Saturday Slight

Cold beauty. I've got my heater going for the first time this fall. Gotta keep those toes warm, even with their three layers of socks. The mountainside out the left window is ablaze with golden larch accenting the blue-green blanket of evergreen forests. A giant golden larch sits next to the loafing shed, and the sun is casting a bright light on the rest of the landscape.

Yesterday I could hear a steady crackling rain of dry, crisp leaves tumbling to the ground. By Monday, I'm guessing this cold air will complete the job of stripping all those deciduous trees around the yard, except the oak, that is. Those oak leaves love to cling until the last ounce of energy gives way in the early spring.

Yup, fall is upon us, and winter's not far behind on this last Saturday of October.

This last Saturday of October 27, 2007, is also the 70th birthday of one of my good friends. His name is Don Albertson, and he loves to play on the telephone. Well, he's been known to play on the phone as recently as his late 60s. So, I believe that he wouldn't mind if friends and even strangers satisfied his fetish for fun telephone talk by calling him to wish him a happy birthday.

But, if you do, first tell him his horses are out galloping down the road or, better yet, toot the birthday song through the phone as if you're a tuba. He'll know who put you up to it, and I know he'll enjoy it, and maybe you will too, if you like to play on the phone.

Don's telephone number is 208-263-0900. If his wife Terri answers, I'm sure she'll help you add some cheer to his birthday. 'Twould be nice for Don to have a telephone call for every year of life, so I hope folks will help see that happen. Tell your friends to call him too.

In other news, the newest edition of Sandpoint Magazine is out. I was honored to meet Jack and Dorothy Fowler at the Keokee publication party yesterday afternoon. Jack was the guy who stopped by the side of the road at Hope while returning from a Montana ski trip, looked up and saw possibilities for a ski hill at Schweitzer many, many years ago.

Dorothy is a renowned sculpter whose work has gone all over the world. Very nice, down-to-earth people. Dorothy told me they came to the party early because Jack, who's now 85, had to get up early this morning to go duck hunting.

The magazine also has pages and pages of wonderful stories and photographs about the people and beauty that co-mingle in this area. It presents a nice mix of the old with the new, and I'd say my favorite feature is the newcomers/longtimers who talk about their thoughts on the area. I noticed one high school kid who came here from Hawaii thinks the winter ought to be a month long.

I like that kid. He's got the right idea, and maybe we could talk to Al Gore to see if he could do something about formulating a plan. But, the plan would have to include allowing the winter to stay up there at Schweitzer for six months. Down in the valley, we could say good bye to the snow and the gray every Jan. 31. I'm sure Al could figure this out since he invented the Internet.

Nampa won last night---and big. Lakeland won last night---and big. So, I think that means that sports reporter/editor William Love gets to fly up here next Friday to cover the Nampa-Lakeland playoff game. He'll just stay overnight here at the Lovestead because he has to fly back to celebrate his wife Debbie's 30th birthday. Willie and Bill will have the house to themselves cuz I'll be in Moscow for the first of two Young Authors' conferences.

So, I guess I'll have to wait until Christmas to see Willie. Annie will be home for Thanksgiving, but right now she's adventuring in Hawaii on the big island. She's been posting her photos every day on her blog at (www.nnlove.blogspot.com). So, be sure to check them out.

I'd better quit yakking and get out there to that cold barn where Mr. Lefty, who lost his manhood Tuesday, is still recuperating. I'll turn him out into the barnyard and hope that this is the last day for him to incur pain and some bleeding from the incision. Lefty doesn't make it easy on himself cuz he tears across the barnyard, and that's not good for healing incisions.

Sometime this morning, Laurie will be hearing from Barbara on how the judging team did at the Arabian Nationals. Poor Merissa Turnbaugh went down there with more than enough pressure for anyone who does well at everything. Last year she won first place in the nation and brought home a lot of loot. Where does one go from there? I guess the crowning glory would be for the whole team to win first place. Knowing my sister Barbara and how hard she works, that's gonna happen one of these days. (Check the blog later today, and if they do have some exciting news, I'll post it so you can read it here first).

Lefty, here I come! Happy Saturday, and do call that Don. Believe me, he deserves all the telephone calls he can get!