Once, Twice, Three Times a Blog Post. . .

There's just no excuse for it. I've started a new entry a couple of times since the last one, and today is THE day that I'll try, try again and actually POST something. It's been a wild fall. Here's what's up (and if I get to it, I'll add some pics later):

1. We attended a wedding on Halloween in Portland, Maine. We met Mike, Laurelyn, Graham, and Dean there and we all went to the wedding IN COSTUME! It was great fun to see some old friends from New Hampshire and of course, any time we can spend ANY time with our grandsons is a BONUS! They greeted us with a pile of books----G'ma IS the reading machine!

2. I have a new job! It's a half-time salaried position where I'm conducting training for teachers throughout the Northeast (so far). It requires being on the road about 2 weeks out of each month except for July and the last two weeks of December when we're basically shut down. I continue to do a little bit of my own private consulting and the two jobs have combined to make for a 3-1/2 week trip that starts tomorrow! Luckily, Thanksgiving break falls in the middle of this trip; Al will meet me and we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our good, good friends.

3. Had the flu. Ugh. The doc is pretty sure that it was H1N1; I'd had the seasonal flu vaccine in September. Anyway, it was THE PITS. I can't remember being in bed for so long (except for when I had that nasty herniated disc). The worst part was the incessant coughing which is now under control and nearly gone. Turns out I was using my inhalers correctly -- who knew that the directions on the flyer in the box are WRONG??

4. Feeling more and more like home all the time. Maybe it has to do with my traveling, or with the days getting shorter, or because we've had an INCREDIBLE fall of GORGEOUS weather, but I've fallen in love with our house. It could also have something to do with the 15 or so spruce trees we had taken down around the house. We have SO much more sunlight streaming into the house now, and we can even enjoy the late afternoon sun now. It's made a huge difference.

5. I've learned to say no...well at least some of the time. I've delicately pulled back from a very big church commitment which was hard to live out what with my boosted travel schedule. It's actually be quite a relief.

That's all for now, I think. Perhaps I'll get inspired while on this upcoming business trip. In the meantime, stay healthy and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.

Grandma, Grandma!

Last weekend, after my second business trip in several weeks, I had a little bit of heaven in Lake George, NY. Actually....a BIG piece of heaven --- a whole day of 'Grandma duty!'

Mike and Laurelyn had been invited to a wedding but children weren't to be included so I eagerly volunteered to help them out. As it turned out, I was going to be working just two hours south of Lake George so a quick trip north would be a breeze. In fact, I beat them to the hotel on Friday evening. When they arrived at about 10 PM, the boys were both wide awake; apparently, there had been little sleeping and lots of "Mama! Mama!" (see my previous entry) on the way in from Corning. We all fell asleep quickly once they settled into bed in our hotel room.

7:30 AM came soon enough and I offered to take the boys over to the little restaurant to get them settled for breakfast. They were excited! It was a beautiful day and we could already anticipate a day of adventures. We settled into our seats and peeked at the children's menu while we waited for Mike and Laurelyn to join us. I read the choices to Graham (Dean will eat anything put in front of him) and he excitedly announced his choice: he'd have the silver dollar pancakes. Yummy! I pointed out the handy-dandy syrup dispenser; it reminded me of one we'd had when I was a kid.

Papa and Mama joined us in short order and I wanted to crawl under the table as Mike quietly reminded Graham (and me) that he can't have restaurant pancakes; they have wheat in them. I felt terrible. I looked at G and said, "I'm so sorry, Graham. I forgot." Mike quietly reassured me and encouraged G to pick from several other things on the menu. I'd never seen Graham well up with tears. He bit his bottom lip and his little cheeks got red as he held back the tears --- how could I have forgotten? Eggs and bacon it will be!

After breakfast, I asked the boys if they'd like to go for a walk to explore the village and shorefront. First, we all wandered down to the lake, just behind the hotel and restaurant. It was calm and lovely. And a huge lake indeed! We were staying in Lake George Village at the south end of the 32-mile long lake.

After an engineering lesson about how to open, and more importantly, how to CLOSE the super-high-tech stroller (have they gotten more complicated or have I just gotten a bit weak?), we strapped Dean into the stroller, and I was off with the two little guys for a morning walk. We knew there was a park nearby and that there was a walkway along the edge of the lake, but everything else would be a surprise!

Graham held on to the side of the stroller as he strolled along and kept leaning in to Dean every 15-20 paces with "Are you O.K., Dean? Doin' O.K?" A few times, his query was followed by a gentle kiss on Dean's forehead. Just too darned cute for words. And so genuine. Gotta love that kind of brotherly love! (Yeah, I know...they're not always that way. I'm not delusional!)


We passed by several steamboats and headed toward a large paddleboat that was coughing out HUGE plumes of steam. Made me think of "Little Toot"---one of my favorite books as a young child. Several of the large boats were offering 60 to 90 minute rides on the lake. I checked out the schedule and eagerly asked the boys if they'd like to go on a boat ride later. Yes! Yes! (Well, that was G's response; Dean will go along with just about anything!) After a few more minutes of strolling, we found a little bench, where we sat and called Grandpa on my cellphone; G spoke to him briefly but wanted to keep on moving. Bye, Grandpa! I love you!

We discovered a small playground right next to the lakeside and both boys were eager to try it out. It's always fun to explore new playgrounds; Graham lost no time climbing to the upper level and zipping down the slide. Dean followed him but needed a hand to come down the slide. Graham scoped out the fireman's pole on the opposite side, climbed back up to the landing, and asked me to help him down the fireman's pole. It only took two tries with Grandma holding on, and he was on his own! He quickly learned that if he leaned into the pole and swung his leg around it, he could spin coming down the pole. He was so proud of himself. Dean and I kept working with the slide and we all had a ball.

Shortly thereafter we were to meet Mama and Papa back at the hotel room so that Dean could catch his morning nap. After such a late night and early morning, we knew that a nap would be a requirement for Dean. G gave up napping long ago, so once D toddled off with Mama for a nap, G scrambled quickly into the stroller for a little one-on-one time with Grandma! We took a different route down to the water's edge and as soon as G spotted the playground again, he was delighted! He climbed up and slid down the fireman's pole over and over and then announced triumphantly as he settled back into the almost-too-small-stroller, "We're off for another adventure, Grandma! I'm ready to SEE THE WORLD!"

This time we checked out some of the vendor booths (it was the weekend of the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival--big doings!) and strolled by the storefronts on Canada Street. We spotted a Mexican restaurant where we decided we'd go for lunch---tacos have NO wheat - whew! After puttering around a bit more, G and I headed back to the hotel to collect Dean for lunch.

We cut it a little close, arriving (after tacos and homemade nacho chips---yummmmy!) at the boat dock just moments before the scheduled departure. There were only a few people on the boat. We parked the stroller out of the way, and I took the two boys out on deck. The captain narrated as we passed by some of the most amazing mansions I'd ever seen---just beautiful! Mike and Laurelyn would be attending the wedding reception later in the afternoon at one of those mansions; I wondered which one. We could spot a sailboat race up the lake off in the distance. Once it got too cold to be out in the open air, we maneuvered our way back into the enclosed dining room area where there was plenty of room for the boys to run back and forth from one side of the boat to the other. Dean has gotten tall enough that he was able to peer out through the bottom of the plexiglass window to spot passing powerboats and a few majestic sailboats. What a great time we had!

We returned to the dock and decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Balloon Festival! More than 90 balloons would take off at 5:30 and we wanted front row seats. The festival was being held at a small airfield in Glens Falls, only about 7 miles from the hotel. We packed up extra clothes and snacks (actually, Laurelyn packed them up before they left for the wedding), and hopped into the car. Off we went! Rather than taking the highway, I decided to follow the signs and head to Glens Falls the "back way." About a mile down the road, Graham had already asked me 2 or 3 times, "When will we be there, Grandma?" I grinned and told him not too much longer. Another half-mile. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" I reassured him that we were getting closer. It was just about 3:30. The traffic started to thicken and no one pulled off to get on the highway. Great minds think alike, I realize. It won't be long now, I call out to Graham.

Dean starts giggling. I check in the rearview mirror. He's giggling about nothing. And then he giggles at his own giggling. Louder and louder. Before long, the little guy is laughing so hysterically that he erupts into hiccups! Graham and I can't help but laugh along. Sure enough, after a few minutes of all-car-giggling, G calls out, "How much longer, Grandma? Are we there yet? How much farther?"

My giggling stops rather abruptly as I look ahead and all I can see as far as a mile or more ahead of us is a single line of cars. Lots of red lights. I grit my teeth. "Well, Graham, there's a lot of traffic. Everyone is going to the balloon festival. We'll be there in a bit!"

The traffic snarl continued for ninety minutes. That's 9 x 10. Ironically, it's the same number of balloons that are scheduled to take off at 5:30. At one point, when three lanes of traffic are attempting to dosey-do into one line, I hear a woman's loud voice. I push the button to roll down G's window so that I can hear her. "Oh! It's not you, lady! You're FINE! It's that idiot in front of me who just cut me off!" She continues screaming on the top of her lungs, at the Marine (he has a decal on the back window of his car) in the car in front of her. She doesn't hold back, and I quickly put G's window back up, and start a 'let's look through the trees for the balloons' distraction. Her voice can still be heard. I turn up the radio a bit. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" Grrrr...

Finally, it's about 5:20 and we round the last turn and approach the gate to the airfield! Hurrah! I point out the flashing blue lights ahead and G cranes his neck to see the policeman directing traffic. He's right ahead of us! Finally! I imagine myself announcing, "We're IN, boys!" and immediately notice the cars approaching from the other direction aren't being directed into the airfield at all. They're rolling straight by us. I roll down my window in time to hear the policeman call out, "It's cancelled! Too much wind! Keep going, please!"

Well, I won't include here what went through my mind at that moment, but it wasn't pretty. Graham asks in a rather subdued voice, "What happened, Grandma?" The pressure is on. How to explain this unexpected change of plans to this little guy. . .Remember: Dean is somewhat oblivious--he's 19 months old!

It's too windy, buddy. They can't put the balloons up because they could catch fire in the wind. We certainly don't want anyone to get hurt, do we?

No, we don't, he answers in a breathy voice. And then looking ahead, at the now-open-road, he asks, Where will we eat dinner? And we'll still get to see the fireworks back at the hotel, right?

I was stunned. What an amazing little man. We brushed ourselves off and headed away from the airfield to scope out restaurants back in the village.

We had dinner at what turned out to be a very popular watering hole. There would be an hour wait unless we were willing to eat in the bar. No problem! (At this point, I would have eaten in the car!) And off we headed to the darkened bar --- the boys tore through a half rack of ribs and a healthy serving from the salad bar. I had a yummy crab cake and a delicious salad.

We arrived back at the hotel at about 7:00, just in time for the opening scenes of "Finding Nemo" --- gotta LOVE the Disney channel. Coincidentally, G had watched the same movie with me back in Maine earlier in the summer. Let's watch the movie, Graham suggests and we all pile onto the queen bed. Within moments, G is mesmerized.





Dean, always the comedian, starts mugging with me. Before long, he's doing gymnastics on the bed and laughing as only he can do!

About an hour into the movie, we heard a huge BOOM! Yup, the fireworks had started. We quickly put on our shoes and ran out to the 300' stretch of lakefront to watch the beautiful display. Another hotel guest quickly grabbed us two chairs (how kind!) and we sat down and gazed upward. Dean stayed on my lap and after a few moments, must have remembered the Bar Harbor fireworks on the 4th of July; he relaxed and enjoyed the fireworks.


After about 15 minutes, there was a wonderful finale and we headed back to try to catch the very end of Finding Nemo.
"Hey, Grandma! The bed is wet!" noticed Graham. "And so is your shirt." Sure enough, in all of the excitement, Dean had sprung a leak --- Bad Grandma! Bad Grandma!

It was time for jammies. Both boys fell asleep within minutes. No fuss, no muss! What a treat! I turned the TV off, nestled in next to them, dozed off, and the next thing I knew it was after 11 PM and Mike and Laurelyn came into the room. They'd had a great time at the wedding and reception.

What a great adventure we had at Lake George Village! Sure hope Mike and Laurelyn have more weddings or other special events to go to---I love to travel and will sign on for ANY amount of "Grandma Time!" And rumor has it that Mike and Laurelyn enjoy occasional non-kid time, too.

Little Men, Limbo, and My Favorite Time of Year

I'm back. H.O.M.E. and here, too. For those of you who actually take the time to read this blog, sorry I've been gone so long. Much has happened. . .

I've been working like mad. Away from home for weeks and weeks. Apparently, the stock market had different ideas than we did when it came to the "when" of retirement. And there's more of that business travel to come. It's all good---except the time away from Al.

Thank goodness for SKYPE -- it's how Al and I can remember what we each looks like while I'm on the road. I won't stay at a hotel that doesn't have wi-fi; most do now. Although I recently learned that the basement rooms (yikes!) at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere don't really get wi-fi. But the hotel redeemed itself when the desk clerk came down to my room an hour after I checked in to tell me that my car's interior lights were on AND that I should probably (!) hide my GPS unless I wanted to find a big hole in my windshield in the morning. Nice hospitable touch, eh?

However, I was VERY clever and arranged a WEEK-LONG visit with our son, Mike, daughter-in-law, Laurelyn, and the two little tykes in my life, Graham (nearly 4!) and Dean (18 months) right after an extended work schedule. After several weeks of hotel living and driving, driving, driving, more hotel living and more driving...not to mention all those dinner meals by myself, a week in Corning was JUST what I needed! More about that in a bit . . .

So, it's my favorite time of year --- I absolutely CRAVE the cool, crisp air of fall --- yeah, I know it isn't technically fall yet, but tell that to the rusting grasses in the Bass Harbor Marsh and to the early red-orange maples that dare to turn early. The crickets have been chirping for a couple of weeks now --- that sound always takes me back to the early September that we moved to Merrimack (from Connecticut) -- we camped in the living room in sleeping bags and there was one single house-warming cricket who sang to us all night.

At the same time that I revel in fall, we're in a state of limbo here --- kinda. Our GP started the wheels rolling three weeks ago now for a second opinion consult at Dana Farber. There were just too many unanswered questions after so many tests and several findings of concern. In the meantime, we've moved on with our busy fall schedule (work, work, and more work!) but are eager to get that phone call from Boston with an appointment or maybe just a second opinion after they've reviewed all of my test results from here. It'll be great to have the real experts weigh in.

I've just realized, however, that I didn't really think much about my health at all while in Corning with Graham and Dean, Inc. No time to worry; we were having WAY too much fun!

Dean has become quite a little comedian --- he's a riot! He knows when he's being a rascal---complete with the twinkle in his eye and the wide-open smile...and OH, those dimples! He rides a variety of wheeled toys now---and the worn toes of his shoes are proof enough. His little feet go a million miles an hour--a 21st Century Fred Flintstone on a country driveway in New York.

This was the visit where all-things-books really *clicked* for Dean --- Grandma is a reading machine! He brought me book after book and crawled up into my lap even if Graham got to me first. Dean loves to point to each thing on the page --- "Where's the truck, Dean?" *points to truck* --- "Where's the horse, Dean?" *points to horse and makes a SUPER horse noise!* "Where's the cow, Dean?" *points to cow and makes a SUPER horse noise* "Where's the goose?" *points to goose and makes a SUPER horse noise* --- OK, you get the idea. By the end of the week though, he was pretty good with the "Mooooooooooo!" (for the cow).

Dean continues to nod enthusiastically (to indicate yes) and shake his head emphatically (usually accompanied by waving of hands) to indicate no! His favorite word is Mama! And if you don't respond he'll just say it louder---MAMA! and louder still MAMA until someone responds. With that one all-purpose word, he can express just about anything including:
1. Where IS Mama and why in the world are YOU here?
2. Where IS Mama and when will she be back?
3. Look at this!
4. I want something to eat!
5. Look at this and where IS Mama?
6. I want something to eat and where IS Mama?
After a week, I could nearly translate each utterance accurately. But my real (and favorite) accomplishment was successfully rocking Dean to sleep twice. It was simply blissful!


Big Brother Graham is now a pre-schooler. He couldn't have been more excited on Wednesday morning, all duded up for his first day of school. I mean really...have you ever SEEN such a big smile on a 3-year old? And he couldn't get to Mom's car quick enough when it was time to go to school. True to form, we played 20-questions when he got home; he only answered a couple: he played with trucks and the blocks were all different colors.

Graham and I played a couple games of Candyland during the week. But my favorite was teaching him to play Go Fish! He has the same version of it (fish-shaped cards, colors only, no suits) that his papa had as a kid. He didn't quite get the hang of don't-show-your-opponent-your-cards, but surely loved saying "Go Fish, Grandma!" every time he didn't have what I asked for. It was precious.

One of G's favorite activities is to "ride bikes" in the newly-paved driveway. He has quite a fleet -- a two-wheeler with training wheels (his favorite -- it's fast!), a John Deere tractor (he loves to collect the grass that Mama's cut with the big riding mower), a couple of nearly-retired tricycles, and a scooter.

G continues his fascination with books, books, books much to my delight. He won't go anywhere in the car without a big fat pile of books on his lap. He diligently "reads" page by page and now subvocalizes as he examines each and every page. He won't read aloud in the car but now loves making connections to other books and real-life experiences when being read to. And predictions come readily now too---such fun!

Oh, there's so much more to tell --- Play-Doh, open-air train ride, Animaland (yikes!), the swingset, our campfire, etc., etc., but suffice it to say, for now, these little men light up my life!

The Power of Prayer

Yesterday we got the best news that we could have from the hematologist-oncologist. "Your bone marrow is absolutely normal. No sign of lymphoma." We heaved a huge sigh of relief and I teetered on the edge of my chair.

It's been nearly three months of tests. Results. Tests. More results. And yet more tests. And feeling pretty darned good all the while. I was a puzzle, a dog (!), a zebra. And yesterday, I was a trail----the doc said, "We've looked under every rock. Nothing's there." I couldn't help but think of the Gorham Trail which Al and I hiked Sunday after church. It is a rocky but lovely path with fantastic views all the way.


I'll vote for that metaphor. I'm a trail, a beautiful trail in Acadia National Park. Along the trails there are cairns, rock formations that direct you along the way. The cairns during this 'wild hike' in the medical world were the prayers of many. They were always there, and sometimes there were many, many prayers coming quickly. Those prayers continue to be reliable and sustain us through even the rockiest path.

On the trail, there is also an occasional 'turn-off' that ends up being nothing but a dead end. This brief interruption can even appear to be a lightly-worn footpath. It can fool you for a minute until you spy the next bright blue blaze straight ahead. The 'turn-offs' and 'dead ends' for me were when I let doubts enter my thinking. The occasional "Oh, I know someone who had lymphoma...and he died," would stun me in my tracks but only momentarily. I'd take in a huge cleansing breath and forge ahead, always following those bright blue blazes.



As you hike, it's a requirement that you stop and take in the majestic views --- the blue ocean peeking through the tall pines. And after you climb a bit farther, maybe even with the help of iron rungs drilled into the rock slabs, the whole sky opens up and you can see oceans, islands, and white triangles gliding effortlessly through the water. Those views, the positive results of my medical tests, are always breath-taking and beautiful.



So, now we continue to monitor. The sarcoidosis seems so easy after all of this scary stuff. When we hike, we always carry a trail map, no matter how many times we've done the same hike. Monitoring my health is kind of like that --- the pulmonologist and our GP will continue to hike with us. We'll be sure to look for those cairns, to avoid those 'dead-ends', and always, always, stop to breathe in the glorious views along the way.

Balance and Trust

We are thoroughly enjoying our visit with Mike, Laurelyn, Graham, and Dean! They arrived late last evening. Overnight we had the most powerful thunderstorm ever --- the thunder rumbled for at least a solid hour and the lightning was pretty much non-stop. A few loud cracks hit nearby the house and I was quite sure we'd have a tree down come morning, but we lucked out.


After sleeping in quite late (such a luxury!), we had breakfast and then Graham and I took a jaunt into SW Harbor to do some errands. We stopped at the farmers' market and picked out some dee-licious strawberries and two small wooden lobster boats, one for G and one for Dean. We also strolled to the SWH Library (a real treasure) and G checked out about 10 books, many about dinosaurs.


We had a light lunch when we returned home (must leave room for lobster dinner...must leave room for lobster dinner) and after a bit, Al, Mike and G headed to the lighthouse for some photos and rock-climbing.

While they were gone, Dean and I had fun playing the piano and playing with Al's giant yellow exercise ball. Dean invented a new game where he took my hands and pulled himself up onto the ball. I'd help him move into a seated position where he'd balance himself while I'd bounce him on the ball. Then, with an amazing sense of trust, he'd throw himself back against the ball, knowing that I'd hang onto his feet. With a little coaching from Grandma, "Put your hands down, Dean! Hands down!" he'd reach over his head until all ten fingertips touched the carpet. Then I'd gently ease him down to the floor. He couldn't scramble back onto the top of the ball quickly enough for another go-round.

Toddlers can have an amazing sense of trust. And this toddler also seems to know something about balance. Trust and balance. Balance and trust. A winning combination. We can probably all learn something from the little prince.

Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Yeah, it's still cloudy and raining outside. But there is SUNSHINE on my shoulders!

The hematologist-oncologist called yesterday and said, "Preliminarily, your blood is TOTALLY NORMAL!"

I've NEVER been 'accused' of being totally normal before! We'll get the final results of the bloodwork in the next week or two. I am realizing that I'm basically a pretty patient person. And it's a good thing, too.

The prayers, concern, and love sent to us in so many, many ways have been simply overwhelming. It's a very humbling experience to be the recipient of so much love and the beneficiary or so many prayers. God is good! It leaves me speechless. . .

So, in the coming two weeks, I've got lots of wonderful things planned! I'm visiting with two of my sisters in CT and with my in-laws, too. I'm so excited to see them all. Then a visit from our dear son, Mike, his darling wife, Laurelyn, and our two adorable grandsons--Graham and Dean! We'll be gorging on lobster (and picture books!) for sure.

And lots and lots of work for the coming months -- and I'm delighted. I have such fun working, it sometimes feels strange to get paid for it.




Now if we could just see some real sunshine...we've got sandcastles to build and seaglass to find. Come on, sun!

Apparently, I'm making them think

We are counting down the hours (quite literally) until we see the hematologist/oncologist tomorrow morning. We are hopeful that we'll have more answers and more direction after tomorrow's appointments--yup, we have three separate appointments tomorrow at Eastern Maine Medical Center, but the H/O is the one we're really pinning our hopes on.

In a phone call with the pulmonologist last week, I thanked him for all of the ways he's trying to solve my medical mystery. He replied, "Oh, no! Your case is fascinating! It's REALLY making us think! Thank YOU!"

Wow. I'm a one-woman science-field day. I'm desperately hoping for a BLUE RIBBON!

Last Night I Forgot How to . . .

say the Lord's Prayer. No--I don't mean I forgot TO pray; I remembered that. I FORGOT SOME OF THE WORDS. It took my breath away.

Granted--it was nearly 2 AM after a full day of bus and plane rides to get to Corning. As I tried to fall asleep, I began to pray the Lord's Prayer very slowly and thoughtfully. The weird thing was that the farther along I got, I couldn't for the life of my remember the last part. And it wasn't even like I was drifting off to sleep---I lay there for nearly 45 minutes trying to fall asleep. That's unheard of for me.

It's sure a very good thing that so many family members and dear friends are praying for us during this wait-and-see time. But I know God is a forgiving God, and certainly doesn't keep score of whether or not I'm being forgetful.

The Big C -- The Journey Ahead of Us

Ever had a long trip to go on, but find yourself without a map?

We used to use the trusty old AAA Triptik -- and boy, I loved flipping those pages as we made progress and followed the route highlighted for us in AAA pink.

Then, a few years ago, we got our first GPS. It looks rather archaic now -- I mean it doesn't talk to us (like our newer one does). It basically just showed us where we were. Just like a GPS is supposed to do.

When we got our "super-duper" GPS (it has 10 foreign accents), we learned that we could type in an address and it would direct us there, sometimes chirping at us annoyingly. We can even tell it that we want to make NO left turns (guess that's for Jersey!), that we prefer toll roads, and it will remember the last ten places we've been so that we can click on "Recent Destinations."

Most recently, we got a hand-held GPS for geocaching. It doesn't talk to us aloud but it certainly tells us how close we're getting to a pre-set destination. It's kinda like that old childhood game, "Hot/Cold" when we'd chant to each other, "You're getting warmer! You're getting warmer! You're on FIRE!" as we approached the target.

So, we now have a destination: my good health. That's our destination. So far, no Triptik or GPS - of any kind. But we have lots of travel agents (the doctors), and more importantly, many, many sherpas (you!) who are spiritual guides helping us to carry this heavy load. The road is certain to be a bit rocky at times, and smoother at others. There will be long, grueling uphill climbs, and the refreshing flat sections. And all the way, God will be with us and you'll be there with us, too. Thank you so much for accompanying us on the difficult journey. I know we can do it with your support!

Let's go!

Afraid of Home?

It's been way too long since I've posted here in my blog, but so much has happened in the last few weeks.

Medically, we're still waiting on the results of my blood work. The waiting is not fun. But if I'm busy, I don't think about it. Can't perseverate on your health if you're looking into the faces of 18 fifth-graders or nine adorable kindergartners, and running from one classroom to the next for the whole day x 6!

So, the drive home from New Hampshire to Maine was excruciating. As I got closer to home, I could feel my anxiety level rising. I felt like I was driving slower and slower as I progressed. And I had several errands to do. It was tempting to just keep on driving. Nova Scotia, anyone?

Coming home means that I can't hide in/at work like I've been able to do in the last couple of weeks. Granted, I do have lots of work to do over the next couple of days, but there's just something about not being able to hide in your own home. And, of course, every time the phone rings, I wonder if it's the call with my results.

Can you be afraid of your own house?

Wind Songs

It's still early spring here in Maine. E.A.R.L.Y. See?
Yup, that's all we've got so far.



On Sunday, we went for a hike after church. We packed PB & J sammies and carrot sticks, and two water bottles. The basics. Well, maybe not THE basics (according to any hiking guide I've ever read), but OUR basics for that day.




We've hiked Beech Mountain fairly often; it's a loop hike and only 1.1 miles long. The views along the way are always . . .well, let me say they never cease to bring a huge smile to my face. There's just something about see that blue, blue water emerge in the distance, between the tall pines. And it was a gloriously sunny day.








Everywhere I looked I saw sunshine. See?







As we climbed to the top, we also spotted nearly a dozen contrails all blazing across the sky at the same time. We concluded it must an air traffic lane for planes coming across the pond from Europe. Pretty cool. . .






We made it to the top and didn't meet a soul along the way. It was a serenely quiet day in this part of the park --- one of the benefits of the "Quiet Side" of Mt. Desert Island, especially so early in the season.













One of the nicest things about the Beech Mountain hike is that the spectacular views continue as we descend back down the back of the mountain. Here we go.










Oh! Oh! It's our pond...Long Pond...where we'll kayak again soon. From up here, we can see the velvety currents as the wind whooshes by.








No need to talk. We can hear our footsteps on the dusty trail. A solitary seagull.

But my favorite sound...the quiet, nearly silent breezes through the birch and pine sanctuary.
Cools my face. Refreshes me. Communion.

Why We Live Here . . .

A friend recently posted on Facebook about how wonderful it was to go walk on the beach. Unfortunately, it took her an hour to drive there.

We are blessed. Within 3 or 4 minutes, here's what we can see. . .







and this . . .

















and this . . .







And how about these views?








And when we hike, even in the early spring, if we're really lucky we can catch this . .



Aren't they lovely?











And look at how well the hiking trails are maintained. . .












We love to hike these trails . . .














The trails are so inviting . . .














That's why we live here. We love it. And then there's the kayaking, but that'll be for another time. Maybe you can come for a visit?

Visiting with a Dear Old Friend

It's no secret. I love to read.

As a child, I read to escape. Hungrily turning the pages of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, I'd imagine myself on the prairie high-stepping in deep drifts of blowing snow or struggling to guide the plow before my over-sized oxen team.

I recently saw the movie, Definitely, Maybe. One of the characters collected editions of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and sure enough, in one scene she held up the same edition of Jane Eyre that I remember reading during eighth grade biology class. I hid it inside my biology binder until the teacher approached from across the room; I perfected the "slide-and-cover" maneuver and was never found out.

Some time ago, wanting to reacquaint myself with Jane, I purchased a newer, affordable paperback edition; I'm not sure I still have the older edition. Apparently, Barnes & Noble and Border's think that they have to "sell" the classics on the cheap so that people will read them. About a week ago, I cracked open the new book for my bedtime reading. I inhaled deeply and dove right in.

What a delightful read! Bronte's language is exquisite and I can appreciate it all over again even so many years later. I find myself trying to balance a voracious reading speed with the need to luxuriate in Bronte's beautiful writing. Jane came along with me on a business trip this past week; I read during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No need to hide this book. What a delicious treat!

Crocuses, Daffodils, and Tulips, Oh, my!

One of the great advantages of traveling to the Pacific Northwest in mid-March is that we can enjoy TWO springs! When we left Maine to go visit Beth and Jon several weeks ago, we still had 4-foot piles of snow in our yard---not a snowdrop in sight. However, when we arrived in Vancouver, B.C., we were greeted by bright spring flowers and blooming trees all over the city.

Spending ten days with Beth and Jon was absolutely spectacular! We stayed at a B & B just across the street. We ate in (I asked Beth for a couple of cooking lessons - what a fabulous cook she is!), ate out (had some great sushi and several other wonderful meals), went dogsledding, attended church and heard Beth sing (we're so proud!), knit, knit, knit, geeked, geeked, geeked, went geo-caching, laughed, walked, walked, walked (I LOVE the city for that!), went to the Omni-Max theater for a double-feature, played "The Settlers of Catan" twice (and LOVED it!), watched Canucks hockey on HDTV, took hundreds of photographs all over the city, went to the opera, visited a couple of yarn shops, and best of all....just sat and visited together. It was simply a splendid time --- it had been way, way too long since we'd visited. We learned so much about living in the city and all it has to offer. Thanks so much, Beth and Jon, for sharing so much special time with us!

We left B.C. on a Monday and took a bus to Seattle where we picked up a rental car for the second half of our journey. We drove to Tacoma, and on our way to the Olympic Peninsula, decided to get a handheld GPS so that we could join the rest of our family in the world of Geocaching. And so we did! It's official -- we're geocachers.

For those of you who aren't familiar with geocaching, it's basically a geeky version of hide and seek --- all around the world! You download geographic coordinates (and clues, if you wish) and try to find the hidden cache -- you log your finds and of course, the element of competition is always an option. There are nearly three-quarters of a million of caches hidden all over the world. It's a great way to add a bit of fun to your travel--check it out.

Well, still no buds of anything here, although I did spot a few crocuses last week in Ellsworth. It can't be long now. Come on, Spring! We need you!

More pictures from our trip coming soon...I promise.

Chariots of Frolic

We did it! We went dog-sledding. In Whistler, British Columbia. And it was amazing!

It was a snowy day on Saturday --- monstrous-sized flakes, wet and heavy. The kind of snow that can build up very quickly. About 14 of us piled into the "Outdoor Adventures" van in Whistler and headed out of town. Our young driver maneuvered the 15-passenger van up a deeply-rutted logging road, taking us deeper and deeper into the thick woods.

As we arrived, 7 teams of dogs stood lazily along a long wooden railing. Each dog was chained to the railing. Some of them took notice of us, while others snoozed undisturbed. Wow, they're smaller than I expected. The guide explained that these dogs were bred for strength not speed. We'd be using a team of four dogs, two for intelligence (up front) and the back two for power. The dogs in the yard were part of a kennel of 300+ dogs. "They're professional athletes," our guide commented, "and we treat them as such. We know each of them by name, and we build relationships with the dogs."

After a review of the sled (always gain access and get out of the left side), we learned the importance of braking with both the foot brake and the anchor. "Be sure to hold on tight as you released the anchor brake. And try to lift it back onto the sled quietly--the dogs know the sound and will be eager to just take off!" He also told us to be ready to serve as the "fifth dog" if we were the musher. If the sled is going uphill (and the falling snow was quite sticky), don't be surprised if the lead dogs look back as if to say, "Hey! Are you gonna help us or what?" That would be the signal for us to jog (off the sled, between the runners) to not only take some weight off the sled, but also to help to propel us all forward.

Aided by several other guides, Mark invited each of us to go to meet our team. Al and I wouldn't have a guide on our sled (which we were really excited about!).

Our power dogs were Four-Square and Tuba. None of the dogs is neutered so in addition to just being excited about running the sleds, the dogs were quite also interested in each other. In fact, on our team, Tuba (the dark dog) was about to come into heat and wanted Four-Square to know it! She kept enticing Four-Square who was just going crazy. See??



Fox (a beautiful orange and black dog) and Wiggles who seemed rather mellow, were our lead dogs. . Lots of physical contact with our team would help them to work for us. Eye contact! Eye contact!, our guide encouraged.








Wiggles was so relaxed it was hard to make eye contact.



I settled into the sled after we decided that Al would mush first. The snow was really coming down hard; we knew it would be a beautiful journey. One of the guides helped to attach our dogs to the leadline -- Fox and Wiggles up front, and Tuba and Four-Square at the rear. While each additional team was hooked up to its sled, the cacaphony of howling and yipping got louder and louder. Everyone was excited, mushers, passengers, and teams alike!


We were the third sled in the caravan and Hike on! Off we went, gliding up the hill and onto the trail.




It was beautiful and serene in the woods. We followed a trail along the river. The trees were heavily sugared with snow -- it was breath-taking. As I'd been warned, my view of the dogs didn't change much -- ha, ha! Since Al was standing on the back of the sled, he could see the river. I knew that I'd get my chance on the return trip when I would mush. Members of our team stopped from time to time to pee or poop -- but they always jumped right back into line and took off without much hesitation.






Beth and Jon were a couple of sleds behind us, and we did pass them just after the turn-around loop. Here they come! Beth was mushing -- Jon was lovin' the ride.

All of the sleds stopped just past the turning loop so that we could change mushers. Al set both brakes as I not-so-gracefully spilled myself out of the sled, and placed my feet onto both brakes to relieve Al. He scrambled into the sled, velcroed it shut, and off we went! What a thrill! As I placed one foot out to "skate," it slipped on the snow-now-ice and I wondered whether I'd be much help to the team. A bit farther down the trail, where we began a long, low incline, I jogged (successfully) between the runners and the dogs sensed my help. I'm sure I had a smile on my face the whole time which Al tried to capture with his camera.

When we returned to the base, each pair of dogs was given a big bowl of warm water and chicken broth. We gave a biscuit to each dog which they gobbled voraciously. Two more rounds of guests would go out this afternoon, and a second set of teams would do those two runs. These dogs are smart; they knew their workday was done. We thanked them with lots of hugs and pats. Dog tails wagged enthusiastically as each team was moved from their sled leadline to the railing. We thanked them for their hard work!





We visited briefly with a few the young pups who would be part of next year's teams. They're purposely kenneled near all the action a few times during the week so that they see what's in store for them. Sometimes they seemed to care and imagine their future.





At other times, a nap was just too delicious to think much about anything.




Our only regret was that our time on the sled was so short -- we traveled a total of 7 km. Wish it could have been longer --- thanks, Fox, Wiggles, Four-Square, and Tuba! We'll definitely have to look for some dog-sledding opportunities back in Maine. What a thrill!