Footloose and Other Stuff

I had to opportunity to repeat a story of a Bloomsday gone bad yesterday. 

Dan Daley, a specialist from Kootenai Prosthetics and Orthotics,  greeted me at BLDG 300 in the North Idaho Medical Village at Ponderay.  

He led me to an exam room, gave me forms to fill out and then started asking questions about my left ankle. 

"Have you injured it or had surgery in the past," he asked.

That gave me the opening to tell about Bloomsday 1981 when I sustained a hairline fracture in my ankle.

  I was 95 percent sure that it was my left ankle because that day I had brought my brother Jim and his classmate Howard with me to compete in the race. 

About a mile in, I hit a rock and turned the ankle, and the pain was excruciating.  My brother suggested that I go to a medical station. 

Stubborn and stupid ol' me said, "No, I'm going to get that T-shirt."  So, I continued on for another 6-plus miles, hobbling a lot but maintaining forward motion albeit slow. 

I finished the race and got my T-shirt, but by the time I started heading toward my pickup WITH A CLUTCH, I noticed that my ankle and leg had swollen considerably. 

About that time, I saw local pharmacist Jim Austin who was also participating.  He gave me some ice for the ankle, and I continued on toward the pickup. 

When we had all arrived, I asked who was going to drive me up to Sacred Heart Hospital. 

No takers.  

They were teenagers who had never driven in city traffic, so, this is where the 95-percent certainty about it being the left ankle comes in.

As noted, the truck had a standard transmission and a clutch, which required using the left foot.  Sacred Heart was up a hill, so shifting and clutching were needed. 

Let's just say it was not the agony of the deFEET but rather the agony of the ankle as I drove that pickup to the hospital parking lot, went inside and got X-rayed and splinted up for the ride home. 

Finally, one of the boys relented and agreed to drive. 

The splint was later replaced by a cast created by Dr. Fred Marienau.  I used crutches for several days and wore the cast for six weeks.  None of that was easy with two small children and a school where I taught five classes of students a day. 

But I survived, as did my ankle. 

So, that was my story to Dan as he prepared a cast for the orthotic (complete with pink hearts which won't be seen by anyone but me). I'll be using the finished product in my left shoe for the next several weeks or months. 

Dan told me it would take some getting used to, maybe a couple of weeks and that I'll be wearing it on a gradually increasing basis. 

That's not too exciting to think about, but if I want to keep walking, my tendon needs to heal, and that's where the protective orthotic comes in. 

Long story short, it was a total pleasure meeting Dan.  He's a very nice guy who was happy to answer a lot of questions and listen to my stories.    

In other news, I'm marking this day on my mental calendar as the first day of 2026 when a jacket was not needed to do the morning chores. 

It's very pleasant outside with a little breeze. 

Part of my chores involve watering two gardens.  In the main garden I noticed two disturbing scenes. 

One was a big pile of fine dirt in one of the lettuce rows, suggesting that some varmint has paid a visit to my garden.  

The second scene was a bit more tangible.  Two of the sunflowers in a row along the fence had been beheaded over night. 

Could be that the same suspect that formed the pile knows something about the sunflowers. 

This is the year's first sign of the outside world of the animal kingdom keeping close watch on my garden and its progress. 

I'm almost afraid to go check the blueberries, but the deer don't steal them until they're ripe. So, I have time to cover them with netting.  

I don't know what to do about the fenced-in garden when the invaders come from the middle earth or someplace like that.

It's maddening, but they say to feed the hungry, so I guess I'm doing my part without being asked. 

The link below from today's Daily Bee includes a story about a touching and meaningful story and a book signing.  

 https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/jun/24/sandpoint-resident-authors-book-on-divorce/

My friend and former student Jeff Tedd Bock with his daughter Lili. 

It's a beautifully written and illustrated book.

Good luck at your signing, Jeff.  

No critter ever seems to care about the oregano. 

I do use a lot of oregano, but I sure do love it as a border plant. 

Tuesday Mutterings

 

  ----A little AI enhancement in this photo

It was a first. 

I'd never seen a drone fertilize a field until yesterday. 

I was on my way to Wood's Meats, traveling down Center Valley Road when I saw a man walking in front of a big truck, carrying some stuff in his hand, maybe even a laptop. 

As I got closer, I could also see two young boys on the trailer behind the truck. One was sitting up high on a frame, while the other was walking along the bed. 

The trailer also held a large tank. 

I stopped and rolled down the window to talk with the boys, but there was noise, and it was much too loud for anyone to hear anything but the noise. 

So, I moved on, and, next, I saw a man with two dogs on leash a little ways up the road. 

My mind has not been programmed quite yet to expect to see Willie out with the grandpuppies enjoying a summer day's walk. 

Well, now it is, because that's who the man was, and the dogs were Bailey and Joe. 

Once again I stopped and rolled down the window.  We could hear each other but something drew our attention back to the truck. 

Then, Willie said, "Looks like they're fertilizing with a drone.  

Sure enough, the drone was going over the field dropping a fluid mix. 

That was definitely an "aha" moment, thinking of how much more efficiently, especially timewise, the technology could do the job normally done with a tractor and spray container, which has to go round and round and round.  The drone moved quickly.  I'd love to know the comparison in time between drones and tractors.

We were guessing that the man walking down the road with tools in his hands probably had a contract and more than likely many many more.  

It was neat to see, and it demonstrated clearly that technology can do some amazing things to make our days easier. 

There's an investment involved (Amazon offers these drones for a little over $14,000), but, with numbers of contracts to do this job, it's probably worth it. 

This is also an AI enhanced photo.  

The rose was looking a little rough from too much watering, so I asked AI to clean up the photo for me.  It's not exactly natural but it's fun. 

Animals and farms:  one never can predict what can and will happen, and we're never surprised when it does. 

This morning, it was an escape, something horses love to do whenever the opportunity presents itself. 

These horses live on Selle Road at a place bordering our woods. 

This morning they decided to check out the neighborhood. 

I was first aware of their presence when Bridie barked at something out on the road. 

I could hear people talking and through the cedar trees could see horse hooves moving forward. 

My first thought was, "Who's riding by this early in the morning?" 

So, I waited to see.  

Turns out there were no saddles and no people, just horses going down South Center Valley Road. 

I immediately recognized them and upon arriving at the road, I could see that Jason, one of  their owners, had caught one of the three, while the others pranced around. 

I invited him to bring them to our barnyard, which was empty because I had just led our horses to pasture. 

Except for a little socializing with Lily, Lefty and CB over the electric fence, the threesome didn't waste too much time finding their way to the barnyard. 

Soon, more halters came as Jason's wife Leslie came through the woods and the hay field. 

In a short time, the halters were on horses and they were led through the hay field and the woods and back home.

Happens often in our rural settings, and, as I told Leslie, it's always a good way to meet the neighbors. 

Today I'll go to the Ponderay Medical complex and get fitted for orthotics, designed to help the tendonitis in my left ankle heal. 

I'm told there's a wait of two-weeks to a month, so Voltaren and Tylenol, etc. will continue to be my friends for a while longer.  

It's nice to have some pain relievers, especially when so much walking is required around this place. 

It's also a lawn-mowing day.  Seems those breezes (sometimes gusts) which are so common anymore are really good at scattering debris around the lawn.  

So, it will be nice to clean it up.  I understand we have a major weather change coming in the next few days, from blistering heat to sweater weather.  

Nice to have the variety, and we do need some rain.  Mother Nature has allowed farmers to harvest and store big amounts of hay, so that's a good thing. 

Off to get stuff done.  

Happy Tuesday. 

💛💜💚💙💜💛💚💙

Weekend Wrap

 

We've started the down count for 2026.

Yesterday was shorter than Saturday and today will be even shorter.  

Happily, I don' think we're going to notice too much extra darkness for a while.  

I read that yesterday was not the longest day.  Officially, here in North Idaho,  we hit the summer solstice on Saturday in the evening on Saturday.

All that aside, yesterday was a damn fine day, and we made the most of it, including a late afternoon Father's Day outing. 

Ed Robinson and his group were playing Irish music at the Pour Authority. 

Since we've both known Ed and Karen on several levels over the years (including Border Collie passions), we do our best to attend their once-monthly jam sessions at the downtown watering place. 

It's always fun to escape into our Irish dreams, thanks to the group's amazing and fun musical talents. 

Plus, Bill and I seem to fit into their general demographic fairly well: retired but still active at our individual efforts at some shaking and doing in the community. 

With these music sessions happening once a month on Sundays from 3-6 p.m. at the Authority, it's neat to know that all cash that goes into the donation jar is passed on to the Bonner Community Food Bank. 

So, it's a great opportunity to listen to some Irish music and to also help out those in need. 

   

Bill and Ed worked together for the Idaho Department of Lands.  Ed was Bill's boss.  

Besides his musical talents, Ed is also an accomplished artist who can be found in faraway places with his brushes and easel and, of course, his Border Collie Lady Bug. 

Ed's wife Karen has also worked with Bill, through the Idaho Department of Lands, on the annual State Forestry Contest.  

Karen also paints and completes in herding activities with Lady Bug. 

I love the art on the windows of this store front on Cedar. 

Downtown is pretty festive-looking these days---- of course, it's "turist" season. 

Bill and I continued to play "turist" last night.  

After listening to music at Pour Authority, we walked about a block or so to Mick Duff's Restaurant where the excuse for eating out was Father's Day. 

Overall, it was a really fun weekend.  

With another busy week ahead, it was nice to have some low-key and memorable enjoyment. 

Honey bees have come full force on the poppies in the north lawn. 

There seems to be some competition for a spot at the table too. 

Twas looking fairly ominous looking up at Schweitzer this morning, but happily, the dark cloud mass has moved on. 

Now, it's blue sky and white clouds. 

This is Bridie's usual spot when I take the horses to pasture. 

Some mornings I forget to attach the rope to her collar, a measure intended for her to not try to herd the horses.

No problem.  

She just remains there anyway and watches intently as each horse leaves the barnyard and walks by on its way to pasture. 

My garden roses are blooming, and the lettuce is coming on strong. 

I noticed blossoms on several cucumbers this morning.  The cuke plants are pretty pathetic looking since they moved outside, but they're hanging in there and doing their work.