Wednesday, January 13, 2016

My fairy house...


The Shiny Little House

I wish, how I wish that I had a little house,
With a mat for the cat and a hole for a mouse,
And a clock going “tock” in a corner of the room,
And a kettle, and a cupboard, and a big birch broom.

To school in the morning the children off would run,
And I'd give them a kiss and a penny and a bun,
But directly they had gone from this little house of mine,
I'd clap my hands and snatch a cloth, and shine, shine, shine.

I'd shine all the knives, all the windows, and the floors,
All the grates, all the plates, all the handles on the doors,
Every fork, every spoon, every lid, and every tin,
Till everything was shining like a new bright pin.

At night, by the fire, when the children were in bed,
I'd sit and I'd knit, with a cap upon my head,
And the kettles and the saucepans they would shine, shine, shine,
In this tweeny little, cosy little house of mine!


On Tuesday morning, when I left for school early (yes, I have an 8:00 class this semester), I  looked back at my house. It looked like a sweet little fairy house in the woods with the blue lights and the snow. I had to stop and take a photo. Later when I looked at this photo I immediately thought of the above poem. It was one of the first poems I ever learned. I recited it to my dolls over and over.

I am a lover of home wherever that takes me...to the farm...to the island...to a tiny cottage over a garage...or to the purple house where I live now. I love playing house as much as I did when I was little. In fact my favorite days are when I am home with the kettle singing!

I am glad this sweetest has stayed with me always. My dad once said that we take home with us wherever we go, and he was right. 

Spring break in St. Pete...

  Adam and his pups! The late-night flight is full. Everyone is heading out for spring break. Students and teachers, moms and dads, kids and...