What to do, what to do . . . .

How many times, dear girl, have I told you to stop that smoking???

If you don't comply, then you shall die. Don't you know that?

And, wipe that blase look off your face, right now!!!

I've had just about enough of you and your seedy behavior.

What do you think your mother would say if she saw you smoke, smoke, smoking that cigarette?

~~~~

Well, her mother will say that she sure is glad Annie is in costume.  That's her Facebook alter ego, Mia Wallace.

And, I think I'm safe to say that Annie does not smoke, smoke, smoke those cigarettes, like her mother once did for four years.

Mia Wallace,  from the movie "Pulp Fiction, " does smoke, though, and to do the part on Halloween, one must consider all details.

Our wicked witch from the West Coast grew up here in Sandpoint, just like Annie.  That would be Laurel Gavell.

Mom says those kids just have too much fun with their Halloween costumes, and such scenes take her back to the good ol' days when she used to wear some pretty crazy Halloween get-ups too.

Seems a strange-looking pregnant woman showing up at the hospital may have been one of the scenarios.  I'm sure some folks out there will revive the details. 

How 'bout it Big Foot???

And, the other young lady in our "Love Life," had fun yesterday too, only no trickery or masks here.

Just a happy pair, enjoying a lesson together.

Debbie and Lefty----and aren't those tamarack in the background beautiful?

Debbie took her first lesson yesterday from my sister Laurie.

After riding Lefty Wednesday night for the first time since his return from training, Laurie deemed him safe enough for Debbie to take a lesson.  

So, after arriving at the Colburn Ranch yesterday afternoon, Debbie started with the basics---grooming, tacking and lunging.  Laurie warmed Lefty up.  Then, Debbie climbed aboard.

By the end of the lesson, she was catching on to the right cues to keep Lefty in forward gear at both the walk and the trot.  

At lesson's end, Debbie said, "When are we gonna do this again?"

It was a successful session for all concerned.  I have come to the conclusion that Lefty is the most patient and cooperative horse I've ever known.  Definitely a gem with a great future.

And, good times ahead for Debbie or anyone who rides him. 

~~~~~

Finally, Happy Halloween to all.  

I guess we'll get trick or treaters tonight cuz nobody showed up yesterday. 

Saturday Slight

Morning has broken, and, oh, what a beautiful day it appears to be.  Clear skies allowed me to enjoy a full assembly of stars to shining brightly from above as I took the horses to pasture earlier. Now, a few spots of low-lying fog soften the scenes to the east and west.

I’ll take this morning and run with it.  First, however, comes the blog, and, many thanks, Cis, for the suggestion to write in Microsoft Word.  Yesterday was frustrating, and Blogger tends to frustrate us regulars with its unforeseen “gotcha’s.” 

If the glitches don’t occur with published photos showing up on the home computer but not on anybody else’s in the world, the blogger demons (I called them gods yesterday, but this is one day closer to Halloween), will surprise you with the “conflicting edits” excuse for swallowing up three-quarters of what you just wrote. 

So, don’t tell those little devils, I’m cheating with Microsoft, or they’ll find a way to “Get You, My Pretty.”

Yup, I guess we’re celebrating Halloween tonight on its eve rather than its real day.  Somehow, Saturday night seems much better than than Sunday for witches and goblins to do their dish out their ghoulish spells on the populace.

We’ll have the candy basket ready in the living room, and I’ll probably set up a pumpkin path for the big and little trick or treaters who will come to our front door.  We’ll more than likely lock the doggies in the garage.  Things will be scary enough without the barking dogs.

I have to go to town this morning to pick up some nuts.  Yesterday I purchased what I thought were all the ingredients for the Best Damned Pumpkin Dessert, Period, but arrived home to learn I needed nuts.  The cupboards have no nuts, so it’s back to the store.

If all goes right, we’ll be sampling that wonderful dessert while we watch the sporting events and answer the door.   

Our Halloween traffic has been picking up the past few years, and the neighborhood kids and their adult chaperones  do a nice job in the dress-up department.  Plus, they’re polite and often very entertaining when they come begging.

In the morning news department, I have to announce the release of two publications:  the winter edition of Sandpoint Magazine and the brand-new online edition of the SHS Cedar Post.   Willie has involvement with both as adviser of the Cedar Post and author of a nice feature story about the teen art scene in the magazine. 

Seems as if a new generation of local writers is emerging for the magazine, which is celebrating its 20^th year with this edition. 

I was proud to see Willie, Zach Hagadone and Haley Butler as featured writers this time, and Bill was proud to see the daughter of one of his colleagues involved with the photo feature---Laura Roady of Bonners Ferry  (whose mom-in-law is one of the Chronics).

Of course, Bill had to point out that one of Laura’s photos features three peaks in the Selkirks, each with a geocache on top.  Laura and her hubby are geocaching addicts, just like Bill, so she received an A+ for her contribution.

The online Cedar Post includes a full-page feature about the effort to have Sandpoint native and Green Bay Packer great Jerry Kramer inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Fans of Jerry Kramer have until January to voice their support and tell their stories about the great Green Bay Packer guard at  http://www.krem.com/sports/kramer-in-the-hall or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jerry-Kramer-in-the-NFL-Hall-of-Fame/135799389801346.

The Cedar Post also includes a very poignant tribute to popular SHS sports fan David Jenkins and substitute teacher who died recently.  Some of the interview in the story took place the day before Mr. Jenkins died.

You can access the online edition of this student-produced paper by visiting http://issuu.com/cedarpost/docs/super_page  A little experimentation will lead you to some a reader-friendly format.  Just look for the labels.

Well, the sun is shining brightly, so I’m out of here and ready to take on this beautiful Saturday.  Have a great day wherever you are. 

Getting there . . . .sorta

It was scurry-up Thursday at the Lovestead yesterday.  Seemed like I was on the go nonstop throughout the day. 

At the end of the day (I hate that cliche), but in this case, it's literal.  The end of the day of running to and fro came around 8 p.m. just as the San Francisco Giants were cleaning up on the Texas Rangers.

I know my sister-in-law Margaret is happy about that, but I'm not so sure about her twin brother Bill.  When the Rangers got in to the World Series, which was before the Giants, Bill commented that he could now brag about watching the Rangers in Seattle earlier this year. 

At that time, I told him I was pulling for the Giants cuz I wanted a West Coast team to win the Series.

Well, we're two games in, and Bill hasn't had a lot to say about the results.  This is not a fierce competition, by the way.  We just picked two different teams, for a change. 

That way one of us will be happy with the outcome and, whatever the outcome, the other will probably move on with life without too many regrets.

But it would be nice for Margaret, who lived in San Francisco for some time to see her Giants win it all.

Anyway, back to the scurrying.  Mother's car needed to go for a check-up.  So, Debbie took me over to pick it up and take it to Rokstad's.  She brought me home and headed off to Spokane to work for the day.


~~~~

Well, I tried to publish a completed blog, but the blogger gods decided not to publish it because of "conflicting edits."  

That's a head scratcher, for sure. 

It seems that yesterday's long list of accomplishments is being offset by just the opposite today.  Forty-five minutes of writing went somewhere besides my blog.   

So, I'm not going to fight it.  Will just summarize.

Barns cleaned, hay put out, lawn and a whole bunch of leaves mowed, half a flower bed cleaned out in spite of nasty, attacking stickers from long rose stems, final stall mat put down in Lily's stall, 16 bags of shavings purchased and unloaded in the barn, beef cuts ordered on the beef half at Wood's, Mother's car returned home with the expectation of an $1,100 repair bill in the spring for the leaky air conditioning line.  

We three siblings who drove the car this summer and wondered if the vehicle with all its bells and whistles had the edge on us were not so dumb after all.  The air conditioning did not work, for a reason.  That was nice to learn but not the news about the repair cost.  

Anyway, yesterday was a good day for getting things done, and apparently today is gonna test me again if my blog posting success is any indicator.  

I'll just quit here and wish you all a good Friday. 

Transition Time

It's a rare year when the lawn is so green when leaves turn and snow falls on the mountains.

This year is one of them.

This combination would be a perfect winter in my mind. 

Kea would probably agree.  

Yesterday I finished the carrot harvest (thanks, Judy, for the recipe tips) and started in on the flower beds.  

Lots of grass and dead growth got hauled off to the woods.


We may even have enough dry time today for me to get most of the flower beds ready for bed.

I also took out some time to snap a few photos of the horses in their pasture.

And, speaking of photos, my sisters went for several trail rides this fall in the Pack River area.  They've kinda kept this under their hat until Barbara took her camera along for proof of a rather unusual sighting.


You can see the evidence and other samples of her wonderful photography at Barbara's Flickr account:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/misstshs/


Scroll down to the second photo on the left. 


Enjoy. 

When you've got long legs, you've got to do something to reach that grass.

Heather has figured out some interesting stances while grazing on the fall pasture.

Pumpkin Desserts . . . yum, yum

This is the heavy time of the year for "Slight Detour" blog traffic.  When I check my sitemeter these days  for traffic on the slight detour and to see who my anonymous friends happen to be, I observe that folks from all over the world are paying a visit.  

They're after that pumpkin dessert recipe which Sue Brooks sent me and I dubbed as "Best Damn Pumpkin Dessert, Period."  The traffic will continue at a heavy pace through this weekend and then pick up again as we move toward Thanksgiving.  It might even maintain through Christmas too, cuz a lot of people like their pumpkin goodies. 

This morning someone checked in from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Yesterday, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Winnipeg readers, among others, came for a visit to check out the recipe.  

I haven't made that dessert myself since that year Sue sent it around to her friends.  That was the same year we moved to the Lovestead and hosted a neighborhood Halloween party.  I made more than enough, and we enjoyed the dessert for weeks.  Yes, it freezes and still tastes good.

After all the interest in that recipe this year, I think I'm going to have to go to town and get me some yellow cake mixes, which are a main ingredient besides the pumpkin sauce and, of course, the whipped topping.  

It is a phenomenal recipe, and I'll just say to any interested readers to Google it, rather than my posting it again.  

Pumpkins are on my mind this year because I have 13 of them out there in the yard, all from one plant.  I have plans for at least some of those pumpkins after Halloween, and yesterday received some advice from Nan who runs the wonderful new deli and bakery on Division and Baldy Road.

She told me to cut them in half, put them in a baking dish with water, bake to a desired softness, scoop out and either can or freeze.  She prefers freezing.  

Nan lives in our neighborhood, so we've struck up a friendship during my first two visits to her store.  The first time I bought a loaf of her fresh sourdough bread.  Yesterday I was after more sourdough when she told me about the small loaf of sourdough/rye that had just come out of the oven in the back.  

Of course, I wanted to sample that cuz I love rye and sourdough.  While she went to retrieve it, I discovered the jars of pumpkin butter on her shelves filled with preserves.  I could just imagine that pumpkin butter along with some melted margarine on a slice of warm rye sourdough bread.  

And, my imagining turned into reality during the dessert phase of Bill and my in-home Boise State-Louisiana Tech party last night.  While he enjoyed a Schwan's ice cream bar, I sliced off some bread and smothered it with margarine, stuck it in the microwave and then loaded on some pumpkin butter.

A wonderful combination, for sure, and just as good as ice cream.

My other pumpkin fixation comes from the Mennonite Bakery north of Bonners Ferry.  Their pumpkin bread could be marketed just like those Lays potato chips of yesteryear. 

"Betcha can't eat just one."  And, in some cases that might mean "loaf" rather than "slice."

It's very diffiicult to limit the intake to just one slice of that moist and tasty bread; in fact, I had one visitor a while back who sliced off and consumed five pieces within minutes.  She just couldn't stop, just like I couldn't the day I ate those 13 fresh-baked orange cinnamon rolls of Eleanor Delamarter's.  

Anyone who ever delighted in Eleanor's touch in the kitchen can identify with my assessment of all of the aforementioned pumpkin delights. 

Yesterday, Mother Nature gave us a break from the rain, which allowed me to harvest half my carrot patch.  That half filled a complete standard-sized garbage can.  I haven't decided yet whether to leave the rest in the ground over the winter or to cut up some and load them in buckets for horse treats.

One thing's for sure, I'll be looking for carrot recipes.  So, maybe I'd better Google and see if someone's posted one for the "Best Damn Carrot Cake, Period."

A postscript:  A sentence from my Pocket Girdles book "About the Author" reads, "If Marianne Love didn't have a sense of humor, she wouldn't have lasted so long in North Idaho."  

For all who think I need therapy when I gripe and grumble about the weather, please know that there's a whole lot of chuckling and maybe even a little hyperbole going on while I'm writing my posts each morning.

Those of us "natives" who have a sense of humor usually derive it from all the misery we suffer.

Tuesday Drippedydoodamnrainihateu

It's like I had to validate myself.  On Oct. 25, at least a week prior to the official "I Hate Winter" season, I announced to Bill last night that I was stir crazy.  I also told him that some people are perfectly content to spend time inside their houses working on projects----but not me!

Then, he said something to the effect of, "And, this is only the second day of how many more months?"

I told him I had kept pretty busy throughout the day, doing housework, going to town, visiting the library, talking on the telephone to friends---and I still almost went nuts yesterday.  And, yes, this was only the second day of approximately 200 such ugly, gray and gloomy days ahead.

To make it worse, Annie posted more than 100 photos on Facebook of her vacation time in sunny Maui---the Luau, the beaches, the mai thai's, the bamboo forest, the nudist beach with the drummers and, yes, the SUN.  A great big one too.

Did you know that the sunsets in Maui are magnificent?

Well, Annie's photos reminded me of that.  I wonder how long it will be before we see another sunset over Schweitzer.

This morning I felt so sorry for the horses that I fed them in their stalls.  Poor Lefty.  He comes back from a box stall and blanket in Spokane to cold, wet, drizzle and muck. 

At least, the horses can get out of the rain with the open sheds in the pastures.  I did not put a blanket on him because what good's it gonna do when it's soaking wet.

The horses were appreciative this morning.  I'm betting they hate this stuff even more than I do.

Every year I try desperately to figure a way to overcome my moods during this time of year when the doom and gloom starts and we live in dread of the long gray months ahead. 

I learned one option from a lady at Co-Op yesterday (there were LOTS of people at Co-Op and even more at the library, more than likely doing something to get out of the house).

"Get rid of your animals," she said, "and go somewhere." 

"But I love my animals," I said.  Good suggestion but not in the cards for me.

Besides, it's not the animals' fault that Mother Nature treats us so badly.  I do think they deserve better, but SHE apparently doesn't. 

The horses' barnyard is slowly turning into a lake,  and the area where they go into the barn will soon turn into a churning mass of mud.  I know that because I looked at the weather forecast on Yahoo. 

All those drippy icons indicated that we would have this stuff every single day until at least next Wednesday, precisely the same amount of time we have to be deluged with those Patty Murray-Dino Rossi, Baumgartner-Marr, Labrador-Minnick ads.  I don't know which is worse---the ads or the weather.

Tom Sherry, who has to face us every night on KREM-2 tries to paint a more positive picture.  He said the rain would last through 11 p.m. last night.  Well, Tom, it was still pelting away this morning. He also promises us one nice day in between all the storms.

I noticed last night that he and the other KREM news announcers tried another ploy.  They knew that at least a portion of their audience would be happy if they peppered the news broadcast with stories of snow around the region.  They were careful to subtlely slip in that the snow would be at areas above 4,000 feet.

But they knew there were skiers and boarders out there who would consider their rationalized view of the ugly weather as "music to their ears." 

One story even told of how the folks at Lookout Pass are "ready."  They had their job fair last week, so if that snow keeps coming to the mountains while it rains like Hell down below, they're ready to kick into gear for the skiers.

Well, after all the horse injuries and the money spent having horses trained that I cannot ride because of the rotten weather, I'm NOT gonna take up skiing or boarding very soon. 

So, that brings me right back to where I started.  Gotta find some ways to get through this.  I have found that if I seed my morning comment on Facebook  with something particularly nasty about the rotten weather, I'm sure to hear from other gloom-and-doom faithfuls. 

The snow lovers usually start their own string of "Hallelujah's," lest they get chewed out by us gloomers and doomers (GADs).

Sure enough, this morning the GADs had plenty to say, and it wasn't nice.   After reading one comment, I decided that we need to start an "Ain't It Awful" coffee klatch.  For us horse women who are mad cuz we can't ride our horses for the next 6-8 months, we need to get together at each other's homes with the coffee perking, of course.

On each visit, we can go outside, slog through the mud and look at each other's horses, swap a few stories and then sit inside with our coffee, watching it rain and dreaming of a day far off when the sun will shine again, the flowers will bloom, and the trails will be waiting for us to plod on down them.

In the meantime, drip, drip, drip . . . .out, out damned drops!

Snow lie---on de Mountain

There was a break in the clouds yesterday, all too brief, but long enough to see that Schweitzer has a white blanket.  Apparently that upper air is cold enough to make snow crystals.  

Actually, the brief views beyond our yard and pastures during the afternoon were pretty.  Thoroughly washed leaves and needles stood out against their dark backgrounds.  Deep blues, greens and golds---no in betweens.

The larch is at its height right now,  so the mountain views below Schweitzer are about as beautiful as I've seen this year. 

Still, it looks like more rain.  I'll take the Spokesman weather forecast, though.  It says a little today and then fairly dry the rest of the week.  

That means enough time to put pine needles around the base of my blueberries and to pull grass and weeds from my flower beds.  The rain is good for the latter cuz it loosens up the roots.   My biggest concern right now is whether or not the leaves fall from the trees before the snow comes. 

In the meantime, I'm facing a fairly open week, which is a rarity.  Heck, I'm even doing some housework.  Sheets being washed, bath tub scrubbed, junk relocated to hidden junk locations.  

There's a stack of Spokesmans and Daily Bees about to topple over in the corner near the dining room table, so I'll probably haul that off to the landfill today.

Earlier this morning, I taped up the ZAGS men's schedule on the back door.  It won't be long before we launch the season at Barbara and Laurie's house with pizza and lots of expectation of what the ZAGs have in store for us this year. 

Mother has her ZAGS poster and has been studying it closely, in readiment for her winter therapy.  And, yes, Cis, I'll be bringing one by your house soon for your daughter.

I just finished my column for November about being a Sounder 'til I die.  It turned out to be a fun writing experience, just like the experience itself.  

That's what I love about being a writer anymore.  Each chunk of life during each day is usually rich with material, sometimes even the nothingness of it all.  

For example, there's that apple fritter from Chaps.

I bought two the other day.  Bill ate one while I was outside.  

"Those fritters are good," he said.

"Did you eat both of them?" I asked.  

"No, I left one for you."

So, yesterday morning I started frittering away at my fritter.  First one little bite, which substituted for my morning glob of peanut butter.  

Later, I cut off another strip and loaded it with butter.  In the evening, I evened out the border so that it looked almost like a smaller,  untouched fritter.

Bill, who hates it when someone takes a bite out of anything, leaving the rest, broke his Cardinal rule this morning.  He pulled off another section of that ever-diminishing fritter to go with his "Depression potatoes," omelet and sausage.

So, now there's just a little section of fritter left in that fancy box.  I think I'll be nice when Debbie comes with the dogs this morning.  She can have a taste of Chaps, and then this rather efficient fritter will be history.  We've gotten a lot of mileage and good flavor out of it, to say the least.

And, therein,  from slicing off pieces of that fritter,  lies a nice little slice-of-life story. 

Speaking of slices of life, the "Secret Sound" for Day No. 55 is coming up soon on the Breakfast Boys radio show, so I'd better get out to the barn to do my chores and see if someone wins.  

Maybe they'll get an apple fritter from Chaps as one of their prizes.

Happy Monday. 

A day no drips would stop dropping

I had fun with my title this morning, and, unlike what I've just learned about Jane Austen, I had no editor to help me.  I wonder how many followers of Jane Austen will feel differently, now,  learning that the poor lady couldn't spell and didn't know no grammar.  

Well, maybe that's stretching it a bit, but the historians are now telling us she had help and that she really needed help with her writing because of her dismal mechanics. 

Guess what!  A lot of successful writers can't spell.  They also often need help with grammar. I can tell you from personal experience that good editors make good writers.  Most writers would not learn if they went through life without an editor.  

With publications like books, magazine articles, academic theses, newspaper articles, etc., readers seldom see the raw product.  Unlike daily morning blog postings, usually enough time exists with these publications for other eyes to catch the glitches and make the writer look good.  

The same can be said about all the wonderful photography which awes the heck out of us.  For every phenomenal photo, several losers have either been deleted or thrown away. 

So, if Jane Austen couldn't spell and suffered from grammar impairment, I don't care.  Her books will still sell and wow readers for generations to come.  Ideas often trump good grammar and spelling. Plus, Jane didn't have a computer to make life easy when she wrote, so we need to give her a break. 

Okay, enough of that.  I still like "a day no drips would stop dropping."  That doesn't mean I like all the dropping or the drips on this day, but I'll have to deal with it.  

I understand, from my Facebook sources who've already checked in from two areas in Oregon, from Salt Lake City and from Boise that this entire region and beyond is wet today.

I'm waiting until later to take my horses to pasture.  They're occupying box stalls in the barn and nibbling on hay.  Seemed like the least I could do, especially for Mr. Lefty who's been in a box stall and blanketed for the past month.  

He's slick and shiny, compared to Lily and Heather.  He's also fat but fit.  Lefty's an easy keeper, and the past month of training has toned up his fat, so he looks pretty good.  

I rode him yesterday in the round pen at the equestrian center.  That was after Monty lunged him and rode him, telling me all the directions for getting Lefty into gear.  

One thing Monty stressed is that Lefty likes the "W" word.  I told Monty that was good for an old lady like me cuz I like a horse to put the brakes on with ease when I've had enough jogging and loping.  

Lefty kinda overdoes it on the "W" word, though.  He anticipates that the rider or handler is surely going to say the word, so he's remains on a sort of equine cruise control for the whoa gear.  That would be about every ten feet, so we've got to convince him that whoa doesn't come quite as often as he'd like. 

Other than that, he's doing just fine at his gaits and turns and willingness to please.  

Bill and I had a good time at Chaps yesterday.  We brought home some apple fritters, which not only taste delightful, but they're a work of art.  While waiting in line to order, we enjoyed watching the lady work her magic in the bakery, which is in full view of the tables. 

The way it works is that you get in line with your menu, drink your cup of coffee, tell the hostess how many are in your party and then order.  By that time, she has found you a place to sit, and shortly thereafter (even on a busy day like yesterday), your food comes.  

Bill had the meat-lovers' skillet yesterday, while I enjoyed another of those wonderful BLT's.  Bill was impressed with the place.  Of course, it helps when baked goods with heavenly aromas come fresh out of the oven. 

Can ya tell I like Chaps?

~~~~

Speaking of food, this looks like a "Sunday dinner of meat and potatoes kind of day," so I think I'll do some planning and some general housework today.  Plus, I've got a column to finish so that my editor can look it over and save me from any embarrassment for next month's River Journal.

Happy Sunday to all.  Stay dry.

Saturday Slight

No rain yet.  I'm surprised.  Usually when rain is predicted, rain comes ahead of schedule.  So, I'll take this anomaly in surefire bad weather forecasts.  I don't know how long we'll luck out with no rain, but I'm ready for it.

There's a ton-plus of "dessert" hay stacked in the barn.  I hauled the hay from Paradise Valley yesterday.  Jim packed the pickup with 30 bales.  I was expecting to maybe get 20.  A professional hay man knows how to do things efficiently, though.

He wouldn't let me lift a finger, saying this is some exercise he enjoys.  He says sitting in the tractor putting up all those tons of premium hay doesn't give him much physical work, so he likes loading up for his customers.  

After a nice visit with Jim and Deb, the dogs and I headed out.  I noticed right away that the bales stuck out enough that I had no visibility for what was behind me, so the drive down the highway was a bit nerve-wracking.  

Once I lost a bale off a load.  Thankfully it fell off and rolled off the highway.  So, extreme caution ruled my trip home and some prayer.  I was praying that no bales would fall off and that I would not have to make any sudden moves.  

I was also praying that the drivers who had to stick behind me weren't hating me too badly.  When I turned off HWY 95 to Center Valley Road, I knew there might have been some complaining.  No fewer than ten rigs sped up and took the fast lane down the highway.  

I didn't see any middle fingers or hear any honks so they went easy on me.

The bales are now stacked in the barn for winter feeding.  Each horse will get one flake per feeding along with the regular hay.  And, that should be more than enough cuz this is rich, beautiful hay.  I have my friend Howard to thank for putting me on to Jim and Debbie.  

Howard's been buying hay from them for the past few years and always buying at least an extra ton to sell to me.  He decided this year to eliminate the middle man and let me go direct.  I appreciate Howard and Jim and Debbie.  All good people who know good hay.

~~~~

A couple of flakes of that hay are hanging in a bag inside the horse trailer.  They should keep Lefty occupied on his trip home from Spokane today.  He's completed his month's worth of "middle school," and he's ready for me to ride now.  

I'm hoping for no more free rides on the saddle horn.  Today Monty will put me through a lesson so I know all the cues to get Lefty into gear.  Monty says he's done very well and has shown no problems.  

That convinces me even more that the saddle-horn ride was inspired by the oncoming lightning and thunderstorm that rolled over the mountain shortly after Lefty and I experienced our bad session in the round pen.

Whatever the case, I've been enjoying my share of sore spots, thanks to horses.  You'd think I'd learn to find another safer hobby, but Brooks and Dunn have it right when they sing "Cowgirls don't cry."  They just hurt a lot and get back on for more. 

~~~~

Lefty will have his culinary delight once we load him up, but before we pick up Lefty, we're stopping at Chaps, the restaurant near the equestrian center turn-off.  My friend Helen sent word that Chaps has been visited recently by Guy Fieri, the host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."  

His visit to Chaps will be aired on the Food Network, Monday, Nov. 1.  "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" is one of Bill's favorite programs cuz Bill likes food.

As a reward for driving in to pick up Lefty, I promised Bill a treat at Chaps.  And, after I mentioned this stop to Monty, he picked up a couple of menus yesterday and sent me some suggestions.  

On Saturdays, diners at Chaps can enjoy both breakfast and lunch.  Monty highly recommends the meat lovers scramble with half order of biscuits (to die for, he says) and grilled potatoes.   He also says the Chaps sirloin burger with bleu cheese butter is spectacular.  

"The burger is seasoned especially well and comes with avocado, onion, tomato and lettuce," he wrote. "Have potatoes with it!"   Monty also recommends the Southwest chicken and the chicken quesadilla (with everything).  He says he doesn't normally like the "Monte" Cristo sandwich (why not, Monty?), but theirs looks spectacular.

I'm getting hungry just typing all this stuff.  It will be a tough decision once we arrive there, but I'm sure whatever we have will be a diner's delight. 

Gotta shut up and get ready to get on the road to pick up our Lefty. 

Happy Saturday.

Last Friday

Just so many minutes remain.  What to do to make sure this last Friday of "golden beauty before the gray" is not wasted!

Rain is forecast by tonight, and rain is forecast for the next four days.  Then two days without rain and then more rain.  

So, I'm guessing we've seen the best of the good times, and we'll soon be entering the cavern of the blahs.  Yeah, we'll be busy for the next several weeks, but it will be still be gray and it will be colorless, unless it snows.

Folks keep saying that this winter is predicted to be one of the worst in decades.  If that be the case, Mother Nature has a ways to go to outdo the long, hard winters she dished out to us two and three years ago.  

I have not yet figured out the secret to elevating my mood during the winter months.  Suntanning helps.  And, the promise of a trip somewhere in the sun usually gives me a reason to get excited.  Both take money, though, and mine's pretty limited this year.

New daily farm routines will begin in the next several days.  My horses will be staying inside at night, so the morning mucking begins anew, and there will be a return to the Breakfast Boys and the "Secret Sound," which I haven't heard for months. 

I did hear the other day that the latest Secret Sound had set a record of 54 days without anyone guessing.

Don't know if it's still setting new records today, but guessing what the sound might be over the winter months keeps me going while I clean stalls and put out bedding and food for the horses' nightly meal.  

Maybe this year I need to take my cell phone to the barn and actually participate in the Breakfast Boys radio contests.  They do give some nice prizes for the Secret Sound winners.  That might add some excitement to winter.

As I look at the calendar, I see we have only 61 more days of gradually decreasing daylight.  Only 61?  Hmmm. That's uplifting.   

Considering that factoid, I'd better work on some thoughts about better times and better things.  Oh yes, I do have to hurry this morning because Rowdy needs a new bag of kitty litter.  I was told by the gal who changes his box that Tidy Cat would do just fine.

So, this day of limited sunshine minutes (did I mention that we're socked in with dense fog this morning?) will begin with a quick trip to Yoke's and then on to Mother's to fulfill the housekeeper's request.  

After that, I'm hoping to hear from Deb who has the two tons of premium hay I'm buying for the horses.  First cutting grass and alfalfa.

That will be the horses' "grain" this winter.  They're all fat, so I don't think I need to purchase $60-plus worth of All Breeds pellets each month.  

If Deb says yes, then I'll use part of this last Friday to drive to her beautiful farm at the base of Bonners Ferry's Black Mountain to pick up a load of those lovely bales.  I want to haul a load to my barn before the rain starts.

Maybe I'll get home from hay hauling in time to saddle up one of the horses for a quick ride.  My bruises from the last ride have gotten to the truly colorful stage, so maybe it's time to acquire some more in my quest to become the calico woman!

Actually, I'm not really in as bad a mood as it may sound.  I'm sure the true crankiness will come with winter.  My opinions on winter are well documented.

I know it has to come every year, and I know it's part of the glory of four seasons, but at this point in my life, one week of winter would be more than enough to satisfy me. 

Since that ain't gonna happen, I'd better quit tapping away here and go get that kitty litter.  

Have a nice Last Friday.  By the way, my daughter has already checked in after arriving in Maui last night.   At least, she'll enjoy a few days of sunshine and bliss before her Last Friday comes in Seattle. 

A-Bridged

~~~A bug-splattered view of the Byway~~~

After smooth sailing for 6 hours and 45 minutes from Seattle yesterday and figuring I was gonna pull into our driveway by 3 p.m., I met a roadblock. 

Instead of 3 p.m., my arrival to the Lovestead got bumped back by nearly half an hour.  Let's see:  what percentage of a 350-plus mile trip did I spend sitting and driving the last ten miles?  That would be a good math problem.

Yesterday's abrupt halt to my "getting-home" progress reminds me of the old days when the kids were attending Boise State University and I would make the 450-mile trip two or three times each year to visit them.

Invariably, the 8-9 hour drive home would come to a screeching halt  and a lot of cussing when I'd pull on to Great Northern Road and see those telltale blinking lights.  

A train had pulled up and parked at the crossing.  It could sit there for the next half hour to 45 minutes. Our house was a quarter mile away on the other side of the tracks.  If I decided not to wait, I could drive another 4 miles to get home.

Yesterday's glitch in my desire to get home by mid-afternoon turned out a little more pleasant than those hours spent at the train crossing.  

The scene, even with all the construction materials, was glorious.  People were walking their dogs and biking along the new path to the right with a backdrop of golden trees. 

I opened my window, and a pleasant October sun immediately warmed my arm.  After about five minutes, I decided to make good use of my idle time behind the wheel.  

I called my mother and enjoyed a nice visit.  She was happy to hear that the trip over to celebrate Annie's birthday had gone so well.  She had just enjoyed a nice visit with someone from St. Joseph's who brought her Communion. 

We talked about today when Mike and Mary would come and when I'd pick her up for her monthly doctor's appointment.  And, we talked about Annie and her upcoming trip to Maui.  She takes off at 9 a.m.  Not a bad birthday week for that young lady!

Anyway, finally,  the cars ahead of me started moving, so I said good bye to Mother.  I think one of those humongous iron girders was being moved into position for the Byway.  

I didn't mind the break from driving one bit---because of the weather and because those delays are signaling  a day when the trip home from long trips to wherever will have probably no obstacles.  

And, that will be a good day.  Go Byway!  Keep those girders coming!

Great Day in Seattle Area

When Annie and I moved from the raucous, diehard fan section to a calmer setting to watch the Sounders, her boss snapped our picture.

It was a wonderful day hanging out with my daughter on her 32nd birthday.

Before Annie and I got together, my former student and "principal" investigator at the Stoddard Lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center took me on a tour of the Hutch.  Thank you so much, Dr. Barry Stoddard, SHS Class of 1981.


Later, Annie and I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island.  She, of course, found a geocache on her birthday.  We enjoyed lunch there and the trip back to Seattle.


I also enjoyed a walk through a new park along Lake Union.


And, what can I say about my first experience at taking in all aspects of a Sounders Match.


I guess I'll say that in my column, yet to be written.


It was fun even if the Sounders did lose to the Costa Rican team 2-1.


More will come on that.  For now, enjoy the photos.

Annie and her boss Brian, both Sounders diehards

Having fun in the "march to the match."

Seattle Sounders marching band, Sound Wave, leads fans to the match.

Miss Birthday Girl waiting for the ferry to Bainbridge Island

Always finding geocaches

Dr. Barry Stoddard on our tour of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where Barry heads up a research lab.

Sleeping and Celebrating in Seattle

I'm hoping Annie is not sleepless this morning and that she's snoozing away.   She wanted to sleep in on her birthday. 

She's 32 today, and we began the celebration last night with dinner at Jak's in West Seattle.  Annie wanted steak, so we went there and bypassed the steaks for tender, mouth-watering prime rib and the accessories.

We topped it off with a fresh-out-of-the-oven giant chocolate chip cookie, baked in a mini-cast-iron frying pan.  The glob of vanilla ice cream, melting over the top and additional chocolate syrup made for a disgusting but delectable dessert.

I'm now drinking my latte, made from French roast coffee, purchased from Irwin's Neighborhood Bakery and Cafe.  The Nestles with marshmallows and the mocha cappuccino came from Yoke's and Wal-Mart.  Have to combine the sophisticated with hometown.

Besides their pleasant manager, Irwin's at Hydro House features all kinds of breakfast baked goods, sandwiches, chicken pot pie, quiche and their specialty marionberry pie "with luscious butter crust, a Seattle legend."  You can get a piece of pie for $4 and add a dollar for the a la mode.

I discovered Irwin's on my morning walk.  I also discovered, unlike on my past visits to Seattle, how much later the day breaks here.  Guess those 350 miles make a difference in the time zone.

Annie's birthday will be spent at Bainbridge Island and Quest Field.

We're taking the car on the ferry over to the island later this morning.  I've never been to Bainbridge, so this will be a treat.  We'll probably explore and have lunch there before coming back to get revved up for the Sounders Match tonight.  

A Sounders Match is a happening, I'm told, and I'm here to take it all in.  The happenings should make a fun column for The River Journal.  Annie's disappointed that this match is not one of the major contests so the stands probably won't be full, except for the diehards, of which she is one.

I loved the drive over here yesterday and look forward to taking my time on the drive back tomorrow.  Having never driven to Seattle in the fall, I was blown away with the stunning scenes from Ellensberg to the city.  Autumn leaves set amidst greenish blue evergreens and jagged peaks make for breath-taking beauty.

And the gold along the rivers ain't bad either.

Just saw some crew paddlers heading across the calm waters of Lake Union.  Must be the morning practice for U-Dub.  I also walked past lots of lit-up lab windows at the Fred Hutchinson complex here near the lake.

I wondered if I'd be so lucky to bump into one of my former students Dr. Barry Stoddard who has his own lab within the complex.  We connected a few years ago via cyberspace, but it would be nice to see him in person.  Barry lived down in Vedelwood while he attended Sandpoint High School as a stand-out student.

His road has taken him to some wonderful success since that time in the 1980s.

Well, I guess that's enough blabber on this special birthday morning for Annie.  Every Oct. 19, I love to reflect on the morning when I told Bill we'd better take Willie and the crib out to Marilyn Chambers cuz I thought it was "almost time."  

So, we did.  Then, we calmly drove to the hospital.  When I was sitting in the waiting room, a nurse from OB came down to get me.  She looked all around and then asked in disbelief, "Are you the one?"

"Yes," I said.  Then we went to a room where they checked my progress and said to stick around town.  

So, we went to Connie's where Bill enjoyed breakfast as I dealt with more frequent labor pains.  As we walked out, we saw Betsy and Dick Foster.

"Have you had the baby?" Betsy asked.

"No, but I'm headed over to the hospital right now," I answered.

Betsy's jaw dropped in disbelief.

About two hours later, our "Precious" was born.  And a day or so later, we drove her home while John Denver sang, "Sunshine" on KSPT-Radio 1400.   From that point on, I called that "Annie's Song."

And, today,  32 years later, it looks like our Precious, Miss Annie Love of Sandpoint, Idaho, now Seattle, is gonna have some "sunshine on her shoulders."  

And, her proud mom is planning to enjoy every minute of  her special day. 

Black and Blue, but It Was Beautiful

It was sensory overload yesterday when we joined Bonner County 4-H coordinator Nancy Wright and her daughter Ruby for a ride along Upper Pack River.

There's no way that words or even photos, for that matter, could capture all the gorgeous scenes we encountered during our 2-hour ride.

A huge thank you to Nancy and Ruby for inviting us to join you on this drop-dead gorgeous afternoon, riding through the ultimate in beauty.

There was a glitch or two along the trail.

I have a horse that does not like going down hills. Fear takes over on inclines----might be she gets that from her owner who stays away from heights.

Lily just kept getting mixed up on what gear to use to get down that long downward stretch.

In one case, she tried reverse---doing a 360 in the middle of the hill. Not wise.

Further down, she got mixed up again and more scared.

That's when I went off and landed on a stump.

She may not like going down hills, but she was a good girl as I lay there next to her front hooves, assessing whether I was alive or if they needed to brink in a medi-vac.

Lily did not move a muscle.

I didn't move any muscles for a minute or two, but after moving my right arm around (it hit the stump) and seeing that it still functioned, I slowly got up.

By that time, Nancy had led Lily away from the scene.

Later, I led her the rest of the way down the hill and climbed back on.

My right side (ankle and upper arm) have more color than the rest of my body. Oh yeah, my thighs have some new decorations where I came off the saddle.

In spite of the momentary calamity, the rest of the ride was enjoyable.

In the back woods of Pack River we came upon a setting where I commented on the beautiful house, only to be told it was a barn.

I'd take a barn like that any day.

The outing was nearly perfect for a nearly perfect autumn afternoon.

Thanks again, Nancy.

Dusty's first river crossing.

Laurie and Rusty and the Selkirks in the background.

Barbara and Dusty

Ruby, Nancy, Laurie and Barbara

Yesterday was a day for memorable horse stories along beautiful Upper Pack River.

With the evening, however, came the last chapter for our beloved Licker.

This is how I'll remember the kitty cat who loved to get a free ride while her human friends were cross country skiing.

She was a lovely cat, and we'll miss her.

Special thanks to the staff at Fry Creek Animal Hospital who helped us during our time of need.

Freeze Frames

 

We had a visitor last night.  The thick frost from a cold, cold night told me so. 

While walking to the barn this morning in semi darkness, I could make out fresh horse tracks headed that way.  None of our horses have been on that pathway for several days.

I didn't think too much of the tracks at first,  except that if those were Lily's from the other day, she sure did leave an impression. 

Later, while walking out to get the paper, I could see more tracks, both going and coming.  Some led me toward the north lawn.  There in the frosty grass they showed up all over the place.  Good thing the electric fence around the barnyard was working during the night or we may have had some squabbling.

I followed the tracks and found some also leading to the lawn on the other side of the driveway.  Mystery horse must have had enough of Lily and Heather because there was no sign of any extras around the place when I did the morning chores.

It will be interesting to see if we ever learn where the visitor lives and if it made its way home okay.  Maybe the visitor was the headless horseman, seeing all those pumpkins in the yard and doing a dry run before Halloween.

We also have a mystery and the possibility of some visitor in the cats' residence----the shop off the north side of the house.  Yesterday I discovered a several little pools of blood on the cement floor and blood spattered all over a pillow where the cats often sleep. 

I did a body check of all four felines and found nothing.  My only thought is that a bird or mouse particularly endowed with a good supply of hemoglobin met its end after being twirled around a time or two by its executioner.  Don't know if we'll ever figure that mystery out either.

Anyway, it's cold here this morning, but slowly preparations for more frigid weather are getting completed.  Yesterday's project involved nailing up a tarp on the inside of the barn over a never-used barn door.  I've discovered through our ample oppotunities for observation that when it rains, waterfalls come cascading through the roller mechanism where the door opens and shuts.

Enough wet bales of hay (already covered by tarps inside my barn), I decided. I'm hoping this solution will take care of the problem and even keep the barn a little warmer.  I also bought pallets yesterday for stacking the prime hay purchased from a Bonners Ferry producer. 

Still lots to do to get ready for the long winter months ahead, but progress is occurring.

Another gorgeous day lies ahead, and it's possible that we might go on a trail ride this afternoon.  Of course, I'll have to pop a couple of Advil and pray that I can get my Western boots on.

Yesterday morning Lily did a number on my ankle.  Something along the lane caused her to spook---sideways.  Her front hoof and shoe hit the point of my right ankle head-on.  The only comparison I can make to convey the excruciating pain is to imagine having your crazy bone hit by a ballpeen hammer.

I don't think anything's broken but there's more than enough soreness and some swelling.  The good news is that my limp from yesterday is almost gone. 

This will not stop me from enjoying another ride through the countryside to take in the fall colors and to enjoy what I love doing more than anything. 

Happy Sunday.

Saturday Slight from Selle Valley

Hard to beat a scene like this.

This shot taken yesterday afternoon at the curve on Selle Road had to go on the blog today for my friend Janet who lives on the west side of the mountains----she and Squat Bod, that is!

She comes to visit this place quite often.  

The farm has sold this past year, and a family who loves Clydesdales has purchased the spread.  They also know how to build a nice fence. 

Anyway, the car came to a quick stop when I saw this scene on Hickey Road, and four doggies inside were told to stay as I climbed out with my camera.  

I took several shots while marveling at the beautiful horses and that impressive fence.  

The horses became a bit curious and came my way but not close enough for a few nose pets.

Had that happened, I may have been standing there all afternoon.

My original intent was to take the dogs to a spot at the end of Rapid Lightning Creek Road to snap shots of the colors in a huge aspen grove we had seen a month ago when Debbie and I drove up there.

While waiting for coffee to brew at the Pack River General Store, I learned that the area where I planned to go was filled with hunters, so I decided to limit my picture taking to the Selle Valley.

With a good camera and a lot of time, one could produce a fine coffee-table book of the Selle area alone.  So many esthetic, wonderful scenes all throughout the year.

Anyway, I must have stopped the car almost ten times to get out and shoot scenery and not wildlife. 

October 15 seems to be the height of fall around here.  I still don't think we're experiencing the spectacular colors we've seen some years, but after last year's drought of color, the 2010 show is good enough.

If blogger's good to me this morning, I'll put up a few of my photos.  I still want to make it up to that aspen grove, but I'll do it dressed in solid orange. 

Happy Saturday.