Excitement Builds

Oh My Gosh, I am almost too excited at the prospect of getting the tipi up again this year.  It is suddenly "that" time.  For me it isn't a date on the calendar that tells me, it is the change in the cycle of seasons.  We are suddenly moving from late spring into early summer.  Things change less quickly, you just know from past experience, the change is happening. 

Crops are in the ground, clover is blooming in the hay fields, the spring storms are less dramatic.  A calmness comes with the summer days.  Every thing is settling into a routine, most critters are taking care of their young and the birds are on nests.  Gardens are flourishing and sun is bright.  These are the signs I look for, the signs that tell me, it is time to put the tipi up!

My tipi is becoming a little weather worn, it's not as white and strong as it once was.  I am hoping to get another year from this special tipi.  The bottom edges that are anchored to ground are showing signs of sun and water wear.  I am thinking of alternative solutions to repair and secure the lodge.  It might require quiet time sitting on the ground and doing some hand patching if necessary.  Not a bad thing really, making it a ceremony, giving thanks for the protection and joy it provides.  You know, of course, that the tipi lodge was not found in Ohio, it is a plains Indian lodge.  The homes for the Indian people of Ohio were built from tree saplings, which were plentiful a hundred years ago. 

So you might ask, "why do you have a tipi?"  My answer is this; For some reason I am drawn to the the Indian culture.  I don't claim to have any Indian blood, my family ancestry holds secrets and it has been lost to me.  I do know that for some reason my artwork and the Native American flute and the tipi all feel natural and right to me.  I do know that I truly believe that living and connecting to nature feels right to me.  I refuse to fight what feels good and right inside my heart.

In the old way, the indigenous women put up and took down the tipi lodge.  It was their home.  If the man of that lodge displeased the woman, he may come home to find his belongings outside the lodge, knowing he was no longer welcome.  Putting up a tipi lodge is really hard work, it took women helping one another to put up these lodges when a new camp was established.  I need the help of my wonderful husband and our son.  Often times our daughters come and the grand-kids and sometimes a friend or two.  The real labor comes from the help of the men in my life and for that I am grateful.

This week the request for help had gone out to my husband and son.  They know my desire, I will be patient, it will happen at a moments notice.  It may be at the end of a day or in the early morning.  The tipi will go up between camping with the horses, cutting hay and picnics at the neighbors.  I must have everything ready for the moment that Spirit puts us in the same moment.  It's almost like being a kid that has no concept of time, but knows Christmas is coming.  The excitement and anticipation builds.   Oh My Gosh, I am so excited!