Luccock Park Camp - Family Camp Weekend

This is my Father's World
and to my listening ears
All nature sings
and round me rings,
the music of the spheres
This is my Father's World!
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees,
of skies and seas
His hands the wonders wrought!

We spent this past weekend at Luccock Park Camp with members of our church and other Methodist Churches in the area. We all had a wonderful time and I think Maggie is hooked on summer camp! Our church has one week each summer for elementary, middle and high school kids.

We arrived Friday evening in time to get settled into our cabin, to hear a few stories and to PLAY! We were 2 cabins away from the playground and I think Maggie would have been very happy to spend the entire weekend right there. It was her first thought each morning and her last thought each night.

They had a lot of planned activites, but also a lot of free time and I did wish we had brought a few more books. The cabins all had electricity, so we were able to watch the same Veggie Tales movie "Lord of the Beans" several times -- always good at bedtime. Maggie has recently decided her favorite blanket is one my Grandma Gilbert made back in the 80s (because it is pink) and insisted on bringing it along. It was quiet warm and a nice compliment to the sleeping bags, especially after Maggie decided she wasn't going to sleep in her own bunk and bunked with me.

The service project was replacing some of the wood chips in different walk-ways through out the camp. Maggie really loved helping, for about 30 minutes (we were completely finished in about an hour). She did talk about it several times throughout the weekend. At least we are getting her into service projects while young!!
We did send both dogs to the "doggie hotel" for the weekend, but discovered many of our camp mates brought their four legged family members. Maggie thought that was pretty cool. She got to play fetch with Poncho -- she picked up pretty quickly and hopefully will not expect it of our own dogs :)

We got to do a lot of hiking and even tried to make it up to the Park Creek Falls. Maggie was game, for a while, but as she did not take a nap, she started asking for piggy back rides from me and shoulder rides from Dad. We made it about 5 minutes from the falls when Maggie decided she had enough. It only took about 10 minutes for her to fall into a deep sleep after we returned to the cabin. She even slept through supper! That evening we enjoyed singing around the campfire with most of the group. Maggie even got to play with Poncho more, which always makes something better for Maggie.

As it was our first trip to Luccock, we discovered a few more things to bring next year: our camp coffee maker, our camp cot, jiffy pop, stuff for smores, books, and maybe invite a few others to join us. We had plenty of room in our cabin: 7 bunks! We were lucky and got a cabin to ourselves. It was a gorgeous weekend and the only thing I think we missed out on was a clear night Saturday night so we could have watched the stars.

Family Stories

A few days ago, I was on a message board I frequent and in one of the sections someone had asked "What stories about your family did you just learn are really true?" I didn't respond, but it got me thinking about all those family stories that are out there and how we just don't sit down and tell them like people used to. Radio, TV, movies and the Internet have taken the evening time that probably used to be used telling stories of when grandmas and grandpas are little girls. One of my favorite book series, the "Little House" series, is essentially just Laura Wilder taking the stories her father told her as a little girl and the stories of when she was a little girl and writing them down.

When Maggie was born, my mom bought a Grandma Remembrance book (kind of like this one) and completed it for Maggie. A few years later, after spending the weekend with my own grandmother, I purchased a couple of these and gave one to my own grandmother and my mother-in-law (I have one for my Dad too, but keep forgetting to send it to him). My Mother-in-Law completed hers a while ago and put pictures in it. I really like having both of these books so these stories aren't lost. I know a few of my grandmother's stories: like going to the movies for 2 cents in Hitchcock, SD; how her brother Bud ran away to the Army during WWII and her mother never forgave her father for letting him go; going to college. My other grandmother told us about going to school in town and having to stay in town during the winter; how she didn't like her roommates; on her 75th birthday, we went to see the old school house and we drove by the farmstead she grew up on.

And all of this got me to thinking: what stories will I tell Maggie about my own childhood and how do I help myself remember all the stories we will have of her childhood. And then it hit me: the Blog, the personal websites are the new stories by the hearth. I started the website, and now the blog, to share pictures of Maggie, our dogs, to keep in touch with our families. And now I realize how much more this can mean. It is a way to keep our stories alive and we will be able to share them down the generations. After all, we aren't so many generations removed from that hearth.

Happy Birthday Rocky!

Happy Birthday Rocky!! I didn't really forget your birthday, though I didn't say anything right away and your birthday gift is probably going to be late because of shipping so hopefully I can make it up to you with a last minute dash on the way home from work.

You are a wonderful, loving husband and I know I wouldn't be the person I am today if you were not such a big part of my life. I certainly wouldn't be as clean. You make me a better person and that's only one of the many many reasons I love you.

You are also a great father. I love to watch you play with Maggie, to read to her. I also love that you are the disciplinarian, even though you don't like it. Maggie knows that deep down you are a softy. And I hope in the next year we will have another child for you to give your love to. And maybe we'll even get a kid who will call for Daddy in the middle of the night, though we may need a larger bed :)

I love you and hope to be able to celebrate many more birthdays with you!

Maggie's Nursery Rhymes

Today is show and tell day at day care and the kids were asked to bring in their favorite book. Maggie decided to take "Where's God When I'm Scared?" a book based on the VeggieTales video. Rocky got it for her while we were waiting in the Billings airport. She was very excited to share it with her friends and was even more excited when Miss Sandy said she would read it right away. Miss Sandy had also brought down some nursery rhymes on posters, so Maggie was momentarily distracted from her book and decided to show me the nursery rhymes. She showed me each one: "Mary had a little lamb", "Hickory Hickory Dock", and everyone's favorite "The Grandma and the Stinky Shoe!" (otherwise known as "There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe.")

Spanish Wine

The other night, after a particularly difficult day, I opened the rose (not sure how to do accent marks here) , Merum Monastrell a "Product of Spain" in my "wine cellar" (a rack that holds approximately 18 bottles in my crawl space). Also purchased at City Vineyard, thanks to my wonderful husband who gave me a gift card for my birthday, it came with the salesgirl's recommendation of a great rose. I'm feeling rather "meh" about it. It is a beautiful color, but a tad drier than I expected. It has a pretty label, but I am not impressed. The other night, I guess I didn't care to much as when I thought back, I thought I enjoyed it. Of course, the other night was the night before I had to attend the funeral of another coworker's son who was killed in ANOTHER car accident. I counted up and realized I have gone through 6 different deaths this summer and only one was a timely death (rest in peace Great-Aunt Lovella). I supposed most anything would do after a summer like that. Though a few coworkers do agree with me that the time is never right to crack open a Bud.

I did decide that once we officialy start trying for another baby, I will stop drinking. There is no reason for me to think that the beers I drank before finding out I was pregnant had anything to do with the miscarriage, but why take the chance? If it takes awhile, I may change my mind and I reserve that right.

Wiconi Pictures

I've uploaded some pictures of Wiconi to Facebook.

Maggie and Otis have adapted quickly to another dog in the house. I think Otis was a little disappointed that Wiconi did not start playing right away. He looked at her like she was familiar, but kept sniffing her as if to determine that this was NOT Nala. Wiconi bears a striking resemblance to Nala, except with a black, white and grey coat. Wiconi even has a lot of Nala's mannerisms, probably similar to any senior Malamute.

I found Wiconi last Monday on Petfinder.com. I was curious to see if there were any Malamutes in the area. After the fence was put in, we talked about a 2nd dog. Various discussions led us to realize that we really wanted another Malamute. So, that eliminated trying to get an English Shepherd that had been rescued (an ongoing saga here in Billings about a dog hoarder). We briefly discussed rescuing a Siberian Husky from another hoarder in Montana, this time in Kalispell (about an 8 hour drive), or driving to the nearest Malamute rescue in Pocatello Idaho (6 hour drive). Realizing that either of those trips would be extremely costily: gas, food, overnight accomodations, we decided we should look to see if we could find a breeder. Unfortunately, Malamute breeders are hard to find in Montana -- seriously, who would think it would be hard to find a sled dog in Montana?? Thus my search on Petfinder.

I sent Wiconi's picture to Rocky who immediately asked me to call. I did, and Tuesday evening we took a drive to Round Up MT to meet Wiconi. Maggie and Otis came along. Otis was rather nonplussed by all the dogs there, though was very happy to be going home with us! Maggie cried and cried on the way home because she wanted "a little black puppy." It didn't take us long to decide we wanted Waconi and by Friday, she was ready to come home!

Rocky brought Wiconi home around 4 p.m. She didn't want to get out of the car, so in an effort to entice her, he opened the garage door and both car doors. And she took off. With Otis not far behind. Fortunately, Otis actually listened to Rocky and ran back home. I locked Otis in the house as Rocky took off after Wiconi with a leash. Maggie waited impatiently for them to return. It had taken us a few days to convince Maggie that Wiconi was the dog coming home and not one of the other 13 dogs that was at the Rimrock Humane Society. But seeing Waconi (or "the black and white dog" as Maggie sometimes calls her) in our yard, Maggie seemed to easily fall in love with her. And fortunately, Waconi seems like to kids as she easily puts up with Maggie's love.

We are trying out both Wiconi and Winnie for names for her, though Wiconi seems to be working out okay. We are pronouncing it Wi-CONE-ee.

Wiconi wasn't quite sure what to think last night. She spent a lot of time looking out the front window, perhaps waiting for her old friend Samantha (who is still available for adoption) to come by. She did jump into bed with us for a while, but much like Otis, didn't stay for the night. She also spent most of her first night sleeping on the floor in our room.

Early Saturday morning, Rocky took Otis and Wiconi for a walk on the doubler. He said they both did very well so future walks should not be a problem. We spent time playing outside and Rocky got Wiconi to play with Otis, which seemed to thrill Otis to no end. I think he was a little disappointed Wiconi wouldn't play Friday night, as he had pawed at her a few times, to no reaction.

Currently, Otis and Wiconi are enjoying a shady part of the yard taking a well deserved senior nap. Welcome home Wiconi.