Golf Clubs for N

I have been scouring the classifieds lately for a number of items, notably golf clubs for N. It would also be nice to find him a hockey bag with wheels, but hockey equipment is rather specialized, so that probably won’t work. In the past I’ve looked for ski equipment but that hasn’t worked out so well, either. The best bet is to go to Henderson’s for that.

Either way, every now and then you’ll get lucky and score a good deal on something you’re actually looking for. Case in point, last week I saw an ad for junior golf clubs. The guy lived in Woodstock so I figured he wouldn’t be a total slob. N and I drove out there to check it out, and the guy selling the clubs happened to be somebody who seemed like a golf pro. He was older, a la Arnold Palmer-ish, and very nice. He talked about golfing in Arizona and Florida, so he'd hardcore.

The walls of his garage were literally lined with clubs, I kid you not. He was a collector of wood shaft drivers, and you could tell that golf was his passion. He said that in the course of searching for these clubs, he ran across a junior set now and then and would unload them to the neighborhood. He charged us $10 for the bag and clubs. Their are in excellent condition, and the bag has this cool feature where legs pop out when you set it down, so the bag stays upright.

Best of all, N is thrilled to pieces with them. He was so excited, and when we got home, he took the clubs up to his room and kept them by his bed. How’s that for a score?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

They Found Me

With what little time I have, I’m plugging along on this i-KODI website. As with everything in life, it’s a bit more complicated that I originally envisioned. I don’t know how JF thought to put this thing together, but my impression is that he didn’t opt for the easy way out.

Now I’ve been able to toy with this thing at my own leisure, which means I haven’t done much with it, but this has been due to the fact that nobody has even mentioned it or asked me about it. Well that all changed when they found me. I got an email from MG about the website, asking questions and requesting info. It hasn’t happened yet, but now that I’m in their sites, my luxurious life of leisure is sure to come to an end.

Oh well, now that it’s getting cooler, I have to pack up the hammock anyway.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Jess Rosales IV. for the pic.

More Deadlines

Boy did I space on this one. We are trying to enter our library for consideration for a national award, and the first step is writing a letter of intent. For reasons that elude me at the moment, I said I’d help to write a first draft. I created this situation for myself by impersonating a writer, and now whenever writing things come up the look to me. You make your bed and sleep in it, right?

Either way, I was under the assumption that we were going to apply next year, but then found out that we were in fact going for it this year. Okay, that meant I had a couple of weeks to draft something, and then I learned that the meeting had been moved up a week so now I only had a few days. Yikes! I can’t let my trustee compadres down.

Nothing like a little pressure to grease the wheels of progress. Stay tuned for more. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to uwbobio for the pic.

More On Ski Gear

We took A’s skis in to Henderson’s for a tune-up, they’re having a fall special on them, so we scored a good deal. We ended up getting N some new goggles, and he was excited about that, mainly because they are cool and he really likes them. I was pleased by the fact that they weren’t that expensive because, as I’ve mentioned, kid’s stuff costs less, and Henderson’s has great deals.

A, on the other hand, wants over the glasses goggle, which are more of specialized item, and costs a bit more. However, as I’ve also mentioned, I’m all for her wearing her glasses when she skis, so I’m going to shop around a bit and find her a pair she likes, or at least likes enough to wear. We can’t afford to be too fancy and picky over here, or rather, we find that mindset misguided.

On the whole, we’re still getting our acts together for winter, slowly putting all the pieces together. Granted, we have time, but it’s nice to deal with it now rather than scrambling once the snow falls to be ready. Plus, when you have some time, you increase your changes of finding good deals, even used stuff at the Listen, and I’m all for that.

We’re still pondering the whole season pass thing. It’s a lot of money to ski in one place, and we like variety, so it may not happen. We’re exploring some options, so stay tuned for more.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bjarte Kvinge Tvedt for the pic.

Final Local Market

Last week was the final local market, and though it’s always sad to close the chapter on something, it does sort of simplify our lives. I’m bummed because the kids do have fun at the market, but the crowds have been sparse, and it ends up being a really long day/evening, and I spend all this money on food and assorted items in an effort to support the local economy. It does get me out of having to make supper, which I’m not complaining about.

I’m not sure what the fate of the local market is going to be. Attendance really dropped off in terms of vendors and customers. They feed off one another, and this could spell trouble for next year. In reality, it may be too much to think a small town like ours can sustain a market. As conscientious as people are around here, the fact of the matter is that people are just not coming. I’ve spoken to a number of friends and neighbors who have never even made it to the market this year, so it’s not simply of question of not having enough food vendors. People just aren’t coming. It’s just another case of a good idea that doesn’t really pan out in practice.

It’s a shame, because it’s such a nice scene. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to elke oerter for the pic.

More Performances

When we were speaking to JB about various musical occurrences, it came up that there was going to be a school performance by the school chorus. The light bulb immeditately went on in my head, and I asked A if she was interested (she was), and then JB if A could join in (she could). Good news, because this means she gets to hang with her buddies and do what she loves, which is to sing on stage.

She had her first rehearsal the other day, and the other kids were two rehearsals into it, but that’s fine, because it’s a kid’s chorus. She can always hide out in the other voices. Besides, A is quick at learning songs, so she’ll be fine. Most importantly, she’ll have lots of fun.

It makes for a busy day, but that’s how we like it, right? At least sometimes.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Juan Croatto for the pic.

Sixteenth Market and Light at the End of the Tunnel

Two more markets left to go. No complaints on this end. Well, there’s always something for dad to complain about (why not one instead of two?), but I’ll keep it under wraps for now.

The previous week that we missed was a busy one, so we were told, and we figured as much. It was the first week with the students back full time, and it was the one day where the weather was beautiful, so it makes perfect sense. We couldn’t make it for various familial obligations, but we weren’t complaining. Time off from dumplings is like time off for good behavior.

Everyone figured that the next week was going to be a busy one, us included. We even got an email from the manager saying that it was busy and that people were asking about our dumplings. I.e., get to work and be there for the market. Even the weather cooperated on some level, and it stopped raining.

Even in light of all that, the overall market seemed a bit slow. Even S stopped by and commented on how slow it was, and it seemed to have all this potential. When we arrived, there were about six or seven tour buses parked along the street, and people figured that meant more business. There were lots of people milling about, but they all disappeared once the market started, and it was a pretty light day. Sure, there were the usual moments of busy-ness, but in the end, it was slow.

I’m fairly ambivalent about it all, what we didn’t sell we can carry over to the next week, which means that there are fewer dumplings to make for the next market. I personally think the big city market should have ended in September, but that’s just my bad attitude talking.

Now I have to make dumplings, and I am not excited about it, but I figure two more weeks to go, and then I can live the fabulous life of leisure that I long for.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to John Nyberg for the pic.