Happy Anniversary...

we're a house divided...she likes pink moscato, I like brut cuvee

...to us...18 happy years and counting!

As a parent, I naturally think of "18" as the span of time it takes to raise a child from birth through high school graduation.

When I think of the miraculous transformations embedded in that journey - from newborn to young adult - and all the activities involved - the sports, plays, concerts, proms, field trips and more - it seems like a lifetime.

And yet those years flew by in an eye blink, proving the old adage:

So it has been with our married life...filled with happiness and activity and many lovely memories, but for the life of me I don't know where those years went.

It seems like yesterday when we enthusiastically said "I do!", but the calendar - and the mirror - tells me that was almost 2 decades ago.

As Karen always says, we need to embrace each day, be present in each moment, and live our best lives together.

Words to live by.

And speaking of embracing the day...

sun was just coming up when I teed off...that's my driving iron, as I sent my Franken-brassie off for professional repair

...it was a gorgeous morning on the links, low 60's and lots of sunshine.

Sadly, the fabulous weather did not carry over to my game.

one of my few chances to "1 putt for par", all of which ended in a bogey(ish)

I was actually striking the ball pretty well from the tees and fairways, but my lousy short game did me in.

Was just short of the green on the 370 yard par 5, so I figured I'd just chip in for par:

Who could have guessed I figured wrong?

Even so, it was as I always hope it will be when I gather up the tools of my ignorance and tee up my guttys...

...a little solitude, a little exercise, and a delightful stroll through the countryside.

While we're on the subject...

No surprise there are hardly any courses left that are truly hickory / gutty friendly.

Constant improvement in equipment has stretched modern courses to almost twice the length they used to be when clubs were made of hickory wood and the best golf balls were made from the sap of gutta percha trees.

Luckily I've hit upon a solution for this problem; I need to build my own hickory golf course.

To that end, I hired one of them per-fessional golf course maker guys and had him draw up formal plans for a life size version of my backyard wiffle golf ball course, to wit:

He does good work.

Turns out I'll need about 13 acres of mostly open, dry fields to accommodate my 5 greens / 9 hole course design.

The greens will have to be artificial turf done by professionals.

I'll also need one of those cool mowers you steer with dual hand levers instead of a steering wheel.

Might need a slightly faster version so I don't spend more time mowing fairways than I do golfing on them:

And it either needs to always rain enough to keep the fairways green, or else I'll have to put in some kind of commercial grade sprinkling system.

Did I mention I need to win the lottery to make this happen?

#1 son, if you're reading this, keep your eyes peeled for the right property.

Let's do that parting shots thing...

meet you there

just because I like this picture of the John G. Munson

we continue to suffer though Obama's 3rd term

you might look a little weird after that, but at least you got stuff done

the only electric car I'd buy

a little bit o' heaven

I want to golf here

Reading through the minor prophets in my devotions; love this verse from Micah:

later, mcm fans...

I Could Live...

...in September forever...cool mornings, warm afternoons, bright sunshine...gotta love it.

Sadly we're already halfway through it, marching steadily toward...well, you know.

But for now...

...it's truly glorious weather and I'm doing my best to make the most of it.

Of course, I'd enjoy it even more if I had any talent for golf, but oh well.

Not even my lackluster performance on the links can dim my appreciation for this beautiful time of year.

Hope you're making time in your daily life for this special season.

As F. Scott Fitzgerald rightly observed in "The Great Gatsby"...

Experience it.

And since we're almost on the subject...

...preparations for All Hallows E'en are well underway.

We never know how many ghosts and goblins will chance the Walk Of Fear...

...with its morphing pumpkins...

...and howling werewolves.

For those who do risk life and limb, we like to give them a treat bag with candy, a gospel tract, and a party favor.

Found these guys for the party favors this year:

The top row are metal "clickers"...noise makers, really.

You click a metal tongue on the other side with your thumb, and boy are they loud.  Parents are gonna love us for that.

The bottom row are wooden tops, and they're surprisingly good.

I gave them a quick spin on our dining room table, and they twirled for 25 to 30 seconds.  Pretty cool.

So far I've got 100 bags made up (sans candy at the moment, of course), and another 100 to go.

We add the candy just before the 31st and get a final count.

Then, on the big night, we load the treat bags into the T-shirt cannon...

...and let 'er RIP.

We've stumbled to the end of another bone jarring excursion into the strange world of the Atomic Monster Cafe...

...and sadly, it's time now to bid you adieu.

Please remember to extinguish all smoking materials, return your tray to its upright and locked position, and keep your hands where we can see them on your way out the back door.

ironically, they end up being the same thing

another momentarily stunned aviatrix, post window collision

stole a recipe from Larry for a "hobo dinner"...pretty tasty

recently attended a company function; while onsite I found Ryan's memorial brick in the courtyard

lakeside vista, courtesy of Larry from his cottage

cool shot of the northern lights and big dipper

one of those "couldn't do it on purpose if I tried" things

instead of complaining you don't get what you want, give thanks you don't get what you deserve

A reminder from God's Word:

later, mcm fans...

In Spite Of Our Best Efforts...

...September has arrived...bringing with it days of lengthening shadows, falling temperatures and meteorological Autumn.

Astronomy geeks would argue it's not really Fall until the Autumnal equinox occurs, which this year will be September 23rd.

study this closely; there could be a quiz

When that happens later this month, we'll have roughly 12 hours of both day and night.

But for most of us - including your friendly neighborhood weatherman - the seasons begin on the first day of the month when an equinox or solstice occurs.

In other words, it's September 1st, Summer has packed her bag and headed for the station...

...and Fall is now here.

So enjoy Memorial Day Weekend's less popular bookend, Labor Day weekend.

At least it's a day off from work.

Heavy sigh...

My new favorite political cartoonist has struck again:

...lampooning the lunatic left for their hotly anticipated wet dream of a Trump mugshot...which enriched the Bad Orange Man by 7 million dollars in fundraising overnight.

Mr. V also kindly explained the cyclical nature of the jab and mail in ballots:

We laugh so we don't cry.

Here's something you don't see every day:

Not real clear, but that's one of my grandsons riding a bull at a ranch south of here.

That particular grandson has the "one on one confrontation" gene in spades...a fighter, wrestler, boxer, etc...so I'm not surprised he'd test himself against 1,200 pounds of enraged bovine fury.

However...though very impressed with his courage, I harbor an earnest desire that he never do it again.

God has a plan for his life (Ephesians 2:8-10), and broken bones or worse are hopefully not part of that plan.

One man's humble opinion.

Sorry to report there will be no trifecta; you escaped the HGR (Hickory Golf Report) twice, but 3rd time is not the charm.

ah, the first tee, when a vain hope for golf nirvana still burns bright, not yet doused by the cruel fire hose of grim reality.

But fear not...I'll keep it (relatively) brief today.

In spite of my blather about being mid-transition, what actually emerged was just a slightly improved duffer.

you know you're golfing in the country when you listen to the lowing of cattle while putting

I did try golfing with Callaway super soft golf balls, and even dusted off my Majek hybrid clubs for a couple of outings, but all that accomplished was hitting some shots farther down the fairway and into the deep rough.

1 putt for par opportunity today that yielded a bogey

What did seem to help a bit was a grip adjustment and a minor foray into Zen golf...you know, the calm unhurried approach, and a moment of quiet focus before beginning my swing.

ditto

It wasn't revolutionary...I didn't suddenly become a scratch golfer or anything exciting like that.

But I am hitting a few less bad shots per round, and that's nice.

And today I happily returned to my hickories and guttys, but with one unfortunate occurrence...the shaft on my mid-iron cracked on the first hole.

But hey...it's between 90 and 100 years old, so I guess it's time.

Thankfully I've got another one, so good to go for next week.

There...that wasn't so bad, was it?

Alrighty then, it's time light up the big guns and blast our way out of this living heck hole!

Remember to hold hands, keep your heads down and don't take candy from strangers on your way out the door:

nosy hibiscus spying on us again

the ones that are awake and aware of their surroundings are for sure

Larry's dock in the moonlight

this is so bad it's good

super moon on the water, pic courtesy of Larry

as previously discussed

if she says so

There's still some summer weather left, but no denying we're wrapping it up this month.

Even so, do your best to embrace this new season and exult in Autumn's special delights.

Can I interest you in a piece of pie?

later, mcm fans...