Singles in the Heat

I was looking through last year's photos and realized how late the flowers are this year. This photo, taken on this date last year, has tiger lilies in the background. The 2008 tiger lilies have not yet emerged from the case they come in. But today was the warmest day of the year. It hasn't been to 90 degrees yet, but I saw 89 on my car thermometer on the way to crushing tennis balls, and the TV weather creatures affirmed 90. The grasses in the photo could qualify as "plant of the week" if I knew what they are. The Prairie Princess probably knows and I'll try to consult with her to find out. They are part of her ongoing project to turn my backyard into prairie.



I watched sports on the tube today. There was a lot of European activity. Germany eked out a victory over Turkey in one of the Euro 2008 semifinal games. Tomorrow the other semifinal pits Spain against Russia. The tennis action from Wimby was shown on ESPN. Novak Djokavic, the number 3 seed from Serbia, was upset by the unpredictable Marat Safin, and the number one woman player in the world, Ana Ivanovic, was nearly upset in the second round by a French woman. Lots of drama with match points reached and lost by both women, 6-7, 7-6, 10-8.

By 5 pm I was ready to play some tennis myself. The group of geezers numbered six tonight, so I was called upon to play a set of singles in the heat. It was my first attempt at singles in several months and it took me a while to remember how to play to win that version of the grand game. At my level of play it pays to go to the net at every opportunity and challenge the guy on the other side of the net to hit the ball past you. But it's pretty hard work for a retired guy when the temperature is 88. After a successful set, I played a set of doubles and called it a night. I think that I'll sleep well tonight.