Saturday Slight

 

A little paint can work wonders.

The new Lovestead flower bed "after" and "before" is pictured above. 

My project yesterday surpassed even my vision from the first moment I saw this cute little bed the other day. 

Mary, my friend and the Moose Valley garden center proprietor, was not in the market to sell the bed but decided I could have it for a nice price on Wednesday. 

Now, I'm hoping that after she sees the finished product,  she agrees it was a good stroke of business.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn when we went to pick it up that the little bed can be easily taken apart and carried around. 

So, it has begun its new life with its inhabitants next to the deck.  It more than likely will move around from time to time, but for now, the deck offers an easy fix for moving plants at night during the deer-pilfering months. 

Nice to have a new piece in the outdoor museum of funky relics. 

Finishing up the bed project headlined my Friday activities until Bill and I drove to town last evening for dinner.

"Want to go to Eichardts?" he asked on the way into Sandpoint.  

Why not?  I thought.  We haven't been there in a couple of years. Plus, Bill likes their fish and chips. 

It also seemed like a nice choice cuz it's like an Irish pub, and Bill and I had just viewed a video of a drive on Achill Island in County Mayo from "Ireland on the Roadside."

With its three pieces of haunting Irish music, its Border Collie and sheep sightings and the beauty of the countryside, the video stirred our emotions regarding something we want so much but can't have at the moment:  the freedom to go back for a visit to the land of pubs. 

Achill Island, on Ireland's Western Coast would be a new experience for us.  We have driven past the road to the island on trips to the northernmost point of Malin Head. 

Some day.  

In the meantime, while waiting for dinner, I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of the soon-to-be-released coffee table book called Old Ireland in Colour. The book is one of Bill's birthday presents.   

As he looked at the images from Amazon.com, a young lady walked into the pub and put some items near the music stand.  It was apparent she would be providing the entertainment for the evening. 

Long story short, this young lady grew up in Sagle, graduated from Sandpoint High School and then spent a couple of years studying music in the Northern Ireland city of Derry where we have spent a couple of days on a couple of trips.  

Maya Goldblum was later joined by her musical partner Joe (I think that's his name).  He's a very talented fiddle player.  

As they set up for their gig, we saw some familiar faces coming through the door:  Patti and Chet Howell.  

Patti's Daycare near Washington School, where the kids attended,  helped form the basic life foundation for Willie and Annie.  

It was a wonderful place for kids to grow up, socialize and to learn responsibility from each other. 

We were thrilled to see Patti and Chet, as we are so many locals whom we haven't seen in over a year.

 We learned that they'll be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this year and topping off the celebration with a European cruise in the fall (if all goes well Pandemic-wise, that is).   

A little later, I spotted some more friends I hadn't seen in forever:  Marcie Neher, her daughter Talitha and her granddaughter.  

As a high school student and gifted writer, Talitha endorsed the back cover of my first book Pocket Girdles. 

She went on to become a veterinarian, and, after moving back to Sandpoint from Boise over the winter, she now works at North Idaho Animal Hospital.  

What a thrill it was to see these folks with whom we've shared so much with teaching and horses and animals in general!  

Bill and I also visited with Jesse, whose father John purchased our family's Tibbs Upper Place.  We also met his nice friend from the Netherlands who works with Multilingual Computing Magazine. 

And, we met a fun couple from Cocolalla who view themselves as libertarians who've gone back to the land after spending a good share of their marriage connected with the U.S. Marines

Talk about a dramatic re-emergence to the life we once took for granted.  

That hour or so in Eichardts turned out to be a sumptuous smorgasboard of good talk, good food, good music and great reconnections. 

Today, the Arabian horse club is holding its first in-person meeting in over a year at my sisters' arena.  So, I'm sure the spirit of togetherness and enjoying each other will reign again like it did for us last evening. 

Good times with good peeps. 

Happy Saturday.