Monday Hodgepodge

 

I felt a slight sense of grief last evening while walking around the yard and noting that we, here at the Lovestead, have probably passed the peak season for fall color. 

For one who thrives upon colorful, vibrant scenes for capturing day-to-day life with my camera, there is a sense of loss when the ground is covered with leaves and the branches are half naked. 

The weepy moment passed by quickly because my eyes started focusing on those leaves that have dropped to the ground. 

They're still vibrant with brilliant colors, and the patterns their respective landings form can be stunning. 

So, we have some days left where color will dominate our outdoor experiences, whether the leaves are still hanging or have fallen downward. 

It's pretty quiet here at the Lovestead after a hustle and bustle of activity over the weekend with re-entry from the trip and with the comings and goings of family members, especially after the food bank fundraiser. 

Willie and Debbie brought their coffee cups just after 8 yesterday morning, and, a while later, Mike and Mary came for a quick visit. 

Annie hung out here for a few more hours.  Then she and Bill headed off to the airport. 

The dogs and I enjoyed some quiet time, and I worked on a few outdoor projects before settling in to watch TV, only to catch myself nodding off several times. 

Seems our adrenalin high from all the weekend's activities wore off. My Google Health aka Fitbit tells me I received a good night's sleep, and it's quite proud of me for taking my morning walks. 

Nice to have that electronic imput on one's every move. 

And, it's nice to keep moving. 

🏀🏀🏀🏀

Come one. 

Come all for a night of fun and good food.

🏀🏀🏀🏀 

Speaking of continued activity, we seem to be pivoting into the realm of fall and early winter.  

Schweitzer has a thin layer of snow and we'll start thinking about basketball as soon as tomorrow evening. 

Here's a shout out to the basketball teams and their efforts to earn some funds for their upcoming season. 

Bill and I have attended these events in the past, and they're always fun, especially with the opportunity to get to know some of the players who take orders, serve and sell raffle tickets. 

So, come on out, enjoy some dinner and help support Sandpoint High School basketball. 

This week I'll also be making arrangements for a trip to Spokane to pick up my ZAGS posters.  I'm a little behind on that project because of our trip but am hoping to complete it by week's end. 

Looks like it's apple-picking time.  

Add that to a long list of "to do's," promising to keep me busy, busy, busy for the next few weeks. 

I love my fall work, so it's nice to have a long list of outdoor activities to check off.

 

I received my mail-in ballot before we left on our trip. 

So, I placed it in a prominent place where I would not forget to fill it out. 

That's one of my very important to do's for this week.

Since it seems that confusion about mail-in voting could continue to escalate over the next few days, I'm following the simple, wise approach suggested by my sisters. 

I'll fill out my ballot and carefully follow the directions for inserting it into the envelope and signing off.

 Then I'll save my postage money in favor of using my high-priced gas to drive to the Federal Building and insert my ballot inside the box outside the Elections Center. 

It will be gas money well spent because I will know firsthand that my ballot arrived on time and to the place where it was supposed to be deposited. 

No confusion and full proof, I think anyway.   

Looks like we have a gorgeous week of weather ahead, so tackling the "to do's" will be a pleasant experience.  

Time to get started. 

Happy Monday, and do skip cooking dinner and drop in at Sweet Lou's tomorrow night.

You might even get to meet Coach Love and his family.  

Beautiful and Bountiful

 

Last night's Bonner Community Food Bank annual fundraiser inspired countless smiles as friends and family members greeted each other and participated in a variety of venues, all designed to raise money for the food bank. 

Spirits were high as the event attracted more participants than last year and appeared to set a record for funds raised through the evening gala at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. 

For our family, the gala offered another reward, enjoying the family connections at two side by side tables and ALL feeling great pride for our family member Debbie Love (left)  who serves as executive director of Bonner Community Food Bank. 

To put it lightly, 'twas a festive and fun evening, thanks to careful planning, coordination and hard work of the food bank staff, board and volunteers. 

It would be safe to say that all of the above individuals function as one big happy family while putting amazing and endless energy into seeing that those in need have ample food and the ultimate of respect. 

It's easy to report that "a good time was had by all" at this event which epitomizes the generous caring and support of the Sandpoint area community. 

 

My niece Laura Laumatia, Coeur d'Alene Tribe environmental specialist from Plummer, won the raffle with raised $2,300.  

Laura donated her winnings to the fundraiser.  

Jeremy from Beet and Basil joined several other local restaurants in providing tasty morsels from their respective menus. 

Above:  two Susie's hosted the cupcake table and they work together as Food Bank volunteers.

Below: the Love family and friends table 

Lots of silent auction items. 

Judy and Barb were among the many volunteers who put their heart and soul AND time into last night's fundraiser.  

Below:  it was really neat to see Jacob and his dad at the event.  Jacob is recovering from injuries suffered in a traffic accident earlier this year.  

Happily, he's on the mend. 

Our daughter Annie and volunteer Shanta. 

Below:  a reunion of teacher and student.  

I had not seen Nicole from the SHS Class of 1988 for at least a couple of decades, so we enjoyed reconnecting.. 

Four Brown-Tibbs siblings:  Mike, Barbara, Laurie and Marianne. 

Below:  food bank volunteer Tom Collins. 

Little Sis and Big Sis:  Kirsten and Mary.  Mary Thompson Brown is my sister-in-law.  

Her marriage to Mike in 1967 started all this in-law/outlaw stuff between the Brown/Tibbs family and the Thompson family. 

Actually, it's been one big, happy family. 

Below:  Two members of the Sandpoint High Class of 1995:  Becca and Willie. 

Becca, who lives in Nicaragua visited Willie's Cedar Post class at the high school a few days ago. 

Mom and daughter:  Mary and Laura. 

Below: our beloveds: Annie, Debbie and Willie. 

Willie and Debbie with volunteers and board members. 

Below:  Little Sis and Big Brother:  Kirsten and Jim. 

Willie discussing basketball with his Uncle Mike. 

Saturday Slight

 

I think Bill liked what he saw while doing a walk-through on the new driveway yesterday.

*******

A week or so ago, Scott Wood and his crew from Wood's Crushing and Hauling kept the yellow ribbon in place after completing a major improvement project on our driveway. 

The project included digging out and hauling in materials to build up the driveway so it would be level with the road. 

A much-needed new culvert was installed and then came the final touch:  paving the driveway and the parking area at the house. 

In the future we are hoping to figure out how to put up a basketball hoop on the north side of the house, so young and old can shoot baskets. I think Willie will like that addition. 

I also think Bill would agree that this is one of most dramatic major improvements we have made at this place since we moved here 20 years ago. 

The paving project seemed like a nice and attractive bit of frosting on the cake during this 20th-year anniversary of our living on the Lovestead. 

Yesterday, when we arrived from Spokane with doggies and with Annie, the yellow ribbon came down and the blue Equinox laid down the first tire tracks for the new pavement. 

It's beautiful.  

We are in awe. 

 I can't think of a more thrilling way to come back home after a two-week absence. 

We have some refinement work to do with the adjoining lawn area because of the project, but that's just fine with us. 

It will be fun to touch up the lawn with soil and seed and then watch the grass grow. 

For now, we simply enjoying and admiring the project from all angles.  

Thanks so much Scott and crew:  job well done.

We appreciate your efforts.  

The other big news with our homecoming involves tonight's Bonner County Community Food Bank annual fundraiser at the fairgrounds. 

We saw Debbie for a few minutes at dinner last night. She's at the point right now that the work never ends, and, during dinner, she had to take a call about the event. 

Annie spent some time yesterday afternoon stuffing balloons for one of the features at tonight's gala.  

I have not seen the final product yet, but the photo above gives you a fairly good idea of the basket my sisters, Barbara and Laurie Tibbs, put together for tonight's silent auction. 

Laurie sent me the photo above while we were in Ireland.  Last night's update indicated that there is much more in the basket, featuring our family's talents, including our mother's artwork and those adorable "little boxes."  

So, if any readers are attending the fundraiser, be sure to look over the offerings and we don't mind one bit if you're generous with your bidding on that particular basket. 

Between the family and the outlaws (Thompson's) we'll be taking up two tables so we're looking forward to having some good family visits along with checking out the food, the silent auction, the special contests and the live auction. 

If it's anything like last year's inaugural event, it will be a great night of fun and a huge boost to the food bank and its service to the community. 

And, of course, we'll be cheering on Debbie and her team for all the hours of work they put in to this event, which, of course, succeeds because of community generosity. 

While Bill and I were waiting for Annie's flight to come into Spokane Airport yesterday morning, we spent time at the cell phone parking lot.  

And, by golly, upon looking closely, one can find some amazing beauty in the grassy areas around the site. 

Our front yard-maple was alive with brilliant colors yesterday. 

There's a healthy abundance of fall work to do around the entire place, and I'm excited about getting started.

It's good to be home.  

Happy Saturday. 

We are also celebrating Annie's birthday in several installments over the weekend and the next few days.  

Since she can't be home on her actual birthday, this weekend includes the cake, which is already missing a few pieces. 

Yoke's Bakery did a lovely job.