Home from Philadelphia and thrust into a busy week, but what a lovely trip it was! More on the reading and the fascinating Ukrainian Club soon, but first some thoughts about vacations and visits.
Philly is starting to feel like home.
Fuzzy phone picture of me & Trillian Stars
One of the gifts of having friends in distant places is that when you stay with them and cultivate memories in their home city, it begins to feel like home.
The last time Kyle Cassidy stayed with us in Chicago, we talked about how it’s comforting to return to a friend’s home and have your gadgets recognized by the network, have their pets and/or children recognize you, and know where to find the water glasses. It’s so true.
When I was a child, we usually took one family vacation each summer–a road trip. We never really had family or friends to visit in those places. Our vacations were lovely and memorable, but they were hotel stays and swimming pools, parks and restaurants. There’s something very different about staying with, or visiting, friends. It transforms a vacation into a visit, and those are different shades of a holiday.
On a visit, if you’re very lucky, you can sleep surrounded by beloved books and cats, wake up to #morningCATface, get greeted by a skeleton out of the closet, and have a friend make you coffee.
Of course we miss our friends when they’re not in our hometown, but what a joy it is to experience home in different places.
We came home from the kids’ first fencing class today—awesome but for another post—and saw our black and white pussywillows with their catkins. We planted them last summer, long after the catkins hadgiven way to leaves. This is our first spring seeing them at Casa del Lobos. It cheered us on this cold Spring day.
In many of the Eastern Rite Churches, pussy willows are used instead of palms on Palm Sunday, and they are tapped gently (mostly) on backsides with the saying “It’s not I, but the willow, that taps you on this week of Easter” (translated from Ukrainian).
In typical Ukrainian fashion, there’s a folktale about the origin of pussy willows. I’ve posted an excerpt from my novel, The Silence of Trees, where Nadya recounts the story to her granddaughters. Warning: It is not a happy story.
Do you know why pussy willows have these fluffy white buds?” I asked them. They shook their heads. “Well, once there lived a mean old farmer who had a pretty little brown cat—”
“What was her name?” Tamara asked.
“Her name was Kasha,” I answered, “and one spring day, Kasha had nine beautiful baby kittens. But the mean old farmer didn’t want the kittens, so he took them all and threw them into a great big sack.”
“Oh no,” the girls said in unison, looking around for Khvostyk, who stared at them from under the table.
“Well, he took the sack down to the river and tossed it in, waiting for it to sink to the bottom. Kasha sat on the riverbank mewing and crying for her lost babies until a willow tree nearby asked her what was the matter. Kasha told the willow what had happened, and because willows are naturally kind trees, the tree plunged her branches into the water and pulled out the sack. Kasha ripped a hole in it to free her babies, but all but one of the kittens had drowned. Ever since, willows everywhere bloom with kitten-like buds in memory of the drowned kittens and their sad mother.”
From The Silence of Trees, by Valya Dudycz Lupescu (Wolfsword Press 2010)
This weekend I witnessed my first roller derby bout, a mixer with members of Mississippi Valley Mayhem and the Chocolate City Cherry Bombers at the High Roller in La Crosse, WI. Wow.
Recently several friends have become interested in the contact sport on roller skates. It’s one I know little about. My little sister used to watch it in the early 2000s. I think she tossed around the thought of participating at one time (for the record, I think she would have been an awesome derby girl).
So when it worked out that I would be going to La Crosse for a reading/book signing, I wanted to make sure that it was during a time when I could watch my lovely friend “Maura Tyranny” Henn (of Mississippi Valley Mayhem) in a bout.
We arrived at the rink on Sunday evening and took our suicide seats on the rink floor, while the photographer-types among us wandered around and captured amazing shots like these (follow the link).
"Maura Tyranny"
A tiny pixie of a woman with a giant heart and spirit, Maura was incredible. I’ll admit to being more than a little concerned about all the falling and blocking, but she sprang back up quickly and sped around with confidence.
I was happy to have the ear of my friend Linda (onesockshort) who so kindly explained a few early strategies and answered questions. I was also grateful for the instruction on derby basics I had received a few weeks prior from another friend, derby coach Andrea (Thank you!)
These women are FAST around that track!
We watched as the teams stretched and skated around in their colorful attire, and we had a great conversation about the appeal of derby and the positive attitude it conveys about body image and health and sport (something increasingly rare in this day and age).
Certainly that’s part of the appeal: a place where women can express themselves in all manner of tutus, t-shirts, and tights. It’s a sport where they can bond with their team and their fans, where they can be strong and sexy, creative and nimble. Their fashions are fun and outside all the boxes; the names are clever and full of allusions to literature, music, pop culture, movies. These are smart, savy women, and I wish I had had more time to talk with them after the bout. Next time.
Referee Tina Needles
(For those interested in the nuances and rules of roller derby, the WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association) website has rules and pretty diagrams.)
Here I am in the center of our band of merry women from Chicago with our friend, Mississippi Valley Mayhem's "Maura Tyranny."
The bout started off slowly (which was good for a beginner like me) and soon picked up speed. Maura’s team for the night was the “Blarney Stones” and after being behind in the first half, they sprang forward in the second half to win the bout! I’m not really a sports fan by nature (I never really get into the various ball games), but that second half derby bout was one of the most exciting sporting events I’ve ever witnessed!
After the bout we went to a party at Yesterdaze in downtown La Crosse, where we watched exhausted but exhilarated derby girls and their fans chilling out after the game. We also wanted to see the tables at Yesterdaze, sculpted by Maura’s incredibly talented partner, the artist Ethan Schandelmeier.
The bar was was dark and crowded, but you can get an idea of these incredible sculptured tables, reminiscent of H.R. Giger and Fuchs. I first met Ethan at the American Gods House on the Rock event with Neil Gaiman last fall, and I liked Ethan immediately. It’s been a joy getting to know him better. He is definitely an artist to watch!
The artist, Ethan Schandelmeier, and one of his tables (photo by Maura Henn).
We went back to the Metal House for coffee, local treats, and to watch Whip It. In the morning, we bid farewell to Maura and Ethan and drove out of La Crosse, back to Chicago.
