Saturday Slight

Today is the annual Mennonite Crafts Sale at the Mennonite school north of Bonners Ferry.

You can bet that a Lovestead vehicle will be headed that way.  

I don't know how much money I'll spend, but I do know that I'll enjoy being there.  

If it's anything like the event two years ago (picture above), there will be plenty of sights, sounds and smells to enjoy.  

Two years ago, I met a man stirring a huge kettle of apple butter just outside the door to the school, and the kettle corn was a-popping and putting out heavenly aromas the entire time.

Bill and I talked about how these events are very basic.  No bells, whistles, colorful decorations---just simple scenes, and that's the attraction for many who go there.

Bill also made another comment morning before I went out to feed the horses. 

"You can just imagine it, can't you----all over Bonners Ferry Mennonite women are pulling pans of cinnamon rolls out of the oven." 

"Yup," I said.

And, along with the rolls will be the long tables lined wth loaves of bread and honey and the apple butter.

There will be a crew fixing wonderful hot lunches for all the visitors, and there will be supplies aplenty for sale.   All profits help support the Mennonite school.

Can't wait.  This is truly a wonderful happening. 

~~~~

This morning I have to complain about Laura Hillenbrand.  That lady has disordered my routine, and she will continue to do so for the next few days as I take every moment available to sit down and race through the pages of her newest book.

It's a keeper, I'll tell you.  

I read in a Newsweek review this week that this author of my most favorite book ever Seabiscuit  had released a new book called Unbroken.

Unaware that she even had one on the back burner (the poor lady suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome), I read two thirds of the review and felt almost immediate exhilaration and a "cannot wait" feeling. 

   Unfortunately, I would have to wait because it was after business hours, so I couldn't just call up Vanderford's and run to town to get a copy. 

That would have to wait until the next day.  I picked up the book, brought it home, hid it under a pile on the kitchen island and hurried to get my evening stuff done. 

"Why hide it?" you may ask. 

I do this whenever reading material so compelling and so new that I want to be the first in the household to experience it.  Happens every morning with the newspaper here. 

As I told Debbie yesterday, I wanted to be at least a hundred pages ahead before Bill found the book.  Then, we'd have to share. 

That happened with Seabiscuit.  I got well into it and then interrupted his train of thought several times, reading passages aloud CUZ THEY WERE SO WELL WRITTEN AND SO FASCINATING.

That's what Laura Hillenbrand does for her readers.  Just like Seabiscuit, this book about a famous miler who served in the Pacific in World War II includes oodles of fascinating extras besides just the story line.

Now that I'm almost 70 pages into the book, Bill has already heard a few tidbits.  

Why does Lauren Hillenbrand make me mad?  Like those good songs that play over and over in one's head, the story line monopolizes my thoughts and I can't wait to find time to sit down and devour some more.

Since you're at your own household and you don't have to share with a piggish reader like me, pick up a copy.  I guarantee it will disorder your normal routine.  The woman writes a phenomenal story. 

~~~~~

The western sky is dark gray.  The mountain is snow white.  There's ice on those little lakes around the place that I described a couple of days ago.  

Cold is coming.

In a few minutes, I'll plug the extension cord into the barn outlet and run it to the outside water trough to connect it to a water heater. Earlier I flipped on the wall panel switch that allows the automatic waterers to start heating up.

And, one of these days a pair of lined jeans will come off the shelf and begin its winter work of keeping me warm.  

Times are changing.  Winter has almost arrived. 

Happy Saturday.