Tuesday Twitterdeedum

I'm happy to report that yesterday turned out to be the epitome of "normal" in my wishful mind.

From morning until dark, I did pretty much what I wanted to do---picked beans, watered gardens, groomed horses, lounged on the deck, took a walk through the woods, read all the neat stuff my cousins wrote in the Lodgepole Log, went to Samuels Store for my afternoon caffeine double blitz (Snickers and coffee), played on Facebook, fixed a summer dinner with fresh corn on the cob and garden beans.

I topped the day off with another horseback ride. This time Lily and I headed south to North Kootenai Road. We crossed Selle Road, which is turning into a highway, but at 6:30, it usually quiets down. Lily didn't like those shiny new culverts they've installed in readiment for paving the road, but she walked past them anyway.

We ended up at my former colleague Woody Aunan's driveway. He invited us to come down and see his wife Suzanne's lavender. She's developed a very nice plot from plants she brought from Sequim, Wash., earlier this year. Suzanne's love for horses became apparent immediately when she walked to her apple tree and brought Lily a treat.

After two or three more apples, we headed home. I must say my big spotted friend gives me a nice ride with her brisk walk and her willingness and almost eagerness to see new territory. I'm blessed.

Once home, I brought the other horses up to the barnyard, collected cats and dogs and sat down for the evening bowl of ice cream. Then, off to bed.

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The phone rang just once yesterday. It was Mother, excited about her new telephone. It's a "hear clear" phone purchased from Wal-Mart. And, my oh my, it lives up to the name. The set includes another phone which can be closer to where she sits most of the time.

She had one of those, but it never worked, and when her answering machine on the main phone started giving the cue for leaving a message in Spanish, we decided it was time for some new, better, simpler technology. I could hear my sisters "clearly" in the background reveling in the fact that they had set up the phone without needing to read the directions.

So, maybe we've got a winner there, and we can connect with our mother a little easier.

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I just read that Eunice Kennedy Shriver has died. I always liked her and her husband Sargent, clear back from the days of President Kennedy. And, their contributions to this country and its people are nothing short of magnificent. Besides the Peace Corps and the Special Olympics, they've given us Maria.

She's my favorite Kennedy family member. I've always thought of Maria as a person with whom anyone could sit down and talk with and have a great time. She reminds me of my friend Kathy Chambers---down-to-earth and fun but so productive as a human being.

As far as Eunice, I can claim a brush with fame. My sister-in-law Margaret will remember our moment in San Francisco Airport when I discovered Eunice and Sargent posing in the middle of a group of Asian tourists. I was star struck, to say the least.

Margaret was in the restroom when the sighting occurred. When she came out, the Shrivers had headed to wherever their gate happened to be. We did catch up with them, so Margaret could claim her proximity to fame.

One other time when we were landing in Mexico City on a flight from Los Angeles, we heard the pilot page Sargent Shriver. Never saw him though.

Anyway, Eunice's death is a sad loss for the many people involved with the Special Olympics and for millions of people who have grown up knowing and admiring many of the Kennedy's.

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I don't know what happened to the two friends whom I expected to hear from yesterday, but I do know that when we're visiting places and people, it's pretty hard to fit everything in.

I've learned that over the years since the days when my family always had to deal with my desire to see a friend in some far-off place, only to waste the day trying to track the person down. We never did find my former student Kari Daarstad when we went looking for her in Redmond, Washington.

It was then that Bill suggested, "Next time you come to the Seattle area and want to see your friends, why don't you put an ad in the paper that you'll be a certain place at a certain time if they want to come and see you?"

I got the hint. Now, no plans are made to drop in on "so and so" when we're traveling.

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A note to Karen in Redmond, Ore. I did send you an email, but I don't know if you received it. It was thanking you for the painting.

For others who don't know what the heck I speak of, Karen sent me a painting done in 1976 by T.W. Hunt. She told me it looked like Lily, and she was right.

The scene includes a bay leopard Appaloosa standing back with tension on a rope as its rider heads to do the tie-down on a calf he's just roped. And, the horse looks almost identical to Lily.

T.W. "Thad" Hunt was a fixture in the Sandpoint area for years. I first knew him as a dairyman. He had the finest, most spotless facility for his Ayrshire milking cows. It was over on West Selle Road, and we used to go to his place to see the example of a good farmer.

Later, Thad got into horses, specifically Appaloosas, and later he lived over on Selle Road proper. I've always admired his place. Thad sold real estate too, and he had a wife Alice who was the cutest little English lady I ever met.

The painting Karen sent me will be treasured, not only for its resemblance to my Lily but also for the reminders of a great man and family friend from my past. Thanks so much, Karen.

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Well, enough twitterdeedum. It's a beautiful day and so far normal. I wonder if normal will stay around for two whole days. If so, that's okay with me.

Happy Tuesday.