Hello, Darkness

Actually, on this first day of standard time, I've spent very little time in the dark outdoors. 

Twas dark when I took Bridie for her first walk at 4:30 a.m., but when we went out to feed the horses their breakfast, I didn't even need to wear a headlamp.

The horses had spent their first full night in the barn.  Up until yesterday, they've had the option to go in and out of their stalls as they pleased. 

Last night marked the first bedded version with each horse in its assigned stall:  CB, Lefty and Lily, in that order as one walks down the barn aisle.

That meant equal opportunity on the hay because in that setup, no mean Lily was gonna kick you out of the way to get your share too.  That does happen with both CB and Lefty.

So, overall, it had to be a good night for the horses. 

Today marks my first official day of stall cleaning.  In an effort to avoid the aches and pains of bad knees and a painful lower back which I endured all last winter, I've made myself some new rules for barn chores. 

First, everything will be done in the daylight.

No more stumbling around on dark mornings putting hay out or dumping the manure in total darkness. 

Head lamps will be used on mornings as our days get shorter.

And, I'll feed the horses a flake or two of hay in their stalls at 6 a.m. and do all the rest of the morning stuff later.

Slowly but surely and not always happily, I'm learning to adjust to old age. 

Hopefully, the new rules will make it possible for me to continue the lifestyle that I love so much. 

We'll see a month from now, if the changes are working. 

I especially loved doing the chores this morning because, prior to sunrise, the sky was mostly blue except for a few clouds and some brilliant pinkish colors lighting up the sky over the Cabinet Mountains. 

We'll have a few days of the same lovely scenes, especially while it's dry and cold, and I'll be enjoying every minute. 

On the Bridie front, I've made one change to her routine.  She stays tied until I take the horses out, but once they're eating their breakfast, she gets to run loose.  

Her freedoms are making her life a lot more fun.  Plus, her loyalty keeps her satisfied to hang with me. 

I like that. 

Yesterday, I hung out with Bill for a while.  He has a forestry job on a piece of private property where the owners live elsewhere. 

He asked if I'd like to join him in the afternoon as he worked on some projects. 

We agreed to go in separate rigs so I could get back to my activities around here. 

We walked the area, which has the Pack River flowing through it, for about an hour. 

We also were approached by a gentleman who serves as the "lookout squad" for the owners. 

The second he learned that Bill was the forester, he calmed down and encouraged us to enjoy our time there. 

We did.  

It is a beautiful place, with nice open views and especially nice with the current golden larch show at its height. 

Later, Bill went over to Colburn with his chainsaw. A tree top had fallen during the overnight windstorm and landed on top of my sisters' jeep. 

He was able to cut the treetop in small enough pieces for Laurie to haul it away in the tractor. 

Later, I went over to help Laurie (Barbara is in Montana conducting a horse clinic).  Happily, the case of colic with one of the horses turned out to be declared bad gas by the vet. 

So, a bad day over there had a good ending. 

This morning, the outdoor beauty continues to appear and transform every few minutes. 

I guess we've made it through the worst of the ugly predictions for weekend weather.  Now, we can just work at adjusting and making sure all is in place for the next bad round. 

Ahhh, life on a farm as winter takes over North Idaho. 

So far, okay. 

Happy Sunday.

Oops, one more item.

We have a general election Tuesday.  I believe that nationwide this election will dictate the direction our country goes more dramatically than any election we've seen in our lifetime. 

Frankly, the election scares me because it's looking more and more possible that unscrupulous and unhinged and sometimes often very strange candidates could dominate the outcome. 

We see it locally, we see it statewide and we certainly see it nationally. 

The tactics of today's politics remind me of those used on school playgrounds or in settings where unprincipled people don't get their way. 

I also think of this election in terms of what I watched during the primaries----mostly in materials that showed up in my mailbox or over the phone. 

It angers me to see totally untrue character assassinations launched against decent, caring and principled candidates who truly view their office as a way to serve the public---ALL of the public. 

I watched this happen with our local Senator Jim Woodward, and I viewed the dishonest tactics aimed at Sen. Woodward by his opponent as despicable and totally unacceptable.

Afterward, when a fellow educator and decent man who has always been interested in politics agreed to run as an independent for the State Senatorial position, I felt a sense of relief and hope. 

I hope that voters in our district will look at the situation in this race for exactly as it is and do the right thing at the polls. 

I am supporting Steve Johnson.  I encourage other voters to do the same.  

To elect Steve Johnson as our state senator would send a hopeful message for our area and its constituents. 

We need a Senator who will serve for the greater good, not just one extreme interest group. 

Thank you.