Spring is Here?

It’s only been a couple weeks since I’ve posted on my blog but it feels like ages. Could it be that in only two weeks we’ve gone from treacherous winter-like weather and torrential rain storms to no snow and (Could it be?) spring like weather.

I baulk at saying the word s-p-r-i-n-g. The last time I grasped to welcome this season to 2007 I decided to put away all of my winter clothes. This rash action was rewarded by a nor’ easter three days later in which school was canceled and we received a greater snowfall in one dumping than at any other time this winter. So you’ll understand my apprehension in accepting that it is s-p-r-i-n-g even though May 1st is next week. You never know how the weather can turn in the great ol’ state of Maine.

My negligence in writing is partly due to my school district’s scheduled April vacation (2 weeks ago) in which my husband and I went on a little drive to the Daytona area in a favorite Mainer’s spring break destination of Florida. It has been over 20 years since my last trip and, with family anxious for us to visit, we thought it time to make the trek once again.

Typically, I relish in a week off in April with nothing planned and nothing to do. As we were completing our 22 hour drive from Freeport, ME to Port Orange, FL (left Friday, 6 p.m. and arrived Saturday night), I was truly missing the hours I’d have at home puttering, catching up on school work, lunching with friends, and doing all the things I love to do but never have the time. However, upon reading the newspaper on our first full day in the sunny state, April 15th, and seeing an image of a car turned over on Ferry Beach in Saco, ME in the Daytona news, I knew we were missing some truly crappy weather and that I could deal with the warmth and sun for at least a few days.

Our vacation was relaxing, our hosts incredibly gracious and generous. We spent our 4 full days zipping around Daytona Beach in a racy convertible Corvette, enjoying vacation oriented refreshments, taking in the Florida attractions (EPCOT in our case where I ran into fellow Maine teachers), and having a nice visit with rarely seen family. The weather was great and the company was fun.

We left Thursday morning and spent three days driving home with nighttime stops in Durham, NC to visit my brother and his fiance and another outside of Philadelphia to visit friends. Although taking three days of full driving to return home seemed a bit much, catching up and visiting with family and friends made the long ride very tolerable.

A second drive is definitely in the future for our next trip to Florida. However, taking the VW van would be great: a place to sleep if necessary, a great vehicle for Daytona beach, and plenty of room to take everything and anything wanted to make our vacation complete. It would be more costly than the diesel VW Golf that we took on this trip, but it could be more fun. A shorter time frame returning home is also in the plans. Driving for three full days on the way back versus one day and one night on the way down is the one part that made driving to Florida seem tough.

All in all, though, we had a good trip and missed some nasty weather in Maine. Thankfully, my in-laws were watching the house and pets while we were away and saved our only slightly dampened basement from being a very flooded basement. (Thank you!)

April vacation week was a tough for many in Maine: flooding, loss of electricity for the entire week, damaged homes, and more. We were lucky as far as the weather went: our home was spared by the storm, the drive down was weather free, sun and fun greeted us in Florida, and we were welcomed with temporary warm temperatures upon our return.

A week later and a few days of chilly rain, Freeport, ME seems to be slowly warming up with a glint of sunshine coming through. I know I may be taking a chance, but with the possibility of wearing a pair of shorts today, I’m beginning to think the Maine weather is starting to turn a corner for the better. It really seems like it is going to be an unexpected great day, enough so that I am trumping my fear of retribution for a simple statement of confidence and exclaiming: “Hey everybody, I think spring may finally be here. “

Welcome Home Kineo

In early February our Alaskan Malamute, Kodie, finally succumbed to cancer. It is still hard to look at the pictures of his furry face; remembering the way he “wooed” for attention, cocked his head every time he heard the word biscuit, sprinted excitedly through the snow, and relaxed on our front yard, untied, watching life pass before him. He was a great dog and we loved him dearly.

We weren’t planning on getting another dog right away (at least I wasn’t) but fate came calling. My husband was casually looking for a Malamute breeder. After checking in with the vet and asking a couple people, he decided to try Craigslist, just for the heck of it. The first ad that popped up out of all of the ads in Maine was one for a 4 year old Akita. He called the people about 5 minutes after the ad had been posted and made an appointment to meet the dog a week ago Saturday (I was skiing that day). The introduction was very successful and on Sunday, the husband, wife and their 20 year old daughter came by with Kineo (named after Mt. Kineo on Moosehead Lake) to see how things would go here and give me a chance to meet him.

The owners lives have changed some in the past year or so and, after much, much consideration, decided that Kineo needed a home that could give him more time and attention. What a sweet dog! Even though I felt a little reluctant taking on the responsibilities of a new puppy, as soon as I met Kineo I knew he was for us. (He’s the one on the left.)

We picked him up on Wednesday in a good ol’ Maine April snowstorm and now have a 3 year old (they made a mistake on the age) dog.

He’s is a gentle, sweet dog but we’ve got a few things to work on such as training him to walk on a leash and having him let us know when he needs to go out to “do what he’s got to do”. The previous owners had two Shiba Inus in addition to Kineo. The three were trained to use a doggie door out to the garage and another to a fenced-in area outside, so Kineo isn’t so good at asking to go out. He also isn’t that great in the car but is improving quickly. His slight case of separation anxiety causes him to RACE around the house searching for us, opening doors to find us, and losing control of his faculties in the basement. We’re now getting him used to a crate so that he doesn’t tear the house while we are gone, but his Yarmouth grandparents will be babysitting him during the day while we are at work until he’s a little more secure in his new surroundings.

Despite a few challenges, he is wonderful! Incredibly sweet (did I say that before), friendly to other dogs and people, and even likes cats. It is really funny how things sometimes work out. Kineo is a great addition to our home and proof that fate rules! Welcome home, Kineo! Now, let’s see if the cats are going to agree.