So Many Drips . . . .

 

I said to myself, "Pretend you are in Ireland."

That suggestion would be my mood-altering approach to taking the dogs outside in the dark of a morning dominated by rain. 

Just hearing the emphatic drip drip of rain made me reluctant to go outside, but dogs needed to do their duty, so it was a must. 

This actually is the time of year here in North Idaho which feels most like Ireland with all the lush new green grass quickly emerging from winter brown. Plus, the persistent and very wet  rain added the final touch.

It was, indeed, wet outside. 

Dogs needed extra toweling off, while I'm still feeling my wet pant legs as I type and a wet pony tail. 

The precipitation seems to be settling down a bit, and, maybe by the time I go out to feed the horses, it will be less relentless. 

I'll fed them in the barn this morning because Steve, the farrier, is coming at 10, so maybe he can trim their hooves inside and out of the rain and mud. 

Just when the place had almost dried out, along came the drip, drip, drip.  It's been hanging around for a couple of days. 

Weather forecasters are even talking snow between now and Friday.  

Not a happy thought but typical of North Idaho where we've been trained to tear into outdoor work quickly because these weather events can stop our progress at any time and quite often. 

So, forget painting the fence, wait a couple of days to use the lawnmower again, plan more indoor projects and try not to grumble. 

The latter is usually the most difficult. 

Not much we can do, though, but grin and bear it.

I can always get in the car and take pictures of wet stuff like I did yesterday afternoon.  

Foster and I drove the Gold Creek/Rapid Lightning Creek Loop, and, yes, we did see more mud and more water, although the rain stopped occasionally. 

 

I think a neat coffee-table book idea would be one featuring images of egg-for-sale displays along country roads.  

They're often creative, and the price is usually right. 

My favorites are those who advertise "farm fresh eggs."  

Those three words are powerful in making you just want to stop the car and go buy a dozen or two. 

I like this sign because it has a lot of information, even the fact that nothing happend [sic] on Upper Gold Creek Pass that day.  

I, of course, zeroed in on that "nothing" burger because it was my birth year, and on that very day my friend and Sandpoint High classmate Karen Arndt was born BUT apparently NOT on Upper Gold Creek Pass.

Next year there needs to be a gathering at that spot celebrating the 80th anniversary since "nothing" happened on Upper Gold Creek Pass, and maybe invite Karen along as an honored guest since she "happened" that day probably at Bonner General.  

 I think the "thank you" to the plow guys is nice, and we know the elevation.   

Good tone overall. 

Usually, I like to end my posts with a pretty picture, but, in keeping with today's theme, I'll use the view out Lefty's box stall door.  

Tell it like it is AND it's pretty ugly. 

Happy WeTnesday.

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Tuesday This and That

 

Hard to miss this gal standing on the sidewalk next to DiLuna's Restaurant on Cedar Street in downtown Sandpoint.  

She was dressed for wet weather too. 

I went to town yesterday and enjoyed lunch with my classmates at the restaurant.  

We had a comparatively small group, with some calling in sick, but that and the rain didn't dampen the usual enthusiasm to enjoy each other while swapping stories.  

I'll be honest and say that a good percentage involved health issues, which has become a prime topic for most folks my age.  A lot of it is serious stuff, but we manage to find a way to keep our senses of humor as we compare notes. 

I never dreamed that discussing health issues could be so interesting, but when we arrive at this point in life, it's actually healthy, sometimes relieving and often somewhat comforting to talk about it.

So, that's what we did, and I have a feeling everyone felt a little better when they left, thanks to the camaraderie.  

I also met an interesting lady at DiLuna's yesterday.  Sarah Stabler in charge of the engineers at Daher, which I learned has a "y" sound to the "h." 

Daher was known as Quest Aircraft Co. when we lived on Great Northern Road and they established themselves behind us.  

The company ended up purchasing our farm, enabling us to move to the Lovestead 20 years ago. 

I told Sarah that we actually watched the Kodiak prototype (the airplane produced by the company) take off and land for the first time.  

It was fun sharing some stories about the early years of the company and reflecting on the nice people who established it. 

She told me that Daher, a company from France which purchased Quest, now has around 270 employees. 

https://www.daher.com/en/aircraft-manufacturer-turboprop-business-aircraft-kodiak/#

 What a boon to this community the company has been! 

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In all our glory----five of us Sandpoint High Class of 1965 alums showed up for the monthly lunch gathering at DiLuna's. 

A good time was had by all.  

Thanks, Amy and Karen from DiLuna's, for always taking good care of us and for this photo. 

I've been having some fun tinkering with some old black and white photos among our family collection. 

It's uplifting every time I send AI a photo and ask them to colorize it. 

This is my brother Kevin with a broodmare we once owned.  

Her name was Janis Love; we called her "Jan" for short.  

She was a purebred American Saddlebred. 

She had been crippled in the front legs so she raised foals rather than being ridden. 

One such was Skean Dhu aka Cricket, my mother's most favorite mare.  

Cricket was a tall red chestnut with four white stockings and a strip.  Her flaxen mane and tail added to her beauty.

Mother truly loved Cricket and proudly rode her around the neighborhood and in horse shows.

And, I'm loving bringing back the past in "living color."  

This is another of the black and whites turned to full color.  

Upon looking at this photo, I guess I've been knock-kneed all my life---just didn't know it until an orthopedic doctor brought it to my attention.  

It might explain my klutziness. 

I love this photo because I miss my mother and such images bring her back to life, albeit momentarily. 

There were actually five deer but one raced into the Meserve Preserve.  

They seemingly "came home" yesterday afternoon from Gary Finney's place. 

Early this morning, thanks to the flashlight, I could see that their beady eyes where they were all bedded down in the first two pastures along the fenceline.

We've enjoyed them over the winter.  I'm not so sure our feelings will remain the same when flowers around the place become too inviting.  

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Below:  a gorgeous wildflower scene in an iconic location in Ireland.  Our friend Marcia is heading to Ireland today. 

She's taking along a Kansas University flag, sent to me by our Kansas U grad and friend Jean.  

The flag will eventually add to the KU memorabilia in a house in Kenmare, Ireland, where Willie and Debbie stayed last fall. 

Twas pretty obvious when we walked into the house and saw its outdoor surroundings that the owner had been a Jayhawk.   The house was a virtual KU museum.  

Soon, the museum will have one more item, because Jean saw photos of the displays on my blog when we visited last fall.   

Once she arrives in Kenmare, Marcia will hand over the flag, and Willie's friend John Adams will see that it reaches its final destination. 

Small-World Master's Snippet

 

On this morning after the Master's, I'm thrilled because Rory McIlroy won the world renowned tournament again.

Rory has been one of my favorite golfers for a number of years. 

Last year, just before the Master's, we visited Belfast, Ireland, and met a friendly, engaging and fun tour guide at the Belfast City.  

Her name was Michelle.  She not only spent considerable time visiting us, but she also took our photo and made it into a postcard featuring us and a collage of Belfast attractions.

During our time there, we learned that Michelle's family knows Rory's family.  Her dad is a member of the Holywood Golf Club, just like Rory and his family. 

After we returned home and when the final day of Master's was airing last year, I sent a note to Michelle who was glued at the time to her TV watching the tournament. 

It was late at night in Ireland, but that didn't matter. Rory's fans, including Michelle's dad, were staying to the end to see their native son win his first Master's. 

Fast forward a year, and, by golly, there was Rory again at the top of leader board, tied for first when the final round began. 

I did some work outside yesterday and then came in to watch the first few holes.  Then I thought about Michelle. 

Once again, I sent her a note, and it wasn't long before she responded, telling me that she was once again watching at home, but that her sons and her parents were watching the tournament at the Holywood Golf Club. 

She also sent me a screen shot from a TV clip, clearly showing her sons in the foreground. 

A minute or so later, a similar scene at Holywood appeared on my television screen, and, sure enough, there were Michelle's sons. 

The Master's suddenly became even more interesting, knowing that in North Idaho and Northern Ireland, messages were going back and forth about an event occurring in Georgia.  

It was really fun when occasionally, for the rest of the tournament, Michelle's sons would appear in Holywood, sometimes jumping up and cheering and occasionally, grimacing with disappointment if Rory had a rough go on a hole. 

Besides this personal interest, the drama of this year's tournament was mesmerizing, with several lead changes throughout the day. 

For many Rory fans, there were cheers and tears of joy as he pulled back to the lead and maintained that position for the rest of the tournament.  

That segment had its challenges, though. On the last hole Rory's tee shot landed in a bad spot. 

His skill, however, took over and he worked himself out of that challenge for an easy final putt and for his personal emotional joy at accomplishing a back-to-back win which has happened only three other times in the history of the tournament. 

When it was over, I thanked Michelle for sharing her excitement in Belfast, and then it was time to feed the horses, fix dinner and paint fence. 

I had a difficult time tearing myself away from the tournament throughout the afternoon, so I tried to make up for lost time afterward in those lovely evening hours.  

Yesterday's outcome of the Master's made my choices for how to spend my time totally worth it.

A painting by my Irish artist friend Billy Austin. 

I love to watch the pinnacle events for many sports, and this year's Master's definitely offered much more than I had anticipated. 

I think we're done with the big sporting events for a while---at least, until the Kentucky Derby. 

That, to me, is the best event of all. 

And, so it's Monday after the Master's and also after another good-news event that happened yesterday in Hungary.

  The people spoke and the dictator was defeated. I will say that he earned respect by accepting the election results and appearing gracious with his loss.

A good sign and example for future elections.

 

Today is our Class of 1965 group luncheon.  I'm glad we decided to meet monthly because I really look forward to these gatherings at DiLuna's Restaurant.

  Plus, Bill looks forward them because I bring home the best Reuben sandwich  ever for his dinner. 

So, it's a win-win and a tasty one at that. 

Happy Monday. 

I'm wondering if there are eggs up in that snag.  

The goose is landing there on a regular basis.