tuesday comes

somehow i never managed to get back and finish yesterday's blog and i know i am losing the dance of balance and the bear is winning- old poster saying leftover from my dumber days and who says we get wiser as we get older?

spent yesterday after the run going from store to store and trying to get stuff the use here needs and other stuff to take back to england with me. then worked on clearing out stuff in the house, cleaning and yard work. eventually i made my way to the range ad tried to practice. short game feel is coming back, but i have not yet practiced every thing i know i need to. still, i am feeling more comfortable with it and am putting and chipping better each day. my pitch shots are not there yet and i still don't like my tempo, but i know it will come. i hit 100 pitch shots over the bunker practicing high and low shots and held and released swings. did the usual 56 and 60 degree chips plus the 8 and 6 irons for longer chips. then putted for an hour- left to right and right to left; up and down hill; 3, 6 10 and 15 footers. how can people not like practicing puts? same way i hate hitting my driver.

got home about 8pm and did on line banking for awhile and dealt with bills and post ofc junk. eventually i read for a bit and had a little dinner-- and watched kate b on leno. somewhere around 1am i got to sleep.

and up at 6am for gail's call and then went out to run. yesterday's right hamstring problem was still there and i kept the stride shorter and relaxed. supposed to be a recovery day and the body was crying for rest anyway- ran a short 7 miles and met air force john and diane's friend joe on the trail and chatted a bit and then headed home as i had a 11:50 tee time. hit some pitches and chips and then putted a bit and headed out.

played in the second foursome with jack, jim and bob- a good group for my first time back on grass in a bit and i was determined to stay positive despite the 22 shanks i hit yesterday practicing. it was nice to be playing with some of the guys again and catching up a bit. and i can learn things watching other people hit balls.

didn't strike the ball well at all, but got around the 9 holes in 42 counting a lost ball penalty on #6. did have a birdie and my new 5 wood seems like it will be a nice addition as i hit it twice and struck it well both times and was pretty long with it.

today's play showed me more of what i need to focus on to try and recapture some of the old game. the last time i played here i shot even par; i am not that guy right now for sure. can be hard to trust your swing when you are afraid to take the club back and have to force yourself to do that. what confidence!

but i do know enough now to "fake" my way around. just fade everything and take out the left side as best you can and keep the ball in play and chip and putt well and live to play another day. 2 of my fades still managed to have more draw then they should have, and one led to the lost ball.

the range went worse; had some help from the pros there who pointed out several things i was doing incorrectly that i didn't used to do. and late in the day i was managing to take the club back with my turn and not with my hands and started to strike the ball more cleanly. will keep at it as i grow more determined .

home depot and gnc followed but skipped safeway meaning i had breakfast for dinner but that was ok. then laundry, a ton of emails, did the stone work i needed to almost done with the one project and back to home depot on friday i hope. hit some more pitch shots as the dark swallowed up the yard just trying to relax. i could practice all day if i had nothing else to do.

now in the process of doing taxes and throwing away anything in the house i feel like getting rid of. almost cathartic.

listened to obama's speech on the way home. didn't convince me but i don't need convincing. seems like hillary's strategy now is to hang in and see if obama shoots himself in the foot. will the super delegates give it to her if they think she is more electable? does anyone in the party remember the game is to beat the other team? do they really want 8 more years of bush in a hero's pow body?

the usa must remember that in a global economy the 800 pound gorilla has a big impact on the rest of the jungle. and we were that gorilla-

lowering the interest rates again sounds good but will drive inflation up. does pres. bush really think the economy is ok? does he not pay any attention at all? that is called a rhetorical question btw.

i hope he has learned to ride his mountain bike well while he is president.

i digress- life is harried right now. the schedule for the next several days is filling up fast and england is calling me back again far too soon. so much i cannot get to here right now.

more to do and must go.