HOWLING

And so it was.

Saturday night at 12:30 AM, yet another storm hit the valley. I know, there are so many who feel so bad for us this time of year with our weather. But, hey, we're not used to it. Most of us are plenty soft. So a storm that deluges us with nearly an inch of rain is one bad bugger.

Awakened by breaking glass, we wondered what was going on. Stumbling out of bed, more accurately, arising with stiff knees and back I turned on our dim outside lights, made even so because that noise was one made from the bulb encasement that hit a stone walkway. I then proceeded into the living room to put up some automatic screens that shade us from the sun.

The wind continued to blow hard along with rain. Thankfully, the storm left those screens alone. But one just outside our bedroom, a 4'x 7' screen got blown up, out, but not quite away. It did what I'll call for lack of a better word (although it is a fine word in itself) whapperjawed.

Twisted and warped, it looked unrepairable. But with help from an engineer friend of mine in town for another week, we hammered and re-twisted and got it into shape to put back in the sliding tray that held it, secured by screws and flanges and hardware that had failed when the storm unleashed its power.

But we couldn't get it to fit. We were two inches from re-positioning it. Ideas floated about and some were tried, some denied. But after 45 minutes or so, we announced it broken and unfixable by two capable problem solvers. "We'll just have to call Walt," I surmised. He's our handy repair guy who is even more able than I. (tongue securely planted in cheek)

The next day, the engineer and I were off for a golf outing that lasted most of the day. When I returned home, my wife told me of her eventful day. It didn't take me long to tell her about mine, highlighted by a hooked shot into the desert on a par three which hit a tree, a few rocks and other scrub growth before shooting onto the green for an almost tap in birdie for me.

"Are you going to take that," I was asked by some playing partners.

"I guess you missed it when I was yelling, 'Get in the hole'" I answered.

But back to the real world. My bride had seen two javalinas and had taken their pictures, had been to the dentist, had worked in the yard prettying up the place. Oh yeah, she had fixed the screen. It took her about ten minutes she said.

If golf isn't humbling enough.