Saturday Slide

It was the wettest of days.  It was the most slippery of days. 

It was a day filled with tales. 

Tales told in more than two cities around this region, I'm sure.

I heard about Trish's kitty cat sliding.  I heard of  a neighbor's horse falling down and two people with a sack of salt needed to get the poor critter standing again.  

I heard of a man landing on his behinder while going to get the paper that was not there. 

My sisters told of their decision to drive the 4-wheeler to the barn rather than walking.  They did not have Yak tracks, but certainly 4-wheel drive would get them from the house to the barn.  

No deal.  

They started down the driveway toward the barn.  The UTV took off a different direction, turned sideways and headed for a tree.  I think one sister did some crawling to get to the barn.  

It was the worst of days within the past few bad days but the best of days to call off another day of school.

I must say that Yak tracks do the trick on days like yesterday.

I even performed a spontaneous Yak Track dance out in the middle of the ice puddle road for the mail carrier.

Throughout the day, I walked anywhere I wanted, as long as I had my Yak tracks.

Still, last night when Willie and Debbie were leaving, we enjoyed doing a few Michael Jackson slip slide moves on the ice outside the house.  We all managed to stay upright.

We may not like the weather around here, but days like yesterday certainly provide ample material for conversation starters.

This morning I wore my Yaks to the barn and I've noticed a lot of that ice has melted but not enough just yet.

The rain has stopped, at least for a while.  The mild temperatures feel good after the big chills we've endured over the past several weeks.  

I was happy both last night and this morning to be able to open and close my barn door again.  

It seems that conditions are improving,  but that may be deceiving.  We'll have so see how much water is covering the ground and everything in its pathway as all this frozen stuff melts.

Today is the first segment of the skijoring event, starting at 12 at the fairgrounds (gates open at 11).  I can tell you that Matt and his helpers were working well into the night to get the fairgrounds ready.  

We went to the registration at Eichardt's last night.  Competitors were filing in steadily and signing up.  

Matt's stepmother told me the World Champion skijorer had come in earlier to register.  She said the champ told her in a most colorful way that the weather wasn't gonna get him down.  

Billie Jean, who plans to go behind someone's horse told me she'd walked the fairgrounds arena and found no icy spots. 

She also told me about the tractor that got stuck in the arena during the day's preparation. 

Everyone at last night's gathering was hoping for the best today.

So, we'll see what the day brings.  I'm hoping all will turn out just fine because I know how much fun preparing for this event has been for the locals.  

It may not have been as much fun for Matt and his crew as they dealt with Mother Nature's challenges. He certainly deserves a High Five for sticking with it and making it happen.

Better days will come for skijoring in Sandpoint, I'm sure, but I'm also confident this first-ever event will be memorable and hopefully in a good way for all concerned.

Happy Saturday to all.  May this be the best of days for you wherever you are. 

GO ZAGS! 

And, one more thing, if you have Direct TV, if you live in the hinterlands (not Spokane) and want to watch the Seahawks tomorrow, call the company and ask for the Los Angeles Fox Feed.  I'm told they may just give it to you.