Time marches on, no matter where you are!
A month after I started this post.
My last post was near the beginning of the Pandemic we're all continuing to live through. Those first few weeks were scary times, with more scary times to come, most assuredly!
The nervous anticipation of who would/could get the virus, could/would we get the virus? Living in the full belief of the new mantra; Stay safe, Stay home!
Living up here, in North Idaho, isn't usually the "going crazy" kind of thing so many stories have discussed for all your apartment and minimum lot-sized tract home villagers.
No, many of these area homes, since it is a very rural area, have good-sized lots or acreage at their properties, like ours. In the actual town of Bonners Ferry there are 'neighborhoods' with some close quarters but much of the area is more open on lot sizes and the County areas can be really stretched out.
The thing that was keeping most of our area inside was the fact that it was still winter weather up here in March and most of April! Towards the end of May we got that occasional spring day thrown in but by then with lots of spring rainy days too, still happening by the way, like almost every weekend.
Now, a few days into Summer, it has finally gotten into the low to mid-80s for temps. We have been able to get some of our outside jobs started and the seasonal taking care of the lawn and cleaning up the branches taken down by wind and winter weather over the last few months. We were to get some projects done with several more we need to get done before the fall. Like soon taking down some trees on our property and starting on an RV parking structure.
Over the last few months, one of the things we did while mainly home, was binge-watch the complete series of the TV show "24." Eight and a half seasons from 2001 to 2014, we watched them all. We own all the DVD sets so it was easy since no-place online has them all free to watch.
If you had never heard of the show, it is old now comparatively and some in our office had never heard of the show.
Its gimmick was each episode was supposed to be in "real-time" so a season was 24 episodes, a day in the life, except that last half-ish season which was 13-episodes and one 'special two-hour episode' bridging between seasons six and seven.
When powering through the seasons one right after the other, we originally started in California and ended here in Idaho, and some seasons we hadn't seen since they were first shown on TV so a lot was new again. I'd kind of remember the big plot lines but didn't recall how the story got there, so it was interesting to see the shows again.
It was also interesting to see how in such a relatively short time how dated and unmake-able the show would be now as it was then. Terrorist, torture, a lot of violence, the hallmark of "Jack Bauer" and his life. This example of some things not now showable on network TV, while not actually shown, in an early-season adventure, Jack asks to see a person that had been arrested and was going to testify against a 'crew' Jack had been undercover with some time before in the series action backstory. Jack wants to re-infiltrate that crew since it has been working with the bad guy terrorist and he wants to find out and stop that bad guy.
So, Jack's at "CTU" (Counter Terrorism Unit) the always infiltrated government agency that was 'trying' to stop whatever from happening. He says he wants to have a talk with the guy that's going to testify and that guy is brought in to "interrogation." After a few words of small-talk, Jack shoots him. Then, right before the commercial break he looks up from the now dead guy and says "I need a hacksaw," cut to commercial. The guy was a really bad guy and involved in kid crimes so I guess that made Jack killing him, OK?
Four minutes later and Jack is carting around a bowling bag like carrier on his way to meet the old crew. When he meets up with a guy he knew and got the "what the hell do you think you're doing here" speech, the guy looks inside the bag and sees the head of the guy that was going to testify that Jack has brought as a 'gift' for the head bad guy to prove Jack's sincerity. And telling the guy "no one's going to be testifying against you now." And then he's back in the crew again.
That was just one scene of the many over the seasons that make it to where I don't think the series could be shot in today's world.
The character Jack Bauer is also a big fan of the "don't fight it" and "relax, let it happen" choke holds to knock someone out. I guess that's better than always just killing them? But choke holds are definitely NOT a good idea currently!
Then there's Jack himself, impaled by a foot-long slab of wood, by the next episode, or even later in that same 'hour', he's apparently not hurting at all any longer! And they NEVER went to the bathroom!
OK, you get the idea. Watch it for the entertainment value, not the reality value.
On to other things, Idaho is now, as of June 13th, into "phase-4" of "Rebound Idaho" with most restrictions now being relaxed officially except keeping a social distance and wearing face masks.
Many people have already long been ignoring both in this area since there still have been no "confirmed" local cases of the virus. In fact, yesterday, in the way more populated south end of the state they were just sent back to phase-3 due to the rapid increase in cases in that region from the 'rebound.'
Quite a few local anecdotal cases but you still can only get testing with a doctor referral and while several of those anecdotal cases had deaths, none were confirmed.
Many (ignorant in my opinion) locals still believe Covid-19 to be a media overblown semi-threat that "won't happen here." While yes, there are still eight of the forty counties in Idaho with zero cases, there's nothing to say or make me believe the original information from the CDC that indicated it isn't how the virus will get everywhere, but when the virus will get everywhere, including all these rural counties and cities.
A few things are occasionally in short supply but generally, our area grocery stores have everything again, except at times hand sanitizer, for the most part.
As it is now officially summer, while I'm at work watching the world go by on the main drag through town, there are lots of travelers coming through the city on their various vacations north and east as if all was normal everywhere. RV's, motorcycles, loaded down cars and trucks all coming through like it was 2019 all over again.
It seems like the next big regional fights now are over the 4th of July celebrations since many cities are trying to be respectful of the facts that since everyone is 'loosening up' cases are shooting up too!
People are complaining about their "rights" to gather too close and blow things up for a holiday. As we never go (too crowded, even before Covid) and our newish neighbors ALWAYS shoot fireworks off, it won't matter to us.
Our son Sean has been checking in and has often been concerned about the national protests and riots he's been hearing about and were those happening here?
Well, not here. Over in the Spokane area, there have some major protests with a lot of damage. In Coeur d' Alene, there were several large protests but I haven't seen any stories of much, if any, property damage. This far north no one has heard of any problems or protests locally.
Maybe that has something to do with the story last week on a local area news site, www.kootenaivalleytimes.com, it is a free site by the way, and yes, you can check it out for news from our local region of North Idaho, Western Montana, Southern Canada and Eastern Washington.
The other area newspapers, the Bonners Ferry Herald and the Bonner County Daily Bee, for the Sandpoint area do have online sites and stories but with an expensive pay-wall after a few "free" stories a month. The Kootenai Valley Times is free to read with no restrictions.
Anyway, the story said that Bonners Ferry has recently been found to be the "poorest city in Idaho." How ever that designation came about I actually don't remember now, kind of an in one eye out the other story but it got some people annoyed!
Very rural, yes. The town of Bonners Ferry is less than 3,000 people now, until the new census numbers come out later this year or next. The entire county is supposed to be around 8,000 now. Again, there won't be any real numbers for awhile.
Bonners Ferry used to have the designation "the friendliest town in Idaho" regardless of the region's white supremacists and such.
Oh well, life goes on no matter what area you live.
I'll get some photos posted soon!
A month after I started this post.
My last post was near the beginning of the Pandemic we're all continuing to live through. Those first few weeks were scary times, with more scary times to come, most assuredly!
The nervous anticipation of who would/could get the virus, could/would we get the virus? Living in the full belief of the new mantra; Stay safe, Stay home!
Living up here, in North Idaho, isn't usually the "going crazy" kind of thing so many stories have discussed for all your apartment and minimum lot-sized tract home villagers.
No, many of these area homes, since it is a very rural area, have good-sized lots or acreage at their properties, like ours. In the actual town of Bonners Ferry there are 'neighborhoods' with some close quarters but much of the area is more open on lot sizes and the County areas can be really stretched out.
The thing that was keeping most of our area inside was the fact that it was still winter weather up here in March and most of April! Towards the end of May we got that occasional spring day thrown in but by then with lots of spring rainy days too, still happening by the way, like almost every weekend.
Now, a few days into Summer, it has finally gotten into the low to mid-80s for temps. We have been able to get some of our outside jobs started and the seasonal taking care of the lawn and cleaning up the branches taken down by wind and winter weather over the last few months. We were to get some projects done with several more we need to get done before the fall. Like soon taking down some trees on our property and starting on an RV parking structure.
Over the last few months, one of the things we did while mainly home, was binge-watch the complete series of the TV show "24." Eight and a half seasons from 2001 to 2014, we watched them all. We own all the DVD sets so it was easy since no-place online has them all free to watch.
If you had never heard of the show, it is old now comparatively and some in our office had never heard of the show.
Its gimmick was each episode was supposed to be in "real-time" so a season was 24 episodes, a day in the life, except that last half-ish season which was 13-episodes and one 'special two-hour episode' bridging between seasons six and seven.
When powering through the seasons one right after the other, we originally started in California and ended here in Idaho, and some seasons we hadn't seen since they were first shown on TV so a lot was new again. I'd kind of remember the big plot lines but didn't recall how the story got there, so it was interesting to see the shows again.
It was also interesting to see how in such a relatively short time how dated and unmake-able the show would be now as it was then. Terrorist, torture, a lot of violence, the hallmark of "Jack Bauer" and his life. This example of some things not now showable on network TV, while not actually shown, in an early-season adventure, Jack asks to see a person that had been arrested and was going to testify against a 'crew' Jack had been undercover with some time before in the series action backstory. Jack wants to re-infiltrate that crew since it has been working with the bad guy terrorist and he wants to find out and stop that bad guy.
So, Jack's at "CTU" (Counter Terrorism Unit) the always infiltrated government agency that was 'trying' to stop whatever from happening. He says he wants to have a talk with the guy that's going to testify and that guy is brought in to "interrogation." After a few words of small-talk, Jack shoots him. Then, right before the commercial break he looks up from the now dead guy and says "I need a hacksaw," cut to commercial. The guy was a really bad guy and involved in kid crimes so I guess that made Jack killing him, OK?
Four minutes later and Jack is carting around a bowling bag like carrier on his way to meet the old crew. When he meets up with a guy he knew and got the "what the hell do you think you're doing here" speech, the guy looks inside the bag and sees the head of the guy that was going to testify that Jack has brought as a 'gift' for the head bad guy to prove Jack's sincerity. And telling the guy "no one's going to be testifying against you now." And then he's back in the crew again.
That was just one scene of the many over the seasons that make it to where I don't think the series could be shot in today's world.
The character Jack Bauer is also a big fan of the "don't fight it" and "relax, let it happen" choke holds to knock someone out. I guess that's better than always just killing them? But choke holds are definitely NOT a good idea currently!
Then there's Jack himself, impaled by a foot-long slab of wood, by the next episode, or even later in that same 'hour', he's apparently not hurting at all any longer! And they NEVER went to the bathroom!
OK, you get the idea. Watch it for the entertainment value, not the reality value.
On to other things, Idaho is now, as of June 13th, into "phase-4" of "Rebound Idaho" with most restrictions now being relaxed officially except keeping a social distance and wearing face masks.
Many people have already long been ignoring both in this area since there still have been no "confirmed" local cases of the virus. In fact, yesterday, in the way more populated south end of the state they were just sent back to phase-3 due to the rapid increase in cases in that region from the 'rebound.'
Quite a few local anecdotal cases but you still can only get testing with a doctor referral and while several of those anecdotal cases had deaths, none were confirmed.
Many (ignorant in my opinion) locals still believe Covid-19 to be a media overblown semi-threat that "won't happen here." While yes, there are still eight of the forty counties in Idaho with zero cases, there's nothing to say or make me believe the original information from the CDC that indicated it isn't how the virus will get everywhere, but when the virus will get everywhere, including all these rural counties and cities.
A few things are occasionally in short supply but generally, our area grocery stores have everything again, except at times hand sanitizer, for the most part.
As it is now officially summer, while I'm at work watching the world go by on the main drag through town, there are lots of travelers coming through the city on their various vacations north and east as if all was normal everywhere. RV's, motorcycles, loaded down cars and trucks all coming through like it was 2019 all over again.
It seems like the next big regional fights now are over the 4th of July celebrations since many cities are trying to be respectful of the facts that since everyone is 'loosening up' cases are shooting up too!
People are complaining about their "rights" to gather too close and blow things up for a holiday. As we never go (too crowded, even before Covid) and our newish neighbors ALWAYS shoot fireworks off, it won't matter to us.
Our son Sean has been checking in and has often been concerned about the national protests and riots he's been hearing about and were those happening here?
Well, not here. Over in the Spokane area, there have some major protests with a lot of damage. In Coeur d' Alene, there were several large protests but I haven't seen any stories of much, if any, property damage. This far north no one has heard of any problems or protests locally.
Maybe that has something to do with the story last week on a local area news site, www.kootenaivalleytimes.com, it is a free site by the way, and yes, you can check it out for news from our local region of North Idaho, Western Montana, Southern Canada and Eastern Washington.
The other area newspapers, the Bonners Ferry Herald and the Bonner County Daily Bee, for the Sandpoint area do have online sites and stories but with an expensive pay-wall after a few "free" stories a month. The Kootenai Valley Times is free to read with no restrictions.
Anyway, the story said that Bonners Ferry has recently been found to be the "poorest city in Idaho." How ever that designation came about I actually don't remember now, kind of an in one eye out the other story but it got some people annoyed!
Very rural, yes. The town of Bonners Ferry is less than 3,000 people now, until the new census numbers come out later this year or next. The entire county is supposed to be around 8,000 now. Again, there won't be any real numbers for awhile.
Bonners Ferry used to have the designation "the friendliest town in Idaho" regardless of the region's white supremacists and such.
Oh well, life goes on no matter what area you live.
I'll get some photos posted soon!
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