HAY, It's a Rosy and Green Tuesday in the Country

For the most part, a pretty rosy day, and that thought gave me a hook for featuring my beautiful garden rosebush this morning.  

I've never had a rosebush quite like this one, where glorious red roses have formed a choir of color, so to speak.  It's my favorite sight inside the garden fence, and that even tops all those healthy and abundant cucumber plants, which hide their bounty below their leaves.

Roses, however, want the world to know about their beauty, and this particular bush sings out to me every time I open the garden gate. 

Another beautiful sight for anyone who has farm animals here in the country is harvested, dry and green hay ready to go into the barn or to be lined up in a row and covered with plastic.  

West Shingle Mill Road is alive with big round bales which have experienced nary a drop of rain.  And, on South Center Valley Road, Amanda from West Shingle Mill Road brought in our Lovestead bales last night with the bale loader. 

It's not a lot of bales by most farmer's standards, but for us, those 99 bales will feed one-plus horses this winter and with much more nutrition than last year's which took forever to harvest and took in a few too many raindrops.

So, yes, the hay in the fields and standing next to the barn is a beautious sight this morning. Adding to our joy is our realization last night that we have a new box stall for storing our hay, meaning it can ALL go into the barn and that I won't have to transport any from the shed down the lane.  

I haven't liked storing my hay in that spot the past two or three years because the stall is alive with mice who do a real number on bales of hay over the winter, turning many of them into chaff and gnawing through the twine that holds the flakes together.

So, this year, all things hay-related are looking especially good.

Speaking of green hay, I must touch briefly this morning on another thing of beautious green.  That would be the Medicaid Mobile, a 1976 RV (just like our former new-old motor home).

This RV belongs to Garrett Strizich, co founder of Reclaim Idaho (www.reclaimidaho.org). Garrett and his co-founder Luke Mayville have spent the past week painting the RV and turning it into the official Medicaid Mobile for Idaho.

After a send-off at 6 p.m. tonight at Farmin Park in downtown Sandpoint, the two will embark on a trip around Idaho, making numerous stops where they'll speak about the need to protect and enhance Medicaid in our state.  

Their focus on this trip is one of three important issues driving the Reclaim Idaho movement, also including support for public education and protection of public lands.

As noted several times by Luke, a Columbia University professor and Sandpoint High grad, in his speeches and comments thus far, their efforts are much more issue-related than party-related.  

The movement invites and will support candidates in the 2018 Idaho Legislative races who support the three statewide issues identified by Reclaim Idaho as key to enhancing the middle class in our state. 

Once more, I'll say how proud I am of these young men and their team.  In my adult lifetime, their somewhat Herculean/Quixotic efforts this past year to make a positive difference in the lives of others stand out as exemplary, unselfish, bold and inspiring. 

Good luck to Luke and Garrett as they travel the state.  I think we're going to be hearing about them, and I do predict that soon Reclaim Idaho could be a household term.

In contrast, I can't say the same for what I continue to see at the National Level. Yesterday I mentioned that my husband is an Eagle Scout; in fact, scouting and journalism (both noble entities) brought us together.  

I cited an example of how Bill, the Boy Scout, took time out on Sunday to help a driver in need.  Bill's gesture was in keeping with the lifelong mission which is inspired by the Scout Oath. 

I've never memorized the scout oath, but I'm sure that their training involves a healthy dose of teaching respect.  

So sad to see the despicable show of disrespect used in front of a captive audience yesterday by an egotistical, psychologically needy opportunist.  

I hope that "Scouts Honor" will rise above yet another unfortunate moment in the cheapening and disregard continually cbipping away at our valued and cherished American institutions all so one person can feel better about HIMSELF.

Scouting is better than what we saw yesterday as is every other principled entity which has been thrown under the bus in the past several months.

Yet another sad commentary, tarnishing the tradition of our nation.  

Thank God we have people like Luke Mayville and Garrett Strizich to remind us of the goodness that can come from true leadership.