Top Ten Things An American Indian Can Say To A White Person

Oh gosh, I've said my share of stupid things! And yes, I know what you mean!

Hahahaha. However, I'm looking into the glass darkly, and see that I need to do better. :-)

I'm on my way! I'm wading through my tracker... and saved it to read! If I get to it tonight, I'll be doing good-- but Kavika, I'll be there!

It has been a very tough week, and that's the truth. Margaret had her first chemo today, the sister from California is in, and I want to see her as much as I can-- we never get to see each other and I love her so much! She isn't my sister, but thanks to a good marriage, she has become one!

Margaret did well on her first chemo. I gave her my coat, because she didn't have a warm coat, and she loves it! Yeeehaaa, fake fur lined is warm! AND, we're all getting through day by day. All in all, life is very good right now. As we used to say in our family, "We're eating our white breat and butter!" akin to "We're in tall cotton now!"

Love you, Kavika-- I'll be there soonly!

Thanks so very much-- it was much easier on her than I thought it would be... but the effects are cumulative, so I'm hoping that she will be able to get through the next few days.

I've spoken to so many people lately that feel as I do-- any day you're on this side of the grass looking down, you're doing pretty good! :-)

(((((((((((Kavika))))))))))))))

Yup! :-)

It's a lovely day today... I sing that all the time. I've found that if you sing it loud enough, your heart hears it, and feels better. ;-)

When people ask me ''How are you''

I tell them I'm on the right side of the dirt.

I think we're all guilty of sticking our head up our butt at times

I have often wondered just how big Will was. He looked HUGE. He made Nicholson look on the small side. Will's character was very stoic and a perfect foil to Jack's. He played the role so well, so naturally, the director was blinded by the acting and his own assumption that all Indians are stoic.

Ok I'll take my shot at this

1. How much white are you? Pretty darn white and I can even dance too

2. I am part white myself, you know. Which part?

3. I learned your peoples way in the Boy Scouts. great... go start a fire and cook me something

4. My Great Grandmother was a full blood White Princess. My great grandmother has no blood ..she's dead

5. Funny, you don't look white. funny you don't look stupid

6. Where's your powdered wig and knickers? With my dead Great grandma.

7. Do you live in a covered wagon? Your thinking of the illegal aliens.

8. What is the meaning behind the Square Dance? old people that don't know what else to do with their ugly clothes

9. What is your feeling about River Boat Casino's? do they help your people, or are they a short term fix? They help take my money and they're to big to inject

10. Hey, can I take your picture? Before or after I scalp you?

My turn:

1. How much white are you? I'm fish belly white.

2. I am part white myself, you know. Sometimes parts of me can be red, blue, black and green, depending on what I am painting,

3. I learned your peoples way in the Boy Scouts. You mean the ways of the Irish?

4. My Great Grandmother was a full blood White Princess. My great grandmother had a picture of a full blooded, white Princess. I think the Princess was the daughter of the English Queen.)

5. Funny, you don't look white. Just wait until spring time when I shave my legs and start wearing shorts. I'll show you WHITEl Have sun glasses handy because the reflected sun has been known to cause retina burns in people who stared at them to long.

6. Where's your powdered wig and knickers? The powdered wigs I left in Williamsburg in a past life. I still have the knickers and just LOVE getting them in a bunch.

7. Do you live in a covered wagon? Nope...Do you live in De Nile?

8. What is the meaning behind the Square Dance? Heck I can't figure the meaning of a line dance, much less anything as complicated as a Square dance.

9. What is your feeling about River Boat Casino's? do they help your people, or are they a short term fix? I know they are not helping me and my family. The Hubby and I always go and visit our money there on Friday nights. Sometimes we get home visitations rights from the Casino and our money can go home with us for the weekend. But that is a short term visit...not a fix.

10. Hey, can I take your picture? You want a broken camera? HELL NO!

Haha this is great! I love the picture one at the end! It reminds me of a few years ago when I was at Crazy Horse National Monument in South Dakota. My great grandmother is Sioux, and her dark complexion has passed down into our pasty white family, thus my grandma, dad, and my siblings and I are rather tan with darker hair. Anywhooo, I was about 15 at the time and walking around checking the place out when a little boy came running up to me with a camera and honest to God said this, "Can I take a picture wif joo?! You are a pwetty indian lady!" My heart melted but I had to explain to him that I wasn't a Native American but I would still love a picture if he wanted one :) How could I pass up such a cutie pie!?

If anyone asks me why I am so dark, I happily explain that background, but I always say I am more Italian and Spaniard than Native American. You can see the European more in my face so I guess that's easier for people to understand haha :) Awesome seed!

How very fascinating! I've got to look that up! :-)

oh how about Elvis Priestly? Charles Bronson? Chuck Conors? Juilie Newmar? Jean Simmons? Victor Mature as Chief Crazy Horse? Audrey Hepburnas a Kiowa woman stolen from her tribe as a child? and the biggest NA impostor: Iron Eyes Cody....Cody was born as Espera Oscar de Corti and was Sicilian!!!!

But in all fairness to Cody, his blood may have been Sicilian but his heart was Cherokee-Cree . From what the Documentray said and what i have since read he lived his life as if he were of Native American descent, both on and off the screen, and he strongly supported American Indian causes. In 1995, the Hollywood American Indian community honored Cody for his contributions to the representation of Indian life

I had to look up 'rez car' too. It was as I thought it would be. Other terms would be; 'gitmo mobile' (Guatamino(sp) Bay, Cuba USN base , 'beater,' and 'Yooper Mobile' (Upper Peninsula of Michigan car). The horn area of the U.P. averages 280 inches of snow per year.

Y'all might get a kick out of this video by 'Da Yoopers' called 'Rusty Chevrolet'.

"Rusty Chevrolet" by Da Yoopers

I enjoy seeing pictures of my family in Da Yoopee eh... Shoveling their roof from snow accumulation.

I actually no da head yooper dude , If ya ever get up to Ishpeming check out Hooly's place the tourist trap

I tink your link got broke stoney so I gave ya some help dere bud.

GEEEEEEEE...how wonderful to see you back...!!! I've missed you. Course it's winter time now, and I know things tend to slow down for you during the winter months when you become more "house-bound"...allowing you more "Time" to play. I sincerely hope we git to see more of you in the near future...? Hope all is well with you and yer family...

Nice to see you too.

Hope all is well with you and yer family...

See 33.7 he he.. were all on the right side..

Yea y'all will be see'in more of me for a wee bit , like it or not. More so after the holidays though. I promise to get up to speed by New years. Painting season presently and the relatives and friends are lining up looking for their Christmas presents. Still a little busy. Been a mild winter here so far which has kept me breathing the good air a little longer than normal too . Ya know, I think I might like global warming? wish your family the best too my friend have a great holiday and I look forward to reading your TL travel memoirs. Ho Ho this!

I laughed so hard this morning watching the Weather Channel [because my husband asked me to find out how long we were supposed to get this rain]. And 1st thing I see... ARIZONA SNOW! [albeit I didn't see what part... coulda been mountains] But none the less... AZ getting SNOW and MICHIGAN ISN'T!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Kentucky and Tennessee got snow BEFORE us this year too!!! Hell, I think Grump mentioned it bein a bit frosty in New Mexico before MI!!!!

Hm. Maybe it's not global warming, but global shifting...... ☺

Maybe it's not global warming, but global shifting...

Or a season shift? I often thought about that, it seems winter is arriving later here and spring isn't arriving as early.

Kavika ,I hope you don't mind us jawing a little off topic on the weather and such? I get to talking about one thing and pretty soon I'm rambling on about something else totally irrelevant. I blame it on the strong coffee sorry...

Or a season shift? I often thought about that, it seems winter is arriving later here and spring isn't arriving as early.

I have most certainly thought that too.

I expect us to get slammed next month starting around the 10th... My wedding anniversary... And continue through the 14th... My birthday.

Well.. happy early anniversary and birthday to you! I hope you get diamonds rather than tin.

Sounds like your a neighbor..

I live just south of Detroit.

And since Christmas, Anniversary, and my bday are all bundled in 3 wks, we usually just go out to dinner and have the grandparents take the chitlins for the night. ☺

Thanks Bud. I've been to the 'Trap'. Interesting place. "Look at the stinger on her"! "I'll call the Chef"! The Seney(sp) stretch has never been a favorite of mine.

Here in S. OR., albeit at altitude, we had 8 inches of snow in November. And we do have Thimbleberries. YUM! We also have blackberries, Cougars (4 legged and 2), brown and black bear, elk, and mule deer.

In the Ishpeming area there's a house on a 'postage stamp' island. If there's anyone in the area would it be possible to take a couple photos and email them

to me? The reason I ask is it could end up in a painting.

[blasted computer gremlins]

In the Ishpeming area there's a house on a 'postage stamp' island. If there's anyone in the area would it be possible to take a couple photos and email them

Not sure which would be the one your looking for? there's a bunch in the general vicinity

possibly the Granite Island Light Station out of Marquette?

or the Copper harbour light house 17th pic down

Deer lake out of Ishpeming has a few island houses, check the satellite veiw

I go there at least once a year, narrow the search a bit and I might be able to get you what your looking for.

My fault, Ishpeming is further west than I remembered. Copper Harbor's at the tip of Keewenau, it has Fort Pickens to the East. There was a restaurant that had a large black and white photo on the wall from 1927.

A Ford freighter had become frozen in the ice and they drove the Model T's on the ice the half mile to shore. Sadly, the restaurant burned down a few years later.

No, this island of maybe 2-3 acres was on Superior. You'd be heading west along the lake and cross a bridge (big help) heading into town where the road bent North (another big help). Not far, maybe a quarter-mile, was a road spur jutting about 2 O'clock with a very short bridge to the island with a house and pines on it. Could it have been as far west as Marquette? It would have been on 28 or the very early part of 41. I'm thinking 28.

It must be between Munising and Marquette. You have me stumped on this one,, Sounds a little like the Marquette harbour light house, though there isn't too many pine trees not to sure about the bridges. 28 and 41 merge together for a while between Harvey and Marquette and run a long the lake, Not until you start heading up the keweenaw peninsula does 41 run a long the lake again. I'll keep thinking about it.

Could this be it?

You should be able to find something from this website anyways.

Might be a few pine trees, or maybe memory filled them in. Once 28 and 41 break away from the lake it isn't a factor. No, not McClain St. Park west of Calumet. Tree branches used to inter-twine for a ways above the road projecting a lovely tunnel. I used to swim there protected by the break water, not that I ever went far-not at those water temperatures.

I suppose the house I saw on the little island could have been a lighthouse. I never saw, or don't recall ever seeing a tower on the far side. The island might have been 100 feet, or so, from the highway shore.

Where the heck was that thing? This is now starting to bug me. I had used Google maps and went for a closer resolution and viewed the areas. I didn't find anything as it isn't relevant to the purpose. Such didn't surprise me, but it was an avenue to check.

I see you figured out some things here on NV!

You are in blue!!

Sure, I've done a bit of digging. :) I don't pretend to know the half of it. It takes time, and using a new system to become familiar with it. :)

Oh, yes, and I've been known to ask for directions, too! :D

Good. You must be a bit like me in the way that, if you figure it out on your own, you don't forget it. But sometimes need guidance to nudge in the right direction.

Where the heck was that thing? This is now starting to bug me.

It's got me wondering....

The closest thing I can think of right now is the Marquette light house Click on this link

There were beaches on both sides with a break wall to the east , From the beaches it looks like an Island But it's actually a peninsula. Time has changed the area quite a bit. The light tower isn't that visible at certain angles. Was this island your looking for by a break wall?

MsAubrey;

Sure, if you figure it out there's a tendency to remember it. And, sometimes, a hint causes all the 'pieces' to fall into place.

Navy crews are said to be crazy. Military electronics folks tearing into avionics equipment and working on the jets are said to be nuts. Since I've done both and the weirder and wackier the problem the more fun I had must make me insane! :D

Stone Age stuff, Space Age stuff, and Dick Tracey stuff. Wild.

G;

The link didn't work. I did some digging and am considering various factors.

G;

I've been informed the postage stamp sized island with cottage is between L'ance and Baraga. My memory put it too far east. Any ideas?

When I was working on Long Island, they continually made fun of my southern accent. However, THEY all sounded as if they had just stepped off the boat from Ireland, Spain, you name it. I didn't say that, of course, I just grinned and spoke more slowly, so they could understand the corn pone and grits...

Dowser #6.2

I know what you mean. I grew up Florida and joined the AF when I was 18. My second assignment was to WestoverAFB in Chicopee Falls Mass (The base is gone now). Anyway, that New England accent just killed me at first. Seemed every common word with an "ar" in it was pronounced as if it had an "ah" instead Ex. - "It would have cost me a quah-ter to pahk there so I have to pahk my cah in the yahd to get some whater." (sorry best example of the accent I can type).

I tend to pick up the local accents easily and after two years there I was sounding pretty New Englandish myself. So were did I go next? Shreveport, Louisiana, home of the ragin' cajuns and the creole accent. There was major difficulties with me understanding them and vise versa with my quasi-New England accent.

My brother in law, born and raised in the wealthier sections of Chicago, can not understand deep southern accents. My sister has to translate. We took the girls to Disney World when they were 8 and 11. First morning there the waitress had a typical deep south accent and I dropped right back into it and spoke to her in kind. My husband and the girls thought I had suffered a stroke or something as they had never hear me speaking that way.

LOL!

I speak 'southern' as a matter of course, and can't help it. If I work very hard, enunciate very carefully, and speak about my work, using all kinds of technical terms, I can sound like a really smart southerner. But, my southern accent clings to me like the smell of frying. It's in my bones or something.

I love that the Long Island Natives asked me if I wanted a "soder". Huh? "Yay-us, ah'd just looove a Coke!" ;-)

I loved those people up there, the people I worked with were the nicest, sweetest people around. I was really fortunate to work with a bunch of realllly nice people. We teased, back and forth some, but they knew I would have helped them any way I could, and I felt the very same, after the first day or two... :-)

Oooh, Dowser, once upon a time my cousin and I took our elderly great Uncle to Vermont to pick up maple syrup that he got every year and to see the fall foliage. He was mostly deaf so we had to talk loud. We had breakfast one morning at this really nice little restaurant and the whole place went silent when we ordered. I was so embarrased and tried to talk faster but no use! I felt like a civil war southern spy.

I can certainly relate to that one! :-)

We once took a horse and carriage ride around Monument Circle in Indianapolis. The guide proceeded to tell us how 1) living in the Ohio River Valley, she got all kinds of allergies, 2) the statue was dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the War of Southern Rebellion, and 3) she had NO idea why on earth they would bother to have a Kentucky street. Oh, and Abraham Lincoln was born in Indiana... We sat silently through her litany of misinformation until the very end.

As we exited her carriage, I told her that, as her guest, I found it to be a very insulting monologue and she needed to check her history. She was located approximately 120 miles NORTH of the Ohio River and to check her geography-- she was NOT located in the Ohio River Valley. Kentucky Street was so named because all the streets in that area were named for states that happened to be states when Indiana finally became a state, as a tribute-- meaning, we were here first, you yahoo. Oh, and by the way, Kentucky was not a southern state, but a union state. Not to mention, but Honest Abe was born in Hodgekinville, Kentucky. She looked as if she had bitten into a very sour grape. Sheesh, if that is the history taught these days, our school systems are full of it.

Eons ago I was posted to Holy Loch, Scotland in the USN. Three months later an individual rotated back to the States. Fifteen months later I rotated back to the States and happened to be assigned to the same ship. Each person must stand three generator watches under the direction of some one else as all ship's electrical generation differs. Full accents (cut with a knife) and slang were in play. The next day one of the engine room crew asked what language we were speaking as they couldn't understand a single word. My reply of English was unexpected.

Four years later this Yankee was in the USAF going to a six month schooling in Biloxi, Mississippi. This was three months after I had gotten married and I had left my wife in the north. Two months later she flew in for a weekend and we headed for Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

That Sunday morning we were at a pancake house for breakfast. Most folks were probably at Church so it wasn't busy. The waitress would take care of the new folks then come back to chat.

We paid the bill and left. My wife said; "You have no idea what you did back there".

I was puzzled. "The waitress was a friendly lady".

"No. When you spoke to me, you spoke normally. When you spoke to her, you sounded like you were born and raised in the area. And you had no idea you were doing it".

LOL! Funny story!

"No. When you spoke to me, you spoke normally. When you spoke to her, you sounded like you were born and raised in the area. And you had no idea you were doing it".

LOL...Overcome and Adapt. It is easy to fall right into your enviroment and speak just like them and when removed still understand what they are saying....Like the story though Stoney

Thanks all and you're right about adapting to your environment. While in Scotland I was dating a nurse who lived across a large bay. We were talking about music and she came up with something I couldn't fathom. Who I asked. [reply] Who? [reply] OK, spell it.

W-H-O; she said.

Oh! The WHO! I replied. Now, I understand.

(shades of Abbot and Costello)

Transport to and from her location was interesting and amusing.

I'd have to take a Liberty Boat to the pier and grab a cab to the Ferry Pier (5-7 miles). Wait for the Ferry which was about a 25 minute ride to the city. Then I'd have to ride a train six stops then exit to a bus stop. Grab the bus to a particular stop then walk two blocks. I think the travel time was an hour-and-a-half to two hours.

There was a Liberty Boat going directly to that city. People who lived in that city got off work 15 minutes early.

The reverse was easier. The Liberty Boat left the Shore Patrol shack at midnight. So, about 2315 a call was put in to have a taxi pick me up at 2345. From there it was a 'race' to the SP shack and iirc it was a 45 minute return trip.

Every time we went to or from the ship to shore we had to go through Scottish Customs. Showing ID was sufficient. I don't recall ever being stopped on the other side of the bay by them-probably because of the 'nick of time' arrival. However, on the (I'll call it) ship side where it was a liberty boat every hour and maybe 5 minute travel time things were different. Every so often they'd pull one of the guys into their office and have them empty their pockets. Every bag got a cursory inspection.

When I transferred out carrying 120 pounds of gear they had me empty my sea bag! @%@%@#%#%$% Getting everything back inside was...interesting.

Guess I'd best not post again on this as I have no intention of hijacking the thread although I was working off a reply. I will say this though; we worked our tails off and we partied like we worked.

My favorite accent HAS GOT to be my great aunt Ann's. Born and raised near London, and married my great uncle [he was a Navy man] and moved to Georgia. English accent with the southern twang. I couldn't imitate it if I even tried.

Strangely enough, I have yet to pick up an accent when I go anywhere. And believe it or not, when my husband and I went to St. Croix [US Virgin Islands], we heard more New England accents than a Jamaican style accent. Apparently when the New Englanders visited there, they just never left! lol.

Greetings Kavika...

My wife cracks me up...speaking of "accents". I speak a little conversational Spanish, my wife only knows a few words. We live in a very diverse community that has a high Hispanic population. When speaking with a Hispanic...she struggles to find and use the appropriate words, but when she's drawing a blank...all of a sudden she is using English words to fill in the "holes" in her Hispanic vocabulary...but she speaks those ENGLISH words with a "Hispanic accent"....like thaa supposed to make it more understandable.

Lol Time Lord.

I love how some people think adding the prefix "el" in the from of a word with an "o" at the end maes the word Spanish!

"Whereo is the El buso stopo?" and if they get a funny WTF look they repeat it but louder.

El carro esta brokendo! Pusha le.

Grump

STOP! you're making me laugh and that makes me cough!!!!

Don't touch that dial! Next on Kavika's World: Spell Check - Myth or fact? Stay Tuned!

Please excuse the typos. My excuse for them is I typed them under the influence of codeine laced cough suryp. (That's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it.) The whole family is now a coughing, hacking and sniffiling. Hope we get past this by Christmas. Hubby is doing better. Thank God for access to modern medication.

Kavika...

(**hummmmm...scratching head, there he goes callin me a "boozo" again...maybe it's ma nose...or maybe he jus thinks ah'm "funny"...would ah be'a racist if ah hit "inflammatory"...? **)

"How"...yes all IS well with the family. We're all doin fine, making preparations for Christmas. An no...she really doesn't speak Spanish, other then a few simple words and phrases..."hello yes, no, where is the bathroom, the bill please, thas too much, nice burro", for you twenty dollars...basic things like that.

(quickly glances over shoulder lookin fer da wife)

Heh. That won't save you... [eyes dance]

Hey TL haven't you hit the el roado yet?

Stoner...fortunately, she's gotta sense of humor. She gotta giggle out of it when ah showed it to her.

GEE...short answer..."no". If you'd like to git caught up man, you've gotta go to my place...spend a little "Time" reading the "Time Lord Chronicles". Currently ah'm like one more installment from getting folks caught up to the present. Maybe ah should get busy and write. Actually, I HAVE been busy...jus not busy writing updates. I was up close to your neighborhood in October. Too much going on at the "Time"...but ah'll be bach...

We are shooting for February as our official kick off initially heading south for the winter until May when we will return to the NW for a couple three months...then head out on the road again for ports unknown at this point in time. The "destination" is secondary to the journey.

Kavika...@!$%#-eatin grin...ah wuz wondering when you were going to see thaa...Ah know, I've already pulled this on you remember...? and you told me the same thing...ah wuz jus bein a smart ass...again. Sorry brother...it's a gypsy curse...ah can't hep ma'self. I like to call it "behavioral Turrets"...

Kavika...

I'm getting used to your comments now...love the sense of humor.

...ah'm glad. Appreciate ya hanging in there to sort through it...ah s'pose it's an "acquired" taste. I hope you understand thaa ah have the greatest respect for you and would never intentionally do or say anything to offend you...but ah DO like ta "play" brother. Ah'm glad you are willing and able to "roll" with it...

Msaubrey 38.14

The Jamaicans didn't know what a snow shovel was! :D

Loved this. While I lived in Belgium, I was asked this by a Belgium. Is it true that your people grow tails during a full moon?

Great article Kavika.

Power

Grow tails? [scratching head]

I am a wereskwerl and I grow a tail under the full moon. There is nothing odd about that.

Power, how in the world would a Belgian come to think such a thing? Some movie?

People from Belgium grow a curled up little mustache under the full moon, exactly like Poirot's. Even the women, I hear tell.

my tail is waning...

Well that's better than being eclipsed by your belly , as in my case.

Gee...it sounds like ya need to get in touch with yer toes amigo...

Winters are just too damn long up here and the holiday treats are just piled too damn high...

...JUS SAY "NO"

If you say no your not liv'in man!

grins thaa sly grin...

Grump; got'cha! :D

Bud; especially when you've got to set a snow marker pole to know where your car is. What's worse is you spend three weeks getting your driveway clear then the snow plow comes by.... ;)

What's a mega-disaster is when your beer supply ran out four days ago...

It wasn't a problem for my grandmother in Ahmeek. She had a small still in her basement.

Business is going to be very bad for the 'shiners down south when unmanned drones with thermal cameras become common with law enforcement. Those wiley boys will just, once again, have to be creative.

Basement of the house works. I keeps the house warm in the winter, I guess. Or, would you have to ventilate because of the fumes? I have never seen a still so I have no idea how big they are or how hot they get or how smelly.

A moonshine still can be pretty much any size. It has to get hot enough to cook the mash and the smell hummmmmmmm let's just say a mixture between a wino and dirty socks. LOL.

Awww, thats really cute though!

I like how you took such assumptions of how Indians are and turned it around. My favorite tho still remains the comment about their great Grandmother was an Indian Princess. To my knowledge the NAs did not use such words as Princess. I can't say I ever heard of any male NA being called an "Indian Prince" they were always a "Warrior".

We white people All know Indians maidens were Indian Princesses (LoL). Indian Princesses were ALWAYS perfectly groomed, fresh out of the shower and beauty parlor. They seemed to have a protective force field around them so the smoke from fires and dust NEVER touched them. They never sweated, they never were caught outside their teepees without their eyeliner and lipstick on. I think they hired someone else to take care of their bodily functions because that was beneath them. She only wore a snow white, soft deer hide mini-dresses covered with 15 pounds of beads, fringe and buffalo teeth. Her feet were always covered with perfectly coordinated moccasins. Her hair is ALWAYS long, thick, clean, braided and adorn with a beaded headband and a feather (Had to hold that bad wig on you know). As Indian Princesses they never worked at scraping hides, gathering fire wood or making pemmican. They are calm, serene and wise beyond their years in the ways of the white man. She could ride better then anyone around her. And of course HER noble horse always looked like a half -Arab. The horse had to be snow white or a pinto.

This is OUR silly idea of the Indian Princess. I can't help but wonder how the NAs viewed the "White Princess."

Like most white folks, I assumed pemmican was a Plains Indian word. I just learned the word "pemmican" is an Algonquin word for the "food for the march". Since the Algonquin lived on the east coast how did it become the word associated with the Plains Indians tribes? Most likely we can thank Hollywood for that as well.

Kavika

The Algonquin language is spoken by tribes that moved westward, the Blackfeet and the Ojibwe, Ottowa and Powatomie so it was carried from the east to the west and Hollywood just made it a Plains Indian world.

Ahhhh !!!! I knew you would have the answer to why an Algonquin word is associated with the Plains Indians.

Waanakiwin niijii back at ya!

Thanks all!
MWAH!!!

From what I've read, the Cherokee was a matrilineal society, where the various families had a symbol, (i.e. the fox), and the head of the family was a woman. The men also had important jobs, but their decisions were restricted to more war-like decisions.

I've always wondered what my great great grandmother's family was... I've always wondered how her family escaped the Trail of Tears. She was a pretty woman, and I have a picture of her in her Cherokee traditional dress. I have always loved her, (just like I love my other great great grandmother, the sweet and very competent Sophronia who made the 'famous' quilt), and hope to meet her in heaven. So, dear Kavika, I look upon her with pride, because she was a lovely woman. I just wish that I knew more about her.

She called pigeons, 'rain crows', because that is what the Cherokee word means. I have always loved the cooing of pigeons and doves. :-)

winker, Uh oh. We might be related.

Does the name Keegan ring a bell?

Gilles here. Does that ring a bell?

Nope, my grandfather is the youngest of all his siblings and probably hadn't lived in OK since the 1940's, went to NY and is now in AR, so I know very little about the family from around there. I think I was in Lawton once and I was about 5.

winker, My family was in the Lawton, Norman area in the early 1900's. They owned hotel in Norman and a general store. My grandfather and his brothers were raised among the Comanches.

Many years ago when my daughters were little we went to Greenfield Village in Detroit, MI.. Among the items there is the Firestone Farm. It is a fully functional small farm as per the 1850's.

This was in the fall so the harvest was in. The harvest is used like it was back then with the results fed to the employees. This particular day was baking day. The ladies threw looks of concern to my young daughters as the closed oven was hot and the space was cramped.

My wife told the ladies not to worry and pointed to a item and asked a child to identify it. Wood Stove (coal stove in this case), oil lamps, this, that and the other and the ladies were floored when the butter churn was identified.

"How do they know this stuff;' the ladies asked in shock.

My wife couldn't resist. "Heh! We're from Orygun (Oregon) and we just got indoor plumbing last Spring!"

They bit. (rolling eyes)

Hook, line, sinker, pole, bobber, boat, motor, dock, and marina! :D

Welcome. Fiction doesn't hold a 'candle' versus reality. (Now that's a scary thought) YIKES. :D

I was 14. Went to visit family in KY. My uncle [8yrs older then me] and I couldn't sleep. The snoring from the others [my grandparents & great aunt & uncle] kept us awake. So we decided to take a walk in the warm night to Walmart [open 24hrs] at around 3am. We were talking with one of the employees and they asked where we were from... When we said, "Just south of Detroit." She stepped back a few steps and says, "Do you guys have guns?"

LOL! Well, now I have more than one... But I was only 14 at that time!!!

That is so funny when people do that MsA.

I was camping in the woods near Allentown, PA, and this guy knew I was from NM. I am a Scot and I am as white as a person can get. He comes up to me, takes his hat off, looks at me most earnestly with a worried look on his face and says: "Do you speak English?" I told him I had learned it in school, so yes. He asked me if he could see some New Mexico money since he was always interested in foreign currency. I told him that we used gold doubloons and I didn't have any with me as I had exchanged every one at the boarder. He went bat poop nuts and said he had never seen a real doubloon and he was severely broken hearted that he didn't get to see one.

He really fell for that. Really fell. His heart was broken to bits that he could not see a gold doubloon from New Mexico. He was almost in tears.

msaubrey 14.5

Yeah, it is amusing. When I was going through six months of electronics training at the AFB in Bixoli, Miss., there was one incident. When you're in a barracks and laundry facilities are limited the fasted way is to do it when others won't be there.

The laundry room had a couple of high school type chair desks. I was reading and another guy came in. We're chatting for a bit when it came to the 'where are you from question'.

I look up and replied; "Detroit".

His reaction was amusing. He tried to spring to his feet and fell over backward-desk an all saying; "I ain't gonna mess with you!"

I couldn't begin to speculate his reaction if this interaction were to play out today. Hmm, it just occurred to me my accent might have come into play. If my 'southern' accent had surfaced....

"Keesler AFB"...yep, ah still have vague memories of thaa place. Cherry flavored Slo Gin and hugging the porcelain god also vividly comes to mind.

stony, I had nearly the same thing happen to me in Spain. I was visiting with some Spanish folks in a restaurant and we were talking about something or other like which would hold up better in a crash - a European car or an American car. I was saying the American car because it was heavier and larger and a Spaniard was disagreeing and saying no, the European car would be more likely to hold up during a crash.

Someone leaned over and whispered something in the ear of the person I was visiting with. His eyes got big and suddenly he changed his tune and he allowed that I was absolutely correct. I got suspicious and leaned forward and asked him why he all of a sudden changed his mind? He was now looking frightened and he says "well, you are an American."

"So?", I asked.

He is more frightened now and I couldn't figure out what he was on about. He tells me he doesn't want to upset me because he has seen those American movies and he is just sure if he makes me the slightest bit angry that I pound the crap out of him. "Americans are good fighters and I don't want to get anything started with you because I know you would win," he says

"What?", I say, my eyes huge and full of surprise.

Now he's more afraid and ready to run and people are backing up in the restaurant. He says, "Well, you know, like in all those John Wayne movies. You make an American mad and he will hit you right in the face and you won't even be able to get up."

"No, no, that's not true at all about Americans," I say as I stand up to go get another drink.

He practically threw himself on the floor when I stood up. He thought I was standing up so I could pound him one.

We had to have a long talk about how the movies are not real depictions of who we are and how we live. I asked him if all Spaniards were like Don Quixote and he scoffed and said no.

"Well, there you go," says I.

Grump - That's funny.

stoney - I like when you tell people you're from Michigan and their mind automatically goes to Detroit and fear. Yet, Flint is FAR worse than the D [if we're talking murders and assults with weapons].

Stoney

Which Tech School did you attend and when? Hubby was there in 1971 for computer repair and later we were both there in 1981 at Dolan Hall. We were the first married couple to complete the Aviation Communications Systems Repair course at the same time, still married - to each other, and our class had one of the highest class averages of all time.

We were NCO reservists at the time - so were not intimidated by the Ropes, Instructors and life in the Air Force like most pipeline students were. We would cut up in class and joke with the younger students. That relaxed them and they would ask questions of the Instructors instead of sitting like bumps on a log. The Instructors told us they enjoyed teaching our class the most because of the interaction.

We did get called into the office as couple times and asked to stop picking on one Instructor. He was the metal taps on his shoes, jerk who liked to pick out one or two students in each class and harassed them over every little violation of the Regs. and rules...but he didn't follow them either. We started pointing out the violations he was committing" Excuse me, Sgt, but the regulations clearly state you must be wearing your hat when outdoor. With all due respect, Sgt, you're smoking in a non-smoking area. (And then point to the clearly marked No Smoking sign on the wall next to him. ) We don't do double standard well.

Kavika, wouldn't that have been fun. It's the American way, you know?

Grump;

That happens a lot in many different situations. A person looks at things from the wrong angle. A bit of additional data solves the problem.

MsAubrey;

I know. It can eliminate problems. Everyone knows the 'Big D'. Cars, Motown, Detroit Purple Gang, the '67 Detroit riots. Both Detroit and Flint have been decimated economically. A year, or so, ago in the Det News or the Freep (online) I read there were no more of the large chain grocery stores in Detroit. Robberies were so frequent they said; 'Screw this' and left.

Am. Dr.;

Read what you wrote and couldn't help chuckling. 1981. Avionics Communications Specialist. Ended up with AFSC's of; 32870/32871/32650. At this time, Comm and Nav were two different fields. Yeah, I worked Radar Altimeters, Tacan, VOR/ILS, and the IFF (KY-532B) as well.

I was an NCO 'retread'. A cross-branched one with some broken time in service. Was a USN Electrician's Mate, and my first posting, after all the schools, was the first choice on my 'Dream Sheet'-Holy Loch, Scotland.

I was also a Reservist, broken out of the inactive reserves as I had enlisted as a Weekend Warrior-at Selfridge ANGB in Mt. Clements. The 191st FIG.

Three months after I got married I was at Biloxi, in Muse Manor. My wife stayed in Detroit. Before Biloxi I was taking night classes at Lawrence Inst. of Tech., (now Lawrence University) and custom building heating/forging equipment in Madison Hgts.. This was high-powered stuff-2,000 amp SCR's (Silicon Controlled Rectifiers). We called these things 'hockey pucks' as they were that size and shape. We even made our own current transformers (donuts we called them).

Our class had some pipeline students, more NCO retreads, as well as six(?) Saudi students.

I don't do 'double standard' either.

Yeah, NCO students set the pace and tone. We were E-4's (I thought the USAF split E-4 thing was weird) through E-6. We all were (by happen stance and without discussion-and in several incidents) laid back. We asked lots of questions because we wanted to learn as much as possible. No one pestered the pipeliners nor were they excluded.

The first instructor was my junior in rank and noticed my socks weren't regulation and neither was my hair. She caught my attention after class and mentioned the items and her junior rank mitigated by her responsibilities. She said, if need be, she can have another person tell me to comply. My reply was; Not necessary. I simply needed a day to catch up since I had driven in and arrived in the evening.

No muss, no fuss. Can't get a haircut if the barber shop isn't open. The other was something I hadn't considered.

The pipeliners quickly got the impression I was role-playing. Guess my coffee cup did that. It read; "If we all work together we can totally disrupt the system". :D It took the Roach Coach driver a couple of months to realize what my coffee cup said and he dang near fell over! [VEG]

Think it was three or four times during the whole schooling, again not planned beforehand, we sent the pipeliners to get the brooms, mops and buckets. (They did that every time) And everyone shifted tables and chairs. Three or four times we had the students close the doors and us NCO's swept and mopped. Much can be learned without a word being said.

One time we were ahead of things by a good two hours and there was a student instructor observing. Again, not discussed in advance, the doors were closed. For this time frame, unstated, we were all off-duty. Discussion was wide-ranging. The pipeliners were astounded to learn just how radical the NCO's were. There's on-duty versus off-duty. Many lessons learned.

Sometimes I wonder if those examples were useful to them. Of course, there's no way to know.

A big lesson for one pipeliner happened later. I had power on a large unit and the air cooling fan was loud. He came up behind me and made an electrical zapping noise.

I didn't say anything as I turned to look at him. His face got the 'oh, @!$%#' expression. I looked at him and said in an even tone; "The only reason you're not picking yourself from the floor is I'm taking your inexperience into consideration". It was clear he got the point you don't screw around with safety.

We found out instructors were hitting the books two classes before we'd get there. There was only one time the instructor had to say; "I don't know". He had called the factory and they couldn't, or wouldn't, answer the question. No problem.

The practical for the final block came up. They handed me an intercom unit and said; "We don't know what's wrong. We had to get authorization from the Commander for you to remove the cover".

I was shocked. So much so I asked; "What do I do now"?

"Remove the cover and check for loose wires".

The first wire I touched was the problem. Re-soldered the wire and the unit checked out.

During the last block two or three people were called out of the room individually. A bit later my name was called along with a question. They wanted to know if I was ANG. I said I was and that was it.

I asked what that was all about and was told they were going to ask if you wanted to be an instructor here. Ain't no way. I enjoyed fixing stuff. The weirder and wackier the problem the more I liked it. Yeah, I'm weird. :D

Sorry for taking so long getting back to reply. Sally gave me a vacation from Newsvine for week...(suspended) I was a little TOO SNARKY with a reply to a pain in my side. That person is now on ignore. The timing was perfect...I got some things done in preparation of Christmas so it was down time well spent.

I understand the reference of on duty and off duty. Got a good LOL and a flood of pleasant memories with reading your comments. I miss those days...some. I was thin, fit, things didn't hurt for no reason and I enjoyed being in the military, i loved the travel and I felt my job was important. I think my graduating score was 89 or 90 but hubby made a 99. The pay sucked but I didn't know it at the time. We were in love with our future before us. Both of us remember the isolation while surrounded by by people in the dorms so we helped the pipeliners in our class...had them over for study sessions and dinners. THat was one of the reasons we had no one drop out and our class average was so high.

I was raised to be safety conscious at at times...Daddy was a missile man before he became a First Sgt. He worked on the first ICBM system in the Air Force and was a Navy radio operator during WWII. Some people maybe as sharp as they come when it comes to book learning but they have the commons sense God gave a goose when it comes to saftey and attention to details.

Well, need to head to bed...Merry Christmas one and all

Enforced 'vacations' happen. I thought the pipeline student stuff was crap. At one point I took a few of the students through the Battleship Alabama in Mobile. I was able to look at gear from WW2 and told them what it was and what it did.

The EMC [Electrician Chief] in Scotland had flunked out of nuke school and was driftier than Hel. A skidbox (dumpster) was suspended above his head some 20 feet and a BM2 (Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class-E5] cautioned him not to trip over the skidbox.

If memory serves, they cut-off the bottoms of coke bottles and ground them a touch for his glasses. He was squeaking by on the physical to keep his private pilots license.

Again, if memory serves, there's an old Minute Man site in Texas which has all the equipment and a dummy missile. One can tour the whole site. There's a novel by Alfred Coppel called "Dark December" which might be of interest. There's also; "The Sun Grows Cold" by Harold(?) Berk.

Down here in the South, it's parasols and petticoats! ;-)

I was just gonna add Pa's moonshine but I thought better of it. LOL

Moonshine is just awful. It will get a lass or lassie ripped in no time. Prepare to spit it on your bib.

Turth be told: We southerners can't hold our mint juleps ( don't tell anone most the time they had a few shots of moonshine or whiskey in it to add a little kick) .

"Our women" don't sweat....horses sweat, men perspire and women merely feel the heat.

Our women don't swear. We've all been taught to say "that's nice" or "Bless your soul!" and if it was a really BIG lie we caught you in we would say" Well bless you little pea-pickin head"....A rough translation is: You are so full of &%@ the people in the next town can smell it from here. 8-D)) (fat peson smilig with a double chin)

What a HOOT, American Dreams! You've got us nailed, for sure!

I was born and raised in the southwest, which is sort of south-ish and very west-ish. I have always known what "Well, bless your heart you poor little thing" really meant. I always had a great laugh when someone, usually a woman would say it to someone and the person on the receiving end said "Oh, thank you".

A lot of folks, maybe half, didn't know that it really means "Gawd, you are one stupid, messed up f'er and you need all the help God can give you." "Oh, thank you," was the reply.

Kavika, it's southern code, you know.

GH

Hair-aches!!!!!! ROFLMAO...great reply!

A few years back the family had gone to a Lou Malnati's Pizzerria outside of Chicago for a late lunch. The lunch crowd had thinned and we allowed the youngest child to explore the dining area while we waited for our order to be filled. An adult always trailed behind to make sure she was safe and not getting into things. She was a gregarious child and about 5 years old at the time. Suddenly she stopped beside a table with several Asians enjoying a long lunch. She starts jabbering away making nonsense sounds like "Ching chang, yow, shay shay chong?" "

"Katie! what are you doing?"

"I'm talking Chinese to the Chinese people...."

My Niece apologized and made her go back to our table. Our family like watching Chinese, Korean and Japanese films. There are some really GOOD movies out there like the Silk Road, Memories of a Geisha, The Long Road Home, Raise the Red Lantern, etc. And more then a few not so good ones. We had watched a really silly movie called Kung Foo Hustle with them the day before. Something about English dubbed talking bothers us so we always leave the original spoken version on and use subtitles. To a young child being exposed to the spoken language of another culture for the first time, the spoken words sound like she was saying.

Oops! Embarrassing. I hope they understood she was just a child. LOL :-)

Oops! Embarrassing. I hope they understood she was just a child. LOL :-)

Me to!

At least we had the decency to apologize to them and not launch into them like THEY had done some wrong. One can only hope the bloodline ends with that girl and her parents. (yeah I know - a bit harsh but there is no excuse for the child's reaction or her parents. We are not living in the 1800's .) As a white person I apologize to you for their ignorance, there is no excuse for her reaction or theirs.

I hope Kavika would agree that I have a honest respect and curiosity about NAs. (It goes back to High School and hearing I believe Russel Means and Dennis Banks speak about the AIM at my American History class. It really opened my eyes. The occupation of Alcatraz was big news then. The Pine Ridge and Wounded Knee stand offs were to happen a year or two later.)

Their words reached my heart. Had I met you in the elevator I would have asked you about your tribe and it's history if I didn't already about some of it. I am not an Iron Eyes Cody type person who totally inmerged himself in the NA culture but I am always trying to learn more. Books help and visiting various sites help but it is the face to face interactions with NAs I learn the most.

Well, the hubby wants to go visit our money at the local casino so need to head out.

I think a reply could have been; "Thank Hollywood, you mean". :)

#21.4 Thank you for your kind comment! I usually try to go easy on anyone that shows respect and true curiosity. The two ladies who live in the apts on either side of me don't know much about NAs either. So we have lots of talks, they can ask me anything and I tell them the truth. I'm sure they appreciate it as much as I do, when they ask in a friendly way!

Happy Holidays to you and yours! :-)

LOL!!! I was thinking about this, too:

10 things You Can Ask a Dog:

1. What breed are you?

2. I'm part Doberman, myself, you know...

3. I learned all about dogs in 4H. So why do YOU bark?

4. My Great-great grandmother was a full blooded Mastiff.

5. Funny, to me, you look more like a cat.

6. Where's your sweater?

7. Do you live in a dog house, or do you prefer the couch?

8. What is the meaning behind jumping up on your hind legs when I get the dog food out?

9. How do you feel about the ASPCA? Does it help your type, or is it a short term fix?

10. Hey, can I take your picture?

It just struck me as funny... ;-)

Mongo part Rottweiler

Mongo, not fessing up to the Poodle part, eh?

No poodle that I am aware of...

Equal time for cats!

1. How much manx are you?

2. I am part feline myself, you know.

3. I learned your peoples way in the sand box.

4. My Great Grandmother was a full blood Persian.

5. Funny, you don't look calico.

6. Where's your powdered catnip and feather toys?

7. Do you live in a kitty kastle?

8. What is the meaning behind the fanny shake?

9. What is your feeling about Spaying and neutering? do they help your people, or are they a short term fix?

10. Hey, can I take your picture?

MeeeeOW! :-)

6. Where's your powdered wig and knickers?

Sad indeed, all illegals to the American Indian which I am part....

HEhehe

G'Morning Kavika! Been gone for a while now due to medical issues & have missed your witty/funny/inspiring/entertaining/educational & genuinely great columns. So, when I had some time this morning, I naturally locked onto your latest!

Being Australian in heritage, I actually got asked what Goanna tastes like after the 80's "Crock-o-dull Dummy" series-as my kids called 'em. Answer? Chicken, naturally! How the hell would I know? I don't eat reptiles. Just one more idiot question the uninformed ask. I WILL tell you that Vegemite, unless you grew up on it, is down-right repulsive, though. It's some kinda yest concoction, very nutritious, but thoroughly vile in taste-at least to non-Aussies!

Want to hear accents/dialogue, the Ohio River Valley @ Pittsburgh & down to Wheeling, WV has their own dialect that is hysterical. "Soda" is "Pop" W. of the Alleghenies, "creek" is "crick," & "nibby" is "nosey." So, along with Australian slang, I guess this makes me bilingual in dialects-rofl What a country we have here! All of it is wonderful & the best people in the world!

Good on 'yer, Kavika, mate! Keep posting!

Once again, keep up the great columns. I'm STILL trying to get hubby to visit the ( HIS ) Cherokee Resveration in N.C. esp. now that we have a son who moved to Charleston, S.C. BTW, I noticed Wilma Mankiller passed this yr. She was a real leader of women.

P.S. "..........she's too fat for me."

Then again, "In Heaven there is no beer; that's why we drink it here." rof

Thanks for the well-wishes. Just a quick addendum. When I told hubby about the conversation, he, a coal-miner's son, whose father spoke Polish, suggested that "I like Kielbasa better than fish" was Frankie's greatest hit-rofl. Go figure!?

Stay well, good friend!

st, I have old 78 records of Frankie Yankovich playing ''you can have her''....LOL...

O Gawd, so does Pops LMFAO

Dobra Don (good day in Serbo-Croation.)...

Don't be introducing me a new language, now. Dzien dobry is how my ppl say it. Usually cautiously & politely after all that beer-drinking & polka'ing & discovering they've woken up up w/ that she's too fat for me chick (Aunt Medusa gets around).

We used to play them at a Pow Wow and get the white people to dance to them...Wow, talk about no rhythm!!!!

I can Rhinelander like nobody's bidness....that's the lazy Polack's polka moves :P

I'm LMFAO at the notion of polka pow-wows!

Aunt Medusa really was quite good at it though. I think that we should introduce Aunt Medusa to my Uncle Maakigaade (lame leg) a match made in hell...LOL

Unless he has $, she won't be interested. Someone's gotta support her casino habit.

"Soda" is "Pop" W. of the Alleghenies, "creek" is "crick,"

That happens N of the Alleghenies, too. We talk funny like that in WNY. Used to live near Cayuga Crick LOL

"I like Kielbasa better than fish"

I'm not a very good Polack. I loathe the smell of kielbasa cooking ugh.

I'm not a very good Polack. I loathe the smell of kielbasa cooking ugh.

Oh! - so Indians DO say UGH!!! (LOL)

And here I always thought some script writer in Hollywood was having writers block about what their Indian character should say. "Hummm should I have my NA character say "How!" " The White eyes speaks with forked tongue" or give a solemn "Ugh!"???. Maybe I'll have him say all three!!! Simple, to the point and meets the Screen Actors Guild approved stereotype image of the NA speech so they don't upstage the white hero in the story."

I love Chief Dan George's "It is a good day to die." speech in Little Big Man. And I love the speech he gave when he first meets Josey Wells . I am sure a good bit of it is pure Hollywood but it's a far better then previous Hollywood Indian's saying nothing more then "Ugh!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF8ETyOcDCE&feature=related

And I also hope I did not offend anyone with my previous post. Sometimes reaching for humor at times of stress can be challenging. (the hubby has pneumonia. Thank God he went to the Urgent Care Clinic this morning and didn't wait any longer.)

He is one of my favorite actors. :-) Chief Dan George, that is...

American, pneumonia is nasty stuff. Keep your eye on him to make sure he is breathing right. You might even want to go to the drug store and get one of those little oxy - meters that you can put on his finger.

I hope he is doing ok and gets better fast.

American, I hope he feels better soon!

Thank niijii

We have the finger type and the wrist mounted version. The wrist one is worn like a watch and the sensor lead goes across the top of your hand to the finger tip of choice. It's more comfortable for sleeping and less chance of knocking the sensor off.

I guess this is irrefutable proof that as much as we hate to admit it to ourselves - we are getting older - young people don't have "his and her" O2 sensors. (lol)

If you could fry pierogi instead of bread I'd be really impressed.

*giggles*

I live in a mostly Polish neighborhood. I'm surrounded by 'em! So, I can do fry-bread, pierogi, tasty desserts [French], and fix a car/house like nobody's business [living in the motorcity area all my life].

I've only tried fried bread once - at the DownStream Casino in Oklahoma. It was interesting but nothing I would do again...from there. I suspect the home made traditonal version would be yummy - kind of like donuts on steroids

I make a mean fry bread. I learned how to do it from old Navajo women out by Window Rock. It is similar to a sopapilla. They are way too greasy and are full of oil. Probably not really too good for a fellow.

Grump -

How lucky you were able to learn from old Navajo women. "Old ladies" can make some of the BEST tasting, bad for your heart, foods. I still remember the lemon chiffon cakes some of the old "Church Ladies" would make for our Church ice cream socials.

I learned to make tortillas from scratch from an old Hispanic lady who lived next door to us when I was pregnant with our first child. Far better then store bought. I think she had asbestos in her finger tips because she could turn them without tongs...I tired several times and burned the *#@^@ out of my finger tips.

Tortillas. *said in Homer Simpson's voice the same way he said donuts or beer*

Yes... I still use LARD for some of my baking needs. ☺ So, just spercuz I'm young, doesn't mean I don't use "Old School" recipes handed down from my great grandmothers.

Funny enough, the women that did the baking and cooking from scratch [with lard, butter, real bacon... Anything that people associate with coronary] were the ones that lived to be in their late 80's-mid-90's!

Kavika, that sounds really good. Could you use strawberries. I don't like blueberries much.

We do it something like this. We make 'em up and get 'em all over ourselves when we eat 'em. If you need directions, you are in real trouble.

Indian Tacos

• TOPPINGS:
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, with liquid
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 cup picante sauce
• FRY BREAD:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• some lard maybe a tablespoon, it depends on how dry the flour is, I guess.
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups oil for frying, or as needed

I picked wild blue berries and wild strawberries as a teenager. The strawberries were sweet as could be despite their small size. I hated harvesting wild blueberries. It seemed to take the entire afternoon picking those tasty but little purple-black orbs to fill a 2 gallon bucket. They sure did make great jelly and jams, in hindsight the effort was worth it.

If using fresh blueberries about how much would you recommend for the above fry bread recipe?Thinking I might want to try making some for the grandkids.

Love blueberries, too! Was my Pop's fav. fruit. My kids-ages 43 & 37 LOVE fried bread as they grew up with their grandmother making it for them. Gotta agree with Am. Dreams about how MOST fried bread is just so-so. I dated a Polish guy whose mother not only was the sweetest person around, but made fried chicken like no body else. Of course, she used lard & fried it for 25 minutes in a cast-iron pan.

The "thingy" for the finger is called a "Pulse-Ox" which just measures how much O2 is in the blood at the finger tips. Thanks for reminding me as I want to buy them now that they are sold in stores. I have my B/P cuff & an expensive stethoscope which was a nursing school present from my family, but the pulse-ox would be nice for me as I have often, through my life, had bronchitis/pneumonia, essentially due to growing up around the steel mills & all the homes heating with high-sulfur coal. In fact, since they are a non-invasive tool & easy to use, maybe we all should be buying them. I NEVER test at 100%, but it would show how much lung capacity is functioning next time I get bronchitis. Good to know when calling the Dr. Thanks for the idea!

V. I spent 13 years working in home health and home respiratory care I've done a ton of pulse oxygen test and overnight studies with sleep apnea and COPD patients.

V. Bevis

Recommend you get the wrist mounted O2 monitor. When your eyes are tired it is much easier to see then the smaller finger monitor. I could easily see his O2 level (91/92 most the time) his pulse rate was about 65 bpm most the time I checked. It did go off at one point when he woke up coughing and choking on the yuck. Poor guy not much I can do but monitor him and make sure he has his meds. and fluids. He is a little better today but far from well. He goes back in a couple days for another chest x-ray.

(Sorry for the side tracking...)

Thimble berries grow all over the US. They are ripe for picking in Aug/Sept., depending on your location. They make fantastic jam with a 1 to 1 berry to sugar ratio. Cook on very low heat for 12 minutes.

They're very 'civilized' berries-no thorns. They're thimble shaped and bright red when ripe and juicy as can be.

In the horn of the U.P., a evening 'event' was going to the dump and watch the bears forage. Eventually, it was made illegal-probably some people would get out of their cars and approach the bears.

We'd pick wild; blueberries, raspberries, thimble berries, and strawberries and swim in Lake Superior. This was on vacation growing up.

FYI U.P.'ers (Yoopers) consider those Michiganders who don't live in the U.P. to be 'trolls'. Trolls live under bridges and since these folks live south of the 'Mighty Mac' they're 'under' the bridge. If the U.P. could become their own state it would be called 'Superior'.

Yeah... well I'm a "troll" but most of my family lives in one of several places, Munising, Ironwood, Sault St Marie, Paradise, Marquette.... The list is long. Anywho... I STILL think anyone that purposely swims in Superior is NUTS!

I do love the wild blueberries and strawberries though.

And Kav -

The adults would tap the maple trees for syrup.

My great grandparents had a family business in maple syrup. The farm was in my family until shortly after I was born. No one could keep up with it unfortunately. It was far too large.

I STILL think anyone that purposely swims in Superior is NUTS!

Well I've done it a few times and you'll have your very own personal blueberries when your done I guarantee it.

You just have to hit the 2 day swimming season just at the right time is all.

GB - I've done so several times too.... Which makes me KNOW that anyone that does so is NUTS [blue of course].

Agreed Kav.

But of course in modern times, one cannot afford to have a dozen kids to help on the farm.

...ok, I'm assuming everyone knows there IS a difference between a Blueberry and a Huckleberry...

Huckleberries RULE...hands down. You haven't lived till you've stuffed yer face with wild Huckleberries and small sweet wild strawberries.

Huckleberries do rule but also mulberries make some of the best wine and the leaves and bark are used in some of the ceremonial tobacco recipes for the Cherokee.

Ah can't say ah've ever tasted mulberries...? I've heard of mulberry wine, but ah haven't tasted thaa either...

I have something to look forward to...ah love "firsts"...I've noticed that the older I git...the fewer "firsts" there are...

Sometime "seconds" are jus as good as the "firsts"...unless it's "sloppy seconds"...did ah jus say thaa? Sorry...it's the "gypsy curse"...

Hey its always first, first in life, first that hour, first that night, first that day, first since the last never Never NEVER call it seconds.......because if you do you could be guilty of a lot of things by proxy......Hell no I know I didn't say that. LOL.

Mulberries????? Oh, gawd, no no no no. When I was a kid visiting my grandparent's farm in Kansas, I found the mulberry tree. I climbed up into the tree and sat there for the longest time eating the most wonderful thing I had ever found to eat. One after the other, I ate them. I was in heaven -- climbing a tree and eating mulberries, what more could a boy desire?

I came back in the house with a blue face and hands and my grandfather says: were you eating mulberries?

Me: Oh, yes. They are delicious and wonderful.

Grandfather: Don't be eating those.

Me: Why, grandfather?

Grandfather: They are full of maggots.

He took me back out to the tree, picked a mulberry, broke it open and sure enough. There was a plump, juicy white maggot baby hiding in the mulberry.

That was the end of my mulberry adventures for me. Sometimes life just sucks donkey dick.

I thought mulberries grew on bushes and you'd go round and round around them?

Yes, G. Bud. I have no doubt.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mulberry.html

We have mulberries here, They taste the same as the blackberries

Hmmmmm....I have never had mulberry that had maggot. *ahem* could it be our friend grump.....is wanting us to leave all the mulberries alone so he can have blue face once again...LOL.

Grump I remember my first case of Blue face, reminded me of prom night.OMG just heaven.

I don't know, KR. I had the same experience with apricots. (Easier to find, since the fruit are not "one-hits" and you have to eat a few bites at a time. Ugh.)

I will have to check this spring when I pick some.

Thanks for the link grump, Aparently the pop goes the weasel bushes were not pruned correctly to become trees. I had no idea.. I'll be looking for the larve myself from now on, I hate to think my mulberries were protein enriched without me knowing.

Sometimes life just sucks donkey dick.

And sometimes you eat your lifetime quota of maggots blech.

Did they give you the trots, grump? The pukes? Or tapeworm? Something gruesome? B/c personally if I had just consumed 57 maggots, I wouldn't want anyone to tell me about it unless they were going to make to sick. Some @!$%# you're just better off not knowing.

Well, you guys know how grandfathers are, don't you? My grandfather was a kindly, ornery old Scot and was both looking out for me and freaking me out at the same time. I am one myself now so........heh, heh, heh.

I don't think the flies lay eggs in them until they are nice and juicy ripe and yummy for the little ones. Didn't make me sick at all, those mulberries, but my imagination got to me. Big time. I must have eaten at least a 3 cups of mulberries or more that day before I discovered the gruesome truth. And being an average sensitive to such things city kid, I have never liked berries of any kind since. If I get a strawberry, which I do like, I tear it to shreds looking for stowaways. You would be surprised just how often I find gruesome little wrigglers in a strawberry. ESPECIALLY, the "organic" strawberries -- organic little buggers wiggling around in the organic strawberry. Screw organic.

Q: So what is worse than finding a worm in an apple? A: Finding half a worm in an apple.

You can have them all, KR. Really, eat 'em up -- all your little heart desires. You deserve to have all the mulberries you can eat. Just watch for the maggots and the bears, is all I'm sayin'.

Screw organic.

I agree.

My experience was with ants and their larvae in strawberries. [organically grown]
So, I will take my chances with pesticides.

msaubry;

I'm an ex-troll, I guess, since I'm on the west coast. Relatives are getting fewer but mainly in Calumet, Escanaba, and such.

I do remember taking a dip in the Marquette(?) area. There was a 'gentle' N. to S. wind and I also had on a short sleeve sweat shirt. After five minutes you're blue.

A few years before I headed west I was up in the Keewenau and the radio announcer indicated it was 104F., in the shade! Wait a minute! It's unusual if it hits 85! I stepped into Lake Superior and it felt like the ice had just broken yesterday. So, I took a dip in the creek as it was about ten degrees warmer. That was the last time I was in the water.

There you don't need coffee to stay awake. If you step into the Lake you'll be awake.

Never an ex-troll...

Former troll yes.

Ok.

Signed;

The former troll known as stoney... ;)

Jumping pg got ya, huh? I hate when that happens.

Yeah... Those stupid ads make the screen jump around and I clicked the right place... but it moved just ahead of me.

Did it again!

Switch to Mozilla Firefox an get Addblock Plus and you will not get the ads. Also, your spell check will be automatic. On Microsquish IE I got every add and no spell check.

Kavika, I will try to help you out if you want to switch to Mozilla Firefox. It is really easy. And the down load time is faster because you are not downloading the ads. I don't see any ads at all. I am not a tech guy - that would be my grandson. Gawd, kids are so 'mart.

I don't think he's kidding, grump :P

I've got the same *tech* problems as Kavika. Darn it's hard to teach old injuns new tricks! LOL My new cat turned all the stuff on my screen sideways once by laying on the keyboard! I nearly lost my mind! I had to call my brother in law, who looked it up on his computer, to tell me how to fix it! Arrrgghh! :-)

2. I am part white myself, you know. Prove it, where's your papers?

O, that one was good :-D

Good ones Mimi! :)

Mrs.D, so happy to see you! I've missed all you on UNA, it's lonely there right now! Scar, I sent you an email through Newsvine email to let you know how to find it thorugh Kavika's page.

Mrs.D, I've missed you! Got a new computer, had to start finding all my "favorites" again. Trying to get started on that article you and Kavika encouraged me to write, doctor changed some of my meds and I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts in order to start. So much information on the subject and I want to do a good job.

(I'm nervous about it. )

MIMI!!! So happy to "see" you also! I will call you again soon. :) WE all need to go back to UNA. I guess we are all busy and get distracted by numerous articles on NV. :(

Oh, please don't be nervous. When it's time for you to write, you will know. I believe we are told (in our heart) when the timing is right... you will know when it is right to do so. I look forward to reading your article. I know it will be wonderful.

You need anything Mimi, please let me know dear friend. (((((((MIMI♥)))))))))

Kavika alerted me to some good articles on Cherokee Lodge and when I got there, KR had me cracking up with laughter, as did Kavika. Really, Mrs.D, I have to refrain from drinking anything, or at least having it in my mouth when reading Newsvine comments from our folks!

So many funny, intelligent people on the NA sites, aren't there?

Kavika, I'm in awe of your tech knowledge. I sent st an email on how to get the UNA site back, but my directions were more complicated.

So many funny, intelligent people on the NA sites, aren't there?

Absolutely!!! ***giggles***

Scar, I sent you an email through Newsvine email to let you know how to find it thorugh Kavika's page.

TYVM, Mimi, I got the link from Fletch 1st on another article (forget to check email b/c I always use the I dunno if this site is gonna fill me up w/ spam email when I sign up for things, so I don't look at it a lot) & now have it bookmarked for future reference. That tracker thingy is hit & miss sometimes. 1500+ comments & it doesn't show up for me!

Methinks NV put Kavika on a secret rez LOL ;-)