Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls with Italian Sausage

I woke Sunday morning in Mindy’s bed for the first time in quite a while. In fact, if memory serves me, the last time would have been Sunday, April 2nd. That’s the weekend we colored eggs with Jacob, Bella, and Kaileigh. We got up around 8am after the kids invaded Mindy’s bed sometime after 7:30am. However, I know that Jacob came in even earlier seeking his mother’s approval for something. I generally wake feeling a little disoriented when I stay at Mindy’s. I don’t know if it’s the air, the bed, or what. But after peeing, brushing my teeth, and peeking out the window, the spider webs began to clear. My first order of business was whipping out my exercises. I put on my tennis shoes and tucked my toes under her sofa to whip out 55 sit-ups. When done, I completed 50 push-ups and then a round of dumb bells. Now it was coffee time. As we sat and chatted, Mindy offered to make some eggs. That sounded good but I had to be careful not to eat too much before my run. I am used to running on a somewhat empty stomach save for the coffee. In the back of my mind I figured I’d run from home in lieu of running the more desirable golf course trail here at Mindy’s. My mental justification was the status of Ykraps. He really needs to be walked and leaving him in wait too long is just asking for trouble and besides, he’s got to be lonely. After some eggs and some hugs I readied for home. I left Mindy’s somewhere after 10am. Once home I dropped my bag and quickly leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. In taking to the streets I felt a little out of it still. I wasn’t sure why. After our walk I returned home to ready for my run. I wanted to get going rather than give myself any time to procrastinate. Once out the door It was obvious that the run, at least the beginning, was going to be a tough one. I felt sluggish and a bit weak. I surmised early on that it was the food in my belly. Soon, however, after about two miles, I began to snap out of it and began feeling good. By the time I had finished, I was ready to get busy with my Sunday projects. The first thing I did was get out the electric hedge trimmers and begin scalping the burning bushes that I had planted last spring. They are growing and filling in nicely and really needed a trim. Of course I can’t get out the trimmers without sculpting the Honey Suckle bushes along the pond as well as the Cranberry and Burberry bushes at the corner of my garage. All that trimming & clean-up took a little over an hour. As I was wrapping up, Mindy and kids arrived for their planned Sunday afternoon visit. I finished what I was doing then put my focus squarely on them. We planned a long awaited hike back through the woods, around the pond, and onto the waterfall. This was quite the backyard adventure but with the intended purpose of observing the water fall and what I might be able to do to raise the level of the damn 8 inches. The water level by my home is ridiculously shallow and now there are several sandbars exposed. The hike takes a little while because the growth is so thick and the path takes many turns. This was only my third trip back in twelve years. Mindy and I were back there a little over a month ago before anything began blooming. It looked much different today. Jacob was excited and wanting to move far ahead. He was fighting what we all were fighting - entanglement within all of the Honey Suckle bushes. I had the added problem of corralling Okras, who was tagging along via leash. Meanwhile, Bella pouted a few times and insisted on being carried, much like my youngest daughter Ashley might have in her youth. Along the way we discovered some bones, which Jacob was curious enough to pick up and carry along. I supposed they belonged to a deer but couldn't be certain. Too, we happened upon a dead snapping turtle that was decaying away. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of hiking through the brush we found our way to the waterfall. The waterfall sets about eight foot high and about 45' across. It looks to have been built sturdily maybe twenty or thirty years ago. Despite its reinforcement, the water is slowly eroding away at the top concrete revealing the rebar in some places. At the damn's base lie several hundred large boulders that look like they were arranged there years ago. These, if they could be lifted, would serve well as pieces for the damn. We spent about en minutes milling around and eventually found our way to the foot of the damn where the kids threw rocks into the water. Soon we left for home. After an equally adventurous trek home, I readied the tractor and trailer for toting the kids around. Mindy took the opportunity to skip out tanning while he kids expressed euphoria over tractor rides (smart move!). We first toured the yard several times and eventually moved onto the sidewalk then down the street a few times. All in all, we spent a good twenty minutes cruising around the neighborhood in and on the tractor. Once we were back we got out the baseball stuff and Jacob practiced for the first time hitting off of a tee. He's a natural. After a couple of tries, he was smacking the heck out of everything he hit. Meanwhile, Bella kept tempting fate by skootching ever closer to the pond's edge to see the baby ducks. I was worried but she insisted that she was OK. I reluctantly allowed her to proceed. Mindy arrived back from her tanning session soon thereafter. She joined us in the back yard just as we wrapped up our baseball practice. Jacob and pulled the tractor into the garage and got everything else put away for the afternoon. Soon Mindy and the kids were on their way home. I sent Mindy home with some Italian sausage that we would later be cooking on her gas grill for dinner. I figured I'd be about 1.5 hours behind for wanting to complete a few chores. I finished my laundry, vacuumed all of the downstairs including the sofa, walked Ykraps, and scrubbed the shower. By the time I was done it was time to go. It was nearly 5:30 when I arrived at Mindy's - maybe even a shade after. My first task was to get those Italian sausages on the grill. But they wouldn't take too long since Mindy had boiled them for 25 minutes prior to placing them on the grill. I addition to the sausages, we were having a cauliflower salad, and green beans. Mindy has taken many of the Adkins provided recipes to heart, unlike me who pretty much resorted to plain meat, cheese, fruits, veggies, and nuts. Probably smart too. Our dinner was fabulous and very, very tasty. By the time we finished dinner, cleaned up the dishes, wheeled the grill back into the garage, it was pushing 7pm. It was time to get the kids yet another bath. They insisted that I be the washer. Yippee for me!!! I could swear Mindy pays them to say that. They weren't as out of control as they have been many times past. I think that they were tired. We were out of the tub ten minutes after beginning, and clean head to toe. By & 7:30pm they were tucked in their beds and headed for sleepy land. Mindy and I took advantage of their early bedtime and spent some time snuggling on the sofa which eventually lead to her bedroom where we fell asleep. I woke short after 1015pm and headed for home. Once home I made a snack, read the complete story on the Vikings draft picks, and then went to bed. Shamefully, I didn't fall asleep until well after 11pm.

Com-Til and Guys & Dolls

I woke gracefully Saturday morning feeling about as good as anyone could expect. However, given that I was a good boy Friday night and consumed only two bottled beers and then went to bed early it’s no wonder. I was up at 6:45am. The sun was out, but it was nowhere near as crystal clear as it was all day Friday. Instead, the sky was chalked full of wispy clouds, which allowed the sun still to shine but diffused. I whipped my exercises and went about walking Ykraps al before 7:30am. Upon my return I made some coffee and took to email and surfing the web. I took sometime to add pictures to my blog entries that have been missing for almost a week. By then it was almost 8:30am so I took to my run. Once gain, my run was both fulfilling and pleasurable. The weather of late has been outstanding for running. Once I cooled down and returned inside, it was 9:20am. After another cup coffee and a couple more email, I was getting ready for my trip to the Central Ohio Compost facility off of Jackson Pike for some Com-Til. But before heading there, I had to stop by my dad’s to connect up his hauling trailer. I was on the road by 10:15 destined for Grove City. I gave Mindy a call along the way. She was up and doing her usual Saturday routine. I teased her about doing things that could just as easily be done in winter, but that’s how it is when you’re accountable to more than just yourself. We must have talked for 15 minutes, or just before I turned in to the Compost facility. I told her that I’d call her later. I hadn’t been down her in a number years – probably 15-16 years. It’s changed a lot. The first thing you do is weigh your vehicle. Then, you precede to the assigned bay where a large front loader dumps/fills your vehicle with Com-Til. Afterwards, you pull back onto the scales to determine the weight for cost purposes. Bottom line, the cost to fill the trailer was $20.34 with tax. I estimated that this same load purchased at Ohio Mulch in bags would’ve cost me $70 – quite a savings! And for those of you unfamiliar, this Com-Til is processed sewage (shit) mixed with very fine mulch. This stuff makes your flowers & vegetables just explode! Until recently, there had been rumors that it wasn’t safe for veggies, but that rumor’s since been dispelled. I use it on trees too. This stuff is the best fertilizer I’ve come across, and it’s all natural. Now, they have a finer variety that’s even less expensive that is intend to be used as a soil amender or top dressing for lawns, which can be applied with a spreader. The only down side to this stuff is that it smells very pungent. It stinks like shit! Each year I forget just how strong it is. Too, it makes for a real nice mulch if put on heavy enough, which I do in all my beds where I will be growing flowers or vegetables. I was home with my ‘shit’ before 11:20am, and went right about doing the deed. First, however, I had to get my tractor and saddle up my yard trailer to simplify the loading and dumping. This trailer I bought last spring is one of the smartest yard tools I’ve invested in. It saves lots of wear and tear on my aging body. Before digging in, I hooked up my ghetto blaster so that I wouldn’t miss the NFL draft updates. All ready, I got down to business. For the next 3 hours I stayed busy spreading Com-Til into my front flower beds carefully contouring it to lay pretty and functional. I also added some to the tow primary beds I use for veggies – one in the back and another on the east side of the house. After I depleted my Com-Til pile, I resorted to performing a final grade of the remaining flower beds encircling my house. This is always a tedious process and one I have overlooked in years past. But I always do a rough grade and debris removal. When doing the final grade you typically remove old mulch that is serving no useful purpose along with fine pebbles a stones that surface after a years worth of rain and edging. It makes the application of new soil, Com-Til or mulch a much easier job and certainly more attractive. Lastly, I placed all of the old mulch mixed with old top soil onto the spot where I dumped all my edgings – around the removed tree stump. This helped level that area and ready it for grass seed. I did this right up until 5:00pm when I decided to call it quits for the day. And the first thing I did was call Princess who was at her friend Tara’s 50th birthday party. We are planning to attend her nephew’s school play tonight at Central Crossing High School. They are performing a rendition of Guy’s and Doll’s, which originally opened on Broadway on November 24th, 1950, and was later released as a motion picture in 1955 starring Marlon Brando & Frank Sinatra. We firmed up our plans to meet at her house between 6:15 & 6:30pm. I had, essentially, one hour to shower, shave, dress, walk Ykraps, drop my dad’s trailer back at his house, and drive to Mindy’s. Ready – Set - Go! I made it with little stress. In fact, when I arrived at Mindy’s she wasn’t there yet. I let myself in after calling her. Her babysitter was waiting outside for her too. Mindy arrived minutes later. We somewhat quickly prepared to depart as the play was scheduled to begin at 7pm sharp. We arrived at CCHS just before 7pm and moved swiftly into the building and to our seats which were being saved by Mindy’s mother, sister, and brother-in-law. We had front row, second section, center seats – ideal! This would serve as Mindy’s nephew, Joe’s grand finale as a high school performer – something he’s been involved with throughout his entire high school career and is very good at. This was the second performance of his that I’ve seen. Joe played the role of Nicely, Nicely Johnson, which was played in the original Broadway version as well as the movie by Stubby Kaye. A bit of Guys and Dolls trivia for you, Sky Masterson’s real name (never spoken in the play) was Obadiah. The play lasted roughly 2.75 hours. The kids did a fabulous job handling the many scene changes, the singing, and keeping the audience’s interest. Overall I was very impressed! I’d have to say the best job goes to the young lady who played the role of Adelaide. We gave Mindy’s mother, Gloria, a ride home after the play and then made a beeline back to Mindy’s house. We were both rather tired and hungry. Mindy, however, still would have to run her sitter home. Once at Mindy’s, she whisked Amy off for home and I raided her cupboards for something fast. I hadn’t eaten a thing since around noon, and after all that yard work I was famished! In a weak moment, I grabbed a few handfuls of potato chips even though I generally try to avoid them for their lack of nutritional value and their deadly mixture of fat, salt, and carbs. To wash them down I cracked open a Columbus Pale Ale. While waiting on Mindy’s return, I tuned into Mad TV. It was funny! About 15 minutes into the show, Mindy arrive home. She popped me some popcorn and had some walnuts for herself. We both began falling asleep soon there after. To bed!

Friday, But Not a 'Firkin Friday'

My freshly cut lawn My pet squirel, Rocky

Didn't make it to Barley's

I woke Friday morning around 630am eager to get going with my day. The first thing I noticed was just how lovely the morning was going to be as evidence by the abundance of stars wavering to the dawn. I hit the ‘go’ button on my coffee maker as I often do on the weekends, and began my daily calisthenics. Before 7am, I was walking Ykraps on what was shaping up to be a very lovely morning. Upon my return to the house I saw that the forecast had been improved to a high of 70 degrees along with sunny skies all day long. For this I was grateful. As requested, I logged onto my laptop and checked in with work to make sure things were off and running smoothly. And so far, everything was grand. For the next hour, I played on the PC emailing and catching up on the latest stuff about tomorrow’s NFL draft. I hit the road at 8:05am hell bent on having my run in the bag before 9am. And a good run it was! After returning home I began focusing on the day ahead and once gain checked with one of my peers at work. I had made arrangements earlier to meet him at Home Depot some time today to pick-up some lumber (deck replacement boards) with his 14’ trailer. We agreed to meet there around 12noon, but he call me when he was 15 minutes out. So not to waste valuable time, I got cracking on my 120 volt exterior spotlight project that I had began last Sunday, MY goal was to have the completed by day’s end. Last Sunday I drilled the hole in the side of my house into the basement and had dug the short trench from my flower bed to the underside of my pine tree. Today I needed to run the wire, conduit, connect, test & backfill. The wiring went rather quickly. I had it entirely ran inside and out in less than 1.5 hours – much quicker than I had anticipated. Come noon, I went inside to eat some food since I had pretty much denied myself any breakfast. When I finished my late breakfast/early lunch, I took to the deck with guitar in hand. I played for about half an hour along with the singing birds. It was nothing short of lovely!! About the time I put my guitar away, Ken dinged me letting me know that he was leaving work and would meet me at Home Depot by 1pm. I readied myself accordingly and headed that way. I arrived at Home Depot well ahead of Ken, but by design. I went about grabbing a cart for the 16’ decking boards and hailed the attention the of a home Depot attendant to help me get a 4’X8’ sheet of treated plywood I needed for my boat cushions. I had him cut it into 4 - 2’X4” sections for ease of transport and use. Ken still wasn’t there yet so I shopped their selection power washers since having one is high on my list of toys. After about ten minutes Ken showed up and we began the tedious process of selecting only the best decking boards. I was willing to spend the extra cash on premium grade lumber, but that doesn’t mean you can blindly select any of the premium boards. One still needs to inspect each board carefully if you want to avoid knots, warped, or cupped pieces. After sorting through about fifty specimens, we found 16 to my liking. A little extra time selecting boards up front is well worth it hassle! My purchase was about 4300 for the 16 – 16’ premium decking boards and the 4X8 sheet of plywood. Not too bad! The trip back to my house went without incident. After unloading the lumber into my garage and relaxing with a Coke, Ken went on his way after turning down some gas money. He is a true friend and very generous with his time and his vehicle. Thanks Ken! When Ken left I got right back to work on my lighting project. Before finishing off out doors I knew I had to get the circuit turned up and tested. Nothing would be worse than having to dig up the conduit and wire should some unseen problem arise. I’ve done lots of electrical work in my day and this was a small project in comparison. Still, anytime you’re dealing with electricity, you can never be too careful. I try to hold myself to hire standards than what your typical electrician would. After all, it’s my personal safety. I did the outside connect first and got that done in about 20 minute. Moving inside, the most challenging part was identifying the circuit breaker for the outdoor lighting already ran out from that I was cutting into. It took my about 7 tries to identify the right one. And as luck would have it, it ran off the same circuit that provides lighting in the basement thus I had to provide a non-local lighting source to complete my work. A quick test revealed the fruits of my labor. The completion of this lighting project puts closure on the outdoor lighting plan that I had originally conceived some years ago. I completed it in four phases with last spring’s being the most challenging. After wrapping up the heady part, I preceded to backfill the trench and restore the sod that I had cut up and set aside. I was careful to tamp the fill several times to avoid sinking later. Too, I was mindful of the backfill and made sure to put the rough fill in first leaving the top soil for last to aid in the grassed future health. I wrapped that up by 4pm. All totaled, I had about 3.5 hours worth of labor in the lighting project today. There was little time to rest. Next I moved onto prepping my front flower beds for Com-Til that I planned to retrieve and lay tomorrow morning. All I had to do was trim another 1’ of English Ivy from the front flower bed and then do the final groom to remove small rocks and other unwanted impediments. While going at it, Mindy and kids pulled up. We hadn’t planned for her visit but I more than expected it. We’re in sync that way. After a quick greeting the kids and Mindy went outback to feed, play, and harass the geese and ducks. I kept at it. They stayed for about 45 minutes while continued the final flower bed preparation. Before they left we firmed plans for later this evening which included me visiting their house for dinner. I figured on being there sometime around 7pm. After they left I watered in the sod covering my trench and picked up all my yard tools, and then hit the shower. The shower felt great! After making myself presentable I walked Ykraps before heading out. Mindy and I touched base before I left my house when she asked that I bring some jalapeños, scallions, and strawberries. I wanted to stop and get some beer, so that was no problem at all. I stopped at Kroger Silver Horn. While there, I picked up a fresh bouquet of flowers too. I was about ten minutes later than I had anticipated arriving at Mindy’s but that was no big deal. The kids and Mindy both seemed happy to see me. In short order we were enjoying some wings and me a beer. Mindy, on the other hand, was having water since she’s in the first phase of her low carb life style. After finishing up our wings and then playing for while, we readied the kids for bed. They were uncharacteristically up till almost 9pm. Once they were down we took to the sofa where we talked for about an hour. Mindy began dosing and reported being exceptionally tired – I mean real tired. I can relate as that happens to me every so often. She needed to crash, so that was my queue to leave. I had an aggressive day planned for tomorrow too thus needed the rest myself. When I arrived home I woofed down a quick snack and then went right to bed. I was asleep before 11pm. It didn’t seem like a Friday evening at all.

Out with the rain and in with the Sun

Five geese a laying... Mindy liked my Red Bud tree some much that she clipped a branch in celebration of Arbor Day. I got up Thursday to yet another sunny day in paradise. The rains that rolled through Tuesday were well out of here and the sun's return on Wednesday only served to stimulate grass growth which further solidified my determination to cut mine later this evening. I knew too that I was at the end of my proverbial rope and was consequently feeling a lot of internal strife. What I needed was a day off work and preferably in concert with a weekend. With that in mind, I made the decision to ask for Friday off as long as the weather forecast continued to look pleasing. Because of this, today’s disposition was cheery and bright, just like the weather. The work day was intense and the day rather long. Still, I found my way out for a run right about 1230pm. The weather was extremely conducive to running as the sun was shining and the temperature moderately warm. I needed the run. It helped take the edge off. As the afternoon wore on and began to wind down, I finally received confirmation from my boss that I could, in fact, take a ‘comp day’ Friday. However, I was asked to login from home since Friday’s are a very busy day. That sounded like a good deal to me. That was music to my ears. I left work around 515pm after wrapping up a few miscellaneous items. On the drive home, I grew increasingly excited about the three day weekend ahead. I had so much planned for myself. This was a unique evening in that it would be a Mindy Thursday since she had swapped nights with her ex. But because of some special meetings she was involved with at school, she wouldn’t be over until 7pm or so. My plan was to be tending to my lawn as soon as I could knock out my routine chores. Everything went as planned and I was happily going about cutting, trimming, and edging my lawn when Mindy arrived. I continued feeling rather euphoric about the upcoming three day weekend. I needed this so, so badly! After finishing the lawn I spent the next couple of hours playing with Princess. Mindy suggested that we hot tub and I happily agreed. It was just what the doctor ordered after a couple of hours working the lawn. And because it was like a ‘Friday’ I cracked a couple of beers to help me unwind. Mindy left sometime around 930pm. I spent the next hour or so blogging and reading more about the Minnesota Vikings new uniforms. The change is subtle yet still exciting. What’s most noticeable is the return of purple pants for road games, and the conversion of their hum-drum jersey stripes to more of a horn like pattern. I gave thought to cracking a third beer but in the end opted not. It was way more important to get a good night's sleep and wake feeling good early in the morning. I was asleep before 11pm.

A Little Stressed, Salmon, and Frost

It's why I love my deck! I woke Wednesday morning bright and early at 5:25am. Finally, my sore muscles were no longer aching and actually felt better than ever. Being up just a few minutes early always helps frame my day in a better light. Maybe it’s yet another control thing? Not sure. Regardless, I felt better. Too, it didn’t hurt that the weather was noticeably better. After my exercises I walked Ykraps like usual. I wore my fleece jacket, which I haven’t had to wear in quite a while because it was only 36 degrees! There was even a light coat of frost sprawled out across the lawn. After our walk I meditated for about ten minutes and it was very beneficial, and felt really good. I spent the next hour and twenty minutes doing what I always do in preparation for a Wednesday at work. And by the way, today was a tuna fish day. In what has become somewhat ritualistic, I took a few spring morning pics and played a few riffs on my guitar before leaving the house. I felt really good in route to work, but my day pretty much went down hill once at the office. It was a stressful day, which was compounded by a stressful staff meeting. However, but before the staff meeting I knocked out my run which went really well. I could feel tension mounting internally all day long. I have been feeling a great deal of tension and stress of late and can only guess its cause. The only reprieve was my run, and even then I could still feel it deep inside. The afternoon included the fore mentioned staff meeting and a few other miscellaneous tasks. Mindy was expecting at her home sometime after work for a home cooked dinner. But before I would go to her house I let her know that I'd be going home and completing my usual tasks along with sneaking in a nap. I had even toyed with the idea that I might cut my lawn since it was so springy out, but I didn't want to put something like that in front of Mindy time. Hell, she's already tolerating my moodiness of late. Once home and knocking out all my routine chores I grabbed my book and all but collapsed into my reading chair. With in 10 minutes I was sawing logs. I slept for a good 45 minutes and was still tired when I got up. I got up because I didn't want to leave Mindy hang. I thought about calling her and begging out of dinner, but again, I didn't want to let her down. I freshened up and hurried on my way, already being about 15 minutes behind what she had expected. A call to her revealed that she had just began eating her dinner salad. Ten minutes later I was turning onto Echo Park Dr. I noticed another vehicle in the drive. I had forgotten that she was hosting another dinner guest tonight. It was her other boyfriend, Kari. :) Actually it was Kari Ann. After a quick greeting I was seated for dinner. We were having Salmon prepared with a tasty topping of walnut, citrus, and something else - can't remember. I do know this, however. It was excellent! In addition to the salmon, we had a nice salad and some asparagus. Immediately following dinner, we began readying the children for bed. Kari stuck around long enough to help with that and then helped Mindy and I carry in the elliptical machine she bought a week or so ago. It was in the garage but Mindy wanted it in her bedroom which entailed carrying it up one half flight of stairs. The three of us managed fine. Kari then departed and Mindy and I kicked back on the sofa. While Mindy toiled with some laundry and few other miscellaneous tasks, I watched a college football skills challenge that was apparently filmed a couple of months ago - before the NFL combine in Miami Florida. The OSU Buckeyes kicker, John Huston was participating as were several other top notch college players including Texas quarterback, Vince Young. After the ESPN show we tuned to Fox to catch the American Idol elimination show. Tonight Kelly Pickler got the axe. She a southern honey that has a seemingly kick ass sweet personality. I was impressed with the singing of the remaining five. And as a special treat, Andrea Bocelli was the guest tonight. Not only did he coach the contestants on their love songs for this weeks performances, but he also performed one of his own. He was awesome! After Idol we turned off the tele and talked a while longer. I left somewhere around 10pm and was home by 1020pm. After a quick bowl of popcorn and some surfing, I headed to bed. I was asleep by 11:20pm, but I did have a decent nap earlier.

Four Months After Xmas, and Eight Months until Xmas

The canadian geese love to take their children on a stroll through my yard despite the high probability of being shot with b-b's. My shed posing for a picture with summer bangs. I slept late again today. In fact, I didn’t roll out of bed until nearly 6:00am. That meant I had to organize my morning a little differently if I were to remain on task. I could still feel the affects of the weekend’s yard work. I wasn’t in severe pain but instead my hands, upper back, and shoulder were achy! So, after sucking down my vitamin, I took an anti-inflammatory too. I pushed through my exercises like a good soldier and then took my morning walk with Ykraps. Today’s weather while moderately clear now, was expected to cloud over and rain later on. Once I returned from our walk, I treated myself to a hot cup of coffee that went down too well. After a short email to Mindy and a brief meditation I got right on my lunch and breakfast routine. Some where near 6:50am the door bell rang. It was my dad. I hadn’t had a visit from him since his return from Florida – almost two months I’d guess. He had received a VM from my mom asking for him to call and wanted to feel me out to see if I knew what it might be in reference to. And having spoken with my mom the evening before, I did in fact know what she had called about. She had called to fill him in on Tommy’s dilemma. Until now, my dad was in the dark beyond knowing of Tommy’s occasional insecurity with the state of his marriage. I only told him that things were progressing but stopped short of any details and instead encouraged him to call or visit Tommy. I explained that I didn’t think it was my place to gossip about it. We moved on to other topics. His visit lasted until about 7:25am, and through my breakfast. After he left I headed directly to the shower and somewhat hurriedly got cleaned up and ready for work. After a late wake-up call and unexpected visit, I still made it to work on time, although I did have to skip my morning guitar session. Once at work I easily switched into the Jim the manager mode. Happily, the morning wasn’t as chaotic as it could’ve been. A look out the window revealed less than desirable weather approaching. A check of temperature revealed it was dropping quickly. Sometime around 11am it was 65 degrees then the next time I checked it was 62. By the time I left for my run the sky had completed clouded over and the temperature had dipped below 60. During the run itself it began to rain and felt even chillier. But since the rain didn’t begin until about half way through, my body was already generating heat like a furnace, and the rain had little, if any, impact. By the time I hit the final mile it was pouring. I was wet, to be sure. When I got back to my office I saw that the temperature had dropped to 52 degrees and was on its way down even further. The rain and now cold temps pretty much sealed the deal for cutting the grass tonight, but I had anticipated that. And besides, I can’t really bitch, we’ve had more than our share of gorgeous weather lately. I worked through the remainder of the day at a much more feverishly pace than the morning. We were hopping! Still, given the busy-ness, I left for home around 515pm. I wouldn’t be headed directly home, however. I would instead be heading to Wal-Mart to do my grocery shopping that I should’ve done over the weekend. I noticed the temperature on my way to Wal-Mart had plummeted to 42 degrees and it was raining. Where did our beautiful spring weather go? I shrugged off the crappy weather and hurried into Wal-Mart. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do other than pout! I was in Wal-Mart shopping for 1.5 hours. Not only did I get my groceries but I also picked up a few things I would’ve had to travel to a specialty stores for in the past. I got a much needed new gas grill cover, a new dog brush (I’m shedding), and a new sprinkler to add to my arsenal. I didn’t rush either. Everyone knows how much I disdain be rushed! The grocery part went pretty quick. It’s a fairly routine list. I did see my step-cousin Connie and her daughter Alysia there doing some shopping. I hadn’t seen either of them in several months – maybe end of summer. I was home putting away groceries at 7:20pm and finished around 7:30pm. I was tired but still had much to do so there would be no nap. Next, I paid bills. After bills I published four days worth of blog entries, all of which had already been written. I didn’t get around to adding pics but will very soon. I called Mindy just before 10pm and chatted only briefly. I wanted to be asleep by 10pm and did a good job of getting that done.

In Like a Lion but Out Like a Lamb

Drenched in sunshine! I can’t emphasize enough just how fortunate we’ve been having such nice weather over the past two weeks. I woke again this morning to a superbly beautiful sunrise that was preceded by a waning crescent moon side by side with my favorite bright star. I woke late, however. It was nearly 6am when I came to. My body was achy after all the yard work over the weekend. That coupled with a late bedtime left me a very tired boy. Because of this, I had little energy for my exercises but knew that once I dug in, I’d begin feeling better in a hurry. So, I groaned through much of my routine as the stiffness slowly left my body. But believe me, it wasn't easy. What worthwhile thing ever is? I know this, too. I felt euphoric once I was done. I was excited about leashing up Ykraps and hitting the streets. Our walk took us westward and then north for a spell. The air was very fragrant given all the flowering trees in the immediate area. As we closed in on home we took a diverted path since another big dog was coming down the road on our usual side. Back at home I coffee’d, emailed, prepped lunch and made and ate my breakfast all within half an hour. At 7:15am I found myself in the shower readying for the work day. By 7:33am I was ready for departure. I took a few extra minutes to take some pictures and strum my guitar. Come 7:42am I was backing out the drive. Work was only moderately busy as compared to most Monday’s of late. I was able to stay afloat and leave for my run at my usual 12:30pm. The weather was noticeably cooler than the past several but it was still completely sunny. The temperature was only 62 degrees. Because of this, I ran with a shirt today. My run went well and was largely effortless once I shook off the rust. I found my way back to the office immediately after a hot shower. I was eating my packed lunch by 1:45pm. The afternoon went much like the morning. I was busy but not overwhelmed. I was able to comfortably leave for the day at 5:05pm. And while this was a Mindy Monday, I had planned to stop at Home Depot along the way. I was determined to pick-up conduit & more wire to complete the outdoor lighting project that I’m doing at home. While I was at Home Depot I received a call from my mother, but when she called my hands were full so I left it go to VM. I got everything I needed at Home Depot but admittedly had to make two trips since I forgot to pick-up the 90 degree piece of conduit I needed. Sadly, it took another 20 minutes to check-out the second time because of a burst of activity. My total purchase the second go round was only $.93. :) I called Mindy once I found my way to my car and was on my way home. Mindy was just arriving at my home. Being the dear that she is, she walked Ykraps for me before I got home. For whatever reason, I had allowed myself, like I often do, to get a little worked up on my way home. It’s a weakness of mine that I’d like to fix. Mindy seems to understand this and almost always allows me time to vent or be alone while I transition from Jim the Mgr to Jim the person. It generally takes me about 30 minutes to unwind. It’s funny now, but at the time I got really frustrated. It seemed that everything I needed to do was opposed by some type of opposition. For example, I needed to put my running clothes in the dryer, but the dryer was full of clean towels. I needed to put my dirty breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, but the dishwasher was full of clean dishes. I needed to make coffee for tomorrow morning, but the sink was full of soapy water to wash my lunch containers. I threw some junk mail in the trash and caused coffee grounds to scatter all over the kitchen floor. UGH! I needed to get outside and get cracking on my yard projects. I knew that would make me feel a whole lot better. My first order of business was getting the dirt piles from the trench I had dug on Sunday off the sod so the grass underneath wouldn’t die. Next, I gathered all the trimmings that remained after edging and dumped them on the spot where I removed the old tree stump last weekend. The last thing I did was water the day lillies that I had transplanted on Sunday and then added some water to my hot tub. While I was busy doing those outdoor chores, Mindy was busy making some wings. What a dear! She also found time to give me a hand here and there when needed. I moved indoors around 7:30pm and helped finish the wings. While waiting the final few minutes, I decided to give my mom a call back. I was a little concerned with what news she might be sharing with me. It turns out that she wanted to vent about brother Tommy and his failing marriage. I allowed her to rant and rage. I know good and well thatTommy would’ve hung up on her had she spoke to him the way she shared her anger with me. I don’t think she realizes how she comes off. Her heart is in the right place but she seems to want blood! In doing so, she has a tendency to alienate others. Mindy and I enjoyed our wings. We had no other sides as an accompaniment in part becasue Mindy’s hell bent on implementing a low-carb meal plan into her life style. She’s been buried in my Dr Adkins’ book the past few days. What often gets lost on many who take a half hearted attempt at low-carb is that it’s intended to be a life style rather than a fad or temporary diet. Also, one must anticipate and plan for a few set backs and their willpower to be tested. It’s not a walk in the park otherwise everyone would be slim, trim, and firm. Lastly, it takes more than a disciplined eating plan. It also takes a challenging exercise regiment. After dinner we found our way to the hot tub. Both of us were stiff and sore from recent yard work. We stayed in the hot tub for about 30 minutes. I must admit, since Mindy persuaded me to lower the temperature, it’s a much more inviting soak. After getting out and drying off, we laid around the family room floor for about ten minutes. By then it was nearly 9:30pm and Mindy needed to head home. She was tired and so was I. In fact, as soon as she left I readied myself for bed. Before falling asleep I did a little reading to get my eyes in that heavy place.

Spending Time with my Princess

The rose bushes tied up. Jacob will likely never be accused of having a little head. Here you can see him struggling to support its weight. I woke this morning around 7:30am half expecting rain as a follow-up to the storm that moved through over night. To my surprise, though, it was sunny and bright. That was all I needed to get me going! I was ready to leap to my feet, but Mindy asked that I spend just a few minutes snuggling against her. I did. ButI was eager to get moving with the day. Not only did I have a seemingly endless list of projects to do, but I just like to be moving around in a productive manner before the morning grows too old. I was up and pounding away at my exercises in no time flat. However, I was noticeably stiff after a day of golf and an afternoon of yard work. After leashing up Ykraps, we embarked one a beautiful walk about the neighborhood. This time I took my camera to capture some of our finer moments together. After all, with him running off as he did, you never know when one day he’ll be gone. I want to have memories to pass down to his relatives. The thought of hot coffee was sweet on my mind. I was looking very forward to returning home for that first cup. Once I did, it went down extremely easy and fast. Before I knew it, I was already drinking number two. So not to forget, I took a few minutes to recapture the highlights from Saturday in an email for my blog. I find this is the most efficient manner to capture such days when it may be two or three days before I post. Recalling vivid detail two or three days out becomes increasingly difficult. It does, however, get easier once you remember one significant event as it often leads the mind right to others. By 8:30am it was time to get moving with my run. I scurried along upstairs to get dressed for my Sunday morning run. I needed to wear a shirt today, to be sure, since there was a bit of a chill in air. But not a problem! Mindy continued sleeping. I listened again to David Gilmour on my MP3 player while running. The music is even better in closer proximity to my ears. My run was over in no time at all. I was back at home wandering the yard by 9:30am or so. As I turned around towards the house, I could see Mindy out on the deck having what I assumed to be her first cup of coffee. Not sure if she was joking but she asked if I had just ran through the woods. Ahh – no! I often walk the back yard after a run, processing my day all the while sucking in the beauty of the day. We had a couple cups of coffee together and even made another pot. Instead of making a large breakfast, we opted for some strawberries, cantaloupe, and some of the double chocolate muffins still leftover from last Sunday. We enjoyed all of this on the deck in the sunshine that was warming quickly. After we finished eating we talked about what we wanted to accomplish project wise. Mindy has been such a big help it’s not even funny! I would be working on my front yard lighting project, and Mindy agreed to begin working on my boat cushions. I have all three bow seat cushions here at home needing the wood replaced. To do requires the removal of literally hundreds of staples. The two of us spent the majority of our morning, or what was left, working on these two projects. I had to stop my work on the lighting after getting the hole drilled to the basement and the trench dug for the light because I need two or three more lengths of conduit to complete the task properly. So, after cleaning things up around the lighting project, I began edging the side flower beds. While I did that, Mindy was gracious enough to clean the ceramic tile floor, which was in dire need of a thorough cleaning. After I finished the edging and began putting things away, I took Pat’s extension ladder back home. Just as I walked up, Lisa was trying hopelessly to pull a dead branch from a giant oak tree in the back yard that was inhibiting the path of a new tree swing. I offered to cut it down for her. I went back to my house to get Pat’s chainsaw and returned minutes later to cut it down. It only took a few minutes. After I was done I left both implements at their home and returned to my house where it was time to shower and ready for dinner at Mindy’s mom’s. After showering and dressing Mindy left ahead of me, but I was only minutes behind. I arrived sometime around 3:30pm. We arrived early so that we could take care of a couple of electrical problems her mom was having with her security lighting. The first light over the front porch was not working at all. After removing the motion detector, I couldn’t even get a new bulb to light in the base socket. After checking the breakers, I presumed it be either a problem with the socket itself or a wiring issue, but without a volt meter it’s a crap shoot. I’ll bring my volt meter next Sunday. The next problem is with yet another security light but a newer spot light variety which I am familiar with. Often these just need reset. I moved it to test mode then reset the sensitivity. My guess was that it would work fine once darkness fell. We’d know soon enough. Before dinner was ready, Mindy and I sat outside with the kids getting some much loved sunshine. But before we knew it, dinner was served. Today we had chicken breasts, roast beef, fried potatoes, macaroni salad, and green beans. For dessert we had chocolate pie. All of it was delicious! We hung at Gloria’s until about 7:20pm. As we readied to depart the kids went through their usual decision of whether or not to ride with mom or me. Today Bella chose mom and Jacob chose me. That’s a first! Once we made it back to Mindy’s, we quickly tag teamed the kids baths. As a result, it went pretty fast. I read them a story by P.D. Eastman, Are You My Mother?. Mindy was sure that he was really Dr Seuss’ before he was ‘Dr Seuss’. I, however, was sure otherwise having done some research on this very subject a couple of years ago when I bought Glenn a book about Dr Seuss, or as his mother called him, Theodore Geiss. We made a gentlemen’s bet. And while we were at resolving our debate, we took up the American Idol question too. I ended up staying at Mindy's until after 11pm, which is much later than normal. I knew that the late night coupled with a yard work fatigued body that I'd hurting in the morning. That's OK, though. Mindy wanted the extra company. Once I made it home I walked Ykraps who hadn't been out since the early morning. When done I retreated to my bed where I fell fast asleep.

Finding my Mojo

As witness to my running streak, a plethora of Nike boxes My new golf bag loaded for bear

Finding my Mojo... a really good bottled IPA

After a hards days work in the sun, Mindy and relaxed on the deck with a few drinks and some homemade music.

I woke earlier than necessary feeling pretty much fulfilled & rested. But since it was a Saturday and the fact that I had no real need to be up before 6:00am, I went back to sleep for a little while longer. Even still, I was up and around pretty early by most standards - 6:45am. Bob & I held a 10:17am tee time at Thornapple Country Club, so I planned my morning agenda backwards from there. After swiftly whipping out my exercise routine, Ykraps and I were out for our morning walk. The morning sky didn’t look as friendly as many past but the streets were dry and the clouds noticeably thin. I had the sneaking suspicion that the weather just might defy, once again, what the forecasters had predicted. By their account, it was supposed to rain most of the morning and then hold a threat of showers through the afternoon. They were right about last evening as it rained while Mindy and I hung at Barley’s. I spent little time fooling around after my walk with Ykraps with the idea of being on my run no later than 8:30am. That left me plenty of time, still. As I dressed for a run I decided to take a few minutes to change the music selection on my MP# player. That took a little longer than anticipated but was well worth the time since I hadn’t changed the line-up in months. As planned, I was out the door for a run by 8:30am. To my relief, the already thin cloud cover seemed to be thinning even more during my run. The threat of being rained out on the golf course seemed more and more unlikely. After my run I grabbed a shower and prepped a bag of nuts for a mid round snack. I had all of my gear ready to go by 9:40am. Just before leaving the house, I made myself a egg, turkey, and cheese sandwich on rye. Before backing out of my drive I placed my old Nike golf bag at the curb rather than chuck it in the garbage. Despite it being broke, it still looks almost new and I was certain that someone would snag it, and who knows, maybe even fix it. And just as soon as I sat it there and walked away, the first car that drove by slowed and watched me pull away. I didn’t bother going back to see, (why would I) but I suspect he’s the lucky one who got it! I headed south on Wilson towards I-70 West. Too, I called Bob to confirm his readiness. He was just leaving his home. As soon as I passed I-270, the sky was crystal clear as far as one could see. The once cloudy morning predicted to be rainy was now bright, sunny, and warm! It looked like it was going to be a splendid day for golf! I called Mindy to discuss her plans for the day and to determine how and when we’d be hooking up later in the day. She had a morning chalked full of errands and then planned to end up sunning on my deck. As usual, I arrived first so I took my time gathering and dawning my gear. The course, judging by the parking lot, looked to be at about 50% capacity. Remembering that it was Bob’s birthday yesterday, I went ahead and covered both tee-times as a nice surprise for Bob when he arrived. Again, it was simply beautiful! Bob finally arrived 3 or 4 minutes before our schedule tee time. He had little time to prepare or practice. Sometimes that’s best, though. Because there were only the two of us, we got paired with a retired gentleman, Luther and his wife, Oloise (sp). His wife wasn’t golfing but instead just walking with him. We later learned that he was a retired economics professor from OSU – very interesting fellow. Like always, my front nine was pretty good – especially given that this was my first round of the year. I shot a 46 – two pars, three double-bogeys, four bogey’s. My back nine left much more to be desired. I had two triple bogeys to start (not too good), but nothing to terrible. For whatever reason, I tend to tire after nine holes, and my attention and interest begin to wane a little too. I don’t worry about it – just notice a trend. Perhaps if I golfed more I gain some stamina – don’t know. Regardless, it was very enjoyable being out on the course. We actually played 20 holes. Once we say that it was backing after hole 11, and seeing that there was only one group behind us, we went back and played holes 13 & 14 a second time. I par’d them both second time around. Our strategy worked well for everyone in that it created space between the group in front and behind us as well as giving us some much needed practice. I need to mention, too, that Bob started hitting the snot out of his drives. He tattooed a number of them on the back nine. And aside from a decent front nine, the highlight for me was still having the same ball after 18 holes that I began with ( I did loose a ball on mulligan drive though). The significance is that Thornapple has two greens guarded by ponds and several holes with streams winding through. But in addition to that, the rough was thick and long. As a matter of fact, the fairways were long and thick too. You had to keep a keen out for your ball. On hole 18 Bob hit into the sand and practically buried the entire ball leaving only the small Wilson logo showing. He played it as it laid and paid the price. It ended up costing him several strokes. We finished up around 3:10pm. It was fun! Bob headed into the clubhouse, and I went on my merry way. I decided to stop at the West Broad St. Kroger for some quality beer since I knew I had only two left at home. While there, I grabbed a six pack of Mike’s Hard Lime’s for Mindy. Once home I was ready for some yard work, sunshine, and some nutrition. Before cracking a beer I had an insatiable craving for an orange soda. I practically chugged an orange Mt Dew. Afterwards, I cracked a cold beer and took to the deck. After a short rest I began working the yard. The first order of business was re-tying the climbing rose bush canes to the pergalo. The previous week I had cut so much dead growth that the support for much of the bush was removed. Using last years technique wasn’t going to net the desired results, but thanks to Mindy’s quick thinking, we began tying each individual cane to the pergalo’s main runners. This was tedious much not too terribly difficult with two people, although both of us got poked and scratched a few times. At some point during the rose bush project, Ykraps snuck away from the deck. We had left the back door purposely open for his enjoyment. He hasn’t ran off in years. David, my new neighbor, came over to report seeing Ykraps running along the woods. Good thing, we were completely oblivious to his departure. I grabbed his leash and went looking in the direction I was pointed. Of course, all the neighbors were out and took some interest in our dilemma. Mike, the fireman, said he hadn’t seen him but would help by looking along the woods. And as soon as I got down about a block I heard Mindy and mike calling me back. Upon my return I could see that they had found him. My guess is that he saw a rabbit and chased it into the woods, then couldn’t figure out how to get back out. He’s always been a bit of an air head. After securing Ykraps I walked back through my neighbors yards. Our newest neighbor, Krissy was out with her children. She had just moved in last weekend. I took the opportunity to introduce myself and Mindy. She is a widow and has a son, Jacob who is 8, and a daughter, Makayla, who is 3. I boldly asked how she lost her husband since she had stated it was so recent. She told us it was from alcohol poisoning on New Year’s Day. Hmmm? That is really sad. We spent the next half hour talking with David and Becky, my immediate neighbors to the east. He explained all the things he learned about the various trees and bushes in his yard after calling an arborist out. They’re nice folks. Mindy and I still had lots of work to do so we eventually found our way back to the deck where we zoned back in on the rose bush. After another 45 minutes or so we finally finished tying up all the canes. The results were stunning. It looks better than ever. Next we moved on to transplanting/transferring a couple day lilies to better balance their sizes. That took only minutes. Next, I moved onto some light weed removal and cleaning up some additional debris still left form last year but tucked tightly up under some of the shrubs surrounding my deck. About that time, neighbor Pat stopped over reporting seeing Mindy out on the deck watching me work. We sat and chatted for about two hours sharing a few stories and a couple of beers. Sometime during his visit and at our prompting, he beckoned his wife Lisa and daughter Elena. They stayed until just before dark. It was getting a little chilly after the sun set. When Pat & Lisa left, Mindy and I went inside to grab a shower and wash all the grime away. By the time we had showered and were again dressed, it was nearly 9pm. We were both pretty hungry but had little energy to go out or even enough to cook. We opted instead for some cheesy nachos and some of my now famous guacamole and salsa. They were delicious. I pampered myself with another beer. As the evening wound down, Mindy and I returned to the deck. I took my guitar along. It sounds so much better outdoors. We stayed out there until almost 10pm talking and playing. We could see lightning off in the distance and felt a couple drops of rain. Eventually we thought better of sitting outside and instead headed in. Minutes later it began raining rather steadily. By 10:30pm, Mindy was ready for bed. I was tired but felt able to stay up. It’s just so hard to rash early on a weekend night. Ultimately, however, we did. We were asleep even before 11pm.

Firkin Friday, Food, Fun, & Friends

The morning sun in abundance! Despite an early bedtime, I didn’t get up nearly 6am. I must have really needed the additional sleep. As I made my way down the stairs and glanced out the sidelight windows, I could tell that it was another clear morning. Once in the kitchen, I had full view of the southern sky and could see the half moon hanging brightly in the southern eastern sky. For the next ten minutes I aggressively attacked my exercise routine finishing up just before a quarter past the hour. Next, I leashed up Ykraps and took to the outdoors still in shorts and a t-shirt. The weather was not only clear, but it was warm too. It was 61 degrees! I took a slower approach to our morning walk using it as my medium for meditation. It was just so serene that I couldn’t think of a better may to meditate then outdoors under the cover of a dawning day and the incredibly beautiful sounds of nature. It made me want to stay home and relax and play all day. When I returned home I snatched up my guitar and played for about ten minutes watching the sun begin to rise. After prepping my lunch and eating my breakfast I hit the shower only about five minutes behind schedule. Not bad! Before laving the house I took another handful of pictures off my back deck. It’s just so damn pretty out there this time of year. I left for work around 7:42am and made it there just in the nick of time. And as usual, I talked with Mindy along the way. Work began a bit dicey, but what’s new. Like many days this past month, we had to suck it up and buckle up! We were really busy! And while we were busy, we had an anticipated lull in activity around 11am so I took advantage of the opportunity and left for my run then. I couldn’t have ordered better weather. It was sunny and 71 degrees. Once on the trail, I could see clouds moving in from the west-northwest. I was once again afforded the opportunity to get some sunshine on my white skin. It was yet another shirtless running day in April. Contrast that with last April when we had a couple late April snow storms where I was dressed in my full winter running gear. In fact, a year ago today, I was on my way to Cozumel, Mexico with brother Tommy. It snowed the following Saturday, April 28th. After my run and subsequent shower, I left the office destined for Golf Galaxy. I decided to break down and buy some new golf shoes and a new golf bag to replace the old one that had collapsed half way through last season. Sadly, it was only about three years old and was very functional, but the damn stand broke. I tried jerry-riggin’ it but to no avail. I found a new bag that seemed perfect for my needs and a pair of quality yet inexpensive golf shoes. It’s amazing to me what one can spend on golf equipment these days. It’s not unheard of for a set of new clubs to cost well over $1200 and that’s before all the other necessary stuff. After I got what I needed I was back at work by 12:44pm. By now, I was really hungry and woofed down my tuna fish lunch. The afternoon went by quickly as a single problem consumed all of my time. But as much as I was looking forward to the weekend, I still didn’t leave the office until nearly 6:00pm. A problem we have been working on for over a month was finally coming together and I couldn’t see walking away any sooner. But once most of the strategic pieces were in place, I turned everything over to those remaining. I made it home by 6:15 and rather quickly went about my ‘must do’ chores – walking Ykraps and rinsing my lunch containers. I didn’t have the energy to whip out all of my household chores and I was comfortable with that decision. Mindy would be coming over sometime after 7pm, and then we’d be going to Barley’s. Before she arrived I spent some time updating Thursday’s blog entry and burning a CD for Josh. Mindy showed up around 7:20pm and almost immediately poured herself a glass of wine. Not wanting her to drink alone, I grabbed myself a beer. Because she had been tanning earlier, she insisted on taking a shower before heading out. While she showered, I updated my Spring 2006 project list. We were ready for Barley’s by 8:25pm and left the house by 8:30pm. We were running a little later than we had planned but it was the weekend and why rush? Mindy’s friend Kari, along with her new boy friend, were planning to meet us there. I knew the Imber’s (Bob & M.A.) would be there since I had talked with Bob the night before firming our golf plans for Saturday. We arrived somewhere around 8:45pm and immediately found our circle of friends. What I didn’t realize was that it was Bob’s b-day. Mary Ann informed us of such soon after we arrived. As a nice gift, Bob’s brother had called Barley’s and asked that they put his night’s tab on his credit card. That was cool, and unbeknownst to Bob until much later. Kari and her new boy friend, Kevin, showed up around 9pm. Soon after, my friend Bill showed up too. I wasn’t sure that he’d be joining us. We had a nice time hanging out. For dinner I had a Cuban, a side of Gates of hell wings, and sauerkraut balls (a lot of food but I shared). Mindy had her favorite salad. To wash all of this down, Mindy had two more glasses of wine, and I had two beers. I had a Firkin Russian and an IPA. We stayed unusually late for us. We didn’t leave until almost 11:45pm. I was tired and Mindy had a buzz. It’s amazing what three glasses of wine does to that woman, and that was over almost a four span. Finally back at home, Mindy wanted some snuggling. I of course obliged. By 12:30am her babysitter called checking on her status. Mindy promptly readied herself for home reporting, still, the affects of the wine. I called her on her drive home to make sure that she got there safely. Once she was confirmed safely at home, I went to bed.

Holy Guacamole!

Room with a view Another perspective of a familiar shot Guacamole I was up at 5:50am on another very clear morning in Columbus. A waning half moon was sharing the predawn sky with that very bright star that I’ve yet to identify in the southeast. At one point I assumed it to be a planet, but it doesn’t move that much so I don’t expect that it is. Maybe someone else knows...? Being a bit behind from the outset, I had to be mindful of the clock but still not rushed. I had already placed my garbage can at the curb the night before so there was no suspense or worry on that front. The walk that Ykraps and I took was a pleasurable one under the sprawling and clear predawn sky. I was happy that I’d taken the time to stop at Wal-Mart to restock the few missing ingredients for my lunch the night before. Often I will forego such a trip and regret it in the morning once the reality of a less than expected lunch settles in. I have become addicted to my mixture of fresh walnuts, almonds, and cashews. They really hit the spot for a mid-morning pre-run snack. Before departing for work I snuck in a little guitar playing since tonight was lesson night. After all, I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Josh. I also took a few minutes to take some pics from my deck. I love taking spring morning pictures. I arrived at work right on time and took a moment to smell the fragrant crab apple trees that are in full bloom at the building's entrance. Ahh… the smell of spring! Work was demanding. I had to be nimble and sharp to stay on top of all that was occurring. There was little wiggle room and certainly no room for slackers! I left for my run at 1235pm hell bent on getting out during the best part of the day – my favorite time to run. The sun was warm and again it was a ‘no shirt’ day. Slowly but surely, I’m turning a tanner shade of pale. I ran today with my MP3 player too, which I haven’t done in quite some time. It was nice! I returned to my office with lunch in hand at exactly 1:47pm. I joyfully ate my lunch while catching up on the latest happenings around the globe. After my lunch I jumped head first back into the things that I do to pay my bills – work. I want to mention that the temperature peaked at 80 degrees today for the first time. I was at it until 5:10pm when I gracefully excused myself for the day. I was determined to be home on time for my guitar lessons. Once home I rushed (yuck) through my chores so that I could relax for a few minutes before my lesson commenced. I noticed that Josh pulled up early but sat outside in his car as he often does. He finally came in about ten minutes early, which was perfectly fine with me. After some chit chat we got right down to business. I played the “Jimmy Song’ for him and he was impressed. He asked me to dress it up a bit with a verse, chorus, and bridge, and then think about adding some lyrics. Afterwards we played Pigs on the Wing, Green Eyes, and Hotel California together. It helps tremendously hearing someone else play these songs so I can get a better feel. After all that we wrapped up for the day and Josh departed. After he left I puttered around the house for a few then got out all the ingredients to make guacamole. I’d never made it before, and had never as much as even handled an avocado. I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, I had a reputable guide for the recipe – Alton Brown. My recipe is rather simple. I consider a recipe nothing more than a guide and certainly not a mandate. The primary ingredients are: avacados, onion, cumin, garlic, tomatoes, salt, and lime juice. Peeling the avacados was very easy, and I suppose that was because they were more than ripe! I changed a few things and kicked it up a notch by adding jalapeños and some kick ass hot sauce. I must say, I only sampled a little tonight but it was damn good and every bit as good as El Vaquero’s! However, I know that since I’m the ‘cook’, I can’t be considered a critical judge. I’ll leave the judging to others this weekend. After making my Guacamole, I played more guitar then updated my blog. I talked to Mindy around 9pm but only for a short time since I planned to be in bed by 9:30pm. At 9:30pm I did just that. I went to bed. Before slowly dozing off, I did some reading but only about two or three pages.

Sun Keeps Shining

Jacob saluting me premeal. It's something I've pushed for. At ease soldier! Mindy looking for the source of that odor. Bella enjoying a timeout. I slept in till 5:45am this morning, feeling like I needed the extra rest. I felt really good once I got up though. A glance out the window validated that we had a thin cloud cover across the entire sky yet a clear sunny day forecasted. I could still see the moon but it wasn’t crisp and clear by any measure. After a quick set of exercises I went to find Ykraps waiting patiently by the door for his morning walk and ultimate dump. The thin cloud cover probably helped keep some warmth close to the surface as it was abnormally warm for 5:55am – about 54 degrees. The days high was forecasted to approach 78 along with bright sunshine. We are so fortunate to have such lovely spring weather. Last week was very similar. Surprisingly, the forecast as recent as last weekend called for much cooler temps and cloudy, rainy skies all week. It’s been everything but rainy and cool. Hopefully it holds out. The rest of my morning preparation went like most others. The only significant difference was that today was a tuna day. Before leaving the house I made mental note of the grocery items I needed to get me through until the weekend. And again this morning, I took a few minutes to photograph spring’s metamorphosis. During my drive into work, the sun finally busted through the thin but persistent cloud cover. Also, as usual, Mindy and I chatted during the drive. She corrected some of the misinformation that I may have communicated about the ‘joys’ of being a school teacher. As it goes, they (school teachers) actually qualify for even more time off than I had originally stated. Fact is, I’m envious. I want summers off too. Who wouldn’t? Work was a bit quieter than its been in a while and there was initially hope that we’d resolved a very tough problem we’d had on our plates for sometime. But as the day wore on it became evident that we hadn’t. Still, I was able to break away for my run at 12:30pm. The weather was superb for running. It was again sunny and warm enough to run without a shirt. I can tell that I’m gradually tanning with these recent shirtless runs. Back in my office I tore into my lunch. Today, for whatever reason, it tasted exceptionally good. That’s usually a sign that I was over hungry. The afternoon was busier than the morning and went by quickly. I planned on leaving on time again today and had told Mindy that I’d be over for dinner. She had made ribs and sauerkraut. I had no stops between work and home but did plan on stopping at Wal-Mart to pick-up those grocery items I needed, either on my way to or from Mindy’s. I was home and had all of my chores done in record time. I thought about sneaking in a really quick nap but didn’t. Instead, I took the time to transfer my mental mini-grocery list to paper and pack my stuff for an evening at Mindy’s. I am wise enough to know that when I don’t make a list, I get to the grocery, or any other store for that matter, and forget everything I needed. At times I have had to resort to perusing the aisles until a product jars my memory. Of course that’s very dangerous since I am somewhat of an impulsive shopper. I decided to drive the BM’er as the evening weather was more than outstanding. It was hovering around 74 and the sun was shining brightly. Ultimately, I chose to stop at Wal-Mart on my way to Mindy’s rather than on my way home. I was careful to park far enough away from the masses so that no one would need to park directly next to me, thereby lessening the chance of a door ding, dent, or scratch. I got everything on my list except for strawberries which they didn’t have a one -a typical irritant of shopping at Wal-Mart. Apparently there were no growers to brow beat today! Along with the grocery items, I picked up a fresh bouquet of white roses and baby’s breath for Mindy along with a card. I hadn’t bought her any flowers for about three weeks. What’s worse, Monday was our 7 month anniversary (I kept thinking that it was this weekend for some reason) and I had somehow allowed it to escape me. Hopefully these flowers would more than make up for it. I arrived at Mindy’s by 6:20pm. Just as I hoped, Mindy was excited about the flowers. Dinner was all but ready, so I played with the kids while she put on the finishing touches. The kids had already eaten so they continued playing while we ate. After dinner I played with the kids outside for about half an hour in both the front and back yard. Next thing I knew, Mindy was chasing the kids down the street as they took off on a big wheel and a small electric car. I noticed then that Mindy’s lawn is conspicuously the only lawn in the subdivision that hasn’t began growing or greening except for in spots here and there. Sadly, it shows the signs of neglect that a broken home typically brings. My guess is that it never has seen a spec of fertilizer or watering to help it take hold. Come 7:30pm Mindy called the children indoors to ready for bed. Jacob was in agreement but Bella wasn’t. She ultimately earned herself a timeout for her disapproving behavior. The children were both in bed by 8:10pm. Jacob, as usual, was asleep almost instantly. Bella, on the other hand, remained awake calling for her momma’s attention several times. More often than not, Mindy goes to her aid, stating that someday she’ll long for the opportunity to rush to her side and rub her aching foot or calm her tiny fears. Probably true! Whatever time it was, we tuned into American Idol for the elimination round. Tonight they would whittle the remaining seven down to six. My bet was Ace or Paris. I was correct. Ace was eliminated. Still, the contestants remaining have had enough exposure to help launch a lucrative music career should they continue working hard, so there’s little reason to feel sorry for them. After the show we turned off network programming and instead tuned to satellite radio – classical and kicked back on the sofa and talked. I got up to leave around 10:15pm. I gathered my groceries that I stored in Mindy’s fridge and then jumped in my BM’er destined for home. It was admittedly a little chilly, but still a nice evening for a BM’er drive. At home I locked the house, ate some peanuts, checked the Reds score, and then went to bed. In bed I read for about ten minutes before falling asleep.

Moon Shadow - Moon Shadow

How could you not love the morning? Turning green! The first thing I noticed was just how brightly the moon was shining in the morning sky. Already, the full moon of last Thursday is waning and is barely more than half a moon. At 5:30am its location was almost directly overhead but in the southern sky. After a round of exercise that included the usual sit-ups, push-ups, and curls I leashed up Ykraps and ventured out of doors for a much anticipated walk about the neighborhood. We took our time as the weather conditions were ideal. It should be noted that we didn’t get any rain over night and none was expected. Our return was welcome and the coffee was hot and delicious. After my first cup of coffee I found my way to my favorite spot for meditation. I was done by 6:30am. I sent Mindy a quick email then took to making my breakfast and lunch. Next, I was off to the shower. Before leaving for work, I found a few minutes for a mini-photo shoot. Still a little chilly for a comfortable BM’er ride, I chose instead to drive the Trooper to work. I arrived to work on time, as usual. And like a repeat record, we were very busy and very focused. The day absolutely flew by. We were so busy that I didn’t leave for my run until almost 2:30pm. The upside was that the day was practically done and the day warm. It was a great, sunny, spring day run. After my run, somewhere near 3:30pm I found my way back to my office where I enjoyed the lunch I had packed leaving with a relatively full stomach at the work day’s end. I was excited about getting home at a reasonable hour and taking care of the first cut of my lawn. On the way I stopped at Home Depot to pick-up yet another fuel container specifically for my weed wacker since I recently discovered that it requires a weaker mixture of gasoline and oil than my other 2-cycle lawn tools. Since adding fresh gas and less oil, it runs great! Once home I knocked out my chores with expediency so that I could get to my lawn. I knew because of the still saturated rear lawn that I wouldn’t be using my tractor for not wanting to leave any new ruts in its new spread. Besides, I like doing the push mower thing the first few times anyhow. I took the time to wack, edge, and cut – about two hours all told. The edging is always tough first time out because the groove that the blade forms over the growing season begins anew. I saw Mindy’s friend Amy while cutting the lawn. She was out walking her three young children and hanging out on the bridge over the pond just as many folks do this time of year. I finished working in the yard around 8pm and headed straight for the shower. I had ‘lawn fleck’ all over my body. After my shower I needed some nutrition. Because I have amassed a great deal of leftovers in the fridge, I made my dinner form those. I had a giant burrito, which I found very satisfying. After dinner I played guitar, updated my blog, and talked with Mindy. I was tired and went to bed even before 10pm in hopes of a long restful night’s sleep.

Bump In The Night

Monday morning sun up! What a difference a couple of days makes An old houseplant impersonating an outdoor plant (check out the pot) Here we go again… We were once again bitten by the overnight thunderstorm bug only to wake with the promise of clearing skies and sunshine later in the morning. However, the temperature, while still mild, was expected to slip a little more than yesterday, with an expected high of only 62 degrees. I was out of bed feeling fully rested even before 5:30am. And thanks to modern science the anti-inflammatory’s did their magic on my stiff, achy, and over used and shoulders. I whizzed through my exercises and lashed up Ykraps for our usual morning walk. The rain was still coming down at a pretty good clip so I pulled my umbrella from behind the front porch planter where I have kept it stashed for months on end. Even in spite of the rain we managed to have a very enjoyable walk. Too, the rains, I noticed, left many a earth worm crawling about the sidewalks. Some where as big as Ykraps, himself. I think I squished one or two. Before going back in the house I took a quick glance about my lawn. It has grown considerably over the past three or four days thanks in no small part to the combination of fertilizer, rain, and abundant warm sunshine. Spring is definitely off to a good start. After some coffee and meditation I sent Mindy a quick email carefully avoiding small talk about the weather. She’s recently informed me that she prefers oozy emails to begin her day and needs only her own eyes to get a sense for the weather. I told her that I wouldn’t go on about the storm we had overnight. J Soon I was in the kitchen packing my lunch and preparing my breakfast. I noted that I needed to plan a Wal-Mart stop for lunch items to carry me through the week. By 7:00am I was in the shower carefully washing off the dried & dead skin cells I had processed the day and night before. I was ready for my day by 7:25am which meant I had plenty of time for guitar and/or picture taking, so I did both. I even managed to pay a couple of bills I had forgotten to pay the day prior. As I drove to work the sky was already clearing and the sun shot up giving rise to another bright spring morning. Along the way I called Mindy who sounded as if I had woken her from a deep sleep. Darn!! She wasn’t feeling the greatest due mostly to it being that time of the month. This was luckily another day of no school for SWCS teachers. I should’ve become a teacher! Let’s analyze – shall we? I start my career admittedly a bit underpaid, but on average I eventually catch up to my professional counterparts. I am incented to return to school in pursuit of my Master’s with the promise of increased pay. I get a guaranteed raise yearly (contract specific) I get all the ‘normal’ paid holidays; TG, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc… I get a few ‘snow days’ each year I get 10 sick days each year I get 3 personal holidays each year I get a 2 week Xmas vacation I get a 1 week Spring vacation (not Easter) I get Good Friday and the day after Easter off I get 11 weeks off in the summer! My typical work day begins at 9am and ends at 3pm. I get to rid myself of problematic minions each year I don’t pay into Social Security I can retire after 30 years of service. Where do I sign up? Work was fast and furious once again. I knew it walking in the door, however, so it’s not like I was surprised. I worked hard and stretched the morning out till almost 2:30pm when I finally broke away for my afternoon/lunchtime run. By then the temperature had risen to 65 degrees and the sky was brilliantly clear. There was, however a chilly breeze blowing out of the northeast. Still, it was very comfortable. Plus, it was nice to have the wind at my back on the way out for once. By the time I was back from the run, showered and at my desk, it was 3:30pm, which left a short hour and one half to the finish line by any measure. Once 5:05pm hit I was out the door towards home. It felt good to get out of the office on time and not feel the burden of on-call weighing on my shoulders. Tonight would quickly tend to a few of my routine chores then head to Mindy’s for dinner. She was preparing a nice steak dinner for all of us. I took care of several different things while at home and was on my way to Mindy’s by 6:05pm. I chose to take a different route wanting to avoid the Wal-Mart traffic on Trabue if I could, but as it turned out, the traffic on Roberts Rd. was as bad or even worse. In fact, I know it was worse. It took 22 minutes to get to Mindy’s. Dinner was just about ready when I arrived. After a loving greeting we all sat for our dinner and Jacob lead us in prayer as he often does. I made quick work of the steak, salad, and asparagus. Everything was tasty! After we finished dinner Jacob, Bella and I headed out back to play some ball before the sun dipped down below the horizon. It was noticeably cooler without the sun shining like earlier. Unfortunately, the house directly behind Mindy’s blocks the sun after about 7pm this time of year. After about 20 minutes of play and long enough for Mindy to get dinner cleaned up, we returned inside where Jacob asked me to put together his Spiderman village. I agreed. Meanwhile, Mindy received a call from a young lady she’d met that was selling an elliptical machine for what Mindy deemed as a fair price. She was ready with help to load it in her car if she could come over now. I agreed to stay home with the kids while she headed out. She was gone no longer than twenty minutes – just long enough for me to complete the Spiderman village. Once she returned I helped her get the machine from her van into the garage. We’d have to move it to her bedroom later. It’s pretty heavy and definitely clumsy. By now it was 8pm, time for Jacob and Bella’s bedtime. They were very tired after a nap-less day. They were both asleep minutes after their little heads found their pillows. After they were down, Mindy I found our way to the sofa where we talked about our Florida rip, work, and about my daughter Ashley. I rose and left for home at 10:10pm. I had little I had to do before going to bed but didn’t manage to get there until nearly 11pm. Like the kids, I was asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow.

Easter Sunday 2006 - Jacob's Birthday that never ends

Easter eggs colored by Jacob, Bella, & Kaileigh on display in Mindy's Museum of Art Mindy dressed like a spring flower Easter Sunday… Once again, it went bump through the night. As my eyes began to open the tell tale sounds of overnight rain greeted my ears -cars swishing through water on the streets. It was around 8:00am when Mindy and I both rolled out of bed. I went immediately for my vitamin and then turned my attention to my morning exercise routine. After knocking them out in short order I took to the streets with Ykraps in tow. Despite the overnight rain, the sky was beginning to clear giving hope of a bright Easter morning. The temperature wasn’t expected to be as warm as Saturday, but it was still predicted to be near 70 degrees. All in all a very pretty morning was unfolding. By the time Ykraps and I returned home the sun was out and even bluer skies were on the horizon. I made coffee for both Mindy and I. She needed to leave by 8:45am to make it home by 9am to do Easter with her kids. After an Easter egg hunt she would be heading off to church. As you can see, she was dressed like an Easter egg herself – in lavender head to toe. She looked very spring like and very pretty! After she loaded her car and pulled away, I readied myself for a run for not wanting to waste any time. I was out the door for my Easter morning run by 9:20am. The sun was out through the entirety of my run, but for the most part it was hazy sun. However, in short order I could see that we’d be under clear blue skies. I finished my run by 10am and began making my breakfast, which consisted of sausage, eggs, and leftover chocolate muffins from last weekend. I was done eating and cleaning up by 11am and ready to hit the project list. Through it all, I continued working from home via my laptop. We were still under the influence of the same problem I’d been working all weekend. I tried not to let it bother me too much. By 11:20am I was out in the yard. My first job entailed trimming the dead growth from my climbing rose bushes. From all indications, I’d be hacking them good as several main canes had died over the mild winter. I had quite a pile when I was done. Next, I maneuvered the borrowed extension ladder into place against my weeping willow tree in an effort to remove several medium sized branches that were dead or dying and that were dropping their switch like branches with each gust of wind making raking a weekly chore. And now that the growing season was in full swing, I could easily see what was dead and what was alive. I noted my target and ascended upward with the chain saw in tow. About 30 minutes later I finished the pruning and now faced the daunting task of hauling the carnage to the compost pile. The job always looks so much bigger once the branches are on the ground. After finishing the tree trimming I took a reading break and nap on the deck. After about 20 minutes I reconnected myself with work and continued to push against the problem haunting us. By 1:15pm Mindy returned for a short visit before moving on to her mother’s. Along with her, she brought a couple toffee cappuccinos from Tim Horton’s & another plate of those really good sugar cookies she baked Thursday evening. After my break, I began edging the flower beds surrounding my deck and the rear of my home. Again, I dumped the edgings in the area surrounding the removed stump to level the ground before seeding. I finished the edging around 3:15pm – time to take a shower and ready for Easter dinner with Mindy’s family. Before leaving I took a minute or two to read some internet headlines. In doing so, I saw that airline ticket prices were expected to soar through the summer along with the price of gasoline. That in turn prompted me to take a peak at the prices for Tampa on the dates Mindy and I had talked about a few weeks ago. The last I had checked (sometime last week) they were no cheaper than $284 roundtrip and $334 for the preferred non-stop roundtrip. Today I expected them to be even pricier. To my surprise, I found non-stop flights – CMH/Tampa - on the dates we liked for $163 each, and that was with taxes. I talked with Mindy and told her of the rates. She in turn promised to talk with her older brother to re-confirm the availability of the house. I was tempted to buy them then knowing that a deal now may not last even till evening. I’ve seen it a hundred times before and have ended up spending hundreds more. The risk, however, of buying now and having so many dangling pieces was too heavy. We had no choice but to wait. We still had to confirm the house, confirm my vacation approval, and confirm no other plans. I left for Mindy’s mom’s at 3:45pm since it was requested I be there by 4:00pm. Most of her family members were already there when I arrived, and there would be a crowd. All told, there were 15 of us. Dinner was top notch! We had honey baked ham, roast beef, macaroni salad, dirty rice, and a host of other side dishes. For dessert we had ice-box cookies, lemon cheesecake, and birthday cake for Jacob. After all, this was his official birthday even though we celebrated it last Sunday at Mindy’s. Mindy didn’t want his birthday party to compete with Easter Sunday. He made out! We left Mindy’s mom’s sometime after 8pm – late by normal standards. Both children rode with me. Once at Mindy’s, she made quick work of getting them bathed and in their pajamas. They were in bed by 8:40pm. I ended up staying until 10pm after falling asleep on the sofa along side Mindy. When I arrived home I couldn’t jump right in bed for having still to walk Ykraps. Once that was out of the way, I checked again on those airline rates to Tampa. They were still available. Too, Mindy had checked on her brother Craig’s house and it was available for our use. I weighed the options – still not knowing for certain that my vacation would be approved - and decided to ‘buy’. The risk was low that it wouldn’t, I surmised. Before the purchase would complete, I had to enter everyone’s travel information which meant I had to wake Mindy to confirm Bella’s birth date. I already knew Jacob’s (today). By 11:15pm I had completed the purchase. With my mission complete, it was time to rest. To bed I went with water and book in hand.