Weird Plants, Red Hair and Our Sponsor...

First off, before we get to My Day At the Beauty Parlor, I was walking in my garden this morning, as one does in this part of the world, seeing what's shown up, or grown, or is still alive (Since our growing season is about three weeks long at the best of times) and this showed up!



I know it is some sort of Hen and Chick, and I do have Hens and Chicks, but never anything like THIS before. Notice the chicks growing off a pinwheel of purple spines. Looks suspiciously like some sort of Alien Flower, sent for a Purpose. I would not, wisely I think, point any fingers, but I do certainly Suspect something.

Of course, it doesn't have to be some sort of Evil sent by the Bengals Wasp League, it could just be something beautiful sent by Malena to make me happy.

Enough of that, onto the Beauty Parlor for my new hair, a process involving some hours and not a little money.

First off, meet Amy, my Personal Stylist. (ok, not just MINE, but the only one I go to.) I am sure she does other people as well, and would be happy to do hair for anyone in the Minneapolis St Paul Area. She has just bought her own salon, called Maude Salon. Besides her salon, there are several art galleries and studios, all very cool indeed. Visit her. She will like you. You will like her.



Amy is a one of us. (whomever we might be on any given day)

Let's get to work. This was MEANT to be the BEFORE shot of the poor bedraggled me going into the salon, but I kind of like it as well as the afters, anyway to set the mood...



First, all the hair must go....We don't want OLD hair now do we????



Cut to three hours later and Ah-ha! We have RED again. And Curls. If only I could make it LOOK like that! Thank you, Amy!



Now, a word from our Sponsor....



Hello everyone!! WUSSUP! This is the amazing Maddy Gaiman! Seeing as I am featured in one of Quiche's pictures she asked me to say a few words. First of all, she's fabulous. Not quite as much as me, but very much so. Reading her blog will bring bundles of pure joy to your day, no doubt about it. Also if you want to be happy just stare at my beautiful face in the picture she posted...and for those of you wondering, nope I definitely don't have an ego. ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL BLOG! Quiche is cool. Oh and Malena is pretty rockin' awesome too. Have a nice day!:)

Love and Red, Lorraine and Maddy

Fairy Mermaid Heaven

Here are some photos from the shoot that will make you laugh.
Yes, I WAS wearing shells!

Here's Kimberly holding up my tail, and Byrdie in the background.

Wehoooo, we are alone! She saved me! I am breathing air!

Here's a closeup of my makeup. All 10 layers of it.

Here I am pretending to relax in the freezing cold water!

And here's the Fairy "Nightgown".

So now you've seen the video...go watch it again.... and again and again and again!

Exciting Video and the Wild Kingdom Update

Such excitement since our report on "Our Friend the Mandrake Root"!!!!

We got a call from Kimberly Butler, who directed our idea, and the Lovely Byrdie, who did all the camera work, and editing, that the Video was done at last!!!!

You can see it HERE...

Watching it today brought back so many memories. The good, the bad, non-stop hours, hard work, Malena nearly drowning, (second time I saved her life, the first involved a Grape and the Heimlich Maneuver, she must be part cat) I learned so much shooting, most of all, that I like the behind the camera jobs better than in front of the camera.

I hope you like what we did. Chris Ewen wrote some beautiful music, Gregory Maguire magic lyrics, Kimberly had the ideas (That women is something else when working. Total concentration, I had only known her not at work before that)Byrdie did the camera work and editing, Ashley some acting and lots of tech (and sat in the COLD water for hours while the shots got set up, so Malena didn't get blue and frozen)

And Malena....Well, I tell you, that women worked harder than anyone, nothing she wouldn't do to get it right.

What did I do? Everything I could. Logistics, kind of a production co-ordinater. Very important.

Cabal the Berserker is turning into the Star of Dog School, which makes me happy, tho I have to be honest and say it isn't his first time thru this class...But now he is an inspiration to the others and proof it can be done.

Venus and Mim have been getting outside time in the evenings, on little purple leashes and harnesses. It takes two people because Mim is EVERYWHERE, and Venus sort of slinks, close to the ground.

Jungle Loves One and Two are getting better. I am ready to really start looking for the right home for them. I know they just need someone who will love them, and they will trust and be happy.

And we got to do Bee Things, which always makes me happy. Today was adding Brood Boxes.

The next few days are FLOOD WATCH days, so methinks it means rain is coming. Lots and lots of rain.

And Dan Guy is still contemplating taking over the world, along with Mr Paul Score. I'm betting they do it...

Love and Magic,
Lorraine

Our Friend The Mandrake Root, by Lorraine a' Malena

Is there a plant more shrouded in mystery and magic than the Mandrake Root? The name itself seems to invoke nothing so much as mystery. Deep mystery. A plant that screams when uprooted? Avoided, wrapped in myth and half truths? How many people grow it in their backyard, and more important, know it's secret?

The real magic. Of all growing things.......

Sit in on a bit of Lorraine and Malena conversation...

M: DEV!! My Mandrake roots are growing! Two years have passed since I planted them and they are finally up!!!

L: That's great Div! Wait. You sound REALLY happy and it is not dark yet. Your Mandrake are growing??? Div,who died. Wait, I Do Not Want To Know. He probably deserved it.

(there are legends about where the Mandrake grow, and how. Emily, if you do not know in five years, I will tell you. Don't worry about it until then, it's way worse than Voodoo Wasps...The rest of you, be gentle, remember our younger readers!)

Here is The Now Famous Root..(well, the leaves of the Famous Root.)



Let's look at the history of Mandragora officianarum. It has been around a long time, and a quick search of the Internet tells us it has been used medicinally for, well, pretty much EVERYTHING. Sick? Here, have a Mandrake Root, you will feel better in NO time!

M: He did, don't WORRY, the moon was full, and I was hungry, and ......

L: I SAID I do not want to know!!!!!!!

M: I can't wait till they are bigger, I do so love the way they scream when you pull them up!!!!

L: Doesn't bother you, I know. Drives humans quite mad. Record it when you do and we will put it on the next cd....

Deep Purple recorded a song called, simply "Mandrake Root" here are the lyrics in their entirety:

I've got a Mandrake Root
It's some thunder in my brain
I feed it to my babe
She thunders just the same
Food of love sets her flame
Ah, stick it up

I've got the Mandrake Root
Baby's just the same
She still feels a quiver
She's still got the flame
She slows down, slows right down
I've got the power



Which makes a lot more sense than what we found in Genesis. You know the bible has some pretty wacky stories (it makes on wonder how many of the far right Christian types, who are always objecting to things people do, and quote God from it, have actually READ it, but that's another blog..)

“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes." And she said unto her, "Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldst thou take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes." And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes." And he lay with her that night. And God harkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob the fifth son. “
• Genesis 30:14-17



L: SO what are we going to DO with these roots?

M: OH! I have the best idea, you know next time you are out...

And that, my nocturnal Friends is where we will leave our conversation with Lorraine and Malena. So concludes our report on "Our Friend, the Mandrake Root. We will leave you , of course, John Donne...

GO and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.

Sweet Dreams, of Nightime Gardens,

Lorraine and Malena

From one of our LaMies, Dusti

I got a request the other day for help. Here's what Dusti wrote:

I have gotten involved with a fundraising project called Hooters for Haunters. In a nutshell, this is for a truly wonderful woman named Nancy - http://www.myspace.com/elmyra_hearsechic - who was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in December.She has no insurance and had to have a full masectomy.*ouch*She's going through chemo and she's really not doing well financially.

So we're doing a full weekend of events at Midwest Haunters Convention (http://www.midwesthauntersconvention.com/) next weekend, and half of the proceeds will go to her - the other half will go to another haunter with breast cancer.Now, ANOTHER dear friend of mine has put together something really wonderful - a jewelry collection, with all proceeds going directly to Nancy!
http://www.naturalcharm.com/awareness_nancy.html

The nifty thing about Julie's jewelry is that it includes beads made from a combination of clay and flowers! They're quite beautiful. I'm trying to promote the heck out of her line of jewelry. If you'd be willing to share this info with your LAMites, that would be fabulous!

Love Dusti