“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.” - William Shakespeare

Hug Mugs: All three of Old Man Oak Tree’s words of advice made it onto Hug Mugs this month. To see the mugs, visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4508724647/hug-mug-advice-from-a-tree-part-i-mug-11

To listen to the Old Man Oak Tree’s words of wisdom visit:

Advice from a Tree: Part I

Advice from a Tree: Part II

Advice from a Tree: Part III

Seal Story by Aleks Haecky
A wonderful read about a close encounter with a seal. Swimming will never be quite the same ;-)

Sleeping in the Forest: A short essay featuring a poem by Mary Oliver and a childhood adventure.

Lights Will Guide You Home
An incredible collaboration between Jacob Collier, Chris Martin (Coldplay) and the thousands of audience members who attended their concert at the O2 Arena. It will have you in tears.

Conversations with Rowdy by Tizz O’Toole
Rowdy was a wolf - a real flesh and blood wolf. After his death, Rowdy began appearing in the author’s meditations and has become both a spiritual guide and delightfully irreverent companion. Rowdy never misses a chance to tease and teach his human friend a lesson. This essay chronicles some of their conversations.

The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs (book review)
If you’ve never heard of or read Craig Childs’ writing, you’ll love The Animal Dialogues. Read my full review and get your copy of the book by clicking HERE.

Copyright 2026 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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A recap of all the wild and wonderful things happening at Wild Dialogs over the past two weeks. Enjoy!

The Eighth Intelligence

The second class in the Wild Dialogs Discovery series is now live. As a reminder, all paid subscribers have access to all Wild Dialogs classes. More are being added all the time. To check out “The Eighth Intelligence,” click on Cl…

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Welcome to the first of Wild Dialogs’ walkabouts where we showcase stories about the wonderful people, projects, organizations, and groups we’ve met on our travels.

Introducing The Paperhand Puppet Project - a troupe of puppeteers that creates and uses puppets to advocate for and protect the natural world. Each summer, Paperhand puts on a summer showcase featuring a series of magical stories revolving around a central theme. The theme for this year’s event is “The Wild Wisdom of the World.”

Funds are raised to produce the shows on Kickstarter. The deadline for this year’s campaign is Saturday, April 18th. To donate and get your special gift, visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperhand/wild-wisdom

The story of a daring rescue by Joshua Holland, the man behind Wildlife Rehabilitation Outpost. Josh’s work is changing how many people view both animal rescue and their relationship to wildlife. His work is topnotch and the love he brings to each and every animal that comes into his care deeply touching. Please visit and subscribe to his page.

In this post we learn the history of how tattooing was used by the Cherokee before Sequoyah - a polymath and neographer of the Cherokee Nation - invented the written syllabary in the late 1810s and early 1820s. Prior to that, the Cherokee used tattooing as a way to write their names and accomplishments on their bodies. You’ll also learn how modern tattoo artists like Nathalie Standingcloud are using tattooing to help their clients heal and embrace their Cherokee heritage.

Eric Michael Hernandez is a Hoop Dancer and member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina. In this piece you’ll learn how hoop dancing helped Hernandez find his place in the world, reclaim his cultural identity, and launch a successful career as a performer and filmmaker.

I love to read and discuss stories almost as much as I love to write them. This week I finished reading Sue Hubbell’s A Country Year: Living the Questions for at least the fourth time since I bought the book in the late 1990’s. I return to it whenever I want to be reminded that it’s possible to live simply and well on the planet - that taking time to notice the ebb and flow of the seasons, how your actions impact the lives of other creatures, and how finding yourself tending hundreds of hives of bees in middle age can be the best thing that ever happened to you.

Hubbell’s writing tends to the reader the way she tended to her bees - matter-of-factly and without fuss. Her writing has just enough description to draw you in and just enough information to make you want to know more. Why did bats join Hubbell for her morning coffee? How can you tell if a beehive is healthy or not without opening it? Why is a hard rain needed to put an end to mud season? And what’s the best way to deal with chiggers? All of these questions and more are asked and answered in Hubbell’s welcoming, no nonsense style so you come away feeling as if you’ve just spent time with an old and very interesting friend. Yes, I love and heartily recommend this book.

Jena

To get your copy and support independent bookstores visit
https://bookshop.org/a/124434/9780395967010

Copyright 2026 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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