A Grandmother’s Reel Adventure
In 2023 Teatown Nature Preserve published my article on the volunteer work I did with the Hudson River Eel Project back in 2019.
You can read the article by clicking on the link below:
Cartwheels by the Goal Post
When the ball won't come And you're bored as a goalie, Try some cartwheels. Good Grief! Holy Moly!
People will laugh. People will scream. Look at her now. She's eating ice cream.
Could it be true? Does her coach even care? She took out a brush. She's combing her hair.
It doesn't much matter. She's having some fun. She put on sun glasses. She might have to run.
She's checking her watch. She's blowing her nose. She really should focus And be on her toes.
Wait just a second! The ball came her way. You won't believe it! She blocked a play.
Her team is ecstatic! They're on cloud nine. They won the game. This goalie can shine!
So if a goalie does cartwheels, And wants to play, Just give her a chance. She might save the day!
The Amazing American Eel
By Regina Montana – Nature Friend Magazine, February 2023
The Amazing American Eel
by Regina Montana | Feb 1, 2023 | 0 comments
View the February 2023 Nature Friend Magazine
Far away in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a sea called the Sargasso Sea. It is a gigantic clockwork of currents called a gyre, where millions of American and European eels are born every year. Over one hundred species of fish, snails, crabs, turtles, and eels make their homes and are born in the mats of seaweed called sargassum. These mats of seaweed can stretch for miles. The baby eels, called larvae, ride the ocean currents till they reach North America and Europe, sometimes taking up to a year to arrive on the American shores. American and European eels are genetically different.
Now one of nature’s most incredible transformations begins. The skin and internal organs of the eels change in order to adapt to living in fresh water after living in salt water.
Following the larva stage, the eels become glass eels. They are now 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) long with elongated bodies, prominent black eyes, and developed fins. They are between seven and twelve months old when they reach coastal water.
Glass eels then turn into elvers. They grow several more inches and develop pigmentation, becoming dark gray, and form a thick and slippery mucous layer. If you try to pick one up, you will learn they are as slippery as an eel!
The elver stage is followed by the juvenile or yellow eel stage, and finally by the silver or mature adult eel, which can reach lengths of 2-5 feet (.6-1.5 m) Their coloration can vary.
The American eel usually hunts at night. During the day, it hides in gravel, sand, masses of plants, or other forms of shelter. In the winter, eels burrow under mud and enter a state of torpor, or inactivity. However, they may become active at times.
These eels can travel up to 4,000 miles (6,400 km) in a lifetime. American eels can live up to thirty years, and, at the end of their life, they swim back to the Sargasso Sea. Some scientists believe the Earth’s magnetic field helps eels find their way back home. Once again their bodies undergo dramatic changes. They stop eating; their skin thickens; their eye size doubles, improving their vision in deep, dark water; and their pectoral fins enlarge for the long swim back. After months of travel, they produce new offspring. These larvae will begin their life’s journey. The adult eels’ work is done.
Now that is one fantastic voyage.
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BABY GLASS EELS – HUDSON RIVER EEL PROJECT – 2019
ON THE WAY TO BECOMING AN ELVER – HUDSON RIVER EEL PROJECT 2019
ADULT AMERICAN EEL – Photo by John M. Casselman, Dept of Biology, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canda
A Detour from the writing journey
By Regina Montana
In 2020 when the pandemic was in full swing and I was watching two of my grandchildren, I had the opportunity of eavesdropping on my granddaughter’s third grade virtual art class. Her teacher was praising each of her students and telling them how beautiful their pictures were. It was an experience I never had growing up in classes of 50 students. I was quite delighted to see how my granddaughter was enjoying the encouragement of her teacher and how she continues to thrive and paint amazing pictures to this day. Soon after that I heard about a book called How to Draw Without Talent by Danny Gregory. I wondered if I could try my hand at some illustrations during a dry spell of writing that I was going through. I had heard about how veering off into other aspects of creativity can actually strengthen one’s present endeavors. I had nothing to lose. And so I started to draw with colored pencils, acrylics and finally some watercolors. My family bombarded me during the holidays with gifts related to painting. I didn’t have the heart to say I was just a beginner and that this new hobby probably wouldn’t last. They knew that writing picture books and poetry were my main goals. I was totally unprepared for some of the lovely comments I received while doing my sketches. My husband would ask every night after arriving home from work, “Do any painting today?” After showing him a few things, he would always remark, “Those are very good.”
Even though I was sketching the pictures from existing pages and following guidelines in the book, I still felt creative. And I was proud of the outcomes. I never thought I could ever draw. After writing a poem about the Painted Bunting, a magnificent multi-colored bird, I did an illustration of one and have attached it, along with some other pictures I drew of some birds, one of which is included in Danny Gregory’s book. I highly recommend this book if anyone reading this article has ever been tempted to draw or feels they have no talent. I think back to the day I overheard the wonderful voice of my granddaughter’s art teacher urging her students onward in their creative journey. As an 8-year-old I know I would have thought very differently about how creative I was. I truly believe we are all creative when given the opportunity or desire to find out where our gifts lie. I also feel that painting and drawing have helped me see my stories in a different light along with helping me visualize my characters and their journeys.
Parrot from How to Draw without Talent
American Robin
Painted Bunting
The Kinglet Bird
Photo by Jacob McGinnis THE KINGLET BIRD I'm called a Kinglet. Have you ever seen me? I make funny sounds, Tse, tse, tse, tse. I'm the tiniest bird that perches in trees. When winters are frigid, I try not to freeze. My gold crest looks flashy and feels quite regal, although I'm not famous like the bald eagle. I love tasty insects and forage non-stop. Wait! A caterpillar! Yum, yum, hop hop. At night I tuck my head in feathers so deep and huddle with my friends so I can find sleep. Sometimes a squirrel leaves his nest in a tree. It's empty. I'm so cold. Please don't tell on me. Although I'm tiny, I feel like a star. Just follow your dreams and you'll go far. THE PAINTED BUNTING - A KALEIDOSCOPE
When God picked up his pallet. He knew just what to do. He chose the brightest colors To make a bird like you. The blue is so majestic, A redbreast to amaze, Your wings chartreuse and purple Deserve the highest praise. Kaleidoscope of brilliance, A wonder to behold, Wrapped up in one small bunting Creating joy untold. O herald of such music, You trill your song so sweet You grace earth with your presence I pray that soon we'll meet. And if my prayer is granted, I'm sure that I will say I saw a bit of heaven On loan from God this day.
TECHNO CRITTERS
Techno Critters appeared in Kids Imagination Train, an online magazine published by Randi Mrvos.
Techno Critters
If a Frog wants to blog
sitting on a log,
he can spend the whole day,
blah-blah-blah ging away
If a T-Rex sends a text,
who knows what's next.
But if a selfie comes 'round,
you'd better leave town!
If a Spider is bright
and has a website,
he can catch some prey
and have a fine day.
If a robin needs food
for her hungry brood,
she can find a sitter
if she goes on Twitter.
If a Zebra skypes,
and shows off her stripes,
she'll look quite cute
in her black and white suit.
If Critters are cool
and stay in school,
they'll pass their quizzes
and be techno-whizzes!
A Squirrel’s Lucky Day
Hurrah! Finally dear readers, a poem I wrote entitled “A Squirrel’s Lucky Day” was submitted to Kids Imagination Train and accepted for publication in their online children’s magazine. I am most grateful to Randi Mrvos, Editor of the former magazine Kids Imagination Train who worked with me and never gave up hope that this poem would meet the requirements of their excellent children’s magazine.
A Squirrel’s Lucky Day
I live in trees and on the ground. I hunt for food and race around. We squirrels enjoy the great outdoors. We have big nests and nutty chores. The park is full this time of year, with lots of picnics, spring is here. I hope to find some tasty scraps like cheesy chicken sandwich wraps. A baseball game has just begun The kids rush off to join the fun. But wait, what's that beside the tree- an ice cream cone left just for me? Hurry, scurry down the branches. Creatures don't get too many chances. Grab it, take it up the tree Hooray, I made it Yay, yippee! This treat is heaven so cold and sweet, Even acorns cannot compete. Why do people stare at me? stare at me? Can't a squirrel have privacy? So Mother Nature, won't you please make ice cream cones that grow on trees?
Some inspiring words from children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola is celebrating his 60th year as a working artist, 50 of which have been filled with illustrating books for children, as well as his other projects including many one-man shows of paintings and drawings. He is the recipient of the 2011 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honoring an author or illustrator whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
I studied Illustration at Pratt Institute in the early 1950’s. It was the best thing I ever did. It turned me from an art student into an Artist (not a children’s book illustrator yet—-that would come later).
In 1955, I spent the summer at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture where I met Ben Shahn, a visiting faculty member. He noticed my work and for two weeks, he personally “mentored” me daily. I learned so much from him, but there was one thing he told me that I would like to pass on. Ben said, “Being an artist is not only what you do, but how you live your life.”
There is something else I’d like to share with you, too. This is a quote from Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. It’s applicable to anyone who is trying to create. “As you unfold as an artist, just keep on, quietly and earnestly growing through all that happens to you. You cannot disrupt the process more violently than by looking outside yourself for answers that may only be found by attending to your innermost feeling.”
And a final word from me. COURAGE!
Compliments of SCBWI – Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Dedication
“All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. I remember her prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” – Abraham Lincoln
My mother Carmel “Dolly” Visconti passed away in January of 2015. I share the sentiments of Mr. Lincoln.
Thank you for expressing what I could not.
