Hello, April; Happy Birthday, Willie

 

A quick walk around the yard this morning indicated that a few daffodils are about to burst open. 

It will be great to have splashes of yellow letting us know that we truly are in April and that spring is upon us. 

Actually, our yard received a little color yesterday when a bunch of flamingos landed and situated themselves in the front yard near the driveway and our road. 

It was an amazing scene when my sister Laurie and I pulled into the driveway with two horses bound for the barnyard. 

Adding 11 wooded flamingos and one blow-up to our menagerie certainly was not in my cards.  

But they don't eat and do not require any special attention.  They simply add hot pink and a little humor to the yard scene.

It was amazing.  Laurie and I left for Roxane's to get the horses.  All went smoothly, meaning that our trip took about half an hour.

I was noticing on our drive home that Laurie seemed to be fixated on her phone. 

Then, we saw the flamingos.  

"That looks like something Karren Williams (a former student) would do," I said.  Laurie seemed to go along with that but there was something about her manner that made me wonder if she knew anything about the birds. 

It didn't take too much interrogation.  She admitted that she and Debbie, our daughter-in-law, were in cahoots with this grand plan. 

Laurie's job was to keep me away from the house long enough for the flamingos to be planted anonymously.

"Don't you have to get some more stuff from the tack room?" she asked after we had loaded the horses. 

"No," I said, "I brought all that stuff home a week or so ago." 

Off we went, and, by golly, our narrow window had apparently been perfect for the bringers of pink flamingos to do their job without getting caught. 

It's a fundraiser for Leadership Sandpoint, and I'm told that the local museum will benefit. 

I've heard from different instigators, and I did hear from Debbie that Karren and Lennie were the delivery crew.  So, my initial guess was spot on. 

The flamingos will stay for a while today before moving on to another yard.  

And, through this process, the museum should benefit. 

All fun, and definitely a surprise for me, as I thought we were adding only two horses to the Lovestead beloveds population. 

At least, these pink birds are just visitors, and they've been good visitors.  

I'll take pink flamingos over turkeys any day. 

The horses are home. 

It was a smooth transfer from Roxane's stable---so smooth, in fact, that it seemed almost like a non-event, 'cept for the flamingos, of course. 

Lily and Lefty hardly made a sound, exiting the trailer and wasting no time snipping off every spear of green grass they could find in the barnyard.  

Eating hay came later.  They've spent the night and have settled in. 

Of course, this creates a new dynamic because Bridie now has some serious work to do, making sure those horses behave themselves. 

That involves lots of Border Collie vigilance. 

It's that day when Bill and I can dote over and wish our son Willie a Happy Birthday while reflecting upon the fact that we have been parents for 49 years. 

We couldn't be prouder parents, as both Willie and Annie are amazing human beings---both following their passions. 

In Willie's case, it's basketball and teaching, while Annie has become a rock star as a geocaching world traveler.   And, while we're talking, what's not to love about Willie's wife Debbie, a beloved Sandpoint shining example!

It's Willie's special day, and, yes, because of the calendar, he's an April Fool but nothing close to a fool otherwise. 

He can be a quiet soul.  I think of him as an observer who, when he does talk, always nails it with his one-liner observations. 

I also think of him as cerebral, especially when it comes to basketball. He's been like a sponge most of his life, picking up knowledge of the game and sharing it. 

Most of all, he's our son, and we love him very much. We wish him the happiest of days as he celebrates on the Oregon Coast. 

Below:  Willie's birthday on this day last year.  

We, as a family, enjoyed birthday lunch at Murphy's in Dingle off the southwest coast of Ireland. 

For Willie: 

Below: The ZAG Nation is cheering this morning and there's not even a game. 

Longtime Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few has been named to the Naismith Coaching Hall of Fame. 

SO deserving.  

Congratulations, Coach Few, and thanks for all you do to keep the ZAGS so special.

 

Changes Today

 

When company comes and uses the upstairs bathroom, we are reminded how fortunate we are to have a room with such a view. 

Yes, this photo was taken yesterday morning from the upstairs bathroom window. 

We've been in this house for 20 years, and I have not yet taken that view for granted. 

It was neat to have our visitors come downstairs over the weekend with very favorable comments about the nice view.

The view out our garage door will be different, starting today.  Instead of white board fences, there will be horses standing behind those fences, waiting and reminding me when it's meal time. 

Later this morning, my sister Laurie will come over to help me load up, haul and unload Lily and Lefty as they return home from the boarding stable for the next several months. 

CB will come home from the stable in State Line later in April. 

I told Bridie this morning's would be our last 6:15 walk through the fields and woods because we'll have chores to do. 

In fact, this morning I've already put out hay in the barnyard.  

I'm ready for the horses and the constant reminders from Lily when she deems that it's meal time or sending me facial expressions that it's time to lead  her to pasture. 

While we wait for the grass to get a good start in the pastures, I expect to hear from Lily if I'm one minute late coming outside in the morning or equally tardy for the late-afternoon feeding.  

I also look forward to seeing her doing her acrobatics, manipulating and stretching her head and neck under the bottom boards to snatch bites of lush green grass from the lawn.

All this said, life is going to change today, and there will be a definite uptick in  busYness. 

I've enjoyed six months of not worrying about getting home in time from other activities to feed the horses. 

I can't adequately express how nice it has been these past three years to board the horses at Roxane's through the winter months.

   

Her stable is just a little over a mile away.  Plus, it's always nice in the winter to connect with a different circle of friends while we congregate with our horses in the barn aisle way. 

I'll miss that, but in return there will be green grass and many beautiful images of horses racing to pasture in the mornings.  It's an amazing sight any day. 

Plus, like the dogs, they're nice companions and defintely part of the family. 

Bill will be coming home today too. He's been in Moscow since Sunday at his annual family forest owners conference.  

He helps plan the event, and, as with my friends at the stable, he always loves connecting with like-minded tree lovers from throughout the state. 

Tomorrow will be a relatively quiet day, and then Thursday we'll be seeing Annie for four days. 

Blend into that the birthdays.  We've celebrated Kevin's this weekend; I sent greetings to a cousin in California yesterday and have wished my former student Chad a Happy Birthday this morning. 

Tomorrow, no foolin', our April Fool named Willie will turn 49.  He'll be enjoying his birthday on the Oregon Coast where he, Debbie and Debbie's mom Irene are spending Spring Break.

  Last year we celebrated Willie's and Bill's (April 2) birthdays in Ireland. 

My sister Laurie rounds out the birthday series for the family on April 7, and I don't have enough fingers to count all the friends who have birthdays during this stretch of time. 

It's a lively and busy time of year for sure, but with spring and all the re-awakenings of plant and animal life, it's the best. 

So, I'm off to get stuff done in advance of bringing those horses home. 

Happy Tuesday. 

The finches at the feeder are getting more beautiful every day. 

I took this picture one year ago today.  

The shamrocks were in a courtyard where we were staying in an apartment in Kenmare, Ireland. 

Good memories, as all our Love family was together. 

Weekend Reflections

 

It was a three-phase birthday party/sibling gathering. 

Friday night, some family members at Sweet Lou's for Friday-night dinner. 

Saturday night, family and friends at Jalapenos. 

Sunday, family at National Wildlife Refuge picnic area northwest of Bonners Ferry. 

The last day of our celebrating brother Kevin's 80th birthday was the worst, weatherwise, but that was okay.  

We like to think of ourselves as ". . . the tough get going." 

So, we toughed out a little rain and a definite sense of cold. 

If folks look miserable in the photos below, they were.

 Nonetheless, they were also appreciating every moment. 

We had planned to go to our usual picnic spot on the Fish and Game property at Boundary Creek where dogs do not have to be on leash, but the obvious outdoor misery led us to changing our plans a bit. 

The wildlife refuge picnic area, which is somewhat protects from the elements, served its purpose.  

Dogs and their peeps had a good time, shivering, bundling up, begging and visiting. 

I told some of my siblings after we arrived home that yesterday's event took me back to the nostalgia of our adventurous, occasionally impish childhood and of our family Sunday drives. 

We could all fit into one car then because the family  numbers varied through that era.  

With a 20-year span from youngest to oldest, family numbers for any event were fluid at times. 

Yesterday, instead of a box of Bacon thins, conservatively doled out by our mother, we had all kinds of junk food and deli sandwiches for nibbling. 

Since the two chefs in the family were gone (Willie and Debbie to the coast and Bill to a conference in Moscow), we assembled our picnic menu at Super 1 in Bonners Ferry. 

Today the travelers will head home to Washington, Oregon and Montana, and life will get back to a somewhat normal, but our thoughts will be flooded with treasured memories. 

It was a wonderful weekend.  

Happy Monday.  

Enjoy the photos and the video which reflects a sense of our emotions toward those storied younger years while growing up our North Boyer farm. 

Laura, Mary, Mike, Laurie, Joyce, Barbara, Kevin, Jim, Marianne and Cindy.  

Photo bombers:  Remi, Callie and Ozzie. 

Below: six Brown/Tibbs siblings:  Laurie, Barbara and Jim Tibbs; Mike, Kevin and Marianne Brown Love. 

Jim was literally thinking about how it was 70 degrees where he lives in Oregon. 

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