84

 I turned 84 years old a couple of days ago.  I started my blog years ago to share with my family what it was like for a man to go through his seventies and, as it’s turned out, to go through part of my eighties.

Well, so far, so good.

My life is different than when I was in my fifties, sixties, and seventies, but I can say that life is good.  I have a wonderful marriage that I’m thankful for every day.  While I have more aches and pains, my overall health is good, and I’m still able to do most things I could do when I was younger--but much slower.  My memory is not as good.  Some words are just not there when I need them, but they do finally come to me hours later.  One of my major issues is my hearing.  It’s worse than all of my friends and it does affect what I can and can not do.

I’m fortunate to be close to my daughters who are now middle age, and my grandchildren.  One grandchild is in high school, three are in college, two are well in with their careers, and one is getting married in November.  It’s a gift to see them move through their own lives.  We lost our son and will grieve for him forever.

AT 84 years old, I wonder how many years I have left--maybe just a few and maybe more than I actually want.

So what are my goals for the next few years of my life?  Be a good husband.  Love and support Aloma.  Continue to be close as I can with my daughters and grandchildren.  Be a positive influence as I interact with friends and other people.  Oh, I almost forgot--finish the last book of the Turkey Grove trilogy.

But now, I need to take a nap.

Seasoned Man

stevelem17@gmail.com

March Madness

 Every year, the NCAA basketball tournament to crown the national champion is one of my favorite sporting events.  I start by filling out the bracket before the tournament and updating it after each game.  I’ve learned to mostly pick teams I want to win, not just the teams I think will win.  In prior years, I rooted for teams playing against my favorite teams just because of the bracket.  No more.  And I watch almost every game on television.

The selection committee for the tournament only chose four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  Three teams made it to the Elite Eight and two teams played in the Final Four including Duke and the University of Noth Carolina.  The energy in the Raleigh area was incredible.  The newspaper and TV news all talked about the basketball tournament.  It was so exciting.

Then Duke and UNC played each other and UNC won the right to play for the National Championship.  While I rooted for Duke, I was thrilled that UNC was in the championship game.  And they were ahead much of the game and lost by only three points when their last shot bounced off of the rim.

I love March Madness, especially living in the Raleigh area.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

R.I.P. Mickey Radman

 I met Mickey and his wife, Janet, when we had neighbors over for a cookout about five years ago.  I was talking with Ray, another neighbor, about a tee time for the next week.  Mickey heard us and was overjoyed that some golfers were in the neighborhood.  From that time on, whenever we played, Mickey was with us.  He loved golf.

Mickey and Janet moved to Carolina Preserve from Latrobe, Pennsylvania because they had children living in Raleigh.

After a year or so, Mickey discovered a nine-hole golf course and from that time on, that’s the course we played.  Ray and Mickey were in their late eighties, so it was a perfect place for us to play.  We developed a habit of going to Costco for lunch after playing.  For $1.50, we had a foot-long hotdog and a coke.  It was a great deal and we all loved it.

One time after playing, we stopped at Bojangles.  Mickey was nervous ordering food in this Southern chain.  After that meal, Ray and I often teased Mickey that instead of eating at Costco, we were going to Bojangles.

Over the years, in addition to playing golf together, Mickey, Ray, and I often got together for breakfast and we met in the evenings with our wives to socialize.

Playing golf with someone seems to create a bond that lasts.  I really miss you, Mickey.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com