When I don’t want to see
what I see
I turn away and turn away
around in a circle
now what do I see
do I see myself
or do I keep turning and turning
around in a circle
is this my circle
Is this my circle
Mousie Paints Wildflowers
The Mousie videos my wife is making have been a wonderful addition to our lives. Young children (and seventy old children) seem to really enjoy them. It is so peaceful in Mousies enchanted world. If you watch her painting wildflowers and think of any people who might also like to go there, please feel free to share it with them. Dan
Videos created by my wife for young children during the COVID-19 pandemic
Nanaimo artist Adrienne Bouchard Langlois is creating a series of children’s videos about a toy mouse self-isolating in a dollhouse. (Photo courtesy Dan Fraser)
Nanaimo artist creating children’s video series about a self-isolating mouse
Adrienne Bouchard Langlois addresses coronavirus with delicacy for young audience
Nanaimo artist Adrienne Bouchard Langlois is creating a series of videos for young children featuring a toy mouse sheltering in a dollhouse.
In the videos, Mousie’s daily activities reflect life during COVID-19. She has groceries delivered, puts hearts in her windows, reads, makes art, bakes and always remembers to wash her hands.
“I just thought of introducing the subject in a soft way just so children see that Mousie’s doing it too,” Bouchard Langlois said.
She said the videos are also a way for her to stay connected with her young grandchildren while they self-isolate, and so far “they really enjoyed seeing what Mousie was up to.” Bouchard Langlois is hoping to reach an audience beyond her grandchildren as well.
“I thought a lot of children don’t get to go out and they might enjoy something simple and something quiet,” she said. “I got some feedback on that. I didn’t realize they were going to be so simple and quiet, but adults were telling me they’re very soothing.”
The toy mouse was handmade by Bouchard Langlois’s sister and Bouchard Langlois built the house out of a large cardboard shoe organizer that she had been using to store craft items. She’s been making new accessories for Mousie, including a computer so she can take classes online, but the pandemic has forced her to improvise.
“I’m not going out at all so I can’t go to the thrift stores or the dollar stores and pick up little things. I just make do with what’s in the house and repurpose everything I can think of,” Bouchard Langlois said.
Although COVID-19 looms over the videos, Bouchard Langlois said her approach has been to avoid being “preachy” and to address the topic in an “unobtrusive” way. She said newer videos are less explicit in their messages and she’s avoided using words like ‘social distancing.’
“There are several of the videos where her friends are standing at a safe distance apart, and I do mention that, but then I thought it might be too heavy to use those terms so I stopped using those terms,” she said. “It’s pretty clear that they’re not touching but I also thought for very young children you don’t need to belabour the point. Basically I just want to give them five minutes of something that they’ll like and a little bit of fantasy.”
Adrienne Bouchard Langlois’s videos are available here.
Offline shopping
I have waited
a very long time
for the delivery of the order
I did not place
Zero or one
This would be a good time
for zero
one seems to be too many
when you have all those numbers
the first thing you want to do
is make a list
I can I can’t I can I can’t
oh those aren’t numbers
lets start with green
I’ve always liked green
and blue
Turn and turn and turn
Despite his confidence
that he was an excellent manager
of the flow of time
through his hips and knees
he was forced to admit
that living in a dance-like rhythm
within every single minute
of every hour of every day
was not only a reluctant choice
but a secret fire
that burned up and down
the hidden molecules
beneath his naked skin
turn and turn and turn
When you look for me
When you look for me
I am here not there
when you look for me
I am not here I am there
Cracks are showing
Cracks are showing
in the drainpipes of my life
stress lines on the face of direction
memories pooling
on the hungry floor
past and future become a blur
the present is hard to find
pushed by the vacant stare of habit
I look in the freezer
for my frozen desires
sealed in bags of time
daninmaya 