St. Helens Sunday

Another calm, peaceful morning along South Center Valley Road.  Yup, it's quite a contrast to that infamous Sunday in May so many of us remember 34 years ago when Mt. St. Helens blew its top. 

Our Sunday morning here in Sandpoint was actually peaceful on Sunday, May 18, 1980.  It took until late afternoon for us to feel the full effect, which occurred during my year-end Monticola yearbook party, strategically timed to coincide with what would be the last major air show we had at the Sandpoint Airport. 

Over at our home on Great Northern Road, we had front-row seats to the air show (in the barnyard), and during those air show years, we always had company when the festivities began.  

Some we knew.  Some we didn't.  In fact, I remember the Canadians who pulled their motor home into our driveway and asked if they could watch.

Well, that day when St. Helens exploded,  my yearbook kids came out to the house to eat and to watch the air show. Toward the end of both events, we started seeing the sky turn to an ominous dark, dark gray to the southwest.  

Once we realized what was causing the sky to turn so dark, kids hurried home, arriving just about the same time the ash shower started.  My friend and teaching colleague Pam, who lived at the base of Schweitzer,  stayed with us for those first eerie hours until her roommate had arrived home.

What an experience it was for all of us living in the Northwest for the next several weeks!  
I try to imagine now if we had had Facebook when everyone was pretty much confined to their houses for several days until those in the know decided it was safe to go outside and actually go to town. 

I know that at that time,  telephones got plenty of use as homes full of stir-crazy folks reached out to compare notes with neighbors and family members. 

I think going through something like that once in one's lifetime is enough, and then I think of what others have experienced in war, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and I'm thinking we came out pretty lucky with our volcano.  

The kids in school at the time probably figured the same as the rest of the school year was pretty much toast thanks to the continued spewing of ash from clear over in Southwestern Washington. 

This May 18 is looking pretty good, and after a phenomenal Preakness yesterday, promising one of the more exciting Belmont Stakes races in recent history, folks may enjoy seeing a horse of any breed this morning. 

The mother-daughter pair in the photos above live in Gary Finney's field just up the road, and they offered a scene of early-morning loveliness as I walked by.  The cows live further up the road in Filipowski's pasture.  Since I featured two sets of Wood herds a day or so ago, equal opportunity for bovines seemed appropriate. 

Yes, that Preakness yesterday was definitely all it was cracked up to be, and I'm thinking California Chrome's Cinderella story may not include any pumpkins---just a crown. 

He has definitely turned into the Prince Charming of the horse world, and I'm betting with all the research done by his owners and the meticulous plotting of the horse's racing career, we may just see a Triple Crown winner this year.

And, what a gorgeous horse to take the crown.  Whatever the case, the next three weeks will be filled with euphoric expectation of a super happy ending. 

I'm also happy this morning because I enjoyed a decent night's sleep without aid of Benadryl and with less than usual itching.  Not to say that the seasonal misery's over by a long shot, but any night without need of Benadryl followed by a day of no itching is a good day.

It was nice to have cooler weather yesterday because I was able to get the majority of my main garden planted AND prepare the manure pile for its summer garden use.  

Some pumpkin seeds will go at the top of the hill that I worked up with the tractor last night and the squash can soon go out to spread their tentacles. 

A few 'mater plants will probably go into the main garden today, taking up the remaining space.  It looks pretty good for now cuz again, with cool weather, I was able to do an all-out assault on the first batch of weeds. 

Yup, it's a lovely Sunday morning, and all is pleasantly tranquil here in Selle. 

Love it!