The off-season is dead, long live King Football!

I write this knowing that millions of women everywhere will groan.
Some of them actually like the game as much as their men, others cheerfully endure it because they love their men.

I liken it to myself watching what I call "Darling darling" movies on TCM with my beloved.
You know the ones.  Old black and whites where every person is addressed with "Dahling!"
All of the actors may be from Pittsburgh or Buffalo, but they sound like they were raised in the better parts of London.

I have learned to keep my eyes open, and limit my smarmy, smart alecky comments to a minimum.
She has learned about the nickel defense, the blitz package, and she actually knows the difference between Peyton and Eli Manning, and she  really likes Peyton.
Who doesn't?  The dude can flat play, and he's in the same group as Tim Tebow.
All around good guy.

My son the Captain and I were in our football glory this weekend past.
My home town Miami Hurricanes played a tremendous defensive game, and beat the hated Florida Gators 21-16 in Sun Life Stadium.
The place was full to capacity, and rocking like I have never seen it.
Coach Al Golden has endured much from the, ahem, idiots at the NCAA.
He stuck it out when many men would have bailed on the program.
The results are starting to show.
He's not only recruiting quality players, he's recruiting quality young men.
No longer does he need a team bail bondsman, like Florida does.
They had five players in some sort of trouble before the game.
They "Cleared" four of them in time for the game.
The Canes still kicked their reptile behinds.
We have high hopes they will win the ACC for the first time, and go on to a BCS bowl for the first time in many a year.
Their Soph running sensation, Duke Johnson is a legitimate candidate for the Heisman trophy, signifying the best college football player in American.
Reports are that he would rather stay home and play Monopoly with his family than run the streets.
Like for instance last year's winner, Johnny "Football" Manziel.
I'll take Duke over Football any day.

And my Miami Dolphins look like they will be good this year, potentially very good.
Their defense swarmed over the Cleveland Browns on the road Sunday.
Six sacks, three take aways, and they made life absolutely miserable for Brandon Wheedon, the hapless Brown QB.  His line more or less threw look-out blocks all day.
You know, "look out kid, here they come!"
They also scored several touchdowns.
Something they seemed totally unfamiliar with the last few seasons.

It's good to be a Miami football guy this week!

Hope springs eternal until opening day, as they say.
I don't know who they are, but sometimes they really tick me off.

A closing note, I saw a recent picture of Coach Don Shula.
Coach is a man who was a great role model for the young men of South Florida.
He's also the winningest coach in NFL history, and the only coach to have a perfect undefeated season.
And he was born and raised in Painesville, Ohio, same home town as Irma Wheeler, my late mother in law.
It's hard to see him looking so old, but he's well into his eighties.
Rock on Coach!
I fully intend to!

The Odyssey Continues.

This week, I had yet another experience with the health care industry.
My third wonderful experience with the procedure known as a colonoscopy.
You know the one, if you are over fifty.
Starve yourself for a day, then drink five liters of a nasty solution that tastes like seawater, spend 12 hours in the bathroom, and then your reward is getting a long stainless steel tube.........

Well to put it mildly, it stinks, but it beats the alternative of perhaps having undiagnosed Colon Cancer.

I did find out I have severe diverticulitis.
Antibiotics for 20 days, and a high fiber diet may stave off surgery.
But if it takes surgery to be accepted by the transplant lab, so be it!

The difference between competence and sloppiness is sometimes startling.

My first two procedures were with our former GP, a product of the Canadian Health Care System.
He had no earthly business doing that type of procedure.

This Doctor was a GI specialist.
The last thing I remember was the nurse putting the syringe into my IV, and I woke up with Phyllis in the room.
No discomfort, and I found out later he only took 15 minutes to complete the procedure.
Everyone was pleasant, reassuring and extremely professional

He even showed me pictures!
Totally disgusting, and I will not post them here.

I sincerely hope that when our own National Health Care Act is fully implemented, that it does not degrade our level of care to that of our former Doctor.

Too few physicians trying to do too much with too little time and resources.

We shall see, as I fear we are stuck with it for the duration.

Here follows a picture of Ariel's dog Charlie.

It seems Charlie is a very popular Canine name these days.

And yes, he is spoiled!  He expects a treat every week when Ariel get's his package of cookies from his Mom.

Welcome back, me!

It's been over two years since I've posted anything.
There are a lot of reasons for that, mostly concerning my health.
I lost it, simply put.
But as the old man in Monty Python put it "I'm much better, really!  Don't put me on the wagon!"
A year ago this coming Saturday, my kidney's failed me.
The steady progression back to good health is a blessing.
I still have to hook up to my trusty PD Cycler every night, but that is a small price to pay to stay healthy, and off of Hemodialysis.  Which I hate.
Imagine sticking two ten penny nails in your arm, three times per week, and laying flat on your back for five hours.
Then pray for the poor souls who have no other option.

Recently, since I now have more time on my hands than I really wanted, I started scribbling again.
If you've ever tried to read Klingon, then you have some idea of just how bad my hand writing is.
But the point is, I'm writing again.
I've been told by family and people I trust that I have some small iota of talent.
And from what I heard repeatedly at a Writers Digest conference I attended last spring,
"Writers write!"
So get off my back, I'm writing!

Most of it will be middling/piddling to bad, but maybe some of it won't make you sick.

So each and every day I will try to write something.

You may not see much of it, as I am my own worst critic, as most writers are.

Nonsense to good sense, funny to pathetic to pathos.

I will most likely run the gamut.

And fair warning, truth in advertising and all of that.

I am a Redneck, Red State, Red Meat eating Reagan conservative!

Although I do not plan to address the political with any regularity.

Sometimes it just happens.

So here goes.

Two really cornball, bad limericks I penned sitting on our deck Sunday night with Pippi, the love of my

life.  You know her as The Queen, Felicia, the lovely Phyllis!  (Greenbough in the Greek)

     Ode to Pippi

There once was a girl named Pippi,

Who never was a Hippy,

When she was asked why,

She said "My, oh My!'

"I never was very trippy!"

Gag.  I know.  She laughed anyway.

Bad effort number two

    Ode to Csonk

There was was a dog named Csonk,

Who was a big old lump,

He napped all day

And people would say,

"Why don't you just have him stuffed?"

Bleeah!   I know.   The dog liked it!