Duendesday: {a day to check in with a 9 yr old’s doings}
If ever there was a time to invoke a little magick, now would be the time. We knew that we were the kind of people who might need some at some point (I certainly don’t rule it out on a regular basis) so it seemed fitting to name our child appropriately so. I think I pictured a sweet pixie child who loved to cavort around the woods whispering into tree notches and peering under strawberry leaves for faerie-folk but Duende is definitely more on the wood sprite of things (Puck-ish, if you will – edgy, trickster, a warrior creature – she is an astrological Cancer) – which I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Being in Maine we have always supported and encouraged the tradition of faerie house building. Duende only knows Mackworth Island in Falmouth as ‘Faerie Island’ because of the stretch of woods/trail dedicated to layers and layers and years and years of faerie house building. Whenever we went camping, family faerie house building always ensued, and now at the house, any season, there is always some form of faerie way-station being structured – right now there is a temple in the front yard, some sleeping quarters right smack next to the stone spot in the back, and an underground dance club in the old herb garden. Our only rule is that it has to be made of only natural materials (because it will be forgotten or blown over, etc) unless those materials are main structures (some blocks of wood used to support one on the old well) and the underground club is built under a half-buried cinder block that she found in the herb garden.
As spring progresses it is likely there will be more – with all the new building materials coming into view and bloom. We’ve been talking about inviting guests to wander the woods, maybe have a beer 6ft away from us at the firepit, and children to build more faerie houses randomly on the property. If you need to get out, let us know – we have a nice path through the woods, foraging options, and plenty of space just to breathe – we can make that happen for you and still abide by the distancing requirements. Keep us posted.
Happy Spring Faeries!
Rock Bottom Homestead 