I Can Still Bowl--Yay!

I finally joined a bowling league last year after not being in one since breast cancer hit the summer of 2009.  I was unsure if I could do it, but used to enjoy it very much so decided to give it a try.  I did carry a 150 average, but when I cam back ended up with just a 137 average.  However, I managed to have one super day in Jan. of this year which I bowled my best game ever--226!  That proved to me that I did still "have it."

I was nervous and kept taking deep breaths to try to relax.  I tried to focus on bowling and not look at the score at all along the way.  I knew I was doing really well and didn't want to lose my focus.  I didn't talk much to anyone during the game either, just kept my head down and waited for my turn trying not to be distracted.  I managed to bowl the whole game without any open frames and put together three strikes in a row twice!  It was such fun!  My first two games were only 138 and 130.    

It was a strange league though.  It was a group of seniors that bowled Thursday mornings but without teams.  I never heard of a league without teams, but it was fun.  We had six lanes and bowled with different people each week.  Each bowler was assigned a number and between games a number would be randomly drawn.  The winner received about $10!  Also, they played another money game where at the 5th frame, a guy would go through and sort pairs based on their scores.  Highest score would be paired with the lowest and on down.  The pair with the highest total pins would win a few dollars.  

The day I bowled the 226 I was paired up with Carol and we won total pins that game!  She took my picture afterward and a few weeks later surprised me with a big trophy for bowling such a high game.  I'm not sure if the trophy was from the whole league or if she just did it on her own, but I thought it was very nice!    

Do you bowl?  Share about your bowling experience in the comments.

Welcome Bear, Our Newest Family Addition--Happy 1st Gotcha Day!

This post is really late because we got our new cat a year ago--June 6, 2022.  I was not in blogging mode at the time and considering stopping blogging altogether but now have decided to continue doing it.

I really missed having a cat after our Spunky Doodle died September of 2021 and couldn't stand it any longer so went to the Parma Animal Shelter to see what was available.  Lo and behold, a tabby that looked just like our Manny Boy named Bear because he's a big boy!  He was so friendly and even came on my lap at the shelter.  They let us have him for a trial period, but after two days, I was all in.  

He is so affectionate and likes to play pounce games and chase the string on a stick.  He comes on my lap to watch TV and read with me.  He generally prefers to sleep on his cat tree or a chair but comes on the bed in the early morning hours to lay with me until it's time to get up.  Bear is an awesome, affectionate cat that I love very much.  I'm so glad I got him!

If you have a hole in your heart from losing a pet, I suggest getting another.  It's the only thing that helped me.  We know our pets don't live forever, but it's extremely hard to say goodbye to them and not miss them terribly.  There are plenty of animals in need of a loving home.  Just go check at a shelter near you and see what's available.  One might actually adopt you!  

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The Bad Thing About a Good Book

You know I'm reading a good book when I read for three hours straight and still look forward to reading more.  This book is so good, it's like watching a movie.  A couple times it made me laugh out loud!  The bad thing about it is that I didn't move much.  I'm used to being on my feet all morning, at least standing at the computer if not walking or exercising.  At least I did get a long walk and some exercising in before I started reading--good thing.  Yesterday, the only reason I stopped was to eat lunch before going to play pinochle at the Sr. Center for two hours.  (More sitting, although since I kept winning, I did get to move a little when the winners moved to the next table.)   

The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers is the Christian historical fiction book that has got my attention.  One of all-time favorite books is Redeeming Love by her so I was eager to read this one.  It did not disappoint and this one has clean language!  A well-to-do lady from Boston who was involved with the women's sufferage movement was sent off to the wild west to claim her uncle's inheritance.  The town has no sheriff, few women other than prostitutes, is dirty and full of saloons.  She finds her uncle had a mine, a small newspaper office/house and was murdered but no one was charged.  She is determined to find out who killed her uncle and why, make the town better and restart the newspaper her uncle wrote.  She stirs up the town not only by being a new pretty lady, but also with her curiosity and determination to make it on her own and learn to operate a mine.  Here is the link to my full review of it:  https://ourstack.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-ladys-mine-by-francine-rivers-is.html

Now time to read some more before going to play Bunco.

What is the last book you read for at least three hours straight?

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My Impulse Purchase

Sometimes when I go to the Senior Center I work on a puzzle with some other seniors and find I enjoy it!  Since then, I've been sort of wanting to try doing a puzzle of my own.  I own a big one that I did years ago with my parents, but didn't want to set up that big one.  So, when I was in Marc's and saw they had 500-pc. puzzles for just $1.99, I bought one I thought would be fairly easy.

I sorted the pieces by color to help save time hunting for certain pieces and started on the border.  It was harder than I expected, but I did get it together, sort of.  I knew one piece at the top wasn't quite right, but was close and didn't know where else to put it.  It turned out that this puzzle was tougher

than I thought it would be.  I looked at the path pieces I sorted and thought no way is there enough here for that path!  But there was.  Several times I looked and looked for a certain shaped piece and again thought there has to be some pieces missing, but there wasn't.  It was much harder than it looked because pieces would be so close, but not fit exact.  As you can see from the picture, many colors are repeated in different places and sometimes I couldn't go by matching the color because the next piece started something different, like switching from flowers to the bushes, or from the house to a tree.

I stuck with it and eventually was able to rearrange the top border and complete the whole puzzle.  It was actually fun and relaxing for me, a great way to wind down right before going to bed.  I felt a sense of accomplishment when I finished it all by myself in ten days.   

When was the last time you did a puzzle?  What was your last impulse purchase?  I don't usually make impulse purchases, so this was rare for me.  What about you?

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Roxy's On TV!

This morning Channel 3's Dog Gone weather segment featured our dog, Roxy!  Hollie mispronounced Gerard's name though as many people do.  She called him Jerod.  I should have included the phonetic pronunciation (Jur-ard) in the email, but I just didn't think to do that.    

You can get your dog on too!  Just email a picture of your dog(s) to Holliestrano@wkyc.com with our name, city, and description of the dog.

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