Bear Ancestry

I think I must have some bear in my family tree somewhere.

I vaguely remember reading a scifi book back in the 60s where the author wrote about some semi-cat creatures; not quite human, but more than a normal cat. They had been created in a laboratory to-- Well, my memory fails me, but it made sense in the book. And, of course, there's also stories about mermaids, centaurs, werewolves – all those creatures that are not quite animal, not quite human.

So, the idea of having some non-human ancestors isn't that shocking to me. And this thought – that I must have some bear in my family tree – came up last week. The weather's turning cold, the days short and dim, and I found myself becoming surly, eating everything in sight, and spending my time longing for my nice warm bed. Yes, I wanted to hibernate! So I started thinking about great-great-grandpa. What kind of bear am I related to?

Probably not polar bear, because I REALLY hate extended cold weather. And now that I've mulled it over for a while, my sluggish mind has realized that bears are not the only animal that hibernates, so maybe great-great-grandpa wasn't a bear. Squirrel? No, I don't think so. Even on my best days, even in my youth, I didn't do much frolicking around or chattering away. No, I think my gait is a little closer to a bear's amble, more deliberate, you know? And if I'm faced with a problem, I'm likely to worry it a bit, break it down into pieces in search for tasty grubs. Wait. I prefer nuts to grubs.

Still, I'm thinking I've got more bear in me than squirrel. What about you? If one of your ancestors was an animal, what type? Which of your habits and behaviors point to that relationship? Occasionally, a writer compares a person to some animal, so I'm not the only one to think in this direction. To me, this type of 'exercise' is just one more aspect of writing that can be great fun.

Holiday Study Part 2

I recently started examining holidays and how/if they would be established in Colony X on some distant planet. There is another American holiday in November that I haven't yet examined. It would be stretching back a bit to look at it now, but otherwise, it will be another year before I get to it, so … why not?

Veteran's Day is an opportunity to remember those soldiers who have made it possible for us to live in our version of freedom. I don't see this colony as holding over many (if any) holidays from 'the old home', as they are looking for a new beginning … their version of freedom. Likewise, I don't see them as fighting any wars to establish their colony, since the planet has no 'intelligent' natives, and the old home hasn't followed them to this planet. So I don't see any reason for them to establish a 'Veteran's Day', not for many generations. After they've grown enough to swarm over the planet and form opposing governments that inevitably go to war with each, then it might happen. On the other hand, they might have someone who stands out as a hero – someone who successfully warns them of some impending doom so that they can avoid it. That might make a big enough impression that the people – looking for an excuse to party – might decide to celebrate Brok's Day. The Americans have several of that type; Martin Luther King Day, Washington's Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday (those two now rolled into Presidents' Day) and so on.

I can't speak for all Americans, but it seems to me that for most of us, Veteran's Day is simply an opportunity not to go to work. Retail uses holidays as an excuse to have sales. Fraternal orders based on military service might have some kind of service or remembrance on Veteran's Day, but if you don't belong to one, don't have a close family member who belongs to one, you aren't likely to care. And so I see Brok's Day as developing, over the generations. After all, once the river has been dammed, removing threat of flood – or whatever Brok saved the colony from – would anybody really care? So Brok's Day, at some point during the year, to celebrate the continuation of the colony. Go, Brok!