Battling the Elements: A Rainy Homecoming Adventure

Rainy but we have a tent

Saturday was Homecoming at Washburn University. The forecast for the day was rain all day long. That did not stop Carrie and I from going out to tailgate and watch some football. Carrie was a judge in the parade, so we had to get her out there at 9:45 to get instructions on judging. Yes, it rained the whole day and at times it poured so hard it was difficult to see the scoreboard or south end of the end zone. We persevered through the rain and stayed almost to the end.

There were three weather delays because of lightning strikes. We made it through the first two weather delays. However, the third delay occurred with about one minute and forty-five seconds left in the game, with the Ichabods facing a third down and trailing 14-13. When the third weather delay occurred, we decided to head home and listen on the radio. We got everything packed up and we were almost home when we listened to the end of the game.

Cold Carrie with Lots of Blankets

While it rained the whole day, I did not get cold until about the fourth quarter. My feet started to get a little cold after standing in puddles and mud in our corner.  We had to try and keep Carrie warm, so we gathered all the blankets and put them on her for the second half. She is a trooper going out to games with me this year. We had a blast tailgating and cheering on the Ichabods and I think Carrie enjoyed a parade for the first time in her life. She has never been a big fan of parades, but I think she liked judging and being actively participating in the process.

Carrie Judging the Parade

There was a good turnout for the parade even with the rain. The kids that did show up had all the candy they could collect. As we were leaving the game at the end of the day, I could see candy that had been thrown out during the parade on the ground, so it had not all been collected. It had been a while since Washburn had done a Homecoming parade. It was fun with around 95 entries and there was a good crowd around along the route. It was good to see and fun to see others out for the parade.

This will be out last game of the season. We will miss the game on November 9, so we said our good-byes until next season to Jonny who has been our tailgate neighbor for as long as I can remember. We told him there might be others in our spot for next week, but we would miss it. 

A frustrating season for sure for the Ichabods, but we had a great time tailgating and cheering on the Ichabods all season. We even made it to another stadium to watch them this year. We are ready for basketball season to start.

Until next time, have a great week!

Cold, Snow, Ice, Sweaters, and Spring Right Around the Corner

Oliver Sweater

Cold, snowy, and short days the past few weeks but days are getting longer. I did notice this past week when driving home from work that the sun was setting and it was almost 5:30. I had left work late and driving home noticing there was still light in the sky and pink in the western sky. It was beautiful! No, I did not get a picture taken, but I did enjoy the fact that it does mean the days are gradually getting longer.

A few times when letting Oliver out to do his business, he would stand to lift one paw and then the other. He immediately started shivering as it was sub-zero temperatures. Poor guy! Carrie would carry him out to the middle of the yard a few times just to help his little paws. He was a sweater puppy when it is cold and seems to like wearing the sweaters. We did have one day where it got up in the twenties or so and Oliver wanted to spend time outside enjoying the sun. Crazy guy!

It has been below zero multiple days and snow on the ground multiple days which is longer than I recall in the past few years. As a kid, I recall having snow on the ground for days, or weeks, but the past couple of years it seems like it will snow and be gone after a few days. Not with the latest snow falls we have had lately. The temperatures hovering around zero allow the grassy areas, and even some streets/pavement, to keep a covering of snow. 

Last weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs played in one of the coldest games in NFL history. I was glad to watch the game from the comfort of a home and my beer not freezing. It was not a game I wished I was at while watching on television. I spoke to friends who did attend and it sounded miserable although they did say how they can say they were there and stuck it out to the end... well, almost the end. They left partway through the fourth quarter. Stories to tell though of frozen beers, ice for feet, and noses freezing. Good times!

Rest assured that the days are getting longer and it will soon be spring here in Kansas. The warm weather will be here before we know it and Oliver cannot wait!

Stay warm and I will talk to you next week...

No Grilling Yet... Odd Weather!

No, I have not done any grilling yet. I have some recipes and I am ready to go, but the weather here in Kansas has not been very good. Cold, rainy, and not very good to be outside. I do plan on taking some ideas I gathered from the status replies I received from FaceBook (see Grilling Ideas) and using them once it warms up.

The weather through the weekend does not look good at all! Rainy and cold! I am so ready for Spring to continue what it had started a few weeks ago. We did see some nice weather for a few days.... Some days I should have found time to get out to play golf, but as it were, the NCAA tourney was in session and I wanted to watch basketball.

The grilling will begin and I think it will be soon! Along with it, I do plan on starting my golf game too. More on that in another post....

Now, back to watching the Kentucky vs. Ohio State NCAA basketball game. KU already advanced to the Elite Eight.