When I started this blog, I wrote a lot about my experience as a new teacher in a school in eastern Arkansas, and I wrote a lot about the projects and challenges and rewards of living way out in the country, raising animals and growing a garden with my partner, Sean. The event that inspired the name of this project was a messy one, to be sure, but it seemed to sum up the fun and the fatigue of our life in the woods.
That first spring, Sean and I spent a cold, wet, Sunday afternoon chasing a piglet all over the ridge behind our house. Alert for hoof-prints in the clay, we slogged up and down the steep ravines. We would spot her, we’d try to tackle her or herd her toward the pen, but she would vanish again, trotting off smugly while the two of us wallowed in the thick mud. We should have been lesson planning or grading, making lunches for the week or cleaning the house, but that pig was bacon on the hoof and was not to be relinquished without a fight. We did finally recapture her. Exhausted, covered in muck and walking on inches of mud caked to our shoes, we tumbled into the house, into the shower, into thick stacks of paper and tangles of laptop cords: our other universe.
Teaching and raising food sometimes went well together and sometimes didn’t, but I think Ms. Frizzle would be proud of us: we were never afraid of a little mess.
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Keely, I am very excited about your position in Venetie! You and your husband sound perfect for the challenge. Recommend Sophie Station in Fairbanks (shuttle, nice suites, competitive price, government rate for teachers, convenient to shopping). Let us know when you will pass through Fairbanks over the holidays, as we will be there at Sophie for a few days and can show you around. snowschuler.dave@gmail.com (david) & las.curve@gmail.com (lindsay). Book your flight from Fairbanks to Venetie NOW, if you haven’t. Limited seats usually full for the holidays. Drop us a line!
Cool, you’re in Interior, Alaska, Keely. Isn’t it delightful? We are in Fairbanks, at the moment, and loving it. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Yours is an amazing adventure! You’re both courageous and active in shaping your world and those you reach. I’m excited to “follow” your journey. Thank you for sharing!
Hey there! I would love to hop on a call or email to chat further about an interview with BBC please email me your contact info asap erin.tomasello@bbc.com