A Short Hiatus

See you at the beginning of May! Taking some R & R!

CBC Memories: The Forest Rangers

Hey, are you old enough to remember the iconic CBC children's adventure series, The Forest Rangers, which ran from 1963-65? What Canadian kid of that era could ever forget its jaunty opening theme music?



The series had a simple formula (as recapped on the show's fan website):

The Junior Forest Rangers live in a "Never-never land, unmarred by schools or parents, in which the only rules are the rules of conservation." Though the kids always manage to get involved in trouble, there is little violence involved, mainly just threats from wayward adults who put themselves in danger because they didn't heed the advice of the Chief Ranger. In the end, the wrong-doers are usually brought back to the Chief Ranger's (Department of Lands and Forests) office and scolded, but are rarely handed over to the law.

I remember watching this show avidly, cringe-worthy though I'm sure it would seem today. Some things are best left to the rose-coloured memories of childhood, LOL!

And yes, that's Gordon Pinsent as the RCMP officer. The Forest Rangers was his first role in a major TV series.

The Feral Cats of Kihei Rent A Car

When in Maui, we always rent our vehicle from Kihei Rent A Car. It's a small family-owned business which leases older vehicles at a very reasonable rate. Seriously, you can save big bucks by renting from them! They also provide a convenient airport shuttle back and forth from their Kihei location, which is great. But another thing which endears them to us is their love of and care for feral cats.

One cat has been sufficiently tamed to come inside and serve as an office manager --

But most of the cats live outdoors, hanging around under the vehicles . . .

. . . or lounging about on top of the vehicles . . .

. . . or just relaxing on the sidewalk. Tail injuries seem to be quite common among feral cats and you can see that the next two are both bob-tailed --

This one was quite young and was the most skittish of them all, although none of the cats would let you pet them. They are, after all, still essentially feral, even if well-fed by the Kihei Rent A Car people.

I took these photos while waiting for the airport shuttle. We counted about a dozen cats. At least, those were the ones we could see! I'm sure there were more elsewhere in the compound.

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

Connect the Dots

Now here's a fun tattoo!

Happy Spring Equinox!

The sacred hare awakens the Goddess Eostre/Ostara from Her long slumber. The northern hemisphere becomes green and fertile once again; we are blessed with the sun's warmth and the earth's abundance.

This is also the time of year when we partake of Holy Communion by ingesting the chocolatey goodness of Her sacred rabbit. Chant the ancient mantra while doing so: nom nom nom!

Now go ye and fulfill your religious duty.

[Artwork: "Spring Equinox" by Amanda Clark of Earth Angels Art, 2011]

Culture Then and Now

Happy Irish Heritage Day!

Many pagans don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day because St. Pat christianized Ireland and quite frankly, we still resent it. "Driving the snakes out of Ireland" is the mytho-poetic term often used to refer to St. Patrick's sometimes forced conversion of the local pagans. Snakes were powerful Druid symbols of energy and spirit.

Some pagans call March 17th Snake Day instead. To celebrate paganism's survival and current revival despite Christianity's best efforts, they wear snake imagery to show that, by Goddess, St. Pat didn't get all of us! Serpentine jewelry, pins and t-shirts are popular choices on Snake Day.

Others call March 17th Irish Heritage Day, preferring to retain and celebrate all the good things about Ireland while not lionizing St. Patrick and Christianity. This is the route I like to go. Irish culture is rich, complex and gives so much to the world . . .

. . . including some light-hearted fun too.

Well, everyone, guess I'd better sign off now and go practice my bodhran! Erin go bragh!