Green and Wilde

Before Al Gore, before fair trade coffee, before simple living, before bloggers, and certainly before any of this came crashing into my awareness, there was "The Young King", a short story by Oscar Wilde. I do not know much more than the standard about Mr. Wilde, but I have loved his stories since a child, and this was always one of my favourites. These days I find it more complex than I remember, and I don't really agree with the ending other than it is literary-wise the romantic thing to do, but I still love it. And the odd thing is, most of the arguments that I encounter against the choices that our little family makes for a simpler, greener, more connected life could be taken from characters in this story, verbatim. If you have time, I invite you to read it, as it is a pleasurable read, and a good place to start.

The Last Little Bit for Tonight

Oh, and as my Mom decided to stay over for the weekend, I've had the luxury of reading. For hours on end this morning. Yesterday I rather sceptically picked up a book she was reading, thinking I'd read a couple of pages, you know, like picking at a food you're quite sure you're not going to like:

Eat. Pray. Love.

I devoured it in two days. Reading an emotionally charged book like that at that speed results in an emotional experience akin to what I imagine it's like driving in a Formula-1 race: a little exhilarating and a little white-knuckled at times. You know in "When Harry Met Sally" when the lady leans over to waiter and says "I'll have what she's having"? That. Except spiritually.

Now I'm tired, and me and my cold are going to bed.

Little Girls and Why I'm Off Dr. Suess

My mother doesn't know that the lovely anthology of Dr. Suess that she gave Safiya for her second Christmas has been "disappeared". A year ago, as we began to read more Dr. Suess to her, there dawned on me a growing realisation that there were no, but no, female characters in his books. It grew more and more infuriating and uncomfortable the more we read. The absence of "she" (even in the pictures) made even me as the narrator feel cast out from the world, and I wondered what how this misrepresentation is processed by children. Feeling slightly crazy and tired of having to change pronouns all the time, telling nobody, we disappeared what for many is quintessential children's literature.


Today I splurged and picked up "Fearless Girls, Wise Woman and Beloved Sisters", by Kathleen Ragan. It's not a picture book (no illustrations), but an anthology of folk tales from around the world. On the way home, I read one of the tales to Safiya, and she sat and listened as the subway train swayed. Anxious to read more, I was leafing through the book and happened upon this, in the introduction (and if you use the link above you can preview some of the book, including part of the introduction):

"The more I read, the more uncomfortable I became. I couldn't find any female characters in these books. I found myself changing the pronouns from male to female when I read the stories to her."

She goes on in detail how she researched the books by...Dr. Suess. So we're not crazy. However, that's not the real point. Her introduction does better justice to the point than I can (and it's hardly Suess-bashing for all you Suess-lovers out there), so I'm just going to point the way to this lovely book.

And then there's this:


Nothing more wholesome than an apple, a glass of orange juice, and reading "Little House in the Big Woods" aloud, right? We started reading these aloud to Safiya last summer (she plays quietly and any time I stop because I suspect her interest might be waning, her little head whips up and she says "But why did you stop Mama? Don't stop reading!" And so I don't...) But oh my the racism (although when a child, my brain only picked up the opposite from these stories, somehow), the strict gender roles, the authoritarian obedience. I loved these stories when I was a child, and they are someone's story, so we edit some of it out, sure that when she can read she'll find her way. Maybe the story will just change slowly.

But this? I think I'll just rip this page out :-)


Just a little editing....

A Good Day

...in reference to Safiya's third birthday party on Saturday, of which this was the (partial) aftermath:


....we don't have a dishwasher...there are two big toteboxes of dishes on the floor that you can't see - thank goodness! About thirty wonderful friends and family were here for BBQ lunch and Safiya had a blast (I think - she was birthday-party-and-i've-only-eaten-toast-honey-and-chocolate cupcakes-all -day delirious and presents!-presents!-presents! crazy, but I think that's a good thing when you're three....)

Our little house was packed, which I loved, because everything rang with laughter and kids playing various "musical" instruments and people calling for more coffee and stories and jokes and "can-I-help-you?" and "move the tables outside!" (I had a table set up inside in the playroom so that we could fit everyone to sit down - forget it - everyone crammed in our little backyard!)

Mr. S. and I prepared for a while for this, but you know what I did on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the party? Clean? nope. Make party favours? nope. Cook? nope (besides which Safiya and I both had summer colds - bleh) Finish the baby quilt I'm working on for my cousin? nope.

Read the latest Harry Potter book from beginning to end, practically non-stop (as non-stop as you can when there's an almost-three-year-old in the house?)

Obviously!