Saturday Slight

 

Today's post is sprinkled with a preview of the beauty that will be awaiting you April 1 at The Flower Farm on Selle Road.  

 

It was sprinkling yesterday afternoon after we watched the Gonzaga women's NCAA Tournament game. 

The ZAGS did not win, but the young team put on a great comeback toward the end of the game. 

And, they all had smiles on their faces when things suddenly started going right. 

So, it was a moral victory for a group of players who will surely dazzle when next season rolls around. 

Since it was raining, and a change of pace was needed, I loaded up the dogs and drove to The Flower Farm where Pam, John, Akasha and Laura were busy with floral preparation in one of the greenhouses.

Rainy day, I said, to Pam as I entered, so it's a great day to take pictures of new flower blossoms.  

She agreed, and after a short visit, I strolled through the greenhouses which are alive with uplifting and brilliant color. 

I really appreciated this annual opportunity, which always occurs prior to the April First opening. 

Owners Pam and John are always gracious to welcome me inside their domain for my own private preview of this year's spring beauty.

 I'm hoping readers enjoy the virtual splashes of color as much as I loved snapping the photos. 

Just a few days remain, and we can all go to The Flower Farm and bring some of that enjoyment to adorn our homes. 

In other upbeat news, Bill and I are thrilled with the progress Little Foster has made in the week since his canine vestibular disease first struck. 

Except for his head tilting a bit, he's eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and always ready to go the second he senses that a walks around the yard or rides in the car is imminent.

It seems like he's bouncing back faster than he did with the first bout, so we are feeling thankful and happy for Foster.   

In the "And, then there was one" department, only one of our five favorites is still dancing. 

And, Jay Bilas says they're going to lose today.

I have really appreciated Jay Bilas' perspective on college basketball over the years, but I would really like to see him lose this assertion today. 

He suggests that the ZAGS can't win without Braden Huff who was injured earlier this season with a dislocated knee cap. 

I suggest that the ZAGS love their teammate enough that they will do everything in their power to win today and move on to the Sweet Sixteen where it's possible Braden, a valuable shooter, will be able to play in next weekend's games. 

So, we'll see.  In the meantime, the expectation and excitement remains for the ZAG Nation. 

Congrats to the ZAGS women, the Vandals women, the Vandals men and the McNeese men who did their best in the tournament of bests. 

We enjoyed having the opportunity to watch them. 

We and all of the ZAG Nation want to continue our excitement for as long as possible through March Madness SO

GO, ZAGS

this afternoon at 4:10 PDT.

One source says it will be broadcast on both TBS and truTV.   

To go along with the ZAGS story, I found this piece about another guy who sits on their bench interesting. 

March Madness is underway and the  Gonzaga University  men’s basketball team has a first round win. 

If you’re a fan, you might find yourself praying for Gonzaga: Please, God, let this be the year they go all the way. You might also ask yourself: Is it ok to pray for victory?

Yes, says Fr. Bryan Pham, SJ, a member of Jesuits West who is chaplain of Gonzaga’s men’s and women’s basketball and baseball teams. “Of course I pray for us to win,” he says.

God, after all, is in all things, even winning.

“But I pray for other things, too. 

"I pray that our players find their human dignity” amidst the pressure and money of big-time college sports, adds Fr. Pham. “I’d like for them to see themselves as more than just basketball players.”

In his career as a Jesuit, Fr. Pham has delved into ministry after ministry that tackles the question: What, actually, is success?

In addition to serving as chaplain at Gonzaga, Fr. Pham is responsible for the shareholder advocacy program for the Jesuits West Province. 

In that arena, the province buys shares in companies with questionable ethical, health or environmental practices, and then lobbies the firms to treat people more humanely. 

Currently, he and the province are managing small stakes in, and leading advocacy work for best practices within GEO, a private prison operator, and Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram.

In addition, Fr. Pham is the supervising attorney at Gonzaga’s General Public Practice and Indian Law Clinic that helps Native Americans on nearby reservations, and well as indigents of all backgrounds, who are trying to win in court.

Finally, Fr. Pham serves as a chaplain in the freshman dorms at Gonzaga. He likes to hold court in the common area between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. 

That is when students are likely to be open to discussing deep questions about their life, their passions and God.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

"When I take the dog for a walk on the beautiful Guadalupe River, I try to find at least five beautiful things. 

It can be birdsong, a cloud, the river itself, a flower, an egret, or even just my beautiful blue heeler. 

Once you start noticing, it’s easy to keep going and find way more than five, even on a not-so-pretty day."

💙🌴🐎🐑🌸

The item above was an observation came from an elderly woman who lives in Texas.  As an elderly woman who lives in North Idaho, I try to do something similar each day. 

Through bad-weather days, this is not always the easiest task, but I've found that it's still possible to find five items of beauty pretty much every day. 

We just have to take the time to look. 

Doing so is not only a delight, but it also helps balance and often override the ugliness in the world. 

With spring coming, maybe we should add five more items to the daily challenge.