Last Minute Decisions

Sometimes last minute decisions are the best, as when I asked Em if she wanted to stay with me a couple of nights. She had not brought anything with her, but we will make do. Maybe we will even cut and sew something to wear. Em has been sewing pieces of fabric together very creatively; maybe it is time to learn some basics.

Another last minute decision led us to a performance of the Kwahadi Indian Dancers at our local theater. We had front row seats for this dynamic group. They moved and twirled so fast and hard that we had a cool breeze most of the time. Pictured here, Alex chose Em to dance with the group in a large circle. It took a bit of cajoling for shy Em to get up there, but the young man was very persistent and Em had quite an experience.

I have been to pow-wow dances and other Boy Scout dances, but this was one of the best I have seen. I wish I could bottle the energy the kids displayed. Of course, the few "maidens" included in the program were given very secondary roles, but times are changing and the roles have evolved a little. A couple of the girls did join in the Hoop Dance and gave a very good performance.

The "Eagle Dance" was presented by members of the group who have earned their Boy Scout Eagle rank or Girl Scout Gold Award. The guys had long black cloths, edged in Eagle feathers, which extended from left fingertips to right fingertips across the shoulders. They dipped and swayed, moving their arm / wings to the drumbeat, then resting with wings folded around themselves protectively. It was quite impressive and really gave the sense of an Eagle in flight. The girls moved their feet to the drumbeat, swaying to the side occasionally, while holding 3 Eagle feathers in each hand. Well, I guess it is a beginning. There was probably a time when girls were not even allowed to participate with the guys. I do believe all the Eagles I have seen, fly the same. I can't tell a boy Eagle from a girl Eagle in flight, or on the ground for that matter.

There is more to this group's performance than dancing. Throughout the program, authenticity, history, and good decision making are stressed. Children and adults are admonished to believe in themselves, continually set goals and work to make them happen. On top of it all, the costumes are wonderful! It was a stellar performance by a stellar group.

The Kwahadi Indian Dancers have their own theater and museum complex in Amarillo, Texas, the Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum. They have shows during the year and will be touring the eastern US prior to crossing to the northwest. They were joined last night by the Sahawes, a group from Uvalde, Texas. Plan to attend a performance at your first opportunity!

I LOVE being a Grandma!

Wordless Wednesday - "Grease Rack"

More photos for Wordless Wednesday

A Room of My Own

.....and here is the rest of the story....

We had a four bedroom house, not quite large enough for each child to have his / her own bedroom. By default as the only male child, DS had his own room. Kr was older than the rest so she had one, and the two younger girls, Ko & Ki, shared a room. When Ko & Ki were old enough to realize what was going on, the requests for "a room of my own" became incessant. I tried all the usual tactics, including appealing to their sisterly love for each other, and stories of how neither their father nor I had had our own rooms until we were living on our own.

"Please," Ko begged, "I don't need much space. Just let me have a spot in the laundry room, it has a door."
"There is hardly room for the washer and dryer, which gets daily use, much less a bed," I explained.
"We could get a blow-up mattress, and I could keep my clothes in a basket," she countered.

Of course the idea was more than ridiculous but it did drive home her desire for her own space. I knew what she was going through. I once got so mad at my sister when we we shared a room while growing up, that I put a string down the middle of our room and dared her to cross over into "my space" unless she was entering or leaving the room. She did a lot coming and going that day.

"When Kr leaves, then one of you can move into her room," I told them. I felt a twinge of disloyalty. It didn't seem fair that going away to school should deprive one of the allocated space at home. On the other hand, it didn't seem fair to have an empty room while two people had to share. I wrestled with, what I was sure was, an age-old problem.

On a hot, humid day in August 1983, we prepared to take Kr to the airport for her exciting year as an exchange student in Germany. Ko & Ki were happily busy in their room chatting, packing, and moving things around.
"Get ready to go to the airport, girls," I admonished them.
"Oh, we will just stay here," they said.
"No. you won't," I countered.
"But we want to be ready!" they said.
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"Well, you said as soon as Kr moved out of her room, one of us could have it, so Ki is moving into it. We'll do it while you take Kr to the airport."

I don't remember exactly how I handled that. I do know I was mentally trying to deal with the idea that I was sending a, still young, daughter off to a foreign land for a whole year out of arm's reach of our direct supervision, while trying to convince myself that we had done our best in laying the groundwork for her principles and values.

"You will go to the airport with us to see your sister off!" I told them . "When we get back, we will discuss the move."

There was a definite air of excitement in the car as we headed home. We arrived and the two girls raced up the stairs to begin moving Ki into her older sister's room. For several years, Ki had to spend time in Ko's room when Kr was home, as was originally agreed. Eventually, the room defaulted to Ki.

Somehow, activity always seemed to ease the "empty nest" syndrome.

Happy Birthday

From the Memory Box - "Hurricane Alicia"

From the Memory Box.....

"I remember Ki mopping up water seeping through Kr's window while
she slept......Going for Mexican food that night and sucking on ice cubes out of
the margaritas.......Kr leaving for Germany the next day."

Hurricanes are a fact of life along the Gulf Coast. We lived a tad inland from Houston, so we did not get the full force of the storms, but weathered the side effects. Whether we were on the "clean" or "dirty" side of the storm, depended on where the hurricane "hit." That determined how much rain / wind / damage we received. Hurricane Alicia formed off the coast of Louisiana on August 15th, 1983. She quickly progressed to a Category 3 storm and promptly made landfall on the west end of Galveston Island in the wee hours of the morning on August 18th. Galveston suffered, but was partially protected by the seawall which was built after the devastating hurricane of 1900. Alicia spawned 14 tornadoes between Galveston and Houston as the storm made landfall, and 9 more touched down the next day between Houston and Tyler.

Our house, about 70 miles northwest of Galveston, leaked like a sieve under the heavy wind-driven rain. We mopped around windows and door sills for hours as the storm moved through. All family members were pressed into service, except Kr, who slept through it all. We were fortunate, the only real damage in our small neighborhood was a neighbors patio roof which was spirited away by heavy wind or, we surmised, a small tornado. Our big trees lost limbs and there was a lot of debris, but those were minor annoyances in such times.

More important considerations in the aftermath of the storm, were amenities. We lost our electricity. Living almost in the "country" and not having city utilities, we relied on our septic tank and water well. Without electricity, we had nothing - no water, no bathroom, no refrigerator, no TV or lights. Although candles and flashlights became necessities and we could, in a pinch, cook in the fireplace, it is still hot and humid during hurricane season, so firing up the fireplace was a last resort. Some areas were without power for 2 weeks. We were more fortunate.

Since Kr was leaving the next day for a year-long jaunt as an exchange student in Germany, we had planned to celebrate at our favorite Mexican Restaurant that night. Surprisingly, the restaurant was open. By enforced candlelight, without air-conditioning, we had a great meal for Kr's send-off. It was a tribute to free-enterprise that the restaurant was able to provide meals under adverse circumstances. It was also a tribute to the local people that they accepted what was available and made the best of it. The restaurant was packed with customers and staff in celebration mode.

We put Kr on the plane the next day, and her sisters.....well.....that's another story.

Odd Shots on Monday - "The Kissing Trees"

I found these near the Brontosaurus. Maybe it is an enchanted forest.

PHOTOHUNT - "I spy"

I spy a dinosaur. A Brontosaurus?

More PhotoHunt here.