My Non-caloric Hot Sunday

Am totally freaking out - for good reason - over the arrival of my chicks in late August. Perhaps I will indulge myself in whining about it in this forum later in the week. Meanwhile, I had an outing today with docents from the State Indian Museum.

The California Museum
We visited the American Masterpieces: The Artistic Legacy of California Indian Basketry exhibit at the California Museum.

A selection of the baskets from the warehouse in West Sacramento were spiffed up and put on display at the CA Museum. Although I was told I could use non-flash photography in the museum, I show no individual baskets here because the local tribes consider that a bit of a no-no.


Display on zillion basket uses and weaving techniques

Start of a new basket

The actual baskets were in very dimly lit displays, dim so as not to light-damage the baskets. Myself, while I know light may fade coloring on baskets, handling is good for them. Oil from human hands keep the fibers more alive, and without it the baskets grow brittle. Even baskets, now and again, desire the touch of admiring human hands.


Drawers beneath the showcases contain the grasses, roots, etc. used to make the baskets
Quite near the baskets exhibit was the traveling With Malice Toward None: Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit - no photographs allowed at all. Volumes of hand written Lincoln letters, Civil War memorabilia and the bit that had my full attention was the Lincoln family bible, used for the swearing in of President Obama at his inauguration. The bible is huge, and curiously the name on its front in gold lettering is Mary Todd Lincoln... no one knows how she managed that.

There was a quite display of the bits and bobs Lincoln had in his pockets the night of his assassination at the Ford Theater. Staring at 2 pair of eensie little eye glasses, strange little wallet, and lens cleaner and to think where they have been was amazing. One of the spectacles folded, and both pairs were so small they might have belonged to a myopic child. There was a play bill too, with a long-dry spot of blood on it, that the placard assured was a real blood - ewwww.

After the Lincoln exhibit I visited several other exhibits, including a totally depressing one about the Japanese Americans who found themselves squirreled away on American soil in dreary desert hovels for the crime of being racially Japanese during war time. After a lot of head shaking at unfairnes I have no control over, I decided something whimsical would be nice.

California Dreaming
I discovered there are some strange animals hanging around the California State Musuem. They all seemed to have their origins in the v. strange mind of one Dr. Theodore Giesel, AKA Dr. Seuss.


Mulberry Street Unicorn

Rare & Seldom seen Sawfish (eastern subspecies)

Goo Goo Eyed Tasmanian Wolghast

Free Day at the Indian Museum

Saturday was Free Museum Day; Sacramento's 'educate your kids fer free' day. I was at the State Indian Museum helping with crowd control. Although it rained on and off there were still plenty of tourists and locals eager for a free look at the museum's beautiful baskets, dance regalia and such. The museum is looking especially beautiful just now having had a little cosmetic surgery - a spanking new gift shop area and the removal of the 8 year 'temporary' Gold Rush exhibit made the whole Feng Shui of the entryway airy and welcoming.

My job was keeping count of visitors so we wouldn't exceed the Fire Marshall's limit of 66 people in our eensie little building across from Sutter's Fort. The day was so cold and wet that once people got in, they were reluctant to leave, so some people waited as long as a half hour to get in. However many people I could let in the front door was directly dependant on how many people just left through the back door (I recieved the number via a little walkie talkie).

At one point there was a sweet little Russian Family of seven waiting in the foyer. I mustered up what few words of Russian I speak to address them as follows: "Seven people, please?", or rather, "Vo-seam Che-lo-vekki, pa-shal-sta" . I sounded a head waiter. The Russian family was so tickled to hear me speak some Russian, of course they were all smiles. So was I - until they relased a happy bombardment of Russian at me. EEEEK! "Yah nee ga-va-ree-u Pa-roo-ski!", i.e., 'I don't speak Russian!' I must learn to say, 'My vocabulary sucks!'

40th Annual Native American Day Celebration

The Color Guard at the Opening Ceremony


Only worked 3 hours; spent most of the day doing my docent thing on the north lawn at the State Capital. I worked the cash register for theState Indian Museum. We had SIM t-shirts, mugs. Also we had working facsimiles of Indian pump drills (left photo) and elderberry clapper sticks for sale - great crowd pleasers, especially at only ten bucks each.

But oh how I sucked at the cash register! Normally I have no problems at all, but at the end of the day the cash register showed that we’d made $10K, though that must have been in Pesos – in real $ we made a little over $400. Yikes! I guess I was a tad distracted chatting with the visitors and watching the wonderful traditional dancers.

Never Thought I'd Ever Have Cause to Bribe Guards

Silent lobby - still white marble

no noise above a hush

two guards at desk gaze into the silence

Unannounced - unbidden - unexpected Crescendo!

Loud, clear, echoing through the air

the men look up in surprised awe

the last haunting echo trembles against the cold walls

Yeah, that was some damned BIG old fart I let out in the lobby today. No warning, it just leapt to the open air like a giant raspberry. Fecking hell. See why I say my life is a sitcom? Do you see that now???? Damn it.

I mean, I have not farted in public like that since Junior High classroom incident which sort of set the pace for the rest of my life and explains why I'm such a hermit. I mean, that lobby of my office building is usually alive with dozens of people noisily bustling about, engulfed in conversation with their peers, headed out of the building or into one of the three elevator hubs. But the one freakin' day I... pass gas... it was so bloody quiet you could have heard a dwarf mouse peeing on cotton at 100 paces. Bugger. BUGGER. BUGGER ALL!

Stupid lobby. Stupid guards. Stupid, stupid intestinal tract!

I was racing out the building to go to a docents meeting tonight at the State Indian Meeting. The lot of us made plans for Acorn Day in October which is usually loads of fun when we all pitch in together.

In other news, on Saturday I ushered for Hello Dolly! at the Music Circus. I've only ever seen the movie version featuring the divine Ms. Streisand, so it was a special treat for me to see the stage production. I loved it from the lively actors to the spectacular turn of the century costumes. Plus, there was near to a full house for the performance which was attended by 1,900 souls - in a crowd like that anyone could have farted merrily away with impunity guar-an-teed.

Honored Elders Day - 2007

Early in the morning just after setting up

'Big Head' Dancers performing for the elders of the Indian community

The Women dancers

Hurrah! It's all over; made it through another year to Honored Elder's Day at the California State Indian Museum. It was fun, but geeze, it was hot out. Due to a couple of LARGE and showy ads in the local papers, 'everyone and their Mama' (as I heard one of the kids say) showed up to enjoy the dance groups and the essential two effs - food and fun.

I showed up early this morning to help with passes for the cars of those who brought the elders to the event and so I could help get onto the tables the centerpieces I've be whining about all week. I'd been frantic, thinking the feathers would look like crap but actually, once I got the poofy feather stuff around the base of the feathers, they actually looked all right.


Tah Dah!

All in all I was satified.

Must mention, I standing in the back yard of the museum earlier today, after setting up and THUMP! I was hit on the head hard. I rubbed the sore spot on my head while frantically looked around to see who thought thumping me was a good idea. Then I looked up. I was under the huge oak tree and realized an acorn had landed my noggin. It seems Earth Mother was sending me a message, which I think was for me to get over myself.

I mean, yes, I made the feather thingie and the placemats. But someone else donated the giant abalone shells and someone else donated bundles of white sage, and Ranger Connie brought in a big jar of acorns and I guess in the end it wasn't all about me.

Yes Earth Mother, your message was loud and clear. Thank you; I needed that.

Over the Weekend

Mixed bag over the weekend. Saturday was the annual Free Museum Day for all Sacto and I spent the afternoon at the State Indian Museum. The museum can’t hold more than 66 people at a time so the excess had to wait outside in line. I worked the queue, entertaining people on the line with an Indian game of skill; catching several rings (salmon or deer vertebra)on the end of a stick (deer shin bone). The museum normally closes at 4PM on Free day but this year it stayed open until 5:00, but I left around 4:30, heading for Napa to visit with Barbara and Hans & Irmgard Albertson.

My buddy Barbara’s parents seemed well enough last Christmas when I spent what must be my 25th Christmas with the Albertsons – yes! It is hard to believe but that’s how long I’ve known them and have enjoyed their generous hospitality.

I first visited the Albertsons when I was 25 years old, when they lived in Cotati a cute little town north of San Francisco, not too far from the coast. In recent years Barb’s parents gave up their 10 acres of Cotati - which required a good deal of work to keep up - and they purchased a home in the Napa wine country. I’ve enjoyed the past four or five Christmases in Napa with Hans, Irmgard, Barbara and Phil, Suzi and Bob O.

It was a couple of years ago that it dawned on me I was older than Hans & Irmgard were when I first met them. I decided I could allow myself to call them by their first names. My parent’s training that all adults should be addressed as Dr. & Mrs. was a difficult habit to break (Hans is a retired veterinarian).

Last Christmas, 2006, Hans and Irmgard had round the clock nursing care in their house. Barbara brought 2 of her new cats with her on the visit. Hans had fun playing with his furry grandchildren. Irmgard was cheerful, but was only a shadow of her former self; the hale & hardy haus frau that I have loved over the years. The holidays went quickly the New Year was barely started when Irmgard’s health plummeted so drastically that Hospice was called in.

So I visited with the Albertsons last weekend. I was shocked when I saw Irmgard; it was more difficult seeing her so frail than I could have imagined it would be. I think it is not only the shock of seeing how ill she is, but additionally, seeing her brings back strong memories of my own mother.

My mother’s illness in 1992 took her quickly. I couldn’t (ok, I still can’t) look at pictures of her because it is too upsetting. Seeing Irmgard was upsetting as it was, but additionally, although she bares no similarity to my Mother – I am reminded none-the-less of my Mother.

So the weekend was riff with emotion. On the bright side it was comforting to visit Irmgard and find some of the former Irmgard in the frail body the bedridden lady now occupies. And Hans is very sweet, like a big old teddy bear. We enjoyed ourselves. I played animal podcasts and Der Tagesschau newscast for him on my video iPod. Reminded me that my father would have had a ball with an iPod if they’d been around when he was younger. That goes for my friend Joann’s father too. Both Joann's and my father enjoyed short wave radio and broadcasts and I know they’d have dived right into the Internet world – too bad it was too late for them to enjoy.

So the weekend was bitter sweet and I know there’ll be many more like it coming up as I visit with the family in Napa. Barbara and I have already decided that when we get old we’re all going to take one last trip to Alaska and at the end of it that last long walk through boreal forest and join the Snow Walkers.

Second Saturday

The State Indian Museum held a Second Saturday event - Hurrah!

It rained buckets - Boogers!

Had fun anyway. Those of us hosting the gig; Ranger Henry, docent Karen and two artists who had art for sale, outnumbered the visitors. One of the artists, Larry, brought a beautiful & humongous hand made drum with him. I wish I had a photo of it - it was almost four feet in diameter, octogonal in shape and was stretched with cowhide on one side and elk skin on the other. We stood at the K street door of the museum and Larry sung some songs in what may have been Miwok or Wintun. I was too excited to think to ask him the significance of the songs. He let us have a go at beating the drum - way cool.

I was so excited about getting to beat the drum - to call passersby - I called up the Codina's, got Rick, me thinking perhaps Diego might enjoy coming down with his flute, get a little ensemble going. What was I thinking? It being a Saturday night - even if it was raining - he was off on adventures.

But us old folk sat around after the drumming and enjoyed a nice chat. Big surprise, Mommy Nancy showed up! I was thrilled to see her. I had that same sort of feeling I used to get when I was a kid and my Mother showed up for the bake sale.

Honestly, for a rainy night, I sure enjoyed myself.

Acorn Day

One Saturday each October is Acorn Day at the State Indian Museum. It's a day is primarily for the kids, but I for one, first visited the museum on Acorn Day many years ago. I had so much fun I ultimately went through training and became a docent at the museum. For Acorn Day we set up tables in the back yard of the museum. The back yard has a sweat lodge, a round house and a traditional Indian house made of cedar planks. We load up the tables with activities; abalone shell, pine nuts, clam shells and dentatum shells for the kids to make necklaces, tule reeds for teaching kids to make Indian style dolls and rubber stamps and beads so kids can make non-traditional bookmarks.

This year I had a table at which I demonstrated a Chumash gambling game. The rules are simple and once the kids get it, they really enjoy it. I explain to them how each opposing player would have a host of friends and family backing them up, egging them on and playing square deer skin drums. Your friends would shout silly derisive stuff at the opposing player, not unlike the lively 'Yo Mama' sort of stuff that might accompany a competitive game of cards. So whenever the kids are throwing down their dice, I shout at them and try to distract them with raspberry noises and such. The kids LOVE it and get all giggly and competitive and by the day's end I'm worn to a frazzle.

Usually along with the Chumash gambling games I do my string figures (cat's cradle). I totally love string figures which help keep my mind - flexible. Unfortunately, right now my mind is as rigid as steel so I decided to skip the string figures for this year. Oh well! My second activity was showing the kids the museum's animal pelts - bobcat, puma, bear, river otter, sea otter (soft!) and mule deer. The kids love that too - they particularly love puting on the buck's head which in the old days would have been used for sneaking up on deer so they could be shot by bow and arrow for supper - to go along with that nice acorn mash you know.


All the above is well and good but the main attaction of Acorn Day is Acorns. There are day long demonstrations on preparing and eating of acorn, California Indian style. Anyone who wants can help to crack acorns and grind them up with stone implements. The dry acorn meal is spread on pine needles over sand in a little sand pit. Then hot water is poured over the ground meal to leach out the bitter tannins. The leached meal is then put with water into a beautiful woven Indian basket. Hot stones are added to the basket, one at a time, and gradually the water heats to a boil in the basket! It's a miracle, I swear it is. The stones are removed and replaced with fresh hot stones until the acorn meal is cooked. Voila! Then it is time to taste the acorn soup.

The process is fun to go through. The final acorn mash is not outrageously flavorful - in fact it is rather bland, but that's ok. Acorns pack plenty of nutrition and you have to imagine the acorn soup or gruel being served up under the pines, along with salmon, skewered on redwood planks and broiled over coals, or heaped alongside some nice freshly roasted venison or rabbit in the manner the Indians might have eaten it hundreds of years ago - or the way local Indians might enjoy it tomorrow night at their Sunday family dinner - yum! Acorns are still a beloved and traditional food for modern California Indian families.

Although nowadays there are pots to cook the acorn meal in, the old fashioned method of heating the acorns with heated rocks is still quite popular. The acorn meal gets all nice and crusty on the rocks and that adds a texture that doesn't happen if you just heat the stuff up in a pot on a stove. Sometimes the old ways remain the best.

Honored Elders Day

I realized today that I was attending my 7th Honored Elders Day at the State Indian Museum. The turnout was humongous today and for the first time ever in my experience, the Earth Mother kinda forgot to send in the cool breezes! There was some air moving but overall it was hot and muggy, the temperature in the 90s! And I started the day in misery, with my hip actually hurting - it NEVER hurts! And I felt like crap - really sluggish. So I started off the day helping set up the outdoor grass area - helped set up a tent, put out table clothes and that sort of stuff. I still felt like crap so I decided hell, I'm taking it easy today. Decided to help out in with the Bake Sale, held to benefit kids on Rancherias (Reservations).

So, around 10 o'clock I was still so knackered I was thinking they could just get along without me all together - embarrassing, as I was sitting with an 80 year old volunteer with more spunk than I have. But then something happened - some of the little boys that were helping out offered us cold ice tea. First I declined - then I thought, 'right... let's just sit here and melt!' So I took a glass. As that cold liquid and more importantly, as that CAFFEINE flowed through my system I felt the life coming back into me. HOLY CRAP! I am addicted to caffeine! I can't live without it! Honestly, didn't I figure that out when the stuff had me hot wired last weekend? Sheesh. Anyway, I felt great the remainder of the day.

Note to self: DRINK CAFFEINE.

Amazing how the worst weather managed to bring about the best Honored Elders Day ever. The day is for celebrating the elder of the local Indian tribes; Miwok, Maidu, Patawin, Nisenan and others so they can enjoy some comradry, a nice lunch and some dances. The dance groups today were terrific. Miwok, Maidu, Pomo, Aztec and children from Shingle Springs who dance non-traditional Hula - yes, you read that right - the Hawaiian Hula! Their tribe learned the Hula from Hawaiians that long ago came to California with Captain Sutter.

The lunch served up today is the standby favourite - Indian tacos, which is Indian fry break served up like a tostada with beans, ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and salsa. There was watermelon and fresh strawberries too and a huge sugar-free cake for dessert.

It was one long day today but it was fun.

April Docent Meeting

On Wednesday night I attended the Docent's meeting at the State Indian Museum. I love that the 'new' Ranger Henry is tireless in his pursuit of cool things for us to do at the museum. Sacto has an fun artsy event called 'Second Saturday' on which the 2nd Saturday of each month the mid-town area stores & shops have open house with loads of fun, music, free eats and what-have-you. Henry wants to give our museum to give a shot to hosting Indian art on 2nd Saturdays! I am all for it. There are many considerations, such as liability for the hosted artworks and such, so I will wait with avid anticipation while Henry runs the idea past the State Park big cheeses. *fingers crossed*

One reason, aside from the obvious fun, I am excited about hosting the Second Saturday event is the opportunity to put in more hours at the museum. I tend not to go there unless there is some event such as Acorn Day or Honored Elders Day. I’ve been a docent since 1999 during which time I put in two years on the Historic Sites Board but I still haven’t managed to rack up my 200 hours pin! I prefer to assume the accountant has screwed up in tallying my hours – surely I’ve averaged at least 2.3 hours per month over the past five years? *grumbles in sullen manner*

Prior to the meeting I had a quiet dinner at a Japanese Restaurant I haven't been to in ages - it is near the former State training center. I had walnut shrimp with the Dashwood Sisters - that is, I read Sense & Sensibility over dinner. It is amazing that I've watched a b'jillion productions of the Jane Austin classic in movies and such, but until now, hadn't got round to reading it. Mommy Nancy thought we'd have fun reading it together & then having our own book club to dice up the juicier bits of S&S. Ok, 'juicy bits' aren't quite the words I'm looking for. I must say that the Dashwood siblings offer reading of great interest & fun.

My new replacement Canon camera has arrived! I have not even opened the box – fearing a break-in and assuming that like the last thieves the unopened box would be easily overlooked in a back room closet. Isn’t that pathetic? I will free the camera from its confines over the weekend and put it to work. I miss having photos to go along with my posts here.