This morning marks the first time in several days that we haven't gone outside to see a new deposit waiting for us to invest even more toil with our aging bodies.
I think we've done enough of that kind of investing for a while. It was nice to do chores this morning without having to tend to a bunch of extras.
Yesterday, I finished off shoveling the trail to our dog run, which gave Liam and Bridie the freedom to romp however they wanted in a safe environment.
Today it's nice to see those shovels leaning almost to the ground where snow is melting around them.
For a while, a snow pile next to the barn door filled with shovel handles sticking out several directions looked like the abominable porcupine.
Yesterday afternoon, as a means of celebrating at least a temporary "life after shoveling," I suggested to Bill that we take Foster, drive over the slippery roads to HWY 95 and drive to Bonners Ferry and back.
"It won't be pretty," I said, but, at least, it will be a change of scenery and an escape.
So, we loaded up, with Foster almost over the top with excitement because he got to GO.
Foster knows the word "GO," very well, and, by golly, this time, for the first time since Annie left, he got to "GO" while the other dogs stayed home.
Doesn't get any better than that for the senior dog in our pack.
The trip was ugly and gray as advertised, but when I checked my iphone weather report, it said rain was stopping in 34 minutes.
That gave us plenty of time to get to Bonners Ferry and some hope that the drive back would be dry.
Well, it was still raining in Bonners Ferry, so we headed on north after Bill asked if I'd like to go to the antique store.
Had my mask with a filter inside, so I said yes. I love that store and have enjoyed every visit in the past and have bought a few items.
Talk about a total escape from Mother Nature's woes, especially for one who loves the past.
We spent about half an hour quietly strolling through the maze of aisles inside. Bill looked at bamboo fishing poles, which he likes to collect, while I looked and snapped pictures throughout the store.
I took several trips back in my mind.
The Velvet can reminded me of my stepdad Harold who "rolled his own" all the years I knew him.
The crank phone with my inscribed "382 please" reminded me of Mother in the far end of the living room by the front door where our rotary phone hung on the wall.
Some of my friends can probably guess who she was calling when she stood at the wall, cranked and told the operator the number.
I'm sure Mother was really glad when those rotary phones came along, and she could sit down while talking for what seemed to us "listening kids" hours on end.
We knew pretty much everything she said and, at the time, were too young to have the guts to correct her if she uttered any mistakes.
Later, with the rotary phones, I do believe we gained more confidence and became unwelcome participants in Mother's phone conversations.
And, when she had gone to town to get some cigarettes or a loaf of Wonder Bread, we enjoyed our time on the phones, thanks to the party lines.
Mother never saw us or heard us playing on the the phone. We were sneaks and good ones too.
For some reason that jar of marbles made my day, especially due to the weather outside.
Marbles took me back to the Lincoln School playground IN THE SPRING where the ground would eventually be dry enough to play a game of marbles anywhere.
I'm willing to bet that many of my era would connect marbles with spring cuz that's what we did when we didn't play baseball or tetherball.
Anywho, the 3-Mile Antique Mall at the junction of HWY 95 and 2 provides a wonderful escape on a rainy day.
I love the place.
By the time we came back outside and headed down the north hill into Bonners, rain had stopped and fog had taken over.
Still, our moods were heightened, having enjoyed the antique experience and knowing that we had a new day coming with no need to shovel snow.
Yay!
And, YAY, again. I'm wearing TWO ZAGS tops today because the Bulldogs play BYU tonight in a late at eight game.
Could be a tough challenge for the ZAGS who are currently in the driver's seat to retake the No. 1 ranking in the nation after Baylor's loss earlier this week.
It will definitely be a dog/cougar fight. Let's hope the 'dogs can outrun and outshoot BYU.
GO, ZAGS!
8 p.m. PST on ESPN2.
Some exciting and welcome news and information in the links below.
GO, LUKE!
I've known Luke Omodt since he was a teen. He and my son Willie served together as Associated Student Body secretary and president, respectively.
Luke is smart, articulate and thoughtful.
He is truly a good soul, and he has served our country in the military.
He's a family man, an educator and a talented musician.
Luke loves and cares about this county where he grew up.
Feel free to pass along this information about a man with common sense and integrity, whom I believe to be an excellent candidate for county commissioner.
Luke Omodt will serve Bonner County citizens well.
He's got my vote.
https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2022/jan/13/omodt-seeks-district-3-commission-seat/
1 comment:
Thinking of the old crank telephone....382 was the number for Ardis Racicot. Our number was 26F14. It was one digit different from the Best's number which was 26F4. Our ring was "one long and four short." I think Best's was three short. We were part of the North Boyer Telephone Association. The main telephone line was on the opposite side of the road, a situation that required a line crossing the road to reach our house. The telephone poles used to support the line were short, and the line crossing the road was about 15 feet above the road surface. That resulted in frequent snaps of the wire by passing logging trucks. Pappy White was the president of the North Boyer Telephone Association, and he was reluctant to spend the money necessary to raise the wire to height that would ensure safety from the logging trucks...took a long time--years, I think. Also have fond memories of long distance phone calls to relatives in Michigan. Because of difficulty and cost, that was something that didn't happen often. It was always a project requiring extensive planning and operator involvement. When a connection was made, it usually didn't last long...usually on the order of three or four minutes, and it was always a major financial investment. Things have changed.
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