Carp-e Diem

I was up at a little after 8am, but unlike many of the days prior it wasn't very pretty. The streets were wet and the skies a dark gray. Mindy said she'd be right behind but she wasn't. I went ahead and whipped out my exercises before hitching up Ykraps for our Sunday morning walk.

While on our walk I gained new hope for a potential clearing. The skies to the immediate west looked quite promising. When I returned home I checked the radar which confirmed that the overnight rain was gone with no appreciable moisture to our west. Perhaps the forecast was wrong and the sun would come out after all.

After some starbucks coffee and some internet fun, Mindy joined me downstairs. Mindy promised to make breakfast burritos today. She'd make them while I ran. I dressed and left for a run just before 10am. The sun already began popping out form behind what was left form the overnight clouds. It looked like a good day in the making after all. I found two golf balls along my run and kept one in each hand. I added them to my collection when I arrived back home.

I can't be certain, but believe that Glenn was already up when I returned. It was darn near 10:45am. I quickly changed out of my running clothes and back into my pajamas. It wasn't too long before the burritos were ready. Instead of potatoes, Mindy made them with rice. I liked them much better that way. After two of those, I was full. As the weather improved I took to the back yard hell bent on completing my abandoned chores. Jacob asked if he could fish while I worked. Somehow, though, I knew that my yard work would at best interrupted and at worst completely stifled.

Jacob used the old bread he had just earlier threw out in the backyard brush for bait. (my idea). He asked for my help baiting and casting. We threw in the line and less than 30 seconds later we had a big fat carp on the line. It must have weighed five or six pounds. He was excited and yelled for his momma and Bella to come see. They brought the camera. After throwing the big fish back in the water we rebaited the hook. Less than two minutes later we had yet another big fish on the line only this time it was Jacob who pulled it in. This one was even bigger than the first and had the hook half way down its mouth. We got another picture or two.
Believe it or not we caught another fish minutes later. Now I've lived here 13 years and admittedly have only fished myself a handful of times. But over those same years I've seen countless kids and parents alike fish these waters. Rare is it that the ever catch one of these big elusive carp. I'm not sure if it's the bread, the weather, or season. What I do know is that we caught three of these big suckers in less than twenty minutes time. The kids fished for another half hour but never got another nibble. Word must've gotten out to the family. :)

It wasn't long before Mindy and Glenn were heading off to Target and Jacob and Bella were leaving with their father for some Manken family time. Before Glenn & Mindy left, we carried Mindy's middle van seat from the shed and reinstalled it. It's been in the garage since the big move. I would have a couple of hours to whip out some chores. Meanwhile, the weather was only getting nicer. It was sunny and warm with a gentle spring breeze. Very nice! During the next two hours I managed to trim some more hedges, fertilize the lawn, tune the push mower, and cut the front lawn. I felt very good about what I had accomplished. I could've done more except that it was 2:30pm and we were planning on being at Joe's for dinner at 4pm. I still had to shower and put things away.

The kids arrived home after I got out of the shower and was sitting on the deck strumming my guitar. Minutes late Glenn and Mindy returned. It was almost 3:30pm. We loaded a cooler with soda then left for Joe's in the min-van, Glenn included. He would get the opportunity to participate in the infamous Sunday dinner.

We arrived at Joe's place around 4:10pm. It was very nice and right in the heart of Vic Village. I enjoyed the art of one roommate. And I particularly fell in love with a Picasso like piece she'd done. We ordered three giant pizzas from Adriatico's. I'd never had it before, so I was looking forward to giving it a rub and a whirl. We all chipped in to lighten the burden on any one particular person/s. The kids and I played in the front yard an anticipation of the pizzas arrival. It arrived about 45 minutes later.

The pizza was good. I had three slices - two pepperoni and one cheese. It was good but certainly not as good as Minielli's. After stuffing ourselves with pizza we left for a walk at Goodale Park. It was about a half-mile walk by my estimate. The park was crowded with lots of dog walkers. The park was very beautiful, too. I hadn't been to Goodale Park in quite sometime - at least two years. They've made some dramatic improvements over the years.

After playing on the swings and slides for about twenty minutes most of us walked back. We were encouraged to hurry since Bella had to pee. We made it back in a bout twenty minutes. We had dessert upon our return. Most had Gloria's peanut butter fudge, but I had cheesecake. It was very good. Come 7pm we loaded up the van and drove back to Beverley - Scioto Woods that is. Swimming pools and movie stars. Yeah -right!

I walked Ykraps. He was anxious for a walk. Mindy readied the kids for bed with a bath. Glenn and I took to the deck for some guitar playing and eventually a drink. The sunset was spectacular as was the rising of the moon. I got the picture to prove it. After being out there a while, Mindy finally joined us. We stayed outdoors lighting the torches and enjoying the evening's warmth. It was very nice. At 10pm we said our good byes to Glenn as it was unlikely that we'd see him again until next time. Mindy and I went to bed around 10:15pm. Glenn stayed up entertaining himself as he often does.