#Willows Wisconsin

[barbielore]

The official Barbie YouTube channel is not a place I spend a great deal of my time, but it is an interesting place to delve into from time to time - specifically because, true to the name of the blog even if not most of my content, there's a tremendous amount of lore references in some of the "Barbie vlog" content.

For example: I thought I'd peruse for any videos which might feel seasonably appropriate, and found this one: "Fun & Easy Holiday DIY with MY MOM", which features Barbie and her mother making a DIY Christmas gift for Barbie's maternal grandmother in Wisconsin.

Neither Barbie's mother nor grandmother have ever appeared as a doll in the doll line, but Barbie's grandmother being from Wisconsin is consistent with Barbie's lore in the doll line - Barbie herself was from Wisconsin before she relocated to California.

You can see in the video that they show a photograph of the Roberts family - which is consistent with the siblings currently in the doll line and in external media like Dreamhouse Adventures.

By this I mean it excludes members of the family who have previously appeared in the doll line and no longer do - characters like Todd and Krissy.

I'm not saying there's something sinister there, but has anyone looked into these missing children?

Another standout from the Barbie Vlogs that touches on holiday themes is the video "Giving With Your Heart".

The message is charming and simple: a gift does not have to be expensive; it mostly needs to be meaningful. She demonstrates this lesson by showing gifts she's given her siblings which didn't cost anything, but meant a lot.

This is a lesson I can totally understand being imparted to children who, in all likelihood, don't have any disposable income with which to shower their loved ones with gifts... but in the context of the multi-careered Barbie, does make me raise an eyebrow.

Especially because it caps off with Barbie giving a "brand new video game" for a charity toy drive: does Barbie know the gift will go to someone who even has a video game system with which to play the video game? I can see that being a wildly depressing gift to receive from a charity, actually!

Ah well. Happy Holidays from the Roberts family!

[dat2ndaccount97]

Still find it funny how the Malibu Barbie Caffe is only in New York and Chicago and not anywhere near California. I feel like a CA location would do pretty well and fit the theme way better. Also The menu sounds really good imo.

Also Funny how Malibu Barbie (either the original doll or that new art that's being used) isn't anywhere to be seen in any photos I could find for either location nor in the marketing. Besides Barbie isn't even from CA she's from Willows, Wisconsin.

[bo1908]

Midge Hadley

[amerasdreams]

wait-- Barbie is actually from Wisconsin!?!

[damn-daemon]

When the air is gold, life is all the richer...

[julesofnature]

“The essence of wisdom is to act in harmony with nature.”  ~Osho 

Willows symbolize inner wisdom, dreams, harmony, and freedom.

[amalgamatedalcove]

Willow River State Park by Tyler Newton

[driftlessdiscoveries]

[patiiences]

[greenwitchcrafts]

May 2024 witch guide

Full moon: May 23rd

New moon: May 7th

Sabbats: Beltane-May1st

May Flower Moon

Known as: Bright Moon, Budding Moon, Dyad Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Frog Moon, Hare Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Merry Moon, Moon of the Shedding Ponies, Planting Moon, Sproutkale, Thrimilcmonath & Winnemanoth

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Taurus & Gemini

Nature spirits: Elves & Faeries

Deities: Aphrodite, Artemis, Bast, Cernunnos, Diana, Frigga, Flora, Horned God, Kali, Maia, Pan, Priapus & Venus

Animals: Cat, leopard & lynx

Birds: Dove, Swallow & Swan

Trees: Hawthorne & rowan

Herbs: Cinnamon, dittany of Crete, Elder, mint, mugwort & thyme

Flowers: Foxglove, lily of the valley & rose

Scents: Rose & sandalwood

Stones: Amber, Apache tear, carnelian, emerald, garnet, malachite, rose quartz, ruby, tourmaline & tsavorite

Colors: Brown, green, orange, pink & yellow

Energy:  Abundance, creative energy, faerie & spirit contact, fertility, intuition, love, marriage, material gains, money, propagation, prosperity, real-estate dealings, relationships & tenacity

May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!

• “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.

May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.

Beltane

Known as: Beltaine, May day, Roodmas & Cethsamhain

Season: Spring

Symbols: Eggs, faeries, fire, flowers & maypoles

Colors: Blue, dark yellow, green, light pink, orange, red, white yellow & rainbow spectrum

Oils/Incense: Frankincense, lilac, passion flower, rose, tuberose & vanilla

Animals: Bee, cattle, goat & rabbit

Mythical: Faeries

Stones: Bloodstone, emerald, lapis lazuli, orange carnelian, rose quartz & sapphire

Food: Beltane cakes, cherries, dairy foods, farls, green herbal salads, honey, meade, nuts, oat cakes, oats, strawberries & sweets

Herbs/Plants: Almond, ash tree, birch, bramble, cinquefoil, damiana, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, meadowsweet, mushroom, rosemary, saffron, satyrion root, St.John's wort & woodruff

Flowers: Angelica, bluebell, daisy, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lilac, marigold, primrose, rose, rose hips & yellow cowslips

Trees: Ash, cedar, elder, fir, hawthorn, juniper, linden, mesquite, oak, pine, poplar, rowan & willow

Goddesses: Aphrodite, Areil, Artemis, Cybele, Danu, Diana, Dôn, Eiru, Elen, Eostre, Fand, Flidais, Flora, Freya, Frigga, Maia, Niwalen, Rhea, Rhiannon, Var, Venus & Xochiquetzal

Gods: Baal, Bacchnalia, Balder, Belanos, Belenus, Beli, Beltene, Cernunnos, Cupid, Faunus, Freyr, Grannus, The Green Man, Lares, Lugh, Manawyddan, Odin, Pan, Puck & Taranis

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Agriculture, creativity, fertility, lust, marriage, the otherworld/Underworld, pleasure, psychic ability, purification, sensuality, sex/uality, visions, warmth & youth

Spellwork: Birth, Earth magick, healing, health & pregnancy

Activities:

• Create a daisy chain or floral decorations

• Decorate & dance around a Maypole

• Set up an outdoor altar & leave offerings to faeries

• Prepare a ritual bath with fresh flowers

• Light a bonfire or candles & dance around them

• Set aside time for self care

• Gather flowers & use them to decorate your home or altar

• Prepare a feast to celebrate with friends/family

• Make flower crowns

• Bake bannocks, oat cakes or cookies

• Hang wreaths decorated with ribbons & flowers

• Plant flowers in your garden

• Start a wish book/box/journal

• Go on a walk & gice thanks to nature⁸

• Cast fertility or a bunch spells

• Fill small baskets of flowers & small goodies, then leave them on your friends/neighbors doorstep as a gesture of goodwill & friendship

Beltane is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature and is associated with important events in Irish mythology. Also known as Cétshamhain ('first of summer'), it marked the beginning of summer & was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect cattle, people & crops, and to encourage growth. (Today, Witches who observe the Wheel of the Year celebrate Beltane as the height of Spring.)

Special bonfires were kindled, whose flames, smoke & ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires & sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused & then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered to the aos sí. Doors, windows, byres and livestock would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire.

In parts of Ireland, people would make a May Bush: typically a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers, ribbons, bright shells & rushlights. Holy wells were also visited, while Beltane dew was thought to bring beauty & maintain youthfulness.

• The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane. Like Samhain, which lies directly opposite from Beltane on the Wheel of the Year, this was seen as a time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. At Samhain the veil between the worlds of the living & the dead is thin enough that we can connect & convene with our beloved dead, here at Beltane it’s the veil between the human world, and the world of faeries & nature spirits that has grown thin. Offerings would be left at the ancient faerie forts, the wells and in other sacred places in an effort to appease these nature spirits to ensure a successful growing season.

Some believe this is when The Goddess is now the Mother & the God is seen as the Green Man or the wild stag. It celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess & God & heralds in the coming summer months. It represents life rather than Samhain on the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year.

Other Celebrations:

• Rosealia- May 23rd

Rosalia or Rosaria was a festival of roses celebrated on various dates, primarily in May, but scattered through mid-July. The observance is sometimes called a rosatio ("rose-adornment") or the dies rosationis, "day of rose-adornment," & could be celebrated also with violets. As a commemoration of the dead, the rosatio developed from the custom of placing flowers at burial sites. It was among the extensive private religious practices by means of which the Romans cared for their dead, reflecting the value placed on tradition (mos maiorum, "the way of the ancestors"), family lineage & memorials ranging from simple inscriptions to grand public works. Several dates on the Roman calendar were set aside as public holidays or memorial days devoted to the dead.

Roses had funerary significance in Greece, but were particularly associated with death & entombment among the Romans. In Greece, roses appear on funerary steles  & in epitaphs most often of girls. Flowers were traditional symbols of rejuvenation, rebirth &memory, with the red & purple of roses & violets felt to evoke the color of blood as a form of propitiation

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[faistoconnors]

Snow Day - A. Donaldson x Reader

Warnings: Pure fluff. Could be read as Christmas-oriented but not mentioned! As per usual, unedited. No use of Y/N!

Word Count: 830

Pairing: Art Donaldson x Fem! Reader (no pronouns used but reader is called 'mommy' by their daughter)

Summary: A peaceful, snowy morning with Art and your daughter.

A/N: Despite living in Wisconsin, we have no snow on the ground :( so this is just wishful thinking really.

You’re awoken quite rudely. There’s a small hand, frantically tapping at your shoulder, accompanied by a voice. 

“Mommy,” your daughter whispers. She smacks her hand against your shoulder again, and finally, you open your eyes fully and blink the sleep away. Willow’s face is lit up in a grin that’s missing several teeth, her eyes sparkling. Your husband is still fast asleep beside you, turned over on his side, but Willow doesn’t allow you the same luxury. 

“Mommy, there’s snow,” she breathes out, almost reverent, and it all clicks. Quietly, you stand up from bed, tugging on a thick bathrobe and your slippers. Even with the heating, there’s still a frosty chill in the house. Willow’s hand fits into your own, and she drags you over to the window, pulling back the curtain just slightly. True to her word, the world outside is blanketed entirely in white. She lets out a quiet giggle, pressing her face up to the windowpane and watching as it fogs up. 

The two of you head to the kitchen together, and you help the girl up onto one of the stools, fixing her a bowl of cereal. 

“What do you say we make some hot chocolate together? We’ll save some for your dad when he wakes up,” you suggest, and somehow, she lights up even more. 

When the milk is set to heat up on the stove, the hot cocoa powder in its place on the counter nearby, you settle down at the island beside her to have your own breakfast. Willow’s long since finished hers, and she wanders over to the large bay window, sitting down and staring out of it. She’s practically vibrating with anticipation, and you know she’s itching to go outside, but a warm drink and some proper gear are in order before that can happen.

A pair of hands settle at your waist, and you look back to see a flash of blond hair and a flannel pajama set. Art plants a kiss on your cheek before moving over to the stove, wordlessly settling in to help you make the cocoa. As he finishes and pours the liquid into three travel mugs, he gives you a bright smile that reminds you so much of the girl who’s sitting close by. 

“Good morning,” he murmurs, returning to your side and putting an arm around your waist. His eyes are still tired, but you know he never sleeps well without you by his side, so it was inevitable that he’d woken up. 

“Morning,” you reply. “There’s snow.” 

He grins, letting out a quiet laugh. “I figured, from the way Willow-bug has glued herself to the window.” 

At the mention of her name, Willow turns back around, hopping up and flying through the living room back into the kitchen. She wraps her arms around Art’s legs and tugs on his hand. 

“Get me dressed so we can go outside?” she pleads eagerly, and how could either of you say no to that face? Art smooths a hand over her hair, nodding. 

“Let your mommy and I get dressed too, alright? Then we’ll all be ready.” 

She nods in a heartbeat, bouncing off to the window again while you and Art go to put your winter clothes on. 

“It feels ridiculous to go out in the snow so early on a Saturday morning,” you say fondly, and he agrees. 

“She was like this last winter too,” he grins. It’s true; last winter was the year you had moved to a place where it actually snows, and Willow had been over the moon. Of course, that time, she’d also bolted straight outside in her pajamas and played for half an hour, catching a terrible cold shortly after. It was a blessing she was slightly more patient this time around. 

When all three of you are bundled up and ready, Willow leads the way out the front door into the big yard. When you turn your back for just a moment to close the door, there’s a quiet whack noise, and the feeling of something hitting your back. Slowly rotating, you spot your daughter, mischievous smile on her face, hands behind her back. Art looks off down the driveway in faux-ignorance, though his shoulders are shaking with a laugh. 

Silently, you lift up a snowball in your own hand, and pitch it, though you’re unable to match the skill of your tennis-player husband. Still, it hits him square in the back of his head, pieces falling off down his neck into his coat, and he yelps. 

He turns to look at you with an expression of shock and determination, and you know you’ve done it now. 

Soon, the driveway will have to be shoveled, the roof cleared off of the heavy snow, the outdoor furniture brought to the garage. But for now, the three of you enjoy your time together, waging frosty war and warming hands with cups of cocoa until it’s time to head in.

[vergess]

Hey, do you have gift giving holidays coming up? Getting ready for that black friday shopping spree?

Because I have a great option for you, if so.

This is the shopfront, including donation and volunteer links, for the Brothertown Indian Nation (BIN).

The BIN offers a variety of jewelry, clothing, books, home goods, and decor! Personally, I like the face masks with logo, which will keep you toasty all winter. But I think the most photogenic gift item is definitely the handmade willow dreamcatchers:

The BIN lost their federal recognition in the 1950s and have been getting dicked around ever since. If you're interested in supporting their efforts to regain the recognition they were wrongfully stripped of, you can shop at their store, or donate directly to them.

If you live in Wisconsin specifically, I would also direct your attention to their petition pages, which you can get your friends and family to sign, and then mail to them to be collated for their ongoing legislative push.

[barbielore]

According to the Wikipedia page for Ken:

In the Barbie mythos, Ken met Barbie on the set of a TV commercial and is her boyfriend, per promotional box inscriptions from his debut until 2018.

On the other hand, the Barbie Club News Magazine from his debut in 1961 cites that they met at a (haha) Barbie-Q.

(Incidentally: doesn't it feel charming, to modern eyes, that Barbie is being described here as "Now ... old enough to have dates"? It feels like Barbie and Ken have been a couple for so long, it's hard to imagine a time when it was questionable whether Barbie could feasibly have a romance.)

Now, I don't want to call Wikipedia a liar - but though I have found other sources that also cite that Barbie and Ken met on the set of a TV commercial - such as this Time article - I can't find box text that makes this clear. The Barbie Wiki says this to, but the citation points to a dead link. The Barbie Media page says it too, and as an official Mattel website, they'd know - but I won't feel like this is properly put to rest until I see the box text that says it.

The Barbie Vlogs, on the other hand, say that Ken was Barbie's next door neighbour when she relocated from Wisconsin to Malibu at age 8. Curious then, that the Willows WI series shows Barbie trying to become homecoming queen in Willows -- but Barbie lore isn't always consistent.

But still - I've spent a long time scouring over vintage Kens, and can't source this for sure. So I am forced to conclude that the "set of a TV commercial" is a retcon because Mattel didn't want to stick to their initial "Barbie-Q" story.

I'll be honest, it doesn't take much to convince me to look at vintage Barbies -- especially vintage Barbie ads.

[bluesilver]

Malibu Barbie —Aesthetic

Barbie's Life

Barbie is from Willows, Wisconsin. Despite this, she lives in a mansion beach house along Malibu, California. Specifically, she lives in the Dream House with her three younger sisters and several pets. Barbie is a popular high school student with several friends. She also has a boyfriend, Ken.

[julesofnature]

Most everyone is familiar with soft and fuzzy pussywillows that emerge in the springtime. Not everyone knows that willow (Salix spp.) is a highly medicinal tree! White willow bark in particular is a powerful pain reliever—it actually has the same compounds in it as aspirin!

[nachoaveragejoe234]

Barbie movies settings (including mentioned places that aren't the setting of the movie)

Nutcracker and Swan Lake - Russia. Based on Russian ballets, Tchaikovsky can be seen in a picture in Clara's house, Ivan has a Russian name and accent

Rapunzel - Germany

12 Dancing Princesses - Germany. Based on a Brothers Grimm story

Princess and the Pauper - England. Based on The Prince and the Pauper, which was set in England

Magic of Pegasus - Netherlands during winter. Annika is a Dutch name and several characters, including her, wear vaguely Dutch clothing. Other places that have been theorized are Scandinavia and Russia.

Fairytopia trilogy - Portugal. Elina mentions knowing Mariposa, who's from Spain, and is "cut off from Flutterfield".

Barbie Diaries - Malibu, California

Island Princess - Italy. Names such as Rosella, Antonio, Luciana, and Ariana already tell us a lot, but the sunny weather, the characters all having tans, and some of the architecture also indicate this.

Christmas Carol - London, England

Three Musketeers - Paris, France

Diamond Castle - Europe, likely Germany/France, and/or Greece. Liana and Alexa wear stereotypically European dresses, the house looks like a traditional French cottage, but the Muses wear togas and the Diamond Castle itself looks vaguely Greek temple-ish on the inside.

Thumbelina - United States. Updated the setting and time period to the 2000s, clearly not in Denmark.

Fashion Fairytale - Paris, France

Mermaid Tale - Malibu, California

Mariposa - Spain. Also because of the accents.

Mermaid Tale 2 - Australia (the Ambassadors are however coded as Korean, African, Brazilian, and Russian), maybe New Zealand (Aquellia is implied to be near it)

Fairy Secret - Malibu, California (Gloss Angeles is another dimension)

Princess Charm School - Europe. No indication as to where "Gardania" is. However, most speaking Charm School students are from other places (Hadley is from South America, Isla is from Japan, Portia is from Scotland, and Josette is from Africa)

Princess and the Popstar - Monaco. Meribella looks like Monaco, with it's small status and how rich it is. Also Amelia mentions her grandma knowing the King of Spain.

Mariposa and the Fairy Princess - Malta. Shimmervale is "across Fairytopia", and the British accents of many people, as well as several dark haired background fairies, some with light skin, some with dark skin, a common feature of Maltese people.

Pink Shoes - United States, France, Russia (The ballet world uses Giselle, a French ballet, and Swan Lake)

Pony Tale - Switzerland

Pearl Princess - Denmark. A mermid story with some similarities to The Little Mermaid.

Secret Door - Europe (Zinnia is another dimension)

Princess Power - Europe or an alternate reality America, or somehwere in the near distant future

Starlight Adventure - Space, in the future

Great Puppy Adventure - Willows, Wisconsin

Puppy Chase - Hawaii

Rock N Royals - Europe (with campers from other European places: Sloane from Scotland, maybe her two friends are American as they resemble Dua Lipa and Halle Bailey vaguely, Aubray from Ireland, Genevieve from England, Svetlana Petranova from Russia)

Spy Squad - Los Angeles, California

Video Game Hero - United States, "Japan". Her video game is heavily Japanese inspired, with animesque characters and Nintendoesque visuals.

Dolphin Magic - Malibu, California

Princess Adventure - Europe

Lost Birthday - United States

Big City Big Dreams - New York

Mermaid Power - Malibu, California