Slight Detour: Sunday Miscellany

This morning I saw a cute little mouse run across a flat flat ridge on our folding garage door.

Later, I while distributing the hay in the barnyard, I saw a cute little pine squirrel, running along the board fence with a cone in its mouth almost bigger than the squirrel.

Which one made me chuckle?

Which one made me sigh?

Bet ya can guess.

The first mouse trap for the upcoming fall came out and was loaded with peanut butter.

So far, no bites attempted at the trap.

Both little species are getting ready for winter, but one does all that preparation for a winter spent outside. The other, however, hopes for a winter spent in some nook or cranny of the house.

We hope to deter that wish and not have any extra four-legged, uninvited guests in our house.

Both sightings indicated another sign that we're almost in to fall.

Before that happens, however, this year's allotment of heat waves has to come and go.

Yup, we're gonna be griping about the heat at least one more time before it's time for the mice to think they need to live in our house.

Four more days of 90s, starting tomorrow. Today will only top out at 89, or so they think.

That's not good for the fires in the area.

Bill and I drove to the Clark Fork Drift Yard yesterday after hearing that there was a fire in the Green Monarchs (a stunning set of steep and wooded mountains along the east side of Lake Pend Oreille.

As we got closer to the Drift Yard, Bill said we probably wouldn't see anything because there was a significant haze from other fires.

We did see the fire, though, a small one sending a ribbon of smoke into the air.

While we were there, a helicopter with a water bucket flew over us and headed that direction after loading up with water near the Clark Fork River.

Fortunately, yesterday, there was little or no wind, so maybe the crews can stop that fire before it grows.

We three once taught together at Sandpoint High School. We weren't just colleagues, though.

We were also friends who created so many wonderful and wacky memories together along with several other teaching friends.

We saw each other yesterday at a memorial service for the husband of another our other teaching friends, Betsy. Greg was laid to rest next to everyone's beloved Betsy.

Their children, Hon and Holly, coordinated a simple but most meaningful ceremony to honor their dad.

Pam, in the middle, retired from teaching in California, while Dana, on the right (a Sandpoint High grad) went from teaching into law and eventually into conflict resolution.

Both are dear friends. Our visit yesterday was much too short but meaningful as we spent some time after the service, strolling around Pack River Cemetery and visiting the graves of some of our other colleagues.

Friendship and teaching camaraderie never die as long as the spirit of the past is passed on to the future.

The Clark Fork Drift Yard was a popular place yesterday as recreationalists packed the parking lot with RV's and boat trailers.

We also saw tents. We saw all kinds of watercraft as we strolled around with the dogs.

Heck, we even saw the set-up for a family portrait out in the tall grass. An infant was involved. Those pictures will be meaningful over the years, for sure.

I'm sure that after everyone heads home today or tomorrow, the Drift Yard, east of Hope, will once again turn quiet---quiet enough, in fact, to hear its resident birds.