Photo Hunt: Messy

When Christmas is over the "wrapping center" on the bed in the guest room can be classified as messy. Maybe cleaning up will be a good New Year's project! You can visit PhotoHunt to see more photos using Messy.

Ten Mile Road Trip: The Center of the Universe

Go Figure: This is for you!

A few nights ago Silver Valley Girl and I took a trip to the other end of Shoshone County to Wallace, Idaho. She wanted to try out her new rig and we wanted to check out the Center of the Universe. Growing up Wallace seemed like a journey from Kellogg. We went there to the dentist, to visit the courthouse, or to do shopping. It is really only about eleven miles.The Wallace Miners were our rivals in sports and I attended many basketball games in their gym as the Miners and Wildcats kept the rivalry alive.

"On September 25, 2004 Wallace's Mayor Ron Garitone proclaimed Wallace to be the center of the Universe. Specifically, a sewer access cover was declared to be the precise location of the center of the Universe. A specially made manhole cover was made to mark the spot. It bears the words "Center of the Universe. Wallace, Idaho." This prompted British comedian and writer Danny Wallace to visit Wallace. He wrote about his visit in the book Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe, published in 2006." Wikipedia

When we traveled to Wallace it was snowing hard. This is a picture of a street downtown. The people of Wallace have worked hard at preserving their historic town. Every building in downtown is registered with the National Registry of Historical Places. Returning to Wallace I feel like I am frozen in time.
Tabors Store had a lovely Christmas window display.
The houses were decorated beautifully for the holidays. This was a favorite we caught on film. We then toured King St. and started to head up Placer Creek, but decided the snow was falling just a bit too fast to keep going.Taking the old highway home to Kellogg we caught this holiday light display in Osburn. It was worth one more picture. Making the journey to the other end of Shoshone County was enjoyable. I spent time laughing and enjoying music with my sister, we got to test her new rig in snow and on hills, and we got to stand at the Center of the Universe. It doesn't get better than that!

Sibling Assignment #49: Gentle Reminders for 2008

I gave our sibling assignment for this last week of 2007:

Often people make New Year's Resolutions, but find them hard to keep. If you had a list of gentle reminders posted on the corner of your laptop screen for 2008, what would those gentle reminders be? You will find RP's here and Silver Valley Girl's here soon.

Now I want to focus on eight gentle reminders for 2008. Then I used to always set hard New Year's Resolutions which were hard to stick with. You can read other Sunday Scribblings on Now and Then here.

On my laptop screen one gentle reminder listed is to be still. Each day I need to take time to just be. Nothing else.

I also want to continue to pray and count blessings each day. I have found that if I add the blessings to my prayer time it fills my heart with the good things of the day.

Also on that list is to be gentle with my body. I know what I need to do, but I want to take it slowly and gently so I don't get discouraged.

The fourth one will be the easiest: Notice the beauty around me and capture that beauty in digital pictures. I began noticing the beauty around me in 2007.

Fifth on the list: write every day.

My sixth gentle reminder is to read outside my comfort zone. I want to find books to stretch my thinking. Any suggestions?

Laugh every day is number seven. Laughter is truly the best medicine.

My last gentle reminder is to break down tasks. I am slowly learning if I break down tasks into smaller parts it helps me from getting overwhelmed. I take on too much too often and get overwhelmed too easily in the process. Sigh.

I am looking forward to 2008 and will have my gentle reminders close by.

Images of The Holidays in Kellogg

Today my brother Raymond Pert drove me to Spokane Valley to meet JEJ and return home. JEJ left Kellogg earlier to make sure the house, the cats, the rabbits, and greenhouse were surviving the snowy weather. It was a wonderful holiday and birthday celebration for my brother with family and friends back home, but it feels good tonight to be sitting in my own house with my dogs, husband, cats, a fire in the wood stove, and a winter wonderland outside. I am eager to see my gardens in the light tomorrow.

Snug the Joiner

Snug is my brother's Springer Spaniel that loves being in North Idaho. He doesn't see much snow back home in Eugene, Oregon so this morning he was ecstatic about having me play outside with him and follow him around with the camera. Whether Snug is outside making dog angels or inside watching the action on the street he loves being around people. Snug is a joiner.

Reflecting on Raymond Pert's Birthday

Today is my brother Raymond Pert's 54th birthday. I caught this image of RP and his dog Snug looking out the window at our mother's house. I love the images of our childhood church and the hills below Silver Mountain reflecting in the window. At my brother's request we had a homemade comfort meal made by Mom that included fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, canned corn, and salad. It was a family gathering around the table full of family stories, memories, and lots of laughs.
Happy Birthday Raymond Pert!