Waiting at the Window  
by A. A. Milne (my favorite rainy day poem)

These are my two drops of rain
Waiting on the window-pane.

I am waiting here to see
Which the winning one will be.

Both of them have different names.
One is John and one is James.

All the best and all the worst
Comes from which of them is first.

James has just begun to ooze.
He’s the one I want to lose.

John is waiting to begin.
He’s the one I want to win.

James is going slowly on.
Something sort of sticks to John.

John is moving off at last.
James is going pretty fast.

John is rushing down the pane.
James is going slow again.

James has met a sort of smear.
John is getting very near.

Is he going fast enough?
(James has found a piece of fluff.)

John has quickly hurried by.
(James was talking to a fly.)

John is there, and John has won!
Look! I told you! Here’s the sun!

“That’s all.”

*Math games from the “Mega-Fun Math Games and Puzzles for the Elementary Grades“  and some math exercises from the Hungarian Mathematics and Enhancement Programme.

*Art and literature (this weekend we will be working on Frida inspired portraits).

*Reading- Fauna is inhaling the Harry Potter series right now; Araina is reading and loving poetry of all kinds- she keeps a book of Robert Louis Stevenson under her pillow to read before she falls asleep and reading it is the first thing she does in the morning.

*Writing in reading journals- both little ladies keep a journal where they record the books they read with a brief synopsis of each book.

*Geography- we are learning about Beatrix Potter, reading her wonderful stories, learning and locating where she is was from. Reading some biographies about her has lead us to learn about cryptography, using a cipher wheel , and writing in code. Very cool woman that Beatrix Potter was!

*Listening to books on CD- Rudyard Kipling stories seem to be the favorite right now.

 *And there is ALWAYS time to create (latch hook today), dance, and play!

Enjoy your weekend!

The large piles of books to be read in the car are going to weigh the car down; but will hopefully keep the bickering to a minimum!

Bringing a lot of gremlins and critters that need hand-stitching; great way to pass the 10 hours in the car. I’m working on a new owl pattern, I’ll share if it turns out! 

 I won’t be posting for the next few days; the family wants me blog free for the trip.  Have a safe and healthy weekend!

I am a sucker for superstitions. I always throw salt over my left shoulder, only pick up a penny if it’s heads up, plant rosemary by the front door, FREAK OUT if I break a mirror, won’t trim the hawthorn tree, try to exit the door I enter, and many more silly little quirks. Personally, I think it makes me more interesting, but some people think I’m just a little crazy and ridiculous (Granny;))!

Black cats, however, I embrace! I LOVE them. We have 2- Charm (5yo) and Pixie Vixen (1yo). We also call them the “Inkspots” after my brother-in-law’s grandma’s black cats.  The little ladies and I simply cannot resist Pixie’s little black fuzzy face!

 Cat superstitions from various countries:

-In Britain and Japan it’s good luck to have a black cat cross your path

-In the south of France, black cats are referred to as “matagots” or “magician cats.” According to local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat them with the respect they deserve.

-In the USA and some parts of Europe it is considered bad luck to have a black cat cross your path, make an “x” in the air to cancel out the luck.

-In Scotland a strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. 

-In Egypt, it was once believed that the life-giving rays of the sun were kept in a  cat’s eyes at night for safekeeping. ***LOVE this!

-In Germany, if a black cat crosses your path from right to left it is a bad omen, but if it crosses from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times for you.

-In Italy, if an inky lays on a sick person’s bed, death will follow.

-In China there are those that believe black cats to be harbingers of famine and poverty.

-Latvian farmers that find black kitties in their grain silos, dance with joy. They believe these felines to be the spirit of Rungis, a god of harvests.

-In most parts of the world it is thought that a black cat walking towards you is a certainty of good luck coming your way; should the cat stop and turn away before it reaches you, fair fortune is not to be yours.

-Chasing black cats out of your house is a certain way to ensure that yours will not be a lucky house.

-Stroking the fur of black cats will bring you both health and wealth.

-In some fishing communities, the fishermen’s wives keep their cats indoors, believing that this will keep their men folk safe from peril while at sea.

-Many people around the world believe that there is a single white hair to be found, even on the blackest of cats. Pull out that hair, without getting a scratch, and yours will be a long, happy and prosperous marriage.

-One popular tale from British feline lore illustrates the thinking of the day. In Lincolnshire in the 1560s, a father and his son were frightened one moonless night when a small creature darted across their path into a crawl space. Hurling stones into the opening, they saw an injured black cat scurry out and limp into the adjacent home of a woman suspected by the town of being a witch. Next day, the father and son encountered the woman on the street. Her face was bruised, her arm bandaged. And she now walked with a limp. From that day on in Lincolnshire, all black cats were suspected of being witches in night disguise. The lore persisted. The notion of witches transforming themselves into black cats in order to prowl streets unobserved became a central belief in America during the Salem witch hunts. Thus, an animal once looked on with approbation became a creature dreaded and despised.

-Germany has lots of legends of black coated cats and witches. While being sentenced to death, a German witch cackled at the judge, spat threats to the priest, and cursed her executioner. She was dragged from the court and tied to a stake for burning. As the flames rose around her she let forth a deafening cackle, there was a flash and a black cat leap from the flames and escaped amongst the astonished crowd.

-King Charles the first of England owned a black cat. He believed this cat to be lucky and was so afraid of losing it he had it guarded day and night. Coincidentally the cat died the very day before Oliver Cromwell’s parliamentary troops came and arrested the king. Shortly after, King Charles was taken to the scaffold and beheaded. (some stories and superstitions were found at best-cat-art.com)

 ”One cannot catch a black cat in a dark room.” Chinese proverb

For me, black inkspots are the best companions! We love our two fuzzy ones and would feel an empty place without them. They inspire us to write stories and poems, draw pictures, paint, and are models for sewing projects. I couldn’t resist the above pictured corduroy fabric I found at the fabric store. It will be made into cat shaped pillows for the little ladies for the holidays.

Edgar Allen Poe was inspired to write a short story about a black cat titled- The Black Cat  (here is a study guide link too for more info). You will want to read this story first before reading it aloud to the little ones. You know how Edgar Allen Poe can be a “little” gory and gruesome, this story fits the true Edgar Allen Poe gory style!

I know a lot of my blogger friends also have black inkspots living with them and bringing them luck and love into their daily lives! Both of my sisters also have black cats, it’s quite sad though, the black cats in my family (including my sisters’ inkspots) were all strays. It’s a shame that some people are missing out on a wonderful housepet due to a superstition based on color!

I especially love the longevity of these beautiful gifts. Araina immediately ran to the table and set up the mushroom to make a spore print and Fauna put our 7th EBS caterpillar in the winter habitat with the other 6 caterpillars.

I just can’t resist mentioning that the top photo reminds me of a certain famous caterpillar (minus a hookah) that sits  atop a mushroom offering Alice “advice”-

“This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, `I–I hardly know, sir, just at present– at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’

`What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar sternly. `Explain yourself!’

`I can’t explain MYSELF, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, `because I’m not myself, you see.’

`I don’t see,’ said the Caterpillar.

`I’m afraid I can’t put it more clearly,’ Alice replied very politely, `for I can’t understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.’

`It isn’t,’ said the Caterpillar.

`Well, perhaps you haven’t found it so yet,’ said Alice; `but when you have to turn into a chrysalis–you will some day, you know–and then after that into a butterfly, I should think you’ll feel it a little queer, won’t you?’

`Not a bit,’ said the Caterpillar.

`Well, perhaps your feelings may be different,’ said Alice; `all I know is, it would feel very queer to ME.’”

-Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Illustrator- Gordon Robinson (1916) (found at zorger.com)

 *I too have often wondered this myself. Do caterpillars feel a little odd after their amazing change?!