UNCLEJOHN.ORG 

The Embrace by Sergey Gorshkov, Russia

2020 Wildlife Picture of the Year

He set up a camera in the remote wilderness and it captured this picture

WOLF MOON

Photo by John Lund

It´s January 28, and I´m awake at 2 am when I hear this loud whining crying human sound that seemed to come from inside the house, then another sound that is like a growling animal sound, loud, but I´m still focused on the darkness inside, searching for the sound. Then I realize it´s coming from outside, and I open the blinds to look out the front window, and I see a wolf standing at the edge of the sidewalk in front of my door, his long snout angled up, howling at the moon. Wolves are very rare in California, but I know this one resides locally. I listen to the howling like it´s music and I´m surprised no one else is awake. Is this a sign? A few years ago there was a mountain lion in the same spot in front of my doorway. It reminds me of Aldo Leopold´s lesson about wolves in "Thinking Like A Mountain" that characterizes ecological thinking. "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf." Having once believed that the eradication of predators, the wolf and mountain lion, would preserve the deer, but didn´t recognize the imbalance it caused, Aldo transformed his thinking to recognize the wolf with a sentiment of ecological integrity. He understood the nature and mystery of the howl. I listen for several minutes, amazed that the animal does not go away, and the howling is louder than any other animal I´ve heard outside. I ran to my room to get my phone to realize I could take a picture. I looked through the peephole of the door and he´s in the same position howling, and as soon as I open the door, the wolf runs away. I didn´t realize it was January´s Full Wolf Moon  until I read Bob Weir´s twitter feed when I got up:

"Welcoming in the first Wolf Moon of 2021! Occurring in Leo, it's said to be the luckiest and most prosperous day of the year. The sun shares its light with the generosity of Jupiter, marking new and bright beginnings..." 

It reminds me of this book, and quest for completion:

LAST FLASH OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD

 by Uncle John

Excerpt

¨I have a message for you from Jerry¨ Rock Scully tells me.

We´re backstage at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco and we sit down in a booth with musician Warren Zevon. Warren is a small man, quiet, watchful, intense, and he is sober tonight. There is a large unattended bar next to us , kind of like a trophy, no bartender, no drinking, and it reminds me of when Warren fell off the stage drunk and broke his leg, “Bad luck streak in dancing school” was his response and the title of his next album.

Rock, the way he´s dressed,  looks just like a wolf, reminding me that Warren is the author of ¨Werewolves of London¨, and across the room from us is  Wolfgang, that´s what his mom called him, we know him as Bill Graham, the premier impresario, and this is Bill´s club holding about six hundred people, a place for big stars to play in front of small audiences.

I´ll send Jerry a letter, I tell Rock, and I´ll see Garcia at his show Saturday night. The first time I met Rock, the road manager for the Grateful Dead, was in an elevator in New York City on his birthday, and he arranged an interview for me with Jerry Garcia, in Philadelphia.

The wolf does more than howl to communicate. They whimper and whine, growl and bark, yelp and snarl, smell, about 100 times stronger than our ability , as is their hearing and sight, they are strong with sharp teeth, and they fear humans and tigers, but humans are not their enemies and they will not attack unless provoked or threatened. The wolves can be our brothers, protectors, workers and lovers as their mates and mothers feed their babies with milk.

These wolves come to play, prancing with their fingers, happily, and causing others to dance merrily, rump in the air and bushy tail wagging.

Listening to Warren Zevon, his piano and vocals blasting out ¨When Johnny Strikes Up The Band¨, the notes keep escalating, his voice energizing as an angel´s, lifting us as the crowd eats, drinks, dances, and is merrily living life like a dream.

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Ain´t no time to hate

Barely time to wait

Hello to my Heart

Lyrics & Music by Uncle John

The movement of the wind
Turn on the night lights
The stars in the sky shine
In sight of the sights

Do you know that time is waiting to become eternity
To see you as happy as you can be
Doing what I can
For you when you are kind
Through all the changes in our mind
Thanks for sharing the time

Playing and bells ringing
Dancing and singing
You know who the Master is
I'm just a working man
Together through our work and laughter
We've been chasing the promised land

Now that we are family
With a vision of liberty
I say to you
Hello to my heart
Goodbye to all the misery

The prophesied time to come
For the troubadour of change
Makes its way around now
This world sure seems strange
The circle is complete
Back on the road
Across the great bridge
Like a boomerang coming home

With calm and patience and strength of all we are
I'm just a season to remember
And a long dream about a star
With a love song and a daydream
Vision of the Guardian of the Planet
And the source of our soul
Our life turns
The new world sung
And love
the masterpiece in the universe´s role

Dawn inside
Take me to your golden land
Put your mind in my hand
Look into your heart child and understand
Now that we are family
With a vision of liberty
I say to you
Hello to my heart
Goodbye to all the misery