Day One Hundred Ninety Six: High Five in the Wind

It's already plus 24 by eight o'clock. Michael has placed fans in the stairwell, and throughout the upstairs, trying to funnel the air conditioned main floor into the upstairs. My walk this morning begins with enough rain that I decide to take the umbrella.

Half way to the tipi I fold up the umbrella. It's wet, but drying quickly in the hot wind. Past the All Nations Healing Hospital Michael pulls up in the Envoy and I give him the camera and umbrella. I enjoy the hot morning free of backpack, which I'd already tossed in the Envoy at home, and now camera and umbrella. This is walking in the morning. Fresh rain air, hot drying air, and coffee waiting for me at school.

It's hot, sticky hot, plus 38 with humidity, they say, and no air conditioning in the school, but I have a lot of marking to do, so I buckle down and do it. My marking is done by noon, and now I just have report card comments to write. By three fifteen I'm done. Michael and I are going over to Krause's right after school and then on to the staff party for supper.

We are sitting at a long, long table, made up of maybe seven rectangular tables, one, big, long dysfunctional family, I tell my colleagues. Supper of pulled pork or poled pork or however that is said, is delicious. Three salads on the side and yummy rubarb cake for dessert.

But the real fun doesn't start until we find the bowling shoes in the little office room, lace up, and start glow bowling on two retro lanes, the ones you have to push the button to reset the pins and keep score old school, with pencil and paper. My first game I score 101, then I'm up to 169 in the second, and half way through game number three, the power goes out. That's it, we're all heading for home. There have been weather warnings all day, and now we're worried about our kids at home. A tornado touched down outside of Moose Jaw, we tell one another. Storm chasers from all over North America are in southern Saskatchewan, we've heard.

We drive home through heavy rain and wind strong enough to push the Envoy around a little. The sky is dark in the East and lighter in the West where the sun must still be shining behind the cloud, layered sky. I keep expecting hail. The temperature has dropped to only fourteen degrees. We have to slow down, the water is heavy on the highway. There is bolt lightening and blinding sheets of lightening.

Once home, I am thankful. Thankful for safety in this powerful climate. Thankful for electric skies. Thankful for rain. Thankful for trees. Thankful for the sun that will come with the morning.

I am thankful to call this house my home; call this valley my home; call Treaty 4 my home; call this province my home; call this country my home.

Reason Number Five Why I Love Treaty Walks: From plus 38 to minus 38, I love this land. I love the seasons. I love the wind and rain and sun and snow and moon and northern lights. Treaty Walks have taught me to say, “Thank you for sharing the land.”