I took this photo in 2004. Beautiful, isn't it? It's Lake Hope (an object of my affection for nearly two decades). The reflection of the sky in the water always makes me smile.

Good for the goose and not for the gander

So our country made some comments about the Mexico stamp and how offensive and racist it is, but they never comment on the indigenous images that are also racist and offensive. The Mohawk one is just something I took here lately and had on hand, so there are many better examples. But I'm sure you get the point.

Country roads take me home

Went for a walk today with Silas - on this very road. It was such a pretty day. Lots of critters and sunshine and just the right amount of wind. We only had to wear a little jacket and some gloves and hiking boots. ... and sunglasses! Silas is definitely an outdoors junkie. Actually, SILAS means "man of the forest"... which definitely fits him. (SILAS was my great grandma's grandpa's name. I loved it the moment I heard it.)

Frog giggin' & Pretty Boats

I love this photo. I took it at Lake Hope, Ohio. I also love to boat, and went out a few times with my grandpa when I was younger. One time I remember him telling me we were going frog giggin' and I was to hold the flashlight and find frogs hiding in the dark, nighttime water. Well, I did find one and got all excited, until grandpa ran a pitchfork type weapon through it. Needless to say, I didn't quite know what frog giggin' was going in, but I sure as heck knew what it was coming back out.... and I didn't like it one bit. But, I have to admit, frog legs cooked over an open fire sure as tasty!

From baby to teen in no time flat

Jake is 13 now. I just can't believe it. And I feel sooo old. He's the third child and now I only have one actual baby, Silas. Jake has fuzz above his lip and wants to learn to shave. AHHH! He was an adorable baby. Thick, curly black hair. Almost black eyes, dimples and skin that always looked tanned. He was a funny baby, and uncontrollable baby, and he had the loudest, piercing scream! (I don't miss that at all). He used to play with his little toys boats in a big 'ol bubble bath. What a cutie pie is was.... okay. He's still a big 'ol cutie pie!

This is a beautiful photo of my beautiful daughter, Chrissy. I took her senior photos and she was the most elegant of models. Then again, she's been posing for me for years upon years, so she's already trained and camera ready. Ha! But this is a senior photo and she's aged 4 years now... though she still looks just as beautiful.

Survived the tornado warning... but

grocery shopping just about did me in. Lots to do this week (Jake's 13th all-weekend birthday party, for one) and we ran into town for groceries and to run as many errands as we possibly could. Picked up Chrissy along the way and off we went in my new-to-me little 2001 Ford Taurus (I've named her Tori). First off all, the trunk space in that car is amazing! And it's a really nice ride, so no complaints. But we had a lot of party favors to pick up so we went from store to store to store... to store. Before I knew it, we had 5 hours in and were starving. After eating out and kissing Miss Chrissy goodbye, I limped home, unpacked, and took a short nap with Silas. Now I'm awake and in the mood to write a bit. I still have a lot of work to do, but before I start writing, Maddie (my little red and white Pembroke Corgi) - who is such a mama's girl - and I are going to sit outside and look at my muse, the full moon, for a spell. For all you folks who haven't met Maddie Mae yet, here's her photo. Beautiful little redhead, isn't she?

Tornado's and Me

Tornado's really freak me out. Seriously. When I was a little girl, I can remember my mom having us take cover in my grandpa's basement because one was coming. It didn't hit my hometown, but the hit the next town over. And a few years ago, one cut a path through the woods and field and completely ripped the roof off my cousin's house... his father gave him that house before he died... finished it with his own hands. And there is was, open and exposed. The rain washed out many fatherly memories and handprints that, I'm sure, he treasured. And now we're under a tornado watch and, I have no shame in admitting, it has me worried. I live in southern Ohio and tornado's are not uncommon. We get a few warnings a year, so we all know what to do. 1) Find the lanterns and candles. Have them handy. The power will most likely go out. 2) Call kinfolk and give them a heads up, in case they haven't heard. 3) Clean the house - cause I didn't do this once and the power went out and, well... one should have a clean house to begin with cause it sure will get dirty after a day or two... and yes, it's been out as long as a week before. 4) Fill a few water jugs with water, just in case there's a break. 5) If there's time, make sure there's chips, bread and lunch meat.... and other essentials. 6) Make a plan with the kids. What we'll do if it's coming at us, where we're going, and what to take with us. We don't have a basement, which really bugs the crap out of me, and our house is 100 years old. So we'd be in the closet or bathroom. 7) Get the generator ready. This summer we had to use it for 4 days straight because of a storm. It was a lifesaver. and 8) Make sure we all know where the cats are. Don't want to lose the little one's. Other than that, we have everything ready to go. Radio, raincoats, and the cell phone. All we can do is hope for the best and try to make light of it. Right? Wish me luck. (sigh) Cheers, TJ

So much to do, so little time

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed this week. I have a lot to do and no time to get it all done. My Native Truth column is past due, and it's a big one so it's taking a lot of my time, and I have to update my website http://www.terrijean.com/ with information about American Indian Heritage Month (which happens every November). That's also overdue. I have a lecture coming up on Wednesday that I'm not ready for, two books that need to be mailed out to interested publishers, press packs that should have already gone out, hundreds of emails to answer and I'm supposed to be writing the first draft for the next Tanasi Journal's column. And that's what's due NOW... I have a big butted list of work due in just a few weeks and I haven't even outlined them yet. Yikes! And now I'm more overwhelmed. Feeling kinda vomity. Maybe a long hot bath and a cup of iced tea will unmuddle my muddled head. And if that doesn't work, I'll give up and try again tomorrow. Ugh. TJ

By the way, this is one of my favorite photos from this year.

Back to the 'ol drawing board

When I was a little girl I loved to draw. Over the years, I thought I lost any artistic ability I ever had. I didn't even try because I was afraid of how silly the paintings would appear. One day I decided to try to paint again, but I wanted to use windows and make "stained glass." I did it and it actually came out okay. Since then, I paint on windows all the time and even put work in my mom's booth at the Backwoods Fest in Thornville, Ohio (my mom is an artist who specializes in handmade folkart. Her website is www.sculpturesbyconnetta.com). This is a piece I did a few months ago and I'm giving it away as a gift.

My Babies

I took this photo a few weeks ago at Lake Hope (Ohio). My kids are amazing, and they enrich my life each and every day (even those frantic days when they're driving me crazy!) Jake is 13 and in that stage where teenagers try to figure out who they are, how they fit in, and what their options are for the future. Chrissy is darling girl who left her mama in 2004 for a place of her own. Watching her move out was one of the saddest moments of my life. She's a lot of fun to be around. Alex (age 18) is an artist who fronts a band called Black Spyral Dancer. He's lead vocalist, one of the song writers and he plays bass. Handsome isn't he? And little Silas is 3 (he and Chrissy share the same birthday, though 19 weeks apart) and is a lot of fun to be with each and every day. He's the last baby (sigh...) but such a blessing. They're all blessings. (Not pictured are my other darlings, my neice Amanda whom we helped raise, and my now-grown foster daughter Shannan and her two babies, Shelby and Lucas. They call me Nana Terri, and I just love hearing it. ) Cheers! TJ

Mama Bear

The two youngest have been keeping me busy all week. Jake just now realized how important turning in your school homework is, and that you can't fly by the seat of your pants in the 7th grade. Silas is has too do everything himself, which is great, but sometimes it's makes for a long day when a 3-year-old makes your lunch and folds two loads of laundy. And these two are as different as night and day. Silas is outgoing and energetic, while Jake analyzes every situation and says whatever is on his mind. The two of them definitely make my day interesting.... and usually.... exhausting.

Oldies but Goodies

Some older pics from my portfolio.

The group shot is of my brother's kids (early 2002).

The baby is my foster granddaughter, Shelby. She's 5 now and just as gorgeous (I think this was taken in 2001... I think)

Here's a few of my daughter's graduation photos (she graduated in 2002. We took these in 2001. Isn't she absolutely gorgeous?? She could have been a model... but she said it wasn't for her. And yes, she's still just as pretty and her hair is still just as long. --- Oh, and some folks thinks she looks like her mama, though she actually looks JUST like her father. Just like him. Spitting image.... well, if he was a girl, that is. Ha!)

Jake was quite a bit younger in this beautiful black and white close up. I imagine it's from 2001 also.

It's here! It's here!

Finally... after several months of waiting (with much anticipation), I can finally say FALL IS HERE! It's my favorite season, and this year it procrastinated gettin' here (that, or summer wasn't budging!) There's something about the air, the sound of leaves cruching under my feet, and the feel of that comfy, old sweatshirt that gets me each and every year. I absolutely love it. I spent the tear tearing down Halloween decorations, raking the yard, making a big pot of chilli, trimming a few hedges and getting the house ready for winter. The entire time... I was smiling. Cheers, TJ

Star Gazing

Lately I've been spending a great deal of my evenings staring into the clear night sky. It's a great time to star-gaze because of the Leonid meteor shower that's going on till mid November, and I've been lucky enough to see shooting stars nearly every night. It amazes me that something the size of golf balls (and some the size of dust!) could briefly ignite in the night sky and leave me breathless. If you haven't had a chance to check out the show, you have a few more days.

I'll be out there too. Cheers! TJ
PS: I snapped this moon pic last month. Beautiful isn't it?

Black Spyral Dancer

Last month Alex's band, Black Spyral Dancer, played in McArthur (Ohio). I loved watching him play, as did his sister and dad (which is obvious from the photos. Isn't Chrissy absolutely beautiful? And Alex is definitely looking like a rock & roll frontman!) We had a great time, and the band is amazing! I can see them going big one day, and that's not just because I'm the lead singers mama! Their fan site is http://bsdfansite.blogspot.com/ and you can hear a few of their songs on-line at http://www.isound.com/biography/black_spyral_dancer. My favorite is The Drill, though Swimming is excellent too. Give them a listen!

2004

2004

My first blog

I have a lot of work to do tonight, but my brain just wants to watch television. Granted, it is Sunday and the house is quiet and the kids went to bed early... so by all accounts, I should be using this time to write something more than surfing the internet and blogging. But I've been writing non-stop for the past few hours and my butt keeps falling asleep, so maybe it's time to slowly walk away from the computer and give my brain - and butt - a much deserved break.

But first I will answer the question you, my darling reader, might be asking 'bout now: What are you writing? Well, see, I write a little bit of everything but tonight what is due is my latest Native Truth column. I've been writing The Native Truth (NT) for 5 or 6 years now and I have up to 10,000 readers from all over the world. It's supposed to be a monthly, but sometimes I get real busy with my books (I have one published already) and my organization - The Red Roots Educational Project - that I sometimes let the NT slip. I don't mean to. It's on my to do list every month, but there's only so many hours in the day.

I work from home with my 4 children, 2 "foster" children and a husband who works second shift... and sometimes it's tough just to get through the day with a clean house and clean kids, let alone all the work that needs to be done.My youngest is 3 (see above photo of me and Silas) so you can only imagine how hard it is to write sometimes, with all the screaming and playing and dancing on the chairs... and that's just what I'M doing!And on that note, I should give my head a break, head to the couch, flip through a few channels and enjoy a nice cup of hot tea.

Cheers to you! TJ
ps: you can read copies of my Native Truth column at www.terrijean.com