Friday, July 23, 2010

The Darning Needles


Some years ago I embroidered a Darning Needle resting on the stem of a cattail. I have liked Darning Needles since childhood summers spent watching them hover over Mud Pond, the pond on my grandparents' land. There was a not too muddy gravel approach into the water and the pond was large enough to be mostly clear.

The Darning needles stayed with me. Also called Damsel Flies and Dragon Flies, they have been much the same since prehistoric times. In the fairy tale, when Swamp Walking Woman is weary with walking through water and mud, a whole tribe of Darning Needles show up to weave for her a swamp grass path onto an island that appears as if by magic. Such "helpers" are common characters in fairy tales.

Swamp Walking Woman is now available on amazon.com.

This book is also available for distribution to libraries. Just ask your public library to get it.

The story can be read for fun and it can be read for deeper meaning about the misguided guys who are suppressing the people of earth and how we women and men can find the strength to keep our green earth green.

I'll write more soon about fairy tales, myths, and fables. Also, tall tales.

Happy summer days to all. Trish

Friday, July 9, 2010


This is the right weather for a trip to the ocean. Seems it is always cooler at the shore. My brother and I recently traveled to Land's End on Bailey Island. We took many great pictures. This is one of the best.

Swamp Walking Woman longed for land as solid at that granite and for water as clear as that expanse of blue. Swamp Walking Woman didn't set out to be a heroine. She was just helping a neighbor when she got lost in the swamp--and found a bunch of lost families. Her story is an allegory of modern times told in the style of ancient stories such as myths and fairy tales. The book is a tall tale like the tales of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. Or it can be seen as a modern fable in the tradition of George Orwell and James Thurber.

The book is about women's strength. Stay tuned for launch date and find out how Swamp Walking Woman inspires a community to resist oppression and protect their children.

More soon. Trish

Bailey Island Ledges, photograph taken from Land's End.