CHARGED BY A MOOSE! and The Big Move

There is so much to tell I REALLY don't know where to begin! After spending LATE FALL and THE ENTIRE WINTER searching for a place to live, I was on pins and needles waiting 6 weeks to see if our loan would go through. The bank lady truly could not tell me that I could pack until the last week. It was maddening. As you can see from the last post, a hot spring get away was just what we needed before the long anticipated day!

After that, it was all a blur. Truly not knowing for that long made it hard to do any kind of planning. When we finally got the word, chaos seemed to erupt all around me. How would we ever possibly be ready to move in a weeks time?! Even though I spent the winter purging every room of my house, it just didn't seem to be enough. After so many disappointments through the winter, it was hard to actually believe that this was happening - for real. Saphara jumped in to the rescue by spending many long days cleaning and packing what I couldn't get done. She worked with with a "come hell or high water" unmatched determination.

The day came when I packed up my minivan to the ceiling and drove the kids and dog over to North Idaho. After the bank and the title company, my husband returned to work and us girls got down to the nitty gritty. I was just over half way through cleaning my bathroom when Saphara came to check up on me "what are you doing?!" she asked. She had already done the entire bathroom downstairs and half the kitchen. Super Catman mopped floors while Art Dog cleaned the apartment attached to the garage which would become the "bachelor pad" of he and The Archer. Miss Moonbeam mainly played in my scrub water ;-) That night we had a FAMILY night sacked out in sleeping bags on the only carpeted room of the house (our bedroom). It was a night to remember because it was the first night in our new home.

I had to work a night shift the next night, but my family was going back up to the Yaak to do some more packing. The next morning when I got up, I decided it was high time I do some exploring. My body ached from all the cleaning and hauling I'd done the days before coupled with a 12 hour night shift. It was time for fresh air and adventure!

Almost giddy, I hooked Miss Libby up to her chain and ESCAPED to the Forest! The Archer was working too, so he had stayed back at the new house. He guided me to the right paths to take to get to the nearby lake and then disappeared into his new Forest playground. Happily I marched on. I just couldn't wait to see this new lake. All the while I imagined what it would be like to come here this summer. I felt like the luckiest girl alive! After all this time, after all these houses, God had saved the very best for me. It was so worth the wait. I knew God would come through, and here He had. Not only did we get a beautiful barely lived in home, but we got acreage and forests and even a lake nearby! What a perfect transition for coming out of the Yaak. Soon the path was less travelled. No one had been down here in a while. On we went. After what felt like eons, my puppy and I were gradually descending instead of ascending and I could feel the lake had to be near. Then I saw it! It was beautifully spectacular. Bigger than my little lake back in Montana, this would be a good challenge. I imagined myself swimming it. Just as we got down to the trail along its banks, joyfully I let my puppy off her leash............

Within seconds, I found that was a mistake I would live to gravely regret. Not 20 feet down the trail, bellied in the grass was a moose! He jumped up as my dog ran toward him. How could I have not seen him?! Quickly I ran behind a picnic table and crouched low. That silly dog ran right up to him and it charged her!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! In all my years in The Yaak I'd never been charged by an animal. My husband was, once, but not me. These kinds of things don't happen to me! To my horror my dog ran straight at me and the moose followed! I went for my gun and held it up breathlessly....waiting. The moose stopped and waited. I stared blankly at it. It hardly even looked like a moose. I'd never seen one like this before. It was all patchy gray and had huge muscles along its front shoulders, neck and legs. A big hump displayed itself prominently behind its neck. I stared long and hard at it wishing I had a camera to later prove this freak of nature. No one would ever believe what I was seeing. He was still now and I breathed slowly not wanting to make any sudden movement. Suddenly my gut wretched when I watched my dog run right back up to him again! I couldn't believe she did that! She was standing inches from it sniffing. I called her but she ignored me. The moose lunged and ran at her again! My feeble minded dog ran straight to me again! Oh this silly stupid puppy..... This time she got close enough for me to grab her collar. I hesitated for a split second. Was having her with me the best thing to do? The decision was solidified in my mind and I snapped the leash on with finality. Down and back I crouched watching as the moose stopped again. I had no where to go. The lake was directly behind me. The moose in front. All that stood between us was a little old picnic table. Twice it had ran directly at me because of this silly dog. What would it do now? I waited, silent and still.... It seemed like an eternity. It just stood there and stared. Finally, after a long time, it turned around and went right up my trail!

Now what? How could I get out of here? I searched my pockets aimlessly and found my phone. There was one bar of reception amazingly, so I called my husband, shaking. He told me to make a wide circle and head back through the forest, assuring me I'd hit highway before long. The thought of wandering through thick brushy unfamiliar forest terrified me, but I knew it was the only thing to do. He said not to ever let my gun leave my hand, and that if I had no choice, to aim for its head. I asked him to have the kids pray, and with that I said "goodbye". Terror seized me, but I made myself take one step and then another as I walked .38 in one hand and leash in the other. Soon I was heading up hill never dropping my guard. It was a bit awkward, so I tried to make believe I was in a spy movie to make the time go faster ;-) There is nothing so terrifying to me as to have to blindly find my way through unfamiliar territory. I was lost in the woods last summer and it was a horrible experience. I didn't want a replay of that, but I also didn't want to run into the angry moose again. Finally, as I followed my peace, I found my way back to the trails and finally to the road.

Relief overwhelmed me and I was happy again, though I never stopped shaking all the way home. As I had expected, my family gave me a lot of grief over the odd looking creature. My husband was also more than displeased with Miss Libby, who stupidly led the beast to charge me twice. I suppose that there are a lot of adventures to be had even though we are no longer living in The Yaak. Therefore I'm going to rename my blog "North Idaho Adventures" unless you readers can come up with something catchier ;-)