"Fairy" Houses

The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree.
It rains on the umbrellas here,
and on the ships at sea.

--Robert Louis Stevenson

Ominous gray clouds shroud the bright blue dome of sky we played under only yesterday, yet I cannot help smiling to see them. After all, this mid-March shower will moisten God's palette of watercolors, transforming our dull winter grays into verdant spring greens. The rain did not discourage the children, who played outdoors as eagerly as before. Here is what eight-year-old Margaret had to say:

"Yesterday, we made our own fairy houses from mud, moss, sticks, bark and leaves. This morning, a shower of rain consumed Theresa's fairy house, which was mostly dirt and grass, so I ran outside and fixed her creation. When Theresa came out, she loved it, and we looked under stones and bricks and found lots of different inhabitants for the house, including snails, centipedes, worms and sow bugs. All the fairy houses were a big success."

"Here are some photographs of them:

"The first is a picture of Agnes and Theresa's. Agnes' is a log cabin with a door and threshold made from birch bark. A roof of bark, moss, and clover shelters the tidy room inside. The garden consists of pine needles, a tuft of grass (for a bush) and a bit of garlic mustard. Agnes re-planted some tiny wildflowers too, but they wilted.

"Theresa's is made completely out of dirt, dried grass, moss, and pine needles, except for the chimney peeping out of the top. It stands behind Agnes' and is meant to be a tenant's cottage. It has no door except for a single rock covering the entry. Her garden is made with some different types of moss, wildflower leaves, and tall green chives that look like water spouting out of a whale's back.

"This is the cottage I made. It has a fence of birch logs and a brick with two gates, one a birch bark triangle and the other an arch from a white pine twig. The hut in the left back corner has a little bit of the ceiling uncovered. It leans on a brick and some poles sticking out of the ground. The roof is made out of Rhododendron leaves, and the entrance is made from a tunnel of birch bark which opens onto a fenced garden filled with different types of moss and a pine tree to shelter some wildflowers (front right corner). At the back, under the arch, there is a chair made out of a rock. If you look closely, a little fairy made from 'model magic' is sitting in it. At the front left corner, mudpies are set out to cool on a tray of birch bark supported by the fence. Also at the front left corner, there is a crack in the birch log. Inside it is a bit of moss."

Comments

[Rebecca]

Alice, What a gorgeous post! Your writing is simply eloquent and the houses are so sweet.

[Denise]

My daughter will love to see this. She has been thinking of ways to invent fairy furniture. Recently she sewed by hand some little fairy clothes and set out some of her hair trimmings for the fairies to weave with.

[Lissa]

How lovely! You inspired my girls--they spent the morning working on fairy houses of their own. We'll try to get some pictures up later.

[Alice Gunther]

Thank you Rebecca, Denise, and Lissa!

>>We'll try to get some pictures up later.

Hooray, I can't wait to see! BTW, if any of you would ever like to send me pictures of something wonderful your children are doing outdoors, I would be honored to post them here as well!

[Theresa]

Oh, thank you for sharing this! It brings back wonderful memories of my childhood family camping trips where I used to wander off to build fairy houses of my own! Yours are so sweet!

[sophie]

these are really good, i have seen a few fairies in my time. could you send me instructions on how to build a fairy house? thank you
your, sophie

[Joanne]

These are absolutely gorgeous. You have created them so wonderfully and filled in every detail so it looks like a real fairy village. they are just magical. It is a lovely idea for children to do, it will stimulate their minds and give them a feeling of satisfaction when completed. My daughter would like to be an architect when she grows up so this is a perfect idea for her!

[betty]

uuuuuuuhhhhmmmm
prityy tiizight!!! dude :]:]:]
pEaCe
LoVe
HaPpYnEsS
:]

[Sharon]

well i thought it was a good idea but mybe you could make it out of cardboard.

[CC]

Lol. I did that all the time when I was little! I had no idea everyone else did. :D

[nica]

aww thats soo cuteee haha

[GoldenInkweaver]

Awww, thats is a lovely idea...i will definitly try it! though mine will be for small animals...hmmm..Thank you!

[Kitty]

Cool, I never knew anybody else made fairy houses, nice!

[georgia]

thanks for the idea of a fariy house it was great froom georgia

[Eikooc]

[...] Great idea! I wonder if I could make one for my hamster. [...] ;) :) ;) :D

[Valerie]

This is so cool I have to try this I hope I can !!! Thanks so much for doing this now I now what to do on my summer vacation !! Again thanks so much !! ~Bye now~ !!

LoVe ~ Valerie :))

[jessicaH]

Cool. I've seen some in our town toy store with wood rounds for floors and tiny steps and little pully's made of string..

[Julia W.]

I love building these!! I used to build them all the time for my smaller dolls and imaginary friends. Well, it's spring break, and I've got time. Time to build again!!

[aa]

Those are SOO pretty. My friend and I built our own, she would love these! :)

[Reshma]

Only a week to go and I'm finally chnckieg out all of the great comments and downloads on the reunion web site. I left WGHS and attended Texas Christian for two years, then transferring to Mizzou for a degree in Broadcast Journalism where I was an Alpha Phi with Claire Coleman Lamonica. I worked at a small tv station in Tupelo, MS as a reporter/anchor, then Wichita, KS as a reporter/producer. Always looking for some new adventure I went into hospital marketing. I married Jim Serra (Brentwood '71/Mizzou '75). He worked at KSDK at the time as a producer but we soon moved to Lake Charles, LA where Jim worked as National Sales Manager and has now been General Manager of KPLC-TV (NBC affiliate) for quite some time. I worked in hospitals, marketing for a local mall, and capped off my career days as Admissions Director/Development Director for a small Episcopal Day School. In the meantime, we have a daughter, Jennie, who is now married and teaches in New Orleans at a school similar to the school in FAME. Amusingly, she's a very talented math teacher. This was NEVER among my talents. I became overly volunteered after retirement' and served for several years as the state Chairperson for Keep Louisiana Beautiful which is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. I worked harder at that job than some of my paid positions. We travel a lot we have a second home built in 1730 in Exeter, NH and I try to spend a LOT of the summer there since Louisiana is a tad steamy. I continued my love of horses through my daughter she rode hunter/jumper and I dinked around with her when I could. We live in a turn of the century home in Louisiana that has withstood many hurricanes and, life is good. Can't wait to see everyone.

[Misty]

Where has life led me? Straight west!! Right out of high school, i staertd college at Meramec Community College to get some of my requisites for nursing school out of the way. Then off to 2 straight years of nursing school and working at St. Joseph's Hospital for three years. Got married to Scott and moved to Kansas City KS for 3 years. He got his masters degree and we headed to Denver CO, where we stayed. Had three boys, Brett, Thomas and Peter. (yes God help me) Worked in a hospital in Boulder for a year and then forever left the hospital systems.. Worked in occupational medicine, at Western Electric, Denver International Airport while it was being built. Colorado Rehab Institute, Coors Brewing Co, and have now been with Reed Group for 7 1/2 years doing telephonic case management for Short Term Disability . Scott and i separated over 9 yrs ago but never divorced. We've remained friends and everything was very amicable. Lucky me!! My oldest son, Brett, is now 30 and will make me a grandma for the first time in less than a month. (I will be called Jany) I can't wait. (how did we get to grandma age???) I will just happen to be in St. Louis for my neice's wedding on Labor Day weekend so i am hoping to get to part of the reunion. Hope to see as many of you as possible.

[Linda]

Here's a note I got from our foreign excganhe student Ulf Duus Hello Karen, Thanks for mailing me and I remember you too – confirmed by looking in the old yearbook of 71 where you actually wrote some nice comments. Itb4s been very many years since I had any contact with Webster and it was with Herb Morissey who visited me years ago here in Sweden. 40 years is a long time and I guess life has been alright with me so far. I have been working as a toxicology consultant with my own little company called Toxhunter Ltd, I have a wife and three grown up kids. I play a lot of music – fiddle in an Irish band in Sweden – which tends to increase gradually over the years. I do a lot of sailing on the Swedish west coast in summer. I have been to US a number of times in my job, but never to St Louis and of course it would be fun to see old Webster again. Ib4m not coming to the reunion however but I would be happy to have some information about you and other friends I got at Webster. If youb4re going to the Reunion couldnb4t you please say hello to all the nice people that I knew when I was over there.Greetings from UlfD

[Damica]

After graduation, I aetdnetd Meramec Community College majoring in math, while working three part-time jobs. Then, I aetdnetd UMSL and graduated with BS Business, while working at the 7UP Company in Clayton. While working for Gusdorf Manufacturing as a Cost Accounting Manager, I got engaged and later married an Ohio man who was working in St Louis. I ended finding a job in Ohio as a Cost Accountant and moving to Ohio. I had two wonderful children: Shane & Tess. I completed my MBA that I started in St Louis with courses from The Ohio State University. I later divorced in 1992 and started my own accounting firm in 1997. After a long illness, my dad died in 2007 and mom died in 2009 after a brief illness. Last year, I became a grandmother and I love it. This year in May, I married Alvie Dale Rapp after being together for 9 years. My life has had its ups and downs, but very satisfying.

[Miran]

Three weeks after graduation I was sworn in to a four year ennmtsielt in the US Navy. I spent six month at Great Lakes, just north of Chicago, before being assigned to a ship home ported in Pearl Harbor. Three Westpac cruises later, I returned to Webster Groves and enrolled at UMSL where I majored in communications. I got married in 1979 and moved back to Hawaii in 1982 to continue my career in broadcasting. My two oldest children were born in the same hospital President Obama was born in (or so we've been told). We moved back to St. Louis in 1986 where I continued to work in broadcasting; at Channel 4, 5, and 30. In 1989 our third child (a bonus) was born. In 1992, I left broadcasting and entered the field of software development and later moved into Internet marketing, which is what I do now. We have two grandchildren. Check me out online:

[Damian]

Treats at THE MERCANTILE,I like them ALL!I like them BIG,I LIKE THEM small.I like them sweet,I like them tart.I snatch them utphen in the cart!I like them pickled,I like them paired.I rush them homewith friends to share!And when they ask;These treats so fair,from wence they came,How far? How near?I tell them tisjust up the road!And I tell them too,that they should go!Go to the place that is so fun,And has good treats for everyone!Then have some lunch,and eat your fill.And Christmas shop long at your will.And walk around and stay a while,At this fine placeCalled THE MERCANTILE!Dale Jones, Eltopia