Today my four year old was walking around carrying an alarm clock, saying, “my mischief clock is about to go off. \u00a0When my mischief clock goes off, that’s how I know it’s time to start my mischief.”<\/p>\n
Little does he know, he’s right on time!<\/p>\n
As you may know, Wednesday, June 21st<\/strong>\u00a0is the summer solstice. \u00a0Did you know\u00a0that Summer Solstice is also associated with Midsummer\u2019s Eve<\/strong>? \u00a0That would be the same Midsummer that Shakespeare was referring to in\u00a0A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And if you\u2019ve ever seen or studied that play, chances are you remember some of the magic that ensued.<\/p>\n Lovers led astray by fairy magic\u2026 \u00a0A proud fairy Queen brought low by mischief\u2026 \u00a0(Mischief worthy of my four year old son, no less!) \u00a0A story rich enough in humor, wonder, and strangeness to bring us laughter and wonder alike.<\/p>\n Shakespeare didn\u2019t invent the fairy magic of\u00a0Midsummer\u2019s Eve. \u00a0Rather, he drew on his viewer\u2019s familiarity with a longstanding tradition.<\/strong><\/p>\n On Midsummer’s Eve day in long ago England, rural families spent the afternoon gathering armloads of wild flowers. \u00a0They used these flowers to decorate a large cross, which they danced and sang songs around.<\/p>\n Then, at night, they gathered for a bonfire.<\/p>\n But the sweetest part of this day was for children.<\/strong><\/p>\n On Midsummer\u2019s Eve, little ones would seek out a corner of the garden where they believed that the fairies made their home<\/strong>. \u00a0There, they would leave their offerings<\/strong> of cakes or other handmade treasures.<\/p>\n In the morning they would return and find that the offering had been taken, and a sweet treat or treasure left in its place.<\/p>\n In my family, we’ve carried this tradition into the present day with a few modifications. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n We hold our \u201cbonfire\u201d around a store bought fire pit \u00a0($30 at Lowes! \u00a0Who knew?) And because my husband loves grilling, it also involves shishkabob. \u00a0Why not?<\/p>\n For our offerings, we spend the afternoon making mudcakes. \u00a0This is one of my children\u2019s favorite regular outdoor activities. \u00a0But for Midsummer, we add brightly colored petals. \u00a0The children love arranging these into bright mandalas.<\/p>\n I love listening to my son as he scours the garden for other treats to leave for them. \u00a0A few of his favorite things to prepare for them are \u201cmouse corn\u201d (the broken off pistil of a calla lily, and \u201cmouse broccoli\u201d (a tiny clump of unbloomed buds from our hydrangea).<\/p>\n But the best part might just be when they creep out in their pajamas in the morning to see whether the sprites have come.<\/p>\n And the truth is, in these moments, my children aren’t the only ones who experience wonder.<\/p>\n I do, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n Because these are the moments that bring us together as a family, in real felt experience of the passage of time.<\/p>\n I notice the birdsongs.<\/p>\n The apples finally swelling on the tree, for the first time since the drought started years ago.<\/p>\n The joy on the faces of my children.<\/p>\n So I guess you could say I’m feeling the fairy magic too.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got a new song about fairies I was hoping to share with you in this post. \u00a0But alas, I haven\u2019t been able to get a good video yet, so it will have to wait\u2026 \u00a0But it will be on our new recording, coming in two weeks. \u00a0I\u2019ll look forward to sharing it with you then.<\/span><\/p>\n And in the meantime, here’s another song I wrote about\u00a0Midsummer Night’s Dream. <\/strong>\u00a0I wrote this song for adults, not children. \u00a0But\u00a0this time, it still feels right to share it. \u00a0After all, this time of year is for us grown ups as well. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I_Ih-2OjAxQ” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” max_width=”6in” text_font_size=”16″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thanks for reading! \u00a0And if you’re in the bay area, join us for Meadowlark Music Class<\/strong>. \u00a0Our summer session starts in two weeks.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I’m looking forward to singing with you and your little ones!<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button admin_label=”Button” button_url=”http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/musicclass\/” url_new_window=”off” button_text=”Learn More \/ Register” button_alignment=”center” background_layout=”light” custom_button=”off” button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” max_width=”6in” text_font_size=”16″] Happy Solstice, everyone! Today my four year old was walking around carrying an alarm clock, saying, “my mischief clock is about to go off. \u00a0When my mischief clock goes off, that’s how I know it’s time to start my mischief.” Little does […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Happy Solstice, everyone! \u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pablo-59.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pablo-60.png\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a0
As you may know, Wednesday, June 21st marks our entry into the warm summer months. \u00a0For a lot of us these days, summer solstice tends to slip by unnoticed. \u00a0But it\u2019s really a beautiful moment to stop together and notice as a family\u2026 \u00a0as the sun sets on our longest day of the year.
\u00a0
Did you know that Summer Solstice is also associated with Midsummer\u2019s Eve? \u00a0If this is ringing a bell from a long ago English class, that may be you remembering the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream. \u00a0
\u00a0
And if you\u2019ve ever seen or studied that play, chances are you remember some of the magic that ensued. \u00a0
\u00a0
Lovers led astray by fairy magic\u2026 \u00a0A proud fairy Queen brought low by mischief\u2026 \u00a0A story rich enough in laughter, wonder, and strangeness to inspire wonder in children and adults alike.
\u00a0
As it turns out, Shakespeare didn\u2019t invent the revelry and wonder of Midsummer\u2019s Eve. \u00a0
\u00a0
He drew on his viewer\u2019s familiarity with a longstanding agrarian tradition. \u00a0
\u00a0
On Midsummer's Eve day in long ago England, rural families spent the afternoon gathering armloads of wild flowers. \u00a0They used these flowers to decorate a large cross, which they danced and sang songs around.
\u00a0
Then, at night, they gathered for a bonfire.
\u00a0
But the sweetest part of this day was for the children. \u00a0
\u00a0
On Midsummer\u2019s Eve, little ones would seek out a corner of the garden where they believed that the fairies made their home. \u00a0There, they would leave their offerings of cakes or other handmade treasures.
\u00a0
In the morning they would return and find that the offering had been taken, and a sweet treat or treasure left in its place.
\u00a0
In my family, we've carried this tradition into the present day with a few modifications. \u00a0:)
\u00a0
We hold our \u201cbonfire\u201d around a store bought fire pit \u00a0($30 at Lowes! \u00a0Who knew?) And because my husband loves grilling, it also involves shishkabob. \u00a0Why not?
\u00a0
For our offerings, we spend the afternoon making mudcakes. \u00a0This is one of my children\u2019s favorite regular outdoor activities. \u00a0But for Midsummer, we add brightly colored petals. \u00a0The children love arranging these into bright mandalas.
\u00a0
I love listening to my son as he scours the garden for other treats to leave for them. \u00a0A few of his favorite things to prepare for them are \u201cmouse corn\u201d (the broken off pistil of a calla lily, and \u201cmouse broccoli\u201d (a tiny clump of unbloomed buds from our hydrangea).
\u00a0
But the best part might just be when they creep out in their pajamas in the morning to see whether the sprites have come.
\u00a0
And the truth is, in these moments, my children aren't the only ones who experience wonder. \u00a0
\u00a0
I do, too.
\u00a0
Because these are the moments that bring us together as a family, in real felt experience of the passage of time.
\u00a0
I notice the sweet birdsongs of the morning.
\u00a0
The apples finally swelling on the tree, for the first time since the drought started years ago.
\u00a0
The joy on the faces of my children.
\u00a0
So I guess you could say I'm feeling the fairy magic too.
\u00a0
As you may have guessed, this week I\u2019m sharing a song for Midsummer\u2019s Eve.
\u00a0
Followers of my singer songwriter music will have a good laugh at this, since you\u2019ll know it\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve visited this topic!
\u00a0
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I_Ih-2OjAxQ
\u00a0
We\u2019ll be singing this song with the families who come to Meadowlark Music Class this summer. \u00a0And\u2026 \u00a0Meadowlark\u2019s summer session starts next week! \u00a0
\u00a0
Learn more \/ Register
\u00a0
http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/musicclass\/<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[53,3,7,9,4,1,5,11],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}