CHANUCEY SAYS SPRING IS HERE....ALMOST

I've had a lot of inquiries lately about Chauncey, the rooster that I bought last fall. People want to know if he is still strutting in my chicken lot. Yes,he is. However, his "Spring is here!" crowing has attracted the attention of my resident fox who came down and looked at him this morning. Chauncey got very quiet and Jack, my fat jack russell, ran the fox off. (The fox didn't hurry since Jack is fat and slow.) As soon as the fox was out of sight, Chauncey once more informed the world that it is spring....almost

CHAUNCEY COMES TO STAY

Last Saturday, Neal Hutcheson and I went to Cagle's Animal Auction near Waynesville. This place is like a Fellini movie: dust, heat, a yodeling auctioneer, bleats, cackles, crows, barks and several hundred people seated in an old barn facing a kind of arena where goats, sheep,crates of chickens are held aloft while the audience bids ... and when you buy something, they hand it to you. That is how I got Chauncey, this noble rooster who came home with us and took up residence with my two old, maidenly hens. Chauncey has a lusty crow and he quickly established his territory. He crowed all night and I'm afraid that my resident fox will come to see him soon. In the meanwhile, life is good. Neal Hutcheson took this photo.

LAFCADIO HEARN AND KWAIDAN

One of the most fascinating folklore topics that I have encoutered as a storyteller has been the story of Lafcadio Hearn, an American journalist who renounced his citizenship and became a Japanese citizen. Then, he devoted his life to studying (and contributing to) the eerie world of Japanese folklore. Some forty years ago, I found a ragged copy of "Kwaidan" in a used book store and read the entire work overnight. I've never forgotten those four ghost stories, and I remain especially fond of the one about "Hoichi, the Earless." Sometimes, around Halloween, I muster up enough courage to include it in a kind of collection of international spook stories: Irish, German, Native American and Japanese.

The photo that I have posted here is from the 60's movie of "Kwaidan" that has recently been reissued as a DVD. The stories hold up very well. The elements that I find most appealing in this collection are the unique aspects of Japanese horror. Instead of werewolves, mummies, Japanese fans of terror are frightened by: snow maidens, faceless women and foxes. I am wondering if any of my readers know this marvelous collection. If so, please comment.