1. The basement has needed some attention for a while. Today, while laundering a blanket, the drum in the washing machine began making a loud noise because the blanket had shifted to one side and drum was out of balance. I fixed that, restarted the washing machine, and decided to stay downstairs in case the drum needed my attention again. To pass the time, I swept. I checked out the condition of some fluorescent light bulbs. I got things looking better, but I need to take the vacuum cleaner down and do more cleaning.
2. I sprung into the Sube this afternoon and blasted over the pass to Coeur d'Alene and went to Supercuts. I was happy to see that both women who have cut my hair before were working. It turned out that Robin, who commutes to CdA from Pinehurst, cut my hair and got it trimmed up and looking pretty good in record time.
Because for about a year, starting last March, I had been lying pretty low here in Kellogg, I had read about Trails End Brewery but hadn't dropped in.
Trails End bakes pizza in a brick oven -- I could see the flame in the oven from the bar -- and if they served slices, I was ready to order a cheese slice and sample a little bit of beer. Well, no problem, but Trails End only sells whole pies -- I'll buy one another time -- so I decided to have two small glasses of beer.
I started with Trails End's Creek Hoppin' West Coast IPA. I could have ordered a hazy, but after drinking quite a few hazys back east, I've been hankering for a more resinous, more piney IPA. In addition, the more juicy hazy IPAs tend to be less bitter (lower IBU) and I was also hankering for a more pronounced bitter finish. Creek Hoppin's IBU was not out of sight at 60, but I thought it delivered a strong bitter finish and I enjoyed the beer's flavors.
As I enjoyed this beer, I saw, for the first time ever in a brewery or taproom, that Trails End brews a Kellerbier. Back in Salem, MA a couple of weeks ago, Emily Sauter gave me a can of Kellerbier from Fox Farms, the brewery where she works. I drank it last week in New York and loved it and I was thrilled to see that Trails End brews a Kellerbier. So I ordered a small glass of Mountains Please! and I loved it. It's a light, cloudy beer and this one is made with the Kazbek Hop from the Czech Republic and has a very pleasing lemon forward taste. One day, when I know I'll be drinking beer with others here at home, I'll return to Trails End and purchase a crowler or a growler of Mountains Please! to go. I'd love to share this gem of a beer with other craft beer lovers!
3. Back in Kellogg, at 6 o'clock, the Celebration of Everett's Life officially began when I ambled over to Christy's back yard and joined Christy, Lura, and Lyle -- and a bit later, Tracy -- for a gin and tonic and the spaghetti and meatball (cooked in the crockpot) that Christy whipped up for dinner.
We regaled each other with stories about family and shared memories and talked about what's happening with different family members in the present. Our meal was delicious and our time together was filled with good cheer, as it should be. We pretty much left the big world out there to do its business without us because we were focused on the small and much more enjoyable world of life in our families and on getting this weekend of honoring Everett off to a positive start.
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