Saturday Slight

 

Lovin' the hyacinths, which are coming on strong. 

It's just beautiful out there these days.  Today when some raindrops were falling, I loved the smell of spring wetness. 

Below:  a different perspective from usual. Yesterday morning I walked along the north fence bordering the Meserve Preserve and captured this neat view through the trees. 

A Scoop!

The Bonner Community Food Bank, now located at 1707 Culvers Drive in Sandpoint, is getting a new home in nearby Ponderay. 

With an estimated opening date of Nov. 1, the facility will be operating off from Kootenai Cutoff Road.

The upcoming change became official this week with signing of documents to purchase the new site. 

The package includes the building, a larger parking lot in the back and room for expanding the annual garden---all beneficial to the ever-increasing numbers of families and individuals served by the food bank.  

The former Tom's Differentials building at 900 Kootenai Cutoff Road just across from the ice rink will provide a dramatic expansion for the needs of clients and for inventory provided by the food bank. 

Plus, another building on the grounds will provide rent income or other kitchen-related opportunities. 

Last night after Friday night dinner,  food bank director and daughter-in-law extraordinaire Debbie Love took some of our family members on a tour of the building.  

To say it feels massive is an understatement.  

A lot of work lies ahead in readying the site for operation, and finances are needed to prepare the building (paving, interior construction, etc.) for its opening.  

Plus, as always---especially now with this major move---donations are appreciated. 

If you wish to donate and learn more about the local food bank, visit the following link. 

https://www.bonnerfoodbank.org/

Food bank director Debbie Love explained many facets of the building as we did a walk through last evening.  

In other news, yesterday was maintenance day for three lawnmowers and fix-it time for one tractor and a chainsaw----all of which can be attended to by the gentleman I like to call the wizard, Tony Bitton, owner of Pac West Parts.

Yesterday marked his first visit to the Lovestead for 2026, and, of course, we wish it will be the only time something needs fixing. 

We also know better because stuff happens on any given day with machinery. 

Nonetheless, I now have three riding lawnmowers, all ready to go for this mowing season. 

Actually, I rarely use one of the implements for mowing.  

The old Sears Craftsman serves as my tugging machine.  It pulls a wagon filled with dirt or equipment around the yard area AND it saves a lot of wear and tear on my knees and back. 

My back got a workout yesterday when Bill fired up the rototiller for me, so I could work up the garden dirt.  

I still can't figure out why a mini rototiller is so hard to start. You'd think the opposite, but Bill has to pull the cord cuz I can hardly budge it. 

I hurried to get the rototilling completed because we're supposed to get rain today and tomorrow. 

It was a good feeling to complete that project and a really great feeling knowing all those mowers are ready for duty.  

Below, apparently yesterday was National Siblings Day, so my sister Barbara (top left) played with our high school senior portraits and put together a nice display of the six of us. 

I thought it would be fun to share:  that's Barbara and Mike (right); Laurie and Kevin (right); Jim and Marianne (right). 

The left side is Batch Two in order of their age, while the right side is Batch One in order of their age. 

Thanks, Barbara. It's a neat graphic. 

And, happily, as Barbara stated on the Facebook display:  we're all still kickin'. 

Happy Saturday. 

💚💙💜💙💜💛💚

A Very Good Day

 

So many facets of a long-held dream came together yesterday. 

I grew up in a horse family, and I have loved beautiful horses, especially when they perform, for as long as I can remember. 

My mother owned a Saddlebred Morgan mare named Largo, while my stepfather Harold is world famous in Appaloosa circles because he owned Toby I and rode him to a number of national championships in the first-ever National Appaloosa Show.  

Toby's bloodlines are all over the world, and I even stayed once in New Zealand with some people who had Toby descendants. 

My parents were very strict about our activities around the horses, always stressing that we needed to be supervised if we rode them.  That didn't exactly work all the time cuz there were a few unsupervised rides along the way. 

My riding was pretty much limited to around the place or maybe even an occasional trip to town when Mother would ride her horse and lead mine on a mission to pick up meat at Jack's Lockers in North Sandpoint. 

I also took 4-H horse for several years and learned horse basics and how to groom and show horses at halter.  In those days, there were no riding opportunities in 4-H. 

When my sisters, Barbara and Laurie, came along more than a dozen years after me, things had changed.  Parents were more willing to extend some freedom with the horses, and the 4-H program had added equitation to the horse project offerings. 

Barbara and Laurie had the opportunity to learn all that stuff and apply it, while I always felt a little deprived when it came to refined riding ability.

No regrets there, however, because the horse program also offered judging competitions.  It was a discipline which I loved anyway from my experience of competing in the beef judging programs. 

Lots of fun stuff happened because of horse judging opportunities.  One day some 4-H'ers came to the house and asked me if I would be their coach as they had won a trip to compete in the National Youth Horse Congress in Dallas, Tex.  

What an amazing and life-changing opportunity that experience was!  I came back and told my sisters that some day I'd like to see them to compete in judging.  

The opportunity came a few years later when we put together a team to go to the Arabian Nationals in Albuquerque, N. Mex. 

The rest is history for Barbara and Laurie who, through their lifetime, have taken on every opportunity available to further their horse knowledge through judging contests, attending clinics and competing AND winning in local, regional, state and national horse shows. 

I've always thought of myself as the cheerleader when it comes to horses. There's still nothing I love better than to see a beautiful horse and to marvel as it performs well and willingly at whatever it's asked to do.

Let me add one more factoid to this story.  

During their years of competing in local and state and national judging contests, another contemporary joined Barbara, Laurie and others in high-level judging and riding competitions and, as always, just loving all things horse. 

His name is Monty Collison, and, after his 4-H years, Monty pursued his horse passion by learning from some of the greats in the Arabian horse circles. 

He went on to become a highly successful trainer, and to this day, fifty-plus years later, he still comes to the Tibbs ranch to share his knowledge with my sisters and others who want to improve their horsemanship. 

Well, let's blend this all together, and you can imagine what it was like yesterday for this old gal to go to the stable where Monty is working with my beloved CB. 

Monty rode. 

Laurie rode. 

Marianne rode. 

CB did not disappoint.  

He has been learning fine points of his gaits and other riding basics.  Even though only halfway through his month's worth of supplemental training, he performed willingly and beautifully for two expert riders and one old lady.

To say I was over the top after seeing him and riding him and thinking about how far he has come over the years with help from another fine trainer Mary Marienau, my sisters and now Monty, I could not be happier. 

CB is a special horse for me, and I've been fortunate to have a few over the years while hanging on the horse sidelines. 

After yesterday's session, I'll should put that word "special" in all caps. 

It's an exciting moment for me, and to have the opportunity to watch him progress through the wise hands and legs of people I love means the world. 

Thanks to all who have come along and added their expertise to CB's rides. 

One last note:  horses cost a lot of money and demand a lot of work and care. 

But moments like yesterday make it worth every penny spent and every bit of labor and time invested. 

As Bill observed last night after I shared highlights of the day with him, "Your mother would be very happy."

I'm sure she is.  

It was, indeed, one fine day. 

Happy Friday. 

  

Birthdays; Daffodils; TBT

 

Mom and daughter fingernails---perfect for the party. 

Heather, Carol Ann and Marlo.  

I learned last night that Carol Ann, in her younger years, was runner up for Miss Spirit Lake.  

She told me that the winner of the pageant had the advantage of selling more raffle tickets through the family bar.  Since the most raffle tickets sold determined the winner, Carol Ann settled for runner-up. 

💚💛💜💙

Anywho, it seems that I just can't get enough of birthday action at this time of year. 

While attending the carrot-cake gathering for my sister Laurie's birthday Tuesday night, we learned that Marlo was in town and that there would be a party to celebrate her 16th birthday last night. 

So, while Bill attended his Trout Unlimited meeting, I went to the party, as did Willie and Debbie. 

I hadn't seen Marlo for a few years. She helped name my horse CB, and she would occasionally come to visit him. 

So, it was neat to see her last night and update her on CB's activities.  We'll be going to visit him today, and I've heard he's doing just fine with his training. 

Anyway, last night Marlo and several family members gathered and enjoyed the party. 

The guest of honor seemed quite happy to have a bunch of oldsters celebrating her special day, which was actually Sunday. 

And, speaking of birthdays, there are three family members celebrating today. 

That would be Marlo's cousins, the triplets, whom you'll see featured in several TBT photos. 

THEY ARE 24 TODAY! How can that be???

Happy Birthday, Jacob, Iusitina and Grace. 

Marlo and her mom Heather. 

Below:  Marlo's great uncle Mike. 

When my friend Jean celebrated her 90th birthday this past weekend, her special guys showed up:  grandson Mike, great grandson Conner and grandsons Max and Alex. 

I'm betting that her son James may have taken the photo.  

All are amazing peeps as is their grand matriarch.  

I'm sure their presence gave her a sense of feeling like a queen. 

Thursday Throwbacks:  images of past moments  from my photo library.  Enjoy. 

Happy Birthday to the Laumatia triplets:  Grace, Iustinia and Jacob. 

A birthday party a while back:  no peeps were honored---just the Camp house which turned 100. 

More triplets:  I've been following the Gunter triplets since they were infants.  

They'll be sophomores in high school next fall. 

I'll be seeing CB today. 

We're going to the training stable to see how he's doing with his most recent schooling. 

Happy Birthday, Kevin. 

The late Mac McClean, one amazing auctioneer, judge  and livestock expert. 

Above photo from Chris Pietsch's collection:  Some Sandpoint High Class of 1975 students, back in the day when kids and even teachers brought guns to school for dress-up day.  

Our society has certainly changed since those days.