Brutus the Bear

Borders is going out of business, and my oldest daughter is turning 25. What do you think she's getting for her birthday?

I bought three books for her today -

The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson;

Wild Horses of the World, by Moira C. Harris (foreward, if you please, by HRH The Princess Royal, and containing a section about the Banker Horses which she and I just saw);

and ... The Story of Brutus, by Casey Anderson.

The Story of Brutus concerns one man's friendship with a grizzly bear. I haven't read it, and won't have time, as the Date draws nigh and the package must be mailed, but I came across a passage which resonates:

Every time we are together, there is an opportunity to get to know each other better. It is an ever-evolving relationship. Figuratively, sometimes I want to go right, and he thinks I mean left, and we walk right into each other. There we stand, face-to-face, realizing we need to try again. We will both take a deep breath and try again, this time with a little hesitation, not in fear, but with respect for one another. When the dots connect, we celebrate that juncture as a new "word" in our language. We have developed a diverse and complex language, one that is hard to explain. Outsiders see the ease of our relationship and often ask if they can work close to Brutus. I am always quick to tell them no. At this point it would be nearly impossible for someone to just step in. It has taken countless hours and days to create the bond Brutus and I share.

And I also had to order for her the following:

Suryia and Roscoe, the True Story of An Unlikely Friendship, by Dr. Bhagavan Antle and Barry Bland.