Ab-stain

Are you kidding me? Is it morning already? Well, at least I could sleep as late as I wanted. The sunlight gushed through the bedroom windows removing any doubt that it was morning and that it was sunny. An eye to the clock, (after doing some elementary math) revealed that it was pushing 8:30am. Even still, Mindy insisted on some snuggling before she’d agree to let me escape the confines of the covers. Once up, I made quick work of my exercises and took Ykraps on a wondrous walk about the neighborhood. The sky was as a clear as one could hope and the autumn air was crisp and chilly. Just as the weather prognosticators had predicted, it looked like a great day was in store. When I got back Mindy was already up and milling about downstairs, but it was after 9:00am. She was planning on shopping with her friend Shelly in hopes of finding the perfect bride’s maid dress. Their original plans called for meeting here at 10am. We enjoyed a couple cups of coffee on the deck despite the seasonal chill. The sunshine’s warmth along with a light jacket was more than enough to overcome the cool autumn air. We hung out until almost 10am when I decided to leave for a run. Today I wore shorts, a long sleeved running shirt, and a jacket. That was perfect for the temp. I said goodbye assuming that Mindy would be gone upon my return, but she didn’t think so. She figured she’d still be there waiting Shelly. I was back by 10:45am, and as it turned out she was correct. She was still there when I returned. Before I could accomplish much, Lindsey and lil’ Rocky showed up at our door. She said Rocky wanted to visit. I decided now was as good a time as any to reveal our sketchy plan for her liberation. Essentially, I have concluded that trying to build Kelly up and protect her integrity will only hurt Lindsey’s healing since I see Kelly as a significant part of the problem. I spoke very directly about what I thought she should do and why. And for the first time in a long while, Lindsey seemed to listen, and more importantly agreed in principle to some terms. Basically, we told Lindsey that despite how bad she thinks her apartment is, Living with her mother is much worse for her and lil’ Rocky’s long-term well being. I said as much as I needed to say to properly communicate how I see her current situation – nothing more. After that I went to the deck to begin prepping for the day’s staining project. Not long after I headed outside, Lindsey and Rocky walked to the park. And just as I was getting started with the stain, Shelly showed up. Soon, her and Mindy left for their shopping spree. When Lindsey returned from the park she asked for some gas money. I loaned her some cash. I also asked that she not discuss her plan with her mother as it would serve as a catalyst for trouble. She agreed then left. I stained the deck’s skirting before moving onto the actual walking surface. The skirting was easy and took stain nicely since it’s a vertical surface. The only tough part was around and behind the rose bushes. The entire skirt took about an hour. Next, I moved onto the lower tier deck surface. I was using a 4X7” paint pad with a handle. That’s the perfect tool I have found for the semi-smooth surface. I also determined that doing two boards at a time was a good system going back over the prior two once an initial coat was applied to the next two. That worked well as I moved from west to east. In addition to the deck’s surface, I did the two benches and the diagonal steps. Somewhere close to 2pm Mindy returned and modeled her new red dress. It looked nice. While I wrapped up the lower tier, Mindy chased down a couple of gyro combos for us from our favorite gyro shop – Greek Cuisine’. When she returned I had just finished the staining and clean-up. I left everything accessible to complete the project tomorrow. It was 3pm. I had originally planned to finish in time to watch the Buckeye game, but the more I though about it, I decided that it would be fool hearty to waste this glorious weather. Besides, there were so many yard projects needing tended too especially after the Wednesday storm. I needed to inspect the roof, trim some over grown ivy, clear the gutters and flower beds, and rake some leaves. After woofing down my gyro I took to trimming some ivy away form the chimney – something needing done all summer long. Next I moved around front and cleared ivy form the master bedroom screens and windows. At the same time I cleared the storm debris from the gutters. Next, I had Mindy stabilize the ladder while I replaced the broken spot light about 25’ up on the west corner of the house. It broke in the hail storm. After finishing the light, I moved the ladder to the deck for easy access to the roof. I climbed up to give the roof a thorough inspection after the storm, and to clear any remaining clutter in the gutters. Meanwhile, the Buckeye game carried on. We had the radio on so we were well informed of the progress. I felt good about our game plan. While the Buckeyes played we listened. And while we listened, we worked on accomplishing some yard tasks. Mindy suggested that we rake the back yard, which if she hadn’t I probably would’ve slacked for the remainder of the day. At the outset I thought we’d only do the upper half since it was such back breaking work, but as we went on, we kept moving further back until we had cleared the entire backyard of all the fallen debris – about 15 large piles and four giant tarps full. When we finished it was nearly 6:30pm. I was tired, achy, and sore. I went in and took a much needed shower before walking Ykraps. I didn’t want to be seen in my deck staining attire. After walking Ykraps, Mindy decided to hit the shower while I slipped out onto the upper deck to play a little guitar. At 7pm we left for Lowe’s to get one more gallon of stain which should easily complete the project (the sixth gallon). While at Lowe’s, Mindy grabbed some paint samples and some AA batteries for the kids toys (24). In kind, I grabbed another pack of AA rechargeables for the camera. After leaving Lowe’s we began our trek home. However, Mindy was persistent about her need for food. We kicked around some options and ultimately decided on Old Bag of Nails in the Tremont Center. Truth be told, I could’ve done without eating but humored her anyhow. Sometimes it’s not about me. Nope, it’s about her belly!!! J We both had large burgers, me a Cajun and Mindy a common cheese burger. They were good. To wash it down, I had a Dog Fish 90 minute IPA. I didn’t like it all that much, though. We headed home shortly after 9pm. To aid in healing our stiff bodies we got in the hot tub. It felt superb. While falling asleep, we watched the Georgia versus Tennessee football game. Exciting!