A Bat That Passes for a Bird at One Time

Boozhoo, indinawemaaganidog! Aaniin! That is to say hello, all of my relatives! Welcome to another edition of An Irritable Métis. As niibin begins to wind down, despite the recent arrival of wildfire smoke in the valley from various lightning-caused blazes around Missoula, it feels like everyone is gearing up for the arrival of dagwaagin. I know I am! But … did August even exist?! I was so focused on getting IndigiPalooza MT off the ground for most of July that everything since has been a blur. It’s hard to imagine it’s been more than three weeks since I delivered the last carload of magnificent spirits to the airport. What an experience that was.

Friends, before I continue, I’d be remiss if I don’t mention that the first big announcement post-inaugural IPFEST will go out probably later this week, early next. If you want to get on board with being first to know of such things, visit HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for updates!

Meanwhile, your continued and generous support remains essential, particularly as new challenges present themselves. You have no idea how much the support I get from this newsletter via paid subscriptions means to me and how grateful I am. If you like what you read here, and if you’ve got a spare $50 to throw this way for the next year, or can even scrape off $5/month, it is eminently helpful and appreciated. There is a lot brewing for 2026 and I think things will get interesting in a hurry.

This week – tomorrow, in fact, as I write – I hit the road again in earnest. I will drive north and east with a slight detour to Choteau to visit my friends Al and Elaine Wiseman, then from there on to Glasgow, MT, where I’ll overnight in preparation for a full day on Thursday in Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Reservation. I’ll be there for two reasons. First is my initial school visit of the year1; I’ll be at Frontier School (Home of the Mustangs!) to visit a group of K-3rd graders, then a group of 6th-8th graders, and finally a group of 4th-5th graders. It seems like just a week ago I was rolling out of a school into a spring day thinking I wouldn’t have to be in one again for ages and suddenly,