"That's an A!" at Gazzam Lake

We enjoyed a family hike at Gazzam Lake in the south end of BI. Ben is really doing well with recognizing letters – the ones that he can trace with his fingers like this trail sign are particularly fun! When we got home we split some madrona – very hard wood, but it burns so well it’s worth it. We saved about $100 on a cord by buying it in rounds vs split – we bicker over who gets to do the splitting! We really enjoy working around here vs going to a gym. We are blessed to have space and projects that need attention. The CrossFit folks have a workout of the day (WOD) that they do. So it’s fun to think of alternative WODs around here! While I was stacking the wood that Dave split, I had a couple of random thoughts. 1) My husband is really strong – he just wields that axe like nobody’s business! 2) Have we forgotten what hard work is all about because so many of us are now doing intellectually demanding jobs vs physically demanding? 3) If we were doing more manual work, would we be less apt to complain about the economy? 4) Would we be more likely to be activists locally (vs protesting remotely), making our own communities better by doing/giving/helping – pick a gerund and get it done!  5) Have we as parents dropped the ball a bit by hovering and praising overly much, such that our children’s generation is not only out of touch with what it means to do hard work, to sacrifice, to suffer from time to time even, but they are also out of touch with just plain old dedication, keeping their eye on the ball, focus from minute to minute, set goals and take responsibility?  I remember from caring for horses on our small farm that if I left the stall door unlocked, I could pretty much bet that I’d be up all night walking a horse with colic (who had gotten into the feed and eaten too much). Colic is a deadly illness…plus I’m a big fan of sleep. So I did develop a touch of OCD regarding keeping doors locked, but also an acute sense of personal responsibility. Figure out how I’m going to feed myself after graduating from college. It wasn’t a vacation in any way – it was a time for preparation for emancipation. I never lost sight of ensuring I had a practical skill that I could use. Unfortunately, that driving focus on ensuring I could work meant I did give up some dreams, like being a large animal vet. I didn’t think I could do that and be a mom (couldn’t go out on lambing calls at 3am and stay on the farm well into the next day like James Harriot). So there’s a balance to be struck here for sure. Off to close up the chicken coop and go on coyote patrol – I saw suspicious ears stalking around about 50 yards from the coop the other day around 6pm. Exciting stuff!