Happy Birthday, Mrs. Tibbs

Well, it's off to Sandpoint in a little while to resume the events of an action-packed weekend. We did okay at the book event yesterday. Saw a lot of old friends and former students and had a great time with our Mother -son banter. Among the crowd were some folks I haven't seen in a long, long time who admit to being blurkers on blogs. I told them their assignment was to change that habit and comment a time or two, so I'll be keeping track. Great to see you Lucy and Pat.

I ran into a former colleague, Kevin Collins, here at the Marriott. He was sitting in the lobby waiting for some NASA folks who wanted to go to McCall to see Barbara Morgan's hometown digs. Kevin and his wife Betty were acting as their hosts. We took up where we left off, maybe five years ago, talking about teaching. Kevin worked at the State Department of Education but decided to go back to teaching at a charter school last January. It was great to see him and to talk education.

Soon, I'll be catching the shuttle to the airport, and soon after that, driving home. It's been a fun and productive trip, but getting back to the farm will feel mighty good. I think I'm turning into more of a home body all the time.

This afternoon we'll all gather at a nice restaurant to celebrate Mother's birthday. She was born in Chicago on this day in 1921. She moved to Wallace, Idaho, with her mother, dad and little sister in 1924. Her mother died that same year, so the two little girls and their dad went to Burnt Ranch, a tiny mountain hamlet in Northern California. Her aunt from Michigan thought that was no place for little girls so she came (with her chauffeur) and "rescued" her. Mother went to Catholic boarding schools from then on, including Nazareth College where she graduated in 1942.

She moved back to Idaho in 1945 (Christmas night, to be exact), and that's where she has stayed to rear six kids, to love horses, to live a good life on the farm with Harold who died almost four years ago. We all think our Mother is pretty special, so we're proud to help her celebrate another birthday and an inspiring life well lived.

Happy Birthday, Virginia Tibbs!