Fishing and Football and Cookies.

Last weekend we finally found some time to celebrate our last Christmas of the season with Lady Di's parents in northern Minnesota. And the weather surprisingly cooperated completely. We actually had warmer weather there than at our home five hours south.

But don't worry, it still was cold enough to keep the lakes hard enough to fish on. In case you forgot, these are the 'fishing grandparents'.

We arrived late on Friday, so all we had time for was exchanging belated Christmas gifts. Well, actually we also had time to snack on Christmas cookies and a few other sweets Grandma just happened to have out. Grandma complained that she was just sick and tired of looking at Christmas cookies, so I made sure to help her out in any way I could.

On Saturday morning, we all woke up bright and early. Even though I woke up the least early, I was still in time for pancakes and ham. Thanks Lady Di.

With our bellies full, the kids and I rode the four wheeler down to the lake for some ice fishing. Uncle Greg had his fish house all set up and ready on Grandpa's lake. His fish house had two holes, a chair and a bucket. Number One Son got the chair. Sweet Pea sat on the bucket. And I stood. I stood mostly outside since the weather was so nice and the fish house ceiling was so low. The fish didn't cooperate much that morning and N1S walked back to the house after an hour or so. SP was a little more determined, sticking it out for another hour before succumbing to boredom.

Saturday night, we visited Uncle Greg who lives just up the road from Grandma and Grandpa. He has two big dogs and a kitty which SP did most of her visiting with. But when she took a break from the animals, she had business on her mind. SP just happened to bring along her Girl Scout Cookie Order sheet. She then turned on the 'sweet niece' act and proceeded to take Uncle Greg to the cleaners. First, SP took down Uncle Greg's order for a couple boxes of Thin Mints. Then she took her order sheet to Uncle Greg's girlfriend who added a few of her favorites to the list. Then SP returned to Greg to show him some choices he might have missed. By the end of the evening, SP had inked 13 boxes to her Uncle Greg's column. I'd say that was a successful sales call. I'm not sure, but I think SP even sold a couple boxes to Greg's dogs.

On Sunday morning, we had just enough time to squeeze in some more fishing before the Vikings football game. N1S decided that he preferred virtual fishing on the computer to the actual thing, so SP and I were on our own. At least this time I had a place to sit in the fish house. Our luck picked up just where it left off the previous day without even a nibble. But that's why it's called 'fishing' and not 'catching'. But the peace and solitude of the fish house offered the opportunity for Dad and Daughter to have some time to discuss the important issues of the day. We talked about fishing. We talked about the upcoming children's play auditions and which songs she would like to sing. (She decided on "Your a Mean One, Mr. Grinch") SP also expressed her concern about her brother playing too rough when she asks him to play Barbies with her. Apparently, his idea of Barbie play involves more crashing and falling than SP is comfortable with.

After a half hour of pleasant discussion, our conversation was interrupted by a few nibbles on our lines. We lost our bait! This was a good sign. It wasn't too long after rebaiting that SP got her first strike. She reeled in a small perch. Now we were excited. As I was getting her perch off her hook, my rod started bouncing. I couldn't get to my rod before my fish spit out my hook. I'm sure it was a huge one that got away. After that excitement, the fishing action settled down again to just a few nibbles here and there.

Then SP got the big one! She started reeling like a champion pencil sharpener on Red Bull. She excitedly stated, "Ohhh, this is a big one!" And I could tell it must have been big because her catch was taking line out as fast as SP could reel it. I finally had to grab her line and pull the fish to the ice hole. SP let out a startled yip when her four pound northern poked it's pointy lips though the hole. Her line broke just as her fish filled the hole but he was too big to go back down. So I grabbed all 24 inches of fish out of the hole for SP to admire. We measured and then SP was ready for the fish to return to the lake. She likes to fish, but doesn't want to get too close to the fish.

After that you would think SP would want to continue fishing, but she was starting to get hungry so we went in.

That was OK with me because it was getting close to game time anyway. I got to watch the first half of the Viking's drubbing of the Cowboys before we had to say good bye and start the long drive home.

So our Christmas celebrating has finally come to a close. Christmas is always better late than never. And always better if celebrated three times than once. And if anyone is looking to buy some Girl Scout cookies this year, SP is still taking orders.

Go Knights!

Last week was Homecoming Week for our school district. During Homecoming week, every day had a different theme. Sweet Pea was very diligent in reminding us of each day's theme. She had PJ day, rock star day and wacky hair day. And with SP's long hair, the wackiness that Lady Di designed, took about 30 minutes to prepare.

Number One Son's week had similar daily themes. Although, his school included an Erkel day. Firstly, N1S had to ask us who Erkel was. When he found out it was 'nerd' day, he asked me to help him find clothes. Now why would he think I knew anything about nerd clothes? I didn't have the heart to tell him that 'nerd day' was yesterday and everyone at school loved his costume.

Just kidding.

So Friday came and we all were excited to see the football game. Well, N1S and I were excited. SP asked Mom if she could just stay home with her. Which Lady Di was all in favor of, except for the fact that N1S and SP got invited to a friend's house for a pre-homecoming party. When it was time for the game, we picked up the boys from the party to drive them to the game. SP and her friend stayed at the party.

The boys had extra Dr. Pepper fueled school spirit that led them all to paint their faces in school colors.

With faces like those, there was no chance our team would lose.

The evening's weather, however, was not playing fair. The temperature hovered in the upper forties with a cold wind blowing misty/drizzly/rain around. The grandstand's aluminum bench seats are uncomfortable in perfect weather, but when they are cold and wet, you find out just how strong your school support is.

The only true damper to our spirits came when N1S and his group of friends were stopped by a teacher at the game and told to wash off their face paint. Apparently, full face paint is against school policy, due to an unidentifiable game crashing streaker at last year's game. Although, I did see many other kids with similar faces so I asked N1S about that.

He said in a disgusted way, "Yeah, there's only like two teachers at the whole game telling people to wash their faces!". Lucky him, I guess.

Even so, he and his friends had a good time. This was the first game we just let him run on his own. Our team played well too and was ahead 28 to 0 at halftime. After that, the weather was too powerful against our school spirit. We left halfway through the third quarter like quite a few fans. Football players may like to play in cold rain, but fans generally dislike it.

At the end of the night, we gathered both kids and they pretty much fell asleep on their way to bed.

Friday Night Lights

October is a wonderful month for many reasons. The change of seasons, colorful foliage and, of course Halloween are just some of the benefits enjoyed by our tenth month.

Another reason, and one of my favorites, is football season.

I enjoy football at all levels. I, of course, put aside my requisite 2 to 3 hours every Sunday to follow the Vikings. Although, sometimes I only use about 1 hour to actually watch the game and fill the rest of the time with a nap.

On Saturdays I like to spend the day in the yard or garage listening to multiple college football games on the radio.

But the best football, in my mind, is played on Friday night. I love high school football games. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to play football in high school. Along with all of the bruises and sore muscles, I received many memories and enjoyed many friendships from those four years long ago.

Our high school football teams had our up and down years, but I valued each year equally high. My high school was rather small compared to most. My graduating class had an enrollment of thirty. With such a small talent pool to choose from, our teams gave our athletes their money's worth of playing time.

Our numbers would fluctuate so much that we would switch back and forth from 11-man to 9-man football every other year. One year we even played an 8-man game. In my sophomore year, our team was still in rebuilding mode and suffered more injuries than usual. On the last game of the season we travelled to our opponent's field with thirteen players to play an eleven man game. So simple math will tell you that all but two players started and played on offence and defence. And out of the two players left on the sidelines, only one of them could play because the other freshman forgot his hip pads at home. Luckily, he didn't have to play. But we did have one injury in that game that required our last eligible player to enter the battle. Across the field, the other team lined up with around thirty extra players. They had plenty but wouldn't loan any to us. We did pretty well that game but still lost 6 to 0.

I was lucky enough to avoid any serious injury during my playing days. I did receive an opponent's helmet to my chin which required some stitches, but that just gave me a scar to prove to my kids that I actually played back then.

Back then, playing sports was pretty nerve wracking for me. I had certain rituals for good luck. I wore the same t-shirt under my uniform for every practice and game for four years. It was an orange t-shirt with a Kit-Kat candy bar logo on the front. And occasionally, I would let Mom wash it when it stood in the corner by itself.

Because I would get so nervous before games, I would fail to enjoy them much. I concentrated too much on what I was supposed to do, that I wouldn't stop and take it all in. I hardly ever celebrated on the field and rarely heard the crowd cheer when we made a good play.

So these days, I am making up for lost time. When I take Number One Son and Sweet Pea to our local high school stadium, I try to notice everything that is going on.

The first experience that brings back the glory days for me is hearing the pep band play as we walk across the parking lot.

The closer we get to the gate, the smell of concession stand popcorn reaches our noses. That mixes with the smell of newly mowed grass from the football field. Sometimes I stop and inhale deeply through my nostrils in an attempt to turn back time.

Once in the stands, I survey the entire field of green with precisely spaced white yard lines and numbers marking where rows of players do their pre-game calisthenics. They do the same jumping jacks and stretches that I did so long ago.

The noises of the game also bring back memories. A rumble of anticipation comes from the fans visiting in the stands. The cheerleaders shout out their routines mixing with the regular cadence of the players' warm up exercises. And then the silence before the national anthem, setting the stage for a rousing cheer to start off the contest.

Once the game starts, I observe that things look much different in the stands than I remember them on the field. Plays look much less confusing from up here. Today's players also seem to be faster than in my day. Regardless of today's changes, the game is still pretty much the same. The teams and stadiums are bigger. And so is my enjoyment of the game, because I enjoy the little things that go along with the game much more. Little things that I was too nervous to enjoy before.

I haven't kept in touch very well with many of my teammates over the years. But the feeling of being brothers on a team, united in one goal hasn't dimmed in me. When I do correspond with teammates of old, the past rushes back to me and is as vivid as when I first experienced it.

Here we are in our senior football yearbook photo. Quite the menacing group in our home orange jerseys. #34 was an all-state running back for us that year. #23 was a state champion wrestler. #56 is a great dad to three girls. #51 owns his own ice cream business out west and is still the school record holder in the discus. #66 has travelled the world with the Air Force. He is currently stationed in North Carolina. And #82 is still a dork.

Why buy expensive apples?

We've had a pretty busy week. On Friday, Number One Son and I went to the local high school football game. We met one of his friends there and they got to sit together. They actually sat and watched the game for the whole first half. At half time though, I had to cut them loose for the concession stand. I gave him $5 for snacks for both of us. I learned my lesson at a basketball game last year. If I give N1S more money, he will buy what I asked for and then proceed to spend the rest on anything else they are selling until the money is gone. Which meant extra hot dogs and Gatorade even though we had just eaten supper.

So during the second half of the game, I caught glimpses of N1S and his friend visiting with each other and various friends that they ran into. At one point I saw N1S showing off his dance moves for a certain girl he knows. He set his popcorn and Gatorade down on the ground, placed both hands flat on the ground in front of him and kicked up both feet like a donkey. I guess he picked that up from his dad's break dancing routine.

Saturday found me on the golf course. This has been a rare occurrence this year. I was asked to play best ball with some friends and neighbors. I had a blast and our team finished even par. I was told that we finished first of the three groups, but strangely our prize money hasn't been delivered yet.

On Sunday, the family finally made it to the apple orchard. We went to the same one as last year. Everything was pretty much the same. The kids and I picked and sampled apples while Lady Di picked three pints of raspberries. After picking raspberries, Lady Di's forearms looked like she had been fighting a chicken. Raspberry bushes are mean.

Unfortunately, the apple cannon broke down just as we got in line. But the kids still got to ride in the cow train around the strawberry field. The kids got to pet goats, feed chickens and talk to geese too.

N1S looks like he is getting a little old for this. He really had to bend down just to get his head in. I know SP appreciated him being a good sport.

The weather was warm and windy. A nice day, but I prefer apple picking air to have a little nip in it. We may return in October for the corn maze.

We may have tried to cram too much into the weekend, but it was worth it. Even if it exhausts me, these family outings are a great blessing to me.

We got our apples weighed and tiredly returned home to catch the end of the football game. Another family tradition accomplished. I think this is our third year coming to this orchard. The kids are starting to remember and anticipate these trips when fall comes. Which is the reason we go to ballgames, field trips or stay at home and play board games. If we are together as a family, we will add memories to our experiences.

You Gotta be a Football Hero.

Number One Son just finished taking a Community Ed. Football class. This class taught the basics of football. No pads, no helmets, no end zone dances. Lady Di and I were very nervous about signing him up for the class. N1S has had trouble with team sports in the past. It takes him awhile to grasp the concept of playing with teammates against another team. He usually is busy concentrating on what he is supposed to do so much that he loses sight of what the team is doing or even whose team he is on. We didn't want him to feel self conscious and we didn't want him to get teased. It's a class after school and I wouldn't be able to watch because of work.
But we took the plunge anyway in the hopes that he would learn more about the sport and maybe fit in better with his peers.

A few days before his first class, I thought it would be a good idea to get the football out and play catch. We tossed the ball back and forth trying see how many times we could catch it without dropping it. I think we got up to twelve or so.

N1S struggles a little with throwing a baseball. He isn't able to coordinate his feet to step forward as he throws. He usually has to think about which foot to step forward each time. Throwing the football is a different matter. He still has to think a little about his feet, but he can throw a tight, accurate spiral almost every time. For some reason his herky-jerky throwing style is very conducive to throwing a football. Score one for N1S.

With this success, I decided to go to the next level. I showed N1S how to run a football play. We got into a huddle. I traced the passing route on my hand for him to run. We lined up. I said 'hut' and off he ran. We ran the 'down and out' play. We ran 'the post'. We ran 'the fly'. I had to tell N1S how many steps to take before looking back for the ball. Otherwise, he would've run all the way to the neighbor's yard before looking back. Playing catch while standing still is hard enough. Now I was asking him to catch a ball while running and looking back over his shoulder. He tried very hard, but catching and running is difficult for anybody. He got a little frustrated and fell down a lot. But ,overall, it was a pretty positive day.

On the day before his football class, N1s was nervous and didn't want to go. I think he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to catch the ball well enough. It about broke my heart. We found out who his coach was going to be and, luckily, it was N1S's old gym teacher from first grade. It made a world of difference for N1S to know someone at the class.
He went to the class and was excited to go to the next one. He found out that there was a former baseball teammate in the class. He is definitely more excited about football now. He said he learned some more pass routes, and he's learned how to pass block. I know a certain 'purple' team who could use some training in that area.

His class then moved on to learning how to play as a team. He said that his team beat the other team, one touchdown to none. I said, "Great, how did you do?" He said he blocked on that play. He also said he almost scored a touchdown, but ran out of bounds. I guess the coach, who is the quarterback, faked a pass and then handed the ball to him. I would have loved to see that.

He is also learning a little football discipline. N1S said that one of the boys in his class didn't listen to the coach. Because of that, everyone had to run an extra lap around the field. "If one is punished, we all get punished.", he stated. Although, running a lap around the field may not really be punishment for a bunch of nine year boys. They are usually running everywhere anyway. I guess it's punishment if you tell them it is.

Overall, his experience was very positive. He is learning. His coordination is improving. And he is making friends and building confidence. Plus, we actually watched an entire football game together last Sunday. I'm glad that we actually had a good game to watch. He followed the play pretty well and cheered at the right time. He got excited when the Vikings did well and asked a lot of questions. There were a few times he accidentally booed at the Vikings. I think they were accidents anyway. Anyway, it was just nice to interact with him and enjoy something together. Adrian Peterson is now his favorite player.

The Vikings Ate My Homework

Last week was the first week of football for the NFL. Millions of people sat on their couches or recliners with a bowl of chips or popcorn, drinking pop or beer and watched their favorite team. Some people do not care for football. Lady Di and Sweet Pea are two of them. Number One Son and I cannot understand that. We love to watch football. Mainly, the Minnesota Vikings. If the Viking game is over, which it often is by halftime, we will switch over to the Packers or Bears or Lions game. These are the teams we follow.

Now I wouldn't call myself a fanatic. If I miss a game, it isn't 'Life or Death'. If Lady Di really wants to watch "Bridezillas" or the "Creative Napkin Folding show" on HGTV, I will usually let her. I may go to the upstairs television or listen to the radio in the garage, but it is no big deal. Plus, listening to games in the garage rocks! But it does lack a bathroom.

Since the Viking team as been in a rebuilding mode for the last couple of years, the games have been less than stellar anyway. I usually get a couple loads of laundry folded while watching. Sweet Pea can usually beat me at a few games of Chutes and Ladders too.

I think what I enjoy most is the inactivity of watching football. I look forward to the Sunday game because it means I will have 2 to 3 hours of being lazy. Nothing to lift. Nothing to fix. Nothing to think about. I have vivid junior high memories of laying on the floor with a bowl of popcorn watching football with my dad or grandfather. When I was young, our family's Sunday routine was, church in the morning, followed by Sunday School, then usually a rather large Sunday lunch. My favorite was fried chicken. Then getting a big pillow to crash into and enjoy Tommy Kramer blow up at the referees. The big meal and comfy couch usually rendered us unconscious by the third quarter.

I'm not claiming that our Sundays were very productive. But they were family time. We would talk about the game, but that would always lead to many other topics of conversation. We would talk about school, music, news or any other issue that would come up. The game itself was not really what was important. The fact that our family would congregate every Sunday to enjoy each other's company was the important thing. At Thanksgiving we would travel three whole blocks to Gramma Peg's house and I would listen to the adults while watching the Detroit Lions. Even though not much got accomplished during the game, I don't see it as time wasted. I miss those times from my childhood.

Even as Sunday afternoons were some of my favorite times of the week, Sunday nights were my least favorite time of the week. I still feel uncomfortable and edgy on Sunday nights. I know it comes from not doing my homework for school during the week. Knowing it was due on Monday morning, I still would procrastinate and force myself to finish my homework on Sunday night. I hated the anxious feeling I would get when it would get close to supper time. Then I knew I only had a few hours left before bed. More than once, I was caught without proper resources and the library closed. This was before the Internet, of course. You know, the 'Stone Age'.

Now those days of homework and cramming for tests are behind me. But I still feel depressed on Sunday nights. I think it is because on Sunday night, the weekend is down to the last few grains of sand in the hourglass, and I feel like I didn't get enough done. I know there are jobs around the house that are not going to meet their deadline.

Which brings me back to football. I'm a little conflicted about making similar memories for my family now. Do I want a tradition of sitting in front of the television every Sunday noon for five months? Will my kids grow up to be procrastinators and thereby ruining Sunday nights for them as well? Right now, I think any excuse to be together as a family works for me. I think a few Sundays per month won't hurt. I might even learn to fold some awesome napkins.

Summer Over? Never!

I heard from someone that summer is now over. Is summer really over? The temperature still seems like summer. Flowers are still blooming. I'm still mowing the lawn. I'm not ready to release summer from my kung-fu grip just yet. Just because Labor Day has come and gone, doesn't mean I can't still work on my awesome farmer's tan lines. I can still hear cicadas in the trees and I can still walk barefoot in the grass. Oh no, summer is not over yet.

Every year, summer speeds by faster. We never have enough time to do all of the things we want to do. Since we had a record number of ninety degree days this year, we got to swim more than previous years. Both pool and beach. We played baseball and soccer. We got to go to the State Fair. We went to the Mall of America. We went to a Twins game. We rode bikes and played with chalk and bubbles. We went to parades. We did a little fishing and golfing. We visited family in three states. We had a few bonfires with smores in the back yard. We even went camping for the first time as a family. Summer always seems so short. We hardly got to do anything!

If summer fun really is over, what can I look forward to now? Let's see. I can look forward to cold weather and shovelling snow. (Yay! Minnesota!) I guess that also means less mosquitoes. Also, now that the kids are in school, I can try out that napping program I've been developing. But only on my mornings off from work. Maybe, Lady Di and I can do some exercising together. Or maybe a little golf. When the mildly cooler weather comes, I won't have to mow the lawn as much. Plus, I won't sweat a bucket and a half while doing it. We will get to go to high school football games on Fridays, and watch college football on Saturdays, and pro football on Sundays. If you call Vikings football, pro. We have trips to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch planned. Church suppers will also start filling the calendar. Then comes Halloween, burning leaves, hot chocolate and before you know it, Thanksgiving. Gee, I wish summer wouldn't last so darned long. I never have enough time for my Autumn fun stuff.

But how can school actually be starting already?

Even though summer seemed to go on endlessly, school sneaked up on us again. Let me clarify, school sneaked up on me. Lady Di was ready weeks ago. She not only gathered school supplies from the kids' school lists, she packed their backpacks and had them ready last week.

N1S starts school tomorrow, and Sweet Pea starts in two days. We'll see if we can strap them down for bed tonight. It will be hard for them to sleep, knowing all the fun stuff we have to do, now that summer is finally over.