Magical Place

Tomorrow morning I will not wake up to the honk of Canadian geese, a rooster crowing or the cows mooing. 

I won't wake up to the sun rising over the fields of alfalfa. 

Tonight I won't fall asleep to the howl and bark of the  coyotes as the run through the meadow above the house. This morning we woke up to no electricity, no water ad 3 cows in the field. At first I thought I was in Haiti, definitely not in the city. But all order restored after about an hour and we had our coffee and buttermilk pancakes.  As always it's a little sad to leave my childhood home and say goodbye to my mother and elderly relatives (my aunts are about 87 and my uncle 91). I never get enough time with my brother and my cousins. Quality time is important when on limited time and long distance. 
I did get a few days of river time which is a favorite way for me to relax. We attended two weddings and a baby shower. Dan saw a bear, Andy caught a fish, Erin cleared a trail up on jumbo mountain. We had fresh peaches. 

I met Nicki in 2009. She is a therapist and came to Haiti on a medical mission. She was the grooms cousin and part of the wedding party. She lives in Minnesota. Now of course we meet here in Kettle Falls. In this small corner of the world we talked about Haiti so far away. People were surprised to learn of our connection and wanted to hear about it of course. The point here though is that she made a toast saying she heard about this 'magical place' on the river for a number of years but being from Minnesota and land of lakes didn't put too much stock in it. But she and other family members had to admit in August, in the heat of summertime there is no more magical place to be. 

Until next time, as always I have the sweet memories.
And on the way out of town, we picked up a box of fresh peaches.    

Haiti vs Portland

Writing about my journey in Haiti is more difficult when I am not there to be inspired to write.  Since my journey brought me back home to Portland in May, it’s very much a different life style. As I wrote before, purging and organizing is still going on- I guess 30 years of collecting (and living a normal life)  will take a little longer to sort than I expected.  Also, living on a reduced salary limits some activities so no excuses for not doing the sorting and organizing I can’t exactly do a kitchen remodel however much I’d like it. 

Ideally, I would be watching the guest house building progressing, not feeling concern for the well-being of our staff and hosting volunteers however I’ve been given a summer, a teachers summer if you will to enjoy family, participate in life events of 3 weddings,  catch up with friends’ lives,  renew my enjoyment of cooking. As I write this the mouth-watering aroma of dinner is filling the house. Chicken with pesto is roasting to be accompanied by fresh garden veggies- tomatoes and cucumbers and corn on the cob from the farmers market will be roasted on the BBQ.  Sounds yummy, doesn’t it?  My favorite has been spinach salad with blueberries, goat cheese, pecans and strawberry  vinaigrette- the perfect accompaniment to honey thyme pork chops, creamy garlic pasta or parmesan tilapia.  The guesthouse cooks make good meals, the food –especially fruit and vegetables are fresh so the difference is that I’m doing the cooking.

 

It’s been a perfect time to be in Portland. After the initial week of cold weather with my feet in socks and a space heater 6 inches away from me, I’ve adjusted to the weather. Ha, of course it helps to acclimate when it is 80+ degrees and nothing but sunshine. The few mornings we’ve had marine air haven’t been uncomfortable.  Walking to the farmers market, to the store or other places, gives me a sense of freedom I haven’t felt in a long time.  Most of the time in Haiti, I am with someone and rarely walk any distance to places.  Walking in Haiti requires some logistical planning. Rarely am I alone or at a place that I can safely walk other than on the property.  

 The point is change is inevitable and to embrace the challenges that come from change.  That has been my challenge. Given the opportunity of living in two countries so very different yet not so different, accepting the differences, and appreciating the value of the experience.