Monthly Archives: December 2020

Flat Stanley

Posted by Dec 27, 2020 Travel Leave a Comment


Our little girl is in third grade and I was more excited than anyone to discover she would be doing The Flat Stanley Project in social studies this year.  Based on the character of a children’s book entitled “Flat Stanley,” an educational project was started in 1995 by a third grade schoolteacher in Canada.  Designed to facilitate the reading and writing skills of elementary students, it also promoted interest in learning about other people and places.  This is the part I particularly love.  Each student created their own Flat Stanley at the beginning of this school year and the idea is he gets mailed around (yes, actual mail!) the city, state, country and (hopefully) world during his annual quest.  I think this is magical and I look forward to receiving notifications from where he has been.  So far this is my favorite pic of him, at my aunt-in-law’s house in Connecticut.  We learned that tree behind him and to the right is a Connecticut Champion Chinese Rain Tree; the largest in the state!  As a child who was unable to travel growing up, Flat Stanley would have been a dream come true for me — a way to see the world.  So far our Flat Stanley has checked out Chicago, gone hiking in Austin, visited Santa Fe, and has taken Manhattan.  Despite Covid he has still been allowed to travel.  It has also been very telling in where people have chosen to take him.  He has been to the library, sports stadiums, and the Brooklyn Bridge.  Jeff Brown, the author of Flat Stanley, said this:

You are here, now, because you have been loved forward.  If not by fellow humans, then surely by Grace itself.  That we are here means we are wanted here.  It means we belong here.  It is our life’s work to uncover why.  At the heart of this book is the belief that every individual came into this life with a sacred purpose at the core of their birth.  We are not random concentrations of stardust, nor are we accidental tourists.  We are divinely inspired, purposeful, and essential to this wondrous human tapestry.

How delightful that Flat Stanley can go anywhere and do anything!  It doesn’t mater how far or how great:  I think we should all aspire to be a little more inquisitive; a little more adventurous; a little more welcomed; a little more like Flat Stanley.

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The Wolves’ Night Before Christmas

Posted by Dec 24, 2020 Wolves Leave a Comment


Former Defenders of Wildlife Senior Northwest Representative Suzanne Asha Stone has rewritten what is in my opinion the greatest rendition of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” since its inception.  It has become a revered part of our Christmas tradition, and I hope perhaps yours as well.  I am grateful for her generosity in allowing me to repost her work.  This is the only blog I have ever repeated and it is in its sixth year.  Whatever your race; whatever your religion; wherever you may be:  I implore you to care for our wolves who are all in peril.  They are the world’s heritage.  

Happy Howlidays!

The Wolves’ Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the eve before Christmas
And to Santa’s dismay
Came such an icy storm
The reindeer couldn’t budge his sleigh.

As Santa paced and worried
And elves began to scowl
‘Rose a song through the wind:
A wolf pack’s mighty howl.

From the thick of the storm
O’er deep snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

Santa’s mouth hung open for a blink
As the wolves lined up in front of his sleigh
Then he sputtered to the elves
“Well… let’s be on our way!”

Santa thanked each wolf
As the elves finished loading the last gift
Then he sprinkled them with fairy dust
Chuckling, “That’ll give you the lift.”

“They won’t believe this …”
He laughed, a merry twinkle in his eyes
Then the elves harnessed the wolves
And they took to the skies.

On Lightfoot! On Blacktail! On Windswift! On Howler!
On GreenEyes! On MoonSong! On Hunter! On Prowler!
The wolves’ eyes glowed as they leapt through the storm
Santa wished his own coat could keep him as warm.

That night the wolves even taught Santa to howl
An ancient song filled with hope for Peace and Joy
That this season may bring for all Life on Earth
As they left special gifts for each girl and boy.

‘Twas that eve before Christmas
Santa will always fondly remember
When wolves rescued his mission
That stormy December.

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Firelight And Fellowship

Posted by Dec 20, 2020 Food 2 Comments

Awhile back someone invited me to a bi-monthly outdoor gathering.  I was happy and surprised but asked if it would be OK if I brought my nine year old along.  My husband works late hours and I will not leave her alone.  Given that we are still in the midst of a pandemic I try to be cautious with any type of socializing — whether for her, myself, or with my husband’s extended family.  They said she’d be the only kid but that she was welcome.  I assured them, as an Episcopalian (or “Whiskeypalian”) she was no stranger to seeing wine.  I TRULY did not think my little one would want to go but I asked.  Before I had even finished she’d run upstairs and donned her winter hat, coat, gloves and boots; jumping up and down and pronouncing she was ready!  Blinking, I said I would put on a wrap and get a bottle of wine from our pantry.  It was almost dark, but we could just make out the welcoming crackle of the fire pit and the soft, portable chairs arranged in a circle around it.  I only recognized the man who’d so kindly invited me but the little group was open and nice.  To this day, the greatest culinary delight I have ever had remains in discovering freshly roasted chestnuts when it was only October in Paris.  All those years I’d heard my beloved Nat King Cole sing of chestnuts roasting by an open fire, but I’d never actually tasted one until I was 44.  My gluten intolerant one had literally plowed through two and a half bags of jumbo marshmallows but she was so grateful and ecstatic no one seemed to mind.  To my surprise and delight, I discovered my friend had brought chestnuts.  CHESTNUTS!!!  I’d only ever had them that time in Paris and, as we roasted them, he and I agreed that Paris is magic and nothing compares with theirs.  Still!  I had no idea where one could even acquire any chestnuts in Dallas and I was thrilled.  Meanwhile, another kind man was showing pictures of his grandchildren to my little one on his iPhone.  Everyone watched out for her with a firm but gentle collective eye as it became darker.  The moon rose overhead and our circle moved in a little closer to the fire.  I snapped the picture above and I will never forget the look of sheer delight on my only child’s face.  The ancient Greek philosopher and essayist Plutarch said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”  I love that.  I took us on this outing intending to stay about an hour.  It turned out I had to cut my little party girl off after almost three; ironically coinciding with the number of bags of marshmallows she’d consumed.  We walked away chilled and a little tired, but happy.  I couldn’t help but reflect upon how welcoming these people were to have included us.  She and I left feeling there is a special kind of magic in firelight and fellowship.

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Spirit Animals

Posted by Dec 13, 2020 Wolves 4 Comments

I have just realized that I have not written much about one of the great loves of my lives … wolves.  If one hears the term “spirit animal” I think they tend to think Native American.  As a part Choctaw I am proud of that, but the idea is widely popular in many beliefs and cultures.  It is interesting to note various cultures have given amazingly similar attributes to the bison, bear, lion, eagle, stag, and wolf to name a few.  Animals have been and still are considered protective spirits, messengers, guardians, and even gods.  The ancient Egyptians had the falcon, the crocodile, and the jackal to name a few.  Hindus honor monkeys and cows.  Buddhists believe that all animals are sentient beings with a soul and that they are humans reincarnated.  The Druids and the Scandinavians took omens and signs from the animal kingdom.  Most Native American cultures believe different animals come to different people and that each person’s spirit animal is very personal.  They have rituals to determine animal guides including dreams, meditation, fasting, and being exposed to the elements.  Sometimes one leaves their people/clan for a period of time usually referred to as a “vision quest.”  I am Christian and I would say this:  if one is attracted to a certain animal (for instance someone with a hippo collection) it is not to be scoffed.  I believe we seek out those qualities we feel in ourselves.  Wolves are known to be highly-family oriented, to mate for life, to have strong intelligence, sharp instincts, and an appetite for freedom.  As someone who had a full-blood Choctaw grandmother I can remember distinctly freaking out over ravens and crows.  As a child I used to actually talk to them, but as I got older I became afraid; fearing they symbolized death.  When I met my husband, I noticed a link between him and crows/ravens.  Believe me when I say it is no coincidence.  Just as wolves have been demonized for centuries, I came to fear these black birds as harbingers of death.  I did not learn until after I was married that wherever wolves hunt, ravens are present.  They not only scavenge prey, they sometimes lead wolves to potential prey.  While it may seem that wolves have the “short end” of this symbiotic relationship with ravens, wolves and ravens have been observed playing together.  The raven is said to symbolize wisdom, affection, healing abilities, and longevity just to name a few.  It has been said the bird has been granted great power and is a symbol of mystery, memory, and thought.  I can tell you my husband loves the “high strange,” has an essentially photographic/incomparable memory, and his thoughts have really been ahead of their time.  Things I have dismissed as “nuts” have ALREADY come to fruition.  No matter what your religion:  I believe we can still learn lessons from God’s creatures.  The late American politician Stewart Udall once said, “Cherish sunsets, wild creatures and wild places.  Have a love affair with the wonder and beauty of the earth.”  As the entire world still grapples with Covid and staying home more, I would urge you to look at the wonder and beauty of the earth, and to give thought to what you may be attached to in terms of spirit animals.

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