Sunday included church and a family dinner at Cracker Barrel to celebrate my 65th birthday early, compliments of Karyn.  We sure enjoyed the visit, and of course, Ridge and I played before, during, and after the meal, much to the chagrin of nearby restaurant guests!  In his defense, he sat through church earlier, and then waited patiently in the restaurant for 30 minutes before Kay and I arrived!  Upon returning to the rental house, Kay and Pam went to Oaklawn to pickup their complimentary “gambling” money while I enjoyed some relative peace and quiet.

It’s still hot; in fact, today (Monday) is the hottest day of the year, with a high temperature of 99°.  It is highly possible that we will make it through the year without a 100° day.  Kay was off mid-morning to look at furniture and have some repairs done to the Honda CR V, and I drove to Arkansas Golf Center in Conway for my last of 12 golf lessons.  Today’s focus was on a fix for the ever-continuing fade, and by golly, Brannon installed a finish to my swing that should cure the problem.  Now, it’s a matter of practice, practice, practice.  Upon returning to the Village, Kay and I hit a few golf balls at Granada Golf Club, then had dinner at El Jimidor, in a humid, 85° restaurant (you think the AC wasn’t working).

Tuesday morning was quiet.  With a near noon tee time, I played golf with Jim, Fred, and Bill at Magellan, doing okay but not great as I’m working on the new and improved swing.  Kay did the Oaklawn Casino with several members of her book club; they had dinner there, and she returned to the rental house finishing the night ahead, money wise.  Jim, Fred, and I had a sandwich and beer at Charlie’s, a pizza place just outside the west entrance of the Village.  Life is good.

Today, Wednesday, is my 65th birthday.  Now, I can get the senior discount at Chen’s Chinese buffet!  Kay and I had an early afternoon tee time at Grenada Golf Club, one of the Village’s most scenic.  We both played the front nine (I scored a 48) and then Kay excused herself, and I played the back nine solo, shooting a 41, my best effort is many years.  She picked me up at 5 PM, and we went to dinner in Hot Springs, meeting Pam, Jim, Jackie, Martha, and Bobby, all to celebrate both Pam’s and my birthday.  The catfish was very good.

After a fun-filled 4 weeks in the Village, we packed everything up of ours at the rental house Thursday morning, and drove home, separately, arriving early afternoon, and finding everything okay.  We were quickly unpacked and returned to normal, or at least as normal as Kay and I get.

Up to now, we have escaped the hot days typical of an Arkansas August, and have had the mildest summer in our memory.  However, that is changing with highs forecast in the upper 90s this week.

Up early and with only 3 hours’ sleep, I returned to the Village Monday morning.  Kay went for her last chiropractic appointment, and believes it has resolved the pain she had been experiencing in her left foot.  Anxious to do fun stuff, the lack of sleep proved to be too much, so we had a relatively quiet afternoon and evening, staying inside and out of the heat.  Jim and Jackie came over for bridge, and it was fun despite Jim getting horrible hands—the ladies beat us soundly.  He is restarting bridge, and it just doesn’t seem fair to get such lousy hands, but he did well with “the hand that was dealt him.”

Kay was off about mid-morning Tuesday for a “cut and color” and I traveled the short distance to the driving range to hit a few balls.  Rusty and stiff after a few days off, it took a while to get in synch.  We drove to pick Ridge up, stopping in Benton for lunch.  With an intermediate stop at his house to pick up toys, clothes, etc., we picked him up at his daycare about 2:45 PM, and returned to the Village for two days of “fun with grandson” wondering if we had enough vitamins for the next 48 hours.  We played briefly before he announced he wanted to go to the beach; we all changed into beach clothes and spent the next hour and a half at Balboa beach.  With a partial overcast sky and a decent breeze blowing off the lake, it was quite pleasant tossing pebbles into the water and building sand castles, molding crabs and turtles, and dumping water onto them until they dissolved.

Though Kay did a Book Club night Wednesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday were all about Ridge, including lots of beach time and rough-housing.  He had a couple of firsts, such as sleeping in a “big boy” twin bed and “drifting” in Balboa Lake unassisted, except for his PFD, and of his own accord—oh, how important the small things in life are!  We returned him to his parents Thursday afternoon, and though he never once complained, he was glad to be home, to see his mommy and daddy, and play with all his toys.

(NOTE:   On Wednesday morning we met with Brandon Tedder, the prospective builder of our house in Hot Springs Village if and when we sell the other house, and pretty much finalized everything needed to execute a construction contract.  Please say a prayer for us.) 

Friday was spent recovering, and getting back to a routine.  Not having had catfish in some time, we had lunch at the grill at Isabella Golf Club, and enjoyed a great catfish po’ boy sandwich. In the evening, we had drinks and dinner with the Passes, and really enjoyed their company.

Kay ran errands Saturday morning, and spent pool time with Pam at the DeSoto Pool in the afternoon while I played golf with Jim at Cortez.  With temperatures hovering near, but not at, 100°, it didn’t take long to tire, and the golf game showed it.  We stayed in Saturday evening, and I went to bed at 8 PM, tired from lack of sleep caused by stress and a continuing daylong headache.  (NOTE:  Harper and Jenny are still sick, going on 2 weeks now, when Harper began organized daycare in lieu of being taken care of by a nanny; her doctor says she has an immature immune system.  Kaden, our oldest grandchild, was delivered to Arkansas Tech University today to begin the next phase of his life:  college.  He is majoring in mechanical engineering.  He was just slightly older than Ridge [almost 3 years old] when I first met him.  His Sir Donald wishes him nothing but the very best in all things, and that he remembers to be nice to people, to do the right things at the right times, and honor his Christian background; his daddy did a superb job raising him.)

As it is late August, the trees are beginning to slightly change, with some losing their leaves a bit early.  This is always thought provoking as we typically don’t think about the changing colors until late October and early November.  The transition is so gradual that fall just sort of glides in, particularly with the hottest temperatures of the year just now occurring.  Kay and I have had one of the busiest summers of our lives together, and it has flown by.  And, change seems to be a constant with us, mostly self-inflicted—sometimes it feels like life is a speeding merry-go-round that we barely grasp with a handhold, only to get thrown off again, then run as fast as we can, only to grab hold and get thrown off again, etc., and it’s exhausting.  Of course, Kay handles changes, life events, and stress so much better than I, and fortunately provides a much needed stabilizing influence.  Wonder what next week, next month, and next year will bring?

We attended church in the Village Sunday morning, and sat with in a row with friends Bobby and Martha Altom and Pam Williams.  After church, and changing clothes, Kay and Pam were off to Hot Springs to do some shopping and pick up their complimentary $s from Oaklawn Casino.  I remained at the rental house and watched the rain-delayed PGA Championship; it was a real nail biter until the very end.  Kay joined in watching it when she returned, and we watched the conclusion while eating at the Granada Golf Course restaurant where, it seemed, everyone had taken sides.  It was a hoot.

Monday was all about golf, in fact, maybe too much golf!  Kay was off first thing for a chiropractic adjustment—all which appear to be helping.  After returning, we had breakfast and she and Pam drove to Coronado Fitness Center for a workout while I drove to Conway for my next to last lesson with Brannon Watson, Arkansas Golf Center.   Today’s lesson focused on improving “lag” on the swing.  Kay wanted to hit a few balls when I arrived back in the Village, and we drove to Magellan Golf Course where we each hit balls.  I asked pro Rich Ross to help with the “lag” issue and he gave me a short lesson, gratis, despite a strong offer to pay.  After a couple of hours of cooling off in the rental house, I drove back to Magellan for a lesson in chipping from Bobby Altom.  Bobby and his wife, Martha, are longtime friends of Kay, and he is a very good golfer.  The lesson really helped, and will provide a basis from which to practice.  With three lessons, entailing hitting lots of golf balls, I was a tired “puppy” as the evening came to a close.

Yesterday’s activities took a toll on this old body as I didn’t sleep well, getting up at 1:30 AM and staying up for almost 3 hours.  I had a little bit of heart ache (literally, and I understand this may never disappear).  Tuesday was a new day, and Kay was off to exercise at the church.  Without our toys—kayaks and bicycles—we’re limited to indoor activities or golf and fishing, and of course, it’s difficult to beat the fishing in Baxter County.  Consequently, I was back on the golf driving range and short game practice area.  We met Pam, Martha, and Bobby at Jim and Jackie’s for happy hour before going out for dinner at Italian House, a restaurant just across from the west gate.  Good food and lots of laughter resulting in a great evening.

Kay was off to the chiropractor again Wednesday morning, and believes the treatments are greatly helping to resolve the pain in her foot.  I met Jim Morris and Fred Douglas at Balboa Golf Club for an afternoon of golf, hitting a few balls beforehand to warm up.  I played badly, the worst since very early June!  It seemed that my grip was not comfortable and the swing was out of synch—bottom line is that it just didn’t feel right; even the short irons weren’t working.  Every time this happens I question whether or not it is tome to give up this game!

After yesterday’s poor showing at the golf course, we were off to Magellan Golf Course to hit golf balls Thursday morning.  Kay is hitting here “woods” really well, and is vastly improving her short game, but is reluctant to hit the irons.  After hitting a few balls, we practiced chipping, using the technique passed on by Bobby Monday; it works!  Afterwards, I drove to Coronado to walk and play the front nine where my grip and swing returned to some semblance of normality.  I got behind a very slow foursome, but had fun nevertheless, hitting as many as three balls on each hole—good practice.  Kay joined me on the back nine where we both rode and played.  After the first 5 holes, she had parred 3 holes and had bogeys on two others.  We had a blast playing, and really enjoy being together on the course.  As we were both going different directions on the weekend, we left the golf course for dinner El Jimidor, our new favorite Mexican restaurant—it was very good.  On Thursday’s they have a mariachi band which is loud and fun to hear, though not very good.

Kay and I left the house Sunday morning, she for church and I to meet a friend from California at Mt. Magazine State Park.  Kay’s plans included lunch with Pam in Hot Springs, and then a movie.  They saw Guardians of the Universe, and Kay said it was quite good.  After driving scenic Arkansas Highway 7 north to Arkansas Highway 10 west, and Arkansas Highway 309 north, I met Chris Tenney and his brother, Jeff, at the Visitor’s Center at Mt. Magazine State Park.  Chris is an accomplished amateur lepidopterist (butterfly person) who resides in our “circle” at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, Texas, and Jeff is an award-winning writer, having won a Spur award for an historical fiction account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Our goal was to see and photograph Arkansas’ state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary, but we struck out.  However, we did see some 25 other species of butterflies, including several male and female Giant Swallowtails, Pipevine and Spicebush Swallowtails, and numerous Skippers.  Kay and I arrived home about the same time, and spent the rest of the evening catching up on telephone calls, mail, text messages, junk television, etc.

We took separate paths Monday morning—Kay was off to Coronado Fitness Center for exercise and an appointment with a personal fitness trainer, and I drove to Granada Golf Course Driving Range to hit a few balls.  Back together for lunch, we caught up on email, crossword puzzles, and iPad bridge until mid-afternoon, and then drove separately to Cortez Golf Course where Kay played 9 holes (and did well), and I played 18 (some good, some bad).  This is the second oldest course in the Village, but underwent a complete overhaul a few years ago.  This photo, taken from the white tees, does not do it justice, but shows its signature par 3 hole.  Afterwards, we watched two of our favorite programs, Major Crimes and Longmire.

Typical August weather has arrived, with highs in the low 90s, and the humidity is creeping up to an uncomfortable level.  Nevertheless, we are not going to let it stop our active lifestyle!  Kay was off to Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church for exercise this morning, while I was back on the Magellan Golf Course driving range Tuesday morning, hitting some 60 balls, and then spending time working on the short game.  After her exercise, Kay drove just out of the east side of the Village for another great haircut.  With plans to walk and play the executive length course, Coronado, a surprise call from Jim included an invitation to join him for 18 holes at Coronado.  We really compliment each other on the course, and had a great time.  I particularly hit the irons well.  

Wednesday proved to be a very busy day as we checked out RV storage at Bushee Storage, and to our surprise, found that a 45-foot unit had just become available—and we could store other “stuff” there as well.  Now, we have a decision to make!  Also on the agenda for the day was to check out marinas for a pontoon slip.  None of the Village’s marinas have lifts, and any boat stored would have to remain in the water; the marina on Lake Balboa did not have any covered slips available.  With time to spare before Kay’s chiropractor appointment, we drove around Lake Coronado checking out houses; there are few houses for sale around the various lakes in the Village, and all are priced at $135+ per square foot—despite their age and despite the location!  Kay was off for an adjustment on her left foot which has been bothering her for several months while I played the 18-hole Balboa Golf Course, walking instead of riding.  About mid-afternoon Kay drove to Benton to visit with Kaden a last time before he goes off to college, and then shopped with son, Ron, for a few hours, returning to the Village about 8 PM. 

Wow, the heat and humidity combination is uncomfortable.  It’s been a while since we’ve been in Arkansas for the hottest part of summer, and with the mild weather up to this week, it appeared that the hot, hot weather bullet had been dodged—and in some respects, it has as temps have not exceeded 95°.  However, even with temps in the mid-90s, any outside activities result in soaking wet clothes.  Kay was off to exercise Thursday morning at the Methodist church, and then, because her foot is still bothering her, visited the chiropractor again.  He was concerned about a hairline fracture in her foot and sent her to CHI clinic for and X-ray.  It did not show a fracture, and he treated her, with the consequent result of the stabbing pain and discomfort abating.  I hit golf balls, returned to the rental to cool off, and went back to Magellan to practice short game skills.  Kay and I met up in mid-afternoon, and I drove to Granada Golf Course to play nine—what a beautiful golf course!  Hole #18 is it’s signature hole, with a rushing stream/waterfall cascading off the hill most of the entire left side of the fairway.

It is getting hotter and more humid as the week ends.  Today’s (Friday) heat index was over 100°, and intermittent clouds and thunder were present most of the afternoon.  Kay and I opted to play Coronado, (Kay played 9, I played 18), and she was just about “even”, i.e. par, on the first four holes, had a not-so-good #5, and finished with 3 out of 4 good holes; she is getting better and better.  It is really fun for us to play together, and it seems like the world’s (and our) troubles just disappear (we really want a buyer with a decent offer to purchase our house).  The rain held off for a complete 18 holes, and we dressed for dinner at Martha and Bobby’s, prepared by Pam.  Shortly after arriving, thunder and lightening preceded a steady rain for the rest of the evening; a great time was had by all, with both great stories and great food.  It would be remiss to fail to mention the dessert of chocolate crepes stuffed with ice cream, and topped by chocolate sauce and whipped cream—yum, yum, good!

We awoke to overcast skies Saturday morning with no plans for the day.  The lack of internet has allowed my needed app updates to go unattended, with 11 now on the iPad and 9 on the iPhone; Kay updated hers on Wednesday while visiting with Ron and Kaden.  We went to Magellan Golf Course driving range and practice area where I used the driving range, and Kay worked on her short game.  After lunch, she went to Coronado Fitness Center to work out, then to Walmart to get gasoline, and then to Village Villas to check on another rental property, perhaps for next summer.  When she returned, I was stir crazy and went back to the driving range, not hitting well, and then hit a couple hundred balls at the short game practice area where I hit well; golf is such a fickle sport!  Cloudy skies and a good breeze made conditions very comfortable.  Kay prepared smoked salmon patties for dinner, and they were awesome.  I went to bed early, having had a very busy week.

P.S.  For some reason, perhaps all the outside activities, we’ve both slept long and very well.  Kay most always sleeps well, but I typically sleep about 6 hours; the last week has averaged about 8 hours!

We went different directions Friday morning as I drove to northern take care of some business, with a full check list of things to do like paying property taxes; after taking care of business in Mountain Home, I filled deer feeders, bird feeders, and hummingbird feeders, welcoming back our wild creatures.  Meanwhile, Kay and some lady friends drove to O’Fallon, Illinois, to have an “old girls” outing.  This group of former educators at Northside Junior High School in Pulaski County get together annually to do what “old girls” do, mostly visit and eat. 

Back at home on Saturday, it was good to have unlimited internet, which allowed updating the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, as well as the Windows based computers, taking several hours because the Centurytel internet is painfully slow.  The down time was used to return to Mountain Home to buy a couple of needed items not on yesterday’s list.  After returning, I spent considerable time outside working on the grounds, weed eating around the rock steps, blowing debris off the “dry” stream surrounding the back of the house, and filling holes in the drive.  Wayne loaned his tractor and driveway leveler and it did a fabulous job of smoothing the gravel driveway, and filling in the few remaining holes left from last week’s 4 1/2 inch deluge.

With Kay absent Sunday morning, I opted to go to the early “traditional” church at home, and really enjoyed the quietness and contemplativeness compared to the contemporary service we normally attend.  Rodney talked about Paul’s letter to the Romans, the spiritual gifts each of us receive, and how it takes the sum of these individual gifts to fulfill God’s team.  I couldn’t help but think of all the leadership training, team building, and synergy, not realizing back then that it was in the Bible the whole time—amazing what we can learn by reading the Word!  After church, I picked up a couple things at Walmart, and returned home to enjoy the US Amateur Golf Championship.  Regrettably, it was rain delayed, and shortly after the delay was announced, a fierce thunderstorm struck near and around the house, with over an inch of rain falling in just a few minutes.  Kay and the “old girls” returned to Arkansas after a long drive through thunderstorms, having had a great time.

Another cool front is making its way into northern Arkansas, helping make this the coolest summer we’ve experienced at home.  Nevertheless, Monday was warm, even hot, and brought butterflies to the Lantana, Marigolds, and Butterfly Bushes—more than we’ve had since mid-April. The photos at the bottom of this paragraph show a Monarch, a Spicebush Swallowtail, and a couple of Skippers.  In addition, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are passing through on their migration south in large numbers, and quickly emptying the many feeders hanging along the house; other bird species are increasing in numbers as well, quickly consuming the suet cakes and tube feeders filled with sunflower seeds.  In what is almost an annual occurrence because of the few miles driven, the Explorer went in for an “annual” oil change today; an appointment was impossible forcing us to drop it off for the day.  We drove back into town in the late afternoon to retrieve it, making it 4 roundtrips to Mountain Home today.  On the way home, I stopped by Quarry Marina and covered the pontoon; we sure enjoyed leaving it uncovered for the month as it seemed much more convenient.  We watched a couple hours of recorded television to end the day.

An office visit to the cardiologist was one of the big ticket items Tuesday.  With Kay in tow, I was quickly ushered in to complete patient paperwork, then into a waiting room for an EKG.  After the EKG, an RNP (Registered Nurse Practioner) made the office call; I was quite shocked, expecting to see Dr. Camp instead.  The RNP listened to my heart and breathing, answered a few questions, and made some general recommendations—without the benefit of any baseline data except the photos and drawings of the stent insertion a few days ago.  He recommended a weight loss of 20 pounds, exercise, diet with less red meat and animal fat, and a daily dose of cholesterol lowering meds.  Well, I had just had a visit with Dr. Robinson, my primary care physician, who strongly recommended the DASH diet and exercise in lieu of cholesterol lowering meds.  I know it is the way of the future to be seen by RNPs, but I still prefer medical doctors to RNPs—did I say I don’t like change.  Anyway, I got a clean bill of health and an appointment for another office visit in late October.  After returning home, we left to “check” on our property in Hot Springs Village—maybe playing a little golf and bridge while there.  After picking up the keys to the rental house and unpacking, it was too late for a round of golf, so we hit balls instead.  Clouds began moving in in the early evening, bringing yet another period of wet weather.

Happy 2nd birthday, Harper.  Jim and Ginny Passe invited us to spend Wednesday with them on Lake Quachita, along with their out-of-town family guests.  Of course it started sprinkling once we were on the water, forcing us to return to the marina where their grandsons enjoyed the pontoon-mounted water slide, and we all had great “get to know one another” conversation about jobs, culture, and great television programs.  One interested fact that emerged was that of the 7 adults present, 4 of us were strong OCD personalities and another was a part-time OCD personality (I suspect Jim is pretty OCD as well, though he would not likely admit it, leaving Kay as the only non-OCD personality among the bunch).  Consequently, the various OCD habits of each of us were normal—at least as far as this group was concerned!  After returning to the Village, we relaxed for the afternoon before returning to the Passes for adult beverages, more great conversation, and pizza.  We immensely enjoyed getting to know Jim’s daughter and her family, and his sister.  As we read the day’s emails, we received word than yet another 60+ year old friend of ours had been diagnosed with probable terminal cancer.  Kay and I looked at each other and agreed that we can no longer put off doing the things we want to do as there may be no tomorrow, at least on this earth.  Neither of us is afraid to die, but we don’t want to go through the process.  This may sound like a contradiction, but think about it.

Happy birthday, Matt.  This is Thursday, the last day of the month; where has July gone?  It is still raining, wet, and cool by July standards.  Kay is off to exercise class at the Methodist church as this is being written.  The quiet down time is much needed, and welcomed!  As the rain slackened, I headed to the driving range and “short game” practice area at Magellan Golf Course for a couple hours practice—still not hitting the ball as well as before the heart “issue”—guess that’s golf!  After a quiet late afternoon, friend Jim Morris joined us for dinner at our new favorite Mexican restaurant in the Village.  Kay and I split the Ranchero Shrimp dinner, and we all enjoyed the live Mexican music.  With little to watch on television, Kay read and I went to bed early.

While we spent the month of July at home, there was still plenty of excitement to go around.  After returning home from a month in Hot Springs Village, we were faced with heavy-duty weeding of the various beds and gardens, a quiet Independence Day celebration, time with family and friends including a big announcement of another grand baby due in January 2015, house repairs, fly fishing, more than a few doctors’ appointments, time on Lake Norfork, a “mild” heart attack, a return of birds and butterflies, and finally a return to normal, whatever that is.  A number of butterfly species visited the back garden early this week including Great Spangled Fritillary, American Lady, Pipevine Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Monarch, several species of Sulphurs, Eastern Tailed-Blue, and several species of Skippers; along with the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, they are all flying south for the winter!