Tuesday Mutterings

It did not really sting too much to miss a day of blogging yesterday.  

After the last week of a packed-full schedule of comings and goings, topped off by a computer disaster, I actually enjoyed the break from blogging yesterday morning.

With no computer in the house, 'cept Bill's laptop, blogging was not an option.  I could have done my posting with my phone, but the tedium of working and pecking away with a tiny screen told me it was best to just let it go. 

Anywho, late yesterday afternoon, Bill brought my older laptop back from Staples where it was armed with updated virus and ransomware. So, my online work should be safe. 

Some days I think it would be nice to revert back to the days of No. 2 pencils and ball point ink pens, but my fingers which do most writing via a keyboard would have to go through an entire course of muscle memory. 

So, I let the computer needs drive my life, because, these days our lives are on our computers!😕

 

When you're down, thanks to an outside source  taking over your computer, people like Terri Wunderlich can ease the pain.  

She works at Columbia Bank in Ponderay. 

 Within a minute or so of looking at my checking account, she could tell me that no weird charges had been made since some unknown wretched creature named Ellen Stay took control of my main laptop on Saturday afternoon. 

Terri also pulled out her scissors and cut up my bank card before issuing me a new one.  Then, she told me that any charges coming in on the cut-up card would be denied. 

Whew! What a relief!

 Those two actions by Terri probably reduced my blood pressure considerably, knowing that someone had not absconded with thousands of my dollars. 

People like Terri are true heroes when they can give you comforting information in the midst of a nightmare. 

Slowly but surely, I'm getting all my computer ducks in line with the new card, calling billing departments, changing passwords and looking for the best solution for the computer. 

In the meantime, this older model is serving me well as are all who have shown empathy (due to their own experiences) or who have tried to help guide me through this mess. 

One great lesson I've learned through this debacle is the power of distraction or "refocusing" when we're in the midst of what seems like insurmountable turmoil. 

I was almost sick to my stomach and numb when I realized how severe the computer problem could be.  

After the initial realization and calling a friend for information, my mind felt even more paralyzed.  

After all, it was a Saturday afternoon in July and this was going to have to simmer for the rest of the weekend. 

I was supposed to give a speech to a class reunion group that night and knew that I was in no mental condition with this news to carry on through, so I called a reunion committee member and warned her that I may not be there with this dark cloud weighting down my brain and my mind. 

She understood.  

Go mow some lawn, I then said to myself.  After pondering the situation while mowing, I suddenly came to the realization that these "creeps" might ruin my computer life but NOT my other life. 

I called the committee member back and said I would be there after all. 

Refocusing on something even more important than the computer problem and the experience of getting together with those former students did wonders for my outlook and enabled me to move forward to follow a methodical plan to get past the situation. 

So, if there's any good advice to come from this, it's to go do something else and clear your mind.  That process is invaluable, and I'll try to remember it the next time something awful comes along and disorders my life. 

Speaking of good folks, I saw Virginia Stark Overland this morning while on my morning paperbox walk. 

Virginia lives on North Center Valley Road with her husband Hal.  Both are former students, and Virginia also served as one of my drill team captains at Sandpoint High School. 

She's probably best known locally as the school district bus lady.  She's now retired and enjoying gardening with her hubby. 

Dick Creed, if you're reading, Virginia is Jim Stark's daughter.  

Dick and Jim both worked for the U.S. Forest Service engineers where they supervised us "girls" way back when we worked summers as survey aides. 

A few days ago I posted a photo of my very first sunflower of the season. 

It stood about four feet high inside my garden fence about 15 inches from the woven wire. 

The next morning the entire sunflower blossom was gone.  

It had been snipped from the stem and hauled off somewhere. 

No signs of a struggle, no petals anywhere around the stem, no tracks, nothing!

So, it's a mystery.  

Bill thought maybe the doe which comes around doing her daily grocery shopping might have contorted her nose enough to reach through the woven wire and snatch it. 

I think not, and we're both also wondering if a turkey could have been the thief. 

Anyway, the blossom above is about to pop open, and we're thinking the only way we can find out what's doing this is to install a game camera. 

Hope we do figure it out before all the upcoming sunflowers have been stolen.

Whatever the case, these gremlins, just like the computer creeps, can certainly disrupt our minds in curious ways. 

All that said, it's good to be back in operating mode again for the blog.  

Thanks for your patience, and have a great Tuesday. 

Fun and Frustration

Laurie Mitchell, Angie Weinand Cordes, Candy Crabb Moon, David Thompson and Roger Cordes. 

It was an honor to speak to the Sandpoint High Class of 1976 last evening.  

It was also an amazing turnout at the Elks Club. 

The reunion committee created a wonderful, well-planned and fun event. 

Of course, always the best part for an old (on both counts as in age and former)  teacher is to reconnect with students who attended the high school 50 years ago. 

I knew many of them as English students, drill team participants or Monticola yearbook staff members. 

Over the years, they have left their individual positive marks on their home community and in other parts of the country and the world.

Well done, Class of 1976. 

Again, thanks for your warm hospitality and friendship.  

Former County Treasurer Cheryl Wooden Piehl and hubby Brent. 

Below:  Cathy Crandell, good friend to some family members at state tournaments. 

A couple of cut-ups:  Laurie and Angie

Below:  Kirsten Thompson and Mark Johnson

Molly Cates and Hazel Vaughn

Above:  Sue Hatch Smith, bestower of gifts for the "most's."

Below:   Paul Tillberg and Patty Brown, emcees.  

          Over the past few days, I have been encountering some security problems with my main laptop.  

The situation escalated yesterday to the point that the computer was compromised enough for some outside source to gain control of it. 

Needless to say, rectifying this situation will be tedious and will take some time.  

Until that frustrating process is complete, I'll most likely miss a few days of publishing my blog.

There are no words to express the emotional toll something this awful and maddening has caused. 

I do have another laptop, but it needs some updates, so my computer use will be limited until I feel that everything is back in order and secure.

So, thank you for your patience.  

  

Saturday Slight

 

It's the week that was, and it ain't over yet.  

One more item on the calendar for the week:  a 50th year reunion tonight for the SHS Class of 1976.

And, then, maybe a breather will come after several days of company, appointments, get togethers with friends, the U of I basketball practice and probably some stuff I've forgotten. 

 

It's been hectic but fun with the many amazing people with whom I've spent time.   

Weeks like this make me really happy that I maintain a daily blog because if I can't remember, I can always check the blog for reminders. 

I'm also hoping we get a breather from the heat.  Even a couple of degrees will be nice. 

 

I dropped off a jar of jelly for Tom and Joanne the other day. 

The stop gave me an excuse to snap some photos of her barn quilts, which are appearing all over their beautiful little farm. 

The place is alive with gorgeous flowers and lots of funky fun stuff. 

Sue Self Scully, Marianne and Lynette Brinker

The two ladies above were in town for a reunion.  

Since Sue, on the left, could not attend tonight's gathering, she contacted me yesterday and asked if we could meet for a short time during the day. 

So we got together at MickDuffs, where I had the pleasure of meeting Sue's friend Lynette from Grangeville. 

Sue, who now lives in Lewiston, went on from SHS, graduated from Idaho State University and became an award-winning educator and principal. 

She and Lynette have known each other through Idaho education and political circles.

And, of course, with educators getting together, there's seldom a loss for words and always a wealth of stories to share. 

So, we did, and we had a wonderful time.  

This week's extra heat has been great for the garden. 

One afternoon, in between all the socializing, I pulled full-grown weeds from my potato patch, and, with several pullings, came an assortment of new spuds. 

If I can pull weeds and net a collection of spuds like those below, I can't wait for when it's time to dig up the potatoes.  Looks like a great potato year at the Lovestead. 

Also, more tomatoes are ripening, and the cukes are growing. 

Sadly, the heat has done a number on the lettuce, but there's still some out there worth picking. 

And, of course, almost every day involves more blueberry picking. 

My first sunflower of the summer has popped open, and it's mighty pretty. 

Happy Saturday. 

Vandals at SandpointHigh School

 

It was a hot afternoon to be running around doing basketball drills inside a gym, but the heat did not slow down the enthusiasm and excitement as aspiring local basketball players met the Vandals. 

This year's Big Sky Men's champions and NCAA March Madness competitors (first time since 1990) came to Sandpoint for some team-building experiences and, of course some fun.

As part of the Sandpoint experience, the Vandal team and their coaches put on a clinic yesterday afternoon for local round ballers from 2nd through 8th grade. 

Clinicians and participants had fun, as did everyone else who attended. 

I hope they do this again because Bill and I really enjoyed ourselves watching the action and meeting the players. 

I asked Dylynn Grove to sign my ZAGS hat.  

That was a bit hard for him to do because after graduating from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, he's a loyal Vandal. 

As soon as he said his last name, I remembered the Grove brothers, Tanner and Jacob, who played for Eastern Washington in the NCAA tournament a few years ago.  

They were amazing and outstanding enough that they transferred to Oklahoma. Later, Jacob transferred to Virginia where he played for the Cavaliers.  Both moved on to playing professional basketball overseas. 

Unfortunately, Dylynn injured his knee so he's out for the upcoming season, but he figures that once he's back playing he can measure up to the reputation his brothers earned and maybe even pass them up. 

Nice young man and neat to meet Dylynn.  I'll be keeping track of him over the next few years.

And, the fact that Dylynn's autograph on my hat is right next to Gonzaga standout Graham Ike's could be a nice incentive for him. 

 

Idaho Vandals Head Coach Alex Pribble with Bill. 

Coach Pribble, a Cal graduate and player,  assumed the U of I head coaching position in 2023 after serving as associate head coach at Seattle University. 

"Pribble emphasizes character, discipline, and team-first play. He has built a program culture focused on 'doing it the right way,' with high GPA and community service standards alongside athletic success. Coeur d'Alene Press  

His leadership style reflects his own walk-on playing days — unselfish, tough, and committed to fundamentals. Sports Illustrated. 

Idaho Vandal players Diego Trejo-Delgato from Camargo, Mexico, and Ryan Lafferty from Spokane, Wash. 

The Vandal team members were as nice and gracious as anyone you'd ever meet.  

They made an effort to personally thank everyone individually who attended yesterday, and, of course, they thrilled the young basketball clinic participants with autographs galore. 

Sandpoint High women's basketball head coach Madi Schoening and her assistant Joe Fata. 

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Kase Wynott from Lapwai, Idaho

Idaho High School Gatorade 2024 Player of the Year and all-time high school scoring record holder with nearly 3,000 career points.  Wynott once scored 68 points in one game. 

He recently transferred from Washington State to the University of Idaho.  

Vandal player Ryan Carney from Spokane, Wash., with a young player. 

Vandal T.J. Wal from Edmonton, Alberta. 

Sandpoint High boys basketball Coach Will Love and a young player talk about strategy. 

Vandal coaches with SHS Bulldog coaches. 

Thank you, Coach Pribble and the U of I Vandals, for a fun, friendly and inspiring visit to Sandpoint High School. 

Great to meet you all. You created some wonderful memories for young and old. 

GO, VANDALS!!!

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