This and That Thursday

Happy Flag Day to all, and Happy Birthday to my oldest brother Mike, who set up camp here last night----with plenty of supervision and some help.

Mike will be here for a few days, especially to spend time visiting with our mother.  I saw fishing poles too in the back of his car, so I'm guessing the fish will need to look out.  

We're starting out Flag Day in the fog, but I'm much happier to see the fog than I was with one more day of drenching rain yesterday.  

About the only good thing about yesterday's rain was that it washed the carpet of cottonwood fluffs from the lawn.  

Cottonwood fluffing and tickling lasts more than a week around here.  I'm guess we have a lot more cottonwoods in the area than we ever had on Great Northern Road.

Our newly washed lawn is free for a while, but I'm guessing as soon as the moisture content in the air goes down, we'll be scratching off the cottonwood tickles again.

I posted some photos of posies and garden goodies.  The rain is also good for weeding, so I finished up a row of lovely lettuce.  

I'm hoping not to buy another packages of prepared salad for the next few months cuz the gardens have lettuce in different stages. 

And, how 'bout that asparagus!  Bill and I have already dines on broiled asparagus from our garden, and it looks like we'll have plenty more to sample next time we have a barbecue.

In the "busy bee" department, the honey bees from across the road don't mind having their picture taken while on the job in this mountain bachelor button, among a host of other flowers around the place. 

When it warms up, my lupine show should be spectacular.  It has a nice start, but I'm thinking a lot more blooms need to pop out.

We're blessed with so many colorful and pretty items in the yard right now.  It won't be long, though,  before the grass starts fading in color and the annuals have to take over and do their jobs producing color.

Does anyone have any idea why my geraniums---planted from seed and very healthy---have not yet bloomed? I can't imagine geraniums not blooming the first year.

Maybe some continued warmth will help them out; otherwise, all that nurturing of those baby plants may turn into a bust.  

I've been bragging about how much money I've saved on geraniums and how many more plants I have because of sowing my own seed.   The joke may be on me.

In other news, my family members in the teaching profession will be going to school today with no students.  They'll finish up with their grades and then feel the relief of another year completed tomorrow.

I want to congratulate a couple of teachers on what seems to be Teacher Road.  After all, I live here, and Eva Whitehead lives down the road.  

In between the Lovestead and Eva's, live Jack and Colleen Filipowski.  

Colleen, who's my sister Laurie's best teaching chum, said her last good byes to students at Farmin-Stidwell yesterday.  

I'm not sure when Dan Butler, who lives at the end of the road, walked out of his classroom in Bonners Ferry for the last time.  But "Cheers" to both on great careers molding the minds of young people. 

I have a feeling I'll see both of them out, jogging up and down South Center Valley Road more than ever. 

On that note, I'll call it a day.  Hello to Helen up there in Alaska.  I'll have to rely on my own tech department to make sure the pictures don't look weird today. 

Happy Thursday.