Reznjun

we had our first free golf lesson. there were five of us senior citizens that took the lesson. i was the only male. first thing we did was stretches. the lady golf pro said its important to warm up. a nurse at rehab told me we probably dont stretch enough.

we were taught different ways to hold the club.  then we were taught how to swing. we used an iron because the teacher said it is better to begin with that club, then move to a wood. first we did our swing at the tee to see if we had proper form. then we moved to hitting the ball off the tee. after awhile we were all hitting the ball pretty good.

occasionally my family will practice hitting golf balls into the hayfield by our house. i can get a good drive now and then. at the golf lesson i was getting straight drives consistently. i needed to know learn how to do it right. thats why i was game to take lessons.

we had lunch at the club house. we move our tables together so we could eat together. we have known each other for years. we had a good visit and shared a few laughs. i asked the ladies if we would have a team by the next potawatomi gathering. they said yeah.

before we started our lesson i was in the gift shop. i found a new hat with the firekeepers logo on it. i had to get me a red one. i wore the hat while we were taking our golf lesson. we are suppose to get some more lessons. i am all for that. maybe i will take up golfing.

i forgot to mention something bout when we took wabeno to the airport. on the way up she seen a bald eagle. mary seen it too. i didnt get to because i was driving and it was on the other side. on the way back mary and i seen one next to the road. it was feeding off something. i took a picture of it. i thought it was neat we got to see it.

the brownville flea market is this saturday. we didnt go last year cuz of covid. we plan on going this year.  a niece is going with us. the flea market is in a little town on the banks of the missouri river. there may be about 200 vendors. it is a mile walk to the end and a mile back to the car. we will get our exercise by looking for treasures.

i am almost done with another roach i started. it is a round woodland style. i have the inside trim and first row of porky hair done. i tied the second row of hair but havent sewn it on yet. i will get that today. probably will finish it today. all that is left will be tying and sewing the outer row of deer tail trim. i am donating it for a raffle at dance ground.

gotta get to work.

last night was the harvest moon. it is the full moon before the fall equinox. the equinox is tomorrow. equinox is a latin term meaning ‘equal night’, meaning day and night are the same amount of time. i had to look this stuff up because i was interested.

we went to clint eastwoods’ latest movie last night. it was almost a private viewing. we were the only ones in the theater for a while. a couple came in late. in an empty theater they sat a row behind us. i didnt mind that. they laughing out loud at things that werent even funny.  that did bug me. there always gotta be someone like that, even in an empty place.

i noticed that clint is getting old. i remember him playing rowdy yates in rawhide. that makes me old too. we had to have some popcorn. it smelled so good when we bought our tickets. thing is it dont taste good. it has no real taste even with the fake butter on it. why cant they make some that smells and tastes good.

today we are heading to the golf course. we are getting free lessons cuz we senior citizens. i think that is neat. the only reason i dont play golf is i dont know how. now is my chance to learn, even if i am an old guy. it is too late to play golf with my brothers larry and gary though.

i need a sport i can play for fun. i heard of some that cheated while playing by under reporting how many strokes they had . or they would just play another ball when they couldnt find theirs. that defeats the playing for fun. i never was too much into that competitive thing.

i got an email yesterday bout buying ku basketball tickets. i was all happy til i seen the jump in prices. the opening game that is usually a blow out costs $46. i looked for some good seats but couldnt find any next to the aisle. i dont like sitting in the middle of the row. couldnt find any like that except in the nose bleeds.

we are scheduled to play kentucky. i was interested in that until i seen that game went for $200. again no seats by the aisle except at the top. i passed again. then i seen texas game tickets for $150. i found some by the aisle down closer. i thought about that a few times before i went for it.

that is pricey but it will be a game worth seeing. i am worth the price. i didnt go to any games last year because of covid. i have gone to at least one game a year for the past 20 or so years. thats why i said i will pay to go to the texas game. predictions are texas could be a final four team. if i only go to one game that will be the home game to see.

gotta do my chores before golf lessons.

friday i went to the open house sponsored by our hemp program. i got a free sample of prairie hemp gummies. they also gave away snacks and drinks. i drank the water cuz i am on a drinking water kick.

staff were on hand to give tours and answer questions. i had a few questions and was satisfied with their answers. i left impressed with our hemp program. i think they are doing a good job.

standing in the hemp field reminded me of my hippie days. not that i grew any thing that looked like hemp. huh uh. hey that stuff was illegal. not like today,  it is legal in many states and decriminalized in others.

we did go to pick up our daughter wabeno at the airport. her flight was changed to later that night. i didnt drive thru leavenworth. i didnt want to drive  at night. i remember deer along the road after dark when i worked behind the walls.

mary canned more tomatoes. she also made some pico de gallo. it was real good with chips. it was made with fresh ingredients. home made is the best. i lost track of how much hot salsa, hot sauce and tomatoes we canned or dried.

i ordered 20 white deer tails. i need them to make roaches. i dye them and use them for trim. i have stock piled deer tails this year. i plan on making roaches all fall and winter. it will keep me busy instead of vegging out in front of the tv. i can still watch tv but i will be working.

i have started another round wood land style roach. i have the mat made and tied the inner row of deer tail trim. this roach will be red too. i have some red deer tails left. i probably will dye deer tails different colors so i can have roaches of various colors.

i only walked 6 miles last week. i planned on walking on saturday but that didnt happen. i was watching the KU football game awhile. mary was canning tomatoes. it also rained that day. i hope to walk 8 miles this coming week. my experience is that 6 miles a week just aint enough. i will also lift weights. i know i gotta do more than walk.

mary signed me up for golf lessons on tuesday. it is an activity for senior citizens. it will be at our firekeepers golf course. i am looking forward to it. the only reason i dont play golf is i dont know how. thats why i am willing to take lessons. we usually hit golf balls in our hayfield. i can get some good drives but not all the time.

i need to learn how to improve. maybe i will pick up golfing. my brothers larry and gary did. mary and my sister also play. i may join in if i learn to play. i was okay at most sports. dont know if that will apply to golf.

what will this week bring?

i finished sorting hair for my latest roach. i tied the second row of hair. now it does look fuller and has more bounce.  still need to tie the out side row of red deer tail trim. then it is done. dont wanna brag on my work but i  see this is a nice looking roach already.

my next roach will be another round woodland style roach. dont know what color yet. i will end up with many colors before i am done. i have alot of sorted hair left from this one. the length of the hair will be about the same.

we heard they were having another open house at the hemp field. we went over to check it out. didnt wanna miss the free samples of cbd oil or whatever they are giving away. thing is it wont start until 2 this afternoon. we did talk some with the young workers. they answered our questions.  we will head back over there this afternoon.

we are going to pick up my daughter wabenokwe from the airport this afternoon. she will be home for a few days. instead of taking the turnpike i want to drive the route thru leavenworth. we will pass the federal penitentiary where i used to work. i still cant believe that i went in there for bout 5 years. i think of my native brothers often.

most likely we will stop somewhere and eat after we pick up wabeno. dont know where yet. we will drive back on the turnpike because the way we taking up there dont offer many choices to eat. kansas city and topeka have more places we like. this country indian dont get off the rez that often.

yesterday mary found some wild grape leaves i dried. i put some in water and made a brew out of it. i used it to wash my hair. i remember an old guy saying to do that for healthier hair. after i shampooed with it, i thought my hair felt thicker as i was brushing it.

i dont know why but i am getting too much spam in my email mailbox. used to be that it went straight to junk mail. now it is showing up in my inbox. the spammer bots always find a way. i just erased 1800 spam off this site too. i probably miss important emails but that is way too many to sort thru everyday.

i bought a small battery operated chainsaw to trim branches. it was delivered this week. i have 30-40 trees i planted. i have to duck so the branches dont hit me when i am on the riding mower. i trim the branches often. i dont like firing up a big chainsaw for that task. this chainsaw is hand held and will be more convenient to use.

we only walked 4 miles this week so far. we will walk pretty soon before it gets warmer. probably will walk again tomorrow. that will give us 8 miles like last week. gotta log those two miles.

i noticed i havent made any roaches for some time. at least not since before my heart surgery. that was many months ago. wait that sounds like how indians talked in those old grade B westerns back the 1950s.

i didnt make any roaches during my 3 months of cardiac rehab. i tried once early on but i couldnt do much reaching. my movement was restricted. one of the nurses at rehab asked what i would do this fall and winter since i wouldnt be gardening. i said ‘i make roaches and many other things.  i plan on doing that again.’

recently i felt my artistic side wanting to come out.  monday i started making a round, woodland style roach. i have 9 long roaches. i figure i would make some smaller ones just to have a variety of roaches. i will make a number of these roaches in different colors.

it didnt take that long to make the mat. once i got that done i tied the inner row of red deer tail. i was on a roll so i fined sorted some porcupine hair. i have some already rough sorted.  i got enough to tie the porcupine hair on this roach.

after i got that done i was pleased with how it looked. then i thought that it would look even better with a double row of hair. today i am sorting more porky hair to make the second row.  this will make it look fuller and give it more bounce.

as i was tying the deer tail and porcupine hair i felt i havent missed a beat. it was just as if i have been doing this all along. i like the feeling of creating art. i have been making roaches for bout 45 years. i know my art has definitely evolved. the roaches i make today are better than the first ones i made.

the pow wow trail hasnt really opened up yet. maybe next year. i will continue to make roaches. by the time pow wows pick up again i will have enough to have a stand some where.

today is per cap day. i make two car payments with mine. that leaves me some change. i will transfer some to my savings account. i started one to save for a trip. i know i probably wont be able to travel overseas for at least a year maybe. thats okay, it will take me at least that long to save enough to go some where.

i want to take a road trip somewhere, sometime. i havent gotten any extended road time. just short day trips. i like to see old ruins or go to a hot spring to soak in. it dont really matter where. just get some road time. i grew up on the rez.  didnt see much of the world. perhaps that is why i wanna travel now. i am lucky i got to see places that i didnt even dream of seeing.

gotta  do chores before i get my 2 mile walk in.

we finished fixing our green chiles. we ended up with almost 9 pounds of it. it is in food processor bags and is in the freezer now. that will last us all year. we use green chiles in soups, stews, chili, potatoes, eggs etc. we like the added zing that green chiles give us. could even put it on hamburgers. i had one like that in the southwest.

i used anaheim peppers i grew. mine didnt grow that big so i  bought some hatch and anaheims at the kansas city farmers market. i roasted them  on the grill. i also bought some hatch peppers at the topeekie farmers market because i didnt think we had enough. they roasted those for us.

we probably wont put away any more food. our freezer is full now.  we froze nenwezhek and some veggies like cabbage. we canned  salsa, hot sauce, tomatoes and green beans. we dried our corn. i dried lotsa cherry tomatoes this year. i have some indian beans still in the corn field i will dry.

we get fresh eggs from our chickens. i prefer them over store bought. when the hens get older and quit laying eggs we butcher them. they made the best chicken soup.

we can eat some thing we produced the rest of the year. i know we dont have to do this. we can buy whatever food we need from the grocery stores. i read the labels of food in stores and cant pronounce some of the ingredients added.  we have no chemicals in the food we put away. ours tastes better too. we grow it, picked it or buy it from farmers markets.

besides the food we put away we get buffalo from the tribe. hunters bring us deer meat now and then. i get first catches of fish because i am now an old guy. we have that in our freezer too.

we try our best to eat healthy. that is hard to do. you have to work hard not to eat junk food. unhealthy food is readily available and is cheaper than healthy foods. i am 10 minutes away from pop and junk food. i have to drive 30 miles to find a farmers market.

i remember when i worked with other tribes in traditional foods. we all agreed that when our diet changed, our health deteriorated. that is why i am a diabetic, had a problem with my heart and got a pow wow gut. when our people produced their own food, they were healthier.

i walked 8 miles last week. no school today so we have the grand daughters. that means we will have to walk this evening. temps will be in the 80s. thats okay at least it aint a 100.

this is per cap week. i aint got any plans for my shonya. i do make two car payments with mine. i will have some left over to spend. it will sit in my bank account until i need it.

got chores to do.

when work has to be done, it has to be done. yesterday we had to do some thing with the tomatoes that were ripe. some were getting over ripe and had to be tossed. we made hot sauce with the rest. i made it because i like the right amount of hot. mary did the canning. we ended up with 13 pints of hot sauce.

now i will have enough hot sauce to last me all year. i used tomatoes, garlic, habaneros and onions that i grew. i think it tastes better if i grew it. i get satisfaction out of knowing i am eating something i produced. we still have a few flats of tomatoes ripening. we will can them too.

we also roasted anaheim peppers before they turned. first i ran over to the dollar general in mayetti to get charcoal. merchandise costs a little more there. i guess we pay for the convenience of it being close by. we can raise the bed of coals closer to the peppers with our new grill. that made roasting them easier. the last grill we had didnt have that feature.

after roasting the peppers we removed the outer skin. we will dice them up next. we will use our food saver to bag them up. then we will freeze our green chiles until we need them. we like to cook with green chiles. we acquired that taste from many trips to the southwest.

i was thinking that we didnt really have enough green chiles to last the year. we went to the topeekie farmers market this morning. i wanted more green chiles. a few stands were selling anaheim peppers. one stand was selling hatch peppers. and they roasted them. i went with the roasted hatch peppers. they have a little more heat to them.

one stand had watermelons and cantaloupes at a good price. the old guy even had samples of what the melon tasted like. i tried a sample and liked the sweetness. i bought a watermelon and a cantaloupe.

i seen a group of people wearing these umbrella hats. they were all walking together. i wondered how that came about. were they sitting somewhere and someone said ‘hey lets all put on an umbrella hat and go to the farmers market’. everyone probably agreed. none of them thought it would look silly. i did.

as i was leaving i seen another group of people on a corner. some of them were wearing black fedora hats. i wondered if they got together on that. i was kinda radical back in my day. i didnt wanna look like every one else did, though i most likely did.

i gotta peel the hatch peppers and deseed them. andrew has a soccer game this afternoon. he asked me if i was going. the way he asked me didnt leave me much room to say no. now i have to go to his game. thats okay. i like watching him play.

gotta get busy so i can go to the game.

it is suppose to be near 100 degrees on saturday. cant be too many more days like that. it is nearing fall. it was cool enough this morning that mary n i took the pups on our two mile walk.  we have only taken them once before. that was when andrew was along. they are loyal to him because he is always outside playing with them.

we want them used to walking with a leash on them. they arent used to cars yet. they walked along with us without us having to pull them. well maybe an occasional jerk to get them to move. otherwise they just followed the sound of our voices. we stopped at the bridge to let them rest. we also drink our water there.

when we got to our graveled drive way we took their leash off and let them walk down the drive. they didnt run off but still stayed near us. they are learning.  we will take them from now on. these pups will be our walking companions.

konugish is too old to walk that far. i miss him walking  with me.  where ever i went, he went. he has always been a faithful dog. i will take care of him in his remaining years. we treat our animals good. we feed and water them. we are also companions to them. they feel that.

i have walked 6 miles so far this week. i got to keep working out. it is for my health. i got in shape to do this from cardiac rehab. they got me started, it is gonna be up to me to continue. i am lucky that mary walks with me. it is easier when someone else walks with you.

i watched a movie the other night. one of the characters would play her favorite music off albums. that reminded me of my albums i collected  for years. i had to find ways to move my collection around the country. i had to replace favorite albums a number of times when they got too scratched up from playing them all the time.

i cant sing or play any musical instruments. i took piano lessons because of little richard and jerry lee lewis. i could play a tune but never developed it beyond that. that left me with listening to my favorite music.  when i hear a tune i have lotsa memories. it is music but is more than that.  it reminds me of different people, times and places.

i finally sold my album collection a few years back. i cant guess how many i had. gotta have been at least 1300 to 1500 albums. i had many others ripped off or borrowed and never returned. the albums are gone but not the music. modern technology gives me access to most of my favorite songs. i cant find some because i had a taste for a wide range of music. i wont say i listened to everything. some music isnt worth listening to.

gotta get busy.

our pups are getting bigger. it must be the anatolian shepherd blood in them. they are almost as tall as konugish now. they are also border collie mix too. they are bred to be working dogs. we wanted them as guard dogs to protect our chickens and corn field.

i am getting a pair of moccasins made by one of our potawatomi ladies. she is very good in her craftsmanship. she is using part of a smoked indian tanned deer hide i had been saving. she told me it may take a while. i said thats alright i can wait on them. maybe i will get them by our fall dance. thats okay if i dont. i know they are being made. i havent had a new pair of moccasins in some time.

i picked the rest of our green beans. they dried up in the heat we had. i will save them for seed next year. i still have to separate them from the pods and store them. i know they will produce a good crop. i started with heirloom seeds. these will have plants identical to the parent plant. and i will save a few bucks by not having to buy seed.

my tomato plants are producing lotsa tomatoes. i picked another 4 flats of them. i picked some early because i didnt want critters to get them. they will ripen some more. then we will can them. this will be the third batch that we canned. that will pay off this winter.

i am glad that i had about 20 plants this year. at first i didnt want that many but i like it now that we dont have to buy any to can. i used my drip irrigation system i had hooked up to my rain barrels. i got to water them using rain water. i thought that was pretty neat.

i have sun dried a lot of cherry tomatoes too. we have them stored in one of the air tight containers i bought. they are real sweet tomatoes. they too will taste good this winter when we use them.

my cardiac rehab is completed. it got me in shape to continue working out. mary and i walked two miles sunday and monday. we have a good start this week. i am lifting weights too. i do the sets that was part of my rehab. i sent a thank you note to the staff that helped me rehab. i do appreciate their help.

i was told to drink plenty of water. that sounds easy but isnt. i drank water while i worked out at rehab. we also carry water when we walk. we drink it up before we get home. we have a water cooler. i got no excuse for not drinking more water. i am making an attempt to do that daily. i am keeping track on my fitbit. i know it is good for me. more importantly, it make me cut down on liquids with sugar in them.

got chores to do.

got off the rez again. i bought tickets to KU’s first football game about a month ago. i have been looking forward to attending this game. i think this coaching staff has the possibility to turn the program around. it is too early to tell but i have faith in them.

i have been a KU fan for decades. i went to my first ku football game back in high school. i went to more when i was a student there a little while. i seen  gale sayers at a game and asked him to autograph my program. i gave it to my brother gary.  i seen wilt chamberlain another time. he was wearing his letter jacket. i also seen many basketball players at games.

friday night we got to see KU’s football team stop their 13 game losing streak. the jayhawks havent won since before covid started.  i was happy i got to see them win. it was a game that could have gone either way. a coupla times i was thinking ‘oh no’. it was scoreless most of the first half before K U scored a touchdown.

both teams scored in the second half. we increased our lead then south dakota passed us. the jayhawks were down 4 points with less than two minutes left in the game. they came back with a touch down pass and won. the student section stormed the field after the victory.

it was a good sized crowd for a KU football game. most of them stayed the whole game. students didnt head to the bars at halftime. when KU was leading and time running out the crowd started a cheer. the student section would holler “Rock Chalk” and the other half of the stadium would answer “Jayhawk”. it went back and forth for a while. that was pretty neat.

we kinda lucked out by getting a parking space a block away from the stadium. it cost us $25 but it was worth it. after the game we got back to the car and got on the road while most were still walking to their cars. we beat the traffic. we listened to the post game show on the radio on the way out of town. we got home around midnight.

mary canned 3 quarts of tomatoes and 9 pints of hot salsa. we have more tomatoes ripening. i want to make hot sauce with the next batch. i use it on most things. i want enough to last me all year.

we will roast our anaheim peppers this week. i will make a fire outside to grill them on. we will peel the skin off and dice them up. we will put them in freezer bags and store them. we will have green chiles to cook with for most of the year.

no more cardiac rehab for me. i got a certificate i completed the 12 week course. it was signed by all the nurses that i worked with. i liked that. i will send them a thank you note. now i can do other things with my week.