Tag Archives: developmental skills,

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day18

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Posted by on in children, Education, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 9, 2026- Hana showed interest in a long cord that was plugged into an outlet, by her favourite book shelf. I ran my fingers up the cord and showed her that it was attached to a very large air purifier, on top of the bookshelf. She has since stayed away from the cord, and will occasionally look up at the machine, then will focus on the books.

We have walked around the first floor, an average of 3 times per day. We went on two outside stroller walks today, which we will be able to do a few more days, until AUGtober returns next week, albeit for just a few days. Then SOGGtober will cool things off. Hana loves both kinds of walks.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa had to go out somewhere tonight. I wish he could have stayed home.

(I went to help clean up, after a Baha’i Regional Conference.)

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Nebraska- I have visited and crossed the Cornhusker State, six times. My first was in 1979, for a visit to Scotts Bluff National Monument, then across to Omaha. In 1984, we stopped at Crazy Horse’s gravesite, at Fort Robinson Historic Site, Crawford and visited the Omaha Reservation, in Macy. In 1997, we came across and stopped at Henry Doorly Zoo, to visit the rainforest, as Aram was nine and had interest in that environment.. It happened that he left his plastic Batmobile on the ledge of the rear window. It was 104 that day. So long, Batmobile. Traveling solo, I’ve stopped in North Platte, York and Lincoln, since 2011.

The Turf- The Sand Hills and the southern third of Pine Ridge cover Nebraska’s western half. Dissected Till Plains, left after the glaciers retreated, cover the eastern portion.Nebraska is drained by the Missouri, Niobrara, Platte and Republican Rivers. along with their tributaries. The Missouri separates Nebraska from Iowa.

First Nations-Nebraska is the ancestral home of the Oglala Sioux, Santee Sioux, Otoe, Winnebago, Omaha, Sac and Fox, Pawnee and Ponca peoples. The Ponca were forced to move to Oklahoma, in 1877. This was challenged by the Ponca leaders, in court, and in 1879, Standiing Bear vs. Crook was decided in favour of the Ponca. Today, they have a small reservation in Knox County. Not all relations between tribes were peaceful. The Sioux and Pawnee clashed repeatedly, in the early 1870s, over hunting rights. In 1873, a party of Sioux warriors attacked a band of Pawnees, at what is now called Massacre Canyon. As many as 150 Pawnees, mostly women and children, died in the attack. While occasional clashes took place until 1875, there were no further such massacres, though it was not until 1925 that the Pawnee and Sioux smoked the pipe of peace.

Where I feel most at home- Macy, Lincoln, Big Springs, North Platte, Big Springs, Scottsbluff

Where I feel most at peace- Scotts Bluff National Monument; Golden Spike National Monument, Nebraska National Forest (Chadron)

NEXT: Kansas

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 15

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 6, 2026- At the midpoint of her ninth month, Hana walked with me, around the first floor, three times. She had very little need for napping today, taking a 30-minute rest, this morning, and wanting to stay on the move, the rest of the day. She expressed a momentary interest in trying to go upstairs. I vetoed that one. It will, at minimum, require her ability to walk around the house unassisted, over at least a two-week period. Her parents, of course, also need to be on board with it.

My granddaughter also mimicked someone-not sure who, that she thinks yaks too much. I don’t say all that much, so I will leave that one to the Universe to decipher. She loves my prayers, and comes over to put her hand on the prayer book, while I am reciting. In the middle of the devotional, this morning, she called out “Baha’u’llah!” I have used His name in her presence, maybe twice. Something is at work in her little mind.

HANA’S NOTE- I don’t want to be held anymore, when I am drinking from a bottle. I drink it better when I am standing up.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Montana- I have been in Big Sky Country three times: 1972, between Babb and Monida, by way of Great Falls and Butte; 1982, from Monida to Cut Bank and then on up through the Blackfeet Reservation to Cardston and Stand Off, Alberta and over to Bozeman, on the return trip; 1987, crossing the state by bus, from St. Regis to Wibaux. It is one of two states that I have not re-visited since 1987 (the other being North Dakota). I would love to come up with a reason to fix that, in the next several years.

The turf- Western Montana is covered by the Rocky Mountains. The central and the eastern areas are riparian and high plains. It is the latter region that gives Montana its moniker: Big Sky Country. The state is drained by the Kootenai, Flathead, Bitterroot, Marias, Missouri, Blackfoot, Beaverhead, Musselshell, Yellowstone, and Milk Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations- Montana is the ancestral home of the Assiniboine, Blackfeet (Piegan)., Little Shell Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Northern Cheyenne, Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel), Salish and Sioux.

Seven battles between First Nations and the U. S. Army figure strongly in Montana history. The most famous is 1. the Battle of Little Big Horn, June 25-6, 1876, between the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry and forces of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations. The First Nations won this battle, which was sparked by a Cavalry raid on a Lakota and Cheyenne village. This is the battle which resulted in the deaths of 268 U.S. soldiers. including General George A. Custer. 2.Baker’s Massacre (1870) was intended to “teach good manners” to the Blackfeet (Piegan), as Gen. Baker’s mission was to punish a chief who was thought to be harbouring the killers of a prominent rancher. Baker attacked the wrong village, resulting in the deaths of 90 women, 50 children and 37 men. 3. Battle of the Rosebud, occurring the week before Little Big Horn. The forces of General George Crook fought to a draw with the Cheyenne and Sioux.4. Two Medicine fight(1806) Piegan warriors fought with a unit of the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis. Two Piegan were killed. This resulted in the Piegan closing their territory to fur traders. 5. The Hayfield Fight(1867) was one of the last skirmishes of Red Cloud’s War. Chief Red Cloud won commitments from the U.S. Government that the Powder River area would be “unceded Indian territory”. Of course, that “commitment” was soon forgotten. 6. Battle of Bearpaw (1877) was the last battle of the Nez Perce War (October 5). It was upon this defeat that Chief Joseph delivered his surrender speech: “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” 7. Battle of Big Hole (1877)- This battle, in July, deepened the distrust which the Nez Perce had towards the U.S. military. General John Gibbon’s forces killed between 70-90 Nez Perce, mostly women and children. 29 soldiers were killed.

Where I feel most at home: Babb (I was welcomed by a Piegan family, upon crossing the Canadian border, in 1872), Bozeman, Choteau, Butte.

Where I feel most at peace- Babb, Flathead Lake

Future Five: Glacier National Park, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Little Big Horn National Historical Site, Helena, Missouri Breaks.

NEXT: We go to the Great Plains, and North Dakota.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 14

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Posted by on in children, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 5, 2026- Hana took her first, and second, single steps this afternoon. She dropped down, after each one, but the process has started. We will continue assisted walking and encouraging her scooting, until she builds her gait.

The other good news is about Papa. My semi-annual physical showed that I am 75 going on 55. All markers are excellent. I will next go for a check-up in nine months, instead of six. I credit the little girl keeping me busy, and the steady diet that we have here-lots of salad greens and organic meat, vegetables and fruits.

HANA’S NOTE– I’m a little scared to walk too much by myself. Papa will stay with me until I can.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Wyoming- I have been in the Cowboy State five times also- to the Cheyenne Frontier Days, in 1972; with Penny and some Baha’i friends, in 1982 and 1984; twice solo, in 2013. Each time, the visits have presented challenges and each time, I’ve come out stronger. Wyoming has a hard, but bracing beauty.

The turf- Most of western Wyoming is covered by the Rocky Mountains. There is a small arid region in the far southwest. Eastern Wyoming is mostly high plains. The state is drained by the Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, Wind/ Bighorn,Tongue, Powder, Little Missouri, Niobrara,North Platte, Laramie, Green, Snake, and Bear Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-Wyoming is the ancestral home of the Shoshoni, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow and Ute peoples. In addition,. Bannock, Comanche(Numunuu), Dakota, Kiowa, Kiowa Apache and Pawnee passed through the state, in the course of hunting. Only the Arapaho and Shoshoni remain in Wyoming, residing on and around Wind River Reservation. Wyoming’s people largely escaped the conflicts that raged between Native Americans and settlers in Idaho and Montana, There was a brief skirmish Jackson’s Hole, in 1895, sparked by a decline in the elk population. Elk were a major food source for the Bannock people who lived there. They were also lucrative for big game hunters from elsewhere, whose visits were a source of income for settlers. Rumour mongers claimed that the Bannocks had killed all the white settlers in Jackson, which was false. In fact, a blind Bannock elder was the only person known to have been killed. One white infant was separated from mother , and never found. The U.S. Army restored order in the area. The Bannocks returned to their reservation, with only one of their members being arrested for poaching. He was posthumously exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Where I most feel at home: Afton, Jackson, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Ranchester, Spirit (“Devils”) Tower, Medicine Wheel.

Where I most feel at peace: Snake River, Spirit Tower, Medicine Wheel

NEXT: Montana

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 12

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Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 3, 2026- My granddaughter noticed my thumb resting on the wall of the changing table, just above her head. She reached up and moved it away from its rest. Hana is establishing her boundaries. She does not want her space to be crowded by any of us, at certain times of day. It seems to be both an early morning, “Give me space to wake up” and a late in the day, “Leave me alone; I’ve had it.” We three will honour those feelings and will teach her how to deal with those who won’t.

We all went back to Fairview Farmers, for another breakfast. This time, we took a table in the shaded outdoor section, and were the first ones there. In short order, seven more parties arrived, giving Hana much to look around and watch. She was for a time, however, very much interested in studying the menu, opening it up and examining the inside pages. Printed pages, with graphics, are her delight.

I have heard the term, “Big Personality”, used to describe outgoing, expressive people. Penny was certainly in that category, as was her father-and mine, for that matter. Hana also is coming to fit the bill, as well.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to see how letters are put together. My grownups can make sounds with them. I want to do the same.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Oregon- I’ve made six trips to the series of delights that is this land of four terrains. Portland is often criticized for being a wild, semi-civilized place, but I have had only pleasant experiences there. The Coast, the Willamette Valley, Cascades and high desert likewise have their unique gems.

The turf:The Beaver State, like its northern and southern neighbours, Washington and California, has a moist, rocky and forested coast, bordered to the east by the Cascade Mountains, which then give way to the arid Columbia Plateau and Great Basin. Oregon is drained by the Columbia, Klaskanine, Youngs, Wallooskee, John Day, Clatskanie, Willamette, Clackamas, Collawash, Tualitin, Molalla, Yamhill, Luckiamute, Santiam, Calapooia, Marys, Roaring, McKenzie, Blue, Sandy, Hood, Deschutes, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Klamath, Coquille, Umpqua, Chetco, Rogue, Applegate, New, Smith, Sixes, Coos, Siltcoos, Suislaw,Yachats, Alsea, Yaquina,Silets, Salmon, Tillamook, Trask,Nehalem, Necanicum Owyhee,Powder, Malheur, Imnaha and Snake Rivers, along with hundreds of tributary creeks and streams.

First Nations- Oregon is the ancestral home of 25 Nations, the largest of which are the Upper Umpqua, Chinook, Umatilla, Siletz, Klamath, and Shasta peoples. The racism and ignorance of some settlers, and their leaders, in the period 1845-1860, led to the Linn Massacre of 1849 and the Rogue River Wars of 1844-56. Jingoistic “Indian agents” and a demagogic governor, George Law Curry, whipped up fear among the settlers, exacerbating the Rogue River conflict. Curry also raised an Oregon militia to fight alongside Federal troops, during the Yakima War, in neighboring Washington Territory. By the time the Rogue River conflict ended, in June, 1856, 100 First Nations people and 94 Whites lay dead. Reservations were established, across Oregon. Several have been “terminated”, by an Act of Congress, but First Nations people retain water and fishing rights.

Where I feel most at home- Bandon, Astoria, Brookings, Portland, Salem. Culver, Jordan Valley, Rogue River Gorge, Crater Lake.

Where I fell most at peace- Portland Chinatown, Smith Rock, Azalea Park (Brookings), Oregon Dunes, Sea Lion Caves, Pillars of Rome

NEXT: We leave the Pacific states and look to the Northwest Interior, and Idaho