Reznjun

i had to do cpr training yesterday. i have taken that training a number of times. i just dont keep up with being certified. i know it makes sense to stay current. i never had an opportunity to save someone yet. hate to sound cold but i know a few people that i would have to think real hard about saving. the law requires it though.  if you aren’t certified and you try to save someones life you can be sued. that is the world we live in. i am now certified.

i have been meaning to mention a billboard on  highway 75. it is just as you head north  from the rez. it has a picture of jim thorpe. kinda neat they have an indian on there. we had a picture of a tribal member on one of our advertising billboards for the casino. excuse me..the casino and resort. they covered it over with something else. still dont understand why an indian casino (and resort) cant use an indian in their advertising.   i hope we aint ashamed of our nativeness. i thought those days were in the past.

i gave a tour of the garden to 4 groups of kids from the boys and girls club the other day. that was fun. some called me uncle, some called me misho and one  called me brother. surprisingly enough many of the kids knew about gardening. some  said they had a garden. one kid wanted to pick something. i said there wasnt anything ripe enough to pick yet. several of them said they liked the cantaloupes lying in the garden. i said i would bring them some when they got ripe.

i may have lied to the little kiddies. got a call last night that someone was picking whatever they wanted from the garden. they were carrying off a cantaloupe that wasnt even ripe yet. it will go to waste now. when told that one kid said it ‘wasnt much of a garden’.  that only showed his ignorance. i worked hard in that garden and i am twice that guys age. he just wanted to glom onto the fruits of someone elses labor. instead of appreciating  getting something free the ingrate had to be a smart ass. he is not much of a man.

i dont think some people understand that it is not possible to feed everyone out of a few garden sites. i take care of two gardens. both are about the size of my personal garden, which is enough to supply one family with vegetables for part of a year. now way that the gardens could begin to supply a rez full of people. that would require  many families  be involved in raising their own. or the tribe would have to get into farming on a grander scale. i dont see that happening anytime soon.

i got the hand drum frames i ordered yesterday. now i just need some time to make them. my business has stopped for the moment while i am gardening.  i still have an elk hide that is salted. that will make about 4 drums.  i dont know if i will get any roaches done by the time i go to crow fair. will see…

i did another wedding over the weekend. it was for chris and michelle o toole. it was held at the gazebo in hoyt. the weather cooperated. it wasnt as hot as the day before when we had a practice to work everything out.  the groom and his friends all dressed in their uniforms. they served overseas for a tour. there was a good turnout of friends and relatives. i like doing the ceremonies. it is a change of pace from doing funerals and other services. i was given an otter hide for my services. another couple gave me one also to do their wedding at a later date.

i had my quarterly check up today. lab and seen the doctor. staying active is keeping me in good health. i have lost over 15 pounds working in the garden. just burned it off. i dont have back pain anymore. i lived with pain for years. my cholesterol is in check. guys my age gotta keep an eye on that. many of my friends have had heart attacks. i can do without that. lots of my friends died at an early age.

it sounds like i have help coming during harvest time. so far i have given away over 120 pounds of vegetables from the garden. the main crops will bring in more. it will take some labor to dry corn and crooked neck squash. that is a skill that our people should have. i will be glad to show people how to do that. over the years some of my family members have helped dry corn and crooked necks. now i will get other people to help out. thats good. they will even get to keep some of the dried corn and squash for their help as an added incentive.

i get to see alot of people during the course of a day. i say hello to many that come to the clinic. i see others at the senior meal site when i go eat over there. others come for a tour of the garden. i am glad to show people the garden. i may have to give other presentations about gardening to different groups. i have been asked by several. i said that i would. anything to encourage people to grow their own food and eat healthier.

i am having trouble with a deer in one garden. it is eating the tomatoes. i am trying various things to scare it away. someone suggested dropping the deer. that would be too easy. gotta be a way to get the critter to stop eating our vegetables. the fields on the rez have pretty of food for the deer. i remember dropping one a few years ago that had a 2 inch thick blanket of fat on its rump. it must have fattened up on the corn and milo fields. i have to start picking the tomatoes when they show color and let them ripen inside. some of the tomato plants have at least 15 tomatoes on each plant. gotta save what i can from them.

i ordered 5 hand drum frames. i should get them this week sometime. i want to stock up before the fall. some of the hunters said they would save the deer hides they get for me. so as soon as i fix the hides, i can string the drums together. i can get  at least two hand drums from one hide. maybe more if it is a big hide. i told the trappers that supply me with porky hair that i will take what hair they get in the next season. trying to get my supplies all lined up so i can pick up my artwork after the gardening is done. gotta keep an edge to my craft.

will see what this week brings…..

thought i would post a picture of a snowy fence line from this past winter. i do whatever work i have to do in the mornings so i dont have to be outside when the heat index is over a hundred. when i was visiting with my aunt during the fiesta she was talking about during the 30s. she said temperatures were around 110 degrees and they didnt have a/c or fans.  she said they had to use a wood stove to make bisquits. the temperature of the oven had to be 140 to bake the bisquits. this is while the outside temperature was already hot. she said there was nothing you could do about it but live with it. then she talked about the flood of 51.  she was the water was approaching as they walked up the street to a neighbors. the water flooded her basement but not inside the house.  i like to listen to older people talk. they make their experiences sound interesting.

my aunt made me remember the old house i grew up in. it was  b.c. ( before casinos).  it didnt have electricity or running water. though it was years after the depression we had the same problems. it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. no such thing as storm windows in those days. we had screens on the windows but they got pushed out and werent effective. this allowed flies in. they were an added nuisance during hot weather, as if being hot wasnt enough. the roads werent graveled so when a car went by the dust hung in the air.  we too used a wood stove to make bisquits. so cooking did make the house hotter. that old house is gone now–the victim of progress.

i had lunch the other day at the senior site. i ate with an older lady i have known all my life. we  were talking about the old days. she didnt understand how some people could be so demanding nowadays. the more they have, the more they want. she said every night she gives thanks for what she has. living a life that included going without tends to make some more grateful.

i bought a new printer to go with my new computer. the geek told me i needed to buy a usb cord that cost another 28 bucks. what he didnt say was that the one off my old printer was the exact same. well it was a different color but otherwise it would have worked.  one thing wrong with businesses today is the extra costs they throw at you. should be a law that makes they be up front with all costs associated with purchases. our lawmakers are owned by big business though. maybe the tea baggers will save us in the next election.

got a wedding to do this weekend. the groom grew up with my sons. they played on some of the same ball teams. i am doing more weddings. some people dont want to go to a justice of the peace or to a judge. the thing that gets me is every now and then someone will question how am i qualified to do weddings. that is insulting to me. i doubt they would go to a priest, rabbi or minister and ask them how they are qualified.  no one has ever questioned if i was qualified to run a funeral or name a baby. or to run any ceremony that i do. indian people like to put their own down. i understand non natives not being knowledgeable bout our ways. i dont understand why some of our own dont have a clue.

glad today is friday. got part of a weekend. that wedding and will take some time. but i have the rest of the weekend to kick back.

it rained again yesterday which is a good thing. it comes in the middle of all the heat we are having.  temperatures are in the mid to upper nineties. the heat index is even higher. the t.v. said there may be a heat related death in topekee. it was an elderly person. people need to check on old people.

hate to sound like an incurable optimist but its the almost weekly rain and the heat that is making the gardens grow. at this time of the year the plants need plenty of sunshine and heat. the two gardens i am taking care of are thriving. so far i have given away 73 pounds of produce. that is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the main crops can produce. in my garden last year i had over 1200 pounds of crooked neck squash that were planted in 20 hills. the tribal gardens i planted have over 60 hills of crooked necks. i also have over 20 rows of indian corn. too early to call but they could produce alot of food if we get the right weather.

i gave my power point presentation yesterday to the staff at our health center. i talked about the gardening program. that was easy. it is something i possess some knowledge of and a subject i can go on and on about. i also gave a tour of the garden to 7 people.  the program i am working on has a line item in it for a website. it was to inform our people about the benefits of growing their own food, having proper exercise and getting screenings. that was shot down by our leaders who have to approve every website. lord forbid we inform people how to improve their health. maybe someday we wont have to live like we are in the dark ages.

i got some free buffet passes from our casinos stand at the fiesta. all i had to do was fill out a card. so my email will get their spam now.  we used the passes last night since tuesday is all you can eat steak night. i swiped my players card to get double points. need all the help i can get there.  i aint a high roller, just a small time gambler. the staff treats me good anyway. seen a few indians that were out and about. you can always find indians at the casino. being indian is a gamble. 

i have been watching the political ads on t.v.   you gotta take what they say with a grain of salt. if you believe every ad you would think all we gotta do is elect the one speaking. the ads usually bad mouth the other ones running. hmmm that sounds familiar. the democrats blame the republicans and vice versa. both political parties are equally guilty of many of the problems we face. i am registered as an independant because i didnt want to be affiliated with either party.

i added a new page to my site. it is called ‘arts and crafts’. i just did that because my niece had a beaded set she finished. i said put it on my site. i get a few people that check out my site. in the future i can add other artists work.

at noon today the week is half over. cant wait for the weekend….

my brother came for a visit today. that meant alot. i had 6 brothers but lost 3 of them. we have adopted for the brothers we lost. it is always nice to see them too. it reminds me of the ones that are gone. i doubt i ever forget the people that i have known. there is always something to remind me of them.

i was walking the other day and i seen part of a carcass on the road. i noticed the feet of a beaver. kinda felt bad bout that. it is probably one of the beavers i watching last year when i walked.  there were buzzards by the side of the road all week. now i know what they were feasting on. i hope the rest of the beaver colony is alright. once this year while we were out walking mary said look a bobcat. i just caught sight of it as it disappeared into the timber. it is nice to see wild animals in their natural habitat.

the fiesta is over for this year. i made it down there one night. like many others i go to eat. i like mexican food. i usually park at my aunts house and walk over the bridge to the fiesta. it is just a short walk. i usually visit with my aunt before and after the fiesta. our pow wow usually has rain. the fiesta usually has hot weather. i am used to the heat from working in gardens. so it really didnt bother me. i heard a few turistos complaining bout the heat tho.they werent content to be miserable they had to include others that were in earshot.

ballots are due this week for the tribal election. i filled mine out a few weeks ago. now i gotta make sure it is in the mail so it counts. i vote every election–tribal, state and federal. i think everyone should. some say your vote dont count. it does. sometimes people complain about politics but they dont vote. they should. i dont know how much things will change or if they do change with elections. like some say the more things change the more they stay the same. that may be even more true in tribal politics. if we get anyone that wants to change the way things are, we usually get rid of them. life goes on in indian country no matter what.

i have to give a presentation about my gardening program this week. i will put it on power-point. i take pictures of everything i do in the garden. i have pictures of bare ground, seedlings starting out and now plants bearing fruit. nothing beats pictures in telling a story. the garden is producing, so far i have picked 63 pounds of vegetables. i believe the community is aware of the program. many are asking me ‘when do i get mine?’ some have their eye on the corn that is planted.

the weather people are predicting temperatures will be in the mid nineties all week. thats okay with me. we need sun and heat to make vegetables grow. its just that we have to live with the heat. oh well….

i finally got my new computer online. i had a friend transfer my  files, music and pictures from my old computer to my new one. he added microsoft office pro 2010 to the new also. i also have windows 7.  since i had my last computer a number of years i will have this one for a few. so i want the latest software. i am still getting used to it though. i will figure it out. i remember years back when i worked on computers in the service. it was a room full of equipment. it had punch cards, tape drives and rows of equipment. that is all obsolete stuff. its basically all the same thing though. the technology keeps improving. i try to keep up with it.

i am going to pass on the gathering this year. at the summer dance my brother gave me vip tickets to see george jones at our casino that weekend. the gathering will be around for more years, dont know bout ol george tho. hes getting up there. may be my last chance to hear him sing. i like old country but dont care for the new country. it is mostly fusion anyway. its part  rock with country and alittle pop thrown in. so it comes out sounding like something different.

glad today is friday. i like my job but am glad to get off for the week. i am picking vegetables every week now. all the rain we have had is making things grow. i had doubters that are now asking ‘when am i gonna get mine?’ thats fairly typical of some njuns. they dont believe anything til you prove it. then they want to cash in on your hard work. i have been giving tours of the gardens every week. i like doing that. others have told me they will come see the garden.

gotta get to work. just wanted to say i am back online.

heres a picture of pickerel lake where i camped last weekend. the locals there say it is where nankwe hid when the soldiers were killing her people. it is a nice campground and i plan on going back there sometime.

i bought me a new computer and have to take my old one to have all my files transferred to it. i have alot of my music on this one and many pictures. i probably have over 4000 pictures that i have taken everywhere i have gone. the new computer is loaded compared to this one. it will have windows 7 and microsoft office pro 2010.  i had this one for 4 years so i want all new software to go with the new one.

everywhere i go i have people ask me about the gardening i am doing. i am happy to talk to them about it. i also give tours to people that want to see the gardens. so far i have picked over 47 pounds of produce from the garden. i have to keep track of what i bring in. when the main crops come in they should weigh alot. that of course depends on the weather. never can predict it. one year we had cloudy weather and that stunted the corn. all the warm weather crops need sunlight and heat to make them grow. i hope for good weather for the gardens.

our summer dance is this coming up. that will keep me busy for the weekend. i cant wait. i always enjoy the dance. it is over too fast for me. i wish it could be like that all the time.

had to post something since i dont know when i get my computer back.

having a good weekend breaks the monotony of the routine. i had a good getaway. only downer about the open road is having road construction going on. lotsa roads need work. i remember them saying the stimulus money was going fix them.

i got to camp at the lake where they said nankwe was when she had her vision. i stayed there for two nights. it was a nice campground. the first night was real windy. it sprung the tent stakes. no big deal except the next night it rained all night. the tent sagged from the wind stretching it all around. this caused it to leak. every now and then i would have a rain drop fall on me. i see why they stopped water torture. i would have signed any paper after awhile. the hostess lady brought coffee over to our camp the first morning. that was a treat. she was real nice. we had some good conversations over the course of our stay. one hot afternoon she brought bottles of cold water to us. that was one neat lady.

they had lotsa dancers at the traditional pow wow. i enjoyed watching them dance. they had a grass dance special. it was worth sitting thru the long winded speeches. i think they should leave all the talking out of pow wows. just let them sing and dance. one night of pow wow food convinced me to eat elsewhere. i had what they called a sioux dog. it was fry bread that was kinda raw inside covering a half cooked hot dog. i ate at the buffet at a casino next day. i scored two tshirts. one for joining the walk sponsored by the diabetes prevention program and one i bought for 10 bucks. you cant find tees for that price. it was made by local artists. it said ‘my home is turtle island’.

i went on a tour of the old fort site. i imagine that is where the soldiers came from who were killing off the indians at the time of nankwe. the guide took us into all the buildings.  one part outside the fort  had some teepees. this drew a few stupid comments about indians. back in my militant days i would have responded. but i know that does little good. best to let ignorant people stay ignorant. i took a few pictures. i also bought two strikers made at the blacksmith shop. got them for 5 bucks apiece.

after i left the pow wow i headed across the back roads of south dakota. it was a good drive. there were lakes everywhere. they had gotten 3 inches of rain before we got there so water was everywhere. so were many water fowl. never seen so many. i headed south to drive along the missouri river. it was wide because of the dam down stream. it was a scenic drive. i stopped at a museum along the river that was  good. it took over an hour to get thru it.

i checked out 7 casinos in the 4 days on the road. i guess you say i supported the local economies. the indians working there always checked us out. they probably knew we werent locals. the broasted chicken at winna vegas was the best meal of the trip. alot better than the sioux dog.

on the last leg of the trip i stopped at waubonsie state park. i spoke with a park ranger there. i asked about wabansi. he said that he had a tree burial. he was later moved to where he lived along a creek. he was buried there. i will contact the land owner later to see if i can visit the site. i have stood on many sites where potawatomis had their villages. i like to retrace our history. it is just an interest of mine. i know where we are, i like to see where we came from.

i got home tired from my trip. i slept for 9 hours. that is the longest i have slept in awhile. i covered alot of ground in the four days i was gone. sure enjoyed a good weekend. now back to the routine…..