Dateline Dayton – What a whirlwind week. Friday the 13th was my day off, and it became the golf outing for the Learning Tree Farm. Although I don’t play, I volunteered as a hole monitor for the Hole In One contest on the ninth. One golfer came close and only three others made it to the green.

Despite the lack of excitement, it was a great event. 

After the golf and a few special events, the contestants headed to the Learning Farm for dinner. Prizes were awarded to many.

The golfers toured the Farm afterward.  They were familiar with the grounds, and they wanted to inspect the two-year-old improvements to our Bank Barn, with its new roof. The barn should be around for another hundred years. Two renovations to the barn have cost the Farm over $100,000. We still are fundraising events to pay for them. The golf outing was part of that plan.

A creative fundraiser is our Cow Pie Plop Contest. One ticket entitles you to a square of land. If one of your two cows does his or her business on your land, you are a winner. There are three prizes. If, after two hours, neither cow has deposited a plop, the winner is determined by a drawing. That never has been necessary. The contest is held in conjunction with the Farm’s Autumn Fest celebration the last Saturday in September.

Bad News

Unfortunately I was unable to make it back to the Farm. Pauline called. She was in the hospital. While running errands, she felt a pain in her chest. She went directly to the emergency room. By then, the pain had gone away. The doctor convinced her to check it out. After a day in the hospital, a cause could not be identified. By 6:45 in the evening, we were on our way home

We had plans to go out for supper with friends at Tony’s, our favorite Italian restaurant. We canceled. After what would have been a delicious meal, we went to the home of our friends for dessert and to reminisce about our younger days in Piqua, where Pauline and I were born.

On Saturday morning I attended an auction at the Stockyard Inn, which went out of business, after more than one hundred years. They had a lot of neat items, commanding very good prices. A painting of a hog sold for $4,000. A four special edition NCR Cash Register, in poor condition, went for $600. I was prepared to bid $50 even though that seemed high.

At noon I left for our granddaughter Madison’s soccer game. Her team lost, but she played well. Saturday evening we attended church and went out for a chicken dinner at our favorite barbeque restaurant.

Sunday I volunteered at Carillon Park for the seventh annual Dayton Concours d’Elegance car show. A great event to work because you have time to see beautiful cars, get a nutritious box lunch and a tee shirt. Your assignment might be boring, but it is worth the time.

Tuesday I was back at the soccer field of another of Madison’s soccer games. They lost again but she did play well. That is what it is about.

Classy Time

Wednesday was my high school class’s semi- monthly breakfast. We were back at Buffalo Jack’s in Covington following our previous picnic at Tom’s place on Fort Loramie Lake. We always have a good time when we get together and yesterday was no exception. The main discussion was the state of our country compared to the 1950s when we were growing up. Back then, disagreements were settled with a good fight, not guns and knives.

On Saturday Pauline and I will be traveling to Columbus for our granddaughter Julia’s soccer games.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net