Reznjun

we had a long day yesterday. we were gone all day. first we had to go to lawrence for andrews last soccer game. it was held outdoors. most wore face masks. andrew had a good game. he scored 3 goals and just missed two others. no one keeps score but we did. andrews team won.

all week we had planned to go to the demo derby in horton after the soccer game. the game was at 11:30. we had plenty of time when the game was over. we drove south of town to a look out tower on top of a hill. the boys havent been there. i used to go there long ago. we climbed the 3 stories to the top. we could see k u off in the distance. we didnt stay long.

we stopped to get lunch and drove up the back roads to horton. it was a nice drive thru farm land. most of the corn fields have been harvested. there were still some soybeans standing in the fields.

we got to the demo derby around 3:30. it had a start time of 4. we bought a pit pass once we got there. we had time to go see all the cars. i heard there were gonna be a few cars owned and driven by indians. we stopped and visited with them. we got to look at their cars so we would know which ones to cheer for. i seen a coupla friends i used to work with. we visited awhile.

most of the bleachers were already full. some had been there since noon. we brought our lawn chairs. we set them up by a corner of the bleachers. it afforded us a view of the track. it looked like the indian section. lotsa indians sitting in that area. thats probably why we were able to find a space so close to start time.

we filled our own little section of the indian section with our family. joe and family showed up. mary and wabeno met us.  a friend of wabenos showed up with her family. we all sat together. the kids all played together while the adults visited.

once the show got started we all got into it. the kids got off on seeing the cars crashing into each other. well the adults liked the show too. we were on the look out for the indian cars. we cheered them on. during the breaks the kids played football. andrew brought his football. of course misho had to walk to the car to get it so they could play. every one had a good time.

we left early so we wouldnt have to deal with the traffic. we got out with out sitting in a jam. we got home before 10. samuel fell asleep on the way home. he was played out from the long day.

this morning we had breakfast with wabeno. on the way over to pick her up i seen a bald eagle. it was picking at a raccoon carcass on the road by the buffalo pen. it flew off as i approached. after i picked wabeno up we went by there. i seen the eagle sitting in a big cottonwood tree off the road. i drove into the field and wabeno got some pictures. i tried to but didnt get any good ones.

it was a good weekend surrounded by family and friends.

halloween is getting closer. the grand kids are getting their costumes ready. i never did get into that. if i was gonna do one this year i would go as the joker while doing that dance. we dont get many trick or treaters. we too far out in the boon docks. we will take the boys to the drive thru trunk or treat at peoples park. we end up with more candy than we need to be around. not good for this diabetic.

my grow boxes are still producing. i am still picking habanero peppers. i put them in a freezer bag and save them. my garlic bulbs are growing. i could have fresh garlic next growing season. i have a few onions, jalapenos and anaheim peppers growing.  soon a killing frost will zap everything. i think they saying we gonna get our first snow soon.

i had a few turnips that came up. i wanted to try the turnip greens. they suppose to be full of vitamins and minerals. we had some in soup with green beans, onions and leeks that i grew. trying to eat healthy.

i have done more tv binge watching while staying home the past few months. i get suggestions from others, usually my kids, on what shows to watch. or i scan the listings for a movie or series of interest. i dont pay much attention to the suggestions given to me by netflix or amazon. they dont have my interests figured out at all.

i was tryna finish this blog and my internet went out. i didnt wanna sound like a whinny customer but i called the internet people any way. the lady asked if i was on the reservation. i said yeah, she said they had a problem here and were working on it. i sat back and waited. it came on for a while then zapped out again. now its back on.

there are parts of our national government i see as corrupt. not all but some. so i made a coupla donations to a candidate running for office. now i am bombarded with requests for more money. i even get calls asking if i would take training to call voters in key states to convince they to vote. i kinda let that slide. i gotta hope there are more people in this country that have some sense than there are ones that dont.

i still havent gone to topeekie to get more chicken feed. i see that shawnee county is experiencing an increase in covid cases and transmission. i am not like how some describe the ones that stay home. i am not hiding in my basement. i go out but am careful to keep social distancing and i wear a mask.

i see art that is labeled as native art. the eagle feathers always come to a sharp point. maybe i aint been around long enough but i havent ever seen a pointed eagle feather. perhaps that is what is known as artistic license.

gonna head to o dan.

yesterday was indigenous day. i didnt do anything indigenous. nor did i wish any of my native friends a happy indigenous day.

like others, some times my plans change. i planned on going to a coupla events the past coupla week ends. ended up that i didnt go. thats the way it is sometimes. like the old rolling stones tune ‘we cant always get what we want’. i wanna take the boys to the demo derby this week end. hope that dont change. they havent been to one before. i know they will get off on it.

i completed my second week of walking. i am back in the routine of walking again. i want to get in as much walking while the weather is nice. i can hit my treadmill when the weather isnt good.

i am drinking more indian tea now that i am walking again. i finished 3 gallons of it in the past week or two. i have a big glass mug that holds about 20 ounces. i drink several of them. i also drink water in the glass. i am trying to keep my liquid intake up. we take a water bottle with us on our walks too.

i started reloading songs off my cds back into my computer. i am rebuilding my play lists. they got zapped out. i missed my music when i worked outside or driving. i havent been on any long trips. i usually can put on one play list and listen to it all day. i could play a new one everyday. it will take me some time to get all my lists back. i havent been working at it.

the chicken feed is running low. i will have to go to the feed store and pick some up. i have two metal trash cans that i put it in. that keeps critters out of the feed. mice cant chew thru it. the cans are under the porch over hang on my tool shed. that keeps the cans dry. i dont have any problem with moisture in the cans.

they are having hearings on the nomination of a supreme court justice. i usually keep up on news. i dont like watching this though. there is little doubt how this will turn out. the democrats are trying to ask the republicans to follow what they said when an opening occurred during obama’s second term. the republicans are having none of it. the justice will be approved no matter what.

that is exactly how our government works. they will do what ever they want. whether it helps or hurts the american people has no bearing on the outcome. politicians do what they want. most politicians are there just to help themselves some way whether politically or economically.

the politicians say there is no way a stimulus will happen before the election. they can push a justice nomination thru though. they wont help the average american that needs it but can give money to the rich.

i will have my chance to vote next week. we are having early voting at the old bingo hall. i had my request for a mail in ballot cancelled. i wanted to make sure my vote gets in.

the furniture place called. we will be getting our new bed in 11 days. wish it was sooner but at least we know when it will be here. the bed is a gift from our daughter and son. i havent found a head board for it yet. no hurry. i wont rush into buying the first one i see.

i have been looking for a few dressers for the boys’ room. i want solid wood ones, not the particle board ones covered with a fake veneer. most modern furniture aint solid wood.  i found one solid oak dresser already. i want the dressers to maintain their value. i have gone to garage sales and flea markets looking for dressers. i also check out auctions. i am in no hurry here either. i will take time to find ones i like.

today we are heading to lawrence. we will watch andrew play flag football. he has three games. we wont go to every game.  we will drop samuel off so they will be home for school this week. most people at these games wear face masks and it is outdoors. we take our pow wow chairs to sit on.

before we head out, the chiefs are playing today. i will watch as much as i can. then listen to the rest on the radio as we drive to lawrence. i still havent found my mahomes jersey. i  cant wear my chiefs gear with the game on. the jersey is packed away until we move back to our bedroom. i can wear it again after we unpack.

this coming week end we are taking the boys to a demolition derby. it is held up the road. one of the drivers told me there might be 4 or 5 indians driving in this event. i probably know most of them. i might get us a pit pass. it will cost 10 bucks more for that pass. that will enable us to walk around and look at the cars. that way the boys can see the indians that will be driving them.

tomorrow is columbo day. most tribes have made it a second native american day to take off. most indian offices will be closed. a real protest would be to say we are going to work anyway. we wont observe the day, instead we will work to help our people.

the national election is getting closer. this election is like many of our tribal elections we have had. it is a question of voting for who will do the least harm. there will still be many who vote for the one who will cause the most harm. there will be some that say their vote wont count.  many times that helps elect people who shouldnt be in there.

the out door antenna of mine just gave out. it stopped getting reception so i scanned channels. it says no channels added. it says move antenna to get different reception or check connection. i did both and still nothing. i will continue trying to fix it. i need that for local channels.

i gotta watch this chiefs game before i hit the road

seen a flock of geese flying over this morning. they were heading south. that could only mean one thing. there will be some more that will fly east, some west and some north. man has disrupted their natural habitats. i think they dont follow their usual migratory patterns any more. many stay here on the state reservoirs.

i took a picture of one of our buffalo. usually they are too far away to get detail. once i asked if i could go into the area where the buffalo are fenced off from. i wanted to gather up manure to add to my compost pile. i was kinda given a run around. i let it go. it just lies there and rots away. it is of no use to anyone but could be beneficial in producing food.  sovereignty means we can say we dont want it but we dont want you to have it either.

i watched the vice presidential debates last night. many thought the fly was the main point of interest. i thought it was pence’s red eye. does he have covid too?  the white house is the latest hot spot. if the most powerful government in the world cant protect themselves, how do we expect them to protect us?

i was talking to a classmate of mine from 50 years ago. we talked about a little of everything. we touched on politics. i told him i didnt see much difference between the two parties. they are just puppets for the rich who really run this country. like the corona stimulus bill. the top 1% got billions. people like us got 1200 bucks. my classmate agreed. we both thought there were too many crooks in our government who only care for themselves.

we havent heard from the furniture place that we bought our bed from. they did say 4 to 6 weeks but maybe sooner. i was hoping sooner. i want to finish moving into my bedroom. i bought another outdoor antenna for it. i want to be able to watch local news in bed before i go to sleep. i moved the one we had to our living room when we cut cable.

my worm farm is still going. i feed it regularly. i see plenty of worms in there. they will reproduce and i will have more worms. i have a stackable bin. i have 5 more bins to add. i will use the worm castings in my grow beds next growing season.

we walked on the paved road again last evening. that was the second walk this week. last week we had 6 miles. we should equal or better that this week. the main thing is to keep walking. i am trying to better my health. at my age it is hard to lose weight. i keep trying. i know walking is good for me.

they having a junk fest in valley falls this weekend. they abiding by health guide lines.they have 70 vendors  with a little of everything. food trucks even.  i might go check it out.  i stay home all week. need to get off rez a while. i will wear a mask.

recently i received a shipment of porcupine hair. it was about 3/4s of a pound of hair. i havent begun to sort it yet.  i have plenty of other hair to sort. i probably will get back to doing that monotonous chore again. once i get into the routine i can sort hair for hours a day, all week long.

i am sending a check to the trapper that sent me the hair. i asked him if he is willing to pluck the quills off the hides. usually the trappers pull the porcupine hair and thats it. i told him i am interested in buying all the quills off bout 4 or 5 porcupines. that is enough to get started. i want to try doing some quill work. i dont know if i got any skill at that until i actually try.

i will ask other trappers for quills too. i have been asked in the past if i wanted any. now i will see if i can get quills. even if i dont have it down as an art i could sell the quills at a future stand. i will dye them when i dye the deer tails i use for roaches. i will get two uses out of the dye.

i havent been working on my roaches since pow wow season didnt happen this year. it will be back. usually i work on roaches in the fall and winter. that is kinda my down time. i dont have gardening, mowing, spring cleaning etc.

i decided to give away the cuban cigar i scored. i will give it to my son. the past few years i have only smoked pipe at ceremonies. i had to smoke several times for people during this covid crisis.  i still have to cough from that for several weeks after i smoke. it irritates my lungs. thats why i am not gonna smoke the cubano.

i needed chick starter feed. i went after some yesterday. while i was in town i ordered some buffalo wings. we wanted them before the chiefs game. after we ate, we went for our two mile walk. we got back in time for the kick off. just before the game started, i could hear them doing the tomahawk chop. thats stupid. we were glad the chiefs won.

we are gonna clean a few chickens this week. i usually make a fire to heat the water. some one gave me a big pot. it is big enough to dip the chickens into. then we pluck the feathers off. mary and i have that process down. we can clean several chickens in no time. i  have been fattening these hybird chickens up for a coupla months. they arent laying many eggs. they will make good soup though.

cant wait til next laker game.

we had a sleepover with some of the grand kids last night. i welcome any time i can spend with them. we inflated the air mattress and they slept in the living room. it was fun. kids are constantly asking questions. that is how they learn.  we try to be patient and answer.

i mowed the yard today. the grass was higher than i wanted it to be. it wasnt bad but i want the yard to look nice over the winter.   it only took bout an hour. i dont mind mowing.  my head phones had a low battery so i couldnt jam out while mowing. i will drain the gas out of the mower when i shed it for the year.

i fixed up a new compost pile. i had a few bags of grass clippings and leaves. i layered them into a new pile. most of the compost pile i had last year was broken down. i threw all of that into the layers of leaves and grass clippings. it will help break it down. i will continue to add egg shells, coffee grounds and table scraps. i will add all of this and my worm castings to my grow boxes next year..

after slacking a few weeks on my walking i am back at it. i walked 3 times last week for a total of 6 miles. now i am back in a routine.  i even done a few sets on the weight machine. once i get started i can keep it up.  when the weather turns i have my tread mill and weight machine to exercise with.

i did get my flu shot on friday. it was simple. i drove up and was handed some forms and a clipboard. i had  wear a facemask. all the workers were. i filled out the forms and pulled forward. i handed them the forms and i got my shot. i asked if i would get a sponge bob band aid and a sucker. i was only kidding. after my shot they put a band aid on me and handed me a sucker and some stickers.

andrew is playing flag football. he got me out in the yard twice this week end to throw the ball to him. i caught a throw of his one handed. he said ‘what’. he didnt think  ol misho had some skills. i even punted him the ball a few times. he got all of us at different times to practice with him. he wants to play.

if i make a mistake i correct it. i said tribe wasnt publishing covid numbers like they were. i was informed there is a place on the tribes website that lists numbers. i didnt see it. so i stand corrected. at first they were sending out news releases. not now.

tomorrow i am going to get new glasses. i lost my last pair. i am not forgetful so i didnt space them out. i am not obsessive about it but i have a place for everything. i dont understand where they could be. i thought by now they would have shown up. they didnt. now i will get a new pair. i have to wear a face mask and call the place. they come out to get me. then i pick the glasses i want.  this indian will get off the rez tomorrow.

i bought this grass plant this spring at a flea market held at our sr. citizen site.  i didnt know what kind it was, just that it grew tall. i got it for $5 and split it in two.  it flowered or rather these tops appeared.

i am somewhat of a history buff. there was this indian village called etzanoa that flourished from 1450  to  the 1700s. spanish explorers estimated it had 2000 houses and 20, 000 residents in it.  that would make it possibly the second largest city in the country at the time. maybe the biggest. it stretched along the Arkansas river for 5 miles.

modern day archaeologists rediscovered the site. it is in ark city. they read the spanish accounts and looked for the land marks.  people have been gathering up arrow points etc for over a hundred years . they knew that indians lived in this area.

they have tours of the dig. i called the museum and scheduled  a tour at the end of the month.  they will practice social distancing. i will have to drive my own car to other sites on the tour.

they will have early voting at our old bingo hall. i called some one that works on voting matters. i asked if i could vote at the bingo hall instead of using an absentee ballot. she called the county clerk who cancelled my request for an absentee ballot. now i can vote at our place.  i doubt it will be too crowded. once we were able to vote at the sr. citizen site. not many voted there.

they are giving flu shots at the clinic.  it will be a drive up. at my last lab i was given a pneumonia shot. they suggest older ones get the shot as a precaution. i usually get the flu shot too. i will do that today.

i finally finished bob woodward’s book ‘rage’. i got distracted several times and was busy other times. it was an alright read. i wasnt surprised by anything in it.

the news of the day is our president tested positive for the covid. he and his followers have called the pandemic a hoax. the president wouldnt set an example by wearing a face mask nor did he practice social distancing. he pushed the country to reopen while cases were still on the rise. he wanted a strong economy to help his reelection bid.

perhaps now the doubters will believe that anyone can catch the virus. the president has much better care than the average american. he is tested daily as are all the people who come in contact with him. he still caught the virus.

i remember getting funny looks when i wore a mask. some feel threatened their personal freedoms are taken away by being asked to wear a mask. i assume they get into their car, fasten their seat belts and stop at the stop signs. and use signals to make lane changes.  and kinda obey the speed limit. they are governed by many laws that they accept but wearing a mask is too much.

our tribe used to post how many cases we had on the rez. not anymore. people know that the virus is spreading here too. even without any numbers being released.

it will take an effort by everyone to slow this pandemic.  the biggest reason the spread was slowed is because many stayed home and wore masks when they had to go out.  people did that without government guidance. that worked. everyone needs to take precautions.  i hope we get this in control.

today is boarding school survivors day. i honor the day because i survived that experience.  i put on my t shirt i bought at one of our pow wows or maybe the last Potawatomi gathering we had. it was at the stand next to mine. it was run by a lady from pokagan band. when i seen this shirt i had to have it.

i put this shirt on the other day. the group that sent the care package to boarding school survivors asked for a picture. so i took a picture of me holding the package with my shirt on. i sent it to them and they asked if they could use it in their publications. i said sure.

i forgot to mention that most of the items in the package were produced by indian owned businesses or organizations. today i am wearing the socks from an indian owned business. i used many of the items in the package. i appreciate that some one cares about kids that went thru all that.

i posted a picture on facebook about survivors day. it opened a dialogue with people. i thought that was what social media was about. the ability to communicate with others and to interact with them. i dont get on there just to whine about something.

i went to my quarterly lab and med check up this morning. i do this as a precaution. i want to fix any problems i have before they get bad. the doctor upped a couple of my meds. gotta stay on top of things.

i have only walked one time since my last lab test.  we were watching grand daughters for the summer. i got out of my routine. i aint blaming them. i let it go one day, then two, then three. its hard to get started up again. i will get back on track. its more than just exercise. i also have to watch what i eat. its too easy to drink a pop or eat candy. diabetics aint suppose to do that.

i watched the presidential debate last night. well it was hardly presidential. it didnt do anything to change my mind on who i am voting for. it did provide me with some entertainment though. i laughed and cussed. at least the presidents people got his tan looking better. he didnt look so orange and the white spaces around his eyes werent as visible.

it reminded me of some of the indian politicians we have had over the years. we had some that just bully everyone else too. they do it as long as they can get away with it. and we had some that believed that just because they said something, it was true. their word was law. kinda like this president. we had politicians like him many times.

i will have to take down my humming bird feeders. i havent seen any activity near the feeders. no doubt the birds have flown south.  its too late in the season. they are long gone. i will put away the feeders until next year. they will be back. i like to watch them. thats why i keep feeders.

gotta get some chores done before the nba playoffs tonight.

today i got a care package from the national native american boarding school healing coalition. some one sent me an app awhile back to request a package. at first i thought f that. i dont wanna remember boarding school.  i have done my best to block it out. then i thought why the hell not. while nothing can undo what i went thru in boarding school, it is nice to know there is someone out there who cares bout the young kids like me that were sent off to boarding school.

i forgot bout sending off for that package. i felt like oh well. it did say the first one thousand to reply. i figured i wasnt one of the thousand.  then today mary and i both got a package. i forwarded the app to her so she could apply too. i said wow we actually did get a package. we arent used to getting anything free. usually the ones at the front of the line get everything.

i opened the package. it had a card that said we love you. i checked out the literature. it was about the group that sent this package to boarding school survivors. i went thru the box. it had coffee, wild rice, a pair of socks, face masks, sage soap, sage lip balm,  a milk chocolate bar from NAFOA (my daughter belongs to that), a tanka bar (buffalo meat with cranberries), huckleberry jam and a bag of candy.

that wasnt all. it also had a coffee cup from the boarding school organization.  i got a bag with sage and a sprig of cedar. i lit some of the sage to honor their gift of it. and i got a devils club rub for a variety of ailments. there was a small bag of indian tea that looked like labrador tea. and i got a small tobacco bag. there was a bag of three sisters seeds in the box too.

we both got a fry bread mix package. i told mary to use it tonight. we had already planned on making spam and frybread sandwiches for the chiefs game. we had some at the sisseton pow wow. havent had any since. tomorrow we are going to drink some of the coffee for breakfast. my uncle said to use any gifts you get. i always do to remember he told me that.

after seeing all that was in the box i felt grateful. i thought i was great that there was an organization that focused on boarding school survivors. i do know now there is a national day–september 30th–to honor survivors. i bought an orange t shirt to wear on that day.

i remember once our tribe was gonna pay someone to come here to talk about boarding school. dont know what they were thinking.  too many on this rez have gone to boarding school. what could some one from some where else tell us. i read articles by people who havent been there but become spokespersons about it. they never got beatings from priests or nuns. nor were they shamed just for being indian so they dont really know what it feels like.

i was glad there was no christian symbols in the package. we had been indoctrinated in christianity at boarding school. we were forced to believe what they wanted us to believe. some super tradish indians today try to force what they believe on every one else. they cant even begin to understand some of us have already been thru that.

my wife went to a boarding school that has reunions. not the boarding school i went to. i ran across people i knew from there. we were glad to see each other still alive. we didnt reminisce about the old days at school. i met many others in bars. a lot of us became alcoholics and/or drug abusers. i met some when i work in prisons, they were doing time.  i met others in the militant days of aim.   most i knew had returned to native traditions. perhaps in defiance of boarding school. others i knew met violent deaths.

that box of goodies made me flash back thru the years. i remember much of the ugliness of the boarding school experience. but i know i survived that. i was glad someone cared.