Another week of waiting for the State of California to give me a test date. I deal with the waiting in different ways. I spend a fair amount of time on the phone networking with agents and preparing them for when I finally get off the ground and I'm ready to start writing business for them. I've also been playing a fair amount of golf and I've been doing some odd jobs around the house, trimming plants and working on the pond, etc.

Darla and I went out yesterday and bought some aquatic plants for the pond. The intense heat in Northern California makes the battle against algea almost unwinnable and the heat forces the fish to find shelter at the bottom of the pond. I decided to battle both problems with the use of some floating and some aquatic plants. We bought two $20 hardy lilies that sit in pots at the bottom of the pond. The leaves will grow up and sit on the surface of the water and provide shade for the fish and keep the sun off of the water. These lilies are bright pink and yellow. We also bought 5 floating hyacinth that are a flowering plant with long roots that the fish love to push around the surface of the pond. We also bought six celery and aeration plants that provide needed aerification to the water. We then bought a large Canna plant that looks like a bottlebrush plant with large purple blossoms. All of these plants sit just below the surface of the water and grow out to provide shade and shelter to the fish. The surface of our pond is 6' x 9' in dimension and these plants should grow out to cover about 75% of the surface of the water. The nursery where we bought the plants is out in the country and only open Friday thru Sunday. They specialize in aquatic plants and have acres of ponds with plants and massive koi in the ponds. I'll keep them handy for the future, but the difference in the pond is already pretty dramatic and the fish seems to be thrilled with the new additions.

I played golf last week and over the weekend and also have a game tomorrow with Jerry, my best friend and best man in my wedding. Jerry and I don't get to see each other as much as I'd like. We are both married and busy with family and careers, but it was golf that developed our friendship and it is golf that sustains it. I shot an 85 last week at Woodcreek, the championship course here in Roseville, I made a nice comeback on the back side after shooting 46 on the front. I then played Diamond Oaks and shot 43-40=83 to take all bets on Saturday.

I heard a good golf story from the speaker at church on Sunday. Our pastor is on vacation and we had our former youth pastor who is planting a new church in Sacramento speak. Back when Ulysses S. Grant was in the White House, the Scots were attempting to introduce the game of golf to America and a Scottsman enticed U.S. Grant out to the opening of a golf course in the U.S. The press followed the twosome to the first teeing ground. The Scottsman poured out a pile of sand from a small bag that he carried in his golf bag and set the ball on it. He took his driver and lined up and took a mighty swing, hitting the ground, but missing the ball. Grant watched with great interest as the Scottsman took aim again and swung mightily whiffing above the ball. He tried six more times, missing the ball each time. Grant put his hand on the Scottsman's shoulder and said, "This new game appears to employ a great deal of exercise, but I fail to see the point of the ball."

I went out to a meeting with my new employer on Friday. They meet once a month for breakfast at seven a.m. in Manteca and then retire to the office for meetings on production and any developments with the companies. I was up at five a.m. and on the road by five-thirty for the ninety minute drive to Manteca. Fridays are casual days in the office and I wore a brand new golf shirt. I sat thru breakfast and then joined them back in the office to go over the production reports. About forty five minutes into the meeting, my boss, Nancy, said, "Ken, that's a very nice shirt, but what is that on the front of it?" I looked down to see the 2 1/2" x 6" tag that says X-Large down the side about five times. Smooth, eh? I blamed the faux paus on Darla, who I claimed sets my clothes out for me each night before I go to bed. They all had a good laugh, one of them even telling me to tell Darla that the X-Large sticker was on the front of my pants.

Richter Robb is growing so fast that they've had to arrange for new quarters to accomodate their growth. Nancy had arranged for everyone to go over to the new office at eleven thirty that day. I had a phone interview with the California Employment Development Department at 1 p.m. and had to leave. Nancy was busy and I told her office manager that I had to go. Nancy called me on Saturday to make sure that everything was alright. She was concerned that I hadn't stayed behind to see the offices wth the gang. Her overriding concern was that I was not a team player. I assured her that I was and that the conflict was unavoidable. She was fine after our discussion, but it says something about her commitment to a team atmosphere in the office. Darla thought it was a bit much, but I see it as a good sign and I'm glad that she aired her concerns rather than let them fester.

Darla and I are off to Lake Almanor with the boys on the weekend. I'm not thrilled about sleeping in a tent for three days with the tenous condition of my back, but I'll survive. Darla and the boys really enjoy boating and water sports. I'll work on a few books and relax in the sun for three days. The weather has finally peaked after reaching triple digits for three straight days, yesterday was 95 and today is supposed to be 88. It will return to warmer days next weekend, just in time for us to head to Lake Almanor in the mountains.