Grass Courts and Tennis Whites

Before leaving the Old Farmer Days last weekend, Richard waved goodbye to Josh’s Uncle Brad by saying “I’ll give you a call so we can coordinate our outfits next time.” This joke, which was inspired by the matching outfits—white v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans—that Brad and Richard were wearing (when Richard _was_ wearing a shirt, it must be noted), needed to be explained to Brad. In a return explanation, Brad countered: “I used to always have the t-shirts with round head holes, but I had to rip them to get them around my neck, so Phyllis started buying me this kind.”


In addition to having the neck of a bulldog, Brad is notorious for having once chased his son Brian down the road with a pitchfork for not swinging hard enough in batting practice. (I don’t know if that is true or not, and Uncle Brad used to drive me up my drive way after school in times of terrible weather, so I would be remiss if I did not mention these items with great fondness.)

Josh’s other favorite anecdote about going to Brad and Phyllis’s is that his cousins had a grass basketball court, where the ball frequently rolled down the hill, away from the hoop, and where there were dirt patches at the free throw line, below the basket, and on either side of the post.

This has been a very good week for Josh, and for Henry too, for today Josh put a backboard on his basketball hoop, and now we have a grass court too! It’s like being at Wimbledon, so please be sure to wear white when you come to play!