December 2008                        Issue 22

~  Last Show of the Year  ~

Kandra and Natasha

The Wee Peeple Doll Lady and the Mandala Jewels Lady

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Old friends doing a little Christmas Show together side by side-

in the enlightened city of Austin where Weird is revered and very much alive

along with timeless tie-dye, strange healthy food, great music and all manner of unique personal expression.

 The Dollmaker feels smug knowing that she owns one of the famous

Keep Austin Weird bumper stickers.

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The Repair of the 

HURRICANE DOLLS

the Before and After photos of a Horned Shaman

who survived Hurricane Ike

Dollmaker claims that the Shaman Doll now has "Storm Medicine"

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Kay Kay Campi called the Dollmaker in tears over her really outstanding Wee Peeple Doll Collection

which had spent two weeks under mud in an overturned storage trailer on Bolivar Penninsula

 before rescuers were allowed back into the Disaster Zone with bulldozers to dig them out.

Kay Kay had already hosed down the Doll Collection,

 but the group of twelve looked pretty bad when she brought them to the Texas Renaissance Festival

 in a giant rubbermaid tub for the Dollmaker's inspection.

 In some ways (like, emotionally) poor Kay Kay seemed worse off than the dolls

as she tearfully re-told their tragic story, opening the box full of discolored dolls

with some of the mud still caked on their faces and fabrics.

 The Dollmaker's heart went out to her and she reassured Miss Kay Kay that everything would be alright,

 even though she wasn't really sure everything would be alright with this hurricane-bedraggled mess.

Nevertheless, after her shows were over and done with, on a cold December Tuesday...

the Dollmaker stood before the giant rubbermaid box full of dolls, knowing she had to start somewhere.

 She opened the box just enough to get her hand inside,

and without actually looking at any of the muddy Wee occupants,

she reached into the box and grabbed one that was on top.

 It was a Horned Shaman, once a powerful top-of-the-line doll.

 Now it looked quite bottom-of-the-line or should she say

bottom-of-the-pond!

OK! Temporarily re-named "Bedraggled Feathers" by the comical Dollmaker,

 for her clumps and clusters of raggedy feathers sticking out in all directions

 from the snarls of thread, fabric, yarn and hair-

all of which had to be removed, the poor little washed out face here

 looked pretty bare and faded after the Dollmaker de-snarled her.

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Since so much of the black (strips of fabric) had to be removed,

the Dollmaker added more black.

Painted feathers made from stiff starched fabrics were added

 in front of the black to replace the real feathers which are far more susceptible to destruction (moths).

With black paint the dark depths of her face were restored

 and then the Shaman could feel her power coming back to her.

The Dollmaker feels that this Doll is now ready to be a Healer,

having survived being buried in the earth for two weeks!

The Dollmaker reports that throughout the entire repair process,

 she had the recurring thought that this Shaman Doll had had a truly Shamanic Experience!

A new herb mixing bowl in her hands and she was ready for Miss Kay Kay to see her.

(watch for pictures of the Repairs on the other eleven dolls...)

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(The Potato Eaters, painting by Van Gogh)

Feed people.

 It's how the Maharajas (Great Masters) sum it all up,

when they are simplifying it for the throngs of Devotees who traverse across continents seeking wisdom...

 they are told- go back to where you came from and

Feed people.  

                            This brings to mind the education of the Dollmaker who is sent to get a fork

while she is on her way to the restroom one bright December Sunday morning,

wandering through the Artist's Vendor Area in a festively decorated church

where a gala Hill Country style Christmas Bazaar is going to begin right after the Sunday Service.

 She passes the Bake Sale tables. Wow. Got to check this out later.

But all the dollmaker needs is a fork, a plastic fork, so she is heading for the kitchen first.

The Dollmaker thinks she knows the way and veers left into a lounge area which she knows is right off the kitchen.

 Except that it's not a lounge area anymore. Now it's a room crowded with tables full of food.

She has to maneuver her way around these tables to get to the kitchen.

 Ah! She spots the Event Coordinator, who might know how to get a fork,

and she's in the kitchen (alright! the kitchen!) surrounded by a teeming mass of people (presumably "Volunteers")

standing practically shoulder to shoulder, all facing her.

It looks like they are having a Morning Meeting in the kitchen.

The Dollmaker certainly could not interrupt just for a fork...

So she pauses, looking around at the colorful, shiny red apples, orange carrots, green brocolli, purple grapes- wow!

so much color! But the Dollmaker sees nothing which needs to be eaten with a fork,

 and though she scans the length and breadth of six tables laden with appetizers

 all packed into this tiny room, no fork does she spy...

So, stepping a little bit closer... the Dollmaker inches toward the kitchen doorway,

now the toes of her shoes are extending just over the threshold of the doorway and actually IN the kitchen.

 Bingo! The toes are immediately noticed and the Dollmaker identified as someone who does not belong in the kitchen,

therefore, someone who must be served!

And six volunteers at the edge of the Morning Meeting turn to ask if they can help her.

Alright!

Soon the Dollmaker has six forks.

And, with toes backed fully out of the kitchen, she turns toward the tables heaped with food again. 

It occurs to her that this room looked different yesterday- the tables of food were not there on Saturday-

 in fact the Event Coordinator asked her yesterday- How did she like their little "Lounge area"?

 Suddenly the Event Coordinator with her clipboard in her hands and nametag pinned to her blouse,

 approaches from the kitchen. The Dollmaker hails her with a question about what all this food is doing here.

The Event Coordinator points to the congregation behind the glass doors listening raptly to the minister,

and says, "When the Service is over, the people are usually hungry

and they will leave- go home for lunch- but we head them off with all this food

 and they eat and they stay and attend our Christmas Bazaar!"

Clever girl! The Dollmaker laughs and acknowledges that

this is obviously not the Event Coordinator's first rodeo.

 But as she re-enters the Vendor Area with her forks in hand,

 on her way to find the rest room,

 the Dollmaker can't help remembering the words of the Masters:

Feed People. 

-from Miracles of Love, Stories about Neem Karoli Baba, by Ram Dass:

"Maharajji, how can I know God?"

"Serve people."

"Maharajji, how can I get enlightened?

"Feed people."

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FEEDING THE SOUL

A Blog by Jan Marshall:

what feeds my soul ?

beautiful landscapes

interesting architecture

art, literature and music

feed my soul

Acts of kindness

understanding

and empathy

feed my soul

intelligent minds

creativity

 and integrity

feed my soul

Time to myself

inner peace

and positive attitude

feed my soul

authentic people

friends

and family

feed my soul

nature

flora

and fauna

feed my soul

peace

hope

and love

feed my soul

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Fire feeding the Souls at Natasha's house in the Hill Country

Austin, Texas, December 2008

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goodbye 2008 goodbye

...........................................................................................

so, how did the Texas Renaissance Festival end, you might ask....

Well, the Last Weekend was a beautiful

Thanksgivingly Celtic Christmas Weekend

A Three-Day Extravaganza  packed with Charmed Patrons in Recession-Denial...

Fairies and Elves care nothing for human politics!

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and per Thanksgiving tradition, the Dollmaker's family came to visit

Yes, right behind the back wall of the Doll Shoppe there's another world going on!

While up at the counter the usual suspects came back again and again!

 Special Orders were picked up:

and old friends brightened our days

(Remember these two characters here...?

That's Rick and Joan of Texas Body Hangings (retired now)

who used to be our neighbors across the field at the Texas Renaissance Festival

selling luxurious and warmy capes

long before the Pirate Import Emporium was a muddled thought in a pirate's brain...)

and in the end 

the Wee Peeple Doll Shoppe

 was awarded a 25 Year Banner

Yes, on the last day of the Festival, Banners were delivered to participants

all around the faire commemorating the years each of us had participated, in increments of five years

Both the Wee Peeple Doll Shoppe and the Rose and Crown Pottery Shoppe next door received 25 Year Banners

Thank You KIng George!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

25 great years with the Texas Renaissance Festival!

This Banner is going in the PARADE!

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And Another big Cheer for

The Wee Peeple Patrons!

Thanks Folks! for another great season

at the biggest most beautiful

Renaissance Festival in the country!

Yay!

Ya'll have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

see you in the future...

(next month...a continuation of the study of small sculpey fairies and mermaids)

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 ALSO- THIS JUST IN FROM THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

With Yuletide celebrations underway, the King and Queen would like to offer a unique stocking stuffer for the Holiday Season.

For a limited time, their Majesties are offering a 16 general admission ticket package for $200.00,

with a bonus ticket for Thanksgiving Friday.

That's a savings of more than $10 per ticket or $191 for the entire season!

Hurry and purchase your season tickets to the 2009 Texas Renaissance Festival before the year ends,

 the deadline for season's savings is midnight on New Year's Eve.  You can make your purchase online by clicking here .

To receive more information, contact us at 800-458-3435 or visit our website at www.texrenfest.com

Thank you for a beautiful year! 

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 Contact Information

  Phone Kandra:   512-332-6680  

  Write:   PO Box 326   Smithville, Tx. 78957

  Email:   BigKandra 

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