Saturday Slight

Today is Franny Paulet's birthday. She grew up down the road from me at the Paulet's Sand Creek Angus Farm, which, by the way, has suddenly acquired about a hundred trees along the the east roadside, blocking the view of Dennis Pence's fancy new Coldwater Creek retreat lodge. Bill and I drove the old neighborhood last night and were shocked to see how fast all those trees got planted and grew out in that former hayfield.

Anyway, I'll start this Saturday Slight by wishing my longtime friend, Franny, a happy 59th. I know she doesn't read my blog, but her sister Ginny does, so, Ginny, please tell Franny I was thinking of her. Franny's mom June was visiting here from Salmon this past week. She and Mother got together down there at June's Sandpoint meeting headquarters---Yoke's Fresh Market.

Whenever June's in town, you just go to Yoke's, and your odds of spotting her are pretty good. Mother and June had a gabbing good time during their visit. In fact, it was such a good time that Mother walked out the door with June, got in her car and remembered only after arriving home that she'd forgotten to do her grocery shopping. After all, that food buying happens at Yoke's too. So, she took care of that the next day.

I had a good surprise visit this week also. I had just returned home and had fired up my weed eater when I heard the dogs barking behind me. A car with a California license had pulled into the driveway. The driver got out, and he had no religion or goods to peddle. Instead, he walked to the back of his car and said, "I can't come by your house without giving you a bottle of wine."

Bob Dunn, SHS Class of 1975, is getting into the habit of doing such things, but I'm not going to complain. Last year he and his wife Patty stopped by---with wine---just after we'd moved to the Lovestead. Bob manages a winery in the Napa Valley, and he comes to Sandpoint almost annually to take care of business dealing with his property and to visit friends.

I hadn't seen him in 30 years when he showed up last year, so it was good to do some catching up. Since our last year's visit, one of Bob's daughters has gotten married and her husband has gone to Iraq as a medic. So, they're all keeping their fingers crossed that he makes it home safely. I appreciate the wine, Bob, and your visits. Thank you.

Speaking of Iraq, I learned this week that Sgt. Brandon Adam, SHS Class of 2003, is now in a wheel chair, spinning brodies. Yesterday he toured the area in San Antonio hospital where his rehab will occur. This is a dramatic change from Brandon's past few weeks of dealing with seemingly inconquerable pain---much of it phantom---where his legs were lost from a roadside bomb. His dad sends almost daily updates, and I thank my friend Connie for passing them on. We all hope and pray for Brandon as he continues his recovery.

I'm starting a fencing project. Yesterday I went to Home Depot and picked up posts and woven wire for my north garden. Though they haven't paid any visits yet, I'm sure the deer will be watching that garden closely, waiting for the cabbages and cucumbers to mature enough for a good veg-out. If I can figure out the logistics and when the weather cools a bit, I might have the fence up in the next few days.

I told Bill I wanted to do as much of it on my own as possible. It's just one of those things that if I can complete it and have it looking halfway decent, I'll enjoy that sense of personal satisfaction that comes from actually knowing how to do something. Working with my hands on any project has never been a forte, but Bill and I have worked together on enough fence that maybe I can figure this project out on my own. We'll see. If not, I know I've got good help.

Bill and I teamed up on another project this week---getting Casey in gear to pull that Amish cart. I have a set of harness, but we've never quite figured out where all the straps go, so we pieced it together one night this week and simply drove Casey around the yard and up and down the road. Bill drove a horse for the first time and seemed to enjoy it.

Casey makes it pretty easy; he's not the one who needs help. We need help figuring out the harness, and Miss Lily needs help settling down when Casey leaves her midst. She worked herself into a lather racing around the barnyard and whinnying every time Casey disappeared from view.

For a horse who up until last week tormented the heck out of patient, calm, unflappable Casey, Lily sure does love him and wants to be with him every second these days. Nothing like herd bound horses to spoil the fun. We'll eventually figure out a solution for Lily, and maybe we'll figure out the road map to hitching up the cart and go for a ride.

Well, before it turns 90 degrees, I'd better get outside and fight with my hoses for another day. With my Appaloosa Journal story complete, my mind is free of deadline stress for a couple of weeks, so I think I'll head to town this morning for the Koffee Kult.

May you all have a wonderful weekend.