Thursday This and That

Twas flower-basket day on South Boyer yesterday. 

The Ponderay Rotary put out dozens of baskets and then customers came to select which ones they wanted to take home. 

I purchased two.  One would think it would be easy to just go there, pick out a couple of baskets and go home. 

Not easy at all with yesterday's crowd. 

While walking from my car through the basket-covered lawn, I caught a quick view of another customer as she turned her head and proceeded to look for her baskets.  She looked really familiar. 

"Are you Sonja Olson?" I asked. 

She turned around, looked at me and said yes. There was no initial hint of reciprocal recognition.

"I'm Miss Brown, now Mrs. Love," I said. Then, it was big hugs and happy shrieks.  Sonja hadn't seen me in 50 years, nor had I seen her. 

Back in those days, I did not wear baseball caps with a ponytail and sunglasses, so it was understandable that she might not recognize me immediately. 

We had a great time catching up, and then both agreed it was time to pick out flower baskets. 

Well, the odds were against me because every direction I went, I knew someone and, in many cases, it had been a while since I'd last seen them. So, the visits ensued. 

Just when I thought I was about to end one conversation, someone came up behind me and gave me a nudge. 

I turned.  

It was Ann Gehring, and, by that instant I knew that flower basket selection would again be put on hold.  Then, I suggested, "Let's pick out our baskets and then talk."  

So we did.  

Then, I saw Kathy Chambers, so that was another diversion.  Ann was not too far away, so I told her she needed to meet Kathy, and while they were meeting, I'd take a picture of them for the blog. 

I took the picture, talked some more and upon turning around, saw that only one of my baskets was behind me.  Someone must have coveted those white flowers in the arrangement, so off one basket went to I know not where. 

So, that meant doing some more looking.  Happily, I found another basket with the same assortment and then held on to both baskets with my dear life, lest I have any other unforeseen visits. 

It was a fun few minute, albeit not the smoothest basket selection I've ever experienced. 

Now, the baskets are hanging from the deck, and now that that has happened, it's hose dragging time again in the front yard.  Too many flowers out now for carrying a watering pot around the place. 

The spring summer watering routine is now in full gear with hoses to the west and hoses to the east. 

Let the flowers grow!

Members of the Ponderay Rotary.

🌺🌸🌹🌷🌼

I read Sandpoint native Duane "Blackie" Black's  reflections about his lifetime Schweitzer experiences on Facebook the other day and thought they were worth sharing.

Thanks, Duane, for letting me share. 

 

 

This will be a bit of a long, short story. Made my first voyage out onto the lake today to look for rising trout. Saw 4 but no consistency. I looked up and saw Schweitzer and realized what a lucky kid I was. 

 My mom got a job in the cafeteria for Leonard Haugse the second year Schweitzer was open. He owned the Pastime Café and we would either go at 5:30 or 630 to load the travel-all with all the food for the day. That was my introduction to Schweitzer. 

 My first day was a nightmare on the rope tow. I was with Dale Green and Tim McCrum who left me for a higher goals. I signed up for lessons with Bill and Ruth Straley and learn to stem Christie. 

 My first ride to Midway was with Dick Larson who had a new transistor radio that he had gotten for Christmas.  It was blowing and snowing, and I didn’t see the "Keep your tips up" sign. 

You guessed it: face plant on that Midway ramp.

 When I looked up and saw Schweitzer today from the lake, I realized what a lucky kid I was. I bought eight season passes the first one for $32 the last one for $60, and then they paid me to ski for 35 years as I joined the Ski Patrol in 1972 and retired in 2008. 

 Then I got a lifetime pass, so out of the 60 years I skied, I only had to buy a ticket for eight years.   

In the '70s,  350 people a day was a big crowd and 90 percent of them got off at Midway. We had the entire top of the mountain all to ourselves. We could ski a powder storm for 3 to 4 days and still have untracked lines.  

I got paid to throw dynamite., ski all day and pick up an occasional injured skier. Most of the time we would just deliver them to the parking lot and load them into a car didn’t even get their name... much different now.  

So this was my 60th year skiing Schweitzer, and even though I only made $500 a month for working six days a week when I started, I had the best job in Bonner County. 

I feel really blessed to have had this incredible journey where I’ve made so many friends from Schweitzer and growing up in school. I find many other kids have had such an incredible journey like I have had, and I feel so blessed. 

I am so happy that my grandfather found Bonner County in 1890 and gave me the opportunity to grow up here. It is such a beautiful place that we all live and enjoy. 

 I value and care for each one of my incredible friends that I have gathered along the way. way too many to list, but I do wanna say that the celebration of life for John Fuller on Saturday from 5 to 7 at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch is for one amazing person. 

John and Peter Berghan were my original bosses on the ski patrol at Schweitzer. 

Just a lucky kid to grow up with so many beautiful people. Thank you all I want to back this up as we all grew up on different sides of the tracks. But it really didn’t matter; we were all just great friends.

It was a busy day yesterday all day long with chores, flower selection and lawn mowing, computer work. Nevertheless, I stuck to my newfound discipline and goal of riding a horse every Wednesday evening.

This time Lefty, now 18, got the nod---first time in two years that he's been ridden. 

By the time I climbed aboard, with Bill's close surveillance, Mosquito Heaven was opening its evening curtain.  Nevertheless, Lefty and I rode around the lawn and up and down the road.  By the time we started down the lane, the mosquito invasion was reaching its crescendo. 

Lefty has sensitive skin to begin with, but add a few hungry mosquitoes and he's not feeling too comfortable about all those irritants attacking his body.  

So, I called it a night.  Lefty was pretty good guy after a two-year hiatus.  I'll probably wait until the mosquito season has died down a bit before I ride him again. 

It was a pleasant ride in spite of the mosquitoes. 

 

There were deer aplenty in the fields on this absolutely perfect morning in May. 

The first group I saw were in the second pasture.  Two were eating while three other heads were sticking up out of the green grass. 

Later, the two lay down and then it was a five-head pasture. 

After chores were finished and Bridie and I were walking down the lane, three more deer were coming from the far pasture to meet with the original five.  

Eventually, the whole group went off to the woods. 

Although Bridie stood in her herding position, she never pursued the deer.  We are really proud of her that she listens and does not chase deer. 

Looks like a lovely day ahead. 

Happy Thursday.