Highlights in pictures
Photographing a Sparkly 4th July Barn Raising at friends of ours in town
A week of Circus Camp at New England Center for Circus Arts
House Breaking a new Kitty Betsy Boadecia
One of our summer highlights Circus Smirkus
Here is Zoe’s favorite scene!
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The place to be
Greenfield Farmers Market
Saturday July 11th
8am (wow!)-12:30
We’ll be there Smarty Pants and yours truly!
Lots of fun new designs
-First of all I need a buisiness name (I am taking clever suggestions). When signing up for my first craft fair about a year and a half ago I needed a business name without too much thought I said “Night Owl Designs…” (for obvious reasons) but I do not love it. I mean I *love* owls, so maybe I just need a good logo, but it ain’t perfect. I would like something that fits better with “Smarty Pants” as we often do shows together (and even have a joint line of T-Shirts). I’ve had a few suggestions so far “Twisted Sisters”!! That one is quite revealing! or possibly “Sassy Skirts” hmmmm ideas welcome.
Here is the cowgirl set made for the cowgirl festival (plenty of these left)
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3 Daylong Workshops offered at
July 12th 2009 10:30am-3pm $50
Tonic Herbs for Optimum Health for detoxification and rejuvenation
We will explore nourishing herbs, medicinal foods and tonic herbs that strengthen our terrain, while supporting wellness, immunity, fertility and digestive and cardiovascular health. Together we will create a year long herbal protocol that encourages physical, emotional and spiritual well being that the whole family can participate in.
July 19th 2009 10:30am-3pm $50
Basic Medicine Making
Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of healing and has been practised continuously from the earliest times. Over 80% of the worlds population still uses herbs as their primary means of health-care. Although much has been lost traditional uses have been passed down to us in stories and songs….today we can reach back across thousands of years to join Achilles in making salves from Yarrow to heal wounds.
There is nothing quite as empowering as knowing how to make your own medicines. Herbs are magical but preparing and using them doesn’t have to be mystical. In this class we will learn how to make medicines from common herbs and foods in the form of vinegars, tinctures (alchohol, glycerine), honeys, teas (infusions, decoctions), salves, liniments and syrups. Restock Your medicine chest. Be prepared with natural remedies you make yourself for cuts, stings, burns, rashes, colds coughs and allergies. It‘s an easy, inexpensive, empowering and very fun!
Learning to create your herbal medicine at home is both empowering and eye-opening.
August 2nd 2009 10:30am-3pm $50
Teaching Herbal Medicine to Children
“When we teach children about plants as medicine it helps them develop a soulful, deep relationship with them” -Rosemary Gladstar
Nurturing a childs relationship with herbs, involving them in the growing, harvesting and creating of herbal medicines is a way of life which involves a relationship with the earth. It can also lead to a continued practice of nurturing their health with the aid of natural remedies. In this class you will learn all you need to engage your childrens curiosity about 12 common herbs complete with stories, art projects, recipes,games and medicine making. Lots of resources provided.
Learning about the plants in person, where they grow, engages the senses as we smell, touch, see, and often taste our green allies. This approach helps us to integrate all we learn about plants as food and medicine.
**REGISTRATION INFORMATION**
You can register for the above classes by sending a deposit of $25 per class to
Blazing Star Herbal School, 119 Pfersick Rd, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
You may also register using paypal please email me (tlemos@noho.co) for instructions
If you sign up for all 3 classes you will receive a discount of $25 and your total will be $125!!
Please register soon as classes are limited to 10 students. Thanks.
We invite you to study herbalism here at Blazing Star Herbal School in Ashfield. Learn to open your heart and engage the wisdom and spirit of the healing herbs with community herbalist, and teacher, Tony(a) Lemos.
I will also teaching at the following conferences/festivals:
Thursday July 23rd 2009
- Tips for Maintaining Health while on the Road
August 7-9 2009, UMASS Amherst
-Maintaining Optimum Health for the Whole Family
Planting The Future Conference
Saturday Sept 19th 2009
Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living Coventry, RI
- I will be leading a plant walk forcussing on First Aid uses of plants
Healing with Flowers Conference
Rowe Camp and Conference Center
Rowe MA Sept 25-27 2009
- Combining Flower Essences, Aromatherapy and Herbal Remedies in Clinical Practice
- Sacred Baths Workshop
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On tuesday nights “Smarty Pants” and I have been sewing together for about a year now.
the smarty pants project 
is an endeavor to create funky affordable children’s pants using a combination of recycled, vintage, and donated fabrics
The Smarty Pants Project was conceived by Lisa Ganci. We’ve done a few craft shows together and are planning a few more BIG ones this fall. Our products work well together Lisa makes the pants, I make the skirts, crowns and hair accessories. Recently we have collaborated on some T-Shirts, here and here and here.
Last night we had this great idea to use the perfect weather, the light, the setting sun and the idyllic area we live in for a photo shoot.
Here are some of the results
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I mentioned in an earlier post how excited I was to have found my favorite poetry book from when I was a child
“I like this poem”
Edited by Kaye Webb
It is a collection of poetry chosen by children organized by age (6-7 all the way to 14. Though it is a new edition I was happy to find the familiar original illustrations by Anthony Maitland.
Many of the poems I have not seen or thought about in 25 years but as I turned the pages I remembered so many poems word for word. So many memories of school days in North London returned as I re-read these poems.
I first opened the book to this poem by Eleanore Farjeon, It was Long Ago. It begins like this
I’ll tell you, shall I, something I remember?
Something that still means a great deal to me.
It was long ago.
Perfect start! Zoe is also really enjoying this volume.
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All of a sudden it seems that Zoe has grown up! Yes it seems that sudden. I cannot believe how much she has grown in the past year. She has always been an independent kindda kid, always figuring things out, following her interests and learning new skills.
It seems that physically she has taken a huge developmental leap, all of a sudden she has become really coordinated and confident and loves nothing more than to spend the afternoon riding her bike, or zooming around on her scooter. She is so looking forward to swimming at the lake and already has plans about “diving” this summer,and no trip to the grocery store is complete without her Heelys! I have also noticed that her gymnastics skills (all self taught has improved) her cartwheels are getting straighter and hand stands taller. She has lost some of her fear and cautiousness. I think her week at Circus Camp this summer is well timed and will feed her excitement around challenging her body in new ways.
I hope that this summer she will have enough confidence to ride on the extender while I ride so that we can sample a longer trail rides together. Last summer this scared her, this was before she could ride a two wheeler and she has grown several inches since then! I also plan to introduce some Tennis this summer. She is eager to learn having watched me play a lot last Summer and Fall. Like all 5 year olds it is a challenge to teach her as she “already knows how to play!” It was my passion as a young person and I would love it if she enjoyed a good game.
Music has always been a big part of Zoes week. I have brought her to shows (singer/ songwriter, bluegrassy, folky) since before she was born. As an infant we enrolled in Music Together, and have since moved on to Kids Jam a program for 5-7 year olds developed by Lui Collins. Each 10 week session include original seasonal material as well as traditional song and dance games. Most songs are in the pentatonic key. They also get to explore rhythmn with kid sized djembe drums as well as the “solfege” system. On top of this she recently began a relaxed form of Suzuki style Violin. It is a very low key 15 minute a week private lesson.
Zoe loves to sing and sings ALL THE TIME. She doesn’t walk, she skips along singing her favorite tunes and more recently makes up new lines. At home she spends a fair amount of time playing guitar and singing. I think one of the first things that you notice about her is how happy she is as she sings her latest favorite songs. Occasionnally she throws in a Greek or Spanish song just to mix it up!
All of a sudden she seems really interested in poetry, rhythmn and rhyme, We have been enjoying reading and listening to Poetry Speaks to Children by Elise Paschen
as well as some limericks of Edward Lear. Last night I found my well read copy of “Silver Pennies” by Blanche Jennings Thompson and plan on introducing that one soon. That must be one of the best poetry books every written! Along the lines of poetry I am also really happy as I have found and re-ordered (from amazon UK) my favorite poetry book as a child that has long ago fallen apart (though i still have one page saved! Macbeth’s famous “Double Double Toil and Trouble) a poem that Zoe can recite now! Does anyone have any favorite poems or poetry books for young’uns.
While in the land of nostalgic childhood memories I recently began reading Zoe “The Enchanted Wood Trilogy” by Enid Blyton. How I loved this series! I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to wait and let her read these books solo or to read them to her. I remember escaping into the world of the “Famous Five” and the “Enchanted Wood” and Nancy Drew. . .I look forward to laying in bed next to her on a Sunday morning and both of us being engrossed in a good book that we cannot put down, still I am in no rush for her to learn to read.
It seems that all of a sudden she is able to play (and really enjoys) board games. Her most recent love is “Mancala” a game that she learned at Mt View.
This time last summer she was all excited about crazy science making volcanoes and coloured putties/goo. This year it is all about magic shows and learning new tricks!
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Good friends and beach time. . .
(Georgetown, DC)
(Lambertville, NJ)
Exploring Seaweeds
Inspired from our latest favorite book The Wakame Gatherers by Holly Thompson
and a quick swim
(Rye, NY)
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