The Bear Who Sleeps

The Bear Who Sleeps

Hoppy to Know You

Autumn's Embers

Late in the Fall, there came a warm, windy wonderful day, full of the energy and the last of Autumn's embers. It was impossible to stay inside at such a time, so– with a light heart, and no idea of where I would go– headed out.

The little car took me south through Custer, down Lame Johnny Creek road (one of my favorites) and on to Hot Springs. Once there I decided to visit a place I had on my bucket list, and I was glad I did.

The Nathaniel and Mary Whitney Preserve at Cascade Creek is protected by the Nature Conservancy- one of my favorite organizations, and great stewards of the wild places and wetlands, protecting and preserving the integrity of valuable water sources, of this continent and around the world.

Every magical pathway curve held magic– the water was melodic and hypnotic in the late day light. The final magic hour crescendo blazed a rich symphony of brilliant color, as I was again reminded, that in this special place– beauty surrounds us!

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Winds of Change: Fall 2013

The late Autumn presents us
all her glory, offering us nourishment for both body and spirit
to sustain us through the long, dark, cold winter nights.

With Autumn's changing leaves, the offspring of the summer comes to fruition, for us to view in all it's loveliness!

Food for the body...

The Beauty of Cascade Springs, Fall 2013

A Wakan and healing pool

...food for the Spirit!

Even the little fish seemed to enjoy our visit!

So, this Fall, we in Lakota land– have welcomed back one who is so dear to us!

How nice to experience the joy of family in such a special Wakan place!

It is easy to find peace and replenishing of the spirit
in such a spot!

The Spirits fill the air, honoring us with their presence...truly,
Beauty Surrounds Us!

Spring Forward

I love Spring in the Black Hills. It's so dramatic- with changes happening from moment to moment. This year, Spring has "sprung" forward with a vengeance. By mid-March things were getting decidedly toasty. Everyone said it would pass, and we would surely get a blizzard. But, now that it is mid-April, and the lilacs are out, well- the odds are against it.

So it was in this frame of mind that I ventured out to Custer State Park to look for signs of Spring- flowers, baby Buffalo, shedding Buffalo!

The drive to the park was every bit as interesting!

The residents were accommodating, but..

...that's close enough!

The park was brilliant in it's early season splendor.
Water in abundance, and- due to the high elevation- stil plenty of snow and ice around the edges.

Still, shadows gather quickly in the 'Hills, and it is best to keep moving, so as
 not to get caught
by nightfall...

When the shadows get longer, one never knows...

what the shadows may bring...

...and had best not be caught up in them...
So with the setting sun I headed back north for the evening....But the weekend was not over yet!

The next day was even warmer- high 70's! So JhonDuane and I agreed to meet at a favorite picnic spot, to take full advantage of the cool pristine waters as they flow from the deep underground of the 'Hills...

A picnic always tastes better next to a bubbling spring-especially after your feet have cooled down...hard to believe this was the last day of March!
After a great picnic, a satisfying nap- it was time to call it- a very fine weekend, indeed!

Stalking the Wild Harvest: Part I

Euell Gibbons brought foraging for wild edible plants back to the mainstream in the "dominant culture" back in the late '60s-early'70s Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

However, what was a novelty and charming to many of his readers was 'ho-hum to those with whom he grew up, and many others for whom the bounty of Nature was not just a fun thing to do, but how you survived.

My Mother's Mother, "Tommy" Walsh raised awareness in my young life regarding the bounty that Nature provided. When we visited her at her home on Cape Cod, she would have jams, jellies and wine made from plants she had collected. She was considered somewhat "eccentric in my staid, proper and very modern New England family.

I remember that- one time she my brother Jimmy brought  home live conch shell  (think the shell in the movie Hawaii that the Indigenous Hawaiians blew on). She declared to the general congregation (my Mom- who was slightly scandalized and me and my siblings) that Native people ate conches. She said that she was going to boil it and eat it. She did. I had a taste. It was ok. Everyone else looked green.

Fast forward to the 60s-70s. Back to the land. I was THERE. I went out and STALKED the wild asparagus. Yummy!

                       ...and poke weed:

...and burdock root (where the burrs that stick on your animals come from).

When I lived in New Hampshire we always had a substantial garden.

We still enjoyed a bounty of Nature. The Bryn and Hilary and I, and sometimes their dad, would hike to the top of North Pack Monadnock in late August and pick the abundant blueberries growing there... although we probably ate more than we packed out!

Fast forward to: South Dakota. It seems to be in my blood that when things get green, I start looking for what I can harvest. This year's harvest started with the tinpsila, known as prairie or wild turnip in English- Pediomelum esculenta, member of the breadroot family. It forms a tuber that is dug, the outer husk removed braided into long braids where is dries and can be kept indefinitely. It can be eaten raw, ground into recipes, boiled, sliced and added to traditional soups stews- even ground into flour and added to thicken stock. So, on a beautiful, sunny June day, JhonDuane and I set out to: stalk the wild tinpsila!

Everything seemed glad to be alive on such a day! With all the rain we had this spring, the prairie was bursting with life- and flowers.

...and the flowers were- everywhere!

Penstemon

Blue Bells

Wild Prairie Rose

Coriopsis

Scarlet Globemallow

White Penstemon

Gumbo Lily

And, of course- there were millions of tinpsilas!

They are tough little guys to dig, and you need a special sort of shovel- such as you see below. Luckily, Jhon has a knack for digging them, not surprisingly, since he has done it since he was a little boy with his Unci- grandmother in Lakota.

 

Tinpsila

This one was about the size of my hand. They vary from little marble-sized guys, to the size of a fist.

After a  long hot day of digging, we loaded up the truck with our earthy treasures, and headed back to the house to peel and braid the roots for drying.

This takes hours and is hard on the hands, but- when they're done, the braid is beautiful, and will last for a long, long time. It was a really good day!