​Life on the Pro Farm
At the Pro Farm you never knew what you were going to see or what you might experience. During the years we lived on the animal farm we had many interesting animals. Because of the way the animal’s lives started they adapted to their environment and acted differently than their breed or they just had extraordinary traits or instincts. There are animals amazing animals that lived with us during those years; a duck, a rabbit, a dog, a cat, and a tree frog.
Lady Wrestler of the 60's and 70's
Growing up we had a duck we called Lady Donovan. She was called Lady Donovan after a wrestler we watched on WWWF in the late 60's and early 70's. The woman, Lady Donovan was the valet/manager of Dandy Jack Donovan. Her real name was Verne Bottoms. Lady Donovan, the person, was sassy and tough.
Number and Size of the Eggs
Lady Donovan had a great success rate of hatching all her eggs. If she took on a project, she would finish it well. She would come off her nest followed by five little ducklings right behind her and a single file line of three following behind those five. She usually hatched seven to ten little ones each hatching. What was most interesting, is that it did not matter to her what kind of egg was put under her to hatch.
Naming Animals
My father loved to name our animals according to their personality. This Muscovy duck was sassy, tough and the best of Mothers. Lady Donovan was the duck who got all the eggs that were deserted by young mother's, orphaned, or from nests that had too many eggs.
The Duck's Bill
Now, the trick was getting that egg under her. She was known to pinch if she felt threatened. If you have looked at a duck's beak there is a little bead like part right at the very end of their bill. She knew how to turn her head just right and catch your skin. She would then pinch and flutter pulling your skin. It really hurt when she got a hold of you.
Multicultural Family
Days later, she would waddle off her nest with little Muscovy ducklings following, along with one white chick or perhaps a goose or two. She raised ducks, geese, pheasants, quails and chickens during my years with her. You did NOT want to mess with one of her little ones. You could just get too close and she would tear into you. She brought blood on occasion and definitely left a bruise.
Red, Yellow, Black or White
Lady Donovan was a Mother Extraordinary. We could always count on her to hatch that egg that was unclaimed. And when it came out bigger, shaped differently, or squawking differently she did not care. She had hatched it, it was hers. It did not matter to her if it was red, yellow, black or white she raised her babies.
We laugh about how sassy and rough Lady Donovan, the duck, was, although, we were very proud of her mothering skills.
Thumper, the Wild Jack Rabbit
Thumper was a rabbit that daddy brought in from an acreage he was plowing. My father had accidentally plowed up the rabbit hole. The mother had run away and this infant was injured. The rabbit spent weeks under the light in a cardboard box recovering from the shock of losing his parent and seeing his burrow destroyed.
He grew into a large rabbit and ran through the house depositing his pellets in the flower pots and eating the plants. He acted like a cat. He would lie on your lap to be petted. He would sleep a large part of the day. He lived in the house for over a year till momma set her foot down and said "out with it." She got tired of having the leaves eaten off her house plants.
Trigger, the Pit Bull Dog
Trigger was a dog that was dumped on our road. When we first got him, we tied him to the clothes line so he would have plenty of room to run. Daddy felt if we wanted him to stay, we needed to keep him safe and others safe until we could find out how he would act. When Trigger arrived all the hair around his neck was gone. He had lots of scars and cuts, some were old, some were still fresh. Daddy doctored him back to health. With constant food and returning health we discovered why he had been dumped. We lived out in the country. The country is where some of the non-law-abiding people try to hide. People would fight pit bull dogs and Trigger was not a fighter. He was a lover.
We had a momma cat that was not really a good mother. She would leave her kitten unprotected for long periods of time. She did this one day and Trigger gathered all four of the kittens up and took them to a hole in the ground where a post had been. Then he proceeds to guard the kittens. If human or animal walked by that day he stood over the hole and growled. Later in the day, when the kittens were hungry and crying, we had quite a struggle convincing Trigger that he could not take care of all the needs of baby kittens.
No Name Tree Frog
The reason he is called No Name is because he was new and daddy did not have a name yet. The tree frog and the oldest daughter met under the most unfortunate of circumstances. The daughter was home from college for the weekend. daddy was hiding the tree frog in the guest room restroom. The daughter woke and preceded to take a shower when something jumped on her. It was the tree frog! It was a shocking experience for both of them. When the daughter dressed and went to the living room her father was trying his hardest not to laugh. The daughter was very vocally telling the father about her experience. Momma was at work and daddy asked that the daughter not tell Momma about the frog. We do not know how long the tree frog lived in the restroom in the guest room.
Baby, Buddy’s Buddy
Baby is a female tiger cat.  She is black and gray in color.  I think all three of us girls have fed her or had her as a pet.  She has really large eyes, with dark rings around them. We also have a picture of her nursing a little puppy, which was named Toby. She has the best of temperaments.  There was a male cat by the name of Buddy who just chased and tormented her terribly.  That is how she came to be known as Buddy’s Buddy, much Not to her liking.
To say the least things were never dull around our house. We had lots of chores to keep us busy and plenty of curious and amazing animals to keep us entertained.

Hen on the Nest Covered dish
How many of us have visited an antique mall, flea market or a yard sale and seen one of these covered dishes? They seem to be everywhere; they have been made and remade since the 1770’s. You find them in just about every color. They come in sizes from two-inches to eight-inches in length. There are hens, ducks, turkeys and other poultry. Then there are similar dishes with dairy animals. In the 1840’s they were used as chimney pieces and primarily are still used in this manner. They are definitely collectible.
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Egg Cups
In a museum recently I came across some of the smaller ones and they were marked “Egg cups.” Why were they called “egg cups” instead of “hen on the nest” covered dishes? I asked a few people in the business of antiques, “what is the use of these covered dishes?” The response I received the most was a “candy dish.”
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Candy Dish
Is this covered dish made to be used as a candy dish, as a chimney piece or is it really an egg cup? When I think of an egg cup. It is definitely not covered. It looks more like a cup or mug to me. There are several different ways to cooks eggs; boiled, fried, scrambled, deviled, baked, steamed, made into meringue or eggnog. And several different dishes we use to serve eggs; egg cups, egg platters or deviled egg dishes and egg coddlers. Why call those “egg cups" and not “hen on a nest” dishes?
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Evolving Dish
The answer lies in the history of the 1770’s. These dishes were made to serve the eatable egg. The smaller “hen on a nest” dishes or egg cups were used for poached, steamed or baked eggs. The larger “hen on the nest’ were used to serve the hard- or soft-boiled eggs and scrambled eggs. Some of the smaller covered dishes were used for salt. Even other of these dishes were used for butter. These once possibly daily used dishes have evolved into chimney pieces and candy dishes and there are many more uses for them being created daily.
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Evolution of the Peg
 
When teaching children, you are always looking for ways to teach concepts.  Working on the concept of adding a beginning letter to the ending “eg.”  Example _ eg, beg, keg, leg, peg.  Using a worksheet that had been produced some years ago. The question is soon asked, “What is a keg and a peg?”
This worksheet had a picture of each item that they were wanting to fill the blanks.  There was a barrel so that one was easy enough to satisfy for an answer to “What is a keg?”  There are not many three letter words that have the ending of “eg.”
Keg – for those who watch westerns, have travelled or live in wine country, know that is a barrel in which wine is stored.  It has a spout in which the wine can be removed after it has aged. The dictionary definition is a small barrel.
Now for the peg. 
This one presented a history lesson. The picture was of an item that we now call the clothes pin or chip clip.  

​​It is believed that the peg was invented by the gypsies. In the 1700’s “The Shakers” invented a wooden peg constructed along the walls for hanging up coats. Although, it was Jere’mie Victor Opdebec in the 1900’s who was given credit for its invention.

​​A peg is defined as a short cylindrical piece of wood, metal or plastic, typically tapered at one end, that is used for holding things together, hanging things or marking a position.

​The first patented clothes peg was issued in March 1832, described as a bent strip of hickory held together with a wooden screw. Twenty-one years later, David M. Smith of Springfield, Vermont patented a spring-clamp used to hang clothes on clothes lines.  It was described as wooden “legs” hinged together by metal springs.  Since that time, there has been over 146 patents for the peg.

​The word “peg” is used in the definition of words such as; Peg solitaire, tuning peg, peg box, peg leg or a bicycle peg.

​​Peg solitaire is a board game, for one player, involving movement of pegs on a board with holes. The Peg solitaire game is seen readily at a notable restaurant found around the United States.

​The tuning peg is used to hold a string in the peg box of a stringed instrument. The peg box is the open part of the head, in a stringed musical instrument, in which pegs are set

​​Peg leg is a word often associated with pirates, it is a fake leg made to fit the stump of a human leg.

​Bicycle peg is a metal pegs attached to the axles to enable the rider to grind on rails.

​Here are more words that end in “eg”;
Bootleg an illegal musical recording or liquor made, sold or distributed illegally.
Cymraeg a dialect of the Welch language.
Black leg a strikebreaker, diseased plant or bacterial disease.
Nutmeg a seed from a tropical tree often used as a favoring.
Foreleg the front legs of a four-legged animal.
Jackleg which is a dishonest person.
Mumblety-peg a game in which each player, in turn, throws a knife or pointed stick from a series of positions, continuing until it fails to stick in the ground.
Prepreg a material saturated with liquids like epoxy used to reinforce plastic.
Cleg -British term for a horsefly.
Skeg, Skegg or Skag an extension on ships or boats to which the rudder is attached.
There is the city in Canada called Winnipeg and a few more words.

​“Eg” is considered a suffix:
A frequentative suffix which is added to a stem.  It is often an onomatopoeia in the form of a verb.
It is also identified as a nominal suffix which is added to a verb or stem.  It will then form a noun or adjective.

​The word peg has been changed to the word “clothes pin” or “chip clip” when using the definition, for holding things together.

​            It was about the year 1765 before the first Paiute saw a horse.  They had seen the dog and the donkey.  They gave the word Poko to the dog and any four legged animals was then a Poko they just kept getting larger.  The horse was to become the most prized of the Poko for the Paiute clan.  There was a time when the horse was not allowed in the camps of the clans, for they scared the children.  Between 1840 and 1850’s the Paiute became known as horse Indians.  The connection between the Paiute and horse was natural as stated by Annie Lowry; “From the minute the Paiutes first saw a man on a horse, his whole life was dedicated to owning and riding such an animal.  It was as easy of a Paiute to ride a horse as for him to breathe.  He did not have to learn how.  He already knew.”  This story stems from this paragraph by Annie Lowry.

             ​In a land of desert among the shallow depressions between low brush-stubbed hills there was a shallow charmingly, beautiful lake with green water with a chalky pink and grey formation on its eastern shore is a lake called Pyramid Lake.  Living near this lake was a clan of people known as the Cui-ui, Ticutta, fish eaters.  They are from the Numa, the people called the Paiutes. 

            A runner had arrived in our camp telling us that the white man in the East was at war.  The white man was fighting with the French of the North and others.  The story was told among my people that mothers were gathering berries when they looked up and saw the first cannibal owls, white men.  They were white with lots of hair on their faces.  Fathers in our clan had visions of the arrival of these people.  We had seen a few of them.  They had with them two PoKo, dogs that were much bigger and could carry more supplies than our PoKo.  There had been discussion among the mothers and sisters about how we would like to have some of those PoKos.  How we would be able to move so much more as we traveled.

           We travel about a lot.  We carry woBoi, conical burden baskets full of supplies and babies from place to place.  If the camp has a PoKo we attach a drag sled/travois to it and load it with things like, flat rocks for the fires, to make our loads lighter.   When the mother and sisters told the fathers about the special PoKo they began searching for them on their trading journeys.  Our PaBe’, chief now has one it is called a tsagase’e, donkey.  The story was told that the white men who dig in the ground of rocks brought the first tsagase’e to this area.  The PaBe’s wife can now move so much more, much easier.

           I can remember so well the day when I saw for the first time an even bigger PoKo than the Tsagase’e.  We were further North of the Snake River during the seasons of pine nuts.  We were giving thanks to the pine trees for the bountiful supply of nuts on the trees.  Praying for the next seasons that it would be bountiful too.  When a group of our warriors came whooping and yelling as these majestic PoKo’s were ridden into our camp.  The whooping and yelling was to warn us of the arrivals.  There were a group of five warriors from the Nez Perce clan riding on the backs of these huge PoKo.  These PoKo had long flowing tails that reached to the earth, long necks with hair flowing along it, nails that were very thick on each of it legs, they were taller than most warriors when their heads were held high.  One of them was white with black dots on its back.  One was brown with lighter brown hair, another was all white, one was a reddish brown with black hair and the other was brown with large white patches.  They pranced and pawed as the warrior came to a stop in the camp. The warriors from Nez Perce delivered their message and then rode off to the West.  The legs of the PoKos prancing high in the air, their hair flowing back toward us.  They moved really fast and made the earth fly in the air.  It was later than we found out that these were not PoKos, they were wesepooggoo’s, horses.

            The wesepooggoo were considered sacred because they had long flowing hair.  In the Paiute culture hair was a physical extension of thoughts that allow for the direction along the Path of Life.  It showed strength and power, could defeat evil, cutting of the hair could defeat a people and could show humiliation.  When the hair is flowing straight it showed the letting go of the cares of life.  The longer, healthier and vibrant the hair the more sacred the thoughts. Hair was private, personal, spiritual and an expression of feelings. It was considered that the health and future of a horse was intricately tied to that of their keeper.

             It was years later when old Chief Winnamucca and Natchez were given wesepooggoos for helping the white man find the Indians who had been stealing from them.  Old Chief Winnamucca was given a wesepooggoo that was called a “bay.”  It was reddish-brown with black hair.  Natchez was given a white wesepooggoo.  These were the first horses that the Cui-ui clan shared. Because the wesepooggoo’s were so rare and sacred both braves and warriors would take turns taking the wesepooggoos out to eat the green grasses and to get pa, water.    Every young braves and every warrior dreamed of having a wesepooggoo. 

             As more white men came to our area there were more wesepooggoos. We would trade for them and eventually every warrior except for some of the very old had a wesepooggoo.  When we traveled the loads were so much lighter for the mothers and sisters.  We also gathered more things that had to be carried.  Things that had never existed before the coming of the white man such as the rifle.

             It was my twenty and two season when I went on a trading journey to the North.  I had saved many seasons of furs in hopes of trading for a wesepooggoo. There was a white man who traded in the wesepooggoo.  It was with him that I planned to trade my furs.  I had two deer hides, three antelope hides, ten, two times in mountain sheep skins, ten, four times and four raccoon skins, ten, four times and two beaver skins, and ten, ten and two times of rabbits skins.  They were all fine, clean skins. I had made some clean arrows, made an extra pair of mo’q’o, moccasins, and had extra dried fish.  I was hoping I had enough to get the wesepooggoo. 
It was eight moons of journey to the North where the white man with the wesepooggoo traded.  It was a long slow journey traveling with a drag sled full of furs. There were eight horses in the corral that the man said he would trade.

            The one that first caught my eye was cloudy or smoky colored, strong horse with curly hair that looked like the bagootsoo’s, buffalo’s hair.  It had curly black hair at its neck, a black curly tail and even curly black hairs in its ears.  Its hooves were black and had black curly hair that crawled up its legs like smoke.  I checked out all the other wesepooggoo, but kept returning to the one with curly hair.  The man said that the Sioux, to the east, considered it to be a sacred horse to the chiefs and medicine men.

            We were staying two moons, so I decided not to make my choice right away.  I would watch the horses.  The cloudy horse seemed to like people.  I never shied away when I approached it.  This could be a good thing and a bad thing.  It is good for it would be good with the mothers and sisters.  A bad thing because it would also be good with someone trying to steal it. The man trading said, that this wesepooggoo was easy to train.  He said, only having to show it two times.  It learned to separate itself from the other horses and be lead out the gate for care.  When he had first gotten the horse, that it had very little hair and was not curly.  Its hair had started getting longer and curly as the weather got colder. He was only trading the horse because he was needing furs.  It was told that this wesepooggoo was from way, way North. He was not ready to ride, but would follow a lead and carry a pack.  

          The next day before we headed South, the trade was made, that curly haired horse was in my care.  Our people believe the curly haired one has the ability to understand the spiral and curves of the energy of life and growth of the earth.  In a dream, the word Kwchowbee, was given as the way to call this wesepooggoo. I knew it would be some time before I would be riding him or him pulling a drag sled.  I had the long, cold winter ahead to train him.

        Kwchowbee was ten and four hands high at the shoulder.  His hooves were very thick and hard.  He was calm and would stand without flinching while I would remove the course hairs that grew in his fur.  I would only do a section the size of my hand each day.  His eyelashes were extremely curly and the snow would collect on them while he slept.  He could stand all day under a tree without lying down. For three full moons I fed him from my hands, touch him all over, and spoke softly to him.  Then I began attaching the drag sled daily adding more weight over the moons.  Because he was so intelligent and friendly the mother and sisters came to know him really quickly.    Then on the seven full moon I began loading furs on his back so he would get comfortable with the weight. He quickly learned to raise his back and lower his head to carry the load. Each day I added more and more till there was enough weight that he could bear my weight. He had a natural rhythm and was very relaxed. As we rode along his tail would swing back and forth.  All through the winter, Kwchowbee and I were together.  If I was not twisting twine, making an arrow, or hunting, I was with Kwchowbee.  When summer came Kwchowbee was allowing riding and pulling freely.

         As we traveled from gathering to gathering Kwchowbee was calm and very reliable.  There was the time when one side of the drag sled came loose, where most wesepooggoo would jump and run, Kwchowbee seemed to understand that he should remain calm and wait for a person to come and correct the problem. 
It did not take long until the tsagase’e relied on him to pick the path.  He was sure footed and had great endurance.  He became the leader of the tsagase’s and pack wesepooggoo. Because of his endearing qualities when special traveling took place he was requested.

         One winter the snow rose to where it was higher than the tsagase’e and up to the shoulder of the wesepooggoo.  We do not travel during these storms, but this winter early in the season a couple were out hunting and did not arrive back at camp.  The warrior’s Kuma’, wife was about to give birth. Chief asked who would go and find them.  It was agreed that Kwchowbee and I would go.  They had left camp headed to the North and West.  There had been reports of oba-yo’na, grizzly bears in that direction.  We traveled for two moons looks for signs of them.  With the snow being so deep we had not traveled far.  Because of Kwchowbee’s strength and staying power we had traveled to the top of the mountain.  It was the third day when started smelling fire.  Eventually, I saw smoke coming from under a willow tree.  We traveled toward the tree calling out to whomever it may be.  Soon the tree parted and there was the warrior.  The mother had given birth to a boy.  She had hoped to see the great oba-yo’na before the birth of her child.  Fortune was with them and they had seen the oba-yo’na.  The mother went into birthing shortly after seeing it.  The snow began falling so they took shelter under the willows.  Kwchowbee and I camped under another willow tree for two moons until the couple were ready to return to camp.  More snow had fallen, so the return trip took three moons.

          On one of our gathering trips an old wesepooggoo was carrying a pack sled when it left for the Spirit-land.  It was traveling along when it fell to its knees and dropped its head.  Most of the other pack sleds were on ahead.  I tied the second pack sled to the top of the one Kwchowbee was pulling and he safe moved them both to the next camp.

          One moon, a summer storm traveled through the mountains while we were gathering the pine nuts.  The tuggweggwetseba, lightning struck a dry tree and a fire began.  When the tsagase’e and wesepoogoo started to smell the heat and smoke they became very restless.  The Numa were packing to move when they stampeded.  That is all except for Kwchowbee.  He watched the Numa, smelled the air, moved restlessly, but he never broke off and ran. The Numa were trying to move to a safe place.  It took some time to round up the tsagase’e and wesepoogoo. With Kwchowbee and I making several trips very little was left behind.
There was the day when I slipped down the muddy bank of the Snake River while trapping beaver.  It was a step bank and it had collapsed as Kwchowbee and I walked along.  I dropped three times my length down into a collection of limbs and logs stuck in the bank of the river.  Kwchowbee immediately looked for a path to get down.  When he could not find a path.  He moved so the rope around his neck was dangling down the bank.  I was able to crawl to the rope and with his help able to return safely to the top of the bank.

          Kwchowbee and I spent many years together.  Then one summer we took a trading journey to the East.  There we met a white man by the name of John Damele.  He had another buffalo coated horse.  When I found out it was a mare and Mr. John Damele asked to trade for Kwchowbee; I knew this was how I would want to end our time together.  I traded Kwchowbee to Mr. Damele as breeding stock and I went away with a blue-gray two-year-old appaloosa.   Many moons later we traveled that way again.  Mr. Damele said, that Kwchowbee and the mare had produced three foals; one mare and two studs, before he moved to the Spirit-land. I knew my time with Kwchowbee was as it was to be.

​It was my tenth season of pinyon harvest when I woke to blood on my blanket.  It was something I had been told about.  It was the time of my becoming a Mogo’ne, woman.  When I saw the blood on my blanket I rolled it up and took it to the river.  I found a place where the river bank had a ravine where I could hide.  I knew that all the sisters around my age had this same thing happen to them; it was a time when we were considered to have special powers.  Grandma had told me that if we touch a warrior during this time we can make him like a woman, that he would become weak.  The biggest, strongest of warrior who could kill wild, ferocious animals with their bare hands would turn pale at the thought of being near or seeing even the smallest of women during this time. I did not want to cause some warrior to go weak.  I was to go to Grandmother who cared for the wikiups, summer shelter’s and women cycle shelter, she would tell me what to do. Grandmother had gone through years of training to learn how to run the wikiups while the women used them and instructing the younger women in their Time of Flower, menstrual cycle.  She had been doing it as long as I could remember.  Grandmother was gentle and kind.  I knew I had nothing to fear she would teach me how to cleanse myself, offer prayers to buha, People’s Father and the other things that were done in the wikiups.  Buha uses the wolf and the coyote to speak to us.  The wolf was the good power and benefits mankind.  The coyote was mischievous or bad power, he upsets wolf’s plans and will sometimes even do good.

id not want to be seen. Grandmother was standing in the flap of the wikiup.  I walked up to her and told her I had found blood on my blanket.  She placed her hand on my shoulder and led me into the wikiup.  There were two other mothers there.  Grandmother took me to the side, she helped me change from my soiled apron, then showed me how to lift my apron and sit upon the flat heated rocks.  She told me that each woman’s time of uncleanness was a different length.  Some women’s time was four days and some up to seven days. If it was more than seven days, there could be some sickness.  I was to come to the wikiup when I started to bleed and should not leave and return to my karnee, winter shelter until bleeding stopped, because it was messy and I was unclean.  The only times I was allowed out of the wikiups area was to run east at sunrise welcoming the day and west at sunset to say good-bye to the sun. While I was in the wikiup I was to drink only warm water, eat only little amounts of food, food made only from seeds and eat no food from animals.  We were not allowed to use salt in or on the cakes.  I was to bring cakes once a month to the wikiups during the time when I was not bleeding.  The cakes were shared with the mothers in the wikiups, they would do the same when I was in the wikiup.  This was something I had heard the Mothers talk about.  Some of the Mothers made good cakes and others Mothers cakes would fall apart, be very dry or burned. I hoped the person who made the cakes I was to eat was good at making cakes.  I would need to make more cakes so that my cakes are the ones that the Mothers would praise.  In the Paiute culture the young are to keep silent and wisdom comes with experience.  While in the wikiups I could listen to the Mothers talk of birthing, raising their children and other things, but not allowed to talk.  Later, after I married, I would have the knowledge and be able to talk.  I was not to touch my hair or face with my hand.  If I had an itch that could not be ignored.  I was to use a stick to scratch it and to pat my hair down.  Grandmother showed me many ways in which to offer prayers.  I could give up a cake or all the cakes for the day, lie still and think on good things, I could just sit on the rocks and think on good things. I could sit or lie and say prayers or sing softly.  I could sleep under the dream catcher and allow its positive dreams to slip down onto my head.  My sleeps were filled with making rouge, grease paint and twine from wee-pah, milkweed.  As we were making the grease paint the Mothers talked about the poor Shoshoni who did not know the difference between the Cinnabar and the Limonite.  It seems that some of the Shoshoni died from mercury poisoning when they put their hands to their mouths after painting with the Cinnabar.  They said, they died because they were trying to imitate the Paiutes. After we finished making the grease paint we were allowed us  the grease to draw designs on our bodies.  During the day we were to keep the fires burning, in the cool of the evening, we would collect wood and draw water for the next day.  The second day was easier for I finally relaxed, I had not realized how uneasy I was about this change.  I also worried about Momma.  I usually helped her with the gathering. I had not told her about the blood.  When I told Grandmother about my worries, she told me she had notified Momma that I was in the wikiups.  She said that Momma had smiled when she had told her.  I knew Momma was smiling because it meant that my time of marrying and having children was closer.

​After my fourth sleep in the wikiups there was a ceremony for me.  Momma came for the ceremony, she told me that she missed me.  They washed me in cold water and dressed me in new clothes. Then my face was painted red.  Red means faith, beauty and happiness.  My hair was cut signifying that the direction in my Path of Life was changing and that I was now clean.   As my hair was being cut, Momma carefully caught each hair, placed into a pouch and told me how proud she was of me. The next full moon, I would take my hair to burn, showing that my old self ended and my new self-had begun.  They had me eat animal meat and Sweet Flag, a bitter herb, which helps one to center their energy, they told me to chew the Sweet Flag then spit it into the fire.  Then Momma did something that was unusual in the ceremonies, she gave me a gift. I was so excited about getting a gift.  She held it behind her back and slowly pulled it around in front of her. It was the longest, most beautiful, feather I had ever seen.  It reached from my hand to my elbow. It was a rusty brown with black stripes and white arrows pointing toward the vane.  The feather was slender and thick with barbs, there was not a notch on it.  It came to a point on one end and there were soft, curly feathers along the quill.  It was a feather from a pheasant.  Most girls got their feathers in their twelfth year so this was a real treat.  I knew my father had traded for it because no pheasants live in this area.  I knew about pheasants because my father told me about seeing them on one his trading journeys.  Had Father thought of me on his trading journey?  My body grew warm to think that Father had thought of me. I loved the feather.  I knew I had to keep it safe because we only wore feathers in our hair when we went to gatherings.  In our daily gathering we wore hats which we have woven.  Momma had begun to teach me to weave my own hat.

​My time in the wikiups was four sleeps the first time.  Grandmother warned me that the length of time could change, but that I was to come to the wikiups for no less than four sleeps.  I could gain or lose weight, get married, have a baby, get sick or just get another season older and that could change my time.  I was so glad to be free to be active again. To run about the camp talking to the sisters and the little ones.  It was good to breathe the clean air, which was starting to hold the cold.  I missed the warmth of the wikiups, but not the smell.  I knew that putting on my hat and ka-wan, conical burden basket would help me to stay warm.
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When I arrived back at our karnee I took the feather and wrapped it loosely in a skin and laid it next to the edge of the karnee where I slept. That night I laid for hours thinking about wearing that lovely feather at the next gathering.  Momma would twist my hair into those tight buns and then we would put the feather at the crown of my head.  I will start right away collecting quail afterfeathers to put with it.  They would match the coloring of the pheasant feather so well.  The black dots on the quail feathers and the black stripes on the pheasant feather would be a balanced design. I could hardly wait until the next gathering.

​I had been very careful with my feather.  I asked Grandfather Tro-Kay to help me make a way to shelter the feather.  He had me bring the feather to him.  He looked it over, told me how pretty the feather was and about the bird from which it came.  He imitated the sound the that bird makes and the noise it makes as it flies.  He helped me find two willow sticks that he split. Then showed me to use sagebrush bark strips to tie the sticks together to keep the feather flat and straight. He told me not tie it too tight or I might crush the shaft.  I had not slept well for two sleeps before the shelter was made for the feather. I was fearful that I would bend or break it.  Afterwards, I felt sure that it was sheltered from being bent or broken.    
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Momma taught me how to clean, wring the skins and then how to stretch them to make an apron or robe.  She said I had grown a hand since the last gathering, so we would need to make a skirt.  It would be the first time I had the chance to wear my feather.  Our next gathering was in a few sleeps. Our gathering days could last from ten, ten and two sleeps to two moons depending on the way the harvest was going.  We would be going south for the cui-ci gathering.  The Mothers and Momma have been busy making nets. Momma had begun teaching me how to weave the fishing nets from strings made from sagebrush and roots.  I could make small patches of net, but my weave was not as tight as it would become in the years to come.  I would need to strengthen my fingers, wear callouses on my hands, and learn the right strength to use to make a tight, strong netting.  The Fathers had been hurriedly making arrows, twisting and rolling fibers from tough plants to make the string needed for the nets.  It was a time of much to do, but it went quickly because we were all so busy.

​I was getting so excited about this gathering, because I was allowed to dance in the courting nuga.  It would be the first time a brave could look on me as a possible mate.  I prayed that a young, strong brave would look at and want me.   I wanted him to be straight like my feather and taller than me.  I wanted him to have long arms, strong hands and to be brave.  I hoped he knew how to trap, fish and gather to provide well for us.  I heard the sisters who had danced the courting nuga, during the rabbit drive, talking of young braves that they had danced with and hoped would bring their blankets to their karnee this gathering.  

My people were the Fish Eaters or the “cui-ci,” The cui-ci was a strange looking suckerfish found in Pyramid Lake, which was our favored base camp. We live around Pyramid Lake and eat the cui-ci that is how we came to get this name.  We roamed an area that covered most of Nevada to the east, went north into Utah and Oregon, south into Arizona and west half way across California.  Our paths made a shape similar to the outline of the continent of Africa.  We have been known by many names; such as the Paiute, Kuyuidika, Snake, Paviotso and Numu.  Our Chief was Winnemucca the Younger or Po-i-to.  Chief Winnemucca the Younger was in his prime of his life.  His son Natchez would be Chief of my people when Old Chief Winnemucca or Tro-kay dies.  When Chief Winnemucca the younger had gone west, we stayed behind with Natchez.  Natchez was around more than Old Chief Winnemucca so he was the leader who made me feel sheltered.  He has beautiful, kind eyes and was a strong leader.  

We would be joining with the Moapa clan as we traveled south to the Great Green River Water, Colorado River. We traveled one sleep, arriving as the sun set at the Moapa camp.  They were all packed and ready to travel when we arrived.  We greeted them, ate and slept then at tabuaggena, dawn we began our journey southeast.  It would take us another moons journey east to arrive at the Great Green River Water for the gathering.

​The first sleep of the gathering was spent digging pits, burying poles to set up the karnees, building the dance corral, building fire pits, unraveling nets, and as the sun sets we begin greeting family.  My work for the day was building the fire pits and then the sisters and I were sent to collect some of the local berries.  Because we would be starting the ceremony this evening I helped in the collection of the firewood and water for our next sleep. My favorite thing during this time was gathering berries with the sisters from the Moapa clan and catching up on the news.  Shortly after the high sun falls, preparations began: the women began washing their hair and pull them into tight buns.  The new aprons, skirts, collars, broadcloths and robes were taken from the packs.   At last, I unpacked my pheasant feather and Momma placed it among the quail feathers in the bun at the crown my head.  I asked her to push it deep down the back of my head so I would not lose it during the dance.  I could feel the quill as it slid down to rest at back of my head. 

The chanters and rattlers were in the center of the corral and just as the sun set they started to chant and shake their dried gourds.  I had practiced the dances for many seasons, but this would be the first time I had the chance to do it as a woman and knew that there could be braves and warriors watching.  It is a serious matter to be at our best during this time. I stepped out of our karnee and headed to the corral. 
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Before sunset, they had begun calling people to the corral.   A small group of people started the round nuga, the one in the lead had deer hooves, filled with the dried pits from seeds, tied around the top of his moccasins which made a beautiful sound as he stamped in time. The people followed his beat. The happier the people became the higher their steps would become.  They danced around in a big circle, counter-clockwise, then they stopped in front of someone, asked them to join the nuga, the response depended on their reply.  The men were carrying their bows and arrows and chanting “Shoot him!” “Shoot him!” if the person chose not join the dance they pretended to attack him.  This was all done in fun.  Eventually everyone joined in the round nuga.  Later, they would begin the courting nuga.  This was the first time I would dance in the courting nuga.  I hoped the leader knew I have become of age.

​At first I concentrated on the steps, making sure my rhythm was good and that my foot was positioned in the right direction. Then I began to relax and allow the rhythm to take me to a safe place.  I laughed, sang, and danced for hours.  In the beginning I had tried to watch and see if anyone was looking at me.  After a while, I just enjoyed the release the nuga gave.  I danced until I could dance no more.  There were still dancers, the fires were roaring and the sparks were flying as I quietly went back to our karnee and began to take down my hair.  This is when I found that I had lost the feather!  The quail feathers were there, but the long, sleek pheasant feather was missing.  I had danced the feather out of my hair and had not even missed it.  I went immediately back to the corral and began searching for the feather.  As the dancers began to leave they would ask me what I was searching for and they would search for a little while then move on to their karnees. I must have looked for hours for the fires had completely died and the last dancers had left, when I finally gave up and returned our karnee.  I had started to cry when I was finally alone, but once I laid down I really began to cry.  Not loudly, for this was not our way, but I shed a lot of tears.   When I could cry no more, I finally gave in to sleep.  When I woke the next morning my blanket was wet from my tears.  I asked Momma if she had seen my feather, thinking perhaps she had seen me lose it and had saved it for me.  She had not noticed my loss.  She tried to comfort me by telling me that many had lost feathers during dances. I spent much time looking behind karnees, in the bushes, in the ravines, on the shores of the water.  I never found the feather.  I was sure that if someone had found it they would know it was special and try to find to whom it belonged.  I decided, the wind must have caught the feather and blown it far out onto the Great Green River Water.

​On the third sleep of the gathering, when the cui-ci started jumping out of the water the warriors headed to the Great Green River Water and began fishing.  Mothers began preparing food and to set up the poles to dry the cui-ci.  We stayed on the Great Green River water for one full moon.  I did not join in the nuga again this gathering for I did not feel like dancing because I had lost my feather.  I keep occupied with the fishing, cooking, cleaning and drying the cui-ci.  I was tired after a day’s work.  The nugas went on nightly without me.  Then came the sleep when we packed our ka-wans bulging with dried cui-ci for the summer and headed north to Pyramid Lake.

Upon returning to Pyramid Lake, my life resumed to making nets, gathering and drying berries, learning to cook, pulling pliable green tule and making aprons. One day, Momma came to me and with a hug said, “life goes on without feathers.”  She told me she would help me look for a big quail or turkey feather.  She said she would ask father to watch for a good feather on his next trading journey.  It was another moon before I felt like looking for a new feather.  

Momma taught me how to make moccasins that summer and how to tie together the sagebrush and green tule to make thatches for the karnees.  I grew about another hand that summer.  I now came to my Momma’s shoulder.  Momma and I did find a turkey feather.  It was pretty for a turkey feather, but I sure missed my pheasant feather.  There were a couple of times I asked Momma to twist my hair into the bun so I could practice keeping my feather in my hair as I danced.  I would stop every once in a while during nuga and check to see if I could feel it. Not once did I lose my feather.
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The next gathering, when we journeyed one moon to the west.  This gathering was in the gypsum sitting, mountains where the pinyon trees are in abundance.  Our gatherings are set by what food was available at the time.  Scouts are sent out to check on the harvest, upon their return we have a celebration to thank, buha and pray for the next season.  It was decided then, where we were head next.

​I was now in my eleventh season of pinyon harvest.   We traveled to the gypsum sitting called Pine Nut Mountain. Here the pinyon trees are thick, the cones were starting to turn green and the time of harvest was upon us.  The Moapa clan will be joining us again for this gathering.  We arrived at the gypsum sitting seven sleeps before the pinyon cones were ready.  During this time, we celebrated the first fruit, prayed to buha for a great harvest, paid respect to the great pinyon trees and did the round nuga.  Each night, I danced and each night I returned to our karnee with my feathers.
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When the cones turned green the warriors began shaking them from the trees.  Mothers, sisters and children all gathered the cones and place them in the woven ka-wans.  We took the ka-wans full of cones back to the fires where the yattahs, flat baskets were covered and kept near the fire.  The cones dried and cracked, then the nuts were shaken or picked from the cones and dried on the fires.  Soon there were lots of pitch lined skins full of blackened pinyon nuts.  One full moon was given to the gathering of the first fruit.

​The next gathering the other clans came to our desert.  This was the season of the rabbit drives.  It was during this gathering that I caught a young brave watching me.  I first noticed it on the sleep when I went to the stream to get water.  He was on the other side of the stream a little to the north.  I was dipping the water into my yattah when I felt someone looking at me.  When I looked up I saw him just standing there looking down on me.  He was watching what I was doing and how I was doing it.  He was about the same tall as me.   His thick, black hair hung to his collarbone, it was almost long enough to begin the two braids that were worn by the warriors.  He had a head-band that held one turkey feather as he had not yet earned his pita, eagle feathers for being a strong swimmer.  He was holding a bow and arrows in his hands and he just stood there, looking.   I knew his name was Detsin which mean “He-is-so.”  He was the youngest son of Chief Niyol of the Moapa clan.  He was two pinyon seasons or so more than I.  He was good to look on, but he would not talk to sisters.  I had overheard several sisters saying that they had tried to get him to speak, but he refused to speak.  His sister said that he talked, but he had not spoken to a sister or brought his blanket to a karnee for courting.  Was he interested in me or was he just curious?  The next courting dance, I would tap on his shoulder to see if he would dance with me.  The time of dancing was over for this gathering so I had to wait until the next gathering. Was the coyote at work?
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The next season of pinyon nuts was a hard time for our clan.  It was my twelfth year of pinyon nut harvest and the year that Grandfather Tro-Kay died.  He loved the white people.  He was known by many by different names; Tro-Kay as a child, Chief Truckee by the military whites, and Old Chief Winnemucca by other bands of people and Grandfather to me.  Grandfather taught us right from wrong and told us to always be honest.  We were at the Pine Nut Mountains when he became ill.  He had been bitten on the hand by something, perhaps a tarantula, snake or a poison spider.  The shaman chanted his prayers, put medicine on the bite and gave him medicine to drink, but Grandfather Tro-Kay was an Wa’este, old man and he died. 

​The last time I saw Grandfather, his hair was as white as the underfeathers of the pelicans that nest on Pyramid Lake.  His face was creased and weathered like old bark, his thin fingers gnarled and twisted like limbs of an old tree.  They took him away wrapped in his rare mud hen blanket to a place nearby. They buried him with the American flag and rag he loved so much and with six of his best ponies so he would have good ponies to ride on his journey to the Spirit-Land.  Then they burned his karnee.  We mourned for two days. This was the first time I joined in the “Cry” ceremony.  Many of the warriors and Mothers would tell stories of Grandfather Tro-kay’s deeds some would make us laugh and some would make us cry.  When I thought about the time Grandfather helped me to make a shelter for my feather I would cry even harder because I had lost the feather.  The death of Grandfather was during the time of the nuga, so I had no chance to tap Detsin on the shoulder to see if he would dance with me. The coyote had tricked me.

​The next gathering was back at the Great Green River Water.  This time the Cedar clan was joining us.  Again, my chance to get Detsin to dance me was tricked away from me by the evil coyote.  The Moapa clan had had a hard winter and sickness raged within their camp. I prayed to buha that Detsin would not get sick.  The cui-ci gathering season went well.  Our yattahs were full of much dried cui-ci.  It was a good thing because the berry and root season was hit with a plague of locust.  The berries and roots were scarce so we ate locust. We traveled and ate less to make it through to the rabbit drives.  The rabbits would be thin this season because the locust ate their food too.  There was not a gathering for the rabbit drive this season. It would be a really hard winter. The coyote had tricked me again!
I prayed for Detsin and fretted over the dance so much that I began to dream of Detsin.  I dreamed that he would talk to me and only to me.  I dreamed that he would chose me for his wife. 

​It was the gathering of the pinyon nuts on my thirteenth season of pinyon harvest when I once again saw Detsin.  My mouth was dry, my eyes were wet, but I kept a sharp eye out as the Moapa clan came into our camp as the sun was setting.  I watched carefully for him.  When his father came into camp I thought for sure he would be with him, but he did not arrive until later and he was accompanying, Nova.  Nova was a girl the same number of seasons as I.  She was tall and thin with thick braids that reached down to her shoulder blades.  Her fingers were long and thin and often stained from working with the clay.  She was known for the beautiful pots that she was learning to make.  It was a rare craft among the Paiute to learn to make pottery. The women in her family had learned ages ago from the Navajo people how to make the pots. This craft was passed down in her family.  She was a much desired mate because of this craft.  Did this mean that Detsin was going to court Nova?  Oh, I thought I would die!

Later, when the round nuga started, I went to the corral.  I looked around, but could not find Detsin. But I did see Nova. She was already in the circle.  The leader approached me and I joined the circle trying to see Detsin among the crowd.  Soon the courting dance would begin and if Nova chose Detsin then it was possible that they were courting.  I would not know for sure they were courting until he took his blanket to her karnee.  I danced and prayed with all my heart that Nova would not ask Detsin to dance.  Detsin did not come to the corral until it was time for the courting dance.  He came and stood in the crowd of young braves who were waiting for their tap.  I had decided that I did not want to tap his shoulder if he and Nova were courting.  I waited and watched.  Then it happened the trickster coyote had tricked me again.  Nova tapped Detsin on the shoulder and they began to dance.  I decided not to participate in the courting dance until another time.  I would have to choose a different partner.  For two more sleeps, I watched the start of the courting dance and each sleep Nova chose Detsin for her partner.  I listened for talk and Detsin had not taken his blanket to Nova’s karnee for courting nor had his mother approached her mother for permission to marry.  I was so glad when this gathering time was over and we returned to the Pyramid Lake area.  I was sick of watching Detsin and Nova.  The trouble now was that I still dreamed of Detsin during the long, dark nights. The worst part of this trick was that Nova and Detsin were from the same clan so they would see each other all the time.  The courting could take place away from the gatherings.  I began watching to see if someone is watching me, so I could pick a new partner.

​The next gathering the coyote played his worst trick ever.  The first night of the nuga, Nova come to the corral wearing a pheasant feather.  At first, I thought it was my feather, but when I got close enough to look at it, the feather was not as long as mine and her feather did not have the white arrows pointing toward the vane.  I was so jealous of her. She had a pheasant feather and Detsin.  That coyote was playing really mean tricks on me.  Since the last gathering I had begun watching to see if anyone was watching me and I had caught the eye of Honi, who was in my clan.  I had decided to tap him on the shoulder at the dance this gathering, but I got so upset about the feather I did not dance the first sleep. Nova and Detsin danced together.  I listened to talk and Detsin had not taken his blanket to Nova’s to court yet.  The next two sleeps, I tapped Honi on the shoulder and danced with him.  Honi means bear. He was brave and he had his pita.  He was tall with broad shoulders and thick arms.  His legs were thick and he has feet were big.  He had the gentlest of spirits.  He was very good at natzi-saka, kick ball. Because of his size he could keep the mob off the ball and get in good kicks.  Honi would be a good mate.  He was good at hunting, better at wresting, and he could shake the pinyon trees better than any of the warriors.  After the gathering of the cui-ci season ended, Honi and I would greet each other regularly.  I would feel his eyes on me and I was afraid he would bring his blanket for courting.  I liked Honi, but I still dreamed of Detsin.  Sleep after sleep I prayed that Honi would not bring his courting blanket. I made up my mind I would try to tap Detsin shoulder to dance at the next gathering.

​It was the rabbit drives gathering and we were moving to the west for the drives. The rabbits were fat this season.  The Moapa were coming to join us in the deserts to the west.  This season would be different.  I would make my play for He-is-so.  This was the gathering for surprises.  The first surprise was that when it came time for the courting dance Nova picked Honi as her partner.  I hurried to where He-is-so was, hoping I would get there before another sister tapped his shoulder.  The wolf was at work.  I tapped his shoulder, he turned and smiled.  It was a smile that reached all the way to his eyes.  He gently held out his hand and quietly said “Aquene,” almost like a sigh.  The courting nuga was loud and active so there is not really a chance to talk, but once you danced with someone you were allowed to spend time with them.  We finished the courting dance and then we walked to my karnee, sat by the fire, sometimes with long silences, talked, and listened.  He told me that he had noticed me, that he had watched me, and that he was glad that I had tapped his shoulder to dance.   We danced, talked, sat through long silences, ate, and walked in the moonlight for the next two sleeps.  The next tabuaggena the rabbit drives began.  I watched He-is-so as he tapped his deer hoof to drive the rabbits to the nets.  I watched as he clubbed the rabbits and brought them to the Mothers for cleaning.  On occasion he would catch my eye and smile that big smile that reached all the way to his big, dark brown eyes.  I watched as he sweat from running from net to net.  It was during this time I prayed that his Mother would speak to Momma about marrying me.   The time of the rabbit drive came to an end too quickly.  On the last evening as the clans prepared to leave camp.  I turned from the yattah to find He-is-so standing behind me.  He said, “May the hummingbird that makes time stand still, make our time apart stand still.  Dream of me for I will dream of you.”  Then he turned and walked away.  My lashes were wet with tears. 
The next gathering would at gypsum sitting.  Would the Moapa clan be joining us that season?   Would the next gathering ever come?  Would He-is-so court me that gathering?  My mind was tormented.  I ached to be around him again.

​This season we went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains that are to the southwest.  We had travelled for one moon to meet the Moapa clan headed to the mountain also.  As the clan approached, I saw He-is-so standing tall next to his father.  His hair was braided into the two braids, then together down his back, his braid now touched his waist. He now wore a pita and was called a warrior.  He had grown taller this season.  His arms and legs were thicker.  It was good for my eyes to feast on him.  When my eyes reached his eyes, they were smiling brightly.   He said my name in a whisper that I think only I could hear.  Then he reached for my hand, I took his hand and we walked together without words for the rest of the journey.

​Upon reaching the Sierra Nevada Mountains we spent the first day setting up camp, but when evening came, He-is-so came to our karnee carrying his blanket and two sticks that were tied together. I had been dizzy all day with excitement at being with him again.  I cried silent, happy tears as he approached our tent.  We would set on the blanket outside the karnee tonight rather than joining the round nuga.  He greeted me with my name, “peace,” which was sweeter than honey to my ears.  It made my insides shake.  For only when a warrior wants to marry you does he change your name to its meaning.  He then spread the blanket out and held my hand as I seated myself, then he joined me.  We talked for a while about the things that happened while we were apart.  We expressed how much we had missed each other, then he drew the two sticks from under the edge of the blanket.  He slowly untied the sage bark straps and pulled the two sticks apart.  I was in shock!  There on the stick lay my feather! The feather I had long ago thought was gone. That the Great Green River Water had carried away. He-is-so had my feather!  I looked close and sure enough, there was the white arrows.  It was then that he told me that he had long ago seen the feather fly from my hair as I danced.  He had picked it up with the plan of giving it to me later.  He said, as he slept that night he dreamed that he should keep the feather until a later time.  So he made the shelter for the feather and kept it.  He told me that he and Nova were friends and that Nova had known all along that he was interested in me.  He had shown Nova the feather and she had asked her father to find one for her.  He said it had been Nova’s idea to ask Honi to dance in hopes that I would tap his shoulder.  He was also glad to know that Honi had taken his blanket to Nova’s karnee.  He knew that Nova liked Honi very much and as was hoping he would bring his blanket. 

​The next tabuaggena, He-is-so’s Mother came to speak with Momma.  It was agreed that we were to marry.  Courting by a Paiute warrior means demonstrating their prowess as a hunter.  The first night He-is-so slept on the outskirts of our karnee.  Then the next day he went home to his karnee, but he returned that night and slept outside the opening of the karnee.  The next night he returned and slept inside the opening of the karnee.  It was cool outside so I was glad he was inside so the heat of the fire would keep him warm.  The morning of the fourth day he brought a mountain sheep for me to cook and serve to him.  I had to ask Momma many questions while cooking because mountain sheep was a rare treat and something I had never cooked.  That night he slept beside me.  On the fifth day he declared that he would live with and care for my parents until our family was large enough to warrant a karnee of our own.  He returned with us to Pyramid Lake.

Every structure is built on someone's dream. It could be the dream of an architect or the dream of an individual. When they put it to the pencil they are dreaming of it become a reality. Some of those dreams are successful and some fall short. When I view a structure I picture a dream coming true to some point.
​

Allowing my imagination to take over I think at one time someone was wealthy enough to own two cars and built a wonderful garage possibly of wood in the beginning. Over time, the economy changed for this person. Perhaps they started having children. They decided to make the garage into an apartment for a little extra income. This brought relief for a while so they bricked it. The brick work was probably completed by an individual. It is placed correctly and is made well, but does not follow one of masonry styles of brick placement. The man having worked as a mason helper as a young man did the work himself saving them additional money. Years passed, the children grew up and they were getting older. He is thinking on retiring. The added income would help. They added another apartment to the top. Once again, with the help of a neighbor they added the second level. He called on his training in masonry work to add onto the chimney.

The building has “FLEA” painted on it in red. After the man who built the garage and apartment building has passed. His children keep the apartment building for years. They children begin to move away from the community because there is no work. They choose to sell the property. The building sells to a person who for a while has a Flea Market in the building because it is close to a main road. The time comes when the building is too drafty. It needs too many repairs and is left vacant. While the original builder was alive it was kept in good repairs, but once the person who built it with love no longer owned it. The building quickly ages. And there it stands along that busy road greeting each person who travels by.
​
A dream materialized, lived, and successfully fulfilled.
​

This building I have passed almost daily for four and a half years. I have often thought. What was that used for? Sixteen windows on one side and six on one end. It has a tin roof. There is a well house close by so there was need for water. It lies on a county line, but the road was closed and removed from the main road when Highway 71/49 came through the area. It is made of cinder blocks so it does not have insulation is my guess.

I ruled out school house because if it was a school house I believe the community would have marked it a school house. If it was a building of importance in the community, it would have been marked. Unless, it is on private property and the person does not want it marked.
This area is known for its chicken houses. Is this by any chance an early chicken house? The windows are built high enough, but there are no window covering. Perhaps those were removed. I look at the building and think there is so much potential in that building. Although, if it was used as a chicken house that would explain why it has not been used in some other capacity.

The old women in the shoe, who had so many children she did not know what to do. It would have been a great place to raise children or have a school. It has no chimney’s so it would take loads of money to make it realize it’s potential.

This dream I feel is one that was not successful. I feel the building was well built, made to last and whatever its purpose was, the dream was not fulfilled or the building outlasted the dream.
​

This is another structure that I drive by quite often and think what is it? Is it a wishing well? Is it an animal trough? It is a structure of character whatever it is?

I have made this a well in my mind. It is a hand dug well. Over time it is used as a watering hole for animals and because the animals spent so much time near the well they built shelter over it. A tree seeking water grew beside the well and has cramped the style of the shelter.
​
This structure I feel served its purpose well and because of love has been preserved for its beautiful character.
​

This is the remains of a garage. There is a house close by built of the same rock. I have watched this garage go from a falling down building to a shell. Less than four years ago it had a roof with one of the rafters fallen down into it. After the tornado of May 24, 2011 someone moved into the home and the garage was cleaned up and left as a shell.

The rock work on this home and garage is beautiful. It is a small house and only a one car garage. It is a detached garage and too small for most vehicles of this day.

When I look at this home I see lots of love. Someone dreamed of a beautiful home. I am going to say they did the work themselves. They built the house first and then over time built the garage. They probably saved and planned for many years. They drew up their own house plans. On those dreary, rainy days of winter they would get them out and dream over them. They skipped their vacations every other year to save up for the completion of this dream. They built the home in their 50’s looking forward to their retirement years. They saw their dream fulfilled and had many happy years in the home. When they passed on their children inherited and because their families were too large they rented out the house. Because they were a part of the dream they have taken care of the house.

​Time has robbed them of some of the garage and house, but they are still fighting for that dream.
​

These structures are in Missouri and Oklahoma. I have no idea what the real history or in some cases what the purpose was of these structures. I am sure of this one thing they were built on a dream. Everything I have written is what I like to see when I look at them. If by some chance someone reads this article and would like to give me information on these structures. I would love to know.
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My name is Sau-tau-nee.  I am learning to be a narro-gwe-nap, storyteller.  I want to tell you the story of my Grandmother Mumpi.
Grandmother Mumpi got her name when she was in her second season.  Her father was constantly bringing things to the karnee for her. As a baby he would make a rattle for her, bring it to the karnee and would say,” Mumpi!” which is the exclamation of surprise. He would find a feather that perhaps had too many notches or a broken quill and as he would present it to her and would say, Mumpi! The day she got her name was the day her Father entered the karnee with his hand behind his back.  Grandmother spoke her first word and it was the word “Mumpi?”  This was the reason Great Grandfather named her Mumpi.

Grandmother Mumpi was a happy child and was much loved by the clan.  She always had a smile, often would be heard humming, and was always giving help to those in need.  At 16 she married the best hunter in our clan.   As a new bride Grandmother Mumpi’s husband won a rare TiTam’a, feather rope blanket that had belonged to Grandmother Tuboitonie. Grandmother Tuboitonie’s father Old Winnemucca, Tro-kay had made it as a Wa’etse, old man. The blanket was made from the skin and TiTam’a, feathers of the mud hens from the Basin Lake area.  The skin with the TiTam’a attached would be cut in spirals strips, then twisted and woven into a priceless blanket. The blanket was light in weight and was used as bedding and a robe.  It was too valuable to be laid on the ground, so it would be placed on mats made from sage bark and twine string.  When Grandmother Tuboitonie died Grandfather Winnemucca the Younger allowed the warriors to gamble for the blanket.  Grandmother Mumpi’s husband was very lucky and he won it.  Winnemucca the Younger’s wife had favored a blanket made of rabbit.  When Grandmother Mumpi’s husband brought the blanket back to the karnee he surprised Grandmother with it.  She fell in love with the blanket and only used it for special occasions. When the blanket was not in use it was safely kept rolled and tied in a dry, open area.  It was always carefully packed when it was time to move.

The story goes that Grandmother Mumpi got surprises all the time.  Before Grandmother Mumpi’s first child was born she had begun gaining weight.  But each moon she would go to the Wikiups, winter shelter and women’s shelter during her cycle.  It seems that Grandmother Mumpi had her monthly cycle all though her time of carrying her babies. Mother’s began to question her and she would tell them she was still having her cycle, so she could not be with child.   So it was a surprise when one day as the sun was sinking below the horizon that her water broke and she hurried to the Wikiups.  As tabuaggena, dawn arrived so did her firstborn son. 
When it was borning time a Paiute woman was to go to the Wikiups. The Wikiups were to the north of the camp. Women were considered unclean during this time.  The stories are told in the Wikiups are about “a man that had been caught out with his wife when it was borning time.  He had helped and cared for her to the best, he could.  The baby was fine and the Mother lived to have other children, but the Father’s blood turned to water, and he died from weakness before ten seasons had passed.” (Karnee, Scott) “Another man went near his wife before the twenty-two days were over and his blood clotted and turned to lumps so he could not go on the hunt.” (Karnee, Scott). 
During the time in the Wikiup a women was not allowed to touch their hair or face with her hands.  If there should be an itch that would not be ignored she could use a stick to scratch and pat down her hair.   This was a terrible thing to women for the Paiute people believe hair is a physical extension of their thoughts.  To comb your hair was to align thoughts.  To braid your hair was being oneness of thought. To tie the hair was securing thoughts and to color hair was to show conviction of thoughts.  The more pure and sacred the thoughts the longer, healthier, and vibrant your hair.

During these days, the mother to be was not allowed to eat any animal based foods or salt.  They were to drink only warm liquids.  This time in the Wikiups was used to receive advise from older Mothers.  The expectant Father was to run to the east at sunrise and west at sunset.  Grandmother Mumpi grabbed the TiTam’a rope blanket as she headed to the Wikiups to observe the custom of motherhood.  Her firstborn was the first be wrapped in this special blanket along with a kiss on the brow and hug.

One cool thunder moon, August Grandma Mumpi’s firstborn who was in his third season got the croup.  The boy and several other boys were chasing field mice as the Mothers were cooking.  The boy came across a mouse that he could catch.  He brought the mouse to Grandmother.  She realized the mouse was sick.  She took the mouse from him, took it far from camp and buried it.  She went immediately and washed the boy and herself.  It was the next day when the boy began coughing.  His body temperature was warm, but never became hot.   He became where he could not speak.  Grandmother Mumpi laid him on the TiTam’a blanket to make him comfortable.  For two days she wiped him with cold water, kept him warm and comfortable, dipped cold water to his mouth to drink and feeding him rabbit soup.  So many of our people died from the croup, but Grandmother got another surprise.  The boy lived and grew to be an Wa’etse. For ten moons that blanket hung outside the karnee.  It went through two rains and two snows before she took it back into the karnee.

The clan was camped in Humboldt Sink for it was a good season for the pine nut.  We were praying and dancing thanking Mother Earth and the People’s Father for a good harvest when Grandmother Mumpi was surprised again with her second child.  It too was a boy.  The TiTam’a blanket was there to welcome him into the world along with a kiss on the brow and a hug. 

It was early in grass moon/April when Grandmother’s husband went to Goose Lake Valley to check on valley, to see if it was ready for a visit from our band for a time of fishing. In the early mornings the ground was hard as ice and slippery mud at noon.  It was not completely free of winter.  While the scouts were checking out the valley the Modoc clan attacked the scouts. Yelling that we had overfished the lake during prior hunts.  During the skirmish a young Modoc brave what hurt.  He was twelve or thirteen seasons; it must have been his first scouting time.  He fell from his horse after being hit with a club hitting his head on a rock.  After the Modoc scouts left, thinking he was dead, Grandmother Mumpi’s husband checked and found that he was still breathing.  Grandfather brought the brave back to Grandmother’s karnee.  Grandmother wanting to make him as comfortable as possible brought out the TiTam’a blanket for him.  He did not wake for many moons.  Grandmother cleaned and bandaged his wounds.  She kept him cool as he wrestled through the days and nights.  She fed him water and soup.  Then one morning much to Grandmother’s surprise he woke as the sun rose.  He sat up on the blanket and began yelling “pa-havwuk-i-num Tik-er-ru,” I am hungry.  When he opened his eyes and did not know Grandmother he jumped off the blanket and ran out of the karnee.  Several of the sisters caught him as he slumped to the ground.  They moved him back into the karnee where he slept a while more.  Grandmother said, he lay for a long time awake, but would not open his eyes.  After some time, he quietly asked for Pa, water.  The boy grew stronger each day and one night as Grandmother lay trying to sleep the boy quietly left the karnee.  Grandmother believed he returned to his clan.  Grandmother was becoming known for her success as a nurse.  She never took credit for the success, but would always say that the TiTam’a blanket has special powers. Of course this was not true, but Grandmother Mumpi was humble.

It was late in the bear moon, November, just prior to the rabbit drives when Grandmother was surprised by her third child.  When her water broke, she took her TiTam’a blanket and headed to the Wikiups to welcome the child into the world.  This time her surprise was a girl.

When the White man first came to our area it was to trap beaver for their skins. They used their skins to make hats.  It was in one of their traps that the clans favorite PoKo, dog was caught.  The sisters had gone to get water and wood when they heard the dog yelping.  They went to find it and found it caught in the trap.  They rescued it from the trap and brought it back to camp to Grandmother Mumpi.  Grandmother Mumpi had gotten the dog as a surprise from her Father.  When they brought the PoKo back to camp its back leg was all chewed up from the trap. Grandmother took the dog into the karnee and brought out the TiTam’a blanket to make it as comfortable as possible.  She cleaned the wounds and bandaged the leg.  She fed him pa and soup.  Soon the PoKo was up and about on his three legs.  He never used that fourth leg right again and he learned to stay away from the metal jaws of the white man’s traps.

It was during one of the seasons of pine nut gathering when a Mother’s sagebrush apron caught on fire.  Grandmother had the Mother brought to her karnee for by this time Grandmother was considered the nurse of our people.  She had many people and animal’s recover under her care.  Grandmother always claimed that it had something to do with the TiTam’a blanket.  She carefully removed all the TinihiP, ashes from her skin.  She faithfully cleaned the wounds and put the grease that the Shaman brought for her burns.  She wiped the Mother’s brow, fed her pa and soups.  Slowly the Mother began to feel like sitting outside the karnee.  Many moon later the Mother returned to her karnee.  She had many scars on her legs and arms, but her arms and legs all worked.

It was the season of the sun rising early, the young animals and new life when Grandmother’s husband went to the Kwina’aBa, north to trade with the Shoshone for salt.  There was not peace between the white man and the Shoshone.  There were ten and five warriors that went Kwina’aBa on this trading journey.  The story is told that when they were leaving the Shoshone camp that there was a shot, only one shot that came from the east. The warriors found cover and fired back, but there were no other shots.  Ten of the warriors went tracking for who had made the shot. That one shot had hit Grandmother’s husband in the nina’Bi, chest.  It was a long way back to Grandmother’s karnee and her husband had lost much blood.  He was still alive when Grandmother laid him on the TiTam’a blanket. He slept for many days, Grandmother removed the bullet, cleaned and wrapped the wound.  She fed him soup and pa.  She wiped and kissed his brow and kept him cool as he wrestled through the days and nights.  Ten moons passed and as the sun sank down beyond the horizon Grandmother’s husband passed to Spirit-Land with a soft yell.  Grandma Mumpi held him for a long time, she then closed his eyes and kissed his brow one last time.  Grandmother’s husband was wrapped in his blanket and buried in a secret place. Then Grandmother’s karnee was burned which is our custom.  Grandmother was taken into another Mother’s karnee while her new karnee was built.  Grandmother did not bring much with her, but she did get that TiTam’a blanket.

Four seasons later Grandmother Mumpi married another warrior. It is the custom of our people that women marry soon after a death, for there are many in the clan who need care.  From this new union two more children, came as a surprise to Grandma Mumpi.  They each were welcomed into the world in that TiTam’a blanket.  There are many other stories that are told of how Grandmother nursed people and animals back to health on that TiTam’a blanket, but I will save those for another time.

It was soon to be Grandmother Mumpi's ten times nine season.  Grandmother Mumpi was not happy.  It seems that on our journey back to Pyramid Lake that Grandmother’s TiTam’a blanket was lost from the packed horse.  The story is told that the whole pack fell off the horse.  The straps were frayed and getting dry.  The sisters repacked the horse and thought that they had replaced everything, but Grandmother’s TiTam’a blanket was missing.  Grandmother has asked every Mother, Grandmother, Grandfather, sister and brother in camp if they have seen her TiTam’a blanket.  It seems that no one knew where it came up missing.  It would be two more season before we would be meeting with the Makuhadokado clan again.  So she would have to wait to ask if they found the blanket.  Grandmother Mumpi was very upset about her missing blanket.

That winter a baby girl was brought to Grandmother Mumpi that had the croup.  Grandmother fed her pa and soup.  She kept her warm and as comfortable as she could, but she was missing her TiTam’a blanket.  In just two moons the little girl went to the Spirit-Land quietly in her sleep.  Grandmother Mumpi blamed the loss of the child on the loss of her blanket.  She went to the Mothers and Sister who had reloaded the horse and told them that it was because they had lost her blanket.

When the leaves where coming to life after a long winter.  A warrior was carried into Grandmother Mumpi’s karnee.  He had been in a mud slide and had landed in a white man’s trap.  The trap had chewed up his foot.  Grandmother made him as comfortable as she could, cleaned and dressed his wounds.  She fed him pa and soup and wiped his brow through all his wresting days and nights.  In seven moons the man was up and walking about the camp.  Much to Grandmother’s surprise, because she no longer had her blanket. Grandmother Mumpi would just hang her head when the man would tell her thank her.

The time came when we joined the Makuhadokado clan again.  It was also Grandmother’s ten times nine season.  When we joined the clan for the rabbit hunt gathering.  We had all just joined at the corral for the round dance when the Sisters from the Makuhadokado clan came carrying a blanket.  It was a TiTam’a rope blanket like the one Grandmother had lost, but this one looked new. They took it to Grandmother.  Then we all yelled, “Mumpi!” 

This is the story that was told.  It had been decided among the Sisters that for Grandmother Mumpi’s ten times nine season they would repair her TiTam’a rope blanket.  It seems that the Grandfather who did the best work of repairing TiTam’a blankets was of the Makuhadokado clan.  The Sisters had organized this plan.  One of the Sisters would cut the strap on the horses pack that Grandmother put her blanket.  When the pack fell off they would remove the blanket and our fastest runner would take the blanket back to the Makuhadokado clan for the Grandfather to repair.  He had two season to repair it.  It had taken twelve or more season to gather enough mud hens to make the repairs.  They had left the mud hen skins with Grandfather when they left the Makuhadokado camp, but the blanket was tricky.  Grandmother always packed it herself.  It was hard to stay quiet and not tell when Grandmother was reprimanding them for losing the blanket, but it was worth it to see the tears in her eyes as she realized that it was her TiTam’a rope blanket made all new.
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Grandmother Mumpi lived for ten more season.  The TiTam’a blanket was used for the birth of two of her grandchildren, the death of her second husband and many more people needing care.  Then that TiTam’a blanket was wrapped one last time around Grandmother Mumpi as she yelled her way into the Spirit-Land which is the custom when you pass to the Spirit-Land if your parents have passed on before you. She was taken to the secret place where her body was laid wrapped in that TiTam’a blanket.
 
 

While reading through the book of Genesis, reading about Joseph and his brothers, I kept coming across the phrase "True men." I began wondering. What is a "TRUE man?" According to Strong's Concordance, Genesis 42:11, 19, 31 and 34 is the only places in the Holy Bible that this phrase is used. It is the only place the Hebrew word "Ken" is used. My research revealed what a "True man" is NOT and some definitions of what a "True man" could be.
Joseph put his brothers to the test when they came to Egypt to get corn for their drought ridden family. Joseph wanted to find out if they were “true men.” He asked in four different verses if they were “true men,” He was wanting to know if there had been true repentance and change.
WHAT A TRUE MAN IS NOT

• If you are a spy - Genesis 42:9 “And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.”
• If you are a murder - Genesis 34:25 “And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males.”
• If you sell your brother into slavery - Genesis 37:28 “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
• If you omit the truth - Genesis 37:31, 32 “And they took Joseph’s coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, “This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.:” “And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him’ Joseph is without a doubt rent in pieces.”
• If you hate or envy - Genesis 37:8 “And his brethren said to him, shall thou indeed reign over us? Or shall thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.” (References from the Spirit Filled Life Bible).
   
  THINGS THAT MAKE A TRUE MAN
  According to the margin in the Spirit Filled Life Bible the word "true" means “honest.” The dictionary defines honest as held in respect, honorable, respectable, creditable, commendable and seemly.
  Strong’s Concordance in Hebrew (Kuwn) defines "true" as to be erect, establish, fix, prepares, apply, appoint, render, sure, proper, and prosperous. The Hebrew (Ken) means set upright, just or rightly.
  
  The dictionary defines "true" as firm, faithful, loyal, constant, reliable and certain.
  Just is defined in the dictionary as lawful, rightful, proper, fair, and rightly.
  The word "rightly" is defined as straight and direct.
   

When I think of the word “honest,” I think it means someone who tells the truth or does not omit part of the story. The definitions of what a true man is, leaves a lot to perspective with words like "just" and "fair." A true man and/or woman does NOT spy, murder, sell his brother into slavery, omit the truth, hate or envy.
Let us strive to be “True men/women” of God.
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Sound Advice

My grandfather gave me one piece of advice, that I remember. He told me, "Never pray for patience or your patience would be sorely tried." I have remembered and tried to follow this advice.

Then recently more things on patience came to light for me, a scripture I had committed to memory years ago, finally made sense to me. James 1: 3 ""Knowing this that the trying of our faith worketh patience."

Having taught school for a number of years. I am well versed in testing to see if knowledge is retained. I have often wondered if there was a way for me to know if I was making progress in my spiritual life. It came to me the way to know if your faith is growing is that you have more patience. Knowledge without fruit is useless, thus, the creation of a quiz to know if your faith is growing.

Is my faith growing quiz.

1. You ask your child to take out the trash.  What is the reaction you are expecting?
      a. You expect them to go do it immediately.
      b. You tell them, "When this TV show is over the trash must be taken out."
      c. You give them five minutes then you assign punishment.
2. You are waiting in line at the grocery store.  What is your reaction?
      a. You are tapping your foot, breathing heavily, and praying that this
         goes quickly.
      b. You check to see if there is a shorter line and dash for it.
      c. You think to yourself 'waiting is something everyone has to do,' the
          wait patiently.
3. A car that has been riding your bumper, just comes around you and cuts you off.
      a. You honk and shake your fist, hoping they don't stop.
      b. You pull over and call the police with their license number.
      c. You say to yourself, 'The only person who is hurt, if I get mad is me.'
4. You have been waiting in line to purchase tires, someone cuts in front of you.
      a. You wait patiently, praying that the clerk is aware of what is
         happening and correct it.
      b. You say "excuse me, but I am next in line."
      c. You step forward in front of them and say "the line starts back there."
5. Your spouse comes in and requests a piece of laundry for tomorrow.
      a. You tell them "you know where the machine is."
      b. You say "ok," and remind them a little advanced warning would be nice.
      c. You go to the laundry room slamming doors, lids, etc...
Answers; 
 1-b, 2-c, 3-c, 4-a, 5-b are worth 20 points each
 1-c, 2-a, 3-a, 4-b, 5-c are worth 15 points each
 1-a, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-a are worth 10 points each
0-30%
Your faith if of no effect. Do not be weary every man is given a measure of faith, with time and grace your faith will grow. "For it they which are of the law be heirs, faith is "made void:" and the promise made is of no effect. Romans 4:14-16.
30-60%
You have faith, but you have doubted  We have all been through this step.  The following scripture that goes with this answer seems really harsh.  Read the verse before it to know that it is about offending a brother in our choices.  This is not a good place to walk, just a place to pass through. "And he that doubts is damned if he eats, because he eats not in faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14:23.
60-80%
Your faith is growing.  Be encouraged "If ye had faith as a grain of a mustard seed, ye might say unto this Sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the roots, and planted in the sea, and it should obey you." Luke 17:6.
80-90%
Your faith is increasing abundantly, continue the good fight.  "No boasting of things without measure, that is, of other men's labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by your according to our rule abundantly." 2 Corinthians 10:15.
90-100%
Your faith is grown, there is no doubt.  You know if your faith is grown it is because you have more patience with others.  "Knowing this that the trying of your faith is working patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." 2 Peter 2:34.  The key work being patience.

I am not all knowing and am human. If this quiz is unsound according to the Word, please let me know.

Thank you. Sincerely yours,   Canita

Establishing Righteousness

"Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yields 'the peaceable fruit of righteousness' unto them who are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11

"Chastening" has two definitions; to punish or correct and to restrain and subdue. The definition of restrain and subdue is the definition used with this scripture. The word "exercised" means discipline or train. The word "subdue" has several meanings the ones that fits this lesson is to control, overcome, make less intense, or diminish.

When I began looking up the word "righteousness" the word peace often accompanies it. Then I came across the scripture where peace and righteousness kiss. Psalms 85:10. Peace and righteousness are a pair.

Righteousness is given by God, it can be put on, it is a fruit, grows by faith and is accompanied by peace.

Righteousness can be put on

You can put on righteousness. It is an armour according to 2 Corinthians 6:7 "By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." The putting on of righteousness is also referenced in Job 29:14, Ephesians 6:11-17 and Psalms 132:9. We are admonished to put it on daily in our fight for faith.

Righteousness grows by faith

Galatians 5:5 "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." Part of our faith growing is the hope of righteousness bestowed on us from God. Let us daily hope for righteousness.

Righteousness is accompanied by peace

James 3:18 "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Additional references for peace and righteousness are Psalms 85:10, Romans 14:17, and Hebrews 12:11. I will never think of righteousness without peace in the future. It is taught that righteousness is right standing with God. It is truly right standing with God, but along with that is peace. Some of the things done are in right standing with God, but not always done in peace.

Righteousness given by God

Righteousness is given by God not by works. Romans 4:6 "Even as David describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputs righteousness without works." References to Righteousness by God are found in Job 36:3 and Psalms 24:5. The scripture refers to Righteousness being God's righteousness. Then in Ephesians 4:24 when we become new Creation in Christ, we become righteousness and true holiness.

Righteousness is a fruit

Righteousness is called fruit or fruits. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:11. It is also referenced as fruit/s in Romans 5:17 and Amos 6:12. Righteousness is not listed as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 even though it is not listed I do believe it is a measure of mankind.

Below is a quiz to confirm how your righteousness is growing. You may be surprised by some of the answers, but when you pair up peace and righteousness it changes the perspective a little.

1.    You're sharing a meal with a devout Jew, your favorite dish at this restaurant includes bacon.  What would you do?
                      a.     Order your favorite dish, they will not even
                             notice that you are having bacon
                      b.     You decide to try something new on the menu
                             that does not include bacon
                      c.     You order your favorite dish and apologize
                             hoping they are not offended
2. You are eating out with someone you know has a religious offence to shellfish.  What would you do?
                      a.     Choose a restaurant that does not serve
                              shellfish
                      b.     You go to the restaurant with shellfish;
                             they can find something else on the menu
                      c.     Ask them if it is ok to go to a restaurant
                             that serves shellfish
3. At a friend's party they have a fortune teller.  You refuse to participate in
this activity.  How would you handle this situation?
                      a.     Tell your friend how you feel about this
                             activity and leave
                      b.     Participate and repent later
                      c.     State you are passing on this activity,
                             but will join them later
4. Some is gossiping about a fellow worker.  What do you do?
                      a.     Gossip with them and repent later
                      b.     Tell the fellow worker you don't listen
                             or participate in gossip and leave
                      c.     Listen to them and say nothing

Answers; 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-c
 

How did “Plaster of Paris” get that name?

“Plaster of Paris” is made from gypsum. Gypsum is a chalk that is a hydrated sulfate of calcium which occurs naturally in sedimentary rocks.

The definition is gypsum a heavy white powder that is heated to high temperature below the melting point or fusion point to extract the moisture, which, when mixed with water, forms a thick paste that sets quickly; used for casts, moldings, statuary, etc…

And found in those mines along with gypsum was the precious Alabaster, which was used to make perfume bottles.  The "rose rock" which is found in Oklahoma in more abundance than any part of the world is gypsum.

“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him.”  
Genesis 2:20

So, God goes to Adam one evening as they walk in the garden together and says,  “Tomorrow when you wake Adam, we are going to name all these creatures I’ve made and find a help meet for you.  You will name all the cattle, fowls of the air, and beast of the field.  I have already named the sea creatures because they live in the water they would not be a good help meet for you.  Sleep well son, tomorrow will be a busy day.”

How would you organize this task.  Just naming them would be a astronomical task, but looking for a help meet too.  Who could come up with names for all the creatures.  It would be a really hard task for me.

Did he start with two letter words? Then make them longer and longer?  Starting with an ox and working his way to hippopotamus? Or perhaps he started with hippopotamus and worked his way to shorter words.

Perhaps he started with the tallest mammal and ended with the shortest mammal?  The giraffe to the marmoset monkey.

What about looking for a help mate? 

Perhaps the sheep they are gentle, soft and trusting.
Maybe the unicorn for a help mate, for God knew that man would one day till the ground.
A hummingbird, colorful, tiny and quiet?
A horse, soft, silky and shy.
An elephant, big, strong and always remembering.

“…there was not found an help meet for him.  And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” Genesis 2: 20b - 22.

There is still a deep love between man and the creatures, cattle and fowl. Although, I am glad that Adam didn’t find a help mate among them.  For if he had there would not have been a wo - man. 


Sincerely,
Canita M. Prough