The night before Thanksgiving...

 

Twas the night before Thanksgiving

and all through the house

every creature was moving

including the mouse.

 

The pans were all hung

from the worn rack with care

they had been waiting for weeks

the food all to share.

 

Mama in her apron

and Pa in his jeans

had just cleaned all the corn

and shelled all the beans.

 

When out in the field

there rose such a clatter

Pa grabbed his ole' shotgun

to see what was the matter.

 

Away to the hilltop

the hunter he flew
with a bag full of shells
in an early evening dew

And then in a twinkling
he heard a loud gobbler
while Ma was still home
a'fixin the cobbler

Now with the big turkey
a struttin' his stuff
after working the gym
he's looking quite buff.

The hunter took aim
his shot was real bad
the turkey flew off
the hunter was mad.

He walked through the garden,
a pickin' it clean
didn't leave any veggie
not even a bean.

Back into the house
they made a big stew
a big veggie dinner
just perfect for two...

Again!

This poem was compsed in bits and pieces as the Homan family came and went during the dinner hour! Enjoy it and Happy Thanksgiving!

Lou Ann














 

 

 

 

 



Once upon a Dream (yes, I borrowed that title from Sleeping Beauty!)

Dear Friends,

My studio is so quiet in the morning. Sometimes I think I should be a Folger's coffee commercial...waking up, putting the coffee on, and then opening the door to the studio. I turn on the lights, open the laptop and settle in.

I think everyone needs a quiet space, a place to be for thoughts to swirl through your imagination, or words to be read from books, or poems to be told that are waiting on the shelf.

There was a tree when I was a little girl to hide from my parents, the same tree that the neighbor boy, Roger, fell out of. That definitely was an exciting summer.

There were places on my college campus, on my farm, and in the town as well. Sometimes these places were simply getting into my old Jeep (have you noticed that my Jeep has always been old???), and driving away to settle down with a book for an hour or two.

I have a special place on Ocracoke as well, somewhere I can go to be alone to think or read. Of course, now I have my studio as well.

So, on this early Monday morning, I am spending a few moments thinking of solitude and how it is a good thing.

With all your busyness this week, find your place for tea or coffee or drifting off into a dream....

Lou Ann

P.S. No, Larry, I have not named it yet!

 

My Indiana Studio!

The Popcorn Lady at Rural King...

Dear Friends,
Yesterday was day nine (of the ten), and I had all four children to myself...alone...YIKES!

Luckily for me, the boys are older (8 and 11), and they took over a lot of the work including the hauling in and out of the cars, seat belts..well all of that!

We played outside most of the day raking leaves from one location and then piling them up in another so that they could do some jumping.

We also took our field trip to Rural King, our favorite store. As we pulled into the parking lot, we notice hundreds of seagulls circling around a car. We stopped to watch and I jumped out of the car to take a video. I talked to the man and woman afterwards, and they told me their favorite hobby was to come to Rural King, buy a giant bag of popcorn for $1 and feed it to the seagulls.

It was very reminiscent of Ocracoke, except there are no tractors on sale there!

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at deer heads, camouflage easy chairs and live bunnies.

Yes, all in all, what a great day in northern Indiana. Enjoy this one video clip of our own seagulls! More videos to follow from our exciting day!

As always, thanks for reading and watching!

Lou Ann

"Ten for ten..."

Dear Friends,

Here we go again, the ten for ten! (This translates to ten family members visiting for ten days!)

Often people say, "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?" Hmmmm.....what about the other nine, I think?

A couple of years ago I was listening to NPR during Thanksgiving and there was a woman caller who was whispering to the moderator. She actually was calling from the closet, the only quiet place she could find.

So, with the old house bursting with activity, we share our blessings one by one...or ten by ten!

I will let you know if I get to that point!

Thank you for reading, as always. 


Click here for this week's column!

Shadows and Light

Shadows in my Parlor

It is late on this Sunday afternoon. Earlier I dig the potatoes for winter, I clean off my shovel and dump old plants into the compost heap. The leaves I do not rake, I let winter have their way with them and mulch the goodness into the earth.

The bench is gone as are the other signs of summer, but I leave two green chairs by the fire ring for nights such as this.

I come into the old house with streaks of late Autumn sun dust filling the cracks on the walls. Shadows appear in places where shadows have not appeared before, since last Autumn.

I think of all that has come, the spring and summer, and patiently wait for the callings of winter and cardinals on the snow.


Tonight I will read Wendell Berry and Norbert Krapf before sleep takes me deep into the heart of dreams and darkness.

Farewell beloved Indian Summer, thank you for sharing your beauty another year.

So, will he?

Dear Friends,

This week's column is a fun rendition of Philip's last couple of days in Indiana.

The story is for fun, but truthfully it has been a great visit. He has been busy with my community and storytelling events. He has built a nice group of friends and was able to find lots to do when I was working.

I just sent him on his way back home to Ocracoke. Perhaps he will come back for a visit...or perhaps not. We shall see.

As always, thanks for reading the column.  Enjoy!

Lou Ann

Click here for this week's column.

A little solitude...

Dear Friends,

The past week has been full of rehearsing, storytelling, and traveling. It has also been the week of the election which has occupied time and energy, especially those of us in small towns.

Late Sunday, upon returning home,  I took a hike at Beechwood Nature Preserve with friends. At the end of the walk, Kathy French pulled out her book, "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold.

In the midst of life and chaos, it was wonderful to stop for a few moments to share in this moment in time.

I hope you enjoy it as well.

Thank you for reading and listening.

Lou Ann

The circle goes on...

I hope you can join us in Indianapolis tonight for my new show, "Gathering Coal for the Lord." This piece is sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Frank and Katrina Basile. Thank you so much.

This performance (and writing) piece has been a labor of love for me. Tonight there will be a wonderful surprise so I hope you can join us.

Not only do I now have a new story to tell, I have a written piece of history for my family. I am thinking Christmas gift!

Please click here for this week's column about this piece and how hope of the next generation will get us through!

As always, thanks for reading.

Lou Ann

Click here for this week's column.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Dear Folks,

This is for all of you who love Ocracoke.

Who is the Hunchback of Notre Dame??

No hints! The first one who guesses correctly will win a handful of candy!

Lou Ann

Happy Haunted Halloween....

Happy Halloween everyone, a little haiku for the season:

 

ghostly brocaded raindrops

erases Autumn's facade

leaving stark limbs of bareness

 

laboring crickets

tucked behind kitchen cupboards

nightly lullaby

 

floating black bats

whisk down into my chimney

swerves in hallways

 

And what is Halloween without a visit to an Indiana pumpkin patch?

Are you there Charlie Brown??

 

 

 

 



Gathering Coal for the Lord

Frank Basile Emerging Stories

Sponsored by Frank and Katrina Basile

Saturday, November 3
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Frank and Katrina Basile Theater

Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center

450 W. Ohio St
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Advance Tickets - Tickets $10, Door $15

Buy tickets on line, or call 317-232-1882.

Since 2000, in support of Indiana storytellers, Storytelling Arts of Indiana annually awards financial fellowships for the develoment and premiere of a new story.

This year Lou Ann Homan will tell Gathering Coal for the Lord, stories of her father's childhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana during the Great Depression.

The storefront mission of Lou Ann's grandparents, Ralph and Goldie Saylor, is the setting for tales of harvesting horseradish, cooking cornbread and beans, and saving souls to the tune of "Amazing Grace."

Join Lou Ann as she shares these personal yet historic stories. For more information visit www.louannhoman.com.

 

Halloween weekend!

Click here for this week's column!

This past weekend held a plethora of Halloween activities and visits! Thanks to my small town for supporting all the storytelling activities and events. One more show and then I can hang up my witch's hat for another year.

The photo was taken by Fred Wooley at Pokagon on Saturday night. It was a spectacular night with the almost full moon, crispy clear night and the scent of popcorn in the air.

To my friends in the pathway of Frankenstorm, I am thinking of you. Take care and know that the Midwest is concerned about you even though we are miles away. Most conversations are of Hurricane Sandy and the elections.

Stay safe. If anyone needs a place to go, come on over. I have lots of room for you. This is a serious invitation, just drop me a note and we will be waiting for you.

Almost full moon at Pokagon State Park. This photo was taken
by Fred Wooley.

Out and about at Trine University

Hi Folks,

This has been a very exciting fall for me as I took a part time job at Trine University. I think I always wanted to teach there and actually applied a couple of years ago.  Last summer I received a call asking if I was interested. I must admit that I definitely was curious.

I teach part time, or better known in colleges, as an adjunct professor.

I am enjoying my classes and enjoy the students very much. It has been challenging, and very interesting.

My schedule is well done so that I have time to write, create, and travel for my storytelling and writing schedule. It is only three blocks away so I can bike to work. I am very active in lots of the activities as well. It is nice to live so close to this job, that is a first for me.

So, let's just have a look at Trine University.

As always, thanks for watching.

Lou Ann

Here are a few photos for those of you who cannot view the video. I am sorry you cannot hear the ten bells!