water dipper... it is near noon and the wind is blowing the curtain around, a slight breeze is blowing and the day is looking pretty good. I wonder where I will be at the end of the day, tonight as the stars come out and hang there in te night sky. Sort of reminds me of windblown mesas, red earth the smell of a cedar smoke fire and being told to go get a bucket of water from the barrels outside. The bucket and dipper are sitting by the door and so the screen door opens, you can hear it creak as the wind catches it and I step off the small wooden porch and walk past the wood pile, over near the coal shed and find the big water barrels and fill the bucket. I can hearthe sound of barking dogs as the sun sets low in the sky and I make my way back to the small wooden house. My grandmother -shimassani is making stew and frybread, and I see my grandfather checking the sheep corral, wiring up some part of the fence. Behind the house rises the Chuska mountains and the trading post sits against the bottom, the old Ford pickups are small brightly colored blue and red toys it looks like. The water is heavy and I switch hands as I carry it back. The earth crunches under my tennis shoes, but it is clear, cold and fresh as it laps at the top of the bucket as I open the door and put the bucket against the wall. My father comes in grabs the beat up water dipper and dips it in and takes a drink of it, it is good. He smiles and says, Ayolihkanii, it is sweet water...Yii!! and throws the rest of it outside on the ground and the sand drinks it up. I put some in the wash basin and wash my face and hands and head to the table to eat. The kerosene lamp sits in the middle and table is set...and whoosh the wind has come up and I am here looking out the window listening to the wind as it whistles calling me back. I go to the sink and above it see the old dipper which hangs there ready to use like I did back then...my grandshildren are out to the store with their mom buying eggs and so its time to go outside and do a little cleaning around the place...I can see that water dipper hanging there swaying in the wind.....rustywire
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 13:22:31 +0000
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