VELVET CANVAS - You've discovered my Secret Squirrel Scribbles! Enjoy.

WARNING, The squirrel is recording something from deep in his little mind and didn't care about space. It's a long scribble today. You were warned.

It was no ordinary dream!

Before I tell you of my dream, I have to tell you I'm getting pretty pissed off at these people and their fucking rockets. Yesterday one hit in the courtyard of the MWR building. I walk right there to use the computer. Damn it anyway! I sure hope I'm not a damn stereotypical get whacked just before I retire kind of guy. I've got plans. I have to raise Aidan to be a man and a better one than me. I have family vacations I want to take. There's so many things I want to show and teach Aidan and so many places I want to go. It will be so unfair if I'm shaving, sleeping or walking and I get taken out by some shrapnel. That's not the way I want to go. Everyone keeps telling me to be safe but I don't feel there's anything I can do to "be safe." This place is jacked up. The stress is small but it builds each day. I'm going to be a wreck by the end of my 4 months. I can't imagine if I were in the Army and had to stay a year. No wonder they're coming home and either getting divorced or going on killing sprees.

Yeah, I'm a bit scared. I don't like scared. Not like this. I'm normally in control of things in my life.

Maybe that's why I had the dream. Yes, I know, most people don't care about what another person dreams. You're probably not going to care about this one. It's hard to understand the context and it would take a book to provide it to you here. But it was vivid, so real, I feel compelled to write it down and draw key aspects of it.

There's a fuzziness to the beginning. A bewildered, "how did I get here" feeling. The first thing I realized was I was the escort for two gentleman. They were in hand woven clothing. Thick fibers like burlap. I could smell their sweat. As we approached the door there was a sound. A very low, very melodic flute playing softly behind the door. I opened the door for the gentleman so they may walk through first and was hit with the strong smell of incense. A fresh rain and earth smell filled my nostrils. It was strong but very soothing. There were two men already standing on one side of a desk. The desk was strangely out of place. It was the old AF type with a simulated wood top, cream colored drawers and sides and shiny metal legs. The two men wore business suits but they didn't seem important and tended to fade into the background light and gentle lingering smoke of the incense. There was an islamic prayer rug in front of the desk woven with bright red, dark red, black, gold and silver threads. The pattern was clearly southwestern US in design. Behind the desk was a man with a chiseled face, deep lines, prominent nose and a deep tan with a red tone. He had long gray hair and it was braided. He had a ceremonial head dress with dark black feathers dispersed amongst white and brown feathers. He wore a business suit and looked very much like my grandfather Kelly. He was part Native American and this man and my grandfather had a look one associates with a southwestern Native American.

The two men I escorted took positions kneeling to the left of the man behind the desk. I knew him as "Chief" and understood the men were there to complete something. The flute music changed to something louder but even more melodic and in the key of G but I don't know why I knew that. Chief pulled out stones covered in fresh paint of blue and teal. Each man pulled out a strangely shaped wooden spoon or spatula and began gently hitting the stone and splattering the paint. They did this slowly and looked at their spoons after each strike. If it wasn't to their satisfaction, they'd wipe the paint and try again. I could see the dried paint of many previous colors from what must have been similar rituals past. The sound of the wood on stone and the squish of the paint matched the music as if it was part of it.

I was standing there, in the background, when the Chief beckoned me. He called me Fitch Dub Len a Shri. Or I think that's what he was saying. In my mind, I knew he was calling my name and that my name was Raven Long Shadow. He repeated my name and as he did he reached behind him to open a shade on a window. There was a Raven on the ledge. The sun had just risen or was setting, I'm not sure. The light from the sun low on the horizon caused the Raven to cast a long shadow from the window across the floor. I could see dust particles in the sun beam swirling in a gentle air current. They seemed to take the smoke particles as dance partners and together would move in time to the flute. Again Chief called me, "Raven, take your place." and I knew my place was in front of the desk.

I knelt down and felt the slight cushion of the prayer rug but also felt the pain on my old knees and ankles. The men I had escorted turned and opened a box. The box was made of cedar and pine. As they opened it I could smell both woods instantly. They withdrew a oddly shaped spoon painted in bright white. They handed it to the Chief who grabbed it with his fist and held it forcefully to me from across the desk. "Take what is yours Raven, it's time to begin." Then Chief pulled a stone with blood red paint and pushed it across the desk toward me. "Hit it once and then reveal it to us." So I did. I could hear the smack of the wood on stone and the vibration of that act in my hand. I could feel the small droplets of paint hit my face and arms and I sensed that I had created something very important. I turned over the spoon and saw a bird like pattern on it. Chief then told me to go and that I would know what path I must follow.

I woke up to the sound of the rocket attack. It hit near MWR and next to where my roommate works. The shrapnel tore holes in the tent next to his building. No one was hurt.

I drew what I had seen on the spoon once I was awake. I used that silly artpad program at work to make a more colorful representation of it. Here it is for your inspection. Anyone have a clue what that was all about?

Sorry, I know that was long but I just had to get that out and recorded. Don't know why. It seemed important.