by Stevo
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”. J.R. Tolkein
Most of you know me as Stevo, but at one time, I wanted to change my nick name to Snake Bite, but for some reason it did not take. Other nick names I have had in my lifetime, Yava, Didus, Fatoosh and Dutch. Here is a short story. (I feel nervous, as I have never written a blog before, or have I? I can’t remember)
I was born in Buffalo New York, at Sister’s of Charity Hospital. I have two sisters and a brother, Broooosssher as you all know him as Hollywood.
Most of the Windsor Tomcat ball hockey stories have been told, here is one, that I may have told some but not everyone has heard it. It was September 2018, we were at Windsor Tomcat training camp in Battle Creek Michigan. If you have never gone, and YOU ARE a golfer, you are missing out. But any who, it was a beautiful, September day and we, The Big Easy and Bubbles, also known as the Bubbler, were the first off that day on Gull Lake West, (It was a threesome as Sparky had to leave early to attend some high level union meetings). We were tearing up the course that day and when we got to the 18th (long par five, with an incredibly elevated green, we noticed that we could not see the foursome behind us. They were not on the tee box, nor were they on the 17th green. At that moment, as Stephen King said in his book, ’The Institute’, Great events turn on small hinges”, with our beer cooler empty we decided to run to our unit to get a drink. (They are not chalets. or townhouses, they are units).
At this moment in the story, everyone should know, that it is customary for the foursomes that go off first to stick around and watch as the next foursome approaches the 18th green and then the next foursome after that and so on. There are cheers for putts and of course boos as well. La Bamba is one of the most loved on the course and the other golfers love to cheer for him, Hatchie of course, gets booed.
With time on our side, we zipped to our units and Bubbles and the Big Easy went into theirs and I went into mine. I decided to take a quick shower, golfing and laughing and drinking beer on a beautiful September day can have a man work up a bit of a sweat. When I got out of the shower, I decided to mix two rye and cokes, a man can only drink so many beers in one day. I mixed one for me and one for the Big Easy, (Bubbles drinks Vodka) With the drinks mixed I knocked on the door of Big Easy’s unit. (Notice I said on the door of the unit not on Big Easy’s unit). I noticed that both the Bubbler and the Big Easy had wet hair, they either 1) had a shower or 2) just had some incredible sweaty sex. “Hey did you shower”? I asked for prosperity and to keep the mood light, just in case. “Yeah, you too”? They asked, I answered yes, and handed the Big Easy a drink, “Here I made this for you”. The Big Easy smiled that big easy smile of his.
With the door open to Big Easy’s unit, (I am talking about their apartment / living quarters) I could see a Bottle of Wolf’s Head Coffee Rye on the table. “Who’s is this”? I inquired, The Big Easy answered, “Sparky’s he left it behind as he did not want to take a partially bottle of booze across the border”. ‘Hmmmmm’, I thought to myself. There was a bit left and so I uncorked the bottle and poured some into The Big Easy’s travel mug and into my travel mug. (this is known as a topper). You top off a bit of booze on top of a drink that already has booze in it. Mr. Clean of Dearborn Michigan taught me that.
I placed the drinks in our drink holders and off we went, back to the 18th green.
I don’t know if it was the warm sun shining on to our stainless steel travel mugs, the splishing and splashing of the drink as we bounced along the path back to the 18th green on Gull Lake West or the showers we had taken making me feel fresh as a daisy, but after we parked facing the 18th I took a sip of my made up drink and boy oh boy, it is a moment I shall never forget. The taste of the two ryes, the coke, the ice cubes, the cool stainless steel mug and the company I was keeping, the drink was spectacular and on that day, the ‘SPARKY’ was born.
The next week at hockey I explained to Sparky a new love in my life, ’The Sparky’.
On a few occasions, sitting on my terrace, I will mix myself up a Sparky and of course text Sparky, and say, “I’m having a Sparky”.
Hollywood and the Tomcats…the world is upside down!
SOME LINES FROM MY FRIEND BILLY SHURCHUCK
- Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
- This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog…..we laughed a lot.
- So, after this quarantine…..will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I find them?
- My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
- Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.
SUMMER OF STEVO
Summer of Stevo will not be cancelled or postponed…in fact it began Friday at 2 pm. Welcome everyone.
SUGGESTION
If you are interested in watching an interesting show on Netflix, check out ‘Explained’, season two, ’The Next Pandemic”…it was released November 2019. It will open your eyes.
Thanks for reading, I am hoping another Tomcat steps up and writes something….Tomcat Spirit.
“Great events turn on small hinges” Stephen King (The Institute)
Stay Beautiful and TOMCATS FOREVER.
Stevo