Country Lovin' and History

 

This cat just wandered in one day to my sisters' horse farm. 

He has since wandered into their hearts, along with their other barn cats.

They told me last week that he escorts them to and from the barn and has decided that he needs to live on their deck instead of the barn.

I think he appreciates his new home, and he certainly seems to be thriving. 

He was hanging out near the barn when I took his picture yesterday. 

I went over to my sisters' farm yesterday because they had some visitors working on a project involving the old Racicot place on North Boyer.

The farm, belonging to Fats and Ardis, is located less than a mile from our childhood home north of the airport.

Like our place, the farm has been completely razed to make way for development. 

These folks, one of whom is an architect, want to make a statement that development can come but the history of those places should not go. 

The story of the land can easily be incorporated into the new development, with just a little thought, and, of course, some care. 

Foremost in our minds about the loss any signs that the Racicots ever lived on that land or the Elsaessers before them is that our dad's world famous Appaloosa stallion Toby I was buried on the old Racicot place.

Above, our dad Harold Tibbs riding Toby I at the first National Appaloosa Show in Lewiston, Idaho. 

The pair were performance champions. 

Below:  Ardis Racicot riding Toby I at a show. 

Harold gave Toby to Ardis after he and our mother were married.  

This horse, one of the Foundation sires of the Appaloosa Horse Club history, is known throughout the world in Appaloosa circles, including South Africa, Sweden, Australia and even in New Zealand at a farm where Annie and I stayed nearly 20 years ago. 

Besides Toby's burial place (sadly unknown now), the Racicot place had an arena where, for several decades, horse shows were held and many a  young rider learned horsemanship. 

It was definitely a gathering place for horse lovers.

The charming, stately house at the Racicot farm has been a main exhibit mural at the Bonner County Heritage Museum for a number of years.   

Thankfully, yesterday's visitors to my sisters' farm care enough about history that they have committed to an ambitious project, both visual and written, which will showcase the Racicot place and stories associated with it. 

Completion is still months off, but the public will be able to enjoy the fruits of their creative, historical labors on display in a local coffee shop and maybe even later as  a traveling exhibit. 

Twas really fun yesterday as my sisters and I shared stories of our experiences with Fats and Ardis and the happenings there at that piece of ground soon to be a development. 

I love the historical concept, and I hope that the completed project, which these visionaries have taken on inspires future developers always to consider history as an important part of their overall concepts when planning their chapters of land use. 

My sisters, brothers and I know firsthand the sadness and the deep void we experience every time we pass by what used to be our farm on North Boyer and the farm at what we called the Upper Place.

Not a sign that we ever lived there. 

I must interject, however, that all has not been lost for me personally.  

When Bill and I lived at the Upper Tibbs Farm on Great Northern Road, I planted some trees and transplanted a lilac bush near the little house where we lived. 

Happily, on a recent trip past the fast-growing and high-density housing development up there on that hill, I saw both of my trees still flourishing.  

I hope that the need to develop every square inch possible does not lead to their demise.

The beautiful rural land is fast diminishing in size here in the area, so I'm also glad that I take pictures like today's collection so that we can always have some way to remember what once was.

Thanks, Cynthia and your team of historians. 

Happy Tuesday.    

Gooby Ranch Report

We have been making plans to visit our relatives we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic started.  Mary Ann thought we should take a Covid test to make sure we weren’t going to pass anything around. 

Mary Ann got the tests you can do at home.  She had Jeannie come over and help her read the instructions.   I was all in favor of taking the test until Jeannie said you have to shove the swab up your nose and twist it around 5 times. 

You have to do it to both nostrils.  There’s no way that I was going to stick a swab up my nose and twist it.  The pain would be horrendous.  I declined the test.

Mary Ann had no problem taking the test.  After 15 minutes waiting, she got the results which were negative.  Then she said, “My Love, you’re up next.”  I said no way is anything going up my nose. 

I got up and started heading out of the room.  Mary Ann jumped on me like a steer wrestler and tried to twist my head so I would fall down. 

Since I don’t have any horns, she wasn’t able to twist my head and take me down.  Jeannie got her lariat and threw a heel catch which laid me out flat.  Then Mary Ann jumped on me and tied my hands together.

 The next thing I knew I was stretched out flat on my belly between the dining room table and the leg of the sofa.  Both Mary Ann and Jeannie were smiling and giving each other the high five. 

When they started to shove the swab up my nose I twisted and turned and bucked and bawled but Mary Ann got the swab up my nose anyway.

  The results were negative so Jeannie untied me and Mary Ann got me two beers as my reward for being so brave.