Little Red Wolf

Red Riding Hood and Friend?

Today is the first day of classes for the new semester- an art foundations, two crafts and two photography.  All classes that I more or less love- except the art foundations- but I am trying once again to reinvent that so it will be better.  And of course I have the first day jitters- never mind that this is year 16, that I have started semesters now 32 (!) times not counting summer school.  But I'm anxious, worked steadily on school stuff all weekend- I always reinvent that darned circular thing...you know...the wheel I think its called?  I really don't have to work this hard, but I do.  Hard work is my safety net, along with fast typing. Grace in action and all that.

Red Riding Hood is not one of the archetypes I identify with often- I don't know why exactly, since we spent an inordinate time taking groceries to Granny Wrye when I was younger- and I had this book that showed her happily toting bread, cake and wine in a big big basket.  Yesterday though I ended up on a RRH kick, using lots of different variations of images for one of my lessons.  It is curious how this story is so popular right now- stories are popular because of the chords they strike in the audience.  I think of Red alone in the woods, cheerful and gullible, with her basket of bread headed some place safe- trying to do a good deed.  She knows that she was taught about wolves, but she doesn't quite believe in their badness...she tries to see the good in everyone.  The wolf is a predator, but is he wise or a fool?  Instead of being direct, he is tricky and clever, like the coyote, but ultimately fails because of his foolishness.  

In this picture Little Red is meeting the wolf- he is smiling/snarling while she protects her bread.  The wolf looks like my old coydog Ruffian.  I have been dreaming about Ruffian night after night lately, her and great storms blowing in from the sea.  I am taking this as a watch and a warning to be clever not foolish, to guard against greed, watch out for woodcutters- open eyes make for a safe heart.  Funny, I suppose I am the wolf afterall.