Thursday, August 28, 2008

Remembering Tasha Tudor

Happy Birthday, Tasha Tudor.

Visit Clarice to see how folks all over are remembering this remarkable woman.

I asked the kids what they thought would be fun to do for her birthday! They recognized how important flowers and animals were to Tasha, in her books, and in her everyday life.

It was also very evident that she was someone who loved the outdoors.
So, following is our day we spent to remember Tasha Tudor.



We certainly wanted to spend a lot of time outside today, so we began the day gathering wildflowers out in the back fields.
These pictures remind be of the beautiful pictures Tasha painted of children doing seemingly regular things. (I just wish we had the Victorian clothing to wear as we were enjoying this special day.)

After gathering our flowers, Amy, Laura, and Danny prepared a wonderful picnic lunch that was enjoyed out under a maple tree.

This does NOT happen very often around here, so it was a great treat for all the kids.
It was so easy though, that maybe it should become a regular occurrence.



After our picnic, I made Tasha Tudor's Daddy's Brownies. These are delicious! I didn't know how they would come out because they didn't have a rising agent, but they were yummy, albeit, flat.

We arranged our wildflowers and began a very festive tea party. (Tasha Tudor loved her tea, we had apple juice.)

Thank you, Grandma, for loaning us a teapot and cups. Kim was puzzled by the fine art of tea drinking. She asked for a straw! Tasha also loved dolls and toys. Notice who Gracie shared tea with.
I am a little embarrassed to admit, this was our first tea party, ever.
Gracie said as we were picking flowers this morning, "Wouldn't it be great is it was Tasha Tudor's birthday everyday!!"

Yes, Grace, it sure would!

5 comments:

LW said...

What a lovely post and a delightful way to spend the day.

Louise

Kathy said...

What a wonderful way to celebrate Tasha Tudor day! I hope you have many more tea parties. ~Kathy

Anonymous said...

Oh, Joann, I wish I could have spent the day with you and your children. What a lovely day!

And don't be embarrassed about it being your "first tea, ever". I'm very proud of you...and Tasha would be too. Very proud. :)

Rhonda said...

What a wonderful day! I love the bouquet of wildflowers. That first tea will be memories for a lifetime. Just wonderful Joann!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful Tasha Tudor Day it looks like you had!
I'm a Tasha fan as well, and was glad to find the Tudors are holding a public memorial for her. I found this article in a newspaper from southern vermont:

The public is welcome to join friends and family of distinguished Vermont illustrator Tasha Tudor to celebrate her life.
Fans of the beloved artist, who was known for her trademark Welsh Corgi dogs and her mid-19th century lifestyle, are invited to say farewell at the public memorial service on Friday, Sept. 12, beginning at 6:45 p.m. at the Adams Family Farm in Wilmington.
The Adams family was close to the well-known illustrator for many years, so organizers say it was a natural fit to have the general public share their favorite Tasha memories at the family's farm.
"There wasn't a good way for them (Tasha's fans) to grief and remember and celebrate her life," said Natalie Wise, officer manager with the Tasha Tudor and Family Inc. "The family would like to welcome everyone to come and celebrate Tasha's life."
Participants will take a short walk to the pond where a brief ceremony will commence, with floating candles available for guests to release on the pond in the twilight. Wise said the floating candles are symbolic of one of Tudor's most beloved books, "Becky's Birthday," in which there is a floating cake and candles on the pond around sunset.
Following the ceremony, a bonfire on the farm will allow family and friends to reminisce about the longtime illustrator and Vermont icon.
"Tasha Tudor fans have posted over 2,000 messages of condolence on the Memorial Web site,

but now they'll have a chance to say farewell at a ceremony held outside in nature, as Tasha would have preferred," said her grandson Winslow Tudor in a press statement.

This will be the first public event since her death on June 18. While there is no charge to attend the ceremony, residents will have to reserve a spot ahead of time by calling 802-257-4444.

Following the memorial service on Friday, the Colonel Williams Inn in Marlboro is scheduled to host the 70th anniversary celebration of her first book, "Pumpkin Moonshine." Activities for the event are planned all day, beginning at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Guests attending the celebration can make beeswax candles, meet the Sylvie Ann marionette, enjoy a Tudor-style lunch, make their own Pumpkin Moonshine -- albeit a needle-felted version -- to take home and enjoy some afternoon tea.
"It's sort of a typical day in Tasha Tudor's life from this time of year," said Wise.
Three rotating workshops will be run by volunteers, including Winslow, Marjorie and Amy Tudor. Tickets for the event are limited, residents interested in the workshop and celebration are asked to call the aforementioned number or visit www.tashatudormuseum.org.
Tudor's legacy runs deep in Windham County. Since moving to Marlboro in the early 1970s to be closer to her son Seth, she continued to write and illustrate children's books inspired by the gardens surrounding her 1830s replica homestead, and the rural Vermont setting in general.
"Your long and distinguished career as an artist and an illustrator has brought credit to our state. In addition, you were farming in a sustainable way and pursuing self-sufficiency for your family long before it became 'the Vermont way,'" said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in a 2004 letter to Tudor.