Sunday Stuff

I'm leading off today with an event that makes our extended family very proud. 

Grace graduated from the University of Idaho yesterday.

She is one of the triplets I've featured in blog posts over the years. 

Iusitina, Grace and Jacob are the children of my niece Laura. 

Congratulations, Grace.  We are all so proud of you. 

Iusitina, Grace and Jacob

It's another tough post-ZAGS game morning for all of the fans who are so emotionally invested in Gonzaga basketball.  

No post-game analysis here.  It was what it was:  a one-point loss after an 18-point lead. 

The loss hit hard at our house as I'm sure it did all over the ZAG Nation, but I can report that I was actually able to get to sleep shortly after the game ended.

After all, we've been there, done that before when our beloved ZAGS have lost heart breakers. 

They'll be back.  

Plus, we simply need to look at what has happened to many of the top teams this past week.  They have lost, including Kentucky, who beat the ZAGS last night at the Battle in Seattle. 

I was thinking this morning about the high expectations we all have for the ZAGS.  When they lose, we forget, in those moments, why we love watching them. 

They're gifted athletes and they put on so many dazzling performances for us.  

Most fans will agree that there's nothing prettier to watch than the ZAGS when they're on---just like last night's first quarter.

Gonzaga is a great basketball team, and great teams lose games.  When that happens, they regroup, reassess and usually come back stronger than ever. 

That will happen with the ZAGS, but it still stings badly for a while after that buzzer sounds. 

GO, ZAGS!

 

The snow is still falling outside, and a white coating has covered up all the blahs of early winter ugliness.

 Snow is not my favorite weather gift, but if it can fall in moderation and brighten up the landscape, I'll accept it. 

Plus, it's close enough to Christmas that we can use some white stuff. 

This year Bill and I have decided that our Christmas tree will come from the Lovestead:  a first. 

Many of the trees Bill planted during the first few years when we moved here have grown enough to be good candidates for our holiday tree.

While Foster and I walked through the woods, I selected about four trees.  Bill will pick out one, cut it and bring it to the deck, and I'll start decorating.

I wish we had more room inside our house, but I also think the outside tree adds a nice touch to our outdoor decorations. 

Plus, the needles stay intact in the cold air, so no need to water and no mess to clean up.  

 

I saw the thoughts below this morning and believe that the author has a good point to ponder. 

Seems like meanness has taken over as a preferred behavior in so many levels of our world community. 

I sure hope it's just a temporary phenomenon. 

On Meanness

 I do believe we were all little children, scared little animals once, including all of those people that we’re thinking about. 

I don’t know what happened to them to make them this mean, but we have to contact them somehow.

--Actress Tilda Swinton in New York Times Newletter interview

Bill keeps working away at the cleaning up the mess in our woods brought on by the 10-minute wind storm in September.  

He's making progress.  I must say that some parts of the woods look like a logging job. 

Jody Bockstrock Johnson, Roxzene Bockstruck and my sister Laurie finishing out their terms as officers. 

🐎🏆🏆🏆🐎

I'm including a few photos taken during yesterday's Emerald Empire Arabian Club Year-End party and meeting.  

New officers were elected and several awards were given out during the meeting, which was held at the Sagle Senior Center. 

My brother Kevin, new vice president.  

Below:  Grandpa Todd and new president Todd

Finally, this week has been a tough one for more reasons than the ZAGS loss. 

Most prominent was learning that the hard drive for my main computer has failed.  Retrieving thousands of photos and all my documents was not possible for my wonderful wizard repairman Joel. 

So, he referred me to a place in Wisconsin that specializes in retrieving data.  

It may cost nothing.  If so, that's not good news. They don't charge if they can't retrieve. 

If they can, it will be expensive.  I will pay because the data is very important to me.  

This misfortune reminds me of when we lost our house and our possessions in a fire 40 years ago this year.  

It's different, however, in that I can't go to the store to buy new pictures or new documents. 

This news has definitely brought out the Zombie in me---feeling stunned, stupid, paralyzed, sick to my stomach and in a bit of a stupor.  

All of the aforementioned do no good, however, and I'll try to put the pieces of this segment of my life's activities back together. 

That involves lots of changes with my computer work and getting used to new patterns which are replacing the stuff I could do almost with my eyes closed. 

So, bear with me as I navigate this new pathway and as I continue to pray that the experts in Wisconsin can retrieve that data.

In short, it's not a good feeling at all, but I learned long ago and through many other devastating lifetime experiences that one must move forward. 

Thanks for your understanding if the blog sometimes doesn't appear or if glitches happen. That's the every-day challenge of working with technology.

Happy Sunday.