Whatever Remains To Be Written...

 

...of human history before the Lord returns and wraps things up with a bang…one thing is certain:

Our age will be remembered as low tide; an era in which the world's preeminent superpower inexplicably embraced insanity and willfully self-destructed.

And it's almost unfair to blame Dementia Joe for the current chaos in this ridiculous race to the bottom.

It's obvious he's little more than a useful idiot, the barely functional mouthpiece for whoever's actually running this sh*t show.

As the Apostle Paul penned under the inspiration of God's Spirit...

They're like unsupervised brats playing with firearms, and we're collateral damage of their criminal behavior.

May God deliver us from morons in power.

In happier news, next week is...

Are you ready?

We're getting there...Karen has drawn up her game plan...

...which is often subject to change but always delicious.

Still waiting on headcounts from a few folks, but whether we're feeding few or many, we'll give thanks to God in heaven for His bounty, mercy and grace, then dig in and enjoy.

And this year - unlike far too many years - we'll probably watch a Lions win on turkey day.

Hey, they're 7-2 this year, 15-4 if you go back to November of 2022.

Under Dan Campbell they've become a different team, a winning team.

And if someone gets injured, Campbell looks like he could still strap on the pads...

...and play a few downs.

Sure hope I didn't just jinx them.

Last week was unusually sunny and warm for this late in November, so I spent quite a bit of time whacking wiffle golf balls in my backyard, trying to apply some Moe Norman principles to my dicey golf swing.

He's been called "golf's misunderstood genius", but whatever people thought of his appearance, speech, demeanor and comportment, he was without question the best ball striker in golf.

Every shot went where he wanted it to go.

Compare that to what Bobby Jones - the best golfer in the hickory era - said about the art of hitting golf balls:

"Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the performance at will. But such is certainly not the case."

That is true for the vast majority of golfers, but it wasn't true for M.N.

As Tiger Woods affirmed, "Moe owned his swing".

How did he do that?

How did he tame the Kraken...

<click here> for the best golf commercial ever...thank you, Geico

...when so many others failed?

Self-taught in an era before TV, he didn't try to mimic someone else.

He took club and ball, and through trial and error, figured out what worked for him.

And then he practiced - obsessively.

So there's the roadmap for success.

Guess we'll see what next season brings.

It's time now to...

...to wit:

starting to contemplate life after this

Bidenomics explained by the clown-in-chief

front page of Karen's hometown paper...gotta love small towns

if they make it past Thanksgiving, they frequent our back yard

the view from Larry's deer blind...

...and a couple of bald eagles hangin' out by his cottage

Fare thee well, kind reader...and as you clear out, here's a reminder from God's Word:

later, mcm fans...

A Mid-November Morning...

...just before sunrise. 

Possessed of a fading beauty, Autumn can be both glorious and melancholy, a time of endings and introspection.

But I do miss the warm florescence of summer...

...those delightful "shorts and t-shirt" days brimming with vigor, activity and excitement as life moves outdoors.

Sadly, gone for another year.

It's Veteran's Day folks, time to give thanks for the brave men and women who serve in defense of our country.

I'm not happy about the current state of our nation as it's being diminished by corrupt and morally bankrupt criminals, unworthy of their positions of leadership.

But I am thankful I live in a country that has enshrined the reality of our God given rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in our founding documents.

And I'm humbled to realize I live my life in relative peace and safety thanks to heroes who spend their lives defending us.

So today, take a quiet moment to reflect on the blessings of freedom, grateful to those who safeguard it.

And if you know any veterans, thank them.

In spite of the falling temperatures and disappearing daylight I'm still swinging my hickories in my leaf covered backyard.

Closed out the season with a slimmed down playset:

That's my Brassie...

...which happily I learned to hit with some success by the end of the season;

My Mashie...

...which once again remained my most consistent club;

And Calamity Jane...

...which…well, what can I say about CJ?

Once in a blue moon I shock myself and drain a 30 footer, but I eat more than my fair share of humble pie, too.

Overall it was an enjoyable golf season done too soon, though my game is anything but consistent.

Instead of every swing being an adventure, 'twould be lovely indeed to know where the little white ball is going.

Surprisingly, help may be on the horizon as I recently stumbled across a potential solution:

The Moe Norman / Single Plane System.

a young Moe Norman on the left, being congratulated on one of his 55 victories, including 30+ course records, and at least 17 holes in one

There's too much to unpack here, so I won't bore you with a novella of golf trivia.

Suffice to say, the holy grail of golf is a consistently repeatable swing.

Moe Norman had it in spades.

His self-taught swing elevated him to the status of "the game's greatest ball striker".

That's not hype; it's the widely held belief among the game's best players, including two of golf's legends:  Sam Snead and Tiger Woods.

If you want to see a short, technical analysis of Moe's swing, click <here>.

So if Moe Norman was so great, why doesn't everyone swing the club like he did?

There are answers to that question, rooted in where he played, long standing traditions of golf, the “country club” mentality and the oddities / quirks of Moe's personality.

You can research them yourself if interested; the internet has no lack of articles and opinions re: Moe Norman.

It's worth noting, however, there have been some on the pro tour who used his method; and there's one very notable pro - a real long ball hitter - whose swing looks a whole lot like Moe's:

<Bryson DeChambeau>

His form is the picture of smooth unhurried power, but note the planted feet, reduced hip rotation, single plane swing and palm grip...all Moe Norman traits.

For my part it's enough that it works, and when done correctly, yields consistently straight shots from the tee and fairway.

Will spend some time experimenting with this, as consistency is something I definitely need.

It's time for everyone's favorite slap in the face...

...so 23 Skidoo:

"The Shot" by Ben Hogan...a 1 iron on the 18th hole in the 1950 U.S. Open.  That 200 yd drive to the green allowed him to 2 putt for a 3 way tie, and the next day he won the U.S. Open in a playoff.  So why is it called "The Shot"?  Because 16 months prior he suffered injuries in a head on crash so severe, doctors said he would never walk again.

Honey?  What's for supper?

doesn't that look good?  can't beat morning espresso

Larry's back at his cottage for deer season

november sunrise

A reminder from God's Word:

Some things never change.

later, mcm fans...

I'm Dreaming Of A White...

mr. ghost looks as shocked as we were

...Halloween?  Except this was no dream.

And boy did it snow...

...5 inches worth here, and almost 9 inches a little north of us.

Even so, 51 determined trick or treaters (and their parents) endured the elements to brave the spine tingling Walk of fear!

the view as you approach from our driveway

entering the Big Frank archway...he needed gloves

remember Marilyn's got her eye on you

we summoned the tree creature from the arboreal nether regions to greet you as you enter the tunnel of terror!

ok, it's possible I may have exaggerated a bit about that whole "tunnel of terror" thing...

...but hey, the skeleton groundbreaker, the haunted urn and clock are kinda scary...y'know, a little...

...and there's all these other guys you have to sneak by...

...plus mr. bolts...

...and the st. james infirmary duo, all before you finally get to...

...the trik-r-treat payoff...

...courtesy of the lovely Mrs. Stein...

...and that tall, green, formerly deceased icon of the silver screen, Gramp N. Stein (the crazed glare in his eyes is from the glasses he has to wear under his mask to see anything)

Alright, it's not very scary, but our target age every year is around 6 to 10 years.

We want it to be a little bit of spooky fun for the kids, not a nightmare inducing ordeal.

Judging from the happy, albeit frozen, campers who graced our doorstep, it was mission accomplished.

So even though the weather didn't cooperate...

...it was still a fun evening and a good time was had by all.

Now to put all that stuff away and get ready for...

Just 3 weeks away...

This has been an All Hallows E'en Breaking News report; we now return you to your regularly scheduled life.

later, mcm fans...