Funny how stories stay with you over time, an incident with a raccoon while camping, a book I wrote, my grandson's classroom, more than 30 years of time. Photo of my husband and children, 1978; scans from my book, written and illustrated by one of my students in 1990 ; photo of me reading in my grandson's classroom, November 2011
Journaling:
Is that a true story, asked one of Owens first grade classmates after Id finished reading my handwritten, student illustrated book, Why Raccoons Wear a Mask. Well it is based on a true story, I responded. What Owen and his classmates dont know yet is how a writers use life events, events that take place years before, in writing. This is just such a story. I can laugh now at my foolishness, thinking nothing would happen to the food we left outside in an ice chest on a picnic table while we slept in our yellow van. During the night a very clever raccoon opened the ice chest and devoured everything my picky little daughter would eat. We packed up and left that morning. We never camped again!
Ten years later, I embellished this story, modeling a writing assignment for my third graders. Now, more than twenty years later I shared this story again. Owens classmates didnt get my humor describing setting up a camp stove or cooking with no running water, how I dragged my tired aching body out of my sleeping bag at the first light of day, or my reaction to the scene of destruction before me as I put on my glasses, stomping my feet, shaking my fists and yelling for my husband. But I think Owen will laugh, as I laugh now, at this story when he is grown! Journaling June 2012
Credits:
Anna Aspnes_Two Step Template 4 (available Friday)
Anna Aspnes_ArtPlay Palette Great Outdoors (Available Friday)
Anna Aspnes_Wood Shop Alpha 1
Anna Aspnes_Weathered Neutrals
Anna Aspnes_Distressed Overlays 9
Anna Aspnes_Anna Style Shadows 1
