The Twelve Pixies - Part Sixteen by Joanne Morris Okano

     One evening when they were seated at the dinner table and eating soup, Mother read aloud a letter she had received in the post from the pixies' father.  It read,
     "Dearest,
     How are you?  I am surfing on the beach in Baja California.  The surf is great.  I just decided to wish myself over here for the day like the boys did over the wishing stream.  Give my love to the children.  Back soon, love Arnold xx
      "I hope he's having a good time," said Mother.
     "Can we go to Baja California," asked the young pixies. 
     "Yes, I think that sounds like a nice idea.  We'll all go there for our summer holidays, once Auntie and Uncle return, providing Dad and I can find the money and Daddy agrees," she replied.
     "Oh, Mummy, that's fabulous!"  the pixies all cheered.
                                                              TO BE CONTINUED

I'm learning German

     A fabulous book my father has, Die Kelten (The Celts), came to my attention as a child.  If only I could read that book, I thought, but I don't speak German!  So the other day, with my father's encouragement, I set about taking the online German course put on by the BBC, called German Steps.
     Bye!

A Little Quip About Bitterkoekjes

     Bitterkoekjes is a delectable Dutch dessert which we make in our family.  It consists of a milk pudding with little cookies in it.
     I use the expression "to bitterkoek yourself" to mean you need to get the ingredients and make the treat.  I'm writing, so I don't need to bitterkoek myself about writing, but I need to bitterkoek myself about art, or get the artist's materials and make the art.  So I got started on two new projects.
     Bye!

The Twelve Pixies - Part Fifteen by Joanne Morris Okano

     The young pixies all found summer work.   Dixie, Wixie and Flixie, being strong, found jobs as castle guards.  Madagascar, Onton, Linton, Winton and Flaxie, also being strong and being hard workers, were hired as farm hands.  Waxie, Traxie and Daxie being good at standing up all day and talking to people, worked in a jewelry shop.  And Thraxie, having nimble fingers, found a job podding peas.
     Mother tended to Grandmother, washing her hair and clipping her nails, bringing her soup and reading to her.  Mother also cooked meals for everyone and had a wonderful time doing so.
                                                                     TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Fourteen by Joanne Morris Okano

     The family sang a happy song, for they were all glad to see each other again.
     Fa la la la la
     What a happy day!
      Mother's here to play.
      What a happy day!
     The young pixies all did somersaults and cartwheels, something which I greatly admire, since I have never been able to do cartwheels.  Just as the song said, their mother played games (ball games) with them and Grandmother watched.  When they had finished, mother suggested that the Uncle next door and his wife get some much needed rest from looking after Grandmother by going on a three week holiday, while she (Mother) looked after her instead.  The young pixies all said, "Hooray!"  and off the Uncle and Auntie went to the Costa Brava to swim and enjoy life.
                                                                         TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Thirteen by Joanne Morris Okano

     The pixies' mother, Barbara Pixie, said to her children when she saw them,
    "I'm so glad to see you all, children.  But why did you suddenly disappear without telling me?"
     "We jumped over the wishing stream, and  we were so caught up in the joy of the moment, we forgot to tell you," replied Onton.
     "Well, next time you're caught up in the joy of the moment, could you please let Dad and me know, dears," said Barbara kindly.
                                                                  TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Twelve by Joanne Morris Okano

     But the pixies' money ran out after one night, so they slept outside under the trees, with the moon and stars peeping through the twigs and leaves at them.
    They went round to see their Grandma and she said grandly,
     "I'd like to buy you all a gift, so here's some money."
     But the money was so little, it wouldn't really buy anything other than half a teaspoon of cranberry juice, because again, she hadn't a clue about the value of money.
     "No, you buy us something, Gwandmother," suggested Thraxie.  "We'd like that better."
     So they took her to the market in her wheelchair and she bought them a bottle of cologne each.  But the cologne gave some of them hayfever because it smelled of gorse bushes and so they still didn't have a gift they could use.
     You may ask at this point, where is the pixies' mother?  That is a very good question.  She has not abandonned them, children.  She was preparing them lunch of sardine sandwiches when they skipped over the wishing stream, and she had by now received word that they were at Grandma's, so she tripped over on the ferry to fetch them.
                                                                        TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Eleven by Joanne Morris Okano

     The difficult part was that Grandmother, being so elderly, had absolutely no idea of the current value of money anymore, what with inflation, so she gave the twelve pixies enough money for about one-eighth of the price of a room at the inn, and they didn't dare to say anything other than a gulped "Thank you, Grandmother".
     The pixies scurried over to the inn and told the innkeeper their dilemma and found that fortunately they had a sale on at the inn, for one-eighth of the usual price, so the pixies had enough money after all.
The reason for the sale was that a dog had died there the day before and everybody was very sad and didn't want to stay there.
                                                                   TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Ten by Joanne Morris Okano

     After the twelve pixies had cleaned up (especially Thraxie), Grandmother interviewed them about their plans.
     "You could stay here if you slept on the floor, but that's not very comfortable, so why don't you sleep at the inn?  I'll pay for it," she said kindly.              

                                                                                       
                                                               TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Nine by Joanne Morris Okano

     People were peering out of windows to ascertain when the rain would stop.  One of them looked like an uncle, so the pixies knocked on the door and rang the bell to ask the way to their grandmother's house.
     "She lives next door," replied the Uncle.  "Come with me, I'll take you there."
     The oak door creaked open and they could see the whitewashed walls of her room.  The pixies filed down the hallway after the Uncle, and surrounded Grandmother's bed, where she sat in a white cotton nightie with a high neck, her beautiful long white hair flowing over her shoulders.
     "Hello grandchildren," she said smiling.  "You all look just like your pictures.  It's lovely to meet you.  How are you all?"
     "Weally muddy," said Thraxie.
     "Would you like a bath?"  asked Grandmother, and left them to it.
                                                                    TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Eight by Joanne Morris Okano

     You might be wondering why the pixies were eating marshmallows.  Well, they had brought some for their journey, but had forgotten them in their knapsacks and the marshmallows had melted all over their knapsacks in the heat of Spain.  So they had to eat the marshmallows.
     The pixies walked down the road towards the houses of the town of Medina del Campo, along a tree-lined avenue, when suddenly it started to rain.  They hadn't expected this, and as it poured with the rain, they were rather wishing they were inside, because it was an unmade road and the mud started to be a problem.  They were soon stuck in it and couldn't get free.  Oh, whatever to do!  They looked around for something or someone to get themselves out, but all they could see coming down the road was a caterpillar.  The caterpillar stopped when he reached them and offered them a ride to where they were going and they were very pleased to get it.
     They went down the road singing, accompanied by the sludgey sound of the mud squelching with moisture beneath the many feet of their friend, and the rain falling.
                                                                     TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Seven

     They continued on their way, eating marshmallows day and night.  Soon they reached Medina del Campo, the dwelling-place of their grandmother.
                                                                                TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Six

     "We'd like to travel on to see our grandmother.  Thank you so much for rescuing us and putting us up," said the eldest pixie.  The pixies and Spanipixs took their leave of one another.
     "Goodbye," said Dixie, Wixie, Flixie and Madagascar, Onton, Linton and Winton, and Flaxie, Waxie, Traxie and Daxie and Little Thraxie, the pixie junior.
     "Goodbye," said Carlos, Xavier, and David, the Spanipixs.
     I have not spent much time telling you what the pixies were like.  Well, first of all they were all blond.  They had hazel eyes and dark eyebrows.
                                                                  TO BE CONTINUED

Unusual Scripture Reading Location

     Today I had an unusual scripture reading experience.  I read my Book of Mormon in the parking lot of a berry plantation.
     I went U-Pick berry picking with some friends and gave the berries I picked to one of my friends to thank her for letting me stay at her family's home.

A Little Ditty I Made Up

I had a happy afternoon at the park
With my sons.
I had a happy afternoon at the park
With my sons
Number One
Number Two
Number Three
And then there was me!

                   _

The Twelve Pixies - Part Five

     "Why did you not fly up to us when we were in the trees if you can transform into ravens?"  asked one pixie curiously.
     "We didn't want to scare you.  Some people find it quite overwhelming to have a bird fly up to them and carry them away," said a Spanipix kindly.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part Four

     The Spanipixs turned into ravens and flew away.  The twelve pixies were left to wonder. 
     When the ravens returned, they carried wiggling worms in their beaks to feed their friends.  The pixies were terrified.  They had never eaten anything so revolting, but they were polite and thanked the ravens heartily for their gift.
                                                                     TO BE CONTINUED

Digging

     I was out on the road today, children, and do you know what I saw?  Men were building roads.  And do you know what they were doing?  They were digging.  Do you know how to dig, children?  Well, you get out there and dig, and maybe one day you'll be building roads, too.

The Twelve Pixies - Part Three by Joanne Morris Okano

     The Spanapixs were half-humans, half-pixies, lived in an abandonned burrow and used things others didn't want.  They were poets.  The Spanapixs were bigger and sturdier-looking than pixies and dressed in leafy clothes, too.
     They put a lot of poems in bottles, corked them up and put them out to sea, in an attempt to get more readers.
     Here is a little song they wrote:
    
     The pixies came by.
     They flew high in the sky.
     Got stuck in the trees,
     Came from overseas.
     The pixies came by.

     The Spanapixs had a poetry festival to celebrate the safe arrival of the pixies and read them all their best poems. 
                                                                     TO BE CONTINUED

The Great Sardine Fiasco

     My father and I found some frozen sardines, of the giant variety, at the store recently and decided to try using them in a simple-sounding recipe.
     I defrosted two of them but decided that, after cutting off the fish-heads and tails, scaling them, taking out the fish-guts and bones, there wasn't much left for lunch.  So, I decided to quickly defrost two more by running cold water over them for several minutes.
     Unfortunately, I had failed to put the cucumber peel I  had previously thrown into the garburetor through, and pouring more and more water over the top, ended up flooding the dishwasher which then overflowed onto the floor.
     The simple recipe was tasty and I would like to have some again, but not if the floor is going to get flooded.
     Talking of fish, did you know that you can fish for anchovies just about everywhere.  How kind God is to give us such an abundance of anchovies to put in our Salade Nicoise.  Shoshana has a Salade Nicoise recipe and she may give it to us sometime.

The Twelve Pixies - Part Two by Joanne Morris Okano

     Weeee!  The wind blew the pixies high up in the trees.  But that was the problem.  The pixies and their flying leaves stuck in the trees of the woods and they couldn't get down.  They called for help.
     "What if an ogre hears us calling?"  said one pixie, fearing the worst.
     Presently, there was a rustling in the undergrowth and three Spanipixs came to their aid with ladders, which they leant against the trees.
                                                                      TO BE CONTINUED

The Twelve Pixies - Part One by Joanne Morris Okano

     For C. and M.

     The twelve pixies were skipping about, playing in the long grass of the meadow, when a horse came up to them.
     "Enjoying the sunshine?"  he asked.  "Why don't you go down to the wishing stream at the bottom of the meadow and make a wish."
     So the pixies made their way trippingly down the hill to the stream, stood on one side, holding hands in a line, closed their eyes and jumped over the stream to the other side.
     They all wished for one thing - to go to Spain to see their grandmother, whom they had never met.
     There was not a dry eye among them when the nymph of the stream told them their wish was granted.
They packed their knapsacks and rode on leaves on the wind to go and see their grandmother.
                                                                      TO BE CONTINUED

More Things I Learned From Being A Mother

28. If you make a mistake, try to do better next time, and forgive yourself.
29. Don't worry about what people think.
30. Have a social life.  When my children were young, I did this by inviting my friends over to our home and visiting them in theirs.
31. Sometimes as much as you love your children, and as much as they want to do something, you have to say no.
32. I used to be an ironing fanatic, but I found that after my children were born, I almost totally gave it up  to read to the children.
33. Having experienced labour, I would compare it to running a marathon alone, barefoot over rocks, in a thunderstorm by a tempestuous sea, at night!
34. If you want children to learn a hobby, do it yourself, and just provide them with the materials of their own.  They will sometimes get inspired and jump into action when they see you doing what you love.
35. Children like ice cream.
36. Children will eat salad in some cases if it is an interesting enough mix.
37. Children in my family love broccoli with butter and parmesan cheese.
38. Children in my family will usually eat spinach if it is in Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie).
39. To my surprise, two of my children love opera.
40. I secretly wished my children would be musical when they were tinies.  When they got older (in their teens for most of them), they all became musical to my pleasant surprise, so I learned that all is not lost if it doesn't happen when they're small.
41. I learned that I really enjoyed making clothes for them.
42. Children really benefit a lot from Seminary.
43. Love your children.
44. Be spontaneous.
45. Love life and live life to the fullest with them, enjoying every opportunity for growth.

                                                                                 

~~~

Somerset's Birthday Dinner

     Yesterday, Somerset was thirteen, so the boys and I travelled to fabulous Granville Island for his birthday dinner.  We had a lovely time.

 The Pigeon Whisperer is my son

 Somerset wanted you to see this photo he took of Seagull

Granville Island view

A Man Scrubbing The Floor by Okano

A Man Scrubbing The Floor

by

Joanne Morris Okano

     You may ask what the solar system has to do with a man scrubbing the floor, and I answer that this life is about work, and I wish I could get some.

What I Learned From Being A Mother

1.  I learned that children often have good things to say and you should listen to them.  Children deserve respect.
2.  Teach your children to cook.  They will love you for it.
3.  Midwifery is great!  So is breastfeeding.
4.  Young children love to be read to every day, but when they're older they like to read to themselves.
5.  Spend each day with your children as if it were your last.  Give them all the attention they need (though I do find that as they get older, some days they want to be left to their own devices).
6.  Invest time in your children and teach them things.
7.  Be very choosy what music you listen to in the home.  It will help them learn to sing in tune, if they hear a lot of music.
8.  Don't use a playpen but do babyproof your house.
9.  Carry your baby in a sling or baby carrier, whenever you can.
10. God answers prayers.
11. Montessori is great!
12. I like Konos curriculum.
13. Teenagers respond well to being kindly treated.
14. Scripture study and family prayer help immeasurably.
15. Organize fun family activities for your children.
16. I love Family Home Evening and so do children.
17. Children like things to be done efficiently.
18. Children like home-made bread.
19. Children like garlic bread and lasagna in my family.
20. Children respond well to praise.
21. Don't give up when things go wrong.
22. Look at the big picture.
23. Children like dishwashers.
24. Children like being pleased with what they've done.
25. Pick up after yourself (be a good example).
26. Try to make home into a wonderful place.
27. Help them with their homework and with preparing talks.  These will be some of your fondest memories.
                                                                        TO BE CONTINUED  

Mr. Crumhorn's Dilemma (And How He Dreamed) - Part Two (conclusion)

     Mr. Crumhorn looked up at the sky one day.  He saw a plane.  He started dreaming again.
     After he'd known Mrs. Crumhorn-to-be for a while, he took her on a date.  He wanted to surprise her, he said.  She was all agog to hear what the date was going to be.  A visit to the cinema, or the zoo?  A milkshake at a restaurant? 
     He drove her out to the airport and there he took her flying.  He'd been taking flying lessons he said.
     They married a year later.  The children were very happy about this.  Then Mr. Crumhorn flew back to their homeland and rescued refugees, bringing them to a new land of joy, where he now lived with his family.

THE END

More About The Winnie-The-Pooh Diet

     I'm losing weight on the "Winnie-the-Pooh Diet".  Are you?  (For those of you new to the blog, my version of this diet is to eat small, regular healthy meals consisting of honey and other foods, and Lots Of Reading to quell the between-meals Hunger Pangs.)

Mr. Crumhorn's Dilemma (And How He Dreamed) - Part One

     Mr. Crumhorn was a refugee.  He had come to a new country after a stay in a refugee camp, and he had nothing but hope.  He had no family and no furniture.  For years he was in stunned shock at what had happened to him, but he dreamed.  He dreamed of having a family and of everything being alright again.  He couldn't speak the language but he patiently learned.
     Someone gave him a flower and he put it in a vase and admired it.
     "Very nice," he thought, smiling to himself for the very first time in a long while, and decided to grow plants.  He grew raspberries and blueberries and strawberries, since his mother had taught him how to make jam.  He got a job working on a berry farm because he was so good at this.
     He gave some of his homemade jam away to people he met at his language classes and they gave produce to him from their gardens.
    "Very nice," he said, "I like this way of living."  And he realized he was having a nice time.
     Soon he met a widow who had four children.  Their family came from the same country he did.  They were so happy to meet him because they had been praying for a husband and father.  He was glad to make their acquaintance and soon invited them over for supper.

TO BE CONTINUED

Morris Dancers by Okano



The Russell Children - Part Two (Conclusion)

     The children continued up the mountain, after a short stop, and concluded their climbing with a picnic lunch at the top.
     "Mmm, that was good," said Stephen, who very much liked Scotch eggs, a feature of the lunch.
     "Time to go down," said Hamish.
     "I wonder what's for supper," said Stuart.
     The other children laughed, because he'd only just finished his lunch.
    
     When they reached the bottom, they ambled home to meet Mother.  Father was gone away for months at a time as he was a travelling salesman, selling leather goods such as wallets.
     To their surprise and consternation, Mother was nowhere to be found.  They called for her and looked through the house.
     "I suppose she's gone out," said Stephen.
     Only then did they hear a faint cry of "Help!" coming from outside.  Mother had tripped and fallen and was lying on the ground, not dead, but with a broken ankle.  She couldn't get up, so had lain there waiting for the children's return.  The children ran to her side.
     "Oh, Mummy!"  cried Elly.
     Stephen went for the doctor (this was before the days of the telephone) and the doctor came and set Mother's ankle, for which she was most grateful.  They could hardly afford to pay the doctor, I might add.
     The children brought Mother meals, while she rested, and then she got up, using crutches.
     Soon the time for Father to come home arrived and they all awaited eagerly.  By this time, Mother was much better, and they celebrated Father`s arrival with a party.

THE END

The Russell Children - Part One

     This idea for a story came to me when I was in my childhood.  In fact, it was one of the first stories I wrote, although I have changed it a bit here.  I remember I wrote the first draft on my sister's turquoise children's-size typewriter and was very pleased with myself.
     My parents were mountain-climbers, so that is possibly where the idea for the mountain came from.

     To my Dad

     The Russell children lived on a smallholding with their parents.  The children's names were Elly (short for Elizabeth), Stuart, Stephen, and Hamish (Hamish had an ancestor who was Scottish).  They lived near a stream which ran down the side of a mountain.
     Saturday was a holiday and Mother said they could go for a climb up the mountain if they wanted, after they finished feeding the pigs, chickens, dog and cats, collecting eggs and feeding the fish.
     The children were very pleased and did their chores cheerfully.  Mother packed them a picnic lunch and the children set off.  They walked over the grass and rocks to the mountain, being sure to stay on the mountain pathway so they wouldn't get lost. 
     Elly suggested they stop in a cave to admire the view, a view which they enjoyed.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Woozles

     The Woozles have been eating my strawberries.

Book Review: Winnie-The-Pooh

     Pooh is a good guy, but he overeats and has a small brain.
     I am on a "Winnie-the-Pooh Diet" now, which consists of eating small, regular meals and following them up with vast amounts of reading to avoid nibbling in the evenings.  I do eat honey, but in small amounts, along with other healthy foods.
     Pooh does exercises and so do I, at least I say I do, but it doesn't seem to show (very much like Pooh).
     My favourite part of the book is Pooh's nightmare about the Woozles and him sitting on a branch with his honey.
     Pooh's stuffing in his head turns out to be of good use to him after all and he becomes a hero.  Christopher Robin puts him on a pedestal.  We all need a friend like that.  This book is largely about friendship.  So many things are better with two.
  

Throw The Ball, Do!

     Simpson was a girl.  Why her mother had called her this, she didn't know, but her name had caused her no end of trouble.  People would say things like, "Where's Simpson Locket?" and she would say, "Here!" hopefully, and they would reply awkwardly, "Oh, you're a girl," with strange expressions on their faces, which she couldn't quite understand.
     Simpson Locket couldn't do anything right.  She left her homework out on the lawn and rushed in to eat her supper.  It rained and made her homework soggy and illegible.
     Rowing on the Serpentine, everyone else was having a serene time, and she fell in.
     Visiting the Roman Colosseum by moonlight, she embarrassed herself by vomiting up her supper and spoiling the visit for everyone.
     Her mother took her to see the Morris Dancers as they jingled their way through their steps.  She wanted to join but didn't get in as she didn't jump at the right places.
     She and her sister Carly were practicing playing with a bat and ball, when Simpson's spectacles slipped and she missed the ball (she had to catch it).  The ball went too far and got caught in a thicket of brambles.  Simpson bravely fought her way in to find the ball, when there was a nearby car chase.  Police chased some youth.  One of the youth was caught, and the other one jumped out of the car and ran for the thicket.  Simpson, who was now stuck in the thicket, couldn't have been more surprised when the youth backed away from the authorities and bumped into her.  He was as surprised as she was.
     "Throw the ball, do!"  called Carly, who was getting impatient.
     "What are you doing here?" said Simpson to the youth.
     He explained.  The police caught him and took him away to prison.
     Simpson visited him in prison and took him a cake.  Her mother found out and said,
     "I don't think you should be taking cakes to prisoners," to which Simpson replied,
     "Well, I don't see how they're supposed to learn to be kind if I'm not kind, coz where else are they supposed to see a good example?" 
     Simpson was kind.
     After the youth was released, he got a job as a baker.  So you see, she had had a good effect as he lived a good life after that and never went to prison again.

THE END

Troll's Restaurant

Phoebe and Ace 

Horseshoe Bay

     I had a lovely fish 'n' chips lunch with my Dad at Troll's Restaurant in Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia, Canada.



Bull Kelp Diagram

Bull Kelp is a kind of seaweed found on the beach.  You can collect it, soak it, dry it, then moisten it to use for weaving baskets or other nifty things.  Let it dry, and hey presto, you have your objet d'art.



Beachcombing Songs

              I
I'm a beachcomber
I'm a beachcomber
You're a beachcomber, too.
Just wait till you find that
Beachcomber living inside of you.

              II
There's kelp and feathers and driftwood
Beside the sea.
Looking for crafty things to
Make things with
Is the key.

              III
Beach beneath,
Heav'n above,
I love beachcombing.
That's the life I love.

Rebecca Coleman and Social Media for Artists

     Today I attended a free lecture by Rebecca Coleman on promoting your art through social media using the Internet.  Very interesting.

The Tale Of Troubled Waters, The Princess - Part Three (conclusion)

     But Troubled Waters wasn't old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and started, unfortunately, bamboozling others, having seen her father the evil wizard's example, and thinking as people usually do, that you should follow your parents' example.
     Enough of this, said the queen who was by nature usually a gentle person, and saw to it that Troubled Waters would never do that again.  The queen was put in a dungeon for this and ought to have known better but she cried - don't you think she cried, children?  No, she didn't cry at that time but instead painted murals on the wall of the dungeon.  Don't let them get you down, children, when people put you down is the moral of the story.
     Now for the happy ending:  the evil wizard went to prison for his bamboozling and Troubled Waters would have too, but she was too young when it happened to know the difference between right and wrong , so if that's the case they don't put you in prison for that.  She grew up to be a very fine person and her name became Shining Star.  She started a jewelry business, selling jewelry she'd made in her store.  Then she got married and had children and did not run away because her husband was kind.  And her mother was released from the dunggeon and sold her paintings at the market in Paris.  They saw lots of each other and they were very happy.

THE END   

The Tale Of Troubled Waters, The Princess - Part Two

     Now the evil wizard didn't care about either of them, but he pretended he did.  He wanted the queen's inheritance when her parents died, for they were richer and lived in a bigger castle. 
     The evil wizard did more and more evil deeds to bamboozle the queen and Troubled Waters out of their inheritance.
     Finally, the queen said, Enough of this, and she and Troubled Waters escaped with a horse and buggy.  Down came the rain and kept them safe, so that no one saw them pass through the towns where they travelled, as it was such a dark and thunderstormy day.  Everyone stayed inside and took no notice of them.
     Finally, they reached a palace owned by some kind, sane people.  No one there wanted to bamboozle them.  The people were friendly and helped them as much as they could.

TO BE CONTINUED