Celebrating 90 years of family, nature and cats

Anyone who has read my column over the years is aware that Valen-tine’s Day is my favorite of all the holidays on the calendar. The reason of course, is that it celebrates love — pure and simple — without which the human race could not exist.

Mama was a pillar of the United Methodist Church in Coeur d’Alene where I grew up and lived from age 6 through 34. It was at a Valentine Sunday meeting in the ‘40s that the Pastor gave a lovely sermon on the life of St. Valentine and I was hooked. I believed then — as I still do today, that Love is the one and only answer to the problems of the world.

So, fast-forward to this years’ event. Daughters Diane and Olivia, both of whom live in Sandpoint, had planned a day of pinochle at Diane’s house, with festive champagne and gifts and we were all ready for some fun. Well, the fun began sooner than I expected when a strange car pulled into my drive, and out hopped daughter Shelley, her husband Ray — who now live in Arizona — and their youngest daughter, Alexis, who lives in Seattle! They had flown up for a short visit because they knew they wouldn’t be able to make it for my 90th birthday, which is coming up on March 5.

We drove to Diane’s house, where another strange car sat out in front — and who should open the door to greet me but son Grant from Kodiak! My cup did indeed “runneth over” that delightful day utterly filled with hugs and love galore! Neither Grant nor Shelley could arrange to be here for my big birthday, and knowing how I love Valentine’s Day, made it a wonderful substitute.

So, this coming Thursday, my two sons from Liberty Lake and their ladies will join the extant Sandpoint contingent at Arlo’s for a celebratory dinner/party and I’ll have gotten prime time with all six of my much-loved grown-up children.

And that opens the door for an invitation to all of my dear local friends and pals to drop by for a hug (or a drink or eats) any time between 5:30 and 7 p.m., Thursday, March 5.

On now, to my usual “focus on Nature” with a little info for those less intimate with the local bird-life than some of us who dote on them. I recently read a question-and-answer query in the latest Birds and Blooms magazine which surprised me until I realized that there could be other people who might have the same questions.

A woman wrote that her husband was concerned that the woodpeckers in their area were damaging the trees with their pecking and hole-making. The answer was that generally they actually protect them by their probing under the bark and eating insects, beetle grubs and carpenter ants that would otherwise attack the tree. It was also pointed out that woodpeckers, sapsuckers and their ilk typically excavate their nest holes in trees that already dead or dying of rot.

I was pleased with the article, since the question was a valid one. So welcome your tree-climbing/pecking visitors and enjoy their beneficial beauty.

Speaking of bug and worm-eaters, I wonder how the resident ospreys at Memorial Field are going to cope with artificial turf spread beneath their nests? Whenever Triton and Marina (my names for the couple closest to the entry) — and other resident songbirds — fly down to scratch up a healthy angleworm for their fledglings, they’ll be in for a big surprise!

It’s a travesty too, for the absorbing of spilled drinks, dropped ice creams, spit, baby wee-wee and other natural crowd waste that the underground life beneath a healthy lawn would neatly dispose of. Now, it will just lay there, benefiting no one and repugnant and unhealthy to boot. Who can question the aims of the money-spenders?

While we’re on the subject of lawns allow me to add a bit to my recent column on pesticides. Another article that caught my eye is one that addresses a nasty aspect of treating lawns with chemicals. It quoted recent studies that correlate lawn poisons and cancer in dogs. As well as harming the beneficial insects and the birds that feed on them, canines romping on the grass pick up the pesticides on their paws and fur, and lick it off — to their detriment. I would imagine the same would hold for outdoor cats as well. Too, if you’re visited — as I am, by squirrels and pine-jimmies, these cunning little friends are also put at risk. Please consider natural choices in your lawn and garden care. I would think that spray would also taint the berries on fruit bushes and small trees. Let’s give Mom Nature a chance!

I’ve included a picture of my two “rescue” kitties — not allowed outside but happy to have a loving home. Their mentor — big fat black Velvet Ocean-eyes of the “famed” Whitewhisker clan, refused to be photographed but sends her love. As do I.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.