Willowtree Grove - March 14th

Getting ready for Ostara with the fantastic goddess statues all around town.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

It's the end of the week here in Willow Tree Grove, and it's time for our weekly catch-up. It has been a windy week here in Willow Tree, bracing breezes blasting us across the fields as we're just trying to give the familiars their daily walks. More than once I was tempted to change the weather to my benefit, but the elders and Delphine talked me down. As they should, magic is not for the whims. But I did perfect my personal public place spell that creates a bubble environment around me. I've managed to bring the spell down to easily accessible ingredients and only a minimal cast time of one minute. A masterpiece, in my opinion. Now I will share the components and the spell in the form of a scavenger hunt around town. Just give me a week to figure out the first hint of the first piece. Spring, I think, is never fully complete without a little scavenger hunt or two. Ah, so I have with me a good old latte and a plate of digestive cookies, not sponsored. Also a big glass of water. Yes, I am a drink goblin. I think I have to be to take in the correct amount of liquids in a day. Before we get into the main subject, of course, of the upcoming Astara celebrations, I must send my thanks to all of you for the beautiful blooms that have been planted in abundance around town, and an amazing amount of bug hotels and critter coves that have really upped the buzzing visits even more. Thank you all for your commitment and willingness to share the town with our insect friends. Alright, on to the long-awaited Astara festivities, and the beautiful statues that have popped up around town, and also the time schedules that the younger ones will have to keep to. So at the top of the list, the goddess statues that have been erected around town. All sorts of mediums have been used to create these fabulous art installations. There are at least five that have all had a wooden base created by Bertha Binks, our resident carpenter, and can I say a very excellent sculptor as well. She created very different poses and expressions for each statue to bring to life the emotion or a premise that the co-artist wanted to express with the statue. I know you don't think it, Madame Binks, but you are absolutely an artist. Now working with her for these statues were Runo Pickering, who created an amazing gown for his statue, draping the fabric in such a way that it looked like the blooming petals of a flower. They were engulfing or even birthing the goddess almost. The Lavinius twins worked together to adorn their statue with an intricate braided loaf dress and crown. Lara assured us that the art should not be hexed to be protected until a star, but instead she wanted it to be enjoyed by the creatures of Willow Tree until a star. So instead a spell of preservation or freshness was cast on it, so that the birds can continue feasting on the seed loaves until the event, though they have already eaten through quite a large amount. We all know how tasty Lara's bread is. Rangel Russell worked with his scouts to create accoutrements for their statue with reusable, recyclable materials of all type, giving life back to anything that might be seen as waste. Aidan, Delphine, and the triplets joined forces with Ashling to create a sort of pant suit and crown and flowers with an incredible flowing cape of blooms. The final one, built over a structure by Madame Binks, is a folded paper gown, a sort of origami garment, entirely put together by Adelaide and her brother Cormac. I never knew you could be so delicate, Cormac. For the other statues, Norman Bellamy, our recently turned eleven artist, happy birthday, young man, joined forces with the Pottery Society, run by Henry Stevenson. They created a clay-based statue, which Norman painted with different scenes of spring, and small hints, apparently, of all the things that happened to Henry when he lived through his little groundhog day loop last year. Now you all know I will be inspecting every inch of that thing to figure out what happened in that loop. Also, the ladies of the Society of SLS paired up with Boiled Bobbin's haberdashery to create a patchwork, full-sized poppet statue of the goddess. I want to hug that big squishy statue every time I see her. Oh my gosh, and the students. Oh, they've definitely heard my pleas after seeing the beautiful weaved baskets they created before. Now, some may say this is a small even difficulty from baskets shaped like fruit, to create a full statue adorned with bamboo weaved fruits and vegetables, but no challenge is too great for our little willow school. And they created a masterpiece that of course no one will be shocked when I announce it is in the top three running for the altar. First, let me give some honorable mentions to some of the statues that were created to honor the day but cannot be moved, so will not be in the running for the highest votes. There was a central tile mosaic of Astara that was added by Oscar Crawford to the community center's new lobby floor as it was finished this week. A labyrinth was shaped in the goddess's form by Marnie Everdrop and Finn Smith. Now thanks for the fun afternoon, girls. I did get caught by the Hex at the end, and I will not reveal what it is until after Ostara. So good luck, everyone else. Also, Maybell convinced a wandering pub to rearrange its tiles until Ostara so that the goddess has a likeness on its roof. Very impressive stuff, Maybell. That is a very headstrong pub. Now the current top three statues in the running for being on the altar. Drum roll, please. The patchwork puppet statue, I do want to hug her, yes, yes, yes. The weaved goddess of the students, as I've said. And the blooming pantsuit statue from the old barn crew and Ashling. Good luck, all three. Now, all three are very much in the lead. There are very few votes between them. So though one of the three will definitely be the winner, it's a very close race. May the goddess favor you. Now, for everyone who hasn't voted yet, make sure to get your votes in before Thursday afternoon. Oh, and let me tell you now that I've seen a few victims. Not that I don't enjoy watching teens at the bus stop awkwardly trying to hide their new handlebar mustaches. I, of course, by request of the elders, was asked to hex the ballot box to make sure no one could vote twice. You will all now have realized that the vote popping back out and shouting, howdy partner, at you was not just a random accident. The mustache does disappear after 48 hours. So that does mean that if you're doing any last-minute votes, you will spend the festival with a mustache. Unless, of course, you want to spend the festival with a mustache, in which case, go for it. Moving on to what to expect for Friday, the spring equinox will be here, and at exactly 2.45 p.m. the goddess will grace us with her presence and bring forth the renewal of life. The whole of Willow Tree will be alive with the colours of spring. Expect pastels of all greens, yellows, and pinks. Offerings will be brought to the altar in the flower meadow. As per usual, topics are eggs, milk, seeds, and grain. There will be the usual stalls on Main Street through town for daylight activities. There will be two of the symbolic seed planting stalls that everyone always cues up for. We've also upped the difficulty with not just movement of the soil pots, but now the seeds will actively be trying to escape from you. Be prepared for mayhem. Now at exactly 6 p.m., the extravagance of revelry will take over. All underage participants will be asked to make their way home. Masks will be provided for whoever wishes to play the role of the spring gods or goddesses, and the chase will be on. Be safe and be aware of your surroundings. But also, there is an open tab in all of the establishments, so be merry and free. Know that the goddess's clerics will be placed throughout the town, so if you feel ill or are too intoxicated, you can just yell, I yield, and they will wipe your brow with the frankly fantastic deboozing brew that Maybell developed, and you will be instantly clear-headed and free of any sick feelings. You will then be able to either retire or return to the fray. Before we wrap up, let me just bring us back to Adelaide's premonitions for next week. Unfortunately, I know who was blinded five times in inopportune moments because it was me in that damn labyrinth, trying to find my way and getting blinded at every corner. It was horrible. I should have seen it coming. I didn't wear sunglasses. It's all my fault. Well, in any case, the premonition for next week. Someone is going to pluck a flower that they should not have plucked. Interesting stuff. I'm not sure what would happen. I mean anything could happen, really. This is Adelaide's premonitions. Well, keep your hands to yourself around flowers is what I say. In any case, that's all for now, my dear listeners. As always, have a soft and safe week. See you next time. Here in Willow Tree Growth.