Saturday Slightly Wet

Worms are stretching themselves in all directions on the roadways. Cheeeeeeezeburger birds are chirping while geese are honking through the warm March air.  And, the pitter-patter on our tin roof is maintaining a steady and loud rhythm. 

A wet, wet Saturday has inspired one of those curl-up-on-the-couch mental modes. Too many of those lately, but, as I said a day or two ago, there's also basketball, and watching some close college tournament games can help one forget what's going on outside.

There was a doozy last night.  I almost turned it off when Oklahoma (whose big defensive player Ryan Spangler played one year for the ZAGS but left because he was homesick) was trailing in double digits with only minutes to go.

Well, I left the room for a moment and then heard Oklahoma had made a 7-point run. To me (except for ZAGS games, of course) the best part of any basketball game is during the last three minutes if it's close.  

This game looked like it was gonna get good, so I continued watching as Oklahoma scored basket after basket and then went ahead.  Down to the final seconds, and it looked like the Sooners were going to redeem themselves and win the game.  

West Virginia had more to offer, though, and went ahead with 1.2 seconds to go. It looked bleak for Oklahoma, but they tried the "Hail Mary" shot nearly two-thirds of the gym floor away from the basket.  

IT WENT IN!!!!

Immediately, Buddy, the phenom from Oklahoma being considered for National Player of the Year, was riding shoulders.  Fans were going nuts while referees huddled near the monitor. 

Oops!  Time had run out.  West Virginia won after all, but I'm guessing that anyone who watched that shot last night will never forget it.  Beyond amazing. 

So, I'm hoping that if it decides to rain all day today, a few more game endings will keep us on the edge of our seats. 

And, of course, we'll be on the edge of our seats tomorrow when Selection Sunday determines who's going where.  We don't really care where the ZAGS are going---their games will be exciting, and, besides, who has traveled more miles than ZAGS this year?

I think they can handle the jet lag at this point. 

The photos below were taken a few days ago while I walked through the far woods.  It was nice to be down there and see all of Bill's tidy wood-cutting and brush piling projects. 

It's a lovely place, and every day that I feel comfortable walking down there with no fear of a scary dog chasing me is a gift.   I hope that opportunity continues.

A few photos were taken yesterday when I decided to take a short drive in the Vay/Jewel Lake area.  Once in Vay, I stopped at the cafe.  While opening the door, I spotted a familiar face seated at table.  

It's been several years since I last saw Jack Bauer.  He's a former student---a very bright and nice one at that.  When I made a comment about his beard, he told me a great story.  
He had the beard a few years back but one day shaved it off. When two of his young daughters saw him beardless, they cried. 

So, since that day, Jack has regrown and maintained his beard.  He's a train engineer for the Union Pacific, so I heard a few railroad stories and did some catching up. 

What a nice surprise to see and visit with him.  That's why I like to go for little drives with my camera.  Never know what or whom I'm gonna see.  

I hadn't been to Jewel Lake in years.  Every time I return, the rubber banana story comes to mind.  Actually, it should have appeared in a book, for it has a moral to it. 

Basically, I bought a clump of bananas one summer day at Harold's IGA years ago when Mother and my younger siblings were headed for a picnic to Jewel Lake.  

Once the food spread was out on the table, being the glutton I was at the time, I grabbed the biggest banana from the clump. 

It didn't faze me in the least that the big banana was wired to the clump.  I just figured that was a "Harold's thing," as one never knew what to expect when shopping at that store. 

Well, I couldn't wait to bite into the big banana, but I had to wait because I could not get the dang thing to peel. I squeezed, pulled, even bit into the stem.  That's when I discovered why it had been wired to the bunch.  

It was rubber.  Ha! Ha! Big Glutton got fooled by Big Banana.  

Sorta like not judging a book by its cover, I guess. I'm sure that whoever wired the fake fruit to the clump wished that they had also wired in a secret camera so they could film the results and win a bunch of money on "America's Funniest Home Videos." 

Someone missed a good opportunity there, and ever since that time I've never grabbed the biggest banana.

Jewel Lake was looking good yesterday as was Baldy Mountain from a different perspective than I usually see. 

Well, the rain stopped for a moment, and that means I'll stop too.  After all, we lose an hour this weekend, so we have to move quickly at whatever's on the agenda.

I do want to acknowledge this morning the passing of my high school typing teacher, Ray Gapp.  Hard to imagine where I'd be in this life without the ability to tap out words and thoughts on a keyboard.  

So, thanks again, Mr. Gapp.  RIP. 

So, Happy Saturday.