Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
Some Snapshots
When you find yourself under a heat advisory, this is the kind of place you want to be. Location makes such a difference. At Wintervale, in the summer, the shade of tall trees is the best we can do for respite from the oppressive heat. Last night I had the pleasure of being a guest for dinner with friends at Gary Larson’s house on Christmas Lake.
It was a wonderful way to beat the heat.
I stayed in town for the night, sleeping at Cyndie’s parents’ house, to save me a trip between home and work. Cyndie was kind enough to send me some pictures she took, so I wouldn’t suffer too much for missing our place and our pets.
It had the opposite effect. I miss them all, even more.
Delilah has definitely won our hearts in the very short time since we brought her home. Here she is with her rubber pig toy that oinks when squeezed. Then there is Mozyr, lying upside down in the tube on the new cat playground Cyndie bought them as compensation for putting up with a dog now living in their midst. Finally, a shot of some of the raspberries that are in abundance all around the woods of our property.
Thanks, Cyndie!
Memorable Weekend
Returning to work can really increase the feelings of longing for the pleasures recently enjoyed over a holiday weekend. Since I had Monday off, that made yesterday my first day back after the long break. Yikes, what a contrast. The day-job doesn’t have nearly the appeal of a long weekend at the lake place.
What a great time we had this year, with our annual batch of games, followed by dinner at the lodge and fireworks shot from the beach after dark.
I was in something of a hurry to get home and pick up where we left off with projects at Wintervale, but after arriving back to chores, the allure of the lake just became more enticing. Add to that, a dose of the day-job, and thoughts of returning to the lake become all-encompassing.
It says a lot when people in a community like that influence you so deeply, after just a brief visit, that all you can think about is finding a way to return to be with them again.
It’s too bad I don’t have a job that involves hanging out with friends and family for days on end. I think I would be well-suited for a position like that.
New Slide
We are enjoying our annual Independence Day celebrations at the lake place. Cyndie’s brother brought up a new toy for the kids to try out on the hill from the cabin down to the lake: Turbo Chute. It works pretty well, but the kids end up kind of speechless at the bottom, not sure what they’ve just experienced. I figure they are liking it, because they climb the stairs repeatedly to try it again, and again.
A proclamation was read anointing Steve as “King Neptune” for a day, in honor of his incredible contributions toward the unending aqua fun available to the kids here.
It’s been a nice couple of days, taking a break from projects at Wintervale, but we will head home today in hopes of resuming work on our wood shed and the labyrinth, among other tasks waiting for attention at home.
This has been the longest that we have been away from the cats, so we are eager to see if they accept being left alone or not. It is nice to be able to get away and up to the refreshing coolness of the lake. We envision being able to have our kids take care of animals at Wintervale for future weekends that don’t involve the whole family being up here together at the same time, so we can enjoy some lake time. It is only two hours away from us, so we want to take advantage of it as often as we can.
More Rain
This morning, it is raining, …again. But that is okay. We got smart. We figured out a way to appreciate the excessive wetness. Yesterday we planted grass on the two scars left by the recent work in our yards. On the back hill, we are covering the dirt left from the geothermal project, and in the front, it was the septic drain lines that were dug up and repaired.
Let it rain.
It doesn’t seem to make any difference to the area down by the barn, because it has just stayed wet, no matter what. If it is already wet, I am losing my ability to care if it gets any wetter. For as soggy as it remains down there, I’m thinking we won’t be able to have the fence work done until fall. I honestly don’t know what to expect. Yesterday, before the current precipitation moved in, there was still standing water on the driveway in front of the barn.
The fence crew cannot bring in their equipment to do the work without creating a disaster of mud and ruts. We’ve already got enough of those ruts. We will wait. What else can we do?
The only problem with today’s band of precipitation moving across the state is that it is soaking and chilling my friends on the bike ride. This is obviously not the reason I didn’t go on the ride this year, but I will admit that it is one aspect of that adventure that I am very happy to be missing.
My friends have been generous in sharing photos from the trip, giving me the opportunity to see some of the smiling faces of a few of the wonderful people who I only get to see this one time of year. They are looking great, and it gives me good energy to see them, even if only through pictures.
They ride north out of Ashby, MN, this morning, pedaling through the rain to Frazee, which isn’t far from Detroit Lakes, MN, just east of Fargo, ND.
Since the precipitation appears to be moving from south-to-north, maybe the wind is at their backs.
Consolation Prizes
I still sort of want to tantrum, but not quite as much as yesterday. By the time I am writing this, my friends have probably already ridden double-digit miles, on the first leg of a week of cycling. There is some consolation for my not making the trip, in which I will attempt to find solace. I got to sleep in my bed last night. I was able to “sleep in” this morning. I will have a week with my wife that I didn’t expect, and it’s a week that is completely open and unscheduled –except for that pesky work thing that is the whole point of my needing to miss the trip in the first place.
Lately, the previously shy and reserved Mozyr has taken to hanging out with me when I’m not in the bedroom. If you recall, he is virtually banished from the bedroom by his sister, Pequenita. Now Mozyr likes to pace around and through my legs, rubbing as much as possible, when I am in the kitchen or bathroom. He has taken to sitting beside me on the couch when I settle in for a while there. He stands on the edge of the tub when I shower.
In the last few days, he has even jumped up on the counter when I am at the mirror in the bathroom. This is a surprise, because it is so out of character for him, from what we know since we brought him home last fall. In fact, it is very Pequenita-like behavior. But, maybe just to out-do her, he decides to take it one step further. He not only gets up on the counter under the mirror, he settles into the sink, making himself comfortable while keeping me company.
It makes it rather complicated when I’m trying to brush my teeth, but it’s great to have him as my new buddy in the evening bathroom routine.
Now, if I could just get him to make me laugh as much as all my cycling friends do…
Double Whammy
Wow, am I ever aware of a wave of melancholy that is washing over me presently. Today is the day when the annual bike and camping trip begins, and I ended up needing to withdraw at the last minute. I say it is okay, but my heart is letting me know that “okay” glosses over some deeper feelings that don’t quite jibe with that description.
A horse would let me know that I am not displaying congruence.
I would like to have a tantrum like a two-year-old, but I’m pretty sure that I have developed more constructive ways to respond. I just need to muster the energy to enact that more constructive response. Unfortunately, I am exhausted. I think this role of responsibility, filling in for the owner of the company where I work, is taxing even when things appear to be going smoothly. I haven’t really done anything, but I am feeling more drained every day.
That week with friends, cycling, camping, laughing, and being on vacation outdoors for a week was going to be my shot of healthy energy. Not only have I lost that opportunity, I have stepped into a role that increases my need for what that would have given me. It’s a double whammy, thank you very much.
No wonder I want to stomp and cry and flail about.
I will rally my energies, and choose to find the as-of-yet-unseen surprisingly valuable lesson/growth opportunity/reward that awaits on the other side of this experience. I don’t mean to be a doubter, but I find it difficult to imagine anything that could be better than being with the precious friends who show up at this bike trip every year. I will miss them immensely.
I already do.
Deep Meaning
I am greatly moved by what I have enjoyed the past two days here, learning from the horses. There are many words to be written about it, yet, at the same time, few that will convey the fullness of my experience. It is quite an exercise to move from paying primary attention to my mind, and the limited cues modern society relies on, toward giving the heart and gut equal value. There is wisdom, ancient wisdom, in practicing a more informed awareness of the unseen signals of communication.
Observing and interacting with untethered horses, offers a special opportunity to become more aware of parts of ourselves that we often neglect, or even, simply disregard.
This is Mystique, who communicated with me in ways I have yet to fully comprehend.
I look forward to absorbing the full depth of what transpired in the sessions with the equine companions here.
I believe it is infused with deep meaning for me.
New Skills
Having a wonderful time in the sunshine of southern Arizona, practicing new skills of awareness, and seeing the way horses respond to my communications. For the first time in my life, I was alone inside a round pen with an untethered horse. I enjoyed successful interactions in two different exercises, with two different horses.
It is also a pleasure to meet the other apprentices that Cyndie has been involved with, and be immersed among of group of people who all share a similar interest and belief in the value of this program.
Arizona is beautiful, and, …no surprise, hot, dry, and dusty. It is funny to see scrubby trees and cactus everywhere, but at the little villa of rental units where we are staying, they are trying to keep some palm trees alive.
Forget It
Yesterday was a day to forget. It would be nice if I could, but I have a tendency to hang on to the angst of things when they go awry. I like to bring order from chaos. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my day-job. I can’t solve everything, but, if by the end of a day, I have achieved putting some things in order, I have a feeling of satisfaction for my contributions.
I didn’t have much luck doing that yesterday. I am wondering if it was somehow a carry-over of my not being able to bring order to the many projects going on at home, just at a time when I was leaving town. For sure, I was rattled by that discovery of a problem with the septic system.
In the morning, I woke over an hour before my alarm, and couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course, my mind was abuzz with preparations for my travel, needing to get ready for work, and get the house ready to be vacant for a couple of days, and to make sure to bring everything I would need for my trip. Also, there was a lot of work waiting for me on my desk at the day-job, so I went in early. I was thinking that I could use that early time to tackle one of the piles and get it processed before events of the day take over.
I never had that chance. Things unraveled early, and everything I seemed to try to get in order just became more chaotic. I had problems with my problems. Really, it was a total disaster. Maybe one of the most difficult days I’ve had, in terms of trying to bring order to chaos.
What can you do? I gave in. I let the chaos lay. I had somewhere to be. I had a deadline to be at the airport. It didn’t help that I stumbled upon a middle-of-the-afternoon traffic backup due to a stalled car. Really? Was this some kind of stress test I was being given over the last few days?
I sure hope it ends soon.
The good news for now is that I have arrived, safe and sound, at my destination, with Cyndie, in Arizona. I really have no idea what is in store for me today, at the introductory Epona workshop that Cyndie’s cadre of apprentices is giving. Maybe it will be a continuation of the stress test for me, but I don’t plan to frame it as such.
I am going to forget the day-job stress, and focus on the new adventure before me. Maybe the difficulties I have faced in the previous two days were just to put me in a place where I will get more from this weekend than I could possibly imagine. I’m going to aim to be open to whatever the lesson is for me here.
New Dilemma
We are now at the middle of May and our place is finally beginning to show signs of greening up. The weather has moved very quickly from chilly temperatures, to a day with a heat advisory being issued. The grass is wasting no time. The lawn beckons to be mowed, especially if we are to keep pace with all the other property owners in the vicinity. Everyone around us seems to have leaped into that task with gusto. Don’t they have more important things to do first?
I still haven’t figured out which areas I want to continue to mow in the manner they were previously tended, and which areas I can turn over to nature’s whimsy. As it is now, areas around the driveway and barn are going to be hard to mow, because of the disruption caused by the projects underway.
Speaking of projects, one more thing demanding immediate attention made an unwelcome appearance yesterday. I was running a load of laundry, in preparation to pack and leave for Arizona, and while I was out discussing the location of our planned backup generator with a contractor, we witnessed some water flow out of the lid of our septic tank!
That’s not right!
Especially, based on the fact that it was pumped out and inspected about 8 months ago when we made our offer on the place. Based on only 2 people living here now, that is way too soon for the tank to need to be pumped again.
It seems a little ironic to me that the whole time our property was soaked through like a wet sponge, there were no signs of trouble from the septic system. Now, just as things are finally drying out, the problem shows up. And, of course, it happens just as I am headed out of town.
So, today, while I am at work, and then headed to the airport, there will be a drilling crew setting up at the house for few days of work, and a septic company pumping our tank. I hope they all get along fine with each other, …and without me.
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I’ve got no posts prepared in advance, so we’ll see what the next few days brings, while I am in Arizona. Cyndie tells me I will have access. Hopefully, I will be able to provide some up-to-date stories and images from our adventures over the coming weekend.
And, hopefully, there’ll be no more new dilemmas popping up for some time.
