A Wolf For Peace

Luky and I were watching David Attenborough's The Life Of Mammals on The Science Channel the other morning while waiting for Imus to show up on MSNBC. The Mammals episode was called "Meat Eaters," and it was all about carnivores, focusing specifically on big cats and canids . . . most particularly - of course - the Wolves. Well, the whole thing got Luky to expressing a connection with his more primal roots . . . talking to the TV set and walking around in circles shaking his head, and pawing his rug any time a pack scene ensued.

Imus came on and I figured Luky would settle down. Not so that morning. The Mammals show started him on a cradle-of-life mindset and that eventually got him thinking about his first mommy, Dooda.

Dooda moved to Nashville a couple of years ago, and has since begun to expand the pack with new family relations. She still comes back to visit on occasion; plus, Luky says Dooda is upholding the Wolf spirit. She's doing that with her new husband, Joe, as the two of them are headed back to Africa for Peace Corps duty. They've both been there before . . . the accompanying picture is Dooda shopping with Guinean friends in Conakry where she became known as "the Bob Marley Lady" as a result of her personal soundtrack.

Luky says she won't be able to hear him howl from all the way over there. He has only the most rudimentary sense of global geography, but he knows Africa is further than his call will carry.

I told him that she might not hear him literally, but she would know he's thinking of her.

I could tell by the look in his eyes he agreed with that. He dropped onto his rug with a sigh of satisfaction and then looked up at the TV screen filled with Don Imus under a cowboy hat the size of a small umbrella. Luky snorted a chuckle and gave me a look. He was back with our morning program, but somehow it felt slightly less important.