Today’s guest blogger: Foster

Meet today's guest blogger: Foster!
Meet today's guest blogger: Foster!

Hi, I’m Foster, today’s guest blogger and groundskeeper here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Besides myself, I have 6 more people helping me with the grounds maintenance (5 are seasonal help). We have had a cool wet spring; bad for me, but great for anything green and growing.

We just finished up planting flowers, trees and re-seeded bare spots in the turf.  We are busy keeping up with mowing, trimming, weeding and watering.  On rainy days, we are helping with the remodel of the Stevens and Mathias home, tearing out walls and pulling up carpet.  I guess you could say we are helping with the destruction, not the construction!

A view from above - St. Joseph's Indian School
A view from above - St. Joseph's Indian School

I look forward to this time of year since our peonies are just coming into bloom and our linden trees will soon follow.  I get lots of inquiries from visitors on our linden trees, their sweet fragrance is noticed all over campus!

The irrigation system for our turf is taking some time in getting it up and running.  We didn’t turn it on at all last year, as we had so much rain.  We pump water from the river to irrigate our turf.  It is quite a feat to place the pump in the river each spring.  Due to the high water level of the Missouri River, and the possibility of it going even higher, our pump house could be flooded.  What a contradiction, we might not be able to irrigate due to flooding!

In addition to those duties, we are also responsible for street and parking lot maintenance.  Crack filling and seal coating of our asphalt areas will be a big job later this summer.  I hope those of you reading this will get a chance to stop by our campus and checking us out.  Take care and have a great summer!

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future.

5 thoughts on “Today’s guest blogger: Foster”

  1. Hi Foster,

    You and your staff do an amazing job taking care of the outside and insides of St. Joe’s! Every time we visit it looks more beautiful! Thank you for all you do!

  2. Now I know who to thank for the beautiful grounds of St. Joseph’s — I’ve not visited yet but hope to one day. The videos and pictures I’ve seen show the fine work you and your crew do, Travis. And you are so right: It is the ultimate irony that you can’t irrigate because of flooding … too bad the water doesn’t always flow where it’s needed, huh?

  3. I would love to visit your school one day and see the campus as well as meet staff and Fr. Steve and especially the students.

  4. Good morningh, Foster! Yes, it’s been a challenging winter-spring for sure! We lived and worked in NDakota in the 90s and had the blizzard-flood phenomenon. Bless you in your work. Have a wonderful day, and thanks for sharing. btw, I live in Missouri now, and we don’t know what the weather is like today… forecast at 80’s but still 70 degrees with heavy winds. Mary Latela

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