Let’s talk about Priest River

Remember the lightning and thunder storm last Saturday night?

We were just sitting down to eat when the lightning hit close by – and it caused a light bulb over our dining area to blow up! So much for that food – full of glass! Next we found that it had burned up a GFI breaker in the downstairs bathroom. Did you know that when they get zapped they make a loud buzzing noise?

I didn’t know it had killed a telephone until the next day. The phone rang, the answering message came on, and when my caller tried to leave a message all they left was static. I’ll never know who that was.

We thought we had seen the last of it until last night when I tried to turn the sprinkler system on. (I know, plenty of rain, but I have some flowers that are sheltered.)

Now we’re searching for a “Pump control relay.” Seems they don’t make that particular part any more – our system is outdated.

We still got off better than our neighbors – their TV blew out. I could live with that, but my husband would perish without his daily dose of Fox news. My neighbors made it clear to Thursday without television because that was the soonest the new one could be delivered.

We all thought it odd that random things in the house were affected. 3 or 4 breakers popped off and the power surge affected 2 things downstairs, one upstairs, and one out in the garage.

When the same kind of storm rolled through night before last, I unplugged the TV and computer… woiuldn’t have minded being able to “unplug” the whole house, because running around looking for repair/replacement parts isn’t my favorite activity!

So… how about you? Did any of these storms commit random acts of violence on your electrical appliances?

Do you home school your children?

Did you know that Bonner County has a support group for homeschool parents and their children?

I didn’t, but I saw a notice at the Priest River Library and followed up with a visit to their website.

I sure wish something like this had existed when I started home schooling my kids – but that was a long time ago and it wasn’t a popular thing to do back then. I had a heck of a time trying to find out what curriculum I needed to follow – nobody could tell me, not even the teachers who were friendly toward the idea. They all said things like “It depends.”

I finally signed up with Calvert Schools in Maryland and got all the books sent in the mail. But now I see that the Bonner County Homeschool Group has curriculum posted on their site. They also have a link to the laws regarding home schooling, so that doesn’t have to be the confusing question that I faced.

You’ll find plenty of “good stuff” there – like links to more resources for parents and a schedule of their regular “Kid’s Day” get-togethers. Home schooling parents and kids no longer have to feel isolated.

If you teach your kids at home, check this out!

Baby Canadian Geese

When a couple of youngsters came to Bordertown Feed carrying a newly hatched Canadian Goose, Jack told them he couldn’t take it – to take it back to the nest.

The kids said they couldn’t, because the mother goose was dead. He’s not sure how they knew that, but before long, they showed up with a box full of eggs, some with tiny black beaks trying to poke through.

He couldn’t let them die for lack of care, so Jack took the babies and will release them just as soon as they’re old enough to find food and fend for themselves. Meanwhile, visiting them is fun… such cute and curious little creatures.

The economy may be tough, but Priest River-ites don’t sit back and wait for something to happen…

Here’s news of two new enterprises:

Survival Seed Bank

Plant A Full Acre Crisis Garden!

22 Different Types of True Heirloom Seeds, non-hybrid

Produce thousands of pounds of nutrient-dense foor for pennies per pound…..Enough to feed friends and family FOREVER!

To Order visit www.earlsofidaho.com and click on the banner, or call Chelsea Earls (208) 265-1741

And then, for the fishermen in the crowd…

Come and bring friends who care about taking back America…

Meanwhile, watch this video about the Second Revolution

This time, hopefully, we can fight with words and pressure instead of bullets.

The party is over, but the work goes on! Contact the event organizer if you want to help – and please add your comments below if you attended this event or one like it.

Give us your opinions, insights, feelings… whatever!

TEA PARTY RALLY!

Taxed Enough Already!

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Join with fellow taxpayers who are FED UP with high taxes, reckless spending, and government arrogance.

CITY: Priest River, Idaho
DATE: April 15, 2009
TIME: NOON
LOCATION: City Hall, High Street

For More Information or Wish To Volunteer Please Contact:
Chelsea Earls (208) 265-1741 chelseaearls@verizon.net
or
Quincy (208) 448-0416 offthemap@povn.com
If not us, who? If not now, when?

Gardens may still be covered in snow, but it’s time to buy those onion and potato sets while they’re available. One year I waited until it was time to plant and couldn’t find any! There were none in Priest River and stores I visited in Spokane were already sold out.

Now you CAN get them in Priest River – if you don’t wait until they’re sold out. Just go down High Street to Bordertown Feed. Along with the sets, Jack has a good assortment of garden seeds, and it’s time now to get some of those started indoors.

My tomato plants already have 2 leaves – I can hardly wait until summer!

The Spokesman Review reported this morning that Bonner County has a sicko on the loose.

Some man driving a beige or tan Jeep Cherokee – older model – is pretending to have car troubles to lure women to stop. On March 31, near Laclede, a woman stopped, he asked for a ride, and once he was inside her car, attacked her. Fortunately, she got away.

Remember that the man may have changed vehicles by now – and don’t offer rides to anyone you don’t personally know. Instead, offer to use your cell phone to call for help, or to drive to the nearest phone to call. Keep your car doors locked!

The man was described as 5’9″ – 5’10″, about 170 pounds, brown hair and eyes, and with tattoos on the fingers of his left hand. The woman guessed him to be in the 45 – 55 age range.

Be careful!

Authorities are asking anyone who has seen the man or his vehicle to call 208-946-6693.

Kudos to Panhandle State Bank for choosing Ivan Benson as Priest River’s 2009 Community Star!

My boys told me that Mr. Benson was the best teacher they ever had in Priest River – he not only “knew his stuff” but presented it in a way that made them want to learn it as well. We were all sorry when he quit teaching in Priest River. The newspaper quotes Donna Jones as saying that Ivan is a “kind, compassionate, encouraging person and a good listener with a terriffic sense of humor.” That’s what made him such an outstanding teacher, as well.

On another note… I see an ad for a spaghetti feed and auction sponsored by the PR Chamber. As a fundraising copywriter, I was immediately hit by what was missing in that ad.

Does anyone know what the proceeds from this event will be used for?  Just curious.

Who says you can’t cath big fish through the ice? Not these guys!

With a foot of ice still on Priest Lake last week-end, these two proved that being in the right spot at the right time can be one heck of a lot of fun. Even if one of the fish had to be tugged through the ice two-handed because the hole was a little too small and the line was in danger of breaking.

Guess I won’t reveal where they were -

Do you know who they are?

Do you have any stories like this to tell? Any photos? If so, send them to me (reduced in size, please) and I’ll post them too.

Send to: writer@marte-cliff.com