Adventure 301: Filer, ID/Stoneybrook Farm/Post A

Life is good every day

We enjoyed a pleasant breakfast provided by the quietly gracious and friendly Hispanic staff of Hampton Inn of Nampa. Other hotel guests enjoying breakfast included what appeared to be a herd of Southern Idaho ranchers one of whom sported a Trump T-shirt stretched across his ample middle. Other guests included an assortment of business travelers typing away on their devices, two or three families fawning dutifully over their children, and two stragglers dressed in their Gonzaga sweat shirts giggling over who cheated last or better--the Cager merely says, "Oops, I miscounted", or some such blather. The Fox News channel loomed silently in the background flickering mute images of doom and gloom over the diners like zaps from a ray gun. Most of the rancher heads twisted to see the latest news floated along the banner at the bottom of the screen, quietly hoping (I guess) to get a glimpse of Crooked Hillary, and maybe even see some lurid allusion to some lewd sex act. Who knows? The two strangers in the Gonzaga sweatshirts, merely hunkered down over their eggs and mumbled fifteen-two, fifteen four, and a pair is six, which was a safe enough chant to ward off any angry threats from the true believers. After breakfast, we returned to our room, planning to relax until checkout time. Shortly thereafter, fortune peeked through the cloudy day when Kelly, the service manager from the Airstream dealership called to tell us that Frac's furnace surgery was successful and she was ready to go. Jubilant, we gathered our belongings, bid farewell to Nampa, and scampered North to retrieve Frac. It turns out, the operation entailed replacing two switches on the furnace: the limit switch and the sail switch, both of which help control air and gas flow to the furnace. All seems to be working fine as of now, and we're hoping that continues. We hitched up, and set off South toward the Hooley's farm, Stoney Brook. We arrived about three-thirty. Along the way, we stopped in Mountain Home for a bite of lunch. There happened to be a Saturday market, so we bought some raw milk and goat cheese. We also did the form and counted our blessings. By early evening, Judy and Loey had planned dinner. While Judy prepared dinner, I got to help Loey with the chore of spreading hay to feed the cows (Great fun for a city boy like me).  Gary was off closing irrigation valves on one of his fields. We talked a while after dinner, and now, tucked in Frac for the night, we're being serenaded by the squawks of the ostentation of peacocks that march imperiously around the farm. We also hope to hear the call of the barn owls that roost in the trees tonight. We've been transformed into a place where life is abundant, life is valued, and life is good, especially today.


 Brandon Watters, mechanic extraordinaire.

 Fric and Frac pulling happily out of Airstream of Boise (But located in Caldwell?).

 Half a gallon of fresh raw milk and a  round of spicy got cheese for six dollars.

 Frac nestled neatly in the back yard of the Stoney Brook farm.

 I got to help with the chore of spreading hay for the cows to eat.

Loey, an expert teacher, guided my city slicker hands.