Evening in Selle

Bugs and all, living in the Selle area this time of year provides a lovely and tranquil escape from the "important stuff" of the world.  

No concerns about who's telling the whoppers of the day on today's episode of the Great American Soap Opera aka known as our government.  

Sometimes I seriously ponder a question I've never pondered before: does the United States have a government?

Oh, I'd better not get started on that subject cuz I've been trying to keep my blood pressure under control lately, and, happily, my evening drives around the neighborhood have been helping. 

Twas a lovely night last night except for those pesky and ruthless mosquitoes, gnats, etc.  I felt sorry for my horses because even the fly masks and the repellent provided little if any defense against the irritating invaders as Lefty, Lily and CB tried to graze. 

Two horses actually stood at the gate, nickering for me to please come and rescue them. 

So, I did.  When a human goes to rescue horses being ruthlessly attacked by bugs, the human provides a little dessert to the bugfest.   

I moved quickly while leading the herd back to the safety of their barn stalls. 

By that time, I was getting eaten alive, so I escaped to my car and drove around the Forest Siding road complex and down Coyote Lane, which is just off Selle Road to the east of Forest Siding. 

In the safety of the car, pretty spring evening sights abounded as the sun was making its way over the Selkirks and putting out its last lovely rays for the day. 

Though the drive lasted less than 45 minutes, it was enough to allow my mind to release the frustrations of the day. I actually came back to the house renewed and more than pleased at the sight of my newly painted and funky garden planters. 

Yup, with an assortment of $1.59 cans of spray paint, I had spent the afternoon giving the fenced-in garden a new look. 

The cedar had weathered to a rather drab look, so it was nice to add a little vibrancy to the planters.  

Right now, they're all filled with veggies and flowers just peeping up above the soil, so it should be extra fun in a few weeks to see the combo of painted boxes and plants. 

I made one disappointing discovery in that part of the lawn yesterday:  most of the abundant lupine which always bloom in June in the yard planter have died.  

My friend Rich Del Carlo, one of Sandpoint's arborists, suggested that maybe the juggernaut of nasty rodents which aerated area lawns, left huge piles of dirt all over the place and chewed away at shrubs and tree bases, might have done away with that patch of lupine too. 

Damn mice! They had a good winter.  Now, we're paying for it. 

I'll spread some wildflower seed (perennial too) in the big open spaces of the planter and hope for the best.  At least the oregano has hung on, and it provides some lovely late summer color. 

Speaking of late summer and spring, I saw yesterday that the Idaho Draft and Mule International Show is returning this year after a year off.  Instead of late summer, the show is scheduled for July 5-8 this year. 

You can keep track of their plans by visiting https://www.idahodrafthorseshow.com/

This should be an interesting change for the show, which has been held in October and more recently September in the past. 

Seeing that information tells me that the Selle Valley is gonna have some more pleasant distractions from the national soap opera.  

We have folks who participate in the show each year AND they practice with their hitches up and down our road and often the Lovestead driveway, woods and lane, so fun times ahead. 

In the meantime, the spring color show here in Selle should keep us pretty satisfied. 

Happy Tuesday.