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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2009)
Smoke Signals 1 1 JULY 1,2009 Bees, water leak affect Tribal Governance Building By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer The Tribal Governance Building took some hits in June. Three swarms of bees settled in at different locations and a flood from above Member Services' offices came down the walls in a Sunday night torrent. The bees sent Tribal Council members running for cover and the water required two stories of protective plastic sheeting that de toured visitors to the Tribal Coun cil, Member Services and Human Resources offices. As Smoke Signals went to press, queen bees from two of three hives remained all but untouchable inside the walls of the Tribal Governance Building, said Curtis Rentsch, Tribal Facilities Manager. One hive resided in the walls above the smoking area outside of the second floor kitchen. For awhile, another swarmed out side of the second floor classroom (Room 204) on the other end of the Governance Building. The last hive resided behind the beams outside of Tribal Council's confer ence room. Capturing the queens and mov ing them would theoretically bring along the rest of the hive, said Joanne Carr, Tribal Adult Edu cation coordinator and certified beekeeper. She was one of two 1 Photo by Dean Rhodes A swarm of baas congregated on the patio outside Tribal Council's Conference Room on Thursday, June 1 8. Attempts to capture the queen bee and move it into a portable hive were unsuccessful. beekeepers Rentsch contacted to find a way to save the bees and still keep Tribal employees and visitors safe. Carr tried to tempt the queens out with a used hive, sugar water and the bee-attracting supplement, Megabee, but they did not bite. "Usually, you attract bees with them before the flowers bloom," Carr said, "but there's so many flowers around now, they're not interested in either one of those. "And the bees don't move unless the queen moves." "Some Tribal Council members said they were scared of the swarm of bees outside of the conference room," Rentsch said. "Some said we should save the bees, but in the interest of public safety, we really don't have an alternative." For those that remain, Rentsch said, the exterminator cometh. At 10:50 p.m. Sunday, June 21, Tribal member and Tribal Fa cilities Maintenance supervisor Doug Colton took a call about a water leak from Tribal member and Prostar Security Officer Brett Stone. Tribal member and Facilities technician Tyson Mercier worked all night with John Johnstone of Newberg-based Jstone Mechanical, the Tribe's HVAC contractor. They tracked down the cause a failed pump and the cleanup process began. Before the night was over, Colton said, Tribal member and House keeping supervisor Mark LaBonte and his staff, including Tribal members Ben Bishop, Joe Shel ley and Maurice Bishop, had the place cleaned up for work Monday morning. "They need to be recognized for their efforts," Colton said. Portland-based Horizon Restora tion Consultants was overseeing the rest of the job. Drywall and ceil ing repairs were scheduled, Colton said. A damage estimated was not yet available. The plastic partitions were due to be pulled down by the July Fourth weekend. H Photos by Michelle Alalmo Tribal member Cory Hall, right, receives a Pendleton blanket from Joshua Gift, Associate Vocational Program ft Noncredit Program Coordinator for the Tribe, during the 2009 Graduation Celebration held in the Tribal gymnasium on Friday, June 1 9. Hall graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology. Tribal member and GEO graduate Ariel Radonskl was a guest speaker at the 2009 Graduation Celebration. Owning up to your 'stuff7 can help relationships By Tom Bender Mental Health counselor What brings two people together in a relationship? The romantic answer is true love. The spiritual answer is God. The youthful answer is hormones. The substance-based answer is addic tion. The psychological answer is our "stufF or emotional baggage. Before we look at the last one on the list, first we must define the term. "Stuff may be defined as "unresolved issues in one's life, often (but not always) left over from childhood." How does this stuff bring us together in a relationship? People are often drawn to one another for seemingly inexplicable and uncon scious reasons. A woman who grew up witnessing abuse may find one man after another who seems like Prince Charming only to discover six months down the road he is as violent as the last. A man who was raised surrounded by drugs and alcohol may, even as he attempts to stay sober, find himself repeatedly attracted to women with substance problems. The easy explanation is we do it because it's what we know. Hu man beings seem to be unconsciously attracted to people who are guaranteed to bring up every issue they're still holding onto. If one's stuff included feeling abandoned as a child, we will go out and find the perfect mate to stimulate that wound. If one had a controlling parent, many will find the perfect partner to play this role in their lives. I knew a therapist who would have couples walk around their house wearing signs that said, "I am not your mother" and "I am not your father." The message is clear what we didn't get as children, we look for as adults; things like love, safety and acceptance. We often want others to provide these things for us, and when they don't, our "stuff awakens. The good news is that as we become more aware, each relationship presents us with an opportunity to heal past wounds. When we run into our old baggage, we can either repeat our not very helpful (but familiar) patterns in the hope that this time things will be different, or we can use our relationships as a springboard to heal and grow. Ignoring one's stuff doesn't work or we would all be saints. The key is to own one's wounds and care for them like one would a small child. Stop, slow down and shine a light on the places you'd rather avoid. You just might be surprised by your own beauty. D
