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June 30, 2000

Friday, June 30, 2000

Well, Jim and I suffered through another bad night with Aaron (3 1/2). This time he was coughing and his nose was running. Poor little guy. When we get him home tomorrow, we¹ll get him some cough medicine and set up his humidifier. That should help him sleep better. But we still have to get through tonight. Ugh! I don¹t want to think about that yet.

Today was another easy-going day. We got up after 8:30 a.m. The boys went outside with Grandma to feed the critters while I took a shower, then we all ate a late breakfast. My in-law’s house is adjacent to a greenbelt -- an area that can’t be developed. So there are lots of trees behind their house, and it feels like you¹re really out in the woods. The boys took out some seed and got to see stellar jays, chipmunks and squirrels come out to eat it. Late this afternoon, Jim spotted a deer walking through the trees nearby, and I was lucky enough to see it, too, before it walked away.

Best of all, a mother raccoon and her four babies live in a tree near the house. Every evening we’ve had a “raccoon watch,” as we wait for them to emerge. The mom comes out first, and the babies follow. They’re learning how to climb on the tree. Apparently, she works on climbing with them every evening, trying to get them further from their comfort zone each time. The goal is to teach them how to get in and out of the tree by themselves so they can forage and fend for themselves someday.

After the climbing lesson, Mama Raccoon tucks her kits back into their nest and climbs down to look for food for the family. Jim’s mom has been taping their activities the last few nights. It’s amazing to watch. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity. I could take some patience lessons from that mother raccoon. She generally lets her kits learn at their own pace, but sometimes she takes a more active role and pulls one of the babies out to a farther limb before letting it go scurrying back to the safety of the fork in the trunk. Truly inspiring.

It’s been peaceful here, surrounded by natural beauty and wildlife. It stands out in stark contrast to the urban sprawl of L.A. Disneyland was fun, but incredibly stressful. Truckee has soothed my mind and my soul. I feel ready again to take on a new day of travel, to complete this journey and go home. Home. You truly have to be away from it in order to appreciate it. I’m looking forward to going home.