you're the kind of person who makes people hate indians...

That's what my adopted mother used to tell me...of course it was the aftermath of some horrific crime I had committed, you know, as a 5 year old, perhaps I had spilled her buttons, as a 6 year old I remember some beratement occurring when I was playing "zoo animals" with Nedra and Deanie and I had run through the garage roaring like the lioness I wanted to be...

Today I was invited to our local hospital to bring some sense of balance between our tribal member patients and the care givers that work there. I opened with this story:

"I was adopted out at the age of four. I was raised by a family of non-Indians and was the only minority in my town until I was in seventh grade. My adopted mother was forward thinking and tried to find playmates for me, we lived way out in the sticks if you will...but you know how it is, we're not always friends with the duaghters of our mother's friends. To this day there's one name I hear and it makes me shudder!

It came time for me to go to first grade and I was OH so excited! New friends, classroom smells, it was so fun for me. I met a little girl and we bonded closely. We spent every recess, every lunch time together and worked together on projects when we could. Finally, she asked me to come over to her home for a sleepover, it was going to be so fun. On the day of the happy event I packed my little bag, got my permission slips for the bus driver, went to school and was met at the bus by my little friend.

ARE YOU INDIAN OR NEGRO? she asked me quite loudly...I replied, yes, I'm Umatilla Indian from Eastern Oregon (a response I'd learned from my adopted mother) and she quickly replied I CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH YOU ANY MORE I HATE ALL INDIANS AND NEGROS."

That's the story I opened with and as I watched the crowd there were some with tears in their eyes...I wasn't crushed or devasted I think...I didn't even realize until years later just how harsh that whole scenario was...but that's the kind of prejudice that my mother later spoke into my life when she would tell me "you're the kind of person who makes people hate Indians."

We all have the capability to be prejudiced. I remember one of my son's friends was talking to him and my son said something about "that black guy" and his friend responded "I don't see color." That's actually preposterous.

We  are all made differently. Even those who share genes have their own unique fingerprints...the balance to this whole conundrum is this: If we look at these stories and are determined to love then it doesn't matter what the rest of the world is saying or doing. Today, I will love my fellow humans...TODAY I will look beyond what might be seen as a flaw and I will revel in the unique character of my sisters and brothers.

Last week was busy...my daughter, daughter in law and three grand-daughters came to visit. It was a very amazing visit and when it was over - off to the city for JOLLIFICATIONS and maybe a new car:-)

We searched the city for "the" car...the right price, the right make, the right color - oh well, color didn't matter, but it started to look like we might go limping home in our beat up van...no brakes no shocks...on a whim we drove up this one street and there it was:-) waiting just for us. "THE" car! Cross THAT one off the shopping list...next? Get the brakes and shocks fixed on said van for truly, it has brought us many miles and we just can't NOT fix it...went to place number 1 and they gave us an ungodly amount to fix it...NOPE...off we went in search of another. Out of the mist loomed the SHOP where we took our van to be fixed and voila, within a couple hours we were off an runnin!

NOW for the fun...
Went shopping for a few odds and ends...out to Jantzen Beach which although it's getting more and more deserted, there still whirs cheerily away, the carousel...

Can you feel the breeze it kicks up?

What a fun ride that was to watch, these two adorable little girls were on it, they waved regally as they went around and when we waved back one of them was so excited she stood up on her horse! I smiled at her but motioned her to sit down.

After this, we went out to celebrate my daughter and son's birthdays (okay I don't know what to tell you, they're both born on March 26, but two different years...it's like they were supposed to be twins but Creator was well aware I didn't have the mad mama skittles it takes to raise multitples so one at a time....maybe? Anyway, I will tell you right now, the jollifications ensued with a deep and meaningful vengeance - from which we (my brother and I) awoke Sunday morning from with a little bit of chagrin....BUT not enough to stop with the shopping.

Off we went and as I wandered the aisles of one of my favorite "old lady" stores (that's what my brother calls thrift store shoppin - he says "let's go old lady around" and off we go) I came around the corner and there it was...the sewing machine of my childhood

the hobby horse lovingly made by someone's grandpa

and many other treasures...

When we finally went home Sunday after feeding the kids and of course...cleaning their home, it was with tired joy...

Did you have a good weekend too?

Have a good weekend!

'member to pray for our sons and daughters currently active in the military...RIGHT OR WRONG they're serving our country, upholding standards laid before them by our nation's leaders and they aren't making fun plans for the weekend or wondering where they're going to hang out tonight...they're not deciding what to wear to go out in and they're certainly not worried about cleaning up dog poop in the yard...

i want to be royal ann!!!!!

I was an imaginative child you might say...

When I was thinking about having some time on the computer to myself tonight I was wondering just what I might blog about. This is a crazy world we're in, there are tragedies to the left and right of us, I was astounded and somewhat confounded to find that the earthquakes had actually knocked the Earth off her axis. So in the midst of this pondering I realized there is a need for a chuckle every now and then...

As a child I was a girly girl...I tried not to admit this, because I was also a farm girl at home in the barn as well as playing with dolls but here's the truth, I loved nothing more than tying two of my mom's aprons around me and teetering about on her old high heels serving tea to the poor cat "Peter Nutley" and our Samoyed dog "Chemon" (pronounced Sha MAWN). They were quite patient me, especially Peter who allowed me to dress him in my doll clothes.

We lived about thirteen miles from town which isn't really THAT far except that it was a small town anyway and this was the 60's...no one really went anywhere unless they NEEDED to...my mom was the model homemaker and I am not stretching ANY imagination in that sentence...I never even TASTED store bought milk or canned fruits until well into my late teens. My mom would go the Santiam valley each harvest season and come back with our van laden with many fruits for canning (I still hate to can). One summer I overheard her talking to my Aunt Dorothy about how juicy the Royal Anns were this year. This piqued my young mind, I pictured a gracefully dressed princess lounging on a flowered divan...

I had some friends over FINALLY one summer, Twila and her sister ...hm, can't remember her sister's name Anyway, fortunately for me, Twila was also a girly girl and wanted to play queens and castles. I loved this idea and siezed the moment to declare "and I want to be Royal ANN". Both Twila and her sister ignored me and continued in their story about being stupid queen so and so and idiot queen such and such. I said it again "but I WANT TO BE ROYAL ANN" and waited. They still kept spinning their story and finally I pouted from the room...Twila came after me and said come back, what is it you wanted to be? Her SISTER however scoffed at me and said "Royall Ann...whoever HEARD of such a name?"

It wasn't until oh, about four years ago that I remembered this story. My brother and I were headed up to Idaho on a weekend runaway and there by the roadside was a fruitstand and what were they selling?

Royal Ann Cherries...I laughed so hard. I don't think I ever DID figure out as a child that my mom was talking about cherries!

So there it is. My Royal Ann Story. Hope it made you smile for just a moment?

Celery Feast...

What I love about being an American Indian is the seasons that take me out of myself and give me a greater appreciation for oh, you know, anything not ME...

This last weekend was our Celery Feast - the celebration of new foods, the first in the year being the delicious Wild Celery...it tastes like the sun mixed with rain and the color green.

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...I started this particular post last week. Celery Feast is a whole week ago and yet the gloriously tiring and exhilarating splendor of the weekend stays with me. 

We women who gather the traditional foods gathered early Friday morning and had breakfast together before going out to a remote location where we dug the delicious "first food" wild celery, where we went was cold and windy but there was TONS of celery to be dug and it was an amazing day!

I feel bad that this particular post awaits posting...to finish it off I'll add some pictures from that amazing day...

Because the celery is one of our traditional foods we wear our wingdresses to dig it.

Lunch time is fun although it's usually pretty serious as well with teachings from some of the older women on our first foods.

These two women are our leaders...

after the digging the WORK begins

we all wear our best longhouse gear for this occasion!

i'm still HERRRREEE!!!

Believe me, I've had many a fleeting thought this past week about this or that I'd like to blog about. It's been one of THOSE weeks which is fine because DANG it's already THURSDAY!

I don't have time right now, but will as soon as I can put a story down here:-)

In the meantime, I hope you're all having a good day today in the land of Blog!

brilliant colors on a promising springish day!

a doodle I doodled during a meeting

THANK YOU CHRISTIJOLU!!!!

SIGHHHHHHH

I feel quite undeserving having not been here in awhile...but bless her heart, ChristiJolu (http://christiejolu.blogspot.com/) gave me an award!!!!

Thank you for the award my sweet Heath lovin, AIC listening, Celebrity Rehab watchin' friend!!!! You're the best!

My three blogs I love to go to?

Alice - http://thewondersofalice.blogspot.com/

Alice - http://alicethroughthelens.blogspot.com/

Dolce E Salata - http://dolceesalata.blogspot.com/

I have very many other blogs I love...Cut and Dry, Bicando, Confessions of an Ojibway just to name a few...

Again, thanks my sweet friend ChristiJolu for the award!!!!