Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Old Farts Are Back!




Last October Jennifer and I made our annual pilgrimage to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.  For the non-golfers out there, Hot Springs Village (HSV) is an out-of-the-way, not well publicized, golfing and boating paradise.  There are nine golf courses and six lakes within the confines of this gated retirement and resort (I use the term "resort" loosely) community.  And, you will not find a friendlier group of residents and visitors anywhere.  I guess that's why we have a timeshare there and look forward to our annual week of golf and total relaxation. 

Since HSV caters to retirees, Jennifer and I thought it would be a great place to gather a little SOOF fodder.  And we were right, as you will see below:
  • When we first arrived we made our usual trip to the grocery store to stock up on a week's worth of groceries.  As we walked in we were greeted by a large sign reminding shoppers that annual flu shots are covered by Medicare.  (For the record, I had already taken my flu shot and filed on Medicare.  No need for a reminder.)  Additionally, there was a large sign taped to a near-empty shelf, stating that the store's stock of "Depends" were on sale for a limited time only (No comment.).  (We were off to a good SOOF start!)
  • The Village also has a number of good places to eat.  They all seem to have the same thing in common.....they open at 6AM, close at 8PM, and serve breakfast all day.  (This is a good thing!  I can eat bacon, eggs, and pancakes anytime..day or night!) 
  • HSV has its own radio station as well, and it may be one of the few places left where it's not uncommon to get phone-in requests for "Big Band" hits from the forties.  Though for the last few years we have been hearing more and more hits from the fifties.  (Reminds me of when I was a kid.)
  • It seems that most of the visitors and residents of The Village also spend time in Branson, MO.  A major topic of conversation everywhere we went was the passing of Andy Williams and how the Moon River Theater will never be the same.  (We had a timeshare in Branson before we moved back to Texas.) 
  • Jennifer and I were standing on one of the tee boxes of one of HSV's beautiful golf courses checking out the fall colors and the golf course housing, when Jennifer said, "Look at the furniture on the patio of that house.  The 70s just called and they want that sofa back!"  (Personally, I thought it looked kind of nice.)
  • Speaking of golf courses, they all have four sets of tee boxes on each course...Championship Tees, Tournament Tees, Senior Tees, and Ladies Tees.  Want to guess which ones get the most play?  (I think the Senior Tees are just as hard as any of the others.  You just have a longer second shot from the first two.) 
  • We went out to dinner one evening craving some fried catfish (OBTW:  in addition to breakfast all day, you can also get fried catfish all day at most if not all of The Villages cafes...and I can eat me some fried catfish!)  As we sat outside overlooking a lake, it dawned on me that I had never seen a ski boat on any of The Village's lakes.....just pontoon boats with lawn chairs and beer coolers.  (I'm of the opinion that the only thing ski boats are good for are making big waves and breaking legs.)
  • As we walked out of this cafe, I saw a car that looked exactly like ours, drive in and park next to ours.  The couple got out of their car and I struck up a conversation.  Sure enough, their car WAS exactly like ours.  Same make and model, same color, and the same options.  The cars were twins!  AND, we both loved our cars.  But the wife said their daughter was of the opinion her parents should trade the car in for something else.  You see her daughter's generation thinks only old farts drive that kind of car.

As Jennifer and I were driving back to Tyler we were talking about how much we really enjoy HSV.  She likes to read, relax, and go for walks.  I like to play golf, relax, and watch TV.  But, Jennifer thinks the real reason that I like The Village so much is because it really does Smack of Old Fart...just like me.      

           

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

38 is the Sum of the Squares of the First Three Primes

If you know me, you know we are not going in a math direction even though the title implies as such.

38.  That must be an impressive number because on January 19th that was the number of years Barry and I have been married.  My daughters seem to think that thirty-eight years is a long time.  There were days that were long, but the years have gone by quickly, girls. Thirty-eight years of marriage may be the prime time.




We haven't changed a bit.  There is probably more truth to that statement than I like to admit. 

It is a good thing we were never into big anniversary celebrations, because we would not have been able to do it this year.  



I had surgery on my hand and, Barry had to wait on me hand and foot. He did an excellent job and was aided by family and friends with the cooking. 



Love you, Barry. 

For me, I got to sit in bed or on the coach, watch television, eat, browse the internet, and sleep.  Pretty perfect.  

Here's to another year, Barry.  There should be some prime moments.





 

Monday, January 7, 2013

A Head Full Of Cotton and the Game


This weekend I was down with whatever that head virus is that is going around. Every child and grandchild seem determined to give it to every adult. Barry was terrific and let me rest. He just handled everything. Who is this man?

But Saturday night, we, of course, watched this.

I never went to A&M but have paid for three children to go there, so I feel I have the right to call myself an Aggie too. Especially when they are winning.

I also never approach an Aggie game with a sense of "We have this". So I was worried if Johnny had been practicing enough. Was anyone suffering from this head stuff?   Just so many concerns running through my stuffed up head.

 I am not a Bob Stoops fan.  I have watched him on the sidelines. He is in the referees' faces a lot and does a lot of this-
Source

like he just doesn't know what is going on or why that just happened. If I was his team, that would not instill a lot of confidence in me. 

Plus, I am no stylist, but that sweatshirt was the worst. Maybe it was his lucky sweatshirt but, as soon as he came on the field, I said to Barry "Where did he get that sweatshirt?" 

It was a great year for A&M. That hasn't happened a lot, so haters, let Johnny and the team have some fun.


But Johnny, don't do anything stupid. I know you are only twenty, hopefully, you have some people in your camp that are keeping your head straight and you out of trouble. 




Thursday, January 3, 2013

January = A Dowager, The KGB, Serial Killers, and More


Hey all you Downton Abbey fans, stand up and clap your hands. Season 3 begins Sunday.



Watch Downton Abbey Season 3 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Two new series are premiering in January. The Americans, stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as  KGB agents planted in Washington DC.





Kevin Bacon stars in the The Following. This show is about serial killers It sounds really scary, worth giving a chance. After all it is Kevin Bacon!
If the show gets too intense you can relax during the commercials checking out the six degrees of Kevin Bacon at this site.





More returning mid-season shows return in January on the USA channel. 



Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Just Smile and Bounce

Happy New Year!

I have tried all day to write a witty post to bring in 2013, and yet here it is 10:00pm, and I still have nothing.

Please don't think I'm not witty, I am using the excuse that I am just a little tired. After all, I stayed up to almost midnight last night and then went to yoga today. Plus, I'm cold. I just want to snuggle under my new throw and stay warm. Wow, this whole paragraph smacks of old fart.

Speaking of, I am getting ready to light a fire under those guys. By next week one of them will have a post. You can count on it.

Even though it was a few days ago in 2012, I must officially wish precious Lucy a Happy Birthday.
She turned two last week. Michelle, Cora, and I went to her party. Oh, it was so cute. She loved being the center of attention.








I hope your 2013 is full of smiling faces and bounce houses.