A personal awakening

Sometimes in life one realizes issues in one's behavior that cause a great mental review of actions and, for me a "darn-it!!....okay I admit it. I need a change of priorities." I got to talk to a great, wise woman today in what started out as a would-be-very-brief apology for missing a memorial feed. Bottom line, I finally admitted to the fact that I feared hurting too much during the time we will eventually have to say our final goodbyes to my grandfather, so I tried to distance myself from him... I know. It is wrong, and in a big way unplanned, unintended, I just continued to use other things in my life as excuses to delay visiting, even when my conscience reminded me I didn't listen. When I finally went to see him I noticed he lost a lot of weight and family members said he sleeps most of the time. I cried a lot, but luckily he stayed asleep long enough for me to get ahold of my tears. One thing that was said to me today was "You're young its okay if you fall apart, you will recover. Your Ap'a is old and he needs his family with him during this time. Someone needs to be the one to get the family together during this time because it is a tough time. Its okay to get mad, sad, just as long as you be together with him you will not regret it. If you do fall apart afterwards, you have a big family that together will make it." I am so grateful for her advice and prayers. Thank you Bunny, you are a great role model and a wonderful mentor!

The Eels are close - maybe they will get some here this year

The annual Eel harvest is similar to the annual smelt harvesting in the Kuskokwim area: both happen within a few days once a year, both have the people buzzing with each other over where they are and when to expect them, but that is where it ends. Smelts are small fish, eels or lamphreys are well....eels. Smelts come in the spring right when the ice leaves the river and eels come in the fall after the first ice floats down the river. Smelts are on the Kuskokwim and eels travel up the Yukon.

There are many ways to cook eels. Some people bake them, some make eel soup. I have never quite gotten my mouth and stomach used of the taste of eels.