The Thrush and the Nightingale

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Mary Beth Frezon

OMG internet. After all these years, you can still surprise me. From the Auchinleck Manuscript – “one of the National Library of Scotland’s greatest treasures. Produced in London in the 1330s, it provides a unique insight into the English language and literature that Chaucer and his generation grew up with and were influenced by. It acquired its name from its first known owner, Lord Auchinleck, who discovered the manuscript in 1740 and donated it to the precursor of the National Library in 1744.”

Source: The Thrush and the Nightingale – Auchinleck Manuscript – National Library of Scotland

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It’s November! NaNoWriMo!

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Mary Beth Frezon

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How to Catch a Fairy? Or See one?

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Mary Beth Frezon

Apparently this:

An excellent way to gett a Fayrie, but for my self I call margarett Barrance but this will obtain any one that is anot allready bound.

First gett a broad square christall or Venus glasse in length and breadth 3 inches, then lay that glasse or christall in the bloud of a white henne 3 wednesdayes or 3 fridayes; then take it out and wash it with holy aqua and fumigate it: then take 3 hazle stickes or wands of an yeare groth, pill then fayre and white, and make soe longe as you write the spiritts name, or fayries name, which you call 3 times, on every sticke being made flatt one side, then bury them under some hill whereas you suppose fayries haunt, the wednesdy before you call her, and the friday followinge take them uppe and call hir at 8 or 3 or 10 of the clocke which be good plannetts and howres for that turne: but when you call, be in cleane Life and turne thy face towards the east, and when you have her bind her to that stone or Glasse.

or, if you only wish to see them:

An Ungt. to annoynt under the Eyelids and upon the Eylidds evninge and morninge, but especially when you call, or fine your sight not perfect. (That is, an ointment to give sight of the fairies) pt. (precipitate?) sallet oyle and put it into a Vialle glasse but first wash it with rose water, and marygold flower water, the flowers be gathered towards the east, wash it til the oyle come white, then put it into the glasse, ut supra. and thou put thereto the budds of holyhocke, the flowers of mary gold; the flowers or toppes of wild time the buds of younge hazle, and the time must be gatherred neare the side of a hill where fayries use to go oft, and the grasse of a fayrie throne, there, all thees put into the oyle, into the glasse, and sett it to dissolve 3 dayes in the sonne, and thou keep it for they use; ut supra.

from An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures; Katharine Briggs, 1976, Pantheon Books.

See here and other places for more info about this book.

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The oddities of memory

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Mary Beth Frezon

Mom sent me home last night with two homemade stickie buns. She warned me to watch for the caramel part because it hardened a bit. I can do that! And the first one I enjoyed was super good.

Tonight I broke out the second one. As I broke off the first bit of caramel and popped it into my mouth, the slightly smoky smell of that sweetness hit me and broke open a memory of making taffy with my Aunt Marie.

I can’t even begin to tell you when that would have been except pre-high school. I remember making a molasses-flavored taffy, not sure what other flavors we might have done. We hand pulled it of course and cut it into little rectangles and then wrapped it with waxed paper.

I have no explanation for the why around this little culinary event but I’d never turn down a homemade molasses taffy!

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The Twenty-ninth of October

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Mary Beth Frezon

Whoo boy I’m pooped. Between all the nonsense yesterday, then the wind banging stuff around, and the rain pouring down and mysterious bangs in the night and my brain going in ten directions I didn’t get much sleep last night. Got the car in to finish the inspection process, got into work a little late and left early to get the car back again. Mom was a big help in the moral support department but also picking up my repaired storm window and picking me up at work and reuniting me with my car.

As I pulled up to the light at Everett and Central, the little car in front of me belonged to a co-worker who is pretty reliable in the cheeriness category. Just the thought of her up there was cheering me up. I plugged in my iPhone while we waited for the light and normally it pulls something random and I tell Siri to start up a playlist.

Tonight the random selection was the very song that had hit my brain this morning as a big V of geese flew south in front of the big full moon: The Urge to Go by Joni Mitchell.

Now the warriors of winter
They gave a cold triumphant shout
And all that stays is dying
And all that lives is gettin’ out
See the geese in chevron flight
Flapping and racing on before the snow

They got the urge for going
And they got the wings so they can go
They get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

Seriously, what are the chances. So I let it play through and then I asked Siri to shuffle Artist, Joni Mitchell. All good stuff, like Ladies of the Canyon:

Trina takes her paints and her threads
And she weaves a pattern all her own
Annie bakes her cakes and her breads
And she gathers flowers for her home
For her home she gathers flowers
And Estrella dear companion
Colors up the sunshine hours
Pouring music down the canyon
Coloring the sunshine hours
They are the ladies of the canyon

By the time I got home it was all dark and quiet and the little solar lights were on, lighting up the porch. I had some dinner and got some wash started and watched part of M*A*S*H and I’m pretty sure my eyelids are going to close pretty soon. (and in fact they did, before I could hit ‘publish’)

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