The weather- 1000X Better than last summer

Today I read an interesting statistic in our local news...that statistically, the weather this summer in Kodiak is 1000X better than last summer. Seriously-1000X better. I believe it....We've had what feels like an endless summer. Warm summer evenings, warm breezes (or no breezes), people in flip flops and shorts. 

Yesterday I called up my sister in disgust, "Ella, I'm done. With this weather, I'm done with NOra's program. I can't do it anymore...making her be inside when its so nice out."

She worked to talk me off my ledge, "Zoya, how can I help? What can I do? You'll totally regret it if you don't finish it. And you don't want Nora seeing you not finish. I can watch Stuey or anything else. What can I do?" She paused.
"Zoya, its not like you to  just give up. Thats not  you."

Nora and Zoya doing the program outside on the lawn

Her words rung true and struck a chord deep inside. I knew that I couldn't, wouldn't quit but gosh was it tempting....

After a few more minutes on the phone, I had a plan. Part of the difficulty with doing Nora's program was that she was less motivated and excited than she used to be. Who could blame her? She needed more incentive. Ella told me to kick it up a notch with the rewards,

"Zoya, you haven't really given her big rewards...you're on the home stretch. Its time to pull out the big guns."

I agreed.

So I"m using dolls and doll accessories as her motivation and boy is Nora kicking it up a notch! I'm proud that we made it through 3.5 months of the program with very little materialistic motivation and now I can use the materialism to get us through the last 8 weeks. I'm realizing what a long program it is...but proud that we're still cooking along.

With this continued nice weather, I've given up trying to be happy in my hot stuffy clinic and the past two days have done the part of the program on the lawn. Perfect. Yesterday we were trekking along through her activities and we heard eagles in the trees next to the house talking to each other. Perhaps a mother baby to her baby bird. Nora said, "Mom, lets stop a minute. I want to listen to those eagles."

I liked that she was in tune with the birds. We sat and watched the eagles in the trees, moving from branch to branch and squawking.

 "I said, do you think the mommy eagle wants the baby eagle to do her program and the baby eagle doesn't want to?" She smiled and thought that was pretty funny.


Zoya

Trying out the slack line at a recent barbecue