The Haunted House on Howlin’ Hill

Haunted

by Shel Silverstein

I dare you all to go into

The Haunted House on Howlin’ Hill,

Where squiggly things with yellow eyes

Peek past the wormy window sill.

We’ll creep into the moonlit yard,

Where weeds reach out like fingers,

And through the rotted old front door

A-squeakin’ on it hinges,

Down the dark and whisperin’ hall,

Past the musty study,

Up the windin’ staircase--

Don’t step on the step that’s bloody--

Through the secret panel

To the bedroom where we’ll slide in

To the ragged cobweb dusty bed

Ten people must have died in.

And the bats will screech,

And the spirits will scream,

And the thunder will crash

Like a horrible dream,

And we’ll sing with the zombies

And dance with the dead.

And howl at the ghost

With the axe in his head,

And--come to think of it what do you say

We go get some ice cream instead?

Bracelet available on etsy: 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/205388634/ghost-black-cat-witch-halloween-charm?ref=shop_home_active_1

The Owls to Whom We Refer: Into the Forest Blog Hop

The lovely Lisa Lodge is hosting a blog hop.  It's theme: Into the Forest.

And so into the forest we go...

I started with this mix of beads from Lisa.

I added two owls...

...some sari silk... 

And a poem by Jack Prelutsky...

There's a wide-eyed owl

With a pointed nose,

He has pointed ears,

And claws for toes.

He sits in a tree

And looks at you,

The flaps his wings, and says,

"Who...who...whoo!"

                                 

An unassuming owl

Having little else to do

Remarked within the darkness

A discreet and subtle, “Whoooo!”

A self-important owl,

Puffed and pompous in the gloom,

Responded with an overblown,

And condescending, “Whoooooom!”

And the leaves?



I had to leaf them alone.

Take a trip into the forest with these other jewelry artists:

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Janine Lucas, Esfera Travel Blog

Jasvanti Patel, Jewelry by Jasvanti

Shaiha Williams,   Shaiha's Ramblings

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion

Janet Bocciardi, Honey from the Bee

Dini Bruinsma, Angaza by Changes

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Christina Miles, Wings n Scales

Elizabeth Engriser, Bead Contagion

Alice Peterson, Alice Dreaming

Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things

Kay Mallery,TBD

Catherine Yvonne King, Catherine's Musings

Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

The Parliament of Owls Will Now Come to Order

Nine owls swoop through the dark summer night forests of this bracelet, amid leaves and gemstones, moons, and magic.  They gather on this night for their annual parliament.  

It is the night when owls speak, and hear each others' tales of the year.  

It is a time to share recipes ~ rodent ratatouille, mouse mousse, bunny tarts...

They complain of witches who don't hold their familiars in high enough esteem, who only use them for spells and never ask their opinions, who admire their plumage but never bother discussing wiccan philosophies with them...

They congratulate colleagues who have starred in yet another Harry Potter film, and marvel about barn owls with live video feeds...

They bemoan the fact that, as nocturnal creatures, they miss all sorts of daylight activities, like swim parties and Sunday brunch...

They recommend favorite chiropractors who help them turn their heads further to compensate for their fixed eyes...

They compare feather designs, always in search of better sound abatement wing feathers...

They commission owl cobblers to fashion better slippers for their zygodactyl feet...

They practice make-up tips to make their beaks appear smaller...

...and plan ways of looking their best when swooping past a full moon on Halloween night.

Bracelet up for auction on eBay.  

Click here to bid, or take a look.

Weird Bird

Weird-Bird 

by Shel Silverstein

 

Birds are flyin' south for winter.

Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,

Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',

Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.

He says, "It's not that I like ice

Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.

It's just sometimes it's kind of nice

To be the only bird in town."

Weird (and not-so-weird) birds on eBay

There's a Witch Outside My Window

by Kenn Nesbitt

There's a witch outside my window and she will not go away.
There's a gremlin on my doorstep and I think he's there to stay.

There's a troll demanding candy and a mummy wanting sweets.
There's a ghost, a ghoul, a goblin and they're clamoring for treats.

And as if that weren't enough to be considered rather shocking.
A vampire rang my doorbell and the bogeyman is knocking.

My abode is now surrounded by the recently deceased,
They're in search of gum and chocolate on which they plan to feast.

It's the strangest situtation that I think I've ever seen.
How I wish they'd go away and just come back on Halloween.

The witch outside the sindow bracelet is up for auction on eBay this week. 

Don't Mess With Owls ~ a Lesson from Hawaii

BATTLE OF THE OWLS

a Hawaiian Folktale

In Kahehuna, in Honolulu, there lived a man named Kapoi.  One day, on his way back from Kewalo, he found some owl's eggs.  He collected them and brought them home.  That evening, he wrapped the eggs in ti leaves and prepared to roast them over hot ashes.

Before he could do so, an owl perched on the nearby fence, and called out to Kapoi, "O Kapoi, give me my eggs!"

Kapoi, who was quite hungry and quite certain these were not the owl's eggs, asked the owl how many eggs she had.

"Seven," replied the owl.

Kapoi sighed, and told the owl, "But I want to roast these eggs for my supper."

The owl again asked for her eggs, and again, Kapoi refused to relinquish them.

The owl cried out, "O heartless Kapoi! Please take pity on me, and give me my eggs!"

Kapoi, with a sigh, told the owl to come get the eggs.  Once the owl had her eggs, she instructed  Kapoi to build a heiau, or temple.  Then she told him how to build an altar.  This temple would be called Manua.

Following the owl's instructions, Kapoi built the temple.  He set kapu days for its dedication, and, as was the custom, placed a sacrifice on the altar.

News of this soon spread to Kakuihewa, who was the King of Oahu, and lived in Waikiki.   But Kakuihewa had made a law: whoever among his people build a heiau and kapu at the same time that the King's temple was kapued, would be punished by death.

Kapoi was seized by the King's men, and led to the heiau of Kupalaha, at Waikiki.

The same day that the owl told Kapoi to build the temple, she gathered together all  the owls from Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Hawaii.  They gathered at Kalapueo, and at Kanoniakapueo, and at Pueohulunui, near Moanalua.

The King decreed that Kapoi would be put to death on the day of Kane.  But that day, at daybreak, all the owls left their places and covered the entire sky above Honolulu.

Just as the King's servants seized Kapoi to put him to death, the owls flew at them, pecking and scratching and tearing with their beaks and claws.

At last the owls conquered, and Kapoi was released,  The King was forced to admit that Kapoi's Akua (god) was a powerful one.

And from that day on, the owl has been recognized as one of the  deities venerated by the Hawaiian people.

Owl charms and earrings can be found here.