Saturday Slight

 

It's a slightly drizzly Saturday morning here at the Lovestead.  

The horses have gone to pasture, and, overall, it's pretty quiet here in the house.  

The slightly gloomy weather outside promotes quiet, and it's nice. 

I'm looking forward to watching a few football games both today and tomorrow and basically putzing along taking care of various projects. 

Bill brought home a load of wood yesterday, so he'll probably spend part of the day chopping and stacking. 

Off in Ohio, in about three hours, my sister Laurie will be riding in her last class at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals.  

We're all hoping that her luck in finishing at the top of these national classes will be punctuated with another amazing and well-deserved win.  

Good luck, Laurie. 

Last evening Willie sent me the two images below. 

They date back to the year Bill was born in Louisiana and the Brown family moved from their home at 214 Euclid to the North Boyer farm. 

Willie told me that Marilyn Brown Ward passed the images along to him. They found the book in a house they owned in Sagle. 

I told Bill that it's pretty ironic how often we get various phone books in our mailbox or thrown on the road under the mailbox, and we don't have to pay to bring them into the house and throw them in the garbage. 

People paid a dollar back in 1950 for these directories, and they were probably worth every penny because they included much more information than present-day phone books. 

These images are also worth their weight in gold because they document that we, as a family of five, lived in Sandpoint way back when. 

I'm guessing that back then when homes had the wall phones, one would just pick up the receiver, crank for the operator and utter "17" to call Helphrey Motor Freight. 

The only phone number I remember from those days was "382, please."  That's what I heard Mother say when she was calling Ardis Racicot on our wall crank phone, and then she would stand there talking by the hour to her friend down the road. 

Anyway, check out the "B's" in Sandpoint; there's some interesting information.  

As for us locals, it's nice to have these nuggets of history. 

I think Annie's blog today includes one of the more fun posts she has shared.

Neat little stories and observations. 

Check it out. 

https://adventuregirlannie.com/

The following is a note from Proposition 1 supporter/organizer Luke Mayville.

Dear Supporters of Proposition 1 (the Open Primaries Initiative),

 

For the next four days—from today until Tuesday—the film Majority Rules will be available to watch for free online thanks to the nonpartisan advocacy organization RepresentUs. 

 

Majority Rules tells the story of the election-reform movement that's sweeping the country. The film focuses on Alaska’s success with open primaries and ranked choice voting, and it also includes coverage of reform efforts in other states—including Idaho!

         Click here to view the film for free (anytime from now until Tuesday, September 17th) on the RepresentUs website.

Personal Note:  This morning I have watched just a portion of this documentary and can vouch that it is beautifully done, that it represents voices from both parties and that it reflects some of the major concerns of voters every time a closed primary election rolls around.  

Those concerns have led to low numbers of voters in the primaries and the fact that most elected officials basically win their offices in the primary election.  In short, a lot to think about in regard to your decision about Proposition 1. 

This film is well worth the watch and definitely not boring.  If you have time between now and Tuesday, click on the link and watch the movie.  Thank you. 

 

 

The sunflowers will certainly brighten up today's gray day.  

Happy Saturday. 

 

Fridy Musings

 

It was pretty neat to see a Sandpoint connection on last night's ABC Oprah special about Artificial Intelligence.

I'm still not sure that I get the entire concept of AI, but I do understand it a little more.  

The main focus of the special seemed to be that it's here, it can be both good and bad and that we need to get our arms around it in hopes of controlling its potential dark side. 

At the end of the special, Sandpoint native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson expressed caution about AI in the hands of the wrong individuals.  

She also expressed hope that AI would not get in the way of gifted writers to continue penning their own brilliant and original thoughts.   

I felt a deep sense of pride hearing Marilynne Robinson speak last night, not only because I got to meet her a few years ago but also because she is a Sandpoint native who has distinguished herself at such a high level. 

Her thoughts and the ease with which she spoke them did not disappoint. 

Marilynne Robinson came to Sandpoint a few years ago at the invitation of Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville.  

Her purpose at the Panida that night not only served as an official launch for the Reclaim Idaho organization that has offered voters two statewide initiatives was to remind the audience of the importance of public education. 

Yours truly, Luke Mayville, Lost Horse Press owner Christine Holbert, author Marilynne Robinson and local advocate Nancy Gerth. We were privileged to take Marilynne to dinner at Hope's floating restaurant.  
  

In short, watching Marilynne Robinson speak last night on the Oprah special was definitely one of those "from Sandpoint and we couldn't be any prouder" moments.

Another "from Sandpoint and we couldn't be any prouder" moment happened in Ohio yesterday. Sister Laurie and her horse Pache earned yet another national award. 

 

I have thought about my mother several times this week. 

She would be so proud to know that, more than a decade after her passing, her descendants have continued to guide their own lives with a little help from Mother's ever-present spirit. 

Yesterday my sister Laurie and her horse Pache took  another big prize at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals.

They won a Reserve National Championship, as my sister Barbara describes:

  They did it again! 

 In a large class of Half-Arabian Western Dressage ATR Basic, Laurie and Pache (Ravenwood Hot Stuff) just won the Reserve National Championship at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals held at the WEC in Ohio!  

 Huge Congrats Team Pache! Next and Last class will be Saturday morning before starting their long trek home.

In our family, we often chuckle about but truly believe in our unique list of famous sayings uttered by my mother. 

Laurie can tell you at any given moment the life-defining story about when Mother suggested to her that she was a "quitter."  Let's just say she was pretty emphatic too. 

I'm sure every time Laurie ever embarks on a mission that word and the way our mother said it reverberates in her mind, always keeping her on course. 

The term has even crossed a boundary of family separation too. This week while posting about a tough day on her 500-mile Camino, Laurie's niece/our daughter expressed disappointment about some incidents she had experienced and about her general assessment of this Camino compared to the first time she walked the route.

So, I sent Annie a little cheerleader-oriented note, mentioning that she reminded me so much of "Grandma" whose grit and determination throughout virtually every aspect of her being stood as an example for us kids as we pursued our own lives.

Annie wrote back saying, "Part of why I won’t just quit is because I know Grandma wouldn’t want me to."

I often think about how fortunate we all are to have had our mother/grandmother in our lives. 

She definitely had her moments with each of us, but overall, she was one strong and brilliant woman. 

 The beauty is that her influence is still making a difference. 

Events this week have clearly illustrated that her spirit is alive and well in each of us. 

Great things happen when ya don't allow yourself to be a quitter. 

Meanwhile, on her quest to finish the Camino, Annie will be sleeping in Villafranca del Bierzo tonight. 

A lively and colorful fiesta greeted her as she walked into town. 

See her photos and thoughts in the link below.

https://adventuregirlannie.com/

Our writers often leave us with little nuggets to ponder. 

I liked this one from Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Happy Friday.  May it be the best day until tomorrow. 

Thursday and the Travelers

 

My pumpkins are turning.  

This year's crop has produced a variety of sizes and even shapes. 

Seems that the aged-manure on the west side of the barn has been good for both pumpkins and potatoes. 

Those successes have made up for much of the garden disappointment for this season.  

It's always baffling why certain veggies produce abundance some years and not much some seasons. 

In spite of the disappointment, we have still enjoyed whatever we could harvest. 

It's probably been at least 25 years since I've seen Paavo Makinen. 

He spent a year as a Finnish exchange student at Sandpoint High School where he graduated with the Class of 1987.  

A while back, Paavo wrote and told me of his plans to ride his motorcycle around the region in September and that part of his time in the United States would include a visit to Sandpoint.  

Well, Paavo has been here this week.  Yesterday after my last physical therapy session, we met at MickDuff's and talked constantly for more than an hour.  

As I told Paavo, our time together felt like  speed visit as we tried to touch on nearly 30 years of our mutual lives. 

It was fun and inspiring to hear about his career, his family, his travels and his visits with local friends he made during his year at Sandpoint High School. 

If all works out, Paavo will also visit with Willie at the high school.  Willie was just 10 years old, and I'm not sure if the two met during that time. 

Paavo is a journalist, though, specializing in all things motorcycle.  So, I have a feeling the two of them will hit it off. 

I know it's redundant when I constantly say what a gift it is to be able to reconnect with these former students.  

BUT

It is. 

Great seeing you, Paavo.  You make an old teacher proud.  

This is not the official awards photo for Laurie and Pache's Arabian Sport Horse national championship, but it's good enough.  

Thank you, Kevin, for taking the photo of Laurie and Pache with their awards---minus the gorgeous Arabian national championship trophy.  

A sample is seen in the stock photo below. 

Laurie has a chance to win some more loot with class today and another on Saturday. 

Fingers crossed for more success. 

 

Annie had an easy day today, so her blog is up, and she's exploring.  

There's a castle in the Spanish town where she is staying tonight.  Check out the rest of her news from today. 

https://adventuregirlannie.com/

Lots of pretty flowers and interesting sights from the Healing Garden next to the hospital. 

Also, around the neighborhood and the Lovestead, leaves continue to fall.  Some are unique in design and color while others are just dead leaves.

It's definitely a transitional time of year.