WOODY'S COMEBACK IS SHORT LIVED!

The Woody saga marches on.  I will start at the beginning on Tuesday February 11th.  I decided it was time to go back to the Y and get the Woody Machine back into peak running performance.  I arrived at the Keene Y at 10:32am and started with the stationary bike (no problem)  After 20 minutes of pure boredom  I progressed to the treadmill for another 20 minutes.  15 minutes in and was bored stiff, so I thought "what the heck" my heel spurs and plantar fasciitis that had kept me from running for the last 7 years were far in my rear view mirror, so we speeded the bad puppy up and Woody was back running with the wind!  

   
After that rush of adrenaline I then quickly went thru all the weight lifting stations and much to my surprise I was putting on quite the show.  Many were oohing and ahhing and I even spotted one person trying to sneakily take pictures with their phone.  To say I was feeling pretty good would be an understatement. I decided that I had created enough excitement so I then proceeded into the track area (overlooks the basketball court) for some stretching of Woody's now heavily tuned physique!

While stretching, Woody noticed an open hoop so he then decided  Let's see if Woody can still hit the sky hook from deep in the corner.  He  no sooner got down to the court when  somebody yelled, Hey, do you wanna play?  And that was all it took.  It was like the call of the wild to a young buck!  SURE, I said.  So, lo and behold, Woody was back running free and easy.  Game 1 went well but Woody quickly figured out these guys have no idea who Woody was and the extent of his game because for all practical purposes it felt like they were playing keep away.

Game 2 started and another player showed up and Woody was left out of the 8 man roster.  No problem.  This would allow Woody to get a few shots up on the side hoop to get some of the rust off his game.

Game 3 started and Woody was back in again, but much more determined and with a better game plan.  Woody decided to take it slow and easy but to start handling the ball some.  Woody was able to haul down a couple of defensive boards and instead of passing the ball off and never seeing it again, decided to bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense himself.   Woody made back to back picture pretty passes that led to easy layups.  All of a sudden high fives, chest bumps, and Woody was now beginning to be accepted.  Next trip down the court cemented Woody's position with the group.  The ball was on the wing and Woody ran the baseline and received  his first pass of the day and what happened next was throwback Woody - an over the head underhand scoop with english on it - nothing but net basket that brought cheers from not only the players, but the Special Olympics group on Court 2 who absolutely went bonkers!  Woody was back!  Next trip down Woody received his second pass of the day and instantly jacked up a long three, and it rattled in and then out.  But it was apparent Woody had game!

Lo and behold just when it seemed like all was well and Woody would be going over to Ted's Sport + Shoe store for a new set of hoop apparel,  IT happened.

Woody was posting up and he received his 3rd straight pass and with a little shake + bake, had a clear path to the hoop for an underhand scoop layup when someone kicked Woody in the left calf. (or so he thought) Woody barely got the layup off and he thought he had pulled a calf muscle.  Woody tried to walk it off but no luck.  He had all he could do to hobble out of the gym so he left at 1:07pm  hoping he would feel better after getting home.

Wednesday was spent at home prepping for  colonoscopy.  Some know how much fun that is!  And if you don't know, you will soon enough!  Thursday was procedure day. (good news Woody was clean as a whistle :))  Thursday afternoon thru Friday were spent trying to plow and shovel from an 18 inch nor'easter.  Needless to say by the time we got to the end of Friday Mr. + Mrs. Woody were physically beat.  Woody was now dragging leg and Mrs. Woody was in agony.  Woody decided it was time to see the doctor.  After calling around he got an appointment for Monday in Bratt.

Woody gets news -  ruptured achilles tendon.  Not only would Woody's comeback be put on hold, but it looks like Woody might be put out to pasture when it's all said and done.

Below is Woody  blissfully coming out of surgery.  It is reported that Mrs. Woody heard him humming the old Beatles tune, "I get high with a little help from my friends"

Woody went with the blue cast, to keep with his ever styling' sense of fashion!!!!

It is safe to say that Woody will be chillin' with not too many smiles for the next 3-6 months, unless Mrs. Woody decides to bring him some more of those nice warm blankets from the hospital  so he can be snug as a bug in a rug, along with some of her famous college "brownies."

Ta Ta for now!

Woody

   

"Moose Mtn. Under Siege"

At 1st glance one might think; oh how beautiful ! And yes it is, but look more closely & think a little out of the box and one might realize just how deep that snow really is. The swing on Moose Mtn. was  hung a few years back, not for small children,  but primarily for 3 young ladies ranging from 20 to 25 years old.

                       Yeh!  Now you are getting the drift! The Moose Mt. Sign hangs from the iron hanger at approx. 6 feet high. To say that the snow has reached beyond  Big Woody's  confort zone  is an understatement !                                            

Neighbors are asking if they can use the driveway for a Luge Run in preperation for Keene Special Olympics ( presently under consideration by Mr & Mrs Woody ) ; we are thinking about holding out for special seeding in the dual seniors division for granting permission !

Big Woody has had his hands full keeping everthing  clear & open for business as usual. Although even Big Woody has his limits to his patience & sense of enough is enough! It gets harder & harder to throw that snow up & over. But the Meter reader & oil man certainly appreciate it

Now to all those who are really with it ; what do you notice about this picture ? If you guessed that this is the only clear driveway in New Hampshire & possibly New England you are absolutely correct!. Anyone who has ever lifted a shoval on  Moose Mtn.. can not only imagine how many shoval fulls of snow have been removed but they probably are rejoicing that they have made no recent trips to the Mtn.  

Yes now you are finally getting the picture. This has been one heck of a winter & Big Woody is sick & tired of it. Mr & Mrs Woody have started packing; so all the little Woodchucks need to get their stuff in order as there will be positively no more "Winters in Wonderland " as Woody is about dead!  We will be spending next winter on FLAT GROUND !!!!         :)                                                                    
                                                                            
                                                                    

"Co-Existing With The Mountain"

This story goes back approximitely 10 years or so when we were moving back from North Dighton Mass. We were house hunting & of course at this point in time Mr & Mrs Woody had 4 children who had some input into this hunt as well. Well we had searched high &  low & come up with nothing that would work for " The Woody Family " when low & behold we saw it;   " Mouse Mountain" One might say it was  similiar for Big Woody at least  as the 1st time he ever beheld the sight of Mrs Woody - Yes smittened/ stunned/awe struck      you guessed it   " Love at 1st Sight ".  Well there was one Big Problem  with Moose Mtn.-   The Driveway !
It was a disaster; barley passable & we had a 4 wheel drive surburban! The Woody Family was in a pickle, beautiful spot but would it be possible to finish the job of raising the rest of the little woodchucks on " Mouse Mt. ". We rassled with the delima for a while but nothing seemed to compare so we decided to fix the driveway; paving the last STEEP 300 yards and make it work.        "  Thus the Driveway Rules "   now Big Woody was certainley as stated before never accused of being the sharpest cranyon in the box; but he was clever enough to realize after loosing the battle with the driveway one winter to never let it happen again. How it happened was unavoidable. It was Christmas Day a couple of years after we had arrived on the Mtn. and the festivities were beginning and no sooner had the relatives started showing up & when it started to snow. Woodys rules of no driving up hill until snow has been removed; would have to be put aside or Woody would become the Worlds  #1  Scrooge  -  making guest "Walk The Hill" on Christmas   would have made the Drukes wedding drivway episode with Wanski a non event) but back to the story! Woody did his best to have a Merry Christmas but in truth kept telling each & every guest that they better get going before they got snowed in! We had nearly a foot of snow before the last car slid off the hill and yes the damage had been done!  Woody had Lost Control of The Driveway ! For a good two weeks all the little Woodchucks had to walk to & from the barn! Some decided ( homeschooling) to stay home untill the hill melted but some had no choice. Groceries were brought up by sled - Woody vowed right then & there that even if he had to stand guard that he would do everything humanly possible to not let that happen again! Thus Big Woody decided to hand shovel the paved part of driveway or use leaf blower, brooms, whatever it takes to keep it free of snow (  thus for no ice forming later ) ! 
It took a lot of sticktuitveness but Woody finally got all delivery people to either deliver to barn ( part-way up driveway - way before steep part ) or to call Woody on his cell for clearance! One of the advantages of this endeaver was Big Woody never needed to waste time goin to the gym because "The Hill" was workout enough (say nothing about the deck,walks,roofs,barn-yard,etc.)Woody never big on wasten time; shovels at a clip. Many have been amused over the years when they see Woodys attire while he is clearing snow ( see picture ) but in fact; it is Big Woody who is really amazed when at times others have come to chip in & help & while they are dressed like they are out for a  walk in the  Ant -Artic.

Well sure enough this Christmas things were going great & then the forcast      "Noreaster Coming"  sure enough Moose Mtn. got hit with 15 inches.  and 50 mile an hour wind gust!    Yep, snowed in  on the Mountain!  We were as ready as possible ; plow on truck, Kabota up on top and all shovels ready to go. It sure did look beautifull when the snow stopped but then snow-removall took on a whole new meaning for all of Woodys visitors!

 Jon,Josh,Jason,Lillie,&Heidi all took  turns, as part time shovelers. The help was greatly appreciated but Big Woody stuck to it & several days later everything was clear and Life was back to normal on Moose Mtn. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

As you can see there was some time for playing in the snow also! Dana & Jon were a little nervous that they would be changing their legal address but they did make it off the mountain & back to Virginia after much fretting & planning & replanning evacultion plans! But all in all it was a great Christmas Event on Moose Mountian !

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to All !!!

Luv Mr. and Mrs. Big Woody   :)

"Woody Goes Back To School"

Yes it true ! Woody proves it is never to late to learn something new. Take a gander below; Woody on day one of   " Boarding School"  I was not sure what to expect, as it has been a while since Woody has been involved in the college invirament but no problem; as you can surely see  " Woody was  perfectly at peace in his new invirament!"       - Woody was a bit nervous but just like a fish in swimming class - Boarding and Woody were a natural !

                                                             Woody 1st class (below)

      Yes Woody 1st night class   " Boarding 101" Let the Fun Begin!  I must admit it took Big Woody a minute or two to get his boarding legs under him ( good thing for the light pole) but sure as shootin foul shots or riding a bike ; within minutes Woody was "In the Flow) !
     Woody  feeling "On Top of His Game" decided to skip, the beginning of class #2  and  take advantage of his "New Student Credentials" and check out the books over at Library . Yes it was quite the event to Woody's New College Classmates and yes it raised a few eyebrows as Big Woody boarded right on over !                                                                            

                                                                                                                                            
Needless to say ;Big Woody was leaving his mark. Most of the students were having a great time watching Woody fly around campus.I must admit ; I think I was getting a bit full of myself and may have jumped the gun a bit when I told the instructor that I was ready to "Ride the Stairs" but you know one of Woodys sayings; "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" So even though a bit scary - Woody said "Bring it On"!

        Yes you guessed it after 2 classes Woody was carrying an A average. Things were going so good that when the Instructure asked "Is anybody up for free styln" Woody was the 1st one to raise his hand. So the Professor   (probably trying to teach Woody a little humility sd. Lets try "The Wall "  Woody sucked it up and as you can see to your left - "Woody took on "The Wall"!  Big Woody was gettin a little winded and more than a little hungry  so you guessed it . Woody being the Big Spender that he is decided that He and Mrs Woody should get a bite to eat!
                                                                    So over to the Hoot and Scoot they headed for a night of fine dinin!                                                                   

Big Woody not being as young as He once was decided not to hang out with the rest of the class as it was creepin on 7:00pm & he was plum tuckered out plus Final Exams were fast approaching for this Super Cramned Course so at Mrs. Woody's incouraging he decided to call it a night, plus he wanted to bring his A+ game to  the "Finals" ! The Big Day had come ( pics below )  

As you can see Woody and the other "Boarders" were all smiles before Instructure passed out the Final Exam !    Well , Woody thinks he did OK on it but there were a couple of tough questions like what is the absolute best lubricant to use on titanium bearings, and who was the best in USA in 1999 in Free-stylin ? But all in all Woody is confident ; as they say " Time will Tell " !  Well Big Woody just received his final grade and well   YES it was an A+ plus Woody was voted as "Most Likely To Succeed"   All in All  just like those New England Patriots , Big Woody just keeps right on Rolling Along!

                                                                    Merry Christmas   from Mr & Mrs Woody
PS      Woody has decided to share his talents so he is tutoring his best friend on all that he has learned at Keene State College - Boarding 101    ( pic below)

Ta ta for now.  Big Woodys got to oil his boards !!!      :)                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                               

"The Calm Before The Storm"

Tiss the slow season on the Mountain - while should I say the  " Time to catch your breath Season ". It has been nice; pretty quite; except for the middle of the night health care phone-calls and numerous trips to Doctors and ER..  Mr & Mrs Woody have gotten a bunch of bike rides & numerous walks in several locations. It has been really a beautiful mild fall season one to cherish & enjoy cuz winter is coming! Those smiles that you see on our faces; hopefully will still be there in Mid Febuary ( after back to back blizzards & shoveling the driveway,roofs,&deck) tiss the season to be jolly!
While next week is Thanksgiving and thus; inevibally life will speed up! In an attempt to keep the pace  somewhat under control Mr & Mrs Woody have decided to do Thanksgiving Dinner out this year - The Summit - should be an exciting change of pace! Woody will keep you posted on things.( such as menu - People in attendance; etc. ) Thanksgiving this year will have us somewhat scattered about as not all will be able to attend to proceedings at the  Summit but allas such is life !  Our local teams  Patriots & Celtics are off to great starts and both will be hard to beat come playoff time. Pats have Brady & Celtics have Rondo both the best at their positions in their  particular  Sport !  College Hoops has started so we are watching William & Mary ( 0&2 out of the gate but after Syr. game, things will hopefully pick up) & of course N.D. scores regulary & lets hope there is some excitement ahead on both fronts!
Mrs Woody has started getting in the "Christmas Spirit" with shopping and making stuff & Big Woody even bought 1 present himself for lillie ( might not be able to wait & may be birthday present instead)!
In case you are wondering yes the leaves are all cleaned up & we have got the Moose Mountain ready for Winter - Mr & Mrs Woody even pick up each leave that we find on the ground as we are walking up & down the driveway on our walks! ( You know how Mrs Woody can't stand having even a leaf on the property!)    :)     Well, as they say  "Let it Snow"             Please -  Not Yet    The
Woody Files will return after Turkey Day              Bye Bye for Now !
                                                      Woody     :)

Mr & Mrs Woody under the Dome

Well we left the Mountain ! Last Friday we ventured off Moose Mtn. & headed west for the weekend; our trip started Friday morning at 9:00am as we got in the car & headed south on 91 . Less than 2 hrs later we were having breakfeast at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks Conn. & after my traditional scrambled eggs ( Mrs Woody went for the bagel ) we boarded the " Big Bird ' ( better known as the SWA 747 ) and headed towards the Windy City. And we did hit some turbulance ( Mrs Woody handled it like a trooper ). soon we landed & got our rental in a snap ( Dollar Express Member); it pays to be a high roller!
Got in and headed out on 55 street - all was going smoothly.   They had asked if we needed a map at the Dollar Window; Mrs Woody said ,"yes please"  Big Woody sd.  " No Need - know the Rte by Heart"
So off we started. I asked Mrs Woody if she would send one of the kids a text & she said as soon as we got on 90 east she would ( one takes that 86 miles to South Bend )  Woody again stated something to the effect that,   I could do this in my sleep!               You guessed it after Mrs Woody sent text she looked up & we were indeed on the Indiana Turnpike but Rt 94 not 90.    Woody being Woody -   Wrong Again !!!
But Mrs Woody ( who had gotten that previousley mentioned map) simply and calmly - explained how we would connect to our rt a few miles ahead.   So we got back on course & preceded along our way.
Woody was not going to let anything get in our way of a god time in South Bend. We were making great time - actaully all but erasing time lost for missed turn when Mrs Woody politely suggested that we were in no hurry & perhaps we should slow down a bit. But Big Woody was antsy so we kept on trucking. About 1 hour later sure enough lights were flashing and it was not cuz of construction -  You guessed it  The Woody Mobile was being pulled over ! Hard to believe but Big BuBBa was at my window    " Do you know why I am pulling you over ?"  Well Woody not the sharpest tool in the toolbox but  sd.  "Yes Sir - going too fast" he said what do you have to say - I sd. " Well usually I am a safe driver (a little white lie) but We are from NH & we are trying to get to ND to take a son out to dinner.     He sd. wait here please & he went to get the scoop on Big Woody -      He came back & sd.       " Warning "     Boy was I releaved as I was not doing so well on the 1st hour of this trip. Mrs Woody was again very calme with no " I told you so s or anything"

At this point Big Woody would have been a little flustered had the shoe been on the other foot! But on we went. We went over to Irish Row & saw the Sons new place & low & behold his appartment was in perfect order. We were pretty inpressed , we had a good evening & things were going pretty good untill Mr & Mrs Woody decided to walk from T Blacks to the Stadium for tailgatting before game. During lunch Big Woody realized mistake #3   tickets were back at the Blacks. (2 miles away) Fortunitley T. Black sd. take the Golf cart. While I won't even try and tell the story about the ride; I will leave that to Mrs Woody &/or Jason to translate how Woody navigated the sea of humanity to get us thru but  let me just say that it was Big Woody at his best!!!

As we gave our ticket to the usher and he showed us our seats the picture you see above, we are actaully standing on our seats.  The very LAST row at the top of the stadium; but NOTHING could dampen the spirits of Mr. and Mrs. Woody as they were sharing time alone under the big dome!

As always Mr & Mrs Woody enjoyed their trip away from the Rat Race & Mrs Woody was truely a trooper to put up with Woodys  Foolishness again  !!!  Till next time so goes the life of Mr. and Mrs. Woody.

"Deer Lillie Takes a Bike Ride"

Lillie's first bike ride with Mr. and Mrs. Woody

Lillie had apparently heard to many stories about Papas driving ability as you can see; she was holding on for dear life! Well that was how we started but low and behold as she gained the much needed confidence that each & every-one of Papa's passengers get (on bike or in a vehicle driven by Big Woody ) she relaxed & the fun started! I had ben given special riding instructons by Mrs. Woody for this particular trip; such as stopping at all red lights & stop signs etc. This is the start of the Keene Bike Path. Well within minutes Lillie had gotten completely comfortable with Big Woody Talents not only as a professional bike driver but also as a certified tour guide. She was all smiles within minutes & started kicking ; which might have bothered 99% of drivers but not the "New Woody" we just referred back to chapter #1 in the "Woody Learning To Be Nice Book" and took it in stride! This also toke Mr & Mrs Woody back in time - kinda like a time machine. Back to a time many moons ago when Big Woody parted his hair in the middle & wore a bandana and the Woodys would put the little one on the back of the bike & brings snacks & head out for the afternoon along with Kelly on a long bike ride. So long that we had to bring bungie cords so that when "The Penster fell asleep we could tie her more upright in the seat so as her neck wouldn't snap to much on the bumps! One time we went so far &it was so hot that Kelly finally collaped ( heat exustion ) that we had to stop & find her water & then walk after she recovered enough! Well Lillie's trip was not as long but it was sure enjoyable as she loved being out & about and she seemed fasinated by the experience - as a matter of fact I do believe that she probably has inherited the I luv bike gene along with some others as she seemed to enjoy it just like we were riding to the store at Fork Md or the Penny Candy  Store in Emerald Island or Maine! As a matter of fact we decided in honor of the kids we would stop at the Ye Goodie Shop & get a large non-parrel. And yes Lillie did enjoy that part also. The only part she didn't seem to really like was when it ended! But I told her that because of the Bike Gene she would be doing a lot more of this.  we got to see several dogs & birds and runners & many people going about their daily lives & Lillie seemed to like the exillerating feeling of buzzing along and actually going faster than most animals & people were going! All in all I am not sure if Lillie liked it more or Mr & Mrs Woody liked the experiance or the memories it brought back but in any case it was surely an enjoyable experience for all !  Take a look at her face after she got used to it!