Holding the World in a Paper Cup

Archive for August 2010

Friday, August 27, 2010

Birds and Dog

Not only does Russell shed all over my carpet and pee on my sewing box, he coaxes my husband into the deep woods in search of ptarmigan and grouse leaving Baby Bunting and I in the cabin, praying he didn't need that bear spray he left with this morning. Hopefully, he's late because he found a large flock of those ever elusive grouse.

Back home, I was always grateful after Chuck shot his first few ducks of the season. As soon as he could start adding ducks in his mental counter, we could all rest easier knowing the obsession was dialed back a few notches. So, a couple of days ago, when he arrived with 4 ptarmigan, I was almost as happy as he was.

Neither My Friend nor Baby Bunting were participants in aforementioned hunt. In fact, Baby Bunting is featured here trying to balance her jungle girl side with her afraid of everything biological side, all because of a drop of blood that just fell out of one of those birds onto her shirtsleeve. This was a deeply emotional moment for her. In the end, the jungle girl side won out as she decided she could handle it, though at this time, the lasting emotional toll is not known.

Russell is doing quite well on the bird hunting front thanks to Chuck's gentle force fetch training methods. Before the big ptarmigan score, Russell had been reluctant to bring the training birds back as he thought it would be better to eat them right where he stood. So Chuck, being the determined bird dog owner that he is, began some sort of pinched ear force fetch process. Now, Chuck, God bless his sweet, old, soul, hadn't quite gotten around to actually pinching that dog's ear and I know he is hoping that day will never come.

The day Russell pointed at and delivered all 4 of those ptarmigans within five feet of him, Chuck began to believe his dreams owning a true blue bird hunting dog were being realized.

A Lesson on Ptarmigans

Let me start by saying that these birds are freaky. I have never seen anything like them. They have feathers on their toes! I was just fascinated by this, as will be evident in the following photos.

In the winter their feathers turn completely white.

Since we'd never eaten ptarmigan, Chuck elected to cook the meat without any type of seasoning. And it was good! I enjoyed it more than duck and hey, bonus!...I didn't bite into any shotgun shell bee bees! (Yes, I know they are really called shot. Daddy didn't raise no fool.)

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Sweet Magnolia began her first day of preschool on Tuesday. That morning, she was bubbling over with anticipation. She had been looking forward to preschool for weeks and the day had finally arrived.

Before we left the house, I chased her around the yard pretending to be the paparazzi. I kept saying, "Excuse me, MISS! Are you a preschooler?? Can I get your autograph??!!" She ran from me and giggled all the while.

I promised her at that once at the school I would only take 3 photographs, since she was eager to get inside.

Up until this point, I've been her teacher.

Now, I will happily share the responsibility with Ms. Rae Ann.

When I picked her up from her first day, she indicated that she is having a difficult time getting used to "teacher rules, teacher rules, blablablaa" and does not like that she is expected to play less and do school work more. I guess it is good to get her used to this idea as she has many, many more years of school work ahead. By the same token, it seems almost a shame to subject her to "teacher rules" a year early. Of course, I have given this a lot of thought, and I think she will be much better off having experienced preschool before kindergarten begins.

Sweet Magnolia was eager to return the following day with the hopes that it would be better. And it was. She was red faced and sweaty when I arrived having just finished the pony and frog dance. She was also mad because she could not stay for a nap and lunch. (The kids that go for a half day don't participate in nap and lunch). As if, she would have actually napped anyway. Ha. When I arrived the third day, she said, "MAA! What are you doing here??" I'd say she is adjusting nicely.

She is only attending 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. During the time she is away, I have been stocking my etsy store and promoting the items I have for sale. I feel the need to earn the extra money that the preschool requires from our already tight budget but with only 9 hours of "me" time, I'm not exactly raking it in. I am hoping and praying that I can get my sales up to at least the level I left them before we left Alabama. Better get to it!

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Swimming and Camping X2

When we said good-bye to our much loved Coosa River just before swimming season, I was filled with tremendous guilt. Sweetums enjoys swimming so much, and we all know that swimming is not the premier attraction around here. So, when our old neighbors told us about a nearby swimming hole that wouldn’t freezer burn the children on contact, we were very happy.

Back at Quartz Lake

First we had a nice picnic.

And then we went swimming! Well, some of us went swimming.

It was cold, but she was not deterred.

I got in this deep.

Chuck was more committed.

Before long Sweetums was playing happily with the other kids and we were off the hook.

I discovered something while I sat back on the grassy bank watching Sweetums play in the water. Taking your child to do something specifically for them, doesn’t seem near as self-sacrificing when the weather is good.

It is sometimes difficult to escort your child from one child-centered activity to another, especially when the weather is above 90 degrees. Now, I’ve sat, stood, heck, I’ve even jogged alongside Sweetums, all for her benefit. Through it all, I stood to gain nothing but the happiness that comes with knowing your kids are happy. That is usually enough too. After all, that is what mothers do. But sometimes when the heat index is above 100 degrees, it is hard to be selfless.

If the weather is nice, you get a little back too. Suddenly you’ve got more time than you thought to sit and watch your child play. Suddenly sitting and doing nothing but watching your child play, seems pretty nice. You almost forget that you forgot to bring a chair or a book and you just lean back and like my Alaskan neighbor once said, “soak up the sunshine like a battery.”

As we were leaving Quartz Lake, we explored the surrounding area and found “Lost Lake". Because of that discovery, we were lured into the idea of camping again. We decided right then and there that we would come back the following day (Sunday) to campout.

Chuck had to go to work the next day. Do you think that deterred us? No! We drove two vehicles and decided he could leave from there bright and early Monday morning.

We had two dogs that we didn’t believe should be left at home alone. Do you think that deterred us? No! We loaded the canoe in one truck, and squeezed My Friend into a narrow space in the bed of the other truck between the logs, camping gear, and Russell’s kennel.

It was incredibly windy that day. Do you think that deterred us? No! Well it deterred us a little actually. Especially when we realized there was a burn ban because of it, and the pond would likely not be calm enough for fishing float ride. But we had already promised Sweetums and she had her hopes up, so we trudged forth, planning and packing and cramming.

After a days worth of camping preparation, we arrived too early and with the wrong attitude.

Yes this is a photo of her on the actual camping trip. She brought a tiger hat. I mean, you never know when you might need the tiger hat portion of your costume, right?

I don't know WHAT her problem was.

That's better.

We tried to get into the camping spirit by taking a short hike but Russell and My Friend immediately took off into the woods like, well, dogs. After we rounded them back up, we were hot and annoyed so we went straight back to the campsite. There, Sweetums wandered around acting like a wild jungle girl and Chuck and I sat at the picnic table. Then, we walked to the lake and admired the view.

We ate, sat around some more, and then talked Sweetums into setting up her tent in her bedroom. Yeah. That’s right. We abandoned the camping trip. We just could not get in the mood to sleep on the hard ground and shiver ourselves to sleep. We gave it, well, a pretty good shot.

Now, I am going to ask you something. Why is it that Chuck and I forget everything we’ve experienced on past camping trips and decide to go again? And again? Do you think there is something wrong with us? I do.

Yesterday, we joined Jeff and Courtney and 6 kids (their kids and friends of their kids) on yet another camping trip. Since Sweetums is only 4, and we wanted the rest of the kids to feel free to enjoy things like ghost stories and “stab” fishing, we gave them their space by setting up a few campsites down. Then we headed down Coal Mine Road with the canoe for some lake exploring and fishing.

Coal Mine Road is rough, winding, and worth the trip.

Photo Credit: Chuck Burns

There were many lakes along the road and most were stocked with fish. We didn’t find any fish big enough to grab ahold of the lure, but we had a good time watching Chuck try to find the big ones for an hour or so.

The water was clear enough to watch the little fish peck at his lure and the view was nice.

Afterwards, we headed back to camp for hot dogs and pie. Yes, I made a pie especially for our camping trip.

We hung out with the Durham’s for a while, walked to see the sunset just on the other side of this levy that ran alongside the Delta River, and threw rocks in the direction of the Durham children and their friends and hollered “GRENADE!” while doing so. (Chuck’s idea…not mine.)

We stowed the food products about 30 yards from the tent and I said a silent prayer for protection from bears during the dark night ahead of us. Then we curled up, all together, for what we hoped would be a warm night.

Chuck slept great. Despite not having a sleeping bag with a working zipper, he was warm.

Sweetums didn’t sleep so good. She woke up several times too cold because either she worked herself out of her sleeping back too far or because her toboggan fell off. Once she woke up whimpering, because she didn’t want me to sell her teddy bear. I don’t know why she has reoccurring nightmares that the Mama that painstakingly packed up WAY too many of her toys and shipped them to ALASKA, will sell her teddy bear, but oh well. What can I do? I assured her would that I would be selling none of her toys and before long she was back to sleep and I laid there and suffered.

I was cold. I have a great sleeping bag but because Sweetums woke up so frequently, I often fell asleep with my arm around her, so the sleeping bag hung loosely around me. The few times I did tighten the string, I ended up twisting my face around into the warmth so deeply while I was asleep, that I woke up gasping for air, 2 seconds from shier panic. I also had to go to the bathroom. And everybody knows that it is better to lie there and suffer through the night, than to climb over two human beings, hunch out the zippered doorway, work your boots onto your fragile, cold feet, zip the tent back up, and squat in the moonlight. Right? Doesn’t everybody know that?

When the sun rises, people don’t crawl out of tents whistling “Good Morning America, How are ya.” folks. That is a lie that tent makers advertise. People crawl out of tents, with their backs hunched and their bones aching. If that is not your experience then you must be 20 years old or younger, so just shutup.

The only saving grace after a sleepless night in a tent, is sausage and eggs sizzling over a campfire. After a good breakfast thanks to the campfire king, we had a few more minutes of peace by the fire before our last bit of wood sizzled out. Then we said good-bye to the Durham’s, packed it up, and headed home.

Once home, Chuck took charge of unloading and I took charge of the child who was dirty, tired, and emotional. The pitiful thing had a headache too. Despite it all, she was happy that we went. She had a good time. And really and truly we all did. Having said that, l am perfectly ok with not going back again until next year. Oh, and not without an air mattress. That or a big fine R.V.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

First Star I See, in a while

All of what you are about to read is just a newcomers observation. None of you real Alaskans, need to be gettin' mad if you see it differently. I ain't the sky channel. None of this is official.

Recently I posted about seeing my first Alaska star and I think it left some of you confused. To clarify, I haven't seen a star until recently, because up until about 2 or so weeks ago, the sky was lit all night.

But lately, I've noticed that things are changing around here. It is well after 9:00 p.m. now, and the sun is low on the horizon. It seems nearly level with the second floor loft area where I am sitting curled up in the floor, and if I peer beyond my computer monitor into the light of the sun, I have to shield my eyes from its fury.

During this time of year, magic hour, also known as the golden hour, begins around 8:00 p.m. Magic hour is the time of day when all seems dreamy in the glow of the sun. I've noticed that in Alaska, magic hour lasts well over an hour.

It is easy to let Wee Willie Winkie stay up past her bedtime when the sun is still shinning so beautifully and she is happily entertaining herself as she has been doing more often lately. Each night I tell her when it is past her bedtime and each time, she assures me that she knows it. Since she can’t read a clock yet, I asked how she knew it was past her bedtime. She said, “because the sun is more beautifuler”.

When the sun finally settles in, it is darker than before. If ever I have to let the dogs out after midnight, after a few seconds, I find myself racing back through the door into the security of the cabin. There are acres and acres of darkness, just out our back door and the bears are still awake and the moose still roam.

And the sun isn't the only thing that is changing around here. The leaves are changing too. There are trees all around the cabin that are nearly full of yellow. The wind is cold. Long sleeves are being brought out into the open. Legs are covered. Some folks even like to throw a log or two on the wood burning stove at night and in the morning. It is August in Alaska.

And to summarize with a "Hoot"

When walking back to the truck after a short excursion around Donnelly Dome, Wee Willie Winkie, described the conditions best when she said, "This wind is pulling off my face!"

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A New Living Thing

There is a new living thing in our lives. That's what Chuck and I call them. Living things. When stepping over the dogs and the kid, we often say to one another, "Look at all these living things."

We have a new dog. He is a hunting dog. His name is Russell.

I want to love him, I do. I think I will love him, in the future. I will. But right now I am thinking about how he hiked his leg on my sewing box and postal scale.

I miss simple days when My Friend was our one and only pet. Well, it's true.

Russell spends a lot of his time indoors. If he isn't either tied up or indoors, he'll hang around until someone stops petting him and then just bolt right into the Alaska Highway, or worse, into the vast Alaska wilderness to hunt some kind of wild bird. And he'll run, and run, and run.

Oh, and today when I grew weary of stepping into him every one and a half steps, I hooked him to the zip line outside. The zip line is a cable than spans between two trees with another cable than links the dog to the main cable. Instead of running up and down the cable and spending his undogly amount of energy, Russell barks at me through the french doors. And he barks, and barks, and barks.

Eventually, I felt sorry for him and released him from the cable, but oh no, the door was open and so he takes off like a bullet into the house, sliding across the floor without traction and slams into the water bowl sending the water flying into the air and down into a great outdoor like puddle on the indoor like flooring. Dang dog.

I ask myself, "Did I pray for this dog?" Well, the answer to that question is yes. Yes I did pray for this dog. You see, Chuck has been wanting a bird hunting dog for a long, long time. Now that we have some land behind the cabin, he has REALLY been wanting a bird dog. When he mentioned it (like a billion times) I told him that it would be hard to justify paying over $1,000.00 for a dog (yep, that's how much they cost) when we are struggling to pay the rent and buy groceries. You know? I also told him to pray. Yeah, pray about getting a dog. I believe in it. I believe you can pray for things that seem trivial in the big scheme of things. I don't believe I should decide what is important to God. God will decide if I am asking too much. And when I ask for these things, I know my heart is in the right place. So if God, decides I am asking for too much or if He decides what I am asking for isn't good for me (or for someone else), then He won't give it me. Simple as that.

So, I prayed for a dog. I knew a dog would make Chuck happy. He is a good man and a good provider. He does without a lot. I thought he needed a dog. So, a couple of weeks ago Chuck got a call from a friend, who knew a guy who had this dog he wanted to give away. This dog is a German Wirehair. German Wirehairs are expensive. The owner is really into hunting with this breed and has several dogs. About 2 years ago, he discovered Russell at the pound. They could not find his owner so this guy adopted him.

Right now, I am not sure why this guy wanted to find another home for Russell. I originally thought this guy was a breeder and couldn't breed Russell because he doesn't have any papers. But then I found out that the guy isn't a breeder and even if he was a breeder, Russell is missing more than papers...if you catch my drift. So, surely there is an explanation for why he was free. Surely it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that he peed on my sewing box.

No, Russell was a gift, for Chuck, from God. I truly believe that. Now, God may have decided that Chuck needed some dog training too, because this gift included that.

Russell is about 4 or 5 and needs some work. But Chuck is happy and determined to work with him. Maybe he can home in Russell's bird hunting instincts and make a good boy out of him. Either way, we have a new pet in the family, that I prayed for. I have to accept that.

If Chuck can teach this dog to aim his body at a bird and point at it like a breathing arrow, then he better teach him to lap water our of a bowl like a gentleman. You know?

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I see a star! I haven't seen a star in a long time!

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Saturday, August 14, 2010

Some of you know that I have a store called Mary Frances - vintage things - on etsy.com. Etsy is the marketplace for all things handmade or vintage.

Since we began our big move, my etsy shop has been set to vacation mode. With an iffy internet connection and merchandise in a storage room in Canada, the grand re-opening of Mary Frances -vintage things - was delayed for longer than I had hoped. Now that I have all of those details ironed out, I am open for business once again.

Occasionally, I will be posting tidbits of information about my shop. If you are tuning in because you are a close friend or a family member you will likely be alright with these new posts. If not, well, we need to rethink our friendship, or our errrr, family-ship. If you tune in because you are interested in Alaska, you will learn that some people in Alaska sell things on etsy.com and want to sell more things on etsy.com. Ok? Alright.

I love my etsy store. It is a place where I can combine my love for treasure hunting, photography, and writing. I have finally found my place in this grown up life. Being a mom and an etsy store owner suits me well.

Mary Frances was my grandmother whom I referred to as Nanny. I am often reminded of her when I am treasure hunting. Nanny was always looking for something to marvel over and delighted in finding the simplest things. Whether she found an acorn, fool's gold, or a shiny penny in a parking lot, she exhibited a childlike enthusiasm that was contagious. Nanny was resourcefully creative. Her creativity stemmed from necessity but flourished because of love. She fueled my imagination with her own. Nanny was the most fun grown up I have ever known. She entertained, cared for, and encouraged all of her grandchildren but somehow made me feel like I was the only one.

I miss her like nobody's business. I see her in me and want others to see her too.

If there is someone you cherish from your past, maybe some of my old treasures will take you back to that time.

Click any of the etsy related photos to go straight to my store!

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