Tuesday Odds, Ends and Family

 

We have had our Love family Christmas. 

Willie and Debbie will take off today for Boise where they will celebrate her family Christmas. 

They came last night for a meatloaf, chicken, bake potato dinner. 

We ate.  We sipped.  We talked, we laughed and we opened presents. 

One gift from Willie and Debbie to the Lovestead Love's did not need to be opened. 

It was out on the deck. 

When I went out to the deck to retrieve some Christmas cookies from a box, Debbie followed me outside and then asked, "Who's that?"

I turned, looked and said, "Nobody." 

Then, she looked that way again and asked more emphatically, "Who is that?"

This time when I turned around and focused on what was just five feet away from me, I immediately recognized Frosty.  

Debbie said after seeing them on display at North 40,  she figured that one of those snowmen needed to live at the Lovestead. 

So, we have a permanent, carefully crafted Frosty, the Snowman, and we can move him anywhere we wish, and he won't melt or fall apart. 

What a fun gift to enjoy for winters to come. 

We're not done, as we will celebrate Christmas again with my sisters.

This year's festivities are a little different from usual, but variety definitely is the spice of life, and it's all fun.   

The Yoke's grocery store large American flag looked striking yesterday with a snowy Greenhorn Mountain in the background. 

Schweitzer was pretty too. 

Bill's main Christmas present came early this year. 

Not knowing if and when it would snow, once Bill knew and highly approved of getting a woodsplitter, he brought it home. 

And, he has already tried it out.  Once they got it fired up, he and Annie split a few chunks of wood. 

I couldn't be more thrilled, knowing that the man who is so hard to shop for loves his new toy. 

He can continue his wood gathering each year and enjoy it more than ever. 

As you can see below, the weather has necessitated the use of both summer and winter tools. 

I put away the rake a while back but brought it back out this week to clean up storm residue. 

The timing was great because the snow waited until I had completed the job. 

Could be all those tools will get used off and on all winter. 

Debbie was happy to dish up last night. 

Below:  outdoor ornaments can create some interesting reflections. That blob in the middle is yours truly holding the camera, and you can see the house on the left and the woods behind.

 

Our new washer is coming in a few hours so we should be back in business. 

The dogs are doing fine.  The North Idaho Flood and Fire inspector is coming today to remove the dryer and all the plastic sheeting in this room where I'm typing.  

Happily, life should return to some sense of normal, if there is such a thing. 

This morning I'll leave you with some Christmas classics. 

Hope you enjoy. 

Happy Wednesday. 

Music, Friends, Spirits Oh My!

 

We have some snow this morning. 

On both of my trips outside, the snow couldn't decide if it wanted to be slush or if a frozen version would be better. 

The in-between state was just fine in my mind because I could walk through it with relative ease and avoid getting my pant legs wet. 

Bill figures that slush will win out as the day unfolds.

Seeing the snow made me happy that I had raked up the majority of residue covering the lawn area after last week's wind storm. 

Nothing like doing yard work in December.  Seems like I may have made the same remark last December when we had another open winter. 

Anyway, maybe we'll have a white Christmas; maybe a green.  Who knows at this point. 

One of the highlights of a busy day yesterday was spending some time with my former colleagues and longtime friends, Rick and Ann Gehring. 

Rick has been dealing with health problems related to a stroke for some time, so it was uplifting to see his wonderful smile and enjoy some friendly banter with him. 

He was wearing his Gonzaga t-shirt and was visibly thrilled to see the ZAGS poster.  

We had a wonderful visit. 

Also, yesterday, while checking in on the ZAGS-Ducks game, it was for Bill, Annie and me to spend a couple of hours at Pour Authority in downtown Sandpoint listening to some amazing, seasoned musicians yesterday. 

Along with the music came the friendly faces, many of whom I've known for decades. 

Our niece Laura even walked in and surprised us. 

And, to my sisters:  Connor says to say hello. He's the one in the sweater sitting with Annie in one of the photos below. 

His parents, Ed and Karen, are principal members of the music group who offer three hours of Celtic music at Pour Authority on Sunday afternoons once a month. 

Connor had both of my sisters for teachers.  He's now a professor at Alford College in Upstate New York, and he's come home to spend a few days with his parents.  

Mike, on the base fiddle, used to ride horses with me when we were teenagers. 

Below:   Karen and Ed Robinson.

One of the co-owners of Pour Authority, Erin Brannigan. 

Below:  dogs are allowed at the beer hall. 

This one seemed to enjoy the experience. 

Ed took a break from playing to do some visiting.  He served as Bill's boss at the Idaho Department of Lands.  

He's also a talented artist who can be found with his paints, brushes and easels in the great outdoors capturing nature and accompanied by his Border Collie. 

Niece Laura who was up for the day from Plummer and her cousin Annie. 

Dr. Talitha Neher

She's a veterinarian and a gifted writer. 

Back in the 1990s, she endorsed the back cover of my first book Pocket Girdles as seen below. 

Below:  Jill, Nancy and Tom, all fun folks. 

As always, it was a great experience enjoying the music and mingling with numerous friends at Pour Authority. 

Today we have an inspector coming to see how the wood framing above the hole in the ceiling is drying. 

And, we'll get together with Willie and Debbie for a family Christmas evening.  They'll be going south to Boise where they'll spend Christmas with Debbie's family. 

Lots of hustle and bustle in between all these happenings. 

Happy Monday. 

Turning a Corner

 

The light will be coming back. 

Yay!

I always love this day of the year because we have once more paid our dues of living in increasing darkness, and from this day forth for several months, the light will increase. 

So, there's joy in that fact alone. 

Around here, we had some joy last night, gathering at Second Avenue Pizza to eat and to have some family time. 

Annie flew in from Seattle.  Bill went to the Spokane Airport to pick her up. They did some shopping. Willie and Debbie got some rest from their busy week, and I did some housework and raked up some of the wind-storm residue in the yard. 

As always, food tasted good at Second Avenue, and we had a nice time sharing news. 

How about a little pizza on your sausage!

Talk about a generous topping! 

That's how it is at Second Avenue. You don't go away hungry. 

The kids had pizza.  Bill had a calzone and I enjoyed my ultimate bacon sandwich. 

It was fun to add a festive touch to the potato sack hanging in the garage. 

I purchased that sack for a couple of dollars several years ago at a Festival Wine and cheese tasting fundraiser.  

This fall I saw a framed version that sold for more than $300 at another fundraiser. 

I think I made a good investment. It greets everyone who comes through the back door. 

Below:  one other project----once I found the scissors, which were hiding in the Christmas card pile---was to give Foster a spruce-up.  

He happily stood on the dryer as I snipped away at his long hair. 

He now looks pretty dapper. 

Foster is mostly back to his normal self, but the head tilt is still a factor. 

I've read that it takes time and sometimes doesn't go away completely. 

For now, Foster is thrilled because his "person" is here for a few days. 

The ZAGS play Oregon at 3 p.m. today.  

Good luck watching it. 

Bill says the game available on Peacock, which requires a subscription.  

The game is being broadcast at the same time that Ed Robinson and his fellow musicians will be performing Irish music at Pour Authority. 

They'll be there from 3-6 p.m., and we may just choose to go there rather than paying to watch the game. 

Whatever the case, we'll be keeping track and hoping the ZAGS take another win. 

GO, ZAGS!

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

And, Happy Sunday.  

Saturday Slight

 

I met Vera Yetter yesterday at Yoke's. 

She insisted that, since I had only two items, I go in front of her in line at the check-out stand. 

I insisted that I was okay with waiting. 

Vera persisted with insisting. 

So I took her place in line, and she took mine. 

At that time, I had no idea who this nice person was. 

So, I asked her name. 

"Vera," she said. 

"Vera who?" I asked. 

"Vera Yetter," she responded. 

"Do you by any chance have a daughter named Angie . . . and a daughter-in-law named Moriha?" I asked. 

"Yes, I do," she said. 

"Well, I taught Angie," I said. 

After asking my name, she felt a sense of familiarity. 

Along with the nice gesture of offering her place in line, those few words exchanged began a new friendship with a lady who told me that she has lived in the same house in Sandpoint for 44 years. 

Just a simple story of people being nice and establishing a bond and a sense of familiarity, albeit brief. 

It's a good thing, and worth repeating a millionfold.

As the Catholic hymn says, "If everyone lit just one little candle of friendship, what a bright world this would be."  

Bill Peterson, retired FBI and Sandpoint High grad. 

Bill Peterson grew up in our neighborhood on Gooby Road. 

During that time he was a member of Sandpoint's Boy Scout Troop 111. 

My husband Bill served as his scout leader. Last night in a text exchange, Bill state the following: 

"I think I mentioned this before but one of the most significant events in my life was when Bill took the troop on a 50-mile hike in the Bitterroots. 

 "We all had to grow up fast, and that experience has carried with me throughout my life and career." 

Besides his scouting experiences, Bill was fascinated with the FBI, always watching the series where actor Efrem Zimbalist played an FBI agent . 

Bill held on to his dream, went to college and served in the Navy before finally landing his career with the FBI, which began in 1999. 

As an FBI officer, his focus was terrorism. His career took him all over the world. 

In this podcast, he tells about two high-profile cases which defined his career. 

Since retiring from the bureau in 2022, Bill has been working for Amazon security in the Los Angeles. 

When I saw the podcast link on Bill's Facebook page, I asked if I could include it on my blog. 

By all means, he said. 

I have listened to the podcast and, to put it very mildly, Bill story about cases taking him to Kenya and Pakistan is compelling, riveting and amazing. 

It will take an hour to hear it all but I can guarantee that every word shared is worth the listen.

https://jerriwilliams.com/381-william-peterson-kenya-kidnapping-most-wanted-terrorist-sajid-mir/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOy22lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFXUmVPOGZGT2Q3VGRYNUk2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmtV3OtvLw6NPIAPYaQT9M-89K7UPZKnd8VSXeLcUBalWxLvIDA4FwKY2tZT_aem_z12anmRFBfmXbTRu3w6FP

Bill's story of this terrorist (identified in the link) below dramatically shows the tenacity, patience, skepticism and persistence needed to break a case. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajid_Mir

Plus, Bill's experiences once more prove that, even if you grow up on a country road in little ol' Sandpoint,  big dreams can come true and that they can be very rewarding personally.

I am extremely proud and honored to share the podcast above. 

Enjoy. 

💚💛💜💙

Also, it's Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, which means that today marks 41 years since our house burned to the ground on Dec. 20, 1984. 

This day will live with us as long as we live because we saw the worst possible circumstance almost instantly turn into an eye-opening and inspirational view of the goodness of humanity. 

We were recipients of generosity, kindness and love that day and during the days and months afterward, and we shall never forget. 

Forty-one years later, thank you, Sandpoint and family and friends, for helping us put the pieces of our lives back together.

Happy Saturday.  Stay safe.   

It's Friday!

 

The snow came.  

Then, the snow went with the rain. 

Twas really sloppy snow, but it was white and plentiful enough to create some neat but very temporary images. 

This morning the lawn is once again green.

Also, this morning a "man-lift" is coming to the Lovestead so that a worker can get up on the roof and  remove the errant limb that pierced a hole in the roof and our ceiling.

The hole in the ceiling is a little bigger today because the Northwest Flood and Fire staff member opened up so he could see what was behind the opening.  

He found plastic, which was a good discovery because it kept last night's downpour from ultimately landing on our floor.  I put a garbage can under the hole, but, fortunately, it was not needed. 

I have a feeling there's a pool of water in that plastic though. 

Anyway, today the roof will be patched, and, later, repairs will be done. 

After lots more rain and some more wind blasts, it's a quiet morning here. 

On my first walk with the dogs, the sky was filled with stars, always a welcome sight after so many water-filled clouds. 

Bill and I ended our day by attending an enjoyable home high school basketball game. 

The Bulldogs hosted Priest River and earned a significant victory.  

It's been a good week for the team, especially after their thrilling overtime win Tuesday night over a previously undefeated West Valley team from Spokane. 

Bill just read me a segment from this morning's Spokesman sports page that West Valley, now 5-1, soundly defeated their opponent last night. 

We not only enjoyed the game, but we enjoyed the good company.  

My hairdresser Sally who yesterday afternoon highlighted my hair and her husband Joey, (our plumber) came to watch, and there was the usual enjoyable banter with Terry Iverson and his family. 

Fun night. 

The Bulldogs, now 5-3,  will get a rest before traveling to Wenatchee, Wash., to compete in another tournament in early January. 

The bird feeder station outside our living room window was a popular place yesterday, and it seemed that all species were willing to share with each other. 

I love watching the action of chickadees, juncos, finches, doves, squirrels, etc., especially throughout the winter. 

Now that the snow has disappeared, I can do some more clean-up from the wind storm. 

The yard is covered with bark, limbs, twigs, cones, and even a few ornaments which blew off from my swags. 

I almost forgot about this ornament but ran across it yesterday and immediately added it to the tree. 

The ornament came from the Kylemore Abbey gift shop in Connemara, Ireland. 

I purchased it on our most recent trip in October. 

It seemed perfect with the adorable little Irish robin and, of course, an "L" for "Love." 

The Ponderay Pet Lodge staff created the ornaments for Foster and Bridie while they stayed there in October, and, later, the red bow made a perfect backdrop. 

It's fun going to the kitchen sink these days with array of  Santas and Border Collies and dough people. 

Lots to do today, so will sign off. 

Happy Friday. 

Enjoy the bagpipes in the You Tube piece below.