Country Mouse
In which A Country Mouse goes to the City to see, well, country mice and rabbits and cats...
Hot summer days, the neighborhood quiet, I do my best imagining. It’s only May, but today is a day like that. I walk my dogs; I walk alone and listen to an audiobook; I visit a Little Free Library or two along the way; I go to a neighborhood garage sale. There’s time for gardening and weaving and reading and writing. All is quiet. Ideal, really. Country Mouse enjoys herself.
Of course, Richard Scarry’s Best Story Book Ever is where I get my Country Mouse info (and much else that I know). Scarry, like Nancy Drew, who I wrote about in the last post, is a childhood touchstone. If I could live inside one of his books, I would. Labels on everything would be super helpful.
A good assignment in a writing class would be to make a page like this, but instead of identifying common objects, emotions / situations / weirdnesses / whatnot of all kinds could be labeled. The results would likely be humorous and poignant. Maybe a kind of pre-writing activity? I think I’ll try this in the fall. Will it fit with my courses? Sure, why not! A good bit of teaching is having a nutty idea and going with it, with gusto.
But this hot and quiet weekend is very different from last weekend. Then, it was cool and mostly rainy and I was in New York with one of my sisters. I do like to visit cities, but Country Mouse that I am, I wouldn't want to live in one.
Still, we had a good time and the reason for our visit was a decidedly country-ish one: to see the Beatrix Potter exhibit at the Morgan Library. It did not disappoint and the Morgan itself is impressive.
I especially keep thinking of Miss Moppet. Such a cutie. Bad kitty!
Do you have a favorite Beatrix Potter character? If so, leave a comment.
My sister and I also saw musical versions of The Great Gatsby and The Outsiders. I definitely preferred the latter, but isn’t it always the case that essential bits are left out of plays and movies in the interest of time and thus the book is always preferable——? Or is that just me? Though both productions had great moments, it’s hard not to miss Robert Redford (I mean, come on...) or the they-weren’t-yet-stars cast of Coppola’s version of The Outsiders. I’ve taught the book and watched the move a few times with students, and Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe, in particular, never fail us. ;-)
Other city highlights that this Country Mouse enjoyed: a delicious croissant from Lafayette; Hamlet, the Algonquin cat; being at the theater just before the show began; visiting the Met; super duper efficient Mass at St. Patrick’s; the carousel in Bryant Park; the lovely “Press for Service” button at the Algonquin; butter cake at Del Frisco; and just walking in the city.
So many poets have been inspired by cities, especially New York. I’m not in a poetry-writing moment right now, but if I were, I’d write about being a visitor, imagining other lives (including alternatives of my own). I have had this fantasy of living in a hotel. Of course, it would also need to be the 1930’s and I’d need to be an actress and have gorgeous gowns for going out and staying in. Just casually elegant, you know the kind of thing. A poem would need not only to recount all this but also discover something new. That’s always the trick: moving the poem (that is — yourself) into new territory. Of course we all repeat ourselves and of course beginning with what you know can lead somewhere, but it’s also awfully easy to settle for old discoveries.
I often ask students if their poems ever included anything else (maybe something good was removed?) or could (what’s just outside the frame?). When in doubt, keep going. The good stuff’s often still out there.
And wouldn’t you know it, in the middle of working on this post, I came across a book in my favorite Little Free Library that is also about the city and the country! The City-Country ABC is new to me, but maybe you know it? It’s a “turnabout” book! More books should be like this, don’t you think? It’s fun to dream up a project for students that would include making/imagining turnabout books. This idea really does fit with one of my upcoming fall classes: a special topics creative writing workshop focused on influence and adaptation. A book-making activity will be part of our semester, and turnabout books would fit with that. So, there you go: discovery in the moment of writing. which means, just as with poem writing, this post is turning out to be better and more interesting than if I had only stuck with my initial plan.
A few updates, of the country variety.
Of the 20 dahlia tubers that spent the winter in brown paper bags in my basement, eight (or maybe nine — I’m still waiting on one of them to prove whether it’s dead or alive) survived. That seems pretty good! The only thing I did was spritz them with water every three weeks or so. One danger is drying out; another is rotting. Temperature plays a role too. Which means: a good bit of luck goes into this process.
These photos show what tubers look like as they emerge from the dark basement. Already beginning to grow!
I chose not to divide these clumps. Best (for me, given my skills) to plant the whole thing.
Of course, I ordered some new tubers, too, and now all of them are in the ground. Additionally, it appears that two brave tubers (now unlabeled and living independent, mysterious-for-now lives) overwintered in the garden and are coming along quickly. Good for them!
In a future post, I’ll say some more about gardening and recommend some favorite books of useful advice and amusing anecdote. I especially like old-time-y ones. Maybe you have suggestions too? I hope so!
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A reminder that if you’re in Michigan (or want to be), I’ll be teaching a workshop in July in Glen Arbor. Plein Air Poetry will be just that: writing outdoors, with inspiration all around us. Thursday, July 25, 10 am - noon. Registration at the link above.
In September, I’ll be doing a second workshop for the Glen Arbor Art Center. This time, the focus will be on ekphrastic poetry. Saturday, September 28, 1-3 pm. Again, registration at the link.
Both workshops will include sample poems, a prompt or two, time to write, an opportunity to share work, and suggestions for going forward.
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Weaving seems country-ish, doesn’t it? Here are two recent weavings.
These don't yet have names, but I’m fond of them both. Also, I’m getting serious about selling some work. Let me know if you have ever see something that catches your eye.
I keep reading about how it’s ok for writers and artists (“creatives,” as some say nowadays — why does that term irk me?) to re-post old work, and it certainly is. But I don’t like doing it! I’ve had those discoveries. The point is sharing, of course, but something in me resists.
But in the spirit of discovery via sharing something old, here’s a little poem that doesn’t exhaust me too much (probably because it mostly has gone unnoticed) and is seasonally appropriate. Plus, I’m still waiting for my peony moment, so that’s a discovery yet-to-be. The poem is from my most recent book, Air, Light, Dust, Shadow, Distance (42 Miles Press).
Peonies are so fleeting; I feel lucky to have captured a photo of this one just today in my garden.
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As always, thank you for reading. I hope you’ve been inspired to get out in the garden or revisit old work or make your own discoveries. More soon. Take care!
north workshops
Great post!