Monday

+++I just proof-read this entry, and it really isn't all that note-worthy.  I really need to get back to that Tomah story and find some ideas worth writing about.+++

My weekend wasn't that exciting, but I found myself otherwise occupied most of the time, leaving blank pages here.  Golf, basement re-hab, and other home maintenance were all big parts of the program.  A little wine to thin out the veins.  This pic was on Twitter on Friday night.  Let's give 2 the Daughter of the Day distinction for being such a good party host this weekend!

I played golf both weekend days to get an idea of my swing as we have the major golf function of the Summer this Friday and Saturday at Geneva.  Most country clubs have an event called Member-Guest each year to allow members to bring in a friend for a two-day tournament that is mostly social, with a little competition on the side.  There's plenty of food and drink, 45 holes of golf, and lots of conversation.  If the weather cooperates, its always a good time.

My goal at any Member-Guest tournament is to not embarrass myself.  Since I haven't played much golf this year, time is short to find a swing that can keep the ball in play.  This is especially true right now as the grass in most "rough" areas is high and thick.  Even if you can find a ball that is hit into one of these spots, getting a club on it becomes a challenge.  Maybe the course staff can get the mowers out more this week if the rain stays away.  I may try to get some more practice in this week before Friday.

The word on the BEATER is not great.  I took it to the repair shop last week and the report is that it could be $2-3K to get all the the oil leaks stopped.  Seals tend to wear out, and the car is around 13 years old.  But my perspective on this is to keep putting oil in the engine, be careful not to get too far away from home, and squeeze out another year or two of commuting miles from the car.  Its not a death notice, but the reality is that we're talking about a relatively short life-line.

They had a running road-race on Saturday that came down Maplecrest as part of the route.  It was a 5K charity race called "Color the Quads" in which the runners go through several stations where they are sprayed with corn starch (non-permanent) paint of some sort.  By the time they came past my place, they had been "colored" several times.  The race was "sold-out" at 3,400 runners, which makes it one of the largest local races in any year.

I'm not sure if I really "get" the point of the color-race concept other than that is just different from most races.  (1 will be glad to know that the organizers were the Fick sisters and their family's real estate firm.)  The race got lots of corporate support and had plenty of "goodies" and a big post-race party.  There are races every weekend that might get 300-500 runners.  Getting 3,400 in a first year event is a home run. 

I had another incidence of Its a Small World this morning.  Turns out that a guy about my age whom I see at coffee almost every morning is from Hedrick, Iowa (just North of Ottumwa).  And he had a sister (whom I believe is deceased) who was the librarian at BGM High School.  And he regularly visited her in Brooklyn, immediately recounting the roads to get there, including the gravel stretch just past Delta.  I'll get a name next time for Aunt Martha to confirm the connection.

And in health news, I had my pulmonary-function/appointment on Friday afternoon, and the results were "normal".  This is good news, as I had some concern that the pneumonia might have led to lower test scores.  (One of the oddest things about the appointment was that while waiting between the lab test and seeing the pulmonologist, I sat in the reception area with my general practice physician who was there to see another doc.  I got more pratical information sitting with him for that time than I ever had in my annual check-ups...at no additional fee!)

So a busy start to the week here and then golf to close the week.