While in Michigan there were several comments made about my lack of posting lately. I cannot argue. My only excuse is that Reggie was a handful of sorts for about the first month. The good news is that he is potty trained and no longer eating rocks! Just yesterday he walked over to the sliding door and sat there with an expectant look. There was no barking, no whining, just waiting. I was incredibly proud, not to mention thankful that I just might be done scrubbing the carpets free of excrement and urine.
I spent the last week in Michigan, and I can honestly say, "I did it all." I saw all my aunts and uncles, some of my cousins, grandma, mom, dad, and all my closest friends. I was in metro Detroit, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Midland, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo. To top it all off, the colors were at their peak and all the driving was well worth it. Evan came with me and was a great sport through the whole whirlwind tour. However, his favorite day was the one where we just hung out at home in Midland. I was so worried he would not be "entertained" and it seems he did not need any "entertaining" at all. He helped around the house, went to hit some golf balls, and then put up his feet and took a nap. What was I doing? A little shopping, of course. If there is one thing North Idaho is missing, it is quality shopping. We have plenty of shops for fancy pants tourists, but not so much for the metropolitan girl gone west. I do not think Detroit was ever a great fit for me, but I could not complain about the shopping. 
Leaving my friends and family was hard. The first thought was, "why in the world do I live so far away from everyone I love??" It is easy to get caught up in that kind of talk, but I know that everything is different when you are a visitor. I remember living in Michigan and barely finding time where a few of us could make a simple afternoon of tea and chitchat. Everyone has time for you when you live on the other side of the country. I also remember how much I needed to do something for me, and set out on my own adventure. I have, and I am blessed for everything I have found.
To see the rest of the pictures click here.
The last two weekends the highlight, by far, has been attending events at the Bonner County Fair. I just may be turning into a country girl. Last Friday night Evan and I went out to the rodeo. It was my first rodeo and it definitely kept my attention. Barrel racing, calf roping, bull riding...these folks are crazy. Did you know they tie a rope around the bull's testicles to get it to buck? They give it good pull right before they open the gate.
Friday night we went over to buy our
demolition derby tickets (yes, we got them in advance because they often sell out) and toured all the animals. There was a pig auction going on so we sat in for awhile. When I saw the first pig go for $2.50 I got so excited. I wanted to buy a pig more than anything. I was going to take it down to Woods to get butchered and eat sausage and pork loin for months (I never really thought about how I would get it there...). Evan was quick to tell me that they were being auction off per pound. My dreams were shattered.
Last night was the demolition derby. We met some friends there, and everyone got so into it. The kids had ear plugs in and Evan and Russ were making a racket. I had just as much fun watching the derby as listening to Evan and Russ. We watched a few cars light on fire and start smoking. One was smoking so much it filled up half the arena. Slowly but surely, I am becoming a north Idaho girl.
I must like getting dogs in August. As I was writing the title I realized that it was a little less than a year ago that I wrote, "Meet Buck." This also means that I have been living in Idaho for over a year! It is hard to believe how quickly it has passed. Reggie is a soft coated wheaten terrier. Despite living in northern Idaho, there is still a bit of the high maintenance city girl in me. Reggie is a pure bred. Believe it or not, he was flown to me from Nebraska.
I had quite a time trying to get him out here. The forcasted temperature of the final destination has to be 85 degrees or lower. Reggie was set to ship out during one of our many heat waves. Twice, his flight got canceled. Jon and Noel were kind enough to pick Reggie up at the airport once they dropped Maggie off. I came home from work last Tuesday to this little guy covered in pee just dying to be loved. And of course, I loved him, regardless of the pee.
Time to be honest. Reggie is a handful. There is a huge difference between getting a 4 month old puppy and a 10 month old house broken puppy. Reggie had trouble pooping when I first got him. I used Kendra's home remedy of pumpkin pie filling to loosen things up. Sure enough, things started moving. One day he pooped on the deck and as I went to clean it up I realized why Reggie was having trouble pooping. Reggie eats rocks. A lot of dogs like to pick up rocks and roll them around in their mouth and might accidentally swallow them. Not Reggie. Reggie eats rocks and dirt. I did some research and apparently pica is very common in puppies. Unfortunately, it is also very dangerous as he could require surgery if he eats a rock that his little intestines cannot pass. 
As a result of Reggie's interesting appetite and the large amount of rocks in my yard (the house is on an old river bed...) he must be supervised at all times to help him break the habit. I am hoping it is in relation to him cutting new teeth and will pass in time. It is beyond frustrating to watch someone you love repeatedly hurt themselves. It brings up all too familiar feelings which has left me particularly emotional lately.
The good news it the pumpkin pie filling is a great home remedy for constipation in dogs. The bad news is that I think I gave him too much. Being woken up in the middle of the night solely by the smell of puppy poop is by far one of the most disgusting things I have experienced in my life. Poor little guy cannot hold it in. If you have not noticed, I spend a lot of my time researching, and talking about poop now. It takes up a large portion of my day. I have had minutes taken off my life by three simple words, "Do your business, do your business." Speaking of poop. Reggie needs a bath.
Maggie and Jon came to visit for five days. As I took them to all my favorite spots, and explored new places with them and Evan I was reminded of the beauty I am surrounded by. Just seeing the expressions on their faces reminded of how I felt a year ago as I drank this all in for the first time. I would be anxious at times worrying that they were getting bored because we had been driving for awhile, and then I would hear one of them talk about how just driving was beautiful. I used to be the same way. How quickly one forgets...
It was great to have friends in town and completely let go. It has been a long time since I have pulled some props down from the shelf and gotten ridiculous. We ate a lot of great food, despite Jon's reluctance to trust my quesadilla making technique. We even made it out to Eichardt's one night for a little shuffleboard.
Next post: pictures of my new puppy, Mr. Reginald Bing! He goes by Reggie, don't worry!
At the end of July I embarked on a journey of taking eight teenagers into British Columbia for two weeks. I will spare you the details of all the drama with the kids, and focus on what I got out of the trip. This was a "Gift Trip" in which students who are about to graduate give back to others. We volunteered at a Camphill Community for ten days. Camphill is a community for folks with special needs. It gives them the opportunity to be a part of a family, to work, socialize, and also learn new skills. We also spent three days in the delightful city of Victoria. We were fortunate enough to be there for their 150 year celebration. At Glenora Farm we made a great camp in a maple grove on the edge of their property. I was delighted to use all the gear I picked up in my years working at Climb Kalamazoo. I was so happy in my little tent. I had girls sleeping in tents on one side of me, and boys on the other. Most of the work we did to help the community was in the garden. They had meters of carrots and cabbage 
that were in desperate need of weeding. After that we moved on to harvesting garlic, which included pulling it out, braiding it, and then hanging it to dry in the barn. We picked buckets upon buckets of beans. Yellow beans, green beans, purple beans (that turn green when you cook them), and purple and yellow beans. And let us not forget the snow peas. I took great pleasure in weeding and harvesting in the garden. It was beyond relaxing to work outside for others with absolutely no pressure to get a certain amount of work done. Everything from one bean to 100 was appreciated. Unfortunately, my lower back did not quite agree with me. As the week went on and the farm was having trouble keeping up with the amount of food coming in from the garden I started to help in the house with processing the food. I helped my buddy Chris shred zucchini, snap beans, and string peas. I generally move pretty fast in in my thoughts and emotions on a daily basis. All that fell away
for me at Glenora Farm. I moved slow, and I felt so light. No weight, no pressure. No expecations, except just to be present in the moment. My buddy Chris had the simple job of shredding zucchini. When he would finish some he would open the lid, look in and say, "Good job, Buddy" which a huge smile on his face. I can do a lot of things that Chris cannot do. I can speak in full sentences. I can run, I can read, I can write. I can get a college education. What I cannot do that Chris can do is look at my work, my performance and say with absolute, 100% satisfaction, "Good work." I am my worst critic. I create the weight I feel on a daily basis, I create all the expectations that surround me. I am not sure what magic resides at Glenora Farm that allowed me to let go and experience the lightness of being, but I am forever thankful.
My mom flew me home for the Fourth of July weekend to spend some time with my family. We originally were shooting for me to come to Michigan in June for JT and Nicco's graduation party but it did not work with my work schedule. The Fourth weekend was the next best option, and it worked out great. As we drove up north to Alpena I started think about how a year ago I was up in Alpena telling everyone how I was going out to Idaho for a job interview in a few days. This time I was telling them all about my job. As I said hello to all my cousins and hugged them I was taken aback as I realized they are the same age as a lot of my students. It blew me away to think of my cousins smoking pot, dropping acid, tripping on LSD, selling drugs, selling their bodies, having sex, running from the cops, or threatening their parents. Instead they were up north on a holiday weekend enjoying it with their family, catching minnows, tubing, shooting bee bee guns, reading, learning how to play poker with my brother, and going to church. I am so thankful they have chosen the life that they have. There is no reason to grow up too fast. My bittersweet moment came to me as I was kayaking with my Aunt Jan and my cousin Jenna. We were coming back to the dock and I looked up to see my grandma, my mom, my brother, and a handful of my cousins sitting around the dock. I have a lot of things in Idaho that remind me of Michigan. Lake Coeur d'Alene gives me what I used to get from The Great Lakes, there is plenty of snow, plenty of sun, plenty of forests and wide open spaces to put my mind at ease. What I cannot get in Idaho, that lives only in Michigan is the overwhelming sense of family and love. The feeling that someone knows me, really knows me from start to finish. That is what I miss. As I was getting ready to say goodbye to my mom I started to tear up. I explained to her that I was getting ready to go home, but I was already at home. I was feeling lost, confused, and neither here nor there. She told me it was clear to her where my home was as she reminded me that during the short time I was in Michigan I refused to get on the Eastern Time Zone. That was hard for me to swallow. It is hard to let go. 
Apparently, it is also hard for my cat MAX to let go, as the old guy is going on 14 years and still going strong.
I went on an amazing hike to Rock Lake awhile ago with some friends from work, Scott and Lisa. They are both on the Tuesday through Saturday schedule, and I am on the Sunday through Thursday schedule so we do not get a lot of time to spend together outside of work. My scheduled got all mixed up as a result of a another parent visit on campus, and I jumped at the chance to go hiking with them. Rock Creek was running on overdrive as a result of all of the snow melt with the warm weather. They told me to plan on doing some stream crossings, but I do not think any of us had any idea of what we were in store for. It was easy to step into the streams, but once I tried to take a step in the stream I thought I was going to be swept away. And oh boy was it it COLD. My toes went numb and my legs were shaking after one that was about 20 ft wide. We made it through all the crossings and up to the waterfall with an old mine shaft. From there it was almost all uphill in the sun, but I knew there was a cool treat waiting for me at the end: Rock Lake. Half of it was still covered in snow and ice, but I knew I needed to go in. Who hikes to an alpine lake and does not go swimming in it?? As my body submerged the thought going through my mind was, "This is what some people feel right before they die." Thankfully, the air was hot and the rocks were warm once I got out.
