Nothing like a drive in the rain on a springy and colorful day in May to set one's mind free of all the woes and "oh no's" we seem to face on a daily basis anymore.
Bill was headed to Costco, I finished what outdoor stuff I could do, and so it was time to get out of the house, away from the news and let my mind feed on the sheer beauty of spring.
So, that's precisely what I did for a couple of hours yesterday with my pal Bridie at my side.
We drove through Pleasant Valley south of Bonners Ferry. We also drove across the Kootenai Valley to the road which passes through the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge.
It would be hard to imagine any prettier or bucolic scenes than those I enjoyed yesterday.
Bridie and I left the car a couple of times but not for long cuz that rain was pretty relentless.
What a magical and softened touch it adds to the landscape, though!
And, yes, I did forget the news and let go of the funk that had dominated my morning after learning election results for our county and our state.
Twas much easier to digest the facts of our future lives after that drive, even though the reality of what they mean has not changed in my mind.
As a native of North Idaho, who has seen it all for nearly 75 years, I am disturbed by the trends I see--- not so much because people have moved here but more because of their motives and their general behavior toward others.
If only some of these people could go for a ride with me like the one I took yesterday and gain true insight into what we long timers have appreciated for most of our lives---the beauty of this place and its people--- maybe we could open some minds and change some visions.
I don't know if that is even possible, but I do know that we have not lost all that means so much to us.
It's nice to be in the know of beautiful places to go for solace and insight whenever you need to be reminded of the words of Rudyard Kipling in his poem "If."
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Yes, Joanne, my friend, I do thank God that we still have opportunities like Bridie and I enjoyed yesterday.
I hope that aspect of our lives never gets destroyed.
I hate to interrupt the serenity of the scenes I saw while on my drive yesterday, but for history's sake, it is important to include the contrast of the day AND of the dog.
Hard to imagine that the saintly canine pal who rode shotgun with me yesterday to the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge could create such chaos later in the day.
We unwittingly gave Bridie the time and the setting for doing her 9-month-old (yes, a milestone yesterday) puppy handiwork.
Debbie had come to visit. The dogs' exuberance with her visit wore out soon, so Bill summoned them to the garage.
We must have hung around the kitchen island talking for at least half an hour.
A little creative Border Collie can do a lot in that amount of time, very quietly, even with Big Brother Liam watching but not telling.
Insoles were removed from boots, fishing waders were dragged across the floor, a sack of potatoes was scattered here, there and everywhere.
The wood box offered some nice items to add to the artwork, including a pruning saw.
And, when Bridie found that bulk pack of Costco toilet paper (thank God it's not in short supply like baby food), she had hit paydirt.
She decimated a complete roll of TP, carefully and artistically distributing it throughout the other items to highlight her garage-floor collage.
Meanwhile, we three kept talking on the other side of the door. Suddenly, Bill remembered that he had been taking the dogs out when Debbie arrived, and she said she needed to get home.
So, they were the first to see Bridie Love art show in the garage.
And, was Bridie ever proud as Debbie strolled through, looking and giving a critique of Bridie's work. Having been the executive director of Pend Oreille Arts Council for a few years, Debbie knows good art when she sees it.
Last night's exhibit may or may not have been the best Border Collie art ever. I say "may not" because Debbie also owns Border Collies and they have provided some nice original art for her returns home.
Bridie's pride was obvious throughout the entire clean-up job, which, as Bill said, except for the roll of toilet paper did not involve any destruction.
This morning I'm wondering if that's the kind of birthday bash Bridie creates for nine months, what are we gonna see when she turns a year old in August?
She's got plenty of time to plan.
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