Poetry I Like: The Song My Paddle Sings

The Song My Paddle Sings

E. Pauline Johnson (1862–1913)

WEST wind, blow from your prairie nest, Blow from the mountains, blow from the west. The sail is idle, the sailor too; O wind of the west, we wait for you! Blow, blow!         5 I have wooed you so, But never a favor you bestow. You rock your cradle the hills between, But scorn to notice my white lateen.   I stow the sail and unship the mast:         10 I wooed you long, but my wooing’s past; My paddle will lull you into rest: O drowsy wind of the drowsy west, Sleep, sleep! By your mountains steep,         15 Or down where the prairie grasses sweep, Now fold in slumber your laggard wings, For soft is the song my paddle sings.   August is laughing across the sky, Laughing while paddle, canoe and I         20 Drift, drift, Where the hills uplift On either side of the current swift.   The river rolls in its rocky bed, My paddle is plying its way ahead,         25 Dip, dip, When the waters flip In foam as over their breast we slip.   And oh, the river runs swifter now; The eddies circle about my bow:         30 Swirl, swirl! How the ripples curl In many a dangerous pool awhirl! And far to forward the rapids roar, Fretting their margin for evermore;         35 Dash, dash, With a mighty crash, They seethe and boil and bound and splash.   Be strong, O paddle! be brave, canoe! The reckless waves you must plunge into.         40 Reel, reel, On your trembling keel, But never a fear my craft will feel.   We’ve raced the rapids; we’re far ahead: The river slips through its silent bed.         45 Sway, sway, As the bubbles spray And fall in tinkling tunes away.   And up on the hills against the sky, A fir tree rocking its lullaby         50 Swings, swings, Its emerald wings, Swelling the song that my paddle sings. This poem is written by a Native American woman, E. Pauline Johnson.  I like the feel of the paddle, and can feel both the rush of the rapids, and the peacefulness of the calm before and after.

Duckwater: Digging a Sewer Leach Line

In doing social work, sometimes you do what is needed.  While I worked for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, a tribal member's house burned, and a family was homeless.  I was on the phone to arrange with B.I.A. housing for a double wide trailer to be provided.  The tribe provided a property for the same, and would get water and electricity to the site. The septic tank would also be provided by the B.I.A.  However they would not provide the labor for placing the septic tank nor the leach line. That is one of those extra duties as assigned.  Someone from the B.I.A. directed the project, and I and tribal employees provided the labor.   We spent a day putting this in.  Of course a back hoe did most of the heavy work, but there was shoveling to get the right slant, and then shoveling in gravel.  I don't know much about such things, and just did what I was shown.  However it felt good to provide a real contribution, and for the family with there young ones to move back in.  I was able to visit them a couple months later delivering Christmas gifts provided by Save The Children.  It takes a community sometimes.

Duckwater Community Projects 1983-85: Physical Education: Duckwater Shoshone Tribal School

When you work for a small community, you become involved any many different activities.  On of those was helping the Duckwater Tribal school with recreation.  I had experience with community recreation in Hyrum, Utah where I grew up.  I also drew lots from materials I borrowed from Clyde Buff, who had graduated in recreation from Utah State University.  I too had taken a class in this topic.
My first year in Duckwater I was pressed for some consistent things to do.  As a result I volunteered for doing physical education at the Duckwater Shoshone School.  Usually I would try to fill the time with activities.  These were games and activities I found in a large book Clyde had from school.  We played some pretty fun games.  One of the favorite was "pomp" a game I played growing up in Hyrum.  We went through lots of games, and then picked the ones we liked best.  We played a crab walk soccer and chase games, and pomp became a favorite.  He also did several different types of relays.  We also played freeze tag.  During the winter we had the use of the tribal gym.  During the summer we played outside.  Then we played softball.  We also played soccer and tag.
One year Jan Halstead helped sponsor an American Lung Association Olympic marathon.  This event was a joint County School and Tribal School event.  The kids took pledges and then participated in several different Olympic type events.  These included broad jump, Frisbee throw and a short dash.  I helped train the kids and then participated as a judge for some of the events.
Another joint event was a jump rope-a-thon.  Jan also helped sponsor this.   Some of the kids took part in this as well.  We had fun in P.E. jumping rope and practicing for this.  Rondee Graham, one of the younger children, was a very good jump roper.  When we did the jump-a-thon groups of four would take turns so one of the four would be jumping all the time.

Skinny Dipping in Rigby

One time we were in Rigby, my father was determined to show us his old swimming hole.  It didn't matter that it was Sunday, nor that we not brought swimming suits.  My Dad was determined that we try out the idea, and he took pictures of his to document the event.  We took our cousin Danny, as well as a couple of the Olsen boys who came with the directive form their father to not get wet.  However in swinging across, one of the brothers fell, and to not be the only one punished pushed the other one in so they were both wet.  Their father was mad.  Sara and Clyde drove down to look for us, and caught Weldon in the raw.  I was smart enough to stay in the water.

Danny behind and my brother's behind as well

Yours Truly

Cousin Reed Olsen swinging.  He missed and got wet and man was his dad mad.

Me and my brothers

This is Weldon

My dad had a thing for taking pictures of us nude.  This is our bathtub in Hyrum.  My mom did some editing.  I don't know why, but usually bathed together until we were quite a bit older, every Saturday.  You know, the get ready for Sunday thing.

Stories I Like: Apes, Stairs and Bananas from Good Clean Fun

GCF: Apes, Stairs and a Banana

Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a
banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an
ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the
banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the
apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an
attempt with the same result - all the apes are sprayed with
cold water.

Continue until, when another ape tries to climb the stairs,
the other apes try to prevent it.

At this point, turn off the cold water.

Now remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new ape.
The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To
his horror, all of the other apes attack him. After another
attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the
stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it
with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.
The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with
enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third original ape with a new one. The new one
makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four
apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to
climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating
of the newest ape.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes
which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced.

Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not?

"Because that's the way it's always been around here."

And that's how corporate policies begin.

This I found on Good Clean Fun.  It is on Jeff Bridges website

The Ham Story

A similar story I heard was a woman who always chopped the ends off the ham before putting it in the oven to  roast.  When her husband saw his wife wasting some of the ham he asked her why.  She said because my mother always did it this way.  Husband asks, "Why did your mother do it that way?"  "I don't know, she just did."  Husband finally prevails upon her to call mother and ask her.  The answer, I had a small roasting pan and  the hame would not fit if I didn't cut off the ends.  Who knows sometimes why we do what we do.  Sometimes you just have to think outside of the box.
This story I heard at Amway conventions.  

LTM (MTC) Teacher/Basketball Coach Ken Wagner

http://byuhawaiisports.com/sports/mbkb/coaches/ken_wagner
I have crossed paths with Ken Wagner a couple times in my life.  The firstwat at the Language Training Mission in Provo.  He was one of my two Spanish instructors.  He was born in Chihuahua Mexico and served a mission in Monterrey Mexico.  While I was in the LTM Spanish instruction included grammar, but also a memorize the discussions part.  One day I vomited the food they were serving, and didn't make it to class as a result.  He came to check on me.  I was studying as hard as I could without being in class.  I think he was worried I was just being a slacker.  I only missed half a day.  I wasn't really sick, just sick of thick pancakes.  He was my instructor the entire two months.
The second time he crossed my path was when he was coaching at Lehi High School.  Weldon's team form Tintic High School had a game scheduled with them.  This was the case of the 1A school (Weldon's) taking on the larger 2A school.  Not only that, but Lehi at the time was a very good team.   They played in a couple state championships.  I don't remember the score, but Lehi won the game. From Lehi High School he went south to Dixie College.  He has been at Hawaii BYU for 25 years.

Duckwater Community Projects August 1983-June 1985: Volleyball League

I organized and ran a volleyball league both years we lived in Duckwater.  We had five or six teams each year.  Most of the teams came from the Native American, but we also had one community ranch team which is the team Sheri and I would participate with.  We would have regular play, and then a tournament at the end of the year.  Willie Blackeye was usually the star.  His team won the championship both years.  Other teams included the Duckwater Shoshone School team which had many teachers and spouses.  There was also a team of tribal employees, and another community team with many from the George family.
I would arrange for the purchasing of trophies for the first place team.  I also got more than my share of officiating volleyball.  It seems I was in charge of the net about every game, but I could get someone to watch the lines for me.  JerDean Moyle, a senior in high school, would also help with the officiating.  The league was co-ed and the rule required three women participate at all times on the court.