I Was Homeless but Gail Opened Her Heart

Dancing Elephants Press response to prompt 24/52

Oh, 2007 was quite a year. I sold my condo and everything I owned. I never felt so free in my life. An RV waited in Iowa until a couple delivered it to me. It was December during the Christmas holiday. I lived in the state of Washington. So during that time my dog and I were homeless.

My forest ranger friend, Gail, who also fostered huskies, knew of my situation.

“If you and Chan Teh need a place to stay, I have a garage apartment. It’s not much but you can live there until your RV arrives.”

I hugged her with profound relief. I was in a quandary about where we could stay.

Gail and I became friends when I searched for a rescue husky to keep me company. She made a home visit to determine if I met the adoptee requirements. I felt it was ludicrous. I was adopting a dog, not a child. As soon as she parked in front of my condo, her reaction was, “I’m not approving this person.”

The first directive was you had to live in a home with a fenced yard. Siberian Huskies are escape artists and like to dig. They are high-energy dogs and need exercise. They are sociable and thrive living alongside man. They are smart, and easy to train, but can be stubborn.

I showed Gail photos of two huskies I had owned in the past. I assured her I was active and familiar with their behavior. My dog would get plenty of exercise without a yard. I found a black and white female on adoptahusky.com. They contacted her to get in touch.

By the end of the visit, we discovered we had similar interests. We were both mountaineers and avid hikers. She ran a sled dog team with her fosters.

“I love dog sledding,” I said. I had participated in a week-long trip in Minnesota. And entered a sled dog race in Oregon with three house pets I trained. We became immediate friends, going into the mountains with our dogs for five years.

I adopted two-year-old Chan Teh who had no training and was SHY. I wrote an article about our initial years together on Medium. By the time we were homeless, she had more experience than most huskies.

That December Chan Teh and I moved into the garage apartment. She enjoyed romping with Gail’s foster huskies. Chasing, wrestling, and sliding down snow drifts like otters.

We received three heavy snowstorms with water outages. Gail handled the big snowblower. I shoveled passages to the house and outbuildings. We had to clear snow from all roofs to prevent collapse under the weight. The snow-covered trees and mountains were beautiful to behold. I felt it was the best Christmas ever.

The couple delivered my RV in January. They unhitched their own vehicle in a hurry. Another snowstorm was on the way. They wanted to leave before it hit. I didn’t receive any walk-through on my RV. We plugged it into an exterior outlet to keep the interior warm.

I had a huge learning curve to discover how my RV handled road conditions. It responded well as I drove the icy, snow-packed roads. Chan Teh was anxiously laying her snout on my thigh. I trembled with white-knuckled fingers on the steering wheel. I went as far as the closest rest stop. Taking a deep breath, I turned around. Back at Gail’s place, I knew I had a fantastic vehicle.

On the 20th of January, I drove away from Gail’s property. It was the start of my year-long adventure. I hugged my friend, thanking her profusely for giving us a place to stay.

“You’re living everyone’s dream. Stay in touch, I envy you.”

2007 was one of the most exciting adventures of my life. I was a divorced 67-year-old woman driving throughout the North American continent. We roamed National Parks, British Columbia, Alaska, and most states. I felt like a 21-year-old. Chan Teh thrived being on the road, meeting new people, and seeing new vistas. The brand of my RV was Bornfree. How apt that was, I couldn’t have thought of a better name.

Gail and I maintain our friendship to this day. But I wish she would stop sending pictures of skiing and dogsledding in the winter on Facebook. It makes me so jealous. I’m here in Iowa which receives less snow with each passing year.

This is my response to the DEP prompt Being there for each other suggested by Editor Dr. Gabriella Korosi.

Please read this post that is very informative on how to live.

Sandra Pawula reminds us that life is fragile. She included the words of the Dalai Lama “. . . I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” They capture the essence of this prompt very well.