Great Help, etc.

 

These two young men, Zak and Tyler,  are amazing as workers and as genuinely nice human beings. 

One can tell that when they walk into the barn and immediately go down the aisle to pet the horses.

Last year they worked for us and even came trick or treating.  Plus, they're good conversationalists. 

They're twins, upcoming juniors at Sandpoint High,  and they are Idaho State-ranked high school wrestlers. 

Yesterday, after working all day for Wood's Crushing and Hauling,  they helped us out by loading and unloading a ton of hay, which I had purchased from Jack Filipowski to supplement the horses as our pastures dry up.

Very efficient operation and fun visiting with them. 

To their parents, Scott and Tami, great job!

Overall, we feel blessed because, over the years, our family has enjoyed help from some wonderful young people in our neighborhood.  

💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜 

Yellow carrot!  

Oh my!

Maybe there are more waiting to surprise me beneath the ground. 

I'm grateful that the underground pests have left the carrots alone so far.

This is the first time in years that I've planted them in the ground.  The last time at least one third of every carrot had been eaten. 

So, fingers crossed. 

While I'm at it, does anyone have the best and most successful way to keep carrots over the winter, or must I freeze them? 

Congratulations to Silken Thomas in Kildare, Ireland.  We are thrilled that they won the award noted below. 

For the past few years, Bill and I have stayed at Silken Thomas every time we've gone to Ireland. 

In fact, the establishment in the center of Kildare (home to St. Brigid's Cathedral,  the Curragh race track and plain and the Irish National Stud) will provide our accommodations on the first two nights of our next trip. 

The staff, especially Beata and Caroline and Sean, are all so nice and in tune with our every need. 

With each stay, as busy as they are with this popular hotel, restaurant and bar, staff members welcome us and take time catching up with our lives and sharing about theirs. 

Love this place and its staff!💚💚

Bar of the Year Award

The public has spoken! We're delighted to announce the winner for People's Choice Overall at the Bar of the Year Awards 2026.

Overall winner - Silken Thomas, Co. Kildare

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! 

It was neat to see a sky devoid of smoke when the sun set over Schweitzer last night. 

Happy Tuesday. 

Monday Mutterings

 

We have hay coming to our barn tonight. 

Two high school wrestling standouts (twins) will be bringing us our 30 bales of hay.  

Because of boarding my horses over the winter, I have enough hay in the barn to last through next spring, but even with yesterday's rain, pastures are drying up. 

So, it will be nice to have the extra for supplementing over the next few weeks. 

I'm noticing lots of ripe tomatoes and seeing that my four corn stalks have ears that are maturing.  Can't wait to see if the ears are loaded with corn.

It won't be long before the need for summer watering will subside.   

I saw Willie yesterday, and the conversation suggested that fall is coming on strong.  

He was getting together with friends who participate in Fantasy Football.  He also told me that Sandpoint High will experience a major change this year. 

No quarter grades to figure.  He noted that these days grades are available to parents 24-7 via computers so there's no need for a quarterly report card. 

It's a drastic change, historically, in the order of school curriculum but it also seems pretty sensible.

The squirrels apparently get the word when I go to town for some more sunflower seeds.  

Yesterday while looking out the garden window, I suggested to Bill that a squirrel convention was happening. 

It was constant motion as five of the little critters were scurrying around the lawn, across a garden fence board and, of course, around the bird feeders. 

It's a banner year for golden rod. 

This show, coming up Sept. 18-20 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, should be a lot of fun, and adding to the fun, some new classes. 

From Ukraine, with Cindy Wooden . . . .she says she'll be moving on tomorrow, driving to Lviv in Western Ukraine to attend the wedding.

It's Independence Day in Ukraine. 

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday for celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day as Russia pressed on with its 4-year-old invasion of the country.

One of President Vladimir Putin’s key goals in starting a war with Russia’s neighbor in February 2022 was to place Kyiv in Moscow’s orbit. 

Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Aug. 24, 1991, to proclaim the country’s independence from Moscow, and a nationwide referendum later that year overwhelmingly approved it.

With no significant changes on the front line for months and no apparent progress after more than a year of U.S.-led peace efforts, both countries are locked in a spiral of escalating aerial attacks  that are killing civilians and smashing infrastructure.

Above:  overlooking Kyiv. 

Below: a statue of St. Volodymyr the Great looks over the city of Kyiv. 

About St. Volodymry from Saintapedia:  

Saint Volodymyr the Great (Old East Slavic: Владимѣръ Свѧтославичь; c. 958 – 15 July 1015), also known as Vladimir the Great or Saint Vladimir, was Grand Prince of Kyiv from 980 to 1015 and the ruler who officially adopted Christianity as the state religion of Kievan Rusʼ in 988, earning him the title “Equal-to-the-Apostles.”

 Born the illegitimate son of Prince Sviatoslav I and Malusha, he seized power in 980 after civil war with his brothers, initially reigning as a pagan ruler who expanded Rusʼ territory and consolidated power.

 According to the Primary Chronicle and hagiographic tradition, after examining world religions and influenced by his grandmother Saint Olga and Byzantine diplomacy, Volodymyr accepted baptism in Chersonesos (Crimea) c. 987–988, married Byzantine princess Anna Porphyrogenita, and ordered the mass baptism of Kyiv’s inhabitants in the Dnipro River in 988.

Venerated from the 11th century as Equal-to-the-Apostles, Volodymyr was canonized by the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches without formal process; his feast is 15 July. Patron of Ukraine, Russia, baptisms, and converts, he is co-patron (with Saint Olga) of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. 

Puddles! Moyie, Ukraine

 

Such a welcome sight!  

I'm not often a fan of mud puddles, but this morning's were beautiful. 

In our area, the red flag warning appears to have a mild outcome. 

A few lightning strikes with thunder claps following and two fairly intense downpours. 

We have even had a moments of soft rain. 

We needed the moisture, and we could use a lot more.  Nevertheless, the overnight rain has interrupted what promised to be a long dry stretch. 

The air smells fresh this morning and the landscape is a lot cleaner than it's been for weeks. 

My phone says the dry stretch will come for the next ten days, but except for two days in the upper 80s, other temperatures are tolerable and maybe even comfortable. 

I hope the rest of the red flag area got off as easily as we did. 

Yesterday, in an effort to beat the beastly afternoon heat, Bill, the dogs and I spent the afternoon in our gray pickup, enjoying scenery along the Meadow Creek and Moyie River roads. 

Our stops were not that pleasant because it was dry and hot, but knowing we could go back to air conditioning and drive on to the next spot made it bearable. 

Our stops included the Meadow Creek campground along the Moyie, which was uncharacteristically almost empty. 

The dogs seemed to enjoy their walk to the river and sniffing for treasures as we walked the pathways. 

We also stopped at the Moyie Crossing near Good Grief.  The picnic area features sculptures of various species of trout designed by a Montana blacksmith and meant to mimic fish swimming in the river. 

It's a scenic sight not far from the Canadian border, where we have enjoyed family picnics in the past. 

As we drove home, we could see some thick clouds of smoke from the Smith Creek fire, which continues to burn after several weeks.

The trip accomplished our mission of staying cool as much as possible while enjoying one of our longtime, favorite areas to visit. 

I was especially impressed with the bathroom facility at the Meadow Creek campground.  Someone added a touch of funky class with the gnome, the hand sanitizer and air freshener.  

It was neat to see elderberries.  I used to pick big clumps of them and make jelly. 

Have turned a bit lazy about that over the years, cuz it's a messy job with all the tiny stems that tend to get mixed in with the berries. 

These young ladies were walking home from a swim in the river. 

Since late December, my friend and former student Cindy Wooden has been retired from her job as Vatican Bureau Chief for the Catholic News Service, and she is living in Sandpoint. 

Cindy continues to travel whenever possible and is now visiting Ukraine where she has traveled to attend a wedding involving her professional friends and colleagues.  

Cindy sent me some photos this morning after experiencing her first full day in Ukraine.  After arriving by train from Poland, she is staying in a small village outside of Kyiv.  

The photos include memorials to the hometown soldiers lost in the ongoing Ukraine-Russian war.

Also, she says the train stops just over the border to pick up border agents who check passports while the train moves to the next station.  

Of course, we who know and love Cindy pray that she remains safe during her visit. 

 I appreciate and thank her for sharing her photos and observations.  

Looking forward to seeing more and posting them during her stay. 

Thanks so much, Cindy. 

And, Happy Sunday to all.