From time to time from the road between store and home I've glimsped a sort of fairy land off to the side of our most traveled passage. A day hike into the hills and you can see it glimmering there against the horizan; the lonely butte on the edge of a canyon. Always intended to take a look. But it was such a long ways.
Yesterday I woke to Sun instead of cloud cover and the small chipmunks who live on our land were squeaking their heads off. Somewhere between a click and a bird's chirp is the sound and it went non stop for hours. He knew. One great day. I grabbed the heavy 16" WWll Roger Smith gave to me. He wanted my family line to have it, give it a little more substance than it'd had before. Weighs 29 oz or something. Carter took the litttle Bilton Yangdu gave him a year ago when we saw Bill. Trav took his two hands. They weren't empty very often.
I drove a mile past a stock truck blocking the road. Wondered if I'd run into anyone but we never did. I figured it was about a mile away...or something. We started walking. We walked. Pretty soon all three of us were just grinning in the tall grass. ABout 70 degrees and the wind was starting to kick up. I wanted any snake that had to bite to bite me first so I was point.
Sometimes one or both would pull along side and I'd have to remind them to drop back. I felt a song in my heart so didn't figure there was much chance for an accident but you never knew of couse.
We crested a couple low ridges and then saw what we were up against. Distances in the West can be decieving. The little clump of rock and mangled trees we were heading towards were a long ways away. Long. I could see the Little Snowies and the Judiths against the horizan and I knew those where a 100 miles. Our Cougar hump was maybe six. Ten? 3?
I looked at little Trave and he smiled up at me. The little chipmunk had sung his head off and Trav was game.
So we walked. I sang a few silly tunes as we moved. Doggerel verse I made up as I bounced. Then I talked to them.
"The Bible," I told my sons, "Is a true book, but I don't know all the truth there is, is inside there. It's plain to see no man could have written it and like other works is divinely guided. I don't know what's out there. Whatever happens to me, when I'm gone, if in your thought dreams or songs or maybe just a word that comes to you in time of need; I'll be there. If it can be done I will do it. " I looked down at my oldest to see what this might have reflected upon his brow. He was beaming and thinking.
"The stars go on forever and no man can get his mind around that." I told him. "Infinity proves God, if you think about it enough."
"Men's science falls short." Carter said.
"We all do." I said. We kept bumping along the prarrie. Every once in awhile we'd come to a rock slightly higher than the grass. Poop crested. Birds of prey sat there and watched. Lots of people and animals have walked by those rocks, but very few motor vehicles.
"This is just so great I don't know what to say." I told them. We drank a little water. The Misty butte looked only a very little closer.
IN my sons eyes there was none of the fear and recrimination I'd had in my own as a child. One man passes down to another. Who left the refridgerator door open, anyway? Who left the car unlocked? Whose fault were these things? After you've been warned, and you still erred, are you forgiven? Or are you just watched, inspected?
March March March March.
"A hup. And a Pup, and a hup, and pup, and hup." I kept saying.
The militia was formed in just this same way.
The song in my heart just kept singing. We got closer to the butte. You couldn't rush it. It took a long time. Finally, finally, we were on final approach.
Now, I have no Clan or People. I have no Tribe. I will walk and make new as I go.
"We must first greet the hill, let them know we are coming." I said. "First I will shout, then you, and you." I told them and pointed in turn.
"HIiiiii-- yyyaaaaaa!!
"HIeee -- Ya"
"HIooo -- Yah"
Three cries greeted the trees and rocks. We walked foreward. The trees were gnarled and bent from wind and cold. The wind was brisk here too, perhaps the location or the time of day or both. Many of the trees had bark removed close to ground. Almost smooth and polished. I did not know what horn or claw had done this, but it had been occuring for a very long time in this place.
"Let's go see the hole." The littlest yelled.
I sat them down on the crest instead, and after a time, we ate some small food we'd brought, granoloa type bars and drank our water. It was good. There was a small rock cairn built where we sat. A former spirit quest from a NDN or whom I did not know? I struck a low limb down so we could sit easily. The thick WWll made this slight work, and a curly cue of pure pine wood fell at our feet as if manufactured by computer specified tolerance. I left the uncovered steel blade on the stones by my boots.
"Can we go see the hole?" The littlest asked again.
There were many caves and crevices visable as we'd approached, though we were now sitting above them, high as we were.
"No. This is not the time to be pushing around. There may be a Cougar or some other animal near living who is alarmed. We don't want a misunderstanding. This trip is only for us to get aquainted. Next time we'll explore more."
We were a long time coming back. Many times we stopped and waited for Trav to catch up. Half way I took a stone from him he'd insisted upon carrying. It was not a remarkable rock in the sense of beauty. But it had a certain something. He wanted it.
On the way my oldest said, "Why does this grasshopper have three legs?"
'Something didn't go right in the egg, something went another direction, but it's alright now." I told him.
When we got to the truck Trav asked if he and Carter could have the last bar?
Sure.
Once we were all at home I called my father to tell him. We took a walk today, I said. I told him of the joy in their faces. He understood. I gave him back. I gave it back to him.
"You raised me," I said, "in hopes I could do this with them. You're not as powerful as you once were," I told him, 'but you are a better man than you were then, and I love you."
"I know I am," He said quietly and assuredly, "and I love you and we will talk more tomorow of these things."
Trav's at school, his rock's in the kitchen. Roger's massive blade beside me on the desk as I write. Rusty, was this OK?
munk
Yesterday I woke to Sun instead of cloud cover and the small chipmunks who live on our land were squeaking their heads off. Somewhere between a click and a bird's chirp is the sound and it went non stop for hours. He knew. One great day. I grabbed the heavy 16" WWll Roger Smith gave to me. He wanted my family line to have it, give it a little more substance than it'd had before. Weighs 29 oz or something. Carter took the litttle Bilton Yangdu gave him a year ago when we saw Bill. Trav took his two hands. They weren't empty very often.
I drove a mile past a stock truck blocking the road. Wondered if I'd run into anyone but we never did. I figured it was about a mile away...or something. We started walking. We walked. Pretty soon all three of us were just grinning in the tall grass. ABout 70 degrees and the wind was starting to kick up. I wanted any snake that had to bite to bite me first so I was point.
Sometimes one or both would pull along side and I'd have to remind them to drop back. I felt a song in my heart so didn't figure there was much chance for an accident but you never knew of couse.
We crested a couple low ridges and then saw what we were up against. Distances in the West can be decieving. The little clump of rock and mangled trees we were heading towards were a long ways away. Long. I could see the Little Snowies and the Judiths against the horizan and I knew those where a 100 miles. Our Cougar hump was maybe six. Ten? 3?
I looked at little Trave and he smiled up at me. The little chipmunk had sung his head off and Trav was game.
So we walked. I sang a few silly tunes as we moved. Doggerel verse I made up as I bounced. Then I talked to them.
"The Bible," I told my sons, "Is a true book, but I don't know all the truth there is, is inside there. It's plain to see no man could have written it and like other works is divinely guided. I don't know what's out there. Whatever happens to me, when I'm gone, if in your thought dreams or songs or maybe just a word that comes to you in time of need; I'll be there. If it can be done I will do it. " I looked down at my oldest to see what this might have reflected upon his brow. He was beaming and thinking.
"The stars go on forever and no man can get his mind around that." I told him. "Infinity proves God, if you think about it enough."
"Men's science falls short." Carter said.
"We all do." I said. We kept bumping along the prarrie. Every once in awhile we'd come to a rock slightly higher than the grass. Poop crested. Birds of prey sat there and watched. Lots of people and animals have walked by those rocks, but very few motor vehicles.
"This is just so great I don't know what to say." I told them. We drank a little water. The Misty butte looked only a very little closer.
IN my sons eyes there was none of the fear and recrimination I'd had in my own as a child. One man passes down to another. Who left the refridgerator door open, anyway? Who left the car unlocked? Whose fault were these things? After you've been warned, and you still erred, are you forgiven? Or are you just watched, inspected?
March March March March.
"A hup. And a Pup, and a hup, and pup, and hup." I kept saying.
The militia was formed in just this same way.
The song in my heart just kept singing. We got closer to the butte. You couldn't rush it. It took a long time. Finally, finally, we were on final approach.
Now, I have no Clan or People. I have no Tribe. I will walk and make new as I go.
"We must first greet the hill, let them know we are coming." I said. "First I will shout, then you, and you." I told them and pointed in turn.
"HIiiiii-- yyyaaaaaa!!
"HIeee -- Ya"
"HIooo -- Yah"
Three cries greeted the trees and rocks. We walked foreward. The trees were gnarled and bent from wind and cold. The wind was brisk here too, perhaps the location or the time of day or both. Many of the trees had bark removed close to ground. Almost smooth and polished. I did not know what horn or claw had done this, but it had been occuring for a very long time in this place.
"Let's go see the hole." The littlest yelled.
I sat them down on the crest instead, and after a time, we ate some small food we'd brought, granoloa type bars and drank our water. It was good. There was a small rock cairn built where we sat. A former spirit quest from a NDN or whom I did not know? I struck a low limb down so we could sit easily. The thick WWll made this slight work, and a curly cue of pure pine wood fell at our feet as if manufactured by computer specified tolerance. I left the uncovered steel blade on the stones by my boots.
"Can we go see the hole?" The littlest asked again.
There were many caves and crevices visable as we'd approached, though we were now sitting above them, high as we were.
"No. This is not the time to be pushing around. There may be a Cougar or some other animal near living who is alarmed. We don't want a misunderstanding. This trip is only for us to get aquainted. Next time we'll explore more."
We were a long time coming back. Many times we stopped and waited for Trav to catch up. Half way I took a stone from him he'd insisted upon carrying. It was not a remarkable rock in the sense of beauty. But it had a certain something. He wanted it.
On the way my oldest said, "Why does this grasshopper have three legs?"
'Something didn't go right in the egg, something went another direction, but it's alright now." I told him.
When we got to the truck Trav asked if he and Carter could have the last bar?
Sure.
Once we were all at home I called my father to tell him. We took a walk today, I said. I told him of the joy in their faces. He understood. I gave him back. I gave it back to him.
"You raised me," I said, "in hopes I could do this with them. You're not as powerful as you once were," I told him, 'but you are a better man than you were then, and I love you."
"I know I am," He said quietly and assuredly, "and I love you and we will talk more tomorow of these things."
Trav's at school, his rock's in the kitchen. Roger's massive blade beside me on the desk as I write. Rusty, was this OK?
munk
