Labor and fun lies ahead

Yup, the big holiday weekend is about to start, and there's work to do. I've done most of my house cleaning, but the yard needs attention. So, the riding lawnmower will get a workout this morning. After all, Miss Annie Love is coming home for the weekend, so we want the place to look nice, and I don't want to be doing housework or lawnwork this weekend.

This afternoon, I'll be bathing Miss Lily for the Bonner County Fair Horse Show, which starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Between my sisters and the Loves, we'll be taking four horses for the morning halter classes, including Barbara's mare April, Miss Lily and the two young Arabian studs, Lefty and Dusty. We're going to try to bathe them, but if that doesn't work out, there's this stuff in a bottle that takes care of stains and ground in dirt.

Both of the little guys seem to catch on fast to learning just about anything. Of course, when little guys go to a big show for the first time, anything's possible. The nice part about baby horses is that judges don't usually expect them to behave perfectly. And, when they're flashy little Arabians, that's a plus. There's nothing prettier than high prancing Arabian foals, trotting around and whinnying for anyone who'll come and "get me out of here."

After the show, we'll haul all but April home and then move on to the next thing. The "next thing" tomorrow is Carson and Karen Jeffres' wedding reception at Daddy Larry's place. Daddy Larry called up the other day and said he and Carson's mom Debbie had been talking about roasting Carson at the barbecue. Then, they decided Marianne Love would have to step to the mike for the festivities.

Well, I've got a little roast stuff on Carson, who's as funny as they come with his stories and observations, but I had to call on Willie, who's Carson's longtime friend and basketball buddy, to come up with the good stuff. So, thanks to Willie's written contributions, I think I have enough fodder to at least get the ball rolling at the barbecue. It should be a fun gathering.

We'll then come home and crash, then decide what Annie wants to do on Sunday. She'd like to go to Canada on a geocaching run. And, we've been invited to a barbecue at Hayden Lake, so we've got some plotting to do as we figure out the agenda. Annie has most of the day here on Monday, but we haven't gotten that far on the calendar yet.

I know one thing for sure; the tomatoes are ripening, so whatever we do, I'm sure there'll be some sampling of tasty red tomatoes, straight off the vine. And, that just gets my mouth watering for the weekend to begin.

Happy holiday to all.