Celebrate Mardi Gras - Let the Good Times Roll!



Pierrot and Harlequin
by
Paul Cezzane, 1888
 

February 21 ushers in Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons rouler! (Let the good times roll!)  

• Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday” and” Shrove Tuesday” from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent.
  

   

The Tuesday that Mardi Gras falls on is also known as Shrove Tuesday. The name comes from the custom of confessing on the day before lent. Shrove means "to be forgiven one's sins."

 

Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world. Biloxi in Mississipi, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Nice in France, Binche in Belgium and Viareggio in Italy are a few examples.

 

Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer Iberville. Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, where it was a major holiday

 

The first documented parade occurred in 1837. 
 

A very popular custom is the making of the "King's Cake" which represents the three kings who brought gifts. A plastic baby is baked inside the King Cake, and the tradition is whoever receives the baby in their piece of cake must buy the next King Cake or throw the next party.

 

The cake glazed and then sprinkled with colored sugar. The three colors of the sugar are Purple (representing Justice), Green (representing Faith) and Gold (representing Power).

The above information found at the following websites:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mardigras/history.htm
http://www.eastjeffersonparish.com/culture/MARDIGRA/HISTORY/history.htm  

In honor of the “King’s Cake” I offer you some delicious folktales about cakes from around the world.

Earth Cakes, Sky Cakes – Vietnam

http://tinyurl.com/83nvup4

The Cake is Mine – Korea
http://tinyurl.com/7ohwqzw

Epaminondas and his Aunt – United States

http://tinyurl.com/7lg6g9h
Johnny Cake – English Folktale
http://tinyurl.com/7mr63z9

The Story of the Cake Tree – Ceylon

http://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/village-folk-tales-of-ceylon-volume-2/d/doc7036.html

The Story of Chung Cake - Vietnam

http://tinyurl.com/769kazm
The Two Cakes - Italy
http://tinyurl.com/6ras3wz

Here are some additional folktales from Louisiana to put in you a partying mood!

American Folklore: Louisiana - Meet Foolish John, a riverboat captain and opossum in these three delightful tales.

http://tinyurl.com/3us4w4

Louisiana Folk-tales - From Google books, a downloadable book of public domain folktales by Alcée Fortier shared in both French Dialect and English Translation.
http://tinyurl.com/3ttzqs

CRAFTS

Celebrate Fat Tuesday - Fun crafts, games and coloring pages. 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/Crafts/mardigras/index.htm

Crayola.com

Lots of interesting crafts, coloring pages and additional lesson plans await.

 

http://www.crayola.com/search/?category=Everything&searchtext=mardi%20gras

Mardi Gras Coloring Pages 

http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/pix.htm

Mardi Gras Masks 

http://tinyurl.com/6vfl4c3

CURRICULUM

LessonPlansPage.com - Mardi Gras activities designed to help your students celebrate Mardi Gras, oriented around Pancake Day, known in many countries as "Shrove Tuesday". http://www.lessonplanspage.com/mardigras-htm#4

Folklife in Louisiana - This site offers a wide range of information on collecting local, folklore, exploring communities and traditions, adaptable lesson plans, and stories!

http://tinyurl.com/cgythp

Louisiana Voices - An Educators Guide to Exploring Our Communities and Traditions. http://tinyurl.com/crme4l

Mardi Gras - Filled with information on the traditions of Mari Gras, included the Krewes, parade, the King Cake, music and more.

http://tinyurl.com/ygmsutc

BOOK

Cajun Folktales by J.J. Reneaux – This is a must have for every storyteller’s bookshelf!

http://www.amazon.com/Cajun-Folktales-American-Storytelling-Reneaux/dp/0874832829/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329015671&sr=8-1

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Celebrate with Tell a Fairy Tale Day!

From The Iron Stove
by Warwick Goble

As a child I was a huge fan of the old movies, you know the type, with Fred Astaire twirling Ginger Rogers around as volumes of taffeta swirled around her, Gene Kelly's athletic dancing while singing in the rain, and Doris Day's forever sunny disposition. Yes, I have always been a sap for happy endings so I am delighted there is a special day set aside for fairy tales.

February 26 is “Tell a Fairy Tale Day" so lets celebrate and fall into a fantasy world where the wicked get their comeuppance and everyone else steps into a future filled with "happily ever after!"

The Three Gifts
Polish Fairy Tale
Found in The Goldenrod Fairy Book, by Esther Singleton

A very rich widow had three children, a step-son, a fine young fellow, a step-daughter of wonderful beauty, and a daughter who was not so bad. The three children lived under the same roof and took their meals together. At length the time came when the children were treated very differently. Although the widow’s daughter was bad-tempered, obstinate, vain, and a chatterer, her mother loved her passionately, praised her, and covered her with caresses. She was favoured in every way. The step-son, who was a good-natured lad, and who did all kinds of work, was for ever grumbled at, checked, and treated like a sluggard. As for the step-daughter, who was so wonderfully pretty, and who had the disposition of an angel, she was tormented, worried, and ill-treated in a thousand ways. Between her sister and her step-mother her life was made miserable.

To read the rest of the story click on the link: http://www.elfinspell.com/GoldenrodThreeGifts.html

STORIES 

Celtic Fairy Tales

Twenty-seven stories from Joseph Jacobs.
https://www.authorama.com/celtic-fairy-tales-29.html

Fairytales and Stories by Hans Christian Anderson, 1872.

http://hca.gilead.org.il/

Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Peirce Williston, 1911.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/jft2/index.htm

Swedish Fairy Tales and Legends – Fifty six stories to enjoy.
http://tinyurl.com/26qk4jp

CURRICULUM

Fairy Tale Writing Unit – Elementary Level - From Teachers.net a two to three-week unit offering suggestions for whole, small and independent work.
https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/923.html

Fairy Tales From Life - Two fairy tales are used in this lesson plan, which also provides several resources to guide your students through the process. The lesson plan is aligned with the NCTE and IRA standards for grades 3 – 5. 
https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/923.html

Four Engaging Cinderella Around the World – Activities for 1^st grade.
https://thefirstgraderoundup.com/hes-got-whole-world/

Fractured Fairy Tales – From Read, Write, Think and interactive lesson plan that helps children write their own fractured fairy tales.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fractured-fairy-tales-30062.html

What kids can learn from fairy tales 
https://www.teachearlyyears.com/learning-and-development/view/what-kids-can-learn-from-fairy-tales

CRAFTS

Cardboard Box Castle – An inexpensive craft and we all know how children love to play with boxes!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Boxcastle.shtml

Paper Crown – It’s good to be King…and Queen!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mcrown.htm

Paper Mache Dragon Shield – What child doesn’t love a shield to ward off evil wizards and dragons?
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mshield.htm

Princess Paper Bag Puppet – I never met a child who didn’t love puppets, even if they are made out of a paper bag.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/princessandfrog/mprincessbag.htm

Rapunzel Tower – Make this cute crafts using a toilet paper roll.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/rapunzle/craft.htm

And if you missed the previous blog posts of public domain stories offering additional fairy tale collections go to:

Wit, Wisdom and Wonder – Fabulous Fairy Tales
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/12/wisdom-wit-and-wonder-fabulous-fairy.html

Public Domain IV - Folktales, Fairytales, Myths and Legends
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html

Public Domain III Folktales and Fairytales
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html

Public Domain II - Folktales, Myths and Legends Oh My!
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html

Public Domain Folktales, Myths and Legends Oh My!
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html

Tell A Fairy Tale Day - For another wonderful discussion on Fairy Tales please visit the blog of my friend and colleague Lois Sprengnether Keel at:

http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/2012/02/february-26-is-tell-fairy-tale-day-or.html

 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper, is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com  or karenchace.stories@gmail.com .  Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.

o    

Tears From the Sea

The Great Wave of  Kanagawa
by
Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849)

The Legend of
Mermaid’s Tears

One mermaid so loved a ship's captain that she didn't want to see him end his days in the sea. When the captain lost his footing aboard the ship during a storm and fell overboard, rather than call him to her the mermaid calmed the sea to save him. This was a tragic mistake for her: although mermaids have all the powers of the sea within their grasp they are forbidden by Neptune to use them to interfere in human affairs. As punishment, she was banned to the bottom of the ocean, never again to swim to the surface or see her beloved captain. Her tears are said to come to us as beautiful pieces of glass in stunning, crystallized colours. http://tinyurl.com/72xd22q

Last November I was honored to be the featured teller at Voice Mail, a wonderful, adult storytelling venue produced by Connecticut Storyteller Carolyn Stearns. (Find Voicemail on Facebook by following this link: http://tinyurl.com/88nlj6v .) The last tale I shared was my adaptation of a short story my aunt brought back from her trip to Germany. At the end of the program I passed around a basket filled with pieces of sea glass; I invited everyone to choose one in the hopes they would remember the message of the story long after we parted.

This week, Carolyn sent me a picture of the sea glass she picked that evening, which had been transformed by the gifted hands of her friend into a gorgeous necklace. I am thrilled that one of the stories I shared that evening will now travel with her always in a new form.

 A bit of background information on these gifts from the sea.  

• It is said that it takes a minimum of three years for the waves, sand and tide to wear the broken glass down to the likeness of a raw gem or for a better term, what you now call  beach glass.
• Glass beads have been discovered in Egypt dating back to 2500 B.C.
• Cleopatra favored glass in her jewelry.
• Mythology and the folklore of fishermen and sailors say they are “Mermaid’s Tears”.
• The value of sea glass is greatly determined by color.
• One of the most exciting finds is a piece of red sea glass, “The Ruby” of the sea and very rare. The odds of obtaining such a piece are 1 in 5000.
• Sea glass is frosty, smooth, pitted, and glistening in appearance. This process is most often achieved over decades if not centuries.
• Uncommon colors of sea glass include a type of green. These colors are found once in every 50 to 100 pieces
• Extremely rare colors include gray, pink, teal, black, yellow, turquoise and red.
• Orange is the least common type of sea glass, found once in about 10,000 pieces.

The information above was found at these websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_glass
http://www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com/lesson-in-sea-glass

STORIES

I was unable to find additional stories about sea glass but I offer you some tales of the sea.

The Great Sea Serpent

http://tinyurl.com/7knlbyy
The Little Mermaid
http://tinyurl.com/7zvo5dz
Sea Gods of Greek Mythology
http://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/sea-gods.html
The Sea-Hare - German
http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/story135.pdf

The Sea King’s Daughter – Russia
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/032.html
The Sea King’s Gift - Finland
http://www.classicreader.com/book/1088/21/
The Sea-Maiden - Ireland
http://www.authorama.com/celtic-fairy-tales-19.html

Two Legends About the Sea Goddess Mazu (Fujian & Taiwan)
http://tinyurl.com/7stean5
Why the Sea Moans – South America
http://worldoftales.com/South_American_folktales/South_American_Folktale_21.html

These links will lead you to other blog posts I have written about mermaids and other gifts from the sea.

Crustaceans of the Sea
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/08/crustaceans-of-sea.html                                                     
Mermaids –Siren’s of the Sea
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/02/mermaids-sirens-of-sea.html

Trolling for Tales – Fish Stories from Around the World

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/trolling-for-tales-fish-stories-from.html
Working the Waterfront – Tales of the Fisherman
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/working-waterfront-tales-of-fisherman.html

CURRICULUM

Fairy Tales of the Sea:A Guide for Teachers – Twenty-five fairytales from around the world along with a teacher’s curriculum guide, offering many extension ideas for the classroom.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED200418.pdf
Into the Oceans from National Geographic for grades K-2.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/18/gk2/doubiletocean.html
Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation Education Program – Lesson Plans for 3-5.
http://www.roseislandlighthouse.org/lesson_plans/recycling_glass.pdf

CRAFTS

Odyssey Sea Glass - Do you like to walk the beach and collect sea glass? Perhaps you don’t live near the ocean so you buy your sea glass at a store. Here are some lovely ideas for crafts you can make with those “gifts from the sea.”
http://www.odysseyseaglass.com/sea-glass-crafts.html#Sea_Glass_Crafts

Sea Glass Planter - http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/sea-glass-planter-craft/

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Sustaining Your Fire! The Northeast Storytelling Conference

Der Erzahler (The Storyteller)
by Georg Bergmann
(1819 – 1870, German)

We are about to welcome a New Year and that means preparations for the LANES Northeast Storytelling Conference (formerly known as the Sharing the Fire Conference) are rolling along. This year the conference will be in a new location, Albany, New York, on March 16-18, 2012. The hard-working conference committee has assembled some wonderful information on things to do in Albany in case you want to come early or stay late.

Accommodations are at the Ramada Inn and there is a special rate for those attending the conference. Go to this link http://albanyramada.com/home.html for all of the information to reserve your room.

Whether you are a beginning or experienced storyteller, librarian or educator, or a business owner who wants to reach their customers in a unique and personal way this conference is for you! Registration opens January 3, 2012. For a conference overviews go to http://www.lanes.org/main-program-stf-2012.

There will be workshops, story swaps, good food, great stories and wonderful camaraderie. Come and “share the fire!” Here are some stories, books and information to help you do some armchair traveling before you hit the road in March!

STORIES

The Baker’s Dozen – A wonderful folktale retold by Aaron Shepard. This tale is actually set in Albany, New York.
http://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/GOS07.html

Reader’s Theater: The Baker’s Dozen -This link will lead you to the script on the story.
http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE09.html

American Folklore – Thirteen stories hailing for New York.
http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/ny1.html

Gollywhopper’s Eggs – New England Legend

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/gollywhoppers_eggs.html

The Algonquin Legends of New England by Charles G. Leland, 1884

http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ne/al/

A Book of New England Legends and Folklore in Prose and Poetry by Samuel Adams Drake, 1901 “…dozens of classics of New England lore that describe the times of witches and seafarers, strange nighttime occurrences and mysterious places.” http://www.archive.org/details/bookofnewengland00dra

Old Paths and Legends of New England: Sauntering Over Historic Roads With Glimpses Of Picturesque Fields And Old Homesteads Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire by by Katharine Mixer Abbott, 1904. While this book doesn’t offer folktales or legends it is filled with historical information and pictures. It will be a very useful research book if you are working on a story set in the New England of long ago. http://tinyurl.com/d8w424p

BLOG

New England Folklore – Wonderful blog filled with interesting posts.

http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/

BOOKS


New England Bean Pot American Folk Stories to Read by Moritz Jagendorf.
http://tinyurl.com/c5l6rd4 

New York State Folktales – Legends and Ballads by Harold William Thompson

http://tinyurl.com/cot3j6r

Miss Mary Mac All Dressed in Black: Tongue Twisters, Jump-Rope Rhymes and Other Children's Lore from New England by Scott E. Hastings
http://tinyurl.com/blex6r9

 
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Albany we go! Travel tips to make your time on the road or in the sky fly by!
 

Meetways.com - A wonderful tool that allows you to type in two addresses and find the halfway point. http://www.meetways.com/

Packing Tips
http://www.travel-tips.us/packing-tips.htm

Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees – This pdf chart was updated in November of 2011 but make sure to double check before you book your flight.
http://i.slimg.com/sc/sl/graphic/u/ul/ultimate-guide-to-airline-fees.pdf

TSA Travel Tips – Yes, the security check portion of your trip can sometimes feel like a strip search but the more prepared you are, the faster you can put the experience behind you!
http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/311-brochure.pdf

AAA Fuel Cost Calculator – Of course we all know that gasoline prices are fluid (pun intended) but this should give you an idea of your costs for your road trip.
http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/

Pack a Sense of Humor – 10 Tried and True Travel Tips– When all else fails, remember, laughter releases endorphins’ that will help relax you. And who knows, you just might get a great story from it! http://www.trustedadventures.com/news.php?newsID=14

© 2011

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Wisdom, Wit and Wonder - Fabulous Fairy Tales!

The Frog Prince and Other Stories
by Walter Crane, 1874

“Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life.”
~ Friedrich von Schiller

Recently, my colleagues and I have been discussing the lasting importance of fairytales amidst the plethora of personal stories on festival stages and  at story slams. Don't misunderstand me, I love a well-told personal tale; I have taken part in story slams and strongly support my local organization, massmouth.org. The current popularity of that genre offers the wonderful benefit of introducing a younger audience to the art of oral tradition. However, more than ever it seems as if the old tales are being relegated back to the nursery and adults assume fairy tales are for children.

In doing a bit of research for this post I came across this wonderful quote:

"Once upon a time, back when animals spoke and rivers sang and every quest was worth going on, back when dragons still roared and maidens were beautiful and an honest young man with a good heart and a great deal of luck could always wind up with a princess and half the kingdom - back then, fairytales were for adults...." Neil Gaiman

It is my hope that one day telling fairytales will be as mainstream and hip as The Moth and its facsimilies around the country. So here is short list of antique books on line, filled with stories. In the new year I will research and post more; the possibilites are endless.

Fairytales contain the wisdom, wit and wonder of the ages. Give them a try and you just might be swept away by story!

A Book of Fairy Tales from Many Places

http://oaks.nvg.org/fairy-book.html

Andrew Lang’s Colored Fairy Tale Books – They’re all here from blue to violet!
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/lfb/index.htm

Armenian Fairy Tales - Sixteen interesting folktales from the ancient country of Armenia.http://www.armeniaemb.org/Kids/ArmenianFairyTales/index.htm

Beauty and the Beast by
Warwick Goble, 1923

Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus MacMillian
http://tinyurl.com/6un85nh

Celtic Fairy Tales
http://tinyurl.com/6o7ksrx

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales – Seventeen stories from the Baldwin Project.
http://tinyurl.com/87nv9hh

Fairy Tales by Howard Pyle, 1903.

http://tinyurl.com/6smvnr7

Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights by E. Dixon, 1893.

http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/Dixon/dixon01_main.htm

Fairy Tales from Many Lands by Katharine Pyle, 1911. The Evil One Who Married Three Sisters, The Seven Golden Pea Hens and other unique stories are found within.
http://www.archive.org/details/fairytalesfromma00pyle

Fairy Tales and Folktales of the Irish Peasantry - Edited by W. B. Yeats and published in 1888 the stories are here to enjoy, courtesy of Sacred Texts. Revel in tales of the Merrow, Changelings, Pookas, Fairies and Banshees, Saints, Priests, Giants and Devils, Kings, Queens, Earls and Robbers; Yeats covers them all!
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/yeats/fip/

Fairies at the Cradle
by Warwick Goble

Grimm’s Fairytales – 209 tales by the Brothers Grimm.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/

Indian Fairytales by Joseph Jacobs, 1912. It offers twenty-nine tales from Eastern India and gorgeous illustrations to complement each story. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ift/index.htm

Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Peirce Williston, 1911

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/jft2/index.htm  

Pepper and Salt – Literary Fairy Tales by Howard Pyle, 1885
http://tinyurl.com/7y6momu
      

Roumanian Fairy Tales and Legends by Mrs. E. B. Mawr, 1881.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/rft/

Russian Fairy Tales - The site shares twenty-one fairytales. Most offer both a short and long version, for those who want more details.
http://tinyurl.com/6blpls

Slovak National Fairy Tales - A Tribute to Pavol Dobšinský (Dobsinsky) -Interesting background information on the writer who created the largest collection of Slovak folktales. It also offers insight into the Slovak heritage and presents fourteen folktales.
http://www.geocities.com/slovaktales/index.htm

The Junior Classics (Volume One: Fairy and Wonder Tales) edited by William Patten.http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext02/1jrc110.txt

The Magic Ring and Other Oriental Fairy Tales by James Miller, 1861.
http://www.archive.org/details/magicringotheror00bobbiala

The Wonder Clock – Literary Fairy Tales by Howard Pyle, 1887.

http://tinyurl.com/7mswtce

There’s Magic in Fairy Tales – My blog celebrating the birthday of Harry Houdini from March of 2011. There are fairy tales filled with magic, crafts, curriculum and a fairy tale story stretch I wrote as well.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/03/theres-magic-in-fairy-tales.html

Wonder Tales from Baltic Wizards by Frances Olcott, 1928.

http://tinyurl.com/7ck8x2v

If you missed the previous blog posts of public domain story collections go to:

• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html

Karen Chace 2011 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.