Monday Miscellany

 

This guy was rather noticeable yesterday as I drove down Selle Road. 

He seemed to be quite happy to survey the neighborhood from his perch.  

Beautiful bird. 

I loved the steady rain last night. 

That means the lawn won't be all dried out and pasty looking for the Fourth of July gathering. 

All lawn work and other projects for the past several weeks have been geared toward this weekend's fun. 

It's not only the company coming, but it's also the fact that the lawn area will take a hit after the Fourth. 

Sometime in mid-July Oliver Tree Service will spend two or three days here removing the two quadrants of poplars just south of the house. 

It will sting to see those trees go and to figure out how to beautify the area after they are gone. 

 To have a nice drenching overnight takes away some of that pain, knowing that the weather will get better and that, as we celebrate 20 years of living here at this beautiful Lovestead, the place can be as pretty as possible for the holiday weekend.

The rain also adds a nice artistic touch to all the flowers and shrubs around the place with layers of  raindrops glistening with various colors for backdrops.

My brother stopped by with his coffee cup this morning.  So, we did some visiting. 

Hence, mutterings on this morning's post are abbreviated. 

Wishing everyone a happy Monday.  

Enjoy the raindrops both outside and in the pics! 

 

Sunday Morning Mutterings

 

Wouldn't it be neat if peeps followed this important horse principle:  I'll scratch your back.  You scratch mine.  

All the obstacles and conflicts and the "who's bosses" would fall by the wayside and they just spend a few minutes liking each other.  We could use a little of that.  

I move that "We, the People," should institute National Back Scratching Day.

Any seconds?  

The maps came out yesterday morning, and plotting of the next segment of our guests' road trip began with some suggestions from Bill. 

I have no idea where Tom and Colleen are as I type today's post. 

It could be fairly close or maybe even more than 100 miles away.  

They were bound for downtown and the Farmer's Market when we all said our good bye's yesterday morning.  

Their trip is one where, at times, the next overnight stop depends on deciding whether to take a left turn or a right turn as they leave.  After all, they're retired.  They've been on the road since June 1, and they do have a deadline of sorts----meeting their daughter somewhere over in Western Washington wherever they can find a camping stop.  

A few days remain before that meet-up, so they're doing exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it, and where.  Great way to take a road trip. 

We enjoyed their company, and agreed that Cousin Rich did well by suggesting they stop and meet us.  

Once Tom and Colleen left, we did our best to get back to our normal, which, happily, is fairly open-ended for the next few days. 

Bill put together a cordless vacuum cleaner which he gave me for my birthday.  I hate vacuum cleaner cords and hoses for pretty much the same reason.  

Whatever they can find to attach themselves to, they do so, and when that happens and I'm trying to get something done, I tend to blow a gasket or two. 

So, now I have a cordless battery-operated vacuum and will be happy while cleaning my house.  As for outside work, I don't think such alternatives exist for hoses, 'cept maybe rain. 

Bill also informed me that he had bought me another weed eater, noting that it's just as important to have backups for weed eaters as it is for lawnmowers.  

So, I now have a fleet of vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers AND weed eaters. 

It's bound to be a better life, for sure.  

After Bill's assembling project, he took his fishing gear and headed for Pack River, while I did a few projects around here, including paying bills and trying out the new cordless vacuum. 

We'll probably stay fairly laid-back today and then gear up for next weekend's Fourth of July festivities. 

We host the Fourth barbecue and whatever lawn activities unfold. 

Then after that, we'll go into "picking and grinning" season with blueberries, a few raspberries and hopefully an abundance of green beans. 

Lots of activities and lots of "to do's" on the schedule for the next several days AND most of it ('cept maybe the trip to the dentist) fun. 

Happy Sunday. 

🌺🌼🌻🌹

And, a reminder about another art show this week!!!

The Bridge at Sandpoint is excited to host a community Art Show on July 3rd from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1123 North Division Ave., Sandpoint, Idaho. 

 This special event will feature artwork created by our residents and their families, including paintings, drawings, photography, poetry, stories, quilt work, needlework, and floral arrangements. 

Our goal is to invite the community in to connect with our seniors and celebrate the creativity, passion, and talents they continue to pursue every day. 

 We want people to see that seniors are still active, inspired, and doing what they love. 

This will be a wonderful opportunity for community members to meet our residents, enjoy meaningful conversations, and experience the incredible artistic gifts within our community. 

 Everyone is welcome, and we would love for the community to join us and connect with The Bridge at Sandpoint.

Saturday Slight

 

We made some rounds with the Michigan visitors yesterday, including a stop at Tibbs Arabians in Colburn. 

When my sister Laurie took Tom and Colleen on a brief tour of the barn and indoor arena, Pache joined the group and enjoyed giving out and taking in some love.

We stopped at my sisters' place because Tom loves horses and Colleen loves old barns.  The place provided the right combination, including a massive hay loft in the old barn which once served the Tucker dairy.  

My sisters and our dad spent a summer in the early 1990s converting the innards of the barn from a milking area into a stable with box stalls. 

The charm of the rural past still resonates throughout the barn, so it was fun for all involved to stand in that huge hay loft and feel a bit nostalgic.  

We also stopped at the Bonner Community Food Bank where Debbie and the staff welcomed us.  Tom and Colleen love food banks.  After each took a tour with Debbie, they both agreed that the Sandpoint area has a nice facility. 

With help from Bill, Tom also fixed a situation with his camper.  As they worked in the shop, Colleen and I took a spin around the place with the UTV and then moved on up the road for a fun visit with our neighbor Janice in the adorable "she" cave that her husband Mark built for her. 

Janice has decorated the inside with family mementos.  She also has taken up painting and the place offers her a perfect setting for doing her artwork. 

When evening meal time rolled around, we did the usual Friday-night dinner at Sweet Lou's with Willie and Debbie.  

Willie had just returned from a basketball camp at Eastern Washington University with his high school boys team. He has today off and then tomorrow will take his players to Gonzaga University for another camp. 

Twas a busy and fun day with lots of projects and lots of good times sharing stories among peeps. 

While we were doing our thing, our daughter Annie and her friends headed north to Vancouver, British Columbia, where they and a "few" other soccer fans watched the Belgium-New Zealand World Cup Soccer game. 

Annie even wore her University of Waikato sweatshirt.  She attended the college in Hamilton, New Zealand, for a semester as a Boise State University exchange student.  

The final score of 5-1 favoring Belgium over the Kiwi's was probably disappointing, but judging from some of the photos Annie sent us, I'm fairly confident that a good time was had by all.

Looks like we have some rather blah, cool and maybe wet weather coming for the next few days.  

My phone tells me, however, that the days leading up to and on the Fourth of July will be rather pleasant with sun and temps in the 70s. 

I'll put in my order for that kind of weather throughout the summer.  

For now, the cool days and rain will be okay. 

Happy Saturday.  

Colleen and Janice Rainey Johnson talk about painting.  

Neat to see a Michigan license plate at the Lovestead.  

A portion of our family roots are in Michigan. 

Colleen, a kitty cat and a big barn with history

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