I did read the tale of Charlie.
We keep our cats indoors. Always.
The world is full of coyotes.
Yup. Two-legged, and four!
I've been studying all three of our cats. I think they have much to teach about battle. Our younger pair, two Maine Coon siblings, fight and play constantly. And chase Charlie. Charlie hates it, hisses, and seeks higher ground. Charlie is much larger and could crush the squittens if she wanted, but she just runs away and complains. (We call the two younger ones "the squittens", a squitten is a mythical beast that is a cross between a squirrel and a kitten.)
I think cats can teach us many battle techniques, including barricading, waiting, patience, listening, smelling, and of course, when to attack, and when not to. Cats are "The Art of War" on four legs. And they're full of cautious-but-unconditional love, which makes the solider pure of heart, no matter what actions he needs to take.
There's a thing that Fred wrote on the Appleseed site, a test to see if you're a "solider or a cook." I think Charlie cat is a better cook. (Though she still tries to sneak out onto the battlefield, especially when she hears coyotes out the window.)
I passed Fred's written test with a score of 100%, but I think I'd probably make a better cook (or ministry of information writer / proofreader, something like that). Will keep shooting, but the wife is a much better natural shot than me.
We don't believe in reincarnation, but if we did, we'd be pretty sure she was a warrior in a previous life. It's scary how naturally all this comes to her, and how much of a better shot she is than me, even though I read and listen and have an open mind, remain teachable, and I shoot the same number of rounds as her each time, with sidearm, shotgun and now rifle.
Cindy from Appleseed noticed this too, and told Debra Jean, "Well, you can protect him if it comes down to it." We all laughed. It was funny and true.
Richard and Cindy were great teachers, with the spiritual/Constitutional parts and with the shooting part. But Debra Jean had a physical cellular memory of "having done this before" the first time she laid on the ground with a rifle and wrapped the strap around her arm. I did OK, but was later complaining that my shoulders hurt, and that it all felt unnatural to me. It will take me a lot more physical repetition to achieve muscle memory. Debra Jean had it from the gate.
Debra Jean's also a much better cook than me.
We do want to thank both Richard and Cindy for their time, generosity, and valuable wisdom. We're both looking forward to learning much more.
Gonna go study my cats' behavior now.....
Michael
