Advent-themed Shrine (front):
Margaret's Shrine (back view, with Divine Mercy image taken from a broken bracelet):
Margaret's adaptation--Holy Water Font:
Holy Water Font (rear view, with Infant of Prague):
Theresa's Our Lady of Grace shrine:
Marie's Crucifix in the Rhododendrons:
Three-year-old Maureen's pink Sacred Heart shrine:
Here's a pretty mess--I couldn't resist this shot of some of the production crew hard at work behind the scenes. (Also, it occurs to me for the first time that the walls inside just about match the carpet of golden maple leaves outside.)
A small silk butterfly alights atop the spring-themed shrine to Our Lady of Mount Carmel:
Materials and Ways to Improvise
I found the wooden church stakes in A.C. Moore craft store. They were made by Nicole Crafts, reference number WOD 1204. It is often difficult to find specific craft items online, and your local store may not stock these. Any paintable wooden garden stake might be used or adapted (we used flat heart-shaped stakes to make an entire set of the Stations of the Cross years ago--we also made Sacred and Immaculate Heart shrines from heart-shaped stakes a while back). If you are unable to find stakes, small wooden churches or birdhouses would work quite well, as you can see from the rear view of last year's St. Francis birdhouse craft. I often challenge the children to figure out ways to bring ideas to life from natural materials found outside. These shrines would be beautiful created from pieces of wood, bark, moss, acorns and stones gathered in the backyard--or perhaps items you might otherwise discard, like clementine crates. Can you imagine a little shrine tucked away in the knot of a tree?
The possibilities for embellishment are endless, and religious images may be taken from paper holy cards, catalogues, broken bracelets, pins, or rosaries. DiscountCatholicStore.com sells mini-pocket saint statues (3/4 inch) for $1.55.
May the saints bless you on your way, now and always!
in Golden Gate Park!
Theresa has the story in The Cottage Garden.
Before:
The New York Baby leaves Kennedy Airport in what would normally be her late-Spring/Summer "uniform"--a sweet little sundress, preferably sleeveless. (This little number was brought home from Paris by none other than our favorite airport driver, MacBeth.)
After:
It did not take many days of fifty and sixty-something San Francisco Spring for Mom to figure out that this would not work. In the City by the Bay, it is all about layers! Here is a step by step guide:
Start with the pale purple sundress Baby appeared in all Spring back home in New York. Add her sister's hooded pullover sweater (because, on those last sweltering days at home, you forgot to pack a proper one for her), rolling up the sleeves. If the pullover is the color of the Pacific on a sunny day, so much the better!
Pull on a pair of thick stockings to keep out the cold, but easy to remove if the day turns warm. A pair of sturdy little moccasins will keep Baby steady on those challenging hills. If the moccasins feature luscious little strawberries as a reminder of Kristen and Suzanne's upcoming Strawberry Festival, so much the better!
Do not forget a floppy safari hat to keep the sun off Baby's face, because, cool as it is, it is still summer. If the hat has the words "San Francisco Zoo" emblazoned across the top, so much the better!
There you have it, the perfectly dressed San Francisco Baby, warm as toast and ready for anything, preferably a romp around the "California Cottage Garden"!
We woke from our Midsummer Night's Dream to find ourselves approaching the end of May without having taken a single Nature Walk or, other than our Marian May Baskets, completed any of our planned Marian Crafts. With a few days left, we hope to make up for lost time and began yesterday with a long walk through our favorite local gardens (the place that was the setting for our final performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream last week). Here Maureen and Eileen frolic in front of our dream thatched cottage--it is not our own, but we love it as if it were.
It did my heart good to nurse Eileen at a bench, breathing in the wild bouquet of lilacs, watching red-winged blackbirds, flashing fish, and romping, happy children.
Margaret discovered that the unassuming purple flowers dotting the lawn look like fairies' teddy bears. This little fellow rests on my new pink shawl. According to Agnes, the shawl is "the springtime equivalent of the Irish Walking Cape."
How many more chances will I have to see my older two girls holding hands? This photo seems the perfect symbol of a family growing up--with the older ones setting out toward a bright future and the younger ones not far behind.
How is it possible that a little one who was not even born this time last year could trot all over the gardens with us, looking like some pale purple blossom freshly sprung?
Slow down, Time, slow down! Let me tarry a while here in this place with these children!
Blessed be thou, fair, sweet May!
After two Cottage Garden performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the children had the honor of presenting the show at a local Museum and formal Garden. As you will see from the photographs below, the setting was perfect for our frolicking fairies, with lush lawns, a glassy pool, and even a Greek Theatre.
Titania and her attendants were a page out of an Arthur Rackham fairy book:
Oberon, Titania, and Puck:
Sprinting Sprites:
Misunderstanding rages:
Hermia restrained:
Mischievous Puck and Hapless Bottom:
The cast at the Greek Theatre:
A Woodland Fairy:
*******
My friend, Almamater, of the lovely blog, Soul of the Home, was kind enough to write:
Absolutely gorgeous! I hope you will offer more commentary on how all of this was organized...how often were rehearsals, how were roles assigned (auditions?), etc. A hearty congratulations to ALL involved with the production!
Many thanks for asking, Almamater! Here is the long version, told I fear, in about as many words as the unabridged play itself:
In late September of 2005, we collaborated with four or five families to put on a skit called "Comus." My friend Kari had read that this play is presented every year at Ludlow Castle on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel and thought it would be a wonderful tradition to begin with our children. Kari wrote our version based on a fabulous picture book adapted from John Milton's original work by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Kari directed, MacBeth created the scenery, and I hosted the practices and performance. We called ourselves "The Front Lawn Players," with a humorous tip of the hat to my front lawn. Our oldest cast member was then about twelve. The skit, which took six weeks to prepare and perform, was so enjoyable and successful, that we planned to repeat it as a yearly event.
Then in the Summer of 2006, Kari suggested we try instead an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream from the out of print book, Shakespeare for Young Players: from Tens to Teens by Gertrude Lerner Kerman. She assigned parts to the original Front Lawn Players without audition, expecting to prepare and perform in the same six week time frame as Comus. From start to finish, the play would have taken about twenty minutes to a half hour to complete. Puck was the central character in the abridged version, and my daughter Margaret, the perfect eight-year-old imp for the role, learned her lines in a day. This made Kari wonder if we might not be able to do a longer version, particularly when we realized that the play had not only been cut down in the abridgement, but also altered significantly in form and language. Who wants to perform Shakespeare that isn't really Shakespeare?
The other mothers and I were all for performing the full length version, but this changed matters significantly. We would not be able to work in the planned six week time frame, but would need the entire school year to practice and learn the parts. One or two cast members could not make the commitment and dropped out, but we managed to fill all the roles with children from our local homeschooling group. We met weekly at our house from October 2006 to the time of our performances in May, with all the mothers helping to bring the production together. Mary Smith and a group of the children designed and created the wonderful costumes. MacBeth and another contingent worked on the sets and program. Caroline, Mary Ellen, Tracey, Julie, Tricia, Patrice and Patty helped behind the scenes with everything from sewing and snacks to props and baby-holding. The talented Libby Derham, Ryan Barrett, and Sean Tuffy provided the music. It was an amazing collaboration and group effort with each person offering something unique and necessary.
In the end, we performed twice in the Cottage Garden and once in the gracious setting pictured above. Each and every time, the cast was applauded by a large and appreciative crowd. It was amazing to see these young children put heart, soul and effort into their performances. The cast lived and breathed Shakespeare for a year, and what an experience it was! [Does anyone remember six-year-old Marie's Spoons from last year?] From October to May, the children grew into their parts and soared, putting on a memorable and heartfelt performance defying their young ages (averaging about ten, with the roles of Puck and Nick Bottom pulled off by two nine-year-olds). The Museum was only too happy to host the final production, welcoming us with open arms and even sending a PR person to photograph.
I cannot stress enough what a delightful, edifying, and worthwhile project this was for all of us, and the children--already close friends--are as affectionate toward one another as cousins after this shared experience. Best of all, everyone in my house from thirteen to three is able to quote Shakespeare and quote it well. Maureen, our three year old, makes a plucky miniature Puck if ever there was one!
From now on, my prayer is that Springtime will always mean Shakespeare in the Garden!
My view is no doubt colored by the sweeping strokes of mother's admiration, but, to me, the children's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was the most magical, memorable, and magnificent performance imaginable. (I am, after all, the mother of Titania, Hermia, Puck, Cobweb, the changeling boy, and the littlest fairy!)
Here are a few scenes:
"Full of vexation come I with complaint against my child, my daughter, Hermia."
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
Titania and her retinue of sprites.
"Set your heart at rest. The fairy land buys not the child of me!"
INTERMISSION:
The fairies' lunch hour.
The three inseparable First Communicants, this time arrayed as fairies, were caught on the scooters once more. When MacBeth saw me running off to get this shot, she quipped, "You can bill it as 'The Scooter Photos: Pagan Edition.'" (I hope you will agree that this line was too funny not to repeat.)
Many more photos to come, but I must start our day!
in the Cottage Garden: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Unabridged!
More pictures to follow!
Who better than our darling Jennifer to host the Loveliness of Gardens Fair? Thanks to her eloquence and eye for beauty, we are all feeling just As Cozy as Spring today.
Our parish May Crowning will take place on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13th. In the meantime, we held our annual Immaculate Heart of Mary Homeschooling Group May Crowning in our home yesterday. Thanks to Marie's recent First Holy Communion party, we had the luxury of a tent this year--a very good thing with skies threatening to rain all morning. Our Lady came through for us with a golden, clear afternoon, the perfect day to "Bring Flow'rs of the Fairest."
Blue was the color of the day.
As always, our lovely First Communicants crowned Our Lady, bearing her golden crown on a flower-sprigged pillow. The rest of the children processed in with flowers, placing them on the May altar before saying the Rosary, all the while singing traditional hymns in Latin and English, led by my friend, Lynn Wilson. We prayed for all of you, stopping to mention the many prayer requests made in our local group and online. We said prayers of thanksgiving for blessings received and remembered Heather who is having surgery as I type this.
Marie was thrilled to receive a pair of pink Rosaries, handmade by her sweet friend, Mary.
I hesitated before posting these pictures of not one, but three, First Communicants flying on the scooters (you aren't sick of scooters, are you?), but who can resist this? These three girls were inseparable all day and as ubiquitous as snowflakes in a storm. (That's the lovely Erin from the Bonny Blue House on the right, a vision in her shamrock-studded gown.) Sometime toward the end of the afternoon, Agnes made the observation, "You know, the First Communicants are really dispelling the myth that you can't be active in long skirts!"
I found them "hanging around" together on the tree and sprinted across the yard to catch the moment forever.
Three-year-old Maureen held court, as usual.
And made a beautiful new friend.
Fair maidens to honor the "Fairest of Queens, in the fairest of seasons, Sweet May"! [Please be sure to click on this image to enlarge. It may be my favorite photo ever, tied with the darling one directly above it!]
Name Dropping (in addition to all the wonderful IHM moms, many familiar friends were on hand):
MacBeth
Helen
Mary Ellen
Heather
Lissa (by phone!)
St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!
St. Gianna Molla, pray for us!
What do you do when you have less than twenty-four hours to prepare for Our Lady?
Tuesday afternoon, I found out that the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe would be coming to our house on Wednesday! This image holds a deep significance for our family and all the members of our local homeschooling group. Four and a half years ago, it was brought to the bedside of our beloved friend after a near fatal and appalling car accident. I still have pictures of my children gathered round the image in the living room of our first home, just before bringing it to Brigid's bedside in the hospital:
Imagine my joy to learn that this miraculous image would be visiting us again, this time gracing our new home. More incredibly, my beautifully recovered friend and her two children would be on hand to greet Our Lady, thanking her for the precious gift of a mother's life.
Late Tuesday night, I had a moment of panic. With very few flowers blooming in the yard, I wondered how the children would welcome Our Lady, or prepare our home to receive her beautiful image. It had been on my mind to revisit the Marian May Baskets craft from last year, this time re-inventing it with pretty paper cones and ribbon for the first of May. Happily, it occurred to me that these simple cones would be perfect for crafting with a crowd, and the children could take the baskets home afterward to give as May Day gifts. Please take a look at this hastily prepared--but very well received--Marian activity:
Marie presents her First Communion-themed basket.
Two unfinished samples wait to be filled and hung on the front door of a loved one.
This Irish-themed basket, with a turf Madonna fringe of moss, graces our front door.
We started with patterned collage paper from the scrapbooking aisle (rectangular works best--one package makes twenty):
These were formed into cones with hot glue with two holes punched on each side for ribbon:
The pastel, blue, and lavender patterns on our collage paper were just perfect. If you are crafting with a crowd of children, it helps to fashion the cones in advance. (Hot glue and crowds of children don't mix!)
The cones store inside one another for easy transfer.
As a central element of each basket, I gave each child a small floral notecard to create a spiritual bouquet, encouraging them to write down prayers they will say for the recipients of their baskets.
The children hung their baskets in the shrubs surrounding the image, making April bloom like May!
The cones were such a happy sight, offering a festive atmosphere of love and welcome.
At the last possible moment, I arranged for a friend (a high school music teacher off this week) to join us for the afternoon leading the children in song: "Bring Flowers of the Fairest," "Salve Regina," "Regina Caeli" and other devotional hymns. The children said the Rosary with love and reverence, each one offering prayer requests to Our Blessed Mother.
I prayed for all of you--particularly those trying to conceive and Heather, a young mother diagnosed with a brain tumor. Here is a partial group shot of the children. (Too bad the pole from our volley ball net is in the way!)
The glorious Spring weather seemed an earthly reflection of the graces showered on our home and families. What a blessed day it was!
[A special thanks to Theresa F. for bringing the image to our home yesterday! You are beautiful inside and out!]
God, in His infinite goodness, saw to it that it does not take much to entertain a toddler.
Maureen and I had a blast playing a ridiculous game this afternoon. I made it up on the spur of the moment in an attempt to be silly, but she just loved it. Mom does all the talking for this one.
Me [who happened to be holding a bottle of water]: "This is my nice little baby water."
[Turning to pat Maureen]: "This is my nice little baby daughter."
[Ttouching water again]: "Water!"
[Patting Maureen affectionately]: "Daughter!"
"Water!"
"Daughter!"
"Water!"
"Daughter!"
"Water!"
[Throwing both arms around Maureen suddenly]: "Caught her!!!!"
The "caught her" brought screams and squeals of the deepest laughter, not to mention a crowd of amused young onlookers. So enthusiastic was Maureen that she pressed me to repeat this game at least a dozen times. Even seven year old Marie begged for a turn (and received several)! Needless to say, the rhyme needed to be tweaked quite a bit for Patrick.
For a far more dramatic look at a real life game of "Water, Daughter," please pay a visit to the Cottage Garden. But be warned--you will need your rubbers.
Realizing our
