My roses will be a lovely addition to tonight's "A Rose, Instead" self care class for the Art Therapy group in Delaware. We'll be using Zoom to meet again this week. They are such a delightful, appreciative group. I'm looking forward to our session!

,My teddy bear in his new brighter, lighter more visible outfit so he can be more easily seen from his second story window! 

There is a global movement to go on a bear hunt and our community is participating!  We are putting bears, sloths, bunnies and big fish - any think that will delight children going on walks with their families - in our windows. 

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a 1989 children's picture book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. It encourages children to look for bears in their neighborhoods. Families through out neighborhoods are joining in the fun by placing their special stuffed animals in windows to watch for the children as they go by. 

Our local NextDoor has been very enthusiast about putting stuffed animals in windows and taking walks to see the friendly faces. You might want to consider having neighbors join in your community!

Spent some time last week making masks for health care workers, friends and family. My Olivia the pig fabric panels from a friend were the perfect size, and the pattern I used had pockets to insert the filters. The masks are washable and I sent extra filters. The day I finished them and put them in the mail, I read 50,000 masks had been sent to local  hospitals! Think I'll let the professional take it from here, but  it was gratifying doing my  small part! Hope they'll bring safety and smiles! 

St. Patrick wasn't Irish, he wore blue, not green and there were no snakes.
​But there were vampires and leprechauns and witches. Oh my!

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I'm using my alphabet prompts to learn more about all things Irish. I'm only doing one or two topics per letter, even though I can think of many more for some.. Even so, be warned. This will be a long post. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Let's start with something light and fun! Ha!

A is for Abhartach, the Irish Vampire. 
Even though Dracula, the character created by Bram Stoker, is most often associated with Transylvania, in reality he may have been based on an Irish king, Abhartach. He was said to be a dwarf and considered to be evil and feared by all who knew him.
He was a very jealous man and was suspicious of his wife, convinced that she was having an affair. While spying on her from a high castle window, he fell to his death. The entire kingdom was relieved.. They buried him upright, apparently the correct burial position for royalty, and enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep. One. Just one.
Because the next day, he rose from the dead, and demanded that all of his subjects slit their wrists and drain their blood into bowls. Well, you can imagine they were upset, so they traveled to the next village seeking help from another king, Cathan, who came, killed him and buried him once more. 
You guessed it. Up he came, ready for yet another snack.
This continued until Cathan decided to seek help from a saint who explained there was no way to kill someone who was already dead!
His suggestion was to bury him upside down, cover him with thorns and ash branches, and top it off with a huge boulder. As far as we know it worked, and peace returned to the kingdom. He served as inspiration for Stoker's Dracula, and all lived happily ever after!

A banshee is a terrifying, wispy, floating specter with a piercing scream who warns of a coming death in the family. First reports were in Ireland in the 8th century. This alarming figure, usually female, varies in age from a young maiden to an old woman. Some families were reported to have their very own banshee, possibly having been a family member who had passed. They were known for their  keening,  mournful singing and wailing, as they lamented the death of loved ones. 

,​King Lir, Bobd Derg, was left with four motherless children, one daughter and three sons, when his wife Aoibh, the queen, unexpectedly passed away. The king decided to marry Aoife, his wife's sister,