Thursday Mutterings; TBT

Lily is walking on new shoes.  

CB and Lefty's hoof trimmings allowed Foster and Bridie some new delectables to chew on. 

It was a productive day for horses and dogs when Steve, the farrier, came yesterday.

Steve and I visited while he took care of each horse's hooves. 

That was the morning.  

Later in the afternoon, Pam and I enjoyed a good visit in the travel trailer. 

And, to top off the day, we went to MickDuff's for dinner. 

I'd say a good day was had by all. 

Today Pam will do some more visiting and then she'll go on her way to get together with other friends in the area. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed having her. 

It's always fun to do catch-up with friends we don't see very often. Plus, their life style and the things that make their lives interesting offer wonderful new perspectives and maybe some new ideas for our own future adventures. 

Not a whole lot else on the agenda.  

We're not huge soccer fans like our kids (who played soccer) happen to be, but we'll probably be checking in on some World Cup games.  

I think Annie and her friends will be attending one of the matches in Vancouver soon. 

Life is good. 

The cool weather has slowed down the grass, so no big need to get on a lawnmower again for a day or two. 

I have, however, noticed that a generous new crop of weeds await some attention in the garden spots!  

So, that's about it for this Thursday.  Enjoy the photos. 

"Will we ever get over this?" Pam asked yesterday after a nose taping for old time's sake. 

"I don't think so,"  I responded, "because it's always so damn funny." 

If you're part of a group and it gets boring, get out the scotch tape and go to work on your nose. 

Definitely an icebreaker! 

I brought CB out to meet Pam yesterday, and, of course, he left a pile of horse apples in the lawn. 

from the New York Times Morning Newsletter

Tariq: This is the biggest World Cup in history on a number of fronts. For the first time, we will have three host nations. 

The tournament also features more teams than ever before, having expanded from the 32 teams organizers settled upon in 1998, to 48.

That means 72 games will be played in the group stage alone, which is more than the entirety of the last tournament. 

The expansion has given us the risk of lopsided games and the potential for the tournament to drag, but it has also given opportunity to first-time qualifiers like Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Curaçao — a Caribbean island nation with a population of around 160,000, just under twice the capacity of the Mexico City stadium where the tournament kicks off.

After that marathon group stage, the top 32 teams move onto the knockout rounds, which follow the model of a classic tournament bracket, and that’s where the drama will peak: a kill or be killed situation in every game, where the winner makes it through to the next stage until there will be only two left standing at the final.

Thursday Throwbacks:  images of moments, places, events and people from the photo library. Enjoy. 

Thanks to a locked gate, we no longer get to see this exquisite mountain beauty, which we and other members of the public enjoyed for years. 

Glad I took pictures. 

Above and below:  my brother Jim's artistic humor. 

After the Rain; Pam

 

Pam arrived around 8:30 last night.  

She had flown up from California yesterday afternoon and then rented a car to drive to the Lovestead. 

She'll be staying through Friday. 

Pam Eimers and me on one of her visits to the Lovestead. 

Pam and I worked together at Sandpoint High School.  She taught home economics from the late '70s through early 1980s.  

Then, she went on her way, working at Sunset Magazine, getting married, becoming a mother and eventually returning to teaching in Northern California. 

Most recently, she has traveled the world with friends and has walked a Camino or two.   

Throughout our 50 years of friendship, Pam, other beloved teaching colleagues and I have enjoyed oodles of wonderful and often wacky memories together. 

She was with us the afternoon of May 18, 1980, after Mt. St. Helens blew and the ash cloud had arrived here in Sandpoint.

  Nobody knew quite what to do at first , so she stayed with us a few hours until we decided it was safe for her to drive home (about a mile away). 

Pam and I have exchanged Christmas cookies for decades----the same cookies in a decorative tin. Neither of us really knows where those cookies are now but I'm sure they're probably not edible.  

Pam and our mutual friend Dana soothed my emotions and attended to Annie--then a toddler---when she sustained acid burns after getting into a chemistry set at a mutual friend's house. 

If I remember correctly, Annie and I met Pam near Davis, Calif., and enjoyed a Whataburger and fries while visiting. 

Pam and I like to do a lot of silly things---most meaningful to both of us and to a few others---taping up our noses (wine helps) and, these days, taking selfies to document our wackiness. 

She's younger, but we're both in our 70s and still, as "golden girls," enjoy a little craziness. We both agree that laughing can be the most effective of medicines, so we'll do our best to keep the funny bones in action during her visit.   

I'm confident that a few new memorable moments will unfold during her stay here at the Lovestead this week.

Thinking about my experiences with Pam over the years once more reminds me of the beauty and the treasures of long-lasting friendships. 

And, as we get older, these relationships mean all the more. 

I'm wondering if, during her stay here, I might be able to find that tin of Christmas cookies.  If so, I'll stuff it into her suitcase, and it can make one more trip to California. 

Stay tuned. 

In other news, it's farrier day, and, in a couple of hours, Steve will be here to trim horses' hooves and nail on some shoes to Lily's front feet. 

Lily has very sensitive hooves, so even if I don't ride her much, she needs the shoes for walking down the lane, which is packed with sharp rocks. 

Meanwhile, Lefty and CB have huge hooves, very much in need of a trim.  Happily, they don't need shoes because, wherever they are ridden, there's no need for shoes. 

It looks like we may get a break from the rain.  It came down all day yesterday and into the evening AND it added an elegant and artful touch to the flowers and shrubs. 

 Enjoy the photos.  

Happy Wednesday.