Not So Fast, February

 

You know you've been retired much too long when you turn over the calendar to March AND it's still February.

For some reason the notion has been planted in my head that March 1 was on a Sunday this year.

Sometimes I guess we're so anxious to get rid of a month that we'll do whatever it takes. 

"It's March First," I said to Bill this morning, almost immediately sensing his reaction of doubt and soon realizing that I was probably the only person on Earth already living in March. 

Well, that was short-lived when he pointed out to me that we still really are in February. 

I've decided that I'm just going to leave that one calendar in March. The excitement of flipping it over to a new month a second time just would not be the same.

Ironically, the calendar, which features "bad girls" of history like Joan of Arc and the Mongolian Wrestler Princess, was given to me for Christmas by my former student and friend, Bryant. 

For several years now, prior to Christmas, a parcel arrives in the mail from Bryant, always a calendar and always one of unique interest. 

And, so, this morning to have rushed the turning over of my "bad girl" calendar actually made me an especially bad girl myself.  

You see my haste to wipe that last day of February right off the calendar meant that Bryant would not be able to celebrate his birthday. 

And, that's a bad thing because he doesn't get to celebrate his BIRTH DAY that often.  

Bryant's BIRTH DAY is Feb. 29, and so he has to do a fake birthday three years out of every four. 

And, for his teacher who enjoys his gifted calendar 365 days a year or 366, when Bryant really gets to celebrate---to rob him of such an important day in his life---it's just an unspeakable and truly mortal sin. 

So, apologies to Bryant and Happy Fake Birthday to you and also my beloved family outlaw buddy, Rose Marie. 

 Upon realization of my "bad girl" timing, I have decided to just tuck March First away in my over-anxious brain for the next several hours and not worry about touching the rest of the calendars in our house until tomorrow.  

Maybe seeing the March photo of a Border Collie puppy will make up for today's chronological indiscretion. 

And, so it IS still February, even at the Lovestead, but I do know one thing for sure today:  the ZAG Nation is thrilled this morning, thinking about the Bulldogs going undefeated this season and, now, the only college men's basketball team to have achieved such a feat. 

Congratulations, ZAGS.  We are proud of you. 

Last night's game turned out more special than ever because my fully vaccinated sisters came to watch with us. 

It was the first time they had entered the house for at least a year.  

We still wore masks when congregating in the kitchen area, but kept our distance across the living room and just sat back and enjoyed our hamburgers and cake and the ZAG season finale.  

It was a great feeling to be able to share the game with someone outside our household. 

I was thinking this morning about what bucket-list item comes next on the road back to a fairly normal life and wondering how soon Bill and I could get in the car and drive across the Canadian Border. 

Minutes ago, I read that it will still be a while, so we'll continue to wait and look forward to that day.

In the meantime, I'll stick to saying a proper and correct good bye to February while looking forward to March. 

Happy Sunday. 

Saturday Slight

 

As the Irish would say, "Brilliant, just brilliant."

That's how February, 2021, is saying "good bye" to us weather-wise. 

And, life in general is reverting back to some brilliance of its own. 

Thank God for the scientists and for all who have worked tirelessly to bring us to this time where a welcome sense of hope is becoming as bright as yesterday's sunshine. 

There are no adequat words to express the appreciation felt to the infinite amount of effort, care, smarts, leadership, organization and dedication that has brought us back to looking at what was once a mundane aspect of any ol' day and rejoicing because we actually GOT to do it. 

Such an event happened for me yesterday when I stepped INSIDE of Yoke's Grocery store with a shopping cart for the first time since last March. 

I walked out of the store with some good memories of visits with friends and a cart-load of items, totalling the highest price I've ever spent for groceries.  

No, the store isn't charging that much more; I just felt plain giddy walking around, picking out extra items which normally did not appear on my weekly curbside shopping list BECAUSE I COULD. 

These items may not get eaten this week, especially the colorful tulips,  but better times ahead suggest that they'll disappear a little faster than my food supplies have over the past several months.  

After all, certain people in the family who have been vaccinated and who have waited the suggested amount of time for the vaccine to take full effect will be joining us for meals occasionally.  

The days of just Bill and me in this house are drawing to a close, and there will be times ahead for family to gather and share good eats and much-needed visiting. 

I have enjoyed the stories from friends who are experiencing the same glee.  

In one case, a friend living in another area noted to me yesterday that her friend and she would be riding in the same car together on Monday AND will be stopping for a refreshment and visiting along the way. 

"It's the little things," they often say.  

We have all learned to appreciate these normally routine happenings more than ever, thanks to the Pandemic.  

I've also read that, thanks to the Pandemic, flu has been basically nonexistent this season. 

Seems like a good lesson that mask wearing is effective and that it might be a great idea during upcoming flu seasons. 

And, I read this morning, from naysaying, self-appointed experts, that half of the people vaccinated will be dead in five years because of the vaccine. 

Now, it seems to me a pretty safe time to make such assertions, seeings most of the people who have been vaccinated are OLD. 

They may die in the next few years from a variety of other causes, but taking a page from the hoaxers' book, it will be easy to claim that "it was the vaccine," just as they liked to claim that most those 500,000-plus Covid deaths were probably caused from other factors. 

When I mentioned that vaccine revelation to Bill, he suggested that maybe the paper, when it prints obituaries which often include flags for veterans, should start putting pictures of syringes next to the names of people who have supposedly died from being vaccinated.

In the meantime, I'm two-plus weeks out from Vaccination No. 2, feeling pretty healthy but damn mad that the my Moderna vaccination did not remove my facial wrinkles while it was injecting a survelliance chip inside my body. 

All the more reason to wear a mask year around!

A busy day ahead today.  I'm going to the airport this morning to watch the Sandpoint High ACES (aviation class) in action as they work on constructing an airplane.  

It's for fun and for a story, and I'm looking forward to this very real change in my Saturday morning routine.

Then, I'm looking forward to time spent outside to soak up some more of this "brilliant just brilliant" Feburary sunshine. 

This beautiful last day of February will be topped off by the final season game for the ZAGS.  

At senior night, the Bulldogs will host Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. PST, on ESPN right after the Kansas-Baylor matchup.  

So, in the interest of all ZAGS fans and my dear friend Mow, I'm gonna say, GO, Jay Hawks and then GO, ZAGS!

Should be a great college basketball doubleheader.  

Happy Saturday.  Have a brilliant day!

Snow Fun

 

I fervently hope this is the last major collection of "snow fun" photos for the season. 

After all, March is a little over two days away. 

We received about four inches of new snow yesterday, and this morning the flakes keep falling. 

In late morning yesterday, I plowed and shoveled, thinking that if this snowfall was a serious as it looked, I'd at least get one layer cleaned up and Bill could do the rest when he came home. 

It turned out better than that.  Though the snow kept falling, it lightened up by early afternoon, so no need to do anymore cleanup. 

My afternoon was spent walking around watching the animals play in what was really beautiful snow.  

It seemed to put them all in a good mood.

On this last Friday of February, I must say there's not a lot to share in mutterings or babble or news. 

Annie has a bit more excitement in her life this weekend than we do, as she has headed to the Washington coast with friends to do some winter camping on the ocean beaches. 

She's hoping to stay warm and to find a geocache a day. 

Also, the ZAGS are 23-O after a challenging game vs Santa Clara. 

Nice to see them overcome the challenge, even if it was nail-biting for all who watched. 

Tomorrow's game against Loyola Marymount marks their last game of the season before the West Coast Tournament. 

It's been fun, and let's hope it stays that way.

All is calm and all is white outside.   

Happy Friday. 

Thursday This, That and Tents

 

The predicted day-long snow storm has just begun.

It looks like serious, flakey business out my window.

So, we may be doing some shoveling or maybe even plowing later in the day.

For now, it's okay because yesterday was SO beautiful with definite hints of spring, especially with the bird noise, which has intensified around here over the past two weeks. 

Hard not to notice when all those crows come back and offer their various voices from the woods, from numerous treetops, around the yard and at the next-door neighbors.  

Seems they seldom shut up. 

Their only real competition comes when the geese fly over, announcing whatever it is they have to say about flying from one pond to another. 

While birds were singing, flying overhead in the blue sky or grabbing sunflower seeds from feeders and the ground, Liam was licking. 

Liam has three distinct licking spots around the place---at the far shed, just up the lane from the barn, in the small water tank and at the entrance to the south woods.

Licking gives him a break from running the barnyard fence hundreds of times a day. 

A Border Collie's gotta keep busy even when he needs a break, so licking does it for Liam as he can lie down, rest most of his body and just put that well-trained and talented tongue into motion.

While Liam licks, Foster hangs out in the barn, stretching his neck and crying while Sunny sits atop the hay stack looking down at him with an air of feline superiority.  

It's an addiction for Foster to look longingly up there at his kitty friend, wishing she would just come down to play.  I have a feeling, though, that Sunny knows that Foster's idea of coming down to play may differ from hers so she just keeps taunting him from above. 

It keeps Foster busy for hours on end. 

Anywho, it was an enjoyable day around the place yesterday, just enjoying the pleasant weather and moseying around feeling grateful to live where we live. 

Today, we're grateful that it's GAME DAY.  The ZAGS play at 4 p.m. today.

While out shoveling in the barn this morning, I heard the guys on Coyote Country talking about today's double header in the Kennel. 

Kevin of the Jay and Kevin Show also does the announcing in the Kennel during games.  He said the men will play and then they'll clear the gym for the women.  

Jay said, "That won't take long!"  And, Jay is correct.  It won't take long for 200 people to go out and another 200 people, mostly parents, to come in for the women's game. 

Just two more WCC season games tonight and Saturday night for the ZAGS.  And, then the tournament begins in Las Vegas. 

Hard to believe this great season has zipped by so fast. 

I'm thinking the ZAGS could add a little spice to their senior night on Saturday by calling up the Wenatchee, Wash., and asking the band to come over and play.

Seems like a perfectly safe thing to do, considering the precautions the band members take, as you'll see below. 

Necessity is truly the mother of novel inventions. 

 

Where there's a will, there's a way . . . .

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/coronavirus/washington-school-band-pop-up-tents/

View the game on CBS Sports at 4 p.m.

Thursday Throwbacks . . . . as usual, some at-random photographic memories from times past with family and friends at a sorting event, up at Schweitzer, family gatherings, gardening centers, geocaching at Sunnyside and at home stuff.

Always fun to look back on the good times and pick out familiar faces.  Enjoy.