Monday Miscellany

 

After finishing all but a small portion of my fall brush hogging project, I finally found some time to go visit my horses yesterday afternoon.  

CB earned the first nod for some grooming and clipping.  

He seemed to enjoy himself, and I enjoyed spending the time with him. 

Lefty will be next on the list and finally Lily because I have to find a mounting block to clip her. 

With fall projects winding down, I'll have more time for the horses. 

After my visit there, I drove around the neighborhood and snapped a few photos.  

Becky Meserve Colpaert and her hubby Shawn. 

AI enhanced for color. 

I had a nice visit over the fence with my neighbors next door at the Meserve Preserve yesterday afternoon.  

With Bert Wood's cows now gone for the winter, Becky and Shawn were checking out their fence lines, with plans to do some fall fix-it projects. 

We live just a few hundred feet away from them, but that was our first real visit in several weeks. 

Twas nice to catch up and enjoy some good neighborhood conversation.

Overall, yesterday was a great and productive day.  

JUST A PRETTY AMAZING AND NEAT STORY

~~The movie or mini series should be fun.~~  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/englishman-karl-bushby-returns-home-walking-goliath-expedition/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=1030685265

At first I thought it was a flicker that I saw land in the apple tree from across the barnyard. 

It would not shut up, so its nonstop conversation inspired me to look closer as I walked that direction. 

I was almost to the house by the time I realized it was a piliated woodpecker, most likely pecking away at an apple in the tree. 

Most of the apples left on the tree are too high up for me or the resident deer to reach. 

But for woodpeckers, the tree offers at least a few dozen apples to feast on. 

I walked on into the house and grabbed my camera.  

Once outside, I walked slowly toward the tree where all the squawking continued. 

I think the bird was so busy with its solo conversation that it did not notice me inching toward the tree. 

I sneaked behind the big fat blue spruce just feet away from the apple tree, and when I reached its north side, the bird kept on squawking and pecking. 

So, I was able to get a few photos, but it must have spotted me as I moved closer to the tree. 

It flew off and talked away after landing in a pine tree across the yard.  So, I continued my pursuit.  By that time, however, with no apples to eat on the pine tree, the bird flew off to Gary Finney's woods.

More than likely, it will be back for some more apples. 

Birds don't forget where the goodies are.  

The former ZAG up above, who gave me his autograph, now works for the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball staff.  

He used to be one of my favorite players.  

JP Batista came from Brazil to play for the ZAGS several years ago. 

One day while driving through Spokane Airport, I saw him on the sidewalk, stopped my car and asked him to autograph my piece of paper.  

He did so, happily. 

Below:  Dan Dickau, now a CBS sports commentator,  was waiting to board a plane on the same Southwest flight I was taking.  It could have been the same day that I ran into former assistant ZAGS coach Ray Giacoletti, or maybe I just pulled out the Dickau autograph and asked him to add to the fun. 

In the collection of ZAGS autographs, Bill and I attended a ZAGS game at the Marriott Center.  After the ZAG defeated Brigham Young University and earned the No. 1 ranking in college basketball, we met the team as they left the center and boarded their bus. 

They were all SO nice and looked SO young.  Two of those ZAGS serve on the staff at the University of Arizona Wildcats with coach Tommy Lloyd, and one has had an amazing career with the NBA.

It's fun to meet members of the ZAGS from time to time, and it will be fun this year to add some new names to our favorites from over the years. 

BTW:  in a bittersweet note, one of last year's ZAGS who visited our neighbors on Selle Road and met their pigs, played for Notre Dame yesterday, and more than likely was the player of the game for the Irish who defeated Villanova during a special game in Rome. 

Braeden Smith stole balls, directed the offense and scored in the double digits in the win. 

Neat to see him do so well; sad to know he's transferred and no longer plays for the ZAGS. 

  

Anyway, there's a big ZAGS game today at 4:30 PST in Las Vegas. 

Gonzaga takes on Purdue in their first official game of the season. 

Hoping the team of mostly new players has jelled and that they pull off a victory.

GO, ZAGS

Game will be telecast on TNT or TruTV. 

Also, I'll be calling this morning to see if the team posters are finally ready. 

Fingers crossed.  

Stay tuned. 

  

I have two flower bushes still blooming.  Wonder how long they can keep it up. 

Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow, if you haven't already. 

Voting is always important, but this time, I  fervently believe it is one of the most important elections in our lifetime. 

A national government from across the nation of, by and for the people will be chosen----at least we hope it will be. 

The results will definitely determine which direction this country we have loved so much is headed. 

VOTE!!! 

Happy Monday. 

It's a Wrap

 

We thought we were going to have a blank slate for the 2026 trick or treaters' report. 

Then, at 7:58 p.m., the doorbell rang.

Bill went to the door and welcomed in the Taylor family, minus three older boys. 

The first time Peter and Jen and the five boys came on Halloween was a few years ago on a warm late October evening. 

The boys had a great time, climbing trees and heckling each other around the yard while Bill and I became acquainted with Jen and did some major catching up with Peter. 

 Peter had been one of Bill's Boy Scouts before he joined the Navy after high school.   When his Navy career ended, Peter and his family returned to his roots at the Taylor farm across the road from us.

Since then, he's purchased a fleet of farm machinery and spends most of his days farming around the Selle Valley.  

The young Taylors live just up the road from us and not far from their parents. 

Since his return to Sandpoint, the Taylor trick-or-treating contingency has decreased with just the two younger boys showing up for Twix or Butterfinger bars. 

The other three have graduated from high school, and two of them have joined the Navy, just like Mom and Dad. Another is working with concrete while he waits for his 18th birthday, which allows him to train for wildland fire fighting. 

Along with candy gathering, the boys generally sit patiently on their Halloween stop while Dad catches us up on some of his experiences on farms around the valley. 

Our visit last evening lasted long enough for Jen to eventually poke Peter and tell him that his mom over across the road was about to go to bed.  

So, team Taylor left,  with a few extra candy bars, enroute for the parents/grandparents home for their annual Halloween visit. 

At least, after their visit,  we have some data for our Halloween 2026 slate:  4 trick-or-treaters, i.e. a family of neighbors. 

That's pretty much how it goes here at the Lovestead on Oct. 31, and the best part about those dismal numbers:  Bill has half a bowl of Halloween candy bars to enjoy. 

  

Our Kubota is just like new after its trip to the Boundary Tractor shop for a complete maintenance update. 

I spent a couple of hours at the wheel yesterday doing what I love to do:  brush hogging/grooming our pastures. 

Two down and two thirds of the hay field yet to go. 

It was bitter cold, but when you're out in a farm field enjoying the late autumn beauty, there's nothing better.  

Plus, the fields look so much better, minus the dead grass and occasional weeds, once the job is done. 

I'll be wrapping up this post fairly quickly today because we're watching some college basketball on this Sunday morning. 

Notre Dame is playing Pope Leo's alma mater Villanova in Rome today. The game is being telecast on Fox 28. 

One of Notre Dame's starting five played for Gonzaga last year, and he even came to the neighborhood one day to meet our friend Tricia's pigs. 

That would be Braeden Smith.  So far, he's done very well for the Irish. 

They say the Pope was not expected to be at the game, but then they added that miracles can happen. 

Anyway, it's a fun matchup and the players have been pretty hot with their shots so far. 

So, Happy All Saints Day, and enjoy your Sunday.

I'm off to watch some Catholic teams, and Bill is wondering if we get credit for going to church if we watch the game. 

Saturday Slight

So much to think about today. 

Don't forget to put the candy in a bowl, and hide some lest some greedy hands grab too many goodies. 

Don't forget to turn all the clocks back an hour.

Don't forget to turn over the calendars to November tomorrow. 

😳😳😳😳😳

In my case, I've already lost 45 minutes of that extra hour of sleep we're supposed to enjoy tonight. 

Seems my internal clock thought today was tomorrow, and I slept in. 

Well, at least there will be 15 minutes of extra snoozing. 

Besides, I've found that snoozing is a lot easier at this time of the year.  

A few years ago, I had an "aha" moment, finally learning why I wanted to sleep more in November than in May. 

Seems it's a natural and normal thing to do because the upcoming months are Mother Nature's hibernation period.  

It's just that bears take more advantage of the opportunity than we humans who live by our clocks and phones and television programs. 

Anyway, once I learned that basic information about the nature of sleep, I quit feeling bad about nodding off in November. 

Others suggest it's an old-people situation, just like my friend Edna (who's six months younger than I) suggested last night when I was complaining about the bitter cold and wondering if it's an old-people thing.  

She said, yes, it probably was, which didn't do my outlook much good.  I wanted desperately to think that, indeed, it has been really bitter cold the past few days. 

Later, I felt better when my sisters joined us.  They are 12.5 and 14 years younger than I. 

Yes, they said, it's been colder than usual. 

Then, Laurie brought up something about polar vortexes, suggesting that the vortex will cause the polar areas to be warmer because they'll push or blow all their cold air toward us. 

She even mentioned the winter of 1968-'69 in her  informative and scientific offerings about frigidity. 

I'm old enough and cold enough not to want to see a Winter of '26-'27 even come close to that winter. 

In December of that year, we had some cousins come over to ski at Schweitzer.  People were suggesting that it was 40 below at the time cuz it sure was cold. 

Someone's brain must have been really cold while the cousins were staying with us in the house on Boyer because someone forgot to shut the back door to the house when they came in late at night.  

The door remained open for the overnight and the fierce cold wind blew more than enough frigid air into the house.  

A bunch of us humans remained in bed the next morning, trying to stay warm and outlast whoever was going to get up first and start a fire. 

I don't know who braved it, but when they discovered the open door and it closed, the temperature started rising, even without the fire. 

More wintry stuff like a long-lasting blizzard and a  whole bunch of snow came that same winter in January, causing most rural folks to be isolated in their homes for a number of days. 

No, we do not need a repeat of that winter.

Yes, it's warmer today, and I'm feeling good knowing that my need to wear five layers is not just an old-people's thing. 

It will be nice for the trick or treaters to have some reasonable weather as they gather up for their sugar high. 

And, as mentioned yesterday, Bill will be happy if our numbers are down this year.  He loves that leftover candy. 

The countdown for the ultra hate season to end has begun. 

Those repetitive, simple-minded insults on TV and across the media should end once all polls are closed on Tuesday. 

Who knows how it's going to go, but maybe we'll get a slight break from politicians trying to out-dirty each other, at least, for a few days. 

Then, the Presidential politicking will begin. 

Again, Congress should vote to limit political seasons and the gross amounts of money spent.  I know I've said that before, but if politicians can repeat the same stuff over and over, so can I. 

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone who wants to run for office next time would go to politician school and learn some new ways, as is suggested by example in the sentences below. 

 "Good politicians of any party have the discipline of 'encounter,' in the sense that Pope Francis used it. 

 Not just seeing but looking, not just hearing but listening. 

 Drawing near, being open. 

Not blasting your opinions or personality at people. 

 Encounter them.

--Journalist Terry Moran

Well, it's Halloween. 

The wind has stopped. 

It's dry, and I'll probably do some brush-hogging today after yesterday's afternoon project of clearing the yard of the major bulk of leaves. 

There will be more of that, but at least, it's under control. 

So, we'll enjoy the day and wait to see if the doorbell rings once it's ghosts and goblin time. 

Happy Halloween.