The Story Garden with Mrs. Sandoz

Chapter 5:   The Baker’s Windows by Kristen S. Sandoz  2013 Tonight our story returns to Copper and Justly.   After Justly saved Copper from an untimely death he had to find a new place to sleep at night. Before Copper Justly slept under the outdoor oven at the Baker’s complex.   It was such a warm and dry place to nestle into, even on the coldest and wettest nights.   This clay oven was stoked every day for the baking of the finest breads in the entire kingdom (so the Baker thought) and it would therefore emit warmth long into the night.   Justly received the privilege of sleeping under the oven by cleaning the windows of the Baker’s shop.   I know you think that I am making a mistake, but I am not!   Despite being blind Justly had an excellent reputation for window washing.   How did he do it, you ask?   Well, let me tell you his secret for it is one all of us would do well to know.     Every month Justly pre...

Sleep is a problem in our house.   First, Thing 3, now a year old, wakes anywhere from four to six times a night to nurse.   Thing 1 will lay awake until 10 pm waiting for his Melatonin to kick in.     My dear sweet husband often doesn’t fall asleep until 2 am thanks to a crazy work schedule, restless leg issues, and the failure of his Melatonin to do its job.   Finally, Thing 2 wakes frequently with nightmares.   All of their sleep problems become my sleep problems.   Nice. Out of sheer desperation I recently bought an Ebook titled Ready,Set, Sleep by Malia Jacobson .   It was only $10 so I thought I had nothing to lose buying a self-published book.   I was drawn to the book because of Jacobson’s statement “that parents are regularly given outdated sleep advice laden with value judgments instead of simple, fact-based tactics that work”.   That has certainly been my experience.   She went on to say that sleep science is...

Maybe she can?   Maybe she can’t?   That is the question that May B. has to answer for herself while stranded on the Kansas prairie alone and abandoned until Christmas.   Can she grow past her fears and insecurities and find it in herself to overcome? May B. A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose is a true healing story.   Its raw, awkward, and uncomfortable rhythm mimics the main character. Yet the more I read it to my boys the more freely the words ebbed and flowed from me.     Just like the Kansas prairie in the 1870’s this story is sparse and simple requiring commitment to get past the first half of the book before the reward of hard work and a good story pulls you in.   The beauty of this book is the way Rose develops May B. throughout the story mirroring her internal struggle to read with her external struggle to survive.   Sometimes a bad situation often does make a person better.   This story offered me and my boys plenty of oppo...

The Poisoning of Ivy by Kristen S. Sandoz 2012 By now I am sure you are wondering just what became of the babe that took Pearl’s place.   It is easy to find ourselves drifting toward bitterness when speaking of this little one.   After all, she had no right to take Pearl’s place, and we will come to love Pearl so very much.   However, it is imperative that we remember that Ivy, as she was named by the King and Queen, did not have a choice in the matter.   In a way her new station was forced upon her as it was with Pearl and we cannot harbor hate for an innocent person.   I warn you now to guard your heart from that bitterness no matter what happens to this wee one. With that said, I am sorry to pronounce that Ivy was truly the daughter of a Thief and Lying Beggar.   As she grew her natural disposition was always slightly nasty, prone to lies, selfish and self-serving, keen on casting blame, and never satisfied.   These behaviors continua...

The Priest By Kristen S. Sandoz 2012 Our last Justly Story told us about the day of Pearl’s birth,  w here she was stolen from her royal parents by a Thief and a Lying Beggar.   They in turn got tired of her after one day and promptly left her on the doorstep of the church.   It would be a discredit to the Priest at this fine establishment if I did not mention his part in this whole story so I will give a short account of it now. People were always leaving babies at the church.   This was quite a disturbing problem for the priest in charge there for he was a young bachelor and had no idea what to do with babies.   You can imagine his surprise at finding the bundle on the step.   He at first was overjoyed when he saw the basket.   “Oh, how lovely!” he said.   “Someone has left me a gift!”  P eople were often doing that, too.   “I do hope it is a basket of apples.   I’m dying for a warm, delicious apple pie!”   He ...

If I were one of Christopher Robin's stuffed animals I'm afraid I'd be Rabbit.  He was never my favorite. I liked Pooh, of course, and then Eeyore.  Tigger was fun but a little overwhelming to me.  I was glad he came in small doses.  But I never liked Rabbit.  He was mean, negative, crabby, had no sense of humor, and he yelled a lot. Yep!  That pretty much describes me as a parent.  And that is why I tell my boys stories, because I am a flawed person and I need some concrete way to bond and grow with my boys.  I need some tangible way to heal wounds that are deep and hidden.  I need to connect with my children in a positive way.  So I tell them stories to heal the wounds that I sometimes inflict as well as the wounds they receive from others.  But probably my biggest motivation in telling them stories is that it is one last ditch effort on my part to end the day on a positive note.  I'm hoping that by telling them a story...

I found this quote on the tag of my Yogi tea bag the other day.  Of course I loved it! To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach. Such true words! Now, go enjoy a well earned cup of tea. Kristen