Water Color, Etc.

 

After two days of steady rain, this Good Friday looks like a winner, promising warmth and no more wetness for a few days. 

The Earth in our area has certainly received a soaking.  Puddles abound along with more than enough squishy mud. 

I fed the horses in the barn twice yesterday.  When they came home on Tuesday, it was dry.  

Within hours, however, the rain began to fall, and their barnyard is now a muddy mess. 

So, I think they were more than happy to choose the barn over the outdoors for a couple of days.  

They could go outside if they wanted, but on most of my trips outdoors yesterday, all I saw were their faces, standing in stalls inside and watching it rain outside. 

I think they will be happy today, and, more than likely by afternoon, I'll remove their blankets, as we're headed toward the 70s in the next day or so.

What amazing weather for an Easter weekend!

I don't think it rained too much on Bill's birthday parade yesterday.  Gifts in the morning, a telephone visit with his twin sister, a trip to Spokane to pick up Annie and dinner at Mick Duffs topped off by a decadent cake and ice cream (salted caramel) dessert. 

Our immediate family birthdays are taking a break until April 7 when my sister Laurie celebrates a significant milestone (Medicare, anyone?). 

And, so today, Annie is home.  She'll be working remotely and taking breaks to take Foster for walks. 

Bill and I will probably resume our outdoor projects.  The grass is growing, and the lawnmower will probably go into action. 

I'm feeling the endorphins buzzing within and ready to propel me into some springtime action.

 

Yay!

Speaking of "Yay," how about the Artemis Mission!  Bill and I watched the launch and agreed that it reminded us of the space activities in the '60s when we'd tune in, as students, to the various Space activities. 

I agreed with the commentators that it's so nice to have something positive that unites people and injects them with some rare optimism. 

Their accounts of what they've seen and how it affects them are poignant, to say the least. 

Be prepared for delays between questions and answers in the video below. 

A treasure came in the snail mail yesterday from Great Britain. 

I still have a card Lynne Stockman sent me several years ago.  It features a Border Collie. 

Lynne wrote that she went to a garden store where she lives in England, saw the above card and thought of me. 

A lovely surprise in the mail. Like the other card, it too shall stay on display somewhere in this house. 

Lynne was one of my students who graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1980. 

Always witty; always very smart, and definitely thoughtful. 

Thank you, Lynne.  Bill sez we need to get together for lunch or dinner while you are in Sandpoint. 💜

Happy Friday.  

If you're local, enjoy the spring beauty and warmth ahead. 

Rainy Day Delight, Bill; TBT

It was cold and wet and windy yesterday when I went to The Flower Farm for opening day, but the weather was not deterring the customers. 

I grabbed a few pansies to brighten up the place for Annie's visit. 

During my quick visit, I could see that the flowers are beautiful and ready to go to their new homes. 

I think my pansies are pretty happy to live here at the Lovestead, even though they've been pampered into ultra prettiness by Mom and Dad Carlin and the Flower Farm crew of plant nurturers. 

You all must know by now that I love meeting people.  

Well, on a rainy day yesterday, thanks to the flamingo flock, I loved meeting the Weiss family. 

First, Nicole texted me and told me she would be picking up the flamingos. 

She brought her husband Eddy and her daughter Josephine with her. 

How fortunate it was that my horses happened to be home and happy to receive some company. 

While Eddy put flamingos in their jeep, Nicole and I got acquainted.  Then, Nicole, Josephine and Eddy walked over to meet Lily and Lefty. 

Next, we moved on to the house and enjoyed a wonderful get-acquainted visit for nearly an hour.

Twas totally spontaneous but very nice.  

That's what this flamingo flocking will do for people. 

It raises money for a good cause (the local museum), it's a part of Nicole's curriculum for Leadership Sandpoint and it gets people together in a nice and upbeat way. 

Eddie, Nicole and Josephine moved here a couple of years ago from Green Bay, Wisc. Before that, they lived in Germany where Eddy worked as a contractor and Nicole worked for Siemens. 

Eddy has relatives from Evanston, Ill., so he came to America on a regular basis and always wanted to move here. 

Green Bay was nice but no mountains, so Sandpoint and its community feel attracted them. 

They are building their house in Samuels where two kittens have been added to the family, and when the house is completed, more critters will come to be apart of the Weiss family. 

Nice, nice people, and a true pleasure to meet them.

BTW:  they provide some expert service in a niche that benefits from their collective experience with homes and construction.

 

It's Birthday "Bill" week. 

Actually "Willie" is more appropriate for William E. Love III, born April 1, 1977. 

And, Bill totally fits William E. Love, Jr., born April 2, 1950. 

His dad William E. Love went by "Edgar." 

Anyway, Jr. is 76 today, and it looks like, from the photo above, that Willie's special day received some special attention over there on the Oregon Coast. 

Bill told me this morning while opening his present and card that he rather liked being 75 because of its milestone appeal, but he'll settle for 76. 

We'll do some celebrating tonight when Annie arrives home from Seattle for the weekend. 

In the meantime, Happy Birthday to Bill and all those gazillion others I know who are celebrating on this day, especially you, Bill's twin sister Margaret, and Bill's other birthday "twin" and Irish lover, Marcia. 

Quite a day for April chicks to have hatched. 

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

 

A great man and geocaching friend Pat aka Grandpapa left us in March.  He will be missed. 

Below:  Richard Benjamin is an author (Whitopia) and talking head for MSNBC and NPR.  When we were still inducting people into our Lodgepole Society (when the double-trunked tree still stood), Richard, who lives in New York, joined the society. 

I post this photo quite often because it makes me laugh.  

I once belonged to a book group called "Church Ladies,"  mostly Catholics.  These are some of the group. 

Bob Hamilton was a phenomenal journalism instructor at Sandpoint High School.  

I think Cindy, on the right, who just retired from nearly 40 years of jetting around the world reporting on Popes, would agree that he was our mentor.  

Lots of other SHS grads who served on the Cedar Post would agree also. 

Below:  Cousin Sue, I love you!