Category: Just for fun

Those aren’t weeds, they’re dandelions!

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Just for fun10 Comments
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My “serious weed problem”.

The other day my doorbell rang.

When I answered the door, I saw a gentleman standing on my porch. He seemed eager to greet me.

“Hello, sir, I am a representative from TruGreen lawn care services.”

“Ok,” I replied, gesturing for him to begin his well-rehearsed sales pitch on the latest fertilizers and lawn chemicals.

“I see that you have a serious weed problem in your lawn”, he remarked.

“Oh, those aren’t weeds, they’re dandelions, and I think they’re beautiful,” I told him. “Just look at how yellow and pretty they are.”

“Are you serious?” he asked me.

“Yeah, I’m serious. And if I could plant more in my yard I would.”

Not knowing what to make of my comments, the salesman, who had initially approached me with much confidence in his arsenal of anti-weed products, now seemed perplexed.

And just as quickly as he appeared on my porch, he wished me a good day, turned around, and walked away.

NO RUNNING ALLOWED

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi Runners, Just for fun, Native American and Indigenous Studies Association4 Comments

I recently returned from attending the Native American & Indigenous Studies Association conference at Mohegan Sun and Resort. Mohegan Sun is a tribally owned and operated hotel and casino in Uncasville, CT.

The day after I arrived at the hotel I stopped by the Concierge and asked about running paths in the area. The woman behind the desk told me that people were not permitted to run on the roads near the hotel.

She said that if security saw me running outside, they would drive after me, put me in the car, and take me back.

It sounded like fun. But I quickly came to the conclusion that hotel security had better things to do than chase after running Hopis.

Still, I  wonder how long it would have taken the hotel police to catch up with me? Probably not very long.

Officials at Mohegan Sun are not against running. They put the “NO RUNNING” rule in place to protect their guests. According to the Concierge, several runners have been hit by cars, and many of these incidents have been “hit and runs.”

Nevertheless, I found it ironic that I was staying at a hotel on an Indian reservation and not allowed to run outside. But again, they had good reasons for their running policy.

After my conversation with the Concierge, I made my way to the hotel rec room and reluctantly got on a treadmill.

I don’t like running on treadmills.

I wanted to be outside dodging cars and attempting to outrun the police. Instead I was stuck on a machine, watching court t.v., and feeling very little sense of accomplishment.

Rare bottles

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Just for fun2 Comments
On Thursday there was a garage sale in our neighborhood.
As I drove by with my daughters, we decided to stop and take a look.
An old man, who reminded me of a train conductor (hat, overalls, etc.), greeted us.
He had a lot of junk for sale, but nice stuff, too.
One of the things that caught my eye was a set of cobalt blue beer bottles sitting on a table, which I thought were rather interesting.
“What’s the story behind these bottles?”, I asked him.
I thought perhaps they were from a day long ago.
“Oh, these are really rare, and quite expensive” the old man remarked.
“They’re very special. I  cleaned them up good [he had washed off the labels], and people can use them as flower vases.”
He then showed me how to do this with a bunch of fake flowers, which he was also selling.
As he finished with his flower trick, I turned over one of the bottles and I saw a stamp that read: “Best by 6-30-2012”
“Aren’t these the new Bud Light bottles?”, I asked.
He looked up at me, knowing that he had been caught, and said, “Yes, that’s right.”
Our friendly conversation quickly came to an end.
He went on to helping someone else, and we got back in our car and drove away.