Hey folks! I know. I know. I didn’t have much to say in 2020. There were a couple reasons for that. First, a global pandemic made it very difficult to have travel related adventures. But that ended up being ok, because it turns out I spent most of the year feeling too crummy to go on many adventures and too tired to write about them if I did (more on that in a minute).
Still, 2020 was an important year for our crew, because we added two new members to our team, which I will introduce in the order of their arrival.
A Dog…
On a snowy day last April (gotta love climate change), Pete decided to go up to his family cabin in the Thompson to go turkey hunting (I sat this adventure out, instead spending the day dozing on the couch and rewatching Downton Abbey). He hiked over a mile into the woods from an old logging road, but didn’t see any turkeys. As he started to head back to his truck, he heard an odd squeaking sound–like a wheel-bearing going out, except he wasn’t near the road. Looking around, he finally spotted a small black and gray shadow following him through the woods.
That shadow turned out to be a dog, covered in mud and soaked to the bone. Luring him close with part of a sandwich, Pete was able to catch him. Since he had no collar, Pete took him around to the neighboring cabins trying to find his owner. When no one recognized him, Pete decided to bring him home for the time being.
Once home, we washed several tub-fulls of mud off of him, and then he hid in the bedroom the rest of the evening and tried to adjust to his new surroundings. The poor guy was afraid of doors and our hardwood floors. He was comfortable outside, but we had to carry him out there. The other dogs weren’t sure what to make of him either. Rocky was fairly standoffish and Dug got downright grumpy about the disruption, but our new friend–whom we dubbed Shadow after his initial appearance in the woods–was not put off by their bad manners and would follow them around the yard, copying the things they did.
Upon further discussion, we weren’t sure we wanted a third dog, but we were happy to keep him for a bit until we either found his owner or a new home for him. So the next day Pete posted his picture on all the local websites, and I took him to the vet to see if he had a chip. He didn’t, so we got him a quick check-up and a rabies shot (just to be on the safe side), and we waited. Our vet recommended giving the owner two weeks to claim him before we made our next move.
During the next two weeks, we slowly taught him about doors and hardwood floors, as well as other perks of living in a house, such as sleeping on the couch, chew toys, and having his own bowl for mealtime. He turned out to be hugely affectionate, snuggling up to us whenever he could, showering us with little kisses, and wiggling his whole body every time we walked into the room. He applied the same charm to the big dogs, and eventually they decided he was alright after all. By the time two weeks was up, we knew exactly where Shadow’s new home was: our house!
Thus we became a three dog household. It has definitely added some new challenges–Shadow gets anxious on car rides, and after his time in the woods (be that months or hours, we have no idea) he needed more formal training than the other two. Not to mention that a third dog makes everything–from meals to loading the truck–exponentially more tricky. But it was oh so worth it! Not only has it been rewarding to watch him turn into a happy and affectionate house dog, but he has also been really good for the older two. His endless youthful energy and desire to play helps keep them fit in their middle age (he’s about one year old to their five), and the extra training is improving everyone’s manners.
That being said, I think we are good with three. Poor Pete may never be allowed to go turkey hunting again.
…and a Baby
While we were busy adjusting to this new addition to our dog pack, I continued to feel nauseous and exhausted. The reason for this was that in March, we found out I was pregnant! And while I can’t say I enjoyed the experience–some expectant mothers bask in the glow of creating new life, while others such as myself count down the days until their due date–I was thrilled to meet our healthy, beautiful baby girl in November.
Her arrival was also a bit of an adventure. All year we did our best to be cautious as the Covid numbers continued to rise. We kept our interactions to a few people we trusted to be equally careful, went outside when we could, wore masks everywhere we went in public, and went through bottle after bottle of hand sanitizer. But when we showed up on our induction date, they did a rapid test, and lo and behold, I tested positive.
That meant we were immediately packed out of the luxurious suite we had just settled into and bundled down the hall to a smaller negative pressure room with considerably fewer amenities. Obviously, we weren’t allowed to leave for the rest of our visit, and anyone who came in had to don some variation of a hazmat suit (which meant visits from the staff were kept to a minimum). Masks had to be worn around the clock (even during delivery and while we were sleeping), and once something came into the room it had to stay until they could figure out how to safely remove it. I even had to fill out her birth certificate paperwork over the phone, since they couldn’t touch any papers I had touched.
Still we managed to muddle through. All the staff felt bad about all the extra restrictions–and I felt bad about making them go through all those extra hoops–so we all did everything we could to make the best of it. And in the end, delivery went smoothly, and our little CJ (we’ll let her decide for herself when she is older how much she wants her name on the Internet) was born completely healthy and stayed that way, sick mother not withstanding.
Since then she has certainly kept us on our toes (and out of our beds). Her three canine brothers adore her and have done everything they can to help out, which mostly translates to a lot of face licks, butt sniffs, and being constantly underfoot.
While numerous reasons have kept us pretty close to home these days–Covid, newborn, winter (not that it looks much like winter; again with the climate change)–we have still spent our many late nights planning for adventures in 2021. Since the pandemic still makes most travel difficult, we’ve decided to focus on more socially distanced outings for the time being, particularly hiking and camping. Hopefully by this summer things will be safe enough for us to venture a little further a field.
To that end, we have challenged ourselves to hike 250 miles this year. With a baby and three dogs, that promises to be an adventure in and of itself. We look forward to sharing our experiences in this blog. January has mostly been a research month, spent poring over hiking guides and reading reviews of outdoor baby paraphernalia. We did manage one quick two mile practice hike on our favorite local logging road, which went remarkably well. The dogs ran and had a good time (although poor Shadow does still have to stay on a leash for the time being) and CJ stayed warm and mostly slept through the whole experience. We call that a win.
Now just 248 more miles to go…