Today was terrific for golfing but before going down that road I had to do some digging in the yard to plant a rose bush and to dig five holes for some huge flowers Jewel brought home that have been begging to be set free of their pots. They’ve apparently been living in them for years and they have trunks like trees. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll stuff them in the ground because, hopefully, the dirt will be easier to displace because we drenched the holes with water. They didn’t get planted today because Diane and Jewel went to Portland shortly after I went golfing and they didn’t return until long after I got home from golfing. They had a lot of fun spending lots of money in lots of stores. The retailers love these guys. Key for the trip was to get new suit cases for Diane and me for our trip next week. I needed one big enough to hold 36 pair of underwear, 8 pair of pants, 6 shirts, a spare pair of shoes, and 35 pairs of socks. I need to carry all that stuff because we will have to carry all our dirty clothes with us until we get home, and we’ll be gone for a month. I guess it’s possible that some of the places we will inhabit during the trip will allow us access to washing facilities, but I’m not counting on it. I’ll be ready for the long haul. Diane got a new suit case, too, but her’s is smaller than mine and I don’t know why. Seems like hers should be bigger since it will be carrying all the dirty clothes in addition to what she needs to wear. Or, maybe mine’s bigger because all her girly stuff will be mingled in with my manly stuff. I’m sure I’ll find out soon. Like when we start to pack. Or, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

This afternoon I met my friend, and old classmate Jim, at the Wildwood Golf Course for a festive 18 holes of golf. The temperature was pretty much perfect for us and the course was, oddly, not well populated meaning we weren’t being hustled along smartly by people pushing us. And, we didn’t have to spend endless hours waiting for the folks ahead of us to make their moves. It was very peaceful with no pressure.

Jim beat me, of course, but he’s had lessons. I know that’s true because he told me. I did my normal, kinda, with 58 on the front, 50 on the back. Jim did 50 and 45. That means I was the most improved because he only dropped 5 strokes off his front nine score while I dropped 8. Though he’ll disagree, I’m sure, that makes me the winner. We had a bet, but he may not remember it because I think I forgot to bring it up. Maybe next time.

After finishing we both got a non-alcoholic drink and had a visit on Wildwood’s new patio. They must have spent a zillion $$ renovating the place since the last time we played (last year?) and it’s pretty spectacular. We had a very private visit since there was no one else around. It was nice. We talked about politics, religion, the sad state of our economy, and what might happen after the revolution. Just light conversation. Before parting company, we documented the moment with a selfie.

I arrived home around 5-ish, got the mail, then let the dogs know I was home. They were very happy to see me since they had been alone pretty much all day. Thankfully, the dogs have these huge bladders that can hold about a gallon of pee. We had them installed a couple of years ago when one of them peed on the carpet. We had a serious conversation about how wrong that was but neither one of them would take ownership so everyone paid the price. They all got larger bladders, and we’ve not had another incident. It was worth the price and the dogs don’t seem to mind anymore. At least they haven’t said anything about it to me.

Diane texted me, telling me to eat something when I got home so I did. I ate an apple and six red vines. And three large glasses of water. Probably not what she had in mind, but it served the purpose. Before I got to bed I plan to eat some peanuts just to round things out.

On a more personal, and serious note, I must share information about our new friend Ahmed Hassan Saeed. He’s an exchange student from Pakistan who joined the Walters family just last Friday. He’s 15, same age as Jeran, and they have quickly become fast friends. He has integrated as a family member after only two days. To him, Lydia is his sister, and Jeran is his brother. Quite remarkable, but young folks can teach us a lot about how to get along. Ahmed is a gifted young man and a great representative of his country. We’re very proud to know him.

Now it’s 9:30 and time for me to go to bed. I’m tired and need to lay down. I’m old, you know.