THE CRONES ARE COMING!

Every first weekend in December, my spinning guild gathers in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky at a restored Shaker community for spinning, fun and friendship. And food. Don't forget the food. Everyone in the group tries to come, so we have forty to fifty women and some men there. I have been going for 6 or 7 years.

Three years ago, in the summer, whilst mowing the lawn, Sandy had a thought. We should honor and celebrate these older women in the group for all they have done for us tadpoles. Thus was born the Crowning of the Crones and the Crone Procession. Every member of the guild votes, and this year it is a landslide - but I can't tell you who it is, it's a secret until tomorrow night! The Old Crones and a few of us planners call out the name(s) of the new inductees, who are then garbed in purple capes, a sterling silver spinning wheel charm necklace, a hat and scepter (a drop spindle with a thyroid condition.) Then all the Crones parade around the room (last year, Martha played Pomp and Circumstance on the hammer dulcimer) three times.

The first inductee of this select group was Vivian. She was surprised and speechless when she was dragged to the center of the room and then bedecked in her cape and hat and all. Sandy gave a heart felt speech, everyone screamed, hollered, and clapped and thought it was over.

Apparently Norma Jean thought it was over, too, as she confided to Martha, "I am so glad that wasn't me!" Ha ha! Her expression was priceless when her name was called as the second Crone inductee! She received the same honors as Vivian. I thought I was going to die, I laughed so hard!

What is my part in this spectacle? I don't write the songs, I make the costumes. And I wait until the last minute to buy all the fabric and stuff, because nothing brings out creativity more than a lack of options. That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it. I'm mostly done with the capes, but still have the hats and scepters to finish. I leave tomorrow around 1:00. Plenty of time! (For those of you that don't know, I used to make costumes for the theatre, movies and TV way back when.)

Here is baby bunny, still alive. When I checked on him tonight, though, his body temperature was cool to the touch and he had a bite from mom on his little head. Not a bad bite, but no bite from mom is a good bite. I neatened up the nest and held him for awhile to warm him. Maybe Bambi missed Percival, who I had caged this morning, so I turned him loose again. He generally hangs out at her cage, sometimes jumping on top of it. I'll check on baby again tonight, maybe put some cardboard under him so he can't just lie on the cage floor.


Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.
  - Douglas Adams