Definitely NOT Alone

Day 7: Moro, OR; Easter Prep

I woke up to snow in Moro, OR, and was thankful I made the decision to push hard the day before. Overnight, the camping trailer I was sleeping in lost heat; the propane tank was empty. Due to hearing horror stories of carbon monoxide poisoning with heaters in campers, I had cracked a window. So, I was fully snuggled into my 19°F sleeping bag trying to figure out how I was ever going to get up. Eventually, I snuck my feet out the bottom, wriggled over to the electric heater, turned it on, and waited for a little warmth.

Once up and at em, I wandered town to see it in the daylight and get Jasper a walk before hanging with 3 little kids for the day. Those red blinking lights were wind turbines. I figured as much based on travels with my sister when we came across a similar eerie line of blinking red lights. Anyway, we walked past the hotel where we would be staying, the park, a museum, and the heart of town.

Upon return to my friend's parents' house, I put Jasper in their outside dog run kennel, and went inside.

Breakfast was under way, & the house was full of life. I grabbed a couple pieces of bacon, hugged all 3 kids, and talked with my friend's parents as they prepared to depart. They have 2 dogs, thus the reason Jasper was left outside, and the parents were leaving to give us space. I checked on Jasper periodically so he would know I had not abandoned him. 

Then, I got caught up playing hide and seek with the girls. I had left him longer than other times, and thus excused myself to go check on him. That's when my friend's middle child said he was running past the window. It didn't register at first because I had been told I could see Jasper in the kennel from my friend's parents' room, and this child had not been in their room. When the light bulb flashed on, my heart sank, and I opened the back door in a panic. 

Luckily, Jasper had not run off...or was back!? He was within sight and sound, and came when called...miracle of miracles there. I didn't even need to use cheese! I got him corraled and put him in the car until my friend's parents left. He had made a small hole in the kennel, for which I felt bad, & offered to fix, pay for, whatever, and they repeatedly told me it was fine. 

After all that excitement, I learned a bunch of kids were coming to the house to do Easter activities. I'm sure that wouldn't excite Jasper. As the kids showed up, I muzzled Jasper, which I had warned him the day before I would be doing, and allowed kids to pet him. He tolerated it for the most part, but remained ever alert. The kids searched for Easter eggs, & Jasper joined. He didn't find any because he didn't look up, but he did learn a lot about the house & its inhabitants. 

After egg hunting, there was lunch tacos, egg dying, and cookie decorating. At some point, I made my way to the hotel and got checked in, changed my clothes, and wandered back up. By dinner time, it was just my friend and her immediate family. 

My friend's husband has been playing with distilling spirits, and so we did some tastings. He has made 3 different types of gin: regular, oak finish, and hickory, a rum, and 3 different whiskies: corn, sweet feed, and one with a brandy finish. We played with mixing them after tasting them separately. I was impressed with the smoothness of the gin. Many of the ingredients he used were harvested near their home. It was very impressive.

As we tasted, we prepared the table for the kiddos' Easter baskets. Once it was looking good, I packed up myself & Jasper, and we headed back to the hotel for the night.