I am back!

After  months of being computer-less, I am back on-line.   The crazy thing is,  I did not miss anything.  I have been writing my thoughts for this blog on pen and paper.  What is that you ask??  It is along the lines of VHS and Landlines.  Wow it feels good to type.  Here is an entry from October.

FAMILY GONE WILD.  Oct 10 2011

We sold our house.   We sold it back to the original owners.  The Tribe.  Our land used to be village of 500 people or more.  It will now become a cultural center and Salmon research center.  But that’s another story.

So now we are in between homes.  One sold, one being built.  We are, in a sense, homeless.  Thankfully, our friend Bob has 10 amazing acres and is letting us live in a teepee.  That is right, a teepee with a two-year old.  In October.

Back in my pre-child days this would be ideal.  However, its raining, cold and dark.  Amazingly enough, the teepee doesn’t leak too bad, even with the hole on the top.   Smart people those Native Americans.  Zephyr is sleeping next to me as the rain falls in loud drops on the canvas.  Drop, drop drop.  I am under the blanket with a headlamp and notebook.  As I am wishing for simple pleasures like heat or a sink, I hear an owl hoot in the distance.  With a deep breath I realize that I love the teepee.  It has been a long time since I have felt so connected to the environment around me.  We are always going from heated car to snug house in warm winter coats.  Once in a while is good to be uncomfortable.  We live in  such controlled climates we lose touch with the world around us.   So instead of being damp and miserable, I am grateful.  I am grateful for this earth and its ever-changing seasons.  And most of all, I am grateful that my son is sleeping to the sound of nature’s symphony.

Ahhhhh love and life,

Dayl

A little creature comfort goes a long way.

“We are buying a camper! I don’t care what we have to sell, borrow or steal.  I NEED a camper.”  I told my husband after our first camping trip with our  six-week old son.   This is coming from a girl who lived under a tarp in  the Mt Hood National Forest for five months.  Does having a kid change you?  Yes indeed.

We decided to have a mountain bike/ camping adventure in Central Oregon the summer after Zephyr was born.  We loaded the truck with our tent, camp stove and bikes and hit the road.  Our plan was to switch off biking and  to hang in camp with Little Z.  First of all, I was crazy to think my postpartum body could handle sitting on a bike seat!  I lasted ten minutes.   Secondly,  it was raining.  Try hanging out with a baby in the cold mountain air under a small tarp.  Lastly and worse of all, our air mattress had a hole.  We had to sleep on our dog beds.   You read that correctly, dog beds.   Plus it was really challenging breast-feeding in a wet tent with nothing to lean against.   We don’t need to torture ourselves to enjoy camping right?

I am not willing to give up my outdoor adventures but as an older Mama, I want to camp in style.   We now have a camper.  Heaven!!!  Its dry, its warm, its cute.  After all, shelter is a basic human need.

Having a child does change your life, but it doesn’t have to completely change your lifestyle.

 Tent living.

Happy camping,

Dayl