Al Past's Blog, page 4

Is this an arpillera or not?

Those familiar with Ana Darcy's blog will know her fascination with folk arts and folk toys. Apparently there are similar features among the people of her own planet, Thomo--similar, but different, of course, given the variations of human cultures.

We have shown many examples of the lovely textile sculptures of the Americas, called arpilleras in Spanish. Here is yet another one...we think. Maybe. The arpilleras shown on other pages of this blog maintained for the extraterrestrial Ana are all e...

Guess who's reading Distant Cousin?

You might be surprised to know who's been reading Distant Cousin lately!

Hint: He's a voracious reader.

Hint: He knew Dean Martin, Ernest Borgnine, Johnny Carson, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Junior, and a thousand other Hollywood stars.

Hint: He shared billing with the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, one of his 40 appearances there.

Hint: He was awarded the Soldier's Medal for bravery in WWII.

Hint: He was a regular for years on Hollywood Squares.

Hint: His standard greeting is "Hello dere!"

Hint: H...

Ana can't stay away from the Folk Toys of the World exhibit

Unless you're a first-time visitor to this blog of our dear extraterrestrial Ana Darcy, you already know that her ancestors, when they were delivered to the planet Thomo some 3000 years ago, died in droves.

The ultimate survival of our distant cousins was due partly to luck, partly to the aid provided them by whoever or whatever it was that took them there, but mostly by their own determination and cooperation, especially in the matter of the nurturing of families and raising of children.

Like...

Why would anyone read Distant Cousin on a cell phone??

Most readers who have an e-reader like the Kindle or the Nook love the convenience of a great story that unrolls seamlessly in the mind, a story you can get lost in, that you can wallow in. So why, we wonder, would anyone want to read an absorbing novel on the teensy screen of a cell phone? Well, we heard from one reader who has an answer. Here's what she wrote:

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I started Distant Cousin…on my iPhone. Now the pitiful Cowboys are playing and they’re not acting as pitiful as usual so I’m readi...

Still MORE Dia de los Muertos, Molas!

The items below were a part of the Folk Toys of the World (more here) exhibit which thrilled Ana Darcy so much. Her own people, on the planet Thomo, are not so exuberant nor whimsical in their art--except in their children's toys. Now that Ana has her own children and has worked and played with children around the world, she has found her soul opening to embrace the sheer, public joy of these creations. She's glad to share them!

These photos are generously sized to show details. Click any to s...

Ana's delight: folk toys from around the world (ours, not hers)

Ana was utterly charmed by an art gallery show of folk toys from around the world. She said some resemble toys people make for their children on her own planet. (Thomans do not have a gigantic toy industry like we do.) It took her three separate visits to look closely at all the toys. A couple of the dolls (the Family of Man, above) were so close to several she remembered as a child as to bring tears to her eyes.
Below you will see examples of animal toys, vehicles, airplanes, and more. Toys f...

The variety of Ana's blog: food, art, education, & more!

First, why not take a peek at Distant Cousin? It won't hurt and you might love it, and her!

Sample half for free!



Matt, husband of the extraterrestrial Ana Darcy, models a Dia de los Muertos t-shirt. The legend says "Beautiful Mexico," and  "Man proposes, God disposes, and along comes Death and everything decomposes." (Matt and Ana love to bicycle down their country road.)


Ana loves the foods of Earth. Here she's arranged a fruit plate according to the color spectrum! See many of her recipe...

Two poems about children tug Ana's heartstrings

If you know anything at all about Ana Darcy you know that she's devoted to children, all children. She treasures both of these two heartfelt poems about children, and if you too love children you are sure to love the poems as well.

We cannot reproduce copyrighted works here, but we can provide links to them. The poems are "Gravity," by Kim Addonizio and "Majority," by Dana Gioia.

Ana would have the poets know they have touched her soul.


There is a great deal of Ana's poetry to be found in the co...

Time for some Mexican folk masks!

Everyone loves a good mask. We learn in childhood that a mask ignites our imagination. A mask allows us to pretend, to experiment with different identities, to become something other than we are. Adults use masks too, for disguise or to perform or entertain.

Ana Darcy Méndez, hailing from the planet Thomo but now living on Earth, in New Mexico (as detailed in Distant Cousin), remembers masks from her childhood. Some of those masks demonstrate the Thoman people's cultural memories of anima...

Tickle a fennec fox and what do you hear?

Fennec foxes are possibly the cutest canids ever. Ana Darcy would love one of these tiny critters but so far she's staying with cats.

Thanks to Julie's Jungle for the clip!

Fennec foxes playing with house pets
Baby fennec foxes
Caracals, the kind Ana has
Caracal and serval play on a bed (Ana wants a serval, too.)
Distant Cousin: Regeneration(A caracal is a major character)
Meet Ana!
"I have to admit, I am jealous of those who are reading Distant Cousin for the first time. There are few books tha...