Thwack
Thwack
Striking an arch through the blue sky, playing peek-a-boo with fluffy clouds, the little white balls plunk into the fields of green. Wrinkles and creases criss cross the tan leather skin of his hands like tattooed storyboards, as he slips off the well worn golf gloves. His eyes are easy as his smile surveying the polka dotted landscape. Brushed steel buckets in hand we go off to collect them.
Soon enough, we will slip into the kitchen and I will prepare him a tomato sandwich and he will smile again as his gums push through the texture into the juicy goodness. For now though, we relive Easter egg hunts as we chase down the dimpled golf balls returning them to the recesses of the shop until next time.
Some days we pull out the old riding lawn mower and I travel in ever diminishing circles as I cut their grass, a meditation on a simple life. Occasionally an errant golf ball we miss in our searching will fly true out the chute on the side of the mower, propelled by the blade. Cracked, the hard shell gives way to one of the mysteries of life...the nuclear center of the golf ball. Poison, power, combustion...all these thoughts dance in our adolescent dreams when i smuggle them home.
Running the sharp edge of the blade over the rubber bands of the second layer, digging for the center, we are sure we are going to blow the house up, maybe even the town. Anticipation rewards us with...not even a poof. Just one of the mysteries of life discovered while sharing...
love &
polka dots.
Thoughts on taking care of my Great Uncle Lawrence as he grew older.
For more takes on the theme go to Theme Thursday.
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90 comments:
for those that have asked about my mom...she went back to the doc today and they put a new cast on...elevate it more and 8 more weeks before the next check up...slow healing....
This story made my mouth water and wish for summer-- A tomato sandwich-- YUM!
It sounds like you have some fond memories of your Uncle :-)
Hope your Mom is feeling good despite the slow healing process.
jj
You and Baino did great yet opposite polka dots. Enjoyed this thursday theme.
Hope your Mom will get better soon.
this was a truly unexpected TT post...entertaining...best wishes for your family woes.
Sounds like great times! I actually hit golf balls quite a bit with my uncle. It is a treat for me!
Sorry your mom is having a slow recovery, give her our best.
This post is full of fun and love and caring about someone else. Your memory of your uncle warms my heart.
I am just getting into the game. ( I see why guys like it so much)
A beautiful summer day
Green grass
A Vehicle to drive
A "beverage" cart
Peace and Quiet...sort of
Polka Dots and a stick
:-)
What a lovely polka dotty tribute to your uncle, Brian.
Our yellow lab, Ralphy used to chew up golf balls until he would get an explosion of rubber bands in his mouth!
...and best wishes for a speedy recovery for your mom. ~x
My dad always picked up golf balls on his evening walk around the golf course. Wonnnnnderful post and wonderful memories for me.
Namaste
You have such a clever way of taking us with you on this caper. Fun. Exploding with childhood curiosity.
That's the trouble with getting old Brian, we heal slower. Cole will be much luckier! Poor mum. I hope she's a patient soul. 8 weeks is quite a long time.
Nice take on the polka dot theme. Erm, we've broken a few windows with balls being flung by the tractor whilst mowing!
Wonderful post. I need to make some time to read some of your others.
Thanks for stopping by
Fun! I hope my boys remember the good times when I am old and need their care.
Hi Brian. Cool post. Your writing is very .
evocative!!!
That was quite an interesting - and unexpected - take on Polka Dots, Brian. Very enjoyable.
I smiled when I read this.
For two reasons.
One because of your warm nostalgia for your uncle and good times with him and one for your impish youth when you longed to have some excitement "blowing up" a tennis ball...
your poor mom may have just earned a few gray hairs from you Brian, which tells me she is spunky and will heal...it is just going to take a little longer...
What a great post. It's really touching and really put me in mind of childhood. Everything was so fascinating and dramatic and disappointing...
"Tattooed storyboards" and the polk dotted landscape. Love it.
now that was a good polka dot story. i had trouble with this theme...
Oh I love golf and this post makes me want to dig the clubs out of my storage locker, I never have hit the ball far enough to break anything or even loose it.
Your mom will heal, broke my foot 2 years ago and after 8 weeks in a cast had to have a pin put in and another 6 weeks of a walking cast, no fun but it is fine now. Wish her well from me......:-) Hugs
best wishes to your mom, i've been out of the loop a bit.
what a fantastic tribute to your uncle.
much love
A polka dotted landscape! That's exactly what a driving range looks like. And I so remember getting to the core of a golf ball. Mysteries of life is right.
I love it! What a great story!
Don't you love those memories when you were singled out for alone time like that? Fantastic.
You must have cared for your uncle very much. This was beautiful, Brian.
You have an uncanny way of making others feel nostalgic over something they've never experienced. That's a gift. Beautifully done. :)
This is right up there with my favorites of yours, Brian. What a wonderful analogy for polka dots.
Thinking about your mom..and Cole!
Your love for your family shines in your writing! Hope your mom mends without any complications.
Brother, you're one of the very few of whom I can read and then see. Tis a gift.
that is so fantastic, well written adn very touching as it builds to the end. I love the explosion part referenced . I would have never even knew people would think that--shows wat I know about golf!
Here'e wishing all the best for your mother too.
I have been enjoying the polka dot theme today in blog land. Great job.
How lovely...your rich description and gentle humor leaves me longing for more.
New casts are good, elevation and even ice. poor mom.
Don't show your boys the book "Backyard Ballistics" nor the Youtube videos related to it.
just a suggestion from a burned out playstructure.
Great job
lovely story to read (@^.^@)
"polka dotted landscape" ; you did well here, Brian. ANd good to hear of your Mom's healin' but 8 more weeks in a new cast? Oofah! God bless her, you and yours :)
Sweet post!
As always, an innovative take on the Theme. And what is it about dissecting golf balls? They are almost atom-like with a forbidden and all-powerful centre. Happy TT Brian.
Best wishes to your Mom, Brian. Bones won't be rushed when they're a bit older.
Your memories of your Uncle made great reading. I was reminded of the great discovery of the inside of a golf ball when I visited some local works where they were made. A bit disappointing really.... grins.
This was very touching. Somehow reminds us of the fact that time waits for no one and soon we will become children again...
Great take on this theme, you have a way with words. My best wishes for a speedy recovery to your mom.
xo
Zuzana
I can't imagine tomato sandwiches right now. We grow our own in the summer and as I look out of the window, it is very much raining golf balls.
CJ xx
Striking imagery, as always.
now i gotta get myself a tomato-cheese sandwich :D
summer is never plesant in my country. in fact here, tomatoes taste the best in winter!!
i pray for the speedy recovery of your mom :)
take care Brian
I have a mental picture of Uncle Lawrence and his eating his tomato sandwich! ;)
I had hoped your Mom would be MUCH FURTHER in the healing process by now. I hope she is NOT too discouraged. Maybe she will emerge from this with a BIONIC leg!
Very descriptive...I could visualize the scene as if I were there.
Hope your Mom does better with the new cast & that she is on the road to a quick recovery.
I remember tearing a golf ball apart when I was a kid. Thought it was fascinating!
Don't know what happened to your mom, but know personally healing takes longer when you're older. Been there!
Tomato sandwiches! Ah yes. Summer ripe tomatoes bought at the farmer's market mushed with mayo on some homemade bread. Life is heavenly at times.
Nice memories of a friend and relative. The part about disconstructing a golf ball sounds typically you! LOL.
The mysteries of life...are in the simple things...
you are a gifted writer, Brian
I feared your mom would have a long recovery when you wrote what happened. I hope it goes painless though and that she'll be able to quickly forget the ordeal in 8 weeks!
so there's rubber inside a golf ball? really? hmm interesting. And what more...now I want to know!
can't read this today, head cracking in two ouch
You paint a good picture with your words. Once again, I am glad I stopped by.
Kat
i'm glad to hear your mom is recouping -- slowly but surely. Brian this piece was beautiful. it gave me smiles and warm tears in my eyes, you have a wonderful writing voice.
big warm smiles,
Your writing is so vivid, yet contained.
It certainly takes me back to my own golf ball dissections in my wayward youth. And all those rubber bands.
Very vivid picture drawn here, I could see the grass w/ the golf balls dotting the lawn. Nicely done. Best wishes to your mom.
Ouch to the golf ball projectiles! Love the sound of that tomato sandwich.
Oh so much love shared, dividing up those polka dots.
Your writing took me back in time..thoughts of Lawrence abound in my mind. What a wonderful kind loving soul...how much richer we all are for having known him. Precious time that you spent with him enriched both of you.
Thanks to Brian's blog readers for all of your kind thoughts. My leg will heal with time and it will be helped along by those that care.
Fabulous tribute~wonderful memories, THANK YOU for another great posting.....Holly
PS Hope your Mom is feeling better.
What a clever take on the polka dot theme. Enjoyed it.
Great Post as usual :)
Great story!
Really cool!Hope you're having a great day!Now going to catch up on your other posts!:)
Play when you're young...play when you're old. Now if only most people could remember to play in between them...
wonderful image of the "old riding lawn mower "...traveling in "ever diminishing circles". good stuff Brian.
Nice one Brian.
This is great, Brian. A very creative way of treating the polka dot theme :)
Happy Thursday,
Jen
missing summer languor and golf now. i envy the way that you keep the sentimentality so subtle...never cloying. perhaps its the gender thing..adorable post. :)
You have such a wonderful way with words...
It's nice to look back on old memories!!
Prompts are wonderful in helping to bring up the unexpected. Happy TT, Brian!
Brian .. .
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment on my Polka Dot Coronation.
Love you profile note that you're
"figuring out what life has in store next."
Familiar. Very familiar -
Judith
My dad used to love to collect "errant" golf balls too. He had plastic bags of them stashed away and he would always hand them out as if they were bars of gold to any youngsters who happened to visit with their parents. He loved to go over to the "Research Centre" near our house where there were huge expanses of lawns and he could practice his swing. I never see a golf ball where I don't remember my dad.
This was a great prod at those memories. Thanks, Brian.
Nice tribute to your uncle. I'm sorry healing is slow for your mom, unfortunately our bodies are slower to heal as we get other.
Nice take on the theme.
Speedy recovery for your mom and son.
What a wonderful picture you paint in my mind. Thank you. Happy TT
My dad is a big golfer and is always collecting golf balls. He's 87 and everytime I see one, my thoughts immediately turn to him.
Great take on the theme. For me as a kid the mystery as the baseball rather than the golf ball. Of course we investigated that one too.
That's a real problem as we get older and more fragile. I hope she continues to mend. Nice take on the polka dot theme. Happy TT
Thanks for the undate on your mom. As to the golf balls - cutting into the rubber band covered center was always fun. Did you know they don't use the runnber bands any more? Sad, but true.
Very lovely. Thanks for sharing your memories of your uncle. And glad to know that your mom is healing. Hope it takes less than 8 more weeks.
another creative take on a (most challenging) theme.
healing and pain free vibes to your mom!
happy theme thursday!
Never again use "tomato" and "juicy goodness" in the same sentence again. Hah!
I can't tell you how many golf balls our son has taken apart to see what's inside. Great post!
Smiles!
P.S.
I'm sorry to hear about your mom's slow recovery. I'm sending you an email. I hope you don't mind.
Wow, this was a grand post. Fantastic writing. I can see why you have so many followers and an abundance of comments here. Great profile too.
hello Brian thanks for the visit and your kind comments, this was a fantastic post, great imagery, the great thing about a writer is you can picture yourself in any scenario and thats what the reader gets from you.
take care...
Brian, first off, thanks for keeping us posted on your mom. I continue to lift her up from here and wish her well more and more each day.
Secondly, liked your take on the TT. Very entertaining. I remember several years back where I used to go watch a friend golf often. I enjoy watching, just cannot play for the life of me. I'll stick to putt putt! hahahaha
:)
Thank you for the update about your mom. I for one can tell you that healing takes longer as we get older, but the good news is that we do eventually heal. I am glad that your mom is getting better. Prayers being sent your way.
And I am glad you have such wonderful memories of your times spent with your Uncle. You are blessed to have these.
I also think that one never forgets the first time we see the inside of a golf ball. And the time spent trying to undo those rubberbands is never forgotten either.
Thank you for another great story. I love them all.
Happy TT to you.
God bless.
Wishing your mom the best!
You were a very active little boy. Sending positive thoughts for your mom's speedy recovery.
Another clever take on TT.
And hope your mom is better soon.
Sounds like a nice family memory with your Uncle. I like the way you describe the simple chore of cutting the grass. Also the insides of a golf ball - fascinating! And connect the whole story to polka dots!
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