Oh We've got Trouble..

…and it does indeed stand for pool. How did this retiree slide into the depths of “deg-ra-Day”?

My family recently acquired a vacation home and family haven on a bay in the Midwest. One of the reasons I chose the house was because it had a garage. I thought the garage would be a convenient place to store vehicles and water toys. My sons envisioned that game with the fifteen numbered balls- the devil’s tool.

Boxes and pallets were delivered, large heavy containers. Over the course of a few weekends the boys assembled a solid pool table. In the garage. Which can’t ever be moved. They rebuckled their knickerbockers below the knee, chalked their cues and racked the balls.

After a small refrigerator with enticing beverages appeared in the hangout, I decided to join them, too. I learned how to stand and peer at the ball, and bridge my fingers and stroke the stick. I scratched and fouled and began to see the shots and acquire a strategy. I beat my older son. ”So’s your old man!” I shouted.

Now I fritter away my noontime, suppertime, chore time and writing time.

I consider that the hours I spend
With a cue in my hand are golden.

And that’s the joy of becoming a Golden Ager. I have time to learn new games and have fun with the family. As my book character Charli says, “There’s always something exciting around the next corner.”
Lyrics quoted from “Ya Got Trouble, The Music Man