Weather in the Tries:

Public Service Announcement (or brags if you prefer):

Quill and Parchment online literary magazine published two of my poems this month.

The newsletter, Writing Women: by, for, and about published a recording of me reading my short story, “The Assassin.” It’s about 5 minutes long. 

If you’re on Facebook, Poets’ Brew (Yakima Coffeehouse Poets) published my poem, “Commas.”

Apologies?:

Was scrolling through Facebook and came across an article posted by a friend, Amsterdam mayor apologises for city’s role in slave trade on BBC News. I read the article, and it seemed pretty straight forward. (“apologises” is the Euro spelling)

Someone added in the Comment section on Facebook that apologies are not enough.

It got me to thinking, and believe me, in the heat of our past few days, that’s no easy task! What else could they do? Do todays Amsterdammers have any idea how many people they stole, bought, shipped, sold? Possibly. And there is, as the mayor said, no one alive today who was there at the time. 

And what about me? Do I stand and stare straight ahead, and apologize for my ancestors who owned slaves, forced the Cherokee onto the Trail of Tears, the Catawba off their land? Then, do I move to stand in front of where I just stood, do an about face, stare straight back to where I stood, and accept the apology?

My ancestors owned slaves. They forced the Cherokee off their land. They stole land from the Catawba. They undoubtedly raped the women whether red or dark brown. That was the way it was back then (not so terribly different today, actually). They supported the forced kidnapping of Native children to be raised far from home, from comfort, forbade them their language, their clothes, their food, abused them any way they wanted. Forced them to become “Good little Indians.”

My ancestors were beaten. Raped. Forced off their lands onto reservations, land no one wanted (until oil or gold were found) by my ancestors. Are you confused yet? That’s OK, I am, too.

What I’m trying to say is that if the mayor made a genuine, heartfelt apology, I think it should be accepted. At least it is an acknowledgment of a wrongdoing by her ancestors. It’s a complicated situation. The majority of my ancestors were “white” Europeans, but I also have African and Native American (Catawba—Sioux & Cherokee stock). To whom do I apologize? From whom do I accept an apology?

When in probably 6^th grade, I went on a trip with my grandparents, Grandma pointed out Chemawa Indian School as we passed it on the way through Salem, OR. She patiently answered my questions about what was it? etc. Of course, the answers were “whitewashed” but I was told it was where the Indian children were brought to receive a good education, where they were taught to be “Good little Indians.” Well, innocent me, I thought it was where they were taught about being Indians, what it meant, what their tribal histories were, etc. I began to plot. I knew where the school was. It was only, at most, a two-day hike from home. Could I sneak in? Could I, too, learn to become a “Good little Indian?” Even though my tribe was across the country, could I pass? Truly, I plotted, I planned (I may not have been a good little Indian, but I was a good Girl Scout. I even knew how to make a backpack out of a pair of jeans, and what plants I could and could not eat on my trek.).

Then I found out from someone, probably one of my teachers and the library, that to become “Good little Indians” they learned to become maids and farm hands. Can’t you just picture Auntie Lenora as some lady’s maid? (It’s OK, you may take time to laugh. I’ll wait.)

According to the www, Chemawa Indian School is still there, still functioning, but functioning as it should be, not as originally intended. By now, I’ve got way too much gray hair to sneak in 😉

From the site: “The school has thousands of successful graduates and today is home to over 400 students and is coeducational. Despite its original goals of educating Native Americans into US society, traditional Indian culture is taught as well.

“The school carries on its traditions of education and First Peoples culture in harmony. It has a history of successful athletics and academics as well.”

Photo of the Week:

Entertainment:

Netflix: Still enjoying my Korean series, Hospital Playlist. Hospital Playlist isn’t a soap, it isn’t a drama, I never watched Gray’s Anatomy so I can’t say how it would compare. It is a fun show, following 5 doctors. Some drama, not every patient survives, but a lot of laughs woven in. And toward the end of each episode, the 5 get together as a band. I think I’ll classify it as a Feel-Good series, though Wikipedia calls it a K-drama.

Books: Remember, when I finish a book, I review it at Rainy Day Reads.

I am still reading Calling Bullsh*t: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World —by Carl T. Bergstrom / Jevin D. West. 

Am maybe 20% through The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze. Two good books going on at the same time. I think Auntie Lenora is going to get little else done but reading for a few hot days 😉

The book for my book group for June was Where The Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson. It has won several awards, including Finalist for the National Book Award. I did not finish it. I have a single criterion for reading fiction—I want to feel better for having read the book than not. I want if not happy ever after, a satisfactory end. I read too much non-fiction for sad. This book was well written, and if the purpose was to show how unlovable the protagonist was, he succeeded. I couldn’t like anyone in the book. I read a bit more than half, then skipped to the last three chapters and read them. We know from the get-go the girl is going to die. I dunno. If any of you read it, and have some ideas, I’m willing to entertain them, but I’d give it a thumbs down. In which case this is the only review I’ll write of it.

Writing: The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings, An Eclectic Reader for Eclectic Readers is just about complete and ready to go to be proofread. At this rate, it should be available in plenty of time for Christmas. You can buy copies for gifts, for yourself, and for friends. 

Quote of the Week:

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” -Kimberly Howard

Sammy Brave Dog and his Human both got a little warm this past week, but cooler days are ahead. At least for the foreseeable future. Even though I did not find the calorie-free ice cream, I did enjoy some Ben & Jerry’s 😉 Have a great week, enjoy the weather, stay safe, and we’ll see you next week. Honest. Trust me.