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Post by MountainBear on Dec 22, 2010 10:35:34 GMT -6
Hello GB Within my memory my folks have allways been out on thier own. Only time I can recall being near a larg group of traditional native americans was during visits. I recall every one sitting around the supper table talking, talking so much some would dig into the food a eat more. Good cooking. We had a big family around us. Some just had native ancesters, others are first generation off the reservation. Quit a mix of folks we are, but it was all family. I thought that was the way everyone lived. I recall bring some buddies home from school and they appeared shocked by an indian grandmother and kin all over the place. We had around 20 younsters out in the yard, 18 kin folk. At the time I did not understand or appreciate what was. You are right, the wild west show continues. The U. N. thing could have far reaching results, just depends on Washington. I ha e several close kin that only make contact when $$ is needed, seldom if ever get any back, most troubling. I always help them out, one of these days I will not be around, they will have to do somthing different. There I go rambling on.......GB take care MB
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 23, 2010 12:23:09 GMT -6
Hello.....GB Cold and windy here. Hope you have a good holiday.
MB
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Post by graybear on Dec 27, 2010 15:16:35 GMT -6
Sorry...Mountain Bear...I didn't see there was two pages. I thought I had run you off too. When I was young fellow in the Willamette Valley, summer was a harvest time. Hopps, string beans, strawberries , corn, pea's. Most of the pickers were from local tribes. Men and women always stayed apart during the day. I remember that men seemed to laugh and women stayed serious during the day. The kids, up to about age 8 didn't think 'boy', 'girl' we just ran pushed, wrestled and any kid was just everybodys business. If you got out a line, ya got somebodies knuckles on top of your head, when it was lunch time you just stopped where-ever you were and thats where you ate. It was one family, together and you didn't push your luck. I don't find that anymore. I have theories why but can't prove it, I miss those days, of course I don't have to eat as many raw pea's anymore. When I was in High School we use to go to Toledo, Oregon to fight with Siletz Ndn's. After eveybody got kicked around we would sit and talk and laugh about who took the worst lickin'...Just boys...no girls! I was never any place the girls associated with each other. They were usually with mom and moms didn't want those girls interested in Ndn boys. So I pretty much grew up running the mountains, never had a girl friend until I started college...blond...wanted to show me she was not prejudice. But Ndn moms still didn't let their daughter associate with Ndn boys. Some reason black girls and Ndn girls wouldn't talk to the boys with the red color. When I got older and started going to pow-wows I met some Ndn girls but they were flighty and didn't see ya again after that pow-wow. And Lord!Lord! when ya started growing hair on your lip, you better not get caught any where near their daughters and get caught....I never got caught :-)
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 27, 2010 18:53:24 GMT -6
Hello GB, I am still here. What you say is the truth....... "The kids, up to about age 8 didn't think 'boy', 'girl' we just ran pushed, wrestled and any kid was just everybodys business. If you got out a line, ya got somebodies knuckles on top of your head, when it was lunch time you just stopped where-ever you were and thats where you ate. It was one family, together and you didn't push your luck. I don't find that anymore. I have theories why but can't prove it, I miss those days, of course I don't have to eat as many raw pea's anymore"........I allso miss those days, One large group of folks all looking out for all. I did not know how important it is until I retired and had time to visit and stay longer. We remember the things, but the kids of our kids have little or no concept of how it was. That is what we have here anyways, and if kids miss that. It will not be gained another way. The nearest form of how I grew up is the Pueblo way of life. I grew up with family and such living in a long building, with other kin all around. Even if you are not blood you are still family in that group. Sometime I will tell you the story of how Uncle Wesley, really my great uncle, and my Grandfather burnt down the outhouse. You take care and hope you had a good holiday......MB
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Post by graybear on Dec 28, 2010 10:56:58 GMT -6
Well Mountain Bear...I had a mighty slow day yeasterday. I was open for business but there wasn't a body around...must of all been at Wal-Mart helping the Chinese military build another Nuke-Sub. Thats where the Clinton woman and the Obama woman come from. The Wal-mart Board of Directors outta Arkansas. I'm open seven days a week so I never get to a town with a Wally-World but I hear rumors so it must be a status thing to be seen at Wal-Mart. Maybe I should start giving out memberships to my store and if you don't have a membership ya can't get in, I could give folks a sticker to put on their car...I shop at the Snickersnee ! Ummm that might be a big bumper sticker...Hee,hee,hee Oh well gotta open for another day, at least its raining today, when its sunny folks just go to the beach no-one stops to shop....So here I go, catch ya later cause I want to hear the story...! Ol'GrayBear
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 28, 2010 11:46:23 GMT -6
Hello....Ol'GrayBear I hear what you say, I do not shop at any of those stores. I have spent less than $50 at Wally-World in my life time, and that was for a computer device. Things have been slow here, due to the weather. We are used to all this snow (12") in Virginia. Some years we never see any. I am not sure about the membership thing. You will have to redo your parking, make all the spaces to small and hard to enter and exit from. Then put 2 bottlnecks at the entrance of your lot. Jf you can do all that, might work. I am just waiting for snow and ice to melt......take care ... MB
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Post by graybear on Dec 29, 2010 13:36:41 GMT -6
Well so much for the membership thing...I only have three parking places and my little Ford Ranger is parked in one of those. When you pull out, your on hiway 101, the only North/South hiway on the coast. Yep I don't make no excuses for not shopping Wally-World, it belong to red China and is head quartered in Arkansas. Its a Clinton thing but, then again if China would give me as much money as they did the Clintons (?) Naw I still wouldn't shop Wally World I got to sleep at night. My little town here doesn't even have a gas stop, No McDonalds or Circle K not one chain store of any kind. We just can't come to selling our souls for a few bucks that aren't even real. Its a little cool today and there was a minute of hail passed by but the sky is breaking up for a minute or so, probably come back a rain. Tomorrow is suppose to rain/snow mix, won't stick here. But I'm glad my job is indoors.... Sure wish the Lakota would make a move politically to form their nation, right now when eveybody is watching and listening and it would be harder to sweep it under the carpet as the world court is ready to make a move to divide the U.S. An Ndn nation in the heartland would be a great thing to see. There would be foreign backing and a chance to develope some of the farm land thats tied in in red tape . I keep watching "The Native Times" to see if anything is visable but everything is talk...in U.S. politics that means there would be some good fertilizer but until its on paper nothing counts. Anywho thats whats new, I paying attention again.... Ol' Gray Bear.. Jim
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 29, 2010 21:01:50 GMT -6
Hello....Ol'GrayBear Well we have lots of snow still on the ground, might see if I can move the van tomorrow. Time to go out to the food store, have not been since the 22nd. We have a full size van with a wheelchair lift hung under the fram. Takes very little snow and it acts like a snow plow. Roads are good, just drivway has a good 5 inches remaining. Are you planning on going to the Lakota Nation. if it ever comes to pass? It has been said all will be welcome to live tax free, just give up your USA citizenship. That would take some pondering. Take care, watch for snow........MB
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Post by graybear on Dec 30, 2010 17:00:00 GMT -6
I don't give much thought to'tax free' so much as If I could have the right to do something for myself and they would let me do it. I live in Oregon and its a very restrictive state. You have to have a licence for everything. Tell me the code, let me build a house, wire my house, plumb my house set my own doors(yep there's a law in Oregon you have to be licenced to put in a door or window. trim my own trees...yep you have to have a licence to trim a tree. In this U.S. there is not much a person can do on there own. Its unlawful for me to hunt a deer with-out a licence or catch a fish. I would have to watch and see how many restrictions are planned before I would trade one for the other. I believe a man(race of) should be able to do whatever he want to do as long as it does not deni someone else the same right. And any right denied a man by another, his should be denied equally. (proved beyond a reasonable doubt) But I believe there is room for an large Ndn nation, It was all Ndn nation before and the grass was tall and the game was plentiful water was clean, there was still conflect and two people could fight to the death, but compared to Sand Creek thats pretty mild. but if the leadership is not strong now and have a say in the construction of a new nation, then it will just be a fake nation built with words and not deeds. So I would have to watch and listen because it not what said but what done that shows the deed. No snow here, but it didn't get to 50* today only mid 40's, been sunny but cool. I stay poor just so I can enjoy my days, it a great geographical area, and I eat a lot of cold cereal but I have a great view while I eating it.... :-)
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 30, 2010 20:21:36 GMT -6
GB........Tax on income does not have the same bite as it did while I was still working, but all the other tax is just as bad and I have less to pay it with. Tax is not a show stopper but is a consideration. Most restrictions are established on the pretext of protection, or the good for all. Out hear I can hang my door, or cut my tree, or make repairs. It is when I go to contract the work to someone else I need a licence or permits. All that code was put in to protect the unaware homeowner, but today is mostly a source of funds. From what I am aware of any government will have cooruption, just a matter of how much the people can live with and how to controll it when out of hand. A place to live that is free of government interference and cooruption is a rare place in todays world. Greed has come to nearly all people, if not from the outside then from within. My your bussines soon pick up......MB
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Post by graybear on Dec 31, 2010 12:10:44 GMT -6
At one time, I had some video from the Lakota Sioux, they were talking a good talk, but I couldn't see the walk. I just gave up after my Mrs passed on. Didn't have a good reason to try anymore. But when a fella stands still for a minute you get to look at things different. I'm really disappointed in what I see. Its like I'm on a hill and can see the whole forrest and there is a lot-a-rot out there. Its going to be hard to save whats left of this diluted nation but if a new one starts and its all regulations, no sense in someone my age jumping out of one sinking boat onto another sinking boat. but if a nation could begin and you only have what you can get and nobody says you can only have what we say, when we say, how we say. It would be worth trying again, even if I just had something to give to another worthy person when I leave this old world. But now there is no value in trying, a person get rewarded for doing nothing. Everything evolves around a worthless, private money system that can change rules whenever it wants. So I'm going to find a wife again, Just stay outta sight and outta mind and live with what I got until I find something I really believe is better. Just wish the Lakota would try to get there own nation, they would have to make it attractive to get any takers. North and South Dakota aren't what one could call beach front property, But if you could have your own house, hunt when you needed meat, have your own well your own sewer system, I wouldn't even have to have a fence, just some corrals for what livestock I was feeding and some kind of marker where I could raise hay for winter. that was the way it was when I was young. Then somebody thought of welfare and chinese labor and its been all down hill since then. But your sure right about greed...its even highly visible in Tahlequah...got friends there that tells me how the leadership of the Cherokee nation are keeping everything mum so they can get as much pie as they can before anyone else knows the pie is available. Thats why I'm watching the Lakota...they're honest people. It was in the 30's this morning but its sunny so I'm going to just watch the world go by
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Post by MountainBear on Dec 31, 2010 21:30:51 GMT -6
Graybear..... It has warmed up some here, I see open ground with no snow. Thats good, got the van out yesterday and took care of a few things. The life we lived 50 years ago is nearly gone, I am not sure it was there for everyone. Our folks put up with and took care of a lot of things I never had to be bothered with. I would not be happy to go back to all the worries they had. Most have it good today. I can remember hunting and fishing. being free in the woods but the grownups had a lot of burdens we do not have today.I have thought about getting a motor home and just travel around. That will not happen. wife is unable and gas will be to costly.
hang in.....MB
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Post by graybear on Jan 1, 2011 11:42:15 GMT -6
Si-yo Ogi na li Mountain Bear..pretty much most of my life was lived on the"don't ask, don't tell system that was in play long before Bill Clinton was even a gleem in his father eye but the mountains of western Oregon lend themselve to a people trying to stay alive. I still live on less then $10,000 ayear, but before I became so prosperious I was luckey to hit 6000 a year. But I raised my family,never had a credit card, a food stamp, welfare or one unemployment cheque. I still work seven days a week and whatever money I make goes back into inventory. I have basic expenses...phone, lights, utilities, high speed cable for this machine advertising,rent, but I live where I work( in the back) My Ford Ranger is paid for(319,000miles later) and I have a Bicycle...6.speed with luggage rack side baskets, fenders and a BIG seat. got a 40' semi trailer over on the high desert with all my misc. in it, sitting on 160 acres, paid for. Sometimes a fella just has to NOT ASK and don't tell. we won't go into what but theres ways to feed a family off nature, don't tell, the bureaucracy will destroy it. they're trying all they can think of at the moment to destroy but nature makes food and medicine. The only pill I take is an occassional asperin...the rest comes from nature . I eat a lot of cold cerial because it has vitamins and mineral and store a long time. Most of the time I don't have a fridge, the only reason I'm using this one is because a local woman leaves her kids with me when she goes to work because her skirt tail boy friend don't like kids, I get them. Thats Ok for me I like kids but she feeds them cows milk (something I don't approve of) and I keep it in the fridge for them. dog-gone thing runs all the time, just makes my electric bill higher, but kids are worth it. With the price of fuel its just about less expensive to have an equiped van built for economy and stay at camp grounds and motels and see the country. A lot of cities have special accommadations for homeless that will let you spend a night or two and many churches do. So if you took a notion to travel there are economical methods its just a 'Doctor thing' I ran into, Had to go to Houston every week. but she was worth it too. Now I'm starting all over and the good Lord is giving me kids to take care of. Thats OK too at least in the day time I'm not alone....and its fun to watch them. He's seven and head strong she's eleveen and thinks she should be boss...because she's the oldest...hee, hee, hee its a learning process for them both...I think there both going to live to see the end times.. :-) the Ol'GrayBear....
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Post by MountainBear on Jan 1, 2011 12:40:47 GMT -6
GB..... Man I hear what you say, there are ways to live other than the pushed style of today. I can not imagine how folks are paying from these big houses, boats and cars. Looks like everyone is trying to outspend the others, can't go on like that. I have had a blessed life so far, except for my wife being ill we have done OK. She is in a wheelchair and had a stroke so it takes all 4 of us to get anything done. I had hi hopes of spending a few years just traveling after retirement. Still would like to. Most RVs are not conducive to wheelchairs. My brother has a bus and I could see how one with a chair lift could be made into a nice wheelchair RV. Fuel would be a bear, have to park it and travel only some. With our chat I am puzzled that no others have came in to say Hi.
Best wishes.......MB
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Post by graybear on Jan 1, 2011 23:46:27 GMT -6
Si-yo Mountain Bear...my guess is there are a lot of people that are happy knowing they have Cherokee blood pumping thru their hearts but they're not interested in debating the point when some-one wants to just be critical because one of the parents didn't have Cherokee blood. There are 100s of thousands of people in the U.S. that don't know they have Cherokee blood. Blacks and whites. And truth is the bigger part of the Nation Cherokee don't have as much as the people left out of the bureaucracies choosen few. If we hit upon the right note or put down the occassional bull horn that comes by they will come back in with opinions or recipes for poor guys like me that can only fry spam and bake canned biscuits. Because I work seven days a week I'll never have a cook book. An old time friend(that got killed by a green broke horse) gave me a recipe for biscuit once and they were good Baking Powder Biscuits. I've tried a couple web page biscuit recipes but there not the same. Some times I have spam and soda crackers because I can't get to the store for canned biscuits. Don't even like canned ones but like then hot with melted butter and can't find anything else local to fill the bill. Use to know a good woman that gave me fry bread when she was making it anyway, boy I miss that. When I use to set-up at Quartzite I could buy elephant ears and funnel cakes but nobody around here does that. I usually burn my spam but I've gotten where I like burnt spam and buy Oregon Hazelnut bread to make spam sandwiches. I don't loose no weight so must be good for me.....Gettin ready for bed, thats when I start to remember other things I've eaten, So tonight I'm having some pepsi and whiskey to go to sleep with... Later friend Jim the Ol' Gray Bear.....
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