When I was very young, I sat in dry grasses listening to my great-grandmother tell stories of the Manitou. On the the surface, these Algonquian tales are familiar to Europeans. They are stories about elves; little spirits, who live under rocks and along streambeds, energies capable of great magic […]
He comes with the sun
Sauntering up the hill
Greets me
Stops
Acknowledges Ulli Maki
It’s a pattern laid down by their mutual ancestors
They meet eyes
look away, meet again
We share the delights of the morning and the garden freshly watered.
And after an hour or so we each move into our separate days.
Wneewa is a Mahegin word. Simply translated it means, “I thank you.” The Mahegins are part of my Algonquin ancestors who I connect to through my mother and our Grandmothers. The Mahegins have mostly returned to dust and their language is almost forgotten, so, it pleases me to offer wneewa to the winds today, in […]
This is the culprit.
I believe him to be brother to the sweet faced girl who visits
Not many mornings ago I awakened to a most noxious odor. I looked at Ulli-Maki and he at me, our eyes watering as we headed into the living room. We’d been tagged. There is nothing like testosterone laden cat sign […]
In my childhood community, two cultures; Scandinavian and Native American lived side by side. People often ask me about this, curious about what it must have been like to be a sky-eyed child on a reservation.
What I remember was an incredible sense of security, and comfort. We had total freedom to run on the beach […]
What we value says a lot about the culture we were raised within. Comparing notes, my friend Gunn and I agree, even though she was raised in Stockholm and I on a Pacific Northwest coast Indian reservation, there was very little difference.
Gunn calls it the legacy of all Scandinavians, “We are the survivors,” it is […]
ONE LAST GLANCE
Speaking cat-to-cat.
Her face changes.
(to see her full screen click on the image, then use the zoom for one more enlargement)
Enchanted
I do not know what she was thinking, feeling, but for me, the world filled with such peace. All the craziness and busyness we occupy ourselves with, gone. The blessing of living in the moment slipped in to all […]
Phthalo Man, what an intoxicating colour!
The can-opener’s floor is dull as dirt, warm sand, boring. Now, I’ve been watching her for months. Her concentration is almost cat-like as she dips and swipes. I decide it’s time to do her a favor, spice up the place while she is out chopping wood.
Phthalo!! Intense permanent blue Purrfect!
First […]
