Friday Mutterings

Shamrocks:  proficient at reproducing and a ubiquitous reminder of a place I love. 

There's a big black kettle simmering on the stove.  It's about two thirds' full of blueberries, huckleberries and raspberries.  

With pickin' and grinnin' picking up every day here at the Lovestead, it's time to take out the old and replace it with the new.

That is accomplished by selecting bags of frozen berries and dumping them into the kettle with some water. 

If all goes well, without too many interruptions, the juice from those berries will turn into jelly and go into jars for the first batch of preserves for 2025.

In the meantime, I'll keep picking raspberries and blueberries and taking them to the freezer.  

Soon the picking chores will also involve green beans.  

I've heard this from others:  Kentucky Wonder bush beans now have vines.  I swear that I made sure when I purchased them that my green bean seeds were "bush" and not "pole." 

So, why is this phenomenon happening?

I told some friends the other day that I fear that my beans may make it all the way into Sandpoint before I get all of them picked. 

I can just imagine those vines, which are currently doing their best to choke off the sunflowers, will escape the garden fence and grow their way over to Schubarth's next door.  

If Leslie doesn't pluck some beans from the vines while they are passing through,  then they'll wind on to Selle Road where they can get a clear shot into town.  

I hope that doesn't happen, but in today's crazy world even the garden beans might be charting a new course far from the expected norms. 

Who knows?  Maybe Artificial Intelligence is tinkering with gardens these days. 

The bottom line is that bean-picking might be more challenging this year.

Anyway, these extras, along with all the other unpredictables, are keeping me busy.  Yesterday I told Bill that every day for three days I had planned to stock up on groceries, but every single one of those days "stuff" got in the way. 

So, yesterday I took that new blue car to the store first thing in the morning and finally bought my groceries. 

Retirement, what's that?

And, then, someone the other evening inadvertently gave me a tip about what sounded like a great story idea. 

I'm supposed to be retired from taking on writing assignments, but, similar to what I've observed often with Bill and his many retirements, temptation comes along, and the opportunity seems irresistible. 

So, one more deadline looms, but it should be a fun assignment. 

And, so on this July Friday, the beat goes on and the grasshoppers are hopping.

On another topic, I was sad to hear that Connie Francis died yesterday.  She was my first "favorite singer" and in the seventh grade her hit "Where the Boys Are" was very timely in my life. 

According to the story below, amazingly she was on the verge of a comeback. 

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/07/17/pretty-little-baby-connie-francis-tiktok/85254942007/

If "Where the Boys Are" was timely for my junior high boy-crazy era in the late '50's/early '60s, possibly Connie Francis's "Who's Sorry Now" could be an appropriate theme song for these crazy times in America. 

Just sayin'! 😎

Annie didn't post photos yesterday, but she has arrived in Hungary for her geocaching gathering. 

I'm sure there will be more of her fun photos tomorrow. 

And, with that, I'll shut up and wish everyone a "Happy Friday."  

 

I’ve made it to Esztergom, Hungary for the Block Party!

New Wheels, Baseball Star, Annie's Travels

 

It was good bye to the forest green and hello to the sky blue yesterday. 

Good bye, Subaru Outback.  

Hello, Chevrolet Equinox.

I loved the Subaru, which we had owned for 12 years, but Bill wasn't liking the increasing needs for maintenance.  Plus, he had just paid off a vehicle, so thought it was time to buy a newer car. 

This one is used with just 9,500 miles on it. We looked at a brand new Equinox but felt much more comfortable driving the 2024 model. 

Fewer bells and whistles and felt very similar to driving the Subaru. 

So, we're hoping one good car has led to another. 

Have I said that I rather like the color.  It's kinda neat because Shawn and Becky next door have a pickup the same color. 

So, we have matching orange Kubota tractors and matching vehicles. 

My first major drive in the Equinox took me to my friend Mike's house to drop off reunion registration forms.  

Then, it was on to the Super 1 parking lot where Debbie and her team were engaged in a "Christmas in July" fundraiser for the Bonner Community Food Bank. 

They were really excited because one donor dropped off a hundred dollar bill and then came back with another and another and, finally, an additional donation of $1,000. 

The group was having a great time, and Debbie had even more fun when I gave her the key fob to the Equinox and told her to take it for a spin. 

She highly approves of the car. 

Next-door neighbor Shawn was thrilled that he was one of the first to inspect the new blue car. 

💙💙💙💙💙💙

~Exciting news for some Sandpoint grandparents~ 

The Cincinnati Reds took Oregon outfielder Mason Neville with the 114^th selection in the 2025 MLB Draft. 

Neville made first team All-Big Ten honors and slashed .290/.429/,724 with 42 exta-base hits and nine stolen bases in 57 games with Oregon in the 2025 season.

~~~~~

From Jessica Parkins Neville, about her son.   Proud grandparents Jack and Sharon Parkins live in the Sandpoint area.

 

A dream that’s been in the making for 21 years came true — our son, Mason, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds to begin his journey as a professional baseball player. ⚾️❤️

From the very first time he held a bat, baseball captured his heart — and from that moment on, he gave everything to the game. 

We’ve watched him grow from a little boy with big league dreams into a young man who never stopped believing, working, and pushing forward — even when the road was hard. 

But this moment isn’t just his — it belongs to every coach who challenged and believed in him, every teammate who became like family, every friend who cheered him on, and every relative who sat through doubleheaders in the blazing heat just to be there.

It took a village — and we are forever grateful to every single person who’s been part of his journey.

This next chapter is a dream come true, and we know the best is yet to come. Mason, as always, remember your last name — and carry it with pride.

Let’s go, Reds! ❤️

https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/news/cincinnati-reds-select-college-baseball-s-home-run-leader-with-114th-pick-in-mlb-draft-01k04tjxz7qa

Segment from a story by Greg Kuffner

 The Reds actually had selected Neville in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school, but he elected to go to Arkansas before transferring to Oregon.

"Neville has long intrigued scouts with his overall athleticism and offensive potential from the left side of the plate, reminding some from his high school days of a young Cody Bellinger," MLB.com wrote.

"The raw power is very real, and a year after hitting 16 homers with a 33.5 percent strikeout rate, Neville has jumped up boards by greatly cutting down his swing-and-miss, allowing him to get to that pop even more consistently for the 26 homers that tied for the NCAA Division I home run title. 

He can drive the ball gap-to-gap with plenty of pull power. He punishes fastballs and still struggles against softer stuff, but scouts are much more bullish overall that the bat will play at the next level."

Congratulations to Mason and all of his proud family members. And, good luck.  We look forward to watching you on TV. 

👍👍👍👍👍

Annie's Trip Photos:  Another bucket list item done.

Plitvice Lakes National Park (in Croatia) is incredible!

from Annie:  I did A LOT of driving today, but it was worth it for the views along the way and for accomplishing all I wanted to today.

One of the unexpected highlights that I found out about from Slovenian cachers, was Željava Air Base in Croatia.

 

One geocache was at an old plane and another took you inside the airbase inside a mountain! 

Would have been so cool to see planes coming out of a mountain straight onto the runway I got to drive on today!

I got to put my feet in the Adriatic Sea, and wait in a slow line at the Bosnia border (both ways) so I could light up another country on my caching/travel map.

I also added a couple photos from the geocaching event I hosted in Slovenia last night. Such a great turnout with a very nice group of people.  

Got to say goodbye to a handful of them at a morning event before I got on the road.

Wednesday This and That

Raspberries are ripening, and we're back to nice and cooler weather. 

By late afternoon yesterday, most of the brisk winds had died down, and the skies are blue with pretty white clouds again. 

The late afternoon weather improvement meant that we could meet at Hawkins beach at Sunnyside for the annual "let's get together with Cindy" gathering. 

"Cindy" is Cindy Wooden, and she's in town this month on vacation from her duties as Vatican bureau chief for Catholic News Service. 

We had a great time at the beach sitting around a fire, nibbling on treats, catching up with one another and learning what's new at the Vatican. 

It's always fun to visit with Cindy and learn about her amazing job which has taken her all over the world while covering each Pope since she moved to Rome in 1989.  

And, by the way, the views of Lake Pend Oreille weren't too bad either. 

Thanks, Mitzi, for hosting the party. 

Cindy Wooden

Peacocks came for a brief visit yesterday. 

The bales in bright green grass with mountains and Poelstra barns in the background looked mighty pretty late yesterday afteroon. 

Gonzaga University has a new president who started work yesterday.  Here's a portion of what she had to say in her initial letter to the Gonzaga faithful. 

I like her very true thoughts a lot. 

Today, more than ever, we live in a world that cries out for a deeper sense of connection, hope, and servant leadership. This is why our work together is so important, so essential to the health and wellbeing of our society. 

Education has the power to transform the lives of multiple generations, to enable individuals to make choices to drive their own destiny rather than being driven by others or external circumstances. 

At a time when higher education is facing many challenges, the Jesuit tradition teaches us to engage with courage, compassion, and critical reflection – to be men and women for and with others. 

I am committed to walking this path with you, as we shape a University that both inspires and serves, rooted in faith and integrity.

Dr. Katia Passerini,

New President of Gonzaga University

~~~~~

Annie's Travel Photos:  Today Annie has added a new country to her list:  Croatia.  Yesterday she visited the a fascinating and impressive cave in Slovenia. 

https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/