Omaha

Since living in Wisconsin, my Packer Pride is in full swing, 

but of course our football season ended a week ago with an exciting game; 

a near amazing comeback 

and then a devastating overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals.  

But, I'm luckier than most NFL fans, I have a backup team.  

For 40 years living in Denver, I was a Bronco fan and I still am (unless they are playing my Packers).

Roche and I had season tickets for 6-8 years I think, never owning the rights, but always buying them from good friends Alice & Bob who had moved out of state.

 So, Sunday was fun football for me.  

I loved seeing the Broncos play well and beat the New England team that I don't care for. 

And a trip to the Superbowl for one of my teams makes it so much more fun.

I remember well very the first Super Bowl that the Broncos played in 1977, 

also the year I started at Coors Brewing Company.  

The one in 1998 when they did play the Packers was torment.  I remember lots of phone calls during that game from my Wisconsin friends and family.

Then there were a couple of the Superbowls in the '80s that went badly for The Broncos.

 My memories of attending Superbowl parties that were over at half time, 

yet we felt like we should stay, 

and be miserable, 

until the very end, 

like a wake.

But this year is exciting again for my old team.

The Peyton Manning story is a good one, yet the Cam Newton story is worth noting as well.

So, off to the Superbowl for the Denver Broncos 

and I'm hoping that they play well against the Carolina Panthers.

Back at the ranch, as they used to say in the movies, my stray kitty was absent for a few nights, 

and I was beginning to worry,  

but he returned last night and left his tiny prints on the porch in the fresh snow.

He was here about midnight too, but went into the shelter at 2:35am for a rest

Looks like he got an hour and a half of quiet time in the shelter.

I was talking about him to a friend on the phone admitting that I might as well name the cat, 

 and my friend suggested that the cat's name should be Omaha.

His shelter is made from an old Omaha Steaks cooler 

and that's the Denver Broncos Quarterbacks go-to chant before he calls for the ball to be snapped.

And so it is, now, this stray shall be named Omaha.  

I think he's an orange stripe too, so it's a perfect name for this vagabond.

Maybe he'll be a good luck charm for those Broncos when they play in two weeks,

in the meantime I'll keep feeding and sheltering Omaha.