Daily writing prompt

What are your favorite sports to watch and play?

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To play? Golf, and throwing a ball back and forth. To watch? Mostly just PGA golf; an occasional college football or NFL playoff game; NHL hockey, and the beautiful game, i.e. actual football.

I grew up, and still am, a faithful Boston fan– Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and even the Patriots, when they played their games at Fenway Park. Anymore, though, professional sports, and even the Olympics, don’t much interest me. Except golf, for some reason.

And though I occasionally have difficulty thinking of it as sport, sitting or standing in a boat with my brothers, angling for small- and largemouth bass, northern pike, and muskies.

Daily writing prompt

What would you do if you won the lottery?

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Assuming it’s a substantial amount… before claiming the prize, try to remain rational, keep as tight-lipped as possible, get some guidance on the best way to proceed, and make a couple of lists– people and organizations with whom we might want to share the winnings, and things we want to do or buy.

Personally speaking, my material list would include a place with a bit more acreage, with space for a wood shop, and a pickup truck. And fitted golf clubs.

If it was only a couple of bucks, then just buy more tickets and hope for the best.

Daily writing prompt

What books do you want to read?

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Preferably nonfiction, though I’d still like to cross War and Peace off my “to read” list.

At the moment, I’m reading Barack Obama’s first volume, A Promised Land, and it has taken a while to get through. Until I finish it, I’m only perusing the new titles at the library (we sometimes stop after going to the Y) but not taking anything home. This one needs my undivided attention.

What sometimes happens is that I will borrow from the library or download books from Prime and read them on my iPad, but then I end up ordering my own hard copies so I can underline and otherwise mark them up.

I try and mix up the genres of nonfiction, having recently read Jim Bouton’s classic Ball Four for the first time, along with another baseball book by Joe Posnanski; books by Adam Higginbotham, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Rachel Maddow, and Jon Meacham. I think I’ll probably look for Pete Buttigieg’s most recent offering– Trust— next, but only after finishing the Obama tome.

Daily writing prompt

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

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This is more difficult than I first thought. Currently, besides the usual birthday celebrations and a big Labor Day picnic we sometimes attend, it seems a couple events have the makings of tradition– our son and his family travel here from Maine for Thanksgiving, and we have Christmas morning with our other son and his family, who live only 5 miles away. Of late, a theme has been surprise visits to or from our daughter and son-in-law in Colorado. And for the last two or three years, we’ve gathered at our local son’s place for the Super Bowl.

Historically, Sunday dinner after church was a tradition for years; Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad’s with a big spread and a late church service; afternoon coffee and baked goods (we’ve come to call it fika) was a regular feature when we were visiting Mom and Dad, continued religiously by Mom after Dad died. I often still get the urge to “have a little something” mid-afternoon.

It seems like we’re less bound by traditions anymore, or maybe we’re just starting new ones that haven’t really settled in yet.

Daily writing prompt

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

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Being retired, I suppose I have nothing but leisure time. If I had to pick one thing, and conditions allowed, I’d probably give a nod to being out on a golf course somewhere.

In reality, there are several things that vie for top spot– taking a day trip, even if it’s just doing errands and having a meal out; working on a project of some sort, whether woodworking or cleaning and rearranging; visiting with family, near and far; playing the piano; working in our small yard, mowing grass, keeping things looking cared for; reading; putting a puzzle together; cooking; as much as I swear off such a thing at times, checking the newsfeed on my iPad; and sitting still, taking in the sights and sounds of an average day.

Daily writing prompt

Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting.

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The Eagles Mere toboggan slide. It’s weather-dependent, of course, because hundreds of 12-inch thick slabs of ice are needed for the run itself, and it ends on a lake that has to be thick enough to support the weight of many riders.

This winter, folks are actually talking as if it might happen. Fifty seconds of exhiliration, a quarter-mile long. A tradition since the early 1900s.