In which we celebrate Saturday Stories...and the wedding next door!
I have the best neighbors. Last summer they hopped over the fence and said, "you have horses but no hay storage. We have a big barn and no livestock. Do you want to store hay in our barn?"
Uh, YES!
Fast forward some months, and they hopped over the fence again. "Uh, about that hay...
"...would it be okay if we use it for extra seating when we get married in the barn this winter?"
Awesome.
Yesterday, Jim and Willy and I hopped over the fence and helped arrange the hay bales into comfortable seating for the wedding guests. The bride covered them with sparkley gold mesh, just for pretty.
Then they set up tables, real chairs, a sound system, and a dance floor in the barn.
Tonight, as the sun was setting in a clear blue-and-pink February sherbet sky, our neighbors got married in the barn.
(above) The bride with her oldest son.
Uh, YES!
Fast forward some months, and they hopped over the fence again. "Uh, about that hay...
"...would it be okay if we use it for extra seating when we get married in the barn this winter?"
Awesome.
Yesterday, Jim and Willy and I hopped over the fence and helped arrange the hay bales into comfortable seating for the wedding guests. The bride covered them with sparkley gold mesh, just for pretty.
Then they set up tables, real chairs, a sound system, and a dance floor in the barn.
Tonight, as the sun was setting in a clear blue-and-pink February sherbet sky, our neighbors got married in the barn.
(above) The bride with her oldest son.(below) Youngest son of the bride and his cousin, all dressed up for the wedding!
(below) Our former neighbors--and grandparents of the bride. Herb rototilled my garden last spring, before they sold their house to the people who are now my neighbors.
It was great to see them again!
There were lots of toasts to the bridal couple--but they were ready for the occasion.
Don't they look happy!
The bride is explaining how she saw and admired a woven cedar vest on display at the Burke Museum a few years ago, and how her husband's family is related to the James family of weavers from the Lummi tribe. One of his relations made the vest especially for this occasion, as well as woven cedar ties for the groom and all his attendants.
The cake topper is also made from woven cedar bark--truly a work of art!
You can see on their faces what they intend to do with the cake, can't you?
Oh, yeah!
Pulling the Rope : a traditional American story (retold)
Once upon a time, and it wasn’t so long ago, either, either, there was a girl.
You would never hear this girl say things like, “Oh, I could never lift that heavy thing.”
She would never say things like, “I’m just not sure what to do.”
And she would NEVER say things like, “Whatever you want is fine with me.”
No.
This girl would rather say things like, “Let me give you a hand with that.”
Or she would say things like, “I’m sure I can handle it.”
And she would often say things like, “You have my word on it.”
So that was okay.
There was also a boy.
You would never hear this boy say things like, “Why don’t we wait and find out?”
He would never say things like, “I think it would be too difficult.”
And he would NEVER say things like, “I don’t have time to help.”
No.
This boy would rather say things like, “This is my opinion.”
Or he would say things like, “I’m sure we can finish this by dinnertime.”
And he would often say things like, “You have my word on it.”
So that was okay.
As you might expect, the girl loved the boy.
And the boy loved the girl.
And when they got old enough to marry each other, that’s what they did.
They took his wagon into town, hired the hall and the preacher, and a fiddler. They invited their friends, and their family. And they got married.
So that was okay.
On the way home, when they were driving home together in the wagon, the girl said to the boy, “I hope you realize that I intend to be in charge of our household. I’m as smart as you. I’m as strong as you. I will give the orders, and I expect you to do what I say.”
But they boy said, “Now, that’s not right. I’m as smart as you. I’m as strong as you. I should be the one in charge of the household.”
And that might have been their very first argument, right there, but the boy had a better idea.
“Let’s have a contest,” he suggested. “The winner of the contest will be in charge of our household.”
And the girl agreed.
So that was okay.
When they got home, the boy got a long, long rope out of the barn. He held on to one end of the rope, and threw the other end of the rope over the roof of the house. Then he showed the rope to his new wife.
“You take hold of one end of the rope, and pull. I will pull the other end of the rope. Whichever of us pulls the entire rope over the roof of the house will be the one to be in charge of our household.
And the girl agreed.
So that was okay.
She took hold of her end of the rope and pulled.
He took hold of his end of the rope and pulled.
She pulled strong and hard.
So did he.
They stayed there, pulling, for nearly an hour. They got very tired, but neither of them could pull the rope over the house.
Then the boy had another idea.“I will stop pulling, and you will stop pulling. Then you can come to my side of the house, and I will show you something.”
So they stopped pulling, and she came over to his side of the house.
He handed her the rope.“Take hold of the rope. And I will take hold of the rope also, right next to you. And then we will pull the rope…
…together.”
They did.
The rope came sailing over the roof of the house and landed at their feet, with hardly any work at all.
“So,” said the boy, “this is what I propose: that we run our household the same way that we pulled the rope.”
“Together?” she asked.
“Together,” he said.
And that is what they did.
They did the work, they cooked the meals, and they raised their family together. And they are still doing things together, to this very day.
And that is okay!
(below) Our former neighbors--and grandparents of the bride. Herb rototilled my garden last spring, before they sold their house to the people who are now my neighbors.It was great to see them again!There were lots of toasts to the bridal couple--but they were ready for the occasion.
Don't they look happy!
The bride is explaining how she saw and admired a woven cedar vest on display at the Burke Museum a few years ago, and how her husband's family is related to the James family of weavers from the Lummi tribe. One of his relations made the vest especially for this occasion, as well as woven cedar ties for the groom and all his attendants.
The cake topper is also made from woven cedar bark--truly a work of art!
You can see on their faces what they intend to do with the cake, can't you?
Oh, yeah!
In celebration of my neighbor's wedding, as well as a celebration of Saturday Stories, here's the story I told at the reception. I learned it from a book written by former Swamplander Pleasant DeSpain, and published it on this blog on December 23rd. Still, it's a good story, and deserves to get out of the box more than once a year. Share it with somebody, won't you?
Pulling the Rope : a traditional American story (retold)
Once upon a time, and it wasn’t so long ago, either, either, there was a girl.
You would never hear this girl say things like, “Oh, I could never lift that heavy thing.”
She would never say things like, “I’m just not sure what to do.”
And she would NEVER say things like, “Whatever you want is fine with me.”
No.
This girl would rather say things like, “Let me give you a hand with that.”
Or she would say things like, “I’m sure I can handle it.”
And she would often say things like, “You have my word on it.”
So that was okay.
There was also a boy.
You would never hear this boy say things like, “Why don’t we wait and find out?”
He would never say things like, “I think it would be too difficult.”
And he would NEVER say things like, “I don’t have time to help.”
No.
This boy would rather say things like, “This is my opinion.”
Or he would say things like, “I’m sure we can finish this by dinnertime.”
And he would often say things like, “You have my word on it.”
So that was okay.
As you might expect, the girl loved the boy.
And the boy loved the girl.
And when they got old enough to marry each other, that’s what they did.
They took his wagon into town, hired the hall and the preacher, and a fiddler. They invited their friends, and their family. And they got married.
So that was okay.
On the way home, when they were driving home together in the wagon, the girl said to the boy, “I hope you realize that I intend to be in charge of our household. I’m as smart as you. I’m as strong as you. I will give the orders, and I expect you to do what I say.”
But they boy said, “Now, that’s not right. I’m as smart as you. I’m as strong as you. I should be the one in charge of the household.”
And that might have been their very first argument, right there, but the boy had a better idea.
“Let’s have a contest,” he suggested. “The winner of the contest will be in charge of our household.”
And the girl agreed.
So that was okay.
When they got home, the boy got a long, long rope out of the barn. He held on to one end of the rope, and threw the other end of the rope over the roof of the house. Then he showed the rope to his new wife.
“You take hold of one end of the rope, and pull. I will pull the other end of the rope. Whichever of us pulls the entire rope over the roof of the house will be the one to be in charge of our household.
And the girl agreed.
So that was okay.
She took hold of her end of the rope and pulled.
He took hold of his end of the rope and pulled.
She pulled strong and hard.
So did he.
They stayed there, pulling, for nearly an hour. They got very tired, but neither of them could pull the rope over the house.
Then the boy had another idea.“I will stop pulling, and you will stop pulling. Then you can come to my side of the house, and I will show you something.”
So they stopped pulling, and she came over to his side of the house.
He handed her the rope.“Take hold of the rope. And I will take hold of the rope also, right next to you. And then we will pull the rope…
…together.”
They did.
The rope came sailing over the roof of the house and landed at their feet, with hardly any work at all.
“So,” said the boy, “this is what I propose: that we run our household the same way that we pulled the rope.”
“Together?” she asked.
“Together,” he said.
And that is what they did.
They did the work, they cooked the meals, and they raised their family together. And they are still doing things together, to this very day.
And that is okay!
Oh, they look so happy! Beautiful wedding, and my kind of celebration. My husband and I got married at the courthouse, then had a party with BBQ and beer on the roof of our apartment building. I love nontraditional weddings :)
ReplyDeleteI remember that story! It is a good one, and very good to tell at a wedding.