Life in Oregon

Where to begin... :)

My life has been going through many shifts lately. I moved to Oregon in October of 2012. I left Texas at the best time possible - when everything in my life was coming to a close. I was laid off from my long time job, my relationship had ended, and it was time for a dramatic shift. I sold almost everything I owned and moved to Oregon to live in a school bus. I started my journey in a community called Lost Valley in Dexter, Oregon. Sri Magic Bus lived there at the time with her owner Nate. He passed her along to me, and I ended up leaving to Portland and lived on the streets for a while. For about a month, I traveled with some friends around the northern part of Oregon. We ended up landing a care taking position out in Reedsport, Oregon in November, and lived there until the middle of May. The people I was staying with at the time left a month and a half prior to my move in May. I shifted my life 3 miles down the street and traded a living space and electricity for working on the land at a local RV park. Luckily, I was still living on beautiful Smith River. I moved to the RV park with my pups, rat, and my sweet geese Bernard & Lucy. I was truly grateful that the park accepted me and my entourage, since I wasn't ready to find my geese a new home.

Bernard was a rescue goose and a welcomed addition to my family of fur & feather kids. The land owner at the property I was originally at got him to set him free on the river. For some reason, he thought the existing wild geese on the river were all females, and he wanted to give them a male to mate with. His plan didn't work out, for the existing geese were already a mated pair. Bernard quickly became a daily part of my life out there. He was very angry and needy, and also came from a situation where he was wounded and abused. Not to mention, the land owner and his other caretakers were very abusive towards him, throwing 2x4s at him, hitting him with car doors, and kicking him across the property. I worked with him to get him to see me as a friend, and after a couple of weeks, I won him over. We were inseparable. Bernard would follow me everywhere I would go - even to the bathroom. I would kayak a couple of miles down the river, and he would follow me. I could hike up the side of a mountain, and he would keep a good pace behind me to make sure I was alright. I eventually adopted a female for him so that he wouldn't be so attached to me. When it was just me & Bernard, I would leave to go into town, and he would stand at the gate crying and crying for me to come back. No matter what time of night I would get back, he would be there waiting for me. He is the most amazing goose I know. He is definitely a huge part of my heart.

When I brought Lucy home, Bernard didn't really care for her. It seemed that I was his priority, and she was just a pal that he hung out with on the river. No matter where they were, I could call out to him, and they would come swimming up to me. Lucy never warmed up to me, but that was okay, because she is Bernard's companion. :) Eventually the time came for me to leave the RV park, so a few days ago, I took Bernard & Lucy to their new home. A few days leading up to the move, Bernard was a different goose. He wouldn't follow me or do any of his normal daily things. It was good for me though, because I had grown very attached to him. He allowed me one last goodbye though, so I was able to get dozens of smooches in and hug him tight. Living on the road isn't a good life for a goose, not to mention it is pretty much impossible, considering how much they poop every day. :) I am just very grateful to have found a good home for them.

Bringing us back to now, I am selling my school bus, VW Beetle, and my motorcycle so that I can get another vehicle to travel and live in. I am six months pregnant, and have a baby due to enter the world at the end of October/early November. I am finally learning how to flow with all of these changes, for they are truly a blessing. I always think that I know exactly what I want for my life, but find that my ideas change constantly as I evolve daily.