July 12th, 2026
How To Cook A Wolf
“There’s a whining at the threshold–
There’s a scratching at the floor–
To work! To work! In Heaven’s name!
The wolf is at the door!
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (American Novelist; July 3rd, 1860 to August 17th, 1935)
“When the wolf arrives, ‘Our texture of belief has great holes in it,’ M. F. K. Fisher recalls. ‘Our pattern lacks pieces.” Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, who was probably this country’s greatest food writer, knew all about lean times. In fact, one of her early books was How to Cook a Wolf, which she published in 1942 during the worst of the wartime food shortages.”
“Poverty is always experienced in the soul before it is felt in the pocketbook.”
“For those of us who would like to follow in her footsteps, she recommends weeding our desires, leaving only the holy hungers, ‘so that you can live most agreeably in a world full of an increasing number of disagreeable surprises.”
“How did she do it? By not running scared when the wolf arrived, by not giving in to her fears that he would blow her house down. She knew that the twists and turn of fate are usually just hot air. Instead, she learned to outsmart, catch. and cook the wolf. By concentrating on the goal at hand–a good glass of wine, a good tomato, a good loaf of bread. A beautiful sunset, a lively conversation, a loving relationship. She knew that the good life does not depend on extravagant indulgences. The good life does not deprive. It exults. ‘You can still live with grace and wisdom.’ she encourages us–if you rely on ‘your own innate sense of what you must do with the resources you have to keep the wolf from sniffing too hungrily through the keyhole.'”
“My husband and I have agreed to live a created life where everyday is a party. We lean into this and stay present with what is so and create magic in our lives every single moment. We are blessed.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 254 to 255 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
