Archive for » June, 2008 «

Heading for Goldendale Washington…

Just so folks know why I am not around, it is that time of year when we head out to go camping for two weeks. We have an Isnati Lawanpi (young girl to woman ceremony), a memorial for a beloved family member who crossed last year, and our Sundance to attend. We choose to follow the path of the Lakota peoples, as this is a natural way, with respect for the Earth and all her inhabitants. This is such a special time for us, as it is always good to gather together with family and friends in this way. So, I just wish to say that I hope folks enjoy each moment and each other… our time on this plane is so precious.

Pilamaye,

Teri
~


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Searching for a sweet new Wordpress Theme!

I have been so very busy, and have barely a moment to spare for my wonderful blogs. With just a few days to go before we leave for a two week camp-out, I am scrambling to finish gathering supplies and take care of last minute details so our home and pets will be taken care of in a good way while we are gone. Thank goodness my oldest son is living at home, so I can trust him with our little ones this time around.

Yet, I do have a plan! This is my first blog, and I also have a blog called This Virtual World, which is still just a baby, but I promise to give it the attention it deserves as soon as we get back from this well-earned vacation away from home. And the plan is to create yet another blog as soon as I can give it my entire focus. I am pretty sure about the name, though I am still trying to figure out what kind of template I will go with. I have gotten lots of compliments on the wordpress themes that I have chosen for my first two blogs, and am really happy with them. It is such fun playing around in this creation stage of building a blog, so I am pretty excited about doing this as soon as we get home!

With that said, I would like to encourage folks who may be wishing to go with a Wordpress powered blog to visit a great site loaded with some really sweet templates to choose from. Check out the great quality of these professionally designed wordpress themes, which are free to download and can be found at TopWPThemes.com.

Rainbow Garden Wordpress ThemeMy favourite thus far is the Rainbow Garden Theme… it looks very pretty, and may just fit quite nicely with the theme I have in mind for my new blog. I really love the overall design and having a column on each side is a great plus. There are truly so many great designs to choose from, and I like to try out a few just to get a feel for them, depending upon what I wish to add to the side columns and such. I do not like clutter, and will go for the cleanest template I can find as long as it is simple to work with. I can’t wait to get started!


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Time for camp and Ceremony again…

Today I am reminded how precious time truly is. We have one and a half weeks until we leave for Goldendale WA for Ceremonies and camping for two weeks. We Love to camp! There is something about living outdoors in the Summer that brings Nature into a truer focus, and helps us to honor the Land in a more intimate way. It is still quite cold at night, and the wind seems to blow often, yet for some reason we do not seem to mind those things. We just bundle up, prepare to get dirty and remember how precious fresh water is. There is just something about connecting with the Earth and utilizing her natural resources to survive that brings out the best in me. Some people love the City… I love all that is pure and natural about the great outdoors which brings about such a wonderful sense of freedom!

During this time, we all work together setting up Teepees, preparing sweat lodges, cutting wood, gathering fresh water, and getting evergreen bows for the Sundance shade arbor. My little S and I have our own special place, in the shade of an Oak tree, in which we camp each year. This sweet little spot is very near our main camp… although some folks have individual camps, there are several main camps in which we set up to cook, eat and socialize together. The greatest thing about this whole adventure is how well we all work together! Everyone pitches in, so no one is overburdened, and there is such a great feeling of comraderie. Even if we haven’t seen some people in a year or more, we just seem to come together as if it were yesterday since we last saw each other. There is so much Love, hugs and sometimes tears, and we just feel so very grateful for these lasting friendships which carry us through some difficult times.

Well then, time to get back to organizing our camping gear and supplies. We still have to some last minute things to attend to, and I need to finish up the beaded medallion of a horse, which will be presented to one of our beloved Elders at a camp meeting before Tree Day. We are honoring each of our Elders with a medallion to show our Love and Gratitude for the Wisdom they share with us, and I feel blessed to be chosen to bead one for a very dear friend who has touched my heart many times throughout the years.

So you see, about this time every year I am reminded just how precious our time together is… S and I treasure every moment spent with our friends and family who live far away. This year we have an extra special focus on the Children and teachings for them, as well as learning more about the plants and herbs around the Land, and certain survival skills. There should be some very interesting discussions and plans for the future, which I am looking forward to. I am very happy to see such positive growth. I wish to send out prayers for safe travels for our friends and family who are preparing for this journey as well.


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Adopt a Wolf for the Father’s in your Life

I think it would be a fantastic idea to look to Nature for great ways to honor the special Father’s in your life. As Father’s, they should truly understand the concept of good stewardship, and know how important it is to preserve Nature and the creatures that are integral in keeping the Balance. Surely they would appreciate a gift with this in mind. Therefor, I would like to pass along the following message I recieved from Defenders…

Did you know that wolves are devoted fathers? They often demonstrate deep affection for their family and may even sacrifice themselves to protect their mate and pups.

Sound familiar? Here’s a great way to celebrate the dad in your pack — or any wildlife enthusiast — with a meaningful gift that will help save some of America’s most beloved animals, the gray wolf…

Adopt a wolf for your favorite dads (or anyone else you know who loves wildlife!), and your tax-deductible contribution will help…

  • Protect wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies;
  • End aerial gunning of wolves in Alaska; and 
  • Protect some of the world’s most endangered wolves in North Carolina and the American Southwest

Plus, we’ll send a personalized Certificate of Adoption, wolf plush toy, stunning wolf photo and a fact-sheet that is chock-full of great information about these amazing animals.

Adopt a wolf today or another imperiled animal, and make sure your Dad is appreciated and knows that you’ve learned the importance of the world we leave to our children.

Make sure it arrives before Father’s Day! Make your adoption by 7 AM Monday (June 9th) to ensure it arrives in time.

Your Wildlife Adoption contribution is especially vital now, as Defenders works to protect wolves in the Northern Rockies, Alaska and elsewhere.

The Bush/Cheney Administration has removed wolves in the Northern Rockies from the list of species protected under the Endangered Species Act, spurring the killing of at least 69 wolves in just the last couple of months.

We’re in court fighting lawyers from the Administration, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and groups like Safari Club International to stop the killing. But we’re also working on the ground to protect wolves. Each year, Defenders pays for “range riders”, livestock guarding dogs, education and training, fladry barriers, fencing and other proactive strategies to keep wolves in the Northern Rockies away from livestock — and both out of harm’s way.      

Your Father’s Day Wildlife Adoption will also help us save wolves in Alaska, where the state’s Board of Game permits gunners to shoot wolves from low-flying aircraft or chase them to exhaustion and shoot them at point-blank range. It’s a terrible practice and one that we’ll end if we’re successful in our campaign to pass federal legislation to outlaw this brutal practice.

And that’s just the start. When you adopt a wolf, you’ll also be helping to promote recovery of the struggling wolf population in the Southwest, help North Carolina’s red wolves — the world’s only wild population – and save other imperiled wildlife.

Let’s see a necktie do that!

This Father’s Day, give a meaningful gift — Adopt a wolf or another imperiled animal and help support effective advocacy for the wildlife we all love.

For the Wild Ones,

Karin Kirchoff Signature
Karin Kirchoff
Vice President, Membership
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Make a wildlife adoption before 7 AM Monday (June 9th) to ensure delivery by June 14th. Adopt online or by calling (800) 385-9712.

P.P.S. On a budget? Enter discount code DAD when you make your wildlife adoption and get 10% off!


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