Last Round of Golf for the Year

I played Weissinger Hills GC today. I played with Brian, J. R. Harris and Harold Goad. Brian and I were partners and won big time! When I told Harold I was going to post the scores on my blog he said "You're not going to use our real names, are you?" Here are the scores:

Brian 35 - 40 = 75
Bob 45 - 47 = 92
J. R. 50 - 50 = 100
Harold 48 - 51 = 99

We played Team total score on each hole. We gave them 1/2 stroke on each hole on the front nine with a promise to adjust on the back as needed. After nine holes Brian and I were up 7 holes! On the back we gave them one and a half strokes per hole. We ended up beating them 6 and 4. A pretty good romp! Looking at the scores, had we given them one and half strokes per hole for the entire 18 we would have won 1 up.
I ran into one of my many pet peeves on the course today. Somebody in an earlier group was eating sunflower seeds and spitting the hulls out on the greens. I mean, you have to be a complete idiot to do that. You really think somebody wouldn't mind clearing your spit out seed shells out of the way so they can putt? What an idiot! It's amazing how many times I've seen that on a golf course.

Last Round of

Our Christmas Tree

This is our Christmas Tree. Mary Lynn said "You have to post a picture of our tree so Julie can see it!" Well, here it is Julie. Brian and Beth were looking for their cards Erin made for them and hid them in the tree. That was her own little game she made up. She made a card for everybody with their names on it and you had to keep looking until you found your own.

I think I'm going to have to teach Mary Lynn how to send pictures with her email instead of her using my blog to send pictures to Julie! Oh well, look for Mary Lynn's blog appearing early 2009! Hi Julie!

Letters FROM Santa

These are actual letters left for Erin and Jill from Santa Claus. They left a note for Santa with the cookies, Erin thanking Santa for the presents and Jill just saying Hi. I've seen many letters to Santa Claus, but rarely do you see a letter from him. I would think these letters with Santa's actual autograph on them would be extremely valuable if placed on ebay. However, as with most family heirlooms, I doubt if these would ever be sold.

CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER

It was so nice to get the family together for our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner out. This year we ate at Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant. The food was very good and they did an excellent job of making the customers feel welcome on Christmas Eve. A very nice lady came around and gave Erin and Jill each a Santa Claus card game and a candy cane. She also took several pictures for us, this is one of them. Most who read the blog know who these people are, but for those who don't, on the right side from rear to front, my wife Mary Lynn, Sons Mark, Brian, and Kevin. Left side from rear, Me, grandaughter Erin, Mark's wife Kim, Brian's wife Beth, grandaughter Jill, and Kim's mother, Judy.

The top picture was also taken by the nice lady at the restaurant. I't s one of the best pictures I've ever had taken with me and Erin. I wish I could get one this good with both Erin and Jill. Notice how rosy Erin Rose's cheeks are?

Technologically Challenged...

I don't have a cell phone. Never have. I won't say never will. I would say 90+ percent of Americans have a cell phone. And, most of them are on theirs right now. Anyway, that's not really why I'm writing this.
Mary Lynn's uncle George, 97 years old, had surgery recently and had a number of visitors in the hospital while in there. Great Niece Beth Garvey when visiting asked him " what was the greatest advancement or invention in your lifetime?". While many people might think, air travel, computers, television, etc., his response was "Indoor Plumbing". When you stop to think about it, I guess that is a major advancement. He said they had an outhouse and used a Sears and Roebuck catelog for toilet paper! When you think about your cozy bathroom today, that is a major advancement. Indoor plumbing allows for easier cooking, dish clean-up, house cleaning, body cleaning and all the other things people do in the bathroom getting ready for bed or to go out in public.
If I were asked that question about my lifetime, I'm not sure how I would respond. I guess it would have to be television. When I think of how many hours people spend in front of one it seems to be heads above any other invention. I remember seeing my first TV. I was at Montgomery-Wards with my Dad and saw one for the first time. Kukla, Fran and Ollie was on. I'd never heard of them and didn't think much of the show, but TV was awesome. I remember when we had our TV, no show came on until 4:00 p.m. At that time Howdy Doody came on. Before that the only thing on when you turned on the TV was a Test Pattern. At 3:00 a picture of Howdy Doody appeared in the middle of the test pattern. TV went off after the 11:00 o'clock news. TV brought us events "LIVE" from around the world. It's hard to believe that around 1950 you only heard about events on the radio, you couldn't SEE what was happening. You might get to see them a week later in "newsreels" at your local theatre.
What was the most important invention or major advancement in your lifetime? Respond please

Cute, Cute, Cute

Erin was Mother Mary. They sang 5 or 6 Christmas songs and signed on several of them. Erin knew every word and every sign and didnt' miss a beat. In my humble opinion, she was the star of the pageant. Every day this girl just amazes me more and more. Kim took a video of the program and I hope to soon get a copy of it. I wanted to get these pictures posted so the Aunts and Uncles could see them. Erin was Fantastic! I was so proud.

Christmas gift from Hell....er....Florida

We received Ben's Christmas gift from Florida. His gift does show he looks long and hard before making a decision. He couldn't possibly find these type gifts the first time out. It is a Christmas tree made of oyster shells, topped with a small starfish. I told Mary Lynn it looked like somebody puked on it! Oh well, I think what we sent him evened the score.

Bad Golf Update

Wednesday I called Weissinger Hills GC and got a Tee Time for Saturday, 10:42. I thought Saturday Weather looked better than Sunday. I called J. R., he called Harold Goad and Harold called Barry. Saturday was no good, Harold remembered he was coming in to Louisville to Actors Theatre to see "A Christmas Carol". So, J. R. called up Weissinger and changed our Tee Time to Sunday, 9:44. Well, today, looking at the weather report for tomorrow, strong winds are expected, possible wind gust of 35-45 mph. We decided to cancel. Harold stopped by J. R.'s house this afternoon while in town. He found out he made a mistake. The tickets for Actors were for Tomorrow, Sunday. We could have played today. Not the best weather, but definitely playable! If these guys weren't such pigeons on the golf course I would start looking for another foursome.

SQUIRREL WARS

The squirrels and I have been at war for several years. They have me outnumbered but my army is better equipped than theirs. I have managed to squirrel proof my bird feeder, but they hang around on the ground looking for seeds the birds throw down. They're a pest, digging holes in my yard, digging up flowers out of flower pots, and getting to my ripe tomatoes before I do. Therefore, we are at WAR. I trap them and move them to a new location. I've moved them as far away as Frankfort. I have made Hoosiers out of about a dozen. I take them to anyplace I happen to be going that day. If no trips are planned, I take them to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on Lexington Road and make Baptist's out of them.

I would guess that in the time we've been at war I've relocated more than 50 squirrels. I used to paint their tails red so I would know if the same ones came back. I've never seen a repeat, and I ran out of spray paint so I don't paint them any longer. I just assume they don't come back now. Meanwhile, the war wages on.......

CHRISTMAS BONUSES

Christmas Bonus. Definition: Gifts given to others to open upon receipt, usually well before Christmas; Gifts above and beyond the normal giving limit.

Mary Lynn and her sister, Julie, have had a tradition of giving "Christmas Bonuses". Mainly because they can't pass up something they think the other would love, just because they've already bought their Christmas present. Now, I'm not talking about buying 1 or 2 things for the other, I'm talking about 6-8 Christmas Bonus Presents! This Shop-a-holic condition is very disturbing. Julie's daughters, Beth and Susie, have been seriously considering having an "Intervention" for her.

I bring this up at this time because this problem has hit a new low this week. They have dragged, kicking and screaming, my two granddaughters into this sordid world. Beth, Susie....we need to work fast!

P.S. Mark Tabler says: "I'm glad somebody got a Christmas Bonus this year!"

Pillsbury Doughboy

VERY SAD NEWS
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, The California Raisins, Betty Crocker, The Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough, and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

I received this in an email and thought it was pretty funny. Well, corny. So I'll pass it on and won't take the blame for being the author.

Storm Debris Pick-up

Hurricane Ike hit Louisville On Sunday, September 14. I cleaned up all the storm debris and piled in in the street in front of my house, as instructed by Mayor Jer. It has been there for 12 weeks! It was picked up today! Already! I guess I'm lucky. After they picked up my pile, the truck was full so the piles of debris across the street and the rest of the way down the hill hasn't been touched. I hope they pick that up tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Day at Our House

Late in the day, the "Garvey Girls", Beth and Susie, stopped by for a visit.....

As is traditional, Kevin started off the Dinner with a prayer....

Uncle George, 97 years old, made time in his busy social calender to stop by for Dinner....

Everyone had good food, plenty of it, and lots of good stories to go around.....

It was a nice day. We just don't have the opportunity to get everyone together very often. I hope we'll have a chance to see everyone more in the coming weeks with the Holidays approaching!

More Bad Golf

My computer has been down since last Wednesday. I don't like to go this long without posting SOMETHING! I have so many avid readers I hate to leave them hanging.
I played Shawnee GC again today. I shot a 46 - 50 ---96! Bad, bad, bad. I seem to have 3 or 4 good holes a side, then blow up on the others. I'm hitting the ball off the tee fairly well but the shots to the green have been very poor. That's OK though, I'll be ready for the spring!

Dora Candy Land

I like to play poker, bet the ponies, and get in a jackpot or two. But the most fun I have is playing Erin and Jill Dora Candy Land for $20 a game!

Picks for the week

I'm in a jackpot at Toyota. Each week we must pick 5 winners, against the spread. We have a choice of about 20 college games and all the pro games for the week. These are my picks this week. In case you were wanting to make a bundle on my picks, this is week 13 and I haven't won a week yet!

Rutgers to win at home giving Army 17.5
LSU to win at home giving Ole Miss 5.5

KC Chiefs to win at home getting 4.5 from Buffalo
Tenn Titans vs NY Jets - Over 40.5 points to be scored in the game
Miami Dolphins vs New England Pats - Over 42.5 points to be scored in the game.

The Jackpot is usually worth around $90 with carryovers. Someone won last week so this week will be worth $90.

Kentucky's Death Row

I promised not to get into political or religious opinions in this blog. So I'm not going to render an opinion on this case. I'll just present the facts and let you decide whether Marco Allen Chapman should be executed for his crimes, in case you haven't read up on the case. This is a gruesome detail, so if you don't want to read further, quit now.
Currently, Kentucky has 37 people on Death Row. These inmates have been on Death Row an average of almost 15 years each! While, you and I, the taxpayers pay for their upkeep.
Marco Allen Chapman was convicted of murder, 2 counts; attempted murder, 2 counts, rape I; burglary I, robbery I and PFO ( Persistant Felony Offender) II. He was formally sentenced to death on 12-14-2004. In the early morning of August 23, 2002, Marco Chapman murdered a 7-year old girl and a 6-year old boy in their home in Warsaw, Kentucky (Galletin County). Both the children's throats had been slit and they had multiple lacerations and stab wounds on their bodies. Their 10-year old sister played dead after being stabbed several times. The children's mother's hands were bound with duct tape and she was tied to a bed frame. She was raped and stabbed in the chest with a knife that broke off in her chest. She was later stabbed with a larger knife and left for dead. After stabbing the victims, Chapman burglarized the home and left the scene. He was arrested later the same day by state police in West Virginia.
Marco Chapman wants to pay for this crime. He resisted all appeals and wants the sentence to be carried out. The execution is scheduled for early tomorrow morning.

Erin and Jill's Pre-School Thanksgiving Lunch

Jill loves her cupcakes!

Erin Loves to lick the icing off her cupcake before eating it.
Erin and Jill both love those muffins!

Erin's class with her Teacher Miss Kathy.

Everybody but me! Somebody had to take the picture.

Erin and Jill's Pre-School had their pre-Thanksgiving Lunch today. It was very nice. The food was good and plenty of it. Erin and Jill were both dressed in their Indian, er, Native American shirts they made. They were also wearing the necklace they made out of stringed pasta.

The table decorations were also made by the girls. A potato turkey and a bag painted to look like a pumpkin. I wish I'd gotten close up pictures of those, because just saying what they were doesn't do them justice! They were cute! Just like my little girls!

Oh Deer!

I forgot to add this to the Shawnee GC entry. I saw a deer on the course. It's the first time I've seen a deer on Shawnee GC. I've seen deer on many others courses I've played, but of all the times I've played Shawnee, I'd never seen one there. It was a young buck, with a pretty good rack, and slowly walked across #1 fairway towards the river. It stopped and watched us several times, then slowly walked accross #8 fairway and on down to the river. We didn't seem to bother him at all. I guess he could tell the difference between golf clubs and guns.

Snow on Shawnee GC

I played Shawnee GC today. It was 28 degrees when we teed off at 10:20a.m., and had gotten all the way up to 36 degrees by the time we finished. When we started, there was some snow on the ground in the shaded areas. The sun was shining the whole round, so it really didn't feel that cold. I shot a 42-44...86. That's about my average for the past 8 months. I think my game is coming back around. I still waste a few shots during the round and haven't been able to capitalize on good chip shots by making the putt. But, I am making some good chip shots and just starting to get used to the new clubs. I hit several good shots today right at the pin, but a little to long or a little to short. I've been getting off the tee well, but pulling a lot of fairway shots. I'm getting that under control. So....you'd better get me now because it won't be long before I'm back on top my game!

Part of a round...

I played Shawnee GC yesterday. I played with J.R. Harris and beat him by 2 strokes. If you know J.R., you know I played bad. We only played 14 holes. We went their with the intention of playing the front 9 and 3 holes on the back, just to get some golf in and some excercise. Rain was forecast to start mid-afternoon. On the first tee we got behind a group of 4 guys who made us look like teenagers. The youngest looked to be mid-70's, he walked carrying his bag, the others looked to be mid-80's, one pulling a cart the the other 2 riding. They were as slow as any group I've ever played behind. I love to see old guys out playing, but I sure don't like being behind them when they play that slow. They moved slow, took 4 or 5 practice swings before each shot, and I don't think "gimme" was in their vocabulary. We knew we were in trouble when waiting in the fairway on the first hole for 10 minutes while they putted out, 1 guy stayed behind when the other 3 left the green to practice his putting. He evidently missed a 5 foot putt and kept trying to make it 5 or 6 times. He never did.
Anyway, we abandoned our plans to play the front 9 and skipped holes 4&5 to get around the old geezers. When we got to the 10th hole, it was backed up, too. So, we skipped over to #12 and played the back nine from there. So we missed 4-5-10-11. I shot a 68! I can shoot good scores if I just don't play so many holes!

Golf Balls, Golf Balls

What do you do with used golf balls? I have new balls I play with, about 6 dozen, and a shag bag with 50 golf balls in it, which is all I need for that. But, I have 15 dozen shag balls that I don't know what to do with. Most of these balls are either old and starting to yellow, or fairly new with a cart path mark to two on them. Not terrible balls, but not what you'd want to use on the golf course. So....anybody got any ideas?

Attacking slow play on the Golf Course

I've played golf with a lot of people in my life. I've played with very slow people and.... Bobby Flood. Bobby is the fastest player I've ever played with. If you've just birdied a hole, don't expect to have honors if you don't get to the next tee first. That's Bobby. He plays ready golf and he's always ready! I like playing golf with people like that.
Some people are just deliberate golfers. I don't have a problem with that. That's what makes them feel comfortable then I'm fine with it. There's a difference between playing slow and playng deliberate.
One thing I notice with almost everyone I play with causes slow play. I'm talking about when riding a cart. When you hit a shot, get in the cart with your club and go to the ball. Put your club away when you get out the next club you want. When you leave the green, get in the cart with your putter in hand and drive to the next tee. Put your putter away when getting out your driver. This would save so much time, but almost nobody does it.
I'll probably bring up other ways to speed you up on the golf course in future posts. But, in the meanwhile, the next time you play in a cart, try the above tip on speeding up play. It may take a while for it to become habit, but it will held speed things up for everyone without rushing your golf game. Thanks!

Oldest Poker Club in America

This is our "Once a Month" Poker Club. Missing from the picture is Frank Krider. Mark Wagner is our newest member. He's been playing for a little over 2 years now. We started playing at least 15 years ago. Then, we played the 1st Saturday of every month, from 7:00 - midnight. After about 10 years, we shortened it to 7:00 - 11:00 pm. Then, about 3 years ago, we started playing 2 months, off 2 months. Our schedule runs Feb-Mar, off, Jun-Jul, off, Oct-Nov,off. That way we leave out Derby time, and Christmas/New Years times, which were hard to get scheduled when everyone could make it.

L to R: Mark, Kevin, Chuck, Bob, Jack, Herman. I don't think we've been around longer than any other club, but I think our combined ages might qualify us as the oldest. The way things are going, in several years we'll probably all vote to get together once a year, instead of 6 times a year. You can tell by looking at the picture we might need to start recruiting some new young blood. It's been fun!

More bad golf

Well, I played Quail Chase GC today and shot 48 - 48 ---96. I got off the tee well and putted pretty well, but I guess the rest of the game kinda sucked. Today was the first day the leaves started to fall in earnest. It was tough putting on the greens with all the leaves and finding balls out of the fairway was time consuming and slowed us down a lot. I'm a pretty fast player, and I hate slow play. It seemed like we were constantly looking for balls. I found out a couple of weeks ago that my average drives only go around 180-185 yards. So par 4's of 380 yards or more I just can't reach in 2.
I didnt' play to well today but I won all the money! I guess the level of competion helped.
Bob 96
J. R. 108
Harold 98
Buddy 89
We played the Poker Chip game. Brian is familiar with it. I only ended up with one chip, and it was a good chip, (Sugar). Nobody birdied or chipped one in all day, so those chips were never used.
It was fun. Looks like today may be the last nice day for awhile.

The million dollar driveway

The house next door had their driveway widened. It required removing two concrete retaining walls and a concrete driveway. Then rebuilding two new retaining walls with these blocks and pouring a new driveway. The overall results still don't seem to give much room in the driveway. I think I would have to invest in some plastic door proctectors for my car doors. Oh, and they had the little sidewalk installed in front of the house so when they park their other car in the street, they can open the door on the passenger side. I find this interesting because, well, this whole procedure cost them $29,000! I know I couldn't afford it! That's twice as much as I paid for my house.

I'm here and I'm loving it!

This is really going to be the start of something big. I can tell. My plans are to keep up to date information on my golf scores, my granddaughters, and other exciting events in my day to day life. I don't plan to voice my religious or political opinions here. I would doubt that anyone would be interested in that.
This will be a work in progress. I'll need to learn how to post pictures, music, and/or videos that I find amusing. Also, I just might post a couple of racing tips that I'm sure my readers could make a lot of money on if they have a mind to.
Just as a start. I played Shawnee Golf Course yesterday and shot an 88 from the senior tees. I have been shooting in the low 80's pretty consistantly so an 88 is not very good. I am going to play Quail Chase GC Thursday and I'll let you know how I do. The past 4 weeks or so my game has not been very good, so I'm not looking for it to improve tomorrow.