Spring Has Sprung Us Loose

It feels a bit like April Fool's Day. 

For several days, we've heard weather forecasts promising a WET and miserable Bloomsday. 

Was that a joke designed to make the runners pleasantly surprised when they showed up for the race? 

Or, is the weather here substantially different in Spokane?

Here at the Lovestead, it's relatively warm, dry and a bit windy.  

I'll take it.  Could be the weather pattern is south of here. 

Twas a surprise to walk outside and not a sign of "wet" anywhere, 'cept the water tanks. 

We definitely have transitioned into all things spring. Yesterday's scenes at opening day of the Farmer's Market and down our road with the annual Cikeltur Three Quarter Minus cycling race offered a catharctic sense that the outdoors lovers can move on with life. 

I did spend most of the afternoon in and out of the house, taking in the Kentucky Derby, and, of course, that event signals the ultimate of spring flings. 

Annie and two of her classmates are in Los Angeles for a vacation but work-related weekend.  

They attended a geocaching event known as the Spring Fling Mega. 

Bill went to Bonners Ferry to take in an historical program at the Snider Guard Station along the Moyie River. 

Of course, since the program was along the Moyie, he took along his fishing gear and put it to good use. 

I was actually surprised when he showed up back at home for dinner.  Apparently no "evening hatches" along the Moyie yesterday. 

Willie and Debbie drove to the Coeur d'Alene Casino last evening for a banquet when both Willie and Dave Broughton were honored by the North Idaho Officials Assoc. 

Anyway, spring moves on today with no rain, so I might put some more items in the garden. 

Happy Sunday.

Enjoy the photos. 

Every year, I like to take a picture of this lady, Robyn Roberts, at the Farmer's Market.

She is a flower aficionado extraordinaire.  And, she has some very nice daughters. 

Plus, she landscaped our Lovestead several years ago for another owner, Gretchen Piper. 

Best of all, she just got a Border Collie puppy named Juniper. 

                                                           ---Debbie Love Photo

Dave Broughton and Will Love.

Both were honored last night at the North Idaho Officials Assoc. banquet in Worley. 

Dave was named to the Hall of Fame, while Willie was honored as an administrator/coach. 

Congratulations to both. 

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I read the following thoughts in the New York Times newsletter this morning. 

They reflect a dark side of the beautiful sport of horse racing.  

Knowing the disturbing numbers of fatalities in  horse racing last year, I did feel a bit nervous as that pack of 21 horses left the gate.  

Fortunately, there were no accidents or casualties in what was the closest photo finish since the year I was born:  1947.  

Jet Pilot won that year. 

If you didn't watch yesterday's race, there were three horses neck and neck at the finish line.  

Tis the nose that determines the winner in horse racing, and Mystik Dan's nose led the pack. 

From this morning's NYT

 As is so often the case, money is the root of the problem. Trainers push horses too hard, sometimes giving them illegal performance-enhancing drugs. 

That’s because owners know that a signature win will turn their million-dollar investment into a multimillion-dollar A.T.M. in the breeding shed. 

Do the math: Sierra Leone can be retired tomorrow and enter a life where he mates twice a day, to 155 mares, potentially earning $31 million annually over a breeding career that can last 10 years or more.

Even at the more modest levels of the sport, trainers sometimes rely on illegal drugs. More often, though, the problem is overuse of legal corticosteroid medications that mask pain and allow at-risk thoroughbreds to run until they perish. 

Among the cluster of 13 deaths at Saratoga, for example, 11 were the result of injuries to a fetlock joint, which can be weakened by injections. Three of the 11 received corticosteroid injections within 30 days of racing. 

Another three had been declared unsound by veterinarians before their breakdowns, though their owners and trainers still managed to get them into competition.

In short, the humans failed the horses.

Most people involved in the sport have put their horses first, and they were integral in creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the federal body that now polices the sport. 

But if that group does not do its job, horse racing could be in trouble. It is at risk of losing its core audiences, including horse lovers, who do not want to see animals die, and gamblers, who now have many other options for betting on sports.

Along with a multibillion-dollar economy, an important part of American history and its soul would be lost.

Annie and her geocaching friends got to meet Darth at their May the Fourth gathering in Los Angeles yesterday. 

Saturday Slight

 

Since I had my cataracts removed in November, I have discovered a new substitute for a doggie bag aka a different kind of "schlump" container.

It not only allows you to take your extra bites of food with you, but even better is that when you schlump/dribble your food while dining in a restaurant, your downtown clothing is saved from having to have stain remover applied with the next wash. 

Plus, as the food deposits itself on the lens of your glasses, you are also spared the embarrassment of having a sister sitting across from you, announcing that you have schlumped. 

They loved catching my mother whenever her food ran astray and landed on her bosom. 

I take this new accessory with me to every restaurant, mainly to read the menu but also for the bonus repository.  

When I have finished and come home,  I can then enjoy assorted leftovers from my dining experience---or not. 

Often, both my cheaters and sunglasses hang from strings around my neck.  

Invariably, if I don't take off the glasses or prop them on my head, they serve as a catch-all for every bite that does not reach my mouth. 

The photo above offers a sampling of what I ate at Jalapenos the other night and what I still had available to eat once I arrived home. 

This does serve as a nice food reservoir and a safety net for clothing, but it also has its downside. 

What if I wasn't that hungry once I arrived home, and what if, instead, I picked up my cheaters simply to read something on my phone.  

Having a piece of taco salad crust attached to the lens is not helpful for trying to check one's mail on an iPhone. 

So, this new multi-use accessory does have its benefits, but having to get up and throw away the taco salad crust and then go get a paper towel to clean off the lens hardly saves me any time when I want to read the newest Facebook posts. 

I'll do my best to remember to prop the glasses atop the head as life moves on.  

Taters went into the ground yesterday. 

Hoping they produce a good crop this year. 

We love our taters fresh from the garden.  Store-bought potato flavors don't come close. 

Soon CB will be eating green grass for breakfast. 

Just a few more days until pasture time. 

~~~

Below:  a truly exciting story for Sandpoint High and its girls basketball program. 

I can only imagine the pride among parents, family, fellow students, teammates, coaches, teachers and fans who have followed Karlie's journey as an outstanding basketball player. 

Congratulations to Karlie.  

We are proud of you and can't wait to maybe watch you on TV as an Aggie from time to time.  

From Utah State Athletic Department

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State women's basketball head coach Wesley Brooks announced the addition of a pair of incoming freshmen on Friday, signing Karlie Banks and Denae Skelton. 

Banks, a 5-foot-11 guard/forward from Laclede, Idaho, was a three-year letter winner at Sandpoint (Idaho) High School, where she led the Bulldogs to the 2023 Idaho 4A state title and was named the tournament's most valuable player.

As a senior in 2023-24, Banks averaged 18.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting an efficient 77 percent from the field to earn district MVP honors along with all-state, all-district and all-league accolades. She also played club basketball for Spokane Legacy. 

"Karlie is one of the most underrated players in the nation," Brooks said. "She has a versatile skill set which allows her to excel in every position on the court. She's also an extremely effective shooter from distance. We're very excited to bring Karlie to Utah State and we expect big things from her."

Skelton, a 5-8 guard from West Kelowna, British Columbia, prepped for one season at Kelowna Senior Secondary, where she averaged 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals per game. She then attended and played three seasons at Champlain College Saint-Lambert, a post-secondary school in Quebec. There, Skelton helped the Cavaliers to a pair of provincial championships, as well as a bronze national medalist finish in 2024. Her final season there, she averaged nine points in 27 minutes per game, earning national second-team all-star honors. She also earned CCAA National Scholar Award accolades all three years at Champlain Saint-Lambert. 

"Denae is an elite shooter who will bring a high-level of maturity and leadership to our locker room, having spent the past two years away from home in Montreal," Brooks said. "She's going to be an excellent fit into what we're trying to build and we're excited to have her here as a part of Aggie Nation."

 

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And, now, from a current Sandpoint High star to

a

Sandpoint High legend. 

An exciting event will be occurring during "Lost in the '50s" when 1950s SHS Bulldogs football stand-out and current NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer comes to town. 

Mark the date and time, and you'll have a chance to meet a community and football legend. 

🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈

Commentary from Amazon.com

“You can if you will.” 

A phrase uttered to a young Jerry Kramer by his line coach at Sandpoint High School in tiny Sandpoint, Idaho, that would go on to push him to a celebrated NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and a sentiment that he would repeat to close his speech at his long awaited enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame almost seven decades later in 2018.

In the spirit of Jerry Kramer’s unforgettable and bestselling collaborations with the great Dick Schaap, his first book about his life and career in over two decades, Run to Win will serve as Kramer’s definitive statement about a remarkable life and career of perseverance, teamwork, and gridiron greatness. Spanning the beginning of the legendary Vince Lombardi era through Kramer’s confoundingly long wait to receive his bust in Canton, Kramer tells his amazing story as one of the most memorable and toughest Packers in franchise history.

Including insightful commentary about the eminently intriguing Lombardi, as well as fellow Hall of Fame teammates Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Willie Davis, Bart Starr, Emlen Tunnell, and many more, Run to Win is a must read for all true Packers fans from one of the legends who helped lay the foundation for one of the most identifiable and successful franchises in the history of professional sports.

~~~~

Author Bob Fox

Bob Fox's writing has appeared in outlets including Packer Report, Wisconsin Sports Online, and Bleacher Report. He was also a supervising producer on the documentary You Can If You Will: The Jerry Kramer Story.

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So much going on this weekend, including a beloved sport classic, the Kentucky Derby. 

I don't even know the names of the horses, but I intend to learn them and sit quietly watching and loving the stories and the race itself. 

And, when "My Old Kentucky Home" plays, I'll be shedding a tear and thinking of my mother, who, when she visited Churchill Downs several years ago, learned that the horse that won the Derby when she was born in 1921 was called "Behave Yourself."  

Perfect for my mother who made us behave ourselves even if she reflected a bit of impishness from time to time. 

Happy Saturday. 

"Seens" along the Road to Boulder City

 

Back in the 1970s, Bill and I made our first visit to the ghost town of Boulder City east of Bonners Ferry. 

At the time, daisies were growing, and an old house stood at the entrance to the mining town where supposed riches were to be taken from the surrounding mountains. 

Also, segments of other houses along the "main drag" of Boulder City were easily found. 

That structure of the old house at was somewhat intact at the time, and I believe we even walked through some rooms. 

I carried an instamatic camera at the time, and while we were there, set up a neat photo of a single daisy in some kind of container found in the rubble. 

The daisy scene really came alive when I set the "vase" in a window and shot the photo from outside. 

I had that photo for years but it may have perished in our house fire, or some day when someone goes through my stuff, it will turn up. 

When we walked through the meadows of Boulder City in the 1970s, there were many remnants of the town's history to be seen.

We also visited the cemetery a couple of miles up the road. 

Over the years, we've returned numerous times and have watched the gradual deterioration of the ghost town's tangible elements from the past. 

Still, it has always been a fun destination for our drives to the back country. 

We were particularly excited when we read the book "The Boys in the Boat," and learned that the main character Joe Rantz had lived in the town with his father and stepmother for a time. 

We were even more excited to go back a few years ago and see that the Forest Service and the Boundary Museum had collaborated with some signage telling of the history of Boulder City and tying in the Joe Rantz story. 

The old house with the daisy in the window frame had just about collapsed to the ground, and I believe a fence had been erected around it, along with a sign reminding visitors to leave the historical remnants alone. 

Though the city was hardly recognizable, the historical signage had added a new and important dimension to the spot, which can be accessed by taking Katka Road just before the Kootenai Casino in Bonners Ferry. 

The drive to Boulder City is filled with visual delights.  Onlookers may differ on what's a delight and what's not along the roadside, as there is an amazing display of what looks like carefully crafted yard art, complete with a message, a few miles up the road. 

Scenes of trains meeting on the track, the beautiful Kootenai River, bucolic, vast and rich farmland and wildflowers aplenty provide a healthy array of esthetics for travelers on the road. 

Yesterday we decided we needed a change of pace from several days of yard and woods work, so we took the dogs, hopped in the pickup and headed north toward Bonners. 

Twas beautiful when we left but we could see dark storm clouds after we traveled east toward Boulder Creek. 

Fortunately, the rain held off, but what seemed unfortunate to us was the scene when came to turn-off to Boulder City.  Since our last visit there, the place has been aggressively logged, leaving little or no clue that a town once existed there. 

The fences are there.  The daisy-window house has completely collapsed and there's a small viewing structure off across the logging plot. 

The logging job extends across the road and up a hillside on the right. 

Talk about a shock.  We couldn't believe our eyes.  

Bill was going to turn around because of the storm clouds looking more ominous, but we did drive to the cemetery, which is obviously maintained and groomed---in fact, a lot better than the ghost town.

When we came back down Katka Road toward Bonners Ferry we saw a Forest Service pickup in the road.  The occupant was picking up small limbs extending to the road and throwing them off to the side. 

Turned out, there was familiarity. 

"Hi, Bill," the man in sunglasses said.  He obviously knew Bill because one of the first words he uttered was "fish."  Brandon works as the hydrologist for the Forest Service.  

Shortly after we stopped to talk, the rain began and it was pouring by the time we left Brandon.  He told us that he thinks the historical display at Boulder City may return now that the logging job is complete. 

We sure hope so. 

It was a great afternoon outing, filled with memories of past times and hopes for the future when Boulder City's story is once again visually displayed. 

We'll keep checking because it's a lovely drive up that Katka Road.  Plus, the carefully crafted yard art will take your breath away! 

Enjoy the photos. 

Brandon, the hydrologist.