Schweitzer's ready, finally!
Yup, we sure did have a lot of rain yesterday, but now the ground is white and crispy.
It's not crispy enough to slip and slide but crispy enough to crunch with every step.
Interestingly, enough with the new crispy snow on top of partially frozen water, I now know what it feels like when horses have snow build up and turn to ice on the bottoms of their hooves.
My boots had the same feeling this morning, after I walked through some standing but frozen water. I eventually had to go over to the fence to scrape it off on a board.
Not easy walking when the boot picks up all that snow.
We decided almost at the last minute to cut loose for one last night on the town, as Annie is returning to Seattle today.
In the midst of all the minor calamities during her stay at the Lovestead, we have had a wonderful week.
So, we topped it off with a meal at MickDuff's where we also had a nice visit with the three lovelies below.
I have known Sadie (right) but met Tess (left) for the first time and Jacey (middle) for the second time.
And, when I say "lovely," I mean it.
I learned that Tess is the sister of Ashley, one of my favorite students from when I taught in the portables at Sandpoint High School.
I first met Jacey while picking up my Ponderay Rotary flower baskets.
She's somewhat famous in Sandpoint because there's an annual fundraising race named after her. The funds go to cancer, which she fought and defeated as a child.
Since then Jacey's Race designates other cancer warriors each year and raises money to help them out. Jacey is now studying to be a doctor, and she wants to work with the elderly.
Her dad Dr. Jenkins, a cardiologist, worked with my mother's congestive heart disease and the condition improved dramatically.
There's a special place in my heart for Sadie cuz I taught with her dad, the sweet, funny and lovable Johnny Nitcy whom we all lost to cancer a few years ago.
Johnny, a passionate student of history, devoted a lot of his time to supporting the honor flights to Washington, D.C. for veterans.
Sadie told me last night that she is now teaching middle school at Frenchtown, Mont., just a mile or so away from where my brother Kevin lives.
Annie also enjoyed meeting and visiting with these ladies, so it made a fun finale to her final night in Sandpoint.
The following are suggestions on making life roll along better, from this morning's New York Times newsletter.
Seems like a lot of good ideas here.
- Nothing changes if nothing changes. — Kristine Tobin Balasz, Charlevoix, Mich.
- If it’s meant to serve you, and it doesn’t (and it’s affordable), replace it. Daily things like your bag, your water bottle, your socks. Find ones you actually like using. — Alissa Gulin, Laurel, Md.
- Before your kids go to college, find something you are passionate about other than work. — Sandra Beaulieu, Bellevue, Wash.
- You don’t need to tell everyone everything that goes into making the chicken soup. — Hannah Schoff, New York City
- Your parents are also doing things for the first time. Cut them some slack. — Katie Claytor, Richmond, Va.
- Don’t think harder, breathe deeper. Most of us are surviving on shallow sips of air. — Carly Sotas, Los Angeles
- Never second-guess going to a funeral. — Kathy Nechanicky, Lakeville, Minn.
- We tend to forget that baby steps still move us forward. — Becki Moss, Sarasota, Fla.
- Good conversations have lots of doorknobs. — Samantha Good, Portland, Ore.
- It’ll be fine or it’ll be over. — Nathalie Cunningham, Tacoma, Wash.
- Do dishes when the baby does dishes. — Lisa Francomacaro, White River Junction, Vt.
- Ask yourself: What if there was no problem to solve right now? — Brianán Kiernan, San Francisco
- Write what’s bothering you down on a piece of paper; put it in a little box. A year later, read what’s in there and see if you don’t start laughing. — Diane Huebner, Merced, Calif.
- “Wear the ring.” — A jeweler who cleaned a family heirloom I’d kept in a box for 50 years for fear of losing it. — Arline Sirkus, New York City
- Best advice for decluttering: If you didn’t own it, would you buy it again? — Margaret Roberts, Kodiak, Alaska
- Stop trying to calm the storm. Calm yourself, the storm will pass. — Lyn Banghart, Easton, Md.
- Go outside first thing in the morning before you do anything else. — Carrie Swift Heck, Lee, Mass.
- Your job needs to leave you enough time to go for walks with your old dog. — Gillian Williams, Madrid, Spain
- Ask for a favor, get advice. Ask for advice, get a favor. Asking for a favor can put someone in an uncomfortable spot, but asking for advice taps into their intelligence and shows respect. It may feel slower, but it ultimately gets you what you want more effectively. — Max Zawacki, Conroe, Texas
- Even in the hardest of times, you have the ability to whistle in the dark. — Kate Chimenti, Los Gatos, Calif.
- Don’t make what someone told you into your narrative. — Jean Anderson, Winter Garden, Fla.
- When going on a trip, ask yourself: Are you going to see places or show yourself? Then pack accordingly. — Marina Selcuk, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
- Always have a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge. — Helen Labun, Montpelier, Vt.
- Don’t pick up the rope: When someone is starting to argue, state the facts calmly and walk away. — Laurel Givens, Houghton, Mich.
- Why don’t you get hearing aids? — Amy Kepple Strawser, Columbus, Ohio
- In order to fall asleep, you pretend to fall asleep. Perhaps that’s how everything works … cheers to faking it ’til you make it. — Christen Bakken, Pine, Colo.
- Anxiety is not intuition. — Kaylee Davis, Fuquay Varina, N.C.
- When your 100-pound German shepherd takes off after a squirrel, drop the leash so you don’t end up with a broken arm. — Cherie Walker, Pickens, S.C.
- From a fellow vegetarian: Don’t bother ordering the sad, token meatless item on the menu when they drag you to a steakhouse. Just get dessert, and relish it. — Emily Wasserman, Portland, Me.
- Sometimes, you have to let people lie to you. You don’t always have to be right or call people on their nonsense. — Rob Lancia, Nanuet, N.Y.
- Put away your phone whenever there is a human being in front of you. — Emily Herrick, Vashon, Wash.
From wetness to whiteness; just in time to be late for Christmas.
The overnight snow created some beautiful scenes which would have been nice for Christmas, but oh well.
Nature's beauty is welcome any day of the year.
Happy Saturday.
