Thanksgiving in the Desert

We made our first trip back to the valley to visit the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for Thanksgiving.  I was taken aback by the openness of the landscape.  The vast farm fields seem to go on and on.  This is the scenery that I have always lived in, but it seems as though six months in the forest has left its mark. In the past I would cringe as we would reenter the desert after a trip to the forest. I would feel depressed by the dull, sage-brush dotted landscape and pine after something greener and cooler.

On this trip I "visited" the high desert.  I appreciated its openness and found the dry rocky mesas and cliffs captivating.  The fields looked like a giant quilt of various patches of green and brown all sewn together and laid across a bumpy surface.  The mountains appeared to be covered in a blanket of taupe colored velvet.  I think that the cool temperatures, low creeping clouds, and scattered rain storms all added to the awe and wonder of the desert.

Owyhee Mountains

After we ate two turkey dinners complete with smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, salad, pumpkin pie and whipped cream, saw how much the cousins had grown, and caught up on current family activities we drove home.  As Corey maneuvered our Suburban through barren mountains and rain storms I admired the beauty of the desert but looked forward to the fresh, tree-filled air.  My thoughts wandered to the forest before I began to see trees. 

 sidewalk to our front door

 I do not miss the desert, but my memories of holidays past filled with family traditions and celebrations will be a scaffold that I stand on as we seven Ankenys make a new life in the woods.

Let It Snow - Forest Jaunts and Toilet Paper Rolls

The inevitable finally happened.  Several weeks ago snowflakes started falling.  In fact, Lillia and Isaac rode home on their bicycles from the library during the beginning of the storm.  They were all wet, but exhilarated from the chilly air and excitement of riding their bikes up our hill in the snow with fresh new books to pour over.

A view from our deck

The morning after our first snow storm I had an unexpected adventure in the woods.  I often like to let Willa and Clive out together and they seem to have fun.  Willa runs, Clive chases and I try to keep up. On this particular day Willa decided to add a new challenge to our morning jaunt when she jumped over the bent part of our fence which leads to our neighbor's forested five acres.  That part was not new, in fact Willa is infatuated with exploring our neighbors' property and has not been able to restrain herself despite Corey's and my warnings and disciplinary actions.  Our neighbors have kindly hinted that they do not want Willa in their forest.

The new part was that on that day Clive decided to follow her through the little hole in the bottom of the fence.  Of coarse I had to follow so I jumped the fence and awkwardly trudged through snow, trying to avoid scraping my face on branches and keep from twisting my ankles on rocks and logs.  Thankfully I was fully dressed with real shoes on.  Clive finally stopped right in my neighbor's backyard and "laid some cable"- as Corey likes to put it.  I did happen to have a plastic baggie in my coat pocket especially for the purpose of picking up doggie doo so I quickly implemented this handy waste remover, hoping that my neighbors were not watching from their back windows while they ate their breakfast... eek!  Then joy of all joy Willa came running out of nowhere and we three: naughty dog, the little twerp, and crazy lady made our way back to our side of the fence.  Willa stealthily bounded over logs and boulders as I carried a squirming puppy, clumsily grazing every branch possible while having to stop and find my beanie.  Whew, what an adventure to wake up to!

As you can see the relationship between Clive and Willa has improved.  They both enjoy laying in front of the wood stove together.  In fact, they often lay or curl up in the exact same way.  Willa no longer stays hidden in Corey's and my bedroom.  She has decided to put up with Puppy Clive and is actually quite patient.  He barks and growls at her and tries to initiate wrestling matches. Willa just takes it and endures the little spark plug.

I also have some very exciting news to share.  Just take a look at this beauty!

We do have all the bathroom walls textured and painted and the toilet paper holder is installed.  Corey has had some problems with installing the new light fixture because of the abnormal wiring, but after a consultation with his father during our Thanksgiving visit he will hopefully get that figured out this week.  As Corey likes to repeat, "Feather by feather the goose is plucked," so it goes with the bathroom remodel.  Someday I will have a sink to go with the t.p. holder.