Getting There . . . .

Dandelions are slowing down.  Lilacs are blooming,  and iris are popping open. 

Sixty spuds are in the rich dirt patch behind the barn, and the entire lawn has been mowed.  It's a good day in May.

By tomorrow morning or sooner, we're gonna know who's playing at The Festival at Sandpoint this summer, and the cars are already rolling in for "Lost in the '50s" weekend. 

Sandpoint Magazine, complete with my story about our local huckleberry King Joe, will hit the streets within the next 48 hours. 

Heck, we've already had a blast of summer, and it's only May 15.  

For once, we're not belly-aching about being too far behind to ever catch up.  

That's a good feeling too.

My garden is almost complete, and I'm waiting for the calendar go-ahead to put some other stuff in the ground.  That would be 12 nice cucumber plants and 30-plus tomato plants, sorely in need of stake support.  

A few squash, some marigolds and geraniums, along with a second planting of cabbage remain in the greenhouse, apparently safe from the mole invasion which did stop short once I bought that repellant and sprayed the area. 

In spite of my continued spring itch, the warm weather gave me another break, which should prevent a little itch exacerbation.

Aside:  Bet ya've never heard of itch exacerbation, have you?  If not, please credit me for coining the term.  

Itch exacerbation, in my case, means any outside agent, including sparkling clean fingers, ignite a full-fledged scratching desire which makes that skin sizzle and those little red spots rise.

Itch exacerbation has been going full throttle the past few days, but I did enjoy a fairly good night without waking up and wanting to rub the skin right off my body.

My pharmacist gave me some tips, like to TAKE THOSE ANTIHISTAMINES day and night as long as the itch wants to hang around. 

So, I've been doing that and doing my darndest to avoid the multitude of potential itch-inflicting culprits, including Foster, the pollen, dust, unusual amounts of sun, the earth,  etc. 

Back on Track:  And during this recent time of itch exacerbation, the extra sun has brought on enough warmth for the horses' hides to shed their winter coats on their own.

That means I don't have to eat horse hair any more this year.  And, believe me, dirty, dead horse hair could possible exacerbate the weakest of all itches, especially when it comes from my perennially itchy horse,  Lefty. 

So, all in all, we're getting there, reaching the point where the daily "to do" list involves only general summer maintenance of gardens and yard.  And, that's enough. 

And, we're reaching the time of the year when all the fun stuff that draws the crowds to Sandpoint is starting to unfold.

It's a fun time of the year.  If you want people, go to town, and you'll find plenty.  If you want to go to the mountains, you can now make it to a lot of pretty places.  If you just want to sit on the deck, smell the roses and watch the world go by, you can do that too.

We have the best of all worlds coming on this weekend and for the weeks to come. 

So, it's time once more to rejoice in our usual obnoxious manner, that we're from Sandpoint and couldn't be any prouder. 

Have a great Wednesday.