Best 18-Hole Score of the Season!

Written on 10-23-24.

     I played my best round of the season, and I broke a silent goal of mine: breaking 85.  Finally!  It felt so good, and I was glad Herman (not his real name) could see it.  He got me by one stroke on the front and two strokes on the back for his 79.  This would have been another great opportunity for me to beat Herman (another silent goal), but darned if he didn’t play better than I did on that day.  I was proud of my effort, though.  I don’t know if I ever scare him, or if he even notices, but I will continue to do my best when I play against him.  To his credit, he has switched from “giving himself putts” to holing out when he plays against me (most of the time), because he knows it doesn’t give a true account of what his scores are.  Or, he knows I don’t agree with it.  Either way.

I got two birdies, like I said above, and those helped lower my score, of course.

Pinon Hills Golf Course-Hole #5-Birdie #8 of 2024  

I had a par, a double, a bogey, and another par when I came to this hole.  I will use my Arccos app to help me recount this hole, because it happened a while ago.

I used my 5-iron/hybrid club to launch my ball 176 yards, barely missing the fairway on the right side.  The pin was on the front, and I chose my pitching wedge for my approach.  It was only 108 yards, but the rough helped me decide to club up one club.  It didn’t help.  My ball landed short, barely clearing the canyon.  Thankfully, it didn’t roll back into it.  I used my gap wedge for the pitch, and that worked out beautifully.  I used a body swing chipping style, and my ball landed on the green and rolled and rolled.  I didn’t think it would make it, but then it rolled some more and dropped into the hole.  Hooray!

Pinon Hills Golf Course-Hole #12-Birdie #9 of 2024  

The flagstick was on the front left side of the green, and I used my 2-hybrid this time.  It was 184 yards, but there was a breeze.  My ball came out high, and I couldn’t see it land.  I thought it might be in the bunker.  When I got up to the green, I saw my ball had landed just past the bunker and onto the green.  After it had settled, it was only seven feet away from the hole.  It was a very straight putt, and I put it right on the line.  Bravo!

I see that Herman got a par and a birdie on holes 16 and 17.  I got a bogey and a double on those same holes, and there are those three strokes.  I did manage a bogey to his double bogey on the last hole.  I was so happy with this round.  I made seven pars and two birdies.  It felt gratifying.  

Until next time…

Hit the Snooze Button Over and Over Again

Written on 10-22-24.

    B and I are relaxing in bed at 8:58 on a Tuesday night.  The trash is out on the curb, and Kody just came in after getting his “twilight bark” over with and then spending some quiet time out in the cold.  He likes that.  

B and I took our first showers in our newly remodeled bathroom, and it was glorious.  It feels like we are staying at a fancy hotel.  It has a bench, a triangular step, and a detachable shower head with a hose.  Deluxe!  The tile turned out beautifully, and Belinda didn’t cry BIG tears like she did when she saw our first shower 28 years ago.  That one turned out much more pink than the little sample showed.  

This project has lasted nine weeks so far.  Now, we only have some of the finishing touches left.  They still have some touch-up to do on the walls and ceiling and add the lights above the vanity and the mirror.  I look forward to the end of this major event, including paying for it.

James and Casey told us they were pregnant on the day of Dad’s funeral.  We NM Swopes went out for breakfast, and they told us outside of the Snooze Restaurant.  Danielle was inside looking out, and she got a view of what was going on and knew immediately what was transpiring.  Someone was trying to speak to her about our table being ready, but she wouldn’t let herself be distracted.

I cried.  Multiple times.  I thought it was a beautiful thing to hear and learn on that day of all days.  It brightened things up after that.  Life continues.

At our recent Lake Powell trip, we learned the sex of our new grandbaby, too.  Danielle said she knew something, but I thought it was that Becca and Matt were pregnant again.  Nope.  James and Casey brought little chocolates to reveal the gender.  I guessed a boy, and Belinda guessed a girl.  I was correct.  It would have made Dad so happy to know that our Swope name has a chance (a much better chance now) of continuing on.

Until next time…

A HUGE Fantastic Surprise Hidden in This Post

Written on 9-28-24.

     Today is Casey’s birthday.  Happy birthday, Casey!

Belinda and I just pulled weeds together.  Our new lawn looks 'jungly.'  We can see the new grass coming in, though, so we have hope.  We have pulled weeds off and on since they started coming up, and we even paid Courtney to come help as well.  She is unemployed right now, so we thought we could employ her temporarily.  She did a super job!  Very hardworking girl.

I leave for Colorado Springs again on Monday, and I am in disbelief that I am going back, but we planned this trip well in advance (before Dad had died).  Bev and Curt are going to Europe, so Guy and I are...

Greg Plays Well at Hillcrest

Written on 8-31-24.

       It’s a Saturday and the last day of August.  Belinda and I did something new this morning.  Because we now have two paddle boards (B bought a lighter version from Amazon for an upgrade), we went to Farmington Lake to go on a paddle boarding date.  It was fun!  I could alternate between sitting and getting up on my knees to be  more comfortable.  I’ve been using the new (to me) Hinge Health app, and that has helped with my flexibility.  Amanda started using it for her knees, and since we are both on New Mexico Retiree Health, I decided to try it out, too.  That and the promise of a massage gun helped get me going.  I still haven’t received it yet, though.

I just called Hinge, and they actually answered on a Saturday.  My massage gun is in the works!  I should get an e-mail with shipping info soon.  Cool.

On a bummer note, Mom and Dad are...

Bathroom Remodel = Other Expenses

Written on 8-21-24.

     I can hear drilling and banging going on inside our house.  I am out on the front porch with Kody, and it’s cool enough to sit out here today.  I just checked the temperature, and it says it’s 85º, but it feels like 83º.  We will see how long we last out here, though.  It’s starting to warm up.

Our bathroom remodel is continuing, and it has expanded to other projects that must get done.  For example, Nate wanted to avoid...