Tuesday Reflections

A quick walk down the road before grabbing the papers led to this photo and an early-morning brief visit with a Forest Siding Road neighbor, Sherry May.  

Sherry is a sweet lady, directly responsible for our daughter-in-law Debbie learning of an opening with the Girl Scouts in Sandpoint.  Sherry had been working as a volunteer and knew of the possibilities.  Soon after, Debbie transferred to Sandpoint.

The May family also provided some of the trees in our front yard.  Their daughter April rides her horses up and down the road with her red heeler tagging along. Occasionally, she carries along a bag to pick up garbage. And, Sherry's husband built our new bench/picnic combo.

Nice family and always nice to visit with Sherry.  This morning she was remarking about the calves she had seen just being bovine youngsters down in Jack Filipowski's field. 

As a truck turned on to South Center Valley Road, we punctuated our visit with the agreement that virtually every day is a pretty day in this area. 

I walked a few more steps and was taken by the multi-purpose fence amidst lush spring grass.  Keep the Taylor's cows in, provide foundations for bird houses and offer up a good meal for visiting woodpeckers. 

Yes, every morning this May has been breath-taking just outside our door.  Hard to capture it all, but I sure do enjoy taking in every moment, every sound and every scene. 

May is a nostalgic month, it seems, reminding us of people who've gone before us and heightening our passion for the outdoors. 

This morning I read two obituaries in the Bonner County Daily Bee.  One featured the life of Jim Fulling.  I never knew him, but I know his wife Betsy, a lovely lady who has contributed beautiful images for the paper, featuring the couple's many outdoor adventures. 

They have served as phenomenal examples of senior citizens, making the most of every living moment.  Both dealt with cancer but refused to let it get in the way of their love for nature, and they shared that love through those Daily Bee "Best Shots." 

The other obituary involved a lady I met after her sister (one of my childhood friends) died from cancer.   Winnie MacDonald, Gail Sherwood Curless, Karen Lundblad Wood, Carolyn Culley, June Yergens, Peggy Watts Shadel------I can still see all those faces sitting aboard their respective mounts down at the old fairgrounds.  

That's where horse shows, both 4-H and open shows, were held, and that's where I often saw most of those mentioned.  Well, Peggy lived in our neighborhood, so I saw her a little more often.  

June Yergens lived at Blanchard, and she used to win everything with her Palomino.  I don't think we got a ribbon when June asked me to ride my Palomino Arabian Nadji with her in Matched Pairs.  I don't remember a ribbon, but I do remember splitting my pants during the class.  

The rest of my memories of those gals involved a lot of sittin' around on our horses under the trees near the arena and talking.  We all enjoyed each other and still do, I think!

Winnie MacDonald left us a few years ago, and she left behind a daughter Charliann.  

That's when her older sister Mary Etta and husband Bob entered the picture, as far as I was concerned. They lived in Utah, but they spent a lot of time in Idaho and out at the Wrencoe family farm, all the time providing the best they could as surrogate parents to Charliann. 

Charliann served as my English aide, and during her school years in Sandpoint, horses were stolen from the MacDonald farm.  

Eventually, they were found and returned, with a few extras added to the herd.  With Charliann going off to college, Bob and Maryetta made the rounds and found some homes where those horses could stay.

Ours was one of those, so we would see Charliann, Mary Etta and Bob several times when Charliann was home visiting from the University of Idaho.  Eventually, the horse that stayed at our farm moved to another home. 

I saw Bob and Mary Etta only occasionally after that, but Bill also worked with them on some forestry projects on their farm. 

It was sad to see that Mary Etta has passed away.  She was a very accomplished, dignified woman who taught home economics at the college level while her husband worked as a high school educator through his career. 

According to the obituary, Mary Etta wrote her memoirs during her last two years of battling cancer.  A portion was included in today's paper, and while reading her words, my instant impression was that they could easily serve as a mantra for all of us locals who share a similar passion for this place where we were so fortunate to be born.

So, on this beautiful Cinco de Mayo morning, I'd like to close with Mary Etta Williams' thoughts and to extend sincere condolence to her family and to the Fulling family.  

Seeing these summaries of lives well lived side by side in today's paper provided an interesting parallel and another validation that the simple and natural basics in life mean the most. 


From Mary Etta MacDonald Williams' profound, beautifully simple reflections: 

"The hospital in Sandpoint, where I first drew breath, was a large white clapboard Victorian house with a wrap-around porch.  The building still stands in town and has returned to it original purpose as a home.  It always seemed to me an elegant place to begn one's journey through this world and perhaps it has a subconcious effect on my tastes and goals in life. 

"I know I was shaped by the land of forests, gentle mountains, crystal lakes and broad rivers that surrounded me and formed the basis for my explorations of the natural world. The land, plants, and animals were my friends and my teachers.  I developed a strong sense of place and of belonging to the land which still survives in me today. From my family and community I learned the value of hard work, to take advantage of opportunities, and to find the good in where life takes you."

Amen, Mary Etta!