Tamkaliks

 

History

“In 1989, Taz Conner, a descendant of Old Chief Joseph, Tuekakas, was invited by the City of Wallowa to help them plan some kind of Native American festival in Wallowa. It was decided that a friendship potluck and powwow would be the most appropriate event. Since that time, a group of ten to fifteen local volunteers have met, planned, and worked nearly year-round to conduct the event. During the powwow and potluck, about forty to fifty local people and ten to twelve Native Americans help in putting it on. - Terry Crenshaw, Teacher at Wallowa High School

 

I first attended in 2012 when Mrs. Beulah Wynans was the Interpretive Center Office Manager. In July of 2022 I made it again. 

Today, 30.Dec.23, the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce's newsletter arrived. Here's the link. I've been reluctant to post about the event...it's an intimate gathering of about 300, a large crowd by my standards, with an unusually Wilkommen vibe that could easily become too big.

I think the few folks who find their way here would appreciate it. It's a family get-together open to the public, in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. 

There's free on-site camping and it's only a few miles to the National Forest. 

The main website.

Link to virtual tour includes sheep-horn bow with owl feather fletching.

Aneurysm Clips

The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly by Matt McCarthy had me messaging my cardiologist. It was the description of "flashing" wherein the heart suddenly, as with a flash flood, can't pump enough. The lungs fill with blood and the patient feels as if they're drowning. If not treated, they do.

Having brought a morbid curiosity to boiling, I eagerly embarqued into Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.

Both books portray the psychological & physical endurance courses that are the daily fare of practicing medicine. And both do a great job of giving credence to the term "practicing' where though confidence may be accrued, it can quickly evaporate.

Whats interesting is how both Marsh & McCarthy wrangle the anguish of telling people they're going to die. Marsh, angry at "the gods," feels shame at losing his professional distance, whereas McCarthy, almost gagging from anxiety, works steadily at embracing the emotional pain. 

I'm combining them withThe Grace in Dying by Kathleen Singh for a bit of metaphorical jumping up & down on the end of the diving board.

The internet, in all its magical glory, was by my side when I queried "aneurysm clips."

Smallest of the small roach clips, this German company touts itself as "the most trusted name....."

But, of course!

On p. 321, McCarthy has just been voted best in Cardiac Arrest. The other finalist was his fav teacher, Dr. Baio. He'd admired Baio's calm as he, Baio, supervised cardiac arrest procedures and now thought maybe... Could it be possible he'd surpassed him?

As these thoughts flooded up he realized, once again, how much he owed to many of the others. And as he stood there feeling grateful, he sensed someone come come up behind him and as a hand gently squeezed his neck, Baio whispered, "You're welcome."

                --------------------------------

Helping each other is what we're meant to do. It's true we can't help everyone, but every little bit helps. 

It's not always obvious what another person needs, but one of the easiest ways to know is by listening to their complaints. Though we're taught not to (complain), it's the first order of a patient's duty.

We're all patients in one way or another, and we all have the ability to, if nothing else, offer sympathy. 

Full Moon

Yesterday isn't even a distant memory, but it took its toll and today I only had energy to bake the last of the fish from Ta Lin Market and make her a burrito when she came home from her rounds.

Now, at 5:34 p.m., she's gearing up for the one evening sit; I'm gonna go too, so we have some time together. Her schedule is full for the next week or so.

I took some garbage out to the dumpster. It's cold, clear and the full moon is at about 10 o'clock.

I was about to mention the quiet - the one day in the year - but a car just went by with music blasting; it's "the burbs" donchyaknow?

Lights & Firebags!

After the visit we went to Altura Park west of Washington. There was a group clustered around a fire singing. We walked for a bit until I got cold then drove through the neighborhood south of Constitution. She had an early-morning sit so we didn't stay out long.

Yule Goat - 71st Birthday

Born this day in 1952 in Nürnberg at approximately 6 a.m., the doctor was called away from a Christmas party. Mom said he was quite drunk and hilarious. They had a wonderful time!

As a Capricorn, I took note when Kristen sent this link to the Yule Goat. With roots in German Paganism, it is rumored to still influence holiday decorations and music in some places.

Illustration by Robert Seymour

from The Book of Christmas

Julbocken - Stockholms Musikgymnasium

The fate of the Swedish goat.

Through the Window by Jenny Nystrom

LSD

I'm not coping well.

It's amazing how in the space of an hour or two, the time it takes for it to take effect, the world shifts from noisy and obnoxious to screened out and smiling.

After three days of being bed-ridden, I was able to get up & going.

Conversation w Pres of Board of Conserve SW Utah about highway through Red Cliffs NCA

Library - pick up HOLDs

Pen & Pad - Xmas card for friend

Walmart - shoes (slipon $15)

Glitter paper for Solstice cards

Acne treatment stuff (not covered by formulary)

(You'd think it would've relented by now but I haven't ever stopped masturbating.)

Low-fat mozzarella

Bike store - CO² cartridge regulator for Rebreather (found one online)

Golden Pride - lunch

Inez Park - walk

Lowe's - interlocking foam for sound-deadening.

Library - pick up I.L.L.

Family Thrift - t-shirts & sweater

Solstice Card Work-table

The Money Flow

On 19.Dec.23, Senator Heinrich sent an email that included the statements below...

"There’s been a major development with the SunZia Wind and Transmission Project, the largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history:  

Thanks to a major labor agreement reached last week, the SunZia transmission line will be constructed by union members."

Curious about the money flow, I learned (from) that:

"The 580-mile, $1.3 billion transmission line is one part of the SunZia Transmission and Wind Projects, under development by San Francisco-based Pattern Energy. The projects broke ground outside of Corona, New Mexico, in early September after receiving a series of regulatory approvals in November 2022."

From Pattern Energy's website:

"Pattern operates a global portfolio of high-performing renewable energy facilities."

Their portfolio page offers a map view (below) and a List View. The blue circles are wind farms. The orange are solar arrays.

Delving further, Pattern Energy is a member of the American Clean Power Association. From their website, it's not clear what they do, but they list the number of "Clean Energy" jobs and manufacturing facilities in operation.

They claim to be "Powering America's growth"

The clean energy industry powers more of the United States every day and contributes more to the economy than any other source of energy.  From across the country and clean power technologies, ACP unites the most prominent policy leaders, industry experts, and companies to grow the industry. 

The Canada Investmemt Pension Plan has a finger in the pie somewhere.

Solstice!

Mein Gott! It slipped right past me. I'm writing on the 24th but will backdate to the 21st. 

I'm at Michelle's in Albuquerque. The cat-sitting at this time of year is so intense all else gets forgotten. The moon is waxing gibbous.

The tree was Michelle's Grandmother's

Kindness

Toward the end of his life, Aldous Huxley's advice was, "Try a little more kindness."

'Tis always the season. 🎄

Omeleto - A Homeless Teen Meets a Deaf-blind man

A film about the making of the one above.

Geläandewagan

I rarely shop Whole Foods anymore, but they accept Amazon returns so there I was. The parking lot is always a bit of a car show and this time didn't disappoint.

 2023

 

It's Phoebe! With stars on her wheels!

Thinking to get a spare tire cover and some wheels and no one would know the difference, I went shopping. The cover for the spare is $2,600+. 

Wheels can cost as much as $3,550 each.

The wheel stars are available separately for around $75.00 each.

LSD

10:00 a.m. Monday

I'm feeling "overdue." Last time was 4.August...it's time. 

I've probably told this story elsewhere, but the pot I was raised on was grown in the front window of a Tennesse cabin from seeds from Mexico's finest. 

When we moved to El Paso in 1967, two girls from up the street came to see what I had to offer. They later told me how they'd (skeptically) accepted the thinnest joint they'd ever seen. And later, how despite having grown up there, they were lost for three hours. One, maybe two hits was all I'd ever had and it'd kept me tripping for 7 - 10 hours. I'd had three years of it before we moved.

By the time I got to LSD, and I'd been cautioned, I was ready. It's always been a friend, even when it was a rough ride.

1 :01 pm - Monday

I seem to have peaked. As has been the case with this stuff, the size of the paper doesn't reflect the dose. This was the largest piece of paper yet feels the lightest dose. I'm kinda tired so just lying here enjoying.

3:00 pm - Resting helped and we went to Arroyo del Oso Park for a walk. The Sandias rise 5,000' and the camera that can convey their presence has yet to be invented.

Beyond the trees, less than a quarter-mile away, Wyoming Blvd carries thousands of cars. My increasing deafness is a boone. I wear earplugs at night but am rarely distracted by noise during the day. There're no birds or animal calls to be missed. I did hear the muffler-less single-engine plane that flew over; inconsiderate bastard! (You know it had to've been a guy.)

Scottish Music Group

They were in the list of festivals. Occassionally, I camp in the national forest outside Tijeras, but it's been a while. Still recovering from the tooth extraction, I really wanted tuh go even though the ole body wuz complainin'. I lasted 20 minutes.

Around the corner is Root Cafe. It's a quaint place. I've yet to sample the food, but the cookies had too much sugar. I know, that sounds implausible coming from someone of my dimensions. But there you have it; no accounting for taste. "Some do," as Eeyore was wont to say.

Nitrogen Hypoxia

Below is the link to the April 2024 Peaceful Pill Handbook which includes the latest information on nitrogen hypoxia.

https://www.exitinternational.net/?mailpoet_router&endpoint=view_in_browser&action=view&data=WzM4MywwLDUxMTc5LCIyMm93ZGN6ZzY5ZHdrODRva2N3dzBvYzBjc2NrNDhzcyIsMjg4LDBd

The NEW By the Book

Except for the 1980 Datsun 210, I've driven used vehicles. For the most part I had good luck but Phoebe was the exception. Over the past six years she's had nearly every component replaced.

Despite my having been taken to the cleaners, her comeback has been at a pace I could afford. And other than the occassional inconvenience, she's never put me in dire straits. 

Trini Saavedra did the early work, attached her custom-made chapeau (roofrack), changed out her muffler and catalytic converter, built the inside rack that has multiple attachment points & holds a net for stuff, headphones, my hats and reading glasses. But By the Book has done the heavy-lifting of the engine and transmission rebuilds, new brakes, radiator, air-conditioning compressor. 

L-R

Daniel, Leonardo, Robert, Kevin, Orlando, Skyler, Brandon, Dallas.

Daniel, at left, the owner, recently moved his shop into a new building. The difference between the old and new is several magnitudes and comes with a new level of cognitive dissonance: MUCH higher debt and sense of responsibility to his people. It's one of the dimensions of entrepreneurship that's both exhilarating and can keep you awake at night. 

You could eat off the floor!

Hesse's Warren

It's Albuquerque. I missed the "open mic" night of the accordion club and fell back on Jack Zipes's translation of The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse.

Wanting to share The Three Linden Trees led me to a copy of the story on this blog. 

After The Trees, I read The Beautiful Dream, written in 1912. 

Recalling that Hesse had traveled to India around that time led to the Hindustan Times and an article that mentions Martin Kämpchen.

Excerpt from Hindustan Times:

"Like his protagonist Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse himself was on a spiritual quest when he travelled to India in 1911. Despite his strictly Protestant upbringing in Calw in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, India seemed to be a natural choice for him, explains German scholar Martin Kämpchen, who is currently based in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India and has written several books on Hesse and European Indologists."

Martin, of course, came next. In the EARLY LIFE section of the wiki article it says

"It was a dissertation on comparative religious study of Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th century Indian mystic-saint and Saint Francis of Assisi, the 11-12th century Italian saint that brought him to Santiniketan in 1980. He took an instant liking to the place and has never since left it for a long period at a stretch."

As a Geographer, I had to see where Santiniketan is and what there might be about it to make it attractive to Herr Kämpchen.

Checking Google Satellite, I noticed Bhitey Homestay. It's near the University and the reviews are favorable. I texted asking about rates. As Michelle likes to say, "You never know."

Further down in the Hindustan Times article is:

"Hesse set off on his journey in 1911, expecting to visit Java, Bali and Sri Lanka, followed by a trip to southern India, from where he would sail back home to Europe. But a severe stomach ailment after his trip to the Indonesian islands rendered him immobile, and he had to give up his plans to go to southern India.

Hesse's journey left him amazed but disappointed, explains Kämpchen, as the author did not find that idealized version of India during his trip to Indonesia or Sri Lanka (which in Hesse's view were part of India)."

I think it's in Jack Zipes's Introduction that he describes Hesse's disappointment as stemming from a feeling that the religions of India, including Buddhism, had succumbed to commercialism.

Xannibelle's Fine Work

Years ago, I found her card pinned to a bulletin board. Formally trained, her work is phenomenal.

I've never liked wearing clothes. I'm not a nudist and out of consideration for others have asked Xannie to put gussets in my pants so I could pull 'em on over my boots. She always did a superb job, even on my overalls!

I was outside Sahuarita, Arizona last Spring when my hip started acting out. I bought a matress topper and sent her the dimensions with a request for some durable fabric.

Zippered down one side, it fits like a glove.

Isabel Behncke

Ted Talk (7:53) on Bonobos & the importance of play.

For Dr Behncke, play is at the root of creativity, social bonding and healthy development.^[13]

Behncke cites Burning Man as a play place. Reference #13 (above) leads to the link below

https://burningman.org/event/participate/volunteering/teams/census

Burning Man census archive - results of prev surveys.

Roxane Jessi's book Once Upon A Time In the Dust about traveling to diff Burning Man gatherings in diff parts of the world. It's available as a free ebook via the Hoopla app(lication).

Stuart Mangrum

Bidet, Mate!

Back when there was a run on toilet paper and people were resorting to napkins, paper towels and miscellany, I researched cultures where paper is a luxury, not debased as a butt-wipe. Turns out the rest of the world has been jeering at Ameruhkinz for their luddite ways. Turns out a well-aimed spritz takes care of the job. I installed a Clear Rear.®

After I left it got removed. But as time went on, the idea accrued appeal and today the Luxe® bidet arrived. It has a guard to protect the nozzle from contamination and is hinged to facilitate cleaning. 

Here Michelle imitates the product presentation many may recognize from The Price is Right and Broyhill toasters.

Note Vince Distasio's Little Weasel in the background.

8.Nov.23 - Plumber Installed

Forward knob controls water flow. Rear knob selects nozzle. 

When activated, the nozzles distend below the gate and project water upward. It's handy for washing the wall too. One nozzle has a strong stream for twidget cleaning. The other is a lighter spray for feminine cleaning. They can be combined for maximum effect!

Dr. Marian C. Diamond

Albuquerque - Winter arrived and it got quiet. With the temperature drop, the cold-wusses, with their loud mufflers, decided to stay inside. Traffic is still intense; the latest game being running red lights. I don't go out much. 

Deviate by Beau Lotto

(April 2017, Hatchette Bk Grp., Inc)

P.84 - last sentence - Diamond, his mentor, inspired Beau to pursue neuroscience.

Diamond produced the first scientific evidence of anatomical neuroplasticity in the early 1960s. At that time, the scientific consensus was that the nature of your brain was due to genetics and was unchangeable and fixed. Diamond showed that the structural components of the cerebral cortex can be altered by either enriched or impoverished environments at any age, from prenatal to extremely old age. 

Her research team also showed that the dorsal lateral frontal cerebral cortex is bilaterally deficient in the immune deficient mouse and can be reversed with thymic transplants. In humans, cognitive stimulation increases circulating CD4-positive T lymphocytes, supporting the idea that immunity can be voluntarily modulated, in other words, that positive thinking can impact the immune system.^[5]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Diamond#:~:text=She%20and%20her%20team%20were,glial%20cells%20in%20the%20brain.

Paul

He was wearing a brown stetson. As he went by I asked where he got it. He'd worn it tending a herd of 450 Spanish horse on the Colorado-New Mexico border, up along the Rio Grande.

They were checking DNA to keep the herd pure, but were up against an uncaring BLM who let the mustangs run free. He'd had an aortic anuerysm and after surgery couldn't wiggle his toes. After a while he made it to the bathroom and was now up to walking three miles. When I mentioned having declined the bypass surgery he rejoined with, "I had no choice." 

When I contacted St Mary's Hospital (DON'T go there!) about a copy of my Transradial Catheterization, their records say I left against their advice. Paul went around three times to my one. But that was my choice.

Albuq Montage

Self-described as a cook in name only, Michelle has, over the years, developed a finesse with the burrito. This includes, if you look closely, raw mushrooms tucked 'neath a layer of onion. No beans, just some avocado & tomato 'prinkled mit cheeez.

One of my Tuley's heel cups disappeared so Michelle gave me a pair. Suggested years ago by a podiatrist, they relieved the plantar fasciitis. He recommended the large. Their color, turquoise, goes nicely, dōnchewtink?

Many, many eons in the past, Michelle traded with an artist at the SW Arts & Crafts Show for several of his hand-blown drinking glasses. I chose the lavendar for my mix of 2/3 Dr Zevia & 1/3 orange juice (Simply, of course).

One year I was part of the selection jury for the SW Arts & Crafts Show. There were around 200 booths available for god-nose how many entrants. Each submitted three slides of their work. It went on for hours, but when this, titled: Safety of Three, flashed on the screen, I knew I had to have it. 

I interpreted it as an omage, talisman or some form of recognition of my commitment to polyamoury which, at the time, was still new. It still speaks to me. 

I may have included this in a recent post but it got knocked about when turning on the lamp and, I thought, deserved another showing. Michelle's humor atop my display case of heirlooms & treasures.

The cat in his lap is from the Alamo Gallery in Socorro. Among others, the gallery shows the work of the Alamo band of Navajo. They were banished for siding with the Whites and have their own Rez 30 miles north of Magdalena.

Below is my copy of Uh-Oh, Reality Draws Near, one of Michelle's serigraphs. Serigraphy is a fine-art form of printing using stencils and a screen coated with light sensitive emulsion. The process is tedious and most serigraphers, such as Andy Warhol, rarely include more than six to eight colors in their prints. Michelle often used over 35. Achieving the machine-esque similarity in each print meant the number in her editions rarely exceeded 25.

Moon Over the Sandias

 (After Ansel Adams)

One side of Altura Park has sidewalk. At the north end, someone zip-tied a cup of chalk to a post. There're many dogs out walking their owners, but...

Stan, Oliver & Mike

 

Billie Jean - Stan, Oliver & Mike Jackson

Turkey Day

 

The reason, the rationale: Pie!

Farmer's Market (brand) organic pumpkin with British double cream blended with heavy cream instead of condensed milk. Almost a quiche, but delicious.

Poodle Point

It's two miles around the University's north golf course and in my hey-day I'd go around twice, alternating wind sprints with walking interspersed with an occasional kata.

A poodle and an orange tabby kept an eye on things in the short deadend where we parked. Sometimes Michelle came with me.

Now, thirty years on, the sedentaryness of town life has sapped my remaining energy, but we have, on alternate days, managed small ambles in parks. The deafness of my right ear facilitates enjoyment by reducing the intensity of the city's roarings.

The poodle & tabby are long since gone, but there's a new sign asserting the golf course's demands for respect, your risk of being hit by flying balls and the reminder that there is no "Poop Fairy" and to pick up after your dog.

Fantasy Bats

It's not alot diff being here in Albuq. I'm spending almost an equal amount of time resting.

But there's something, a growth, a bat, an earwig, blocking my right eardrum and the left seems to be sympathizing so I'm almost deaf. This is a boon since it's the noise of the city that annoys the most. 

The increase in isosorbide boosted my energy but on the third day of revelry and frolic, I "collapsed," and spent all day, yesterday, in bed....and had no difficulty falling asleep around 10 pm.

(I know this is boring as hell if you're here for "entertainment." I prided myself on sticking to tales of barroom brawls and pix of lovely women whilst relegating the mundanities to a separate journal. But it became too much and I've succumbed to keeping it all in one place.)

For most of the past year I've had to rest after each of The Three Bs....morning bidness, breakfast, bath; breakfast usually taking an hour or so to recover from and likewise the bahth. This morning I slept an hour and a half.

At times, resting, without sleep, is sufficient. It's then, when The Warrens of The Web beckon, that strong signal is important. A conjunctive condition, the deteriorating memory, makes everything new; so when I found Hesse's Fairy Tales in my bookcase (a 2008 gift from Michelle), it was as if it was our first time.

The Bantam Book (1995), paperback edition, is illustrated with David Frampton's woodblock prints. Wondering if David was related to Peter, I searched online....which led to Anne Nydam's, October 25 2023, blogpost:

Fantasy Bats.

If you go there, to FB, you'll see the print (below) of Miyamoto Musashi waving a sword at a bat. 

Musashi's odd grip.

Having forgotten David, I recalled Keaton, son of the Scipio, Utah mechanic who installed Phoebe's new fuel pump, and his interest in swords. As we'd talked, Keaton had, at one point, allowed as how he'd studied kendo and, as if he thought me unfamiliar, he made an iconic, downward, double-handed gesture. After Keaton, I tangented into the Musashi tunnel. 

It seems Musashi was a rōnin whose two-sword technique eventually resulted in saint-hood (similar to the British tradition of bestowing knighthoods, the Japanese recognize exceptional individuals with saint-hood). 

Musashi's method, as recounted in this Wiki article, was based on using one hand. Taking it further, he expanded (purportedly from combat) to the use of a sword in each hand.

Besides the almost heretical one-hand sword technique, Musashi espoused a philosophy of education for martial artists that included calligraphy and painting. Here is one of two "masterpieces" cited in the Wiki article.

Perhaps, if you read the Wiki article, you'll note the slight inference of incredulity that a samurai would care about writing and painting. This is, I think a suggestion of bias on the part of the article's author. In my readings -- that've coincided with over 40 years of studying Asian martial arts -- I've seen a number of references to the flower-arranging and poetry-writing skills evinced by high-level warriors. (Just yesterday I read of Cosmic Chambo's interest in Noh theater.)

In a closer-to-home example, when I asked Michelle how her grandparents met, she told of how, as an officer in the U.S. military, her grandfather was expected to know how to dance. It was at the studio where he went to learn that he met his future bride.

So, despite the lack of interest in the general (Uhmerikin) populace for dance, given the recognition of the skill's importance, and considering the competitiveness between the branches of the military and the nationalism of the day, it seems queer (may we now use that word?) there aren't major competitions.

 Can you envision -- perhaps during the half-time entertainments uv Der Foosball -- The Navy Seals vs The Buckingham Palace Guards?

Or, as with break-dancing's debut into The Olympics next year, we would watch enrapt as our military's finest vied with similar contingents from around the globe. Of course, with today's inclusive zeitgeist, each dancer would be accompanied by their partner-of-choice selected from the full spectrum of ethnicities & genders. Something to look forward to!

I never did find out if David & Peter are related.