October 8, 2026- Hana has increased her level of walking activity. She is insistent on at least three complete circuits of the first floor, in an afternoon. The playpen is satisfying to her for about an hour at a time and that’s the limit. She likes certain books, especially “Len Lion’s Wobbly Tooth”, which is ironic, because of her four lateral incisors-top and bottom, erupting in the past two weeks. She proudly showed me her bottom laterals, this afternoon.
My granddaughter has set a limit on how much food she will eat. She generally will eat a full meal, if there has been no bottle for at least two hours. If the meal comes too soon after a bottle, then Hana will eat 2/3 to 3/4 of the solid meal and put her spoon down, in a way that says “I’m done.” Her mother accepts that and we go on with our day. There is certainly no lag in Hana’s energy!
HANA’S NOTE– I like walking around the house and seeing new things, each time. My mommy showed me a pair of slipper shoes, that she says I can wear this winter.
EXPANDING CIRCLES: South Dakota- Somehow, the Coyote State is one of my favourites, outside of the five Southwestern states. The Black Hills play a big part in that, but I also like Sioux Falls, for the hospitality shown me, on my three visits there. I’ve been across South Dakota about a dozen times.
The Turf- The Black Hills occupy the southwest of South Dakota, with the Badlands and high grasslands occupying the rest of the region west of the Missouri River. East of the Missouri is mostly short grass prairie. South Dakota is drained by the Missouri, which runs north to south, and by the Belle Fourche, Grande, White, Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux and Vermillion Rivers, with their tributaries.
First Nations- South Dakota is the ancestral home of the Sioux Nation, who are organized into eight tribes across the state and the Oyate people, of the Sisseton Reservation.The Sioux, Santee and Cheyenne, across the northern Great Plains, fought with the U.S. Army cavalry over the period 1862-1866. The Great Sioux Reservation was the temporary result of these conflicts. In 1876-77, warriors led by Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse fought with the U.S. Army, in order to defend the sacred Black Hills. The Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were eventually defeated. In 1890, the Ghost Dance movement, started by Paiute medicine man Wevoka, reached the Sioux Reservations. Many people adopted the way of Ghost Dance, which predicted that the whites would be buried by a new layer of soil, while the grass and the bison would return, with the ghosts of Native Americans suspended in mid-air. The U.S. Government regarded this as a doctrine of terror, and moved to crush the Ghost Dance. When a Miniconju warrior at Wounded Knee Creek refused to surrender his rifle to the Cavalry, a shot rang out and the soldiers sprayed the camp with rounds from a Hotchkiss rifle, killing 300 men, women and children. Wounded Knee remains a place of sorrow. In 1973, Richard Wilson, a conservative who was Chairman of the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Tribe, outlasted an impeachment trial, on charges of corruption. Traditional Oglala leaders appealed to the American Indian Movement for assistance, in removing Wilson. Nearly 200 Lakota, accompanied by AIM members, occupied the town of Wounded Knee, for 71 days. Acts of violence resulted in the deaths of five activists and at least two FBI agents. After the death of activist Buddy Lamont, a truce was negotiated, and AIM withdrew. Problems stemming from Wilson’s autocratic governing style were blamed for 64 deaths, even after the end of the occupation. Wilson was defeated for re-election in 1976.
Where I most feel at home- Sioux Falls, Deadwod, Custer, Wanblee, Wall, Vermillion
Where I most feel at peace- Black Elk Peak, Badlands
NEXT- Nebraska
