Football is Back!

This was a terrific day! I love football season and I can't believe how much I was looking forward to it this year!

When I was in high school, I was in the marching band. We wore hideously hot woolen uniforms and the first few games of the season nearly killed some of us. I played the flute in concert band and played the base drum in the marching band. Yes ... I was insane. But, playing the base drum put me right in the middle of the drum section and that was the best place to be! However, that was one nasty heavy thing to be carrying around. Parades were the worst. A lot of marking time and standing up straight with that heavy thing hanging off my shoulders. Oh well ... as football season progressed, the temperature cooled off and rather than bolting for the locker room after halftime, we just stayed in our uniforms and climbed into the stands with our instruments, planning to make as much noise as possible. We were always ready to play our fight song when we scored.

The football team did pretty well those years. And I had a blast. After the home games there was always a sock hop in the cafeteria. Several members of my class had a rock band ... they were pretty good and managed to cover everything that we were listening to. Those nights were just a load of fun. I fell in love with football.

I didn't spend too much time watching football in college. I quickly lost my love of crowds and when I was at the University of Iowa, there was no way I was putting up with that insanity to watch a football game. At Coe College, the team stunk and I had no reason to waste my time watching them - there was always something better to be doing.

My brother played football in West Liberty, but he was the only one I knew on the team, so I didn't have as much fun watching them. Years passed ... high school football was a thing of my past and I really didn't have a pro football team to watch. So ... no football in my life.

Then, I married Max. I thought it was weird, but I wasn't going to make a big deal about it. Max never really watched football. He didn't make a big deal about it on Saturdays or Sundays or Mondays. I finally quit thinking about it. Until one day a few years into our marriage, I asked him about it. "Why don't you watch football? I always used to like it. Dad loved college football. Why don't you?"

I knew that Max's family were rabid Ohio State fans. He grew up just outside of Columbus.

Max's response to me floored me. He didn't want me to feel like I was a football widow and so he had just chosen to stay away from it.

Oh my goodness! I just giggled at him. "Honey, I love football. Turn the game on."

He didn't get too crazy. The first year we watched a few games on the weekends and every once in awhile he'd turn on a pro game. Over the years we've really built football back into our lives.

Now, I don't completely pay attention to every game that he watches. But, I love football season. It means he hangs out on the sofa in the living room with me. We talk during the game. When it gets cooler, I will curl up in blankets on the couch with him. I knit or I read or I watch the game.

I love spending time with him. I get the game of football for the most part and what I don't understand he enjoys explaining to me.

So ... football season is here. I'm so excited. Today was a great day. We probably watched 5 games today - bits and pieces of them. I learned interesting things while we were watching about the different locales. Max has an incredible knowledge of things and it's always entertaining to listen to him. I also did some knitting, read a few books (really ... it's a sick thing the way I consume fiction) and enjoyed the day.