Odds and Ends

It's been a slow morning here at the computer but otherwise a good one as we all head back into the groove after the holiday weekend.

On this morning, I celebrated another hint that my bum knee might be on the mend. For the first time in about a month, I could feel very little pain when my body woke up and I started moving all its parts.

Body parts and pain have been the story of this winter, so to notice that one part of the anatomy doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday is big.

That discovery made a good start to the morning as did the partial daylight ON A GRAY DAY that I observed this morning after leaving the barn from the morning chores. 

There's still abundant darkness, and it will be a while before I quit wearing my head lamp to the barn and the barnyard.

Nevertheless, any hint whatsoever of brighter times ahead is most welcome as is the knowledge that we have now surpassed the first half of January and can even see that light at the end of this month's tunnel. 

YES!

 Yesterday I felt the need to take a picture of the tools next to the garage because of the increasing green grass and because I actually used one of those tools. 

The sight that is NOT candy to my eyes is the leaves. Their numbers keep increasing as the snow melts. 

In my mind, they are turning into a blight atop the snow, no longer to be viewed as beautiful objects of nature begging to be photographed.

Instead, their abundance suggests a four-letter word ending in k, and that is "work." 

We have a small stretch of green extending from the steps outside the sliding-glass door.  Bill shoveled the area out a while ago, and the warmer temperatures have hastened snow melt there. 

Every time I have looked out that window, I see more brown leaves blotting out the most welcome hint of green.

So, yesterday I took the lawn rake and toiled for all of about two minutes, raking up every last leaf on that short trail into a pile.  

Could be that a little of this and a little of that each day in the leaf-raking department will occur as snow continues to recede.

In the meantime, Bill was busy using one of those shovels again, opening up yet another trail which leads to the deck. While dogs frolicked on the snow pile next to the garage, Bill eventually opened up that pathway. 

So, yes, another good thing about today: we have about 25 more feet of walking area AND a manageable third exit out of the house.

It is always the little victories that make gigantic differences in January, and it seems this morning that there's a nice assortment of those things to celebrate.

 

A nice extracurricular honor for Willie's basketball team. 

Congratulations to the December 2022 winners of the

Les Schwab Team of the Month Award! These teams have had success in competitions, are achieving in the classroom, and are serving their community. Congratulations again!

Sandpoint won this distinction in the 4A division while Lake City Boys Basketball earned 5A honors and Coeur d'Alene Charter School's drama team took 3A honors. 

The "good" morning changed, thanks to a "bad" computer. 

So, I'll just wish you all a happy Tuesday. 

Technology!!%#@@