Monday Miscellany

 

Foster and I took a walk around the farm yesterday.  

My outside work was done for the day, dinner was in the oven and the Seahawks were winning big. Plus, thanks to CBS Sports, I was able to watch the ZAGS women pull off a victory over a strong Toledo team. 

So, it was time for some outdoor enjoyment which involved no work and some time with our little dog. 

Foster appreciates his leash when we go for longer walks because he knows that it will guide him on where to go and not bump into things.

We walked across the hay field, where he stopped occasionally to check out a smell. 

When we reached the far pasture, a deer stood in the trees keeping track of our every move. Later, when we came her way, she watched for a while and then bounded off toward the woods with her tail in the air. 

She stopped several times to observe us, but every time we progressed a little closer, she would take off again.  

We eventually caught up with Bill and Bridie who were doing their respective jobs out in the woods.  

Bridie's involves a ball, while Bill was piling an impressive stack of wood which will probably be used next year. 

After visiting a while, Foster and I went on our way where we saw more deer followed by white tails flashing off further into the woods. 

It was a pleasant little jaunt through our beautiful park-like woods, and I know Foster enjoyed himself.  He's always ready to go, especially when his leash is involved. 

Hope, when the other work dies down, we can turn these walks into a habit where we can enjoy our beautiful piece of ground as often as possible before the snow flies.

I saw an article last week in the Spokesman announcing all the attention this novella is receiving now that it's been made into a movie. 

The story concentrated on all the attention the Spokane area is going to receive thanks to where the movie was filmed. 

I read the book shortly after its release nearly 15 years ago, so it surprised me when I didn't see much, if any, mention of the Bonners Ferry area. 

Here's what I wrote for a blog post in 2011 shortly after reading Train Dreams. 

~~I read a book yesterday in record time.  A friend from way back in my childhood days sent me a note via Facebook telling me about the book, which is set in Boundary County and parts of Western Montana.

It's a novella--116 pages, published this past August.   It's written by a winner of the National Book Award:  Denis Johnson. 

Suzan Cantrell Syrett told me she checked it out from her local library to see if any it dealt with any of her relatives who lived in the Bonners Ferry area. 

 

It's called Train Dreams.  It's surreal, and it's a great read.  

Since the book came home yesterday afternoon from Vanderford's, both Bill and I have read it and chuckled about some of the little stories within.

We found it especially intriguing because it's mostly set in the woods near Meadow Creek where my dad's mother (Iva Tibbs) taught in a one-room school, back in the 1920s.

  

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a gifted writer who uses snippets of history from a local area to craft a great story. 

And, now, Denis Johnson's award-winning book has been turned into a movie, receiving widespread critical acclaim and even talk of an Academy Award nomination for Best Movie. 

Can't wait for Train Dreams to show up on Netflix, and I hope Meadow Creek, where we as a family have spent so much time throughout our lives, also gets some attention in the movie. 

Many leaves picked up this past week and hauled away or mulched but many yet to drop and those poplar leaves always seem never-ending. 

I was surprised yesterday to see baby lupine leaves in one of the flower beds.  Apparently, we're having a little touch of spring during this beautiful extended fall. 

I love walking through the woods because of its thick and soft carpet of pine needles. 

Another day with no pouring rain.  Loving it. 

Happy Monday. Have a great day.

Sunday Ho-Hums

 

An apple tree planted. 

Dead or dying flowers pulled and hauled away. 

More leaves picked up in the front yard. 

A visit to the horses. 

A big Gonzaga win. 

Overall, yesterday was pleasantly mundane and productive. 

Nice to have days like that occasionally. 

Hard to believe that it's already been a week since we were at Dublin Airport, preparing for the long trip home. 

Once home, we hit the ground running and have been happily busy at projects and winter prep ever since. 

This next week will be highlighted by workers coming in on Tuesday and spending the day putting in a new chimney AND Annie coming home for a visit.

Those workers have to crawl upward through a hole in an upstairs closet. 

The hole looks to be about 14 inches by maybe 20 inches.  Bill and I have been more than curious as to how those big guys who came to do the estimate are going to make it through the hole. 

Hope they don't get stuck.  

Tomorrow I will be having my Medicare Wellness physical.  

I just hope that when it comes to mental acuity, they give me the same address in Portland that they gave me last time to memorize and for them to test me on whether I'm losing mentally.

To heck with all the stuff that might be wrong or right with me physically, if I slip up on that address,  I may be categorized as demented or something old like that. 

I remember very clearly the last time they gave me an address and asked me a minute or so later to repeat the address, panic instantly set in and my mind threated to freeze. 

Happily, I remembered enough of the address that no concerns were entered in my permanent record.

When I ponder on how one wrong answer on one question about an address in a wellness exam can deem one as potentially demented, I'm figuring there has to be a pandemic of dementia going on out there in the world, especially among politicians who seem to have CRS every single time they open their mouths--never mind a random address.

Anyway, it should be an interesting session which is designed to keep the Medicare gods happy. 

While we're on medical stuff, I'm happy to report that my colitis behaved itself while we were traveling.  I'm very thankful to have finally reached a stage where this gut nuisance has let up a bit on ruling my life. 

On another front, it's a big day of sports action today.  I saw in this morning's Spokesman that the Gonzaga women's game today will be broadcast on CBS Sports at 11:30 a.m.

The ZAGS (1-0) play the Toledo Rockets.  

Then at 1:05 p.m.,  the Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals.  Annie said she'll be at the game, so we'll be looking for her wave. 

Finally, in the sports department, how about those Sandpoint Bulldogs boys and girls swimming teams. 

Both won the State Championship yesterday. 

Congratulations to all for an amazing achievement. 

We're from Sandpoint and couldn't be any prouder. 

Damon, a former student, lives in the neighborhood.  He and his helper were doing winter prep yesterday.

Saturday Slight

 

If records were kept for ranking drop-dead gorgeous days, I think yesterday---pretty much all day---would come close to topping the charts as an all-timer for jaw-dropping beauty. 

The golden larch needles always put on a pretty good show toward the end of each autumn leaf color show, but yesterday seemed downright amazing. 

It was a fun day for taking pictures, especially when we took a trip to Annie's Orchard to pick out an apple tree. 

Our amazing class-reunion committee thoughtfully gave me a gift certificate at the nursery just west of Clark Fork.  

The nursery had a great selection of apple trees, but when I spotted the Roman gala variety, I knew what I wanted. 

Earlier this fall, I used Roman gala apples from Sharon's Country Store near Bonners Ferry to make applesauce, and like yesterday's color show, it's the best ever. 

So, today the new tree (pictured above) will go in the ground, and then I'll keep my fingers crossed that it will produce some goodies in the next year or so. 

Thanks to my friends for the generous gift.  I'll have to call it "Roman Gala Class of '65." 

Maybe we'll have some of those apples at our 65th reunion. 

  

I ran across a fun story about a big star in a small town this morning. It's in the link below.  

The story is about Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney and her connection to Spirit Lake, where she spent much of her childhood and now visits quite often after purchasing a house next to her mother's. 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/sydney-sweeney-lifts-lid-life-172109331.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

It may be just my perspective, but Sydney Sweeney sure does look a lot like Emma who was Willie and Debbie's German exchange student.  

Emma, by the way, is now an outstanding senior at the University of Montana. 

                                                                                           ----Getty Images

Sydney Sweeney

These two Emma's met each other at one of our Fourth of July barbecues. 

It was a push-pin problem. 

Bill had just come back from taking a poster for a Trout Unlimited meeting to to display at Ice House Pizzeria. 

As he went to open the pickup door, his box of push pins opened and dropped push pins all over the asphalt under the pickup. 

It was quite a sight as he and I picked up pins.  

Some lay so far under the pickup that neither of us old fogeys could get at them. 

So, making sure there were no pins in the tire path, he pulled forward, and we were able to retrieve them all.  

I had to comment while picking pins that it was actually a pretty sight seeing all those colored pins mixed in with the golden leaves.

Finally, it's fun to post the photo below again. 

Tonight should be a thriller when the ZAGS men take on the Oklahoma Sooners. 

7:30 p.m. ESPN2

GO, ZAGS !!!

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀