Cause to celebrate

It was an event worth celebrating. And we celebrated. In our typically subdued, understated way.

On Friday night, I "gave the cook a night off." We drove just across the border, a few miles into Wisconsin, and had a fish fry for supper Friday night. Then we drove back home, about 15 miles. We watched a movie--a Jean Harlow film from the early '30s, before Hollywood censorship started. We split a can of soda. And finally, after the kitties were fed, we went upstairs to celebrate one final, favorite way.

We both slept well.

So what were we celebrating?

We were celebrating the end of 3+ months of basketball coverage. Since the last day of November, I have been dealing with week after week of rushed, early suppers at home, extra work for my wife and at least three evenings away from home each week in mid winter. So I can follow the two local schools' girls and boys basketball teams.

It gets to be a little much, and my tolerance of basketball's demands isn't as strong as it used to be. Right now, it's something to be endured, with the slow, slow countdown to the post-season tournament.

That started last week. All four teams survived their first week, when the drives were short. This week, the distances were much longer. One team fell Monday night. Another died on Tuesday. The Wednesday game was postponed 24 hours due to a minor snowstorm, so I had two games on Thursday night, one hour and 60 miles apart. Unfortunately, there is just one of me. I still haven't been able to afford a clone.

I had thought both our teams would win championships on Thursday. At least one could. Instead, both lost. Instead of a complicated set of schedule contingencies, I suddenly will have quiet nights for quite a while. I won't have to run around to basketball games until next December. That's OK with me.

So now I have my evenings back. One thing I can do is get back to my e-reader. I have been reading late at night (usually when I go to bed) all along when I wasn't overly tired, but now I can give the books more attention.

Since I got the reader last year, I have read "Tale of Two Cities," "The Deerslayer," "Tom Sawyer," "Lorna Doone", "Madame Bovary," and "Held for Orders." That last one is a collection of stories about railroad life, from about 1900.

My current book is "O Pioneers!" Willa Cather's book about pioneer life on the prairies. After that, I'm not sure. I'm considering "Wuthering Heights," "Vanity Fair" and "The Rainbow." Since "O Pioneers!" is not a long book, I need to do some thinking about it pretty soon.

I will also be able to watch hockey more often, visit friends more often, take my wife out shopping more often and just have a life more often. That's why I like spring and summer so much. Among other reasons.