Puppets for the Ides of March!

The clever kids at Allen Avenue UU had a grand time making puppets today. 

Bravo for Maine's Tom Allen

Our former Maine Congressman, Tom Allen, has been named CEO of the Association of American Publishers. Tom is a brilliant man of integrity, and I wish him well in his new endeavor. 

Creative Kids at L.L. Bean

School vacation time in Maine, so what better to do than make turtle puppets?

L.L. Bean in Freeport hosted a week of children's book folks to read, make things, and have fun with kids. At least 80 small puppet makers stopped by to make SCOOT turtles with me, and then led their critters down to my portable pond for a splash. 

Photos: Kirsten Cappy, Curious City

Happy 112th Birthday

McMullin triplets: Willie May, Tillie Day and Dillie Fay. Born February 20, 1897.

On February 20, 1897, my grandmother and her two sisters arrived into the world. Their births were a home delivery in the Ozarks in St. Clair County, Missouri, and they were named Dillie Fay, Tillie Day and Willie May McMullin. Their names were not unusual for the time, but having triplets born alive certainly was rare. The family history says that they averaged 6 pounds each (!) and that my grandmother, Willie, was the smallest. Since it was feared she would not survive, they tucked her into bed with her own grandmother, who was suffering from tuberculosis, so she could pass away comforted. Tillie died from an auto accident in 1965 at age 68, Dillie died five years later at 73, and my grandmother, who was thought to be too weak to survive, lived to be 88. 

Happy Birthday!

Splashin' Around the Pond

Pre-school Story Time at Baxter Memorial Library, Gorham, Maine

March 10th, 9:30 am

We'll gather around the pond for stories, puppets and fun!

Keeping Track

We're having quite a winter here in Maine. Although the turtles are sleeping beneath the ice at the bottom of Frog Song Pond, other critters are keeping busy. Wild turkey and deer tracks festoon the snow. . .

. . .and some venture out to skate on the ice.

Scoot on the Screen

The librarians at the Arapahoe Library District (Colorado)  made this delightful video review of Scoot!