YES

 

It could happen any time, tornado

earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.

Or sunshine, love, salvation.

It could, you know. That's why we wake

and look out - no guarantees

in this life.

But some bonuses, like morning,

like right now, like noon,

like evening.

William Stafford

Waiting for Fall

 My allergies and I are waiting with bated breath for fall; 

actually we're waiting to HAVE breath -

unstuffy, uncongested, clear breath -

and THAT won't happen until the first hard frost apparently...

so, we're still waiting!

I did go on a road trip 'Up North',

Wisconsin and northern IL,

hoping that several hundred miles might make a difference.

 

It DID; but only because it was a nice distraction, 

with prettier scenery and fun with family that I hadn't seen for awhile.

Trips to Door County and Washington Island allowed for a hint of fall color;

enough to provide respite when I returned to temperatures in the upper 80's

upon my return home.

Some sights are so iconic Wisconsin that if you know you know -

and if you don't, there's not much to say.

Hint: goats on roof = amazing Swedish pancakes with ligonberries.

 

 It was also fun to see a niece's new condo, still in the midst of renovations

but reflecting the people I love who live there and looking very much like 'home' for them!

SO glad they've moved back closer to the rest of us.

Got home just in time for the first of the fall birthday celebrations

 and to get decked out for Halloween.

Certainly not as grand, but 'home' nonetheless.

October is off to a good start -

congestion notwithstanding.

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.