Connecting: Coyotes & Kindred Spirits
Maybe we’re all simply calling to each other…
Coyotes fascinate me.
Although they’re common here in the Foothills, my husband John and I seldom see coyotes at our place.
Yet they’re not shy about making their presence known…except when they do. (Here’s my encounter with a coyote!) We’ll hear their ear-splitting Yip-yip-yip-Yeowww at least once a week!
I’ve often wondered what the high-pitched yelping is all about. Is it just random noise-making?
Then last week, at a neighborhood gathering, the topic of coyotes came up. When I asked the group at large about the racket they make, our woodsman neighbor spoke up.
“Coyotes are calling to each other.”
He’s a burly, bearded hunter and naturalist, about forty, and very quiet. Maybe even shy. But he knows wildlife. Coyote calls are purposeful, our neighbor added. “They alert their family to prey, or herd prey toward each other.”
This made perfect sense to me. The coyotes are communicating. Connecting.
While doing research for my book Little Farm in the Henhouse, I’d discovered that unlike their cousins domesticated dogs, coyotes mate for life. They form little family units, and even the older siblings help care for the young.
After talking with this neighbor, I’m guessing that both the coyotes’ stable family structures and “language” helped them evolve into the modern scrappy survivors we know—critters who manage to live close to humans.
Another neighbor, who has one horse and just one sheep (a ewe), mentioned that the neighborhood coyotes had been getting bolder lately. She’d just caught one stalking her dog.
“What about your sheep?” I asked. “The coyote didn’t go after her?
She laughed. “Oh, no. The horse looks after her. They’re buddies.”
Ah. They’re connecting.
Finding Your Peeps
A few months back, after being homestead-bound during our busy harvest-time, I made a decision about my writing business: I wanted to get “out there” more as an author.
A years-long family issue had recently been resolved—and now I had more time, energy, and all-around mental bandwidth for author-type activities.
The other thing is, during the pandemic, my small writerly community sort of fell apart. My closest writer friends stopped writing, or turned to other creative pursuits or family activities.
And since I don’t care for social media, and our satellite internet can’t handle Zoom, nothing had really taken its place.
I was still occasionally teaching some Community Education classes, but I realized how much I missed connecting with other writers, readers, and book lovers, “on the regular” as they say.
And I wanted it IRL. In Real Life.
I firmly believe that when you put something purposefully out into the Universe, your life or energy or whatever you want to call it, can actually move in that direction! Shortly after I made this decision, I was invited to participate in a big book/author festival for readers sponsored by our county library system.
I was over the moon to be selected. Yet being a veteran of many, many book/author do-dahs, I had zero expectations. I envisioned this one would be like the others: desultory chatting, mostly with fellow authors, and there would be the occasional passers-by who spared a glance for your books.
Packing my print copies to sell at the event, I thought about potential visitors who might not be able to afford to buy books.
Which is why I love Little Free Libraries. Whenever I come across one, and have print copies in the car, I’ll tuck one of my books inside. Inspired by Little Free Libraries, I decided I’d bring something to the festival for book lovers on a budget.
On the drive there, I did have to psych myself up a bit. This all-ages event would be five hours long. Hopefully I’d chat with a few people and sell a book or two before my introvert brain fried from being around so many people.
But then…
I never expected that our library could put together such a creative, interactive experience! Or that hundreds of visitors over the course one afternoon would be so engaged. The grownups were smiling and chatty, kids curious, excited. Even teens attended, and they were friendly and talkative.
All through the venue, the love of reading, of stories, and of books was palpable.
On this day, I had a steady stream of people coming to my table who wanted to know about my books. They shared their names, and interests. And they were interesting.
I had a great talk about chickens with a woman who told me all about her multi-coloredJubilee Orpington hens, and showed me a photo. Another smiling, quite striking forty-something mom shared her spiritual beliefs, and asked about mine.
What I found quite extraordinary was that so many people—library patrons—came prepared to purchase books.
I also discovered giving away books in person was every bit as rewarding as selling them!
I spoke with a couple of teenage girls about the books they liked. You could see the longing in their faces for books of their own, and they seemed so grateful to get a free copy of one of my Ballydara love stories.
A mom with two little daughters stopped by. Without a lot of coaxing on my part, both girls announced they were writers too! The older girl, maybe nine, was writing a “personal narrative” at school, about a zoo.
The younger one was maybe six or seven. She said quite proudly that she was writing about a farm. “Christmas is the best time of year,” she told me decidedly, “and Halloween is too.”
Like the older girls, they seemed so happy and excited to take one of my free books (a middle-grade story, not a romance!). Those sweet kids were the highlight of my afternoon.
The support for authors felt unprecedented too. Some people, when I offered a free book, wanted to pay for their copy! Needless to say, the books in my “Little Farm Free Library” disappeared pretty fast.
At most events, the last hour feels pretty flat. People are leaving, and the energy in the venue goes kaput.
Not this time. In between packing up, meeting a gal who wanted to chat about my hen book, and waiting until she could find her elusive credit card, I encountered a fellow author.
Tall and slim, with a rather stately bearing, she was dressed in a very impressive elf costume: she wore a long, medieval-style satin gown, lots of sparkles. and elf ears!
Of Icelandic descent, this Elf Lady had written, illustrated and published a book about Icelandic elves, and told me some fascinating local history about her Icelandic ancestors in our area.
She also had a kind of other-worldly demeanor—she reminded me of Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. And who knows, maybe she was Elven. At the event’s close, she and I walked out to the parking lot together—ending the day, for me, on a high note.
This book festival had been billed as a “dream day for book lovers.” Turns out, it was a dream day for simply connecting.
A day of book-lovers calling to each other.
Have you made any special connections lately?
As always, I appreciate you so much for spending time at my Little Farm. If you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll press the handy ❤️ button! And sharing a comment is always lovely too!
Sending my best from our mossy woods to you—
Warmly,
~Susan, from the Foothills
I love this--from the coyotes to the book fair experience. We also hear the coyotes but rarely see them (though our neighbor says they hang out on our property pretty often. Luckily, they haven't taken any of our sheep.
The last book fair I participated in was pretty flat, but since my latest novel takes place in a specific rural area of my ancestors, the local historical society set up a book talk for me. It was WONDERFUL to be talking to people who for generations had lived on farms beside Solon Pond. I actually discovered I was related to most of them in some way. One older gentleman cried and gave me a big hug because the book broke his heart. Another man told me that before his father died my book was the last thing he read and was excited about. He showed me that the man had made an old-fashioned book cover out of a paper bag to protect it. It was so cute, I started crying. This is what I write for!
I crave more of the in-person stuff too. :) And good luck on your latest book! Is it on Amazon?
This event sounds so special! Good job participating… you learned so much and connected with so many!