Fresh snow. Yeah.

My friend was driving through the pass today on the peninsula, and caught this:

She said it was snowing on them up there, raining crazy hard just a few minutes out.

I swear if that snow comes any closer, I'm going to lose it. We all went one year without a summer - no dice on snow this summer. I refuse.

Native authors summer reading list

Was out of town for much of this week, and got a little bit hooked on a much nicer, slower frame of mind. Having a little bit of trouble getting back into life.

Oprah released her summer reading list, so I figured, hey, why not me? Sure, the authors will probably be a tad less excited that they are on MY reading list, versus the big O, but I'm sure they're okay with it.

I generally read... a lot... but after the month of Native poetry, I noticed how litte I intentionally read much Native fiction. Despite enjoying the nonfiction Native books, and loving literature in general, I don't intentionally go out to find many Native fiction books. So, this summer, I'm making sure I read at least six different Native authors (two/month.)

By the way, if you have suggestons, PLEASE let me know. I put much more stock in suggestions than in reviews and such, and would love to know what Native author books you like!

The List:

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie
I've only ever read short stories and poems by Alexie, and always "meant" to read the novels. I actually already started on the first chapter of this, and am hooked!

The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich

Ravensong by Lee Maracle
"From the depths of the sound Raven sang a deep wind song, melancholy green... Cloud crashed on the hillside while Raven began to weep."
I've never head of this novel, or author, before, but I'm a sucker for imagery.

Black Eagle Child: The Facepaint Narratives by Ray A. Young Bear

Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun by Velma Wallis
I read Two Old Women years ago, and loved it, but never got around to this one.

Dawn Land by Joseph Bruchac

Moose flu?

I was driving around town today, enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather we are getting, and paused to watch this little moosie over by Potter Marsh. He was being harrassed by a couple of magpies - I think he was too close to their nest. He ignored them, slowly ambling away, though they crowed about it (all right, bad pun) like they scared him off - standing gaurd and yelling at him every now and then.

What I thought was funny about this moose is he kept sneezing... or ... I don't know if moose sneeze, but it sounded like a "snorf." Not a sneeze, not a snort. Every thirty seconds to a minute he would... whatever... and it was kinda funny.

Then I got to thinking how crazy everyone was for being so swine-flu nuts...

then I slowly rolled my window back up...