Although it would be impossible to replace Jules Le Chat, we need a new special correspondent for nature news, and the Lady With the Red Hair offered another of her spot-on suggestions.
Cauli Le Poussin is an excellent fit as our nature news special correspondent. Baby chicks are symbolic of new birth (and rebirth), and this is what spring and nature and the entire plant kingdom is all about. Chicks hatch from apparently lifeless eggs, which is comparable to plants re-emerging after the cold, barren winter, which, admittedly, wasn't all that cold for us Hoosiers this year.
The ancients understood this cycle of dormancy and rebirth in nature. Plant resurrection was symbolized in Greek mythology by Persephone, who was the daughter of Zeus, big cheese among Olympian gods, and Demeter, goddess of agriculture. According to the mythology, Persephone became queen of the shades, or trapped spirits, when she was abducted to the underworld (i.e., symbolic of plant dormancy in early winter) by the god Haides. Persephone was permitted to return to Olympus (spring, summer, early fall) for two-thirds (some stories say half) the year, while returning to the underworld (late fall, winter) for the remaining one-third (or half). Obviously, they didn't live in Minnesota, where winter lasts much longer (or so it seems). Persephone's return from the underworld symbolized the rebirth of spring. In the Greek Eleusinian religion, she was worshipped as the goddess of spring alongside her mother, Demeter.
The point is that Cauli Le Poussin is perfect as my special nature correspondent. A chick's entire world appears new, fresh, and alive, so we should get an energized perspective. Although I consider Cauli to be a girl's name, Broadway Gal said that Cauli chick is a boy, so we'll run with that until we hear otherwise. He had better get moving--his first blog post deadline is today. Look for his inaugural story tomorrow.
Welcome to the team, Cauli Le Poussin! Now get to work.
Like, Now, Cauli Le Poussin,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Special Correspondents News Beat
P.S. A 17-minute agricultural short, The Chicken of Tomorrow (1948), talked about efforts to improve chicken production and productivity in post-World War II America. A slightly different version of this film was riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000, as the introductory short to the episode featuring the horrible horror movie The Brute Man (1946). The MST3K treatment is much funnier. You can find it on YouTube. Better yet, buy MST3K DVD volume XXII. Just saying.
The point is that Cauli Le Poussin is perfect as my special nature correspondent. A chick's entire world appears new, fresh, and alive, so we should get an energized perspective. Although I consider Cauli to be a girl's name, Broadway Gal said that Cauli chick is a boy, so we'll run with that until we hear otherwise. He had better get moving--his first blog post deadline is today. Look for his inaugural story tomorrow.
Welcome to the team, Cauli Le Poussin! Now get to work.
Like, Now, Cauli Le Poussin,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Special Correspondents News Beat
Goodness, Cauli, don't you think your little namesake might need a couple of days to rest up. After all, it's hard work being born, but I'm sure he'll do an egg-traordinary job with the nature beat. Jules Le Chat would have approved.
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