Uploading pictures is seemingly not my thing.

Have tried several times today to put pictures into the blog.  They are loading veeeerrrrryyyy sllllooooowwwwwlly, frustrating me so that I stop the upload.  Which is unfortunate because I have some really great ones.  Argh!


For instance, there are a few that have included the high desert skyline with in all of it's glory.  No particular focus (since I was driving at the time--I know. I know. Smack my hands.)  There is so much undeveloped land here.  The Navajo Reservation has 17,544,500 acres!  And, one can not just come in a buy the land.  I mean no one can do that anywhere, but in this case, if you want to own property for a home, ranch, etc., you must have a Navajo family that already owns it.  Property for housing is handed down in the family.  Anglos such as myself may not buy it.  

The soil is mostly clay and sand which isn't good for farming.  The early Spanish explorers named them as "Apaches who farm in the valley." The valley may have been a better place to farm.  Up in the high desert, not so much.  It's more sheep and cattle for many uses.  Of course, my interests head towards the sheep part.  And when I ask the people I know who herd sheep what kind they have, they just say "sheep."  This always makes me laugh because as a spinner I know there are different kinds.  Apparently, knowing the kinds here isn't important.  

I met a lady last week sitting at her Navajo loom in her hogan, which isn't pronounced as in "Hogan's Heroes" but more like "ho GAHN" with emphasis on the last syllable. She was sitting very low as if on a stool, but instead had several blankets piled under her with her legs semi-crossed in front of her.  My hips were screaming just looking at her.  But she was weaving a rug with different colored birds.  She had several colors of single ply wool she had spun and dyed hanging from the loom.  When I commented I was a spinner and used a wheel, she offered me one of her Navajo spindles.  I was so grateful!  Then I find out a gentleman in our purchasing department makes them.  I may have to have a smaller one from him.  Back to the lady, she was showing me the difference between the wool from her sheep and the wool from a churro or Navajo sheep.  The churro is much loftier with longer hairs.  It resembles the Icelandic wool I've been working with since January which has longer black hair and shorter guard hairs that are much softer. The rug was being made with more of her sheep wool and therefore lacked the bumpiness and stray hairs of the churro.  It was very cool to see. 

Honestly, I have no desire to weave.  Warping a loom just does not appeal to me and I do Hardanger and lace.  But...I didn't want to spin either and look where I am now!  So, as a souvenir from AZ, I may at least learn how to Navajo weave.  There's a fiber fest of sorts in June around the time I was originally supposed to be done with my contract, 6/15-6/16.  Now that my contract goes until 6/23, I will be able to go to the festival.  I'm really looking forward to it. 

I may try to upload pics to FB so you can at least see them.  The most exciting was the appearance of two steer in our front yard yesterday.  Seriously, a brown w/white face and a black w/white face, walking into our yard eating the grass!  The black was a bit more skittish than the brown.  I was able to get some up close pics.  At least as up close as I cared to be in stocking feet.  I've done another selfie.  This one is actually pretty good, even if I do say so myself.  I'll include pics of buildings, if I can.  I'm not the best photographer and I only have my phone, so please don't expect much.

Housing for the people range from 6 or 8 sided hogan's with dirt floors, no windows, wood heat with a smoke hole, no electricity or running water to what I grew up calling trailers to homes with doors and a few windows and still no running water or electricity to homes as you would think of a home.  The living standards aren't necessarily looked down on.  It is what it is.  And some prefer the simpler life, toting water and wood, using an outhouse.  It does get cold here in the high desert.  Two of my coworkers, both who live in regular homes, would return to that life w/o question.  Modern educated women both with children.  It surprised me.  The hogans are not only lived in, but are used for ceremonies as well.  They take all the furnishings out for the ceremonies.  There are chapter houses to handle the business of the people within the district.  Window Rock is the Navajo Nation capital and is only 30 minutes from me.  I'm told it's the place to be for the 4th of July celebration and the Navajo Nation celebration in June.

I'm entering my 4th week.  I was a bit homesick Saturday.  It finally hit that I'm here, not home and not around my hubby, my fur babies, my friends, missing some events (the Mula Rouge Tea thingie that was yesterday).  But I'm embracing the adventure.  I'm settling into my room and getting to know my housemates.  One of them, Hazel, although working 7p-7a, has had some days off when I've been off.  We've shared some meals and are getting to know each other.  She is Filipino and I'm learning about their culture and lives as well.  She was telling me there are over 7K islands that are considered the Philippines! Of course, many of them are not habitable as they tend to flood when the tide comes in!  When the tide is out, they make for great places to fish from!  And they are 26 hours ahead of us.  So as I write, it's 11:20pm 4/16, Monday!  Hazel is a 38 yo newlywed (married in December), no children.  She has done travel nursing in an ICU in Saudi as a new nurse out of school!  Some of the things she tells me about that time curl my toes.  I can't imagine managing a ventilator as a new nurse, much less as a seasoned one!  She's petitioning to have her husband come here so they may live together.  She says it will take years.

To say the experience has been w/o a few bumps would be lying.  True to form, I was alienating a couple of coworkers w/my larger than life personality.  With some help from a very good friend who seems to know me better than I do myself, an epiphany of sorts occurred and I have dialed it back.  In turn, the working relationships are better.  I was warned the Navajo are a reserved group, which they are.  But I have also found them to be friendly, not rude (unless it's that person's particular character flaw), helpful and very happy to answer questions about their people and culture.  I've learned from a healthcare perspective they only thing most Navajo won't do as far as modern medicine is accept a blood transfusion from anyone.  It's the essence of another's life.  I have met a Medicine Man who teaches the language at the technical college.  He was able to teach me the word for "finished".  And my coworkers, bless them, have tried to teach me "thank you."  I'm not giving up, but frankly I think I'm hopeless.  Navajo is a very descriptive and specific language.

This has gone on for quite a bit.  I'll be ready for the update after a full month next weekend.

It's not common to tell someone “goodbye” on the Navajo "rez", but instead “see you later” or “Yá'át'ééh.” So, what that spells and see you later.  ckb