Happy new year!

Hi, everyone.

Does it feel like spring where you are?

I've been thinking about when different groups of we humans consider the beginning of the year...

When I was working at my first post-college full-time job, I remember feeling sad in the fall because I was missing a new year--the start of the academic year. While I was plugging away at work at the same office doing the same kinds of things, there were people starting new projects, making new friends, embarking on new fields of knowledge. I guess it was only a matter of time before I got back into school. (And kept going back, again and again!)

There are some cultures that celebrate the new year around Groundhog Day--the date halfway between winter solstice and vernal equinox. The one that comes to mind immediately is Chinese New Year, but I know I've read about others... (maybe Tibet?) This makes sense to me as the beginning of the year because this is when I can actually tell that the light is coming back; I can really see that winter is waning. (I think this might be why I make a point, each year, to really notice this day.)

And it's not totally unreasonable for us to celebrate the new year when we do in western/Anglo culture, just after winter solstice. It seems to me that this is a way of reminding us that the sun *will* come back, that we've made it through the darkest part of the year even if it doesn't particularly seem like it yet.

But springtime seems like an especially good time to celebrate the beginning of a new year. The birds are coming back and singing up a storm, the trees are budding, plants are sending up new shoots. There are fewer days when you wake up to ice on the ground.

The Lakota celebrate new year's day on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring. They travel to Harney Peak (as ironically named as Custer State Park) in the Black Hills and do a ceremony to begin the year. I hope they're having good weather out there--dry, and not too cold.

Here are some photos, from our front yard, that tell us spring has begun in Ohio...




I bet I'll be showing you photos of our daffodils and tulips before too long!

How is spring coming along where you are?

Cheers,
Karen

Surfacing

Hi, everyone!

Wow, it's been a while. Being back home is more of an adjustment than I'd bargained for. It's WONDERFUL to be with my guys; I missed them so much! (I absolutely RAN the last 50 yards between the plane and the meet-your-loved-ones area, and then broke into sobs when I was hugging the two of them. I'm sure I embarrassed myself, but I really don't care.) And I'm having fun re-connecting with friends; I know some pretty awesome people! :)

At the same time, it's hard to be here as well, hard to be away from the reservation. I'm trying to figure out the reasons for that... and hoping it won't be too long before I can go back.

Anyhoo... I wanted to post some photos and observations from my travel day home. So here they are!

I had a few hours before I had to get to the airport, so I decided to go see the falls for which Sioux Falls is named. It was especially exciting because I'd never seen them in winter before, and it was a mighty cold day and I wasn't sure what they'd look like. They did not disappoint!

Sioux Falls, mostly frozen:



The froth was turning into frozen froth, something I'd never seen before (look on the bottom left):


The rocks somehow seemed even more dramatically geometric with snow on them:




It was pretty darn cool. And it was bitterly cold! I took some photos, said a prayer of thanks to the spirits there, and hurried into the warm building nearby, where, wonder of wonders, I got an egg-bagel-sandwich thing to fortify myself with before the day of flying (because you KNOW they don't feed people on flights anymore).

As you may remember, I had a headcold on the day I flew home--in fact, was a week into it and experiencing the usual symptoms. JUST as I was waiting to board my first of two flights, I got that tickle-in-the-throat feeling that comes with some colds, and that won't be calmed by anything. I tried water, a throat drop, a cough drop, and still was coughing incessantly for at least eight minutes. I even tried suppressing the cough with willpower, to the point where I had tears running down my face! Nothing worked. People started looking at me--sideways at first, but then really looking at me, turning around in their seats. Giving me The Look--you know the one: "Good god, do NOT let her get on my flight." I'm sure they were afraid I was TB-infested.

And from then on out, the theme of my flights seemed to be: srsly??? No, really, SRSLY???

My seatmate for flight #1 was a knitter (yay!) who was incredulous that I was knitting socks. Too hard! she said. I tried to convince her otherwise. Since it was a short flight, the flight attendants just brought a drink: o.j. or water. But by the time they got to me, they were out of o.j. And here, I s**t you not, is the water:


That's THREE FULL OUNCES, my friends, of water-y goodness. (srsly??? 3 ounces???)

On flight #2, the drinks were more generous (a whole can of soda! whee!), but my seatmate not nearly as charming. As he was getting on the plane, I wondered why he was carrying his trash in with him (a McDonald's cup, sans lid or straw). Right as the door closed, he got up to visit the restroom... and then came back with a FAT lower lip. Not fat as in punched, fat as in concealing something in it (like a chipmunk's cheek). I'd seen that look before, and suddenly knew what the cup was for: he's got a wad of chaw in there! BLEAH! (Srsly??? No, really: SRSLY????)

Sure enough, he was spitting black gunk into the cup periodically throughout the flight, and had the cup wedged in between the seat in front of him & the window (which I thought was a bit precarious, given the importance of NOT spilling that vile stuff!). And people had been giving ME a look! I spent that flight trying not to feel nauseated, and massaging my right ear (which closed itself by the time we landed). Hoo-wee.

I have other stuff to catch up on, which I will do soon. I hope to post more frequently, now that I seem to be getting my feet under me again...

Be well,
Karen

All your snot are belong to us**

Posting from the house of yuck... All three of us are sick!

I have a sinus infection, lingering goopy cough, and apparently blood behind my eardrum (from flying). But I am on antibiotics, so should be getting better soon. Dexter has a persistent/reoccurring headache and fever and occasional goopy cough; Motrin Jr. is our friend. Patrick has congestion & fatigue (sleeping a LOT); he's been alternating between Alka Seltzer cold & Nyquil. All three of us have been shuffling around in our pjs for a couple days. I managed to summon the energy to get showered & dressed & go to the dr. on Tuesday, and when I was getting my Rx filled stocked up on sickie-poo supplies--kleenex, juice, soup, applesauce, jello. We are pitiful but looking forward to being more bright & social in a day or two (we hope!!!).

I feel like I'm in suspended animation, not really processing my departure from South Dakota, or my adjustment back to life in Ohio--I guess mostly because this really isn't life in Ohio, it's life in sickie-poo-land. I'm looking forward to having more energy so I can write, think, plan...

I have some photos to post, but will do that when I can write more. For now, wish us healing thoughts!

Ciao from the house of yuck,
Karen

**This is a reference to a gaming phrase, and I don't play electronic games, but I really liked when it morphed its way into the knitting world in a t-shirt that says "All your yarn are belong to us." Mwah ha ha!! Here's an explanation... (And may I not be struck by lightning for linking to wikipedia!)

Hard landing

Hello, everyone.

I will post some photos & an update soon, but this is just a note to say I'm home and safe. My travel home was uneventful EXCEPT for the fact that the cold I caught last week did NOT exit gracefully before I had to fly. It was pretty painful, but I made it through. I couldn't hear anything out of my right ear on Friday, but it's better now. I may end up going to the dr. this week if the cough & gunk doesn't go away. (My body is making mucus like it's my job...)

More soon,
Karen

SaFe and Sound in Sioux Falls

I am here. It took an extra couple of hours, but I'm grateful that I did not take any unscheduled detours into a ditch.

Here are some views of the desolate, wind-blown plains; it never did get very warm today (wind chills below zero)...



Even the interstate was kind of scary in places. The sun broke out when I got to the Missouri River for a little bit (where the deepest part of the river is now open--i.e., no longer frozen), then it was clouds all the way to Sioux Falls, where it is snowing now.

Here's the only pheasant I saw today:


Here's what the phone books are called here. :)


And here's evidence that I'm alive & well & in my fancy hotel room.

Ciao from the big city on the prairie,
Karen

Bugging out...

Wouldn't you know... I was supposed to leave here early Friday morning for my afternoon flight out of Sioux Falls, but there's a winter storm invading! Luckily, the worst of it is north of I-90, my main travel route. However, the temp.s are going to be way below zero on Thursday night. A little bit of "wintry mix" fell last night. So I'm leaving a day early--TODAY, in just a couple hours--so I can travel in the warmest part of the day today and get to Sioux Falls in plenty of time, as safely as possible.

I always have a hard time with goodbyes, and the suddenness of my departure makes this whole thing kind of weird. I have already said a few, and I'll leave a note for everyone in the Lakota Studies department, but I won't get to leave the way I imagined. I know this is okay; it just feels strange.

In the past few days, I have reminded myself that I will be back... so I don't have to worry about something I didn't get to see, or something I don't yet understand, or someplace I want to be again, or someone I want to talk with again. I don't know when or how, but I will be back!

Goodbye, Rosebud. I will miss you like heck! And yet I'm SO excited to go home!

Here are a couple last photos of one of my favorite places here--taken at Grass Mountain on a nicer day. :)


I'll post a note when I get to Sioux Falls...

Ciao from the prairie,
Karen

A puzzle for Dexter

Dear Dexter,

Can you figure out what I did yesterday? I'll give you some photos as clues:


This last one might give it away...

Also, here are some creatures who might be friends of P.Dogg's... They put up a BIG fuss when I got close to their village!




This guy told me to get a close-up shot. So I did!


See you soon!

Love,
Mommy