Boozhoo and happy summertime to all! Up here in the Rezberrian tundra spring was skipped completely and we were tossed straight into August! I’m not complaining, no, not even at my first mosquito bite of the year. When I was sitting outside in the late afternoon I smelled what I thought was someone doing laundry, the smell was so sweet, warm and pungent. It took me a minute to understand it was the trees, lilacs and other blooms perfuming the forest only the way they can. For that I am grateful and blessed.
Welp, my Gramma Rose’s 100th birthday party went very well. Rose was in rare form laughing, joking and flirting too! At one point she asked if there were any 80-year old men in the casino. She prefers younger men. Hee hee. She got lots of attention from her old friends and family who fawned over her, but we do that anyway. Rose is a precious person and we are lucky to have her.
On behalf of my Gramma Rose I thank all who came to celebrate with her and for your kindnesses and gifts. Chii miigwech to the Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee Members who provided the space and food, and my dear cuz Velvet Linden who coordinated it all. Seeing my Gramma so happy like she was, I am very touched and happy. I got to see my extended family who motored here to share Rose’s Big Day. The result was that we were exhausted afterwards – but isn’t that what makes a great party?
My only regret was that we had a chance to have a five-generation family photo but didn’t do it. Well, at least no one came to fisticuffs or displayed any rancor, no one dared! There was so much love, many hugs and visiting. All made possible by one ‘widdle’ remarkable woman. I love you Gramma. Thank you for being you.
About birthdays, I recently had my own. I don’t make a big deal over it but my Gram and my sweet Lorri do. I made plans to stay at the casino just so I could get out of my head and have some fun, but I ended up in the ER on my birthday eve. Gads, I was sick! I spent my last dollars to take a taxi there, feeling sure I wouldn’t leave anytime soon but they discharged me three hours later. They did every test – but they all came back that I would live, so they sent me home.
Just now I got a call from the hospital saying I have a serious infection and need to go on antibiotics?! I told them I was sick! The only good thing I got on my birthday was a mitt I bought off the internet to de-shed cats and it WORKS! Who needs cards and flowers?
When I was laying in bed I thought about how healthy and unbroken I used to be, which is something all older people do I s’pose. I need a new mission in life to get me through until I do leave here so I don’t focus so much on my miseries. Or I need to take a page out my cat XiXi’s book and focus on what’s good in life. She recently passed on at age 20. I had her for eight years, out of a shelter. I just wanted her to have a comfortable, loving, stable rest of her life and she had that. XiXi loved and comforted me when I had surgery on my arm, delicately placing herself there and then purring away. She had been through a lot before I got her and perhaps understood what it’s like to not have.
XiXi was the only one of my cats I let outside because she never went far, only to eat grass and then come in and hack it up. (shrug.) The other cats would bring me ‘presents’ and never come when called, so they don’t get to go out anymore. One day XiXi went out and was lying on the steps and didn’t come in then nor later. I called for her the next day and even went to look for her. She just left. I did dream a few days later that she bounded up in my bedroom, but she was big and healthy, her coat was shiny and she was not arthritic and small as she had become. That was my sign she was okay and will be there to greet me at the rainbow bridge.
Miigwech to you all for reading this far; ya’ll know I’m usually all upset and ranting about what is happening to us. I keep thinking of a JFK speech in which he had found out a horrible scheme about how we Americans were to be enslaved and he spoke out against it. Not long after that he was assassinated. Coincidence? Really? I think not.
