My New Job, Bonding With Rowan, and Kody's Recovery

Written on 10-1-25.

     I have a new job!  I had the interview today at 1:30, and I got the e-mail telling me Congratulations! at 4:42.  It’s a perfect fit for me.  I will be a caregiver for Comfort Keepers.  The orientation is Friday at 10:00.  I have been searching for something, something different, and I am so joyful to have found this job.

I was looking for one that would be part-time, fulfilling, and a match for my personality and skillset.  Boy, did I find it.  I have been asking Copilot for help throughout, but nothing checked all of the boxes.  It was when I thought about who we looked at for Mom just before she died.  When I texted Bev, she confirmed that it was Comfort Keepers.  I went ahead and applied on Friday last week online, but I didn’t hear anything.  I thought it might have not gone through, so I called them yesterday.  It had not gone through, so I was glad I persisted.  

I did well in the interview, I thought.  I was...

Kody Gets Mysteriously Ill

Written on 9-27-25.

       I am lounging on our bed watching the Ryder Cup on a Saturday.  USA is behind by five points, 3.5 to 8.5.  They are also behind in every match right now except one, and Team Europe is smelling blood.  USA has had multiple lip-outs and any time they seem to get the momentum going their way, someone from the European team matches them with a close approach or a clutch putt.  Way to go, Team Europe.  You are earning this, so far.  Unless America gets some late momentum, this could be a rout.  Anything is possible, though…especially in golf.

Herman's (not his real name) daughter is there at Bethpage.  He reminded me when I texted him earlier this week.  She has been working for the PGA of America for a while now, and she has to decide if she is going to keep going with that or go back to dentistry.  I texted him to see if he might be able to play this coming week, and I gave him all the reasons why I haven’t been playing lately.  

One of those reasons was some sad news.  Our Kody got really sick when we came home from Albuquerque.  It got so bad, we were wondering if he might die.  Truly.  He was lethargic and breathing hard.  He wasn’t eating or drinking much (just one dog treat and some water that he licked off of our hands), and he threw up the night before I took him to the vet.  He would stop during his walks, and on the evening walk, I had to carry him home.  During his vet visit, he got hydration (with an IV bag that formed a hump on his back and then was absorbed into his body), antibiotics, and an anti-nausea shot.  We also got some x-rays, and Dr. Moore saw some graying in his lungs and abdomen.  That could have been due to an infection possibly.  Ugh.

So far, so good, however.  He is getting better and better each day.  After his walk this morning, I would say he is back to normal.  Phew.  

Belinda is up at the cabin with her sisters.  They hiked to Lake Eileen this morning, and I am so glad for her.  She had to sub on the day I took Kody to the vet, and it was really hard on her.

Should Beginners Play 18 Holes?

Written on 9-21-25.

    It’s another Broncos’ Sunday, and I am in our computer room listening on my little MGD radio.  It is also the memorial service for Charlie Kirk today.  So sad.  He was close in age to James and Danielle, so I think of Casey and Rowan without their James.  I think of Danielle not being able to serve her community as a firefighter.  Of course, I think of (and pray for) Erika Kirk and their two children.   This happened because someone didn’t like what he had to say.  I believe he (the shooter) would not have wanted to kill Charlie if he had met him, though.  Charlie was all about that.  Many people would agree with that sentiment, too.  People should use their words (something we said to our children often when we were raising them) instead of violence.  When people don’t have an argument, they sometimes wrongly choose violence instead.  So sad, but I have trust in God.  That Erika was able to forgive the shooter during the service was incredible. 

On to golf…

When Eric and I played in Utah, we were matched up with a couple.  They smiled when they greeted us, and the first thing the guy said was, “You guys look good.”

I think he meant experienced.  We found out right away that they were not experienced.  Very friendly, just not good at golf.  Later in the round, they admitted they were beginners.  Eric and I, to our credit, kept it light and amiable.  This was a vacation round after all.  I knew that we would be hard-pressed to finish 18 holes before it got dark.  By the time we had made it to the second nine, I knew we wouldn’t make it, which was a bummer.  Eric and I even talked about telling them we were going to go on ahead, but we decided against it.  They did tell us on hole #9, after we had let a third group play through, that they were having so much fun playing with us.  Yes, we “looked good” like he told us when he met us, but we also were good (at least for amateurs).  They were not.  They were green and uncoordinated.  I don’t say that to be mean; I know they would agree with me.

Let me get to the point.  I would have preferred if they had practiced a bit more before playing on this “real” golf course.  It would have been better because beginning golfers slow down the pace of play. So s l o w.  I bet there is data on that.  It would have been a better experience for Eric and me if they wouldn’t have had so much alcohol as the round went on, too.  They would whiff over and over again, but they would whiff many more times as the round went on.

Suddenly, on hole #14, they decided to go on ahead of us.  They said they were going to goof around and enjoy the scenery.  Wow and phew!  It was still too late to finish our round before it got dark, but at least we got to enjoy the rest of it by ourselves.

Until next time…

Eric Falls Off at Ledges

Written on 9-19-25.

   When we went to back nine, we tied the first five holes.  He chose to have a beer to help him relax again.  It worked the last time at Grandote (barely), but it didn’t work this time.  He did scare me a little, however.

We got bogeys on the first two holes, double bogeys on the third, and two more bogeys until I finally broke through.  Here’s how I won the match on hole #15.

The back nine was shorter, but it became tighter.  Many of the greens were smaller and elevated.  I would compare it to Riverview with their two contrasting sides.  

Hole #5 was only 281 yards from the whites, but it was...

Ledges Golf Course-Part 1

Written on 9-14-25.

  Okay, I forgot to bring our MacBook, so I didn’t get to write about anything at Snow Canyon.  That’s the first time I didn’t bring our laptop while camping.  Instead of writing, I watched a DVD in our camper one day.  It was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and it was fun to watch again.  

It’s another Sunday, and I am listening to the Denver Broncos vs. the Indianapolis Colts.  It’s past halftime, and the Broncos are leading 28-20.  I just cleaned my clubs again, and B is relaxing on our back deck.  The weather has been steadily getting cooler, and we received plentiful rain in Aztec when we were at Snow Canyon.  We saw debris on