Thursday, August 5, 2010

Settling Back In

I have had almost 2 weeks to think about what it means to be back in Deering. The imagery I would give to coming back and the process of settling back in is like a mac truck hitting a wall of old tires. There was a great degree of force pushing us back to Deering. Our wheels were spinning and we were making good time. Upon arrival this is where two life styles ran headlong into each other. The impact has been much more gentle this time. When we got here last year the mac truck was careening into a brick wall. I am glad for the cushier impact this time.
It has taken some time to readjust to this rhythm. It is slower and just as inescapable as the rhythm of metropolitan life. As I was standing at the sink rinsing our lunch dishes I was struck with the one down side to one of humanities greatest traits: resiliency. The ability for humans to adapt and adjust for changing circumstances is one of the most priceless of all our innate qualities. I only wish that we had not been so resilient in adjusting back to a lower 48 life in the two and a half months were there. Setting our slow, stay-at-home pace has been less easy than I thought. Today seems to the first day that my motivation to accomplish those typical bush Alaska tasks - making bread for instance - hasn't been in short supply. I am making a dent in my list of things on my little fridge whiteboard.

I have been a busy little bee today which has been a stark contrast to how I was earlier in the week. Paul went to Kotzebue for principal inservice all week. Not having him around makes me feel so mopey. In our 10 years together it is unmistakable that our friendship is such a huge source of life and energy for both of us. I hate it when he is not around. It is the worst in the evenings - dinner time through bed time. I can manage during the day, but I am used to having him for the latter portion of a day. When he arrives tomorrow morning I will be one happy camper.

For Eloise's birthday we took all her birthday money and bought her a table with 2 chairs just her size and an easel. She has been in heaven. She has discovered the wonder of play dough. She sits at her little table and squishes the play dough or she draws on her new chalk board. I have not been brave enough to let the painting at the easel commence. I am a little concerned where the paint will end up. I will let you know when I try if that was a good idea or a bad one.

I am in my 25th week of pregnancy. I am feeling more pregnant that I really am. I forgot how quickly the belly goes from cute and interesting to in the way. It has been a  necessity until lately to be taking Unisom. I braved going without earlier this week and found that I am doing just fine without it now. I tried that very experiment at about 19 weeks and I was sure sorry that I had. I am glad to be over that hump. Our little man has become quite active in the last week. There are times when I think that he is training for a marathon or reading "tap dancing for dummies." I can hardly believe how close November 15th seems. I think I have a bit more preparation than I am really willing to admit.

Anyhoo...Eloise is saying, "Come on momma."  I better see what my little peanut is up to.

Adios!

2 comments:

  1. you could try "water painting" using a brush and water only - easy clean up. There is also chocolate pudding fingerpainting, but the clean up might be a bit more on clothes or carpet.

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  2. Hey guys..... it seems like only yesterday you three came to see us at the LS and brought us yummy lunch! And now you're back in the wild! Paul...maybe we can do some cross-classroom sharing this year? If it doesn't work out, no big deal! Take care!

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