Tuesday Twiddledeedee

It was a great Monday for Mother yesterday.

Two of her great-granddaughters, Justine and Grace (two thirds of the triplets) and their mother Laura came to visit.

Brother Jacob stayed behind because it was a "girls'" weekend at the Thompson cabin.

After the visit, Mother and I loaded up in the car and headed down the road.

I finally decided the Dufort to Priest River to Sandpoint loop seemed fun.

After all, we were experiencing a small dose of spring.  

North of town most of the snow had disappeared from farm fields.

Not so south of town, though.  

Somehow the hot breath from above during the past several days had not been very effective in melting snow.

Still, the drive was beautiful, especially when we reached the stretch of road along the Pend Oreille River.

Occasionally, the sun would peek out and remind us that it's still up there and functioning, though not shining too generously on us.

Any little sample is welcome this time of year, and the contrast from just a few days ago felt and looked wonderful.

We stopped for a late lunch at the Woodstone Grill in Priest River.

There we met Meadow, our server.   Love that name.

She was very accommodating as she served us well and shared tidbits of her life with us.

Of course, we enjoyed her stories because she has kids and kids who love animals, including horses. 

As the grand finale to our stay, we decided to share a dessert.

Meadow told us the fried cheesecake was the restaurant specialty.

That sounded great, especially with the huckleberry topping.

Our plate came, and, as usual, with any delectable but disgusting dessert, we wondered how we'd eat the whole thing.

Well, as usual, we did.  

Let's see----cheesecake with a coconut breading, covered with whipped topping, punctuated with two red cherries and surrounded by dabs of huckleberries.

Not only artful but delicious . . . to the last drop.

Mother enjoyed her afternoon.  She's been suffering the usual January "sinking spells," as Bill likes to call them, but yesterday's events help lift those spirits.

Thank you, Mother Nature for a welcome break from the ugly weather. Much appreciated.

I was appreciating the change so much that upon arriving home, I removed Lily's blanket and decided to take her for a walk down the road.

Two days ago the road was still a thick sheet of ice; yesterday, mostly bare.

Lily was feeling her oats----even though she hasn't had any this winter---as we walked south down South Center Valley.  

The screaming mimi's in the barnyard,  who were left behind,  didn't help.

So, we walked just a ways and then calmly turned around.  Lily wanted to prance home, but I worked hard at keeping her in a flat-footed walk.

I don't know how long we'll be able to enjoy this January break, but I'm going to enjoy every minute possible.

~~~~

I thought Piers giggled too much last night during his interview with Oprah.  He seemed almost giddy that he had landed her as his first subject.

In spite of that, I thought he elicited some interesting discussion from her.

I often wonder how the ego manages itself when constantly stroked with comments like you're "America's Queen." 

Outwardly, it appears that Oprah handles that as well as anyone.  

I don't always agree with her approaches and admittedly squirm at times with some of the material on her show.

I must say, however,  that she truly demonstrates a classic example of capturing the American dream, i.e.,   hard work, talent, drive, compassion, empathy and probably some good luck will open the door for reaching the stars.

Oprah's life story illustrates that, and Piers did a good job of bringing it out in the interview.

I predict his giddiness will disappear as he becomes more established and comfortable in his new role. 

~~~~

Enough of that.  

Suddenly, this week I have more than enough writing assignments to tackle.  

Like Piers, I'm downright giddy with some of the assignments. 

And, time is a'wastin' on somewhat quiet morning, so I'd better get at it.

Happy Tuesday.