A skillful writer knows that he or she must tell two stories at once ...

"A skillful writer knows that he or she must tell two stories at once: the surface tale, and a deeper story encoded within the tale's symbolic language. The magical tropes of fantasy, rooted as they are in world mythology, come freighted with meaning on a metaphoric level. A responsible writer works with these symbols consciously and pays attention to both aspects of the story...I believe that those of us who use the magic of words professionally should remember how powerful stories can be -- for children especially, but also for adults -- and take responsibility for the tenor of whatever dreams or nightmares we're letting loose into the world. This is particularly true in fantasy, where the tools of our trade include the language, symbolism and archetypal energies of myth. These are ancient, subtle, potent things, and they work in mysterious way." -"Working with Words" Myth & Moor, Terri Windling 

"We, as Native Hawaiians, must continue to unveil the knowledge of our ancestors. Let us interpret for ourselves who our ancestors are, how they thought, and why they made certain decisions. In the process, we treat them with honor, dignity, love, and respect--whether they be akua, ali'i, or kanaka--because they are our 'ohana, our family...Entering the world of ancestral memory requires a certain mindset. Take time to enjoy and understand each phrase or line before going on. Remember, this gift took many lifetimes to wrap. Don't be in a hurry to unwrap it and become frustrated in doing so. The meaning and force of the ancestral knowledge will unfold precept upon precept, and each has a code to inspire you on to the next level."  Preface, Ka Honua Ola, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele

""We are not in danger of exceeding the boundaries of language, nor are we prisoners of language in any dire way. I am much more concerned with my place within the context of my language. This, I think, must be a principle of storytelling. And the storyteller's place within the context of his language must include both a geographical and mythic frame of reference. Within that frame of reference is the freedom of infinite possibility. The place of infinite possibility is where the storyteller belongs." - an interview with N. Scott Momady

"Words are intrinsically powerful. And there is magic in that. Words come from nothing into being. They are created in the imagination and given life on the human voice. You know, we used to believe -- and I am talking about all of us, regardless of our ethnic backgrounds -- in the magic of words. The Anglo-Saxon who uttered spells over his field so that the seeds would come out of the ground on the sheer strength of his voice, knew a good deal about language, and he believed absolutely in the efficacy of language." -N. Scott Momady

The words are those of writers I admire, the photos are those I captured on our digital camera. Do we own these expressions? I wonder about that, the idea of 'owning.'

Behind the scenes: the sound of clapping for Peter Pans

What better medicine then the fabrication of a cozy place, 
and company worth keeping.

- The Joy Weed Journal from my medicine story "The Safety Pin Cafe"

Not so long ago (2008), I walked the shore along the Salish Sea with an illness, a companion that would not give me its purpose nor offer lasting solutions. Oh how filled with pity I was, offended at the affects, and bitter. Oh my how embittered.

Bit or bite at a time, the gods, angels, 'aumakua and heavenly alignments conspired medicine that could homeo-practically change things for the better. Maybe at all started on a Sunday. Sunday, the day of turmeric, as The Mistress of Spice has said, "Each spice has a special day to it. For turmeric it is Sunday, when light drips fat and butter-colored into the bins to be soaked up glowing, when you pray to the nine planets for love and luck."

The conspiracy of the Gods gave us opportunities:

Pictured above ...

The basement apartment where we lived in the kitchen, slept in the kitchen and learned to blog on the floor of the kitchenette. 

A wandering kitty native to the woods close by found us and made it clear she 'was sent' and not at all inclined to go away. That's JOTS in a cardboard box filled with blankets and Christmas tree lights.

Resources of imagination, a lifetime of skill, a place to rebuild our lives and build a tiny home on wheels led to the creation of The VardoForTwo, our first cozy home where the medicine renews itself one day, one night at a time. 

Today ...

All around me the evidence of Jack Frost remains firm. Crisp and crunchy walking paths between the vardo and the Quonset, the rain barrel filled with water frozen to the brim in geometric patterns and flows awesome in their beauty. Pete is in the 'Au Hale, the washing house doing laundry as he listens to a Sunday football game on the radio. My stockinged feet and bare shins toast next to the Radiant Heater as I blog. Some things have changed. Some things stay the same.

We have a home here in the woods of South Whidbey Island where even more than the evidence of seasonal realities like Jack Frost, Pete and I live with the evidence of imagination grounded in the skills of our life-times. Peter Pan so often is associated with the malignant character of 'not growing up.' From my vantage point it matters that I keep the spark of Peter Pan genes alive because oh my godness, harsh reality is ever where.

To close off this Sunday morning post, while the magic of turmeric fuels me, warming those Peter Pan genes here's something that keeps me inspired as I dare to be foolish about my "The Safety Pin Cafe" project. Inventing the Safety Pin

 The safety pin was invention and an improvement of a pin. Both improved and invented by a man named Walter Hunt in New York the year eighteen forty nine. The safety pin is made out of a small piece of metal. This metal in which the safety pin was made was a combination of copper, iron, aluminum, gold, silver, and platinum. These metal were heated and formed into a small piece of combined metals. It all started one afternoon.. Walter Hunt had to think of a way on how to pay back a fifteen dollar debt. He was sitting at his desk just twisting a piece of wire while trying to think of how to pay back his debt. He sat twisting wire for three full hours and realized what he had created. He called it the safety pin. He although did not invent the safety pin he just improved it.

All it took was a piece of wire, imagination, a little time and motivation ...

Here that clapping?  Thanks, J.M. Barrie