Why is it, so often in these stories that the woods symbolize something evil and scary?  Why does the wolf have to be the bad guy?  How many of you out there have ever dressed up as Little Red for Halloween?

I think we should swap it up this morning.  Let’s say we take Little Red and have her skipping down the path to her mother’s friend’s house because her mother has sent her there with a basket full of goodies.  “Sarah is ill,” her mother had told her that morning while they ate breakfast.

Nope, change that too.  Let’s make “Little Red” be a young lady.  Instead of skipping we can have her walking sedately, but hearing calls from the animals as she’s venturing down the path in the dark woods.  Red doesn’t understand her nervousness.  She’s traveled this road before, although, she never really heard of her mother’s friend, Sarah, before but wasn’t it nice that she was going to meet her and that she was bringing a basket of things to help her feel better?

“Little Red, Little Red; don’t go.” someone whispers through the trees.

Nervously, Red stops and looks around.  She notices nothing but the wind blowing some leaves around.  Probably nothing, she thinks as she tightens her cape around her and continues down the path.

“Little Red, Little Red; there’s danger,” again a whisper reaches her.  Tightening her grip on her basket, she whirls to the sound and sees nothing.

“Come out,” she calls.  “What do you want?”

Silence for a few moments, and then a small wolf, more like a baby, slinks slowly through the brush towards her.  Red prepares to raise the basket, but the wolf, perhaps sensing her fear, stops by the tree and says, “Little Red, you must not go.  There’s danger.”

Shocked, Red lowers the basket and stares.  She’s never seen a talking animal before.  “What…What are you talking about?”  She looks over her should, but no, she is still alone with the wolf.

The wolf sits and tilts his head to one side. “I heard your mother talking.  She is planning to kill you, Little Red.”

Stunned speechless, Red shakes her head.  She knows, of course, that her mother has been hinting for her to leave the house, but she has no where to go.

As if in sympathy, the wolf lays his head on his paws.  “I’m sorry, Little Red.”

“But, she sent me with a basket of goods for her friend, Sarah.” Red raises the basket in her hand as if it’s existence should prove the wolf wrong.

“No goods, Little Red, but payment.  It is payment for the witch, Sarah to kill you.”

With shaking hands, Red looks down at the basket.  Slowly, she pulls back the checkered rag over the top.  With a choked cry, she drops the basket and out rolls two gold nuggets the size of her fist.

****

Phew!  Poor Little Red.  Now she has a decision to make.  Well, I hoped you liked the “remake” today. 🙂 Let’s all remember to not pass judgement so quickly on any talking wolves you might pass in life. 🙂

I love to swim.  I could spend all day in the water, as long as I can see what’s in it with me.  Usually, I would prefer a pool because sea creatures kind of freak me out.  (My husband is reading this and rolling his eyes because he would argue that even little fishes freak me out, and he wouldn’t be wrong.)

Our family recently moved to Florida, and while it has always been a dream of mine to live near the water, I’ve just discovered that in the sound near our house, where the water is pretty low and I’ve been imagining taking my daughter to play when it gets a bit warmer, it’s pretty common for sting rays to hide.  I’m talking water that at most points only comes to a little over my ankles, but these suckers like to hide under the sand.  I was told that if we wanted to get in the water, to wear water shoes and to kick up the sand a bit where ever we were at, to make sure there were no sleeping sting rays nearby.

But seriously, how can you not be just a little creeped out by some of the creatures of the deep?  I was going through some of this with my daughter in our homeschool science class and the pictures of some of these animals in the sea are enough to keep me away from water for awhile.

Do you remember a movie, Clash of the Titans?  Not the new one, but the original movie, where at the end the princess is supposed to be sacrificed to the Kraken for her mother offending the goddess?  Do you remember the crazy and scary (well, scary for 80s graphics back then) Kraken that rose from the ocean with all it’s arms?  I’m sure that something like that might be waiting for me out in our sound. (I’m kidding, well, maybe…)

Stories that have some creature that rises up from a dark place that no one can see, very creepy to me.  Thus, my preference for swimming in a pool, where I can see in the water around me and worry that the worst thing I’ll encounter are the chemicals. *smiles*  I’ll leave you with a bit of poetry from Lord Tennyson.  Have you had a scary encounter with a sea creature?

Going in a little bit of a different direction today and we are going exploring in the tale of Johnny Appleseed.  It’s funny, but I put my list together of posts for this challenge about three weeks ago and just the other day, my daughter and I started reading this story in our homeschool history class.  Pretty cool, coincidence.

I think everyone’s pretty familiar with the tale of Johnny’s generosity and love he had for apples.  I had thought that he basically spread seeds everywhere, but in fact, he started nurseries.  Now, if this had been the tale of Nicole Grabner, this would not have had a happy ending as it seems that I can kill even a succulent. *sigh*  (I’m working on my black thumb, tried planting some kitchen herbs and so far they are doing ok. Knock wood.)

Have you ever been to an apple orchard in the fall?  I remember walking in one in Italy with my family and we would grab an apple or two to snack while we would go on long walks with our dog.  I think it’s really neat to see how each kind of apple is different, in texture, taste, and even smell.

Now, I notice it’s a pretty popular thing for people to do what’s called, Urban homesteading.  Have you heard of this movement?  You’ve got families having their own vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and even raising chickens.  I’ll tell you what, if I can get these herbs to continue to live, I’ll give some consideration to maybe some vegetables in tubes – like pipe irrigation.  (You can see some examples here.) Pretty cool stuff.

Have you ever thought about growing your own vegetables or fruit?