Saturday Morning Story
For many years Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux lived at the end of the Gunflint Trail. She is a professional storyteller and actor and shared her talents with WTIP through “Saturday Morning Story” telling both original and traditional tales.
Learn more about Rose at her website.
Arts, cultural and history features on WTIP are made possible in part by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Check out other programs and features funded in part with support from the Heritage Fund.
The Grumpy Pumpkin
-| Attachment | Size |
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| The Grumpy Pumpkin_31 Oct 09.mp3 | 16.85 MB |
Thanks to Tina and Colleen of the Wonder Weavers for teaching me this story when I was first working as a storyteller. When we performed in tandem, the Grumpy Pumpkin wore a pumpkin suit!
The original version is a bit different and comes from Africa.
The Ghost of John
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| The Ghost of John_25 Oct 2009.mp3 | 12.38 MB |
I never know how scary is too scary--so I love silly, spooky stories. This was created from the song "Have You Seen The Ghost of John" that we sang in elementary choir.
Why the Leaves Change Color in the Fall
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| Why the leaves change colors in the fall _17 Oct 2009.mp3 | 18.81 MB |
A rare story that began as a written tale and was transferred to the oral form. Since moving to the Gunflint Trail my knowledge of trees has broadened considerably.
The New Three Little Pigs
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| The New Three Little Pigs_12 Sept 2009.mp3 | 17.14 MB |
Another original. Stories like this are thanks to having a great practice buddy to "listen the stories out."
The Fairy in the Web
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| The fairy in the web_15 Aug 2009.mp3 | 10.04 MB |
I heard this story from Duncan Williamson, a National Treasure of Scotland. He grew up in a very large family, and when he was thirteen there was simply no more room in the house, so he left. He made his living as a tinker, repairing pots and collecting stories. At the end of his life he knew 3,000 some tales in his head--he never wrote them down, though others did. Jokes and stories were one and the same to him.
Tokoyo the Pearl Diver
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| Tokoyo the Pearl Diver_12 July 2009.mp3 | 20.84 MB |
A Japanese tale about a brave and loving girl who was so admired by her people that they named Tokoyo in her honor.
The Pancake
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| The Pancake_4 July 2009.mp3 | 18.89 MB |
In my family, my sisters and I would make Swedish pancakes every Saturday night while listening to "A Prairie Home Companion." Josie would pour the batter, I would flip, and Abbey must've been the taste-tester. Our dog waited for the first one that was always too greasy with butter.
We didn't serve them the traditional way (with whipped cream and lingonberry jam) but instead with our Great Uncle Vernon's maple syrup. Our recipe stayed on the refridgerator for over a decade so that even babysitters could help us keep our tradition.
Arrowsmith Family Swedish Pancakes:
1 stick of melted butter
3 eggs
5 cups of milk
1 1/2-2 cups of flour
a pinch of salt and suger
a sprinkle of nutmeg (our Belgian influence)
The batter will look far too runny to form a pancake, but it will work. The batter becomes smoothest if chilled for half an hour or overnight. My cousin's recipe calls for only 2 tablespoons of butter, but this way there's no need to butter the cooked cakes! Enjoy!
p.s. This story is attributed to Norway.