Golf & Buckeyes

I was up and out of bed somewhere ahead of 8am. And if memory serves, it was closer to 730am. Regardless, after starting coffee and completing my usual exercises I headed outside with Ykraps. It was mostly cloudy and rather cool – about 50 degrees. I could sure use a string of sunny fall-like weather to boost my sagging morale. Back at home, I checked the forecast, which called for clearing skies and temperatures creeping into the 60s. That sounded good, especially given that Tom & I were supposed to golf at 1130am. We were scheduled to play Blackhawk, a course I like but hadn’t played since Tom left town for Bahrain several years ago. It was our Saturday routine circa 2002. I played around on the internet for about an hour before showing a little discipline and leaving for my run. My knee ached just a little, but not enough to impact my run. I did my usual 4 miles. Mindy was up when I got back. We talked about the night before and my unexpected encounter with Doug Hamon. I called Tom Clark around 9:30am to alter our plans a little. I decided to meet him at Blackhawk instead of carpooling. That way I could maintain complete control of my after golf activities. He, of course, was fine with the change. We agreed to meet there before our 1130am tee time. I was selective in my attire. I wore long pants (dockers), a long sleeve wicking shirt with a wicking golf polo over top. I wanted to be warm but with maximum comfort. I also packed my Vikings pullover just in case it ended up cooler than expected. I made an egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast before going. I offered to make Mindy one too. She declined. She was readying herself for yoga. We discussed our evening dinner and Buckeye game plans. She wanted a date night but that conflicted with the 7pm Buckeye game kick-off. So, as a compromise, we decided to buy some steaks and grill at home while watching the game. I left for golf at 10:25am. Blackhawk is a good haul from my place. It’s in Galena off route 3 well north of Westerville. I took I-270 north to I-71N. I exited I-71 at Polaris Pkwy and headed east to route 3. Dustin Rd (Blackhawk) is another 5-7 miles north of Polaris Pkwy. I arrived around 11:05am. No sign of Tom just yet. I practiced putting on their slippery practice green and then browsed their smallish pro shop. The sky was cloudy making it feel considerably cooler than it was during the few breaks of sunshine. I was glad I brought a pullover. The starter came around checking on the various groups slated to tee off. He asked which group I was with, for which I responded Clark. ‘No Clark’, he said. Uh-oh! He then asked if I knew a Wright. Yep, that’s me! Not sure why Tom put it in my name, but oh well. While waiting around my cell rang, I expected it to be Tom calling. It wasn’t. Instead, it was Ronald, my mom’s neighbor and ex-husband calling to let me know that my mom was sick and in the hospital - again. He said they were keeping her for observations after finding a black spot on her lungs the evening before. He left me with the phone number to her room. Tom and his niece, Casey arrived just before our tee time. We were the next group up on the tee box. As I understood it, Casey was new to golf, but is on the New Albany girls golf team. She has a beautiful swing and follow through, much like you’d see on the LPGA. I was first to go. I hit a decent drive down the left hand side of the fairway leaving myself about 135 yards in. Casey & Tom went right. I hit my second shot straight but short of the green by about 5 yards. I chipped up and two putted for a bogey. Not a bad start. I ended up shooting bogey golf on the front nine. The only thing keeping me from scoring any lower was my inability to convert second shots after several incredibly nice drives. Honestly, beyond my 8-iron, I just don’t have confidence in my irons shots dating back to mid-summer. There was a time when I could smack all of my irons with consistency. Back then my driving and putting were hurting me. Always something. I played similarly on the back. I was driving extremely well but once again my second shots prevented better scoring. Tom & Casey were both struggling. Casey, I think, was getting tired. She said they never play 18 holes. Through it all, she kept a positive attitude. That’s big in my book. At the turn, Tom updated us on the Michigan score via his iphone. They were losing to Michigan State rather handedly – 20-6, I think. He checked his iphone again a few holes later and reported that Michigan had just tied it as regulation expired. I warned him that they might come back, and I hoped they would. I root for them to win every game except for their last regular season game against us. Play was slow. We finished up around 4:40pm (5 hours and ten minutes). I told Mindy I would likely be home around 5pm. I called to more accurately align her expectations. She shared a little about her day. I updated her on my mom’s situation. After calling Mindy I phoned my mom in the hospital. She shared her condition, which sounded grave. She said she was diagnosed with lung and kidney disease, and was severely dehydrated. Hadn’t pee’d in five days. Great! It’s hard to imagine not peeing for that long without worry. I pee every hour or two, but I also drink a gallon of water every day. She sounded horrible. I asked that she clarify what diseased meant. She promised to ask the doctor later. After talking with mom, I called brother Tommy since she expressed worry over not hearing from him in a long while. Turns out, he had knowledge of her situation but only vaguely. However, Charles was there working with him and shared what he knew. I confirmed that he had her phone number and left it at that. Lastly, just before arriving home, I called and left Glenn a VM updating him on both mom and dad all the while being careful not to invoke panic with an overblown story. Mindy was home still in her yoga clothes and unshowered. She was busy with Bella’s party preparations and her autumn home decor. It was already 5:30pm. In the fridge I could see that she bought some of those giant Rib Eyes from Sam’s Club. We planned to grill them later. After getting caught up on the day’s football scores, Mindy & I walked Ykraps. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the sun came out for the better part of the afternoon making for an incredibly nice day, but by evening the clouds moved back in and so did the cool air. Daughter Courtney pulled up just as we were leaving the house with Ykraps. She walked with us. She stopped over to get some cash. As we walked back towards the house I couldn’t help but notice her expired driver’s tags. She, in turn, gave us some song and dance about some unpaid ticket that’s preventing her from renewing her plates. Says she’s paying it next week. I wasn’t pleased. Courtney didn’t stay long after that little run in. I’ll say this much, that little discussion ruined my appetite for steak. No longer was I eager or hungry. Mindy asked about the grilling. At least for the time being, I wasn’t hungry. She headed off for a much needed shower. I sipped a cold beer while Mindy showered. It was nearly time for kick-off. I was ready to watch the game. Not wanting Mindy to linger in doubt, I told her I didn’t have much desire to grill those giant steaks. I simply wasn’t that hungry. She seemed OK with that. No sense wasting good meat. She heated up leftover stuffed peppers instead. Me? I drank beer! The game kicked off just after 7pm from Indiana’s new stadium. The Buckeyes won easily 30-14. It wasn’t as close as the score indicates. They scored a trash touchdown in the waning seconds. Mindy headed to bed soon after the game ended. I stayed up enjoying another beer and some popcorn. I eventually fell asleep on the sofa but got up and headed for bed around 1am.