March Mundaneness

I won't be yelling downstairs to say "good bye" to Bill and to have a good day this morning.  Didn't do it yesterday either.

I have wished him a good day on this beautiful Tuesday, however---over the phone.

He's in Moscow for his annual Family Forest Owners conference.  I don't know how many years Bill has attended this same conference during the last full week of March, but I'm figuring it's been at least two decades.

He told me this morning that things are going as usual---about 200 people there, including our friends Betty Munis and Michelle Youngquist from the Idaho Forest Products Commission.  

So, when the conference ends this afternoon,  another staple on the yearly calendar will have passed.  

On nights when Bill is gone, our house becomes a fortress.  All doors locked, curtains drawn, a few lights left on and scary sounds of ghoulish night creatures and axe murderers from outside fully muffled with loud fans.  

This year I even have little Foster inside the house to protect me.  That addition to the defense arsenal must have made a difference because I slept pretty soundly both nights. 

I noticed one time when I left on a trip and came home to the very same house where Bill stays alone at night---some of the same protective measures had been taken.   So, I guess it's even steven in the scary-nights-alone department at the Lovestead. 

While talking to Bill, I did have some good news to share.  My loyal bracketology currier came by yesterday afternoon and handed me a wad of money.  I had tied for first in the NCAA tournament pool after the first weekend. 

This pool awards money twice---after the first weekend and when it's all over.  The first winners have an added advantage of extra weight given for predicting upsets.  Guess I must have predicted a few upsets---------definitely not Gonzaga, though. 

Anyway, the cash worked out perfectly because I had just returned home from having a new front tire put on my Marianne Pink bike.  

Seems that Sunday evening during the first time I'd ridden east on Center Valley Road since the last time (about four years ago)  I rode east and had a flat tire, history repeated itself. 

Happily, this time the tire decided to go flat after I arrived home from my bike ride.  

The last time the tire went flat on Center Valley Road near Claire Hansen's house, and I pushed the bike almost three miles to get home. 

With new tire costing $37-something, initial investment in betting pool being $20 and the wad of winning cash amounting to $55, I lost only two dollars.  Not a bad bet. 

Of course, that's little consolation with the fact that we WILL PAY extra taxes in 2013 for the first time in several years and we WILL have to replace our trex deck (no roof overhead). 

Debbie put it accurately yesterday after looking at the deck.  Looks almost like a sink hole, she observed.

Yup, it does, and that big planter box is having a hard time staying upright as it sits in a definite swale. 

No more trex decking here for snow to bombard as it plunges endlessly off the steep house roof. 

We also have to replace a loafing shed along the lane.  This shed does not have a steep roof and snow has not been bombarding off from its roof.  Snow comes off its roof only by shovel or a good melt.

Wear and tear has done a number on that shed, so lots of $$$$$ will be going out of pocket this year to fix things destroyed by good ol' North Idaho winter weather. 

In the meantime, I'll just look at that cash in my pocket and enjoy the fact that once in a while the eagle flies over and drops a load----even if it isn't always a $350 million lottery prize. 

And, so goes the March mundaneness in the midst of lovely early spring weather.  Good trade-off, I guess. 

Happy Tuesday.