The last time I wrote (gee, time flies, doesn't it?), I think I was a bit bummed out because I couldn't drive down to visit my friend S and her husband. An unexpected trip to the state football finals in Detroit ended those plans.
The visit was rescheduled two weeks later--to last week. All the arrangements were made ... and then had to be postponed again.
This time, football didn't get in the way. Our big snowstorm did. By last Sunday, it had become apparent that Mother Nature wasn't going to allow any trip on Tuesday, as planned. Lots of snow. Lots of wind. Not the kind of thing I want to mess around with, even to see friends.
Due to my schedule, which gets pretty busy in December, the next attempt won't be until the week after Christmas. Come to think of it, I think we had to do this last year, too.
The snowstorm was the first big one of this winter. I think we wound up with about 10 inches, which blew all over the place, of course. I shoveled the front walk before going to work, shoveled the back walk after work that afternoon (and also liberated the car). The next morning, I did the front walk again--it has drifted over since this morning.
Then temperatures fell well below zero, to about -10F. A preview of January.
Tonight: more snow. Ahh--it's December. What more can I say?
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Things I have done since my last post:
--Visited N two weeks ago. This time, there was just a little bit of snow, easy to pilot the car through. We went to dinner and watched a couple movies, including W.C. Fields' "The Bank Dick." A good time was had by all.
--Our team reached the state finals again during Thanksgiving week but didn't win the state title again. They have gone there six years in a row and won only once. Geez, that's tough, isn't it? Any other team, of course, would give its eye teeth for a chance to play in even one state championship game.
I drove down by myself and stayed at my son's apartment, sleeping on his couch. Among our highlights was watching the Packers-Lions game on Thanksgiving (also at Ford Field, the site of the state high school finals the next day) on his TV at the apartment. We watched a couple movies (including the new incarnation of "Star Trek," which was pretty darn good) and went out to Thanksgiving Day dinner at a place called the Moose Preserve.
That was cool! They had a number of Northwoodsy-type meals. My son selected the Road Kill Grill, which included venison, quail, wild rice casserole, corn and wild boar sausage!
I was thinking of getting that, too, but I eventually chose the Buffaloaf. Two thick slices of ground bison meat on white bread with thick buffalo gravy and mushrooms, plus some mashed potatoes. That was yummy. Next time I take my wife down here, that's going to be one of our stops.
I went down to the game by myself Friday morning. Maybe should have checked my maps a little better the night before, but I did OK. After the game, I started the long trip home at about 12:30 p.m. (Central Time) and got home about 11:30 p.m. Unlike most trips downstate this time of year, there was no snow in the northern Lower Peninsula to worry about. The driver appreciated that.
--I am continuing to re-learn my German. Very slowly. I discovered that babelfish.yahoo.com can help with translations, but my friend doesn't want me to do it that way. OK, then. I will do it the old fashioned way, and I will do it very slowly. I care very much about my spelling and syntax and punctuation and grammar, whether I am writing in English or German. I did invest in a Collins concise dictionary and a Living Language beginners-intermediate guide to German.
I will study them--but hey, I've got lots of other stuff I need to do, too. Progress will come slowly.
--I have had a sore throat on and off since returning from Detroit. I know I need to rest more than I have been. Extra sleep is good. But I have been sucking on Hall's cough drops and taking the occasional Sudafed. So far so good.
--Yesterday, my wife and I made our first trip to Rhinelander since early September--just before my mom's fall at the nursing home. Our main goal was to find a good winter coat for her, and she found a nice one, in powder blue with white and teal trim. Plus, it was on sale. That made her very happy. She likes sales.
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B wrote me recently, telling me about the talk in her office about Tiger Woods' recent escapades. As you may remember, B and her husband are polyamorous, as I am.
"I had to bite my tongue so many times when the women were getting all over his case about his "ho" and such. It is useless to try to talk with people about this stuff. Obviously, his wife was not having any part of sharing him so poly was no issue here. My director was saying that the element of surprise is what is the worst about these things. If an honest admission takes place, it is much easier to deal with the situation. Could have hopped right in there but did not!"
I wrote back:
"Who really knows what is going on with him? My main impression about him, in general, is that he is wound way too tight for his own good, that he wants to control everything in his own little universe, while at the same time making scads of money from us (or at least the golf-pro-worshiping public, which doesn't include me).
So when he slips and acts human for once, instead of as a golf-playing android, it's a shock. Of course, then he tries to limit the damage to his public image instead of owing up to being a human being with all-too-natural weaknesses.
The fun question to ponder is: What if someone in the intense public spotlight like him is open about his life and says, "Yes, my wife and I allow each other to see other people,"--which apparently isn't the case with Tiger--"and we decided to do that because we love each other and want each other to be happy. We have plenty of love for each other and plenty of love to give to others."
Gee! Wouldn't that shake up the world?"
Since then, of course, we have learned much more of Tiger's private life than we probably ever wanted to, especially that he has apparently has spent time with a number of "ladies," who now all want to go public. (I was going to say "girlfriends," except that a real friend would never do that to a friend.)
Still, I think my fun question is just as valid and intriguing. What if a couple in the public spotlight were honest with each other and themselves. What if they treated each other and the others in their lives with love and respect and caring? What then?
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