I Suck At Bowling

We have a group that goes bowling on Friday mornings. I appreciate them still allowing me to join them, because I really do suck. However, I still kind of enjoy doing it, largely because it always reminds me of Jennifer. Yesterday, I could really envision her being there. In my head, I could see and hear her laughing and yucking it up.

Yesterday several people were getting some challenging splits, and maybe that was why I was really getting these for the lack of a better description “visions” in my head.

After we retired, we started going bowling. I would golf early in the morning and then we would meet up and bowl and then we would go to lunch. Sometimes we would go eat first and then go bowling. We had a very nice and very clean bowling alley/arcade on our side of San Antonio (it was close to the Marathon office. We really enjoyed going. We invested in bowling shoes and we both were not great bowlers. Jennifer was better than me and she threw a very straight ball with a very smooth release. However she would often hit the head pin straight on, which resulted in a lot of difficult splits. She would often throw her second/spare ball right between the pins. She would throw her arms up like a field goal in football and would usually laugh, but sometimes she would cuss like hell.

Of course then COVID hit and unfortunately the bowling alley became a victim of it and never reopened (at least while we were there). So the last couple of years of living in San Antonio, we did not bowl.

When we got to Mesquite we took it back up and we actually went to Vegas and purchased our own balls and bags. I gave her bag and ball to my sister Cindy. Our friend Margot took her shoes.

I realized that I have not posted anything for several weeks. I have got on and started several posts but then would get distracted or had to leave to do other things. Jennifer would have really been looking forward to this weekend. Our niece Martha and her husband Dwight are coming up from Dallas to Vegas to see Elaine and Jim. I am driving down to Vegas tomorrow to see them and several of the Benner clan and myself are going to go play some golf with them.

Jennifer would have been so anxious to hear about both Martha and Dwight’s new jobs (both recently transitioned to new positions). In particular, Jennifer would have been interested in hearing about Martha’s new jobs. She is actually teaching Nursing at a college down in Dallas.

During our early work career, Jennifer often discussed maybe becoming a teacher/professor when we “retired”. Of course when we actually reached the point of retirement that desire had passed. However, she would have been a good teacher/professor, if she had pursued it.

Fortunately I have been getting some golfing in. I suck at it as well, but not nearly as bad as I do golfing. I am actually playing this morning. My financial advisor is down in Nevada visiting clients and another client and him are coming up to Mesquite this morning and we are going to play later this morning.

Unfortunately yesterday my Dad had to go to the hospital. He possibly has pneumonia and a possible UTI. My sister Colleen and both of my parents have pretty bad colds. Yesterday,Dad started shaking and got chills and his blood oxygen level had dropped significantly. This was very similar to the symptoms he had when he developed his last UTI that put him in the hospital. He and my sister had gone to urgent care last Wednesday and both were tested for both Covid and flu and tested negative for those. Anyway, they called the ambulance and they came and got him and took him to the hospital and he was admitted. I have not had a chance to talk to him yet. Colleen will take his cell phone into him this morning, so I will talk to him then.

Unfortunately Dad is reaching the point where he may need to go to a rest home. It is something that all of us having been dreading. He will not want/like that and I totally understand that, but unfortunately he is getting to the point where his needs are not able to be met at home without some significant help. Their house is just not set up to meet his needs especially on the rest room side. Unfortunately, we have some serious discussions and evaluation that we are all going to have to face in the very near future.

Well enough for today, I better get moving and get ready for my company coming this morning.