a night in a hogan

we drove east on 40 to exit 39 and met evie and her grandgirls at the exit. we followed them to their home. ted and evie charles live in a modern 3 story hogan. a hogan is a five sided traditional navajo hut. the floors were dirt and there was a fire or stove in the center that vented out the open ceiling. the sides were made of logs and mud and the native culture believed it was good luck to have the front door facing east. we visited here last january but now we have the chance to stay in the woods. my girls enjoyed the little girls right away. we had hot dogs and smores together. absent of any 'political correctedness' carly rubs the charcoal on the girl's face and says, "now you look like an indian." childhood is beautiful. our friends walked across the street to their home and there we were....we have been together for 3 weeks, the girls have fevers and runny noses, our sleeping and eating habits are off and we are stuck together in a 10 x 10 room with no tv. it was cold out after dark and the girls were scared so we landed inside and the fighting began. they found cards and thought poker was the game for the night. they used the "church candy" from mr. jager as chips and i read 1986 issues of arizonia highway. james navigated through poker. we were plenty warm with wood stove and kerosene heat on the wall. it was really nice after everyone was sleeping. we made it to school and i wanted to find a special girl that is sponsored by a friend of ours. her name is stacie and her grandmother volunteers in class on fridays. i gave her a hug and told her i have a friend who is praying for her. i think her gramma told her in navajo that this was her sponsor. she was excited to see me in the lunch line. i should have found her earlier in the week. sponsorship in one way people can help pay for a student's tuition. it doesn't cover the entire cost of education but helps offset the parents responsibility. my girls went to class and said good-bye to their friends. we have dinner at tracy and jeremy's house tonight...