The Buck...

...stopped here...and so did the fawn...

...and a couple of raccoons...

...along with the usual assortment of birds, turkeys, rabbits and squirrels...it's been a regular menagerie lately...not exactly sure why...but we do enjoy it.

You may remember during this past summer I was able to briefly escape the drudgery of my forced labor by cleverly convincing Karen I was busy doing her bidding of mowing the lawn...

...when in fact I was instead summoning the dreaded tree creature from the arboreal nether regions...

...much to her terrified chagrin...well, since then it seems the local squirrel population have become accustomed to Mr. Tree Creature and now employ him as a convenient rest stop on their way to and from their treetop abode...

...here's a little closer view...

...it's not as easy to get pics of the little tree rats here as it was when we lived in the city of Wyoming.

There the squirrels were actually unionized with a heavy gang influence...they used to roam around in hordes terrorizing the peaceful city dwellers, demanding entrance to our homes and strong arming peanuts as payola in exchange for not gnawing on our ankles when we ventured outside...

...terrifying, they were...but out here they're much more skittish, preferring to keep their distance and simply pelt us with acorns from on high.

No, really.  You think I'd lie about that?

Been a tough week for hickory golf...

...it's been raining for days now...here are a couple of pics of my rain dials, formerly sun dials...

...here in Michigan once we reach fall and then winter, we've realized we no longer need to see the sun so we've conveniently replaced all that annoying sunshine with rain and clouds...

Even so I did manage to walk 9 on Thursday after work and had an ok round...parred the short par 4 hole 6, but that was the highlight...everything else was a study in mediocrity.

In spite of my less than stellar performance it was an enjoyable round...some solitude, some exercise and a very pleasant stroll through the country on a beautiful fall day.

Ok, so I don't wear "plus 4s" nor the loud argyle socks...but in the fall I do wear sweaters and a leather ivy cap.

And that is probably more than enough for this edition of the Atomic Monster Cafe...I hear Karen ringing her servant's bell, which is my cue to bring her coffee and a piece of apple pie...

later, mcm fans...

Lucky 13...

...for Karen and me...yes, the poor woman has endured 13 years of marriage to yours truly, so that merited a fave cookbook, flowers, a cake, and some champagne to wash it down.

Remember, marriage is kinda like playing cards...at first all you need is two hearts and a diamond...

...but later on you wish for a club...

...and a spade...











Thankfully we haven't arrived at that phase yet, and all is still well.  Right, honey?  I said, right??

Took a couple of days off of work for the big event...and along with anniversary type celebrations, I thought I might get some hickory golf in...

...but that was how my first day off began...torrential downpour, which eventually subsided and gave way to an 86 degree steambath in the afternoon...and then 50 mph gale force winds blew in the 2nd day...and today began with temps down in the 40's...this must be Michigan where each day is its own isolated and unrelated weather system.

But today is a glorious fall day...

...ok, not quite that glorious...but still it's a lovely autumn day...crisp temperatures and bright sunshine, so off to the links I went...unfortunately my cleek staged a minor rebellion and refused to behave from the tee...I was forced to banish it to an unused section of my Sunday bag, and once again I was reduced to playing "simple golf"...mashie, niblick, putter.

Wasn't all bad...

...that ball mark about 2 feet from the cup was where my tee shot landed on the par 3 number 2 hole...and while I should have carded a birdie, I "settled" for a par.

The rest was downhill from there.

My younger brother passed back in 2003 when he was only 43, but Phil was a fabulous athlete in his day and golf was his best sport.

He didn't work at it; he was just a natural who could hit the ball a country mile and he putted like Jack Nicklaus.  It was beautiful to watch and maddening to play against because he was just so effortlessly good.

When he played 18, if he came in at 5 or 6 over par it was a tough day on the course for him.

If Phil had been here today he would have been laughing hysterically at his older brother.

Oh well...as the last scene in Gone With The Wind opines...

...tomorrow is another day...I'll tee it up, try again and hope for better.

Karen and I spent a little time in downtown Holland yesterday...

 ...ate at the Windmill Restaurant for some authentic Dutch fare...y'know, a hamburger and a chicken sandwich...

...and spotted some children performing an ancient rite no longer practiced in much of our modern day society, may God have mercy on our souls.

And because the autumn winds have been steadily blowing, I think most of the acorns have finally fallen...our yard is absolutely covered with them now...

...and we've been gathering a few to save for later...

...we'll feed them to the deer that still frequent our backyard...

...when food is a little bit harder to come by than it is now.

But right now it's a beautiful sunny day and I need to get outside and soak up some of that fall sunshine, so...

later, mcm fans...

Back From...

...the brink...ugly weekend with major hardware issues, but today's a new day and things are finally back together...thanks to God's grace and good men like Dave Roderick, Kevin Fisher and Scott Bailey...great job guys...dodged a mortar shell.

Have I mentioned I'm too old for this kind of excitement?  My achin' back...

Prior to all the chaos that took up all of Saturday and much of Sunday, Karen and I watched a great but often overlooked William Holden flick...

This is not your typical 1950's war movie, most of which were of the rah-rah-the-good-guys-win variety.

Don't get me wrong; it's not unpatriotic, it's simply a thoughtful and intelligent look at one extraordinary man's service in the war and his justifiably cynical view of his situation.

He'd done his part in WWII, served honorably, been discharged and gotten on with his life...married, kids, a law practice in Denver...but when the Korean "police action / war" began he was called up to active duty as a jet pilot.

And the actual film footage of those jets taking off from the deck of a carrier pitching and rolling in the middle of the ocean is stunning.  At one point the admiral wonders aloud, "Where do we get such men?"  Where, indeed...

We follow our hero, Lt. Brubaker, as he deals with the dangers and stress of his job as a Navy pilot.  He's admirable, dedicated, conflicted, and - spoiler alert - ultimately doomed.

In the end we see him dying in a muddy irrigation ditch after his jet is hit by flak and you want to cry at the pointlessness of it all.

No wonder this movie was not a blockbuster...no feel good glorious and triumphant return to his happy home, just a healthy if unwelcome dose of reality.

If for no other reasons, you should see this movie to watch the great William Holden give a stellar performance - and to marvel at the skill and bravery of those Navy pilots who risked their all every time they strapped themselves into the cockpit.

just because I like it

Got some pics of life on the road which means it's time for...
Rodger's Ramblings...             

This past week found him in the Memphis, Tennessee area which oddly, is home to one of the 10 biggest pyramids in the world...

There's a story about this pyramid, including accusations of someone placing a crystal skull in the peak and causing it to be cursed...yeah, makes sense...but for a time it was nicknamed the temple of doom bc it sat idle for years until the Bass Pro guys stepped up.

Now it's one of their major attractions and houses - besides all the Bass Pro items - an indoor swamp, hotel and bowling alley...though I don't think those three are necessarily related...hope not anyway.

Rodger was also trucking through the Missouri area and reports the cotton is in full bloom now...

Remember, as CCR opined musically, when those cotton balls get rotten you can't pick very much cotton...no, really...CCR wouldn't lie to us...

Thanks to work, no golf this weekend...drat...

...pretty sure this was the weekend I was going to break par...

later, mcm fans...

A Rainy...

...Labor Day...no hickory golf today...could be worse, I suppose...

Karen went north on Friday for a family wedding...

...a niece was getting married, and they did so in their barn.

Ok, probably like to some of you, that idea didn't sound so wonderful to me but as the above pic hints at, it was really quite nice.

I mean, you have to be "country folk" to get it, but from the above and all the other pics Karen showed me upon her return Sunday it was a tastefully done and visually appealing venue.  It made perfect sense for who they are and of course we wish them all the happiness in the years ahead.

While Karen was up there she stayed at her uncle's old farmhouse - it's the one he grew up in as a kid, one of 12 siblings...

yep, needs some paint...

...in his later years he bought the place after his parents passed on, and much of the time it now sits empty and unused...so he graciously allowed Karen and a couple of her kids to stay there over the weekend.

It was in that setting Karen spied this visitor on one of the rocking chairs on the front porch:

...and yes, praying mantis will bite if provoked but they're not venomous...their strike is twice as fast as an eyeblink so their prey - other insects mostly, though they have been known to kill and devour mice, small turtles, even baby snakes - have little chance if they wander within range of their razor sharp mandibles.

That's one handsome critter.

While Karen was away I watched a couple of William Holden movies...Sunset Boulevard and Stalag 17.

Both of those were significant films for him, and while he won an Oscar in 1953 for Stalag 17, 1950's Sunset Boulevard was by far the better movie.

It's one of the few films that - if  you want to round out your cinematic education and experience the significant moments in Hollywood movie making - you must see somewhere along your journey.

The story line is simple - a young down on his luck writer stumbles onto the neglected grounds of a fading Hollywood icon of the silent film era.

As he later describes her, she is "still waving at a parade that has passed her by".  She was one of the biggest stars of the 1920s; now she is a forgotten relic of the past.

He needs a job; she "employs" him to touch up an awful script she's written over the last two decades that will be her glorious return to the spotlight.

In short order he has moved in and becomes a "kept man".  She falls in love with him while he feels imprisoned within her grasping neediness and the fading luxury of her once glorious mansion.

You know it can't end well and of course it doesn't...

...but the acting is superb and the story is rich with irony because the star of the film is none other than Gloria Swanson - she one of the biggest luminaries in the silent film era, when she was making $18,000 per week and terrorizing directors with her constant demands.

When the movie was made, she was indeed a forgotten, 50 year old actress from another era ("I am big," she asserts, "It's the pictures that got small"), and she did in fact make a glorious return to the silver screen in Sunset Boulevard.

The movie was scandalous and outrageously popular and filled with cameos of Hollywood greats - Cecil B Demille, Buster Keaton, even Hedda Hopper, famed gossip columnist.

It's both delicious fun and heart rending drama with one of the most famous movie endings of all time - "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup..."

Do the right thing and see this movie - if nothing else you can impress your friends by regaling them with the details of a landmark movie of which they've never even heard.

Avoid the arrogance of the present: it stands on the shoulders of greatness from the past, mistaking them for cheap vinyl flooring.

later, mcm fans...

Our Nation's Capitol...

...was recently invaded...by a group of desperate outlaws, captured here on security video under the cover of darkness...

No...wait...my mistake...that's #1 son and some of his progeny...left to right, Micah, Isaac, Tionna and Isaiah.

...pretty sure that's the reflecting pool by the Capitol building...and that's Kyle on the right, Tionna's husband.

A couple more shots of them doing the tourist thing...

...two future residents of the White House...

...and the same desperadoes about to make their getaway...

Micah said the place was jammed with more tourists from other countries than Americans, all there to see what the big yank is.

God Bless America, y'all.

Enjoyed a round of hickory golf this morning...

...and tried out my new putter...that's a replica of Bobby Jones' famed "Calamity Jane" putter from the 1930's.

Jones was the greatest player in the hickory era, and the story goes that he was struggling with his putting just before the 1930 Open...his longtime coach handed him his old putter which Jones then used to sink a 30 foot putt.

He went on to win the Open and thereafter kept it in his bag, eventually nicknaming it Calamity Jane after the 19th Century frontierswoman, scout and sharpshooter.

The 3 bands of whipping on the shaft were the result of Jones' famously volatile temper when he would abuse his clubs after a less than successful attempt, and he shored up the hickory shaft with whipping after he cracked it.

On my replica those are just window dressing, and sadly I did not sink any 30 foot putts today...but I actually did do a little better in that department than I had been with my other one, so I'll stick with CJ for awhile.

Watched a good flick last night, Trouble With The Curve...

...loaned to me by a friend from work.

It stars Clint Eastwood as an aging baseball scout, Amy Adams as his estranged daughter / ambitious lawyer, and Justin Timberlake as a former pitching prospect Clint helped sign who is now a scout after burning out his arm.

Clint is very believable as an old curmudgeon struggling with his eyesight at the end of his career, and the conversational repartee between Adams and Timberlake is fresh and entertaining.

Watch for the scene where Timberlake is attempting to ask Adams out on a date and manages to turn it around so it appears she's the one asking...which pseudo invitation he graciously accepts.

Was not a fan of Timberlake's music, and thought he was a bum for throwing Janet Jackson under the bus during the fallout from their obviously staged "wardrobe malfunction" in the superbowl halftime show, lo these many years ago.

But he has turned into a decent actor over time and handles these types of romantic roles very nicely.

There are some touching scenes in this occasionally dark story, including a gravesite visit that reduced me to tears, and a climactic father / daughter confrontation that finally helps clear the air between them.

Just when you're ready to be done with Clint's misanthropic ways the ship manages to right itself in time for a somewhat contrived but satisfyingly happy ending.

This one won't change your life, but it's a couple of hours of quality entertainment...definitely on my "watch it again" list.

But now it's a gorgeous day out there as we start up summer's swan song and prepare to welcome fall...

...so I'm going to get out in it and see what kind of damage I can do...

later, mcm fans...

A-NOM-A-LY

əˈnäməlē/

noun

1. 1.

   something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

i.e., today's round of golf...

...parred 4 holes - both of the par 3's, then #6 the short par 4, and #8, a 330 yard par 4...bogeyed 2 others, and double bogeyed the other 3.

I was using my mid-iron off the tee and for whatever reason it made sense and felt right today...hit it consistently between 160 and 180 yards...even hit my mashie 160 yards on #8 and 1 or 2 putted most greens.

It's nice to know it's at least possible to do, frustrating to not be able to do it with any consistency.

So I know this is an exception...next time out I will most likely revert to my normal round, where if I happen to snag a par somewhere along the way it will have been a good outing.

But like all blessings, I'll take 'em when I can get 'em and today was one of those days.

Sarah snapped this pic recenlty...

Karen and a homeless octogenerian who wandered by planting a new fir tree in our backyard...

While researching a writing project I stumbled across this archival film...

...for Greyhound Bus lines, made in 1953:

<America For Me>

The romantic backstory is a little bit hokey, but overall the film is well done and an interesting tour of the continental US by bus.

Of course back then there was more of an emphasis on customer service and it was probably a half way decent way to see some of the country.  Today?  Well, probably not so much...

In any event, this is worth the 30 minutes of your life it will take to watch it.  Enjoy.

And now the rest of this sunny Sunday beckons, so...

later, mcm fans...