That Game

It's a beautiful, windy day. I wish we had a deck, because I'd be out on it right now. Cool but pleasant and warm enough in the sun. Remember, this is by Bay Area standards; most other parts of the country would be happy for our "cool" temperatures. And, no, I haven't forgotten what other people have to suffer in early February. But in this twisted part of the world, the magnolias are almost gone, paperwhite narcissus bloomed in December, daffodils are just starting in my yard, plum trees are beginning to bloom on the streets. Crazy. After over 35 years in this place, you'd think I'd have adjusted, but you'd be wrong. I always spend January and February feeling like someone dropped me on my head. I'm all ready to enjoy (yes, that's what I said) the winter and let the garden be dormant. There is no "dormant" in the Bay Area. In fact, this is the time of year, the rainy season, when the weeds *really* get going and can strangle you overnight, if you're not careful.

It's also That Sunday, when most of the country is glued to the tube for That Game. Argghhh. Even when I did follow sports, "That" wasn't included and it still isn't. It's a little better than boxing, but that's damning it with the faintest praise. Don't like it. Don't want to. Want peace and quiet. But Kent enjoys it, so he'll be watching. Thank God, he doesn't stay glued to the tube every weekend watching sports.

As my friends have heard, I gave up sports when the Bums left Brooklyn. They broke the hearts of their fans, and we've never recovered. At least, I haven't. We used to go to Ebbetts Field and watch them. Yes, I'm *that* old, but not by much. I've phrased this topic so that you'll have to be a deep-dyed fan to know which team and what sport I'm talking about. Odd, isn't it. Oh, well. I'm odd all around.

Another odd thing is that I've actually gone and seen some games in recent years and I've sort of enjoyed them. Can it be that I have a lingering fondness for it? Probably so. And there are other sports that I actually do enjoy, like crew and curling. My fondness for crew is obvious. It's a good sport, lots of excitement, teamwork is everything, and all those finely conditioned athletes don't hurt. Sabetta used to be a coxswain for the local club, on the guys' team. so we'd go to regattas and cheer. Now we go and cheer and she hasn't been in a shell since senior year in high school. And she wonders why we go. Because we LIKE it.

Curling is another thing. I remember watching curling on TV when I was a kid, maybe it was an Olympic match. I'm generally fond of games like that. For several summers as a child, we hung out at the Clubhouse in Noyac. The Clubhouse was a place where kids in the area could come and play sports, do craft projects and hang out in a safe place. It was open from 8 or 9am to 1pm. Then we'd all go home, eat lunch, wait the obligatory hour and meet at the beach on Noyac Bay. We'd swim and go home at the end of the day. Not a bad way to spend each summer weekday, is it? Well, one of the things they had was shuffleboard, both outdoor and indoor. We'd play indoor shuffleboard a lot on rainy days and I got pretty good. I got good enough that I would consistantly win bets made on games in later years, once I realized that the only place you can find indoor shuffleboard is in BARS. What a shock *that* was! I actually had no idea at the time. (I was pretty naive as a kid.)

Curling is basically shuffleboard on ice, with brooms and a few other twists. I can so relate. I'd like to give it a try. But the chance of finding a curling venue anywhere in California is laughable. It's hard enough to find an ice rink, much less a place with curling! (I don't know what they call a place where they curl. Do you? Let me know, 'k?) Now, I need to find a place to hide from the TV.