Friday Mutterings

 

Annie Love and Laura Schmid aka Swiss Miss in Lugano, Switzerland, earlier today. 

The last time we saw Laura aka Swiss Miss, she had flown from Zurich to Dublin, taken a bus to the north of the Republic of Ireland, checked into a hostel at Malin Head and then walked a mile to the Seaview Restaurant where Bill, Willie, Debbie and I were about to begin our dinner. 

It was one of THE wonderful and happy surprises of my lifetime to look up and see Swiss Miss walking into that dining area. 

She spent a couple of days hanging out with us, then took the bus back to Dublin where we met her that evening and hung out in Dublin, mainly walking alongside the River Liffey. 

Earlier today she took a shorter trip to meet up with Annie in Southern Switzerland. 

Swiss Miss stayed with Willie and Debbie as an exchange student for a semester a few years back. While here, she rode horses, played basketball at Sandpoint High School and even attended a ZAGS men's game, compliments of a very generous Pat West. 

The first tradition Laura learned after touching down in Spokane and heading to her home away from home in Sandpoint was "GO, ZAGS," but she gave it her own sophisticated style:  "GO, ZAHHGS," she would say, and we were okay with that. 

We have many wonderful family memories with Laura since those days.  This is the second time Annie has met up with her in Switzerland. 

Laura now works two jobs---in a museum and in animal rescue.  With her intellect and passionate love for animals, I am sure she's in Heaven with her careers. 

And, we are thrilled that the long distance relationship between the Schmid family and the Loves, et.al. continues to unfold whenever and wherever possible. 

My lettuce crop is coming along nicely.  

Bill has been eating homegrown romaine lettuce in his salads for three weeks, and hopefully the heat will hold off for a while to allow salad fixings for the next few weeks. 

She's going to be 94 in August, and she says "you've got to keep going." 

Frankie and I enjoyed a quick and lovely visit yesterday in the Yoke's parking lot.  

I asked her what she was doing these days, and she said "the usual---pulling weeds and caring for chickens." 

Frankie has a wonderful attitude about life, and she definitely continues to be an inspiration. 

This was the sky before the storm last night.  

Happily, the worst that happened here was a brief power outage. 

I heard there were some problems in other areas around the community, including a direct strike sparking a fire at an apartment building in town.

I don't think I've ever seen so many lightning strikes so close together. 

Along with the lightning came a good amount of rain but no wind to speak of. 

Nice to have no damage and a day when the earth has been cleansed and very little watering is needed. 

This is a view from the dockside road to the jetty near City Beach.  

The locust trees are in bloom and the fragrance is pure delight, as is the view. 

One would have thought it was July with the beach parking lot almost full. 

With temps in the 90s, it felt like July. 

Gary Finney's pasture, up the road from us, includes three brands of riding/driving animals:  mules, light horses and draft horses. 

Thursday This, That; TBT

 

The tickling is incessant. 

It's cottonwood storm day and the breezy air is alive with fluttering pieces of cotton. 

Talk about tickling one's nose.  These little fluffies keep your hand busy brushing them away. 

So, pine pollen sneezes have been replaced by cottonwood tickles. 

The season of nature's little irritants moves on. 

I can deal with a little cotton bouncing off my face because the world at the Love house has changed dramatically, thanks to Billy and Terrell and the folks at Selkirk Glass and Cabinets. 

Feelings of total amazement strike every time I enter the kitchen and embrace the clarity brought to our house by that new garden window. 

For 20 years we looked at a cloudy almost blurry view out that window. 

Today I'd say it's like I hear from people who've had new replacement parts added to their bodies:  why didn't we do that sooner?

Well, we didn't, and we learned yesterday that the window has a warranty of several years, so we can enjoy each new day and each scene that space offers us for a long time to come. 

Stunning, to say the least. 

We really enjoyed Billy, who's grandfather was custodian at Sandpoint High during my last years there and Terrell who grew up in Noxon and knew a lot of the same people I know from Noxon. 

Just like the roofers of a few weeks ago, the team was very efficient at removing the old window and replacing it with brand new glass. 

I told Bill last night that the addition of the new garden window has probably improved our life here in this home by at least 33 percent. 

After all, when you can see the natural world with precise clarity from inside your house, it's good for the soul. 

Thank you so much, Billy and Terrell.  

It's a gorgeous Thursday, and I hear we'll shoot up to the 90s today.  I also heard that the hot, sunny day includes a not so pleasant chaser:  thunder, lightning, rain, hail and wind. 

The weather service calls it severe and says it will happen between 4 this afternoon and 10 this evening. 

Fingers crossed that it doesn't cause too much damage and that I don't have to wash windows when it's over. 

One of the first daisies of the year.  

Weed experts hate daisies and buttercups cuz they're weeds. 

Granted when they take up space for grass, that can be irritating, but the beauty of both species is hard to ignore. 

This scene happened just before 6 this morning when Annie landed in Milan, Italy.  

She's there for Italy's first Mega geocaching event.

So, I'm thinking she'll have some neat images to share over the next few days.  Plus, tomorrow she's planning to cross over into Switzerland meet up with someone we all love. 

Stay tuned. 

Thursday Throwbacks of people, moments, places of the past from the photo library---all meaningful and memorable slices of life on this planet we so enjoy.  For more fun, scroll with the music.