Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit

Millions of children around the world, including us, thrilled to the adventures of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. We began wondering if those wonderful creatures, who held their escapades in Mr. McGregor's garden, were based on real-life animals. If so, these truly were "angel animals" of historical significance who still delight the hearts of children a century later. We visited the Internet and found a website (www.peterrabbit.com) devoted to Beatrix Potter's writings. Below are some things we learned.

* Since her childhood, Beatrix Potter kept rabbits as pets. Her first rabbit, Benjamin H. Bouncer, or Bounce, was inspiration for the fictional character, Benjamin Bunny. She wrote about Benjamin as a "noisy, cheerful, determined animal, inclined to attack strangers, and also a rascal." The little girl bought her rabbit friend from a London bird shop and secretly carried him in a paper bag into her nursery.

* When Beatrix Potter was 19 years old, between 1885 to 1907, she spent summer holidays in the English countryside of Lingholm and Fawe Park on the northwestern side of Derwentwater. She began sketching local scenes, especially the gardens and woods that were filled with red squirrels and woodland creatures. Mrs. Potter's pet hedgehog was named Mrs. Tiggy Winkle and became the hero of her book, THE TALE OF MRS. TIGGY WINKLE.

* Beatrix Potter bought a farm in the Lake District where visitors today look for Tom Kitten or Jemima Puddleduck. On this farm she bred prize pigs. One became the model for Pigling Bland, another of the characters in her stories.

Beatrix Potter sent a picture letter of illustrated animal stories to a sick child. This letter became the source of her first book, THE TALES OF PETER RABBIT, published for the public by Frederick Warne & Company.

Mrs. Potter died in 1943. She donated 4,000 acres of Lake District land to the National Trust. This special place in "angel animal" history will always be preserved.

Were/are you a Peter Rabbit/Beatrix Potter fan?

Allen and Linda Anderson
E-mail: angelanimals@aol.com
Angel Animals Network
Website: www.angelanimals.net

You are invited to have a memorable experience in bringing your writing to a new level and meeting others who want to share insights from their lives. Linda is teaching the following class in Minneapolis. Register soon as these classes tend to fill up fast!

Inspirational Writing and Publishing Today
Instructor: Linda Anderson
Class: A668, 6 Week Class, Winter/Spring 2010
Location: Open Book (The Loft Literary Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date(s): Tuesdays, March 9 - April 13
Time(s): 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Enrollment: Open
In this spiritually hungry world, people long to be comforted and inspired. Self-help, New Thought, religious books, daily meditations, memoirs, and personal true story anthologies top the bestseller lists. In this class, you'll learn the forms, elements, and markets for inspirational writing and read samples from masterful writers. You'll get tips for moving from self-expression to service by writing about your life's experiences in ways that help others. We'll also talk about a system for framing chapters in a book-length work, or for organizing an article. This class offers nurturing feedback and suggestions for rewriting, polishing, and getting published. It includes individual review of your assignments or book in progress. For intermediate and advanced writers. 30% presentation/lecture 25% writing exercises 25% discussion and sharing of writing 20% review of master writers Instructor Information:

Linda Anderson
www.loft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=2496

Linda Anderson

 

Creating Cat-astrophe

On New Years Day morning, we were relaxing in our living room when Allen noticed that Speedy was not at the top of the cat tree. Our carpeted cat tree is situated so that both Cuddles and Speedy can look out the window at the front yard to see all the birds, squirrels, and people.

Allen did not realize that the cats have a routine in regard to their cat tree. So he went to find Speedy, carried him to the living room, and placed him on the top seat. Speedy settled in, looking a little confused.

Cuddles and Linda watched as Allen did what he thought was a nice thing for Speedy. After Speedy was in place, Cuddles immediately jumped up and tried to get onto the top perch. Speedy wouldn't let her.

Cuddles sat, alert and in problem-solving mode, on the second perch. Allen began to understand that he must have interfered with the natural order of things: Cuddles has the top perch in the morning, and Speedy occupies it later in the day.  Linda said, "They have their routines and agreements between themselves."

After about five minutes, Cuddles was still thinking about this situation as she sat on the second highest perch. Meanwhile, Speedy tried to jump down from the top by using the second perch as a stepladder to the floor. Cuddles would not budge, making it impossible for Speedy to get off the cat tree.

Allen decided to fix the cat chaos that he had inadvertently created. He placed Speedy carefully on the floor and then returned Cuddles to her usual morning place on the top perch. The natural order had once again been changed, not by request, but by an outside busy body.

As if to make their point that Allen's human interference had not been welcomed, Speedy quickly left the room. Cuddles jumped down from the cat tree and followed him out, leaving both perches unoccupied.

There is a spiritual principle known as the Law of Noninterference. Essentially it means that sometimes, things need to happen the way they are set into motion and with silent agreements in place between the people or animals who are directly involved.

When have you upset the natural order established by the pets in your home?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net

Try breaking big projects into smaller, manageable goals. Set up files for the topics of your writing project, so you can start to accumulate ideas, quotes, and reference material. Keep yourself focused and on-task by sharing your small goals with a writing friend via e-mail or telephone. After you have achieved a smaller goal by the deadline you set, reward yourself!  If you created files for topics by the end of the week, for example, take time out to visit with a friend at your favorite coffee shop and celebrate. You'll keep yourself motivated by rewarding yourself throughout phases of a big project rather than waiting until you've completed it.>>

How many times have you wished you could communicate with your pet or an animal in nature? It's a universal wish of animal lovers to exchange thoughts with a creature who means so much to you.

Trained and skillful animal communicators often say that they're only doing what we all have the capacity to do. Ours is just undeveloped. The average person doesn't trust or recognize what she or he sees and hears from animals.

Animal communication has always intrigued us. But living with our especially talented communicators -- our cocker spaniel Leaf and our wise black-and-white tabby Cuddles -- has provided us with a deeper level of understanding this process.

This morning, Leaf made his customary trip to the acres of off-leash dog park near the river where he loves to explore. Allen has many experiences with him there, because Leaf seems to be more of who he truly is in that expansive freedom.

Today, a little boy was teetering like a tightrope walker across a fallen log that hovered above the forested ground below. Leaf typically enjoys performing a balancing act on this type of log -- the higher off the ground the better.

Allen said to our daredevil dog, "Why don't you go and show that little boy how it's done?"

With his amber eyes Leaf looked up at Allen as if to say, Great idea! He trotted off to the log, leapt on it, and soon was strutting his expertise for the little boy. The child's parents clapped for Leaf, and the boy giggled.

No one had taught Leaf to obey a command: Show the little boy how it's done. We don't think you'd find it in any dog training manuals. But Leaf understands this everyday kind of communication and proved it with his actions, much to everyone's amazement.

What experiences have you had with pets or animals in nature in which they showed you irrefutably that you and the animal had communicated?

Early New Year's Resolutions

Today, we had an invigorating breakfast meeting where we talk and about new goals for the new year. In this tough economy 2009 was hard on just about everybody. But the animal shelters and animal welfare organizations experienced undue hardships.

So many people's houses went into foreclosure that animal shelters were deluged with frightened, confused pets who suddenly became homeless overnight. The shelters have become overcrowded. Not as many people felt they could afford to adopt a shelter pet.

We're exploring ways that we can help animal shelters and organizations. We're looking at possibilities for doing fundraising and speaking engagements to increase awareness and funds for homeless animals.

Just a reminder that in this season of giving, please be sure to remember how much your local animal shelters (and even the national organizations) need your donations of time, materials, and money. Shelters with websites often list the types of donations they need. Things like blankets, food, toys, and crates go a long way toward helping them to survive.

The animals will thank you. They always do.

What ways have you found to help animal rescue organizations?

This 2009 Holiday season is one of the best times for taking photographs of pets and sending them to friends and family. We have tried to get a good photo of Allen and our dog Leaf. With Linda as the photographer, we didn't always have the best results.

We have great admiration for good animal photographers. How do they ever get the animal and the person to CALMY and simultaneously look into the camera with pleasant expressions on both of their faces? It's a mystery to us.

When Leaf looks directly into the camera, the glint of light turns red in his eyes. If he looks at Allen, his cute profile is fun to see. His eyes with their unique expressions, though, aren't clear in a side view.

One time, after putting up with us trying to get a good photo for about fifteen minutes of hassle, Leaf found a solution. He licked Allen's nose, then turned, and stuck out his big, pink tongue at the camera. So there!

On the other hand, our cat Cuddles poses like a runway model. She's the ultimate beauty, posturing for the camera, arching her back, and gazing contentedly toward the lens.

What are your best tips for getting good animal photos?

We wish each of you a happy holiday and a Merry Christmas. Please give the special pets in your life an extra hug and tell them it's from us. We'd do it in person if we could.

Animal Sniffers and Sixth Senses

We live in a houseful of sniffers. Anything new, in a different place, or that could possibly be food gets sniffed by our two cats and dog. The bird checks out the new and unusual with his calls and screeches.

As we observe how the animals who share our home carefully inspect and analyze objects with their noses, it's a reminder that we're living with a different life form -- one that doesn't approach the world as humans do.

Animals have their own ways of viewing the planet. No matter how hard we might try, we'll never experience the world as they do. We can't imagine what we'd understand if we explored life with the noses and licking tongues of dogs and cats, the ultrasound of dolphins, or the pecking of birds.

And then there is the animals' sixth sense. The mystical, spiritual, extrasensory sense that many of them seem to have in abundance. Anyone who lives with an animal and has an open mind and heart has to admit that there are just some things animals seem to know.

Early on, after we started Angel Animals Network, a reporter from our local newspaper, the MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, came to our house. She was doing a story about this strange couple who were collecting, writing, and publishing stories about the spiritual nature of animals.

The reporter got out her tape recorder and placed it on the table in front of us. Then she proceeded to ask questions. We answered them as honestly and carefully as we could.

Our cockatiel, the yellow, orange-cheeked Sunshine, sat on his perch in the living room where the interview took place. Mostly he remained silent. Occasionally he would join in the conversation with a chirp, a song, or a string of words that were unintelligible to the reporter.

Later, in the article that appeared accompanied by a half-page photo of us walking around Lake Harriet with our yellow Lab Taylor, the reporter commented on an unusual thing she had observed in our home. Listening the tape recording of the interview had been quite a revelation for her.

Every time the reporter asked a question of a spiritual nature, Sunshine seemed to chime in with a comment. Only questions about Spirit, God, or miracles caused him to express an opinion. She was amused but also mystified by Sunshine's ability to sense when the subject matter had turned to a less mundane or more unearthly topic.

When have you noticed animals in nature or your pets displaying a sixth sense?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net

We want to know what you think about how viewing pets as your family members has affected the decisions you make everyday. We have constructed a survey that is quick and easy to fill out. There is space for your comments and short examples.

The results of this survey will help us to be more informed about how human-animal families are shaping society in today's world. It will also offer some factual data to companies, organizations, and services so that they can better meet your needs as pet parents of furbabies.

We hope to do some extensive writing about the topics in this survey. The questionnaire will provide a means for us to contact people for interviews so we can follow up on their comments.

The first 25 people who complete the survey questions, provide a minimum of one example in each of the survey's categories, and send the survey back to us will receive a book from the Angel Animals series as an expression of our gratitude. So go right away to www.petfriendlyamerica.com. Copy-paste the "Angel Animals Pet-Friendly Survey" into an email letter. Then thoughtfully fill it out and return the survey to us.

Thank you in advance for responding to this request. Your answers and information will help you to express your opinions and state your needs about what products and services would most help you to provide a better home for your pets. Improving pet-friendliness throughout countries and cultures will lead to fewer animals being abandoned and more pets being adopted into safe and loving homes.

Fill out the Pet Friendly Survey today. Your voice will be heard.  Go to www.petfriendlyamerica.com.

What do you want the world to know about how to support your home, values, and lifestyle with an animal family member?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net
www.petfriendlyamerica.com

We have Saturday rituals. We tell our dog Leaf that Saturday is a day of great adventure and fun.  Our bird, Sunshine gets new millet on Saturday and a complete cleaning of his cage.  The cats, Speedy and Cuddles, also have a Saturday ritual that involves new kitty litter and Allen's purchase of their favorite cat food.

Leaf's alert attention to every turn helps Allen drive Linda to the screenwriting group she attends three Saturdays each month. The meeting is in the city's center, and Leaf is fascinated with all the downtown activities.  He watches with a mixture of concern and excitement when Linda leaves the car to enter the front of a high-rise building.

After dropping Linda off for her workshop Allen drives Leaf to the dog park near a city lake. He repeatedly throws the ball so Leaf has plenty of playtime and running.  After Leaf tires, they sit and relax on a large hollowed-out log and watch the other dogs and their people.  Allen and Leaf often discuss the different dogs -- which ones are nice; which ones are too rough...

After the visit to dog park Allen and Leaf go to a local, small pet supply store to buy the very best dog, cat, and bird food. The boxes of dog treats are at floor level and they turn Leaf into a shoplifter. He also enjoys the row of dog toys and buckets of chew bones.

Because there is so much to smell and experience, Leaf is excited at this store, bouncing from one thing to another. He sniffs, explores, and enjoys every moment.

This morning, when Allen and Leaf were in the aisle that had anti-itch spray products for the cat, Allen was reading ingredients while Leaf poked his nose into each toy to discover which ones squeaked. A ten-year-old boy came up and asked if he could pet Leaf. Allen said yes.  Still hyper from the nearness of so many goodies, Leaf ran over to the boy for a quick pat on the head. Then he rushed back to the toys to continue his investigation.

Allen told the boy that Leaf was excited to be in the store. The young fellow looked sad and tired. He spoke quietly and said, "My dog died yesterday."

Allen gently said, "It must hurt a lot."

The little boy replied, "Yes, it does."  He added that his dog had died of cancer and lost any awareness of where he was at the end.

Leaf stopped poking his nose at the toys. This seemed odd, because nothing distracts this dog from a good toy hunt. But now, he seemed to be listening as the child spoke with such sorrow about his dog.

Abandoning the search for a perfect squeaky toy, Leaf walked back to the boy. This time, he stayed a little longer as the child petted him.  Allen remained quiet while Leaf comforted this grieving child.

When Leaf moved away from the boy this time, he did not rush but walked with more of a deliberate and focused presence. The boy looked up at Allen. The sparkle in his eyes revealed that our healing little cocker spaniel had silently, for a moment, lifted the burden of loss from his heart. He said thank you and went back to his parents.

Leaf keeps his secrets to himself, so we don't know exactly why he does things like this. Our belief is that a loving animal like Leaf is an instrument of the Divine. Someone's heart is broken, and Spirit directs a creature with a wagging tail, soft fur, sweet eyes, and a kind heart in the direction where he's most needed.

What do you think? Has an animal intuitively sensed that you needed comforting and gave it to you?