And all the pipe cleaner animals stood erect-- a fierce wall of nylon and wire defiance--
with one voice they exclaimed, "We shall not be silenced!"

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Happy St. Urho's Day!!



Every year, my good friend Big John throws a St. Urho's Day celebration, with an abundance of make-your-own-pizzas and Grasshoppers-- mainly in the form of a minty, blended, alcoholic drink (although one year someone actually brought little lime and chili sauteed grasshoppers-- which actually didn't taste half bad).

For those of you who are wondering who St Urho is, legend states that "St. Urho drove away grasshoppers (rather than frogs) from Finland using the incantation "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen!" ("Grasshopper, grasshopper, go from hence to Hell!"), thus saving the Finnish grape crops." (Wikipedia)

Well, Big John seemed to have all sorts of St. Urhos decorations, like St. Urho's cocktail napkins, but his decor was missing one crucial thing: a Fuzzy Grasshopper!! So during the two-and-a-half-hour car ride to Big Joh's party, well-equipped with green pipe cleaners, beads, and wire wrapping tools, I made this little present for him.









Even St. Urho himself would have a hard time shooing such a cute grasshopper out!!