I went for a walk along North Kootenai Road last night and almost enjoyed it. There's a qualifier there because I did not totally enjoy the walking.
I'm really looking forward to getting back to really enjoying my walks. The daily routine has taken a hit over the summer and severely so recently, thanks to a painful bum knee.
This experience, along with the still healing sprained wrist and a recent return of a chronic lower back pain, has given me a taste of what it's like to be old.
No seconds, please.
Walking up and down stairs and up and down hills has been darn near close to frightening when all three areas of pain were screaming out.
Happily, they're shutting up, and today I may not even need to spread some icy hot heat on my knee and my back.
So, last night's walk marked the first time in a long time that my once-daily strolls seemed nearly normal. There's a bit more healing to be done but the improvement is more than welcomed.
Along with the stroll came a few photos, notifying us that fall is here or pretty close.
Murray's old board fence on the corner of North Kootenai and Selle Roads offers nice photo ops during almost every season.
And, the huge stumps from that row of rather mature cottonwoods that used to stand along the east side of the road have weathered enough to gain some charm, especially when the goldenrod starts to bloom.
Besides the almost nice walk from last night, I have more good news to report. For the first time since June, our newly mown lawn at the Lovestead looks neat and pretty again.
Rains of late have brought back the green; in fact, the lawn looks almost it's spring----just not as thick and wet.
Folks around here have saved a lot of money on lawnmower gas this year and a lot of time on going round and round the yards. The results of those savings---not so pretty, so definitely a trade-off.
I'm really excited about the weather we're experiencing now because classmates are coming to town----some have already arrived, like Lee Rosenboom and his wife Kathy (pictured below).
Yesterday when I arrived half hour early at Tango Restaurant to secure a table for our reunion-committee meeting, all the tables out front were taken.
The initial frustration of this sight changed almost instantly when I saw two familiar faces I hadn't seen in probably 30 years sitting at one of the tables. Lee and Kathy arrived late last week, and they're staying with a nephew in Priest River.
Lee grew up on West Ontario near Chuck's Slough. He was involved in 4-H and FFA and after graduating, he moved on to the University of Idaho where he met Kathy from Twin Falls. I knew Kathy at the time because we helped usher in the history of Carter Hall, then a brand new dorm on campus.
As usual with the folks one has grown up with, no overtures are needed. Instant conversation ensued as we waited for other classmates to arrive at the meeting. Lee and Kathy happily helped us organize nametags during the meeting.
I left wanting to spend more time with this couple as we still have a lot in common, including the fact that they lived for some time in Kalamazoo where my mother graduated from college.
I'm sure we'll have a chance to do some more catching up over the next few days, and I'm also sure it will be delightful.
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| Lee and Kathy Rosenboom have arrived from Southern California for the reunion. Lee is retired but volunteers as a Master Gardener, teaching extension classes. |
In other news, I've been working on a feature about Cindy Wooden for Sandpoint Magazine. While doing so, I've enjoyed following her tweets on Twitter. Each day she tweets some gems from the daily thoughts of Pope Francis.
I particularly enjoyed the tweet below from today's assortment. I like the Pope more and more and definitely agree with today's suggestion.
Bet Fr. Tim O'Donovan, the consummate joke teller, is smiling from up above and tooooootally approooooving.
Cindy Wooden
Finally, someone must have told Queen Elizabeth a good story. Nice to see her laughing, and hats off to her for reaching a milestone as the British Queen who has now served the longest in history.
Few things have remained the same during our lifetimes, but the Queen has always been there, it seems. I was just five years old when she was crowned, so my memory was just developing, meaning it's easy to say that she's been reigning forever.
Long live the Queen and congratulations on the stability she has maintained in an ever-changing world.
And, let's follow her example in this photo. Go out and have a good laugh or two on this lovely Wednesday.
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