Almost Summer !

Waking up in South Louisiana this morning to a temperature of 44 degrees, it's hard to believe that summer is almost here!

According to area weathermen, the 44 degree temperature was a record low for this day in the Baton Rouge area, breaking the previous mark of 51 set back in 1956 - the year of my birth.

Despite the cool temperatures, there are definite signs in my little world that summer is just around the corner.

For one thing, the sports season at LSU is nearly over with.  Baseball, softball, and track are the only sports still competing - and their respective post-season tournaments are either currently underway or will begin soon.

Geaux Tigers !

Another sign that spring is nearly over with is that Mother's Day has come and gone.  And though I did not get a chance to spend Mother's day with my Mom in Houston, I was fortunate enough to host a Mother's Day gathering at our home with My Better Half, my two daughters and their families (including all 6 grandkids)!

Prior to our Mother's Day gathering, I got the opportunity to watch two of my oldest grandson Randy's flag football games for the first time!

Randy is very quickly budding into quite the little athlete, and scored his (and his TEAM's) first touchdown of the season this past weekend.  He took a handoff from his quarterback and dashed about 30 yards untouched and into the endzone!

Randy also begins his first season of "Coaches Pitch" baseball this summer.  Two of our other grandkids - Kaleigh (softball) and Conner (first year of tee-ball) - have also begun their summer seasons!

Conner is our 5-year old grandson.  He officially begins his summer today, as he graduated from kindergarten yesterday!!

Yes, kindergarten classes actually hold graduation ceremonies, complete with shirts, ties, caps and gowns!

Hard to believe our little man, Conner, will be a first grader in the fall !!

It is certain that this little dose of cool weather will pass through south Louisiana in the next day or so and our hot, humid, summer-like days will return.

It is also certain that I can be found on the golf course very, very soon.  Look for me there !!

Until next time...

We Went to Prison

On a beautiful spring Sunday in the Baton Rouge area, my Better Half and I decided to do something different.

So, we went to prison !

Yes, I fully realize that me being in prison might not surprise too many people, although I've never been convicted of any crime worthy of putting me behind bars.

Well, there WAS that one time in college back in the 70s.....

Oh, never mind; I wasn't convicted of anything and didn't spend a single minute in prison.

Anyway, we decided to attend the Angola State Penitentiary Spring Rodeo yesterday.

Nicknamed "The Wildest Show in the South", the Angola Rodeo was presenting its 47th annual spring rodeo.

Started in 1964, the Angola Rodeo began as a recreational activity for the inmates and prison guards, and was originally closed to the public.

But once its popularity grew, the prison took notice of the economic possibilities and began selling tickets and building seating for the patrons.

It is now the oldest operating prison rodeo in America, and it is estimated to bring in around $450,000 A DAY in revenues to the prison.

It was definitely a sight to see!

The gates opened at 9:00am, and My Better Half and I arrived around 10:00am.

Although the rodeo itself didn't begin until 2:00pm, there was plenty to see and do prior to the start of the rodeo.

The inmates - I guess the inmates that have earned the right to - had set up booths displaying the crafts they had made.

Patrons could browse through the various booths and purchase everything from inmate-produced jewelry, furniture, paintings, sculptures, leather goods, and even plants and vegetables grown on the prison farm.

There are carnival-type rides for the kids, pony rides, and a wide assortment of concessions including typical "fair fare" like corn dogs, jambalaya, crawfish, cotton candy, popcorn, hamburgers, and fried candy bars!

The rodeo itself begins with a Grand Entry, where Angola Rough Riders enter the arena at full gallop and the colors are presented.

Then comes the Bust Out, whereby all six chutes open simultaneously, releasing six angry bulls with temporarily attached inmate cowboys.  The last inmate to remain on his bull is named the winner.

Other events include bareback riding, a wild horse race, bull-dogging, wild cow milking and the ever-popular bull-riding.

Remember, the participants are prison inmates - most of whom have little or no experience whatsoever in riding horses, riding bulls, and milking cows!

A few were carted away on stretchers and loaded into a waiting ambulance to be taken to the prison hospital for treatment.  I guess to them, a short stay in the hospital is better than anything else that awaits them following the rodeo!

The rodeo ends with two of the most popular events:  Convict Poker and Guts and Glory.

In Convict Poker, four inmate cowboys sit at a table inthe middle of the arena playing a friendly game of poker.  Suddenly, a wild bull is released with the sole purpose of unseating the poker players. The last man who remains seated at the poker table is declared the winner!

In Guts and Glory, a poker chip is tied between the horns to the meanest, toughest bull available. The object here is for the participating inmates to get close enough to the bull to snatch the poker chip off the bull's head - and hopefully live to tell about it!

On Sunday, the poker chip was worth $1,000 to the winner!

We enjoyed the prison rodeo so much, we're already making plans to return for the fall rodeo in October and take the kids and grandkids!

Until next time...

Treadmill

Ok, so we recently bought a new treadmill.

A big, nice treadmill !

Ordered it online and had it shipped to our local store for pickup.

Well, after two weeks of waiting, we finally got a notice that it had arrived and was ready for us to pick up.

So we cranked up the pickup truck and went to get it yesterday.

As I mentioned, it was big!

255 lbs. of BIG!

They loaded it into the back of my truck with a forklift.

It took one guy to operate the forklift; one guy to supervise the guy operating the forklift; and two other guys to stand by and watch the guy operating the forklift and the guy supervising the guy operating the forklift.

Did you get all that?  It was quite an operation !

But of course once the massive box was loaded into the back of my truck, their jobs were done.

Not ONE of them offered to come to my house and help us unload the 255 lb. box.

And get it through my back door and into my house.

And assist us in putting it together.

So, My Better Half and I commenced to doing just that.

Getting it off the truck was no problem.

We simply slid it off the tailgate and onto a portable dolly.

However, the box was so heavy, the tires on the dolly were quickly flattened!

And if you've ever tried to move a 255 lb. box on a dolly with flattened tires, then you know it's next to impossible.

Despite that, we managed to dolly it over to the back door of our house.

But of course the box was too big to fit through the back door.

So we unloaded the box from the dolly. 

Lowered it to the floor of our carport, opened the box and began carrying the contents of the box into our home piece by piece.

Lots of pieces!

I had no idea how many pieces we were going to have to put together.

Let me mention here that I'm not a very good "putting-together" kind of guy.

I'm very impatient with that kind of stuff.

There was a huge assortment of arms, legs, poles, computer displays, screws, nuts, bolts, flat washers, star washers, and hex wrenches.

And a booklet of instructions that might as well have been Tolstoy's War and Peace !

So, while My Better Half patiently read the installation instructions, I began searching for the proper screws, nuts, bolts, flat washers, star washes and hex wrenches with which to put the treadmill together.

4 hours later, the job was complete.

Well, almost complete.

There's still one piece of the apparatus that we haven't quite gotten in place yet.

Worked on that piece for nearly an hour, but still haven't figured it out.

May have to call in the National Guard to help finish it up.

Or maybe the forklift operator, the guy supervising the forklift operator, or the two guys watching the forklift operator and the guy supervising the forklift operator!

I hope the damn thing works!

After putting it together, we were too tired to get on it and try it out.

Maybe we lost a few pounds just putting it together and won't ever have to use it !

But probably not.

Until next time....

Spring Has Sprung !

Not sure that it's quite official yet, but it appears spring has finally sprung in south Louisiana !

Yes, I fully realize that spring doesn't "officially" begin until April.

But, in my mind, two things dispute that.

(1)  Our weather lately has been glorious!  Just a few short weeks ago, we were experiencing lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s in the Baton Rouge area.

I hate winter...

But shotly after Punxatawney Phil (the famous groundhog) came out of his hole on a cloudy day in Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, it appears his forecast for an early spring has sprung to life !

The past week or so has brought temps into the mid to upper 70s during the days - and a few days already in which the mercury has topped the 80 degree mark.

I love it - I simply LOVE it!  And I'll love it even more when the temperatures begin approaching and topping 90 degrees. 

Really !

(2) Baseball season has begun!

At least the collegiate baseball season has begun, and LSU is already 4 games into its 2011 season!

(And for the record, as of this writing, LSU is 4-0 and looking strong)!

Opening weekend for LSU Baseball saw beautiful weather, and more than 30,000 fans paid to witness the Tigers' weekend series with Wake Forest at LSU's Alex Box Stadium !

Among those in attendance on Sunday were my daughter Allyson, son-in-law Jimmy, and two of their three sons Randy and Tanner.

Their number 3 son, Carson, was at our home keeping me and My Better Half company for the day!

Judging from the pictures transmitted from the game by Allyson - Randy and Tanner enjoyed the sunshine, the baseball, and the concession stand!



The boys even got to run the bases following the game, a Sunday tradition at LSU baseball games. 

And even though Tanner got slightly "misplaced" on the field for a short time, they each got to experience a perspective of the game that not many get a chance to enjoy!

And I'm sure that, at least in Randy's 7 year-old mind, the experience brought about visions of one day playing on that very same field as an LSU Tiger!!



Randy rounding second base; Tanner on his way from 1st to 2nd


And I can assure you, I want to be there to see that !!

Until next time ...

Odds -n- Ends

It's been an interesting week, to say the least, around our family!

Where to begin...?

Well, our 5 year-old grandson, Conner, ended up at the hospital with pneumonia at the end of last week.

A HORRIBLE cough, temperature of 104 degrees, and having trouble breathing.

Nothing is as pitiful as a sick child.

And when it's one of your own - whether it's your child or your grandchild - it hurts your heart to see them in pain.

Doesn't this picture just break your heart? 

Well it breaks mine!

But Conner recovered like we knew he would, and by Sunday his fever was back to near-normal levels, his appetitie was coming back, and his hacking cough was beginning to subside.

Just in time for his big sister, Kaleigh's, 8th birthday party!

Kaleigh was born on February 14, 2003 in Minden, Louisiana.

Yes, our very first grandchild was born on Valentine's Day !

That will also tug on your heart strings...!

So, we celebrated her 8th birthday with a family party at her house.

Complete with a "High School Musical" birthday cake!

Of course, Kaleigh's brother Conner and sister Kyndal, as well as cousins Randy, Tanner and Carson were all on hand to help celebrate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KALEIGH !!

So, after the party was over with, we all went back to our respective homes to wrap up another Sunday and get ready to start another week.

Sounds pretty normal, right??

And it was.

Until we got a phone call around 8:30 on Sunday night from Kaleigh's mother.

Our daughter, Jennifer.

Who informed us - in a rather harried state of panic - that she had broken her finger!

She was attempting to put pieces of a baby bed into her attic.

But being the klutz that she is - and has ALWAYS been - she somehow managed to fall.

From the top step of the ladder leading into the attic.

To the hallway floor 10 feet below. 

Well, a broken finger doesn't sound all that bad.

Right??

That's what we thought...

Until she sent us the picture.

Don't look at this picture if you're queasy about seeing gross stuff.

It's not a pretty sight.

So, you've been warned.

Here it is...

I told you it wasn't pretty !

As it turned out, it wasn't broken at all...

It was merely dislocated.

Like that's any consolation to the girl with a finger pointing almost due west when it normally points north !

Anyhoo... 3 hours later - following a trip to the emergency room, where a series of X-rays confirmed that nothing was broken - the medical personnel distracted her and yanked her finger back into place.

OUCH!!!

And it looked like this:

(I'm guessing Jennifer will be more upset that I showed a picture of a less-than-appealing manicure than the fact that I showed you a finger that looks like something you would see in a freak-show at a county carnival).

I'm sorry, Jennifer.

Really I am !! 

But all is well now.

Her finger is still swollen, of course.

And very, very sore.

But it's pointing north again!

So she's got that going for her...

Which is nice.

So, those were the highlights of our week.

How was yours ??

Until next time....



Winter!

So much for "global warming", Al Gore...!

Winter is here - and I don't like it.

Don't like anything about it.

Nothing, I tell you - absolutely NOTHING!

It is currently 29 degrees here in South Louisiana.

Yes, I realize it's MUCH colder in the midwest and other parts of the country.

Like Chicago, where my niece, Emily, is attending graduate school and sent me this picture she took from her apartment.

But I don't care.

I don't live in the midwest or other parts of the country.

The temperature is expected to get down to the low 20s in Baton Rouge the next two nights.

And our highs will only reach into the mid-40s.

Which, for us die-hard Southerners, is cold.

Real cold !

The good news is that, by Monday, our high is expected to be 70 again.

Much better !

But I'm still anxiously awaiting the really warm weather...

No, make that HOT weather!

I'm ready for summer!

The hot, sticky, nasty, humid "dog days" of summer.

My kind of weather.

Golf weather !

Look for me at Greystone Golf and Country Club.

That's where I'll be once things finally thaw out around here.

And it can't get here soon enough for me!

Until next time....

Ringing Out the Old

Well, I must say it's exciting to start a new year.

If for no other reason, it's exciting just to know I'm still on the right side of the dirt ...

And I hope to stay on the right side of the dirt for many years to come !

2010 was a busy year for us, but we did manage to juggle our schedules to make a family trip to Houston to spend a few days of Christmas with my parents.

My Better Half and I - along with both our daughters and all six of our grandkids - made the trip a few days before Christmas.  It was the first time in three years we managed to make it happen and it was well worth the effort !

We loaded up in two cars:  My Better Half, myself, Randy (7), Conner (5), and Tanner (4) were in one car.  Allyson, Jennifer, Kaleigh (7), Carson (1 1/2), and Kyndal (1) in the other.

Since Allyson and Jennifer had the two babies, here's what they looked like after the 5 hour drive to Houston:

In all fairness - and because I know they're going to be pissed at me for publishing that picture - here's what they normally look like:

Anyhoo, we all enjoyed the few days we got to spend in Houston with my mom and dad, my older brother Roger, my sister-in-law Peggy, and my niece Emily.

Oh yeah, and Mom and Dad's dog, Buddy...

Who I'm sure was VERY excited when we all left to return to south Louisiana !

Despite the fact that we inundated my parents with 13 of us, I think they enjoyed us all being together for Christmas.

It's not often we get representatives of four generations together under one roof, and we definitely made the best of it !

I can only imagine how quiet their home sounded after we left.  My guess is the silence was deafening !

Kyndal got a new baby for Christmas, but I'm not sure she completely understands the "mothering" concept!

Randy and Santa enjoying a quiet moment together...

Roger, Peggy and Emily

Mom and Tanner sharing a (rare) quiet moment!

Dad and Kaleigh

Carson (out of focus - probably because he wouldn't quit moving!!)

Conner reading the sports page !

But with Christmas and 2010 behind us, the 2011 grind has already begun and we're all back in our regular routines of school, work, retirement, etc.

From our family to yours, best wishes for a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous New Year !!

Until next time...