Recent Entries to this Blog not gardening rocks no more!
Posted: 07 Jan 2012
wildlife garden!
Posted: 17 May 2010
long absence!
Posted: 12 Mar 2010
I'm replacing a floor... soon... really...
Posted: 02 Mar 2009
A Valentine for the Stewbies
Posted: 12 Feb 2009

All Entries
 


CritterPainter's Blog

Various ramblings of a country gal


My spring break, weather record

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:48 pm

I actually have been back a week, but the day after I got home I had a massive fever a couple of days, and have been sick ever since 'cuz it went to a sinus infection.
I woke this morning to snow. The weather experts say that in recorded and oral history it has never snowed this late in April,. Darn global warming anyway.
So my week of spring "break"...
We had been invited and authorized by a tribal elder of the Yakama Indian Nation to come help out, part of an ongoing effort to do some projects there. Together, our three teams re-roofed a home that was in dire need of it, chopped several cords of firewood, and did some yard work. Doesn't sound like much, but let me elaborate.
The firewood is to go to the oldest tribal members. They can no longer manage to chop enough on their own, and that sets up a vicious cycle. When they run out mid-winter, they are forced to use electric heat. But since the homes often have broken-out windows replaced with boards, it costs an awful lot to get them even tolerably warm (it hovers in the 20's in winter around there). The electric bill comes and there's no way they can pay it; electrical programs to help the elderly are nonexistant since the tribe is a separate, independent nation. So the power gets shut off. The person is forced to find somewhere else where they can stay for awhile- if this was an easy thing to do they would have done it in the first place. While they are gone, their home freezes, pipes burst, and when they thaw they further cause havoc to the home. If the person has to stay away any length of time, the home gets broken into and everything taken. All this is to say, firewood is no small thing.
The yardwork crew was where I worked. Whenever the elderly gal left her home the neighbor could see and would come break into her home, often. So a crew, the week before us, built a solid board fence so the neighbor can't see. We stained it, and another fellow replaced a couple of windows that needed it. Three of us just couldn't stop there; we went to the nearest town and bought gerbera daisies, thyme, and lavender to plant by the front door, and painted a pretty , picketed "welcome" on a leftover fence board for her to see when she came home. That was the fun part!
Then we went and played games with the kids in the town farthest into the reservation. Blowing bubbles, kicking a ball around, giving the kids a snack (don't mean to make anyone cry, but that was the only food some of them got that day). And there were dogs everywhere, often feral. I had met a really sweet gal from the high school there, waaay back when I was in high school. But the town has taken a severe downturn since then. It is very much like being in the most intimidating inner-city now, in some ways more third-world. I guess the adults have pretty much just been overtaken by apathy and other things; one young friend I made was proud because he'd made it all the way through 8th grade, two grades higher than his father had completed. They have different rules for school attendance I guess, because this is very typical.
In all, it really opened my eyes to what I take for granted. And I'm not just talking about lights that come on when I flip a switch. I mean, here, if a car is flipped over in the road with gasoline flowing out, there will be a patrol car there in minutes, and people redirecting traffic. We unexpectedly wound up driving through the gas trail; when others in our crew drove through some time later there was still noone directing traffic. I was going to tell more on this but still can't without crying...
We were honored to be allowed to do work on the long house. The tables & benches needed sanding, priming & painting. The only downside was that we didn't have time to get a second coat on, but it was cool how that spiffed things up. The splinters on the benches would catch on the older folk's ceremonial clothes and damage them, we sanded & smoothed that away. They even let us eat dinner in the long house one evening! A very interesting thing about the long house- if you ask someone traditional where they live, they will direct you to the longhouse. Their house is just where they stay. As for tribal etiquette, you never interrupt a speaker, even to tell them it's time to wind things up. And a firm grip when shaking hands is regarded as hostile, though they are very understanding of noodleheads like me who don't know that!

This blog entry has been viewed 643 times




You're reading one of many blogs on GardenStew.com.
Register for free and start your own blog today.





Archives All Entries
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006