“What?!?!” I say.  ”You’re kidding right?”  There was a twinkle in their eye and I knew that they were giving me a hard time, but “hey,” back at ya—they are alpacas, let’s get it straight

I hear it all too often, llamas, llamas, llamas.  I have nothing against llamas, they are wonderful creatures.  But I have alpacas–there is a difference…

Although llamas and alpacas are both camelids and very closely related, alpacas are 1/3 of the size of a llama, their ears and muzzles are shorter, and their fiber is different.  Both llama and alpaca fiber is very soft and warm, but up close on the animals body, it lays differently.

Alpacas and llamas have different personalities too, alpacas being

"Isabella", the alpaca

more aloof and flighty than a llama.  Partially it is their small body frame that makes them more skiddish.  Everything is a predator to them, so they run.

And yes, alpacas spit too!  Just like llamas and camels.  That’s what camelids do, spit when they are provoked.

"Antonio", the llama

And I will answer you all, because I know that you are wondering, “Yes, I have been spit on.”  It is gross, and green and smells, however once wiped away it is gone.  Let’s put it this way, it’s better than stepping in dog *&$% out in the yard.  That stays with you all day, all week, all year.  Better off to just ditch the shoes–hopefully you are wearing them.

To those close to me who like to give me a hard time, I just want to say, “Thanks guys, I know that you just love me….but for the record, read above.”

Enjoy the pics–I’m glad to be back!

Me and my girl, Isabella

With Love,

Kate

I like to do laundry first thing in the morning.  There is something productive about walking downstairs, opening up the washing machine and popping a load in before you even turn the coffee pot on.  The hum of the washer just screams to me that I’m getting stuff done.

Yesterday morning was like every other, I opened up the washing machine, ready to start a load, but there, intertwined with the shorts and tee’s, was the cord to my iPod.  S*&$!   It went through the wash.  I hate it when that happens.  There is no way that it could have survived the heavy load setting.  No way…  Why oh, why, didn’t I check my pockets?  There is absolutely no one to blame but myself,  UGH!!

Starting my day like this reminded me of the morning I dropped the pot of soup all over the kitchen floor.  It’s like the time that I wore my not-so waterproof watch in swimming or left a pie plate on the hood of my car and watched it crash to the pavement as I pulled out of the driveway (and yes, it was full of fresh strawberry rhubarb pie).  It reminded me of the many times that I have left my shoes outside and it poured rain all night and when I went to put them on, I realized that I was going to have to go to outfit B–or was that C, D, or E?  These things were all just mood spoilers, day changers, and big pains in the neck, brought on by no one else but Me.

I knew that I shouldn’t have put the iPod in my shorts pocket, I knew it.  So, in the midst of blinking myself awake, I untangled the cord, and laid it on my kitchen table, to dry, maybe?  It was definitely dead.  Nothing…. God, what a way to start the day. 

I walked away from the iPod and the washer (my heart was not in a load of laundry at that point) and decided that a little later that afternoon, I would try it again.  But, 7 hours later it was still dead.  And as I picked it up off the table, and started for the trash, there was a nudge inside.  Something was saying–”Don’t throw me away, recharge me, plug me into the computer.”  Hmm..

And to my surprise, when I plugged that iPod in, it lit up, charged, and this morning I was able to rock out on the treadmill to it.  Wow, maybe my day wasn’t so bad after all.  Still,  “iPod, that was washing machine, and washing machine that was iPod–now stay away from each other…am I clear? Or someone is going to get hurt.” (Me)

I’m still thinking of my July in NH–wistfully.  It was so much fun.  But it is August 2nd, and we are back to the reality of iPods and such.  Thought I would share a few pics of 3 generations of waterskiiers.  We all skied this July. 

My family, we just waterski. 

Generation # 2-- "Don't fall Smartie!"

Generation # 3--yeah, he did it!

Generation #1--still the best skier of the bunch!

Have a great night!

With Love,

Kate

Yes, I am about ready to have a heart attack..

I can’t believe it, but I touched a snake today–yes, I really did.  This coming from the girl who wrote an essay in 8th grade called “Snake Phobia!” 

We are all touching the snake, together

So we did it–we touched the soft, not-so-slimy snake.  It only came close to biting my niece just twice, but we touched it.   You can tell by the look on my face that I was really nervous, and did almost go into cardiac arrest as I touched the thing.  But what was priceless, was the look on Jacob’s face when they brought that 9 foot snake out on the table and told him he could touch it.  I won’t forget it for the rest of my life.  I might even pick one up, if it meant I could give him that experience again–well, maybe…

Speaks for itself.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but do you have any tooth paste?  I must have forgotten to put mine in my overnight bag,” I politely asked the woman who owned the motel.   She looked at me, with her hands on her hips and replied, “Well, I don’t have any per se, but I have some of my own and I could give you a squirt.”

I smiled, “sure, that will work, I’ll be down in a bit to get it from you.”

 ”Okay, just come find me in the lobby or outside and I will grab you some.”

It's the shadow me

“Thanks.”  As I walked out onto the porch of the motel, the sun was just about down and a warm glow hovered in the air. I settled in a wicker rocker sitting in the corner of the small porch to finish my glass of wine, and watch the few people staying for the night, going in and out, back and forth to their cars.  I knew that I liked this place.  I felt like I was in a comfortable home.  Her son, around 22, was over on the front lawn juggling with a friend of his from college.  The owner had told me in a brief conversation that her twins were home working with her at the motel; it was a big help and they did what they could. 

I noticed that the crickets had started chirping and over beyond the dirt parking lot, a fire was going, and a cozy party of 2 were gathered over there enjoying its warmth and companionship.  I was tempted to go and check it out, but I didn’t really want to interfere on a private moment.  Oh, well, I was just as content to sit here and watch.

I sipped on my wine, and thought. . What a great place.  Non-abrasive, friendly, inviting…just what I was looking for on this night.  From the moment I walked in that afternoon I felt welcomed.  There was something oddly familiar as I scanned the walls where old family pictures and paintings of the mountains hung.  They were suggestive of all the recreational activities to be done and the good times to be had here.  The eclectic, mix-match of furniture was comfortably worn and inviting, in a pleasant kind of way.  When I asked where I could eat, the motel “keeper”, gave me a nice overview on each place to choose from.  She and I exchanged content smiles as she let me into her life, telling me a little about her father and mother who started the motel way back when..

View from the front porch

After an hour of rocking and watching on the porch, my eyes were getting droopy, speaking to the effects of the wine that had warmed me through.  I sat there with my long sweater wrapped around me, enveloping me in a dreamy content.  I needed to get to bed so that I was fresh for my big day on the mountain tomorrow.  But first, the tooth paste…so I slipped back to my room, and decided that a plastic cup would work quite nicely as a container.  When I got back to the lobby, my friend could not be found, but I did see her son.  I went to him and explained, and he kindly took my cup and went inside to fill it.  No problem..  When he came back, there were 2 slugs of toothpaste at the bottom of the cup, exactly what I was looking for. And as I headed down the long hall way to my room on the end, I couldn’t help but think,  any place that would give me tooth paste in a cup, was well worth coming back to.  Not only were they willing to give it, but I was willing to take it.  

The friendly, slow manner, and the feel of it all…thank you Carol and family, at Carlson’s Motor Lodge, in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire.  You made a most memorable night for a person who wanted to find a place to tuck away and just be…  I’ll be back.

www.carlsonslodge.com, (603) 846-5501.

I made it--I can barely stand it's so windy!

This past weekend I went to the White Mountains in New Hampshire–my old stomping ground.  It felt so good to be “home”. 

As you read I thought that I would share this new song that I like– A little Cold Play…

 

 

Saturday morning I packed up and headed for the mountains, specifically, Mount Washington–the highest peak in the northeast.  Imagine, a native of New Hampshire and I had never been?!?  At 36, I was finally getting around to it.  Sunday was my day, and I did it via the Cog Railway.  What a day it was…

 

First off, for those of you who are unfamiliar, Mt. Washington boasts the highest recorded wind speed on earth, and the reputation of having the most severe weather in the world.  You don’t mess around with the Mount.  I would have loved to hike it, but where it was my first time and I was alone, I felt like I needed to get the lay of the land.  However, next time, I am hiking it, and I may even stay up in the AMC hut that’s located at “Lake in the Clouds.”  Next year maybe?

 

I must say, The Cog Railway was impressive.  It was neat to be climbing up the face of a mountain in a railway car.  There were times when the incline was so steep I felt like I was laying down.  On the descent, my feet dangled off the floor out in front of me.  The Cog has the second most treacherous track in the world; second only to a stretch in the Swiss Alps.  Our train car made 3 stops for safety checks during the trek up the mountain.  Fortunately we passed inspection—phewww!

 

After passing through 3 different climate changes, we made it to the summit.  The wind whipped, the jagged rocks met the sky, and the clouds flew by, just over my head.   And as I was witnessing and feeling this wild mountain, all that kept running through my head was a lyric line from the new Cold Play song, “..and heaven is in sight.“  I was actually feeling like I was in heaven, the closest I had ever felt.  It was as if I could reach out and touch the beautiful blue sky and be a part of the world in a different, surreal way.  Amazing..and it was Sunday too.

 

I certainly developed a respect for the powerful ol’ mountain, and the strength that it exuded. Where my picture was taken, the wind was so strong that if you weren’t extremely careful and calculated in your movement, you would literally blow over.  It was quite a feat getting a picture.  Luckily I met up with a very patient man; he and I took turns snapping pics for each other.

  

I finished up the day with a dunk in my favorite swimming hole on the Pemigewasset River in Lincoln. I was  hot and sweaty from hiking along the trails in the Crawford Notch State Park as I meandered my way back to civilization.  And as I let the cold mountain water carry me down river, I couldn’t help but think that it really felt good to be “home”, home in the mountains.   

 

“..and heaven is in sight.”

 

With Love,

Kate 

There it is in the background, my swimming hole---I really did get wet!

At the top

My Posse, basking in the sweetness..

Today was a great day.  The kids and I are visiting my family in New Hampshire, so I took them to the ocean.  What fun–they loved it.  I did too. 

I had to start my day buying new sunglasses. I lost them and after searching high and low I finally had to say enough and purchase some new ones on the way.  I splurged—$12.  Then, in keeping with tradition, I had to buy beach bubble gum.  The kid’s said what?!?!  Yeah, it’s beach bubblegum, watermelon/strawberry Bubblicious.  It all started when I was 8 and went to the ocean with my Aunt Betsy and cousins.  We had ”beach bubblegum” on the way home.   Since that day, whenever I go to the beach I think about that gum and manage to find a pack of it and chew on the way there and on the way back.  It’s great at taking out the taste of salt after a day at the beach.  The kids agreed, however they were more impressed at how big the bubbles were that they could blow on the way home. 

The older I get, the more I enjoy the beach.  I was thinking today, it is truly one place on this earth in which I always feel totally in the moment.  The sound of waves crashing on the beach and the breeze, have this therapeutic way about them.  They pull everything away from your soul that weighs heavy and you are able to just sit with yourself and watch.

Nubble Light House

Watch the people around you trying to sunbathe.  Watch the kids jumping and running from the waves.  Watch the seagulls fly over head, searching for a morsel of food.  Watch 2 people playing frisbee.  Watch a group build a monster sand castle.  Watch my kids race their trucks up and down the beach.  Watch the waves come crashing in.  So much to watch..

At the beach I am totally in the moment, as I race back and forth into the water with my 2-year-old.  I am totally in the moment when I sit in our beach chairs and we eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips.  I am totally in the moment as I deeply breathe in the salty sea air.  The feeling is timeless, priceless, and effortless…

Go find your “in the moment”, and soak it in, bask in its sweetness.  Relish in it–for that “moment” will never come again.

With love,

Kate

Coming in for the landing!

Hey Everyone–betcha you were wondering what happened to me.  Sorry, between vacationing, and vacationing, and vacationing, I’ve been challenged to find time to blog, not to mention the internet service where I am is not that great …So, I’m back, and I hope you are ready, because I have been inspired–but I will start all of that inspiration stuff later this week

Not only was the experience in itself super fun, but the company was great too.  I went with my sisters, my mother, cousin, aunt, almost aunt, sister’s girl friend and my girl friend–that is what made it that much more special.  I looked at my aunt, who held me as a baby, gave me my first teeth cleaning, has seen me laugh and cry, and thought wow, who would have thought that we would be doing this together?  Then I looked at my cousin, who I remembered being born, and my mother (what she’s done speaks for herself), and sisters, and friend from NY, and I couldn’t help but wonder how did this all come together today?   SARAH!!!!!  So glad that you are having a summer of adventure–because it is quickly turning into my summer of adventure too!  Sky Diving anyone?

Me and my friend--"thank you"

Sunset, my favorite time of day.

Me and my man Sam saw a beautiful thing tonight.  When we went for a 4-wheeler ride this evening we saw a baby fawn nursing on it’s mom, about 20 feet away from us.  We stopped the 4-wheeler and sat there silently and watched.  It was great.  Sam thought it was pretty neat, and kept saying Mommy, Baby–pronounced “moeee, bayeee”.  A fantastic way to start a new week—at my favorite time of day.  And I just love this song too.  Let’s kick off the last week of June—enjoy! Have a great week!

This one is for you Jenny, a blast from the past, but very appropriate.  Especially because this song raised so much money.

They are beautiful kids..

Like any project, Jenny’s has taken a turn.  Originally, HEAL was all about the girls, but as Jenny is learning, the boys need just as much care.  It is so sad to see what many of these little kids have to endure; extreme poverty, physical and mental abuse, atrocious living situations, and the list goes on.  It makes me wonder, how did I become so fortunate as to be born into my family, in my country, in my situation?  Is it fair that I should live the life of luxury, compared to these poor little kids who are just as deserving as I am?

So I ask “Why”? Why is it this way? How can I make things better?  As I get older, I realize that boundaries are just arbitrary lines that have been drawn by humans.  For what reasons? Order?  Should those arbitrary lines stop us from helping other human beings? I know some people who feel that we need to stick to home, and deal with our own problems in this country.  The argument is that there are hungry people here as well.  Well, I disagree.  I disagree because from my view-point it doesn’t matter where you live, what color you are, what language you speak, and what your religion is, we are all human-beings.  And if you are a human being, than you deserve to be fed, cared for, and nurtured like anyone else on this planet, regardless of where you live.

I want to make things better.  That is why I commend Jenny for taking on this huge project.  She is helping children who have very little opportunity due to the circumstances that they were born into.  So how am I helping?  My involvement has been to donate some of the proceeds of my Adopt-An-Alpaca program back to HEAL.  I can’t write Jenny a big check, or go over to Kenya and invest with some sweat equity, but I can be creative and utilize my business as a way to help out.  At least I feel like I am giving something.

To go along with this humanity idea–as many of you know, I abhor crime shows.  The reason that I do is that I don’t like to see other human beings suffer.  I know, I know, it’s only a t.v. show and it’s not real, but the reality is, is that there are people who are going through similar situations every moment of every day.  So I ask, why do we have to perpetuate the pain and view it for “fun”.  Isn’t that a little sick?  YES!  If we spent as much time trying to help those in need all over the world as we do watching those horrid shows we might make some serious progress in our fight against world poverty and pain.

So my challenge to all of you is this:  What are you doing to make this world a better place?  Are you donating money, are you volunteering your time, are you praying for humanity?  If you aren’t, I think that you should try to.   I urge you to help an organization that helps others who need desperately.  I know, between kids, work, spouses, and other commitments it takes a lot of time, money and energy to add one more thing to the plate–but don’t you think that it is our obligation to help a little–we are the lucky ones, we are the ones that happened to fall into the “cushy” American lifestyle.  Ipod’s, warm houses, antibiotics–how fortunate are we?

So consider…push yourself, be better, for all those who don’t have choices.  Thank you Jenny, for nudging me to work harder at being a better person.

With love and thought,

Kate

P.S.  For those of you who are interested in Jenny’s organization or want to read about her current trip to Kenya, go to my blog roll–I have it all linked.

“I love you..”  When was the last time that you told someone special that you loved them?  Was it the love of your life, a close friend, your children, your parents, or the mailman?  Do you say those words automatically, or do you think about the words when you say them, and really let that person see the vulnerability in your heart?  Hmm, love…

My friend lost her grandmother last week.  She is struggling, I know this. My heart aches for her when I see the lost look in her eyes that tells of all the grieving that she is doing.  “I’m so sorry friend, it’s hard when you lose someone who you love.  It takes time, a lot of time to fill the void of their presence in your life, if you ever do.” 

Take comfort in knowing that your grandmother knew how much you loved her.  I know that you told her and that you said your good byes–how lucky you are to have had that time to remind her of your feelings.  Many people never have the chance to say important things, or they choose not to.  Here’s what I say, “Have no regrets, let your feelings be said out loud.”  

There is one person that I knew, who I don’t think ever understood how important she was to me, Mrs. Pharas–our babysitting grandma.  She taught me so much about appreciating the simple things.  The impact that she has had on my life is huge–yet she never knew it.  I regret all of the trouble that I gave her when I was younger, trying to remind her that I was the mother when my mother was not around.  Sometimes I think that I was too sassy and argumentative with her.  I rolled my eyes a lot behind her back.  Why?  Why was I so rotten?  Why didn’t I give her more hugs and more smiles?  She certainly deserved them.  But, maybe the reality is that I didn’t understand how much she meant to me until she was gone.  I was young and clueless.   Even though I never let her in on my feeling for her, I take comfort in thinking about where she is now.  Maybe her spirit shines down on me everyday, as I think about blue birds, and her little saying, “The time to be happy is now.” 

“Thank you Mrs. Pharas, thank you for everything that you were to me.  Thank you for all of the life lessons that you taught me.  I loved you, and appreciated the way that you lived  your life.”

To my friend:  I love you, you are special to me.  Your grandma loves you too.  Even though you can’t see her, she is with you every moment of everyday–in your heart.

This goes out to everyone who loves–have no regrets, spread the word.

With love,

Kate