Montana and all,
I'm done baking for tonight. The honey wheat and bananananana (#$%*#! word!
) the other one, both came out out
nice, texture and taste.
I had to watch our three sled dogs, so they didn't wolf (pun intended) them down. Actually, only one has wolf. The other two have coyote in them.
Regarding hobbies, reading is a big one. Occassionally I draw with pen and ink, write bad poetry and worse prose. I have paints, brushes and canvases to get re-aquainted with, then a tipi to paint and waterproof. I love to cook and bake. I can do beadwork and leather work, but don't do it often. I do have to do some one my buckskin dress and moccasins and have put it off for a month. Sam and I are officers in the local AMVETS post here on our reservation and enjoy doing things with that group.
I love to travel, visiting family, friends and meeting new people. We take our three pups with us every time we hit the road, even to Canada. We average six to ten thousand miles each year on the road, going to Ceremonies and Gatherings. This year is still up a bit in the air for our schedule. We're already scheduled for a late July trip outside of Livingston, Montana for a week long Gathering. From there to Great Falls and eventually, my hometown of Yakima, WA for a few days. In September, we're expected to attend the renewal of wedding vows for family in Vancouver, BC.
I don't know if you consider spiritual ceremonies as a hobby, but it occupies a great deal of our time. We try to live as tradtionally as possible. I am considered a Winkte (Lakota for neither man nor woman) and Sam is considered Wioptula, basically a woman warrior. Unlike some, we are on a Spiritual Path and attend Ceremonies and even do some, ourselves. We've met with Lakota Elders, including Grandpa Wallace Black Elk who passed away in February, this year. He was only one of the many wonderful people we have met and come to love, not only as teachers, but family.
We camp out whenever possible and will use the tipi after it's painted. It was a gift from an ex-boyfriend of mine to us. How's that for leaving a relationship on good terms, getting a home from an ex?
Last year it was tarps and lean-too's for us, having given away our van and tent to a homeless couple. This year, we'll travel in style in our '95 Dakota pickup named "Sioux", what else?
The Elders are after me to write my autobiography too. Can anyone explain why it's called that?
I mean
really, look at the word. An auto is a car. A biography is the story of someone's life. I'm no mechanic...unless forced to do repairs. So, why would they want me to write the life story of a car?
I kept asking , until they finally stopped laughing, wiped their eyes dry and said, "
Your life story, silly."
That I understood! Why didn't they say so in the first place? I guess our saying, "When the time is right, you'll know." applies here somehow. I think that there will have to be two volumes to this. One about my war experiences in Vietnam, like we need another one of those.
The other will deal with my childhood, my marriages and being Winkte.
I've got some diaries from the early '80's and have made contact with some of my friends in service, so the Vietnam thing is covered. Mom is still around and even stopped by today, with a cousin close to her age. She turns 80 in September and only lives 25 miles away, so I can pump her for information, too.
Unfortunately, several Elders passed on this winter, so Sam will need to help. She's being doing a bit of a journel occassionally. Even though we've been together for only three years, we've experienced enough things and met people others only think about experiencing or meeting. Someday, all of this will be on paper.
I hope this answers a few questions about me and Sam, If you'd like to know more, let us know by asking. We're honest and unafraid of talking about our past. There are a few things about the
war I don't talk about, but most topics are open for discussion. For anyone interested in my war record, I have a thread on "military experts that have never been in combat." I will not discuss military awards. I call them "trinkets".
