Greetings to all near and far from Northern Nevada, Washoe County. May your Spring ceremonies bring you good fortune and blessings. March 20 will be the first day of Spring and it is anxiously awaited by all. After such a cold winter it will truly be a blessing to see wild flowers appear around the country and to see all the newly born wildlife.

I love writing articles that you enjoy. Let me know if there is a particular subject you would like to see an article on. Other than myths, creation stories, famous Native Americans, crafts, art, and other information, watch for interesting articles in my Warrior Women Spirit series. "Lozen, Apache Woman Warrior", is the first one I wrote about and can be found at this link: http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/1175.asp

Other articles on women warriors will be added to that site occasionally, so check back for new legends.
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Come join our Native American forum and play the games: 'Tribe Questions' is very popular, we challenge each other with sometimes easy and sometimes difficult questions. Our 'make believe' pack horse trip to the Grand Canyon is another fun game! It is called 'Packing My Parfleche'. Join the fun and play along with us at http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/140/1/Native_American
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This is the time of year when people in villages in the hills of Massachusetts head for the woods with their bucket and special tools to gather that wonderful sap from the sugar maple trees. This precious liquid is then boiled down into pure maple syrup. From late February through early April is when those lovely trees give up their sweet nectar. It is a time of year when everyone looks forward to age old and brand new recipes with maple syrup. The early settlers learned all about sugaring from the Native American Woodland tribes of that area. The first flow of the sap is a sign of Spring awakening and new beginnings.

Good old-fashioned maple syrup on a stack of hot pancakes is a well known favorite - but, have you ever tried dribbling hot, thickened maple syrup over clean snow in a pan? It makes an awesome taffy! My mother would do that for us kids when we were little. We would get so excited over it.

If you are looking for a new treat for the kids (or yourself) - try these cream style candies made with maple syrup:

Cream Candies

1 cup maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp almond extract
Walnut halves or almonds

On medium heat, bring sugar, syrup and water to a gentle rolling boil (240 degrees), till a soft ball will form in cold water. (with a teaspoon take a little of the sugar mixture and drop just one or two drops in the cold water and push it around with your finger - when it forms a soft ball, it is ready). Add almond extract and cool to lukewarm then beat vigorously until the mixture is firm and creamy. Knead on a cold, smooth surface until smooth. Form into small balls and press walnut half or almond into each one.
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February 2010 articles:

Great Serpent And The Flood
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21480.asp

Ancestral Lands Of Woven Tapestry
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21481.asp

Coyote Helps Grandfather
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21482.asp

Spider Woman And The Twins
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21483.asp

One reader recently asked me for a link to my review on "She Who Remembers". It is a wonderful fiction by Linda Lay Shuler - an emotionally beautiful story of the ancient Anasazi peoples. Here is the link:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22700.asp

I hope you enjoy my articles, and as always, I welcome feedback.
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Till next time, may your moccasins and heart always find a happy path. Blessings and Walk in Harmony and Peace.
Phyllis
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Please visit nativeamerican.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Native American issues, articles and newsletters.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Native American located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=140

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Native American Editor
http://nativeamerican.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com