Pooka's Page for Grownups

For weeks, I was pestered everywhere I turned about "Telling the Bees". Itwould pop up unexpectedly on websites I visited, on tv shows I was watching,in novels I was reading and conversations with friends.Finally, I turned my face to the Heavens (actually, if you must know, I lookedup at the living room ceiling...) and yelled, "Okay, I get it! You want me to

write a story about 'telling the bees!'" And so, in this issue, that's what I tried to do.

And, speaking of stories, a wee word of warning: Many of our young readers may simply see Fiona'sLetter from Scotland as simply another of Meg and Attila's marvelous adventures. Adults, however, willquickly understand the deeper meaning of the story... and I'm hereby issuing an Official Hankie Alert.

In other news, by the time this issue is posted, Pooka's "Summer Book" willbe available on Amazon. Fully illustrated, it covers the holidays of Litha &Lughnasadh, with 6 "Pooka Stories" for each sabbat as well as herbal lore,recipes, crafts and spells for both... all designed and written for theyoungest members of our Pagan Community.The book is 50 full color pages and only $7.95. If you do buy it, please leavea review? Not only will it help others on Amazon to find the book, I readthem also...and they encourage me to write more. They also help me knowwhat you like, or don't like and where I can improve in future books.

Meanwhile, please join us in "Pooka's Circle" on Facebook! I do most of myown posting here and there are even more posts from our Team membersand readers ... parents, grandparents, teens and kids - all sharing pictures and information about theirown seasonal crafts, songs, celebrations and recipes.In order to safe-guard our members, it's a Closed Group. You must know a password to join, but, ifyou've read even one "Pooka" story, then the password is easy!)

Pooka, the Team and I all hope you have a fabulous Midsummer Holiday filled with lots of sunshine andsweetness!

Happy Litha!

- Lora & Pooka

Also known as: Midsummer, Summer Solstice

This is the longest day of the year when we celebrate the peak of the sun’s power. From now until Yule, the daysgrow shorter and shorter. Fires are lit to honored to encourage life-giving rain during the hot months ahead. This isa perfect time to have an outdoor celebration with barbeques, bonfires and water games! Midsummer Eve is one ofthe times during the year when fairies and other nature spirits especially love to frolic. It’s customary to leaveofferings for them such as food or milk set out in the evening.

In this Issue:Storybook Chair - Telling the BeesElsie's Herb Garden - Lemon Balm

Little Book of ShadowsKitchen Witch

Coloring Page - by Liliane GrenierA Letter from Scotland by Fiona Tinker

Symbols of Litha by Carmen Sanchez BezzardColoring Page by Liliane Grenier

WitchCrafts - a Fairy Ladder by Amber A.Jimmy Hears a Fable by Evelien RoosColoring Page - Litha by Hope Mayo

Celebrating the Sabbat by Hope MayoWee Witchling's Read-Along - Chasing Honey

The Pooka Pages Magazine is published by Lora Craig-GaddisThis is a FREE Publication for Pagan Children

The Pooka Pages is published 8 times a year about a week prior to each sabbat.

To get the current issue go to: www.pookapages.comAnd visit us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/PookaPagesTeam

Pooka Pages, Litha 2018 is © June 2018. No portion of this publication may be used without the author or artist’spermission. To contact an author or artist or for general inquiries, write to pookachild@hotmail.com

Telling the Bees

"...Marriage, birth or buryin’,News across the seas,All you’re sad or merry in,You must tell the Bees."

Rudyard Kipling from "Puck of Pook's Hill"

"Maybe I should have brought my little wagon," sighed Elsie as she shifted her heavybasket from hand to the other.

"Yes!" agreed Pooka who was trotting next to her. "Then I could ride in it. That would befun!"

Elsie cut her eyes at him, but the cat was blissfully oblivious. He loved Market Day with allthe scents, sounds and familiar, friendly faces that went with it.

They stopped first at Sally, the Flower Lady's booth where Elsie delivered lavender sachetsand bags of rose & spice potpourri. Next, a pair of boots was dropped off at the Cobbler's forre-soling. "They'll be ready next week, Elsie, and good as new," the cobbler told her.

"Thanks, Mr. Mac," the girl smiled.Pooka called a cheery hello Trilby, the white kitten who lived above the bakery.She poked her head over the balcony. "Meet you for ice cream at the cafe' later, Pooka?"

"Okay!" (Shhhh. Don't tell, but Pooka had a secret crush on Trilby and didn't mind in the leastsharing his ice cream with her.)

At the Fruit Stand, Elsie bought some peaches. "Are you making a pie, Elsie?" asked Mrs.Simpson, the plump proprietor. "You might want to toss in some blueberries. My husbandloves it and says they make a nice touch." Elsie agreed and bought a little box of those also.Afterward, Mrs. Simpson gave Pooka a strawberry to munch on. She knew how much the catenoyed them!

He ate his strawberry outside the Pharmacy while Elsie delivered medicinal herb teas,ointments and lotions. (Mr. Ambercromby was a great friend of Pooka's but cats weren'tallowed in his shop.)

Next, Elsie stopped at the Beekeeper's booth. Pooka noticed that she hesitated, however,for just a moment before she approached. Instead of old Mr. Bartlett, there was a young manbehind the counter.

"I'd like a jar of honey, please, and some wax for candles," said Elsie, and then asked,"Where's Mr. Bartlett? He's not ill, I hope?"

The man looked sad. "I'm afraid my grandfather passed away a few days ago - quitepeacefully in his rocking chair, thank goodness. I'm George," and he reached out to shake herhand. "I'll be taking over the bee hives for him."

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Elsie. "Your grandfather was such a kind man. You told the beesof course?"

"Immediately," George assured her. "And we put black ribbons on all the hives."The little witch nodded. George, the new bee keeper, told her his grandfather's funeral

was in two days and Elsie said she'd be there.As they progressed toward the library (where Miss Epstein, the librarian had some books

waiting for them), Pooka asked, "What did you mean - Tell the bees? "The witch looked down at the cat curiously. "Bees are very canny creatures and their

relationship to the bee keeper and his family is a sort of sacred trust. Whenever somethingimportant happens, you must tell the bees right away. Otherwise they will either all die orleave and abandon their hives."

"That would be really bad," agreed Pooka.Elsie nodded. "It would mean no more honey. Also, without the bees to pollinate them,

most of our fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables would simply die off. We need the bees inorder to survive!"

"I didn't know bees were so important!" exclaimed Pooka and Elsie nodded.

The next morning, instead of oatmeal, the witch and her cat had scrambled eggs (deliveredby farmer Gilmore in exchange for some of Elsie's sunburn ointment) and hot buttered biscuitsdrizzled with honey for breakfast. Afterward, the girl washed up the dishes as Pooka went intothe garden to play.

Eventually, through the open kitchen window, she could heard him talking:"Edgar the crow won't play with me today. He's too busy with Mrs. Edgar and feeding their

babies. I don't think that's fair, do you? But, Nathan's taking me fishing tomorrow and Elsiepromised to cook whatever we catch. I hope we catch a lot. And she got a new book at thelibrary yesterday. It's all about dragons and she promised to read it to me tonight. You canhang around and listen to if you like. Hey, have you seen my catnip? It's getting really big and

tall, even though Elsie keeps trimming it and Ikeep rolling in it and smashing it down. But itkeeps coming right back up! Isn't that amazing?"

It dawned on Elsie that she'd been standingby the window and drying the same plate forseveral minutes while listening to thismonologue. She put the plate in the cupboardand went outside.

She found her cat sitting next to a clump ofLemon Balm, still talking away. But, there wasnobody there.

"Pooks?" she asked. "Who are you talking to?"The bee, of course," said Pooka.

Elsie now noticed a solitary bee busilyvisiting each bloom on the little bush. "Why?"

"I'm telling him all the important stuff," saidPooka.

"Actually, you only need to tell them really important events like deaths, births andmarriages. And you're supposed to tell the whole hive."

Pooka just looked at her and said, "Well, this stuff is important to me and, if I tell the bee,then he can go back and tell the rest of the hive, right?"

The witch realized that she couldn't argue with her cat's logic.

Lemon Balm is also known as "Bee Balm". In fact, it's botanical name "Melissa Officinalis"comes from the ancient Latin word for "Honey Bee".

According the 16th century herbalist, John Gerard, if beehives are rubbed with this herb "itcauseth the bees to keepe together and causeth others to come unto them." And, according toPliny, the Elder, a Greek philosopher and naturalist who lived in the very first century: "When(bees) have strayed, they do find their way home by it." Even today's bee keepers plant theherb around their hives.

This is a happy herb which lifts the spirits when you drink it as a tea. (There's even an oldtradition that says music should be played whenever picking it.) A cup of lemon balm tea willhelp soothe and relax you whenever you're upset, wound up or nervous about something.

Lemon Balm is wonderful for your tummy, whether you're nauseous, have heart burn oreven more serious issues that grownups can get like IBS. It can even help a colicky baby brotheror sister. It's both gentle and calming for your insides.

The tea can help lower a fever and a syrup made with lemon balm is really good for coughs.Since ancient times, people have believed lemon balm sharpens the brain and memory.

Now, modern science is saying that those old folks were absolutely right and the results ofthese new studies are quite impressive! So, the next time you have an important test comingup in school, sip some lemon balm tea as you studyas well as on the day of your exam. It really willhelp you to do better!

It's tempting to drink lots and lots of lemonbalm tea every day since it's so delicious, either hotor cold. But, be careful because, if you do, it canmake you get sunburned more quickly, especially inthe summer. But, adding fresh lemon balm sprigsto your Midsummer fire or barbeque will help keepthe nasty mosquitoes away!

Lemon Balm is really easy to grow! Just scatter

the seeds around some loosened soil, keep them watered and then stand back while theysprout up and start growing. It grows in either sun or shade. If you know anyone who's got it intheir garden, they'll gladly give you some baby plants since Lemon Balm also happily reseedsitself. But then, it's such a pretty, yummy, useful and magical plant, you won't mind itspreading around your garden. As they said in the old days: You can never have too muchlemon balm!

Lemon Balm has such a reputation for making sad people be happy again that it's said evenjust carrying a sprig of the plant in your pocket will help heal a broken heart. And, if your heartis whole and you're simply lonely, doing the same will help you find a friend!

Plant Lemon Balm by your front door to keep any yucky or negative energies from comingin. And, Elsie always adds the dried herb to her special House Blessing Potpourri!

Lemon Balm is associated with the moon and is often used in a special bath before fullmoon celebrations. The herb or essential oil in a pre-bedtime bath will also help make sureyou have a good, restful sleep with really happy dreams.

Sunny Summer Dump Cake

This lovely dessert is served at the Village Cafe' where the little witch and her cat have lunch on MarketDay. Pooka absolutely LOVES it - especially with a scoop of ice cream on top! However, it's really easyto make at home and doesn't heat up the kitchen. Elsie thinks you can do it all by your self (although, ifyou're very little, you probably should ask a grownup to help with pouring the melted butter.)

21 oz can of peach pie filling1 box of white cake mix½ cup butter melted8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)¼ cup sugar

In a bowl, mix together your cream cheese and sugar until smooth, and then set it aside.Next, pour the pie filling in the bottom of your crock pot and top with the cream cheesemixture.Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of your cream cheese mixture and then pour the meltedbutter evenly over the top.Place 6-8 paper towels between your lid and the top of your crock pot. Cover and cook onhigh for 1-2 hours.Makes about 4-6 servings - unless Pooka's having some, in which case you'd better make TWODump Cakes!

Honey Fruit Dip by Emily Tinsman

1 cup vanilla yogurt1/4 tsp cinnamon3 Tbs honey

Mix together and serve with fruit for dipping or as thedressing for a fruit salad

A Letter from Scotland

Dear Little Witches,

Here’s another little story from Meg and Attila about theSummer Solstice. Hope you enjoy it!

(For those of you who are new to these pages, Attila is a rabbit)

***

It was the night before midsummer and there was a lot of noise on the sacred mountain ofSchiehallion*. Schiehallion is slap bang in the centre of Scotland and it has mysterious tunnelsthat some say lead to the Otherworld. On the mountain itself, the noise grew as more andmore folk gathered. It was the noise of many folk moving not so quietly through theundergrowth, bumping in to things, singing and laughing. Attila the Bun was intrigued and hemoved out of his nice, comfy burrow to have a look.

His little eyes almost popped out of his head. All the fairy folk in the world seemed to beheading to the top of Schiehallion, carrying food, musical instruments, wood and flags.

“Meg!” he exclaimed. “Meg! Come and look at all this!”

Meg, the cat with half a tail, opened one eye, sleepily. He stretched the cat stretch beforeanswering, “It’s just the Sidhe gathering to celebrate the Summer Solstice.”

Meg looked smug. He finally knew something Attila the Bun did not. Attila looked at himexpectantly. Meg took his time, washing a paw or two before answering. He really wasenjoying this – it wasn’t often he had the upper-hand over the rabbit. “It’s simple,” he said.“When the sun rises in the morning, it brings in the longest day. It’s a magical day and that’swhy there are so many folk here. They’re going to have a party.”

Attila liked the sound of this. Being such a friendly and cheerful wee bunny, he enjoyed a goodparty. “Come on,” he said, excitedly, “let’s go join in!”

Meg wasn’t so sure. “Remember what happened the last few times we got mixed up with theSidhe folk? They aren’t always happy to see us!”

“Are you a cat or a mouse?” asked Attila, as he bounded off after the crowd.

Meg let out a big sigh and followed.

He found Attila at the front of the crowd. Everyone was staring at atunnel entrance. There was now such a hush over the crowd, it waseerie. The cat sat beside the rabbit.

“What’s happening?” whispered Attila.

“They’re waiting on Angus and Bride,” Meg whispered back.“They’ve just been married at the centre of Schiehallion, the centreof their Kingdom. The relationship between the Gods and the landhas been renewed again.”

“Oooo!” said Attila, who was really excited, even if he didn’t understand everything Meg said.He just knew he liked a bit of wedding cake.

The first streamers of the sunrise broke through the purple gloaming. Suddenly, a carnyx calledout over the mountain. The sound of the trumpet was a signal to the folk standing next to thepiled-up wood of the bonfire. The bonfire was set alight and it blazed against the dawn.

The carnyx sounded out for a second time, a longer time. Angus and Bride appeared at themouth of the tunnel. They glowed with the happiness of their marriage. People cheered. Thenthe party really began. Music burst out and songs and laughter floated across the mountain.

Attila the Bun did not know where to look first. Meg just merely looked around and then founda nice place to sleep.

“Typical cat!” thought Attila, and he hopped off to see what was going on.

The first place he went to was to the burn because he was thirsty and wanted a drink. But folkwere at the water, throwing in the beautiful white quartz stones called chuckies. “What areyou doing?” he asked the nearest pair of legs.

The owner of the legs looked down and smiled. “We’re giving it to the stones,” he said. “All ourworries, all our cares, we tell the stones. Then we throw them into the water where they’ll flowto Manannan, who will trap them so they don’t bother us anymore.”

Attila liked the sound of that, but, as he didn’t have any pressing rabbit worries, he had a drinkand wandered off to see what else was happening.

There was an ancient stone circle nearby and in the middle sat a human. His back was to the hill;his face towards the eastern horizon. Attila stared.

“He thinks if he sits in the stone circle all night, he’ll be able to see uswhen the sun rises,” said one fairy.

“Will he?” asked Attila.

“That depends on how naughty we feel like being,” said the fairy,

laughing. “Sometimes we let them see us, sometimes we don’t.”

Attila snorted a laugh – typical fairies, playing jokes on people!

There was a great shout from the top of a slope, near the bonfire.“I’d get out of the way, if I were you, little rabbit,” said the fairy.“It’s time for the sun wheel race.”

“Sun wheel?”

“You just watch from over there, you’ll see.”

The bonfire blazed against the morning sky. Folk jumped in and out, danced round and round.And then they took lit torches from the fire and gave them to others who stood at the top ofthe slope. In front of each of those others was a circular bale of hay.

“Sun wheel?” muttered Attila.

“You just watch,” said the fairy,

The carnyx sounded out once more and the bales of hay were set on fire. Once they wereblazing, they were pushed down the hill. Away they rolled, turning, spluttering, burning – andlooking for all the world like the sun on wheels.

“Ooooo!” said Attila. He stared in fascination as the wheels raced down towards the burn.

“If the wheel burns out before it hits the water, that owner wins great luck for the year,”explained the fairy. “Otherwise, the water spirits get to use the power of the fire for the day.”

Attila wandered off again to see what else there was to see. His little nose twitched as thebeautiful smell of a thousand flowers drifted through the air. Attila followed the smell.

A wondrous bower made of flowers had been placed near the entrance to Schiehallion’s tunnel.Angus and Bride sat in the middle of it, in a place of honour, watching and laughing at all thecelebrations going on around them. If they had glowed before, the light shining from them nowwas dazzling. Attila had never seen anything so wonderful. He crept closer.

“Hello, little rabbit,” said the soft, sweet voice of Bride. She bent forward and scooped up Attilaon to her lap. The love and the warmth of the sun caressed the rabbit as he snuggled into Bride.This was heaven! And he had a much better view of all the shenanigans going on around him.He’d never felt so happy!

Meg, who had slept through everything - even the sound of the carnyx -woke up. He realised there was an Attila the Bun shaped space next tohim so he decided to look for his little rabbit friend. Meg’s eyes nearlypopped out of his head when he finally saw where Attila was!

“What are you doing? You can’t sit there!” he exclaimed. “Andyou shouldn’t eat fairy food. Even if it is wedding cake!”

“Watch me!” answered Attila, smugly chewing his way through apiece of wedding cake.

Angus looked at Meg. “Don’t worry,” he said, gently. “Attila the Bunis safe with us. He knows he has eaten what he should not haveeaten. This was his choice. He is a welcome guest in our land.”

Meg was dumbfounded. What was going on? And why was Attila shining light too?

“Are you coming home now?” Meg asked Attila. “It’s nearly breakfast time.”

“No,” answered Attila. “I don’t think I can. I’m happy here. I’m safe in the arms of Bride. Leaveme now; I’ll catch up with you later.”

Meg was upset but he knew better than to argue with that rabbit. The Solstice sun rose throughthe dawn as he made his lonely way home, twitching his half tail in the light of the morning,wondering all the while what mischief Attila the Bun was up to now.

***

Till Next Time,

Fiona TinkerPS: Want to see Schiehallion or listen to a carnyx? Click below!

Schiehallion Carnyx

* shee-haal-ee-on

Happy First Birthday to Tobius. Pooka, Snoopyand Miss Kitty can't wait to help him celebrate onJune 19th. And a very special Happy Birthday toSandy, a Solstice Woman who will be 49 on the21st.

Sabbat Symbols - Guess What or Who I Am

by MommaWitch Carmen

This Sabbat is known by several names. Midsummer marks the midpoint on the Wheel of the Year.Summer Solstice marks the longest day and shortest night. And Litha is said to be another name for themonth of June according to historian Bede.

The Sun God is very strong at this time of year and we enjoy His summer sun and hot weather in manyways. Vacations are popular at this time of year and many families travel to the beach. Picnics are alsopart of many Midsummer traditions.

As you think about beaches and picnics, what comes to mind? Here are some "Crack the Code' gameswith Midsummer fun in the sun words. Use the alphabet code to unlock each puzzle. Going outside inthe Midsummer warmth to unlock the codes would be a wonderful way to celebrate this season of heatand fun Wishing you bright and warm Midsummer blessings.

"Pollywog" Paul will be 5 on July 14. Also on the 14th, Sebastian will be 9 and Congratulation onbecoming a Webelo, Sabastian!On June 28, Marijane will be 10 years old. Pooka would really love to go for a ride in the new basket shegot for her bike!Elayna will finally be 8 on July 10. To celebrate, Pooka thinks she should produce a musical play starringher pup, Lacy. Wouldn't that be fun?On June 17, when Aria Mae turns 10, she really should go for a walk. Thistle wants to leave a specialfeather for her to find. It's to say Thank You for the faery gardens that Aria Mae's created.Pooka heard that Cosette Lillianna will be 4 on July 21 and that she's a little firecracker.Piper will be 10 on July 7 and Brook, who has an actual (bearded) dragon, is turning 11 on July 11. Pookathinks it might be fun to be chased around the house by a dragon!)Maybe, on June 19th, Scarlett will be able to celebrate her 8th birthday in the park playing D & D withher friends.On July 30, Sofiya will be 12 and, on June 19, Cassandra will be 6 years old.Zack is another June 21 Solstice kid and he'll be 17 this year.It's going to be a real Birthday Celebration Week in June for one family when Waylon turns 6 on the 12th,Rosie is 11 on the 14th and Keely turns 8 on the 22nd.Happy Birthday Julian. You'll be 4 years old on June 19.Pooka hopes Twan has a great birthday on July 8 when he turns 11.Happy Birthday to Raena who will be 14 on the 27th. And Pooka, Lora and the whole PP Team will besending healing thoughts to Raena's friend, Cameron, who will be16 on the 20th.What better way to spend your birthday than playing with cars and a puppy? That's probably whatDamon will be doing when he turns 3 on July 26.Princess Firefly, (AKA Hunter) will be 8 on July 26 and will probably be doing magic with little apprentice,Rosie.Happy twelfth birthday, Dharma, on July 11 and good luck with your art club. Elsie thinks that soundslike a lot of fun!Aiyana will be 10 on July 28. Daisy turns 12 on July 11th and is headed for high school. Wow!Little Haytham was twelve years in the making and, on June 24th, will be one year old.Rowan is another Solstice kid who will be 9 on June 21. Pooka really wishes he could be there becauseRowan is going to have so much fun - camping, drumming, exploring and howling at the moon with allhis friends!Odin will be 2 on July 13 and Avalon will probably be building a rocket ship on July 27, her 11th birthday.On June 12, Charissa's 3rd birthday, there was probably lots of singing and dancing.Suji is going to be a Ghostbuster someday, but on July 9th will be 5 years old. And Artemis will bemaking lovely messes on her 2nd birthday, July 8th.Happy 4th of July birthday to Stephen. Even though he's 6'4" and 19 years old, he's still a firecracker!Maxx is an amazing kid who will be 10 on June 17th. Pooka's pretty sure Maxx is going to have a blastwhitewater rafting this summer and sort of wishes he could go too!

WitchCraftsby Amber

Make a Fairy Ladder

During Midsummer faeries are out and about. Our craftswill be to please the faerie and ask for their blessing. It isa different variation of the Witch's Ladder. You can ask anadult for help with this.

All you need for this craft is items for nature (rocks,feathers, sticks, plants, etc) and 3 pieces of yarn of equallength (can be of the same or different colors).

Take your 3 pieces of yarn and pinch the ends together.Tie a knot on the end. Go down an inch and tie anotherknot. This will make a hoop so that you can hang it onsomething while working on it and once done. Hang it onsomething stable like a hook or door handle. Then youwill begin to braid it. To make a braid take the ends of thestring and separate them. Take the left string and put it inbetween the middle and right string. Take the right stringand put it between the new middle and left strings. Soleft over middle, right over middle, left over middle, rightover middle. Keep repeating this until you get 2 or 3inches down from the second knot in your strings.

Take your natural object and place it in where you are about to cross the strings again. Hold in place orhave someone help hold it in place. Then continue to braid the strings together. Keep repeating theprocess of braiding down 2 or 3 inches from each object then add a new object in until you think it hasenough. Once you have use all of the natural objects you want, you can braid down a few more inchesthen tie it off.It can now hang up or sit on your altar for the fae. While weaving this craft, think about what you wantit to do. You can even say a chant like:

“The good neighbors are coming out to play,May they bless us on this Midsummer’s Day.

Bless our house and our fieldBut your tricks and games please yield.”

Jimmy Hears aFable

Jimmy watched Isobel’s group of witchfriends leave after another gathering,

this one for Midsummer. Something had been bothering him for a bit, and he wanted to askIsobel about it.

“Isobel, could we talk?” he asked that evening, as they were enjoying a cup of tea and asaucer of water on the porch.

Isobel sat up straighter and tilted her head at him.“Sure, Jimmy. What’s bothering you?”Jimmy sighed and rubbed his nose.“Your friend, Tasha… is she another species? Her skin is so… brown! And her hair, so black

and curly.”Isobel smiled warmly.“No, she isn’t. It’s like foxes. Red fox or grey fox. Both foxes, just a different colour.”That made sense to Jimmy, but something else had been bothering him.“But, Charles, he seems to like her, as in, like her for a mate. Isn’t that ehm… unusual?”Isobel bit her lip and sat back, obviously thinking.“I think the best way to explain this, is with a story. The story of the Squirrel and the Owl.”

she said after a while.Setting her tea down, she started.

“Once upon a time, a little red squirrel came running to the old oak tree.‘Owl, Owl! I need your help!’ it chittered.The wise old Owl turned her barred head and blinked at the excitable rodent.‘Please, calm down and tell me slowly what your problem is,’ she hooted softly.The squirrel scampered up the trunk until it was clinging to the bark right under the Owl’s

perch. ‘I am in so much troubl,’ it began. ‘A new family of squirrels has moved into the tree nextto us, and…’

The squirrel hung its little head in shame.‘I like the eldest daughter…. A lot. But they are grey squirrels, and my parents told me grey

squirrels are unfit mates for us red squirrels. But she is so lovely. Her eyes are big and black, hertail perfectly poofy… And she is sweet and caring towards her siblings… oh Owl… what am I todo?’The squirrel buried its face under its front paw.

The Owl frowned and hummed a deep, and disapproving note.‘Well. I must say I am verydisappointed.’ she hooted.

The squirrel flinched.‘Not in you, my dear.’ the Owl said warmly. ‘I am very proud of you. You saw past the fur

and into the heart. No, little one. I am disappointed in your parents.The colour of the fur,feathers or skin is just that. A colour. What counts is under all that. The heart. If you feel yourheart beat faster and lighter when you see her, and her heart is caring and loving, I recommendyou try and find out if both your hearts beat for one another.’

The squirrel thanked the Owl and left.Only to return the other day.‘Owl, Owl!’ it called.The Owl hooted softly in answer.‘Thank you Owl. I went over to her, and she said she had seen me too, and she thought I

was a strong and kind guy. My parents do not like it, but I do not care. I love her, and she lovesme!’

The Owl nodded her head and clicked her beak. ‘I amhappy for you. And you will see, your parents will comaround. And if they do not, it will be their loss. As long asyou are happy.’

One year later, the squirrel and his mate announcedthat they were going to be parents, and the parents ofboth him and his mate were happy to hear it.”

Isobel ended her tail.Jimmy had been listening, enraptured.“So, the lesson is simply to love who your heart tells

you to love?” he concluded.Isobel smiled proudly.“I think that sums it up perfectly. The Owl would be

proud of you!” she said.

Tayla, who was a black cat before she became a little girl, will be 8 on June 13th.Ronan and Audrey will both be 5 on July 22nd, right after welcoming baby Finlay to their family on July16th.Greyson, when you turn 7 on July 4, Pooka says to look out for the Creepers!An extra special Happy Birthday to Diamond who will be 9 on July 17. Pooka really wishes he could bethere to help celebrate!Seven years old is NOT too young to be a paleontologist, in Pooka's opinion and he hopes she Doesdiscover a new dinosaur on her July 7th birthday.

Celebrating the SabbatBy Hope Mayo

Welcome to Litha! If you step outside (in theNorthern Hemisphere, at least) it will be veryobvious what this holiday, also known as theSummer Solstice, is all about - The Sun! Hotweather, sunshine and all things yellow and bright!During the Summer Solstice, we decorate with bright,sunny colors that remind us of the wonderful thingswe get this time of year. Warm sunshine to play in,bright citrus fruits to make us healthy and strong,and of course, sweet HONEY! The bees are buzzingaround everywhere enjoying all the flowers that the

Goddess gave us as tiny green sprouts way back at Ostara. Those little sprouts have become full grownplants, and are giving back to Mother Nature with the sweet nectar the bees love! The bees take theflower’s nectar back to their hives, and with the blessing of their Queen, make it into honey to feed thehive!

This Litha, we are going to honor the hard-working bee, which reminds Pagans of home and hearth andcommunity. The honey they give can be preserved all winter long to bring us memories of summer.We’re going to learn to make a honey cake in the microwave, a sweet drink that uses another secretingredient from Summertime, and a happy bee to decorate your drinking straw with!

Honeycakes are a traditional Litha treat. This recipe is something you can do with adult supervision, butdoesn’t use the oven to bake, or a mixer to mix. Just melt, measure, stir and microwave!

Note: As always, ask your parents to supervise when you cook. Be sure to use the largest mug you havefor this cake. it makes a very big serving, so spills may happen in themicrowave if the mug is on the small side!

Solstice Honey (Mug) Cake2 tbsp butter2 tbsp honey1 medium egg1/2 tsp vanilla extract3 tbsp light brown sugar4 tbsp self-rising flourpinch of salt

Put the butter and the honey into a microwave-safe mug and melt in the microwave for around 10-20 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and beat with a fork until combined. Add the sugar, flour andsalt and beat again until smooth.Cook in the microwave for around 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds (depending on yourmicrowave power), then cool to room temperature.Drizzle with extra honey, or make a hollow inside with a spoon and fill with whipped cream!)

Honey Strawberry Lemonade

Start by making:Honey Strawberry Simple Syrup - makes enough for 2pitchers

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine 1 cup honeyand 1 cup water. Place over medium heat and stir untilthe the honey has melted into the water. This will takea couple minutes.Raise the heat to medium high, stir in 1 cup sliced strawberries and bring to a simmer.Continue simmering for 3-4 minutes or until the strawberries have started to breakdown.Carefully strain the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer and let cool toroom temperature. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week in a closedcontainer.Now that you have made the base with the simple syrup, all you have to do is mix thestrawberry lemonade up!

Honey Strawberry Lemonade - 1 pitcher 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 cups water 3/4 cups honey strawberry simple syrup

Combine everything in a large pitcher and serve over ice with a BUZZY BEE STRAW!

Chasing Honey

Pooka was playing in the garden and he saw a

bee. Suddenly Pooka wanted some honey

and he had a great idea! "I'll just follow the bee back to his

hive and get some honey," he thought. The

bee buzzed all around the garden, visiting every single

flower. Pooka followed it. Then the bee flew

over the fence and into the forest.

Pooka jumped over the fence and chased after.

The bee flew up into a tree. Pooka climbed

the tree. Then the bee flew out of the tree

and Pooka scrambled down. The bee flew over a

creek. Pooka leaped from one rock to

another over the creek. Next the bee flew up a steep

hill. Pooka galloped in pursuit. After that,

the bee flew over another hill. "You've got to be

kidding!" panted Pooka. Now he was tired AND hungry. He

decided to go back to the cottage. Elsie was

slicing some bread when Pooka came in. "Hi,

Pooka," said Elsie. "Would you like some

bread and honey?" Pooka sat down

and looked at her. "You know what, Elsie?" he said. "I think

next time I want some honey, I'll just follow YOU around all

day. It sure would be easier!"