They appeared on Mother's Day in Hickory Hill Park. We noticed them on our walk, alerted by an unexpected glint in the trees. Fairies. What were they doing in Iowa City?
The answer came later in the week. That's when I discovered their houses scattered here and there. Tiny little places, decorated with bits and pieces of nature. Some brazen, visible, in plain sight. Others, as would be expected, off the path, shaded by bush and bramble.
Have they moved here? Will they stay?
I hope so!
Mother's Day has me and others digging through family pictures and remembering. There was a time when Mother's Day was about my mother, Lillian Edwards. And here's a snapshot from back then, from left to right --me, my brother, Miles, and my sister Lauren.
Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy your memories. Have fun creating new ones.
A bow. A hair clip. Found in the park, and later, transplanted to a slender branch about a half mile away. There it waits for the next step in its journey. The branch is broken now. The leaves brown, sway with the wind. Soon it all may blow away. Taking the bow to Kansas, perhaps.
Notes:
What to make some leaves? They are quick, easy, and fun. Guaranteed not to brown.
This has been a week of filing stray ideas, hastily noted quotes, and telephone conversation sketches. Sometimes it's hard for me to let go of even the smallest fragments of my working life. Could they someday be a clue, a sign post needed when I am lost in a story? Who knows. So with hope and confidence, I trim them to size, tack them down on homemade index cards, and accord them a place in my studio.
