Monday Miscellany

 

It's Chuck-It season, and the new dynamics in the Border Collie nation haven't quite figured out the rules, but they're getting there. 

Bridie is so enamored with Liam that there's no way she's gonna fight him for the ball.  

Still, she'll run with him as he flies across the front yard hundreds of times to retrieve it----until he's almost on his lips with exhaustion.  

But Liam never stops competing, so we adult peeps have to call an end to the game. 

Meanwhile, Foster is quite happy to have a ball of his own.  Usually, he carries it off and hides it, necessitating new purchase of balls. 

For some reason, his senior citizenship in the dog world has convinced him that it's best to just find your own little spot in the lawn and chew on your ball. 

So, we had some adjustments to make last night, but the doggies did okay in their front-lawn Chuck-It opener.  

 

Cowboy, Boston and Cowboy's new owner in Florida. 

Talk about an magical ending to a chapter in the life of a Traveling Cowboy. 

The young mustang named Cowboy came from Florida in January, looking pretty pathetic. Boston and her dad picked him up in Texas, brought him home and then Boston went to work, training, feeding, grooming and loving him. 

Then, last week the pair, along with Boston's mom, took Traveling Cowboy back across the country to the Extreme Mustang challenge, where Cowboy took a fourth place overall in a day's worth of competition. 

BTW:  Boston may never get over the fact that Cowboy flunked ground tying in his class, but she wants everyone to know that Cowboy does know how to ground tie as evidenced by the photo below. 

A young lady from Florida came along and fell in love with Cowboy, so he has a new home. Boston is thrilled with his new owner and his new digs. 

Amazing story from start to finish of a teenager seeing a vision and doing everything possible to have it become reality. 

That happened this past weekend.  A good time was had by all, including those back home who have enjoyed the ride from afar.  Cowboy is now living in the home of Boston's original dream for the young horse.

What a happy and perfect ending to a neat story.

  

Some great news for Idaho education this morning and during this Teacher Appreciation Week from the amazing Luke Mayville:

Dear Supporters of Reclaim Idaho,

 

Today is the final deadline for turning in signatures for the Quality Education Act, and here’s where we stand:

 

We needed to submit 64,945 valid signatures. We are submitting nearly 97,000 signatures, and we estimate that at least 70,000 of our signatures will be counted as valid. 

 

And regarding the requirement of signatures from 6% of voters in at least 18 districts, we are submitting enough signatures to qualify 20 districts—including several of Idaho’s most rural districts.

 

In other words: We did it! We are confident that the Quality Education Act will appear on the ballot in November 2022.

We are blessed to have a young leader who has made such a difference in this state through his vision of health care availability and more support for education.  His ability to galvanize the troops across our state has been stunning, to say the least.  

We are even prouder that Luke is a graduate of our local education system (Sandpoint High School, 2003), which has produced many amazing contributors to society. 

Thank you, Luke and the many dedicated volunteers who will now spearhead a campaign to pass the Initiative on this fall's general election ballot. 

~~~~

On another topic, I wish our telephone with quit ringing with messages from a candidate and members his family.  Also, while I'm at it, there's no need to have the kids draw hearts around our name on the envelope when you send us a campaign letter. 

All the hearts in the world will not convince us to support any candidate whose main strategy is to spread out-and-out total lies about his opponent. 

For the record, I have marked my absentee ballot, and I voted for Jim Woodward for our Idaho state senator. 

So, forget the hearts and quit calling our house.

I hope other voters will see through these hypocritical ploys and vote for Woodward.  

My two sisters made me cry the other night. 

Barbara announced that they had my birthday present out in the car because they knew I wouldn't be here on my birthday. 

So, we walked to her pickup and she pulled out this Lovestead banner which she had fashioned with her tech skills. 

So thoughtful and so on the mark for including some of my most passionate interests in life.

And, so it will hang in a place of honor next to that sign from Donegal, Ireland. 

A very meaningful and lovely gift.  Thanks to my sisters.    

Below:  some photos from pretty places in Ponder Point and more Chuck-It. 

Happy Monday.