Now It's Quiet for a Sunday

I do NOT understand how I keep letting myself stay up until wee hours watching TV when I know I have to be up early in the morning, this time for golf as usual. And we had an 8:20 AM tee time. Although today it's just Greg and I as I'm still reeling about Scott's revelation that he had a stroke last week. I am almost thinking it's because of the heat we played in as even I was drained for at least a couple of hours after we played. Needless to say I'm going to miss playing with him today even though as I mentioned I stayed up so late that I barely had 4 hours of sleep. Which ensured I'd be tired playing golf. Sigh. How can I play good golf when I'm tired? As it was I did get up on time and I noticed it was actually much less warm today, even bordering on very cool. Not cold. But cool. And then I realized it was because of the fact that a layer of dust from the fires is still in the air hovering above Southern California. Case in point, the first picture I posted. That would be Griffith Park in the far background. But it wasn't surrounded by clear blue skies like it should have been. It was surrounded by gray haze. Better than the orange haze now plaguing the Pacific Northwest. But not a good idea to stay out here too long I suppose. Anyway, despite all that here I am right on time at 8 AM, with my breakfast in hand. Bacon egg and cheese McGriddle today. There was too long of a line at Starbucks. Can you imagine that at 7:20 on a Sunday morning?@! As far as the golf itself, I just focused on one idea: I must not let myself get sped up. Relax and slow down my swing, everything will be ok. Easy to say though, much harder to do it in the moment, right when you're already swinging away. Anyway this morning i told Greg all about Scott and he was as shocked as I was. And he was pretty sure too it was because we had played in that heat last Sunday. Not anywhere near that hot today. But I swatted my first tee shot... 20 feet from the hole. Nice way to start my game. Fortunately I did blast the 2nd shot 175 yards down the fairway, but then sent the next shot into the sand trap. I think I had a legit 8 that first hole. I had better shots on the next hole, but sent the shot to the green way over the hole. Here I am already trying to tell myself... remove the number of whiffs and you will score just fine. Again, easier said than done. I whiffed the tee shot on Hole 3 but got to the fringe in 2. Only to miss my putt. Sigh. Still off track. Hole 4, I deposited my 2nd shot right in the sand trap. Hole 5, I kept hitting it short 2 shots in a row even with a direct line to the hole after a nice tee shot. Hole 5 I did hit a nice iron to the fairway to get within 75 yards of that funnel hole. But again I missed the putt. Hole 6 I hit the tree but it knocked my shot right back to the fairway and I got to the green on the next shot but more than 20 yards from the hole. The 3-putt gave me a 5. In the meantime, I wasn't really paying attention to how Greg was playing. He was beating me for sure but I didn't care. I'm treating this like a practice round and I am sure not practicing well. I'm just not hitting my irons from the fairway well. Not well enough anyway. Hole 8 I shot into the sand trap again. Finally on hole 9 I broke through. I hit my tee shot short with an iron. But nearly sank a long chip from there. And then made a long putt for my only par of the day. Too bad Greg made a birdie on that same hole. Still it was good to finish well, even if I didn't play well all in all. I will note though that on that last hole, I finally focused sufficiently such that I just told myself the ball is going in the hole. From 25 feet. And it did. I really should have been doing that all along shouldn't I? It was my own doubt that sped me up and which was why I didn't focus enough. Learning need for next time. 
I went home and picked up an IN-N-Out double double on the way home for lunch. And then tried to take a nap. I was home by 11:30. I was on the couch for the next 3 1/2 hours, only venturing to get up to do my laundry for my towels, and then to walk to Ralphs to finish my grocery shopping. I picked up some stew ingredients and made Arnel's beef stew for dinner. Before going to bed, I get yet another call from Lisa. She wants to go swimming first thing in the morning in the ocean. No, I didn't have to go with. But I did have to watch Johnnie. I promised to be at her house by 7:15. Weekend over. Quiet Sunday all done.