The Journey

So this post is definitely for the female readers out there.  I found this great read in a bargain bin at Borders Book Store this spring and thought "why not?"  It sounded like if it didn't hit home to me now, it may just hit home at some point in the near future.  It's called "50" is the New Fifty by Suzanne Braun Levine.  It's a quick read with 10 life lessons for women in second adulthood.  

Well after just two lessons, I'm hooked!  It's like she wrote the book for me.  I know what your thinking now.  "Your only 45 Kimberly!"  I know, but the book is about para menopausal women or post menopausal women that are going into what she refers to as the fertile void.  Not only do I know other women going through this feeling right now, but I was one of the rare women to experience menopause in my early twenties.  Having been post menopausal for twenty five years now, I definitely know what she and the women in her book are speaking about. I would also offer up that I've known women along the way that have chosen to not have children and still feel this void in trying to find their purpose.  It can't just be a career can it?

What's so great about living in this day and age is that we talk about this now with each other and don't consider our lives over just because we're going into a different age group.  Our grandmothers felt that after menopause, the end was near for them.  Their purpose in life was fulfilled and now it was just about waiting for death.  Not our generation or even our mothers generation though.  I've been fortunate to have an extremely strong and independent mother that showed me at an early age that being 50 doesn't mean your life is over.  On the contrary, it's only beginning if you choose it to be.  My mother received her doctorate degree from the University of Washington at the age of 50.  Go mom!

Now that I'm reading this book I'm realizing that I wasn't alone at all in my twenties.  It was only that most of the women experiencing this void feeling were much older than I at the time.  A great saying from the book by Madeleine L'Engle was, "The great thing about getting older, is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."  So true!  I don't know a single women that has ever told me at our age now they would want to go back to their 20's, 30's or 40's.  Maybe they would want that toned body or tight skin, but would they really want all the other stuff that went along with it?  No way.....Probably not if really given the chance.  The crazy thing is that it's not like our 20's, 30's and 40's were/are bad.  They were a blast!  I had a great time in my 20's and 30's doing all the fun things those age groups did.  I've really come about myself in my 40's, so I'm pumped about my fifties and beyond.  I remember hitting the age of thirty-five and thinking I loved that age!  I finally was getting to the point that I cared more about what I felt and wanted than what others may say or think.  I finally was getting to the point where I looked at my wants and needs rather than others needs first.  Now that I'm forty-five I would say the same thing about not wanting to go back to thirty-five again.  Why would I?  No thank you.  What I'm finding out now is that the experiences that I've had in my 20's, 30's, and 40's are what have shaped me and make me feel more confident about what I want or don't want in my life.  I'm finally feeling that feeling of peace within myself. 

By reading this book, though, it sounds like I'm not done.  It's going to continue getting better if I choose to keep growing and learning about life and myself.  The only way I won't enjoy it is if I choose to just sit still and feel like it's now over because I hit a "certain" age.  Not me!  I think anyone that knows me well knows that stubborn Kimberly is not one to accept stagnation.  My mother used to call me "screaming Mimi" because I was such a stubborn little girl and would scream at the top of my lungs to get my way.  She's still in there mom......don't worry.

Ms. Levine's second lesson is titled, "Nothing changes if nothing changes."  Duh right? But if you really think about what that is saying it makes you realize that is where so many people get stuck.  I've known so many people, including myself at certain points along the way, that talk about something they want to do or change on and on but never do anything about it.  My grandma used to say, "they'll do it when they feel like doing it".  That's right..... no one can make any of us do something we don't want to do.  Even in the most extreme cases, we still make a choice to comply with the demands of the other person or society. 

So, what is it that you want to do or change in your life?  It can be something as simple as learning a new hobby, losing weight, changing jobs, or trying a new vegetable this week.  Golfing was one of my things that I told myself I was going to do more of this summer.  Well, I haven't played as much as I would have liked to, but at least I played several times and had fun.   I'm going to make it my personal mission today to think of one thing I want to try or do in the next week out of my comfort zone and make it happen!  My favorite cell phone salutation is "thanks for calling and make it a great day!" Well, I'm going to get off this computer and go do that.  Are you?

Haliaeetus leucocephalus or better known as the Bald Eagle

We had the most awesome sighting of an adult bald eagle and a juvenile bald eagle this past Saturday!  We had family friends up for the weekend and decided to take a slow boat cruise around the lake.  We were showing them a beautiful log home located just a few bays from our cabin, when I spotted two bald eagles high up in a tree.  You can easily see the mature eagle which was perched on the highest limb in the tree.  The juvenile eagle is more difficult to see.  He or she is located on the lowest limb seen and is in front of the main trunk of the tree.  

Some fun facts about the bald eagle is that they were taken off the endangered list in 2007 and are now listed as a threatened bird species.  There are now an estimated 9789 breeding pairs of bald eagles.  And did you know that the eagle believes in fidelity?  That's right!  They stay with a mate for life.  Not only that but they share in the 35 day incubation time for the 1-3 eggs to hatch.  They also share in the rearing of the young eagle which stays with their parents until maturity is reached.  I think human beings could take a few lessons away from the eagle, huh?

The eagle became our national emblem in 1782.  It can fly as high as 10,000 feet in the air and up to 35 miles per hour.  They live to be as old as 30 and are considered at the top of our food chain.  Their wing span is 72" to 90" inches as full grown and they have approximately 7000 feathers.  They are incredibly light weight due to their hollow bones.  The juvenile eagle will get their white head and white tail at the age of four or five.  Until then, they remain brown and white.  

I've always loved to watch eagles fly and hear their cackle cry to one another.  What a wonderful feeling they must have to be able to soar so majestically over the lake that we love so much and see everything from the high perch of a tall pine or the air.  

The only glimpse of that world I've had is when we've taken a float plane ride over the lake.   That's a wonderful experience to have if you ever get a chance.  Flying services around Lake Vermilion (Van Air, Inc. is our favorite!) will pick you up at your boat dock and fly you to different destinations for dinner or just fly you around the Vermilion area.  My husband, I and our kids went last year for a dinner flight to Nelson's Resort on Crane Lake for our anniversary.  We not only had a wonderful time in the plane seeing all the beautiful sights of the area, but the kids both got to fly the plane and we had a wonderful dinner also!  It's worth every penny to experience it, if only just once in a lifetime.  It makes a wonderful anniversary or birthday present!  Hint to all the husbands!  There's a lot of brownie points in this gift! HA!   

We're not in the city anymore Toto!

It dawned on me this morning when I sat down to write that I had a great example of "up north living" to share with everyone.  My husband and our "Ries" went on their morning walk yesterday before he had to leave to go back to the city.  Ries just loves her morning walk!  So much so that you can hardly have time to brush your teeth without her driving you absolutely crazy with her longing stares and wining.  As soon as she sees you are out of bed and slowly putting your baseball cap and tennis shoes on, she knows......it's time!  YES!  "lucky dog....lucky dog...."

Well yesterday's walk was no different than any other day.  Ries spends her time walking in front of you and dodging back and forth out of the marshy areas.  She'll disappear for a few seconds and then come springing back out of the woods and look at you like, "Well, come on will you?  What's taking so darn long?"  I captured that look in the photo above on Saturday's walk. 

At the end of the walk when she sees our cabin she does an all out sprint into the lake at our small beach area.  Usually, the person walking her can only hear her doing this by the big splash it makes.  Once you turn the corner, though, you can get a good view of Ries lapping up a good drink of lake water and making sure that her whole underside is immersed in cool water.  It always bring a smile to my face to see her because I know that she is in her absolute glory at that moment.  This is her "lake experience."

Well yesterday I was in the cabin playing around on the computer and having my morning coffee while Randy and Ries were walking.  I heard the splash, but honestly didn't pay much attention to the dog when she came in the cabin.  She plopped down beside me at the table, and I could tell she was grooming herself or "something".

As it turns out she had gotten into something in the swampy areas or was stung by something on the walk.  After a few minutes of listening to her scratch at herself, I turned to look at her and realized that her face was swelling beyond belief.  If anyone has seen the movie, "Hitch", it was right out of the scene were Will Smith's face starts to swell after he has an allergic reaction to shellfish.

I screamed for my husband to come help me and by the time he got to us, her left eye was nearly swollen shut, her right eye was half swollen shut, her snout was completely swollen up, ears were swelling and a bad rash was all over her underside.  I frantically had Randy look for some benedril in the cabin.  We only had two 25 mg pills, but I quickly gave her one of them with peanut butter.
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I got on the Internet and found that the nearest veterinarian was about 45 minutes away from our cabin.  UGH!  I finally got an answer at the vet's office and he told me to keep giving her the benedril every two to four hours until I could tell that the swelling was going down.  If she got so she couldn't breathe, then by all means, bring her into the office for a shot.  What?  Are you kidding me?  If she's that bad that she is having trouble breathing, then she would most likely not even make it to the vet for a  shot!  Ok now......this is my baby we're talking about.  I was a total nut case running around the cabin looking for more benedril and at the same time trying to comfort the dog that was becoming drowsy at this point.  I'm sure to an outsider I looked like a crazy woman for sure! 

After I could see that Ries was going to sleep, I put her in the kennel and drove to the nearest resort to see if they had benedril I could buy from them.  Nope.....none.  My only option was to drive into town and hope that they had it in there.  45 minutes there and 45 minutes back I had benedril for the rest of the day and night.

As I sat and reflected on the craziness of the day last night, I realized that we had better become a little more proactive in what medical supplies we keep at the cabin.  Being out in the middle of nowhere has it's advantages for sure, but when there's an emergency you had better have your supplies on hand.  Otherwise, it's a long way to town to buy just one item.

No doubt about one thing....I will never be without benedril for an emergency allergic  reaction at our cabin.  Lesson learned!

Another S'mores please!

When we bought our lake home eight years ago, like most second home transactions on the lake, you bought all the contents of the home in addition to the property and structures.  I had never experienced this type of transaction, but it certainly came with many surprises and handy things.  This included linens, dishes, furniture, equipment, tools, and don't forget the Pamela Anderson floaties in the garage!  Our ten year old son, at the time, LOVED those and quickly claimed them as his own. 

My favorite item that was included in the sale was the cast iron chimnea on our deck.  I remember thinking at first, "who in their right mind would have a fire on their deck?"  Well that chimnea has had several stack pipes and caps installed in the past eight years, but it's the one thing that all of us in the family love at the cabin. 

We've clocked many hours on the deck sharing stories about the weekend, our past, jokes, and of course many late night snacks and beverages.  Some nights I worry about weather our voices are carrying across the bay to other residences on the lake and keeping people awake because our laughter can get pretty loud at times.  And then I can't forget the nights that I'm teased because I have my multiple layers of fleece on with heavy socks, gloves, hats, etc. in order to stay out just a few more minutes.  I believe the coldest night we sat by the fire was 28 degrees, but it was still a great memory.  Even our dog, Ries, gets to enjoy the fires with us.  I bring her dog bed outside and she's able to enjoy the fire too! 

This summer I've been blessed to be able to stay at the lake and "find myself".  This photograph was taken last week when I was having an early fire by myself (and the dog).  Although, it's not quite the same as having a fire with your family and/or friends, it is still a very peaceful experience to have.  I must admit that I have my ears on alert while by myself to make sure I hear any critters that may think they want to join me.

Our neighbor, two cabins to the east, told us that Saturday morning around 10:30 this weekend a large moose swam about 30 yards off our shoreline from one end of the bay to the other end and disappeared into the woods.  My daughter researched and found out that a moose can swim very well due to their hair being hollow and helping them to stay afloat.  She also found that they can swim up to ten miles per hour.  How amazing!  I'm just sorry that we missed it.  I would have loved to not only see it, but document it with a photograph.  You can bet I'll be a little more alert when hanging out on the deck to hopefully see it sometime making its way back to the other side of the bay again. 

Have a wonderful day and watch for moose if you're around Vermilion!

Dead End

To most people a sign like this doesn't mean a whole lot, except that they had better turn around.  Not to me though.  This has been the sign for the past eight years that has told me peace and quiet are within a tenth of a mile away!  This signs sits at the turn into our lane at the cabin and has been the constant sign to announce to our family that it's time to leave the stresses of the city behind and enjoy our time together. 

Everyone seems to have their assigned "jobs" when we get to the cabin.  We have this routine down I tell ya!  As quickly as possible we all unload the suburban.  The men head off to do their "jobs" quickly like carrying heavy loads to the basement, turning up the water heater and fridge, gathering firewood, and changing the water filter.  The girls go to work unpacking the food and getting the coolers packed, etc.  Then everyone runs off to their corners for only a quick minute just to re-appear in their cabin outfits.  This consists of the oldest pair of comfy jeans we own, sweatshirts/t-shirts, and flip flops or Merrell sandals.  Within an hour we're all off to do something together, whether it's out fishing, boating or maybe just staying home for a fire on the deck in the chimnea.  This is what I refer to my friends as the "Awwww" moment.  It's the moment that I almost forget everything prior to getting to the cabin.  I feel nothing but peace when I look out at the lake or watch an eagle or an ospry flying over the bay.

I first felt this "Awwww" moment when I was a sophmore in high school living on Admiralty Island in Alaska.  The large island in the southeast chain was home to only one village of about 450 people.  They had a long oil dock that went out from the center of town into the ocean.  This is where at high tide barges used to bring fresh fruits, building materials, etc. to the village in historical times.  When I lived there it was only used for the teenagers to do their "cruising" (by foot only since nobody had cars in the village and there was only one road really that was dirt).   I used to spend hours at the end of that oil dock by myself sitting and reflecting as I looked out over Chatham Straits watching whales breach when it was their migrating time or watching the many bald eagles around the island.  Truth be told, I was probably just sitting out there pouting because I knew my mother could see me from our kitchen window.  At the time, I didn't realize how special of a place this really was or what opportunity I was being given as a 15 year old girl.  I hated every second of it then.  None of the kids talked with me because I was an "outsider", there was no television, no radio, no stores, and I had left all of my friends in Illinois for this one year.  

I've been back to that same oil dock a few times in my adult life after college.  It usually comes at a time in my life that I really need a "get away" to clear my head and get a new perspective on life.  I even keep several original prints from a local artist on Admiralty Island in my home to remind me of my time there. 

What I realize now is that the cabin and lake are my surrogate for "my oil dock".  It's the place that I can erase all the negativity of my week, the stresses of running a company and having deadlines, etc.  The big bonus here is that on this "island", I've also had the opportunity to make some wonderful lifetime friends and renew some of my old friendships.  It's given me the opportunity to spend amazing quality time with my husband/kids, and bring our families and friends from down south to share in our world here.   And....the best part of this "island"....I can drive to it! There are stores I can get to, television, radio, etc.!  Yes...paradise at last! 

Now...go find your "dock" and have an "Awww" moment!  

Fall is coming soon

As I left for my walk this morning, there was no doubt that there was a definite change in the air.  It was much crisper and cooler air than yesterday.  Overnight things had changed around our bay.  I could look out the kitchen window and see a few red/browning leaves on top of a birch tree we have in our driveway.  Along my walk there was no ignoring the obvious signs that nature had right in front of me.  The prairie grasses and skunk cabbages were turning brown and along the trail the leaves on the bushes were turning yellow.  I love the different seasons of the north woods!

Now for most of my friends and family down south I know you are thinking, "Oh no! Fall already?  That means winter is around the corner too!"  But for the Allen family, we absolutely live for this first sign of what is to come four months from now.  Not only do I love fall for its colors and the pure beauty of the lake surrounded by the fall leaves, but I get a thrill out of knowing that in a few short months I get to gear up and hop on my snowmobile for the first time of the season.  For now I'll love putting on my Levi jeans and old sweatshirts to enjoy a fire on the deck each evening.

Well, I'm off to enjoy this day!  I may even sneak a peak at my snowmobile in the garage, since I do feel that first tinge of energy building inside me for the winter season.   HA! HA!

Old passions renewed!

What I'm discovering this summer, while taking some time off to reflect, is that I've somehow forgotten over the last twenty plus years what it was that I really enjoyed doing.  Why is that?  Why is it that as we mature and get into the "real world" we all seem to stop doing those things that we enjoy or stop dreaming about what we're passionate about?  I know I've done it.  The last two weeks I've tapped back into one of my childhood hobbies....water skiing.  Here we have been on the lake for eight years, and I've not done it.  Well, I remedied that in the last two weeks.  It was like it was yesterday skiing down the Mississippi River.  Even though I could tell that my body was thirty years older, I still popped up behind the boat without a problem and could even go outside the wake without an embarrassing fall!  Exciting!  I think it was fun and exciting for my husband and kids also to see me having fun and leaving all the stresses of life behind.  I could tell when I got back in the boat there was a renewed sense of energy among all of us.  So my message this morning is to take a few minutes and think about one thing you used to enjoy doing and for some reason have stopped taking the time to do.  Tap into that passion again and put a plan into action to make it happen in the next week.  I promise you, it will be a rewarding experience! 

The Golden Hour

I woke this morning just as the sun was beginning to rise and the first sounds I heard were two loons in our bay calling to one another.  As I listened to them for a few minutes, it dawned on me that I had to be one of the luckiest women alive.  I've been stressing about having to close my business down in July due to our move to Minnesota and wondering what was next for me career wise.  This morning I was thinking that I really need to relax and enjoy this journey that I've been blessed to be able to have.  There aren't many women (at least that I've known in my lifetime) that would be able to take a summer off to "figure it all out" while spending time at the lake.

As I took our devoted dog, Ries, for her daily walk this morning I realized that this is one of the most relaxing and peaceful places that I could be for this journey I'm on.  I don't have to worry about being hit by a car or running into someone I've done business with on my walk.  I only have to worry about whether a momma bear and her cubs might choose to cross the same path I'm on when on their morning stroll around the wilderness.  What a problem to have, huh?

I hope everyone out there, at some point in their lives, has the opportunity to experience the peacefulness that the Northwoods in Minnesota offers to everyone that visits.  Our lake, Lake Vermilion, has so much to offer everyone.  Whether you like to fish, water ski, snowmobile, hike, canoe, or just get some sun, we have it all here.  The resorts on the lake are beautiful!  I would highly recommend that people take at least a week to explore the area with their families. 

View from the deck out over Wolf Bay

My walk this morning led me to Vermilion Dam Lodge, which is where I first came to stay at the lake.   As I crossed over the driveway to VDL, I had memories of my first xmas with my now husband and his children years ago at the resort.  Now I've been blessed to add thousands of memories with he and kids on and around this lake.