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Amusing Ourselves To Death

This just seemed so relevant to my recent reading of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Froggy Went A-Courtin' ..... [A cautionary tale about weddings]

01 Mr. Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh, uh-huh. Mr. Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride. A sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh, uh-huh.

02 Mr. Froggy, out a-wooing, he would go, uh-huh, uh-huh. Mr. Froggy, out a-wooing, he would go. So, he dressed in finery from top to toe, uh-huh, uh-huh!

03 He saddled up and bridled a great black snail, uh-huh, uh-huh. And he rode between the beast's horns and tail, uh-huh, uh-huh.

04 He rode straight up to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh, uh-huh! Where he had been many times before, uh-huh, uh-huh.

05 Froggy, while peering into Mousie's den, uh-huh, uh-huh! Said, "Miss Mousie, are you within?" uh-huh, uh-huh!

06 "Oh, Mister Frog, I sit and spin," uh-huh, uh-huh. "Just lift up the latch and please come in," uh-huh, uh-huh!

07 So, Mr. Froggy, he went directly in, uh-huh, uh-huh. And the way they courted, it was a sin, uh-huh, uh-huh!

08 He took Miss Mousie upon his knees, uh-huh, uh-huh. And he said, "Miss Mousie, will you marry me, please?" Uh-huh, uh-huh!

09 When he asked Miss Mousie to be his bride, uh-huh, uh-huh. Her eyes, they opened so big and wide, uh-huh, uh-huh!

10 "I'd like to have you for my wife, uh-huh, uh-huh. "To sit and spin for me all of my life," uh-huh, uh-huh.

11 "No, kind sir, I can't do that," uh-huh, uh-huh. "Without the consent of old Uncle Rat," uh-huh, uh-huh.

12 "Oh, Miss Mousie, will you marry me?" Uh-huh, uh-huh. "Yes! If only Uncle Rat agrees." Uh-huh, uh-huh!

13 "I'll have to ask dear Uncle Rat," uh-huh, uh-huh. "To see what he'll say to that," uh-huh, uh-huh.

14 "For, without Uncle Rat's consent," uh-huh, uh-huh. "I would not marry the President." Uh-huh, uh-huh!

15 So, Froggy, he asked for Uncle Rat's consent, uh-huh, uh-huh. Who came downstairs with his neck half bent, uh-huh, uh-huh.

16 Uncle Rat laughed 'til he shook his sides, uh-huh, uh-huh. To think his niece would be a bride, uh-huh, uh-huh.

17 Uncle Rat gave them formal consent, uh-huh, uh-huh. And the weasel, he wrote the publishment, uh-huh, uh-huh!

18 Uncle Rat rode right into town, uh-huh, uh-huh. To buy Miss Mousie a wedding gown, uh-huh, uh-huh.

19 Where will the wedding supper be? Uh-huh, uh-huh. Away down yonder in that hollow tree, uh-huh, uh-huh.

20 And what shall the wedding repast be? Uh-huh, uh-huh. Two butter beans and a black-eyed pea, uh-huh, uh-huh!

21 Mr. Froggy was dressed all in green, uh-huh, uh-huh. And sweet Miss Mousie looked like a Queen, uh-huh, uh-huh!

22 The first to the supper was Captain Flea, uh-huh, uh-huh. He tuned his banjo upon his knee, uh-huh, uh-huh.

23 Next to come in was a lady bug, uh-huh, uh-huh. She brought with her a whisky jug, uh-huh, uh-huh.

24 The next to come were two little ants, uh-huh, uh-huh. Willing and eager to join in the dance, uh-huh, uh-huh.

25 The next to arrive, a pesky old fly, uh-huh, uh-huh. He ate up all of the wedding pie, uh-huh, uh-huh!

26 Next through the door was a chickadee, uh-huh, uh-huh. He danced a jig with the bumblebee, uh-huh, uh-huh.

27 The next one come was a big black tick, uh-huh, uh-huh. Ate so much that it made him sick, uh-huh, uh-huh!

28 Next to enter was Miss Raccoon, uh-huh, uh-huh. Who brought as a present, a silver spoon, uh-huh, uh-huh!

29 Next inside was the old gray goose, uh-huh, uh-huh. She picked up her fiddle and she cut loose, uh-huh, uh-huh!

30 The next to come in was Missus Cow, uh-huh, uh-huh. She tried to dance but didn't know how, uh-huh, uh-huh.

31 Next to the feast was the old gray mare, uh-huh, uh-huh. Hip stuck out and shoulder bare, uh-huh, uh-huh.

32 Then in, slowly, sauntered Parson Rook, uh-huh, uh-huh. Under his arm he carried a book, uh-huh, uh-huh.

33 So the knot was tied secure and fast, uh-huh, uh-huh. She's off her uncle's hands at last, uh-huh, uh-huh!

34 They all gathered round the lucky pair, uh-huh, uh-huh. Singing and dancing everywhere, uh-huh, uh-huh!

35 Open the oysters, spill the champagne, uh-huh, uh-huh. Never will there be such a feast again, uh-huh, uh-huh!

36 All the folks, they all sat down, uh-huh, uh-huh. They passed that whisky round and round, uh-huh, uh-huh!

37 The owl did hoot, the birds they sang, uh-huh, uh-huh. And through the woods their music rang, uh-huh, uh-huh!

38 As they celebrated, hot and strong, uh-huh, uh-huh. A big gray cat come prowling along, uh-huh, uh-huh.

39 She sprang to the party right out of the yard, uh-huh, uh-huh. But she had no invitation card, uh-huh, uh-huh.

40 To the guests she said, "I'm a hungry cat," uh-huh, uh-huh. "Who fancies a dinner of mouse and rat!" Uh-huh, uh-huh!

41 Uncle Rat, like a hero, he stood, uh-huh, uh-huh. Puss wet her whiskers with his blood, uh-huh, uh-huh!

42 The cat, she cornered the sweet little bride, uh-huh, uh-huh. And that's how poor little Mousie died, uh-huh, uh-huh!

43 This put Froggy in a terrible fright, uh-huh, uh-huh. He took up his hat and he bid them good-night, uh-huh, uh-huh!

44 Mr. Froggy went a-fleeing, and he did fly, uh-huh, uh-huh! Until he came to a stream, where he paused to sigh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

45 But as Froggy went crossing that silvery brook, uh-huh, uh-huh. A muddy-brown duck nearly gobbled him up, uh-huh, uh-huh!

46 Froggy escaped from that wicked drake, uh-huh, uh-huh! And fled to the edge of a big ol' lake, uh-huh, uh-huh.

47 As the groom went swimming over the lake, uh-huh, uh-huh. He got swallered up by a big water snake, uh-huh, uh-huh!

48 The big water snake, he swam to land, uh-huh, uh-huh. Where he was killed by a Negro man, uh-huh, uh-huh!

49 So here's the end of one, two, three, uh-huh, uh-huh. Uncle Rat, Mr. Froggy and Miss Mousie, uh-huh, uh-huh!

50 This is the end of him and her, uh-huh, uh-huh. Guess there will be no tadpoles covered with fur, uh-huh, uh-huh!

51 There's bread and cheese out in the hall, uh-huh, uh-huh. And, if you want, you're welcome to it all, uh-huh, uh-huh.

52 Froggy's saddle & bridle are there on the shelf, uh-huh, uh-huh. If you want any more, you must sing it yourself, uh-huh, uh-huh!


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A Storybook Wedding.

Literally. That popular turn of phrase is usually used to describe a beautiful, almost magical wedding. In the case of Heather Ross, her wedding was actually inspired by a children's picture book!

I sometimes read the blog belonging to Heather Ross, a big name in sewing lately due to her new book Weekend Sewing. From all accounts she seems lovely and interesting. Here's a Q & A session with Kelly Wilkinson of Make, Grow, Gather, that I rather like -- in it, you get a taste of her childhood (I love that both women had usual homes in childhood which they believe fed their creative minds)

As I was reading recent posts I was refered back to one on her wedding which she did completely on her own... from designing the invitations and printing them herself, to designing the dresses and the cake. She knew partway in that it was all a bit over the top. Yet, if I was going to "do a wedding" at all, I like the angle she took.

Her inspiration? A children's book she remembered fondly from her past --Frog Went A-Courtin' by John Langstaff with pictures by Feodor Rojankovsky (I LOVE him and his work)

An excerpt from her blog post -- It started out innocently enough. I had fond memories of a book that I had loved as a kid called "Frog Went A-Courtin", which I suppose might have been the only visual reference to a wedding that existed in the house I grew up in. My parents had married young, built a geodesic dome, fled to Canada, rolled a Volkswagen bus, and split before I was three. In fact, I think the only detail I know about my mother's own engagement was something I heard her say one summer afternoon when we were having a party and a college friend of mine showed up with a bag of fresh salad greens that she had grown and picked. "I brought fresh Mesclun" she said holding up the sack of lettuce-looking stuff. "Oh God," replied my mother, "I haven't had any mescaline since the day I got engaged to Heather's father." "No, Mom," I heard myself say, pointing to the enormous bag of lettuce, "Mary brought salad greens from her garden. NOT illegal hallucinogenics. SALAD greens."

It would be wrong to systematically recreate her blog post here, when you can simply follow this link and see more images from the book and the way she visually interpreted that inspiration in her table set up, her cake (LOVE the cake), her dresses and location, flowers, and most of all the invitations and a darling (but ill advised) map to the location.

Now, if we were to be draw inspiration from something to create a wedding or a special event like this, where would we go? Is there a children's book that somehow spells "wedding" party to you? Or a movie that seems so romantic and delicious it would be the perfect inspiration?

I'm not really sure. But I like intimate, homemade, fresh picked flowers and ball jars--the country wedding party seems lovely, but I'm sort of a sucker for all sorts.

--Kate