PINE NUTS: Flocking Together
Most friends who have visited Twain Haven (my home) over the past nine years have met Huckleberry, my pet Steller Jay who stops by every afternoon at Happy Hour for a Beer Nut. We have a special relationship, a bond we only wish we could pass along to our more antagonistic two-legged friends…
I was just reading about birds of different feathers actually preening, and some birds will sit on eggs not their own to keep them warm. Hey, if birds of a different feather can flock together why can’t we? The way I see it, Mother Nature is working on the birds now, and we’re next.
The Hope Academy in Carson City is employing the performance art of Chautauqua to enhance the teaching of conflict resolution. It’s heartening to see a 12-year-old stand up and extol the virtues of non-violence in the guise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And the list goes on with the teaching of living history through enrichment programs in the classroom. It will warm the coldest of hearts to witness a 12-year-old depicting Sarah Winnemucca’s broadmindedness for differences in people...
Next, we are going to take Chautauqua out into the public square, where families can gather to experience living history and learn from our colorful past.
Currently I’m reading a book of American history that is deadly dull and almost painful to read. But I entertain myself by imagining Chautauquans acting out our history in period costume…
Kim Harris has been successful in presenting youth Chautauqua out at Dangberg Ranch in Carson Valley. Want to smile a smile that will stay with you for days to come? Just stop by for one of her Youth Chautauquas this summer. I will bet my Golden Gloves that these kids will soon take the next step, embody the virtues of the characters they portray, and carry those virtues with them into the future to make our world an even better place.
Can’t you picture a young Chautauquan portraying Marie Curie, and then going on to bring us advancements in saving lives? It can happen, as art so often becomes a catalyst for creativity.
I would go on, but Huckleberry is here and is banging on the window with his beak. He waves that beak to the beat of “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” as I whistle to him while placing a Beer Nut on the railing outside. Our nine-year friendship is built upon trust. I dropped a Beer Nut once and it landed on my slipper. Huckleberry smiled with his eyes, then dived down to fetch it. He trusted me to stand still while he retrieved that Beer Nut. I thought I heard him chuckle, though it could have been my imagination. Truth is, in spite of our vast differences, we humans can learn to flock together in kindness and courtesy, and while we’re at it, we might want to start drawing down our weapons of mass destruction. But excuse me, Huckleberry has arrived…
