How can summer be over already?

 There's so much to be said about current realities - and so many others saying it -

I'll leave it at this and move on.

I returned yesterday from a short trip to the reservation;

a place in South Dakota that holds a piece of my heart.

Prior to Covid, I had gone there every summer for almost 2 decades.

 

It's been 3 years since the reservation was 'shut down' 

to minimize the spread of infection 

and in that time

a lot has changed -

and nothing has changed.

What does 'isolation' look like 

in a part of the country 

that was already forgotten and ignored?

The Lakota people have lived in the midst of beauty and brokenness

all their lives.

 If anything,

the sense of community, 

as exhibited during the Wacipi and Fair, 

was stronger than ever;

among the honorees were: 

the White Buffalo Calf Woman Shelter, 

a resource on the reservation for victims of domestic violence for 50 years;

the 9 children whose bodies were returned 'home' to the reservation 

after being found in unmarked graves at Carlisle Indian School, 

one of a system of government sanctioned forced removal and alienation centers

aimed to extinguish indigenous traditions and people,

as well as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,

an epidemic that is still not adequately addressed with appropriate allocation of resources.

As always,

even in the midst of all the tragedy, 

the regalia of the Lakota  -

the color, movement and artistry -

is breathtakingly beautiful.

It was wonderful to see so many children participating in traditional dancing this year!

 

It gives one hope for the future:

They tried to bury us;

they didn't know we were seeds.

It was much too short a visit,

but after a 3 year absence,

a balm for the soul.

Up North again

 I've written before about being lucky enough to have friends with a summer house 

in Northern Michigan; 

and even luckier that they invited me to come up again

for another week this summer.

 

'My' week, in the past, has been at the end of the summer, 

so coming up this early in the season was a new experience.

 

It was glorious.

And its totally convinced me 

that I truly need to be living somewhere 

where it's cool enough to grow poppies!

I'm fairly certain this is what heaven looks like.

Add in the requisite barns, wineries that looked like we were in Tuscany,

roadside stands and tourist 'oddities',

and I loved every minute of it -

even if it rained 4 out of the 7 days I was there.

As you can see, the rain was fabulous for their gardens 

and , even on a rainy day, the beauty in the state parks was breath taking.

In the community where my friends live, the ferns are as big as shrubs!

Can you tell I'm still smitten with the area?

Throw in a few art galleries with local artists, 

a funky iconic restaurant and charming hamlets and you've got the perfect get away.

It was perfect from start to finish.

And, yes, that's what the sunset looked like - 

thanks, in part, I suspect, to some smoke from the fires in Canada.

There was also a stop in Chicago to see family while on my way home -

and those visits are never long enough either.

So busy gabbing, I didn't take very many pictures during that phase of the trip.

Plus, truth be told, I brought back a small souvenir from my travels - COVID.

The onyl symptom I had was a productive hacking cough that racked my whole body;

when I started hocking up green gobs of what looked like Superglue, 

I suspected I wasn't 'just' dealing with allergies. 

I was still shocked when I had a positive in home test -

this with all immunizations and boosters on board.

I can only imagine how scary it was to have this cough and lack of breath 

before they discovered Paxlovid.

I got started on the medicine right away and its definitely helping

although the metallic after taste is awful!

Small price to pay, though, if it keeps me out of the hospital

and off a ventilator.

Anyway, I'm home - and using this enforced downtime for more creations

I'm so easily amused!