Salutations!

Look who wrote me a squiggle outside my bedroom window!
Miss Writing Spider turned my thoughts to a most loved book from my girlhood.
You remember Charlotte, don't you?
The valiant spider who chose her words carefully and wove them into a web to save a friend's life?
The spider who pondered for just the right message...

Lamb: How about "Pig Supreme"?
Charlotte: No good. It sounds like a rich dessert.
Goose: How about terrific, terrific, terrific?
Charlotte: Cut that down to one terrific and it will do nicely. I think terrific might impress Zuckerman.
Wilbur: But Charlotte, I'm not terrific.
Charlotte:You're terrific as far as I am concerned.

How I love Charlotte.
She and her South Carolina sister make me think of the coming fall. Of a break from the stifling heat and humidity. Of pumpkin patches and cider and spider webs on door frames. Of dew drop beads hanging between two trees in the early morning sunshine.

Charlotte also reminds me of the scripture I read yesterday, a section from Deuteronomy.

Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only!
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.
Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9, The Message

Yes God, I want to do what you ask.
I want to be like Charlotte, writing the most important commandment of all, right on my heart:
God, our God! I love you with all that's in me, I love you with all I've got!
I want to drink those words deep inside of me, feed them to my children. Write them on my forehead, stamp them between my eyes. Inscribe them on my doorposts and gates.
I want to weave the words into a spider web, stretch out my arms, and walk right into it, then spin in it, wrapping the sticky words around me, wrapping me into a silken cocoon of God words. Of love words.

God knows the power of words. Maybe that's part of why he birthed Himself to us in human form, to speak His words straight from a mouth like ours.
People heard Jesus' words and wrote them down, and now we can say them to each other, teach them to our children. Celebrate them and the love breathed into them for the rest of our lives.
For the rest of our lives?
That reminds me of Charlotte's Web too.
See what I mean...

Wilbur: Are you writers?
Charlotte's daughters: No, but we will be when we grow up.
Wilbur:Then write this in your webs, when you learn: This hallowed doorway was once the home of Charlotte. She was brilliant, beautiful, and loyal to the end. Her memory will be treasured forever.
Charlotte's daughters: Ooh, that would take us a lifetime.
Wilbur: A lifetime. That's what we have.

Thank you God, for a lifetime to wrap ourselves in your words of love.
To retell the stories of your undying love for us, even as we made a mess of things. Even as we still do.
When we forget your love for us, when we get consumed by our own culture, when we get low and lose sight of you, help remind us of your presence, of the love letters you have for us. However much life we have left, Lord, help us live it wrapped up in your love.

Okay, here's a goofy challenge. If you had a word or two to write in your web today, what would it be?
I think mine would be...Persistence! Or Heart! Or maybe Coffee!
Or just ignore the challenge and say hello!

Have a wonder-full Monday, y'all!
Love, Becky

Readings from the Book of Eeyore

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but of all the characters in literature, Milne's Eeyore is on my Top Ten list of favorites. Maybe it's because I know some Eeyores in real life or maybe it's because I have a small bit of Eeyore in me. Or maybe it's because of amazing lines like these:

"'It's snowing still,' said Eeyore gloomily.
'So it is.'
'And freezing.'
'Is it?'
'Yes,' said Eeyore. 'However,' he said, brightening up a little, 'We haven't had an earthquake lately.'"

"It's bad enough being miserable, but it is even worse when everyone else claims to be miserable, too."

Don't you just want to pat his head, give him a side hug, and say, "Oh Eeyore. How I love you"?

Eeyore always makes me laugh, but I also appreciate him for his nuggets of truth. Within his sad stale chocolate box of poor me's and life is useless that's all there is to it, there are yummy pieces of wisdom. Tasty bits that leave me chewing and thinking. For instance...

"We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it."

and
"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference. Or so they say."

and
"When trying to rescue friends from a tree, make sure the plan doesn't involve having everybody stand on your back."
Hahahahahahaha. Okay, so that one is just funny.

A week or so ago, I reread the book Ecclesiastes, and I was shocked to find that Eeyore has a long lost Biblical brother!
Seriously, you should read it again. It's short (in my Bible it's only ten pages long,) and the Eeyorisms and nuggets of truth will stun you and make you laugh out loud and yearn to tousle the Philosopher's hair, give him a sideways hug, and say, "How I love you, you tired old wise man, you."

Check out lines like this:
"Life is useless, all useless. You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it?...What has happened before will happen again..There is nothing new in the whole world. "Look," they say, "here is something new" but no, it has all happened before, long before we were born."

"Never ask "Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?" It is not an intelligent question."

"If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a way, a snake bites you. ...If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead."

"So remember your Creator while you are still young, before those dismal days and years come when you will say, "I don't enjoy life. That is when the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars will grow dim for you, and the rain clouds will never pass away. ...Your teeth will be too few to chew your food and your eyes too dim to see clearly... You will hardly be able to drag yourself along, and all desire will be gone."
I can hardly wait!

But just as with Eeyore, there are stunning truths within the dreariness.

The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die...

And another favorite set of verses:
"Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up..."

Yep, a life lived outside of faith, focused only on ourselves maybe ultimately useless, but let God enter the picture and everything changes. Maybe the Philosopher of Ecclesiastes is even preparing us for the coming of Christ, the One who "came that we might have life abundantly."

So tell me, what do you think of the Philosopher Eeyore and the Philosopher of Ecclesiastes?

Before you skedaddle, I'll leave you with this benediction:

"Go ahead--eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It's all right with God. Always look happy and cheerful. Enjoy life with the woman you love, as long as you live the useless life that God has given you in this world. Enjoy every useless day of it, because that is all you will get for all your trouble. Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead--and that is where you are going."
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
Oh, come here, Philosopher, and let me tousle your hair, you sweet thing.

Have a great weekend, y'all!
Love, Becky

Flexible Love and Other Cardboard Wonders

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Wonderfully Wacky Ways Creative People Use Cardboard!

Photo by CardboardSafari.etsy.com
Yes, Cardboard! Want a rhino head for your living room wall? The guys at Etsy's Cardboard Safari have just what you always wanted and some things you've never thought of!
And I thought I was being so creative letting my children make a house out of the refrigerator box.
That reminds me...do you know/have a child just learning to read? This was one of my boys' favorite books about that very subject. I highly recommend it.

Cardboard might not seem like a wonder to Miss Average Human Being, but if she watched this video on Flexible Love, she might just reconsider!
What's that?
No! Flexible Love is just the slightly awkward name of a crazy piece of furniture invented by Taiwanese designer Chishen Chiu. Take a look! You'll be amazed!



See what I mean?! Stylish furniture for that cardboard house!
The next thing you know we'll be making meals out of cardboard.
Hey look...some people already are!

Flickr photo by bre pettis
Or maybe you're not hungry. Perhaps you'd rather have two bucks?

Photo by CardboardSafari.etsy.com
If you're still celebrating the anniversary of Apollo 11, you might enjoy this Astro Rocket.

Photo by CardboardSafari.etsy.com
Or see the stars from a different perspective in this cardboard planetarium.

Flickr photo by cicadas

Cats like cardboard too.

Flickr photo by Sharon Pazner
Why wouldn't they, especially if the cat house was designed by artist Sharon Pazner and her nephew Ron. Remember Sharon? Very cool!

Have a wonder-full Monday, y'all! Enjoy the flexible love this kitty has for her own cardboard boxes.

Love, Becky

Pop-Up Magic

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Pop-Up Book!

Flickr photo by neridakirkley
Doesn't every child love a pop- up book? And almost every adult too? (Except the grouchy cynics. And the book snobs.)
Come on! They're fun, people!
Some books are so interesting I'd like to hang them on my walls!

Flickr photo by Please Sir
If I had to crown the kings of the Pop Up Book world, they would have to be Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. They've created some truly incredible books, both individually and in collaboration with each other.
I always find it inspiring to hear writers and artists talk about their work, so I really enjoyed this little interview with étapes. Don't let the French intro scare you. The discussion is all in English, beginning around the 20 second mark.


Cool, huh? Photos just don't do this topic justice.
Won't you take a couple more minutes to hop over HERE and watch the video? Pretty please? It adds one more creative form to the pop up story/art mix--a beautiful song by Lisa Hannigan!
Enjoy, my friends! Have a wonder-full Wednesday!

Before you skedaddle, tell me, do you have a favorite pop-up book? One for kids? Adults? The Pop-Up Book of Phobias? The one of nightmares?
Now that my kids are long past the pop-up destroying stage, I just might start a new collection!
Love, Becky

Elephant

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Elephant!

Flickr photo by moocatmoocat
Aren't elephants just the most majestic and yet funny faced creatures you know?
I've been thinking about them ever since that elephant cloud blew into my blog on Friday.

Flickr photo by the inhabitant
In case you haven't noticed, I like elephant gazing too.

My fondness for elephants probably sprouted out of my love for this book from my childhood.

Have you ever read it? I don't remember much about the story except that I used to dream that I was the princess who got to ride on the elephant's back.
Of course now I'd rather imagine the elephants enjoying the wild. But I'll admit that this video does make me pine a bit for those princess dreams.

I hope that those elephants are treated well and like parading about, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

You may be more familiar with these two stars of the elephant world.


And look, there's Babar's ami at the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris.

Flickr photo by sinderin

I think what I like most about elephants is that even though they are enormous, powerful creatures, they're so playful.

Flickr photo by Jillybeanz
Watch these two play. It'll warm your heart! (The best part starts around 33 seconds.)


Their bodies are so fascinating.

Flickr photo by slinkymalinkicat
(You can buy that vintage print here.)
I love their huge flappy ears. Did you know that during the breeding season males produce an odor from a gland behind their eyes? They flap their ears around, propelling their elephant cologne through the jungle air. The single elephant ladies come running, singing "All the single ladies, all the single ladies, Now put your trunk up..."

I also like elephant legs and those stumpy feet. They remind me of pillars. Or tree trunks.

Flickr photo by annabellemartensen

Elephant trunks make me laugh.

Flickr photo by hkarrandjas
Not at you, elephants. No, I'm laughing with you, in delight of all the things you can do with that crazy thing: suck up water to pour in your mouth for a drink or a shower, pull up a single blade of grass or rip a tree out of the ground, and the entwining thing you do with your friends--the elephant version of a handshake.

But you know what's even funnier?
Such a mammoth creature, and yet look at its derriere...

Flickr photo by Roving I
Ha ha ha!
Oh elephant behind, you crack me up.
No, I'm not making fun of your backside, elephant.
No way.
I bow before you!

Flickr photo by mario bellavite
If that's a monk, he'd better hope the elephant doesn't have a cold or allergies.
You know what they say...
You should have seen the monk
He sat on the elephant's trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees
And that was the end of the monk
The monk, the monk, the monk.

Have a wonderful Monday, y'all! And before you pack up your trunk and move on out of here, take a look at this wild animation of an elephant on a trampoline. It looks so real!
Love, Becky

Pebbles

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Pebble!

Flickr photo by SorbyRock
Sure, diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but plain old pebbles make me happy too.
I love to turn them over in my pocket, feeling the smoothness of them. I love to think about the water rushing over them for years and years, polishing away their rough edges.

Pebbles bring back childhood memories.
Did you collect them when you were little?

Flickr photo by e. holzer

Or feel them under your feet in a stream?

Flickr photo by Mwesigwa

Or try to skip them across the water?

Flickr photo by reyatutti

Did you ever build things with them or stack them up like an altar?

Flickr photo by Horsman
I'm not sure why, but I just love that photo--the balance, the roundness of the stones, the colors, the shadows. It just says peace to me.

I also love William Blake's poem The Clod and the Pebble.

If you're not a fan of poetry, you might like to read one of my favorite books for middle school, Christopher Paul Curtis's Bud, Not Buddy. Pebbles have a small part in the story.


And of course, I can't leave out Sylvester.

I'd almost forgotten about Sylvester until my mom told me that she'd recently read it to my niece and nephews and they'd really enjoyed it. I reread it and fell in love all over again. I like that William Steig recognizes that kids already know about sadness and loss and can handle a book that reflects those feelings. If you've never read it, I recommend it. It really is a beautiful story. (And it's not all sad. There's a very happy ending.)

Want to see something else that's beautiful?
Watch this video! It's the song Les Cailloux (The Pebbles) by the French group Oui Oui, directed by Michel Gondry. You'll enjoy it even if you don't know a word of French.



Have a wonder-full Wednesday, y'all!
Love, Becky

Wild, Whimsical Dr. Seuss

Today's Wonder of the World is...Dr. Seuss!

One hundred five years ago Monday, Dr. Seuss was born into our tiny puffball of a world!
Happy Belated Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Now that we've finished frolicking in the snow (2 days off from school + 1 two hour delay) I'm ready to party! (And then I'll get back to work.)

Flickr photo by UCSC Libs
There were many years in the Ramsey house when we were Dr. Seuss crazy.
I still love his take on the world.
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
Amen, Dr. Seuss!
He celebrated the funny things and explored the not so funny things in child friendly ways. Through nonsense.
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

Let's have a little party in his honor. We'll celebrate in Dr. Seuss style.
We should gather at a Seuss-ish house.
Shall we meet here, at one of Gaudi's houses in Barcelona, Spain?

Flickr photo by Nuray YUZBASI
Or maybe here, at the Bioscleave house in East Hampton, New York.

Photo by Eric Striffler for the New York Times
(You've got to watch the video HERE, in which the architects describe how its strange architecture could actually help people live longer. FASCINATING!)

On your way in, take a walk through the garden.
Watch out! It's a Dr. Seuss world out there!
Are those flowers or shaggy headed creatures?

Flickr photo by Mike Bass
I'm not sure.
What a wide variety.
Look, there's the small...

Flickr photo by bookishbiker

And the tall.

Flickr photo by eytonz
And something in between.

Flickr photo by barbara.irschick
Oops, sorry!

That's a guest!

Other less plant-like guests are arriving too.
Coming in by land...

Flickr photo by badbart
And by sea!

Flickr photo by eye for beauty2007
This one doesn't want to get out of the car.
Maybe he's shy.

Flickr photo by yuandt
Would you like a piece of birthday cake?

Flickr photo by drb1974
Thanks for stopping by!
Aw, don't be sad. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
Besides, Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

Have a wonder-full Monday, y'all!
Before you go, tell me, can you think of any other Seuss-ish creatures I left off the invitation list? And what about your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Yertle the Turtle? Horton Hears A Who?

Be sure to take a moment to watch Reverend Jesse Jackson memorialize Dr. Seuss after his death by reading Green Eggs and Ham on Saturday Night Live. The video is a little fuzzy, but it's worth it!

Love, Becky



PS. For more Dr. Seuss fun, be sure to hop over to my pal CC's place, HERE!

Spin the Bottle

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Bottle! And the wacky things people do with it!

Flickr photo by Pandorea
Like making bottle trees!
Have you ever seen one? According to the Bottle Tree Man, if you put colored bottles on the end of branches of a live tree outside your house, the bottles will capture any approaching evil spirits.

Good old Mr. Wikipedia says a bottle tree is an artificial tree made of glass bottles, usually of the liquor variety.
Hmm. Maybe that explains it! After emptying all those liquor bottles, who'd notice a few evil spirits?

The welded variety is pretty cool too.

Flickr photo by Karonsdaylilies
Does that one float your boat?
Maybe you should take a road trip to the Bottle Tree Ranch. Very cool!

Flickr photo by Of Mine
Of course there are plenty of other things you can do with bottles.
How about build your own bottle house?

Flickr photo by Matt (mistergoleta)
You could pretend you were Jeannie!
You could sit inside and write bottle poetry to Major Nelson.
Perhaps Dr. Seuss might get you in a poetic mood...

"When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...
...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle." Fox in Socks

Try saying that three times fast.
It might be easier to build a ship in a bottle!

Flickr photo by chmeermann
I always wondered how they did that until I hopped over here.

I like bottle cap art too.
Allow me to show you what a few artists at Etsy make with bottle caps.
Magnets!

Photo by bottlecapsgalore.etsy.com
You can find these here.
When my Sarah was little, she liked to call them maggots.
Oops. Sorry if you're eating lunch, but I just LOVE remembering that.
("What are you doing, Sarah?"
"Paying with my maggots.")

I'll change the subject now.
How about a bottle cap ring?

Photo by kroylty
I would so wear that! Find it here.

I'm in love with these whistles. Remember whistles?

Photo by loranscruggs
Go here to see more.

And last, but not least, how about a bottle tree...

Photo by satisfactory.etsy.com
On a shirt, here.
We've come full circle, back to bottle trees!
I just love it when that happens.

I hope you enjoyed your spin with bottles. And everyone kept their smooching germs to themselves!
Before you go, watch these folks pucker up. You won't believe it!

Have a wonder-full Friday and a super weekend, y'all!
Love, Becky