Thanks, Dad!

Being the loyal Cubs fans that we are, my Dad thought it only fitting that Gracie also had the appropriate attire. He sent a Cubs cap made especially for a dog, and she looks pretty darn cute in it. Thanks, Dad!

And outside.....

In the winter, I wrote a little bit about our garden and my plans for this summer. I snapped some pics this morning of the good progress-- looks like we'll have some serious veggies (especially squash) by fall! We also had a new fence installed along the back of our property and had a gate placed over the driveway for full privacy, and a nice place for Grace to romp her fuzziness around- sans leash. The vegetables have attracted a groundhog, who we have named Gary-- Gary the Groundhog (Will is big about alliteration). Although Will and I know that Grace would love to befriend him if he would take any interest in her red ball, he is completely afraid of her, so we haven’t had major damage to the plants. Fingers crossed.
New fence:





Garden:

Who know a couple cans of Killz could make me so happy?

I'm back! Long time, no post. Life has been more than hectic lately, but I wanted to post some new pictures of our lives as of late.

After days of scraping, sanding and bleaching, we stripped our post-flood basement floor and walls, and began the big renovation. It only took the two of us a week! And it only took another week for me to stop being sore in places I didn't know I had! We are so happy it's finished, and that everything is at least a foot off the basement floor in case there is a "next time." When you loose half your stuff, you get the perk of re-arranging some things. Now, it's nice and friendly looking-- a major improvement from the grab-your-laundry-and-get-the-hell-up-the-stairs-before-the-boogyman-gets-you previous decor. Here are some before/after shots.

Before:

After:

Golfin' Buddies

Thanks to the wonderful understanding of my wife, I've been able to live up to my own personal promise to play a bit more golf this summer than usual. Last summer, I think I played 2-3 times a month. Now, I am getting out 1-2 times per week, which is certainly enough to feed the habit. It's even gotten my competitive juices flowing to the point where I feel I can enter tournaments again.

But, in order to play consistently, I needed to find a league (or two). Since most of my friends who live in Indy don't play a regular amount of golf, I needed something to get me a guaranteed game. And, of course, the leagues had to meet certain criteria:

1) Available - Lots of weekend travel and commitments make most leagues problematic for me

2) Cheap - Play it a lot and golf is really expensive

So, I've found my two outlets: One is My Church League which is a really nice group of guys on Monday afternoons with low-impact competition and all of the personal restraint I can muster to not curse or use the Lord's name in vain!

The other? Let's call it the exact opposite of the church league. It's the Men's Club choose up at South Grove, one of the city's oldest courses. It's not hard, but it's affordable. And, I am the youngest player in the league (minus 1 or 2) by at least 30 years. Almost every player in my league is a retired blue-collar worker. And while I grew up playing public golf courses, let's just say that my time in competitive golf and working at country clubs certainly removed me from this type of course clientele. Here is a snippet of my group a few weeks back:

All 3 of my teammates had solid beer guts. I'm talking about the gut that totally hides the belt (if there is one) and looks like a man pregnant with a medicine ball. The captain of my team wore his Purple Heart hat (bill flat with the gold, raised stitching), accented by his "Worlds Greatest Grandpa" T-shirt. I can't remember what our group produced more of during the day: pars or cigarette butts (I made at least a dozen pars, btw). But, the highlight...

We arrive on a hole back in the woods and one member of my group exclaims, "Good thing we are the first group off today, we'll get first pick." This was an odd thing to say 12 holes into the round. What could we possibly pick? I then watch as all 3 men walk towards the woods and begin eating the berries off the tree. Look, I know they won't kill you, but I never really thought of berry eating as a group activity amongst men on a golf course. There were other detours during the round to visit the woods and munch on some fruit. I felt like a spoiled young man when I pulled out my all-natural fruit and nut granola bar from my golf bag. It was like turning my back on Mother Nature, I guess (smirk)...

I only partially joke because they have been some of the most welcoming people to ever play golf with. They even help to educate me whenever possible. Like this past Saturday, when I was informed that all African-American people (my term, not theirs) are Muslims. News Flash to Me! Yep, no denying it, according to my partner.

I just hit my shot and kept on walking. It's affordable, Will, don't forget.