Free Bridie Day, Et. AL.

An interesting perspective. 

We still have ice and snow hanging from our deck roof.  

Late yesterday afternoon, I saw the big moon and the ice and decided to use the ice as a frame. 

Turned out kinda fun.

~~~~~

Celebration day here at the Lovestead. 

Bridie is six months old.

No meds.

 No blow-up collar.

 No more being yanked along by a dog for Bill and me.

Yes, I think everyone is happy. 

Bridie has been nothing less than exhuberant this morning, getting to race to the barn and tear down the lane with Liam.

Plus, she pulled off a Houdini.

After cleaning Lily's stall, I stepped into the aisle to see Bridie outside, looking for poops and free as a bird. 

She actually climbed up on some bales, scaled a wall and jumped to freedom. 

The bales will be removed later this morning. 

Not quite ready for totally FREE Bridie. 

It's a happy day here, knowing that she has made it through her "recovery" and that we have survived our "sentence." 

~~~~

In other news, I loved reading my friend Connie's blog this morning. 

She wrote about a longtime friend who now lives in Rhode Island but comes to Hope every summer. 

Many locals may remember Glen and Kristine Rolofson. 

He taught at Sandpoint High School, and she later became a prolific author of Harlequin romances.

Look her up on Amazon.com.

Anyway, Connie shares some Kristine friendship stories, as well as Kristine's blog link, which I immediately bookmarked. 

Hope you enjoy Connie's latest post. 

https://retiredmtnlady.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~

I could not believe it had been six years since a crew of tree trimmers had come by to trim tree tops near the power lines. 

The young man talking to our neighbor Mary Taylor assured me that it had.  

I'm always wary of what they're gonna do to what makes the place beautiful, especially after an advance rep announced to us six years ago that they would be cutting our row of cedars down to just four feet high.  

The two rows, north and south of the driveway give us a sense of privacy and some dust abatement. 

Also, the row south of the driveway adds a dramatically beautiful landscaping touch to the front yard with giant flower beds blended in with the trees. 

Six years ago, I made sure to intercept the crew before they began and make it clear that those trees had better not be cut down to four feet. 

That crew was very accommodating. 

I must say happily that this crew did an even nicer job of trimming. It looks like we have a couple of giant hedges. 

So, we can breathe easier for a few years before we receive word they'll be coming again.   

   

Turns out that I taught both of this young man's parents, Bill and Krystal Gordan.  

They did a great job with their son. 

A trip to Co-Op yesterday netted more than a sack of Country Buffet grain for my horses. 

As I waited for the sack to be loaded, a man loading presto logs in his pickup looked over my way a couple of times and smiled. 

Finally, I looked closer and saw my friend and former colleague Rik Mikkelsen.  Hadn't seen Rik for at least three years, so it was a fun but brief reunion.

Rik, who's always been an avid skier,  taught math at Sandpoint High School and, for a time, swimming lessons at City Beach.  I believe one or both of my kids took lessons from him. 

Great to see these faces pop up in the midst of this long lasting Pandemic. 

Moving along, there's great pleasure in explaining the photo below. 

Probably one of the most influential families in my upbringing was the Delamarter family who lived for many years down Boyer Road from us. 

We also lived relatively close to the family in town when we were really young.

My experiences with family members could fill a book and has filled a few pages in my first book. 

I've mentioned several times throughout the years that Laura Delamarter was my longest friend.  

After all, she attended my first birthday party.  

We attended Lincoln School together and junior high and the high school and even the University of Idaho where I remember Laura working the the university library. 

So, at Christmas time, when Laura sent out her annual letter and upon seeing an announcement of her upcoming marriage, I was beyond thrilled. 

Again, I thought, in the midst of this sad and seemingly never-ending Pandemic, what a nice story!

We've experienced so much sadness and unhappy stories over the past two years that Laura's announcement made me smile and say, "YES!"

Laura and her new husband Steven Bray were married Feb. 4 at the Bountiful LDS Temple in Bountiful, Utah. 

Laura has been living in Salt Lake near her kids, but she'll be moving back to Oregon where she knew Steven and his late wife. 

A lovely story, and if Steven is anything like Laura, definitely, a lovely couple.

Congratulations, Laura and Steven. May you enjoy many happy years together. 

Between the tree trimmers and the little deer running into the north lawn, the horses were somewhat excited yesterday. 

The sun is out, the sky is mostly blue and it's GAME DAY for the ZAGS. 

Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine

It's also a late game:  8 p.m. PST

ESPN2

GO, No. 1 ZAGS!