Bold Little Swallow

I got back last Sunday from visiting my mother and sister in Idaho; haven’t had the time or energy to post anything until now because I was quite tired from traveling, going directly from the airport to a housesitting gig (instead of home), and having a very busy week at work.

In Boise, Idaho

Anyway, it was overall a really great week, which is atypical for me.  Normally when I’ve gone, it’s been around the holidays, and there’s so much pressure and intensity around everything being perfect (i.e. more purchases than necessary), coupled with the stress of my mom not being able to handle her finances despite having decent pay, especially for the relatively low cost of living in that area.  The time of year also limited what we could go out and do; it was cold and every place was in busy holiday shopping fervor.

This time, everything was more laid back in late summer lull — both the general atmosphere of people and the internal family dynamic.  My mom and I went through old boxes of my stuff to decide what to keep for me and my future kids and what to give away or throw out; though it was a little boring and we ended up watching lots of episodes of “The Office”, it was nice seeing lots of books, toys, etc that I hadn’t thought of in years.  It was such a different part of my life, even though the separation of pre-college/post-high school was only five years ago.  We also did some sewing/craft projects (tarot bags!) that utilized some pieces of her mother’s old jewelry.

My sister's new dog

I also spent time with my sister, her husband, and their dogs.  One, Sophie the white Pekinese, I have known and adored for a while.  My sister got her after graduating from college five years ago, and despite any stereotypes of small dogs, Sophie’s always been that dog that everyone envies my sister for: happy but calm, friendly towards any stranger but doesn’t jump or get too close until invited, loves to play but hardly ever barks (except when play-fighting with her new packmate, Kate).  The other, Kate the German Shorthair, is about as energetic as one could expect from a five-month-old bird-hunting dog.  My sister’s husband has to bike ride laps around the neighborhood with her running alongside every morning just to keep her sane and manageable.  Other than being a little crazy-energetic, she’s also a doll, and quite entertaining to watch as she attempts to play with every toy and be in every place in the house at once.

One thing I’d forgotten is how beautiful Idaho is, especially since every time I’ve visited since starting college it’s been wintry dead brown with little snow.  This time, there was a pleasant mix of late-summer greens, early autumn golden-yellows and reds, and harvest browns.

Some photos:

(More photos of Idaho or my sister’s dogs.)

I’m glad I had a positive experience with Idaho, after so much personal angst towards growing up there.  It’s going to be a while until I go back again, and I’m glad we parted on good terms for the time being.