Remembering Larry Sellers (Cloud Dancing) #Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman By Connie Vines #LarrySellers, #Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman, #NativeAmerican

 I was first introduced to Larry Sellers in 1992, before the television show “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” premiered on Saturday nights (running for six seasons).

My personal photo (with Larry's autograph)

Larry Sellers was a Native American actor and stuntman of Osage and Cherokee descent and an adopted member of the Lakota nation. He became known for his regular role as Cloud Dancing in the popular CBS hit series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), and received an Emmy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor. He also worked as a technical advisor on the show, notably on linguistic aspects.

When Larry was filming in the Hollywood studio backlot, he would drop by during our weekly Native American Craft Nights taught by Tribal Elder Barbara Drake,  held in a school auditorium (Ontario Montclair School District,  San Bernardino, CA). He performed puppetry and played his hand-carved flutes for the elementary schoolers and the toddlers.

I also facilitated numerous workshops when I worked with the Title IX and Title X programs and Parent Advisory Committee. Larry was always flattered when asked to work with our teen and pre-teen students.

Soft-spoken, courteous, Larry shared his knowledge and experiences with others. Fame did not change him; he was, first and foremost, a spiritual man.  *on a personal note, I spoke with Larry about a YA historical novel I was completing, “Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water.”  Native American boarding schools in the late 1880s were not a topic many publishers were willing to publish at that time.  Larry reminded me it was my duty to give the story life. He also shared his personal experiences of being sent away to boarding school at the age of five. He told me, firmly, the novel would sell.

Larry was correct “Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water was purchased by a publisher. The novel was “Book of the Month and Teen Read” at numerous Public Libraries and a National Book Award nominee.

Larry Sellers’s Career:

Larry Sellers enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school.

Larry was a 17-year veteran in the entertainment industry as an actor, stuntman, translator, and technical advisor.

An educator, historian, and historical consultant about his heritage.

He was one of the eight scholars chosen nationally as a Fellow at the Newberry Library Center for the History of the American Indian, located in Chicago.

Larry worked with the Arizona State Department of Education / Division of Indian Education among the many accomplishments as a consultant. And he has also worked with Traditional Tribe Medicine, the Arizona State Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and the Phoenix Indian Medical Center Rehabilitation Program.

As he was an actor as well, his acting credits include the feature films “Son of the Morning Star,” “Quick and the Dead,” “Revolution,” “Like Father – Like Son,” and “Assassination,” “Wayne’s World II.” Moreover, his television credits are the film “Kenny Rogers as ‘The Gambler’ III — The Legend Continues” on the CBS Television Network and the series “Life Goes On.“

Little known facts: He participated in the Wiwang Wacipi [Sun Dance] Ceremony.  It is said (though I did not confirm with Larry) he turned down an offer to appear in Kevin Costner's epic Dances with Wolves (1990) because he was not given the four days required to complete the Sun Dance ceremony. 

2016 - 2021, he worked as an Osage language instructor in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

Larry Sellers (Pinterest Photo)

To learn more about Larry Sellers, please visit:

http://www.thedqtimes.com/pages/dqfolklore.htm (Website for Dr. Quinn Forklore)  Cloud Dancing and Native American Folklore, too

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0565364/  Larry wrote (several years after our workshop discussion) the script, “Hearts and Minds,” for this episode Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, show which dealt with the Native American education/boarding school.

I am blessed to have known Larry Sellers. 

Thank you for allowing me to share my memories with you,

Connie Vines

  

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https://www.amazon.com/Tanayia-Whisper-Water-Connie-Vines-ebook/dp/B0894GGJ3G/r

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The nine lives of my sci-fi cats, from cuddly pets to giant predators - by Vijaya Schartz

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As you can tell from my book covers, I have cats in many of my Science fiction novels, even in those not featuring a cat on the cover. Most of these cats are telepathic, and it’s not by accident. We all know cats have a sixth sense… and nine lives to boot.

I love cats, and if I had to go on a long voyage through space to another planet, I couldn’t imagine not taking a cat as a companion. I would also want to seed that new earth-like planet with cats. It makes perfect sense as I couldn’t imagine life without these beautiful creatures.

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Marshmallow in BLACK DRAGON is a cuddly ball of fluff who helps the hero cheat at cards and charm the ladies. His favorite reward is synthetic tuna.

But some of these cats are enormous, and readers not familiar with my work sometimes ask: “How is it possible to have such big cats on a spaceship, or a space station?”

Alpha Space Station in the movie Valerian and the city of a thousand planets

Obviously, they have the wrong idea of the size of an interstellar ship. Since there is no limitation to size in space, ships can be the size of several football fields. As for the space stations of the distant future, we are not talking about our tiny ISS orbiting earth, but about space stations as large as entire cities or small moons, like artificial planets orbiting alien suns or gas giants, and supporting millions of people.

The Byzantium Space Station as I imagined it.

How do cats happen to be in space or on other planets?

Sometimes my fictional cats are wild and native to their alien planet, like Tibeta and her cubs in Angel Brave, the Smilodons of Azura, a planet teeming with large predators. I pity the hero, Keoke, who has to face this deadly family of cats.

Tibeta, the sabertooth Smilodon cat in Angel Brave

Sometimes, like in the Chronicles of Kassouk, the big cats are the result of a human experiment gone out of control, and are trained and used in battle, or kept as pets.

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There are also the big cats experimented upon, who are genetically modified and electronically enhanced to communicate telepathically with their owners. They usually become companions for bounty hunters, like Akira’s cheetah retriever in AKIRA’S CHOICE, or the telepathic cougar helping Fianna catch the bad guys in ANGEL MINE.

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In MALAIKA’S SECRET, Raja, the lion guarding the temple, was rescued from illegal smugglers of exotic animals.

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In SNATCHED, my heroine has to face a native saber-tooth tiger in the jungle.

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In ALIEN LOCKDOWN, set in the Andromeda galaxy, my protagonists face a native predator called a bearcat.

There are no significant cats in my medieval fantasy series CURSE OF THE LOST ISLE, based on Celtic legends, but I must mention for dog lovers, that I have a heroic dog named Kopek in DAMSEL OF THE HAWK, book 7, which is a standalone in the series.

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But there are more cats to come in my future books. In ANGEL SHIP, Book one of the Blue Phantom series, to be released in the fall of 2022, the heroine, a warrior princess, has a telepathic feline bodyguard with a keen sense of peoples’ true character.

In the meantime, you can find all my books at online retailers. amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Vijaya Schartz, author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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The time for traditions--Tricia McGill

 

Find all my books here on my BWL author page.

Well, most of the celebrations are probably over with by today so all that is left is the tidying up. I sincerely hope everyone had the best time possible. In these strange times, it is difficult to know what is normal any more. No matter where you are in the world all we could hope for right now is that you were able to connect with your loved ones.

Most restrictions have been dropped in my part of the world—at least for the foreseeable future. However, who knows what is around the next corner. Personally, I am not one for making New Year resolutions as many people do. I tend to face life one day at a time nowadays, which seems to be the best solution in a world that is changing day by day.

The thing I like best about this time of the year is traditions that have stood the test of time. I am not sure if mistletoe is necessary amid the decorations any more—such as a tree with either a star or a fairy on its top, Santa visiting on Christmas Eve to bring goodies to those children who have been good, but it was a well-worn tradition in my household when I was young.

Depending on where you start to look for information on the tradition of kissing beneath this parasitic plant that grows on trees and is poisonous, it seems to have been started by the Druids. Long considered to be a symbol of vitality with uncertain special curing properties, the earliest mention of its romantic powers was from Pliny the Elder, a Roman natural historian. He scoffed at the Druids notion that mistletoe when taken in a drink would aid in fertility.

Later the romantic association was expanded upon by the Norse in the story about Baldur’s mother Frigga, goddess of love. Legend had it that she ordered the plants and animals to promise not to harm her son—all plants except mistletoe. So, good old Loki, god of mischief, then killed Baldur with a mistletoe spear. Frigga’s tears turned into mistletoe berries that brought Baldur back to life, thus making Frigga declare mistletoe as a symbol of love.

Phew and here was I thinking it was a British Christmas tradition whereby if lovers kissed beneath the hanging sprig it ensured everlasting love. But it seems they didn’t start hanging mistletoe until the 18^th/19^th century. Mistletoe was also mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers where he had young women screaming and struggling until they finally found it useless to resist the lure of being kissed beneath the mistletoe. Woe and betide any girl who resisted being kissed beneath it, for they would meet nothing but bad luck.

Mistletoe is still believed to contain healing properties by some, but there is little evidence to prove its worth as a herbal remedy. Sadly, the American Cancer institute has proven that there is nothing to suggest it contains an extract that will help the body’s immune system to fight cancer.

So there you have it—if you paused to kiss a lover or even a friend beneath the sprig of mistletoe this holiday season, you are almost certainly about to have the best of luck this coming year—or perhaps not. In any case, I wish you all that you wish yourselves in 2022.

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A Traditional Scandinavian Christmas Recipe by A.M.Westerling

 

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022! May you have time today to sit down and relax with loved ones. 

Every family has their favourite traditions and I'd like to share one of ours. My husband is Danish and this is one of the fun little customs we keep going. We eat our turkey dinner on Christmas Eve and serve rice pudding for dessert. 

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Danish Rice Pudding

1 cup pearl rice

5 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

½ cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups whipping cream

Cherry Sauce

 Boil rice in milk over low heat 45 minutes. Cool, then add sugar, almonds and almond extract. Whip cream until stiff and fold into rice mixture. Chill. Turn into bowl and top with Cherry Sauce or spoon into individual dessert dishes and top with sauce. Makes about 12 servings.

 Cherry Sauce

1 16 ounce can dark sweet cherries.

1 teaspoon cornstarch

 Reserve about 1 teaspoon cherry liquid. Turn remaining liquid and cherries into saucepan and heat to boiling. Blend cornstarch with reserved liquid and stir into boiling mixture. Cook and stir until well blended, then cool sauce and chill.

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Now here comes the fun part. Place a whole almond in the pudding and whoever gets the whole almond wins a little prize, usually a marzipan pig. As our family has grown, I now use 2 almonds. But everyone wants to win a coveted pig! Good luck!

How about Evelyn's Beau, a Christmas novella to read and enjoy when you have a moment to put up your feet? 

As a favour to the local vicar, Lady Evelyn Kendall agrees to organize a Christmas pageant involving disadvantaged children, never realizing it would lead to disaster for both her and Lord Oliver Harrington, the man she loves.

Available at your favourite online store HERE. Prefer print? Find that on Amazon.

Find all my books on my page at the BWL Publishing website.

December by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

December

The word December comes from the Latin word decem which means ‘ten’. In the Roman calendar, which began with the month of March, December was the tenth month. The cold, wintery days between the end of December and the beginning of March did not have a name. Eventually, those days were called January and February and were considered the beginning of the calendar year. Therefore, December became the twelfth month but kept its name.

      The birthstone of December is turquoise with blue topaz a close second. Turquoise color can range from sky-blue to blue green to a vivid green. The flower of December is the narcissus. The Zodiac sign Sagittarius ends on December 21 and Capricorn begins on December 22.
 

     December is noted for the Nobel Prizes being awarded in that month. Other events that took place in December are: the first Sunday newspaper began publication in Britain on December 4, 1791; the Bill of Rights was passed in the USA on December 14, 1791; the Wright brothers made their first flight on the December 17th, 1903; and the first heart transplant took place in December 03, 1967.
 

     Celebrations in December include World Aids Day on the first, the International Day of the Disabled Person on the third, and International Hug day on the fourth. Human rights day is on the tenth but there is also the month long observance of Universal Human Rights. Poinsettia Day is on the twelfth.

Christmas Day is celebrated by Christians around the world on December 25 to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Some non-Christian celebrations in December include: Hanukkah from December 7-14 on the Jewish calendar; Bodhi Day (Buddhism) on the 8th; and Datta Jayanti (Hinduism) and Yomari punhi (Nepal Era) on the 25th.        Some facts and beliefs about December:

    December 1^st always falls on the same day of the week as September 1^st and December 31st is always on the same day of the week as April 30^th, even in a Leap Year.

    December 21 is the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and has the shortest number of daylight hours of the year. It is the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere and has the longest daylight hours there.

     The ancient Mayans were very advanced in their culture and in their understanding of the universe. Because the Mayan calendar ended on the 21^st of December 2012, many people world-wide thought it predicted the world as we knew it would end on that day.

     If snow falls on Christmas day, Easter will be warm and sunny.

     Some believe that December 28 is the unluckiest day of the year, while spiders and their webs are considered lucky on Christmas.

     More dentists have birthdays in December than in any other month according to a survey done in 2011. The results of another survey showed that couples argue the most during the last month of the year.

     More money is drawn from ATMs during December than in any other month.

     St. Nicholas, was originally the patron saint of children, thieves, and pawnbrokers. He is now known as Santa Claus.

     A Norse tradition of cutting and burning a tree on December 21 to bring in the Winter Solstice was supposed to last for twelve days. This is now known as the 12 days of Christmas.

    Germany had the first artificial Christmas trees. Some were wooden and shaped like a pyramid while others, developed in the 1880s, were made of goose feathers that were dyed green. Candy canes are supposed to represent the Shepherds cane, the star at the top of the tree is for the first Christmas night and candles, which were used before there was power for lights, represented the light of the world.