Thursday This and That

Exhilarating!

That's the best word for describing this unfolding brilliantly beautiful winter day.

Even in the semi-darkness of my trip to the barn, a layer of promising, uninterrupted bright light was gradually growing and moving our way in the eastern sky.

Stars were twinkling with a sense of joy throughout the sky.

And, I was truly amazed---while listening to the morning trivia on the radio that Neil Armstrong allegedly lied about when he came up with his famous "One small step . . . " line while standing on the moon.  

I was not so amazed about the supposed lie as I was while looking up and noticing that Neil destination spot showed barely more than half itself.  Still, the moon was surely putting out the light.  

I thought later, while walking down the road, that the nighttime landscape ought to be really stunning when the half moon turns to full. 

Except for some cold, cold knees, I could have easily extended my morning walk today, just to take in more of the glistening beauty around me.

By the way, I wasn't the only one who noticed the cold.

It was a first-time-ever-frozen-paw pad for Foster.  

After time spent doing his usual morning rounds while I fed horses and cleaned barns, Foster trotted the last few feet to the house on three legs, holding up his right paw and exhibiting an effectively pathetic  "Mom, it hurts" expression.

Mom soothed the paw and told him it was okay.  Then, Foster trotted on all fours through the door to the kitchen where Bill, seated at the table eating his breakfast gave the little guy some more TLC.

All in all, this should be a lovely fun-filled day.  

I'm hoping to spend some more time this morning plodding through the network of packed-down snowshoeing trails in the pastures and the woods.

With the sun shining, we should have great picture-taking possibilities throughout the day.

Later, will come the banjo lesson with Fiddlin' Red.  

I was thinking this morning about life-changing moments and wondering if today's session, delving into something totally foreign to me could be one of those.

I'll never forget the moment in the darkroom at Pend Oreille Printers, fall of 1969, when I had just started my teaching assignment as yearbook adviser at Sandpoint High School.

Content to pretty much follow the pattern of my predecessor Mrs. Ruby Phelps while learning the ropes, I still looked for little ways to break into new territory while publishing the yearbook.

One night after school, my editor Lesle and I met Jack Swanson, a talented photographer for the Beehive (was it the Beehive in 1969, or had it changed to the Bee?)

I think we went there to talk about cameras because of taking one small transitional step by moving from our Brownie Bullseye camera to a more sophisticated model.  

We had just purchased a Ricoh 35 mm SLR camera for the staff, and Jack took some time to give us some pointers on how to operate the camera.

Then, he led us into the darkroom and showed us how black and white photos miraculously appeared on pieces of special paper after their baths in some special chemicals. 

Life was never the same for me after that day.  Photography took on a permanent, exciting role in my day-to-day living.  I've got the cameras and boxes of photos taking up enough space to show for it too. 

So, on this glorious January morning, I'm very very curious to see if another lifetime change will come with today's first lesson with Fiddlin' Red.

Of course, as Fiddlin' Red says, after four lessons I'll know.  

If banjo playing doesn't turn into a lifetime passion like photography, at least I won't have to spend the rest of my life wondering. 

Today also includes a visit with some former students who are in town and, of course, there's the opening game of the WCC conference for our ZAGS. 

Now, there's a passion.  Definitely an exhilarating one too!

Happy Thursday.