Ecstatic Canines

God Bless whomever came up with the idea of a dog park.

We don't get to the dog park very often, but when we do, chaos ensues! We usually go to the one on Upper Afton and meet up with friends Nell, Lynda and Kate and their dogs; Louie, Chowder and Frank.

Let's do this!

Ready to run!

Quick meet n' wag

I'm pretty sure that dog is smiling!

Not only do the dogs get exercise but so do Ella and I. We traipse the trails for about 2 hours laughing and chatting with our friends as we watch the dogs play and run. It's also fun to check out all the other dogs and chat with owners. Today's highlights were a Mastiff, a pair of Great Danes, a Shepherd puppy and a Sheba Inu who looked more like a fox who broke into a dog park to play. Also, we were greeted at the gate by a pit who was terribly obsessed with his squeaky toy - very funny.

Two tired dogs

Every day thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

These are the pies I made for Thanksgiving. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with people I love. I hope you are too.

I wanted to take a minute to write about what I'm thankful for. Well, it might take more than a minute, because I feel grateful for a lot of people in my life.

My daughter, born out of a wonderful love and an everyday reminder of how colorful life is with a child around. She makes me laugh daily and has a great eye for the things I've forgotten about. She leaves me speechless. I am thankful for this powerful love between a mother an a child.

My family, who has my back no matter what. Whenever I've needed them, they're there. No questions asked. My parents for countless hours of home help and childcare, my brother, sister-in-law and kids for helping me out with childcare and home items and landscaping and getting me out to have some fun. Extended family for visits and conversation and family time. While we may not say the words I know I am loved and cherished. Except sometimes for my brother, who said he'd get my Christmas lights up in January. Well, okay, he's good for a laugh. I'm thankful to have these generous, loving people standing beside me as I navigate through life.

My friends, who kick-ass. Without them I could not have accomplished everything I have in the last 7 years. From helping me paint, to letting out my dogs, to helping me raise my child, meeting me for lunch and a movie that is not a cartoon and letting me cook for them and sharing coffee and conversations. I am thankful for these folks keeping me sane.

My co-workers, who bless my days with insight and laughter as we navigate together the teenage mind. It's a scary place unless you go there as a team. I am thankful for a team I trust to help successfully get us through the school year.

If you didn't see yourself in the above paragraphs, well, you're there. Because I know that the people who make up the fabric of my life (sorry, cotton commercial) are what make me the person I am. I like that person. So I'm thankful for the people that make me laugh, think, cry, hurt, and wonder.

I'm thankful for you everyday.

Ecology of our Household.

So, yes, I have a lot of animals. Here's why: I love them, always have, always will. Just look at my employment history. Vet clinic, pet store, MN Zoo, Raptor Education Foundation, MN Zoo, Raptor Center, high school (hey, they're pretty animal like). I firmly believe as inhabitants of Earth part of our job here is to protect God's magnificent creatures. Now, putting a Bengal tiger in the living room is a bit impractical, but I have the time, energy and heart to provide a home for a few creatures in need. Let's meet them:

Molly

Molly cat was mine and Billy's first pet together. She's not a rescue. She's also crazy as hell. I actually picked her up on a whim. Billy was starting to get all his bad news from the Dr.s but he was on his way to healing. One evening I was at the Burnsville Mall and passing the pet store. Something just told me that I needed to get Billy a kitten. So I went in, bought her and brought her home (pre-cell phones, so no call first!). Billy was in the bathroom so I knocked on the door and said "Honey, you know they say people with pets heal quicker?" "Yeah". Open door, set in kitten and hear "Awwwwww". She's been a pain ever since.

Kiwi

Billy and I got Kiwi on our second wedding anniversary. I had been shopping on Petfinder.com for awhile. A pair of mixes had caught my eye. We went out to breakfast to celebrate our day before Billy had to head off to work. As we were paying I noticed a sign that advertised a petco pet adoption that day. I told Billy that I bet those puppies we were looking at were there. He said "let's go". So we went, we saw a lady leaving Petco with the sister puppy so we hurried inside to see what was left. We found ours! The girl with the foster family handed her to us and said "Doesn't she smell good! She had a bath with kiwi shampoo." Hence the name :) Billy always liked to tease her with "We could have had your sister!" But since she's a dog it didn't bother her. Her story is that she and her sister were found in a garbage bag next to a snowmobile trail in Hinkley. Who does that?

Zoe

So back to psycho Molly cat. It's because of her that we have Zoe. Molly used to sit on the floor, eyeball us, and then attack our faces. Not pleasant. Billy wanted to know what we should do. I felt that having another kitty to wrestle with would solve the problem. So I picked up Zoe from a student who rescued cats. Zoe started out feral and has maintained her wild kitty elusiveness ever since. Don't pick her up - but she does enjoy some good head-butting on a regular basis. Oh, and it totally solved the attack Molly problem.

Max

Here's my biggest rescue challenge yet. When I get angry at people who decide their pet is too much to handle and they drop their pet off at a shelter he is my reason why. Talk about 3 good years of a challenging animal. And he still drives me batty. His story angers me. I got a call in my classroom from a fellow teacher. Another teacher driving into work had seen a dog kennel in the U lands behind the DCTC. It's a large wooded area, pretty wild. So this teacher thought she could use a dog kennel and went back to retrieve it. Lo and behold, hiding under a nearby tree, was Max. It was October 11th, and as it was the anniversary of mine and Billy's first date (this was after he passed) I thought bringing home this dog and giving it a try would be a good distraction. And making that decision was very freeing - it was at that point I realized that I didn't have to run it by anyone. Wow! So, I went out to meet him, he growled at me. I took him home, he was okay but I wasn't convinced yet. Until I got a phone call. From my 2 year old wondering when I was going to bring her puppy home. So began our 5 year odyssey with a dog who had been beaten, was afraid of men, and so claustrophobic he broke out of 3 plastic dog kennels and 2 wire ones - the last straw was when he cut himself so badly breaking out of the last wire kennel. The spare bedroom is now the dog room. That seems to work for him. So here we are, 5 years later and he is the dog who knows when I'm sad and gently crawls into my bed, lays down beside me, and puts his head on my shoulder. People that knew him then and now can tell you the remarkable change he has gone through. He loves everyone! Dogs are such a good reminder of the power of unconditional love.

Toby

Ok, here might be a serious "what was she thinking?" situation. Well, it was a risk - but it worked. See, Kiwi girl was getting old, but Max wasn't. Max wanted to run and play, Kiwi didn't. I decided that in order for Max to leave Kiwi alone he was going to need a playmate. So petfinder found us Toby. He was discovered in a live animal trap in Mississippi. I'm going to assume he was in there long enough before he was found to starve. He eats everything he can get his mouth on. But my plan worked! He and Max run and chase each other around the back yard daily. Kiwi likes to watch from her perch on the hot tub and bark at them. Toby is pretty amusing. He "sings". When he get's up in the morning, when sirens sound, when you tell him no. He also takes his job as Ella's alarm clock very seriously. If she sleeps in on the weekends he'll cry outside her door.

So there you have it. I wanted 3 kids and a dog but since that wasn't part of my plan I got 3 dogs and a kid. It works.

Eating Healthy

This past weekend Ella and I went with our friends Nell and Jeep to an organic farm.

It's called Blue Gentian Farms. I learned a blue gentian is a wildflower that grows down in the wet meadows of the farm. The guy who owned the place started as a hobby (he had a real job at Lockhead) and when he retired he created a bigger farm and business. He was an excellent tour guide and we learned a lot about the animals he raises. The cutie pie in the above picture is a Hairy Coo calf. They're highland cattle. I'll be tasting one of his kin shortly :)
Ella is getting up close and personal to where her bacon comes from. And I can honestly say that these guys make fabulous bacon. I learned why bacon has nitrates - to prevent the bacon from turning grey - and that cherry and other seasonings taste better in my bacon to prevent the grey. Oh, and the pork roast we had was excellent!
We were being followed. These are heirloom turkeys. It means they are tasty and expensive! They also like shiny things so they were fun to mess with.
Adult Hairy Coos. We learned how to tell the difference between the females, steers and bulls based on how their horns were pointing.
The turkeys were shy at first until we learned Jeep spoke "turkey" and they came running right over.

So why organic? I've never really been one to be a major organic freak. It's been a slow change, beginning with the first time Billy got sick. He was put on a low sodium diet. That's when I started becoming a label reader and now you'd be hard pressed to find many boxed or canned items in our cupboard. Now that organic food is much more readily available I've been paying more attention to what organic means. According to Webster's dictionary - organic means "pertaining to, or involving animals, produce etc. , raised or grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or drugs." The farm dude was telling us about the pig farmer down the road who raised his pigs for a big giant company you are familiar with. This farmer is told, by said company, to give the pigs steroids. This gets the pigs to market 2 weeks faster. Nell piped up with an excellent question "So is this why kids are bigger than parents?" I had never thought of that but it's definitely true in my family.

Lately, and this is weird, I've been having dreams that I get sick and know that I'm going to die leaving someone else to raise my kid. Now, don't get me wrong, I have a will naming some very capable, loving people to raise Ella, but given the choice I want the person raising her to be me. So I want to do everything I can to make me a healthier person. In fact, I also tossed all my make-up and headed to the Origins store. I really do feel better about the crap I slap all over my face in the morning.

Is organic more expensive? Yep. I do love Trader Joe's because they are cheaper and try to get there at least once a month but we also have a great co-op in town. Is it worth it? So far I think so. In fact, I think the health effects are great. I don't know if this is related to what I eat but I came down with a terrible cold Monday night, today is Wednesday and I'm perfectly fine. I have NEVER gotten over a cold that quickly. Is everything I consume organic? Heck no. Should you do it? Only if you want to.

Eager

As in I'm eager to share our fall pictures!

Can you believe we got the dogs to sit still! Thanks Julie for some great pics and a fun time :)

Exotic Elegance of Ella

Every morning I wait. With anticipation or dread I'm not sure. But I can't wait for Ella to come down the stairs so I can see what she has chosen for that day's outfit. She feels like she should "dress like a dancer". And to her that means lots of layers and it doesn't matter if they match. Somehow, she seems to always look wonderful in my eyes.

Enroll

We've started a new chapter in our dance career. And by "we" I mean Ella does the dancing and I shell out the cash.

She had been dancing at St. Croix Dance Academy for the last 3 years. Well, they closed the River Falls location and we needed to make a decision. We could drive to Baldwin to the dance studio there or find a new studio.

After thinking on it all summer - believe me, it took up more time than I thought it should - we decided that the road to Baldwin could prove tricky in the winter and went with local favorite Helmer Dance. They're located in Huson in a nice building.

So, we go in for a shoe fitting. Two pairs of shoes, a new leotard and first and last months tuition she is signed up for Tap/Jazz on Tuesday nights. But wait! What are those sparkly shoes she spies? Well, those are the shoes for the hip hop class. Yes, wait for it...."Mom I want to join hip hop." Okay, I knew the shoes were the big draw but frankly the girl needed some new living room dance moves. So I said she could try a class and see how she liked it.

Well needless to say she loved it! So now we go to dance class two nights a week and Ella loves every minute of it.

Why do I not mind spending the time and money on dance? Because in her now 3+ years of dance I have never heard her say "Mom, I don't want to go to dance tonight."

Keep dancing baby girl - Mom plans on retiring when you become famous ;)

Educating Ella...

Well, my baby girl is in Second grade this year. They say that once they starts school the time just flies. I'm not sure who "they" are but I do know that they're right.

I feel so amazed and proud when I think of Ella and her education. She LOVES school. In fact she was very irritated to have Labor Day off. She wanted to me drop her off at school anyway.

Oh Ella, my wish for you this school year is that you continue to love learning. I hope that you still find joy in reading and that you decide that math isn't so bad. Continue to make good friends, remember your manners, enjoy your teachers, aides and Principal. Pretty soon your Elementary school years will be behind you and you'll enter the super hormonal stage of middle school. Then, on to High School where you'll realize how much smarter you are then me and all your teachers and everyone you meet. And I will remember fondly when you started second grade how much you loved school and how much you loved me...

Excursion!

This past week Ella and I went to visit family in Illinois. They live close to Chicago so we spent Sunday exploring as much of it as possible. We started with the Field Museum. Above is a picture of Ella sitting on the steps.

We saw the T-Rex skeleton named Sue. It's actually named after the lady who found it, they don't know if this is a "boy named Sue". He He! Why is Sue famous you might ask? Well, I'll tell ya, Sue is the most complete T-Rex ever found. That's why.

The head in the above picture is a replica. Here's the real one:

The real head weighs over 600lbs. Guess there was some question over whether they could support that on the full display. Go figure.

My favorite part was the lions of Tsavo. Because I teach about them it was fun to see the bad boys of Africa. If you don't know their story I highly recommend you watch "The Ghost and the Darkness" staring younger, hotter versions of Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Here they are:

After the museum we wandered over the Shedd Aquarium. It helps that they're right next to each other. I would like to thank the young Holtz girls and Ella for letting me put on my teacher hat and talk about the animals. Hey, it's what I know. We even had a chance to see a 4D movie. I wasn't super thrilled with getting squirted in the face with water. I expect that at, oh say, a dolphin show. Not a movie!

I also tried my hand at eating everything Chicago. Here's what I ate:

A Chicago Dog. Been there, done that, no thanks.
Deep Dish Pizza! Nummmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy!

Hot Beef Sandwich. Okay, still craving the pizza though.

We had some time to kill on Monday so we went for pedicures. It was Ella's first time. I guess she found it a little ticklish.

Monday night we went to Racine to visit my aunt and uncle. We got there late so we had to wait until Tuesday to start our fun. We filled the day with shopping, swimming, kayaking and topped the day off with a movie. Uncle Gene and Ella saw "Spy Kids" and Aunt Carol and I went to "The Help" Excellent movie!

Before leaving on Wednesday we managed to squeeze in mini-golf, a dip in Lake Michigan and lunch with Gene and Carol.

Needless to say it was a pretty quiet ride home. I have to say, I'm proud of the Mahnke girls road tripping skills. We stopped once for lunch on the 6 hour trip to IL, and not once on the 5 hour trip home from Racine. I still think we'll fly next time ;)

Extra-curricular!

This summer Ella and I have had the pleasure of helping out with her school's garden. The 1st and 4th graders start seeds indoors and then move the plants outside. Over the summer families volunteer to weed, water and harvest.

The best part about this garden is that the harvest goes to the local food shelf. We have been able to deliver BAGS full of tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, peppers, onions and soon potatoes.

Here is our bucket of cherry tomatoes:

Of course, all that gardening makes Ella tired. Sometimes a girl just needs a break. Lucky for her she was joined by a friend:

Ewwww!

I keep running out of butter. It's not because we use a lot, it's because I forget that the puppy is longer and can therefore reach the counter. Where I sometimes leave the butter.

I did notice, though, that his coat seems especially shiny.

Exasperating!

Ah, the joys of being a homeowner!

In the 8 years I've lived here I've been through 2 dishwashers.

Upon hearing about my broken dishwasher my dad exclaimed "You need a man around there!" Oh Dad, no I don't. I just need a few good phone numbers.

I'm waiting for a call from the local repair guy. He's going to tell me if it's worth it to fix it or to buy a new one. That's what I love about small town living, the shop on main will take the time to help me save money! Yeah!

I hope it can be fixed. I don't like the thought of adding another dishwasher to a landfill. Landfills make me sad. But apparently old landfills make great skiing hills. Any truth to the rumor that Buck Hill is an old landfill?

Exciting!

Well, I decided to become a blogger. Why? I think it's because I love reading other people's blogs so much. And also, because e and I do some cool stuff and I like the idea of having a place to keep our memories. Yeah, I have a scrapbook for her, but this is quicker!

It's also a place for me to share what I learn as I navigate through life as a single mom, homeowner, teacher, student and friend. Hopefully you Enjoy!