Slight Detour: The Simple Gift of Never-Ending Story Telling

I guess we're going to have to get a few more Border Collies and maybe even a sleigh.

I did plow some of the hay field yesterday so that the dogs and I would have some pathways through the snow for easier enjoyment.

If I added to a Border Collie brigade like the one above, maybe I wouldn't have to plow.

My friend Judy, an artist extraordinaire, sent me this photo in the mail yesterday.

It says on the back that the photo was taken in Minnesota, circa 1980.

For some reason, Judy immediately thought of me while going through a box of family items.

In my note of thanks, I told her that I know from personal experience that Border Collies have the power to pull.

They are gifted with this special gear that allows them to walk almost on their side.

The gear kicks in when they really want to get somewhere fast while the person at the end of the leash is not so keen on the idea nor physically able to maintain the dog's desired speed.

When upright quickly goes to sideways, the word "heel" means nothing to a Border Collie on a mission.

So, I can just imagine how much fun it would be to have a team like the one pictured above.

Thanks, Judy.

Okay, I don't know exactly how I'm going to tie this all together. Nonetheless, please trust me that, in my mind, there are dots connecting.

https://www.islandparknewsonline.com/page2

Check out the link. It has to do with what I'm about to tell.

Kenny Watts lived next to my folks' Upper Tibbs Place aka the old Harney Dairy.

Judy, who sent me the snapshot of the Border Collies yesterday, lives up behind the Upper Tibbs Place aka old Harney Dairy.

Judy painted a wonderful perspective of the old Harney barn with its wooden silo.

Bill gave me that painting for Christmas one year. The place meant a lot to us because we lived in a tiny "ice house" on the farm for the first three years of our marriage.

Helen Newton sent me Scott Hancock's story about Dann and Ross Hall.

Later, Kenny Watts came back into the picture and emails were exchanged.

Later, I learned that Kenny, who knows Scott Hancock, and who once lived next to the old Harney dairy, is writing columns in his retirement---columns for the Island Park News.

Kenny told me that he helped Scott get a gig with the paper, and that Scott gets to write the fun stuff while usually "Ken's Corner" on page 2 (link above) deals with natural resources, development, wildlife and roads.

Ken says his writing might be boring to a lot of people, but his most recent column, published Dec. 9 struck a chord with me because I think, through his simple, short statements, he offers a wonderful collection of helpful bits of wisdom.

Though his thoughts are aimed at folks who've lived a good life and are still able to enjoy it, anyone, any age from anywhere in this crazy mixed-up world could benefit from his simply stated litany of sensible guidelines.

Happily, Kenny gave me permission to use his link on Facebook.

So, I did, and in introducing the piece yesterday afternoon, I mentioned the old Harney dairy which was distinguished by that barn with the wooden silo that Judy, who gave me the Border Collie picture and who lives behind the old Harney dairy, painted a few years ago.

So, whaddya suppose that simple mention of "old Harney dairy" triggered on Facebook?

Well, after Duane Black aka Blackie commented that he remembered the Harney dairy, the topic spilled over into another thread in the Facebook group called "Signs You Are a Sandpoint Kid."

Pardon the busy format with all the dots and such, but I cut and pasted the comments for the purpose of total credibility.

Duane Black

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I have had memories of this, thank you Marianne, who remembers Mr. Harney delivering milk to your porch?

24 Comments

Kaye Cogswell

Mr. Lyons did ours forever

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Denny Crane
Kaye Cogswell and before him, it was Thad Hunt.
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- 1hTrudy Greene

I remembered his name, but I don’t think I ever actually meant him. I remember he delivered milk to our house though! ·

Anna Topp

I'm not sure who delivered it when we luved in town. But I remember Mr. Roberson delivering to John's grandmas house always came in and visited with grandpa and grandma when he delivered there milk.

Jean A Martin

In the glass bottles. Somewhere in our family pictures was a winter picture of him with his white horse.

Doug Moore

We would get 2 deliveries a week. He would chip us some of his ice in the summer. Thought that was a real treat. ·

Douglas Robin Darling

Ours was Mr. Lyons ·

Brian Kramer
Douglas Robin Darling Bob he was my first Supervisor at Pack River Lumber Company in Dover, had a dairy on West Selle
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- 5h
Denny Crane
Douglas Robin Darling Thad Hunt before him. He had Ayrshire cows. He later went in Insurance business and/or real estate.
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- 1h
Doug Moore

It was raw milk and sometimes his cows would get into the thistles, that would change the flavor of the milk. And not for the better.

Katherine Wilhelm Sauer

I never had milk delivery but Mr and Mrs Harney lived next door to my grandparents on Boyer

Marilyn Dalby Sabella

Harry Roberson was our milkman on route 1. He was always so cheerful. ·

Karen Gravelle Griggs

He delivered to us also, little quart jars

Melvin Church

Ours was George Bangman who lived across the street on marion. ·

Brian Kramer
Melvin Church George Bangeman was ours also! Mom always had him in for coffee or to chat! Loved him , funny guy
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- 5h
Susan McConnaughey
Melvin Church ours, too!
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- 4h

John M Evans

Yes, in glass bottles, fresh! he’d come to the back porch about 5 or 6 am. And swap the milk for the empty bottles. I l don’t know what ended it, I just remember he stopped coming in the early 60’s. We missed him.

Vicki R Lunde Wininger

Oh wow we had ours delivered when we first moved to town...I had forgotten all about that. ·

Patti Naccarato

We drank raw milk from my grandpa Saunders's cows and eggs from grandma's chickens

Brian Kramer

I have some milk bottle caps from Harney Dairy Sandpoint Idaho, I think it was on Boyer Avenue! Marianne Love do you know where it was

Dean Kincaid

Brian Kramer Harney Dairy was on Woodland Drive just to the left after crossing the railroad tracks.

I worked bottling milk at the little milk house just below the barn. ·

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Pat Yaeger

We used to get milk from a place on Boyer just south of the road up to Schweitzer,

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The comments keep coming on Facebook as locals dig deep into their nostalgic pasts and reveal wonderful little anecdotes of what they remember about the milkmen who came to their house with those glass bottles filled with milk.

Amazing what one story or mention of an isolated incident can inspire in the simple gift of memory for all who grew up in a small, rural town and how the telling can lead to even more sense of community.

So, thank you, Helen for getting this all started. Who knows where this never-ending story will go and the ultimate joy it brings to all who realize that we really have lived the good life and that we do have a lot in common in spite of differences.

Finally, thank you, Kenny, for the "simple gifts" of universal wisdom you offer through your words.