Wednesday, January 25, 2023

The Tortoise and the Mom

Hey there!

Want to come on a journey with us?

It's only three blocks long, but sometimes it takes 20 minutes to complete. 

Twenty minutes? How can it take that long?

Because Brady P is with us.

He is not a slow walker. He can and likes to run.

But he is sooooo curious and in the moment.

Imagine walking east from the one room schoolhouse in the winter time. Not on the trail which is quiet and scenic, but on the road.

We come out of the school driveway and turn right. For approximately half our journey, we walk past the parking lot of the Mariner North.

In the winter, this parking lot is often full of snowmobiles. If they are parked, he likes to count them. (We have counted over 30 before!) If they just started up, he needs to wait until they take off. All of them in the group.

People to watch

When they are cruising down the road from the gas station (another three blocks further west), he needs to stop and watch them all file past. 

From way down the road. Ugh!

Sometimes they pull in to the Mariner. Sometimes they go past and turn off on the trail.

Sometimes he waves. They often wave back.

We have to wait until they all either go past or park. If I start to walk before he sees their destination, I hear, "Mummy, wait! There's one more!"

Sometimes he spends more time standing and waiting than actually moving toward home. 

Which is my goal.

I have to take deep breaths to keep my patience.

But the fun doesn't end there.

Brady is also a celebrity in this town, so most times, when any of his friends drive by, they stop and chat or slow down and wave. He will chat and then run off waving good-bye. Or he'll wave then stick out his tush and give it a slap.

Can you see how this would take some time? I have learned to never schedule anything near after school time, or I'll fret the whole walk home that we'll be late. 

I don't like to fret.

And he is not one to hurry up.

I have also accepted the fact that he absolutely loves to do all those things I just mentioned. While getting home might be my goal, his mission is to watch each person go by no matter what mode they are using.

I can honestly say that it took me a few school winters to accept this, and I finally have the patience to let him enjoy himself. That's what he is here to do.

And as he does that, other people benefit too.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Learning for Yourself

Happy Wednesday!

Were you one of those kids (or adults) who always had to find out why you weren't supposed to do the things your parents or teachers told you not to do?

I was.

And so is Brady.

Every time we get out lately, he wants to go down to the shore to watch the lake. He watches every wave as it crashes. He is quite a meditative soul... watching until he gets a chill.

He's a wave watcher!

Usually we do it together.

Shore duo

Thanks to our sweet Esa for the cool pics!

On a sunny day, he saw some rocks at the edge of the shore line. "I want to go throw rocks down there," he told me.

"Uhh, Braeds. Those rocks are covered in a layer of ice, and they are all stuck together in a giant clump. You're not going to be able to throw them." I mothered.

"Yes, I want to throw them," he persevered.

I tried to convince him otherwise, but, deep in my heart, I knew he needed to see for himself.

The trek down was all ice, so we held hands and found our way to the shore. The wind was blocked behind us, and the sun sparkled on the rocks.

Shore jewels!

While basking in the glory of the moment, I heard him making whiny sounds. "Mama, help me!"

"What's up, Brady?"

"Help me get the rock!"

I slid down next to him and tapped on the rocks with my mitten. Even my boot!

He saw that none of them budged.

"See?" I told him. "All the rocks are covered in ice and frozen together. It's winter, Dove."

"It's winter," he repeated.

He sat for a bit longer and tried a few more rocks to no avail. Then I saw him shift.

"Are you ready to go back up?" I asked.

"Yes, let's go up."

We got up safely and went for a little walk around town.

I didn't need to reiterate my point, but I think he understood the condition of the shore after that.

Sometimes we just need to try it for ourselves... and hope that somebody patient and understanding is there for us.

Soooo, I hope that you are patient and understanding!

My big surprise is not ready yet. Hopefully by the weekend.

But I'm going to tell you what it is, and how you can find it.

Are you ready?

I'm starting a podcast! Woohoo!

If you don't know about podcasts, they are audio (or video) files that let basically anyone upload content about whatever they want to talk about and stream it directly to their listeners' devices.

If you already have an app for podcasts, you just might love this one!

It's called A Fresh Air Inspired Life and showcases Copper Harbor from the inside. As a blog reader, you are the first to hear about this in a public notice. Congrats!

The episodes are scheduled to air the first and third Tuesday of each month starting in February.

I will have unique and local guests, adventures and thoughts on why it's important to be a nice human. (Brady P. enforces the last one. Wink.)

Here's the link to the Copper Harbor Vitality site, and when the page is ready (hopefully this weekend!) I will make it live and you can click the first green "podcast" line or click on "Podcast" in the menu bar to listen to the intro episode!

I hope you love it as much as I've enjoyed creating it! 

I'm working one-on-one with the Virtual Yooper to set it up from files and codes, so you can hear independently run episodes created just for YOU!

Thanks, Virtual Yooper!!!

Alright, you beautiful soul. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Sunshine!!!

Hi!

We figured it out. Brady had influenza A. For two weeks! 

It was pretty rough for him. I even had to get him on antibiotics because he was spiking temps at 103 nine days after he had his first fever.

I won't stand for that.

Now he is back to his quirky, energetic self, and I am grateful.

Whew!

I was scared for a bit.

Thanks for the good vibes!

Ummm, don't tell anybody I told you this, but this winter has been weird. No freezing on the harbor from what I can tell. We had a couple wild blizzards, but not much for snow in between. 

My snowblower and I are not complaining. I am not one to complain because it's useless. Ha!

I just wanted to give you an honest report in case you were wondering. It's been either ice or slush between these blizzards. It's hard to believe it's January, but if you are looking for nice, quiet town to visit, come on up!

Cuz look at this sunshine!

Snow angel in the sunshine

Okay, we only got two days of sunshine, but we soaked them up for as long as little man would stay outside. We went for walks and watched the waves. It was fun to see people come out of the woodwork for a drive or a walk in the sun.

"Beautiful day," they would say.

B and I called it "Glorious!" I love how he says that word with me. Such a joyful lad.

I think and hope I will be able to unveil one of my surprises for you next week. Everything looks pretty aligned for it to launch. I think you will be excited! I get so excited that I shake!

Stay tuned for that.

In the mean time, be good to yourself. You deserve it!

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Accepting Prayers

Hi!

Just a note to say that my sole purpose lately is to make sure B gets better during his current sickness.

Waiting room duo

We wore our red masks yesterday in the clinic lab waiting room. We will see the Dr. tomorrow.

Maybe just send him a prayer of healing.

Thanks.

Enjoy your day.