Open to Excursions

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Open to Excursions

 

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly checking their calendar

 

Millie:  Willie, just look at the calendar. We're in for a busy weekend.

 

Willie:  Let me see here. A poet is coming to the college today.

 

Millie:  We're invited to a mystery themed birthday party on Saturday afternoon.

 

Willie:  Mr. Happy wants us to come out to his place sometime this weekend to see what's cookin'.

 

Millie:  Uff da. I think I'll need to take a nap.

 

Willie:  Want me to join you?

 

Millie:  A good foot rub does relax me so.

 

Tillie:  Woof (scratches on the door)

 

Millie:  Someone will need to take Tillie for a walk first.

 

Willie:  I'll do it, Millie. You go put your feet up. I'll be up to rub them in a few minutes.

 

Millie:  You're so good to me.

 

(Willie gets Tillie ready for a walk while whisting I've been working on the railroad.)

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Be open to excursions and you might find inspiration. Do something new and exciting this weekend! Write about it in your journal, or if you're in the A to Z Challenge, maybe it will help you with the rest of the letters/month!

 

 

Family Awards

In case you can't tell, Tyjah is PROUD.

He is proud because he got recognized in front of the whole family for something extra special and because he gets to hang his award on his door all week.  But, he is probably proudest that his mom and dad secretly noticed something extraordinary that he did that week.

It was only a few months ago that I read a fantastic post on 71toes about family awards and decided to adapt it for our own family.  

Although we've had some repeats (I save the awards), we try to look for something unique each week and hand out 1-3 awards at family council.  This helps keep the focus on displaying true character rather than acting only in hopes of receiving a known award.  

I'm not exactly an artist, but I kind of like the homemade look of our signs. 

The kids get a kick out of the names we come up with for the awards.  Holey Moley was awarded to both of our boys after they just showed up next to me in the garden and dug two humungous holes for our blueberry bushes. No one asked them to.  They just saw their mom outside working hard to get the new bushes in the ground before dinner.  There was no mention of possibly earning an award at the time.  It doesn't work that way.  

Holey Moley and all of our other awards are given out only for extraordinary service.  In other words, we expect them to be kind and helpful every day.  But there are some times when they really go above and beyond our expectations.  Like the time I came in from working outside to find Halle standing on the counter unloading all the clean dishes into the cabinet.  Not an easy job for my five-year-old Dish Diva!

These two always want their picture taken with their awards.

Before we hand out awards each week, we remind everyone that even if they don't receive an award, they should be excited for those who do.  Brothers and sisters should be each other's best cheerleaders!

We are also quick to tell them that just because they didn't receive an award doesn't mean that they are not appreciated or that we didn't notice something special they did that week. 

Handing out awards every week is a simple way we tell our children "Hey, we notice you and appreciate your contribution to our family."

It's a whole lot of fun, too!

Millie the Dog Whisperer

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. Be Open to a new Direction in life. You, like Millie, might be called to be a Dog Whisperer.

Willie met Millie when she was working at the First State Bank of Worthington. While the income was sufficient for her to rent an apartment with a friend, and the costumers were interesting (especially the young railroad worker, Willie), Millie's heart wasn't in counting change and opening accounts.

Willie:  When I started courting Millie, I was worried that one of the other fellows in town might woo her away. She's quite a looker, you know. But, it wasn't the human species that captured her heart, it was the canine variety.

Millie:  I always had a side job as a dog sitter. All my neighbors knew that I loved dogs. I'd walk by their houses, and their pups would run out to greet me. Sometimes, I volunteered to take them for a walk, especially if their owners were really busy or were getting a little less mobile and needed someone to give their dogs exercise.

Willie:  For our first anniversary, I gave her a miniature Schnauzer.

Millie: She was a little devil.

Willie: It's true. Whenever someone came to the door, she barked like they were going to murder us or something.

Millie:  She didn't come when he was called.

Willie:  Chewed every piece of leather she could find. I didn't have a single shoe left to wear to work.

Millie, working her Dog Whisperer charms

Millie:  I was desperate. I thought I had a way with dogs until Tillie came to live with us. So, I brought her to dog obedience school. The class was a life-saver. I wanted to learn to do what the instructor was doing. She had all those dogs under control at the same time.

Willie:  Millie already had a natural talent for calming down dogs and teaching them tricks.

Millie:  Once I learned a few more techniques and worked with more dogs, I gained my confidence. Soon, the neighbors offered to pay me to help train their dogs. I got so busy, I eventually quit my job at the bank.

Willie:  Millie has been called in to work with castaway greyhounds that were only trained to race. She's rescued Dobberman's whose owners didn't know how to handle them. She's gone into animal rescue shelters and retrained dogs that were once abused and taught them to regain trust in humans.

Millie: (tears glistening in her eyes) I can't understand cruelty to animals. Dogs bond with us, are always loyal, and will protect their owners. How could anyone turn their anger on them?

Willie:  Abuse never makes sense.

Millie:  I stopped by the shelter yesterday while you were at the podiatrist.

Willie:  Do I need to hide my leather shoes?

Millie:  It's a one year old miniature Schnauzer, Willie. Abandoned. One paw was wrapped in a bandage. Looked exactly like our Tillie.

Willie: (humming I've been working on the railroad as he gathers up his shoes and tucks them in a closet) We'll go get her tomorrow.

Millie:  I love you, Willie.

Willie:  I love you, too, Millie.

(Millie gets out the doggie bed while humming How much is that doggie in the window)

*************

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Millie has the special skill as a dog whisperer. Do you have a special skill? Have you ever rescued an animal from the shelter?

 

 

Apple Crates

Three years ago, I came across an apple farmer on Craigslist who was selling apple crates.  Big 4'x4'x4' wooden apple crates for $10 each that he would deliver FOR FREE on his way to Seattle.  I'm not one to pass up a deal and those crates pleaded with me to plant vegetables in them.  Arrangements were made and a week later a super nice apple farmer was unloading ten huge apple crates at my house.  

After the crates were all in place, I stood next to one and peered into the deep abyss that I had planned on so easily filling with garden soil.  I don't know what I was thinking- or rather, NOT thinking.  Sixty-four cubic feet of space... TO FILL WITH WHAT?!  Garden soil is not cheap!  Second thoughts started gnawing at my pride and I needed a solution.  Something that I could fling out there with a "duh- I was planning on this the whole time." Fortunately, the trampoline rescued me.

In all my garden naivety, I knew better than to fill the bottom layer of the crates with the compact clay we were digging out of the trampoline hole.  But we were also digging out rocks.  We had tons of rocks.  And plenty of children to help carry them down to fill the bottom of the crates.  Phew!!  Pride saved.

Just a few rocks-and children-left in the bottom of the hole

Once the rocks were piled in, I filled in the gaps with soil.  Then, I added a layer of saved-up kitchen scraps and finally, some garden soil up to the top.

Not only are the apple crates PRODUCTIVE, but check out the character they add to the garden!

I love my apple crates!

Open to Crazy Ideas

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. They are my crazy idea for the Blog Challenge. Willie has a crazy idea in this episode. Today is also the first Wednesday of the month which is the day we post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, a crazy creation of the ninja blogger Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Willie and Millie Cottonpoly reading the Community Ed. Guide.

 

Willie: Millie, you've been reading the Community Ed. Guide. See anything you want to take?

 

Millie: Oh, I don't know. A few  cooking classes have caught my eye. My dog obedience class is in there again. I wonder if anyone will take it this session.

 

Willie:  Your classes always fill, Millie. (peers over her shoulder) Look here. They're offering a class on memoir writing.

 

Millie:  Are you thinking of writing your memoirs, Willie?

 

Willie:  Not mine...yours.

 

Millie:  I don't want you writing my memoirs!

 

Willie:  I don't mean that I'd write them. I think you should write a memoir about your colorful life, Millie.

 

Millie:  Ppfff. Who would ever want to read that?

 

Willie:  I would.

 

Millie:  You already know everything, Willie.

 

Willie:  Oh, I doubt that. No one knows everything about another person, even someone you've been partners with for over 40 years. You have a cedar chest full of journals. You're a great storyteller. You're the life of the party when you get into talking about our crazy adventures or your dog training. I think you should write it down.

 

Millie:  Willie, that's a crazy idea.

 

Willie:  Good writers go with their crazy ideas. Sometimes, you just gotta jump on the train and go for it. (hums I've been working on the railroad)

 

Millie:  I'm going to need a support group for this...

 

***************

 

Come back tomorrow to read more of Millie's puppy dog tales.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

And, jump on the train with one of your crazy ideas!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a crazy idea that you jumped on the train with, or one that you might dare to go with some day soon.

Open a Book

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here's what can happen when you Open a Book.

Willie: When I was working on the railroad (hums a little of the song)

Millie: Willie, you're getting distracted from your own story.

Willie: Yes, well, when I was working on the railroad, all the livelong day.

Millie: Oh, for heaven's sake.

Willie: Sorry, I would be out two weeks, back a week, and so on. On the Saturdays that I was home, I'd pick Millie up and we'd go to a nearby town, walk around, shop, buy ice cream at drugstore soda fountain. I always got the cherry dipped cone.

Millie:  Sometimes, they had a special five spot cone. You could get a different flavor in each of the cone spots.

Willie:  Millie loves her ice cream. She never shared either, except when I had to hold her cone while she checked out a bookstore.

Millie:  I could get a little distracted by a bookstore.

Willie:  We bought our first copy of The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss together. Left foot, left foot.

Millie:  Right foot, right.

Together:  Feet in the morning, feet at night.

(bump heads and giggle)

Millie:  Ah, but I knew that he was the one when we stopped for a picnic and Willie pulled out a copy of A Farewell to Arms. He started reading it to me.

Willie:  We read it together.

Millie:  We read the dialogue like a play, kind of role-played Catherine and Lieutenant Henry.

Willie:  (raising eyebrows up and down) More than kind of, Darling.

Millie:  We've never gotten through the ending without turning into a puddle of tears.

Willie:  Mr. Hemingway sure had a way with words.

Millie:  I hear they have cherry dipped cones at the Chocolate Ox in Nisswa.

Willie:  Millie, what are you suggesting?

Millie:  After your doctor's appointment, I think we should take a drive up to Nisswa.

Willie:  (smiles, reaches for the old, worn out copy of A Farewell to Arms and hums, I've been working on the Railroad)

Come back tomorrow to find out who needs to join the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a book that you've read more than once. I think of "North of Hope" by Jon Hassler as my "comfort book."

A to Z Challenge Begins Today

Quote of the Month:  Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

This year, as I was preparing for the A to Z Challenge, several events emerged that sparked new voices in my head. First, we had a Pad Thai and Sock Puppet Night for our Primo Art Spa, where I created the sock puppet characters Willie and Millie. I had not thought about what I'd create until I sat down and started grabbing fabric. That night, we spent some time giving our characters a story. I set them aside until as I was sorting through my sock drawer and some conflicting viewpoints, and I had an epiphany!

Millie and Willie started talking to me, so I'll get out of their way and let them take over the A to Z Challenge. They've been a pair for 45 years and have lived colorful lives. I'll let them tell you how they met.

A = Opening an Account!

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly

 

Millie: I was working at the First State Bank of Worthington.

 

Willie: I just got my first paycheck from Burlington Northern Railway and went to open an account. (starts humming, I've been working on the railroad)

 

Millie: It was July 5, 1967.

 

Willie: You were blushing like a school girl.

 

Millie: I was sunburned. My girlfriends and I had covered ourselves in baby oil and laid out on the window ledge all day until the fireworks display to celebrate our nation's Independence Day.

 

Willie: The sunburn got suddenly darker when I asked for her phone number. (Millie shoots him a look)

 

Millie: He was very forward. I didn't know what kind of fellow he was, so I said No.

 

Willie: The next day I came back in with my coffee can filled with coins. I stood there admiring her gorgeous, strong limbs as she counted out all 243 dollars. (chuckles)

 

Millie: I hated counting out coins. They have machines to do it, now. It was a putzy job. I was cursing him out in my head the whole time.

 

Willie: (chuckles)

 

Millie: When I was done, I handed him his bills, shut my window, and took my coffee break. I thought that was a clear message that I didn't want anything to do with him.

 

Willie: (chuckle) Luckily, I'm clueless that way.

 

Millie: The next day, I saw him walking in the door, so I took my time with Mr. Landry, thinking he'd go to another girl's window.

 

Willie:  I was patient. I just held back, slowly filled out my deposit slip, and when Mr. Landry walked away, I slid right up to her window and grabbed the money out of my pocket.

 

Millie: The 243 dollars in the exact same bills that I'd counted out for him the day before. I was about to tell him to go make his deposit at some other window...

 

Willie: But, my Hot Tamales caught her eye. (eyebrows waggle up and down)

 

Millie: Willie!

 

Willie:  (chuckles) I'd picked up the candy on my route to Minneapolis the week before. I saw that she was eyeing them, so I opened the box and offered her one.

 

Millie:  I put one in my mouth and my tongue was on fire.

 

Willie: She couldn't talk for a few minutes, so I took the opportunity to tell her a little about myself and that I would be honored if she'd accompany me to the movies on Saturday night. I brought a fresh box of Hot Tamales, and the rest is history.

 

Millie: What can I say? I was craving a little spice in my life. (blushes like a sunburned school girl)

***********************

Keep coming back to Play off the Page to read more of Millie and Willie's spicy adventures!

Happy Birthday Arlee Bird, the brilliant blogger who started the A to Z Challenge in 2010! What a riot. It's like a big blog party. I hope you enjoy your day and this year's challenge.

I hope all of you enjoy getting to know Millie and Willie Cottonpoly. They can be a hoot. That's for sure.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Tell the story of how you met a special friend.