The View this Fall

This fall, my creative time is pretty much reduced to taking pictures on my android photo and editing them in Instagram (@wandercraft). It provides about 5 minutes of creative time a day, which is better than nothing. Right now, I'm appreciate it both for the limited editing choices and for a chance to think a bit more about composition in my photos. I also like saving up little snippets of life, that I plan to get printed up into a book at the end of the year. It's become a way to feel like I'm scrapbooking, without the clutter or the time commitment.

Most importantly, it gives me a chance to stop a little here and there to take note, whether I'm out seeing something new or close to home seeing the things I see every day, but just a little bit differently.

The canned food rainbow display is by Detroit artist and activist Kate Draughdrill, exhibited at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (not be to confused with the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit).

Yesterday I had a morning out with my dad, thanks to Heavner Canoe and Kayak rental.

Despite the chilly and drizzly weather this fall, it's been nice to slow down here and there and enjoy some time at home, which you could read more about in this awesome book a neighbor of mine designed and edited (if you're so inclined).

Winter Walk

I've been missing winter. I was telling a Southerner last week that it didn't feel right to me as a Northerner to go through winter without experiencing a proper, bone chilling deep freeze. Then I told him about the winter when they shut down the university for a couple weeks and the roads were like snow tunnels, and the winter when a dog in Matt's town ran over the frozen Straits of Mackinac and was found on the Island. 

Blizzards of years past raced through my mind and I remembered them with fondness.

I didn't even tell him about the annual Kalamazoo or Boston blizzards when we stocked up on supplies and didn't leave the house for days (gladly), or the winter overnight hiking trip I took up to Carter Notch in New Hampshire and helped carry buckets of water from the frozen lake up to the cabin for dinner, or the winter trip we took to Quebec City and saw snow piled so high we couldn't see 2-story houses as we drove by. That was the trip where we drove out to visit some sled dogs, and then through a turn of events, we adopted this girl a few months later.

This weekend, we all drove North. Matt went to play in a hockey tournament on a frozen lake. The weather hasn't been cold enough for the Straits to freeze over this year, which is where they have held the event in years past. I took the dog and retreated for a couple days to wrap my head around a heap of dissertation data I need to present on and write about soon.

Saturday we woke up to 5 fresh inches. The dog spent as much time as possible wriggling in snow piles and we took long walks on the frozen lake. We shared the lake with ice fishermen, snowmobiles, and pickup trucks. I think we were the only ladies around. Out on that lake, I thought about everyone I know who is escaping to palm trees right now or wanting to escape. I get it. That January week we spent in Puerto Rico several years ago is a fond memory too. I thought about how harsh winter can be and even lonely, but on quiet weekends when the snow and ice is sparkling, the muted landscape and cold air slows me just enough that I take a deep breath and realize I am still very much alive.

We call her...

Kaia
Puppers
Pupper Pup
Kaia Girl
Muffin
Kaia Muffin
Muffin Girl
Miss K
Miss Kaia
Muchacha
Huntress
Monster
Beast
Beastie

Matt and I often joke about how funny it is to us that we keep this beast in our house and take her for walks around the neighborhood on a string. Like we're keeping a wild animal captive and promonading her for our own pleasure.

She surely would run away if we let her off the leash, as huskies are known to do and as she did before we learned better. In her early years we tempted fate a few times, hopeful that we could somehow train her to come back to us despite her genetics. She'd take off on wild chases through the brambles and we'd have to trampse through the woods hoping she'd come back to us after she ran her heart out.

When she was still quite young, I spent a month working with her on coming back when called. She made good progress so when I took her for a hike in the woods, I let her off leash and gave her treats for staying by my side. She complied for about five minutes, then realized she could go ahead without me, full speed down the trail. I stood on a hill in the darkening woods and watched black flashes of fur run circles around me in the distance until I couldn't see or hear her anymore. I called Matt and asked him to drive down to look for her with me. I imagined hanging lost puppy posters around town and admonished myself for being such a bad dog owner. After about 45 minutes, she wandered slowly back to me, totally spent, and we went home.

After that, we settled for dog parks. One was very large and surrounded by water on three sides. After a disappearing act there, I found her curled up in the salt marsh. Another time Matt caught her by the tail after she and he jumped two fences. On her last adventure, she chased rabbits for an hour and a half on a lovely spring morning while we chased her. After that, we finally gave in to the leash. There are days when she's tracking the scent of a rabbit and I wish I could let her go for a chase. She would be so happy. But, we like our beast and intend to keep her.

With some dogs, they stick to you like glue. This one has a wild heart. And for that, I'm thankful.

Warriors of Winter

Would you hate me if I said I didn't want winter to go? That I want more of it. That I love sunlit reflections on ice. Paws and fur on snow. Sparkles under my feet. I want more time for skiing in forests. More time for skating on ponds.

After the week of the big snowfall, I wanted more of this magic. Friday afternoon, in a rather spur of the moment decision that I too often do not get to make as an adult, I headed north. I've made this trip many times before, traveling dark roads on a Friday night to spend the weekend with someone who knows me to the core. Years ago I drove this direction many times to see the young guy who would become my husband. A five hour drive was easy when I had someone worthwhile waiting for me on the other end of the trip.  Haven't made the drive by myself in much longer than I can remember. Ten years? Fifteen years? It felt like a homecoming keep my own company while making this journey. In the winter, a stillness overcomes me as I drive north. It's a meditation.

I listened to Joni Mitchell on the way, and my ear tuned in while she sang:

Now the warriors of winter they give a cold triumphant shout

And all that stays is dying, all that lives is getting out

See the geese in chevron flight

Flappin' and a-racin' on before the snow

They got the urge for going and they've got the wings so they can go

Most creatures try to escape this cold season, but with every passing year, I look forward to it more and don't want it to end. 

The draw north this weekend was time with an old friend, a lot more paws on the snow, and a warm fire in the lodge afterward.

Late that Friday night, I met her at a little spot on a black river where one summer I flipped out of a canoe and for a moment thought I might not make it back to the surface. She was a teenager with super human strength and pulled me out of that river. I remember the moment vividly when the canoe lifted off the surface of the water, and she was standing there to save me, arms lifted high with a canoe over her head. 

Today she still has super human strength. Fearless, with the determination to do what most people do not consider doing. No sled for her. She set her feet into skis and strapped her waist to a couple of long legged dogs barely out of puppyhood who wanted nothing more than to run fast into the woods. Those two dogs and the power of her own will and strength pulled her forward. 

A few miles later, and a minute ahead of the competition, these three crossed the finish line.

They ran the course Saturday and Sunday mornings, and placed first both times. It was their first competitive run. It's exhilarating, this snow and fur and strength of will.

The weekend drew to a close so I headed south. I stopped on the way to strap some skis on my own feet and propel myself through the woods for a bit. The snow was falling between the pines. As I stopped a few times to catch my breath, I took in the wonder of it all. 

I made it back home to my husband and my dog before sunset. We immediately went to the park to tromp and pull through the snow once more.

Cozy

Just a quick and cozy little share. Matt captured this photo last week. Like many dogs, she thinks she's people.

This week she had two firsts. Her first time successfully jumping up in a tree! She's tried but never succeeded. Now she's done it three times. Her athletic abilities are amazing, and at times also hard to live with, especially when squirrels run up to the windows and she body checks herself against the glass to try to get them. We're trying some training techniques for this new and unwelcome behavior.

Her other first was her first time urban mushing on the Dequindre Cut in Detroit this afternoon. This is a sport we got into while living in Boston, thanks to the very well organized Boston Snow Dogs group. Kaia is massively squirrel obsessed, lately more than ever, so after a few rounds of window slamming we helped her reroute that energy into a very successful run. Her best pulling ever. Then we came home and watched a TV special about the Iditarod and noticed how very much she looks and acts like an Alaskan Husky. Oh, to live with a dog who could run across the Yukon! She's calming down a bit these days as she approaches 3 years of age, but still, there's no stopping that snow dog energy.

The cooler weather helps us all. Nice crisp walks to search for squirrels and then trips home to cozy up in quilts. It's a great season. I love fall!

Walk Right on By

I was walking this beautiful girl today and stumbled upon a life lesson she's teaching me. A life lesson I don't want to forget.

If you're approaching something scary, it helps to focus on something else you love or want (in her case treats or squirrels). If you do, you'll be able to walk right on by without being scared. Or maybe I should say without freaking out.

We've been approaching a major fork in the road of our life for what feels like an eternity - about three months. The fork involves job changes and where-to-live and all the stuff that's too often not pleasant to navigate. It's been a bumpy ride.

This turning point has been on the horizon for awhile, but this weekend, we're right up to that point where it's either left or right. Honestly, at this moment, it's completely out of my hands. That's scary. A weekend of waiting on fate. So for the weekend, I just need to focus on other things I love.

I'll be taking a lot of walks with our beautiful mutt this weekend. Hope you find yourself spending time on what you love this weekend too.

January Retreat

I guess over-documentation in December proceeded under-documentation in January. But that's okay. These things go in cycles. I've been turning inward this month.

This year kicked off with three glorious, if at times overwhelming, weeks at home in between semesters. Opportunities to just be and let time unfold to its own rhythm are rare, so I took full advantage of the space in my schedule.

My daily grind consisted of slowly trudging away at my monster dissertation proposal, but I also spent a lot of time just living.

First of all, I slept in. I also experimented with green smoothies, thanks to my mom's budding interest in them. So far...

• Mango + banana + baby spinach + apple juice = YUM.
• Frozen blueberries + banana + romaine + apple juice = bitter but drinkable.
• Cucumber + pear + green apple + lime + water = poured down the drain.
• Strawberry + banana + dinosaur kale + water + a little agave syrup = pretty good

I also drank my fair share of Mountain Dew. Completely gave in to the graphic design.

I wore yoga pants all day even to the grocery store, ran twice on snowy trails through the woods with Kaia, took innumerable dog walks in the cold, and got her reacquainted with husky friends and activities.

I started reorganizing my craft space, and through the mess, managed to make a page I thought out months ago. I've been thinking more about what stories need documenting.

[Text: Eighth grade dinner at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor. Maybe the biggest event of our lives up to that point. It was the year black was our uniform. I work black to my 8th grade confirmation at church (wait no, I wanted to but my dad took me shopping for a more appropriate outfit!), to the mother-daughter banquet at my grandma's church on Mother's Day, and to this event with you. We were rebellious with our clothes but that's about it! Today at 31 the little black dress is chic but then - watch out! We were partners in crime!]

I thought about starting a blog that just consisted of my gaffs. Like opening the fridge in the morning and finding a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the door.

I've also slowly read the latest Barbara Kingsolver book slowly before bed and then thought a lot about Mexico and Frida's Blue House. I took long baths, made fast and easy shrimp curry for the first time, caught up on laundry then fell behind again, started a giveaway clothes bag, and watched too much TV one Saturday while Matt was out of town.

I also wrote in my new 5-Year Diary almost every night. Writing a few lines every night is the best habit I started in the New Year.It might explain my absence in this space, as I have found a new outlet for my need to document daily details.

In January, some of my mental space was focused on world events, people's suffering, disappointing elections, and bad news about an old friend's marriage (don't worry - no one you know). Not to mention the petty worries of our small but urgent lives. A lot of thinking here about where this year is going to take us regarding work and family.

During this wonderful and complicated month, I spent the beginning of 2010 exploring a few new ways to grab a little enjoyment and peace, while mired in thick of it.

January was like a retreat of my own creation. I'm hoping that starting out the year this way will result in a slower, more meditative approach to this year. I want to keep moving forward in new ways, but not as frenetically as last year.

I will be around here more in February though. I have a backlog of things to share with you. Plus, I'm going to Florida later this week to meet some people who will likely help me with my dissertation, and I guarantee that the ocean will inspire me to take some photos to share with you.

Until then...

December '09: 17-18 of 31

17 of 31


Yesterday, midday we went over to walk around the pond, even though the temperature dropped quite seriously over night. It was quiet and we checked out the newly frozen water formations as we made our loop. My bum was frozen too by the time we made it back to the car.

Kaia made it clear when we got home that she would have preferred to stay out exploring in the cold all day. She's as happy as an ice princess out there.

18 of 31

Source: DwellDeep on Etsy

When Matt and I started dating, he taught me one of the rules of Christmas. Don't buy yourself anything in December because you never know what you're going to get.

I try. Every year. Usually I fail. The sales are too good. The temptations are too deep.

Today I made a little impulse purchase that I know I won't regret. This print is going right over my mess of a craft space. It is a message I need to hear again and again.

Last night I attended the Last Minute Shopping Party and realized how true this sentiment is for me. When I dropped off my crafts to sell Wednesday night, I felt a little disappointed that I didn't finish everything I wanted to finish. And then Thursday night, seeing everything everyone brought to sell, I realized I had made plenty! I wish I'd brought my camera to take a photo of the stuff I'd worked so hard on displayed so nicely in the shop, but unfortunately the freezing walk earlier in the day drained my battery.

Seeing my crafts on that table reminded me of an earlier phase when I used to make pottery. I stayed at a retreat center for a fall and stayed up many nights at the potter's wheel. We had an art show at the end of the term. Most people had 3-5 pieces to show. I had a full, long table all to myself. At least 20 pots, bowls, plates, and vases were displayed. Plus a scrapbook of my journey there.

It's so true. Sometimes I get carried away, usually in good ways. But it's good to be aware.

Matt's out playing drums at a gig in the back room of an Indian restaurant. I'm a bit disappointed to miss it, but I didn't feel 100% tonight so I stayed in. Now it's time to gather some popcorn, hot chocolate, knitting, and this movie to watch on my laptop in bed. We're due for a blizzard tomorrow so we may be staying in most of the weekend!

Have a great last weekend before Christmas everyone!

Dec 09: 2 of 31

Kaia is finding fewer and fewer squirrels on our daily dog walks. In September, I had to duck and cover when we'd pass under an oak tree. When the acorn supply was plentiful, the squirrels tossed little dodge balls on our heads as they hurried to fatten up.

The hiding away of now plump squirrels should signal that the deep freeze is just around the corner, although tomorrow they are saying it's supposed to be in the 60's. I can't decide if I'm glad or not.

One weekend in September

Matt turned 30 on Tuesday with little fanfare, except from family who called all night with well wishes and birthday songs. He didn't want a party, but I couldn't let such a milestone pass without a little celebration so I hastily organized a 30th birthday night out for him at a beer garden with a group of our neighbors. It's a testament to him that I sent out the invite the day before (even forgetting to say it was planned for Friday, not Thursday) and still 10 neighbors came out ready to have a good time in his honor.

We sat outside on the patio, in the almost too chilly weather and threw back a couple new and unusual brews. In my eagerness to jump headfirst into fall, I ordered a pumpkinhead ale and remembered, again, that I don't much care for fruit or gourd flavored beers.

Since we're both past 30 now, we made sure to get home by midnight so we could get to bed.



Saturday we did not do much of anything, except for a little grocery shopping and napping, and it was perfect.

Sunday, after our day of laziness, I was gung ho to get us going for an early day hike, but then I slept in. Seeing as a lazy weekend was already in full swing and we both still wanted to rest our old bones, we didn't leave until noon.

In my head, I want to hike a mountain a weekend this fall. We'll see if my body can keep up.

This weekend, because it was only about an hour away and was a relative peanut of a mountain at 2006 ft high, we hiked up Mt. Wachusett, for the first time. We hiked during the hottest part of the day and we struggled (as in, I struggled) more than we should have up that rocky hill because we were dressed for fall. Up here in the north, it's inching slowly towards freezing in the evenings but still occasionally summertime warm during the afternoon. Even the dog was panting up a storm.



We hiked up to the summit via a somewhat longer route that avoided the crowds. When we arrived at the sprawling summit, we were a bit overwhelmed by the circus atmosphere. There were probably 67 adults, 59 kids, 32 dogs, and 28 cars up there. One woman was in a fancy red top, white jeans, and stilettos.

I know this is common sense to hikers but sometimes I forget. It's probably best to avoid a mountain that others can drive to the top of on a weekend afternoon when the weather is warm and the skies are perfectly clear. After October 31st, the mountain road closes and if I ever make this journey again, I'll likely pick that time of year.

I only recall two wilderness destinations that were quite this bizarre. One was Acadia National Park where we saw people drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain and plop down for a full course picnic right behind their SUV in the parking lot. The other scene was the valley in Yosemite National Park where I watched parents with young children walk up within 20 feet of grazing deer and take pictures of them, while I held my breath that the wildlife wouldn't charge the 3 year olds.

What made the top of Mt. Wachusett uniquely bizarre was the large crowd of people with antennae and satellite dishes either on tripods or fastened to their vans. I felt like I stumbled into an episode of Monk, during a flashback moment in a "here's what happened" crime scene montage. Matt wondered if they were trying to call the mother ship.





In the end we decided they were just probably ham radio hobbyists trying to tune in to other hobbyists on nearby mountains. I realized it is not all that different from say, blogging. At least they were outside in the fresh air.



In the end, we got a new view of the city on the horizon and got our heart rates going but wondered whether we should have gone to the beach instead on what was probably the last of the warm and sunny days of 2009!

We made a quick stop off at an orchard on the way back so I could pick up a peck each of yellow nectarines and apples. I'm going to have my hands full with fruit this week, so expect a post about canning, freezing, or just eating. I haven't made up my mind yet. We'll see just how lazy these bones are feeling!

This week...

This week...

• Time flew by. Way too fast.
• I didn't have luck turning my old blog into a book. I spent several hours trying to "slurp" my blog to Blurb, disabling firewalls, and doing whatever the tech support told me to do. In the end, it didn't work and Blurb stopped supporting Typepad this week. Now I'm going to try to move the blog to Wordpress and slurp from there...
• The dog above - that I love and adore - tested my patience in the mornings when she bossily invited me to get out of bed at 5:45am after Matt left early to go play hockey. Last summer was the summer of puppy love and this summer is the summer of taming our wild beast. Once the shy little pup grew into her big powerful body and realized she could kick butt, we had a remarkable challenge on our hands. She's half skittish and half bossy. Not a good combo. When we noticed the first small signs of trouble last fall - mainly fearfulness - we should have gotten her into dog training immediately. We did basic training on our own but seeing that we own a husky mixed with some kind of herding breed, we needed help.
  
• After some serious consideration, I've decided I'm squarely in the Victoria Stilwell TV personality dog training camp. Not just because she's got the best wardrobe designer but because she reinforces what our real life dog trainer says.
  
• Instead of signing our lease for another year, we've talked about packing up our stuff up and moving back to Michigan against all common sense. Only CNN Money was able to dissuade me.
  
• This post on Tuesday, July 28th about a trip to Detroit made me want to go home anyway.
• And, her blog design inspired me to switch things up here already. I'm happier with the new design.
  
• This radio story made me want to go backpacking with kids again. And the following story about his observations of Detroit made me want to go home. Did I already say that?
  
• I realized I completely forgot about Nature Photo Monday. I think it's because my hands have been too full with the pooch to pull out the camera much this summer.
  
• But in happier news, today I restarted my weekly Sunday hike. Met up with a friend at the Fells. I'm thinking that this fall I should try to hike a different mountain every weekend. Okay, maybe most weekends, not every weekend. I'd be good for me, good for the dog, and this may be the last fall for while where I can attempt such a feat. For sure, I plan to finally hike Lincoln-Lafayette by snowfall.
• I started thinking about snowfall. This summer has gone by way too fast.
  
• I baked this cake today. Just for me. Just because.
• I've been making use of zucchini and summer squash for the first summer ever. I've made this lemony goat cheese zucchini pizza twice. It's killer.
  
• And I haven't done anything crafty at all this week, but I'm going to try before I go to bed. Something to get me through a week that hopefully goes a little more slowly.

Have a good week!