Rainy days and Mondays . . . .

. . . .always get me down. 

Well, not exactly today.  It's raining and it's Monday, but this is a good day.  There's good news to be shared, and we had a good time at a graduation party yesterday.  

Plus, the rain will lure me back to the computer often enough to keep working with my writing projects. 

Today I'm sending the polished draft of my story about equine geocaching, and I'm working on a very special speech for a very special woman.  

She and four other ladies will be enjoying a very special day this Saturday at the Women of Wisdom annual gala.  My dear friend Jeralyn will give the speech, and we've both been collaborating on it.  

While she finishes up her school year as a counselor at Sandpoint High School, I'll be tweeking and polishing the speech, honoring Myrt Burnett. 

I mentioned good news.  They're leavin' on a jet plane this Wednesday, bound for Spokane, Washington.  A nurse attendant will accompany Rick and Ann Gehring on their return to the Northwest.

Even better news is that Rick gets to continue his rehabilitation from the stroke, suffered in early February in Palm Beach, Fla.,  at Life Care Center in Sandpoint.  His family will be here for the big homecoming, and I'm sure it's going to be emotional and uplifting for all concerned.  

Four months is a long time to be away from home,  recovering from a massive stroke, so this jet plane flight for the Gehrings will be long but sweet at the end.

Ann says the therapists have been very impressed with Rick's strength and determination.  His speech therapy continues to be slow, but he's progressed by leaps and bounds in all other facets of his recovery. 

Welcome back, Rick and Ann.  We shall be thrilled to have you home.

In other news, we enjoyed a few nostalgic memories yesterday while attending Katie Chambers graduation party at the Burning Tree Ranch.  We remember when Katie was born at Chris and Kathy's home on Woodland Drive.  Seems like yesterday.

It also seems like yesterday that I met Marilyn for the first time at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.  That was about 1975.

She had just moved to town, and two of her children, Mari and Rob,  had ridden their horses into town from Selkirk Road to participate in a horse show.

Many, many wonderful family stories have unfolded since that day, i.e., the hillarious trip with the horse judging team to Southern Idaho with Marienau's, Chambers, Tibbs, Aunt Margaret, et. al.   

I have an entire story in my second book devoted to the "Magic Friendship Candle," first given as a birthday present back in the '70s and exchanged between the families in numerous forms and on numerous rather public occasions ever since.

Oddly enough, there was no mention of the friendship candle yesterday.  I think the Chambers have it hidden at the Burning Tree Ranch because I have not seen the thing anywhere in any boxes here at the Lovestead.

That means Marilyn controls the candle.  It's possible it may not go public again, but the friendship continues on.

This year little Willie, whom Marilyn babysat for a week when Annie was born,  taught Marilyn's grandson Buddy, and my sister Barbara has taught Katie Chambers (this year's Monticola editor) for most of her high school years. 

The connections between the two families are endless and definitely generational, and candle or no, I'm sure the friendship among us all will remain magical and fun for eternity. 

Friends and family are important, and we all cherish our friendship with the Chambers.

I'll include a photo below that takes this friendship back a bit and that illustrates that even our dogs have united us.  We've had two dogs, born at the Burning Tree Ranch---Pupper and Annie Dog. 

Enjoy the photo and happy Monday.