Moss Whispers

I’m grateful to all my friends on Facebook that helped me think through whether to change the name of the Chocolate Mushroom Cafe. I feel better about the new name! Thanks!

I’m struggling with the text for the next page of my Martha Julia Agnes Adele Adventure. I refer to The Chocolate Mushroom Cafe, and I’m wondering if I should worry about if this could be encouraging children to nibble on mushrooms they find in the woods.  I bring up this concern after having parented a precious and adventurous 2 year old who had a tendency to put woodsy mushrooms in her mouth. Often we would end up in the E.R. to ‘decide if she was exposed to some dangerous one!’

Here it is:

“Oh, what a grand Adventure Day!”

“We’re near the Chocolate Mushroom Cafe!”

“Step right up by this giant stone shoe!”

“You’ll especially love their acorn stew!”

Slab reaches behind him and pulls out a map.

From a hidden pocket in his shoulder strap.

“Let’s sit at this table and make our plan…”

“While we eat our stew and custard flan.”

And here is background information:

Slab and Martha… are about to discover that they are very near the Chocolate Mushroom Cafe. This is another actual place at The Hillock that is adjacent to the Queen’s Stove, that they stumbled upon on the last page. The Chocolate Mushroom Cafe is a flat top of one of the high mounds at The Hillock, underneath the Maple Tree that has The Market at its roots on its other side. There is a large, shoe-shaped rock, about size 6, that leads to a pebblestone trail to stone steps that go up to the flat top of the mound. On the mound are a few ‘stone tables’ where customers can enjoy acorn stew, custard flan, and more than likely chocolate mushroom dishes.  There is a tiny flower pot on each table, one holding meadow flowers, and one holding green moss. It got its name from some dark brown mushrooms growing on a log by the old stone shoe.

Painting for this page is in process. Here’s the Chocolate Mushroom Cafe in its early winter stages:

Such precious feet fit into these little shoes! Oliver loves to put them on and off over and over again. He walks with his left hand held up in a tiny fist and his right arm swinging to his step. And when he gets excited he shoots both arms up in the air like he’s walking fast over a speed bump. If he stumbles, which is pretty rare, he picks himself up and brushes his hands together to ‘brush it all off.’ Every step is passionate and important and carries us all on new adventures. A time of so many ‘firsts’ in his life! And to top it all off, there’s a smile and from time to time, a serious/studying look that accompanies each step on his life of adventure! It’s been so fun to walk alongside him and his family this weekend!

This weekend I’m stepping away from painting what my eyes and mind see to spending time with our grandson, Oliver and his wonderful mom and dad. Such wonder, love, curiosity, and intense work on research and development, is the life of a little child.  There is no better way to BE in the PRESENT, and behold the whole display of LIFE! Thank you, Oliver for new eyes every moment! 

I need to stop and share the endings and beginnings in the meadow. Even Martha Julia Agnes Adele would stop to look at these marvels in the meadow! I look forward to this time of year to see my last favorite wildflower of the blooming season in the meadow and here she is in all her glory! In the morning  dew she looks like diamond pearls!

And as these beauties are bringing in the last blooms of the season, this little red maple is the first to turn down at The Hillock to usher in the colors of fall! Francklin and I love them ALL!

I’ve always thought that acorns would be the best currency! At least in these economic times! The reason this little stove is named ‘the queen’s stove’ is because that is the name carved on this actual little stove that is down at The Hillock. Not sure who the queen really is in this story, or even if she ever will show up. No matter. She makes a mean acorn stew!

Posting before midnight is not happening! It’s hard to just let myself stop, go through all the screen shots and rig’a’m’roll to post before that ‘pumpkin transformational moment’ ruled by the clock, and not the paintbrush or the word! I will persist and beat this clock! And for now, I will accept my own timing and begin with NEW RESOLVE once again! Thank goodness for ‘another day’ and another ‘go at it’!

One challenge on this one was the text! I kept rewriting it, changing the order of the the text, and even which pages where certain text would live…even to the last midnight minute! so here goes page 10….for now!