By MONTE DUTTON

The waitress had her back turned. She was doing something at the grill.

“How many days are there this month?” she asked to no one in particular.

I’ve a little in common with those guys in the commercials who have turned into their parents. I’m gregarious.

“Thirty days,” I say. “Next month is 31. The one after that is 30.” I still use that old “30 days hath September” guide.

“It doesn’t really matter,” she says.

“Me, neither,” I reply, “not since I stopped wearing a watch.”

A couple customers chuckled, not because what I’d said was funny but because it might be.

“Did you ever have one of those watches that had the day of the month in a little box?” I ask. “Every month that isn’t 30 days, you have to wind it up or back.”

I’ve decided I need a watch again. I thought the cell would handle that, but I shy away from overreliance on my phone. I also don’t have an alarm clock. I don’t need an alarm clock. I’m so antsy when I have to get up early that I never make it to the alarm going off. What I need to do is wear a watch so that, early in the morning, I’ll know what time it is.

I do oversleep when there’s no pressure.

Way down the list of things I need is an Apple watch. I just can’t get past the feeling that it is unneeded. I’d rather not know how many steps I’ve taken. I’m unclear on most of its other features I’d rather not have.

In the virtual absence of April showers, are we sure we’re getting May flowers?

You know what causes more environmental damage than anything else? War.

Now for a brief detour to the usual sporting events …

Radford (20-19) got a big payback in the second of three Big South baseball games against Presbyterian (10-34, 6-11) in Clinton.

After losing a walk-off contest to the Blue Hose on Friday evening, the Highlanders walloped the Blue Hose, 21-2, on Saturday afternoon.

Radford: 21 runs, 22 hits and 0 errors. Presbyterian: 2, 11 and 5. Pretty walloping.

Carter Richardson, who entered the game as a pinch runner, went 2/3, scored three runs and drove in five runs. The Highlanders’ leadoff man, Junho Sun, went 5/7. Breckin Nace was 4/6.

James Green and Aidan Taylor each had two hits for the Blue Hose. Amman Dewberry homered.

Radford led by only a run entering the fifth inning but scored two in the fifth, three in the sixth, 10 in the seventh and four in the eighth.

Six of PC’s seven pitchers allowed runs. Starter Chris Charlambous (2-5) allowed only two runs (one earned) in 3-1/3 innings but took the loss. Matthew Lefevers (5-1) gave up eight hits in five innings but only one run.

Sunday’s 1 p.m. game decides the series.         

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Most of my books are available at Amazon. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions.