Two days ago I had a female cecropia moth emerge. I took her and the male that emerged earlier to a library program and put her out that night to attract a "wild" male. (Are there any other kind???) No luck, but last night, or rather early this morning before 6 A.M. there were at least 20+ flying wildly around my patio and in the yard. I caught 4 huge males with my hands and placed them in the bird cage. By the time I got dressed and came back out the others were gone and the pair were mating. (They will be there for about 24 hours.)
What a sight!!

I have been totally remiss about writing, but this summer I am doing many libraries in Ohio and Michigan and the theme this summer in both is Make a Splash in Reading! My story centers on the creatures of the ocean and a delightful dophin, DEEVine, and a captivating sea dragon, Macaroonitooni, who cannot find his pearl! I have not brought my other creatures (luna, polyphemus caterpillars, polyphemus moths and baby praying mantis) to the programs. I've had about three that have been the story of Jack and the Sky Place and I've taken them then.

This spring, once again, we had a big puppet theatre production at Olander Park where the kids made 2 rod puppets for the play. They made a people puppet and an animal found in the park. What a fun time we had creating the puppets, designing scenery and working on the script for the production.

I love doing workshops, but had one in Farmington Hills in early March that I will never forget.
I was just recovering from the stomach flu where I had laid low the day before. I had a library program the next day at Farmington Hills and a workshop for teachers in the afternoon. My husband did not want me to drive the 100 miles away, but I stubbornly insisted that I was better and the "show" must go on!

I fainted during the show and 3 women from the audience rushed up to seat me on a hastily collected chair! What a traumatic experience for me and the people there let out an audible cry!
I finished the show standing, even though the librarian wanted me to sit. I rested in between and by the time of the workshop I was better. This has haunted me, however, and ran into some gals at the MiAEYC conference who asked me how I was for they had heard about it!

We are heading to New Orleans within the week to attend my sister's 40th wedding anniversary. It will be great fun seeing and getting together with my sister's family.

Leave No Child Inside

"One learns that the world, though made, is yet being made. That this is still the morning of creation. Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike." -John Muir
John is one of the early champions of preserving the majestic spaces of America for all of us...our National Parks!
As I watched the latest PBS offering from film-maker Ken Burns: The National Parks: American's Best Ideas, John Muir had to return to nature, the forests, the mountains, the rivers to regain his strength and balance. We all need this and our children today are being cheated out of the great outdoors and nature. Much has been written about "Nature Deprivation" of our children and the obesity and the structured sporting programs that are rampant for today's children. Please read Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, for some true insight into just how awful things have become.
I am attempting to coax children and families outside with my programs. I try to weave nature into the use of puppets and to have live creatures whenever I can. My caterpillars have all made cocoons or emerged from its chrysalis, but I do have some wooly bear caterpillars feeding on parsley, carrot tops and/or queen anne's lace. These marvelous creatures I call my "Thanksgiving caterpillars" and then "Christmas caterpillars", "Valentine caterpillars" and finally around St. Patrick's Day they will finally go into a cocoon to emerge as an Isabella Moth in the spring.
Please note: It is a caterpillar that is found in sweet corn and an apple. It has 16 legs and green blood, same as all caterpillars. They make cocoons and become moths in the spring.
If you have any questions on projects, etc., for these creatures, email me.....

Keynote Highlights

I have been getting the raspberries for neglecting this site for months. I apologize and hope to make it up to those of you who read it hoping for info.
I am coming off a high after being a keynote speaker in Canton for the AEYC Conference October 3rd. Not only did they "treat" me to a great B&B, but the committee members were helpful and welcoming. They had some key members that completely took over setting up my "vendor's" area and manning it when I was doing the keynote and the workshop that followed. I truly appreciated all their many kindnesses to me.
Joe French communicated with me through the years that this was scheduled and in introducing me, he related a story about a woman in Canton who purchased a puppet from me years ago. She took "Violet" (Amelia) with her wherever she went and kept an active photo album. She died a day after Christmas and her family allowed Violet to go with her through her next journey!!

I remembered her and have seen her album. I knew that I was going to be going to Anaheim for NAEYC the next month and for the first time I had Amelia's picture taken at the cockpit on the plane, with Mickey Mouse in Disney and on the roller coaster there, too. I have thought of her often and am in awe of what so many who have taken my workshops have accomplished and done with puppets!
Another story: Years ago when I was a keynote speaker in Canton a teacher came up to me afterward and related how she got her character puppet, Patches. She had taken one of my workshops a year before and when I demonstrated the ease of making puppets out of stuffed animals simply by removing the stuffing, she thought of a stuffed cat, missing an eye, that she had. She made a patch, bought a cat "taxi" for .80 @ Goodwill and made that puppet her character puppet. "Now," she proudly said, "I am ready for more puppets!"
I told that story on Saturday and later she came up and reintroduced herself to me. Another friend had been in my workshop and realized who it was and told her. Another happy reunion !


I am going to work on daily updates and ways to work with puppets simply and creatively, I promise.

Even though it keeps raining, is a bit on the cooler side, I am content staying at our cottage for a few days of "R&R"...is that rain and reading??? This summer has reconnected me with some past preschool students. In early June I received a wedding invitation from Anne, who moved to Tennessee after kindergarten and was being married in Toledo. Needless to say, that letter was a "keeper" telling me how much the preschool meant to her and lots of other kind words. Not long after that invitation came another from a former student graduating from medical college...Dr. Stacy, inviting me to her graduation party being held on the Friday night before Anne's wedding.

Both of these events were filled with hugs, familiar faces revisited and good times.
The last Saturday in June I went to Father Mike's ordination into the priesthood. I had never been to an ordination and it was truly awesome! What special young people each have become and I was honored to know them and be a part of their truly marvelous celebrations!

Cecropia, polyphemus, monarchs, hickory horned devils are but a few of the many caterpillars I am raising this summer. This has not been a good year for raising the cecropia or polyphemus, for out of nearly 80 each only 4 to 8 have survived to make cocoons.

It certainly look like fall as I gaze out over the meadows/fields surrounding our cottage. The grasshoppers are jumping, I no longer hear the cicada humming, and the wooly bear caterpillars are plentiful. It has all happened way too fast. Last night after I finished reading my book I looked out my open screen door for I felt that eyes were watching me. I looked and there was a small opossom staring back. It gave me a fright, but I got up and went to the door and CLOSED it firmly. When I looked out the window it was still there staring at me! (We have a resident raccoon, too. Maybe the two nocturnal creatures have fun watching us when we are unaware.)

What a great summer it has been with lots of local library shows, travel to the Traverse City area for Cherry Fest activities and library shows at Interlochen and Traverse City Library. Toledo Botanical Gardens hosted the 2nd annual event of Arts Gone Wild which is sponsored by Toledo Library, Toledo Zoo, Toledo Museum, Arts Council, just to mention a few. I represented the library again this year. Last year it was held at the zoo. Next year it will be at the Museum and then the downtown library! I am hopeful that I can still be a part of that great happening in the city each August!
I enjoyed teaching about orangutans at the Toledo Zoo in August. I am now aware that the use of palm oil products is the leading cause of the elimination of forested areas for the orangutans. They were once all over Asia and are now located only in Indonesia in Bornio and Samalia.
I am delighted to be on the steering committee for the organization of Northwest Ohio's chapter of Leave No Child INSIDE! We met at Ottawa Wildlife Preserve for an inital meeting and some structuring ideas in August. Our first huge meeting will be September 11th at Olander Park in Sylvania. Sandy Gratop, naturalist, is sprearheading the group's endeavor. I am just thrilled to be a part of that. ( I did a workshop/presentation at the annual conference in Columbus last fall and discovered that we had no representation or plan here in this section of the state).
I am looking forward to Canton's AEYC Conference where I will be the keynote speaker (on using puppets) and doing a workshop, too.
Coming events for me:

• 4 hour workshop at Cincinnati Nature Center training volunteers to use puppets!
• conference/workshops at B.G.S.U. and Howell, MI
• conference/workshop in Washington, D.C. at NAEYC
• library and Toledo Museum puppet shows
• training at KinderCare in NorthRidgeville, OH
  

Late May and early June is the time for the beautiful cecropia moths to emerge from their cocoons. I have been very fortunate to have had several of them “on hand” as I did a variety of shows this spring.
I put some of the females in a bird cage outside on my patio and had 2 “wild” males (are there any other kind?) show up and now I have fertilized eggs which will “hatch” any day now.
These are polyp emus moths, another species of giant moths. I had about 30 of them emerge and am now raising the babies on maple leaves.
Young and old are amazed and delighted when I place these beautiful creatures on my shirt and they don’t fly away. The cecropia above is a male as noted by the feathery antenna and the polyphemus is a female. See the thin antenna!
I have had fabulous experiences this spring and traveled some of Ohio performing for kindergartners and retired nuns, family nights at churches in Toledo and celebrating Earth Day with 400 second graders at Mt. Gilead State Park . The next day I headed to Senecca Library in Attica for two shows in the morning (this makes the 15th year I’ve been there in May) before driving to Huron for a family night celebration that night. Twice I traveled to Traverse City, Michigan, to perform puppet shows at 2 libraries and 5 schools. I was there the last week in April and the second week of May. Driving on the peninsula took my breath away with the beauty of the Bay on both sides and the cherry trees in full white blossom. My destination was Old Mission School for a show for the older children and then the Peninsula Public Library, located in the same gorgeous new building, for a later performance for younger ones.
On a personal note, three grandchildren have or will graduate this spring. On May 11th Lisa graduate from high school and what a lovely ceremony it was with 144 girls dressed in white carrying a single red rose. After the ceremony we went back to her house for cake and libation while she and her dad and two grandpas smoked a traditional “cigar” to celebrate this event. Tonight her brother, Patrick, graduates from eighth grade, but will not be smoking a cigar. He must wait another 4 years!
Sunday’s graduation ceremony from Bedford High School will highlight Jack and will be wonderful, tearful (where did the time go?) and not short as almost 600 will receive diplomas! Will he smoke a cigar??

January Freeze

One would think we were in the arctic with this blast of winter weather! It will be -20 degrees wind chill tonight. I have been doing shows at the zoo for the Frozentoesen Events and how appropriate is that?
I am heading to Traverse City for a great event this weekend, the baptism of my newest grandson, Gus! That region is known for snow and I expect that we'll have several inches of new snow this weekend, too.
Check my new project page, for I will be posting the activities from the Olander Theater Workshops that will culminate in a puppet production in March. We are making paper mache' birds that are spectacular!
The next two weeks will have me on the road, scary with all this frightening winter weather, for puppet shows in Michigan and workshops at the Ohio Camping Conference in Columbus. I will write about it when I get back.