Five months till Christmas

Gads! Only 153 shopping days till Xmas! I first woke around 4am feeling fully rested, but I also knew that it was much too early to be getting up. So, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep only to wake a couple more times before needing to get up for good. As often happens, I didn’t wake the final time until 5:45am. I got out of bed somewhat matter of factly and began my early morning grooming routine (brush my teeth & pee). Soon, I was down stairs forcing out my sit-ups in a wide open area that seemed all so naked after Mindy moved my six poinsettias out of doors. Shame on her! A couple of them were as big as trees. After my exercise I left with Ykraps in tow in what was shaping up to be a beautiful sunrise. When I returned I made some coffee and went to the deck to meditate and relax. Shortly after making my lunch and beginning my breakfast, Mindy showed up downstairs ready to begin her own day. That was a surprise. She joined me on the deck as I ate my eggs and fruit. At 7:05am I headed up to get in the shower. By then everyone was up. While I dressed, Mindy and the kids laid restfully in the bed watching approved cartoons. Mindy quipped “a year ago I’ll bet you never dreamed you’d see this sight”! Very true! I finished getting ready and decided for no good reason that I would be driving the Trooper today. After loading all my gear I returned with plenty of time to kill to play some guitar in the sunshine on the deck. Bella and Mindy joined me. I left for work after a big group hug. Work was very busy from the minute I arrived and it never really let up much at all. I did manage to sneak away for a run at 1pm. And for the record, it was 86 degrees with 40& humidity. Not a bad typical summer day by any measure. The afternoon was busy too, and I it seemingly flew by. Before I could catch my breath, it was 5:15pm and I was headed out the door. I made no pit stops along the way home but took the back route since 270 was so backed up. As it turned out, that was a superior move. I was home by 5:35pm. Mindy had already walked Ykraps and had everything organized for our evening. She had steaks thawing and a couple of sides already prepped (green beans & cucumber salad). After prepping coffee and washing my lunch containers I prepped the grill for the steaks. Mindy reported another very productive day. She watch Lil’ Rockie and took all three kids to the pool as well s further organizing the house. I granted her permission to destroy all six of the poinsettias I have nurtured for the past five years. By 7pm we had finished our dinner on the deck and cleaning the associated dishes. I had promised Jacoby that he and I could do some fishing after dinner as long as he behaved himself. It would be a bit of stretch saying that he held up his part of the bargain but he wasn’t too mischievous, so I got his new pole ready for fishing. Mindy and Bella decided to take a walk while we fished. We didn’t catch a fish but did manage to gather about twenty mosquito bites between the two of us. We tempted the large carp but in the end, they didn’t seem too interested in the artificial bait we offered. After about thirty minutes we bagged the fishing and Jacob headed in for a bath & bed. Mindy read to the children tonight and gave me a break. I took the opportunity to red in my big chair. It was nice for a change. I read about 20 pages. When I finished the house was dark and quiet. Mindy had already slipped upstairs for a shower and bed. I wasn’t far behind and was in bed by 10pm again