Slight Detour

Anyone know what kind of bird lost this feather?

Also, we've had a bird along the border to the Meserve Preserve which does a one-syllable whistle-like sound. It's not high-pitched but it's maybe a second soprano.

Sadly, we just hear it but have not yet seen it.

Any ideas what species that might be?

It used to be a common tongue-in-cheek response from school teachers when asked why they teach.

"June, July and August," some would say.

Well, these days when some schools start in July and others end in late June, that may not be the foremost reason for joining the teaching profession.

Even back when I was teaching, my responsibilities carried on through the Fourth of July and restarted again in mid-August.

Being the drill team adviser required working through those times because the Ponderettes always marched in the Fourth of July parade, and performed in the first high school football game.

So, the real responsibility as a teacher did not have a three-month break, nor does it now. I know from watching my son whose academic and athletic duties require considerable time spent working in the summer time.

BUT it is June, and, at least educators can think or fantasize about vacation time.

June has begun in cruddy weather mode: rain, cool temps, mountains socked in by clouds.

I don't mind it because the weather has, at least temporarily, allayed those worries a few weeks ago when we had some summer days suggesting that things might dry up way too soon.

Grass continues to grow profusely, and the lawn mower continues to mow at least twice a week.

Plus, the cooler weather inspires a comfort zone for working outside. I hate the days when it's so hot that my body and mind are ready to throw in the towel by 11 a.m. and become a slug until the sun goes down.

Anyway, welcome, June.

Lots of fun stuff happens this month, so it's neat to turn over the calendar.

Speaking of fun, Annie's having a great time on her trip. Yesterday she visited Monaco where streets are blocked off in preparation for the 2026 Grand Prix.

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The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix will take place on the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix is scheduled from June 5 to June 7, 2026, with the main race occurring on Sunday, June 7.

The event is held on the Circuit de Monaco, a legendary street circuit that winds through the narrow city streets of Monte Carlo, featuring tight corners, elevation changes, and harbor views.

The track measures 3.337 kilometers (2.073 miles) and the race will cover 78 laps, totaling approximately 260 kilometers.

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Anyway, the perks of geocaching events in the countries of the world include seeing and experiencing the areas around where the event is held.

In this case, the event was in Italy but Annie has had a chance to visit Switzerland, France and Monaco during her off time.

And, we get to enjoy these adventures vicariously, thanks to her pictures.

Not a bad gig.

I'll post some photos below.

Happy Monday.

Annie's Excellent Geocaching Adventure: Sideline Sights included a trip to France and Monaco yesterday.

This is often a very welcome site no matter where we are in the world.

Nice to see that honey buckets exist in Monaco.

Wonder if the toilet seats are gold.

On Thursday I dug out some shorts and found that only two pair from the collection fit somewhat, especially if I tighten my belt.

In my lifetime, I have never had this problem of most of my wardrobe being too big in my lifetime, and when summer rolls around, the challenge of finding clothes to wear in the heat increases.

But wait!

Only one day of wearing shorts and we're back to digging out the winter sweaters.

Happily, I have a fairly good collection of winter clothes.

If I had it my way, we'd be layering the year around because I'm not a fan of extreme heat.

Like my politics, moderation should be the key to everything, especially the weather.

So now, it's back to starting with at least three layers for tops in the morning and shedding as the day goes on and the temperature goes up.

This summer weather in May has my garden plants in a quandary too. My spinach has gone to seed. It's only about four inches tall and pretty skinny.

I don't think spinach likes the heat.

So far, the lettuce isn't balking at the temperature. It's growing nicely, as are my beans and tomatoes. This week I even put out three cucumber plants from the greenhouse, and they are doing just fine.

The real mystery is the pumpkin seeds that haven't sprouted after two weeks in the ground. Last year I had to plant my three pumpkin seeds twice.

Same is true for this year. Yesterday, after deciding the first batch wasn't going to come up, I stuffed three more seeds in the mound next to the barn.

Gardening is always a mystery. It's frustrating, but whatever we can grow always tastes good.

So, I keep at it.

Yesterday turned out to be a basketball-orama.

The Sandpoint Basketball Tournament brought in players, coaches, families and friends to the high school and middle school gyms.

I watched a Lake City-Clark Fork game at the middle school and then moved over to the high school to watch Willie's Bulldogs take on and defeat Coeur d'Alene.

It was fun to see the players and their parents again and to start placing some names with the new faces.

While at the tournament, I learned that Willie's team is selling raffle tickets for a 2026 Subaru Crosstrek.

So, of course, I purchased a couple of tickets. Looks like there's plenty of time to purchase some and help out the Bulldogs.

Spending time at the basketball clinic later turned into spending time watching a WNBA game.

I turned the channel to ABC, and, by golly, a game between the Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever.

The Fire were on fire while the Fever seemed pretty tepid.

The Fire are the new WNBA team coached by Willie and Debbie's friend Alex Sarama, and what a game they played.

It was neat to see Alex on the side court and to listen to his interview. One of the commentators called him a basketball savant.

He surely fit the description while coaching his team to 100 points and a significant win over the Fever and Caitlin Clark.

After the game, I learned that the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma Thunder to move on to the NBA Championship.

Turns out that even with Chet Holmgren out, the championship game will have a Gonzaga grad playing. That would be Kelly Olynyk. Bill says that means that three years in a row a ZAGS player has been in the Championship.

I guess they put out some pretty good players.

Anyway, lots of basketball yesterday AT THE END OF MAY.