Fall is the time for the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah. Senior athletes from everywhere converge on Utah to strut their stuff in the relm of senior sports. Everything from lawn bowling to senior softball. For the second year, I had the opportunity to make the trip to Utah with a 55+ woman's softball team. This year, I played with The Village Vixens from Florida. A great group of gals who enjoy softball. Some actually refer to themselves as "softball whores". Playing with more than one team and traveling as often as the tournaments allow. These women come from every profession under the sun, but with the common love for the game of softball. We played on Monday in the round robin portion of the tournament, winning two of the three games for the day. These results placed us in Div. II with three teams from Canada! On Tuesday, we came out on top, defeating two of the three teams landing in the winner's bracket! The thrill for me was hitting my very first ever home run! A clean deep bomb over the left fielder, which continued to the fence. Somehow, I managed to chug my way around the bases, only to be greeted by the team chanting "superstar". What a thrill! For the tournament, I played 1st base, which was new for this 3rd base person! I'm not sure I'd be another Prince Fielder, but it was great fun. It's a gumby position for sure. The third day was the battle for silver or gold. We met the team from British Columbia and managed to win 14-3. The gold was ours!

Cyclone

I bought one of those EAS Weather Alert radios some time ago when they were on sale at ACO Hardware for under $30. The radio was very active yesterday with the tornado warning for Columbiaville and the severe storms in and around Lapeer. I was relieved to have this little gem, since I'm not sure I would hear the storm siren.

Our dog, Olivia (La Jefe) was pacing around the house and all the kitties seemed a bit unsettled with the pressure changes. Bob, the whistlepig, remained deep inside his burrow and Joshua, the horse, just kept on eating.

I was installing a new front "storm door" (go figure)and kept my eye to the sky hoping not to see anything dangerous. As I watched and listened, I thought about the cyclone of 1896, which removed the Village of Thomas and Oakwood, killing so many people. Many decendents of those families, still live in the area. It is so difficult to imagine how it was for them without rapid communication or a warning system. We take so much for granted.

I May Live in Michigan...but I Bleed GREEN & GOLD

My beloved Green Bay Packers lost last week and I am in major mourning. Despite such a disappointing game, details not to follow, I proudly hung my Clay Matthews picture on the library wall today. Somehow, it made me feel better looking at the old pictures of Brett, Aman and the rest of the guys, to know that we can still beat the Lions.
I have such fond memories of working the parking lot detail at the Silverdome, drinking my coffee proudly out of a rather large PACK mug. Needless to say, I received many offers to join the grillers for a brat or two, eh. Back in those days, it appeared there were more PACK fans at the game than Lions fans.
Now, that I am an owner of one share of PACKERS stock, we would give up the season to the sorry New York Giants.
I had the opportunity to visit PACKER fans Mecca a couple years ago. For those who are uninformed, Mecca is Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin. While touring, I met Lousie, an owner from New Jersey. We had lunch, shopped at the gift store and exchanged E-mail addresses. Since then, on game day, we E-mail and enjoy sharing the game. Sometimes, Louise doesn't have televised coverage, so I become the play-by-play broadcaster person. Included in our viewing is Tina and a guy named, Steve. Tina lives in Appleton, Wisconsin and has her picture in a book titled, "For Packers Fans Only". She is famous! Steve, who I've never met lives out west somewhere and worked with Lousie. We have fun bantering back and forth without any expletives. I'm sure going to miss those guys, but there is always next season.
GO PACK GO!!!