Wed, Nov 25 2009
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Published November 09, 2009 09:33 pm - I spent most of the weekend trying to stop time. I tried to delay the inevitable, to put off what won’t be put off. What I was trying to do was pretend that it will always be sunny and 70 degrees. I tried to pretend that it’s normal to encounter a springlike Saturday afternoon during the first week of November. I tried to pretend that those blustery, cold, icy, chill-to-the-bones days that are surely to come won’t come. Mike Pound: Ah, springtime weekend in November I spent most of the weekend trying to stop time. I tried to delay the inevitable, to put off what won’t be put off.
What I was trying to do was pretend that it will always be sunny and 70 degrees. I tried to pretend that it’s normal to encounter a springlike Saturday afternoon during the first week of November. I tried to pretend that those blustery, cold, icy, chill-to-the-bones days that are surely to come won’t come. I know it’s silly, but I do it every year. I try to hang onto the sun and the warmth, and postpone the clouds and the cold. I spent part of Saturday flipping brats on a big grill at a tailgate party. Originally, I didn’t think I would be flipping brats at the tailgate party. I figured it would be much too cold to do something like that. What I figured I would be doing was serving up piping hot bowls of chili or some other cold-weather fare. Thankfully, I figured wrong. After all the brats had been flipped, I sat down and chatted with some friends. I listened and laughed while Missouri Southern women’s basketball coach Maryann Mitts and her staff talked about basketball and this year’s team. Maryann said she really likes this year’s team. She told me that all the women on the team get along and are really good kids. Almost too good, it seems. Maryann told me that earlier that day at practice, she had to sort of forcefully remind a player to cut to the baseline quicker. And when she finished reminding her, the player said, “Yes, coach. Thank you.” After she told the story, Maryann laughed. I get the feeling that Maryann doesn’t get many “thank yous” at practice. Later, our 11-year-old daughter, Emma, reminded me that I promised to play volleyball with her. I reminded Emma that, many years ago, I promised her she could have a pony. “I don’t remember that,” Emma said. “That’s why you don’t have a pony,” I said. I really didn’t want to play volleyball with Emma. I’m sort of old, and after playing volleyball with Emma, I usually need to fix myself an aspirin sandwich. But then I thought about the weather and the fact that it’s November already. Before long, it will be too cold to play volleyball outdoors with Emma. I also thought about the fact that Emma’s 12th birthday is coming up. Before long, Emma probably won’t want to play volleyball with me. Before long, Emma probably won’t want to be seen with me in public. Heck, I don’t even like being seen with me in public. So, I got up from my comfortable chair in the sun and played volleyball with Emma. Later that day, we piled into my car and headed up to Kansas City for the rest of the weekend. On the way up to Kansas City, Emma read a book, my wife worked on some sort of work-related project, and I listened to “A Prairie Home Companion” on NPR. 
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