I HAVE HEARD FROM many Hog fans asking — nay, begging — me not to listen to the radio when the Hog baseball team hosts the ‘Super Regional’ in the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
It’s because I am nothing but bad luck. What a curse it is to be my favorite team!
Both of my regular readers will recall how the team always loses when I start paying attention.
For example, if the Arkansas Razorback football team is playing Little Sisters of the Poor, I must leave the room as soon as the opening kickoff sails into the air. I can’t even hang around long enough for the receiver to return the kickoff. Otherwise we’ll lose.
Same with basketball. When the ref tosses the ball into the air for the opening tipoff, I’m outa the room before a tall guy’s hands can slap the ball. As soon as I start caring about basketball the Hogs lose a big one.
So now, the baseball team seems to be doing pretty good. They hosted and won the Regional. And now we’re gonna host a Super Regional where we’ll lose, of course.
The Razorbacks will play the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Best two of three. That means I will have up to three chances to walk out of the room without watching or listening.
At least we’re not playing Little Sisters of the Poor. And baseball has nine innings, not two halves. That two halves thing was football’s downfall.
And you ask yourself: Why does this guy call himself the Number One Fair Weather Hog Fan?
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
CANCER REMINDER. Thanks to the volunteers and organizers of Saturday’s annual Relay for Life for working so hard and so long.
It reminds me that I need to make some kind of report on my own project to help cancer patients with their gasoline expenses.
Cancer patients, or their caregivers, can get $20 gasoline vouchers for their trips to doctor appointments, lab, radiation, blood transfusions, etc. All they have to do is to come by the ‘Leader’ office and pick up a voucher. It’ll buy $20 worth of gasoline at Road Mart, and the friendly folks there will even contribute a soft drink to make the trip a little better.
Since I started this project late in 2007, I have given out, by my count, more than $53,000 worth of gasoline vouchers. I thank many generous persons who financially support the project.
My report also includes this: The woman who paid a fine for copying a voucher and helping herself to free gasoline until she got caught in 2016 has now made restitution.
Some day I hope to honestly tell you that I have forgiven her.
Other than that episode, every penny raised has gone into the gas tank of a vehicle taking a patient toward recovery.
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
CRAZY WEATHER. It was shockingly cool Monday morning. In fact, you have to look back to May 1 to find an equally cool temperature — 59 degrees.
Plus, there were 10 days in May which had temperatures of 90 or hotter. Every day of June, except this strange cool Monday, had temps well in excess of 90.
There’s been no rain at all at my place in June. In May our rainfall was about half of the normal. Outside of Nashville there has been just enough rain so that the county judge can avoid proclaiming a burn ban.
But the words that were on everyone’s lips were: “I can’t believe it’s so hot and it’s only May.”
Well, you’re wrong. It’s now June and I’m betting this entire summer will be a dry scorcher.
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
SLAPPED INTO awareness. Every now and then, life gives us an awful and brutal reminder.
I saw in the newspapers last week that a six-month girl, dropped off at grandparent’s place, was placed in a ‘bouncy’ chair. Grandparents turned their backs, and their beloved pet pit bull killed the little girl.
Pit bull fans say that the people who raise the dog determine whether the dog is vicious or not. That may or may not be true — depending if you want to risk your grandchild’s life.
An outfit called dogsbite.org says that two thirds of all fatal dog attacks are by pit bulls. They also say that children ages 9 and younger make up more than three-quarters of the victims.
For some reason, and at some point, a pit bull breed dog reverts to some bred-in killing instinct. It doesn’t need a reason to attack. I swear, three or four times a year I come across an article where a pit bull has killed either an old person or a helpless child.
Our city council in Nashville wisely banned pit bull breeds some years ago, but every now and then some bright citizen wants to challenge that ban.
As long as I live and breathe I will oppose elimination of that ban.
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
THINGS I LEARNED from opening email: God gave you toes as a device for finding furniture in the dark .
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
WORD GAMES. The twins: Dead and Buried. The Morbid twins.
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
HE SAID: “A civilization is a heritage of beliefs, customs, and knowledge slowly accumulated in the course of centuries, elements difficult at times to justify by logic, but justifying themselves as paths when they lead somewhere, since they open up for man his inner distance.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French aviator and poet (Wonder if his friends called him ‘Tony?)
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
SHE SAID: “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” Joan of Arc, French warrior and saint
5 6 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 6
SWEET DREAMS, Baby
