Young James asked if I know what an Indian. I reply that I do, but what does he think an Indian is?
The answer: A guy who wears only pants.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Crazy Crap Item #198: The part where everything I need I find in my basement
Yes, it's been a long time since I've added to this account of my daily doings. Suffice it to say, for now, anyway, that this was a bad summer. A very bad summer.
But summer is done, and as the leaves begin to turn, we, in turn, turn our attentions to the 1500 Norwood Fall Block Party.
The Theme: Renaissance Faire
A splendid theme. Grandiose. Inspiring. And, I have found, strangely do-able.
Yes, I did my doctorate in Renaissance English literature, so perhaps this period of history and culture is just a bit more intuitive for me than for some. But really, my ease with planning and executing my Renaissance theme is mainly due to my large and strangely abundant basement.
To wit:
- I desire a costume. I begin to poke in some storage boxes. Within a half-hour, I have a full costume, which brings together an old elf costume, yesteryear's English style riding boots, and a Victorian blouse I wore in a wedding when I was 14 years old.
- My neighbor Ann and I are planning a maze of knightly obstacles in my backyard. My basement yields a multitude of large, capacious cardboard boxes, perfect for towers and hallways.
- We muse that it sure would be swell to have a full-length skeleton to hang, dungeon-style, on a trellis. While poking around for a completely different item, voila!, I find a plastic skeleton I forgot I had.
- Eamon asks me to look for an old beard from block partys past to use for his costume. It fails to materialize, but as I search, I find a full-length black hooded robe, never used.
- I decide I wish to append a drawbridge to the front of my house. Rooting around, I find not just a board but an actual, fully constructed, very sturdy ramp, which runs exactly to the height of my first step. A little paint, some rope, and I have a faux drawbridge.
- I make a mental note to by tidbits to disperse as prizes for the kids. Searching for more bits of costume for Eamon, I run across a box full of goody bags filled with toys, again, from a block party past.
This is just getting weird.
But summer is done, and as the leaves begin to turn, we, in turn, turn our attentions to the 1500 Norwood Fall Block Party.
The Theme: Renaissance Faire
A splendid theme. Grandiose. Inspiring. And, I have found, strangely do-able.
Yes, I did my doctorate in Renaissance English literature, so perhaps this period of history and culture is just a bit more intuitive for me than for some. But really, my ease with planning and executing my Renaissance theme is mainly due to my large and strangely abundant basement.
To wit:
- I desire a costume. I begin to poke in some storage boxes. Within a half-hour, I have a full costume, which brings together an old elf costume, yesteryear's English style riding boots, and a Victorian blouse I wore in a wedding when I was 14 years old.
- My neighbor Ann and I are planning a maze of knightly obstacles in my backyard. My basement yields a multitude of large, capacious cardboard boxes, perfect for towers and hallways.
- We muse that it sure would be swell to have a full-length skeleton to hang, dungeon-style, on a trellis. While poking around for a completely different item, voila!, I find a plastic skeleton I forgot I had.
- Eamon asks me to look for an old beard from block partys past to use for his costume. It fails to materialize, but as I search, I find a full-length black hooded robe, never used.
- I decide I wish to append a drawbridge to the front of my house. Rooting around, I find not just a board but an actual, fully constructed, very sturdy ramp, which runs exactly to the height of my first step. A little paint, some rope, and I have a faux drawbridge.
- I make a mental note to by tidbits to disperse as prizes for the kids. Searching for more bits of costume for Eamon, I run across a box full of goody bags filled with toys, again, from a block party past.
This is just getting weird.
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