Pagan Summer Camp (week 4/closing games)

[wombatclay]

A tisket, a tasket, a pagan camper basket!

This week is about fun and games and enjoying life right here and now! It's challenges and dares, recipes and songs, and all those little things that make camp fun.

Everyone is welcome to suggest challenges/puzzles/jokes/comments on the day's "mystery word"... and please let everyone know what happens when you give these a try.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And the word of the day is.... drumroll please....

PICNIC!

And a pagan picnic too! What it the first thing that comes to mind when you think "picnic"? Can you work that energy into your day? Perhaps spread a napkin at your desk, doodle a few ants on a post it note, and have a picnic right there? Or if you have a cubicle and feel daring, spread that napkin on the floor! Or find a tree outside and go whole hog!

If you're at home maybe a picnic dinner on the living room floor? Crackers and cheese and peanut butter sandwichs with the kiddos? Crackers and cheese and wine and a book for you?

Can you find something with red and white "picnic cloth" print? Something with ants? A basket? Bonus points if you share a picnic song with the camp!

Can you meditate for a moment and have a mental picnic? Perhaps throw a picnic for your companions in the spirit world, set out tables or pillows or blankets in your heart home and call your companions over for sipping chocolate or watermelon? Change the desktop image on your computer, the wallpaper on your phone, print an image for your wallet/pocket... something that reminds you to "feel picnic"?

And what about those foods? Can you add a little picnic flair to the meals today? Finger food, dips, egg salad or potato salad, watermelon? Could you make popsicles (fruit juice or herbal tea in an ice cube tray even) for a backyard picnic?

And while you're in the yard tonight maybe count the fireflies, bath in the full moon light, and wish on the stars. Have a full moon nearly lughnasadh midnight picnic!

be wild and creative campers... how will YOU do a picnic now?

[DaughterOfKali]

subbing!

[Maiasaura]

You had to add the sipping chocolate in there. What have I started?

For me, picnic conjures up images of old-timey ones, like in The Grass Harp (one of my favorite movies/stories). They bring cold fried chicken in a basket, and a whole chocolate cake, and wine with real wine glasses (because plastic hadn't been invented yet, or wasn't in popular use yet), and real silverware, and plates. Nothing paper or plastic. And a real basket and blanket.
In the movie, they ate up in a tree house.

I wish my ds was into food. He hates it. He is freaking picky and a picnic with him would be no fun unless it was some crap he likes, like microwave meals
But tonight we're having Asian Beef and Noodles. Noodles on the floor, I dunno, but maybe I will spread a blanket out and try it. I got Benjamin Button and he doesn't think he wants to see it, but if I put out a picnic, maybe he will.

Asian Beef and Noodles: Weight Watcher dish, and my excuse to eat ramen
You can make it with any protein, including tofu/tempeh, or none at all. Basically you saute beef (I use eye of round) or whatever protein, with a cup of scallions/onions, in sesame oil, remove it to the side. Saute 2c cabbage slaw (or sometimes I use frozen stir-fry veggies) in sesame oil, remove to the side. Bring to boil (all this uses the same fry-pan, over and over) almost 2c of water, 2 packs of ramen noodles but only 1 of the flavor packages, a Tb. of soy sauce. When the water is nearly cooked out, add back the protein source and the veggies, stir well.
Voila! Yummy, fast, nearly instant. If you use cabbage slaw that already comes that way, or frozen veggies, and cut up the protein ahead of time, it's nearly instant

ETA: supposed to serve 2, but it's a lot. You can have 2 huge portions, or 3-4 small ones.

[wombatclay]

I love it and wish I had a time machine... my mom made me cook dinner once a week and I always made some sort of ramen noodle dish. She complained that those weren't "real meals" because there was no recipe. vindication!

I saw a picnic basket at the thrift store today! I didn't get it, but I am tempted to go back once Tor wakes from his nap. If I do, I'll put dinner in it and we'll eat in the yard. If I don't I might serve the kiddos dinner on the floor and then do an "adult picnic" later... DH brought home some wine the other day, and we have some small amount of ice cream left. A blanket, some wine, some candles. We used to do that sort of "room picnic" in college... a bottle of wine, some fruit, some chocolate. On so many levels!

I picked the word "picnic" at random. For me, picnics are very spur of the moment... grab a little this and a little that, stick a blanket in the car, and go. When I was young we would do winter picnics, throwing checked table cloths on the snow and drinking cocoa from a thermos. At the time I didn't like it, and I haven't thought about it in a long time, but now I almost wish it were winter so we could do that. Somehow I never thought of picnic as a thing to "do now", but I guess my subconscious has it in that category... something fun and sort of silly and very slap dash, done now. AND, it's one of my few "having fun outside" activities! I may be a windowseat pagan but I'll picnic with the best of them.

However, I do know people who "do" picnics... they plan and cook and pack. I've been on picnics that would put a catering firm to shame. And I enjoyed it! But I think I might actually prefer my "throw it in a bag and off we go" meals. It's almost like the rules don't count if you're eating on the floor/on a blanket outdoors.

Today is also beautiful picnic weather here... mid 70s, sunny, fluffy white clouds, breeze. Mmmmmmmmm!

[Maiasaura]

TOTALLY forgot to picnic on the floor!

Oh well-- ds hadn't had his medicine today and so since he got home from summer care, it's been a constant management-of-behavior. Food on the floor doesn't bode well, when ds is in that kind of hyper.

Maybe tomorrow. Dang.

[_ktg_]

ooooh popsicles! I just made those today, upon discovering several (7) very ripe mangoes in the fridge.

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the mango pop from the freezer (dixie cup style).

Dinner is ... jambalaya, but we could sit on a blanket on the floor except for Sam to enjoy this little meal. Actually... babies + hot soupy dinner = bad news :nana so we'll stick with pops on the porch after dinner

[Valerie.Qc]

We had a real picnic today! We were at Parc Omegaand had pasta salad, hard boiled eggs, veggies, fruits and trail mix on a picnic table in one of their picnic area.

[liza-s]

We floor picnic. I introduced DH to it when we were first dating.i even have a designated floor picnic blanket. To set the mood, we sometimes eat backward starting with 'floor pie' (you have to say it with a Homer Simpson voice: "Ooooh. Floor pie..."

This winter once we have snow I want to start having full moon picnics around a snow ring camp fire. DS doesn't like marshmellows, but I haven't tried him on homemade ones.


[I totally missed week 3 - so glad to hop on early for week 4.]

[wombatclay]

Faster than a speeding camper.... taller than a stack of laundry.... stronger than coffee! It's Pagan Poetry! Squuuuueeeeeee!!!!!

Um, yes.



Today's pagan summer camp challenge involves poetry. Not the big long florid thee filled poetry you find in dusty tomes of classics (though if you can do a sonnet off the top of your head you win a camp prize!). I'm think short, sweet, done now, and quickly crafted poems. Perhaps a haiku or a limerick or two?

Haiku are one of my favorite forms... in it's most basic form you just need 17 syllables! First line, 5 syllables, second line 7 syllables, third line 5 syllables, done! I used to write a half dozen or so a day (I worked reception for a while and had lots of time where I had to "sit and look alert even though there was nothing to do" so I'd fill page after post-it page with haiku). Haiku are like little tiny candy bites of poetry... they can be about anything at all, take any mood, and fit in the smallest pocket.

Summer Camp is here!
Pagan sisters gather round
fun for one and all!

How about you... can you turn your morning divination or morning reading into a haiku? Perhaps gift the tree outside your window with a haiku composed on the spot? Frame yuor enjoyment of that cup of coffee in 5-7-5 form? Jot a haiku on a prayer flag or on a stone that you leave on a bench for a stranger to discover? Maybe draw a haiku in the sand, in the flour before you mix it into bread, on the surface of your bird bath (or your bath)? Add that 60 seconds of creativity and passion and goofy good fun to your day! Heck, even the "great masters" of classical haiku wrote poems about frog bellies and biting bugs, umbrellas and windy days, lost tickets and friendships found.

But perhaps haiku doesn't make you laugh. How about a limerick? Short and silly and frequently "dirty", limricks take a little more creativity than haiku since they are a bit longer and need to rhyme. Your limerick needs five lines, a rhyme pattern of AABBA (no... not the group ), and a rhythm pattern of 3-3-2-2-3. It's easiest to just demonstrate...

There once was a pagan named Sue
who always knew just what to do
she camped with the best
and was always well dressed
when dancing in Kalamazoo!

Ok...so that leaves a little to be desired. Possibly more than a little. I'm more of a haiku girl myself so maybe just visit a limerick site to get a better feel for them?

Both haiku and limericks are great fun for kids... so do share today's challenge activity and then post your products here! Who can write the silliest, the most "pagan" (Lughnasadh is coming up and a crown of seasonal poetry would be a nice twist on the whole "bonfire of creativity", yes?), the most mdc relevant? Have fun and have that fun now! Wht wait?

The challenge today is quiet clear,
your poems to share far and near!
the word of the day
simply sweeps you away
though the outcome may be a bit queer!

pagan poetry
every moment feeds the wheel
spinning straw to gold

[Maiasaura]

You have got to be kidding, Clay

[Indigo73]

I have been sick so I completely missed week 3. Going to go find it so I can read it later. But I am here.

[wombatclay]

I find your lack of faith disturbing! (said in Darth Vader voice) Come on now... fire of inspiration and creativity go!

I could make the challenge more specific... lets see... who can provide a personal poem with one of the following themes:

1- coffee tea or sipping chocolate
2- reduce reuse recycle restore or renew
3- earth air fir water or spirit
4- jelly beans or artificially colored/flavored candy
5- skeletons or things that rattle
6- lughnasadh/teltane
7- sunflowers or other plants

[Aubergine68]

Not *quite* a sonnet, but it has 14 lines! This is what happened to me this morning:



The weeks of spring and summer flown
Have left my garden overgrown
With nettles, thistles and plantain
Grown monstrous after weeks of rain.

One pull brings up stalk, root and earth,
Scatters seeds for fall rebirth.

I find some berries, late and sweet
Crushing red under my feet.

I reach far back into the green
To pull a nettle, barely seen --

-- warm soft, a yowl, and yellow eyes---
I stumble back, in sharp surprise!

Black cat demanding how I *dare*
Disturb a night thing in day's lair!

[_ktg_]

I think I got this - whee haiku and syllable counters!

tall, grande, or venti
hot, iced, cream, or sugar
sipping is blissful

next something more inspired!

[wombatclay]

[Maiasaura]

Alright, then, if you insist

O, food of the gods
sipping, Hershey's, any kind
chocolate is the bomb

[wombatclay]

Lurve it!

Prayer flag poetry
crayons, paper, string, and tape
laughter on the wind

We used some tissue paper cut into triangles to make "indoor prayer flags"... I cut the tissue paper, the girls drew things on them (tor chewed some ), and after dinner I'll hang them around the "living room" portion of the house using some yarn. The tissue paper is so thin it flutters a bit and the sun shines through it. It's not as gorgeous as the flags on etsy (I'm in love with this shop), but they are fun and we "did it now".

Actually, prayer flags are part of our Lughnasadh celebration... I'm planning on making more "substantial" flags (linen from a thrift store dress, then embroidered with the nine ADF virtues as well as, eventually, one larger flag for each holy day... the holy day flag will fly in the garden till the next holy day) but given life? I figured "do it now" was more important and the tissue paper actually works! I'll post pics when I have them.

[wombatclay]

The magic of language! Yesterday we made it giggle, today we'll make it transform! Before our very eyes I'm sure...

Everyone knows that affirmations can have an amazing impact. And using positive language is a skill worth learning. But today we'll play a few magical games with language and transformation. Change EARTH to WATER! Change FIRE to WIND! Transform FEAR into LOVE! And even COOKIES into ALLGONE!

This is a fun camp game and good to play with a group of people (any age, just tailor the words to the occassion and the abilities of the group). Pick two words that have the same number of letters and then, changing just one letter at a time and requiring that each new word formed be a "real word, in english", transform that original word into the final word. For example:

FEAR
DEAR
DEAL
DELL
BELL
BOLL
DOLL
DOLE
DOVE
LOVE

And there you have the magic of words! You changed FEAR into LOVE without leaving your computer! Congrats!

So what traits do you want to tranfsorm? What magical adventure do you want to have? What puzzle do you want to set for yourself or your kiddos? This is an awesome game to play during picnics or car trips or children's rituals or whenever. Any subject, any length. It can be a "fall asleep at night mental game", an invocation or warding (turn the annoying neighbor into a shrub! go ahead! start with their name and turn them into a TOAD or a POTATO or a DUCK. You could even cackle a little, really "camp" it up. ).

Be silly, be magical, be it now!

[Maiasaura]

I am having kind of a down day, already. I posted in the Witchy Weight Loss thread that I am up again to 185.0, and I have been really focusing on my food intake and quality. I don't know why this happens, but for the last 7 years, when I focus hard on being better, I gain weight.

It's not water, it's not my moon, it's a slow creep up. It's happened for 7 years.

I am very discouraged.

I would like to transform that, somehow. I don't really have any ideas for a starting point, but with a little help from you guys for ideas, maybe I will have the strength and the will to make a small spell out of it.

TIA.

[aweynsayl]

i almost forgot i had a similar holiday flag plan a couple years ago. yeah. i actually made several of them in camp that year! but, yes, it stalled.


your picnic theme has me in convulsions, because we will be living on the floor when we do move in... although, we do have a table... just no chairs. one winter back in the northwest, we had this awesome ice storm that knocked out power for a week. we had a gas fireplace, and picnicked in front of it. lurved it.

my grandmother was the queen of picnics. our family thanksgiving used to be at a local state park. i've been longing to reinstate that tradition, but i'm not so good with the detailed planning it takes.....

when we lived in chicago, we'd picnic at ravinia. all picnics pale after those.... although, we do have a tradition of a fall equinox picnic at the mountains.


i do not do poetry. glad i missed that day. *phew*


maia, hugs hon. i'm probably in a poopier place than you, so i'd only make it worse. hugs!