Tuesday Odds and Ends

I knew it was going to rain today. 

So, I spent most of my afternoon and evening racing around the yard, mowing grass and leaves. 

About halfway through one segment of mowing, I noticed that Foster was following a routine. 

Sit attentively, facing the direction from which I was coming.  When I was about 20 feet away, he'd get up and move over to the next swath I'd be mowing. 

Nice to have an audience, especially a cute one like Foster. 

The little guy is a hero to all of us who love him so much. 

He's been totally blind for nearly two years. 

That doesn't stop Foster, though, from living life to its fullest, even if he bumps into stuff several times a day. 

He's resilient and pretty crafty at finding his way around the place.  A good sniffer helps as do those cute little ears. 

So, every time I'd come around on the mower, there he'd be as if he were inspecting the job I was doing. 

Eventually, on one pass yesterday afternoon, I opened the gate to the run where Liam and Bridie shot through, did their Border Collie high speed dash across the yard and a little sniffing. 

As I was finishing up the job, I came one direction and noticed all three dogs lined up, lying down and watching or listening to my every move. 

The audience had grown and the mowing became even more fun to watch them all so attentive to the job I was doing. 

As always, the final trip on the lawnmower takes me to the lean to where three black and white dogs follow, wait for the motor to go off and then gather round, almost climbing aboard for their loves and pats.

Lawn mowing is very satisfying because it cleans up an often dirty mess, but even more than that, it reminds me how neat those doggies watching me happen to be. 

Anywho, I managed to get all but two small plots of grass mowed and cleaned up and ready for the next leaf dump. 

I won't mow again for more than two weeks, and I'll soon be missing those beloveds.  So, one of the highlights of our return will be climbing aboard the zero turn and having the trio of inspectors line up for duty as I do my work.  

Before the afternoon of yard work, I picked up some essentials for our trip yesterday from North 40. 

Salted Nut Rolls @ two fer a couple of bucks pack nicely and keep well.   

They're filled with protein and great flavor, and you can work on one for a couple of days. 

So, we always have a couple stuffed in our bags, ready for a light and tasty treat. 

I've noticed in pictures on Facebook that it's been a "bee on flower" kind of year. 

Just like endless pictures of bambi's I never tire of seeing bees do their thing in the midst of beauty. 

This was happening at the pretty flower bushes next to the Sandpoint Events Center yesterday. 

Guess ya call it beauty and the bees. 

'Tis wet this morning, and that's great. 

It's a good warm-up for Ireland where I'm guessing dust and grime don't coat the earth much. 

Good times ahead. The excitement is mounting. 

Happy Tuesday. 

I think this song by Dolly Parton may reflect how many of us feel at times in various levels of our lives, our communities and the world in general.

The answer to "What's Going On?" seems to be far too elusive these days.

It's comforting to know that when we keep wondering what's going on, people we admire like Dolly are thinking the same thoughts.