Getting OUT

This weekend we packed up the subaru sans black dog (have you ever noticed how many subarus have black dogs) and took our first holiday without her. Luna loved getting out and going to new places no matter how cramped she was in the subaru or how long the trip. We got Lunas ashes back too and Frannie wanted to bring her with us. I told her we had to stop taking Luna with us b/c at some point, we have to move on. It would have been nice to have taken her on one last adventure, but she is on her own adventure now.
So, where did we go? Some of you already know, but we made a return trip to Holland Lake Lodge. We stayed up there for a night in a cabin to celebrate Fathers Day, our Anniversary (which is today) and moving on. I needed to get out of Helena to process the changes to come and the changes which have come to pass. We were thinking about waiting until after the baby arrived, but I wanted to have the time off now. Also, summer is very busy for them with weddings a reunions and it would have been hard to find time when they could have us. We should have waited b/c I dont think Spring has even started to show its face. This Spring was hard for most of Montana. Lilacs have not bloomed there yet and they havent mowed their lawn. It was quiet and relaxing and Murf enjoyed being wet 24/7. We went for hikes and a canoe trip and came home. Lou got to enjoy Fathers Day reading and relaxing.  It was the first time Ju-Ju Bee was completely alone for a night. We all made the trip and can move on through the up coming changes, the changes which our family is adjusting to and got to spend some more time in the rain before summer hits. I think that we'll be coming back to this place in the years to come and especially to share it with baby brother.

Happy Fathers day dads, Happy Summer, Happy Solstice, I hope you all are drying out.

Trying out the beds

Taking in the view

Settling in...

Hiking

Is this Montana or Alaska-where did this weather come from?

Mission Mountains

Lake Happiness



Our cabin-Happy Fathers Day Daddy!




Supreme rock thrower - she loved the rocks



View from the front  lawn

HLL new dog Wanda

First canoe trip - she loved it

Calm morning on the lake

Lodge view from the lake

Two weeks later

Sorry for the delay in postings, but my life has taken a turn inward and I have been processing a lot of things. First of all, adjusting to life without big black dog tails thumping when people enter a room or a mad scramble from a black dog as the vacuum approaches (for that matter, not using the vacuum as much b/c there isnt black dog hair taking over), a big nosed brown dog finding his way all by himself (not so hard for him but more of an adjustment for me) and a three year old who always asks about Luna and what she is doing without us. My body hasn't stopped changing that is for sure. This little baby is taking over in a big way and I have been adjusting to my inward growth. Here are some pictures to capture the last few weeks.

Peony drip drying. We have had a very wet end to Spring

Peas!!

Murf waiting at the chicken fence-his new favorite post

Crazy Silkie Chicken-how could you not love this bird??

Ju-Ju Bee taking a rest in the coop

Ju-Ju Bee foraging

Black Dog...we'll miss you more than you know

This weekend, my black dog of twelve years, was no longer with us. If you ever met her, you know what kind of loss we are experiencing. She was kind and loving to all that met her. She didnt ask for anything and was always happy to be with you. I took her all over the country in those twelve years, drug her with me rather, and she had a life more rich than most dogs. I think she enjoyed fishing and being next to me on a salty day at the beach and that is where I would like to leave her.

Luna came to me back in 1999 when things in my life were in a transition point. She was at the humane society in Tacoma, WA, 6 months old and digging at the pen when she saw me. I only went in with my roommates to license their dog and was not expecting to find such a gift. I went home that day, went to work at the point defiance zoo & aquarium and sat and contemplated the adoption with the wolves. The wolves helped me to decide my fate by howling when I asked them what to do and I went and picked up a black lab mix that needed medical help. She was sick and I had help her get a better start in life. From there we lived in assorted places, she got in a dog fight and went through more medical procedures. We traveled the state, fell into different relationships, moved to Olympia, Alaska and then Montana. She lived with me in my car, in a boat, she lived with me anywhere. She went through College, Cancer and Childbirth and everything that I threw her way. She did it all and I can never thank her for it. I gave her the best life I could as a twenty something and treated her like my daughter. When she started to get sick and have her liver start to fail, I didn't know how long I would have with her. She tore her ACL chasing a cat two years ago and it didn't phase her. It was a surprise to me last week, after 6 years of being ill, that the she couldn't pull through anymore. Everything seemed to get bad at once. I knew that after our weekend away in Idaho that she was more than just tired. Not eating and showing more and more signs of terminal illness, I took her to the vet to see how bad she was and then on Saturday, I took her in to the vet for the last time. She was ready and  I was ready to see her not suffer anymore. I am not sure what to do now that my Black dog is gone or how to keep going. I'll think of her everytime I see a squirrel, go on a hike, sail a boat, ride a bike, take a vacation, or just enjoy a beautiful day smelling flowers. She was a special creature and I feel like she made me a better person by having her in my life. Thank you Luna, Thank you. We love you more than you know.

I can't come to looking at pictures right now, but here is what I took before she left us.

Sitting under Luna's favorite tree 



Luna RIP 6/4/2011



Chicken Killer-Qu'est-ce que c'est

This weekend, our noble beast became a chicken killer. Murf was like a viking warrior pillaging a village and Frannie saw it all go down. She was screaming, "Murfs got my popcorn-Murfs chomping my popcorn".  It was hard to watch and brought tears to my eyes as our happy little flock was pillaged by a griffon. He pushed through the chicken wire and got in with his great strength. There was one little black bird that managed to escape the carnage...Murf is a bird killer, 100%.

watching the happy flock in their new home-



Ju-Ju Bee the survivor



Ju-Ju Bee going solo

Sandpoint or Bust!

It seems like a month ago that we were enjoying a long weekend in Idaho, but it was only a few days. It was so nice to visit friends and relax in the woods. Frannie and the dogs had fun and we escaped the rain and flooding in Helena. Clearing out the mind is always good for the soul.



Taking a break on the hike




North Idaho Orchid




Forest Opera




Grouse Creek Hike

The chicks are doing well and their new home is almost finished. We painted it green and hope to have them move in this weekend. It is amazing how much they have grown. Frannie and I can honestly say that Acorn is a rooster and wont be with us long. The little black birds are growing too and we have no idea if they will be roosters.  Stay posted...

33 Weeks

I guess you can say many things about the last 33 weeks. All I can say to describe it is powerful. This little life inside of me has changed me in many ways. He kicks he tostles and he hiccups as his sister sings and kisses him daily. He loves being a part of our family and will be a great addition once he gets here. I never knew that being pregnant for a second time would be so different. You can see for yourself below.

33 weeks pregnant with Francesca



Again, with Frannie



33 weeks with baby #2

Again with #2



                                
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

D.I.Y. Weekend

This weekend, I missed my husband. Not because he was out fishing (the rivers are flooding) or out of town, but because we were working around the house on projects. We tried to fit in some general conversation when the day was done but seemed to lack the energy. Ever have one of those weekends?

So, what we worked on were valances for the windows in the kids room and retrofitting an abandoned dog house into a chicken tractor. Both were something we thought up and felt like getting a jump on over the weekend. I am not sure if our limited time did either of them justice, but we just dont have the money to go out and get premade versions of them. I think both will work better than what we could have bought anyways...


Conversion to Coop in action



Windows are finished

Farmer Frannie is still up for growing her peas and is looking forward to them getting bigger. She wants them to be a beanstalk that Murf can climb, but I think our growing season is too short to achieve that goal. HOpefully, she will be happy with just growing peas.



Farmer Frannie





First steps into the Coop



Trying out the new roost

  


Looking happy on the roost




Flock enjoying some outside time




Frannie watching over the flock and the ant consumption-so glad they eat ants!