Public Purling

Learning how to knit was a snap.

It was learning how to stop that nearly destroyed me.

~Erma Bombeck

According to my infamous calendar of all things wacky, it’s Knit in Public Week!

Yes, Elbow Benders, it is time for your knitwit side to come out of the closet.

And there’s science to encourage this crafty indulgence —

Apparently, knitting can ease anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. Some experts even go so far as to say that the woolly art increases happiness and protects the brain from damage caused by aging.

But all that aside, there's no doubt in my elbow-bending mind that it expands creativity, too.

How else do you explain this —

This —

Or this —

And then —

Just when you thought that all creative nooks and crannies had been conquered…

A psychiatrist in Massachusetts knitted an anatomically correct replica of the human brain.

It all started innocently enough, I’m sure —

One clotted bit of yarn that looked strangely like a cerebellum…

A few strings of wool that screamed “spinal cord!”

The next thing she knew, she was up to her elbows in Merino and purling away at an amygdala.

It took Karen Norberg, M.D. about a year to create her woolen wonder, but it was well worth it —

So, thanks to Dr. Norberg, I suppose we can add yet another knitting benefit…

Purls of wisdom.

Like.

Literally.

PROMPT: Knitting is not just for cozies anymore! Wrap your cranium around a body part and purl away… 

On second thought, how about a yarn involving a character with an unusual knitting addiction? Does the family perform an intervention… or do they all think that it’s perfectly normal to pass the time crafting pencil turtlenecks and wickedly woolly clarinet bikinis? 

It's Children’s Book Week!

Yes, I realize that you might be all wrapped up in the fact that May is Volcano Awareness Month — but HEY, this is Children’s Book Week!

Rest assured, these two national events are completely unrelated.

Anyway, Children’s Book Week began way back in 1919 — a very good year for me. It just so happens that 1919 was also the year of my grandfather’s birth. Remember him? He was the one who went to school with that dreamy Professor from Gilligan’s Island…

But I digress.

If you are a parent or happen to write for children, you probably spend a lot of time reading children’s books as a grownup. But stop for a moment and consider those books you read as a child…

Which one was your favorite?

What made it special?

As for me, Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder was my most beloved book. We read it in my 4^th grade class, and I still remember those particular school days as wonder-filled.

I must have talked about it nonstop at home, too, because very late one night I was awoken out of a deep sleep. My dad had just returned from a business trip to Vermont, and he had something for me to try.

It was maple sugar…

just like Laura had enjoyed long, long ago in the Big Woods.

I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.

PROMPT: Find your little piece of heaven by getting a copy of your favorite childhood book and rereading it this week. I know I’ll be pulling out my dog-eared copy of Little House in the Big Woods. It’ll be a nice break from all of this Volcano Awareness, after all — Ma and Pa Ingalls are pretty much mum when it comes to ash clouds, cinder cones, and molten lava.

Teacher Feature

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

—Albert Einstein

I’m not so sure that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s teacher was happy about awakening all that joy in creative expression when she saw this little ditty chalked on the board—

Going to school is lots of fun,

From laughing we have gained a ton.

We laugh until we have a pain,

At LAZY, LOUSY, LIZY JANE!

Little did Laura know at the time, but “Lizy Jane” would eventually become her sister-in-law.

Yeah, I bet those family reunions were swell.

Anyway, do not let this happen to you. Instead, show the love. After all, it’s Teacher Appreciation Week! 

So, let’s give some thought to all those wonderful folks who taught us to read (Thank you, Miss Henry!)…

write (Merci, Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Rupert, and Dr. Z!)…

and draw (That’s you, Miss Hunt — thanks a bunch!).

And what the heck, we’re writers — so we might want to put them into a story or two.

But then again, as writers we've got to appreciate those others as well…

Like the ones with the irresistible names (I was blessed with a Miss Dry, Mrs. Coy, Mr. Saucer, and Miss Hickey)…

Or the ones with those unforgettable personalities (I had a fabulous pseudo-swearer in the 7^th grade, and my class gave her unlimited opportunities to blurt “Oh fudge cake and nuts” all the livelong day)…

And, of course, the mean ones.

Hmmm…

Future in-laws be damned, I say go for it!

PROMPT: It’s a great week to appreciate your favorite (and perhaps not-so-favorite) teachers. So, give them an adventure, a superpower, or head lice and get them into a book!

Seuss on the Loose!

Horton: The Early Years

All I ever need to know, I learned from Dr. Seuss –

1. Fun is good.

2. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

3. A person's a person, no matter how small.

4. Don't grumble! Don't stew! Some critters are much-much, oh, ever so much-much so muchly much-much more unlucky than you!

5. Step with care and great tact. Remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

6. Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

7. From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!

8. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

9. Why fit in when you were born to stand out?

10. Will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

PROMPT: Yesterday was Theodor Seuss Geisel’s 110^th birthday — but it’s never too late to celebrate! So…

Plan a party – bring the cats,

without or with their stripy hats.

Then make and serve some tasty schlopp.

But be a love – don’t hop on pop.

Git Along Little Rhymers!

What the Cluck?

Oh hush up, old rooster; it’s three in the morn.

I've been workin’ for feed, and I’m wasted and worn.

While you’re out there doodlin’ again and again

Disregarding the cusses of human and hen.

Three thirty, AWAKE and the ceiling’s my view

“For cryin’ out loud!” I say… then you do.

Well, now you've done made it fer certain that maybe

By the A.M. tomorrow my sleep’s à la baby.

‘Cause here’s an idea for yer fowl brain to chew

There might be a reason I done named ya “Stu.”

Yup, I’m trying my (ranch) hand at some cowboy poetry in honor of the 30^th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering that’s herding up in Elko, Nevada this week.

In case you’re unfamiliar with cowboy poetry… well… it’s poetry written by cowfolk (no, you don’t have to be a “boy”), and it tends to cover topics like ranch work and life on the range. Many of the poems look at the funny side of things and offer sarcastic opines regarding modern contraptions and lifestyles.

So, get inspired by listening to the master of the genre, Baxter Black, then try a piece of your own.

With a little practice, who knows —

You could be the next

Poet Lariat!

PROMPT: Fetch yerself a scrap of paper and git scribbling.

It’s All Material

Good news —

This week is absolutely loaded with super writing possibilities!

Why?

Apparently, it’s ‘Someday We’ll Laugh about This’ Week.

And we've all experienced those crazy life moments that can only be appreciated through the lens of time.

I know I've had my share.

And, of course, I've shared a lot of them here.

Like my first teaching opportunity of graduate school.

Now, you may not have had to teach Human Sexuality to a bunch of Midwestern boys, but there is a possibility that you've…

Worn tangerine underwear with those new white slacks.

Wondered why the hell all the boys were half-naked in the girls’ locker room.

Realized WAY too late that the perfume you spritzed on before your mammogram was, in fact…

Spray-on glitter.

PROMPT: Pick one of your laughable life moments and give it to one of your characters. Trust me, they live for this stuff.

Angling for NaNoWriMo Recovery?

I have laid aside business and gone a-fishing.

~Izaak Walton

PROMPT: Go Fish.

NaNoWriMo Recovery: Fit as a…

Nobody ever says “piano around.”

Hmmm…

PROMPT: Feel free to fiddle around today. But if you are sadly fiddle-free, any old piano, penny whistle, or didgeridoo will do.

NaNoWriMo Recovery Week is “D”elightful!

Dawdle

Dabble

Doodle

Diddle-daddle

Dillydally

Diddly-SQUAT

PROMPT: So many D words, so little time. 

What if you delighted in all six today?

NaNoWriMo Recovery: The Slow Way

A great place to hang out today

They are slo-mo specialists.

In fact, they move soooooo slowly that algae form on their fur.

They also know how to put some serious POWER into power naps…

like, 20 hours a day.

They are sloths…

this week’s Mind’s Elbow mascot.

PROMPT: Embrace your inner sloth today. How slooooooow can you go?

Letting Go

Congratulations! You've made it through NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo, Black Friday, and what I like to call Black and Blue Saturday (in honor of you, Cindy).

Without a doubt, YESvember was awesome!

You ROCKED!

You ROLLED!

But now it’s time for a different kind of R & R.

Yeah… the REST and RELAXATION kind.

Without a doubt, you've earned it.

And guess what —

Kicking back is as key to the creative process as all that kicking butt.

“NOOOOoooooooo!” you might be saying. “I can’t stop now! I got so much done in November — I think I can do even MORE in December!”

Trust me, Cupcake, MORE is the first three ingredients in a recipe called Burnout.

So chill out, hang loose, and let go of all the stuff you did last month.

It’s officially R & R week here at the good ship Elbow.

Let it go.

Let it roll right off your shoulders.

Don’t you know,

The hardest part is over…

~ Rob Thomas

PROMPT: Kick back and sing along. Here’s your Little Wonders link.

Time Flies… Like Reindeer

According to my calendar, we are right smack in the middle of Dear Santa Letter week.

I know, I know, we haven’t even feasted and feted our gratitude yet, but apparently Mr. C. is one of those OCD planner types, and the time to mail your wish list is now.

Fear not, it may be the easiest page you’ll write…

After all, the local stuff-mart has been preparing you for this moment since about June 17^th.

Still in need of some extra inspiration?

Here’s a link to a few missives that Santa must have posted just for our viewing pleasure.

Or, if historical fiction is more your goodie bag, check out these letters from a century ago.

PROMPT: Whether you've been naughty or nice, warm up that creative elbow of yours with an entertaining list for the big guy. Or, better yet, snag one of the kids from the links above, and turn him or her into a character of your own.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Books?

A book is a loaded gun in the house next door.

Burn it.

Take the shot from the weapon.

Breach man's mind.

Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?

 ~ Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Yep, it’s time for one of my favorite celebrations of the year —

Banned Books Week!

So let’s take a moment to honor some of the big baddies that have been removed or restricted from libraries or schools across the good ol’ U.S. of A.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen has been banned by some schools because it has descriptions of trauma and injury that are just too… well, realistic. Yes, you can get banned for good writing.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl has been banned for being too depressing. Gee, genocides usually are.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl contains mild profanity. It is also anti-authority and anti-aunt. Apparently SOMEbody’s aunt got her knickers in a twist over it.

The first Where’s Waldo by Martin Handford reveals a topless sunbather’s partially exposed breast. Perhaps the entire series should be renamed Find Frontage (trust me, it’s a LOT harder to locate than the big W).

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell has been banned for encouraging children to engage in socially unacceptable behavior (like looking for breasts in the Waldo series, perhaps?). It is also said to promote gambling and profanity.

By the way, my 4^th grade teacher spent weeks of class time reading this one to us (with pretty apparent delight)… Yeah, I know — that explains a lot.

The sweet picture book And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson made the top of the Banned List in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 for the shameful act of telling a true tale. Back in 2000 at New York’s Central Park Zoo, two penguins hatched an abandoned egg. The problem? The penguins were both male.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein has been given the ax more than once for encouraging disobedience and (gasp!) messiness.

And finally, there’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig, a charming book about a donkey who collects pebbles. Well, this one has been banned in some schools and libraries because it portrays policemen as pigs. 

And yet —

Nobody seemed to mind that the story’s main character was actually…

an ass.

PROMPT: Read a banned book this week just to celebrate your freedom to do so. Then get to work on authoring your own awesome list-maker. Oops! Did I just encourage deviant, defiant, disobedient behavior?

Yep. (Says the soon-to-be-banned blogger)