Cozy and warm, and guilty

It's November 7th, and I am getting ready to go outside and pull some weeds out of my winter garden. In the middle of October, I planted food that will grow and hopefully feed my husband and I until Spring (at least the veggie part of our diet).

As I sit here cozy and warm in my home, I know there was a blizzard that blew through South Dakota, specifically the Pine Ridge Reservation - my mother's birthplace. Three feet of snow fell, with 20' drifts. It's cold. Pine Ridge is located in the poorest county of the US. Unemployment on the reservation is in the 80% range, with 49% living below the federal poverty level. Living there is equivalent to living in a 3rd world country. Life expectancy for males is 47, females is in the low 50s. Teenage suicide rate is 4 times that of the US. And don't get me started with the whole Indian Affairs relationship with our government, the white-washing of our history, and the treatment or lack thereof... oh, there I go. A rant is not the purpose of this post.

The people of Pine Ridge need our help. There is an urgent, tax-deductible donation request for heaters, warm coats, blankets, scarves, etc. For those of us that are craftspeople, this is a great opportunity for us to help. If you have anything laying around the house that you don't use, or a scarf (or hat, or gloves or blanket) that didn't turn out quite the way you wanted, but you don't want to throw it away, (click here ) now is your opportunity.

I will be sending out 2 electric heaters, a heavy wool blanket I made when I lived in Rhode Island that I don't use here anymore, a few scarves, several coats. Please join me.