It’s the time of the year when Charlie and I put on the holiday feed bag. My size 32 pants are beginning to feel pretty tight.
In the past week we’ve thrown a few dinners and have attended some, as well. We’ve got another tomorrow, then another on Thursday, Christmas Eve at our house on Saturday, then Christmas day at my sister’s on Sunday. By then I’ll be ready to explode! A few days after Christmas we’ll be heading up to Santa Barbara for a short vacation…of shopping, eating, and drinking. Weight Watchers, here I come!! I think another long hike up a tall mountain is in order.
Yesterday I bowled in the Bear Creek League. Nowadays, I’m only bowling one day a week and am having a tough time rolling a 200 game. My league average is under 175 now, as compared to over 200 two years ago. I used to go the the bowling alley wondering if I would throw another 300 game; now, I anticipate rolling a 150 game, or two! Perhaps more practice and commitment is needed. I hate mediocre bowling.
Same with golf. I played today for the first time in a month. I hit a few good shots, but, overall, my game was pretty ragged. At least the company was good: Gary, my best friend; and two other friends, Maz and Fran. And, because the latter two work at the Murrieta Driving Range, we got a $35 rate (normally $85) at Temecula Creek GC. We had a good time, too, partially because we don’t keep score. We’re just trying to hit a few good shots, tell some jokes and stories, and give each other a hard time. Golf should be fun.
Maz (who is 80) and Fran (who is in mid-70’s) have worked at the driving range for quite awhile, going back to the time when youngster Rickie Fowler was taking golf lessons there. Rickie is now a world famous golfer, and visits the range from time to time. He was there this week, and, according to the guys, drank beer out of the Ryder Cup trophy with some of the driving range guys. His caddie/old high school buddy, Joe Skovron, and his dad were on the course today, a couple of holes ahead of us. Can you imagine…being Rickie Fowler’s caddie on the PGA tour? What a blast that must be!
Charlie has several doctor’s appointments this week. Tomorrow, she will be seeing a plastic surgeon to see if he can remove some of her many lipomas. They are subcutaneous fat deposits that she has on her arms and legs. The are naturally-occurring and benign, but can be painful when they occur over a nerve. We are hoping that the surgeon will agree to excise several of them now, and then maybe another bunch of them later in the year. Charlie could probably keep the guy busy for five years! Hopefully, our insurance will cover this elective surgery.
We got new neighbors this week. His name is Carl and hers is Kerrie, and they’ve moved into the house next door to the Pace’s. Carl is a urologist, so we now have three doctors living in our cul-de-sac (Dr. Herz is a retired neurosurgeon and Dr. Wakabayashi is a retired thoracic surgeon). “Is there a doctor in the house?”…yes, there is! (And, a nurse, too. Charlie used to be a LVN.) If there are any neighborhood medical emergencies, we’ve got it covered.
On Christmas day I will be retrieving my Mom from her house in Vista (about an hour’s drive south) and taking her to the family celebration at my sister Claudia’s home in Temecula. My Mom will be 89 this year, and still drives her own car. But, we don’t want her on the road competing with all of the holiday traffic on Interstate 5. And, she can’t see well enough to drive at night. So, I will drive her to/from the festivities so she can concentrate on the decorations, the food, and the gift-giving (which she really likes!). This year, for the first time in many years, we will be spending Christmas day with my Mom, Claudia and Kellie (my other sister), and my brother, Terry. Health issues considered, I don’t know how many more of these events we will have together. So, I’m looking forward to Sunday.
So are the dogs. We have some toys in the dogs Christmas stockings (hanging from the fireplace mantel). Booger knows they’re in there; she can smell them. Christmas can’t come soon enough for her.