Snowbirds are onto something
Our neighbors are snowbirds, having enjoyed the past five months or so of fall and winter in the Arizona sunshine. I noticed their motorhome back in the neighborhood first thing Monday morning. Their timing for returning home just happened to coincide with Mother Nature’s last laugh of snow fall. I imagine there are a lot of snowbirds shaking their heads to come from temps in the 90s to snow. In April. It’s springtime in North Idaho-ho-ho!
A few decades ago, my observation about snowbirds, residents who fly/drive south for the winter, was that they were wimps. C’mon. What’s a few months of snow and cold in exchange for living in such an extraordinary slice of heaven here in the north lands? But a funny thing happened the older I’ve gotten; it’s clear that the snowbirds are a smart and lucky bunch.
By March, I’m so over wearing socks and a coat and dealing with rain and gray skies. I want sunshine and lots of it. I know it’s coming, it does every year, and there’s no better or perfect place to be than right here when summer finally arrives.
So welcome home, snowbirds, and welcome back soon to those lazy days of summer.
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What could be even better than shooting your very first hole-in-one? Having six good friends there to witness the milestone! Jack Evans did just that over the weekend at Highlands Golf Course, sharing the thrill of the 134-yard ace on hole 17 with Eric McIntosh, Joe Parker, Andy Kuhfuss, Caleb McIntosh, Jared Blair and Timothy McKenna.
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Gayle Jacklin Stegmann with Gem State Mule Co. of Rathdrum posted a unique birth announcement on Sunday to welcome to the world, “Palmer.” The palomino john mule was born on Palm Sunday and the name also honors the late, great golfer Arnold Palmer since Sunday was the final round of the Masters. Well played, Gayle!
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Zach Desjarlais, Post Falls High School Class of 2000, was honored last week in Chicago as one of the nation’s top five rising leaders in K-12 education technology. Zach, a former middle school and high school teacher, is the manager for instructional technology at the Vancouver, Wash., Public School District. He oversees a team of instructional facilitators who teach teachers in the use of system management and to support STEM initiatives.
His commitment to the district was the reason Desjarlais was named a NextGen Leader by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and EdScoop. According to EdScoop, Desjarlais started a “Future Ready” league for school principals and administrators so they could understand the new demands and lessons of today’s classrooms, and he helped oversee a district-wide implementation of learning management system Canvas.
Congratulations Zach, and a shout-out to his proud parents, Marilyn and Booy Desjarlais of Post Falls.
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Wishing you all a blessed and sunshine-filled Easter!
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Happy birthday today to Mallary Juarez, Connie Munk, Russell Heitstuman and Kevin Reed.
The same tomorrow to Chloe Hudson, Evalyn Adams, Kathy Behm and Corbin Messina.
On Friday, Phil Damiano, Joan Harmon, Mark Robitaille, Stacey Mann, Dana Shapland (50!), Ron Washburn and Bill Gough, aka the One Man Band, put on their party hats.
April 15 birthday means another trip around the sun for Betsy Hawkins, Brian Walker, Denise Edmonds, Ian Waltz (40!), Doug Harms, Dave Holmes, Clay Ownbey, Caroline Crollard, Tori Gray, Randy Teall, Kara Hicks and Judy Donner.
Easter Sunday birthday wishes to JD Dickinson, Leslie Gourley, Kevin Johnson, Kay Riplinger, Chris LaVoie and Tom Fisher.
On Monday Pat Krug, Jaime Meyer, Andre Ney, Dot Rook, Betty Stone, Blythe Templin (50!), Jonna Harris-Bowman, Sheila McDaniel, Curtis Ormesher (60!) and Peggy Fairfield will celebrate.
Anna Goodwin, Brad Dugdale, Chris Mueller, Pat Stroud, Rebecca Priano, Glenn Gatherer, Ryan Edmonds, John Cross, Branson McAlister and Lisa Johnson mark their special day on Tuesday.
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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.