30 Days of Thanks

This is a great idea that I've seen in other blogs, so I had to do a little catching up first, but from here on, you should see a blog entry of Thanks every day for the rest of November. What a terrific way to stay grounded and grateful!

November 1 – My family.

I almost cheated here and thought about writing about each family member on a different day, but then decided to go ahead and challenge myself. After all, that’s what the 30 days of thanks is for, right? However, I will talk about each that I am thankful for, individually.

I am thankful for my daughters (I dare not list one before the other). They are the light of my life and the reason I get out of bed each morning. I am so proud of them and the young women they are becoming. I am so amazed at their sense of humor, intelligence, insight, and capacity for love. They have repeatedly forgiven me for my mistakes and loved me for who I am.

I am thankful for my dad. His patience and unwavering love have pulled me through many a dark time in my life. He believes in me and is proud of me. Our daily phone calls are a habit that I never want to break. Four thousand miles melt away every day as we talk about the weather, what we’re making for dinner, how crazy our family is, and how terrific his granddaughters are. My dad is the laughter in my life; he makes me smile every day.

Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that I really have a sister. Holly and I met each other for the first time 14 years ago. Wow, has it really been that long? She is such an incredibly “good” person. There’s just not a better word for it. She’s just good. She’s empathetic in a way that I’ve never known another human being to be. She is the perfect older sister – calm, grounded, married (LOL). When things seem to spiral out of control in my life, she brings me back in line, gently, with laughter and love. She is my rock. Her husband, sons, and daughter are a colorful extension of her and I’m thankful for them, as well.

I have other relatives, but no one else who feels like “family.” My family is small. My family is spread out, geographically (daughter in Wisconsin, dad in South Carolina, sister in Washington). Most of all, my family is MY family and I’m so thankful for them all! My family is my light, my laughter, and my rock.

November 2 – My Dog

When I was a kid, we always had pets, but they were pets that my parents brought home and they were just playmates for me. I never got terribly attached… and we never had them for long. For example, my dad brought home a Golden Lab when I was young (5ish). His brother’s dog had pups and Libby was one of them. The problem was that we lived in a subdivision in a suburb of St. Louis – no room for a dog of that size to run. Once she grew up (about a year old), dad gave her away to the local Duck’s Unlimited club.  Then, my parents gave me a Miniature Schnauzer, Gretel, for Christmas when I was 7, but my mother gave her away when we moved to Wisconsin (I was 9). After we moved to Wisconsin, my stepdad (who was a Deputy Sheriff) brought home a German Shepherd that he trained as a police dog. Birch was a terrific family dog, but was trained to attack visitors (including my best friend, Debbie – that’s another story).  When Rich, stepdad, died of cancer 2 years after getting the dog, the dog went to another police officer. So, you get the picture – I never really made a connection with any pets we had when I was growing up.

As an adult, I’ve always had wanderlust and liked to get up and go at a moment’s notice. Because of this, I felt that my home wouldn’t be conducive to raising a dog. So, I  never had a dog as an adult… until Nali.

When we moved to Homer, I felt like I was finally “home” and I felt settled enough to finally commit to being a dog owner. I wanted an Alaskan dog, so I knew it had to be at least part Husky, and had to be a large dog. That, and I knew that I didn’t want a Lab – too hyper. January 4, 2009, we went to the Homer shelter, but they only had a couple of Husky Lab pups. No good. I called the Kenai Shelter (90 miles away) and they had a litter of three Husky Shepherd pups. Perfect, I though! I knew Shepherds were smart and easily trained. I filled the car with gas and we headed to Kenai. Of the three little puppies, there were two girls and one boy. I told Sarah to pick a girl (this was supposed to be her dog – she’s the one who really talked me into the whole “getting a dog” scenario in the first place).  The girls looked very similar except that one had blue eyes and one had brown eyes. The 8-week-old blue-eyed baby girl came home with us that day. She had a swollen belly filled with worms and shivered out of fear as much as the January cold, but those blue eyes…

That was it. She had my heart. After a round of worm medicine, plenty of Puppy Chow, and even more love, she became my third child. She was a wild hellion until she was about 6 months old, but after that she settled down, becoming the well-trained, doting dog that I’d always dreamed of. I was 41 years old and a first time dog owner.

Now, two years later, I can’t imagine my life without her. She follows me everywhere, circles me when strangers get close, and sleeps on her pillow in my room every night, right by the door. She is my best friend, my fiercest protector, and my third daughter (that palm reader in New Orleans was right!). I am thankful for my Nali.

November 3, 2010 – Ann Shuda

Even though the date on this is November 3^rd, I’m still catching up on my 30 days of Thanks and I’m writing this on November 5^th.  Last night and tonight, I had dinner with Ann. She is one of the few people in this world who really understands what I’m going through right now (living and teaching in a Yupik village). I’m so thankful to have her in Bethel. Her place is “safe” to me. It’s like when I was a kid playing tag and there was always a tree that we called “safe.” If you were touching the tree, nobody could tag you. I can feel the craziness of the world melt away as we talk about our day, last week, or our future. It’s a bubble of normalcy that I crave the moment I’m back in Kwethluk. I am thankful for Ann.

November 4, 2010 – Television

Right now, I’m sitting in my room at the Long House Hotel in Bethel, here for another district-sponsored workshop. I have the TV on and am watching “Outrageous Food” on FoodTV. I miss having television channels like nobody’s business! To be able to watch the news is such a luxury. I didn’t realize that there had been an earthquake in Indonesia, had forgotten that it was hurricane season, and hadn’t thought about the President in months. I feel like I live under a rock. There was a time when I thought I’d like to live without television, live a simpler life, get back to nature, blah blah blah. I was wrong. There is nothing noble and fulfilling about living in a void with no television to keep me informed and entertained. I remember the good ole days when I used to watch Rachel Ray create some easy, delicious dish and immediately go online to find the recipe. The next day, I was at the grocery store picking up necessary ingredients for the delectable creation that I would serve for dinner that night. No more (I already know what I’m going to be thankful for tomorrow – LOL). TV, I will never take you for granted again or wish you away or say that you are unworthy. I am thankful for television, what little I get when I’m out of the village!

November 5, 2010 – Grocery Stores

Strange, right? It’s not so strange when you live in a Yupik village in the middle of the Alaskan Tundra. Sure, Kwethluk has the Native Store, an overpriced, understocked, dirty version of a Kwik Trip. Sorry folks, but that just doesn’t count! Someone familiar with Kwethluk might argue that we also have the Sports Store (I’m not sure why it’s called that) but I don’t think a Kwik Trip with a “last chance” hardware/sporting goods store attached counts either.

I’m talking about Fred Meyer, Safeway, Brookshires (for you southerners), and Marketplace IGA (for my fellow Haywardites). Large, franchised, mopped-daily grocery stores with lighted freezer cases, fresh produce, and Hoisin Sauce.

Bethel has the AC Store and Swanson’s, which will do in a pinch. However, paying nine dollars for a gallon of milk or a container of ice cream (your average 1.75 quart container) makes it a stretch to think you're really at a normal grocery store. However, they do carry cat food, which I have to pick up tomorrow before I head back to Kwethluk, where there is no cat litter or cat food. I’m not joking, here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - This place is too crazy to exaggerate!

So, you may be wondering, “How do you eat?” Well, I shipped A LOT of nonperishable food up here when we first moved in July. Since then, I have placed a bush order through Fred Meyer, which was mostly damaged, dented, and broken when it arrived covered in Original Ragu. I also had a meat order shipped in from Mike’s Quality Meats in Eagle River, Alaska. That was enough to last us until sometime next spring and was delivered frozen (that's a good thing) via the local puddle jumper from Bethel. I also subscribe to bi-weekly deliveries of fresh produce from Full Circle Farms in Washington state. It’s not cheap, but it’s fresh, organic and impossible to get in Kwethluk. However, even with these deliveries, we are starting to run low and I’ve already started a list for our trip to the city.

Sarah and I are headed to Anchorage in less than two weeks. We are terribly excited to have the chance to go grocery shopping at Cosco and Safeway and wherever else we can find. Thank goodness Alaska Air lets us check three bags per person when flying in the state – we’ll be going back to Kwethluk with six checked bags, two of which will be coolers filled with fresh and frozen food, and two of which will be large Rubbermaid tubs filled with nonperishables. I am thankful for grocery stores!