From Bare Ground to Slop

 

Well, my leaf pickup project has come to a halt. 

It's a sloppy mess out there this morning after about two inches of wet snow fell overnight and then came the rain. 

Around 2:45 a.m., our power went off and stayed off until about 7 a.m.

The lanterns, flashlights and candles came out, and Bill built the first fire in the wood stove for the season. 

A somber silence took over from what had been a busy day of chain saws buzzing, lawnmowers going, slash piles burning and general urgency around the neighborhood to get things done before the predicted snow started to fall. 

Bill worked down in the woods, while I made several passes around the lawn to pick up leaves. While I was picking up, leaves kept dropping and swirling around in the air. 

I'm hoping this snow is temporary so I can get one last leaf cleanup before putting the lawnmower in the barn with the other two.

Anywho, welcome to winter.  

After one day, I've usually had enough.  With this year's initial slop drop, I might make that declaration by noon. 

The skiers will be happy. 

This morning Coach Love, his assistants and his team are happy. 

They notched a significant win last night while hosting Bonners Ferry in their home opener. 

The Bulldogs looked sharp as they definitely played on all cylinders to rack up a score of 68-34. 

A good crowd was on hand to watch the game which has been enhanced by some extra technology this year. 

An electronic reader board, operated by Bulldog announcer Dal Hawkins provided graphics and short video clips of the team members. 

We enjoyed some visiting with family and friends before and after the game. 

That was good because the next home game is almost a month away on Dec. 14.  

Willie's team will be putting in the miles between now and then. 

Basketball, both home and on TV, provide some nice distractions to winter, so it's great to have the teams back in action, especially when they win. 

Congratulations, Bulldogs. 

Dal Hawkins, the tech aficionado at Sandpoint High School. 

Always fun to see the Iversons, Terry and Edna.  Terry spent some time coaching Bulldog girls basketball. 

Below, Diane Schock, a food bank volunteer;  Sally, my hairdresser; and our daughter-in-law Debbie Love, wife of Coach Love. 

Pretty much any Bulldog game is not complete without the Van Horn brothers in the audience.  

They are definitely Super Sandpoint fans. 

Below:  some "outlaws" who have been frequent fans at the games. 

Tom and Kirsten, Judy and Chris. 

Happy Sunday from snowy Sandpoint.