Slight Detour: Thursday This, That, Throwbacks

Now that winter is over, I have a green lawn again.

As the temperature rose yesterday, most of the snow evaporated, allowing me to spend a couple of hours picking up leaves.

While doing so, I received a text from my new next-door neighbor Leslie, asking if I had any of those pumpkins left.

I had made her an offer several days ago, and she said she would think about it.

Well, her thinking extended through winter, which got rather cold, so I told her I'd check and see if I could still pick them up.

So, I did check and did not pick them up. Approximately 20 pumpkins are sitting in the spots where I left them for autumn decorating.

They will sit there until after Halloween, cuz they still look nice, but upon touch, it's obvious that they may fall apart if I try to pick them up.

So, on Nov. 1 or shortly thereafter, I'll drive the cart and carry a shovel to scoop each in the cart and haul off the whole batch for 2020.

Thankfully, some went to the Food Bank, and maybe they survived the big freeze.

Today, I'll continue to pick up some more leaves and maybe even shed my coat cuz we're headed for a warm-up.

Sadly, over the past few days I've hauled off most of my outdoor color. Besides the dead leaves, the cart has been filled several times with dead flowers and the cuttings from shrubs.

It's an endless job, but my mantra is that the more you do in the fall (when it comes back, of course) the less you have to do in the spring.

While picking up leaves, I also received a text and a selfie from Bill (he's getting quite tech savvy these days).

He decided to vote early, and he seemed pretty proud that the task had been completed.

Like me, he likes in-person voting where there come the announcement, "William E. Love, Jr. has voted" and the sticker and the candy afterward.

They're not handing out candy down there at the voting center, but I assured him there will be a sweet reward sometime soon.

This morning in the paper, I spotted at least one of my neighbor kids who is growing up fast. That would be Terra.

I'm pretty sure there are two more in the picture of the SHS cross country team, Caleb and Nathan, but those boys look too much alike for me to give a stab at picking them out.

So, congratulations and good luck to all the cross country runners, especially the neighbors.

We are proud of you!

Next week basketball starts, and I think my son is beyond excited for tryouts and practices to begin.

Soon, we'll be hearing about Bulldogs, Bulldogs and more Bulldogs as the ZAGS get going too.

Fingers crossed that the virus stays away from those teams.

Wonder what this map in this morning's New York Times shows about efforts to control the virus spread in Canada and the United States.

Sure would be nice to be able to go to Canada again some day.

Hope we sometime get our act together.

Just sayin'.

Thursday Throwbacks . . . .

Most of this barn at the other end of our road no longer stands.

During its final years, the structure always offered its own unique character.

Halloween is probably gonna be a bit different this year as we'll hand out candy on the deck rather than in the house.

We've had some fun trick or treaters over the years, including this pair, whom I believe worked as hay hands for my sisters this past summer.

My friend Trish has been working her heart out, putting the final touches on Sandpoint Magazine which should hit the streets in November.

This is NOT Trish, though.

This is my former student, longtime friend and fellow journalist Erica Curless who served as editor of Sandpoint Magazine for one edition a few years ago.

That was a neat experience, having my own student as my editor. She did okay.

I have a friend and former colleague George who introduced me to the introductory "new frontiers in . . . ."

Some of the "new frontiers George may have shared probably should not be shared on Facebook cuz a few were not exactly "charitable," as my mother used to say.

Nonetheless, I like the phrase, and I'm really pleased to put it to use with the above photo.

It's a portion of a group photo taken many, many years ago, so it's quality is not the best.

Still, you should get the message that this clearly illustrates "new frontiers in pathetic."

I'm not at all referring to the person on the right. She has never been pathetic. Her new frontiers intro would probably read, "new frontiers and adventurous or something very complimentary.

BUT

That one on the left, oh my! If there's a person on this earth that doubts my oft-used description of "klutz," here's proof.

One look at this will tell you why I helped crown the beautiful Homecoming Queen rather than wearing the crown myself and why I ALWAYS got white ribbons at the style review or why my written test in folk dancing at the University of Idaho was the only reason I passed the class.

My mother tried so hard at a very young age to make a lady out of me---sticking all those rags in my hair for curls and sending me off to school in frilly dresses.

It never stuck.

Thankfully, being a klutz provides a whole lot more colorful tales than the alternative.

BTW: that's me and my longtime dear friend Susie.

Together, during her five years in Sandpoint, we indulged in a few of our own frontiers and had a lot of fun while doing so.

Back in the good ol' days when we had foreign exchange students come to Sandpoint High, a few came to the Lovestead to ride horses.

And, of course, Emma from Germany came quite often, since she lived with Willie and Debbie during her year here.

That's Jose from Bolivia taking the reins on Lefty.

Shortly after this photo was snapped, Lefty took Jose for a memorable ride. All turned out well.

One of the great comments in my mind came from Jose when he told me about his last day with his family before coming to Idaho for the year.

"Make us proud," they told him. And, from my observations of Jose, he did just that.

Erica Curless' mom Gail and her daughter Quinn, along with our mutual friend Bonnie at a Sandpoint Magazine publication party.

I had to pull out a few New Zealand photos this morning because it may have been even on this day in 2003 when I left Bill and Willie with a big batch of homemade lasagna, packed a dress bag and some others with everything I thought I would need and flew off to Kiwi land down under.

There to meet me at Auckland airport late, late in the night was Annie who was living in New Zealand as an exchange student.

We spent 11 days driving the North Island, seeing everything possible that we could see.

And, I got to meet my penpal of many years. Sadly Robyn is no longer living, but we still keep in touch with her family.

I also took copies of The River Journal and Sandpoint Magazine, both hot of the press at the time. Annie and I picked good spots to have our photos taken with the publications.

Some phenomenal memories of a wonderful country.

Maybe we can go back again some day.

Happy Thursday.