What can be said?

My dear friend, Jacky, is on her way back home to Indiana after attending a long-timey friend's funeral in North Carolina. She says that she and her husband are taking their time on the return drive.

Good! They probably need the time to be silent and reflect on individual memories of their friend, but also to communicate and share with each other what he meant to them both.

When I first got the notice of his passing, I made no response to Jacky. It wasn't that I felt nothing. No, I felt something, but what could I have said?

There are no words adequate to convey what one feels at a time like this, no words of consolation ... nothing, really, other than the common platitudes uttered in frustration by so many.


I've spent many hours these past couple of weeks going through years of accumulated "crapola" in my townhouse .. have decided to just face it and tell it like it is .. well, not really crapola, but most of it meaningless to anyone other than myself.

So many memories. Jacky and her husband will always have those memories - both individual and jointly of their friend - and so he will remain forever in their hearts.

I am glad they went to his funeral, but I am sorry for their loss. It doesn't matter if their friend, towards the very end, had no quality of life and no chance for recovery. He was still their friend and they didn't want to have to say goodbye.

I understand. I weep for them. I empathize in their feelings of loss. I love you, Jacky, and my arms enfold you.

A green time line

Marty, my BBO friend from Indpls, has done it again ... forwarded on an e-mail that I thought you all might enjoy.

It's a type of clock ... ... the top row shows seconds - 2nd row minutes - 3rd hours - 4th days - 5th months - 6th years. Click here to see what I'm talking about. You don't have to do anything. It automatically adjusts to your time zone. Just look at the green line and all will quickly become clear to you.

Did you do it? Click on the "here"? Isn't that neat? Comes from a Dutch web site, and a big shout out thank you to Marty for sending it along.

PS. When I first starting watching the seconds roll by, I thought, "My goodness! There's my life going tick, tick, tick." That bothered me a little ... thought I should probably get right up and do something! ... but then I settled down and let my fascination take over.

An update

This is a post that I have been putting off, putting off and putting off until I just cannot put it off any longer.

'Tis the season for jolliness, for frivolity ... for parties, music, smiles, dancing and happy faces, right?

Well, this post has some good news in it, but also some bad. You remember my friend Jennie, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor - this after having successfully overcome breast cancer (twice!) - and underwent surgery? I wrote about her here, although there have been other posts as well.

Jennie is doing fairly well. Actually, she's doing very well, all things considered. She writes, "I have much to be thankful for. I was able to have my 6th and 7th chemo and am now down to five more. Those nurses are angels. To keep my white blood cell count up I get three shots of neuprogen three days in succession and that seems to be the trick. My regular oncologist returns to the practice the third week of January and in preparation I will have my PET scan and MRI. There are some side effects to my medicine but they are temporary. My new wig is quite comfortable and cute." (I can almost hear Jennie chuckling as she writes about her cute wig.)

Her daughter Julie, on the other hand, who is my daughter's age, discovered a tumor through self-examination on her chest wall. According to Jennie, this could not have been discovered if Julie had undergone the reconstructive surgery after her last bout with breast cancer. (Little blessings? Mixed blessings?)

She and her husband Matt flew to Houston recently to get a second opinion at MD Anderson. The last I heard they were considering the various options available and whether or not they would treat in Michigan, Texas, or a combination of the two. According to the last e-mail I received from Jennie, this latest tumor appears not to have metasticized and will involve a combination of surgery, chemo and radiation. "The fact that she is dealing with cancer again after such a short time is very worrisome," Jennie says. (Well, I guess!)

Also, this tumor appears to be "unique". Well, aren't most of them? At least, it seems that way to me. It's almost as if - as soon as a way is discovered to cure whatever initially attacks your body, the dreadful disease metamorphosizes into something equally devastating and potentially deadly.

[When I was a kid, penicillin was discovered and for a time it appeared to be the cureall for everything. Anyone remember that? You had the flu? You got a shot of penicillin. You had an infection of some sort? You got a shot of penicillin. I, perhaps among many others, developed an allergic reaction to it - went blind for a few hours, and to this day am always very careful to alert my doctor.]

Barry Fraser, on his blog, eloquently shares his innermost thoughts and feelings in dealing with his bouts with cancer. I recommend, for any of you who are interested in learning more about cancer and how it affects individuals, that you put his blog on your "Favorite" list. It is a serious read but not a "downer", as such. He sees a lot of humor and irony in some of the most banal situations. Barry is someone I would like to meet personally.

When I published this post yesterday, it had a lot of self-chastisement in it. Why was that? Well, when I heard that Julie and her husband were coming to Houston for a second opinion, my first thought was, "I wonder who will be picking them up at the airport?"

That's a taxicab driver's thought, not one a friend first thinks of, but you should remember that I was a cab driver for nearly 18 years and airport trips meant $$$. It was perfectly natural that I should have that question in my mind. However, I was so embarrassed about it that I didn't even respond to any of Jennie's e-mails.

After I publish this revised version of "An update", I will send her an e-mail of explanation for my silence and hope with all my heart that she keeps me as a friend.

I know that some of you maintain prayer lists. Please add Jennie and Julie to your list. They live in Michigan. They need your positive thoughts, especially during this holiday season.

A volunteer extraordinaire

I haven't published it yet, but thought I'd introduce all of you who do not subscribe to my column in the Examiner to my duplicate bridge friend, Arlene, who is - in the truest sense of the phrase - a volunteer extraordinaire and the newest subscriber to "Goldenrod's thoughts". Welcome, Arlene!


Now, Arlene's the one on the right in this photo. Originally, the one I had intended to use was larger and included all of the words on the banner.

However, Arlene chose to use the cropped version because she didn't want her tummy showing. Rrvit! Shades of my mother, who - when lying in a hospital bed dying of cancer - had her beautician come in and color her roots because she didn't want any white showing. (Btw, Arlene doesn't have a 'tummy' per se, altho she thinks she does. That's what matters, right?)

Arlene was honored at a recent tournament here in Houston for her many many years of service to Unit 174, which is the local American Contract Bridge League affiliate. I won't go on and on here listing what all she did, but you'll just have to trust me on this one. Significant!

Now, since retiring as editor and writer of 174's monthly newsletter, Arlene has begun her own blog. Content is here, there and everywhere, and she goes into great depth. I know that she would love to have some of you as her readers.

More than you ever wanted to know, probably,

about cancer, some of its causes and the various treatments being applied today to try and combat this dreaded disease.

Jennie, as you all know, has been bravely waging her own mighty battle against this latest attack on her body - her brain. This afternoon, she sent me an e-mail in which she talked about some of her latest discoveries. I'd like to share it with you.


Yesterday was really mindblowing. I learned so much about myself and cancer.

I learned yesterday that I have both negative and postive hormone receptors, which is unique. The drugs I have been taking for the past five years probably triggered the new cancer in the breast and in the brain, but because I acted promptly I avoided some things, too. The one in the brain had not invaded the skull, which would have been more involved ,and I had a wonderful neurosurgeon who is passionate about his work. So I am truly blessed to have it behind me. The headaches, nausea and dizziness all stopped as soon as it was removed. My care was terrific.

Now I will be taking a new drug by mouth instead of the infusions I have had for the past 5 years and I am off the drugs that caused the problem, although they did keep me alive in the interim. I am also off the list to get the rough chemo for the breast cancer recurrence, which I was dreading. And last of all, I won't lose my hair again as I would have. There is no need for a port either, so that part got better too.

The radiation for brain cancer is going to begin next week with making a mold for my head and then I think I will choose the cyper knife since it is one hour and has fewer side effects afterward. There are tests to be taken and I am still recuperating, but I am most grateful for the prayers, good wishes, cards and thoughts of everyone. Thank you, thank you and hurrah! I feel like leaping around but that wouldn't be prudent until the staples come out of my head next week.

Thank you for inquiring about me and writing me up. I'll keep you updated.

Love, Jennie


There's so much positive news there, it seems to me. Well, except for the "cyper knife" ... don't much like the sound of that one! :(

We're with you all the way, Jennie!

Up and at 'em

Well, I'm going to the Renaissance Festival this year. My daughter e-mailed me this morning asking if I wanted to go. DO I?!? Hooray! Now, all I have to do is start walking a little bit every day to try and build up my stamina. I huff and puff just walking out to the garage and back, for crying out loud!! To get some idea of why I say I'd better start doing some walking, go here. Those grounds are extensive!

I can remember the first time I went. Must have been within a year or two after they first opened. It's been quite a trip watching the festival expand and improve over the years. There was a period of several years - late 70's, early 80's, probably - when I went every year, participating in a different activity each time. Once I even sang with the monks in the open-air church.


Speaking of getting up and at 'em, I received an e-mail from Jennie. Surprise, surprise! At least we know she's sitting up and able to focus well enough to send an e-mail, which is great news. The subject of her e-mail is "Where some phrases originated" and some of these - I have to warn you! - are real groaners. I haven't the vaguest idea how many of them are true. Perhaps none, but they're fun reading.

Back in the 1500's ... ...

They used to use urine to tan animal hides, so families would all pee in one pot and then once a week take the total collected output to the tannery for payment. If you had to do this to survive, you were "piss poor". Then there were the really poor folks who couldn't afford to buy a pot. They were the lowest of the low and "didn't have a pot to piss in".

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly baths in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell just a little bit, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to try and mask any offensive body odor. Thus began today's custom of the bride carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house went first and enjoyed the nice clean water. Next came all the other males in the household, followed by the women and children. By the time it was the baby's turn to bathe, the water was often so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence came the expression, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"


Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw - piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small critters (dogs, mice and such) spent a lot of time in the roof. When it rained, the roof became slippery and sometimes the animals would fall off. This is the origin of the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom, what with bugs and other such - including various droppings - falling onto the bed. A bed with big posts and a sheet draped over them afforded some protection, and that's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, so most people were "dirt poor". The very wealthy had slate floors that would become slippery when wet, particularly during winter, so thresh (straw) would be spread to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, more and more thresh was added until - sometimes - when the outside door was opened, a lot of the thresh would begin falling outside. In order to try and prevent that from happening, a large piece of wood was placed against the bottom of the door. This became known as a "thresh hold".


In those days, they cooked in the kitchen using a large kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they relit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables* - didn't get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence this rhyme: Peas porridge hot, Peas porridge cold, Peas porridge in the pot, Nine days old.

On rare and quite special occasions, pork was obtained. When visitors came over, the hosts would hang up their bacon to show it off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon". A little would be cut off to share with the guests and all would sit around and "chew the fat".


Those with money had plates made of pewter. Unfortunately, foods with a high acid content absorbed some of the lead and a few deaths resulted, so - for the next nearly 400 years, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom, the family got the middle, and guests got the top (or "upper") crust.

Lead cups were often used to drink ale or whiskey. Sometimes, the combination would knock the imbibers out for a while. Someone walking along the road might take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They would be laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days while the family gathered around - ate, drank and waited to see if their loved one would wake up ... a "wake", as it were.


I left out the "saved by the bell" and "dead ringer" ones ... ... too much even for my somewhat 'out there' sense of humor and sensibilities!

A question ... ... How come everyone seems to pick on the 1500's? Why not the 1600's? 1700's? 1100's, even?

Absolutely wonderful to hear from Jennie and I hope that her e-mail has prompted a laugh or two.


*Chuck told me in an e-mail some time back that the origin of the word "vegetarian" is Indian, meaning "lousy hunter". You knew I'd find a use for this somewhere, didn't you, Chuck? :)

Sunday morning

I just finished reading Chuck's latest post, where he describes how a trail head is built. Fascinating stuff!

Here's what the newly-completed trail tread looks like ... ...


Beautiful, isn't it?

You wouldn't believe the amount of work that goes into one of these projects. Over the years, Chuck has volunteered to work on over twenty of those. Incredible! This particular one is located in Acadia National Park.

His post is chock full of info (with accompanying photos showing each step along the way) on how the whole thing is created from start to finish. It's a fascinating read and, if you'd like to learn more about it, follow the link at the top.


Let's see, what else is going on? Well, not much. I've been spending way too much time in front of the computer lately playing Bridge Base Online. It's all Rick Barrett's fault, you know, altho it was Marilyn Methvin, my bridge friend from New Orleans, who first told me about this. She plays bridge online - for perhaps an hour or so at a stretch - several times a week, which works out really well for her because she has family members who need her attention. (It was unusual for her to be able to get away for a few hours to play with me at John Onstott's party in May.)

Rick and I hooked up as a bridge partnership just recently. I hadn't seen or even thought of him in years, but chanced to come across his name on the ACBL membership list one day and said to myself, "I should give him a call. See if he's still playing." Anyway, he's gotten me to play bridge with him online some Thursday evenings. At first I was all fumble fingers with it, but I'm getting better.

Then, the other night I pulled danged near an all-nighter with the gizmo. I could barely keep my eyes open at one time, but continued playing because my partner (Chinese) was really good and it was a most enjoyable game - particularly the defense. I hope to partner up with him again sometime.


The toilet's fixed. Hooray! Two different guys from ARS arrived Thursday morning within five minutes of each other, which caused a little confusion at times, but it was interesting! One was here to do an annual inspection of my AC and sign me up for another year of maintenance. He was finished and out of here probably an hour or so before the other guy.

While here, the AC guy was admiring my water oak tree out back. He couldn't believe it was only 30 years old! Says he has a bunch of red oaks on his property and had a whole lot of cleanup to do after Ike ... branches and such, like you might expect, plus a whole lot of dead wildlife (squirrels, birds, possums, skunks, deer). As he was rattling off this long list, I asked him where he lived. "Magnolia", he responded. My goodness! The Renaissance Festival is held very near there. I used to go every year, the last time with my daughter just a few years back.

I asked him how he liked the festival and he answered, "What festival?" Rrvit! Don't you just love it? I told him a little bit about it and how much fun it is and watched as his eyes seemed to light up a bit. Perhaps I have inspired another attendee?

Now that I mention the Renaissance Festival, tho, I'm ready - salivating, actually - to go back again. I wonder how long it's been since my daughter was last there? She reads most of my posts. If she reads this one, maybe she'll call me and say, "Mom, it's been a few years since I've been to the festival. How'd you like to go this year?" Would I?!? You name the date, dear daughter, and we're 'on'!!

Now, as far as the toilet problem goes, turns out that it wasn't just a matter of reseating the commode. One of the flanges had completely broken off. He had to get a new 'something or another' and solder the whole thing back together. ($350) Works fine, altho I was really nervous about flushing it for the first time, not to mention sitting down on it 'to go' later!


My schedule for this week? Well, later on today I'll be watching (on TV) my Astros play against the Phillies here at home. The Stros won the first two of this four-game set against a very strong team. Kind of unbelievable, eh what? But, of course, as I'll be watching, they'll lose. I think I'm somewhat of a jinx for them, as I wrote about here. Then I'll take a nap before heading on over to the bridge studio to play with Julian, et al, on a Swiss Team - my all-time favorite event!

Tomorrow? Well, I'm due to teach another class to my private students Wednesday evening and will probably spend a goodly amount of tomorrow in preparation. Tuesday? I have 'jury duty' scheduled for the afternoon. Whether or not I actually show up will depend entirely on how much I've been able to accomplish tomorrow.

Wednesday? Mentoring at the bridge studio in the morning and teaching a class in the evening. And so my life goes on. Hopefully, I will be able to publish another post (or two) between now and Thursday, but these take considerable time - I like to do 'em up right, if at all possible! - and I'm not going to have much in the way of 'spare' available between now and then. Meanwhile, Examiner has sent me an inquiring e-mail. Oh, well.


News from Jennie? The last I heard was Thursday evening, when her husband sent a "to all" e-mail saying that she could begin receiving visitors Friday afternoon and was expected to be back home Monday (tomorrow). I'll be posting news about her as I hear it. Meanwhile, please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers ...

... as all of you are in mine, dear hearts!

Dibs and dabs

Just got back home from my dental appointment and running a couple of errands. Didn't stop by the "Central Market" - that's the name, not "Farmer's Market", as I incorrectly told you yesterday! - altho I did cruise up and down Richmond and Alabama for several blocks each direction trying to find it. (The reason I couldn't immediately locate it, of course, is that it isn't on either Richmond or Alabama. It's on Westheimer! LOL)

My mouth was watering for a junior-sized egg salad sandwich on rye from Nielsen's Delicatessen, a little dinky place just a couple of miles from my dentist's office. Hadn't been there in a few months. Last time I went, it was the same kind of situation - hadn't been there in a few months. However, when I came in the front door that time, the gal behind the counter asked, "Junior egg salad on rye, right? Add lettuce?"

Heavens to Betsy! She wasn't there today, but the young man who took my order acted like he knew me (He didn't. I've never seen him before!), but that's always the case every time I've been in there - just one big happy family. They do a humongous business ... huMONgous!


Parked in the shade for a few minutes on the way over to Kroger's to write out a check to Shell Oil for my gas purchases ... $40 and some change. It's really hard to believe now that I used to spend between $300-400 a MONTH for gas when I was driving a taxicab. Wow! Makes me tired just to think of working that hard or putting that many miles on the car!!

Dropped that payment off at a nearby post office and continued on my way over to Kroger's. I really wasn't anticipating that they would have my beloved grape salad - and sure enuf they didn't! - but intended to cruise by the deli counter, anyway, 'just in case'.

No, what I was looking for was large kleenex. Have I talked to you about this before? I don't remember when I first discovered this size, but it's been quite a few years now. Not all stores have it. It's the "Kleenex" brand. The box is approximately 11" long, 6" wide and 2" deep. On the pulloff tab portion at the top, it says "extra-large". Also, you'll find some writing in French that says, "Marque Mouchoirs" ... 60 3-ply white tissues/mouchoirs blancs 3 epaisseurs 11.0x10.9in/27.9x27.6cm. Just a great product, and it's spoiled me forever, I'm pretty sure!

Found it! Grabbed two boxes, another bunch of those luscious green seedless grapes and headed back on home.


Waiting in my computer was an e-mail updating me on Jennie's surgery. I'm going to share parts of it with you. It's one of those good news/bad news-type of bulletins, so be prepared.

Dear Friends,

We just wanted to provide you with an update on Jennie's surgery today.

She is successfully out of surgery, and is recovering in the Surgical ICU, which is standard procedure after this type of surgery. We were able to talk to her, and although she is groggy, she is doing well. We will check in with her again later today.

Her doctor expects her to take it easy for about a month.

The tumor was not benign as expected, but the surgeon feels confident that he was able to get all of it out, and the next step in the process will be radiation. He and her oncologist will work out the next part of her treatment.

We will let all of you know when she can receive visitors.

Thank you for all of your kind words and prayers!

There's not much left to say after that, is there? I'll hope, I'll pray and will continue to send as many positive thoughts as I'm able her direction. I thought some of you might be interested in reading portions of the e-mail I sent to her daughter, Jean, yesterday evening.

Thank you for taking the time to send a test e-mail, and God bless your mom – and you, for following through! – for even thinking of someone else at a time when she’s so scared. I know she’s scared. I’m scared, too, Jean, and have been – and will continue to be – sending as many positive thoughts and prayers as I possibly can her way throughout the coming days, but most especially tomorrow. I pray that God will guide her surgeon’s skillful hands in removing this latest unwelcome intrusion into her body.

Much love to all. Don’t forget to give your dad a special hug, Jean. Many men have not the vaguest idea how to show emotion, particularly at times like these.

I wish I were there, but I’d only be in the way, I think.


Dear Lord, please hear my most fervent prayer for my friend Jennie. Hold her tightly in your arms as she struggles with yet another cancerous invasion. I pray that her surgeon was correct when he said he thought he'd gotten it all. Keep her free from pain, safe from nightmares and give her the strength she needs to fight this evil marauder. Amen.

Dizziness

Thirty-five years or so ago, I woke up one morning, sat up and discovered that I could not keep my eyes open without the room swirling around me.

I thought, "I must have sat up too quickly." I decided to lie back down and try that act again. The next time, however, I opened my eyes without sitting up. The same thing happened. The room just swirled around and around. I thought I was going to have to throw up. The dizziness stopped only when I closed my eyes again, but even so it took a few seconds to subside.

"My God!" I thought. "What's going on?" I was scared, really scared. Somehow, tho, I managed to roll off the bed onto the floor, knock the telephone receiver off its cradle and dial "0".

[This was in the good old days when, if you dialed "0", a real live person actually came on. I doubt if I would have been able to dial "911".]

I told the operator that something was really wrong, that I didn't know what it was, and asked her if she could possibly call my husband at work to have him come home and get me. She asked what the number was. I probably couldn't remember the number in my befuddled and bedraggled state of mind, but told her where he worked and his name.

Somehow or another, she was able to reach him. He came home, got me dressed and out to the car. I couldn't stand. I couldn't walk. He must have carried me. I don't remember. He would have placed a very large bath towel on my lap during our trip to the doctor's office, probably, but I don't remember. All I remember for sure was thinking every second that I was going to throw up. Oddly enough, I never did!

When we got to my doctor's office, a nurse was waiting outside with a wheelchair. I remember being wheeled in, but that's about the last thing I remember. Things happened pretty quickly after that.

Dr. Cowling's office was right next door to Sharpstown Hospital, and that's where I woke up fully a day or so later, feeling perfectly fine and ready to get the heck on out of there and go home! I don't remember any tests being run or drugs being administered, none of that stuff!!


You know, I've thought briefly about that episode maybe a time or two over the years, but it wasn't until this past week or so that it all came back full bore to the front of my memory banks.

I had called my friend, Jennie, just to see what the news was her way and how she was continuing to recuperate after her latest cancer surgery, and was distressed to hear her tell me of something 'new' going on in her life ... an episode of dizziness - she did throw up! - that was completely outside her realm of previous experience. As you might imagine, she was very interested in hearing what had happened to me years ago.

Well, the upshot of this whole story is that an MRI detected a benign tumor in the right side of her brain and she is scheduled for surgery Wednesday to have it removed. I spoke with her on the phone yesterday. She didn't really have much time to talk. Relatives are arriving from everywhere to try and give their support.

She's scared.

[I've had to pause - every so often during the creation of this post - to close my eyes and say yet another prayer for my dear friend who has undergone so much. My logical mind tells me that this tumor is benign, that this next surgery should be a 'piece of cake' - and I don't mean in the slightest way to belittle the fact that another part of her body will be bored into and an unwelcome intruder removed ... ... I guess what I really want to say is, "Get rid of it, Jennie. It's benign! It's 'nothing' in the larger scheme of things!!"

But this time it almost sounds like she's 'had it' with her body being investigated, poked at, bored into and carved up like --- sorry, I can't finish the simile w/o introducing something macabre, and that's the last place I want to go with this post!]

She's scared, yet she took the time to send me a message explaining that her e-mails might be on the wane for a while and signed it, "Love, Jennie".


One of Jennie's more recent e-mails had the subject of "Friendship" ... it's worth sharing. I'm going to copy here for you some of the (imo) more important points.

Take the time to live! Do not value the things you have in your life, but value who you have in your life.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Learn to write your hurts in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase them away, and to carve your benefits in stone.


We all love and care about you, Jennie.

Dibs and dabs

[Saturday afternoon - late] I'll begin this today and finish sometime tomorrow, probably.


First off, tho, I feel obliged to say
That I'll root for my Astros, come what may

Even if they appear downtrodden
I'll still be here. They're not forgotten.

I'll be watching tonight and tomorrow
Let's hope that both games do not end in sorrow.


All limericks and poor attempts at poetry aside - and it's a bit difficult to put them aside, I'm finding. Once Goldenrod gets started on a new kick, it's really difficult to stop her until she's exhausted everyone's (including her own!) patience.


[Sunday afternoon - late] Don't know if any of you read the limerick that Tammy composed for me - which was the subject of my last post - or not, but sometimes it almost seems as tho she can see me from way over there in Idaho and knows what's really going on.

I've been battling, for the past week or so, an infection that I thought was going to hospitalize me Thursday evening. Finally, tho, it seems to be getting under control, but it sure scared me!

Fortunately, the antibiotics I've been taking are in swallowable form (very similar in size and shape to Contac, which I've never had any trouble swallowing!) - which, as you might remember, is a real bugaboo for me.


Not really a whole lot going on. I've been getting a lot of sleep and am eating again ... ... lots of fruit. This is a great time of year to crave fruit!

Hope all of you are enjoying your weekend, and I'll talk atcha again real soon!

I don't know if I can do this or not ... let's see ...

Tammy sent me an e-mail with a limerick featuring Goldenrod. I'm going to see if I can transfer it directly ... ...



Goldenrod’s a blogger we all know

And fonder of her each day we do grow



Though in her house lives a flamingo,

And she plays bridge and not bingo,



Can you think of a better friend? NO!


Ha, ha! Gotcha, Tammy!! A cute one, too!!!

More limericks?!?

This post will be a combination of limericks and recommendations.

There once was a young man named Chuck
Who shaved the hairs once running amok

Most recently he has sat
In a chair with his fat cat

Reading the very latest in junk!

I first heard of Chuck while cruising the net almost a year and a half ago, and had the opportunity to 'catch an eyeball' (a CB term) on him this past January when he was in Houston.

Chuck is an avid outdoorsman and has more than one blogsite. You probably remember my mentioning his name before. (And yes! He is the Cubs fan from the north who often seems to be in a terrible stew about his team. Poor baby!)

I doubt if he reads much "junk", btw. (His life is quite full and that is no bull ... ... oh, stop it already, Goldenrod!)

The latest entry of his that I'd like you to see is this one. It's a really unique performance by an orchestra group that he titled "Indoor Rain?". DO close your eyes when listening to this! The only thing that I found the slightest bit distracting was the audience's loud applause towards (but not at!) the very end, which I could have done without.

However, after I hit "Publish Post" I'll probably go back and listen to it again. It's great!


There once was a young philatelist named Steve
Who had more than one trick up his sleeve

His posts are infrequent
But most often decent

And filled with just delightful reverie!

I discovered Steve in January this year from "Absolute Write", a blogsite for aspiring writers.

He has left a few comments on my posts ... vice versa with me on his. The one I'd like to recommend for you today is this one, where he talks about how he is as smart as a first grader. It's funny! I love his realistic approach to life and self-deprecating sense of humor.


There once was a home-schooling mom
Who thought her life was just "Ho hum"

Little did she know
That sirens would soon blow

And all the rage her street would become!

This is Tammy, of course, my oldest and dearest blogger friend, who 'tells it like it is'. For photos of what caused all the rumpus, go here.


My latest (and last) recommendation - again via limerick - is this one ... ...

There once was a young man with a journal
Who tried to encapsulize his life in a kernel

Of wisdom, note jottings and more
Little did he know what was in store

For him on down the road that we now know as 'eternal'!

Steven is keeping a journal. Have you ever done so? As far back as I can remember, I have not! (At least, not to this extent.)

Check out this post, where he shares two personal entries. It might take you awhile to wade through all of the comments section*, if you choose to take that route, but I recommend that you do so. (You can skip through mine, if you wish.)

*One of the many reasons I enjoy Steven's site so much is that - normally, when you leave a comment, he responds in kind.


Talk atcha!

Remembering Ed Lynch

I first met Ed in 1977, when I was living in an efficiency apartment at one of Oakwood's several complexes here in Houston. He was only one of many 'characters' living there, but he caught my attention because he was so friendly and his interests were so diverse.


That's just a great shot of Ed, btw!

I've been trying to think of where Ed might have been when that photo was taken. He was probably in the 'lounge'. Ed was often there, along with several other "regulars" (myself included) and he could carry on a conversation for hours on end - on almost any subject - if you had the time and/or inclination to listen and participate!

He had a record collection numbering in the thousands, I would say (with not even the slightest attempt at exaggeration!) ... meticulously categorized and kept almost pristine clean (he dusted like crazy!). I spent many delightful hours in his apartment listening to more than just a few of them.

Ed did not get around very well. By that, I mean that he never went on walks or danced ... stuff like that. He often told stories about when he was much younger and figure skated with Sonja Henie. I cannot say for sure if his stories about Sonja and him figure skating together were true or not, but ... ... you know what? Now, after many years later, I believe them!

He was having problems with circulation ... particularly in one leg, which seemed to 'balloon up' at the slightest provocation. I do not recall if he was diabetic. Probably was.

He wanted to become an artist, a painter, and I encouraged him in his efforts. I thought that he, as an artist, should have a "cape" - or serape, as I liked to imagine it. I hand-knit one for him. He didn't like it. I still have it. It's huge! It's heavy. However, I like it and - at this point in time - you may not have it!!

He wanted me to save every picture or photograph that I thought "beautiful" for him, and so I began saving while he was practicing his new craft. The pictures or photographs could have come from calendars, cards, whatevers!

One of the 'beautiful' images I selected for his perusal was this one (do a single click to enlarge) ... ...


Ed chose to do an oil painting of that one. It's on the wall in my bedroom.

The painting is really 'not very good', critique-wise, but it means a lot to me. You can no doubt understand my favoritism towards this one, I'll betcha.

He visited in Munising with my dad and stepmother in the 1980's and created a small* (6x4, 7x5 maximum) multi-colored fall leaf oil that was extraordinary. Extraordinary! I don't have the vaguest idea where this painting might be now. When I last saw "GG" (my stepmother) in 2000, the painting was there in her room in the assisted living facility, but she had no idea where it had come from nor did she have the slightest idea of who had painted it.

[*Dimensions quoted are in inches.]

Oh, Ed! I hope that, wherever you are now, you can catch just a glimpse of this post and know how badly I wanted to come out to Phoenix to be with and possibly help you - certainly, I could have at the very least given you a hug! - in your last days ... try and give you some comfort. I'm sorry I let you down.

I couldn't 'afford' either the time or travel $$ it would have taken to get there, Ed. (I let my sister down in her last days, as well ... same reasons. And all about at the same period in my life - late 80's, all the way through the 90's and well into the very early 2000's ... ... not good years for Goldenrod.)

This post has ended on kind of a 'downer', hasn't it? I didn't really intend for it to be that way, folks! I wanted this post to be an 'upper' in memory of Ed Lynch.

What started all of this reverie? Well, ever since I first saw the header on Steven's new blogsite, I've wanted to write about this.

Inspirations

I have a dear, dear friend ... one whom I have never met, but one whom I consider very dear ... who has recently undergone radical breast surgery (her second time around with this dreaded disease that we commonly term 'cancer') and is trying to recover from trying to rid her body of its latest alien invasion.

She is my age! She talks about 'having to take naps now' - whereas before the surgery she didn't, she says.


I'd like to share with you a couple of e-mails that she recently sent. This first one, titled "If my body were a car", goes like this ... ...

If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it.

My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close. My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things, even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed. My fuel burns inefficiently, but here's the worst of it ... ... Almost every time I sneeze, cough, or laugh, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!


Not enough of an inspiration for you? Try THIS one! It's called "Smiles or groans" ... ...

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much 'pi'.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from Algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade, thrown into a kitchen in France, would result in Linoleum Blownaparte.

9. Two silkworms were in a race. It ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, "You stay here. I'll go on a-head."

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said, "Keep Off the Grass".

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, the nurse said, "No change yet."

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

18. The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a "small medium at-large".

19. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a 'seasoned' veteran.

20. A backward poet writes 'in-verse'.

21. In democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your count that votes.

22. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

What could I possibly add to these? Nothing of worth, certainly!

Tractors ... farming, plowing, pulling, rescuing

For a few years, when my husband and I were both doing graduate work at Purdue University in the early 1960's, we rented a little house out in the country.

That's where I met Jacky. I taught her little girl in the first grade at Montmorenci. Jacky introduced me to many others in the community, and we became good friends.

Like most others in that area, her husband was a farmer. I wrote fairly extensively about him here - well, in other posts, too, but this is the one I'd like you to read because it talks about how hard he worked and his massive body strength. There are a couple of funny parts in that post, as well.

[Btw, Jacky reminded me recently how reluctant Paul Joe had been to agree to go on the trip. He had never done anything like that before in his whole life. In fact, he had not even been out of the area much, I don't think, except to attend tractor pulls and such - very similar to the life style of many of the other farmers.]

That part of Indiana is flat, flat, flat. Not 'pancake flat' like the Gulf Coast, but flat. For miles, all you can see are acres and more acres of farmland and - every once in a while - a house with some grass, perhaps flowers and a few trees around it.

That's where our house was. It sat all by itself, altho not in the middle of farm acreage. The property behind and around us, which was extensive, had been purchased and was all set to be developed as a housing community (West Lafayette expanding outward). In fact, before we left Indiana in 1966, streets and utilities had already been put in place and a couple of new homes constructed.

Across the road were a farmer's fields. We were told they belonged to Marion Klutzke, of whom stories that approached the preposterous and then became legendary were often told. Many of the wilder stories centered around his tractors, their enormous size and power and what he could make them do.

We believed very few of them, actually. (My husband was, himself, a great storyteller and loved to manufacture 'almost believable' fiction.) However, we came to understand how some of those Paul Bunyan-type tales might have originated.

Where our house was situated - and to our right, as we were looking out our front door, the road was flat for perhaps a mile or so. To our immediate left was a creek, and the road dipped down several feet at that spot to accommodate the lower elevation.

Winters in Indiana are not normally horrendous in terms of annual snowfall or storms, but - every once in a while, we'd get several inches of the white stuff that would be just blowing and drifting like crazy. The road in front might seem perfectly clear, but anyone who lived in the area knew that you couldn't get across the creek to get to town (West Lafayette) unless you had somehow found a way to get your vehicle to 'spirit itself' across the six or seven drifted feet of snow.

The county plowed all roads, but it was up to the individual homeowners/renters to see to their own driveways. This was no small task for us. Our driveway extended at least 100 (200?) feet from the main road! Marion came to our rescue more than once, as I recall. He'd attach one of those big snow-plowing-type gizmos to the front of one of his tractors and bingo! We weren't the only ones to whom he extended his good neighbor service, either!!

Now, the story you're about to read is true. The only thing missing is the name of the 'victim' ... an "innocent" road traveler, who - upon seeing that the road was 'clear' for at least a mile ahead, pressed down on the accelerator and revved up all of the available hp in his engine. We were home - couldn't go anywhere and were listening intently as he continued to accelerate ... ... vroom! (1st gear) ... vroom! (2nd gear) ... vroom! (3rd gear and continuing to enjoy his own private speedway as the road ahead appeared to be smooth as silk). He was still accelerating when - all of a sudden - the sounds of his engine disappeared almost as quickly as they had begun.

That was the darndest thing! All those speedway-type noises, and then nothing!! Marion, of course, was the one who had to come to his rescue. I don't remember how he did it. Certainly, there would have been chains involved. And, even more certainly, there would have been very loud guffaws involved - some even lingering to this day, I'll betcha, and I'm here to attest to the fact that this is a true story!

Why am I writing about this? Well, Jacky sent me an e-mail earlier today titled "Wheatstock III". I thought, "Whaaat!?!"

[It seems that she was a little 'off' on her Roman numerology for this one, but we'll forgive her. It should have been "Wheatstock VII", according to the newspaper reports .]


Talk about blasts from the past! I have looked at all of the pictures included in that newspaper link, and - try as I might - I am not able to identify Marion from any of those! Too many years have gone by, I guess.

[Inserted several hours after original publication ... Jacky sent me another e-mail after she read this post, telling me to click on each little picture from the newspaper article and the person/s would be identified. Here's Marion ... ...


I didn't recognize any of the other names, not even David Klutzke. The Klutzke boy I knew was Randy.]

I remember driving to a 'tractor pull' once (and it might have been Jacky and I going there together) ... it would have been in Illnois, but that's not really the subject of this post ... what I remember is hot, dusty and boring.

Here, for a somewhat more glamorous side of 'tractor pulling', is ... ...

Bits & pieces

Just got up. Was up earlier but went back to bed. Will do this post and then take a shower and head on down to Pearland, where I'll meet up with Beth and we'll go somewhere for a late lunch ... ... maybe Galveston, maybe Kemah, who knows?

That'll be nice. Haven't seen her since February, when I drove her to the airport to take off on what turned out to be a very long business trip. Have spoken with her several times since she returned, of course, but it'll be good to see her in person.


News from my daughter yesterday. While hiking in the woods in New England, she stepped down hard wrong on her left foot and broke a major bone. Thank goodness her husband was with her to assist on what then seemed like, I'm sure, a four times as long half mile back out of the woods.

They're flying into Houston later today, and she has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon Monday morning to have it X-rayed again (I would think!), set and taken care of. Meanwhile, she's in a temporary cast and has visions of her whole summer being ruined, a pin having to be put in her foot, etc. You know, all those awful thoughts one can have when bad things happen? We (as least I do!) often imagine a worst case scenario. That's probably a good thing, actually. Then we're somewhat-fully prepared for the ultimate reality.


Bridge-wise, I only played once this week, and that was Thursday night with my newest mentee. (It was our third time playing together.) We won our direction with a huge game - 63%. He's playing two sessions today in a 299-er tournament at the Bridge Club of Houston, which is located on the FAR north side of town. I'll be thinking of him all day long, and sending as many 'lucky' and 'kill' thoughts as I possibly can his way. Can hardly wait to see how he does!

He's a lot of fun to work with. He's relatively new to the game, but he's taken it up like a little kid with a brand new toy. He's not afraid to bid his hand. While he knows he might fall, it really doesn't matter because it's all so exciting for him. As his mentor, it's almost like trying to keep a wild bronco tightly reined. (Probably not the best simile, but I'm a little parched for time here.)

However, like an adult he researches, reads, practices, asks questions and is trying out all sorts of new (for him) bids. He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure!


The only article I've published for the Examiner in the last two weeks was the one I linked above. I'll be spending a great deal of time the rest of this weekend working on the fourth in my "defense" series. The focus of this next article will be "What card?"

You have probably noted, if you had clicked on the link above and checked out any of my other published articles, that I still do not have my 'act' fully together - particularly in re formatting and linking. I promise that I WILL, and will announce same with appropriate bells and whistles.

I now have nine subscribers. Where did they all come from? I have NO idea, but I'm glad they're there! I hope they will 'stick with me' in these struggling early stages of my Examiner authorship, and invite any and all of you who have not yet done so to become a subscriber. How do you do that? Well, you simply go to my home page, click on to where it says "Subscribe to Email" and the rest is 'history' (after you fill out the form that appears, that is).

You will receive an e-mail notification each time I publish a new article. Be sure to click on to where it says "Read more" (or some such). You should NOT be placed on any unwanted or spam-type mailing lists ... ... I want to be the first to know if you are, OK?


Other bridge-type news? I finally met with a husband/wife combination this past week for our first-ever bridge lesson. We're scheduled to meet again July 7th. I know that several of my readers are themselves teachers, and so each of you will fully understand when I say that there is nothing that makes you learn your subject better than teaching it!


Gotta go. The shower beckons, and I've taken (again!) much too long with this post. Expect another from me Monday, when I'll be doing a baseball recap for our 'club'. Meanwhile, keep the powder dry and take no prisoners!

A beautiful granddaughter

No, she isn't mine. She's my friend Jacky's. Here she is with her lovely wrist corsage ... ...


And did you notice how her fingernails are painted to match her dress? (Click to enlarge the photo.) Rrvit!

She has just graduated from high school and will be attending Purdue University this fall. Congratulations, Kayla, and how proud your folks must be. (I know Grandma is. She's the one who sent me the picture!)

I am so frustrated!

Some months ago, I tried to reach out to some of those from my past. Have you ever tried to do that?

Well, I've been successful a time or two or three, but this one time I almost wish that I had not been successful!

Who was it? Well, it was the fellow I 'went with' for a couple of years and was subsequently engaged to in college. Then, his father died and I had visions of his mother - who was fairly dependent upon him at the time - living with us. I ended our relationship without giving him an explanation. (I forget how, exactly, I returned his engagement ring, but I know I did.)

It's my fault, I'm pretty sure. I was simply trying to reach out and touch those from my past to see how they were doing, to see if they were "okay", what had been happening in their lives, to try and re-establish some sort of contact, etc.

Well, this fellow's fine, but he's way too interested in getting together again! He wants me to attend a 50th college reunion in the UP in September ... ... I cannot afford to go, but he'll pay my way (he just "wants to see me again", or so he says).

He's called twice already today. Both times I was unavailable. The first time I was in the other room and didn't get to the phone on time. He left a voice message. The second time I was playing bridge with Rick Barrett.

My daughter is out of town and I can't confer with her. I've tried to call Beth, but got her voice mail. I tried to call Jacky and got Al (her husband), who advised me not to return his calls - just to hang up on him should he call again.

Why is he calling now? His wife is out of town, that's why! Yes, you read that right. He's married!! (And going on 50 years, for crying out loud!!!)

Beth sent me a really neat e-mail the other day, one part of which says, "If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it." That's a zinger, isn't it? (Btw, I'll be doing a post soon where I'll be sharing other thoughts from her e-mail. It's a good one. Watch for it!)

I have tried to explain to this person that I have no intention whatsoever of coming between him and his wife (who I feel has now become my friend), but he simply won't give up.

I don't want to be mean or ugly ... neither of those adjectives really 'fit' me or my 'style', I don't think, but I don't see another way out of this situation.

If you have a recommendation, I'd sure like to hear it!

Thises and thats

Baseball ...

Wow! Have you ever seen such a light schedule for a Monday night? Only two games will be played tonight in the majors ... both interleague-type dealies. If Milwaukee loses again, our National League Central division will look even more interesting ... the Brewers and Cardinals will be tied at the top, the Cubs and Reds tied at 2 games back, and the Pirates and Astros tied at 3.5 games back. Now that's a tight division!

What's happened, of course, is that three of the teams at the top of our division are all 3-7 for their last 10 games and the three at the bottom are even or a little ahead (Astros have the best record at 6-4). Crazy, just crazy!

Interleague games resume in earnest across the majors Tuesday night. My Astros will be at the Rangers, and I'm hoping we can take the series. The Rangers either swept us when they were here or took two out of the three - I forget which. We'll be playing for the silver boot, which I wrote about here. There'll be two National League teams playing against each other again, but I forget right now which two they'll be. We'll see tomorrow night, won't we?

Kind of hard to ignore this next little item. Ever since they left here just a couple or three weeks ago, where we took 3 out of the 4 games (they won the 4th), the Rockies have been lighting up the baseball world. They have now won a whopping 11 in a row, but are still 10 1/2 games back of the first place Dodgers, who have the best winning percentage in baseball - 65%.

I probably won't be doing another baseball recap of our 'club' until after this round of interleague play has been concluded. Meanwhile, I'll be keeping a close eye on all of our teams. (Btw, Tammy and her family have just begun an ambitious trip to California and then the Grand Canyon before returning back home to Idaho in a couple of weeks, and will be out of pocket. I wish them a safe drive, and hope - altho it might be futile in this heat wave that's currently sweeping much of the country - that it's not too hot for them to enjoy those portions of their trip that will be spent outdoors.)


Bridge ...

Well, we came in 2nd. Won Saturday afternoon in a really tough match - I knew we had bested the opponents at our table both rounds, but you never know what's happening at the other table - and played for the championship that evening. I called my daughter while sitting out in the parking lot after that first session and gave her the good news. She said, "Mother, don't change anything. Do everything exactly the way you did it yesterday." Well, I tried to (including stopping at McDonalds for their mcnuggets, altho I really wasn't in the mood for mcnuggets), but what neither of us realized was that the cat had already been let out of the bag. The previous afternoon, I hadn't called her until after I had arrived back home between sessions.

I should have gone to Luby's (a cafeteria just up the road from the Convention Center) as I'd thought about doing. If I'd realized that I'd already jinxed myself by changing up the order of what I did between sessions, I'd have gone to Luby's and then who knows what would have happened, right?

As it turned out, we held our own during the first half of Saturday evening's match - in fact, were a little ahead, but then during the second half I misplayed ("butchered" is the correct term) one hand and mis-defended another! Ye gods!! Two very costly errors. I still have our card with the results. Think I'll throw it away instead of trying to find someone else to 'blame'.


Television ...

I went out to Katy yesterday and picked up my early birthday present (see pic in this post) ... ... had a nice visit with my daughter and her husband, as well. It's the perfect size to replace my other one. Knew it would be. Only a couple of 'problems', which my son-in-law can perhaps futz around with and recapture/fix when he's next here.


That's it for this post. Lots of other 'news', but some of it is "down the road" type. Talk atcha!

Happy Mother's Day! (#1)

I know it's late, but I was in New Orleans Mother's Day weekend and thought I'd share a few pix with you that I just received from my partner.

This first one is of Marilyn Methvin and me. Marilyn's the good-looking 80-year-old. I'm the tired and kind of cranky-looking one who was trying to smile with a mouthful of food. (I take terrible pictures if I'm not smiling! It would have been better if I'd not tried to smile, wouldn't it?)


I really have trouble, especially looking at that photo and seeing how incredibly tired I looked, believing I made it back to Houston in one piece early Sunday morning.

Did you notice that neat trick Marilyn has of keeping her mouth closed and fiddling with her napkin? Whalechaser did the same thing in January. I'm going to have to practice doing that in the mirror.


I hadn't seen her in 32 years, but I'd have known her anywhere! Here's what she held in one hand ... ... (Spades)KQT965 (Hearts)KQ98642 (Diamonds)-- (Clubs)-- ... ... There's no adequate word to describe that kind of hand. You could call it a freak or an aberration if you'd like ... either of those epithets fits perfectly.

The notes in the hand records that came out after the game included comments like "wildest deal I've ever seen, and I've seen a LOT of deals!" and "there is very little science to bidding freak hands." Btw, Marilyn chose to open it a quiet one heart, and she kept bidding over the opponents until I took a heart preference over her spades at the six level. Doubled, down one, for -100 ... a top board. The opponents were frigid for 7NT, with 13 tricks off the top*, but they didn't get there.

It was great seeing her again and, except for one bidding misunderstanding, it was like it had been only a couple of days since we'd last played together rather than 32 years! An added plus was that we placed in the overalls. Fun, fun, fun!


There were three sections of tables in play and John Onstott, who was the honoree of this party celebrating his 20,000th masterpoint achievement, remarked that they had more tables in play that day than they have at some of their tournaments! Here he is, describing how he acquired all those points.


I've titled this one, "Honey, I only spent five million dollars!" John was exaggerating, of course, about spending 'only' five million dollars, but - believe me - he spent a bunch of money!

Bridge can be a very expensive hobby. You can't get that many masterpoints just playing in your home town. Travel, hotels, entries and food are all part of the costs involved, and also taken into consideration should be any expenses incurred as a result of your being away from your job. (That's assuming, of course, that you have a job and are not independently wealthy. If you're independently wealthy and money is, indeed, no object - well then, go for it!)


You might have noticed (in the photo of Marilyn and me) an empty table to the right of the four people behind us. That's where Marilyn and I were seated when we played. Along about the 10th or 11th round (there were 13 rounds), the band started tuning up. In this next photo, you will see the same four people sitting there in the background.


I thought sure that play would be stopped once the band started to tune up, but no -- no such thing. Teehee! That's New Orleans for you. Now I ask you, "Was this a good party or what?!?"


*For those of you who might be interested in how or why the East-West pair might be able to make 7NT on this deal, here are their hands ... ... East (Spades)843 (Hearts)AT (Diamonds)AK53 (Clubs)9843 ... ... West (Spades)A7 (Hearts)7 (Diamonds)Q2 (Clubs)AKQJT752. I already gave you Marilyn's hand. She sat South. If you take a 'normal' bridge deck (52 cards in all, 13 in each of the four suits) and lay out the three hands already given, place the remaining cards in North's (my) hand and there you have it.


PS. I would have posted this yesterday, but I got a phone call from John Zilic (a friend, local director, teacher, and one who has - I think! - even more masterpoints than John Onstott) early last evening wanting to know if I was available to play as a 'fill in'. The same thing happened Sunday. I was available both times - kind of unusual for me, and you know what? Won both times! (I wonder if I should retire a winner or continue playing? You know there's no place to go but down now, right?)