So much for prognostications, huh? The spectacle surrounding a horse race, particularly at this elite level, is striking. First off, there’s the beauty and grace of these splendid horses. I can’t help but be in awe. There’s the pageantry, some 90,000 people gathered to cheer on their favorites … and perhaps to witness history being made, which in this case is exactly what happened.
Baseball is in the air. Here at the Wiseblooding abode, there’s a high level of anticipation as the Arkansas Razorbacks (#WooPigSooie) play host on their home field to the NCAA SuperRegional. The #OmaHogs (as fans are calling them) will face the Missouri State Bears on Friday.
Hog fans can get a bit crazy when it comes to cheering for their team … hearing a stadium full of fans rocking the stands as they call the Hogs is an impressive experience. Friday’s game is sold out and they’re expecting a capacity crowd for this event. The fans will start early and make a festive day out of it. Continue reading “Joy In Mudville”→
From the moment the Wells Report was released, social media lit up – once again – over the scandal of under-inflated footballs appearing to be a common practice for New England Patriots football games. Call it Deflate-gate if you like. Detractors and Patriots slam the report, others are demanding Tom Brady’s head … or at least a season-long suspension.The story/scandal has provided fodder for a slew of coarse jokes and innuendo. Given three months for sifting through information that resulted in a 139-page report – which generally blames lower-level employees while stating the quarterback Brady was “generally aware of inappropriate activities.” Frankly, when I read a few of the text messages released online, it seemed more than likely to me that deflating footballs was standard operating practice and after the press ran with the story, obfuscation and cover-up followed. Continue reading “Inves-Deflate”→
In case you haven’t noticed the calendar, Valentine’s Day is coming right up! Yep, that day when we celebrate LOVE! Have you looked at the price of flowers lately? A heart-shaped box of quality chocolates? Saying “I Love You” never comes cheap. Be ready to fork over the big bucks!
Ha! I saw one FaceBook post of a rose-red Range Rover beneath which someone had noted, “Wouldn’t this look good in my driveway on Valentine’s Day?” The FB post says Range Rover is giving two of these away just prior to the big day … but apparently, it’s a giant hoax. (The car does look nice though.)My Beloved and I have never been ardent gift-givers. Early in our marriage, we scrimped to save for the important things and Valentine’s Day was an opportunity for creativity. Some of my best cards from my long-time Beau were simple handmade cards on which he expressed his love for me. My handmade expressions were usually more grandiose productions than his but I won’t suggest they outshone his. Continue reading “How To Say “I Love You””→
It’s a challenge to get away from college football today … and for the rest of the weekend. Plenty of people are reluctant to leave the couch while games run non-stop until late tonight. (I’m not one of those, but I’ve come to accept my Beloved and our grandson are going to stay glued to their seats, smack-dab in front of the television.)
Turning away from college football mania, I’ve been scanning the vast resources of the worldwide web. I had already noticed in my email the number of lists that abound in 2015. There are lists of (1) things to do, (2) things not to do, (3) places to go (4) places not to go … and there are multiple other lists focused on retrospection (1) what we got right in 2014, (2) what we got wrong in 2014, (3) what we need to do to get it right in 2015, etc. Continue reading “List Mania”→
We’re sitting at a leisurely lunch. It’s Sunday afternoon and we’ve come to the restaurant directly from church – my Beloved, our grandson and our grandson’s best friend. The four of us are having relaxed conversation. Mostly though, I’m a quiet observer … the three of them are talking college football as well as the occasional reference to NFL players and games. Even though I’m a fan of the Razorbacks, football is not a subject about which I can add much to the conversation. It’s a different story for my Beloved, my grandson and his friend; the idea of watching ESPN game day shows from their start until their wrap-up – they devour it … hour after seemingly endless hour!
So I’m sitting there, listening, making an occasional inane comment. I recognize names of Arkansas players, and I know the names of some coaches (mostly SEC teams). But long ago the musical chairs that characterizes the annual end-of-season routine made me realize I’d either have to go all-in (and consume endless hours to school myself on all things football) or be satisfied as a peripheral observer. I chose the latter. I don’t regret it. Continue reading “Terminal Affability”→
Imagine with me that you’re flying in a Learjet on your way to your next job. You’ve had a hectic morning preparing for your trip and rushing off to the airport, so once you get settled on the aircraft and the plane is in the air, you close your eyes for a quick nap. This scenario (or something like it … remember, we’re imagining) took place fifteen years ago this day.
The tragic death of golfer Payne Stewart and five of his associates occurred when they lost consciousness in a depressurized cabin and fell asleep, ninety minutes before the aircraft crashed when its fuel ran out. Because Stewart hailed from Missouri (my home state) and because he clearly loved golf and life, I considered him a breath of fresh air in the early years when I was learning the sport. Some people called him a showboat … his throwback (but colorful) clothing set him apart. Was it flamboyant (as some commentators described it)? Maybe, but I would have preferred the word memorable. In an era of ordinary polo shirts and khakis as the standard golfing garb, Stewart dressed splendidly so people would not confuse him with his contemporaries Davis Love III or Nick Price or Hal Sutton. Continue reading “Finding Home”→
Call me old fashioned, but I don’t mind. I enjoyed those long-ago times when our family spent Saturday nights over a family dinner and then gathered around the television for a movie. In those days, it was often a Disney made-for-television movie with wholesome stories and fun the children were certain to enjoy. To this day, Double Switch and Not Quite Human are movies my grown children delightfully recall.
Nowadays, unless we go out for a movie (rare because we have Netflix, Hulu and multiple other options), Saturday nights are no longer movie nights. The children (for all practical purposes, anyway) are mostly gone and movies have lost a good bit of their luster (at least for me).
But Saturdays, when I am mentally ready to sit back, relax and enjoy a fun flick (whether drama or comedy), I’m the only one in the household with this mindset.
Not that the others don’t have their noses glued to a screen. Saturdays do mean something to them … but the day doesn’t translate to anything close to movie-time. Thanks to the wonders of ESPN and College Football Saturday, there’s no doubt sports will be airing on screens (televisions, computers, smartphones, iPads, etc.) throughout the house! In fact, with the addition of Thursday night and Friday night, Saturday – all day, in fact – we’ve transitioned into a weekly college football triple play! Continue reading “Saturday Diversions”→
People who know me know that one of my personality quirks is an eagerness to take on almost any challenge. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying I’m incapable of refusing a DARE. In my view, dares are slightly different than challenges. I don’t respond to dares in the same way, though I can’t deny I’ve been baited on occasion.
One time during our Thursday morning ladies golf game, we were on the 7th hole. This is a short hole, but also a water hole that has intimidated me as long as I can remember. Sixty-eight yards should not be terribly hard, right? But my golf balls have an incredible talent when it comes to flying over water … they mostly refuse to take the trip!
The ladies with whom I played were hitting nine irons or wedges. I’m thinking (to myself) maybe I can get over with a seven iron … or if I hit the ball surprisingly well, an eight iron, but that’s iffy. So I pull the eight out of my bag and tee the ball up just a bit. I manage to get the ball over the water and onto the grass but there’s a downward slope and the ball rolls off the grass, down the edge and into the water. But since that was a pretty dry summer, there wasn’t as much water in the pond and the ball got caught in the muck (ducks) and dirt. Continue reading “Challenge Me”→
During the four weekends when there are major golf tournaments (Masters, US Open, The Open and PGA Championships), my Beloved keeps our family room television tuned into the events. Since we also have a DVR, he’s usually recording the entire coverage … in the event he misses something or notices a swing he’d like to study a bit closer. This is what it’s like to live with a man who’s carried a lifelong love of the Game.
Before we were married, I’d never even played a round of golf. (My sports were softball and baseball.) In the early days of our marriage, we were too poor to golf regularly, but Sunday afternoons, we’d both be at home relaxing. Sooner or later, we’d gravitate to the cheap entertainment provided by our television where a broadcast of one golf tournament or another was playing. Even though I knew little about the game, I’d sit down to watch it with my Beloved. That’s how I came to understand golf, long before I’d ever played a round. Continue reading “Off The Links”→
