THURSDAY

. . . . . . My league bowling started out with a bang today. My first line was a 143 and the second line was even better at 155. I was feeling good about my results and felt I would be able to continue into the third game. That is when the computers controlling the two alleys were were bowling on broke down. There was a twenty minute delay while things got repaired and in that time I lost all control of the ball. I was very unhappy with the 113 I turned in. Had I bowled my average in the third line we would have won the series. I felt a little better when I got home and discovered that my average for the day was 137. That is two pins better than my league average.. . .  .After bowling I stopped by to say hello to Billy; he was busy meeting with his caregiver who had pen in hand and was recording things on a note pad. I did not stay long because it was apparent they were discussing stuff that was none of my business. . . .  .I then stopped by the recovery facility that my buddy Bob is in. His hip is not causing him any pain and he is staying with the therapy program. He looks good and has a great attitude about his predicament. One of the guys from the '52' class was visiting him at the time so we had a nice three way conversation.. .  .This evening the plan is to watch Football and try not to eat too many chocolate chip cookies. Off and on rain today, normal for this time of year.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . .Ron and I had lunch at the Sushi Restaurant in Kelso today. He likes sushi and I had never tried the stuff so away we went. It was my Birthday present to him; he suffered through his 59th last Saturday. . . . I can find no fault with Sushi; I ordered what Ron ordered and since he usually does not order the raw fish I still have yet to admit that I have not yet eaten raw sushi. I have no idea what was in my dish except to say that the salad was made of Squid. Perhaps it was uncooked Squid. I don't know. I am not a lover of sea food so I can't say I will make an effort to try it again but I can at least have an idea of what is expected should I ever be invited to that type food in the future. . . . This afternoon I used CheapAir.com to make my reservations for my winter in Mazatlan. The price this year is $544.00. That is $22 higher than last year and does not include the baggage charge but as far as I am concerned it is cheap at half the cost. All of that sunshine, Natalia's  company and her cooking for two months of the winter is hard to beat. A few weeks ago she told me the bowling alley is now open and if that remains the case I plan on taking my bowling ball. Hopefully I will be able to improve my average. The extra exercise is a plus too!

TUESDAY

. . . . ..  . . .I arrived at the lab for my blood draw at 10AM today. I had taken a breakfast drink with me so I would have something to take my morning pills with after the draw. I then stopped by Safeway for some apples and was happy to find some peaches on the shelf too. I love peaches with my cereal in the morning and I had thought I would see no more this year. After that I attended the ‘52’ luncheon. About a dozen showed up minus my friend Bob Vetious. I was told Bob had taken a fall at home and broke his left hip. I was told what recovery facility he was in and after bowling practice I stopped by to see him. He was in therapy and doing well, he realizes how important it is to not be dormant too long at a time and is happy to take part in any exercise program available. He has me convinced that he will be out of there and home again before Christmas. I plan on stopping in to see him each time I drive by the place.. . . My bowling was pretty good, for me. My first five lines created a 128 average and when I really started paying attention I was able to drag a 154 average out of the second 5 lines. The total average for the day was 141 and that is the same as my League results last week. I am happy that is shows some consistency. The true test will be day after tomorrow when I bowl the league games. . . . .This evening, while watching O’Reilly on the TV my Comcast provider went off line, depriving me of telephone, PC and Television. I was able to write this on my Documents program and wait until later to post it. ‘Later’ turned out to be after 9PM. I did get caught up on my reading though, all was not lost!
 

MONDAY

. . . . .My plan had been to go bowling again today but for some reason I kept putting it off. After lunch I picked up my book and started reading and for some reason decided that too was not for me . I then loaded the car with fish bait and the doggy and drove to the fishing hole. The water is still pretty bad but by using eggs I felt the fish could find my offer by smell. While that was [not] working I put  the idiot stick to work and shoveled the accumulated mud and sand off the sitting area. I was forced under the umbrella three times while it rained like the dickens but I did get the sand removed. We left around four o'clock without any sign of a fish and drove home. The rest of the day was very quiet, I don't remember seeing any more rain either...... My doctor called and asked that I go in for a blood draw in the morning, before breakfast. I am supposed to meet the '52' gang for lunch at 11AM so perhaps that will me my first meal of the day.. . .  .I sprayed the Boundry around my tires and Roy's truck tires this afternoon, I hope that keeps ChiChi from peeing on Roy's tires and garage floor. Time will tell and I am sure Roy will keep me informed of the results.

SUNDAY

. . . . . Doggy and I ventured down the hill this morning to check the river. There was not a cloud in the sky, a most beautiful day. I just checked my on-line weather and it claims rain is expected for 12:15 am, about four and half hours away. I am not going to stay up to see how far off that prediction is.. . . .The river is looking much better, more slate colored than tan or mud. Perhaps this next rain will not be so bad and I can start fishing soon. This afternoon I watched football and a good movie called 'Tumble Weeds'. I have no idea who the actors were but the story was great and I would enjoy seeing what comes next in their lives. Tom, the Computer Guy, delivered the PC about 5:30. Too much dust had settled on the innards of the machine and the power supply burned out. Tom suggested a can of air be used every three months or so to keep it clean. I have put it on my grocery list. It was a good day, Roy has company and their dog gives ChiChi fits so I am forced to keep him inside so he won't bark so much. I have renamed him 'Mister Barker'. Things are good!

SATURDAY

. . . . .I  checked out the condition of the river this afternoon when I drove in to bowling practice. The water is still high and muddy looking with more rain expected by this time tomorrow. Those poor fish; they are getting past me. [As if I would catch one if they didn't].. . . . .The first five lines of bowling today created an average of 147; I felt very good about that but the second five did not hold up to my expectations. The total for ten lines was 139.4... I will return on Monday and try again. After bowling I stopped by Pet Smart and bought some Boundry to use on the tires in the garage. Roy is upset because ChiChi keeps peeing on the tires and leaving wet spots on the floor next to the tires. He only does that when it is raining because the little prince thinks he is too good to go out in the rain just to pee. The little snot-bucket.

FRIDAY

.. . . . . . . . Being in need of some exercise and since the sun was out this morning I washed the car for the first time in several weeks. It is sparkling again, as it should. ChiChi and I drove to the Teigens to dry off the car and to visit with Ron for a while. Caren was in town doing some running around and Ron was in the process of working up enough ambition to mow the grass and if the rain held off wash the car. We didn't stay too long and up to this posting there has been no rain and none expected. It was another good day, we are doing well!

THURSDAY

. . . .  . . . . Spent the morning on the laptop paying some bills then drove in to the bowling alley for the regular Thursday League. My scores were 119- 138- 170 for a 141 average. During the second half of the third line I discovered I was not holding the ball the same as I had been several days ago so after I switched my score rocketed upward. I am sorry I had not discovered this earlier in the day. I also decided that part of my problem is the holes in the ball were a bit too small so after I got home I took a piece of sandpaper to them and my grip is improved because of it. I am looking forward to Saturday when I return for another practice session. The river is   still high  andmuddy so fishing is out. Might try mud wrestling, it is almost that thick.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . I never left the house today. I did a lot of reading and generally accomplished little. The river is still high and dirty so perhaps there are a lot of fish getting past the fishermen and getting upriver to spawn. I did notice four deer in the backyard, laying in the sun [when the clouds allowed] and being just about as lazy as I was. If that grass gets any higher I won't be able to see them. That would be a shame, seeing them there is most relaxing.

TUESDAY

. . . . . .I took a look at the river when I drove into town this morning. It was not a pretty sight. It is the color of mud and slowly climbing up the bank. I am sure all of this will change as the weather improves but I expect that to be some days away.. . . . . Bowling was not surprising or encouraging but it was nice to see that my last game of the day was my high game. My average turned out to be 132. No big deal. I am now looking forward to Thursday. My computer is still where ever Tom took it the other day. No report from him as yet. I am happy I have my laptop; it's good to be able to keep up with the world. In the meantime I am wasting time watching commercials on TV.

MONDAY

. . .  .I am happy to report that I did get in a forty minute walk today. I knew I needed that so I would not feel so guilty about sitting in the recliner most of the day watching C-span. I believe I am a political junkie and today was a great day for those of us who are so inclined. I thought I might hear from Tom the Computer Guy but didn't. Most of the day was pretty wet and cloudy, I am sure the river is still a mess. My plan is to go bowling tomorrow and I will check out the river on the drive in. The warm rain we have been having has created a lawn out of the gravel driveway, just in time for winter to slip in and ruin it all. It really looks like spring out there.

SUNDAY

. . . . . . .While driving to the bowling alley today I noticed how very dirty the river was. There may not be a lot of fishing done in the next few days. My bowling did not please me but it seldom does. My first five lines produced 146 average and the second ended with 137. Even if I complain my average for the ten lines was about ten pens better than my league average. I am showing improvement. I will just stay with it. Heavy rains arrived again this afternoon. Tom, the Computer Guy stopped by during the worse of it to take the puter in for an exam. I have no idea how long that will take or what the bill will be. Too much in both cases, I'm sure.. . . I am sorry I missed the last quarter of the Seattle football game today. They ended up winning the game. I was in Safeway at the time, going broke as usual. Life is so much fun!

SATURDAY

. . . . . . . . .The rains were just too heavy to venture out today. I stayed inside and tried my best to not eat too much. I watched NASCAR on TV and this evening when I attempted to post my blog I discovered my desk top puter is not working. It acts like the power supply went out. Caren phoned her favorite Computer Guy and he is to come by tomorrow afternoon to check it out. I talked to him on the phone and he said he would take it home with him and attempt to locate the problem. In the meantime I have the lap top sitting on the kitchen table for my enjoyment. Always something. That is the way the mop flops sometimes!

FRIDAY

. . . . . . Great day if you love wet weather; it was not so cold that I stayed away from the fishing hole but it did rain all the time the dog and I were there. No fish of course but that's OK, we can handle it. Reading was not possible because it was just not comfortable enough under that umbrella.  I was not happy sitting under an umbrella with a smelly, wet dog in my lap and the first time I pulled in my lure to check the bait I got hung up on something [again] in the river and lost my hook, sinker spreader and a good piece of line. I was in no mood to tie up a new set of gear because of the rain and I had no more spreaders anyway so I told the dog to pick up anything he wanted to take with him and we left. I did deliver Mel's weed eater to his shed; it was sitting down there getting soaked for no good reason. I then drove by 4-Corners and bought a new fishing lure and some spreaders. After getting home I sat in the kitchen and tied up a new set of rigging and prepared some fish eggs for the next attempt. Doing that sort of work in the kitchen is much easier than doing it with cold wet fingers at the rivers edge. I may go back tomorrow if the rain does not get any worse. I can take the rain pretty well as long as the temperature stays above 50 degrees. I don't expect that kind of weather to last much longer around here. 

THURSDAY

. . . . . . . I arrived at Bernetta's place a bit early for my haircut today. I was feeling pretty good about my bowling prospects and wanted to get down there early. I checked out the condition of the river too, on the way. The river appears to be clearing and if the rain stops it might be nice enough to go fishing tomorrow. My bowling results were very good today but it turned out that way because my first game was 185.  The 138 and 134 that followed sort of broke my heart but the final average looked good. 152. I feel I am capable  of bowling with that average on a regular basis; time will tell if that happens. At least I feel I am going in the right direction. My results today really helped the team and that is a good feeling too.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . We enjoyed [not] off and on stinky weather today. I went into town to buy a jacket/shirt to wear during the cooler days in Mazatlan this winter and encountered rain on the way in and bright sun on the way back. I stopped in to see Darlene, Mother of my God daughter for a short visit. I have not seen her since her Mom died. She took a nasty fall a few weeks ago and is still healing, I wish the best for her. I snatched a look at the river as I drove by and decided it was too dirty to even miss not going fishing today. Tomorrow I will embarrass myself at the bowling alley and perhaps return to the fishing hole on Friday. Unless we get more rain and the river stays muddy. Caren and Colton stopped by at 5PM to deliver some dinner, she only stayed a minute, perhaps it was ninety seconds, but it was not long. Dinner is always good, thanks, Caren. Doggy and I are doing fine, life is good!

TUESDAY

. . . .  .It was a good day for rain and the rain gods did not disappoint!  My session at the bowling alley ended up with a 126 average after the first five lines. I then buckled down and really paid attention for the next five. That brought me a 145 and when all was added together I came home with a 136 for the day. That is better than my league average so I am happy. I will be happier if I do that well on Thursday. Practice, practice.. . .  .I stopped by Teigens place on the way home. Colton is going to school full days now so I arrived too early to see him. He was upset yesterday because the bus driver got after him for talking too loud on the bus. He gets excited once in a while and his enthusiasm bubbles over his vocal cords.

MONDAY

. . . . . Caught no fish today, what's new with you? The fishing guides are still trolling the river but most of the fishermen are very quiet, no sign that any of the customers are catching anything. I watched a very large Eagle land in a tree whose limb was almost to small to hold him. He was there for only a short time before sailing away about one hundred yards to a larger tree with a less flexible limb. He was a big fella, it looked like he was capable of pulling a 10-12 pound salmon out of the river with little trouble. I'm glad he didn't , I would have been jealous. . . .  There was a light rain most of the day but the temperature was fair enough to be comfortable. The longer that lasts the better I will like it. 

SUNDAY

. . . . . . It began raining as I left for the bowling alley this morning. I am happy I didn't try fishing because the rain continued most of the day. My newly fit ball took a while to get used to and after 5 lines my average was 118. I then began to get the feel of the change and turned in a 148 for the second set of five lines. None of my games were really high scores and I look at that as a positive sign. I am consistent and that is a good thing. I will make another attempt later in the week before bowling in the league on Thursday.. . . I was home by 3PM and the weather was just right outside to be inside with a large bowl of popcorn and a NASCAR race. It was a good day. I'll see what the weather looks like tomorrow. Perhaps I may get lucky at fishing.

SATURDAY

 . . . . .  .Today was a repeat of yesterday. The only difference is that while fishing with eggs today I happened to not be paying attention and let my bait sink to the river bottom. I don't know how long it was before I retrieved it to see how it was doing and found a mud fish had swallowed the hook. The creature was only about four inches long and all he accomplished was keeping a sport fish from seeing my bait. Doggy and I fished until we became bored with it all and came home. Clouds were forming just like yesterday and I did get a few raindrops on the windshield before entering the garage but nothing serious. Jeff Miller stopped by while I was fishing and told me his ten year old son had just landed a 15 pound Chinook today. He gave me some fresh eggs for bait so that will hold me for a day or two. I plan on getting back down there on Monday. Unless something more exciting comes up in the meantime. The way things have been going around here that is not about to happen.