Rolling with It....

Dakota

So this week, I've mostly been a giant chew toy for a 9 week old giant malamute. Sure, I've been teaching....but when you look at my arms, you'll notice I'm a chew toy. We're working on that....

Dakota has been a lot of fun, despite the chewing on stuff. Luckily, he hasn't turned to the furniture. This week, we've learned:

*how to go up & down stairs
*you can also go to the bathroom outside if you want to
*no chewing on faces, only kisses
*no pawing on faces either (ears are a gray area)
*you can lie down on a dog bed
*baby toys are a delight, especially when taken from the baby
*when Mommy walks you over to the potty spot, you should go
*cats will jump up on the fridge or bed if they really don't want to deal with you, so all other spots are optional
*when the alarm goes off, help make mommy get up (whines & pawing the bed are good choices) otherwise, mommy gets to go back to sleep
*both Mommy AND Dakota like to sleep in late if they can (cats always sleep)

Things we are still working on:

*when you fetch, you are supposed to bring the ball back
*not everyone likes sharp puppy teeth on their feet
*the same can be said with humping people's legs
*not to wait and hold it until right when you come in from outside
*barking and playing don't need to be the same thing
*the bed is for resting, not playing "Mommy's a big chew toy."
*not everything needs to be tasted & chewed on
*not to paw babies (although, the babies didn't seem to mind)
*not everyone loves dogs
*when Mommy's on the phone, it doesn't mean she wants you to bark at her

So we have our work cut out for us still. I have been amazed how good he is with kids. He interacted with babies this week and he was being very gentle with them. True, he was taking their toys.....but he was being gentle. One 9 month old just reached over and took them back. At one point, they were both chewing on opposite ends of one toy.

I've spent a lot of time with my friends, the Ms. They always let me bring over Dakota. I've spent so much time there, I think Dakota thinks he lives there too.

Another thing I find funny is that people have no idea how young he really is. I've been saying, "He's huge!" Well, this is my puppy at 10 weeks old (today):

Me holding Dakota

Yep, that's my baby. And he acts like a very young puppy, but people see his size and think he's waay older. Mostly kids...so I've been making sure I keep tabs on him while he's around other people.

Wow, he's gonna be big!!

Goodbye Sleep! It's been fun....

Dakota enjoying his crate

My weekend started off with a trip to Bethel on Friday. I went out to dinner, went to the store, and then waited at the airport for my puppy, Dakota. His name was Diesel, and I liked that name and planed on keeping it the same. But then I kept accidentally calling him Dakota. I figured it was fate, especially since Dakota was such a random name. He came in a day earlier than I thought but oh so worth it.

When they first brought him out (which took forever - the TSA guy complained about my pacing....I told him it was right up there with his pencil tapping!), I was shocked. He's only two months old and still a baby....but this was the biggest two month old puppy I had ever seen. He's 25 pounds and he looks like he's older.

He didn't seem to into me at first. And I was hoping for a love at first sight moment. But after spending all day yesterday together, he now follows me around the house and whines when he can't see me....or if I'm in the other room....or if I'm cooking a meal....or petting the cats.....you get the idea.

I expected him to howl like crazy the first night. But he was so worn out from the flight and new home that he slept most of the night. I woke up early with him, played with him, and then put him back in his crate (just like a normal work day) and then he howled like crazy....but I knew it was a lesson he had to learn. And since it was 8 in the morning, I figured my neighbors wouldn't be thrilled, but it was manageable. Last nights session at 1 in the morning will probably not be as popular. He doesn't go on for very long, so that's good. He is just a baby and I tried to wear him out before we went to bed. He still woke me up at 5 this morning, but I did get to go back to bed.....for a bit anyways.

My days of sleeping until noon are over my friend.

As much as I would love to sleep, I am okay with having my life shaken up by my new little man. I liked him waking me up to get love and attention. It's better than waking up for other stuff.

He's not a cuddlier....I don't think he's been handled very much. He doesn't like to be picked up, held, or hugged. He didn't even lick me....but last night, we were playing ball and he plopped down beside me and rested his head on my leg....good enough for me! And this morning, I got kisses. He'll come around. And I had to realize, maybe it's okay that he doesn't become a lap dog...because he may grow to be 120 pounds....at which point, I can't cuddle with him like that.

He's super smart. I heard malamutes were very smart but I was shocked to see it in action. Paper training - done! (I'm sure there will be some accidents though) I think I gave him too much new food mixed in with his old, or the flight got to him, or he was stressed leaving his mom & litter mates....take your pick, but he got sick last night....and he used the training pads. He also stole my shirt that I threw on the floor while I was showering. I'm not quite sure what that was about....but it made me laugh.

I read you are not supposed to crate train and paper train, but I need him to stay in his crate while I'm gone and I can't take him outside just yet. He had his second parvo shot, but I'm waiting the 7-10 days to make sure it's effective. I heard that his breed is susceptible to parvo, so in truth he may never be fully protected. And I've heard that this village has parvo. Which is kinda weird because I never hear of puppies dying from it. (Don't get me started about the puppies here!) But he'll be going outside this week. I don't want anything bad to happen to him, but he needs to be outside & exercising. My tiny house isn't good for that.

Yes, I'm all about Dakota right now. But there is something else I started last week: I started running a drama club! Since I was a drama kid, I thought it would be a good place for young adults to express themselves and have fun. I had 6 girls the first time and we played an improve game, I went over the actor's tools (voice, body, gestures, etc), and we had fun. I had met with a drama coach for the state of Alaska and we put together a program that could segway into a drama class at a later date. And I started using the program, but I felt that it was too stiff. I think I'll still use his ideas but teach them as the kids are doing it. Like instead of lecturing, address the lesson as the kids experience it working on scenes. The kids want to do a play so I figure we'll work up to that. Start with some scenes, do a monologue (but as a whole group - that was the coach's idea), and play some drama games of course!

I'm feeling very blessed right now in my life. Getting a puppy who will grow up to be a giant dog is crazy....but again, every time I do something absolutely crazy, I feel content. Moving here was crazy, being so far away is crazy, bringing my cats (who are ignoring the puppy btw) here was crazy, but it's been an amazing journey. Getting Dakota feels so right!

A Harsh Truth....

I want to start off by saying, I feel slightly uncomfortable that my post today is not going to be about 9/11. On the 10th anniversary, I feel that I should be reflecting and writing a post in memory of that day, but I don't feel that I could do it justice. I was like most of the world that day....watching the news in shock and horror. I watched in fear and wanted so badly to do something. Like many of my fellow Americans, I donated blood, in hopes that I could contribute something to help. I still cry when I look at pictures of the towers....burning, falling, and then just rubble....I still cry when I hear the messages of love that went out from the victims.....I still cry when I see pictures of rescue dogs trying to find survivors...yes, even 10 years later, I still cry.


Because my stats tell me that I have readers from outside the United States, I did want you to know, that I was deeply affected that day. And I, like many people am still haunted......


But my post isn't going to be about that day. My blog is about my adventures, and life is still an adventure. Lately, we've been having some water issues. Meaning, most of this last week (including even as I write), there has been no water. It's frustrating not to have water to clean with. I do have water to drink and water to cook with if I need it, but I really want to do some laundry and shower. When the water was working, I missed my chance to do laundry....which makes me want to make some catty comment about my duplex-mate getting all of HIS laundry done.....but I will refrain (cause that statement alone was catty). 


Anyways, right now is a hard time to live here. The water makes it annoying but life is still manageable. But some of my colleagues are struggling with the harsh realities of life and that makes it tough. 


I really do like it out here. I love the people. I love the raw beauty of nature. I love living the simple life. I love get-togethers where people talk and laugh...yeah, there's some venting, but you get it out and you laugh about it. 


I really understand that it's hard out here, I really do. And some people just can't hack it out here. Some would never want to ever try. And I don't blame them. Cause even when there's water, power, internet, and working phones - life is tough.


I haven't really talked about the harshness on my blog....I've hinted about it. I wanted my blog to be a reflection of my life....which for the most part is positive. I am a positive person. But I feel like people have come out to be a bush teacher, who never should have (and those are the ones who don't stay)....or they should have been more prepared. 


So here are the facts: 1) this is a dry village - meaning there is no drinking allowed 2) there are a lot of drunks (bootleggers bring in a lot of booze) 3) drinking is part of the symptom of a bigger cycle of abuse (in my opinion - so it's not actually a fact) 4) there are drugs present in the village as well 5) there are a lot of children (not all children mind you) who are affected by alcohol, drugs, and abuse 6) there is a high suicide rate among young people


Here are some of the ways children are affected: *children may have been born with fetal alcohol affects or syndrome *children may be in a house where drinking, violence, etc is going on (where school is THE safe place) *children maybe the victims of abuse or neglect *children maybe experimenting with alcohol, drugs, huffing, etc. themselves


What does this mean for a teacher? Well, your classroom may look like many students are suffering from ADHD and/or are emotionally disturbed. And here's the big issue: if you as a teacher are unprepared to handle that.....you will fail. You will fail and blame the kids, the community, and even the school itself. And that my friends, is the harsh truth. 


The truly sad thing is that it doesn't have to be like that. Life out here is hard enough without adding to it. I am by no means perfect, and I still struggle with certain behaviors. But I don't struggle all the time. And here's my secret: Robert MacKenzie and his book: Setting Limits in the Classroom. He came to Benicia Unified School District for an inservice and he changed my classroom. I heard him speak and I read his book and that's all it took. 


My second year teaching was my first time teaching second grade. I had two students who were challenging me: one was affected by alcohol and the other was emotionally disturbed. I was trying everything I knew....and nothing was working. I started trying his techniques....and they worked. I am not struggling anymore with discipline like I was. Teaching is still a challenge sometimes and kids still test me, but it's not bleeding me dry or burning me out. And I don't take it personally. 


In fact, this week I experienced one if not the most gratifying moment I've ever had as a teacher: I was working with my 3rd graders for reading, and we were reading a very dry play. It was a challenging read, and I expected it to be a slow, slow process. One of my students was a struggling reader last year, but he/she always volunteered to read aloud. Something I never discouraged and just helped him/her along. Well, the same student this year volunteers to read a large part of the play and of course I let them. I was totally taken aback when the student didn't need my help with the words...in fact, I looked around the room and all the students were following along (even those who's parts were over!!!) and they were reading with expression & emotion....it was perfect. It was better than I hoped for. It was like anything you would expect happening in any classroom in America. And it was something that people have said can't happen here. 


Life out here is what you make it. It can be horrible. It can be fun. It can be beautiful. It can be dirty. It can be draining. It can be fulfilling. There can be laughter. There can be tears. There can be laughter through the tears. It can be all of that at once hitting you in the face. Life out here can knock you down. But life out here can also pick you up. Life here in Akiak can be the greatest adventure you've ever known, and make you so glad you came......it's all up to you......


BTW: I decided to change my dog's name to Dakota....I should be getting him next weekend!!!


And here's my aerogarden before I harvested.....

Poems

There have been two times in the last couple of years where something inspired me to write a poem. I posted one of those on Facebook, but I thought I'd post both of them here:


"come dance with me!"
said the rainbow girl to the gray cloud boy.


"i cannot." said the gray could boy.
as must a cloud boy say.


"come run and play with me!"
said the rainbow girl to the gray cloud boy.


"i cannot." said the gray cloud boy.
as must a cloud boy say.


"come sit with me!"
said the rainbow girl to the gray cloud boy.


"i cannot." said the gray cloud boy.
as must a cloud boy say.


"then say goodbye to me."
said the rainbow girl to the gray cloud boy.


"i cannot." said the gray cloud boy.
as he watched the rainbow fade away.....


The next poem I wrote this week. I had heard my ex was up to his old tricks, and so I was inspired to write. Only after I wrote this did I find out that yes, there was a new girl but she was fully aware of everything and didn't care. Idiots of the world, UNITE! But whatever. 


news I half expected,
news I half foresaw,
though my heart's protected,
anger is my fatal flaw.


news ignored by some,
news I wish were different,
cause out of this only pain will come,
not for me, but someone new,
reminding me that my part's through.

I'm in Love!

If you're my friend on Facebook, then you already know what this post is about: I got puppy! His name is Diesel and he's an Alaskan Malamute. He's still too young to leave his mommy, so I will be getting him either on or around the 17th. Here's his picture:

He's gonna be a big boy. After reading about malamutes, I realized that I could train and raise this baby boy into a wonderful dog. I am so excited about getting him. I have a bunch of pictures of him, but I haven't met him yet in person. They will end up shipping him to me. I'll be picking him up in Bethel.

I have a couple of fears though...one small and one rather large one: 1) the stuff I ordered for him won't come in on time (or at least the food I ordered) and 2) parvo is in the village and my baby boy won't have all his shots yet. I ordered his shots (or rather a coworker who raises puppies ordered it for me) but I've decided for his protection, he's going to have to stay inside for a few weeks until he gets the second batch of his shots. I'm going to use training pads and take him out in the mud room (artic porch), that way he learns not to go in the house. But I am nervous. I hope everything goes okay.

I've pretty much had puppy on the brain most of this week. I think next weekend I'll move my cats' food & water and start getting them ready for some upcoming changes.

My cat, Daisy, has just gotten over my moving her into a new house. She tends to hold grudges. It took her almost 6 months to forgive me for getting Lola. So I can just imagine her being very mad at me for getting a puppy. But I'm hoping her anger won't last too long.

This next week I have two inservices. It's moose season and most of the boys & men will be hunting. So they close the school for a few days. One group of teachers from another village will be coming to Akiak for the day. One of those teachers is one of my very favorite people. He's hilarious. So I'm hoping to have a lot of fun on that day.

And here's a picture of my Aerogarden today. I'm surprised how fast the plants are growing. So enjoy! Until next week......