MY GYPSY DREAMS

Pictures from Les Temps Des Roulettes by Jeanne Bayou


GYPSY DREAMS

This is my very first Blog Party~~ I am so excited!! I don't know what to expect, but I sure am looking forward to being part. I so want to see what you all have done and hope to make some new friends too!! Thank you so much Sharon from Plumrose Lane for inviting me to this event, and a special thank you to the hostess for having this party!

I think I have always had a Gypsy Spirit. My favorite thing to do as a child was to take adventures in the woods. I so enjoyed being close to nature and being mezmerized by what I considered the unusual ... Jack in the Pulpit plants, wild mushrooms, and the general atmosphere of being alone with just a natural setting surrounding me. The feeling of moss beneath my bare feet felt inviting and soft. I loved bringing blankets and pillows, comic books, snacks and a flashlight into the woods near my home. My thoughts turned to the fairy, wood nymph and forest elf stories my mother would tell me. I could even smell the earthy aroma beneath me and felt a part of creation. 

I would pick Lily of the Valley and Violets to bring home to my mother. She would place them in an antique emerald green perfume bottle with sterling silver swirls to display their beauty.  Below is a picture of one that is similar.  My mother gave it to me and it is adorable! The larger one (not mine) shown below just sold for $3,000 can you believe that?  Amazing huh? 

I have my mother's handkerchief with violets and lily of the valley

No matter where there were woods or little secret out of the way nooks, I searched them out. I dreamed of traveling to far away places, meeting new people and finding other charming treasures, and fantacized about living an enchanted life.

When I was a little girl about the age of five or six, I was a Gypsy for Halloween. Somewhere I have a picture of myself all dressed up in a costume with bright colors, a laced bodice, full gathered skirt and a bright lemon yellow satin ruffled short sleeved peasant blouse. My vest had fancy soutache scrolling and I just loved it. I wore a colorful scarf Gypsy-style on my head and lots of makeup. I also donned some of my mother's glitzy jewelry, and carried a purse over my shoulder with rows of dangling beads, too cute!! I also wore large hoop earrings, and a scarf worn around my waist with a fringe.

My girlfriend Annette was dressed as a Clown and I can't remember what her twin sister was? Anyway. I really didn't know what a Gypsy was at that age, but in my little girl mind, I thought I looked pretty spiffy and mysterious! I remember feeling adventurous and magical in this outfit and I wanted to take my shoes off, but it was October in NY!!!

My father and mother said I was always well behaved, but supposedly I was very quick, and if they turned their heads, I would be gone in a flash! I always have loved life to the fullest!  Parents were very different when I was growing up (I'm 65)... they said things parents today would never say!! So, if my Mom was concerned I was doing something that would be dangerous for me, she would tell me if I did that again, she would sell me to the "Gypsies". YIKES!!! I really had never even seen a Gypsy.. or knew what that meant, I only knew I didn't want to leave my parents and my sister. LOL!

At just about that time in my life I saw a show on TV where there was a shady character type older man who was a Gypsy and he kept young children in captivity and turned them into thieves. So my opinion of wanting to be anything like a Gypsy was not particularly appealing. Over the years I would hear comments such as .. "he/she lives like the Gypsies" or ... if my closet got a bit messy the comment would be, "do you want to live like the Gypsies"? 

The only thing I remember is a Gypsy family who lived within walking distance of my Grandparents home. Within that community they had an organ grinder who owned a tiny monkey who wore a cute little suit and played teeny brass cymbals.. He would dance and perform and then tip his little tin cup for money. He was so adorable, and I just loved him. One time my father gave me coins to put in his hat and the monkey grabbed my coins scaring me, and then he bit me. He only grazed the surface of my skin, but it was enough to cause me to be cautious of anything that had to do with Gypsy's after that time! LOL

It wasn't until I became older and had a very large Gypsy family on one of my flights (I was an airline stewardess for United Airlines)... that my opinion changed. I had a ball on that flight!! What a warm, loving community of people who were full of life and fun loving. I also realized my own life of being a stewardess suited me, and was a bit Gypsy-like. I loved seeing new places, and discovering new things. So, I felt the Gypsy lifestyle would agree with me. After that Cher made the song "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"  famous and I loved that song so much... what a great beat.

Just about the same time, I saw a picture and there was a Gypsy woman dancing before a fire. Her long hair was thrown back and she was barefoot. The flames from the fire caused her face to shine with a warm glow. She danced with such freedom and abandon. I thought to myself, "WOW" how wonderful.. To live a life of such openness and freedom, never knowing from day to day where you would go and what you would do. How sweet to be such a free spirit. And what woman doesn't want a Gypsy Wagon of her own to decorate and have a special cozy secret place to call home? 



I would dance with sweet abandon



MY DREAM GYPSY WAGON!

In these days when everything is so planned out, I think it would be so refreshing to sometimes throw caution to the wind and just live breath by breath.
Somehow, I think the Gypsies experience more of life and it’s fullness than most people. Being out close to nature tends to give one a different perspective about life. I now have a new found respect for Gypsy’s and think it would be so much fun to join them in their caravans of life; throwing caution to the wind and living in the moment. What do you think???!!!

The idea of a life of travel and constant movement seems so romantic and inspiring to me. My caravan would be colorful with lots of lights that would twinkle like little fairies at night. My nights would be spent dancing, inviting friends to my wagon, and quietly enjoying time in my hideaway... enjoying nature and listening to Gypsy music!!

I would wear lively, unique jewelry and broomstick skirts, with handmade vests, peassant blouses and bright boots. I would make stuffed cabbage and my teapot would be ready with Gypsy fruited tea, and eclectic china I would pick up along my travels. I would set the table with sweet Scottish shortbread cookies prepared for my guests. There would be lots of happy and uplifting music, and lively conversation… and of course much laughter and joy!


Care for some Zhena's Gypsy Tea?
Raspberry.. they come in many flavors



I will serve you in only my best china!













Midnight Fairy – What a delightful and unique set. I just love this winged fairy holding a green shiny stone. She is set with beautiful silver etched barrel beads and a sterling S clasp. Multi colored beads such as fire polished Czech, gold and plum lampwork, and glass, iridescent leaf, and mother of pearl to name a few in different shapes, colors and textures encircle her. The perfect set for Fall I think .. a Renaissance Festival for your magical Gypsy Caravan…or anytime! Matching earrings complete this set.. SOLD, but I can make something Similar

For me, I want to go back to that time when I was about five, and take my shoes off and dance before the fire in the moonlight!


I was lead singer in a band years ago, and played the tambourine.. I guess I was
getting ready for Gypsy moments without even knowing it!

  

I would hope all the Gypsy’s and the Gypsy wannabees would join me in my enchanted, magical life!

Bohemian Delight Necklace Set

ONE OF A KIND Bohemian Delight what an enchanting mixuture .. and the colors are dynamite and bright lime green, navy, gold with silver and lampwork and glass beads.... the brass focal is totally dynamic I think ... Drop earrings included SOLD

TO LISTEN TO GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES BY CHER .. CLICK BELOW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSsu2BDdX4o
Email me at: donnatrex@yahoo.com


Please also visit me at my other blogs,
I would love to make some blogger friends!

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

The Headless Horseman

Battle Hill Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Headless Horseman Bridge

LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

I have a personal interest in the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, as I grew up in Tarrytown, NY (25 miles north of New York City, in a suburb called Westchester County), and lived there from birth until I left home at age 19. Tarrytown and the adjoining town of what is now called Sleepy Hollow are seeped in history. For example, I had my wedding reception at a mansion once owned by Mark Twain overlooking the Hudson River. My grandparents on my father’s side are buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where the alleged “Headless Horseman” in the fictional story pursued Ichabod Crane.

Tappan Hill Restaurant once owned by Mark Twain

For a brief history of Tarrytown here is a good site:

http://www.tarrytowngov.com/pages/tarrytownny_webdocs/TarrytownHistory

I have been to the cemetery with high school friends on several occasions, including fall nights, and I can assure you it is a scary place. One that you are sure ghosts and goblins will come to torment you any minute! The name of my high school was Sleepy Hollow and our football team were called “the Horsemen.

Washington Irving, the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, not only attended, but had his own pew in the historical church I was baptized and married in, Christ Episcopal Church.

Christ Episcopal Church ... Washington Irving's Church

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820. With Irving's companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest examples of American fiction still read today. Many films, videos, and such have been in circulation over the years to include Will Rogers in the silent version in 1929 to a remake with Johnny Depp in 1999. One of the favorite Halloween costumes in my hometown was to dress up as the Headless Horseman!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: hard bound book with a flowered silk cover and gold foil lettering, printed circa 1907

For information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow

The story is set circa 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (based on Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a lean, lanky, and extremely superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, the town rowdy, for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel. As Crane leaves a party he attended at the Van Tassel home on an autumn night, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, who is supposedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War, and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head". Ichabod mysteriously disappears from town, leaving Katrina to marry Brom Bones, who was "to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related". Although the nature of the Headless Horseman is left open to interpretation, the story implies that the Horseman was really Brom Bones in disguise.

Home of Katrina Van Tassel

Lover's Lane

Sunnyside ...Home of Washington Irving

Katrina Van Tassel

Brom Bones

Katrina and Ichabod


Records show that the first residence in Tarrytown was built in 1645; however, the exact location is not known. The first white settlers were Dutch and that they were farmers, fur trappers, and fishermen. Tarrytown soil was light and loamy which was ideal for growing cereals; especially wheat. This led to the area being known as Wheat Town, or Terve Town, which later became mispronounced as Tarrytown. However, I prefer Washington Irving's interpretation of the origin of Tarrytown's name, in "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" which was published in the Sketch Book in 1820. Irving began his story, "In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators of the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port which by some is called Greenburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town. This name was given, we are told, in former days, by the good housewives of the adjacent county, from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days." Washington Irving has had the distinction of being the first American writer who was recognized by the British and European community. There have been countless references, and movies made about his famous story.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was based on a German folktale, set in the Dutch culture of Post-Revolutionary War in New York State. The original folktale was recorded by Karl Musäus. An excerpt of Musäus:

The headless horseman was often seen here. An old man who did not believe in ghosts told of meeting the headless horseman coming from his trip into the Hollow. The horseman made him climb up behind. They rode over bushes, hills, and swamps. When they reached the bridge, the horseman suddenly turned into a skeleton. He threw the old man into the brook and sprang away over the treetops with a clap of thunder.

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by John Quidor
The dénouement of the fictional tale is set at the bridge over the Pocantico River in the area of the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow. The characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel may have been based on local residents known to the author. The character of Katrina is thought to have been based upon Eleanor Van Tassel Brush, in which case her name is derived from that of Eleanor's aunt Catriena Ecker Van Tessel.

Irving, while he was an aide-de-camp to New York Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins, met an army captain named Ichabod Crane in Sackets Harbor, New York during an inspection tour of fortifications in 1814. He may have borrowed the name from the captain and patterned the character in "The Legend" after Jesse Merwin, who taught at the local schoolhouse in Kinderhook, further north along the Hudson River, where Irving spent several months in 1809.

The story was the longest one published as part of The Sketch Book, which Irving issued using the pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon" in 1820.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" follows a tradition of folk tales and poems involving a supernatural wild chase, including Robert Burns's Tam O' Shanter (1790), and Bürger's Der wilde Jäger, translated as The Wild Huntsman (1796).

LOCAL IMPACT
• In 1997 the village of North Tarrytown, New York, where many events of the story took place, changed its name to Sleepy Hollow. The high school teams are named "The Horsemen".
• In 2006, a large statue depicting the Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane was placed along Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, New York.
• A not-for-profit organization Historic Hudson Valley[12] has held since 1996 Legend Weekend at Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow, New York, featuring a rider portraying the headless Hessian, and a storyteller retelling The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as a historic celebration attended by thousands annually before Halloween.
• My sidenote: If you do visit the Historical Tarrytown Area, be sure to visit Philipsburg Manor, the Old Dutch Church, Tarrytown Music Hall, the place where Andre’ was captued.. and of course the Cemetery, and so many other places... Also, plan a meal at Tappan Hill, a bit pricey, but a wonderful experience.

Philipsburg Manor

Email: donnatrex@yahoo.com