Steve hosted his brother, Dick Robertson and Dick Krueger for a round of golf at Terrace View in Mankato Friday. It was raining buckets (2.5 inches) when Dick, Dick and Stan departed Shakopee. But when we got to Mankato, the clouds miraculously parted and we had a dry 18 holes, followed by Steve's All-American burgers and potato salad at the house.Robertson and Krueger are faithful winter-time golfing companions in Tucson, but they are Minnesotans during the summer. It was great seeing them again and, remarkably, great taking a couple dollars off them, as Robertson always insists on some kind of side game.
Today when I sat down to send Steve a note of gratitude for a lovely morning of golf, I found the following note in the inbox from a Mr. Krueger. It is an old joke, often retold, and it seems now as good a time as any to repeat it.
An American golfer playing in Ireland hooked his drive into the woods. Looking for his ball, he found a little Leprechaun flat on his back, a big bump on his head and the golfer's ball beside him. Horrified, the golfer got his water bottle from the cart and poured it over the little guy, reviving him.
'Arrgh! What happened?' the Leprechaun asked. 'Oh, I see. Well, ye got me fair and square. Ye get three wishes, so whaddya want?'
'Thank God, you're all right!' the golfer answers in relief. 'I don't want anything. I'm just glad you're okay, and I apologize. I really didn't mean to hit you.'
And the golfer walks off.
'What a nice guy,' the Leprechaun says to himself. 'But it was fair and square that he got me, and I have to do something for him. I'll give him the three things I would want - a great golf game, all the money he ever needs and a fantastic sex life.'
A year goes by (as it does in stories like this) and the American golfer is back. On the same hole, he again hits a bad drive into woods and the Leprechaun is there waiting for him.
'Twas me that made ye hit the ball here,' the little guy says. 'I just want to ask ye, how's yer golf game?'
'My game is fantastic!' the golfer answers. 'In fact, that's the first bad ball I've hit in a year! I'm an internationally famous golfer now.' He adds, 'By the way, it's good to see you're all right.'
'Oh, I'm fine now, thankee. I did that fer yer golf game, ya know. And tell me, how's yer money situation?'
'Why, it's just wonderful!' the golfer states. 'I win fortunes in golf. If I need cash, I just reach in my pocket and pull out $100 bills I didn't even know were there!'
'I did that fer ye also. And tell me, how's yer sex life?'
The golfer blushes, turns his head away in embarrassment, and says shyly, 'It's OK.'
'C'mon, c'mon now,' urged the Leprechaun, 'I'm wanting to know if I did good job. How many times a day?'
Blushing even more, the golfer looks around then whispers, 'Once, sometimes twice a week.'
'What?!?!' responds the Leprechaun in shock. 'That's all? Only once or twice a week?!'
'Well,' says the golfer, 'I figure that's not bad for a Catholic priest in a small parish.'
