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Time is drawing near, for a special time of year.

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Six years ago, it occurred to me that the men around here always get a week for manly stuff. It's called deer season.

Women, however, don't get such an annual event.

Thus, I started Butterfly Camp.

No men, no kids, no computers, no phones - for four days.

All the girls get together somewhere for four days and party.

It's a four day slumber party basically - with alcohol and little crafty things to do. The crafts, readings, activities are just to keep us busy really. The main part is to drink and visit and relax - and catch up.

It's a potluck type thing, and we usually stay at someone's house, either in tents, on the floor, whatever. Someone brings this food, someone brings that food, we always have too much food.

Last year, we had enough bread to start a bakery.

One year, we spent three days eating cold salmon on cream cheese crackers. Mmmmm. So good.

It's the only time of year I go four days without a bra.

Most of the other girls don't wear bras anyway, so, it doesn't matter.

Forget the daily make up routine. No one cares what you look like.

Last year, I forgot to pack shirts, and spent four days in my bathing suit top.

Of course I remembered all the crafts.

After five years now, we have the camp craft box, the camp paint box, butterfly temporary tattoos, silly hats, etc. This year, we'll have to start a bead box.

Often, there's a lot of glitter involved....

I cannot even come close to how much fun we have - and we never leave the camp.

Women, gone wild, in the wilderness.

I always begin packing things a few weeks ahead of time. In fact, I've already started.

I have the camp craft box, the camp decorations, and the butterfly paper plates, cups and napkins.

I have little butterfly gifts for everyone, and always take a lawn bag of clothes that I don't like, don't wear, or don't fit into any more.

For the other girls, it's like a shopping spree. And everyone feels special in some way. Everyone contributes in some way.

A night we sit around a campfire, and during the day we do silly little crafts, like butterfly suncatchers or paint your own chinese lanterns. This year, on Friday, we're making honeysuckle baskets, but typically, the crafts don't normally require any skill whatsoever.

It's a good thing.

I would encourage any women out there to develop and annually hold their own butterfly camp.

Pick a place, (house, cabin, whatever you can afford, we haven't paid for a single place yet) run off all the men and kids, visit orientaltrading.com for some cheap craft projects, and tell everyone invited to bring food to share and drink of their choice.

Believe me, it all takes care of itself from there.

We have readings at meals and campfire, where butterflies share something meaningful to them.

We braid each other's hair, and cover our bodies in temporary tattos.

We paint crafts, jeans, shirts, walls, whatever.

We work on a jigsaw puzzle, or string beads.

It's affordable for everyone, and is so relaxing, such a break from everyday life.

At first, people won't get it. They'll think you're wierd, or some kind of cult.

But after they get there, they get it, and they want to do it again and again. And others hear about it, and they want to come.

We try to keep it at 12 and under, because the craft projects come by the dozen.

It's not that hard to start your own camp!

So, if you want to get away, get together, just do it.

The first year it is a little rough to get the men to get it - even for those invited to get it... But after that? Believe me, the men just get out of the way, and the women will take care of themselves.

Winged Ones don't have to be in West Virginia.

Winged Ones can be anywhere.

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Want to know more about DeLaHaye? Visit her web site at WV Travelers , or her online store at Impecunious Impressions, or read her weekly column at The Calhoun Chronicle.