Just Mutterings

 

Many thanks to Serena Carlson for helping me improve the looks of my gone-wrong blog post yesterday.

Apparently, she's well acquainted with the nuances of the Blogger program, and she knew the buttons to push. So, she sent me some tips, which I followed.  

At first, I really screwed up the format even more but kept at it. Eventually, the weird look was replaced by something more presentable. 

I appreciated her help and our subsequent online visit. 

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Yesterday turned out to be a fairly productive day with some time spent editing, some leaf raking in the snow and a trip to the grocery store for a few Thanksgiving items and more sticker shock. 

I had decided to purchase the rest of my items for next week's Thanksgiving dinner.  Having heard a strong suggestion on TV to "do your Thanksgiving shopping early to avoid higher prices," I heeded the guidance. 

Glad I did cuz if the price of turkeys continues to go up the next few days, "OUCH!"

Never in my turkey-buying ventures have I paid almost $37 for a medium-sized Butterball. 

Not even close! 

Until yesterday!

It's a good thing we family members are accustomed to sharing the financial pain of sitting down to enjoy a traditional holiday dinner. 

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In other news, I was thinking this morning that I'm going on two weeks of doing winter barn chores and, happily, my body is not yet falling apart like it did last year.

Those subtle changes made in the routine have eased the load considerably and have made the morning chores fairly painless and fun again. 

While cleaning stalls, I enjoy listening to country western music on K102.5, especially with the no-nonsense new announcer on the morning show. 

There were times in years past that I wanted to throw down my shovel and just go turn off that radio because of one announcer's fixation for subtlely inserting inappropriate, suggestive comments in between the music.  

No more, happily. He's gone. 

This new announcer seems pretty professional and focused on country music, which is why we listen to the station. 

That time spent cleaning the barn stalls also provides some excellent thinking time. 

My thoughts this morning revolved around the horrific murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow.

Upon first hearing about the situation, I immediately identified because I'm a University of Idaho alum.

Then, I learned the names of the victims.  

It seemed that one of them could have local connections and even closer connections because her last name was the same as the neighbors and longtime family friends who lived up the road from my sister-in-law Mary when she was growing up in Wrenco west of Sandpoint.

Yesterday, we learned that Xana Kernodle was, indeed, a member of the Kernodle family from Wrenco. Her father graduated from Sandpoint High School. 

To say that revelation deepened our emotions about the mysterious murders would be an understatement.

This morning, while reading a news feature about Ethan Chapin, another victim and Xana Kernodle's boy friend, I learned that he was a triplet and 20 years old. 

That really hit home for our extended family.  Mary's daughter Laura is the mother of 20-year-old triplets, who have all attended the University of Idaho.  

Needless to say, I sent Laura a text and told her to hug her kids. 

This horrid event touches so many in this state--the families, the friends, fellow students and staff and anyone who ever attended the University of Idaho. 

It's definitely a cliche to suggest that such things just don't happen in a small college town! 

We wish!

Human behavior, however, comes in all forms and is not regulated by geographic boundaries nor societal circumstances. 

This event, like a similar one at the University of Virginia and so many other unfathomable situations we see or read about in the day-to-day happenings in the world, drops those of us associated in any way to our core.  

As that happens, we ask why---often with no answers as to why evil is allowed to pervade the universal human conditions.

It's a truly a dark commentary on the negative aspects of human behavior and equally sad that, with all the progress made throughout history,  no one has ever found a way to stop such tragedies.

This particular sad and awful situation touches so many of us, once again reminding us to appreciate every gifted minute of our own lives and to cherish more than ever the gift of each and every human being who plays a part in our lives. 

So so sad. 

May their vibrant and happy memories live on, and may they rest in peace.