I have a thing for braids.  Laura stole my heart when she galloped down the flowery slope, shiny brown braids flopping in the wind behind her.  Surely I could have been her had I long enough hair.  My little girls, when they were so, little, that is, did not share my love of braids.  Their blond hair was either too short or when long enough they wouldn’t sit still to let me braid.  Or they would sit, pumping their feet with impatience all the while, for me to braid shiny yellow on a summer day, only to pull them out as soon as they got out of my reach.  Yet another war waged in vain.  All wars in vain in my land. I live with no Marys.  And then there’s that scene with Elizabeth, a long nighttime braid tied with a bit of cloth, tossed casually over her shoulder, evidence of a sleepless night as she walked into the sunrise and eventually found Mr. Darcy whose hands were cold.  And a pretty high school friend, whose mother was a hairdresser, always wore French braids under our obnoxious fur covered band hats.  French braids were a mystery to me then.  I gawked in awe.  Now I know how hold the strands just so to intertwine magically for elegant braids.  Occasionally I am permitted to plait.

What is it about braids that entice me so? It may be the innocence reflected in those ropes. It may be that shininess that seems to come about naturally as hair is braided.  It may be the remembered repetitive action of right over left over middle over right, calming in a way that repetitive actions can be.  Or it may be that braiding is a way of building strength.  Individual strands are joined in groups, interwoven to make something beautiful and strong which can only be taken apart on purpose.  And isn’t that what we want for little girls? 

#Win SH 23. Write a poem using a descriptive to meditative structure. I say this is something like a prose poem.  So there.  Also I’m calling this #npm1. I’m a rebel.

#Win SH 5. Create something  out of paper mache.

This would be a tree made out of paper and twigs.  I think there’s something kinda ironic or amusing about that.  In any case.  I finally finished.

I’ve been “off” from work for 6 days
In that time I have:
made an Easter dress for Spawn
finished or nearly finished 3 prayer shawls (which were in various states of progress)

(little cat feet not included)
quality control checked somewhere around 25 pillows which were then delivered to the hospital today but not by me
spent 12 hours doing art stuff with 11 kids and Spawn
spent a bazillion hours getting ready to do previous
at least partially cooked an Easter dinner that put all of us into food coma
(which is not to say the food was partially cooked)
koolaid dyed tips of Spawn’s hair blue
put a first coat of paint on my paper mache project from the scavenger hunt
(which a complete bust for me)
finished a book and started a new one- reading, that is
played a lot of Candy Crush on Facebook- excellent use of time
was invited for a sleepover with my 2nd favorite 16 year old
who also told her mother that her life would be perfect if her mom and I were lesbian parents
which made me laugh hysterically
painted this cake thing (ala Wayne Thiebald)

took nowhere near enough naps
I can’t believe my vacation is over
I’m exhausted.