Proud to be an American

Written on 7-4-16.

     Happy 4th of July!  James starts his job today, or rather he started yesterday, with the time difference.  I just texted to ask him how it went, but I’m certain it went really well, and that he had a great time, and that this is exactly where he wants to be and this is exactly what he wants to be doing.  I just want to hear the details.

     It’s been a fantastic Independence Day here already.  I mowed our lawn, and it was just the best.  I’ve always wanted to just take care of/maintain a lawn, not get it set up, and that’s just what I did today.  The mower had been fixed under warranty through the Home Depot, so it started with one pull.  No back wrenching motion over and over again this time.  The grass was forest green and tall after I had fertilized it and we had gotten some generous summer rainstorms, but not tall enough to clog up the mower.  The lines I made were crisp diagonal lines, and it was fun to make the turns at each end, just like I used to when I worked for K.C.’s Lawn Care.  The cut grass smelled sweet and fresh.  Most satisfying!  

     Then, while the girls went to town to do the grocery shopping, I watched...

 Captain America and did my upper body workout.  I felt pumped to be an American, and watching that movie increased those silly patriotic feelings.  I am truly glad and proud to be an American.  I’ve heard what it can be like in other places, and I feel fortunate to live in a country where I can speak my mind, follow my religion, and answer my calling as a teacher.  God bless America!  Okay, I sound a little bit like a steroid abusing, overly zealous weight lifter there, but all I’m meaning to say is that I’m thankful for my country.

     Dale and Anna just left after eating with us for our 4th of July luncheon together, too.  We had barbecued hot dogs and brats, chips, pineapple, and Anna brought some of her delicious homemade guacamole.  The guacamole with onions fresh from the garden made the most wonderful toppings for our hot dogs and brats.  Yummy!  They stayed and visited with us out on our back deck while the spraying misters gently kept us all cool, and then Belinda had to go take a nap.  Danielle followed soon after, but we kept talking after they left us.  It was great to take a break away from a computer screen and have a face to face conversation with someone.  Tonight, we go to Jess’s for our 4th of July dinner.  Life is great.

     I have two new birdies to report.  They took place when Bruce and Reilly came to play right at the end of our First Tee session this past Tuesday.  Reilly was heading to London the next day for a fun vacation, so it was great to see him and play golf with him before he took off.  In typical teenage fashion, he wasn’t even sure where he had a connecting flight after he left Denver.  I’m sure he was confident his mom would know all the details.  

The match was competitive.  Bruce shot even par, and I shot a 39 on the front.  Here’s the quick rundown on how it all played out.

Hole #1-Bruce and I tied with pars.  We were even.

Hole #2-Despite an effective chip, I missed my par putt from five feet, leaving my ball less than a centimeter away on the top side.  Reilly earned the only par.  We were one down after two.

Hole #3-Everyone got a par, except me.  I got a bogey, but we stayed one down thanks to C.J.

Hole #4-Everyone got a par except Reilly.  We stayed one down.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #5-Birdie #28 of 2016

     I played this hole similarly to the way I played it the last time in the First Tee tournament.  My drive was long and up the right side, so going for the green was a viable option.  My utility club got the job done, and I put my ball on the green, just 15 feet from the hole, an excellent opportunity for an eagle.  I did not leave my eagle putt short this time, though, and my ball stopped two feet past the hole.  The comeback putt took some concentration and a confident stroke.  It was uphill slightly with a tad of break from right to left, but I got it right.  We were back to even.

Hole #6-Bruce made a putt from the middle of the green all the way over to the left side, a downhill, uphill 40 to 50 footer.  It was amazing!  So much for being even.  We were back to one down just like that.  Bruce was stealing my thunder from hole #5.

Hole #7-We all got bogeys except Reilly; he struggled on this hole.  Still one down.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #8-Birdie #29 of 2016

     I attempted to drive the green.  Lately, in order to play it more safely, I’ve aimed my tee shot over the trees that split this fairway with #13.  If I tug it, I should still be safe from going in the ditch, but it hasn’t always worked out that way.  Two times I aimed over the trees, but I still pulled my tee shots into the ditch.  Ugh!  

     This time, though, my ball popped up higher than expected.  Not too bad, but enough to cut into my distance. I was on the fairway and close to 80 yards away.  My pitching wedge put my ball on the green and on the correct tier, the middle one.  I had 18 feet with some downhill right to left action this time.  

Bruce had an approach from 71 yards.  I remember the exact yardage because he used his laser range finder, and he kept repeating “71 yards” before he took his swing.  His ball ended up just two to three feet behind the hole.  I had to make my putt to extend the match because it was highly likely Bruce was going to make his.  I did.  It felt like it was going to stop short, but it rolled all the way in.

     Bruce gave me a hard time saying, “You had to steal my thunder.”  

     Then he made his birdie putt.  We were still one down with one to play, so we could only tie at this point, but we had to win the last hole to get the tie.

We didn’t.

Hole #9-Bruce and C.J. tied with pars.  I had a slippery downhill putt for par that I missed, but with four bogeys and two birdies, I was +2 on the front nine, one of my best front nine scores ever.