Thirty-seven degrees here at the Lovestead.
October has ended on a busy, cold note; November begins pretty much the same.
The amount of daylight gets shorter each day, but the list of "to do's" doesn't change.
Just gotta move faster than usual as we work our way into winter and the darkness.
Before the evening trick or treaters came, Bill and I filled our last day of October with a sweet and fun treat yesterday.
And, we wore masks!
Thanks to a generous friend and benefactor, we felt both fortunate and thrilled to join a few thousand other Gonzaga basketball fans in the Kennel at McCarthey Athletic Complex to watch the No. 1 ZAGS take on Eastern Oregon in an exhibition game.
It was a major "welcome back" experience as we heard the warm and friendly greeting from numerous ushers and crowd organizers.
First game of the 2021 season and first time in two years for the ZAGS to play in front of a raucous full house at McCarthey's Bulldog Kennel.
Bill and I enjoyed every minute as we arrived early, showed our vaccination records and our online tickets, entered McCarthey and spent nearly an hour strolling around the facility noting the changes with vendors and, from various angles around the gym, watching the two teams warm up.
We then took our seats and sat mesmerized at the ever-increasing, high-decibel noise and boisterous enthusiasm across the way in the band and student section. In constant motion, many students, donned in colorful Halloween costumes, formed human chains weaving back and forth, and, in other moments, jumped and down, cheering and clapping in unison.
ZAGMANIA had definitely returned to the Kennel, and happily so.
Much had been said or written about this year's No. 1 team.
Having the opportunity to watch them in person was an indescribable experience, except to say the team is loaded with talent from No. 1 recruit Chet Holmgren to All American candidate Drew Timme, to local Anton Watson, etc. Player-of-the game Julian Strawther is a returnee from last year's team.
In short, they're ALL amazing and gifted athletes.
Chet Holmgren, the freshman top recruit who stands 7 feet 1 and weighs 195 pounds, has picked up a few nicknames. Bill likes the "human pencil," while a lady in the restroom sez she calls him "No. 2" referring again to a pencil.
I added to that conversation, noting that he sure did look like a pretzel when his long, lean, bony body hit the floor once with limbs going every which way but loose.
We all soon learned, however, not to let the "skinny kid" syndrome" fool us. He plays as advertised. He's aggressive. He's a sharp shooter, a great rebounder and a team player.
One time in the second half, while in a crowed at the far end of the court, he scooped the ball right out of an Eastern Oregon player's hands, raced full court and emphatically stuffed the dunk of the day.
And, toward the end of the game, we enjoyed a really neat scene when the crowd persistently chanted, "We want Joe."
Mark Few's son Joe, a freshman ZAG, pulled off his jacket and went to the court. Virtually every move the ZAGS coach's son made during his two minutes of play inspired even louder cheers of approval from the student section.
Yes, getting to watch the nation's No. 1 men's basketball team in action in person in a venue wild with the excitement of "coming home to the Kennel" was a treat Bill and I will long remember.
Thank you, Kevin, and GO, ZAGS!
We did have to deal with one major disappointment before heading off to the game yesterday morning.
Ya shoulda seen Bill's face when I came downstairs and said that Kevin had just texted me some really disappointing news.
He looked at me, with a quiet Bill expression, prepared for the worst. Maybe in Bill's mind it could have been really bad.
Kevin had informed me after I told him our plan for the day that DICKS Hamburgers in Spokane is not open on Sundays, due to staff shortages.
That was sad news, indeed, but unbeknownst to me Bill had a backup plan. We've all learned to do that in this Pandemic.
His concern, however, was still pretty evident.
"Popeye's Chicken might run out of chicken sandwiches by the time we come back from the game," he lamented, noting continuous "supply chain" problems we face these days.
Well, that mystery for Bill had to wait until we came back home through Post Falls.
Though we could not go inside and had to use the drive-up window, the restaurant HAD THE SANDWICH and red beans and rice, providing Bill with about as perfect a day as he could ever imagine.
We arrived home in time to do chores and enjoy some outdoor air before a pickup came into the driveway and out popped four of the five ET's and their parents ready for Halloween trick or treat at the Lovestead.
I'm not sure where the fifth ET was; might have been at work.
These five boys all have the ET initials, and initially, I'm told, this was not a preconceived plan. At first, the boys were named after relatives, and then, Peter, their dad, decided that any more sons should have the same initials.
Jen, the mom, said when it got to five, they had a more challenging time coming up with a name beginning with E.
We enjoyed a great visit with our only trick or treating family last night and soon they headed on to visit with other neighbors up the road.
On this Monday morning after a memorable ZAGS fix and a fun Halloween trick-or-treating time spent with the ET's and their parents, I enjoyed reading the following fascinating story which notes that the gift of friendship isn't always free.
After finishing this story, I couldn't help but think how lucky and blessed we are to enjoy our friends without thoughts of a pricetag.
Happy Monday.
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