Tristes Tropiques is among the most approachable of Lévi-Strauss' works, and should be read by anyone with an interest in brazilian jungle kitchen middens and modern philosophy.
The book is guaranteed to make the reader stop and think, and then think again. Kind of like a walk in the jungle.
The volume closes with the wonderful phrase "or in the brief glance, heavy with patience, serenity, and mutual forgiveness, that, through some involuntary understanding, one can sometimes exchange with a cat."
GOT KITTENS?
Sadly, we remember MAULLY. She had been thrown out of a car. Rich took her in and Michelle suggested us since she is allergic. Maully brought us mange, tape worms, and a real sense of family. She was brilliant, and Rebecca helped her birth first litter, which we acculterated in the trees and bushes outdoors, and one of which we kept: E PURRIBUS BUDDHUM. Unfortunately, the wise dun-Maul, and the timid Buddha, both succumbed to the temptations of a nearby overgrown easement. This patch provided a larder of mice and rabbits, but also gave access to the coyotes who were enjoying a rennaissance after the departure of the Marines from the adjacent Helicopter Base. I am sure the coyotes ambushed the cats, turning predator to prey, given away by their tuna breath. We had gotten Cirrus as company to Buddha, and when Cirrus was then left alone, we got a new kitten -- black and soft short-hair -- Sushi. Cirrus is still depressed because we keep him indoors. This seems incredibly cruel, in consideration of a cat that can bolt to the top of a tree in a second. It is of great consolation, however, to the birds.
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