March 27, 2013
16 months, 1 week
It’s that time of year again. That time of year when my “patience” tank
runs pretty close to empty. That time of
year when my quiet, peaceful home becomes a whirlwind of cameras, cars and
crazies. This is my home, people, not yours. That
time of year? Tourist Season.
Okay, okay. So I sound
a bit stuck up. I live in a National
Park after all. One of the Seven Wonders
of the World. I’ve lived here for almost
3 years. I should expect this. I should prepare for this. Yet somehow, every year, in the midst of fall
and winter, I forget. I forget that I
have to share.
I first recognized that it was “that time of year again” as
I drove into town two weeks ago to grab pizza with the girls. As I was leaving the park, I came across a
line-up of cars. I was taken aback. What on earth was going on? There must be something really exciting,
intriguing, spell-binding…Nothing of the sorts.
There were 2 elk eating grass on the side of the road.
Elk are beautiful creatures.
I’m a bit jaded. I had 15 of them
in my backyard grazing just the other day.
I saw 5 of them on my walk just this morning. My dog was gored by a deer a few months back. I don’t slam on my breaks for four-legged
creatures anymore. Call me a scrooge,
but COME ON, PEOPLE!
There are lines at
the grocery store. Lines out the door at the post office. My
grocery store. My post office. The checkout
people are all new seasonal employees and nobody knows my name.
The trails are full.
Hotels and restaurants are packed.
I have to wait to get my
food.
As I write this, I’ve left my back door open and Colter pops
in and out. He’s exploring the yard-
rocks, mulch, bugs. He periodically
throws Owen the ball. Out of nowhere, he
pulls on my leg and says, “Woof woof” - his “word” for puppy dog. He wraps his hand around my left pointer
finger and drags me outside. And, lo and
behold, there are 3 elk (really big dogs to a 16 month old) directly on the
other side of our fence. He walks me to
the fence and beckons me to crouch beside him.
For a few moments, as I sat there with my boy watching the
elk graze, I was in awe. I whispered “Elk”
into Colter’s tiny little ears and he looked at me with those inquisitive eyes
that yearn for understanding. I suppose
in that moment I understood why.
There is always a lesson to be learned from a child. I hadn’t learned it yet as I started writing
this blog. But I learned it by the
end. I suppose that is the beauty of
motherhood. I guess what I’m saying is…today,
tourists, I’ll let you stop and smell the roses. I understand.
I’ve learned something else in the past week as a Mom. I made a delicious pistachio cupcake with
cream cheese frosting for St. Patty’s day.
I gave my child the beater from the frosting…and let him walk around the
house with it. You can imagine the rest.
Today, however, I made banana nut muffins. And this time? We ate our beaters sitting down.
