A full week

of physical labor

under the intense South Dakota sun.

 

By far, 

my favorite part was planting indigenous plants -

cranberries, golden currants, chokecherries and juneberries -

along the Little White River;

 a beautiful river that wends its way through the reservation.

 I also gained a whole new appreciation 

for the work of my mulch man!

I'm used to spreading mulch -

but not making it,

 hauling it,

unloading it

and THEN spreading it!

 

Important life lesson learned:

don't use the chipper when its been raining;

the wet pulp will create a huge mess that's guaranteed to gum up the blades!

 

No one 'missions' alone -

and my companions made the week fly by

 in our luxury accommodations!

 Try not to be too jealous!

Anything is bearable for a few days/nights though, right?

Doing wash, getting caught up on mail, and getting back to work -

will be back in the swing of things before I know it!