Just thought I’d give you a dose of Thor, since he hasn’t made an appearance in a while.
This is one of his favorite spots to lounge.
And when he’s not curled up by the window, he’s holding me down at my desk chair.
When it’s 90 degrees and a billion percent humidity, it’s the last place you want a rather hefty feline.
But I wouldn’t trade our snuggle time for anything.
:::
Hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!
As I said the other day, the Rez was a little crazy this past weekend.
Actually, crazy doesn’t quite fit what happened. I’m not sure what does. Maybe you’ll have a better word for it by the time you’re done reading this.
In the wee hours of Sunday morning (read: 12:30 am), we are sound asleep when there is a pounding on the door. It was a friend of ours that had requested Rick to come down to the Trading Post (the building in which his shop is located) because there was a fire.
Paul, the owner of the building was out of town and someone needed to be there. Rick throws on his clothes and heads out the door, but not before asking me if I wanted to come with, which I sleepily kindly decline and tell him that if there was anything exciting, he can come and get me later.
Have I ever mentioned my fear of fires?
When I got up the next morning, I was able to get a full assessment of what occurred the previous night: Someone (or more than likely more than one) decided to get their jollies by playing arsonist to not one but five different targets.
Photo credit
The second fire that was started totally engulfed the Big Drum Building, which is very important to many in the area.
On that night, 2 sweat lodges, a dance circle and a camper and smaller lodge were also destroyed by fire.
To say the least, the community was in a panic. But it wasn’t over yet. At 10:00 am on Sunday, I heard the sirens blaring at the fire station down the block. This time, the target was the MC stand at the Powwow grounds. Luckily, that one was poorly set and did minimal damage.
Hours later the images of the destruction started showing up on Facebook:
Photo credit
This was what remained of the Big Drum Building. The fire was so far out of control and try as they might, the men and women could not save it. The building was a total loss.
Photo credit
The back of the Trading Post suffered minor damage, but the camper and lodge weren’t as lucky.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt in these fires and the police have a “person of interest” in custody.
As the community gets ready for the annual Honor the Earth Powwow, they must also deal with the aftermath that this senseless act of destruction has caused, and the many questions that need to be answered because of it.
I hope those answers come quickly so that the healing may begin.
Sorry I have been negligent in posting to this here blog.
Is it laziness? Perhaps
Is it writer’s block? Kinda
Is it I’m just caught up in the wonderful warm weather of summer and spending as much time away from the computer whenever I can? DEFINITELY!!
I think we all get that way this time of year. Being holed up in the house for the million months of winter in these parts can drive a person cuckoo (I had to Google the spelling of the word… I’m on vacation and so is my brain).
In our contribution to the economy (as in taking out a loan to gas up the vehicle), this past weekend was another road trip for Rick & I.
We piled (is 2 people a pile??) into the car on Saturday and headed south to Nichole’s for her semi-yearly Summer Bash. The grandkids didn’t know we were coming, so we were greeted with screams and hugs and kisses. THE best part of being a grandparent IMO.
While us women folk spent time prepping the food, the men got their testosterone on by playing with the big toys.
While flying around the property on this motorized death trap cycle was apparently fun, I declined to take it for a spin which could have resulted in a possible trip to the emergency room (I have issues).
I did however allow Corey to take me on the 4-wheeler for a personal tour of the woods surrounding the property. I didn’t scream once.
Had Rick taken me I may have done more than scream. (Love you honey!)
The pool was a necessity in the July heat and the kids had a blast! Since I *ahem* forgot my swimsuit, I stayed on the sidelines and avoided the inevitable splashing water that always seems to occur when someone thinks that I need to cool off.
Oh, and a frog crashed the party. This little fella was tucked away in the water hose storage thingamajiggy (I Googled that one too but only because WordPress said that I spelt it wrong.) (Which I didn’t. HA!).
Our original plan was to bring the camper down and spend the night, but Rick was behind at work and wanted to get to the shop bright and early Sunday morning. It was a good thing that we came home, because the Rez went a little crazy that night and, well, I’ll tell you about that next time.
As always it was a wonderful time with family and I’m glad that we made the trip. Oh, and the Cream Cheese bars Nichole made were fabulous!! I hope she doesn’t forget to send me the recipe…
People go to art museums to “Oooh” and “Ahhh” about all the wonderful pictures that people paint.
Here in the upper Midwest, we just have to walk down the street.
Some paintings will pay homage to unsung hero’s.
Or to pioneers that paved the way for new settlers and commerce.
Or it might just remind you of the type of town you’re in.
Whatever the case, it sure makes a walk down Main Street more interesting.
Now if we could just get graffiti artists to do stuff like this, think about how much more exposure they would get!
:::
Have you ever visited a town that did stuff like this?
Going on vacation only an hour or so from your normal habitat can be an adventure. You have a chance to play tourist in your own backyard and meet some very interesting people.
Take for instance Cranberry.
This beautiful feline was accompanied by her human Tony. They are natives of Texas and have forfeited the luxuries of a normal homestead for a motorhome and the highway for a different look at life and living.
Cranberry adopted Tony in a parking lot where she was fed fast food by this loving soul. His soothing southern drawl as well as his down home personality leaves no doubt as to the reason that Cranberry chose his company.
Tony is a self-professed Beatles fan who has spent extensive time in England quenching his thirst for the Fab Four and has amassed an astonishing collection that is in safe hands in a friend’s storage unit while he and Cranberry travel the country.
But his real love always came back to those of the animal kingdom, particularly felines. When I mentioned Big Cat Rescue shortly into our meeting and our conversation quickly turned to events of the organization, I knew that we had similar interests. We spent hours going over topics covering the football rivalry of the Vikings and Packers, “Minnesota Nice” (which was apparently non-existent in Welcome, Minnesota) and politics in general.
This man has personality plus, and Cranberry was the compliment that rounded out this wonderful duo.
I hope these two have some wonderful adventures on the road and that our paths cross again in the future.
:::
If I had to pick the favorite part of our vacation, I would have to say… all of it. You really can’t put a finger on the most wonderful aspect of taking time away from your normal routine and experiencing all that the world has to offer.
As Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz put it, “If I ever going looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any farther than my own back yard; because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
Truer words have never been spoken.