Finally.......
It's still been much rainier than usual which is nice and the first day of Autumn had a high temp of 64o (yes, Fahrenheit, not Celsius) which was also very nice.
We had a great weekend. MBD and SIL came over for their first official Husband and Wife visit. And a very nice visit it was. We had arranged to rendezvous with both chitluns and spouses at "The Club". This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone as Fighter Pilots, even retired ones, always rendezvous at "The Club".
This one however is just outside of the city limits and is owned by a Swiss gentleman who grows grapes in Texas. (Gotta love diversity). In any case, The Club is a nice bar, with a covered patio, which sits atop a hill with a great view of Hill Country sunsets.
Very relaxing.
Mrs J and I have begun making it our Friday, workweek recovery place. Wine and Beer only, with a small sandwich/cheese tray menu. For to keep the munchies at bay.
This past weekend, it was a good thing it's got a covered patio as it was raining Friday evening when we accomplished the rendezvous. Not a gully washer, but a nice gentle slow rain which provided a nice side tempo to the musician.
Ryan Howard was the musician and hails from Austin. He was playing light jazz on an electric keyboard. (Yes Sarge, I thought of you at this point. "Wouldn't it be fun to have Sarge up there playing his drums" was what I thought, yes, yes I did. Yes, wine was involved.)
So, the six of us are sitting around drinking wine, eating cheese and doing something unheard of lately, actually talking. Telling new stories, retelling old stories, asking questions, you know, having a conversation.
A truly wonderful evening.
During which, I learned something I didn't know about my wife of 36 years. Something she'd done in College.
As many of you know, I was born in California, but raised in Texas. My wife was born and raised in Wisconsin. (Yes, Oct 15th through Apr 15th are inclusive blackout dates for my visiting there. "Freezin's the reason.") She went to University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Cue "On Wisconsin"
And as anybody from that part of the country is aware, the UW mascot is Bucky Badger.
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I'm not really sure how the subject of the UW Mascot came into the conversation, but it did. As it circulated around the table and arrived at my wife, she mentioned that at one time, Bucky had a girlfriend.
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AKA my Wife.
As a prank, she had put together a mascot costume herself and showed up at the game. This bit of audaciousness got her free admission. As she made her way to the seats, the crowd went wild. To hear her tell the story, shortly thereafter she was passed down to the field to meet Bucky.
Yes, exactly like happened to you at that Rock Concert you went to.
In any case, the University kept her on and actually bought her the costume pictured above. They also never made it clear if she was the girlfriend or the sister of Bucky. Hmmmm!
According to the source the picture was taken circa 1980. I suspect it was taken during the '79 football season, as my wife came on active duty in 1980.
Saturday, the kids went to an A&M Football game watching party during which the Aggies had the misfortune of running out of time whilst still behind Alabama on the scoreboard. Ah, well, Next Year.
Dinner was at our house, where I taught MBD the ancient family recipe for Chile Verde. We then excused ourselves over to the Guest House where we utilized the fire pit for cooking S'mores and a wee dram or two. More storytelling ensued til the wee hours.
Given that... I'm going to follow Schmedly's lead and attempt a practice nap. Vacation is only a couple of weeks away and napping while on a cruise ship is not something to be taken lightly.
Stores on State Street had Becky Badger panties for sale in the windows, when I was there. They had " I'm behind the Badgers " silk screened in the backs.
ReplyDeleteI'm not thinking Mrs J would be amused if I bought her a pair. In fact, were you a Texas lawman, you might be called to investigate the homicide of a male retired fighter pilot.
DeleteSounds like a fine weekend.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you had married a celebrity. ;)
As I read this Monday morning, I really want to channel my inner Schmedly and curl up somewhere for a nice long snooze in the sun.
It was, it was.
DeleteYeah, and I didn't get my practice nap. Mrs J decided we needed to drive to Kingsland to pick up some chairs she bought on FB. So, I'm in nap deficit now.
Change of time zones has my sleep cycle all messed up, with more to come over the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a Schmedly pretender around here somewhere, doing what cats spend most of their time doing.
Be VEWEE careful about that pretender. If he's been trained by Schmedly, he's resting up for a nighttime dive bomb attack on sleeping humans. DAMHIK...It's a painful thing.
DeleteKiller at that pool game I can't remember the name of, Fighter Ace of the Personnel Corps, Wine business owner, then Dress business owner, and now a secret identity revealed? Hmmmm. All you've got going for you is you used to be the chair-monkey for some nice planes, and you killed the blackbird.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should get her to write? :)
Yes, it is strange and fascinating that someone you've been with for over 30 years can still surprise the fish out of you, in a good way, isn't it? What makes good marriages great!
As to the clawed creatures, they are just trying to make sure that by doing midnight insertion missions, or even worse, staring at spots on the wall, you are staying situationally aware just in case you ever need to be suddenly thrust into the role of saving the planet by being a fighter pilot again. Or something. Maybe it's the squishy bits that make the landing better for them. As a cat-landing zone for many years, I never understood the fascination of having me wake up grabbing my control handle and throttle knobs while I was emitting a high-piercing tone much like I assume radar lock sounds. Other than that, if it wasn't for the dog, I'd have a cat, or two.
Vacation... Vacation before retirement? Must have some time on book to blow. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly came down with faux-measles or something. Some weird persistent lung problem on Thursday evening... Ah, the good old days.
Wife and I loved sitting out on the porch during cool or cold weather during a rainstorm. (Not so much during a tropical storm, but it does give one something to do when the power's out.) 62 degrees. Winters coming...
That game would be called Crud. As for me, I did buy the technology that runs that weather radar app you've got on your phone. That and $5.95 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Although I haven't been there in quite a while.
ReplyDeleteAs to the vacation. We made the reservations about 18 months ago before this whole retiring thing came about. Besides, I've got to visit the boss and check on his peepers (whilst drinking his beer of course!)
Ah, well, drinking the boss' beer. That's a no-brainer. Just don't engage him in a game of beer pong and cheap cigars...
ReplyDeleteWeather app on phone. Hmmm, my carpy flip-phone barely is able to call my wife when I am out and about. Which is all I want my magic spirit-box to do. Though I've entertained getting a more modern elf-box, but, well, Sarge ain't the only one who's cheap around here.
And who wants Starblechs. Rather spend my money for decent gas-station coffee or Dumkin Dugnuts. Without the ice, of course. Only heathens and Rhode Islanders use ice.
Now, Now, Now, Beans.....There are others around here who might just partake. A nice cold brewed coffee is very nice when you need a hefty caffeine fix, but it's 110 in the shade.
DeleteWhat, what? Drink my beer? Alert the Meejah! Little Rhody under martial law.
DeleteTriremes spotted in Narragansett Bay. Cats and dogs living together! Chaos, it's chaos I tell you!
I guess I need to stock up...
Nah, just a nice porter or two.
DeleteAwesome of her, she's a celebrity. It's mostly fun learning something new about a spouse after many years.
ReplyDeleteThe Cowman & I used to take one of the ranch pickups up to the top of a hill during thunderstorms. Loved the sound and fury and the life giving rain.
I always sleep better in a thunderstorm for some reason. Mrs J? Not so much. That is probably the reason she snuggles up to me during them. Which could be why.......I sleep so well.
DeleteROTF, it's always those little, oh by the way things... :-)
ReplyDeleteYep, good surprises are good. (and I'll leave it at that)
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