Ha! While the boys are intent on the fire, one marshmellow per stick, the writer is happily waving 2 marshmellows on her stick! Happy birthday, Alison, still happily waving marshmellows.
Is Allison, she goes by Allie. It never occurred to me that Alice is also a possible nickname an Allison could go by! I also love Alice in Wonderland, I have some memorabilia knickknacks in my house. Allie’s birthday is Saturday the 15th so also a June birthday! I’m going to call her Alice randomly and see her reaction, we like to joke so it’ll be amusing to see how she reacts 😂
Happy birthday, Alison! I love your story about Alison Wonderland. Not being named Alison, and not knowing any real life Alisons when I was a child, I never heard it that way. I'm delighted that you did.
That's a wonderful photo of you as a child with your brothers. In some ways you have hardly changed. You look exactly like that kid!
A delightful read! Happy Birthday to you and The Unschool!! I love the photo of you and your brothers and the fact that your mom still lives in that house. Amazing!
A very merry unbirthday to youuuuuuuu! Alice in Wonderland remains a book I read at each birthday ending in zero...and see the world differently with each decade. That's the magic.
Happy Birthday tomorrow, Alison! I'm so grateful for your wisdom, generosity, and capacity to ask the big questions about writing and the writing life. Your posts never fail to invite me into my own thoughts and experience. <3!
Night. Waves lap on the shallow rocky shore. Through the trees an across the lawn and over the granite terrace the lights of the cottage are warm. Before us the lake, dark green and calm in the night, gentle calming laps on the shallow shore. On that shore we have built our own round fire pit with flat lake rocks and filled it with wood and lit it. Two of my brothers, old enough, and me. Sometimes our cousins. Sometimes cottage friends from down the shore. No adults. We know to have a bucket of water at the ready just in case. With our sticks found in the woods we squat around the fire pit, marshmellows on the tips. We hold the marshmellows into the flame until the marshmellows flame black. We wave them in the dark to put out the flames, then with our teeth pull off the black outer casing, chew, swallow the burnt deliciousness. We put the soft marshmellow heart back into the flame until it is toasty gold, pull it out, wave it to cool it, and pull the golden soft marshmellow off the hard blackened stick tip with our teeth. Over fifty years later some of the faces have faded, but not the feeling of gathering around the little fire, the quiet dark lake beyond us, no adults, roasting and toasting and crunching our marshmellows. Together.
Ha! While the boys are intent on the fire, one marshmellow per stick, the writer is happily waving 2 marshmellows on her stick! Happy birthday, Alison, still happily waving marshmellows.
Happy Birthday, Alison!
Thank you, Annette!
Happy Birthday Alison.
🎂
Thank you, Bach5G... and for the cake!
Happy Birthday! My daughter’s girlfriends name
Is Allison, she goes by Allie. It never occurred to me that Alice is also a possible nickname an Allison could go by! I also love Alice in Wonderland, I have some memorabilia knickknacks in my house. Allie’s birthday is Saturday the 15th so also a June birthday! I’m going to call her Alice randomly and see her reaction, we like to joke so it’ll be amusing to see how she reacts 😂
June 15 is a very good day! Happy day to Allison with two-ls!
Happy Birthday Alison! Have a wonderful weekend with your boys!
Thank you, Joan!
Happy Birthday, Alison Wonderland! Love the picture with your brothers, so joyful! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead and so glad we met on here! ❤️ 🎂
Thank you, Jolene. I too am glad we met here!
Happy birthday, Alison! I love your story about Alison Wonderland. Not being named Alison, and not knowing any real life Alisons when I was a child, I never heard it that way. I'm delighted that you did.
That's a wonderful photo of you as a child with your brothers. In some ways you have hardly changed. You look exactly like that kid!
Kid with grey hair! Thank you, Maureen!
A delightful read! Happy Birthday to you and The Unschool!! I love the photo of you and your brothers and the fact that your mom still lives in that house. Amazing!
It is, isn't it? She is very grateful!
Happiest of birthdays, my wonderful friend 'Alison Wonderland.' I love it!
Thank you, Cindy!
Happy 60th and happy 3rd. Wish you many more on both counts.
A very merry unbirthday to youuuuuuuu! Alice in Wonderland remains a book I read at each birthday ending in zero...and see the world differently with each decade. That's the magic.
Oh! Very good. Thank you, Georgia!
Happy Birthday tomorrow, Alison! I'm so grateful for your wisdom, generosity, and capacity to ask the big questions about writing and the writing life. Your posts never fail to invite me into my own thoughts and experience. <3!
Thank you, Laura! I am grateful you are here!
Night. Waves lap on the shallow rocky shore. Through the trees an across the lawn and over the granite terrace the lights of the cottage are warm. Before us the lake, dark green and calm in the night, gentle calming laps on the shallow shore. On that shore we have built our own round fire pit with flat lake rocks and filled it with wood and lit it. Two of my brothers, old enough, and me. Sometimes our cousins. Sometimes cottage friends from down the shore. No adults. We know to have a bucket of water at the ready just in case. With our sticks found in the woods we squat around the fire pit, marshmellows on the tips. We hold the marshmellows into the flame until the marshmellows flame black. We wave them in the dark to put out the flames, then with our teeth pull off the black outer casing, chew, swallow the burnt deliciousness. We put the soft marshmellow heart back into the flame until it is toasty gold, pull it out, wave it to cool it, and pull the golden soft marshmellow off the hard blackened stick tip with our teeth. Over fifty years later some of the faces have faded, but not the feeling of gathering around the little fire, the quiet dark lake beyond us, no adults, roasting and toasting and crunching our marshmellows. Together.
Yes... the layers of marshmallow--love that! We did that.
The water wisdom. That, too. We learned.
Lovely memories here, Amy! Thank you.
Happy birthday and marshmallow waving to you 🎶🎶🎶and the Unschool!🎉 60 is a great place to be 🤍
It is indeed! Thank you, Shirley!