Remembrance Roses

A Basket of Roses Have I for Thee,
Fragrance of Budding Bouquet.
I Shall Send a Living Valentine
To Remember Me on this Day.
~ Meg North

Read more...

The Waters We Pour ...

All Hail sign of Aquarius!
Last of Winter's Days,
Spring comes with Pisces Rain,
Washing the Snows Away.

Ruled by Uranus, zany Planet -
Perpetually on its Side,
Pouring Waters from my Jar
Upon the Rainbow Countryside.

Flash of Lightning Zags Appear
When Genius and Madness Intertwine.
Carroll, Edison, Lincoln, Darwin -
Scientist, Artist, Inventor Kind.

Down a Rabbit Hole, Light the Sky,
Lead us to Love Humanity -
Aquarians Make all Scratch their Heads
With our Loveable Insanity!
~ Meg North

Read more...

Thoroughly Thoreau

In a Cabin I do Dwell,
With Bird and Tree for Friend.
I walk Amongst the Sunlit Rays;
Three Bean-Rows I do Tend.

I collect Flowers in my Hat.
Fox and Raccoon Know my Name.
I sketch Worm into my Notebook;
For Lichened Rock I do the Same.

From these Scant Sketches,
A book of Mine Shall Emerge.
Advocating a Life Like Mine,
Singing the Materialist's Dirge.

Suck Deep from the marrow of Life,
Simple, present, and Deliberate.
For a Life half-lived is one-half Dead -
You might as well be an Invertabrate!
~ Meg North

Read more...

Absence Makes the Heart Wonder ...

I've had a tough month, so I'm sorry if I've been absent. My mind has always been really over-active, but now it's ping-ponging inside my head to such a great extent I haven't been able to quiet it. It's been really snowy here in Maine, but my tabletop amaryllis bloomed. She is so pretty, and brings me a bit of beauty amidst my mental clutter.


Too Fast, too fast, my Head doth Shout
As thoughts zap and zip and Zing,
I Want to turn Me off For aWhile
Forgetting I do too much Thinking.

Let me Rest somewhere, Free from this,
Abandon Thought and let a Dream come.
I'll curl up inside its Shell
At Peace at Last, in a Wispy Home.
~ Meg North

Read more...

A Visit to the Aura-Cull Restores Dream-Sight .... and My Soul

When I first started writing stories as a little girl, I wrote for children. Now that I've finished my first novel, my attention turns once again to writing for children. With the immense success of the Harry Potter series and the renewed interest in children's literature, plus my own thoughts and feelings about writing, I embark on a new adventure. I always was the adventurous sort, but lately haven't been feeling that way. It's odd - when we lose ourselves, give pieces of ourselves away, we find that when we call them back to us, it takes far more work than we thought.

But ... this talent, though rusty, still lives in me. I've begun a new story, about a magical dairy farm run by fairies. Here is the opening prologue - and I hope you ladies love it!

_______________________________________________________________________

The Land of Possibilities is a magical place. It began when the first child had the first child's dream, imagining a greater land beyond the one of the Real. And so the Land of Possibilities came into being, completely intact and fully populated with all the wondrous places and creatures in the child's dream. Over time, the land grew larger and larger, for it contained more creatures and more places in more dreams. When the first nightmare scared the first dreaming child, nightmare creatures came to live in the Land of Possibilities. Thus, it was no longer a land of complete goodness and happiness, but also a land of monsters, dark places, and evil curses.

The Land of Possibilities reflects our world, but it contains the Real Magic, a clear and transparent substance that grows in every child's heart, but begins to die when children grow up. Therefore, only children were ever allowed to visit the Land of Possibilities. The grown-up world is about facts from the Fact-tory, and not about dreams, so grown-ups forget it exists.

Until now.

I first dreamed of the Land of Possibilities when I was a child, inspired by other magical lands in magical storybooks. I visited many times as a child, made many amazing friends, and had many wonderful adventures.

But then I started to grow up, and I begged the Magic of the Land of Possibilities not to let me forget. On my final visit to the Land of Possibilities, I was blessed by the Aura-Cull. She lived on an Eyeland in the Dream See, and she gave me the Dream-Sight. So, even though I am a grown-up, I remember the Land of Possibilities, and all its fantastical places, wonderful inhabitants, and the children who visited.

Thanks to the Dream-Sight, I remember many stories!

One of the many whimsical and wondrous places on the Land of Possibilities is the Fairy Dairy. I had a wonderful meal of Cheese Peas, butter from the Butter-Flies, bread from the Sand Witch, honey from the Bee Witch, and milk from the Moo-lah cow herd. During my fun visit, the Fairy Farmers, Bo Vine and his wife Brown Betty, told me an amazing story. It's about some very mean birds, the hardworking Fairy Farmers, and two unlikely heroes. Thanks to the Dream-Sight, I can still remember every word.

So now, I can tell it to you!

________________________________________________________________________

I am ready for an adventure again! And this time, though I was blessed to remember my stories, I won't forget about them again. When all is said and done, I'd still rather be an L. Frank Baum or a James Barrie or a Louisa May Alcott than a Hawthorne anyday!

Read more...

Romantic Simplicity Part I - The Bedroom

Though Erik and I have been in our little Cape (barely over 1,000 square feet) for four months, I have yet to truly make my mark upon its character. Our former bedroom was the most deep and delectable shade of royal purple, thanks to Erik's whimsical taste. It was quite the color, but I find I miss it, since it was so unique and truly one of a kind.

In the spirit of our former purple bedroom, I embark on a small but whole-hearted journey towards imbibing our space with a sense of what I call: Romantic Simplicity. I am a romantic, in love with the more beautiful aspects of the 19th and early 20th centuries. But I am also a simple girl, counting Thoreau as one of my favorite gurus. I'd rather have one piece of exquisite antique lace, one ancient leatherbound copy of poems, one gorgeous and sumptuous sofa. I find it so deliciously wonderful that my favorite possessions can fit in one car-load!

In this post, I'll start with the Romantic Simple Bedroom. Here are some photos from places that have inspired me:

Although this bedroom may seem busy, it's actually very simply decorated. One beautiful rug, one ornate bed, snowy white linens, and twin nightstands with matching lamps create the perfect fusion of romance and simplicity. A sheer drape on the window provides an ethereal touch. This would be the ideal princess romantic simple bedroom!

The angle is weird, but the perfect elements are there: deeply colored furniture, my favorite color red on the bed, snowy white linens, matching nightstands, and artwork. The Victorians loved darker furniture in cherry and mahogany, so I have a tendency to like it, too. Although many people think of pastels when they think Victorian, the actual 19th century decors were awash in jewel tones. I would probably change three things about this room: different lamps (Victorian style), better floor covering (a rug with a pattern), and window draperies (sheer curtains). But this is a great starting place - I especially love the bureau!

Ooh la la! I think this is a honeymoon suite. I LOVE the slightly curvy yet still simplistic bed. I'd remove the yellow pillows and replace them with red or pink, add a more Victorian looking nightstand, and maybe more Victorian-looking pendants. Of course, gotta have 19th century art, too - modern art is too bold and abstract for me. I'd paint that extra wall gold to match the other wall. This room is simplistic, romantic, and very sensual. Lighting is key!

A tiny cottage princess room! This is what I'd imagine Sleeping Beauty might sleep in while living with her fairy friends. I love the wallpaper detail on the dado, and the light lavender is a lovely color. I'm actually not crazy about the canopy - I'd rather have it white. White is more Victorian and more romantic. The clean bedspread with the floral pattern is pretty, and the long simple drapes give the window a romantic touch. Love the teeny wall sconces - a perfect bedroom lighting solution! Both Erik and I need nightstands, since we're such voracious night time readers. The little white chair near the window is sweet, and I adore the tiny vanity tucked in the corner. I'd change the color of the carpeting to beige.


SO those are my inspirations.
Our bedroom is small, with two doors - one opening to the bathroom hallway, and the other opening near the staircase. We're on the ground floor, so the ceiling has a nice height. We have a teeny closet, so we have to have two bureaus. Right now, we have just one night stand, which Erik uses. My books are stacked on the floor next to the bed. :)

We're lucky to have brand-new hardwood floors. The room is currently painted a strange light shade of beige/taupe that's neither cool nor warm. I'm thinking a colonial blue and cream color scheme would suit us best, since our bed linens are predominantly those colors. I've had lots of blue bedrooms.

Here's my planning wishlist for the bedroom:

• Add white crown molding
• Add a white dado strip
• Paint the top part of the room colonial blue
• Add a nice Victorian-styled blue wallpaper to the bottom part of the room
• Replace both bureaus with one really nice low one
• Hang up our wedding sampler (stitched by my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother - an awesome wedding gift!)
• At least two more framed prints - something romantic, like Waterhouse or Renoir
• Replace old comforters and sheets with white down comforter, white or blue blanket, and white sheets
• Add a cottage bedskirt
• Prettier lighting - built-in wall sconces? Hanging pendants? 
• A rug? Probably blue and cream, or just cream

It's always good to have ideas! What do you think?

Read more...

Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year to everyone! I have been quite sick, but I do appreciate all of you lovely readers commenting on the Private Magic post.

I have a Microsoft Word journal, one file for every year, that I've been writing (apart from this blog) since the year 2000. Let me tell you - I've come a long way in ten years! I highly encourage any of you lovelies to keep not just a blog but a journal as well - a place to write down all your secrets and secret feelings. I'm amazed how far I've come since I was 18 in the year 2000, so full of emotions and promise and eagerly anticipating college and my adult life. It was a tumultuous year, but I'm pleased to have done so many things since then!

In a way, this new year has been a goodbye to the previous decade. The 2000's were a time of rapid change and growing up for me. I went to college, had my first serious relationship, graduated with honors, got my dog, spent some time living in Pennsylvania, came back to Maine, met my husband, moved in with him, got engaged, got married, bought a house, finished my novel, and have launched a writing business. In between there were plenty of fun friendships, lots of moves, different jobs, seven car accidents, a couple of summer flings (woo hoo!), a new piano, and, of course, this blog.

So, goodbye 2000's. I had an amazing time growing up, and have established myself as a wife, a homeowner, a dog mommy, and an adult, living quite happily in my little corner of Portland, Maine.

I say hello to a new decade, full of new adventures, new twists and turns, new milestones, and new stories to tell.

The adventures I live today will be the stories of tomorrow!

Read more...