Sunday This and That

This Colorado blue spruce is going on 24 years old.  Willie and Debbie gave it to us during their wedding rehearsal dinner in 2001 

It stood at the Great Northern Road place until 2006 and then was transplanted out here in Selle. 

Looking mighty fine, just like the couple who gave it to us. 

I had a little fun with the new monster flashlight this morning. 

Knowing that I can capture some interesting photos in the dark dawn hours will add a whole new twist to my morning walk with Bridie. 

Nice to have a flash (light) that works for my camera. 

I think and hope we are coming to an end of the seemingly endless precipiation we've received this week. 

It will be nice for a break with some dry weather, as we get ready for the next siege of winter fun. 

Speaking of something that is about as fun as winter in my eyes, I paid our property taxes this week. 

Twas an "ouch," to say the least and, as I told Bill, I would waste no time paying the first half (almost $200 more than this time last year).  

The sooner the check is in the mail the less I have to dread the pain of taxes. 

For some reason, I thought someone in the Legislature had recently secured property tax relief for Idahoans. 

https://herndonforidaho.com/idaho-senate-delivers-property-tax-relief/

Maybe that was fake news. 

Anyway, the bill has been paid so I'm okay until the next half comes due in June. 

With the season of "no real purty Selle Valley scenery" fully in gear, cows and turkeys and horses and deer will have to take up the gap until we have brilliant bluebird snow days.

There's an abundance of all the above species in our neighborhoods, and they seemed to be out and about yesterday when I took my geraniums over to my sisters' barn bathroom.

The barn bathroom has a heater, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed the this year's geraniums will survive and then hopefully thrive next year. 

The cows were out grazing in their fields and the turkeys were pecking away at the ground in more than one field. 

My horses came right to the gate at Roxane's when they saw me coming to visit them yesterday. 

Makes me feel good that they seem to perk up when they see me.  More than likely, they do that for anyone who comes by with a potential treat. 

From the looks of things in the neighborhood, the turkeys have no idea of an upcoming holiday.    

  

I ran across this item in today's New York Times newsletter.  

 “James,” by Percival Everett: The winner of this year's National Book Award for fiction is James  by Percival Everett, whose 2001 novel “Erasure” landed on the big screen as “American Fiction” last year. 

In his latest book, he reimagines “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” through the eyes of Jim, the enslaved runaway who accompanies Huck on his escapades but remains slightly out of the spotlight in Twain’s tale.

 Here, James not only has a formal name, he has depth, gumption and — perhaps the ultimate key to freedom — an education. 

It’s the rare author who can breathe new life into a classic, but Everett pulls off the feat, earning “James” a spot in the modern literary canon and elevating his protagonist from trusty sidekick to star.

Seems like a book that an old fuddy duddy English teacher who taught Huck Finn to her students would appreciate reading. 

I know for a fact that my students practiced critical thinking skills in regard to reading and discussing Twain's famous American novel.

And, ya know what?  

I'm really proud of that as an educator. 

While studying Huckleberry Finn, we had some amazing and spirited class discussions representing a wide variety of perspectives among the students---and, yes, some talk centered on race relations.  

Nobody suffered during those discussions (they all loved them, in fact), and I'm pretty sure nobody has suffered since. 

It's all called perspective, and we're all free to have our own.  That's what should make us proud as Americans.  

This new book should offer some fascinating perspectives since it is written from Jim's point of view.

I think I'll order a copy.  

Happy Sunday.