We live in the country outside of Pacific, which is southwestof St. Louis about 30 miles. We live on the Meramec River and we love it. I wake up early alone. I do not wake up grumpy. I let him sleep. This is my alone time and I do need my alone time. The west side of the house is where we live and work most of the time. It is mostly glass. I look outat the river and the trees. The trees are beginning to leaf out and almost everything is green. The redbud is blooming. It is quiet at this time of day and the birds sing just for me. It is my favorite time of the day no matter what the weather.
These times are often not easy, but my weeks have been brightened bystories by some of the best storytellers around. At 10:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. the St. Louis Storytelling Festival goes virtual. OnThursday night,there are stories for adults. Two weeks ago our own Joyce Slater told stories. She was outstanding. Last week was Ken Wolfe. He used the light from his refrigerator to provide just the right touch for his tall tales.
I am looking forward to RAPS meetings and hope to catch Phyllis Howell next week. There are so many wonderful storytellers, doing so much during these times, but also for all times. I also listen to Jim"Two Crows" Wallen, sharing his wonderful talent on Facebook. He mentioned Calamity Jane the other day. Calamity Jane was my first best story for my first St. Louis Storytelling Festival. My session was with middle schoolers. When I arrived I had preschoolers instead. I did not tell them about Calamity Jane. Thank goodness that wasn't my only story. I am going to dust off that story and start retelling it.
Also when I have to, I am writing lesson plans for my two classes Iteach. One is Art for Teachers and another is Storytelling for Teachers. It is not as much fun as teaching my students in person. I talk faster than I can type. There are strict guidelines and everything must be very clear. Students must read all the instructions before contacting me, they sometimes don't read it all first. So this has been so fun!!!! I am getting better at this and so are my students.
Please take care of yourselves and follow the rules, so we may meet again to tell stories together face to face.
"Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger."
Ben Okri
"The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative.... They are essential to our comprehension of consciousness and ourselves." Edward Albee
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