Ashley ThreeIrons got mad at me because I did not write about Shannon a couple of years ago when I was writing about  Kyle her husband. I really did not know Shannon back then –

Two years pass and a friend says “you could spend the rest of your life in Lodge Grass and be perfectly happy”.

Yep!

Lodge Grass is a wonderful microcosm of the world – I have lived all over the world and choose Lodge Grass as home.

But what does that have to do with Shannon OldElk and why does she have such a cool last name. I saw Shannon dragging a washing machine down Main Street – chain wrapped around the machine and her old Toyota just a cruising along. I got a call from Roxy asking for $150 to bail Shannon out of jail – the Crow Indians got a

“landbuyback” money settlement – where the government is yet again buying up reservation land. A lot of folks got between $12,000 and $500,000 for their land – and bought mega-trucks to cruise the Rez! Yeah, Shannon sold a small piece and kept the rest of her land for her children! (I respect that) So, Shannon is driving down the highway in her $400 Toyota beater car and gets pulled over – the cop comes to her window and before he can say a word – Shannon says “I know why you pulled me over!” (the cop perplexed) says “why?” and she proceeds to say – “you pulled me over because yer jealous of my land buy back car!” of course it did not help that her plates were off the other Toyota.

I respect Shannon – over the course of three years, I have loaned her about $100 in increments of $10. She has always paid back! 100% payment which is amazing around here! I respect that!

Shannon has challenged me on many occasion – just last week when her son George got kicked out of school for “sexual harassment”  (giving a fat kid a wedgie) she brought him to me because he needed a lesson. Well, the day wedgies are sexual harassment I will be damned – so for $20 he mowed the lawn! I asked him after he got done if he learned his lesson? He said yep, I made $20 for giving a wedgie and did not have to go to school! Good Parenting on both Shannon and my part!

Shannon has challenged my morals – she once asked me”what is your…well you know…like I like to drink but what do you do that is wrong?” She was well into a good bottle of whiskey at the time – but it gave me pause for reflection. Yes, I know what I do that is “wrong”. I too have been deep into a bottle of whiskey and philosophy. We all have made mistakes, we all love and try to help each other and we plod

forward as a family.

Shannon OldElk is real! and I am glad that Shannon and her husband and her wonderful children whom I dearly love are part of my Lodge Grass Family!