I’d like to know how I got back to Russell yesterday. If I had my druthers, I would have stayed another day in Kansas City and driven straight to Smith Center, but I forgot my parka and did not have any warm clothes for tonight’s game, so I had to go home.

I was dead tired all morning. Got the chills again and then could not get up. It was worse when I stood up, because there a couple of times I felt like I would fall down. It was awful, but then again, I’ve felt far, far worse. At least I could breathe without pain.

I finally mustered enough strength to pack the room and load my car right at noon. Problem was, it was pouring. Still. It started raining at midnight Wednesday, minutes after the Royals scored the winning run in the American League wild card game vs. Oakland. It rained most of Wednesday and continued into Thursday.

It was pouring all the way from the Courtyard Briarcliff to the tollbooth at the Kansas Turnpike seven miles west of Bonner Springs. The rain began to let up from there, but it would not totally stop until I got out of Shawnee County.

I apologize for the gap yesterday. When I got home at 4, I fell asleep right away. Didn’t get up until just before 8, when I turned on the Royals-Angels game.

I tried putting some food other than crackers in my stomach on the drive back to Russell. Bad idea. I had two slices of pizza from the Hy-Vee gas station in Topeka after I filled up, and then a Big Mac in Salina. Ouch. It wasn’t until I took Alka-Seltzer did it go away.

Now it’s time for me to go to Smith Center, where the Redmen figure to be in a nasty mood tonight. The game vs. Republic County would be no contest in any situation, but it may get very ugly this time because Smith Center is seething after losing at Norton, and rather easily at that.

This weather just doesn’t give up. After back-to-back weeks where kickoff temperatures were north of 80 and I was in shorts, I’m back to full winter gear tonight. Warm socks, turtleneck, one or two more layers under my parka, and of course, my camouflage hood. I’ll look pretty dorky.

No Buffalo Wild Wings Sunday for sure. Not going to fight crowds for NASCAR at noon, Chiefs at 3:25 and Royals at 6:30. Saturday? Probably not. Monday? More likely.