Adventure #9-No Time to Pack

                                                     No Time to Pack

                                          Back to my National Parks Trip.

It is now Sunday morning, a week before departure, which arrived before I was ready for it. After listening to my brother-in-law preach live stream, I finished preparations for the preschool Children's class that I teach the first two Sundays of every month. I talked with Joe about my fallen tree. He unexpectedly sounded excited at the opportunity to help cut it up. Sure enough, Monday he arrived with chain saws and other woodsman paraphernalia and worked away diligently at removing limbs and cutting the trunk into sections. 

I departed for town to run those necessary but oh so time consuming errands. In the afternoon, Maddie got off the bus at my house to spend the night as a precursor to her field trip the next day. A playmate spent the afternoon with her and they helped pile up some of the cut limbs. Later in the day another neighbor stopped by and talked of coming over to help with his big machine. Not sure technically what it is called but it was on metal skids with a hydraulic arm claw. In my tiredness, it was unclear to me that he was talking about taking down the rest of the tree as well as removing the stump.  

Tuesday the long awaited field trip day had finally arrived and Maddie was alive with excitement. We were off to the ocean to celebrate the conclusion of our home school year. In January, Caleb had gone back to school and Maddie in March. But after a month it became apparent that she was not going to get the on going help that she needed with reading so she started coming to my house at the beginning of school. An hour later, I took her to school where she arrived in time for first recess as I live only two minutes away. 

The only imperfection to the field trip was somehow I forgot my pocketbook which I didn't discover until we were three quarters of the way there. No money meant we had no option but to turn around and go back for it.  Maddie graciously didn't complain about the extra hours ride. First we hunted up an interpretive center that has a lovely  taxidermy animal display in their habitats as well as shells and numerous fascinating displays. It was an enchanting time as I experienced everything  through her eyes.

Afterwards we popped into MacDonald's for lunch. The breeze off the ocean was quite cool so we abandoned the picnic table and ate in the car. The highlight of the day for Maddie was purchasing a souvenir. She had found a stuffed sea creature at the museum but still had some money left so we headed to the shops. After thoroughly exploring one, we drove to find another. Either I remembered wrong or it no longer existed because an art gallery of sorts was where I thought it should be. So we returned to the first and Maddie eventually choose a lovely small bottle with sand and minuscule sea shells in it. 

By now it was mid afternoon as we finally drove onto the beach. We let the waves chase us, back and forth but we didn't stay long. The breeze was cold and I hadn't brought any sand toys. As I still had grocery shopping to do, with rapidly waning energy, I encouraged a quick departure. Maddie decided she wanted to go  shopping with me so off to Wal-Mart we went. Grama succumbed to buying her a treat or two for her uncomplaining willingness to accommodate my schedule. 

I arrived home hungry, hot, and exhausted. The unexpected shock of seeing the rest of the tree down, the huge fern and the stumps with exposed roots decorating my lawn, and my woodland garden in shambles brought me to tears. After a lengthy conversation with my oldest sister, the mountain returned to a mole hill. My neighbor returned and I was able to sanely discuss where to put the stumps on the property, the rebuilding of the stone retaining wall and the new home for the fern. 

Reader, don't misunderstand. I am very grateful for all the work that they did as Joe had also returned to cut up some more of the tree. There was no doubt that the rest of the tree had to come down as the stump was clearly rotten. I felt overwhelmed just thinking about making that happen. I am so grateful that these two men came to help and took care of everything for me. I just wasn't prepared to feel such loss and desolation at the destruction of my woodland garden. What was once a lovely shady retreat, enjoyed close up and from my deck, filled with bleeding hearts and primrose, was now an eyesore of brown earth.

Wednesday morning I arose early and upon further investigation realized that many of the plants were just lightly covered with dirt. I began the process of rescuing most of them which involved finishing the flower bed that I had started the previous week. I removed an unused piece of last year's pea fence from the garden and installed it along the barn wall. I planted my two bedraggled clematis securing them to the fence along with some climbing starts.  My peony and hydrangea went in the front corners. Mother Nature had thoroughly squashed the bleeding hearts when the first trunk fell directly on top of them so all that remained were roots. I diligently sifted through the soil and found most of them which I planted in a row down the middle of the bed. I seriously doubt that any of them will survive but I planted them anyways. 

Next, I unearthed my primrose which I planted amongst my roses hoping that they would shade them enough from the intense midday sun. (Some of them didn't survive the heat wave because the deer's pruning eliminated some of the shade.) Last I found the astilbe which had not been doing well and placed them beside the patio. A garden that in theory gets less sun but which I am learning gets more than I thought. Just as I was finishing my neighbor returned, fixed the wall, moved the stumps and fern and headed home.  My soul still ached for what had been and was no more. I am not sure how but I drove into town and babysat Maddie and Caleb while Becky and Byron went to the

 Spanish Bible Study that he was teaching

While I was gone Joe finished cutting up the tree, 

splitting it and with Byron's help stacked it all in my woodshed. 

Thanks guys!

Maddie and Becky install some pavers and made the beginnings of a lovely fairy garden so the earth is beginning to show signs of new life again. Soon I want to plant an apple tree where the former tree was. 

Thursday passed in a blur.  I was desperately trying to get the rest of my garden weeded, spaded, and planted. My house was a disaster as any time spent doing housework in the last two months was non-existent.  I planted as much as I could until I could do no more. I did dishes. I collapsed into nothingness in the evening. Still no packing done. I refused to panic but I wanted to. There is still time I thought. 

Friday I was headed back into town to grocery shop with my daughter to stock my empty cupboards and refrigerator with foods that her kids liked. She had graciously agreed to take care of my two fur balls and dog while I was gone. On the way to the Dollar Tree to pick up some little treats for Maddie, my car died and refused to start. Thankfully it was just past Becky's house. As I was attempting to push it to the side of the road, it is actually quite light, two young gentleman appeared from nowhere to assist me. After assuring themselves that I would be alright, they hopped back into their cars and left. I trudged back up the street in a drizzling rain, heart in my shoes to Becky's. I missed Mark who normally dealt with all car issues. Now it was just me. 

After eating something while Becky and  Byron made appropriate consoling noises, I called a nearby mechanic that Mark had used. They could look at my car.  Byron had a meeting so Becky and I went back to the car to see if we could jump start it. Getting my hood open was the biggest challenge but we conquered that as well as putting the cables on. The car thankfully started. Chugging along in second with Becky behind me, we made it to the mechanics a few blocks away. 

By now there was barely time to make it to the graveside service of a friend's daughter who had died Monday night. She had recently been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, only twenty-five so a shock to us all. It was incredibly difficult for me to go, so many memories of my own. Too many good-byes. Neither Becky nor I felt able to go to the memorial service being held later that afternoon at a local church in town. So we went shopping, picked up my car which had only needed a new battery. I headed home, exhausted after another too long day. 

             The casket was beautifully hand made by the family in Abigail's memory.

Saturday I made some choices that I don't know if I would make again. I spent the morning frantically in the veggie garden planting the lovely starts that my friend had given me: squash, cucumbers, zucchini's etc. I stopped at noon. Most everything was in the ground at least. Unfortunately the slugs ate them all except for a few cabbage and broccoli plants. As well as two rows of my corn that I worked so hard to plant. 

I refused to leave my daughter such a cluttered house, every surface was covered with something. I erroneously thought it would take a couple of hours then finally mid afternoon I would get to my packing. Around seven I admitted, No time for any more cleaning. The floors were still covered with dog hair and the bathrooms weren't cleaned but Becky urged me to leave those for her to do and I did.  I was in tears. There was no way I was going to be ready to leave for my son's at seven the next morning. Both my kids lovingly supported me on the phone over the next hour or so while we devised a modified plan. I regretfully canceled the luncheon in Ellensburg with a friend. We agreed on a later start time and arrival time at Erin's cousins. 

I said that I was exhausted and off to bed intending to get up early to a new day. I couldn't sleep so instead I unearthed our camping stuff stored in the spare room. Thankfully when we had sold the camper a few years prior, I had done a good job of repacking and eliminating unnecessary stuff. At eleven I feel into an exhausted sleep only to awaken at one, bug eyed and wide awake. 

Maddie had requested that I leave her something in her advent box calendar for each day that I was going to be gone as she was going to miss me very much. I had agreed. The little surprises were purchased but I spent the next couple of hours at two am writing little notes letting her know where I would be on that day. Not all the surprises fit so I put those in small gift bags in an empty drawer as a special treat for that day. Caleb got some dollar bills and the family got treated to ice cream on Sundays. By the time I finished, I felt tired and was able to sleep for a couple more hours. 

I'm not sure why the packing took so long but it always does. I ended up bringing lots of stuff I never looked at and too many clothes. Somehow I envisioned endless hours lazing around the campfire which didn't transpire. Finally by ten  everything was shoved into the car, my bike loaded on back and I was off. My car started stalling again when I slowed down as it had done previously but I continued on to Chris' anyways. By two we had repacked everything into the jeep. Originally we were going to go in my car but shortly before departure Chris strongly suggested we go in the Jeep Cherokee, formerly ours. as it was more comfortable and it had air conditioning. So that is what we did. And I'm glad we did. 

                                     They were determined to go with me.

                          They climbed in and I had to drag them out of he car.

Ready to leave Wishkah with LoveMonk and Nomeo.

Packed and leaving Puyullap

PS I took my car back to the mechanics when I got home. Stalled all the way home every time I slowed down and needed to down shift.  Got to the mechanics. It wouldn't stall once for him as he test drove it several times. He was very kind but I felt a, "Yeah lady. I hear you but I can't fix it if it won't stall when Idrive it. Computer codes are all okay. Bring it back if it acts up again." It was fine until I drove to Chris' again. 

Given to me in memory of Mark.