Ladder to Heaven

Shadow Shot Sunday
03/13/2011 

Gabba Gabba Hey! (Whatever that means)

Shadow Shot Sunday originates in Queensland, Australia. You can see more fabulous Shadow Shots and find out how you can participate by going to the Hey Harriet Blog.

I’m home now, 1400 miles North and East of where I spent six weeks this Winter in New Mexico. As I do in my hometown of River Falls, WI, I like to hang out mornings in the local coffee shop and converse with others of near the same ilk.

The Black Cat Coffee Shop and Used Book Store in Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico, mentioned here earlier a number of times, has been a great place to sit and savor a freshly brewed cup o’ joe.

The back yard patio there has graced these pages before with the shadows created by the bright sun of the Southwestern USA.

I took these photos of this ladder that gives access to the roof. Not sure what the access is for, but it cast some great shadow shots as you can see.

There was a cold spell for about a week, but after that unseasonable stretch of cold snowy weather, the temperatures moderated and shot back up to their usual 60’s and 70’s. (That would 15 to 21 Celsius Mates). I hated to have to travel home, but it was time to go. I’ll return, possibly in May and also in September, and see how these shadows have changed in the months ahead.

Peace

Meaningless Morning Musings

The previous couple of posts about the death of my Elder friend Chris Leath has been up for a while. We sure lost a great one. I thought it fitting, even though the general readership of my Round Circle blog didn’t know him, to pay him this honor. We’ll remember him often in the days and years ahead, but time and motion wait for no one and we find ourselves busy again on so many fronts.

Glad we never saw the early March snow storm that was predicted materialize. Last Sunday, the news was reporting a foot of new snow to fall starting Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. We got some snow showers, but every flake immediately melted upon striking Mother Earth. At least that’s what happened around here.

I did see there is a Tsunami warning in effect for the entire coast of North America. This is the only place where you’ll read the headline this way. Funny how the USA reports the Tsunami warning for the California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska coasts. 

What? The Tsunami doesn’t hit the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia Province?

On Facebook, some Canadian friends report the British Columbia Tsunami strike but no mention of anywhere else. So, I guess catastrophes only happen in the home country of the reporter. I’ll remember that.

Spring is getting ready, weatherwise, here. Daytime temperatures above the freezing mark and night time temps not too terribly below. Makes for a nice slow melt, and that’s what’s needed to ward off severe flooding this Spring. Pray for no heavy rains.

We set our clocks one hour ahead this weekend here. Not all States have daylight savings time, but we do. We’ll have more daylight hours in the evening starting Sunday. That means we can watch the snow slowly melt longer than we did this week. Of course those that get up earlier than, say, 7:00 AM, will have a longer period of darkness to deal with in the morning. That’d be me.

Politically, Wisconsin and other states are having grand changes in the philosophy of their respective State governments. The people they elected into their State Senates and Congress Assemblies in 2010 now have given the rich folks tax breaks and taken some pay and benefits, not to mention rights, from the working class. 

We’ll see how this plays out. I can’t figure out why taking the right to collectively bargain for State employees will create new jobs for the masses. Last I heard, the Koch Brothers, rich Billionaires and large contributers of cash to get the people they want in office,  haven’t notified the press that they were opening any new factories that would employ hundreds of people and spread more pollutants into our drinking water. I guess that’s good for our water purity but still bad for the unemployed.

Closer to home, the gas and electric portions of my home heating bill are overall lower since the install of a new furnace. Add to that savings the warmer weather, longer daylight hours and general frugality and I’m saving money. I’m also doing a better job of slowing pollution myself, so there’s an offset to the water pollution created by industry. I want to believe that’s a good thing.

Otherwise, all this stuff is going on. I’m getting e-mail after e-mail with money requests for donations. Money to stop the big media outlets from taking over the internet. Money to start an ad campaign to recall Republican Senators in Wisconsin. Money for this, Money for that, Money for the other thing. All about money, all the time.

That’s what I like about the traditional thinking Native American people I know. They ask for prayers.

We all need money to survive, I know, but we’ve made it a priority to happiness and peace and I’m sorry to say that it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Sorry for the dismal outlook today. I was hoping to write more about the time I spent recently in the Southwest. I had some restaurant reviews and funny stories to tell, but my balloon has been deflated and I’m just not in the mood.

Peace

I need to mention that I put that word down everywhere I can. On blog posts, on comments and as a salutation on e-mails I send. You see the same word from me. I wonder how many come to expect it or notice it. I wonder if anyone thinks about it. I think about it and wonder how I could live without it.

Spiritual Elder Chris Leath Obituary

Thank you for all your comments and concerns for the family, community members, friends and me. We all lost a legend with the passing of Chris.

Tasunka Wakinyan Ohitika

Here is the obituary. If you care to, you can read just a small portion of the contributions and dedication he has given to people of all colors, of all Nations, Indian and Non-Indian alike.

Obituary for Chris Leath

Thank you.

Mitakwe Oyasin   We are all Related

Peace

A Sad Heavy Heart

Haiku My Heart Friday
March 4, 2011

See more Hailku HERE

Don't look behind you

There is nothing there for you

Wise words from a friend

Mrs. Spadoman and I are on our way back to Wisconsin. I'm in a motel near Kansas City, MO this morning and plan on walking in my front door by dinner time this afternoon. We had a wonderful time together and I have some stories to tell, but all will have to wait as I use this space today to tell you of the passing of a great man in my life and in the lives of so many.

His name is Chris Leath. He is a Dakota Spiritual Elder and has been a friend and teacher of mine for over ten years. The first time I ever went into a Sweat Lodge it was with Chris. He led the Sundance ceremonies I attended. He has been the designated Spiritual Advisor for many events. The list of how much he helped and prayed for members of the community are endless.

The Haiku is something he tells us when we are ready to leave the Sweat Lodge. He reminds us to go forward and not dwell on the past, but rather seek answers to our problems. He suggests the Spirits of our ancestors that were in the lodge with us will take care of the problems we left there. There is nothing left but healing ahead of us.

I wrote about a period of time in my own life and how it relates to just one of the many lessons Chris has taught me. HERE is the story from an older post if you care to take a look.

Chris passed away yesterday from sickness and illness that he has been struggling with. I received the word via a phone call from a friend. I am sad, but no one knows the journey of a Spiritual Warrior better than Chris. He was a Veteran of the Korean War and a servant to the people.

His Spirit soars today with the Eagles

Mitakwe Oyasin

Tuesday Political Tirade

Don't worry folks. This isn't a regular feature or a meme. I just had to weigh in on the happenings of my home State of Wisconsin.

This blog used to contain political posts every day. It was a feast of my opinions, showing my left leaning liberal radical colors. I haven’t wavered from my beliefs. In fact, I have been just as vocal as I always was,  just not in print on this blog.

I start todays post with this statement because I must make a comment about the situation in my home state, Wisconsin. I know that you have seen Wisconsin in the National news lately.

The standoff over the Republican Governor’s so called Budget Repair Bill, and the straight down party line voting for and against it, has the State totally divided.

Governor Walker of Wisconsin has refused to accept concessions from the State’s public workers unions. These workers, through their unions, have offered to take less pay per hour and pay into their own medical and retirement funds at rates asked for by the terms of this budget proposal. In the past, they have also accepted furlough days. These are days they are just not scheduled to work and therefore not paid. They may have a paycheck one pay period of a full time job and the next might be minus the pay for one day. Like mandatory part-time status. The union membership has accepted and agreed to these concessions.

The Governor wants all of this and more. His budget wants any union worker to give up their rights to collective bargaining. He wants this because as he has said, in front of a TV camera, that “The unions can’t be trusted.”

I realize that there might be those among you that think State employees get too much and most of the private sector doesn't have the same benefits. Let me remind you that without unions, this country would have child sweat shops and workers made to work many hours on an irregular schedule. the union brought the 40 hour work week to America. Without unions, all businesses would be like WalMart and offer low paying jobs in the service industry. Where do you work? How are the conditions there? Just mad at Wisconsin because you don't have a union job? 

So the State sits, with all 14 Democrat state Senators in exile, so as to not allow a vote on this measure. The Republicans, which number 17, all vote for this bill to pass, the Democrats all vote against it. Can you say Ideology?

Oh, the union that bargains with the State Police? Well, they supported Walker when he ran for office, so their union can keep their collective bargaining rights. This is coincidence? I don’t believe so.

These are the reported undisputed facts. Also is the fact that the very rich billionaire Koch Brothers make no rebuttal of the fact that they paid a lot of money to both Walker’s political election campaign and to a Republican organization that put many ads on TV against the competing Democrat.

This is how things really get done. With exorbitant amounts of money spent to crush the opposition. Did you know this budget proposal also contains language that would allow the State to let contracts, without bidding, to any private company for services like utility power and energy. The Koch brothers, benefactors of Governor Walker's election campaign, are in the energy business heavily in Wisconsin. Go figure.

The Republicans had and spent more money than the Democrats. Therefore, the Republican’s have enough votes to make any kind of legislation they want and everyone on one party votes one way and everyone in the other party votes the other way. No compromise, no discussion what so ever.

I don’t ever remember seeing a TV ad or a news report with then candidate Scott Walker saying to the people, “If you elect me, I will take away collective bargaining rights to all public employees except for the unions that support me and I’ll make it so I can give public utility contracts to any business I want without any bids.”

By the way, neither Republican or Democrat law makers have taken any cuts in healthcare, retirement or pay and they are all public servant employees. On top of that, the Governor gave tax cuts to the wealthy residents of Wisconsin. Prior to the tax cuts for the rich, Wisconsin was slated to have a surplus in Government until these tax cuts were announced

All these facts have been reported by reputable news outlets. Do your own research and read for yourself. There is more out there than Fox News. Make up your own mind. My mind says that if the unions are willing to make substantial cuts in wages, healthcare and retirement, but the Governor says no, you must also give up your rights to collective bargaining, it is all for political gain and union busting and doesn’t have anything to do with the budget. 

Have I mentioned the prank phone call, where the Governor speaks candidly to who he thinks is a billionaire supporter of his, and pretty much says he considered planting people to cause trouble within the ranks of those that otherwise peacefully protest his actions? In this same phone call, he accepted an offer of a trip to California to celebrate the busting of the unions in Wisconsin.

There are other factors. Like the fact that the Federal Government doesn’t have collective bargaining. I don’t know what this has to do with anything, unless Governor Walker wants Wisconsin to be exactly like the Federal Government. But that doesn’t make any sense. The state of Texas doesn’t have collective bargaining and they have a budget shortfall as well. Every state does in fact.

I know where I stand. I think it is a good deal for the State to accept the concessions the public employees are offering to give and leave the rights of the people as they are. If a need for a law to disallow collective bargaining needs to be written, then write it and pass it, but not just to say the unions can’t be trusted. That’s exactly like saying all of one race or ethnicity is this or that. Then again, we're doing this with Muslims, aren't we? All Muslims are terrorists. All dark skinned Mexicans are illegal immigrants. All unions that don't support the elected party can't be trusted. Sounds like right wing extremist tea party fear mongering mantra to me.

I’m not a reporter, so I can still say what I want on my blog. At least I think I still can. You know, freedom of speech and all that? All I know is that people should not be stripped of their rights simply because one political party says they can’t trust the other.

By the way, Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck belong to trade unions. Some Federation of broadcasters or something. I guess they can’t be trusted then, right? No, Left!

Peace

Moving Shadows

Shadow Shot Sunday
February 27, 2011

I finally tried something I have been thinking of doing for a long time. I saw some long cast shadows while driving on the highway the other morning and used the motion picture function on my camera to make a YouTube video.


This is my Shadow Shot Sunday submission this week. The video was taken while driving West on Interstate Highway 10 between Benson and Tucson Arizona, USA. It was early in the morning, but not crack of dawn. Still, the shadows were long, and I love the way they seem to dance across the road while rounding a gradual left hand curve.


I'm not sure how this view of the highway might seem to those blog readers and followers that hail from places that drive on the left side of the road. But this is how we do it here in the States. It's short, only 53 seconds, so download shouldn't take forever. Hope you like it.





For more Shadow Shots and to find out the guidelines to participate, please see Tracy's Hey Harriet blog.


I also might mention that my post previous to this one, for another Meme entitled Haiku My Heart Friday on Rebecca's recuerda mi corazon blog,  is also a Shadow Shot, and includes people who also participate regularly on Shadow Shot Sunday. Have a look and see if you can guess who they might be. My hint will be that I am one of them and we met for the first time in Arizona. You can see that Haiku post HERE.

Peace

Kind Friendly Spirits in the Sunshine

Haiku My Heart Friday
February 25, 2011

Haiku My Heart Friday is the creation of my Rebecca who pens the recuerda mi corazon blog. Check it out for more Haiku and photos. You can also get guidelines if you'd like to participate yourself.

This has been a fabulous week. I've been on the road in the American Southwest. Fantastic scenery everywhere. Mountain vistas, desert landscpes, old mining towns, modern trendy tourist haunts along with yard sales and flea markets galore.

But the best fun we've had was spending the afternoon with friends we have never met until this trip. Tuesday, while spending some time in Prescott, Arizona, my spousal unit Barb and I had a rendezvous with two wonderful artists and bloggers. One of them, besides me, brought their spousal unit, so there were five of us.

It was great fun and a fantastic wonderful honor to meet these people in person. We talked and laughed together like old friends, making the encounter a comfortable experience, all vowing that we would do this again at some point. It will be hard to describe this time spent with old/new friends, but I'll try my hand with this haiku.

 

This is a  photo of our silouettes in the afternoon sunshine

Old souls we just met

 Hugs, laughter, friendship and peace

Best friends forever


Can you guess who we are and in which order we are in the shadowy photo? I'm thinking it might be fun to have you guess, so I won't divulge the answer until next week. I will give you one hint and tell you we all join the fun on Friday with Haiku. By the way, contrary to public opinion, we are NOT Curly, Moe and Larry.

It really was a marvelous time spent meeting new friends and wonderful people. I've had this experience twice before while on this trip with two other bloggers as well. One in Rio Rancho, New Mexico near Albuquerque and another in El Paso, Texas. If you've never met the people you write to, tell your stories to, offer solace to and pray for, do it. It is totally worth the effort.

Peace