{a day in the life of a homeschooled 16 yr old}
This Samhain, D had nowhere to go, and without the shop to provide her with a great celebratory place to hand out goodies to costumed wee ones, we had to come up with another plan. So, we decided to have a dressed-up outing/photo shoot/class at the cemetery.
There are an awful lot of rules apparently at the cemetery; most are courteous enough, but a few seem like we don’t appreciate our ancestors or want to celebrate life as a whole cycle — groups, picnics, and gatherings are discouraged, which means connection, education, and wonderment are also discouraged. There were only a few of us and since this particular cemetery (Mt Hope in Augusta) is utilized as a biking/walking park by locals we weren’t too obvious in our seasonal wear and cameras.
D and her friend E dressed up (as a broken doll and leopard cat, respectively) and we brought some film cameras in order to teach some black/white photo skills (this week we will develop the film and then build a darkroom to do some prints, here are a few phone camera snapshots). D made (a plethora of) cider donuts, warmed some cider, made candy bundles, and our friend V made some yummy cookies and we trekked out into the lovely park of previous lives, and many great trees. It was chilly and a little windy, but a beautiful sunny day. Afterward, we went to the antique place (and found a roomful of dolls for ours to hang out in, and some wytchy dolls!).
Though the astrological mid-season is actually later this week, the recognized Samhain day made a nice adventure to recognize those who came before us.
