Sunday, August 20, 2023

Three Beautiful Things 08-19-2023: Remembering Joni's Mother, A Beer at Moon Time Takes Me to Eugene, Yakkin' at The Lounge

1. If you live in North Idaho/Eastern Washington, you know what I'm talking about. Wildfires in this region have destroyed people's houses and other structures and polluted the region's air with smoke.

Because of the terrible air quality, I thought long and hard about whether I would venture out today, as planned, and drive Ed to Post Falls for the Celebration of Life for our classmate Joni's mother.

I decided to go and it was not only the right decision, but a great one.

Ed and I met Stu in the parking lot and got settled into a pew at Peace Lutheran Church.

Joni's mother, Mary Margaret Carlisle, who went by Maggie or Margie, died about four weeks ago and as soon as we knew when and where her memorial would be held, Ed, Scott, and I planned to go.

About twelve years ago, Maggie had planned out her memorial service. She selected readings from the Bible and decided what hymns she wanted. Her children, long with the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church followed her wishes to the letter and so the service was not only a memorial, but an expression of Maggie Carlisle's personality and her love for others.

2. After the service, Ed, Scott, and I joined the reception in the Fellowship Hall and had a good time talking to other classmates and visiting with some of Maggie's peers. 

As Ed and I left the church, I suggested we stop in a Moon Time for a beer before heading back over the hill and we did. I was happy that Moon Time had Ninkasi's Maiden the Shade IPA on tap and enjoyed going on a pint long trip back about twelve years when I first started really enjoying Ninkasi's beers in Eugene. 

3. Back home, I spent time with Gibbs, Copper, and Luna and then headed up the The Lounge. I sat next to Ryan at the bar and he told me about his recent trip to Ireland, his having just heard Green Sky Bluegrass in Missoula, and he told me he thought he might go to Missoula on Aug 20th to hear Flogging Molly, an idea I strongly encouraged him to follow through on!

It was a quiet evening at The Lounge which meant I got to yak for an extended period of time with Cas. We got to discuss our Fantasy Baseball League, tell each other a bunch of stories involving people from Kellogg, and we talked about the world of boxers and boxing in the 1970s and 1980s when both of us followed the sport more closely and developed some fun memories and recalled some of them tonight. 

No comments: