Two Atypical Work Day Events and Two Bonus Birdies

Written on 12-14-16.

     I am writing this from the Chili’s Restaurant in Espanola.  I am here on business, but this is the first chance I’ve gotten today to just…stop.  I had to charge my phone with the Escape at El Rito Elementary today, and that killed the battery, although now I think it was close to dead anyway.  When the kid (two years out of high school) at the Auto Zone tested it, he said it was bad, so I bought a new one and they installed it.  A manager helped, and they also spliced a new cable for the negative post (lots of corrosion).  Fixed.

     I had to deal with a massive bloody nose at the school today, too.  A 3rd grader got bopped with a basketball, so I offered to take him inside to the nurse, but this school is so small they don’t even have a nurse.  In a real emergency, thankfully, they are able to send kids to the clinic that is next door.  It has been an atypical day, for sure.  

     Danielle drove home today, so I won’t get to see her until tomorrow night after I’m done with this four-day trip to my faraway schools, Ojo Caliente and El Rito.  This weekend, we are going to Denver to watch the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One.  I am so looking forward to that, especially after all of this work that I’ve done lately.  I did it.  I managed to get in all six visits for the schools I’m helping in my second month.

     I also managed to play some golf last weekend.  Bruce and C.J. played on Saturday, and I was able to join them after my monthly meeting for my new CORE job.  Bruce stuck around to play holes #1 through #4, so I could say I played a full nine holes.  I joined them on #14, and they were playing against the Bogey Man.  The goal was +6 they said, and they were at +6, so they were hoping I could help.  I didn’t know how much I could help on this first hole, especially because...

my back had been stiff and sore lately.  Somehow, I did help, though.  I got a birdie.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #61 of 2016

     The tees were up again, so getting home in two was easier than ever on this easier than most hole.  My driver put my ball on dry ground (avoiding the snow banks) right near a tree and its roots on the left side of the fairway.  Thankfully, I could take a full swing because it was on the left side of the tree.  My second shot was pushed, and my ball flew well to the right of the green stopping just short of the “cliff” where my ball could have easily rolled off and fallen into the large ditch behind this hole.  My pitch was from 50 yards and above the hole.  The pin was on the top right side, so my goal was to get it on the green and keep it on that top right tier.  I chunked it, but it turned out just fine.  My ball shot out low and bounced a few times before the hill before stopping just on the fringe, so I was in a good spot to get my par.  C.J. was also just off the green, and his ball was near my stance and a bit farther than mine, so he went first.  From off the green, he rolled his long putt (20 feet or so) in for his par.  He gave me a good read there, so I felt obligated to make my putt, and somehow I did.  This birdie helped get us back to +5 and beating the Bogey Man again.  

     I had another chance, a better one really, on #14 to get us back to +5 again, but I missed my downhill putt for birdie there after putting my first putt from off the fringe a tad too far past the hole.  At least we had tied the Bogey Man, and my starting birdie on #14 helped with that.  

     Bruce and I played on after C.J. left.  We decided to take on the Bogey Man once more, but just for four holes this time.  We set a goal of +1 to beat him and +2 to tie.  It didn’t start well.  We went bogey, bogey on the first two holes, but that’s when I got an unlikely birdie on hole #3.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #3-Birdie #62 of 2016

     Because we were trying to beat the Bogey Man, I chose to attempt to drive the green.  These tees were up, also.  My drive came out low and crooked, heading for the left side of #18’s fairway.  I was hoping it didn’t go into the ditch, and when I found it, I thought it must have hit a tree because it had stopped in a perfect position to go for the flag that was on the bottom left side of the green.  The large cottonwood on the right side of the green framed the flag neatly for me.  All I had to do was aim along the left side of that tree’s branches.  My next shot was the best swing of the day, for sure.  My 9-iron swooshed down and through the ball causing it to fly right at the flag on my intended line.  The greens were moist, so that helped to stop my ball right next to the flag and just a bit past it.  When we got up to the green, I saw my ball mark a few feet from the hole and a bit to the right of it, and my ball had stopped about that same distance away on the other side.  The putt was straightforward, and I rolled it in to get us back to +1 where we stayed after Bruce hit the green and earned our par on the next hole.  I’m so happy to know I’ve now earned more than 60 birdies this year!