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Alex tries to escape the clutches of
Ahtna, the Sleepy Dog |
In earlier blogs I've alluded to the fact that the fall season seems to have "crept in" when we weren't looking...and with it, the fading of our daylight hours. Perhaps the loss of daylight has been masked by the weeks of continuing rains, as it is only during the past few days that we have noticed the daylight quietly making her exit. We should have known, though, as this is poor Ahtna's first season of this; and each evening, she sneaks down the hallway earlier and earlier for bed. Since she is still a puppy, many of our bedroom doors remain closed until we turn in for the evening. However, she has been sleeping on Ethan's bed for several weeks now; and as soon as it gets dark, that's where she heads. She will lie in front of his door moaning a lonesome puppy cry as if to say, "Hello...it's b-e-d-t-i-m-e!" This started a few weeks ago around 9:30 p.m., but as of last evening, she was down the hall by 8:00. I think
that's when it
really dawned on us..."Hey it's dark outside...not just dusk, but DARK, DARK!" As if saying it twice makes it darker...
The rains have been falling for days now, and although we enjoy listening to the hard showers and they provide soothing fall comfort and window watching entertainment throughout the day, I believe they cause cabin fever more so than the snows will. At least with snow we can get out and be active. The rains have kept us inside for so many days this week that on Sunday afternoon we donned dusters, hats, and umbrellas and went for a "torrential rain stroll" anyway! Ahtna was going nuts, and her energy level was enough to drive a crazy person sane. We
had to do something!
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| It's raining, it's pouring...Sunday Stroll Anyway! |
I have given up trying to keep up with the "cleaning" in this mess. Praise the Lord we have a mud room. Michael jokingly said he thinks we need a mudroom for our mudroom! He isn't too far off. Our daily routine had become picking up wet, sticky leaves that snuck in on the bottom of some poor unsuspecting soul's soles. I believe Albert Einstein is the one that gets the credit for saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." So, collectively, we decided we would wait and sweep every
other day until the snows begin to fall. That way the sneaky leaves have a chance to dry, they are easier to sweep, we are able to spend better time together as a family, and we save our backs a little. Don't get me wrong...seeing a fresh carpet of wet leaves on the floor still drives me insane, but I am learning new coping skills - hopefully. And besides, mud rooms are supposed to get "muddy" occasionally.
Occasionally is the operative word here, and the boys bear with me and jump in full force when I say, "It's time to clean that mudroom!" I think deep down I'm scared to death somebody will just "drop by"- and they'll have to come in through that room - and then the judging begins. Do you ever get that? Once they come in and come upstairs, they'll be way more comfortable -- clean living room, clean kitchen, clean bath, bearable dining room. Schooling, board games, Uno marathons, puzzles and Star Wars battles happen in the dining room, so hopefully they'll cut me some slack! And, if not, Mother always said, "If people are coming to visit you to see your dirt, let them see it! If they're coming to see you, they won't notice the dirt!"
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| Sent inside to play, thanks to the moose in our backyard! |
And Ethan's buddies haven't seemed to notice. They have been forced indoors for playtime for more than a week now, and we have seen all types of messes at our dining room table as toys are spread hither and yon. The days haven't all been total washouts, as we have had various sets of moose wander through the yard at some point each day. Yesterday was a new record - four sets of different moose came and went from morning through dinnertime. I imagine the colder temperatures and snows in the mountains are driving them down into the valley. The only concern we have with that, is that hibernation season is not quite here yet, so the bears may be coming down, too, in search of more sustenance now that the berries and salmon are gone.
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| Mother Moose with Twins |
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Mother Moose with Twins
Sept 2015 |
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| Ahtna's New Perch |
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| Watchdog - High Alert! |
Ahtna isn't quite sure what to make of all of this. She has found a new "watchdog perch" and will pace throughout the day from the main front door to the living room window. She's worse than a busybody neighbor! She is definitely a retriever, but we think there may be some sporting pointer in her bloodline as well. Yesterday she was sleeping peacefully on the floor, when suddenly she jerked her head up, ran to the window, looked out, and let out a terrible growl! It scared all of us...we had never seen or heard her do that. When we got to the window, she was alerting us to moose at the end of our driveway, and she received all sorts of praises and "Good Girls." But her bravado is fleeting...later on, she was outside "doing her business" (hope that's pc enough for blogging), saw more moose, and left Michael standing in the rain as she made a beeline for the door! So much for dogs being protectors and "man's best friend!"
After what has seemed like an eternity, the rains did finally stop late yesterday afternoon, giving way to beautiful snowfall - our first of the season. Last year, we didn't see "real" snow until almost November. We anticipate this may be a truer Alaskan winter than what we had last year. Most of you know, fall is my favorite time of year. I love the changing of the leaves, the cooler temperatures, the smell of wood smoke in fireplaces or wood stoves, hot apple cider, and the first hint of colder days on the way. I know it is a shortened season here, and we have cherished every bit of it. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't ready for it to snow yet. Maybe the weeks of rains did that to me. But nothing compares to the first snowfall of the season. Everything that was wet, dreary, and mucky is suddenly pristine white, beautiful, and so still...
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First Snowfall of the Season
Sept 2015 |
I'm so thankful the Lord gave us "seasons" -- true, temporal, earthly seasons like summer, fall, winter, and spring; but I'm also thankful for the life seasons, even the hard ones, that have more meaningful, eternal lessons. When I consider how the initial rains here were unexpected and their persistence became unwelcome, I am reminded of the "dreary" seasons that sometimes come to us in this life -- a doctor's appointment, with a biopsy, and an unknown result; an unexpected car repair that obliterates hard earned savings; having to wait for a season when we are so ready to move forward; giving a wayward child over to the Lord; taking care of an invalid parent or grandparent; or grieving the loss of a loved one. Your "dreary" season may fit into one of these categories or you may have a category all your own. And then comes the snow...slow, steady, and purposefully covering everything that was yucky, gross, and just plain sad looking.
I believe it's a wonderful illustration of how the Lord deals with us and with the situations we face in this life, if we let Him. He never promised an easy, carefree life - but He did promise that if we know Him as our Savior, we can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). He cared for us so much that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for us. When you have the realization that if
you had been the only person on Earth, God would have still sent Jesus to die in your place, as a gift, so that you could be put back into a right relationship with Him...well, that realization and the acceptance of what He did for you makes even the dreariest of seasons bearable. The Bible says if we "confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved." It goes on to say that "with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10)."
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1:18
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| White as Snow |
With love in our hearts for you all. We pray you know His peace, in all seasons.
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