Why Idaho ?

For anyone who wonders why anybody would move to Idaho, or is it Iowa, or is it Ohio ? See, not everyone even knows for sure what state it really is or where it is or how it is. Well, the photo here can maybe give a clue as to one reason to live in Idaho. I have heard many people think it's Iowa when I mention my home. No mountains in Iowa, although it's a nice state. Been through it, in it, etc. Spent some treacherous times there on the highways in the winter during snowstorms. But back to Idaho. Not all Idaho looks like this, some is even more beautiful and for those who know what I mean, can I hear an " Amen " ? This happens to be the Sawtooth mountains a couple hours from my house. I love going there, spending time there in a cabin by the river and cooking next to it and listening to the sound of the river lull me to sleep at night. It's hard to get there during the winter because of a pass you have to go over to reach the area and the roads are not maintained during the winter. Of course we have the desert in many areas, Beautiful alpine lakes to have a glass of wine next to or a picnic. The skiing is world class at Sun Valley north of me. You can easily spend time for lunch next to a business man in a restaurant or a cowboy from a local or isolated ranch. There are always the trucks in the parking lots of grocery stores or restaurants with the flat bed on back and a couple of ranch dogs patiently waiting on thier masters, untied, just waiting. It's a friendly place, most people very polite. The weather is mild here where I live, at least it was until this year when it got really warm during the summer for endless days on end. Thankfully the humidity is usually around the lower teens or less. But I see signs of a coming change in seasons. I have a watermelon in the garden that hopefully knows the difference too. It doesn't seem to know when to quit growing but I love watching it. I keep looking at my landscape gardens and thinking of more that I could plant but I know I better wait until next spring to see how much it will fill in. The back one has grown so much that sometimes I am really taken aback by it since it has been in only a few months. As I have said before, l love the gardening and beautifying. Something that my friend and pastor said in his sermon last Sunday made me think ! It is relevant to gardening, ( lots of other things too but for now, gardening ) It is this, that in Europe there are famous works of art in some of the cathedrals that are not signed by name by the artists that created them . Instead there are letters or this phrase in Latin " Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam ". This is very relevant to the Catholic church as I understand but I won't go into that at this point. What the literal translation of this is " To the greater glory of God ". And what has that got to do with gardening ? Well, for me, I realize that I love gardening for many reasons and one of them is to make this small part of the earth a little nice maybe than when I came. In this instance it pertains to gardens. I have mine in back and one for the public in front. I have had lots of comments on them but this is not the reason I plant. And after thinking on what was in the sermon last Sunday, I think that gardening can be one expression of honoring our creator. Everyone has gifts and abilities which can be used for this, it's just that you have to think about what that is, whether it's comforting someone who is needing a friend, working in a job that helps fellow human beings, growing food, and on and on and on. It's how we look at what we do that can tell a lot about us. Maybe we teach children, counsel people, show them ways to take care of themselves, or bring music to them, etc. Whatever we do, whether in our jobs or on our own time, can be a dedication ! I have a Japanese influenced garden in front of my new home and I am going to put one more boulder or rock in it with these words " To the greater glory of God " but in Japanese. And when someone asks, what in the world are those scratchings on the rock, I have a perfect time to tell them. I know winter is a ways away yet but I have already started looking at the mountains east of me unconciously to see if there is any snow on top and noticing my skis waiting for me next to the door in \the garage. Until next time, Ralph.