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Brenda ByersStorywyse Oral Tradition Storytelling
June 04 Sprites Abound!I'm building a two door, five shelf cabinet. So far, the bottom shelf is upside down (not easily corrected) and the door handles are on the wrong sides (more easily corrected). However, I've flipped over the tray with what remained of the screws and plugs and they are nowhere to be found. They are not on the floor, inside any of the baskets lying around the floor, on the fouton, not anywhere.
Do you know the story of Twytti Glyn Hec? Perhaps not, it's a Welsh version of Rumpelstiltskin. The young Widow Mary, in the story, is confused and frightened because her money, cows and chickens have all gone missing. Where could they be? And who would do such a thing as take them all from a poor young widow with a wee babe to care for? Turns out, the wicked sprites of Glyn ___ have taken them for a trick. And the only way she can recoup her loss is to give the strange visitor (tall, thin woman with a golden-lined red cloak and pointy hat) some wee thing from her cottage in payment for a bag of gold! Now, who wouldn't take advantage of that offer? Trouble is, the wee thing the woman demands is....the wee babe! Treacherous thing. But, there is a loophole. She cannot take the babe for a full 24 hours and in that time, if the widow guesses her name, she gets to keep the gold and the babe. Well, suffice to say, Mary does find out the witch's name (you already guessed she's a witch, didn't you?) and the witch, the sprites and the bad luck are all gone from that place. Mary is rich and she and her babe will live happily ever after.
Know what I like about that story? Through no fault of her own, Mary met with a drastic change in her circumstance. She wasn't lazy, indeed she worked very hard caring for her croft and animals and selling vegetables from her garden at market. Suddenly, everything is gone. And while she makes a huge error in judgement by accepting what is too good to be true, she goes off to seek help and finds out for herself the true identity of the witch, thus saving her child and their home. In the end, she didn't meet a man who saved her. She saved herself.
While not abandoning our favourites, we need to seek out stories where the heroes/heroines are self-sufficient. Where they overcome obstacles by their own wit and wisdom, as well as fortitude and persistence. They never give up. Often, it takes wit and persistence to find such tales.
Children need to hear them. Step beyond the familiar and enrich your folk and wonder tales with those not often told. You will be the richer for it.
Now, if only I could find the sprites that tipped my tray and stole my screws and plugs! Alas, I believe the witch's name is Impatience!
May 09 Birds of a FeatherWe always look forward to the mourning doves nesting in the hanging basket in the spring. We believe it is the same couple year after year. They are a devoted pair and view our comings and goings as just another part of the nature that surrounds them. The hanging basket is situated at the back porch, right out the door.
Surprisingly, this year, there is a robin's nest as well, just across from the mourning doves. It is a carefully woven work of art which perches perilously on the top of a post at the entranceway to the porch.
The robins aren't so keen on sharing their space with people. It is their nature to fly away each time we come out the door or up the stairs, to distract us from the nest. We are startled upon occasion, just as they are. The sound of flapping wings is reminiscent, to me at least, of the movie, "The Birds," directed by Alfred Hitchcock and loosely adapted from a story by Daphne du Maurier. Eerie, shudder.
However, the birds are living together quite neighbourly. In fact, they hardly seem to notice one another. The blackbird, on the other hand, is watching them carefully, just waiting for his chance to nibble on some delicious eggs. We're keeping an eye on him. But then, so are the robins, ever vigilant in protecting their young.
In a few short weeks we have been privy to plenty of intrigue and danger, births, children growing up, learning to fly and manage on their own and leaving the nest to seek their fortunes. Our own lives played out in the Readers' Digest version.
I must go now and clean my nest! April 17 Blogs in OrderOh my - the blogs are out of order. Please scroll down to read the most recent. Then click on "View more entries" to see the rest. They are not in the archives because I have transferred them from Blogger.com.
Another thing I learned....
 December 2006Saturday, December 16, 2006Brenda's Christmas Songs
 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen_Revised God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay The tree is up, the cookies baked in time for Christmas day The turkey thaws in yonder fridge, the fruitcake’s at its peak Oh-oh Tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy Oh-oh Tidings of comfort and joy. But wait, there is a looming dearth of doom upon the world ‘Mid nutcake, rum and eggnog an uneasy feeling swirled Again this year it seems to be for merry gentlemen: Oh-no! Tidings of malls closing at six, Christmas Eve Oh-no! Tidings of malls closing at six. The oath made by the gentlemen at this late time last year Has once again been broken so their hearts are filled with fear In case the presents left behind on shelves aren’t on their list. Oh-oh prayers said in earnest haste and pledge, haste and pledge Oh-oh prayers said in earnest haste and pledge. God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay Though tea towels and the fancy pot are all that’s left this day The jewelry window beckons – pricey ring is on display Oh-oh thankful for shiny things and bright, shiny and bright Oh-oh thankful that we’ll rest again tonight! __________And another______________ Oh Christmas Tree_Revised Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree, where are you? You're way up high upon the shelf Where I can't reach all by myself! Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree, where are you? Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Where are your decorations?They're high upon another shelf That I can't reach all by myself! Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Where are your decorations? Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Why are your lights so tangled? So neatly folded by myself They’re tangled up, upon the shelf! Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Why are your lights so tangled? Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree I'd like to decorate you. But I am stuck upon the shelf And can't get down all by myself! Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree I'd like to decorate you. Brenda Byers 2005 Novermber 2006Monday, November 20, 2006Speaking of the time...
 Time flies when you're having fun; Time heals all wounds; All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that (Baltasar Gracian); An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth (Bonnie Friedman); Regret for wasted time is more wasted time (Mason Cooley); Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save (Will Rogers); Time does not change us, it just unfolds us (Max Frisch).
I love this picture because we were spending time. What a wealth of it we had that day. We were at the Singing Sands Beach on the Bruce Peninsula. We couldn't hear the sands singing, though we tried. We discovered flowering plants we'd never seen before and walked along a beach we had only just discovered. Next time we go, we will take a memory with us.
Holiday Time is different from Real Time. It's slower, for one thing, less frenzied. And we remember more of it, don't you think? And look at my attire! I wouldn't dream of walking around downtown Burlington that way. Yet I walked around Tobermory and Stokes Bay without a care in the world. I love holiday clothes.
And speaking of time...I'm spring cleaning. Oh, I know you're looking at the date and wondering if I got it wrong. A friend asked if I was early or late and I replied, 'yes.' There are only five weeks until Christmas and I need to be making room. In the spring there is nothing to make room for. I have decided in my cronage to do things at the time that seems sensible in my life. This involves a lot of...
Procrastination. Which some people think of as a waste of time. And in some cases, they would be right. However, I have been rewarded in my procrastinations. Sometimes the thing that seemed so important was cancelled. Or somebody else picked it up. Or paid for it. Don't underestimate the value of time gained during procrastination.
Long ago I decided to give up on some of the time-consuming Christmas traditions some people hold dear. I don't bake cookies. I don't hang tinsel. I don't wrap all the presents. I don't decorate the dog. I don't send cards to people I hardly ever see or people I see all the time, just the in-between people - all four of them. I don't write a letter describing our year (except once, and it was all made up to make us more interesting).
This gave me more time to enjoy the season. I look forward to reading Christmas stories, particularly THE Christmas story, sipping spicy tea by the fire and candlelight, listening to a selection of Christmas music in the background. That can include church choirs and Elvis Presley.
I'm not saying don't bake cookies, hang tinsel, wrap all the presents, decorate the dog or send cards and letters to everyone you know. I'm just saying, perhaps you could give something up. Only do what brings you absolute joy. Maybe someone else will do the rest. Maybe not.
Uh-oh...the dust bunnies are not cleaning themselves up - time to spend time making room for holiday time.
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