Cosmo Day

By day's end, we can say we're worldly.  The Belgians from outside of Brussels are in Butte, Mont., as I write.  They'll be arriving here at the Lovestead sometime late this afternoon.

After some visiting, we'll join other family members for dinner, and that includes Swiss Miss aka Laura.  Heck, we may even have a friend from Spokane in our group. 

Howz that for branching out and embracing the world outside of Sandpoint?

Back in the 1950s-'60s, our experience today would have made headlines in the Sandpoint News Bulletin.  After all, in those days, a trip to Spokane was a major life event.  

The world has changed, and we are the better for it in a lot of ways if we can count out terrorism, dirty politics and all that stuff we get to watch on TV every day.

I'm hoping our visitors from Belgium have gotten a different impression of this country while on their road trip through the West.  

The stuff that makes headlines is hardly reflective of the beauty and the millions of good people, living stable, productive lives, who inhabit the United States. 

I beg to differ with all the rhetoric of "the American sky falling in" that has permeated the 24-hour newscasts, especially the past two days. 

"We're going to take our country back!" I've heard so many times.  My question is "who took it, and what are we going to do to take it back?"  I thought we already had it, but silly me."  

I find it humorous to listen to convention speeches ad nauseum which deal with the same worn-out topics I've heard in convention speeches throughout my adult life. 

Whenever there's a Presidential election, it seems that our country looks bleak at every turn, according to the candidates and their followers.  

Sadly, our Presidential campaigns and elections now take up nearly three years of every election cycle, which guarantees that we have to hear how bad our lives are and how afraid we need to be three quarters of our lives.

I refuse to buy into the "trumped up" sensationalized rhetoric because I'm not running for election, and because life appears to be just fine, thank you-------except for "Damn Dog" formerly known as Liam and maybe earning his name back with time.  

For one brief shining moment after I came upstairs to write this post, life was copacetic here at the Love house on this day of company coming----lawn mowed, just a little vacuuming to do, house looking basically okay, plans worked out for dinner, a beautiful day to show off Sandpoint. 

Then, I heard it---a sound unlike no other. 

"Hmmm, Bill's in the bathroom," I thought.  Maybe I'd better go downstairs and check."

As I came rounded the corner from the staircase, I saw the back end of Liam heading toward the dining room table where he hides whenever his "sky is falling in." 

That brief image quickly vanished as my eyes caught the carnage:  same cushion from Love seat which was ripped a few weeks ago with stuffing on the floor and a new rip just above where I'd sewed it back together in Marianne fashion three weeks ago. 

Yes, Damn Dog is now lying and sleeping on the floor just outside the computer room door where I can watch his every move. 

So, yeah, here in America, we do suffer some setbacks occasionally, thanks to our resident beloveds and their sharp teeth, but unlike we hear on TV, life is pretty good in most corners of this country. 

We're hoping to reinforce that notion when the Belgians come to Sandpoint today.  

As for, Swiss Miss----she already knows that cuz she keeps coming back. 

Happy Wednesday.  Off to get the needle and thread!  Damn dog!