Do you believe in ghosts? Have any weird encounters?

Do I believe in ghosts? That's the question. While I think a lot of stories are made up for various reasons, I do believe some of the encounters are true. Other than a brief flash a couple times, I've never really seen anything. My sister, Cait, on the other hand, sees all kinds of things.

One of the most memorable was when we were singing at our Grandpa's funeral. I think we were partway into the second verse of Amazing Grace when Cait grabbed my hand and started squeezing. Hard. I swear I had ring marks in my fingers for days. But I managed not to yelp, and we continued singing while her eyes kept darting toward the pews in front of us.

After we sat back down, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she'd seen our grandparents sitting in one in the fourth pew back - Grandma had died thirteen years earlier. And she was holding a baby. I assumed it must have been either our cousin who'd been stillborn, or our nephew who'd died as an infant seven years earlier.

Cait said that she was sure it wasn't. The baby Grandma had been holding was one she didn't recognize, and she was sure that somehow, this was a baby who hadn't been born yet. A few weeks later, we found out our cousin, Sarah, was pregnant. And in August, she had a little boy that looked exactly like the baby Cait had seen our Grandma holding.

It didn't freak us out at all. Instead, it was a comfort and my cousin said that Grandma was probably holding her son because it was the only way he'd stop crying. That kid was a screamer as a baby. :D

Check out the other Wednesday Bloggers thoughts on ghosts!

Gwen
Jess
Kris

My Collections

It's another edition of Wednesday Randomness, and this week, we're blogging about our collections. And, I didn't really realize how many I had...until I started wandering around the house taking pictures. I'm not even including the fabric or yarn, because, well, this shit is already out of control - as evidenced from the following pictures.

First off, there's my vintage tea set. I've always loved Cottageware - my Gram had a set that I adored. But I fell in love with this PriceKensington pattern, and I've been slowly collecting it. It's nowhere near complete, but it's getting there. I've found a bunch of pieces in antique stores in the U.P., and my very awesome friend, Kim, has sent me several pieces from shops in Wales. Which, coincidentally, is where my Gram's set came from.

Rocks. I know...it seems like a silly collection, but I really love rocks. I was always that kid who came home with pockets full of rocks. I'm still that kid. Everywhere I go, I pick up rocks. My friends bring me rocks home from their travels. My kids pick up pretty stones for me.These are just a small sampling. Read: places in my house where I didn't have to clean in order to take pictures.

I'm a fan of driftwood, too. As you can probably see.

I also collect books on Arthurian Legend. Other than the complete works of Chaucer and Shakespeare, this is all Arthurian stuff in this bookcase. Oh, look...more rocks.

And fairy tales! I freaking love fairy tales. I've got stories from tons of different cultures  - both modern and traditional stories. Brand new books and antiques. I love them all.

Okay...what else...oh! Skeleton keys. I adore them. I've been collecting them ever since my Gram gave me the skeleton key to her house. Sometimes, I even wear them as necklaces. I don't have these displayed anywhere. But, I'm thinking of making a mobile with some of them.

Charms - these are all in one, chunky dangerous place. This bracelet doubles as a weapon. But it's also a collection of memories. Each charm has a specific meaning and memory that accompanies it.

Okay, so that's pretty much it for my collections. I can't wait to see what kind of stuff the other bloggers have! Because I'm nosy. Click their names along with me and we'll all find out what they're hoarding. :D

Gwen
Jess
Kris

A Few of My Favorite Things: Songs

Ha! Trying to pick favorite songs is a lot like trying to pick a favorite book. Or favorite kid.

In order to tackle this post, I decided I needed to break it down into categories.

So…in no particular order, here are my favorite songs in their handy dandy categories.  And yeah, you’ll probably see a lot of repeated artists. Because that’s how I roll. 

And this is in no way all the categories – I just realized that I needed to dial it back otherwise this post would be Neverfuckingending. Because music.

Depression Combating Songs

Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root

Gang of Rhythm – Walk Off the Earth

Secrets – Mary Lambert

Let It Go – Indina Menzel

Summer Vibe – Walk Off the Earth

Safety Dance – Men Without Hats

Little Plastic Castle – Ani Difranco

As Cool As I Am – Dar Williams

I am My Mother’s Savage Daughter - Wyndreth Berginsdottir

I Won’t Be Your Yoko Ono – Dar Williams

Maps – Hey Ocean

What’s Going On – 4 Non Blondes

Flinty Kind of Woman – Dar Williams

SuNu – Rising Appalachia

Wait it Out – Sarah Blackwood

Ojos Así – Shakira 

Angsty Songs

Rain King – Counting Crows

Rootless Tree – Damien Rice

In the Sun – Joseph Arthur

Hallelujah – Rufus Wainwright/Jeff Buckley/Damien Rice

Collide – Howie Day

Say Something – Great Big World (also really love the Sarah and Gianni cover)

Blank White Page – Mumford and Sons

Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sproket

Both Hands – Ani Difranco

Rumour Has It – Adele

Iowa – Dar Williams

Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

Turning Tables – Adele

Who Will Sing Me Lullabies – Kate Rusby

Ghosts That We Knew – Mumford and Sons

Angels Will Fall – Melissa Ethridge

The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

Goodnight Elisabeth – Counting Crows

Broken Crown – Mumford and Sons

Wonderwall – Oasis (love Ryan Adams’ cover)

Something’s Always Wrong – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Celtic Folk Songs

I am Stretched on Your Grave – Kate Rusby

A Mháire Bhruinneall – Susan McKeown

The Kiss – Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack

Brittonick – Circa Paleo

Calling Me Home – Kate Price

The Old Ways – Loreena McKennitt

Fiona – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Siúil a Rún – Kate Price

The Queen and the Soldier – Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts

Dark Black Clouds – Circa Paleo

The Cobbler’s Daughter – Kate Rusby

The Knight at Dublin Castle – Darby Devon

Jamie – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Santiago – Loreena MeKennitt

The Ships – Circa Paleo

Evacuation  – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

A Nighean Dubh – Susan McKeown

Peaceweaver – Kate Price

Cruel – Kate Rusby

Anachie Gordon – Loreena McKennit

The Road/The Dancing Mast – Circa Paleo

Bonny Greenwoodside – Susan McKeown

The Unquiet Grave – Kate Rusby

All Soul’s Night – Loreena McKennitt

Tideland – Circa Paleo

Eedjit – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Hunting the Hare – Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts

Click the names below to see the other Wednesday Random Bloggers’ favorite songs.And below that, here are some of my favorite videos for some of these songs.

Jess

Gwen

Kayleigh
Jen 
Kris
Kellie

What Makes Me Happy

This week, we're blogging about stuff that makes us happy. I have a feeling this is going to be a super random list because a lot of things make me happy.  In no particular order at all, here they are…

Hugs from my kids. They never fail to make me happy. Even if I’m in a bad mood. 

Actually, hugs in general. I’m a touchy feely person and physical contact (with people I’m comfortable with) makes me happy. 

Waves on the shore. I love the sound of waves. I prefer the waves of Lake Superior, but I’ll be honest. Any waves will do. 

Thunderstorms. As long as they don’t venture into tornado territory, they give me warm fuzzies. 

My family. I seriously won the family lottery. I am crazy about my family. Yes, sometimes we piss each other off, but we’re always there for each other. Even when we’re pissed. They’re all hilariously funny, smart and compassionate. My mama mommed us well. 

Rocks. Yeah, I know. That sounds dumb. But whatevs. Rocks make me happy. I love to hold them, look at them, climb them, know that they were here millions of years before me and will be here millions of years after I’m gone. 

Yarn, fabric and clay. There is nothing that appeals to me like the tactile experience of fiber and well, mud, and knowing that if I want to, I can make something out of it. 

Kindness. Not just people being kind to me or people I care about, but people being kind in general. Genuine kindness, though – not the fake bullshit of people being kind because they think they’re going to get something out of it. This world is so full of anger and hate, and some days, it feels like there’s not enough kindness to go around. But then I see little acts of kindness here and there and I feel like there’s hope. And it makes me happy.

Music. Music that I love makes me happy. In fact, music is so powerful, that I have a depression playlist that I listen to when I’m starting to feel down. 

Friends. I have the most amazing friends on the planet. I can’t even believe how damn lucky I am, and they make me happy beyond belief. They get me in all my quirky glory, and I know that I can trust them with anything. I know that no matter what, these are the people that will always be there for me, and I’ll always be there for them. 

Cats. I know. I have issues. But cats make me irrationally happy. Unless I’m steeping in cat puke at three am.

Baby animals of all kinds. I’m s sucker for the squee factor. 

Baby belly laughs. There’s something about a baby laughing that just lifts my spirits no matter what. 

Nature. I love Living in a place that has all four seasons (even though the snow sometimes makes me want to weep) and the changes are so dramatic and beautiful. Walking through forests, sitting by a lake or river or stream, listening to the wind and rain, watching the snow fall and the leaves change, all of it makes me happy. That is a lie. Ragweed and cottonwood most assuredly do *not* make me happy. But I’m good with everything else. 

Writing. I love creating and having an outlet for all the stories floating around my head. Getting them out on paper makes me happy. 

Reading. Exploring other worlds and lives makes me happy, too. And sometimes sad, depending on the book, but that’s okay. I’m happy when I’m invested enough in an author’s words to feel something.

Writing Retreats. I love spending a week with my writing retreat girls - there's nothing better than laughing 'til you hurt and writing a ton. 

 

Lake Superior. I know I already mentioned waves and nature, but Lake Superior makes me insanely happy. 

Click the other Wednesday Random Bloggers names to find out what makes them happy. 

Gwen

Jess

Kellie
Kris

Oh dear...my internet search history. Let me share it with you.

For Wednesday Randomness, we're talking about our search histories.

So...yeah.  This should be interesting. These are the things I've searched for recently.



1. Can animals take Tramadol - Sometimes you need to know this stuff for research, people.

2. Tim Minchin - Let's be honest...my love for this man knows no bounds.

3.YA blog tours - This is going to be a thing for me in the relatively nearish future.

4.How do you get rid of milia - I hate those little bastards. HATE THEM. Also, the answer is there really is no real way to get rid of them.

5 Arbor Society Grand Rapids - My Rowan tree died. :(

6. BBC Merlin - Do you think those pictures for the Friday blog posts look themselves up?

7. Who to call for the Saturn ignition recall - Fucking car...

8. Field Sobriety Test - Research. Accuracy is important.

9. Advair Diskus coupons - even with insurance that shit is 210$ a month.

10. How long does it take a rice cooker to cook brown rice? - Yes...I did lose my instruction booklet. Why do you ask?

11. Glass gem heirloom corn seeds for sale - for my attempt at a garden!

12. How often should you water seeds planted in organic seed starter mix? - Also gardeny stuff.

13. Apple Macbook - Hey...a girl can dream...

14. Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour Cast - This seems pretty self-explanatory. Also, the dude from the Sex Pistols is playing Herod!

15. Burning Man live feed - I was curious...

16. Sam Claflin - He's pretty. I can't help it.

17. How long does it take for a body to decompose in cold water? - Asking for a friend.

18. Rip Currents in Lake Michigan - helllooooooo research

19. How many students are enrolled at U of M? - more actual research

20. How do you spell the name of Thor's hammer?  - In case you're wondering, it's Mjölnir.

21. Parts of a sailboat - also research.

22. Nutrition information for So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Creamer - trying to find a creamer substitute. *sigh*

23. Catchall - one word or two?

24. Do nsaids cause weight gain? Answer: taken in excess, they can.

25. Ichiban menu - that's where we took Killian for his birthday supper.

26. Jamieson Shetland Heather Aran - Look, I like yarn. A lot.

27. Promotion code for Knitpicks - Look, I might have mentioned I like yarn a lot. I also like to get it as cheaply as possible.

28. Camelot Dyeworks - Okay, it's more yarn. I admit it. I have a sickness, people.

29. Death Star pillow pattern - What? Christmas is coming...

30. Creature that feeds off of innocence - Research. Just research.

So, what kind of gems are hiding in your search history? Wanna see what the other WR bloggers have been searching? Click their names below!

Jess 
Jenny
Gwen

Best School Memories - Nuns, Musical Theater, BFFs and True Love

As a young kid, I don't have a lot of great school memories. I do remember cutting my own bangs during art class...but that wasn't a particularly good memory. However, it did get my hair out of my eyes.

We moved a lot - between kindergarten and high school, I went to five different schools. I suppose that's not a ton. I know a lot of people have gone to far more, and in a way, you get used to being the new kid.

I think my favorite elementary school was Riverbend. I loved the teachers I had there - Ms. Zanta for third grade and Mr. Velthouse for fourth. The playground backed up to an apple orchard. We weren't supposed to go back there, but we always did. We played hide and go seek, tag, Little House on the Prairie...I wanted to play King Arthur and his Knights, but I never got any takers.

I don't have any really great school memories until high school - mostly because the schools I attended from fifth through eighth grade were a special kind of hell. Think Mean Girls 70s style.

However, in ninth grade, we moved for the last time. And for the first time, I attended a Catholic school. Now, I was raised Catholic, but I had no damn clue what is was like to go to a Catholic school. My poor little public schoolgirl heart was shocked. And also weirdly delighted. I felt like I'd landed in some sort of bizarre social experiment.

I'd never seen nuns in the wild before. That was some serious culture shock - particularly since many of these women ruled their classrooms with ear twisting, ruler slapping, head cuffing, public shaming, and the finely tuned ability to wield guilt just as effectively as a ruler.

When I started my freshman year of high school, it was at a Catholic school. Having been to five public schools prior to high school, I had no idea what was in store for me. The only nun I'd ever met was the aging hippie who played guitar at the church my parents had taken me to.

The nuns at my new school were a surprise. Most wore habits - involving black and white coifs and veils and dresses and skirts in varying shades of blue or brown polyester depending on what order they belonged to. There was also Sister Michael Ellen aka The White Nun or the Library Nun who wore one of those giant,  old school, white multilayered numbers.

Because of her particular habit, I was always a little afraid of her. She looked incredibly intimidating - not to mention mean, especially when she was walking quickly through the halls, her clothes billowing and her gianormous wooden rosary swinging wildly from her waist.

It didn't help that it seemed she was always ordering the AV nun, Sister Mary Projector, (not her real name) around. Sister Mary Projector (I'm not sure if anyone actually knew her real name) was on an endless quest to deliver the filmstrip projector on the cart with the super squeaky wheel. But mostly, she just wandered up and down the halls never reaching her destination.

I had a theory that The White Nun was trying to keep Sister Mary Projector out of the library as much as possible by sending her to a room that didn't exist because she'd always fall asleep and snore loudly, driving The White Nun batty. Once I followed Sister Mary Projector for an entire class period - she never delivered that cart anywhere.

Then there was Sister Rosine. At first, I thought she was just a sweet, little old lady. That was cleared up within the first five minutes of religion class when we were all seated alphabetically - except for the non-Catholics. They had to sit in the back of the room, because they were "going to hell, anyway." There was also the day that she went on a tear about the color red. As far as she was concerned, it was a color reserved for Satanists and whores. Unfortunately, that was the day I'd chosen to wear a red sweater and had painted my nails bright read to match. So had my friend. We had to stand up and announce that we were "Brides of Satan." Yeah. I know. It was insane.

And lastly, there was Sister Clarine - the biology nun - think white lab coat over a baby blue polyester dress and the most sensible of sensible shoes. The first time I saw her, she was standing outside the door to her room with a clipboard. The second time I saw her, she was draped with two, seven-foot boa constrictors. I promise you, there are fewer things more disconcerting  than a sweet faced, little old lady wearing a a veil and covered in snakes.

In addition to nun antics, I also met several of my favorite people in the world at that school. My oldest and dearest friend, Margaret and my equally awesome and amazing friends Kelly and Paula. We're still friends to this day, and that in and of itself is pretty damn impressive.

Margaret and I did musical theater together - The Wizard of Oz, Camelot and Grease together. Kelly, Margaret and I sang in the choir. And Paula and I laughed until we cried. A lot.

I also met Mr. Green there. Yep. The husband. That one. We were in a study hall together that was more like sit-around-and-gossip-and-play-cards for-an-hour-in-the-cafeteria than a traditional study hall. We met because he was an asshole. And trying to pitch Red Hot candies down the front of my blouse. I waited until the bell rang and everyone was getting up to leave and walked around the table. In retrospect, it was kind of sweet. He looked weirdly hopeful. And then I upended my Coke on his open Calculus book. That was one expensive book. But I didn't have to pay for it. He did. Because he was an asshole.

However, he did (obviously) redeem himself considering that we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year.

So, those are some of my fondest school memories. What are some of yours?  Click the names of the other Wednesday Random bloggers to see theirs. I, for one, can't wait!

Jess
Gwen
Kris

 

A Few of My Favorite Things: Book Covers

This week, the Wednesday Random bloggers are blogging about some of our favorite book covers.

Let the parade of covers begin!

In no particular order, some of my favorites are:

I love the simple beauty of this cover - the colors, the delicate swirls, the glow, the slightly out of focus font. I love this one so much more than the more recent cover it was given.

The Wild Swans is one of my all time favorite fairy tales, but I also love Susan Jeffers' illustrations. Also...she's KNITTING! What's not to love!?

Eyes Like Leaves (a deLint book I haven't read, yet) is so freaking beautiful. I love everything about this - the Greenwoman, the foxes, the forest, the unearthly glow. It's gorgeous.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a creepy little cover, but I just love it. One of these days, I'll get around to reading this one.

This is another one of my favorite fairy tales, and I really love P.J. Lynch's illustrations - they sort of reminiscent of both Arthur Rackham and Michael Hague.

Here's another example of Lynch's work in another of my very favorite stories. The illustrations are stunning all the way through.

It's no secret. I adore ravens. I also adore the hell out of this book. And I think this cover is just stunning. I'd hang this artwork on my wall if I could.

I love the this one - the vaguely Victorian looking clothing, the pale skin the spaced out drugged expressions. It's got a weirdly creepy but beautiful look to it.

I love shadowy, dreamy, watercolory feel of this one. IRL, the cover has an almost metallic sheen, but unfortunately, that doesn't translate well to pictures.

Another Charles deLint book - one of my faves - not his very best, but I love it anyway. I'd tracked this one done on ebay for the artwork since I'm a huge fan of Brian Froud. But I ended up reading the story, and I fell in love with deLint's storytelling. There is nothing I don't love about this cover.

Like Tithe, I love the simple beauty of this image - Autumn leaf, fire, the warm earthy colors against a stark black field - just beautiful.

And my list wouldn't be complete without this stunning beauty. It's the cover for my soon-to-be-released YA novel. There's nothing I don't love about this cover. The eerie blue light, the deserted stretch of Upper Peninsula road, the deer, the key, the girl. I just freaking LOVE it.

Click the names below to see what covers the other WR bloggers love.

Leigh
Kellie
Jess
Gwen
Kris

When I Knew I Wanted to Be a Writer - or When I Realized that Words Have Power

This week, we're talking about when we realized we wanted to be writers. I wrote this a while ago, for another blog, but my answer hasn't changed, so I'm reposting it here. 

When I was 8, my parents got divorced (hang with me, people - I promise this isn't going to be a tale of writing my first romance story in a misguided effort to get my parents back together) and my mom went back to school and moved us to a trailer park near the college campus.

Our brand new, 1976 Champion trailer backed up to a heavily wooded ravine where my brother and I spent most of our time playing. The trailer park was filled with a lot of hippies, college students and hippie college students. For the most part, everybody was pretty friendly, particularly the stoners, and it wasn't a bad place to live. Our super-awesome babysitter, Suzanne, lived right next door and my mom's friend Pragati would come over and cook Indian food for us while my mom helped her study.

One night, Pragati brought over her boyfriend. He was a psych student who was interested in the effects of divorce on children and this dude (can't remember his name, but there was a major Tom Selleck mustache going on) wanted to know if I'd be interested in writing about my feelings. Well, I wasn't interested in writing about my feelings, but even at the tender age of 8, I had trouble saying "no" to people. I'm sure no one here is shocked. The next day, Tom-Selleck-Mustache-Guy brought me my very first blue book - you know, the kind you use for essay tests in high school and college - and told me to write about my feelings and encouraged me to draw pictures if I wanted to. He went on ad nauseum about how it was okay to express my sadness and anger and how important it was to do that.

I sat outside under our picnic table (yes, I avoided the sun even then) carefully wrote my name on the cover, then I drew pictures of all the animals, trees and flowers in the ravine where I would have rather have been playing. After I filled in every available space on the cover, I opened the booklet to the lined pages and tried to write about my feelings. After about five minutes, I realized I didn't want to write about my feelings. My feelings were fine. We were all happier after the split and it seemed stupid to pretend otherwise. I'm not saying that I didn't miss my dad, but even as a kid, I could see that the whole divorce thing was a good idea. But this guy expected me to be crushed, in fact, it seemed like he not only expected me to be crushed but wanted me to feel that way. Jerk. Who knows - maybe he was writing a thesis paper and I was his subject.

So, I took my pencil and wrote. I wrote a story about a beautiful witch who lived in the deep forest in a small, stone cottage. She had a lot of pets - cats, dogs, cows, horses, mice, unicorns, deer, foxes and bears. She held lovely magical tea parties for the local children (who apparently lived in the forest...) and grew flowers and pumpkins in her garden. Unfortunately, a man with a mustache came to the witch's little house in the woods and asked about her feelings. Her pet bears ate him.

Now, I'm not saying this is the moment when I knew I wanted to be a writer, but it was the moment I realized that written words made a difference. Tom-Selleck-Mustache-Guy went away and left me and my feelings alone. I knew then that there was power - a kind of magic - in stories, and I knew that I wanted to experience that kind of magic whether I was reading or writing it.

When did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? Click the names below to see the other WR bloggers' stories. 

Jess