Adventures Part 1: Washington

There is no better way to start a two-year European adventure than a farewell tour of the purple mountains majesty and the for-spacious plains. We started off in Washington, where we breathed in the salty ocean air in Seattle and crossed over the mighty Columbia (roll on). Our scenic plans were thwarted by rain, snow, and seasonal roads that were still closed, but many magical moments were spent on the farm, running through meadows, hiking cow trails in the woods, and destroying Grandma’s flowerbeds. The Old House, repository of who-knows-what, both repelled (me) and attracted (others of a certain adventurous spirit.) The Boy played with boy-cousins (well, mostly with their toys) and enjoyed having more “sisters,” as he called them (the poor guy doesn't know that there are any other kind of short relatives, after all). The children gathered eggs from the chickens; chased the guinea hens; rounded up pigs; sat on Leroy, the three-legged dog; petted a cow; cuddled with the cat (or chased the cat, depending on the child); learned to avoid Roxy, the one-woman min-pin, and had a fabulous time. And then . . . (this is a cliff-hanger, obviously, so you'll be waiting on pins and needles for part two.)

And I’m alive!

We are moved in, unpacked, and ready to go (more or less!) We have all of the necessities, including toilet paper (no Charmin extra-soft here, though, or anything like unto it) and finally, Internet (and with Internet comes Skype, which means contact with family again). I’ve brushed off my trusty iMac, which has weathered upheaval fantastically well, and am ready to blog our Adventure, the mini-series. With any luck, it will rival the Pride and Prejudice mini-series. (Probably not the writing, though. Or the plot. Or the romance. Or the excellent morals. But maybe length. Maybe.)

Coming to healthcare near you

Today, I learned some very important facts about our insurance. Mostly, I learned that no matter how long you spend on the phone with various offices, none of them can do anything to help you. I also learned that if you happen to be doing a lot of traveling out of your coverage area, that you should probably just settle for ER visits, because there is no way that anyone can approve any other sort of a doctor's visit. But wait, what if . . . your daughter breaks out in hives and appears to be allergic to the cat, or the sun, or maybe just the whole state of Utah? That's just unfortunate, and hopefully, somebody somewhere else can fix it. But they can't, because with government-run healthcare, the approach to cost-cutting seems to involve placing a wall of bureaucrats between you and your doctor. Which would be awesome if it were a penalty kick or a game of dodge ball with those hard rubber balls.

Ahem.

So, I changed my blog.  It's a work in progress, since I'm on a sloooooooow PC, but it will come together--maybe.  It's still not really a mommy blog, and it's not a scrapbook paradise, and I will probably never give away cool free stuff that I make in my free time (1.  because my cool stuff is pretty rudimentary--hey, look!  a piece of paper glued to a popsicle stick!, and 2.  I have no free time.)

We leave for Europe in ONE month, so it's time to step up and share a little more. 

Today I'd  like to share that after a month in Washington state, and a week in Utah, I am tired of living out of suitcases.  That is all.

We're leaving!

We are pulling out of the campground and heading out. It's been a great experience--we all learned a lot about unselfishness, love, and seizing the day. Next item on the agenda--pulling a camper trailer from one coast to the other. It's going to be a great week!

(Is starting the trip with a speeding ticket a bad omen? Naah.)

Georgetown

A rainy weekday afternoon in Georgetown

The street is full of well-dressed women

clip-clopping to and fro.
I am a thrown-together woman
with no particular place to go.

I have a few hours free

from children's quarrels and ABCs,
And find myself in the enchanted halls
where merchants serve liberal proclivity.

Stiletto shoes with Italian names,
Parfum from France, and lace from Spain:
A patina of gorgeous from each arcade.
No rinky-dink bargains. Nothing mundane.

The well-dressed women race in the streets:
They have no dilly-dally time today.
They have careers and social obligations:
Theirs is not to seize the day.

I find a treasure for my beloved
and touch and smell and look my all.

I imagine myself a well-dressed woman

-pleasant, but fruitless after all.

I seize the day and seize some more
when I return from my afternoon stroll.
Children caper at the door:
Miraculous. Glorious. Wonderful.

I am a thrown-together woman.
Yells and smells of moppet and mite,

pose my hows and compose my whys.
Carpe diem, joyful soul, grasp the day while there's yet light.

Kristin H. Kent
March 2010

Olympics

This appears to be a slightly different kind of biathlon.