“However we get there, we’re welcome.” Taking this into 2022 with a sense of belonging and comfort. Thank you. Also, share your love of the Chinese poets. Here’s one of my favorites:
The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away. We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains.
This is why reading and writing literally saves lives - the dreamy and booknerd kids eventually find Basho, and each other, and realize that they aren't alone on the Earth at all. I talk to animals too. Every deer or wild turkey gets at least "hello friend" and since the Sandhill Cranes can be kind of unpredictable (and are almost as tall as I am, with sword beaks) I treat them like they are dogs and tell them they are so beautiful, and so good - haven't been beak stabbed yet!
I finally read The Wind in the Willows this year and fell in love with those little people as well. And I do believe that animals live richer interior lives than many of us give them credit for.
I have been delighted by many animals throughout the years. The felines of my childhood, Lucky and Puff, and the canines who arrived later, Schatzi, Ragu and Kaina.
I have been awed by the deer and an owl, and a swarm of honeybees(their keeper had to come to retrieve them) who visited my former residence. And of course the black bear who happily gorged on the apples growing in our front yard and who left or should I say ‘downloaded’ the calling card that was a result of his feast.
Yes, there is so much about which to wonder. I hate to think about what our lives would be without all of these marvelous creatures who live among us.
"... feeling at home in the outdoors ..." Our animal friends are dear to us, and it has been my experience to feel loved by a cedar forest, creek and sky that I love in return. Books are part of this experience of loving and being loved. Not alone. Never was. Grateful to be alive. Thank you for your writing.
I love everything you said here about animals and think about this very thing often, Chris. I recently wrote about my old dog (no longer with us) and how much smarter he was than me-having a wonderful day while I went off to work very hard. I think we need to flip the food chain. And I’ve been looking for comforting books this winter so I appreciate The Wind in the Willows reminder.
We've been so happy that the elk herd is back in our yard these winter mornings. We wake up to cow calls, and drink coffee as they amble across the yard and up the side of Emigrant peak.
Ah, the work of Ernest Shepard! I adored his work in the original versions of Winnie the Pooh, as well as Wind in the Willows. So many joyful memories. Thanks for awakening them!
"Animals are my wise relatives and I let my imagination run roughshod with ideas about how better I can live among them for all of our sakes." If I ever die of an enlarged heart, I swear this sentence is to blame. 💛
Beautiful. How we love love love wildlife. This week our ducks shared a meal with a family of crows. Something we’d never witnessed before. Around here we hear stories of crows killing chickens but the flocks around us seem to get along with our birds (other than stealing the occasional egg, which we totally understand).
“However we get there, we’re welcome.” Taking this into 2022 with a sense of belonging and comfort. Thank you. Also, share your love of the Chinese poets. Here’s one of my favorites:
The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away. We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains.
Li Po
This is why reading and writing literally saves lives - the dreamy and booknerd kids eventually find Basho, and each other, and realize that they aren't alone on the Earth at all. I talk to animals too. Every deer or wild turkey gets at least "hello friend" and since the Sandhill Cranes can be kind of unpredictable (and are almost as tall as I am, with sword beaks) I treat them like they are dogs and tell them they are so beautiful, and so good - haven't been beak stabbed yet!
I finally read The Wind in the Willows this year and fell in love with those little people as well. And I do believe that animals live richer interior lives than many of us give them credit for.
Hi Chris,
I have been delighted by many animals throughout the years. The felines of my childhood, Lucky and Puff, and the canines who arrived later, Schatzi, Ragu and Kaina.
I have been awed by the deer and an owl, and a swarm of honeybees(their keeper had to come to retrieve them) who visited my former residence. And of course the black bear who happily gorged on the apples growing in our front yard and who left or should I say ‘downloaded’ the calling card that was a result of his feast.
Yes, there is so much about which to wonder. I hate to think about what our lives would be without all of these marvelous creatures who live among us.
"... feeling at home in the outdoors ..." Our animal friends are dear to us, and it has been my experience to feel loved by a cedar forest, creek and sky that I love in return. Books are part of this experience of loving and being loved. Not alone. Never was. Grateful to be alive. Thank you for your writing.
I love everything you said here about animals and think about this very thing often, Chris. I recently wrote about my old dog (no longer with us) and how much smarter he was than me-having a wonderful day while I went off to work very hard. I think we need to flip the food chain. And I’ve been looking for comforting books this winter so I appreciate The Wind in the Willows reminder.
We've been so happy that the elk herd is back in our yard these winter mornings. We wake up to cow calls, and drink coffee as they amble across the yard and up the side of Emigrant peak.
Ah, the work of Ernest Shepard! I adored his work in the original versions of Winnie the Pooh, as well as Wind in the Willows. So many joyful memories. Thanks for awakening them!
"Animals are my wise relatives and I let my imagination run roughshod with ideas about how better I can live among them for all of our sakes." If I ever die of an enlarged heart, I swear this sentence is to blame. 💛
Beautiful. How we love love love wildlife. This week our ducks shared a meal with a family of crows. Something we’d never witnessed before. Around here we hear stories of crows killing chickens but the flocks around us seem to get along with our birds (other than stealing the occasional egg, which we totally understand).