Monday and the Living is Easy

Back to the grind on a Monday morning. It is another cold, clear and crisp morning that makes you glad to live in Northern California. I know it's 80 degrees in Tampa and LA and Austin, but I like the seasons and although all of the deciduous trees are still barren and only the winter flowers are in evidence, it is still a beautiful time of year. The grass is green and all of the evergreens are so healthy after the rains that we've had. The oak trees are all in their element and stand stately against the blue of an early morning sky in January. Luckily I can observe all of this from the warmth of a heated office building as I look down on the world from my second story lair. It is about 40 degrees outside and the breath of the worker bees is evident as they hustle from their cars to the cocoon of their offices.

I played golf on Saturday in Nicolaus and even had a brief rainstorm on the drive through the delta to the course. It was overcast and cold and the golf carts didn't have windshields and therefore we weren't shielded from the wind. There was a slight breeze, but it was overcast and COLD as we made our way around the course carved out of farmland along the banks of the Feather River in Sutter County. The land is actually lower than the level of the river and protected by levees. When it rains hard as it did last weekend, the lakes and ponds on the course "boil" and overflow their banks onto the golf course. The back nine of the golf course had been under water and closed since the New Year and was just opened for play on Saturday for our tournament. To say that the conditions were a bit sloppy would be an understatement. Most of the field of 60 golfers really struggled with the conditions. Our struggles were further compromised by the placement of the pins on the holes which were at the highest points to allow drainage away from the hole and so that the golfers wouldn't overly trample the low lying areas of the greens. There was not a straight putt on the course. By the way, what do you call a putt that looks straight, but isn't? A "Rock Hudson".

I managed to keep my game on the track (so to speak) and although I had two double-bogeys across the course of my round, I was able to sprinkle in a birdie and alot of pars for an 83. I won my flight with the low gross and also won 4 skins for $28.

As Dad put it, I prattled on last week about losing my wallet. I think it may be an age thing. Darryl turned 50 over the weekend and he lost his cell phone at a customers on Friday. I tried to call him to wish him a Happy Birthday, but couldn't reach him. Darla had her friend, Joni, visit this weekend and they shopped while I golfed on Saturday. I returned home and took the girls to dinner out at Shanghai Fats, the Chinese restaurant out at Thunder Valley casino outside of Roseville. Thunder Valley is an Indian Casino, but managed by the Station Casino group out of Las Vegas. It is a beautifully designed casino and you would think that it was a smaller casino in Vegas, if not for the venue in Lincoln, California not far from the waste recycling facility for Placer County. I managed to lose my car keys as I was playing video poker. They slipped out of my pocket unnoticed by me and I didn't realize it until we were ready to leave about 9:00PM. Darla went to the security booth as I took her keys to get the car. As she was putting in a lost items claim, someone walked up with the keys and had found them on the floor in the Non-Smoking video lounge.

Cheryl had a huge party for Darryl for his 50th birthday. She arranged a golf tournament as well as a surprise party for him Saturday night. I talked to him before my golf match on Saturday and he had found out about the golf tournament because Cheryl had sent invitations from their home computer and one had bounced back. She didn't know he knew and I couldn't very well ask him if he also knew about the party on Saturday night. I'll talk to him this week and find out. Dad and Shirley flew in for the party and to get out of Vancouver. It had rained for 33 straight days by the time they left and Dad was waterlogged and cranky and ready for the sun. I told him he sold his digs in Phoenix too soon. He said that they kick themselves now as it is 80 degrees and beautiful in Arizona in January and he could be working on his tan and golf game instead of bailing water out of the trunk of his Cadillac.

Darla and I are going up to Ukiah on Thursday and Friday. I have to make the trip for work and she decided to join me. It is a bit of a hick town along Highway 101 in Mendocino County. That area is "Big Trees" country and it will be nice to be up among the giant redwoods for a few days. She will have to cool her heels on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning as I do my marketing schtick, but she should be able to relax at the hotel. We are staying at the Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel and she should be able to relax. I will enjoy having her along for the company. I haven't traveled alot since joining Burns and Wilcox, but plan to make more marketing trips this year to develop relationships with some of the outlying agents.

Funny how little things can make a big difference. I installed a halogen light at the inside door of the garage on the wall by the switch to the garage door opener. The builder had installed a light bulb base, about the cheapest light fixture known to man. I had installed a couple of shelves above the new roller cabinet and tool chest and it was blocking some of the light from the 40 watt bulb. I installed a new 150 watt halogen light and directed the light at the ceiling to increase the light in the garage and what a difference. Amazing what $9.99 and a little time will do. I've been slowly upgrading the fixtures in the house and outside and now have all new lights throughout the house. The only thing left is a motion sensor light that I'd like to install by the garage so if we walk at night, a light would come on. It will also help David and Daniel when they get home at night.

David did find and buy a new car. He was able to find a 1995 Chevy Tahoe. It has a stepside, Vortec V8 engine, Flowmaster exhaust and new tires. He bought it for $7,000 out the door..tax, license, etc. They had it listed for $7,999 so he got a good deal. He was supposed to go out this weekend and get a new sound system for the car and a sub woofer. We'll see tonight. He brought it over on Thursday night to show me and said that he'd put $20 of gas in the tank and it only filled it up about 1/4. Yeah, I like my Mustang. $25 fills it.

Well, work awaits, the phone calls have already started with several employees out sick on this Monday morning. Oh, the joys of being the boss. Take care, be well and stay forever at the foot of the cross. Ciao.