All in a Day

I had never seen this kind of garden starter before. 

The three jars of herb starts were sitting on a table in the window light at the home of a Selle Club member yesterday. 

She said she had purchased the kits at Wal-Mart.  

Looks like a great idea, and it seems to be working nicely. 

Selle Club met for its February gathering over on Forest Siding Road, which was kinda neat because Carol's back porch offers a phenomenal view of the "Sisters" in the Selkirk Mountains.  

How lucky is she to look out her windows at that sight every day!  Of course, the stunning scene best seen on a bright and sunny day. 

As usual, it was a fun get-together, and, as usual, the ladies had teamed up with more than enough to eat during the potluck lunch after the meeting. 

I left the meeting early because of another commitment in town, which involved taking a photo for a story assignment. 

Once there, my subject asked if I could come back in about ten minutes because of his break time at the store. 

Okay with me cuz the brief wait gave me an opportunity to walk around the block, which happened to be in our "OLD" neighborhood just a block or so away from where we lived in town as little kids. 

The early spring stroll felt good as did the sights along the way, which included the colorful bird house complex, seen in the photo. 

Before taking off for my walk, I also spotted No. 1 parked next to the store.

Yup, license plate No. 1 for Bonner County, which in the Idaho license plate world used to commonly be known as "7B," because of its alphabetical order in Idaho county names.  

By the time I returned, the owner of the car, a former student named Alison was climbing into the driver's seat. 

Turns out that having No. 1 on your license plate was kinda cool for Alison when she won the plate in a raffle around 13 years ago. 

Not all cool, though, she told me. 

Seems that when she received the license plate someone forgot to file its legal paperwork.

Alison didn't know that until she tried to cross the border into Canada. 

Three cars and the same license plate later, the original oversight still causes problems. 

"I won't be able to take it to Canada," she told me.  During Border inspection the number pops up because of the earlier paperwork problem or because the number suggests that she must, of course, have diplomatic papers. 

So, it's a conundrum, but Alison seems to figure having No. 1 is worth it, especially cuz there's a good story involved. 

And, I must say that Alison is certainly diplomatic about the glitch. 

Another gorgeous day awaits us, and another busy day. 

As I told Annie last night, we can feel the momentum starting to rise out of winter dormancy. 

Soon, as the outdoors becomes more inviting and its usable horizons expand,  every day will be a busy day. 

Happy Wednesday. 

Finally, a wee bit of Irish art and lore . . . .

Moneypenny's Lockhouse 

painting by Billy Austin

of Portadown, Northern Ireland

The Newry Canal The Newry Canal was the first summit level canal in the British Isles. It opened for traffic in March 1742. Eighteen miles in length, it extended through a series of locks from Newry to Whitecote Point, 2km south of Portadown. The last lock before the canal joins the River Bann is known as Moneypenny's Lock. 

The Moneypennys were lock keepers for 85 years and operated the lock gates. They also took note of the barges, which passed through the lock carrying a great variety of cargoes including linen cloth, farm produce, coal, grain and flax seed. However, with the growth of the railway network, the use of the Newry Canal began to decline and the last known commercial journey through the lock was in 1936.

Moneypenny's is 4km from Portadown town centre via the Ulster Way footpath. To get where you park your vehicle, take Gilford Road out of Portadown. Drive almost 2 miles and take road on right at first crossroads. There is a shop/petrol station nearby, just before the crossroads. The parking spot is approx 0.5 miles from here on the right.

                                       ---from www.geocaching.com

Update:  SHS Girls Varsity Basketball Team
is officially on the road, on their way to STATE

Safe Travels, Ladies!