Memorial Parade!

Memorial Day Parade!

A few Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of witnessing a very highly recommended event in the Rogue Valley, Grants Pass. I mean highly recommended for family friendly events.  Boatnik is an annual event that happens every Memorial Day weekend and starts with a carnival on Thursday and fireworks display on the Friday night over the river. We were happy to witness a wonderful parade complete with lots of handed out candies for the kids and beautiful racing boats and cars for the older kids. There was also an absolutely adorable display of the local schools bands surprising you with there awesome talent. In fact Boatnik (<--- official website) is all about the kids. "All funds raised by the Grants Pass Active Club from Boatnik are returned to the community by supporting local children and youth programs." Straight out of the website. The whole weekend has carnivals in the park and boat racing displays through Monday.

We all stood for the flag to pass at the beginning, but that didn't last long. lol. I ended getting up and down a lot to take pictures, and the kids were the same to gather candies being thrown at them.







If you are planning on going in the future. Make sure to bring places to sit, and get there an hour early. Also allow a 3 hour block of time in your scheduled for the day, because the parade can last up to 2 and a half hours, and its very popular so there will be a lot of traffic. 
Oh and bring a little cash for food stuff is sold, and water because it gets hot, and will balance out all the sugar that may (or most likely) will be consumed.
Fortunately for us it was only in the 70's this year and there was a light breeze.

Old Jet engine. Really cool and powerful looking.

Gathering candy

Jonathan and I had the pleasure of experiencing this event with our family the Guevara's. They have 3 awesome children, the oldest being Trinity, then Nickolas, and Eddie. They were really entertaining and made the parade a lot of fun. Its always fun to watch younglings light up and get excited, just like we use to do.

We also took Rosie! It was her first major outing with a big crowd and a lot of other dogs. I think she did really well for her first time. Though she was totally over it by the end. We were luck to have Kari and Maurice there to help, since puppies of course can be a handful. And I guess they have had a lot of practice ranging in little excited bodies since they have 3 other cuties they are experienced at keeping track of.

 Rosie loves the kids. In fact they play tag and wear each other out. It's a mutual positive for us parents as well. Since after they are like the dead, which is nice. Some peace and quite is nice.

I took a lot of pictures, so I will put some highlights of what was the coolest her, mind you there were a lot of cool things to look at and enjoy. There were a ton of cool cars and racing boats that would rev up there engines whenever they passed. The kids and dogs thought they were exciting and frightening all at once.

And same with the clowns. Actually the clowns were closer to the end and they were really cool, not really scary.

Friendly clowns

The Cave Men Towing company was a big highlight. They had men and woman dressed up as cave people and this one tow truck pulling 9 other truck/cars. It was surprising and awesome. At least you know for sure they can get the job done.

Everyone looks forward to Memorial Day because it signifies to many the start of the summer fun. It's an awesome 3 day weekend for most, and is most likely spent attending wonderfully put on events like this one with family and friends. But let us not forget why this day was created.

In remembrance to all those who have fought and died for our country, freedom, and way of life.
Thank you. 

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

It's been a little over a month now at our cute house. So far home life has been full of little projects that I can't wait to share with you. But about a week ago it all came to a screeching halt when Jonathan and I decided to adopt a little ankle bitter. (literally)

<---------This is Rosie
Look at that sweet look on her face!

She is our absolutely adorable stubborn angel. We got her at about 9 weeks, so now she is of course 10 weeks old. A Belgian/ Dutch Shepherd mix that was abandoned by her mother. The family did not want to hand feed 10 (she had 9 brothers and sisters) of these cute little bundles of joy, so the gave them to the shelter. We saw an add on craigslist and responded immediately. The woman that had hand fed them was very nice and obviously knew what she was talking about and the baby's had already had there first shots.

Rosie really chose me. She came over immediately and let me pick her up, and contently sat on my lap for a while watching her siblings romp around. I, of course, immediately melted and bonded at once. Poor Jonathan had to deal we me trying my hardest in a non pushy way (well I though it was non pushy but I guess that is really hard for me to do. ) to convenience him that this little girl was the one. We had another choice, but we ended up taking her home. Love my husband.

Since my job hasn't quite started yet (I got a job as a teller for Wells Fargo!) I have been spending all of my time with Rosie. Let me tell you the mix of utter awe at her cuteness and intelligence and frustration you get from raising a puppy is overwhelming. I'm sure it is 10 times that for a human baby, so I'm just calling this a warmer upper for the main event.

We also adopted a 6 year old kitty cat named Chowder! We got her about 4 weeks before the puppy and she has fully established this place as her permanent home. She sleeps with us every night, and is quite good at teaching the puppy who is the boss around here. She is also very sweet, and never uses her claws. We lucked out with such an even tempered easy cat.

<-------This is Chowder
And she likes to cuddle under blankets!

The dog also loves Chowder, though I don't think the cat feels the same. She just tends to tolerate Rosie most of the time. When Rosie first arrived tensions were high, and I thing maybe a bit of jealousy on Chowders part. Now they can tolerate sleeping and being in the same area together. I'm hoping some day maybe become friends?

So are you looking to get a puppy?

Let me be the first to tell you they are awesome, but also a lot of work. Don't expect the puppy to learn what they are suppose to do in a week (like for some odd reason I thought). Or to sleep when you want them to. Puppies will take time to learn, and you will be learning a lot along with them. Lots of hours on YouTube trying to figure out what you are doing wrong.

So here are a few things to expect the first week.

• They Chew, everything. Don't just get 1 chew toy expecting they will except that as their only option of things to tare up. They need at least 5 different ones to chew on, and they will pick a favorite. That one will work the best for training. 

• They Pee, because they can't hold there bladders. Try not to get mad at them too much for this. If you do they might just think peeing is a bad thing and that will cause a lot of problems in your future. Just pick them up and put them were they are suppose to go, and when they go there give them lots of praise. 

• They will wake you up early, and keep you up. You will have to slowly adjust their sleeping time to yours. Be sure to have a specific spot were they sleep, that will help a lot for regulating a sleep schedule. You put them there and they will eventually get that is my sleeping spot. (It didn't take Rosie long to figure it out and now she sleeps 7 or 8 hours every night without waking us up. )

Here are a few tips to help you handle.

• Patience! be patient, I mean visit your inner yogi and meditate if you have too. They will frustrate the crap out of you, and you need to be on your game about training them right. You can't slip up or that will create more problems in your future. Trust me, it's just been a week and she has gone back and forth with doing the right and wrong thing within a sec of each other. 

• Persistence. I know it's hard to make her stay on her bed in the middle of the night when you are exhausted and don't really care, but it pays off. Rosie would not have anything to do with her bed, its only been a week and now she will go on it and stay on it most of the time. (but we have to be right there enforcing it, or she sneaks off. lol)

• Do Research! Before you start training her, look up on YouTube and other family animal sites for the best ways to do it. I thought I was a know it all since I helped train my family dog years ago. Well I don't know smack. After the first 2 days of being frustrated and doing things wrong, I looked it up. Rosie immediately responded better after I did. 

• Time. Dedicate at least an hour a day for focused training, and when you are home spend all your time with your new puppy. No excuses. They need to develop a close relationship with you and if you neglect them they could get aggressive, shy, non social, and all sorts of other stuff in the future.
• Exercise!!!! I cant stress enough how much easier Rosie is to deal with when she has gotten the proper amount of exercise in a day. Oh the relief! (just remember not too much because they are still babies and will have horrible growing pains, that might keep them up at night)

Here are some videos I found helpful.

This guy has a lot of energy and great tips, just try to ignore his advertising at the beginning

This nice lady is a great teacher for positive reinforcement! I looked up her stuff first and it totally works. I would suggest looking through all of her videos.

I think the best thing anyone can do is adopt! there are so many good animals out there that need homes. I know there is a lot of hesitation with adopting, not knowing the animals physical and mental history, or bad habits it has picked up. On and on. Seriously though, the benefits out way the possible negatives, and animals adjust to knew environments and rules quite well, and quickly. Like with any animal you just got to give it a lot of time and love. 

Just think about my cat Chowder. We have only had her for a little over a month and she is one of the most well behaved cats I have ever known!

Any who.... have a wonderful week!

Tootles!

Dandelion Picking

 

         Have you ever woke up one day looked out your window at your few day old carefully mowed lawn and seen an army of yellow flowers taking over? To most people dandelions are annoying weeds that need to be destroyed! I have to admit even I feel the crazy desire to kill every single one I see poking out of my could be, maybe one day, beautiful lawn. And since I haven't had the please of having a front yard till now, I find it even more appalling to have a pretty one.

          So I got up this morning with a desire to eliminate those pesky golden orbs covering my newly rented front yard, and found myself on Pinterest looking up the best less environmentally harmful way. Because of course it has to be environmentally safe, and cheep too. Did you know you can kill most weeds with vinegar? Just put some in a spray bottle, and spray the heck out of the plants. Or as they say, thoroughly saturate the bastards. But just a warning though...they have to be plants that get full sun or the vinegar really doesn't do the job.

Here is a comparison for what happens when they are in full sun, and when they aren't:

Full Sun

Not Full Sun

But after I finished killing these ugly invasions in my way, I some how stumbled across a enlightened understanding of these weeds.

Apparently Dandelions Are Good For You!

        Yes! You can eat them; they are edible, and nutritious! They have tons of vitamins and minerals, and they are a natural diuretic. 

In fact people eat them in:

• salads, and 
• create salves
• lotions
• tea and all sorts of creative things! 

      I ended up drying a bunch to make tea in the future. And when I mean a bunch I mean an hours worth of picking off my front yard! It was actually really relaxing to go flower picking, though I probably looked pretty odd to my neighbors. 

I learned a trick. It's better to turn the buds on their faces because they start closing up as soon as you pick them.

It would also be a great activity to do with kids or on a picnic with a special love. Maybe make some flower crowns and get better acquainted with your inner child again. 

I let you know how the tasting goes later, and if you want, you can let me know about your adventures with weed picking.... or killing...... in the comments below.

Tootles!

In Bloom

                                                     

This afternoon I decided to take an hour or so stroll to Down Town Medford and take some quick pictures of the place. There was also a Pear Blossom Steet Fair that I heard about, vaguely, and wanted to check out as well. Apparently it is a big deal here, bringing in people to participate in there run all over the United States. I love local festivities don't you?
----> Did you know that Harry And David started out with Pears first?




It all started out on track, at least I made it down town without getting lost. Thank you handy dandy phone navigator. But before I got started I was distracted by the smell of coffee (who isn't) at a wonderful little coffee shop called Down Town Grounds. I've visited this place once before when my husband and I were in a mad search for a place to live. The place just made us feel more at home, and had a lot of local stuff and information you can take home and explore. Like The Rogue Valley Messenger ,which has a lot of local yummies.

Happy and contented with my coffee I walked around the fun fair with all the handmade stuff and the food that makes your mouth water even if you are full. Drifting along I actually forgot to take pictures till I started walking home! #shorttermmemoryloss #wheresmybrain.

I guess I got sidetracked thinking about the name of the festival Pear Blossem..... and found more interest in taking pictures of the beautiful blooming flowers around town. This time of year is so beautiful, and everything smells so good! My trek back home took three times as longer then it did getting to down town! So I present to you the fruits of my labor. (haha fruits.. get it... because a pear is a fruit!)

Oh and yes I took and spent a lot of time editing these photos so if you please, will you credit me?

House Hunting

Jonathan and Brooke Bear at Crater Lake in Oregon 

(We were on our honeymoon two years ago that's when we decided we wanted to live here. Now we are only one and a half hours away from this lovely national park)

So I started this blog a few weeks ago between my husbands and my mad dashes from Redding, CA to Medford, OR. We had just moved back from China on a English teacher job; by the way I have a blog link for our experience over in Shenyang, China, you should check out. It was all in all an adventure, but we are both really excited to be home in the United States.

So why did we choose this location to live in after being half way across the globe. Well Jonathan applied to a really great grad school program,  which of course my smart, multi-talented husband got into, and we really love this area since we spent some time here on our honeymoon. We actually also chose this area because we thought is was a great place for setting in some roots. You know the whole settling in for the long hall, becoming part of the community, and making some babies aspect of life that we haven't quite gotten to yet.

So......... How do you go about accomplishing this when we do not even have a place to live, or a job yet. And that was our crazy predicament we were in. Places don't want to rent to you if you don't have a job... and jobs don't want to hire you if you don't have a place to live!

Craigslist was of course the fist place we started to look, since we didn't want to go through a major company that makes you pay a fee too even see the house. Our criteria was a little demanding I admit. A two bedroom home, allows bets, with a yard that I can create a small homestead farm on, all under $1000 dollars a month. Let me tell you it was not easy, and exstreamly frustrating to even find the houses that met all our needs. people who have been in this situation before know what I'm talking about.

We looked at a few different houses that we loved right away, and thought we were in the running to get, but there was always someone who looked a little bit more qualified. It's probably due to the fact that we didn't have any jobs, but hey we had money.... isn't that enough?

Well I have to say after much looking, and a few times almost giving up and getting the crappiest apartment we could find, we found someone to take pity on us. It was the blue house with the white trim and the older lady that "just loves students" who saved us. A rent that was below our budget, and a loft area that can easy be turned into an office/craft room/ extra bedroom! Double score.

So............ we did a few more runs down to Redding to pick up our stuff, and have been moved in officially for a week now. Though it happened a lot less smoothly then I would have liked, It is a good home, and I'm glad we are living in it. Here is a little tour my hubby will take you on.

Brief tour of our new home
Posted by Jonathan Baer on Thursday, April 2, 2015

Now till fill the house with fur babies and get started on the yard...... oh I guess putting some paint on the place.... actually having some furniture....maybe spend a little more time on my cooking skills. wow.... I have a lot more work ahead of me.....

Until Later! Tootles