Stormy weather

Stormy weather.  What an interesting spring day yesterday.  Thunder, hail, rain and rainbows.  All of the rain made me think of one of our favorite places.  It's not far from our place.  Just a short hike.

Green's Falls

These are photos from one of our hikes there in 2006.

Walking in the sunshine, sing a little sunshine song

Put a smile upon your face as if there's nothing wrong

Think about the good time had a long time ago

Think about forget about your worries and your woes

Walking in the sunshine, sing a little sunshine song

Dumpster Gig

Retired Mountain Man and I look forward to our Pandemic Day outings every week.  One of those is our weekly trip to the dumpster site near Clark Fork.  A mask isn't even necessary since there's no risk of getting within six feet of anyone.

Today's trip reminded me of the Cougar Creek Band's first gig - at the the Clark Fork Dumpsters.  I wasn't certain how many years ago it was, but it didn't take long to figure that out.

Kristine and Glen Rolofson - fiddle and banjo.

Ellie Lizotte and her mandolin

Mark and Joe Heisel

 Linda - with what would be her first accordion.  Being a member of the band would require the purchasing of many instruments in the years that followed.  I am no exception.  It's surprising how many one can own, even though I can only play one of them at a time. Retired Mountain Man has given up saying, "What! Why do you need another (fill in the blank)?" 

Bruce Bishop - bass guitar.   Back then I had decided that I wanted learn to play the guitar, but after eleven years of practice, I should really stay with playing keyboards.

 Mike Chartock on the drums, although he would transition to baritone sax later.

Mark plays, trombone, trumpet, guitar and harmonica.

Our one and only band photo.  We've played together for eleven years and never managed to get it together to take another group photo.

Absent in the group photos are Neil and Ann Wimberley, Neil plays recorder and bass guitar, Ann plays the mandolin.

Joining us in later years were vocalist, Petra Stahl and percussionists, Julie Bishop, Larry Guldberg and Tim Gunn.

Countless gigs followed this one, but due to the size of our group, we required venues with a lot of space for the band.  We held hundreds of weekly band rehearsals, most of them in our basement which would eventually be turned into a music room.  The practice sessions were followed by potluck band dinners. 

Jens and Mathis would sit-in with us sometimes playing trombone

Let's just say we had a lot of fun.   We were planning to start rehearsal sessions again this summer, but now, who knows?  It's possible that we could rehearse at the dumpster site.  There's enough room there for social distancing.  One band member by each dumpster?

 What do you think?

The promise of flowers

Yesterday was action packed.  I did not take the time for photo shots since it was all I could do to get everything on my list accomplished.  That's beside the fact that piles of horse nuggets and tilled garden soil are not that photogenic?

It was time to get the dahlia beds ready to plant, but Retired Mountain Man needed to rest after his final cancer treatment on Monday.  The side effects during the last few treatments increased each time and include extreme fatigue.  He was under strict orders to just take it easy.  (I have to be bossy because otherwise he won't listen to me.)

A couple of times a year I get to drive Retired Mountain Man's truck.  It's a work truck.  For logging and firewood, he says.  He will allow it to be used for hauling manure because he needs it for his dahlia beds, but it must be on a tarp. 

It didn't take long to get the pickup ready for the horse nugget haul.  Tarp, shovel and bucket.  It's a short drive to my friend Julie's and I shoveled just enough for the two dahlia beds and headed home.

Spreading it on the garden beds is pretty easy.  Just a few wheelbarrow loads and then it's time for the rototiller.

The first time starting up machinery after the winter months is always kind of iffy, but sure enough, after three pulls of the rope on "choke", the tiller started up.   Maggie was there to superivse with her usual barking at the machine.  She's pretty sure it's something she can herd, but fortunately, after about thirty seconds, she figures it out and heads back to her guard position on the front porch.

The entire project probably took about 3 hours, but it seemed more like 6 to me.  Happily, it's finished and we can plant the dahlia tubers whenever we're ready.

I can report this morning that Retired Mountain Man is feeling better.  If it follows last week, he should be over the symptoms in a couple of days.

Next on the list will be getting my raised beds ready to plant.

Smiles and Deliveries

We stopped by the post office on our way home yesterday.  There was a card created by grandson, Ben, that brought lots of smiles and a package from Retired Mountain Man's sister, Linda and family.

Ben loves to make up jokes and he also loves pigs.

From Oklahoma with love  -  peeps!   The peep jousting and peep snacking can begin.

Along with the package another great card designed and created by grand-nephew, Chase.

Mike, from UPS, was here while we were in Sandpoint.  Costco two-day delivery finally brought what we really needed.  The precious TP.   Fortunately, when this pandemic began and everyone bought out all of the TP in the world, we were about 3/4's into our last order of TP from Costco.   We had a "cushion" so to speak.

That said, it did become concerning as the weeks went on and there was never any TP in stock  - anywhere.  Or paper towels.   We are now stocked and won't need to purchase again until September.

A little seasonal night music.  I recorded this with my phone so you might need to turn up the volume to hear it.

Monday again

Yesterday was a great day to work in the garden and there's a lot of work that needs to be done.  It's a good idea to start out slowly so that my gardening muscles don't scream at me the next day, "What have you been doing, you old fool?"

The old plum tree needs some serious pruning. ("Old" is on my mind a lot)

There are signs of life everywhere.  Even on this piece of twine in the grape arbor.

Blossoms soon

Today is the day we have been waiting for.  Jon's last treatment and then we wait six weeks to find out how well it has worked.   It's been a stressful time complicated by the pandemic and all that goes with it and we will be relieved to have this part over.

We limit our contact with the outside world as much as possible.

A trip to the post office to pick up our mail once a week.

Curbside pickup and Costco two-day grocery shipping for all groceries.  (Although the Costco two-day is now somewhere around a week, it's still worth the wait.)

The pharmacy is a once-a-month visit and I will arrange one trip to the Flower Farm for garden plants since I can order in advance and they will also deliver to my car.

Everything else is shipped to our door - our only visitor is our UPS deliveryman, Mike.   A very nice guy.  Thanks to Mike for doing such a great job on the front lines.

This is how our life will continue while we wait for a vaccine.

Happy Monday.  It's a beautiful spring day here!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to son David!  I wish we could all be together to celebrate today, but due to the pandemic we will all have to just enjoy these memories sitting at home instead.

David and Sons 

Get out the smoke machine 

He's always game for some fun.

Grandpa time

More goofy fun!

Actor, vocalist and tap dancer.
What a great time we had watching him perform with the Hamilton Players in Harvey and The Drowsy Chaperone.  He took tap dancing lessons for his part in the musical.  True dedication.

With Grandma Eileen at Harvey performance

Professor and scientist at the University of Montana and Inimmune.

Some of the vaccine team in this photo.   Go team!

Retired Mountain Man and I hope he has a fun and crazy day. 

Appearances

Sometimes things aren't what they appear to be. What might be clear to you may not be clear to another.  I took these photos at cousin Kermit's house the other day.

There are 7.9 billion people on this planet.  Each one waking up every morning in their own unique situation, but almost all of us confronting the coronavirus in some way.   We are all living in this crazy and confusing time and making the best of it in our own way.

As always, there's a lot of talking.  Impetuous decisions made by leaders.  Daily "Briefings" that drag on for hours.  Playing the Blame Game.  Blaming gets us nowhere.  Talk  Talk Talk Talk Talk  (Kind of sounds like a hen clucking, doesn't it)

Meanwhile: 

The helpers are there.

There is so much bravery and courage on display.  Bus drivers, truck drivers, doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks... the list goes on and on.  It's amazing, sad and painful at times to watch and read about, but it has been happening daily now for months.

Everywhere around the globe.

The helpers.

According to Fred Rogers.  "When I was a boy and there were scary things in the news, my mother said, "Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping".

Just because things seem a certain way, doesn't mean it really is.

It takes courage.   It takes courage for each of us to get up every day to do what needs to be done.   We don't know what others are facing each day, which makes it very important that we are one of the helpers.

A helper in any way that we can.

One of my friend, Ben's songs.
Beautiful Dream
Some of the lyrics:
I woke faraway from a beautiful dream.
Feeling so led astray from where I'd been.

I still miss you so much, more than words can say
And I wish I could touch your hands and face
If I could turn back the time, before you had passed
I'd say all the things, I should have said.