Friday, October 24, 2008

Ghost Stories in Steuben County

Folks,

This is the week end that we wait for all year...the week end before Halloween. Everyone is ready...the houses are all decked out with pumpkins, orange lights, dangling ghosts and skeletons. My house is no exception as orange lights adorn my trellises and staircases.

The weather is co-operating as well with temperatures in the low 40's and a cold rain. (At least trick or treating is next week and maybe the rain will stop!)

Tonight Fremont Library hosts the annual spook house for young children. We will be set up in the library due to the weather, but ghosts and haints will haunt the stacks as children clothed in their costumes will roam about. I will be telling stories there as well...keep in mind for young children!

Tomorrow night is the annual Storytelling at Pokagon State Park. My friend, Steve Etheridge, and I will be sharing our ghostly tales in front of the fire place in the pavilion at Pokagon. This event is sponsored by the park and by the Potawatomi Inn! You will want to dress warmly as the cold and rain do tend to seep into the pavilion. Fred Wooley and Aaron (my naturalist son, Aaron) will have the pavilion adorned with carved pumpkins and a roaring fire will be placed on the hearth. Occasionally a bat or black cat will fly or stroll through adding to the atmosphere!

The children's show is at 6:30 and stories for adults ONLY begins at 8:00. Come early to get seats, however!! Please come on up and say hello to Steve and myself. We love visiting with you.

Until then,

Happy Haunting. Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, teacher, writer, and dreamer of dreams. She can be found
writing late into the night under the light of her red fringed lamp in Angola, Indiana.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

White Picket Gardens


My white picket gardens have become a symbol of my gardening, my writing, my who-am-I status in my small town and beyond.

However, my lovely old picket fence has been in great need of painting. Let me also make it clear that there are lots of picket fences in my garden...they are around my raspberry patch, my vegetable garden, they combine with trellises for morning glories and honeysuckle. Brides have blushed under these trellises...folks have told stories and spent evenings sitting out by the fire enclosed inside the picket fence. Jonah and Matthew play inside the garden as well as all the children in the neighborhood...so, it came down to the last moment when they just had to be painted.

I tried to get other folks to paint for me...you know Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn stuff, but no luck. So, I decided this Autumn to just do it myself. Today I finished the outside perimeter as my neighbors cheered me on down to the last fence post. The sun was going down and I was freezing cold but I prevailed...a cheer went up in the neighborhood as I put down my brush!

Now all I have to do is the inside of the fence which probably won't happen until spring because of all the plants and such.

I actually found it very pleasurable to paint my fence, my mind could just roam about and dream as I painted picket after picket after picket.......

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, teacher, writer, and dreamer of dreams. She can be found writing late into the night under the light of her red fringed lamp in Angola, Indiana.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Passing the time with stories

So, for a week I have been traveling...telling stories...at schools, at the Storytelling Arts Festival in Indianapolis. I love this job that I have...this role of storyteller that I have nitched out for myself.

On Saturday four of my school students came to perform as well. It was exciting for me to show them around and brag a bit. It was something like show and tell! I was able to emcee their show and watch them work in this surrounding of stage and theatre. They were thrilled. I do think a star or two was born.

I came home to a lovely baby shower for a friend given by Tonya. So, she made another trip up north to share her talents with her friends and family.

It has been good to share conversations on the old front porch watching the full moon rise and telling stories.

I guess that really is the role I play in all of my life...storyteller, and I am happy for this role.

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, teacher, writer, and dreamer of dreams. She can be found writing late into the night under the light of her red fringed lamp in Angola, Indiana.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Autumn Campfire


It was the perfect night after a day of yard work and painting. Late in the afternoon Karen and I decided we should have a lovely bonfire to end the work day and invited all the neighbors over. It was an easy thing to do as everyone was out mowing or raking or painting or just sighing over the spectacular Autumn day.

By 7:30 neighbors began arriving with lawn chairs...there were children and dogs and many stories to tell as we gathered around the fire making our circle larger as more folks arrived. My student from Trine Unviversity arrived as well. I am her host family for the year and this was her first outing. Mengting is from Mainland China in a small village where it is always spring. I believe she is in for a big surprise. It was her first experience with a campfire, marshmallows and s'mores.

The children drank hot chocolate while Blue Moon beer was passed out among the grown ups. No one wanted to leave the lovely hot ember coals, but close to 11, everyone was growing sleepy and it was time to say good night. It is lovely to have neighbors visit. Everyone left through the garden gates carrying their chairs and their children. I sat outside for a while watching stars and sparks dance into the ebony night.

As I cleaned up the yard and poked at the coals, I knew it had been a lovely golden night. As Henry Glassie once wrote, "It was enough so that in the morrow we can nod and say it was a good night."

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, teacher, writer, and dreamer of dreams. She can be found writing late into the night under the light of her red fringed lamp in Angola, Indiana

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Frosty Night

Last night was the first frost in northern Indiana. There frost warnings blared on the radio from the weather forecaster, but I think I knew it to be true beforehand.

There is a certain kind of feel in the air when the frost is imminent. I had spent the day mowing and raking and pruning and weeding with a sweat shirt and jeans as it was cool. But the sky was azure blue and the crows were cawing the frost warning. The neighbor girls came and picked the last of the red raspberries out of the patch for their early morning breakfast today. I covered what was left of my garden, the last tomatoes and squash to keep them going for a while longer.

This morning when I went walking, the barest glimmer of frost was on roof tops and the Commons outside of town. I am sure the countryside was of great beauty and that the lakes were steaming.

I have been reading James Whitcomb Riley to my kids at school this week, When the Frost is on the Pumpkins. I can only hope they all woke up this morning thinking about the poem!

A lovely day before me...for painting, for gardening, for visiting the farmer's market and for cooking hot dogs outside tonight on the fire. Come to think of it, I might just make an apple pie as well!! Autumn is definitely here.

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, teacher, writer, and dreamer of dreams. She can be found writing late into the night under the light of her red fringed lamp in Angola, Indiana.

Congratulations Trine!!

  My first glimpse of our monument decked in Trine blue took my breath away. I was coming home from the Thursday night game with Aaron and R...