The novel is finished.

I'm marking my calendar...

What about you? If you ever need a place to actually wear your forest green cloak, then I'll see you at:

Northwest Folklife Festival (The fiddles! Oh, the fiddles! And a swing dance this year, I see.)

Seattle Scottish Highland Games Festival (This one was just.... worth sighing over. I got lost on purpose. The pulsing of a Pipes and Drums band pounds into my very being like nothing else. Maybe that sounded melodramatic. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to.)

Spread the word!

Get folksie,

Gray

Life goal no. 1: Live in a tree house.

From my novel: In my Sherwood forest, the outlaws' hideout is atop a giant oak. Marion has to majorly build her upper arm strength for the daily rope climb and is aided by natural hand holds: shelf fungi.

If you are a person (I'm assuming that most of you are) what does your dream house look like?

If you are a writer, how do your favorite hideaways show up in your works?


^ This one looks like a good ole hideout.


A tree house, a free house,

A secret you and me house,

A high up in the leafy branches

Cozy as can be house

A street house, a neat house,

Be sure and wipe your feet

house

Is not my kind of house at all.

Let's go live in a tree house.

Shel Silverstein

Below: Very Medieval, yes?

Lately I've been dwelling on these dwellings (Ha! How's that for a LAME pun/thing, QUIP?) and I decided to share them a bit.

In ten years, you can find me in my tree house.

Booby Traps wanted!! My Novel strikes again! A dilemma for the Devoted Scribblers... AND anyone else who can help!

Meet Marion. Well... this isn't really my Marion. This is a character from WoW or some other video/computer game like that. I wouldn't know, exactly. I'm not a gamer.

But this picture is about as close to Marion as we get... besides the sketches that I've spun up of her, which are not uploaded on this computer. Her leather arm guards/armour are amazing.The red hair is perfect, though her expression is a little dark. She just needs a ski-jump nose, like she has in my book. =D

But I could do a character bio later. What were we discussing again? Ah yes. My novel dilemma.

I'm stuck.

If you'll remember, several months ago I mentioned a novel that I'd been writing since spring about Maid Marion Fitzwalter... and how she meets up with Robin Hood after he returns from campaigning for Richard's throne.

Are you willing to help me out? *Grins sheepishly*

Here's where I'm at:

Right now Guy of Gisbon (NOT Gisborne, and 'Guy' is pronounced the old English way--- "G-ee," rhyming with 'tree' and spoken with a hard 'G' sound) is setting a trap for Robin Hood, as so many legends tell. And yes, according to tradition, Marion is the bait. She's stuck in his castle... etc. The Gisbon/castle/trap scene is a minor excursion in relation to the plot of my entire book, but nonetheless, I'm stuck.

Guy is trying to trap Robin. But how?

Frankly, I need ALL your ideas concerning medieval booby traps. I need a really ingenious trap that will surprise both Rob and my readers. But what?

Whatever it is, Robin DOES get stuck in the trap... and then, of course, has to get out, making everything more exciting as danger piles upon danger.

Will you put on your thinking caps for me?

I'm not just looking for a trap door that collapses when he walks over it. It can be a 'trap' in any sense of the world. My mom suggested a moat with imported alligators. =D

Cleverness and creativity are what I need. I just don't know why I can't find mine. I've thought about this 'trap' so much that my brain refuses to give me any more ideas!!

Pull out your made-up or Medieval booby traps and head over to the comment box... if you dare. There are Gisbon's poisonous porcupines down there (how was that, Mom?)!

Glee/Bliss/Feelings of Jubilee...

Nanowrimo update---

25k reached!

25,000 words! Halfway done!

I leave you now to go to bed... to live in dreams of ecstasy...

Maid Marian and such...

Head over to Amanda Beth Online! The finalists are up for all the categories of the Maid Marian event!

Ophie is in "Modern Marian" and I'm in "Medieval Marian" and Maid Marian/Robin Hood Blog posts.

Such beautiful photos, poems, crafts! You've got to see--- go vote HERE, on the sidebar.

Read my Robin Hood post: Robin Hood and Politics, or see my finals pictures.

See Ophie's lovely photos!

Kei, thanks once again. You're the best... =D

PS- I know I've posted this picture quite a bit, but I love it so...

And dressed in pretty forest plight #3 ~Details~

A few small details that Ophie managed to capture with our poor-quality camera.. And I promise, no more Marian pictures after this!

The truth of it is, we big teenagers just want an excuse to dress up like we did when we were little girls. Remember? I had sooo many princess dresses... those plastic high heels... tiaras...

As I get older, I begin to look for a "reason" to enter that magical world that was mine as a wee thing. So yes, a Maid Marian photo shoot is the "perfect opportunity."

But does it have to be a photo shoot? On one of the days of what I've dubbed 'Greenwood Week,' Ophie and I dressed up in our "pretty forest plight " (quoting Reynolds again! I'm obsessed with that poem!) only to find that our camera wasn't working properly. 'Twas out of batteries or something like.

Then Ophie said, "You know, Grace, the point is not that we were going to take pictures, but that we're dressed up like Maid Marian!"

Exactly. We then proceeded to let our doggies loose for an autumn jaunt... Is there anything more marvelous than running through the wind?

But before the batteries died completely, I managed to get some shots in which Ophie, as usual, looks completely gorgeous... (Okay, now she's going to kill me!!)

I'll be quiet now and show you these [very last] pictures.
My neat-o leather braid head-band...

I know I'm not smiling! 'Tis not my favorite picture either! But it was the only picture that showed the braid... actually there was one more... but that one was reeeeally freaky.... ask Ophie.

My lily-pad leaf necklace... a souvenir from my great trip to South Carolina for Speech Nats. Mom and I had so much fun together---and she bought and gave me this necklace while we were there. I love it so...

I wrote earlier about my 'field bag'... well, here's another potential candidate....

The buckle side ^...

And of course Kei managed to take several stunning detail shots, posted below...

I love having friends who are photographers... thanks, Kei... =D

Marian! Thy fame will never die!

It's been a perfectly lovely Greenwood week, hasn't it?

I've posted some artwork HERE, along with many other posts,

We've read several poems:

Reynolds,' my personal favorite, HERE, (by the way- the lines on my header are from Reynolds);

Keats' HERE;

And, finally, Tennyson has a great one that Ophie posted HERE, as a side note. The whole post is great; read it all.

I posted a few poems of mine:

'The Cloak' (so Maid Marian-ish- I had to put it up),

And 'The Place I Love to Be'

I had so much fun dressing up as Marian-

A leaf skirt, my lovely green cape, and, of course, a special photo shoot with Kei.

I've written on "Robin Hood and Politics" as well as a quick post on what we find so fascinating about the legendary figure of his love, Maid Marian.

I posted my favorite picture of Lucy Griffiths as Marian, and one of my favorite clips from Disney's Robin Hood.

But Marian shall not disappear from this blog forever! Soon I shall post a character sketch of Marian as the heroine of my current story project.. after all, as Reynolds says, Marian's sweet fame shall never die.

"And dressed in pretty forest plight--" #2

Photos by Keilah- see her blog HERE. More Marian pictures- scroll down...

"And dressed in pretty forest plight--" #1

These are the photos that Ophie and I took together--- Keilah's pristine ones will be above this.

Pieces- A green sweater

A black velvet lace-up girdle

A brown skirt...

And slouchy boots, of course...

Would Marian wear a leaf skirt?

I think she would.

Ophie and I both bought leafy-looking skits at a little Fair Trade shop while vacationing at the beach- mine, green w/ black trim, Ophie's, black w/ green trim!
My cape was hand sewn by the ever-wonderful Libby @ Random Jot Downs.

Unfortunatly, our camara is very poor, but I found this image of my skirt. It better captures what the garment looks like in real life.

Sigh. So elven... forest-y... Marian-ish...

2nd to last day of Greenwood week...

Marian- her secret

What Wart thinks of Marian, from "The Sword and the Stone:"

“Robin lay happily with his head in Marian’s lap. She sat between the rootsof the lime tree, clad in a one piece smock of green girded with a quiver ofarrows and her feet and arms were bare. She had let down the brown shiningwaterfall, which was usually kept braided for convience in hunting and cookery,and with the falling waves of this she framed his head. She was singing a duetwith him softly, and tickling the end of his nose with the fine hairs…[the two boys, Kay and Art go with the Merry Men on an adventure]The boys had felt disgruntled at first, at being put in a woman’s band. They would have preferred to have gone with Robin, and thought that being put under Marian was like being trusted to a governess. They soon found their mistake.It was not easy to be a companion of hers. In the first place, it was impossible to keep up with her unless she waited for them-she could move on all fours or even wrigglelike a snake almost as quickly as they could walk- and in the second place shewas an accomplished soldier which they were not. She was a true Weyve-except forher long hair, which most of the female outlaws of those days used to clip. Oneof the bits of advice which she gave them before talking had to be stopped wasthis: Aim high when you shoot in battle, rather than low. A low arrow strikesthe ground, a high one may kill in the second rank.“If I am made to get married,” thought the Wart, who had doubts on the subject, “I will marry a girl like this: a kind of golden vixen.”As a matter of fact, though the boys did not know it, Marian could hoot like an owl by blowing into her fists, or whistle a shrill blast between tongue and teeth with the fingers in the corner of the mouth; could bring all the birds to her by imitating their calls and understand much of their small language; could hit the popinjay twice for every three times of Robin’s; and could turn cartwheels. But none of these accomplishments were necessary at the moment.”

What captivates us ladies so about the legendary figure of Maid Marian?

Marian truly is captivating. I think it's her accomplishments that draw me to her: hooting like an owl, cartwheels, archery?

She's skilled in 'the arts of the forest.' A competent "Merry Man. What girl doesn't envy she who could be described as a "kind of a golden vixen?"

A golden vixen. I personally am utterly captivated by the idea of Robin's 'Greenwood Beauty' (quote from Reynolds) slinking gracefully through the forest; a quiet, highly skilled maiden who manages to steal his heart. She is my role model, the heroine of my current novella, and the famous figure that kindles my imagination in history books and legends alike.

She's also beautiful.

Reynolds, one more time:

With coat of Lincoln-green, and mantle too,

And horn of ivory mouth, and buckle bright,

And arrows winged with peacock feathers light,

And trusty bow well gathered of the yew,

--Stands Robin Hood:

and near, with eyes of blue

Shining thro' dusk hair, like the stars of night,

And habited in pretty forest plight,

--His green-wood beauty sits, young as the dew.

Oh gentle tressed girl! Maid Marian!

The beauty that I see in Marian (excluding the Lucy Griffiths version) is not only physical- she is depicted as having a quiet, sweet, strong demeanor that captures Robin's heart as well as ours.

Even when this week is over, don't think these will be the last posts on Marian.

Marian, I will follow...

Love...

Ophie AND Lib posted this sweet video... I thought I'd join the club.

A very poignant scene, one of my favorites of the whole movie.

Marian the vixen is perfect.

"What do you say we get married, darling?" (as Robin storms the archery contest)

"Oh Robin, I thought you'd never ask!"

"6, 7, 8 children?"

"A dozen at least!"

Makes me smile...

Lucy's best look...

Definitely Lucy Griffith's most epic photo as Maid Marian...

...though Lucy wasn't exactly how I pictured Marian. I think Ophelia's going to have a post on that...

Through the Greenwood:

A painting for you all. Check out Maid Marion week! Here, at Amanda Beth Online...

The place I love to be:

Painting- Woodland Dawn, Paul Higgins


I was flipping through a book of poems that Ophie and I wrote and put together for my mom one Mother's Day several years back. I found this little poem and thought it appropriate for Greenwood week. Once I managed to ignore the holes in my inconsistent meter, I once again entered the world I'd depicted when I first wrote this little poem. Here you are, mistakes and all-

In the place I love to be,

There are no walls to hold me in;

Instead, a solemn, silent tree,

And all his friends surrounding me,

In my little woodland glen,

The place I love to be.

In the place I love to be,

There are no dainty, sugared sweets;

Instead, Salmonberries are a feast,

Blackberries my tasty treat,

And thin grass blades, I love to eat!

In the place I love to be.

In the place I love to be,

There are no pooches, primped and pampered;

Instead, two dogs

Who run about with coats unhampered,

Followed by two mangy girls

Who'd never bother with made-up curls,

In our little secret world,

The place I love to be.

Good ole Sargie and Kipper are the dogs and Ophe and I are the 'mangy girls' (=D) of course. Not much has changed---despite very taxing high school days, autumn afternoons you'll still find me in 'the place I love to be.'

Robin Hood and... Politics?

I found a thought provoking comment in my comment box-

My dad pointed out that [Robin Hood] is always "taking from the rich and giving to the poor," which is EXACTLY what liberalism and (in a more extreme sense) Communism do. I console myself by saying that it's more like the American Revolution-- Robin and his men are resisting a government gone bad. What do you think?

Robin Hood the socialist. Hmmmm. First off, in this post I'm referring to England and Nottingham according to how they are depicted in Robin-Hood related legends.

According to legend, Robin Hood's role in redistributing wealth is undeniable. That the local economy was in horrible condition is obvious. Robin does take from the rich and give to the poor.

However, I think that the figure of Robin Hood can be taken at more than one angle.

First, we see his potential communist side. When I think communism, I think of hard earned wealth being re-distributed to the ne'er-do-wells of society as a measure to make sure 'all are provided for.'

While I'm at it, I'll just pull out a formal definition of communism:

Communism. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people. ~American Heritage Dictionary.

In which all goods are equally shared by the people. Does Robin Hood want all goods equally shared by the people?

Looking at legend once again-

The people of Nottingham were oppressed. They were impoverished. A very easy way to get them out of their impecunious positions would be to take money from those who had plenty and give it to those who had little. That's what Robin did, right? But the problem wasn't that simple. At its roots, it's obvious that the people who had plenty were the ones who were oppressing those who had little.

Robin-Hood-the-instrument-of-communism- would be told like this-

Lower class people of Nottingham have no money. Upper class people have lots of money. Robin steals from Upper class and gives to Lower class. All have enough.

Sounds fairly accurate, right? And according to my definition of communism, Robin would be taking the place of Government. Just sneak his name in there and we read:

Coomunism. A system of government in which Robin Hood plans and controls the economy and Robin Hood holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Almost sounds like it would work, doesn't it? But let's take him at a "different angle" now, as I said earlier.

Unlike my definition (which made me laugh), legend doesn't tell us that Robin had any aspirations to rule. Robin Hood often appears as being anti-government. Why? No wonder! The government of his day was really skewed, with governing officials as wealthy men who:

a. Were on good terms with the present ruling monarch (Prince John)

or

b. Had noble blood and lots of land in the family.

This "Goverment" saw it fit to impose severe taxes on the people. One ballad (I'm going purely by memory here, sorry folks) goes something like this-

Th' hert an' soul were taxed out of them,

referring, of course, to the people of Nottingham. The ballad goes on to tell the classic tale of Robin robbing the rich and giving to the poor which could also be seen as robbing the government and giving to the people.

Simultaneously, the government was robbing the people and giving to... the government! With the government being Prince John and his nobles, of course.

Because he didn't like the way things were being run, Robin made himself anti-government. He was PRO the people earning money for themselves, choosing to fight the wealthy noblemen who interfered with the people's rights. Looking at my communist definition one more time, it appears that the government Robin was fighting was actually more communist in philosophy than he was (bold added by me, as before).

Communism. A system of government in which Prince John plans and controls the economy and he and his noblemen hold power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people while really hoarding all the wealth for themselves.

Wow... sadly, now I've depicted the current state of many communist countries. Wasn't originally trying for that...

Ahem. "My" off-hand definition of communism was. "Hard earned wealth being re-distributed to the ne'er-do-wells of society as a measure to make sure that 'all were provided for.'" We can plug this one in with Prince John's government, too. The hard earned wealth was that which rightfully belonged to the lower working class of Nottingham. The Ne'er-do-wells were Prince John and his nobles, who cared only to sit on cushions in their comfortable dwellings while others made their livelihood.

It's worth pointing out that it was originally a Nobleman's job to make sure all his serfs/laborers were provided for, but, just as in many modern day communist societies, it ended with the nobleman hoarding most of it for himself.

I asked earlier, "Does Robin Hood want all goods equally shared by the people?"

No. He wanted justice. He wanted to keep "all goods" that he, individually had rightfully earned and have every other man keep what goods he had rightfully earned. Robin wanted each man to be able to provide for his family without having his wages snatched from under him due to ridiculously high taxes.

He took back from the wealthy and gave his loot to those who had rightfully earned it.

Class distinctions kept the lower class from retrieving the money themselves and becoming involved in the workings of the government.

Prince John's government wasn't caring for the sick, innocent, helpless, or needy, so none of John's taxes were even going to the places the were supposed to go.

Hmmmm... Robin Hood the socialist? I don't think so.

Any more thoughts? This is a "Debate Time," so stop by the comment box...

Ballads were found in Robin Hood, a Mythic Biography.

Robin Hood and... Politics?

The link was being funny- my post is here

Robin Hood and... Politics?

Debate Time! Comments encouraged...

Poem-iness

We know I love poetry, yes?

By the way, we WILL so another Poetry's Square one of these days...

Ahem. Back on topic. Ah, yes. My love of poetry.

Because this is Greenwood week, I'll be quoting my favorite lines from the literary geniuses who were smart enough to write works concerning Robin and Marian.

I have just oodles of favorites. I'll pull out poems for all things woodsy, merry, and otherwise Robin-Hoody.

I know I've posted some of them before, but I just had to have them up here for this week.

The picture is me looking like a sentimental fool, but it struck me that I appeared rather poem-y, so I put it up... =D

Aye for Robin!

Aye!

Ye fellow lovers of Robin and his merry men:

I'm calling this week...

(drumroll, please...)

Greenwood Week!

It seemed apt!