A Friend...

Should be like a long lost football

You can hug it tightly

To let them know they've been missed

Maybe even drool with happiness

because you haven't seen them in so long.

It's okay

A friend

Knows the joy

of 

Friendship

They are content 

With the holding

and 

not appalled

by your drools.

For Poetry Jam

Random Five Friday...

My computer popped and died.

The Senior football team, The Bearkatz, enter the conference with 8/2 record.

My computer croaked.

The temperatures are dropping more quickly than I am prepared for and there is much winterizing to be done.

The Queen Anne's Lace has survived our heavy frosts and shares her beauty with me.

Rubber Booting...

is what I do when it's been raining a while.  Gotta check out everything. Dinner's in the oven so I don my camouflage rubber boots and a jacket because it's turning cold. I listened to the water roar through the valley at its peak last night but I couldn't go see.

Daylight comes we have things to do.  Want to help?  Come along with me and we'll have some fun.

We must check the water level.  We must check for new sand bars and see if the old ones still remain.

We have to watch for places holding water

and places that have washed out.  All these have to be corrected to conserve the land.

We check water gaps to make sure nothing is stopping the flow. If the water has damaged it replace/repair it so the cattle will not get out. 

We take out the limbs and the football (placing soggy football under our arm) that was blocking the flow and discover we have a hole in our boots.

A cold hole. Boots now full of water we slosh back to the house thinking it may be time for new rubber boots.

We find an arrowhead. And that is how a day goes after a big rain...now I'm looking for new rubber boots.

So many choices!!!

Football Injures!!!

I do not like to hear that phone ring!  The school called me.  Maria was out taking Marcy to do her shopping. Talk about a hurt elbow!   Before the doc.

After the doc, no bones broken but taking blood tests to see why two injuries in one week.  I can tell you that without going anywhere.  Football hurts!!!  In no other place can three 250 pound guys jump on your back, throw you to the ground and nothing happens but another guy blowing a whistle.

I have often told you how scared I am to see Andrew play and NOW my second grandson, Jake, is playing too.  I am not getting Evan Zander one football!!!  I have enough gray hairs already.

UPDATE:  Doc just called.  Minimal elevation in white blood count, continue current treatment: Steroids, ice pack, wrap, surface cream with some therapy trying to straighten the arm.  The swelling had reduced then a warm bath brought it back worse than before.  If none of this improves the condition, he will be referred  to another doctor for possible drainage of site...ouch!

Saving Your Blog...

I've heard it can happen.  I fear it may happen.

I have a lot of time and words invested in this baby.  I would hate to lose it. 

How can I save my blog along with the past posts I've written? 

Since I'm in the enquiry mode, could someone recommend a beginning piano-like keyboard?  Andrew has expressed an interest in expanding his music to include the piano.  Before I buy a Baby Grand (kidding) I would like to test his interest.

The injured music playing football nut.  Note deformed left hand.  Only bruised but no chances were taken.  The doctor said, Ice, heat rotation, sling for 48 hours. He made one touch down and the conversion but we lost our last game of the year.  There's always next year.

Hope everyone survived the holiday and you are warm and safe from the path of the storm.

Saturday Centus 122...The Dark Side of Football

Jenny Matlock likes to challenge us each week with a little writing prompt.  Any style, mine fits, 106 words exactly.  Strange I couldn't find a picture to fit with my scene.

The Dark Side of Football

The man worked into the night

with the tools that he had

Separating so delicately

The body from the head

Oh, he thought, I can recreate

the beauty that was there

He smiled lovingly

As he combed her hair

No more would he have to fight

To gain control of the remote

He ended that argument

When he grabbed her by the throat

He began to preserve her

Each piece handled with care

He needed someone

To sit in the other chair.

He carefully rejoined the pieces

The head was last of all

He smiled at his wife and asked,

“Are you ready for some football"?

A Non-Traditional Easter

Not one egg was dyed,

but there were motorcycle/lawnmower races.

Not one egg was hidden

but there was much wrestling.

There was exploring with some running

from a wet dog shaking.

There was football,

basketball

and dog ball.

There was ant hunting

and dog games.

All the family gathered, sisters, daughters and mates

three grandsons in the mix made quite a day.

Marcy fed us a banquet and we all played.

We remembered the reason for the holiday

and we were thankful.

Triumph Or Tears...

Sometimes with the seventh graders, it is one or the other.  It was a rough game.  We played a much larger school this time...therefore the football players were MUCH larger too.

We are the little red guys.  I know there is one tiny yellow in the middle but the rest of them were giants.

Hubby said they were taller than him when he stood beside them.  Coaches said they learned their lesson about scheduling a game with a school bigger than us.  We were outta our class and out-sized.

Seventy-One is Andrew playing with an injured leg.  These guys played hard.  No yardage was gained without a battle on both sides.  Four yards, six yards, both sides creeped through their plays.  We lost but the team did good.  They blocked, they tackled, they ran, they held and they fell.

I heard the opposing team's crowd yelling, Hit 71's leg!  The opponents had holding called and were not very good sportsmen.  I will sleep well, our guys played hard and honest...they did good.

I did not look at the score board.  I looked at the team and I was proud.  They gave it their all and played with their hearts.  They remained a team, a working unit and they never gave an inch easily.

Wait until next time, Bombers!

What Does September Mean???

Foot ball!!!  After watching Andrew play since third grade, I am still nervous.  I can't help it.  I am afraid I may have tainted his training because I always said, be nice.  Well, this game is certainly not nice.  Manners are left at the door.  Two plays got flagged for illegal something or other and our team got extra yards. 

I still don't know much about football except when Andrew is running with the ball and doesn't go down, that is good.  When the other team has the ball and Andrew takes them down, that is good.  Although I still cringe inside about how much that could hurt!

I was very proud when Andrew told how a guy pulled him down by the face mask and called him a dirty name.  Andrew said, watch your mouth and got back in the game.

The first game was a victory...48-18.  I am glad we won but I still can't help feeling bad for the ones who did not.

Andrew...71

Andrew, 71

Zander watched his brother play.

Another game the ninth, hope it goes as well.

School, Football, and Grandsons

Andrew looking forward to the school day

Loaded and loading for school

Andrew and Jake playing football

Making the tackle

Zander, too small to join in

makes his own game.

Losing Sucks Eggs

We played Thayer Mo who has had football for years.  Last time we tied 8-8.  This time was different.  Thayer's coach goes to everyone games and watches.  This is a good thing for them.  I heard the coach yell, "Stop 81, keep him down!"  Four players tackled my 81 and did not ask this grandmother for permission.

This season, until today, the sixth grade had been undefeated.  Those Thayer boys were on ours like stink on shit, sorry.  They had a fumble on a touch down and the ref called it good...I don't think so.  Both sides played an awesome game, how can anyone move that has four guys hanging off.  This happened on both sides.

Final score...16 to 14...Thayer.

It was hard to see Andrew cry.

Past My Bedtime...

Just had to do this post! First night game this year. We played Cedar Ridge. We won!!!!!!!!

Final Score 30-us, 0-them.

It was awesome! Andrew got the first touchdown and they were playing full field. It was at least a fifty yard run. You could see him kick into gear and leave the guy behind. His second touch down was not so easy. He was weaving and dodging and running! This old lady almost fell off the bleachers. The whole team was awesome...D and O.

~

I hope I can sleep after all this excitement. The rain seems to be doing the team good. I am still fussing about those white uniforms. Buy stock in laundry detergent and bleach, with all this rain I am sure it must be going up.

~

Playing football with the two Border Collies is paying off. They rarely let Andrew through without taking the football so it is great training.

~

I shall go and try to relax enough to sleep and will catch up on all your posts tomorrow night.

Goooooooooooo, Mighty Mites!

We Won...Again!

Salem Greyhounds versus Melbourne Bearkatz or Mighty Mites. Melbourne 22-Salem 16. This was a booger of a game. The Fifth graders had tied 0-0. The Fourth won...missed the third. It was a good day for Melbourne despite the rain.

I want to talk to the person or persons who voted in white as the color four years ago when we started football!

This team had black pants. Last week's team had blue...and what do we have in a muddy field? WHITE! We started white but that did not last long. Oh, we switch out the jerseys from red to white but today, the rain came twice during the game day plus all week rain, we wore white.

Andrew and Toni before the game

After

Andrew after the game.
Practice Tuesday, Wednesday, games Thursday night and Saturday.

Do you know how much my washer is going to be running?

Football

Before my grandson, Andrew, started playing football, I knew nothing about football. I knew the ball was not shaped like a basketball, that was it. The first game I watched, my nephew had to tell me what was happening.
Andrew began as a third grader and now in fifth is still playing.

Saturday we played another school that had three times the team members we did. I watched, scared, of course. I did not want Andrew to be on the bottom of one of those dogpiles! I almost cried when another player jammed a finger or laid on the ground a few seconds after a tackle! This was rough on a grandmother.

Andrew made a long run for a touch down. At first I was waiting for him to go down, then I was on my feet, then I saw him kick in the speed, then cross the line with no injuries. My fears left me! Andrew was good! The crowd was on its feet cheering my 12-year-old grandson!

The fear did not come back. I was beginning to know the game after personal commentary by my nephew. Andrew runs again with the ball and has four guys trying to stop him. Two were hanging on as he ran. He finally went down but I was still happy and unafraid. With four people on him, he had made a tremendous gain for his team.

I am not sure what position he played, many I think because he had to play the whole game. Coach took care of them and kept them full of Gatoraid and confidence. Andrew made tackles too. Nothing like hearing the announcer say "Another sack by Andrew Williams, Number 39!"

We lost the game but not our confidence. I lost my fear! I still only know the shape of the ball but I am learning.