The Giant's Grave

I have a seriously big mulch pile in my driveway, and a giant's grave is in my back yard. I hear you: "A giant's grave?" Yep. 

Remember the story of Jack and the beanstalk? Well, when Jack cut down the beanstalk, and the giant landed in my backyard...

I'm a storyteller. It's all about the story.

So, what is the giant's grave really? When the houses were built in our neighborhood, much of the construction debris was buried in our backyard. As time has passed, that debris has broken down and left a couple of large sink holes. We’ve just kept filling the sink holes with leaves, branches and garden debris. 

To tidy it up we put wood chips on top, which brings me to the seriously big mulch pile in my driveway. I get mulch for free. When a neighbor is having a tree taken down, I usually ask for the chipped wood. More often than not, the landscape companies are glad to drop the chips in my driveway, because it saves them from paying a charge at the local dump. It saves me money, because I don't have to buy mulch. 

After years of putting all this organic debris on the giant's grave, I’ve been left with some really rich soil. You’d think that I would have finished filling up those sink holes by now, and actually I have. I just keep unfilling them and using the soil in other places in my garden. I suppose I could just leave it there and let the grass grow, but then what would happen to the story about the giant's grave? 

My Sanctuary

Being a storyteller and puppeteer is not just about being on a stage or in a classroom. I am a business owner, and I have to take the time to write, manage paperwork, pay bills, research and do all the behind-the-scenes work that any other self-employed individual must do. The benefit I have is that I can take my office nearly anywhere. 

My garden is my sanctuary. I love to dig in the dirt, plant some flowers and vegetables and share my plants with neighbors. And then I love to sit and enjoy it. The canopy of the maple tree in my front yard provides welcome, natural air conditioning. It truly feels 20 degrees cooler under those leaves and branches. I have a table and chairs under that tree, and during the summer it's a favorite place for me to take some office work. 

Of course, my garden is not just in my back yard, but in my front yard as well. I do my best to keep flowers blooming throughout the season, so the sights change almost daily.  Yesterday morning I needed to get some writing done, so I grabbed my coffee, my pens and some paper and headed to my frontyard table. That's how my office looked yesterday. 

I love being a storyteller and puppeteer, and I love my garden. It makes me happy to be able to enjoy them both at the same time.

Daddy's Rolaids Bottle

There is a Rolaids bottle sitting on shelf in my house. It is special to me. Really, it is! I'm sure you've scrunched up one side of your face wondering how a plastic bottle that says Rolaids on it could have extra significance to me. 

There is a story in it. Years ago, my father would buy Rolaids and take them for his heartburn, which he often had. Then he would save the bottle and put pennies in it. The bottle that sits on my shelf is ¾ of the way filled with pennies. When I look at it, I see my dad taking a penny out of his pocket, opening the lid of that plastic jar and dropping it in there. I laugh at the memory: Daddy had Rolaids bottles scattered here and there  throughout the house, each one worth its weight in pennies.

Every cent in my little bottle was held by my father; he touched every one of them and valued them all because “a penny saved is a penny earned.” My father left the earth more than two decades ago, and I miss him every day. Yep, that plastic bottle of pennies is special, and it will remain on my shelf in an honored place.

The Farmer's Market

I'm partial to a great farmers' market; they're usually buzzing with good tales. Every booth and vendor has a different display and, if you take the time to listen, they will tell you their individual stories. Today, while visiting my daughter and her husband, we took the day to hang out in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia at the Lynchburg Community Market. It was such fun. Besides enjoying time with my husband and our daughter, we got to visit with several of the vendors. I discovered several new favorites.

The Brio Chocolatier was a delightful stop. I do LOVE chocolate, so this was a sweet (pun intended) pause for me. Each little bite of glistening chocolate was beautiful. The shine on each candy tempted us. We tasted a couple there and then bought a few (they're waiting for us to enjoy after our evening meal tonight). Sigh…dark chocolate is so soothing. 

The next stop was Evergreen Lavender Farm. The smell of their products is just heavenly, and their presentation makes lavender very interesting. If you check out their website, you’ll see how they grow their lavender and create their products. You can even take a class with them to learn about growing lavender or constructing a fairy garden. 

Then there was Helga’s Yarn Designs. Helga makes one-of-a-kind crocheted everything— from rugs to hats, cozy sweaters to unique neck warmers. She is from Germany, and I imagine she could tell me some great yarns (yes, this pun is intentional too). 

A day of new discoveries with two of my favorite people really hit the spot. The weather was perfect, the company perfect, the day was…perfect.

Here are a few pictures we captured of our day:

I'm a liar.

I told a lie on purpose. I admit it: I'm a liar, and I'm proud of it! I'm telling the truth about that. Honest. Okay, maybe I didn't really tell a lie, but everyone thought I did.

It happened at a Tall Tales and Liars competition, where I recently won both the Judges' Favorite and the People's Favorite. I can now say that I am an award-winning liar! That's kind of fun to brag about. The competition was held in Waxhaw, North Carolina at Made in the Carolinas, a quaint little shop that sells artisan work made by North Carolina artists. It was such fun to be there with all the other tellers and listen to their stories. They told tales about Johnny Appleseed, Southern Accents and college adventures; there was even one about a mother who was carried into space by stray fireworks. All in all, it was a pleasant evening of lying. 

When my turn came, I told a story about a farmer's unconventional way of protecting his cattle from city deer hunters while, at the same time, sparking an open air forum where children could learn to spell their very first word. Thing of it is, the story is based on truth; it actually happened! Since it was a Liars competition, perhaps you think it was unfair for me to win with a story of truth. But, if you really think about it, I did lie by saying the truth was fiction.

Sometimes life really is unbelievable.