Graduation Day

Well, we did it! Patrick and I graduated from the Basic Obedience Class we have been taking for the past six weeks!

This is us on Graduation Night. Don't we look happy? Patrick even got a haircut in order to look his best for this special occasion. I must tell you that he got lots of compliments.

This accomplishment is no small feat. It has been a big commitment on both our parts. The class is held one evening a week in Machias, which puts me back in the car for an extra two hours. Not to mention the expense of the class itself and the money for gas. Then there is practicing each day, which isn't really a hardship but it is something that must be done daily.

After the first class I wasn't sure we'd be able to stick it out. But I was pretty determined, and I must say I'm so glad that we did. I was incredibly impressed with our instructor, Betsy Newman. Her teaching style was one that I responded to immediately. She broke everything down in such a way that not only did we understand what we were doing and how to achieve that goal, but why we're doing it the way we're doing it.  This helps us to understand a bit better how our dogs think and feel. It also helps that she has a wonderful sense of humor and an obvious adoration for the dogs.

Now, it's no secret that I absolutely adore Patrick, and am thankful daily that I decided to share our home with him. But through this class, our bond has strengthened. Learning the basic rules of obedience can only be achieved with patience, trust, and respect. I feel a new respect and appreciation for Patrick's abilities that might not have happened if not for the class. I was so moved and inspired by this class that I submitted a student comment to Betsy's website. Please check it out if you like.

Oh, yeah, and we're not stopping at just Basic. We're movin' on up to Intermediate! Woot!

Most of our dogs are just waiting to be taken home to the mother ship...

And just for giggles, today I think I'd like to step over the boundary of "way too much information" and share the fact that today....

....I had a root canal!

Here's me in my special goggles and bib after they numbed me up.

Let it be known that I've had lots of work done on my teeth in recent years. I do believe the view of this overhead lamp from my reclining chair is burned on my brain.  In the center of this light is the word "Belmont." It is highly possible that the last word uttered from my lips on my deathbed will indeed by "Belmont." You know, sort of like "Rosebud..."

I look pretty chipper for someone who's going to get the nerves of her tooth pulled out of her head! Honestly, though, if there is such a thing as enjoying going to the dentist, I actually do, which is sort of a miracle and a blessing! They are easygoing and super friendly, not to mention fabulous at their jobs. Shout out to the crew at Dr. Brian Hoops office in Woodland! Yeah!

I think my work here is done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commute

Since Kieran has begun attending Montessori school 50 minutes away, I have been in the car a lot more than usual (luckily, my dear friend does the bulk of the driving).  But it looks like a schedule change means that I will be in the car even more. Oh well. Living where we do, you kind of have to accept the fact that you need to drive. Thankfully, we have a reliable car (with the exception of the battery dying the other day!) that I enjoy driving. I call her Bridget.

At any rate, I took Kieran to school today. After I dropped him off I treated myself to doughnuts at a little place in Machias called the Towne Fryer. I chose the old-fashioned plain, and oh my gosh...absolute heaven! You must try these When I returned home after my run this evening, my husband (rather gleefully) informed me that the doughnut maker himself had called. Apparently, instead of filling out a check for the $4 charge, I had written out a check in the amount of $400! Can you believe this? Now, this was before my morning coffee, but still! Sheesh!  At least it gives me an excuse to stop into the shop again...

Once sated with coffee and doughnuts (and a little thrifting, too!) I struck out for the return drive to Eastport. It being a gorgeous, sunny fall day, I decided to take the time to stop and take some pictures of a couple of things that have stood out to me on this commute. For example, this lone bull in a large, green field. The field is mostly grass, but also includes some blueberry barrens, which have turned that fall crimson color. I love the way he watched me as I snapped pics of him. From a very, very safe distance, I might add.

This field happens to abut the cemetery where one set of my grandparents is buried. I decided to park in the cemetery to take some pics of the bull, then decided to take a few photos of the cemetery itself. I happen to appreciate cemeteries. My dad is an amateur genealogist, and ever since I can remember he and my mom would drive one of our jalopies down endless dirt roads in search of grave markers. I distinctly remember the thick dust from the road rising up through the floorboards. I didn't appreciate this at the time, but apparently a love of cemeteries creeped in there along the way. So quiet, so peaceful. The stones. The stories.

My next stop was this old, abandoned building that has intrigued me ever since I was a small child. For some reason, it reminds me a bit of an adobe structure that you might find out west. Or, that's what I thought when I was a kid, anyway.

Lastly, I simply must share with you my thrifting score of the day.

A new ottoman to go with my $2 chair. Isn't she a beauty? Look at those colors!

I must admit that though I don't like to be in the car this much, as commutes go, this one is really quite lovely.

A Thoroughly Wholesome Weekend

Yes, our weekend saw us spending the bulk of our time outside (thankfully the weather cooperated wonderfully) in activities of the thoroughly wholesome variety.

I mean, what could be more wholesome then touring a local farm, hanging out at the beach, and pressing apple cider? Not much, I can tell you.

Kilby Ridge Farm in Dennysville was having an open farm day, and that is where we found ourselves on Saturday afternoon. Since I made the decision to buy more of our food locally, we've been enjoying some of the delicious vegetables that this farm produces.  As I strolled around the grounds of this beautiful farm (which looks out over the Denys River) I felt so good knowing that this is where some of our food comes from. I also got the chance to speak to the farmers from Old Sow Farm and Creamery, a local dairy farm. We have been loving their milk, and their yogurt is delicious, too.

Kieran ran all over the farm with his friends.

Could we be any more wholesome?

Those at the farm were treated to music by Heron and his jazz trio. Don't they look happy?

Kieran, Patrick and I capped off the day with a walk to the beach. Kieran crawled around on the rocks while I sat in the late afternoon sun and worked on my neverending wool poncho.

Wholesome, downeast Maine boy.

The kids enjoy a wholesome tractor ride at the cider pressing party.

My friend has the most gorgeous, auburn hair I've ever seen. It's like mermaid hair!

The kids are crawling all over the apple trees.

Yup, we Westons are a wholesome bunch!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. 

Message in a Bottle

So, I was thinking about using this space to have a wee rant this morning. But then, on the beach with Patrick around mid morning, I spied this:

The plastic baggie was neatly folded and nestled in a small plastic juice container. The cap was on there pretty good, so I gave it a little muscle to get it off. I was so excited by this find that I had to calm myself so I wouldn't tear up the contents as I tried to extricate the baggie from the bottle. What I found inside the baggie was this:

 

When I saw this, I couldn't help but smile. I even teared up a little. At that moment, it didn't seem so bad that 1) I'd run out of chicken food; 2) we've been without hot water for six days; 3) my hair and my kitchen are pretty dirty 4) the car battery died this morning so I can't get the chicken food or the parts necessary to fix the hot water heater. 

All these little things that seemed like such a drag were quickly put into perspective by Nicholas' happy drawing. Instead of focusing on these inconveniences, I started wondering who Nicholas was and where he lives. Who is that with him in the drawing? His mom? Sister? Is that even him in the picture? Was this "message in a bottle" part of a school project? Did he realize he'd change the course of a person's day by sending his drawing out to sea?

I am constantly reminded of how cyclical life is. The ups and downs of life that seem to occur on an almost daily basis. As I get older (and wiser, I hope!) my faith in the pendulum swinging back around, returning me to a place of balance and joy, grows stronger.  That saying "you've got to take the bitter with the sweet" is all too real. Sometimes I tolerate those bitter times with grace. Sometimes not. But no matter what, I have absolute faith in that cycle. It is that faith that provides me with comfort when I am faced with life's hardships, big or small.

And so, we'll boost the car. We'll have hot water back by tomorrow (fingers crossed!). And in the meantime I'll heat water to wash dishes and I'll make sure the chickens get plenty of grass. And despite my greasy hair, I'll remind myself that basically, my life is pretty kick-ass. Thanks, Nicholas...

A Weekend of Wood and Wool

So even though the weather this weekend was absolutely spectacular (it was in the 70s both days), this is October. And we do live in Downeast Maine. This means that every spare second we have, especially when the weather permits, must be spent preparing for the winter season.

To that end, practically one whole day was spent transporting seasoned wood from the lot across the street our property. We generally buy a truckload of wood each year. We let it sit for a while, then cut and split it. This wood has been sitting for a long time, and it's nice and dry. Oh, it's going to burn so hot! One year we burned wet wood, and this completely sucked. So I feel especially grateful that we have 1) an abundant supply of wood, and that 2) the wood will not hiss and steam when I'm tending the fire this winter.

My guys hard at work!

This might be a good time for me to confess that I actually did not participate in this particular activity. In my defense, piling the wood under cover will be primarily my job (with a little help from Kieran, no doubt). No, I was involved in other pursuits that urgently needed my attention. Like working on knitting this wool poncho for myself:

Here's a picture of what this thing will actually look like.

Pretty cute, right? It's actually a free pattern from Paton's Yarn. It's knit in two pieces, front and back. I've completed the front and I'm well on my way to completing the back. It's easy, mindless knitting, which suits me just fine right now.

I made a mobile out of these cute little guys. 

I also made another cute mobile for my friend's birthday.

This isn't made of wool, but I just wanted to prove that I was also busy while Kieran and Heron were busy schlepping all that wood...

The gorgeous weather makes it hard to believe that winter is just around the corner. But it is. I really need to get my butt in gear. Operation "Batten Down the Hatches" must commence in earnest in the upcoming weeks. It's gonna take more then a poncho and a woolen owl mobile to keep us warm this winter!

When it Hits...

Okay, so you know I've had issues with anxiety. This post does a pretty good job of explaining what that's been like for me, but for those of you who don't know this about me, let me break it down for you real quick like.

A couple of years ago, I became pretty obsessed with my own health.  I would just fixate on an imagined health problem, which was extremely frightening, not to mention time consuming! There's nothing worse then not being able to switch the channel of negative and scary thoughts that are playing over and over in your head.

Luckily, those days are over, and I've come a long, long way in dealing with this issue. But sometimes, every once in a while, it still hits me. Here's a little story about what that can look like.

A few night ago I awoke in the middle of the night (I think my pup might have been licking my nose...) and I yawned. A normal thing to do upon waking up. But, something just didn't feel right. There was a spot on the left side of my face, between my mouth and my nose, that felt a little sore. I ran my tongue along the gum line. And that's when I felt it. A bump. Oh my god. A bump!

Now, I've had a bump along my gum line before. I know that a bump generally means an abscessed tooth. You go to the dentist. You get treated for the infection, and generally, like has happened to me in the past, you have a root canal. Not the most pleasant experience in the world, but not life threatening or off the wall painful. And my dentist is awesome. So intellectually, I know that this is really nothing more then an expensive inconvienience.

But, it's two o'clock in the morning. I've been woken from a dead sleep. This is not the time when I am at my best. I mean, I'm barely awake. My defenses are down. So I stumble into the bathroom and try to inspect the offending spot on my gum. I didn't really see much, but it's definitely a thing. I decide to go to go the bathroom.

And that's when it hits me. I feel lightheaded. Sweat is beginning to prickle along my hairline. I feel a tremendous wave of nausea. Oh oh, here comes the dry heaves! Am I going to pass out?

I mange to finish up going "potty" (if there is a more delicate way of putting this, please let me know) before I roll myself onto the cold linoleum floor, my pajamas around my ankles. I feel absolutely horrid.

But here's the good part. I know, with absolute certainty, that this feeling will pass. And it will pass quickly. It's just a little leftover present from the "old days". As I lay on the bathroom floor, the wave of fear and sickness that literally brought me to my knees sort of just passes through me and disappears. From beginning to end, this little late night freak out may have lasted five minutes. 

There was a time when an episode like this would have completely exhausted me. Scared me out of my wits. I would have most likely obsessed with this episode for days, imagining some sort of underlying illness that was making me feel so bad.

But not this time.

I push myself up off the floor and get myself together. I even chuckle to myself, "Jeepers, Lindy, you really do a number on yourself sometimes, don't ya? It's just an infected tooth!"

Believe it or not, this experience was helpful in two ways. First, it reminds me not to get too cocky. There is a good possibility that I could be dealing with the issue of anxiety for the rest of my life.  But the second reason this was helpful to me was that I realize how far I have come. When "it" comes (which, thankfully, is so rarely), I have really learned to roll with it. I am better able to let these feelings of fear and anxiety just sort of wash over me. I don't try to fight it. It comes, and then it goes.

This, my friends, is progress.

Weekending in the Rain

Sometimes a rainy weekend is just what the doctor ordered.

This weekend found us enjoying lots of down time. But, along with that, I managed to enjoy: a little knitting, a little television, some cooking (yes, I did some cooking!), craftiness, a family walk, and a little apple picking.

Kieran chows down on kale chips he and I made together. They're easy and oh so tasty!

Along with the kale chips, we roasted a pumpkin and the pumpkin seeds. Those pumpkin seeds were roasted perfectly!

Streaming Felicity on Netflix? Yes, please!

Catching up on some crafty odds and ends.

Finished up a little gnome mobile in fall colors. Soooo cute!

Wore my new rain boots on our walk today. These were an impulse buy on a recent trip to Bangor. I actually got these at a real shoe shop, not a thrift store! I did get them on sale, however. I haven't completely lost my marbles!

Okay, I'm sort of cheating here as this chair doesn't really have anything to do with my weekend (although I did spend time cleaning it up). But isn't this fantastic? I'm in love with my new sewing table chair. Got this baby at a thrift shop in Bangor for $2.99!

Kieran picks apples in the rain. He filled his bucket and then transported them to a large bowl in the kitchen. You can just make out the hoe he used to knock the apples down. Maybe I'll go crazy and make an apple crumble or something.

Hope you all enjoyed a little bit of coziness this weekend!