Reality check

I’m just here to say the current state of affairs in our country is not normal.

I will never accept it as normal.

A long term enemy of this country interfered in our election process 
and continues to influence those sitting in the seats of power.

The people at the center of this travesty get together at world summits
and laugh about it -
making no effort to hide their actions.
And why should they?
There are NO consequences for them. 

Immigration officers raid hospital rooms and schools, 
tearing children away from their parents, 
inflicting trauma that will reverberate for a lifetime.

We put children in cages,
depriving them of basic human care -
for a profit.

LGBTQ rights are eroding.

Environmental protections are vanishing; 
the earth is being looted, 
ecosystems destroyed and polluted, 
possibly beyond repair.

Puerto Rico is still in shambles – 
a year after being slammed by a massive hurricane – 
and we turn a blind eye,
moving on to the next newly created crisis.

People in our country, the richest country in the world, 
are still without potable, clean water in their own homes.(ex Flint, MI).

Hate crimes are on the rise - in all areas of the country.

Gun sales and murder rates continue to escalate with no response from elected officials; 
officials who have been bought and paid for by the gun lobby; 
officials who value campaign contributions over the lives of their constituents.

Medical care for thousands has been compromised by sabotaging the Affordable Care Act 
and bankruptcies due to medical expenses are once again on the rise after years of decline.

‘Christians’ distort basic tenants of the very Gospel they profess to live by –

refusing to show hospitality to strangers, 

refusing to feed the hungry, 

refusing to give shelter to the homeless, 

refusing to LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. 

‘Christians’ embrace a pathological liar, 
a serial breaker of marital vows, 
a corrupt businessman who lies, swindles and cheats as easily as he breathes.

Feigned outrage over some off color remarks from a comedian 
while wholeheartedly embracing that same quality in a leader 
“who tells it like it is” is the very nature of incongruence. 

Sorry, friends, 
when you accepted a man who spews hate 
and proudly displays his ignorance, 
you forfeit the moral high ground.

Facts are no longer ‘facts’;
they are inconveniences to be twisted, distorted and debated.

Science is suspect.

The rule of law is for all us in flyover country, 
not those in the White House.

Taking an oath 
“to solemnly preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” 
was just another vow he had no intention of keeping.

A revolving door where “the best people” enter 
and soulless hacks with ruined careers are spit back out months later, 
having failed the loyalty test created in the bottomless ego pit 
of a narcissistic man-child.

Everything is contextual, malleable and ever changing.

It’s all smoke and mirrors, 
“nothing to see here” and “look at the shiny new thing”.

It’s all beyond comprehension.

It defies all logic.

But make no mistake, 

while this has become our new ‘norm’,

it is not normal –

nor should it ever be.

Rosebud Fair, looking back

It's almost time.

In less than 1 month, 

I'll be headed back to Rosebud Reservation

for the Annual Wacipi (Pow Wow) and Fair.

It's one of my favorite events of the year.

Nothing matches it for color, movement, sounds 

and a glimpse into 

a segment of our country that we rarely see.

 Am I the only one who thinks this little one looks like a Kardashian?

These two dancers have long been some of my favorites -

I'm sure they have wonderful names;

but in my head when I see them 

they're  Screamin Eagle and Pine cone Man

OK, so not everyone is happy to be photographed.

When I asked his mom if it was OK to take his picture, she laughed and said "Good luck",

 so I'm not taking it personally.

One of our partner families through Habitat for Humanity;

photo by a wonderful photographer who lives on the reservation, Kernit Grimshaw.

Grannies with purses,

pretty much the same in every culture!

Getting excited!

Land of Enchantment

Santa Fe:

the most un-American looking American city I've ever seen.

Just one of the reasons I love it.

 So much to draw me there.

 So much to keep me here.

Will have to reconcile myself to living a divided life

and find the right balance.

There are worse ways to live.

Another trip to Santa Fe

What can I say?

This could get to be a habit.

This time, since I was driving, also included stops in Kansas,

to stay at a restored Railroad Hotel,

to see the worlds largest Czech egg (in Wilson, KS)

and to see other delights.

 Then a quick jaunt up to Lucas, KS

to see the Garden of Eden;

a fabulous art environment, 

built by visionary SP Dinsmore. 

All the structures are concrete,

including the house, which is made to look like a log cabin.

Spiritual and political images and references abound.

Can you imagine what the neighbors thought?

I think Dinsmore and I might have been BFF's in another time.

 

The sign at the Garden of Eden saying

Do Not Enter

Exit Only 

cracks me up every time I look at it!

 He built a mausoleum on the grounds 

in which he and his wife are buried.

He thought the turkey should be the country's 'bird' rather than the eagle -

and made his preference known.

I regret that my timing was off.

I was there early in the morning -

and shooting right into the sun for many of the pictures.

Next time, I'll get there late in the afternoon or early evening 

and have the sun behind me.

Lesson learned.

And, yes, here will be a next time.

BTW, 

Lucas also has one of the greatest public restrooms in the country.

 Shaped like a toilet, 

complete with a roll of paper.

and fabulous mosaics inside.

In both the men's room

and the women's

 Go on, I dare you to find a classier public restroom.

Don't ever think Kansas is all cornfields and highways.

You just have to know where to look for its riches.

But Santa Fe beckoned, so it was back on the road.

More to come.