What in Sam Hell?

I slept about as deeply as one could possibly imagine. Through the night, I woke only once just to eyeball the clock. That was around 1am. I didn’t wake again until 5:35am. Fulfilled, I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs to begin my second day of work.

While still a little stiff, my lower back felt even better than it did the morning before. That was encouraging. I carefully began my sit-ups as it loosened even further. I finished my entire routine and found my outdoors with Ykraps by 6:05am.

The early morning sky was completely clear with what looked like a full moon resting at about 10 o’clock in the SW sky. It was beautiful. Our morning walk is a important to me as it is for Ykraps albeit for different reasons. It gives him an opportunity to clear himself physically, while it affords me the opportunity to clear my mind and contemplate the day ahead. If any sleepiness lingers, it’s usually clear by the time he and I return home. By then I am so ready for a hot cup of coffee.

Confession: I haven’t spent much time in quiet meditation the last couple of weeks with vacation all. I recognize this as a short coming and plan to correct this negligent behavior pronto!

After reading the Daily Om I read the morning’s headlines. I saw that Bill Walsh, the wildly successful former coach of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, passed away. I always respected his demeanor and obvious intelligence. I got cracking on food prep following my leisure activities.

For my lunch I prepared a full complement of entrees – veggie medley, tuna fish salad, nuts, and fruit (the nuts get eaten as a mid-morning snack). For breakfast I prepared a cheese omelet along with some fruit. I left about a 1/3 of the omelet for Mindy. I finished eating and took to watering flowers at 7:10am. I watered the front first and finished in the back by 7:30am. I poured Mindy a cup of coffee and delivered it bedside just before getting in the shower.

Mindy asked if we could go on a date this evening just before I left for the day. We hadn’t had a mid-week date in a while with Jim typically bringing the kids home around 630pm. I agreed that we should do that. I left for work around 7:50am stopping at Thornton’s for gas, where it was priced at $2.51 per gallon.

Work was bustling with activity. I still had plenty of catch up work to do as well as dealing with the day’s inevitably “hot” issues. I didn’t leave for my daily run until 1pm. When I finally got out it was hot & steamy all right. But once again there was a freakish breeze out of the NNE that felt cool despite the almost 90 degree temps. I worked up quite a lather and probably dropped a few pounds. It was a good run.

The afternoon went smoothly and it wasn’t long before the day was behind me. I left for home around 5:20pm. Mindy & I had already talked about our date plans, but we’d yet to decide where. I called her on my way home to discuss. Her choice was El Vaquero on Rome-Hilliard Rd – the very venue of our first formal date. She suggested perusing Sam’s Club directly across the street immediately after. That sounded ideal. She said she’d be waiting for me on the porch when I got home so we could get on the road fast.

I picked Mindy up as planned. We were at the Vaq just before 6pm, and lucky for us, we beat the crowd by about 10 minutes. We sat on the patio in the shade. It was a tad on the warm side but it was by no mean unbearable. We started with their complementary chips and salsa. Mindy ordered a margarita, me just water. I ordered a two combo meal. Mindy ordered some giant fajita thing. As usual, their service was impeccable and fast. We were finished eating by 6:30pm. We paid our bill and left for Sam’s Club directly across the street.

Our main goal at Sam’s was to check out their backyard playsets. We heard that they have an awesome set for a reasonable price compared to other local vendors. The place is huge. We found the displayed playset quickly. It was awesome and had all the requirements we thought we might want in one and then some. Perhaps a bonus was the fact that it was built out of cypress in lieu of treated pine. The wood looks so much neater. However, I noticed that aside from the frame, it was built with non-dimensional lumber. The fact still remains that we have few options in our yard for such a beast. There isn’t a level spot bigger than a postage stamp. The set requires an area 38X24’. We’d look the yard over once at home.

We walked most of store looking at all their other offerings. They had some good deals on some stuff, but you have to be careful when comparing the large quantities. I saw many things that were more expensive than say Target or even Wal-Mart. We left the store after an hour browsing the aisles. It was just after 7:30pm when we headed towards home. Jimaken passed us with the kids just as we were turning onto Wilson from Trabue. Good timing.

At home we greeted the kids. I got busy unloading my lunch dishes and changed into some comfy house clothes. Mindy and I walked out back to once again survey the yard. I poured myself one of Jeremy’s home brewed IPA’s. Our survey ended with Mindy convinced that the playset wouldn’t fit anywhere but back in the trees where my compost pile resides. That IS an option, I guess. We agreed to sleep on it. I presented plan “B” which is me building a play tower minus the swings in a more compact area then placing a hanging swing from the trees. We’ll see.

On our walk back into the house I noticed some serious yard damage. Mindy confessed the kids using the hose to bore holes in the yard. I was pissed over the overt damage, not to mention the waste of water.

Mindy went to the neighbors to fetch the kids, who were playing on their playset. I went to the PC to update my blog. I was prepared to be fully caught up after this evening, at least with entries. Pictures would still be forth coming. After blogging I tucked in the kids then returned downstairs where I uncharacteristically tuned into some TV. I watched a little of the Reds game but then tuned to CNN to watch an interview with Dick Cheney. Fairly interesting. I began falling asleep. Mindy came in and asked that I rub her aching shoulder. I did. Come 1030pm I could take no more. We secured the house and headed to bed.

Work Returns & So Does The Heat

As expected, wake time came too fast. It was 530am before I knew it. I snuck and extra few minutes of sleep before getting up to begin my day. It was 5:50am by the time I made it downstairs and choked down a One-A-Day. I then realized that neither Mindy nor I prepped coffee the night before. I quickly tended to that important task before doing anything else. Feeling progressively better, but still a little sore, I carefully completed my sit-ups. My lower back is aching in the same spot that hampered me for over ten years. I want to be very careful not to find myself back in that predicament. By 6:05am I had completed my exercise routine and was out walking Ykraps. It was a very lovely morning and the forecast called for sunny and 88. In fact, the next several days are expected to be hot and sunny with the temperature rising to near 95 by Thursday. Sounds like the hot weather is back! Because of the four straight days of rain (Wed –Sat), my lawn looks better than it has all growing season – spring included. Ykraps and I were home by 615am. I poured myself some coffee and sat at the PC just like any other work day. I read the daily OM and caught up on a few of the morning’s headlines. I saw that Tom Snyder passed away – the old late, late night talk show host. Just after 6:30am I got busy making the day’s food. By the time I finished packing my lunch and making and eating my breakfast it was already 7:10am. I started my daily watering in the back. In fact, I only watered the rear flowers this AM. I finished by 7:35am and then went inside where I made & delivered Mindy’s morning coffee. I grabbed a fast shower and was ready for work by 7:50am. I made plans to drive the BM’er since the weather was expected to be so summery. It was 7:55am by the time I was heading down the road. It was a little tough getting back in the groove. I spent the better part of the morning filtering through all my emails. But come noon time I was finding my groove and was ready for a run. I couldn’t get away until just after 1pm. Things were hopping. It was a hot & sweaty run, but the breeze blowing out of the northeast made it bearable. I made it back to my office by 2:15pm. I spent a greater piece of my afternoon working through a few tough issues. I called and spoke with Mindy around 4pm. She said she hadn’t done much at all today, and that it was on purpose. She was on the deck reading her Harry Potter book, which she was about to complete. I don’t know how one can read such rubbish! I stopped at Home Depot on my way home to look for possible solutions to my Trooper window clip issue as well as a few other items. I was there until 5:50pm. When I arrived home Bella and Mindy were in the kitchen. Jacob was out playing with friends. I could tell that Mindy was eager to get back to her book. There on the counter were the same dishes from this AM. I walked Ykraps alone and returned to take care of a few chores. Mindy was back on the deck reading. I used the time to edit weekend pictures and to catch up on my blog. The kids and Mindy came inside around 8:30pm. Jimaken stopped by briefly to drop off a couple of gifts he bought the kids while in San Diego over the weekend. He didn’t stay long. Mindy allowed the kids to play on the bridge out front all the while neighbor Mike fished with his kids. Jacob fished too. Mindy used the time to finish her book. Around 9pm everyone came inside for good. Mindy got the kids tucked into bed. I went up and tucked them in too. While Mindy dealt with a few issues around the house I sprawled out on the livingroom floor where I fell fast asleep. Mindy woke me around 10pm and we headed for bed.

Accomplishing Much

I woke Sunday morning fairly close to 730am. And just as predicted, the sky was crystal clear. The morning appeared to have all the makings of a beautiful summer day in July. I exercised through the ongoing pain in my lower back, which still aches from the tubing and skiing. However, it does seem to be diminishing a smidge with each passing day.

Lil’ rocky and Bella got up after I returned from walking Ykraps. I made the two of them some cereal and juice. Minutes later Jacob was up and wanting the same. I addressed his needs as well. I enjoyed a cup of coffee or two before setting out on my daily run. I also removed the boat cover to help facilitate faster drying. I kept my run inside the subdivision. It was a good run but also a sweaty one. It was very, very humid. Mindy was up when I returned and heated the two of us the last of the breakfast casserole. We nibbled on some fresh fruit too. After eating I pulled the boat onto the driveway to allow for extra drainage since the slope of the drive is far greater than the street. Another four or five gallons drained out. My plan was to clean the boat inside and out but it still needed to dry out more. Because of this, I chose to do my lawn chores before tending to the boat.

I did my lawn chores over the next 1.5 hours. It was nice to have access to my tractor once again. By 12:15pm I was done with lawn chores. Mindy was preparing to leave for the pool and asked if I would care to join her. Lil’ rocky didn’t want to go along so she planned on dropping him at home. I declined for wanting instead to stick to my boat cleaning plan. Eventually, Mindy scrapped the pool idea in favor of shopping. All the kids went with her. That left me home alone to finish the boat.

I used the time wisely. I spent the next three hours cleaning the boat inside and out. I vacuumed and washed out the ski hold. I used Clorox spray cleaner to clean the seat cushions as well as the fiberglass bow area. The inside looked great when I finished. Next, was the exterior. I checked the time and it was moving fast. I needed to get crackin’ on the chocolate chip cookie cheesecake, too. So, before lathering up the boat, I put the cookie in the oven and set the timer. I washed the boat quickly. It never takes too long.
I went in and removed the cookie from the oven before drying the boat.

At 3pm I began placing all the necessary gear back into the boat. I collapsed our rafts and removed some of the clutter to help make it roomier (a sorely needed touch). Mindy arrived home soon after. In between tasks, I went in and whipped up the topping for the cheesecake while the cookie continued cooling. I went back out and cleaned up my remaining mess in the drive before hading back in to spread the yummy topping and to take a shower. It was already 4pm. Where’d the day go?

As soon as I finished in the shower we were ready to depart for Gloria’s. Mindy suggested that I return the boat to storage and simply meet her and the kids at her mother’s. Bella, by the way, was already there, Mindy having dropped her off earlier in the afternoon. Sounded good to me. I left with the boat. Mindy headed to her mom’s.

I put the boat in storage with little trouble. I didn’t make it to her mother’s until almost 5pm. The number of Sunday dinner guests was far less than usual due in part to it being a duty day. Mindy’s older brother and Jeff weren’t present either. Still, there were eight of us. We enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, and pasta salad.

After dinner I plopped down on the sofa and took a brief nap. Mindy said I slept for 30 minutes. I was out cold! Food coma!!! Soon after I woke, we broke out the chocolate chip cheesecake cookie and key lime pie for dessert. After dessert and clean-up we readied for departure. We had to stop at Ashley’s to drop off Olivia’s new car seat. We left around 7:30pm.
We arrived at Kelly’s a few minutes later, Bella and I a handful of minutes ahead of Mindy, who was gabbing with her mother. Ashley brought Olivia out to visit with Bella and I. Kelly was pleasant and reintroduced me to Rocket the cat. According to Kelly he has all sorts of ailments but is still going strong. He must be close to 17 years old. As I recall, I got him as a kitten from a friend at Time Warner for Lindsey when she separated her shoulder when she was about six. When Mindy arrived she got busy installing the car seat in Ashley’s car. It took some doing, but she did it all pretty much by herself. In the meantime, I held Landon and played with Olivia. Jacob and Lil’ Rocky played in Ashley’s car.

A little after 8pm Mindy finally got the best of the new car seat. Lindsey curtly made it known that Landon needs one, too. Buy one - geesh! We headed home and arrived by 830pm. Mindy and I walked the dog together. I was a bit down as another vacation was drawing to a close. For the next hour or so I updated my blog which I had purposely fallen behind on. We went to bed around 1030pm.

Family Gathers

For some reason I never got my camera out of my back pack

at brother Bob's. Kaileigh couldn't attend due to the horse show

shown above. Here are some pics that Shelly sent us the following day.

I woke Saturday morning at none other than my standard 730am. I was pleased to see from my bedroom window that it was sunny and blue. I was eager once again to get downstairs and begin my routine. I felt like I had to execute sharply since we were planning to attend brother Bobby’s family yard party which started at noon.

Before going, I had to make buffalo chicken dip and a pie, and that was after doing my regular routine stuff. I ran along Trabue Rd.& Hague Ave. As I ran by St Margaret’s I remembered that it’s festival time, although the tell tale signs aren’t as prolific as they once were. There are no red, white, and blue banners hanging over the road any longer. It looked like dad was not home as I ran by his place.

I completed my run 9:40am. I was going to water flowers but Mindy had sausage and French toast all but ready. I wisely chose to delay the watering until after breakfast. The food was superb, especially the thick cut French bread French toast. After breakfast and clean-up I took to watering the flowers.

Mindy ran out to pick-up another can of chicken for our buffalo chicken dip recipe. While out, she also picked up two bags of ice & strawberries. I put the finishing touches on the dip when she returned and dumped the final concoction in our small crock pot. Come 1230pm we loaded our cooler with drinks and grabbed our swimming suits and left for brother Bob’s. We arrived just before 1pm. Dad pulled up just as we were unloading. He helped me carry my heavy cooler to the deck.

Present at the gathering were all of Bob’s family, Shawn, Kelly and kids, Tommy and Wally. Ashley, Olivia, & Lil’ Rocky. Charles’ family, Margie, Connie, Courtney, Lindsey, and Uncle Kenny were no shows. Bob already had corn hole and hillbilly golf set up out back. He promptly got to grilling shortly after Tommy arrived. He grilled burgers and hot dogs. After everyone ate the kids got to swimming. Most folks left during the early evening hours. Eventually we took the party inside when a rain storm blew in. Mindy and I stayed until 10pm hanging out with Bob & April. We had a nice time.

We decided to keep Lil’ Rocky with us overnight. He was excited to be spending the night. We set up an air mattress in Bella’s room like we so often do when one of the grand kids stays over. I walked Ykraps who held it at bay for 4 or 5 hours longer than he should’ve. He’s so good! After settling the kids we headed to bed ourselves.

Do You Have the Time To Listen To Me Whine...

Jeremy's IPA Rocks!!!
There’s nothing like waking in your own bed! I must’ve slept until nearly 8am. I was very eager to make a pot of fresh coffee, exercise, and run from home. I completed my usual chores before sitting down to read about my Vikings. After short stint on the internet I called about getting the garage door repaired. I called Budget Doors, which is located just down the road. They said they’d be over within the hour. Wow! That’s good service.

Next, I called the dining canopy distributor to order two new replacement poles. To my surprise, the grand total to have them shipped to the house was a whopping $8. That’s awesome. And to think I was ready to drive off and leave the canopy at the camp site. In fact, the biggest reason for not was not wanting to risk souring my reputation with the park officials by leaving trash behind. This pleased me. Mindy and the kids remained in bed. Some time around 9am Mindy finally appeared. She was happy to get some coffee. I shared the news about the garage door and canopy poles. Soon the door guy was there. It took him less than 20 minutes to replace both springs and tune it up. $170 later we were good to go. The door now operates quieter than ever, too. As much as I hate it when things break, I was thrilled to have the repair behind me. I could move on to the next thing! J

I left for a run soon after he departed. Our plan for the day called for having the grand kids over – Olivia and Lil’ Rocky. We made arrangements with Ashley who said she’d bring them over after Olivia’s doctor’s appointment. In the meantime, Mindy went to fetch Rocky’s B-Day presents and all the fixins for a small party. Bella went with her. I carried the rest of the camp gear to the basement.

Ash & the kids showed up while Mindy was away. I was in the middle of doing some cosmetic repairs to the boat and removing all the toys from the ski hatch so that it could have half a chance of drying out before storing it away. I peeled myself away from the task at hand and went in to spend time with the kids. Ashley left after I got settled, which even though I had forgotten, was the plan all along. She’d return around 730pm.

I enjoyed my time with the grand kids. Mindy returned home around 330pm with lots of stuff for Rocky. He was more than excited to have his B-Day party. Around 430 or so we celebrated his B-day. He opened gifts first. Next, we sang happy birthday and then ate cupcakes. The party wrapped up after a half hour or so. Ashley arrived early to pick-up the kids.

During the early evening hours Mindy made contact with Jeremy & Courtney, and her friend Erin. Both were planning to join us for dinner. We planned to cook burgers on the grill. It rained really hard during the early evening hours. This was the third day of rain in row. That has got to be a summer 2007 first! Erin arrived first. But Courtney and Jeremy weren’t far behind. Soon we were enjoying on another’s company. The burgers turned out fabulous. Jeremy brought some of his famous home brew. But this wasn’t just ordinary home brew. This was his IPA. I was taken back by how delicious it was. Really!!! It rivaled even Barley’s. Great Job Jeremy!!! Erin announced that they made an offer on a house in Canton. They’ve had an awfully tough time trying to sell their Galloway home.

Our guests departed before 10pm. And we didn’t stay up too long after they left – just long enough to clean-up the mess.

Drenched on Departing Day

What the hell is this? It's rain, and hard rain at that. It must’ve started somewhere just after midnight. Luckily there wasn’t any thunder or lightning – at least then. I kept hoping and thinking that it would eventually stop. Just the thought of tearing down camp in a down pour made me shudder. To my dismay it didn’t stop. If anything, it just rained harder and harder. And to make matters worse, thunder and lightning eventually accompanied it. It wasn’t long before we heard cries coming from the kids tent. Mindy did her very best to console them but after a few short minutes the cries continued. They wanted to come in our tent.

Somewhere through the early hours I heard a loud metal clang. I figured a raccoon knocked over a pan. Only problem was, we didn’t have any pans out. Later, when I went out in the driving rain to pee, I spotted the culprit. Our screenhouse/dining canopy collapsed onto the picnic table. I was certain that our new appliances (microwave, coffee maker) were damaged. It continued raining well past 9am. And ultimately Mindy brought the terrified kids into our tent. Oh boy!

I felt trapped. There I was stuck in a tent surrounded by huge puddles and our once dusty campsite nothing but a mudhole. How would we pack up in a down pour? When would I run? What about the boat? Did any of our appliances survive the rain and collapse? I was frustrated and so were Mindy and the kids. But sometimes you just have to suck it up. I got up and surveyed the damage as the rain continued falling. Our canopy collapsed after two of the poles buckled. Water poured from the coffee maker and microwave. Eventually Mindy joined me and we began planning our exit. I would go for a run and return with Mindy’s van, which was parked at the camp office lot. In the meantime, Mindy would begin the arduous task of breaking down camp from the inside out.

The run actually worked wonders on my mood. By the time I returned with the van it had stopped raining. That did nothing for our gear but made packing it a lot easier. We laid a big blanket inside Mindy’s van where we placed all of the rain and mud soaked tents. I loaded most of the hard gear in my Trooper. It was still fairly clean. The bottom of our tent was the muddiest. It went in a large hefty trash bag. Two hours later we were packed and ready to depart. We drove both vehicles to the camp dock and then walked back so that we could drive the boat to the dock from the cove. It was full of water up to the ski storage hatch. I had the pump running while we drove the vehicles to the dock. It had all but drained by the time we returned.

We didn’t fool around. Instead, we drove straight to the dock to load the boat for towing. As we readied it for the trailer the trim stopped working preventing me from raising the motor. I was scared it would drag the ramp and ruin the lower unit. We carefully pulled up and out until it was obvious that damage would occur if I went any further. As a last resort, Mindy tried one more time. Miraculously this time it worked and we were able to raise the motor to the trailering position. Woosh!
We were both stressed from a trying morning. We had no coffee and only a few small donuts for food. Mindy wanted to stop at Starbucks on our way home. I happily agreed. We stopped at the Powell Rd/ Rt 23 Starbucks. Yummy!

We made it home between 1 & 2 pm. Immediately, we began the painstaking process of unloading our gear and cleaning it up before stowing it away. Mindy took the inside stuff like laundry and coolers. I took care of the tents and crates. I set all three tents up in the back yard along with all the camping chairs and dining canopy (what was left of it). I washed all the mud away with the hose and allowed them all to dry in the happy sunshine. While toiling with the tents I took a whack at fixing the zipper on the old Winnebago tent that’s been broke for over ten years. I was able to fix it after all this time by pinching the zipper head closer together with a pair of needle nose pliers. While the tents dried I helped out inside by carrying the dry gear to the cellar.

Mindy went and fetched us a couple pizzas at Minelli’s. They went down easy. They were delicious! After dinner Mindy got the kids ready for bed with a real bath. And just as we expected, they went down easy. I went back outside to begin tearing down the tents. I was able to get all of them down folded and stowed. Honestly, they got packed way cleaner than they were before hand. And after allowing the microwave to dry out we verified that it worked flawlessly, and so did the new coffee maker. It seemed the only true casualties of our trip were the two canopy poles and Bella’s CD player. I found the 800 number for the dining canopy and part number for the poles. I planned to call the following morning. We'd have to get Bella a new CD player, too.

We enjoyed a beer or two before calling it a night and heading off to bed. What a day!

Hell Must've Froze Over

Just five short months 'til Xmas!

The sky was mostly clear as when we woke. Too, the temperature was a bit warmer than Tuesday morning. Oddly, the weather was coming from the Northeast. Once again I made a pot of coffee before setting out on a run. Mindy and the kids played while I ran.

While Mindy & Bella left for the restroom, Dad arrived to join us for some boating. It was about noon. He had made arrangements to take mom to her doctor’s appointment at 230 so he said he’d have to leave sometime between 130 & 200pm. We wasted little time getting out on the lake. Mindy suggested once again that I ski first to take full advantage of my dad’s presence. Good idea!

I was still very sore in my shoulders and lower back from the day prior but tried skiing nonetheless. I tried to slalom. After about five tries and moving Mindy to the front of the boat, I was able to get up. It felt great to slalom after all these years. I crossed the wake as courageously as I could. I tuckered after about five minutes and did the water drop. Mindy skied next. She did good, too.

After Mindy, Jacob got up the courage to try again. This time on the second attempt he got up and actually skied for about 6 seconds. We were proud and so was he. He tried one more time but couldn’t regain his mojo. He was just excited to have pulled it off once. After skiing we made our way to the south swim area close to the beach. We hung there while the kids swam for the better part of an hour. We left the swim cove around 130pm to make sure that Dad was back to his vehicle by 145pm. Mindy told Dad to bring mom back up after the appointment if they cared to. We headed back out to the lake for more boating and swimming.

We called it a day after spending the remainder of our afternoon in the north boat swim cove. There we swam, fished, and sunned.

About the time we got back to camp dad called to let us know that he and mom would in fact be returning together to the lake and would join us for dinner. Had hell froze over? Wow! Jacob and I headed off to find the men’s shower house. I hadn’t showered since Monday morning at home, and as you might expect I felt extremely grungy.

Jacob and I returned from our showers feeling refreshed. And it wasn’t too long before mom & dad showed up. By then we had dinner preparations underway. I had the grill lit for the brats and corn soaking in a large plastic bag. We decided to microwave the corn versus using up our precious firewood. The brats turned out exceptionally well on the grill, but the corn was nasty. It had no taste. I likened it to feed corn. But like good sports, we ate most of it anyhow. The kids got a kick out of throwing the naked cobs in the nearby brush to attract raccoons later.

After dinner we lit the fire where we all sat around talking. Mindy once again made the kids smores. I enjoyed few cold brews – raspberry, pumpkin, and Pale. I closed the evening by opening a bottle of champagne. Mom toyed with the idea of staying at camp but ultimately decided to leave with dad. We told her she could stay at our house. When they departed that was the plan. We went to bed around 11pm.

Ski & tube part one

Ready - Set - Tube!!!!

Tuesday morning was cloudy and cool. Any worry we had of being too hot was certainly cast aside. Everyone of us were chilled to the bone. It must’ve dipped well into the 50’s. Eventually I found warmth by placing my face under the sleeping bag. I got up around 730am – big surprise. I made a pot of coffee and had a few donuts before setting out on a run. I also walked to the boat just to make sure everything was still intact. It was.

The sky began to burn off during my run. I ran for about 30 minutes. After some additional coffee and a little Frisbee throwing with Jacoby I left for Paul’s Marine on Rt 23. At Paul’s I browsed all the new boats then bought the tail light kit I needed for my boat trailer. I returned to the camp grounds where I stopped off at the camp dock to install the light kit. That took about an hour soup to nuts.

I made my way back to camp where Mindy announced that Teri and Masimo were coming up. She went to shower while I entertained the kids. Teri showed about five minutes or so before Mindy returned. Soon all of us set out for a day on the lake. Tommy called to let us know that he was coming up too. He’d meet us at the dock. Masimo, Bella, Mindy, and Teri all tubed. Mindy did some more skiing. Jacoby would have none of it. Tommy met us around 2pm and immediately offered to pull me around on the tube. I hadn’t tubed in probably ten years. I got a good burn on to be sure. I rode that thing hard! I showed them all how to manage the tube a little. I was ore when I finished. We drove to the swimming cove when I was done. There we hung for a couple of hours. Tommy had to head in to work at 5pm.

He agreed to pull me on skis before departing. I skied on two until my arms tired. I tried to slalom about 5 or 6 times but to no avail. My arms were spent! We dropped Tommy at the dock and then returned to the lake for more fun on the water. We boated again until almost 6pm. Teri and Masimo left soon after we returned. Bella and I left to get more gas and ice on Rt 23 after starting the grill. We took the two empty 5 gallon containers. We got our gas and ice and returned around 7pm. When I retuned we prepped our fire for later and then began grilling our burgers. Our burgers wee delicious. Mindy had all sorts of fruit and veggies prepared to complement. I drank a few beers as we sat around the fire. Mindy made the kids smores. I had one too – my first ever. We went to bed around 11pm.

Let the camping begin

Happy 4th Lil' Rocky

Let the camping begin

I was up around 730am to begin our busy day and our family camp trip. I quickly knocked out my exercises, a walk with Ykraps, and my morning run. But even before setting out on my run I got the sprinkler running as part of my ongoing effort to keep the lawn lush. I was back home to get things underway before 9am. Before doing anything else, I spent a good 20 minutes thoroughly manually watering the flower beds, pots, and baskets.

With the watering complete, I got busy loading Mindy’s van with the coolers and bedding. We had both vehicles packed high and tight. I took a quick shower before setting out on our four day adventure in the woods. To accommodate the gear and the kids, Jacob rode with me and Bella with her mother. We had talked of departing around 10am but didn’t leave the house until nearly 11am. But that was fine. We were in good shape and had no real deadline. It wasn’t as sunny as I thought it would be. The sun continued ducking in and out of clouds all morning.

We stopped at the Hilliard Cemetery Rd Kroger to ice up the coolers. We had five of them! I bought four 22lb bags as well as a bottle of raspberry vodka. I noticed that one of my trailer’s taillights was hanging form the trailer frame covering the license plate. I told Mindy that I was going to stop at Paul’s Marine on our way up to buy the new light fixture.

Meanwhile, we were all getting really hungry. In our haste to get on the road we skipped breakfast. We agreed to make a pit stop at Wendy’s before getting back on the freeway. We arrived at Paul’s Marine only to discover that they were closed on Monday’s. Mindy seemed to remember that being the case from a trip I made up last year (good memory).

We went on to Alum Creek and arrived just after noon. The young woman at the park office let us know that we might not be able to set up camp for sometime yet. She said check-in wasn’t supposed to be until 1pm. She let us head in just the same. Our site – G29 was still occupied but we could tell that they were loading up. We parked in a nearby site and took a walk giving them plenty of time to clear the site. By the time we returned from our walk the site was clear and we began setting up.

Mindy and I worked well together setting up camp. It wasn’t too long before we had our three tents and screen house all set up along with all the other miscellaneous gear. We began preparing for an afternoon on the boat around 230pm. And just as we were ready to head over to the camp dock Bob Imber arrived. We all drove to the dock. Bob took his own vehicle to make his departure that much easier as he couldn’t stay too long.

Bob & Mindy tubed and skied. The kids got a big kick watching Bob tube. He did really well and took quite a pounding. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite as impressive on the skis. J And not to be shown up, Mindy got a rectal cleansing during an impressive water skiing tumble. She laid there floating in agony for several minutes all the while we looked hopelessly on unable to provide tangible help. She eventually recovered and then Jacob tried skiing. He had no luck, but we applauded his effort, anyhow. We cruised back to the dock to drop Bob around 5pm. He wanted to be home in time to greet Mary Ann. We wished him well on his coming trip to Ocracoke.

We boated & played well past 6pm when we finally called it a day and returned to our cove & camp. We could easily see our boat from our site. That made it really convenient. We prepared our dinner – chili dogs - and put the kids to bed in their own tent around 9pm. We went to bed ourselves just after 10pm.

The Pumpkin Ale is in!

Happy 46th Brother Tommy!

I slept a bit later than expected. I didn’t get out of bed until 8am. I had no particular place to be so there was no crisis. After some exercise and walking Ykraps I got the sprinkler running, taking care to soak the entire yard before our departure. Last time I checked the weather forecast there was nothing but sunny and 85 degree days lying ahead.

I completed my run before 10am and then watered the back yard flowers, pots, and baskets. I made plans to go fetch the boat and also stop at Giant Eagle to purchase some beer & wine for our coming trip. I called my dad around 11am to discuss our trip and to see if he’d be willing and able to tend ot the house and Ykraps. He was willing.

I stopped at Giant Eagle first, stocking up on Raspberry Ale, Flying Dog, and some Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. I bought Mindy two bottle of her favorite wine. Before heading on to pick-up the boat I made a pit stop at Michael’s to discuss framing options for some art work. I learned a lot and found them to be very knowledgeable on the topic.

Next stop was Lee’s RV’s to pick-up the boat. After picking up the boat I stopped to gas up the boat and my two plastic five gallon containers that would serve as fuel reserves for the boat so that we could avoid paying the absorbenant prices at the marina. The boat took only two gallons. The Trooper had 3/4’s of a tank, and the plastic cans took 10 gallons between them – not too bad at all. It was now already approaching 1pm. Where’d my day go?

Mindy took the kids to the pool while I was out. I spent the rest of my afternoon getting our gear upstairs and ready for loading. Around 3pm I decided to wash the Trooper having not done so in a month or two. I had it extra shiny come 4pm. Mindy got home just before 4pm and whipped up the salad we were asked to bring to her mother’s Sunday dinner gathering. I took a quick but thorough shower. It felt great to wash away all the day’s grime.

We left for Gloria’s a tad later than usual. We arrived around 4:30pm. Everyone was there except for Mindy’s younger brother’s family. We had a nice dinner. I also got a great tip on a garage door repairman from brother-in-law Larry. I figured I call them once we were back from our camp trip. We left Gloria’s around 7:30pm and headed home where I began loading the Trooper with camping gear and firewood. I packed it neatly and efficiently. All that remained were soft goods like sleeping bags, food, coolers. It became painfully obvious that we’d have no choice but to take two vehicles. We’d pack all the coolers and food in Mindy’s van in the morning just before departure.

We sat on the deck and enjoyed a cold beverage. We called and left brother Tommy a voice mail singing him Happy Birthday. We went to bed early wanting to ensure ourselves a restful night’s sleep ahead of our trip.

Orient Express

Golf, Shop, Hang with Neighbors

I was worried that the four beers I drank the night prior might keep me from my goal, but it didn’t. I was up at 5:45am just as I had planned. I was eager to get through my exercises, walk, and run so that I could head to the golf course in time for our 8:30am tee time.

I finished everything with a little time to spare. I showered, dressed, and made myself a ham and egg sandwich on rye and pumpernickel bread. I was out the door by 7:45am in route to Split Rock, a little known, but beautiful golf course in Orient just east of the prison. I was meeting the Bob’s, Bob Imber and Bob Boyer. Lucky for me I printed off the directions from mapquest. I had been there before but had taken a different route. Even though mapquest said to take I-71S I decided to head out Norton Rd to Rt 62 – a scenic drive through the countryside.

I missed my turn onto RT. 762 by cutting through Harrisburg. It wasn’t until I passed my mom’s old access road (Ballah Rd) that I realized I had passed it. That delayed me a bout three or four minutes. I quickly righted my wrong and headed back to 762 where I passed the Orient Correctional Facility for the first time ever. It was very beautiful out there along Darby Creek. As I approached the golf course on Thrailkill rd I couldn’t believe my eyes. There in the yard of an old country home stood an old White Castle restaurant completely in tact.

I arrived a few minutes early and just ahead of Bob Imber. Bob Boyer was already there. It was a lovely morning for golf. It was about 65 degrees with clear blue skies. The high was expected to hover just below 80 degrees. In brief, my golf was good, especially tee to green. I had good command of my driver and perhaps even better command of my second shots. However, once again, holding back my scoring was putting. I left a number of birdies on the green only to walk away with bogeys. But in the end, that didn’t bother me so much because I know that I can putt fairly well most days.

We finished up before 1pm and went our separate ways. I took the scenic route home and stopped at the Rt 62 Ameri-Stop for an ICEE. It was goooood! I was home by 1:15pm. Mindy was on the deck reading her brand new Harry Potter book. It wasn’t long before we were out the door to the grocery to get camping supplies and our usual home groceries. We had to be swift as the kids were expected home from Deer Creek around 3pm. We made quick work of Wal-Mart and even made it back home just after 3pm. Jimaken was already there. Mindy asked that he pull out of the drive so that we could back in the with the groceries. We unloaded are haul. We had plans to dine with Pat & Lisa, our friends and neighbors at 6pm. We spent the hours leading up to that doing a little camp trip preparation. While all the prepping was going on, I was also watering the lawn, wanting to ensure that it got a good soaking before our Monday morning departure. I still hadn’t contacted Dad to arrange for Ykraps and the flowers, but I was almost certain that he’d do it.

We made a chocolate chip cookie cheesecake to take with us to the Shultz’s. We walked to their house at 6:15pm. We hung out with Pat, Lisa, Jamie and Alenna all evening. Pat grilled pork tenderloin and grilled onions. As always, everything was delicious. He’s quite the grill master. We hung on the deck drinking, eating, talking and laughing until about 11pm. The kids were tired when we got home, so Mindy put them right in bed. We were tired too and weren’t far behind. We had a lot to do the following day as well.

Damn Garage Door

The Jump Bump!!!

After lots of anticipation, Friday was finally here! It’s the last of a string of work days; the beginning of a much deserved vacation; the promise of an evening by the firkin with friends.

I was up by 5:44am after fighting off the new habit to stay in bed longer. I used the fore mentioned end and beginning as motivation to get up & moving. There was a lot to accomplish. I sped through my routine and readied and departed for work on time. It was a nice sunny day.

I worked through the morning hours with few problems. Runtime came and went. I had my final work week run in the bag by 155pm. Immediately after a shower I headed off to Tuttle Mall to once again embark on a running shoe quest. I spent little time picking my new shoes. I knew which pair I wanted, although I did have a difficult time finding help. However, eventually a store clerk helped me out and got a size 10.5 for me to try on. To my surprise, they were too tight. I had to bump up another half size to an 11. And yes, I remembered my $10 off coupon.


Back at work I finished off my day. Before departing I remembered to post my out-of-office message in email and to record a new out-of-office phone message – something I’ve forgotten to do a time or two. I left for home at 4pm – an hour early. Mindy asked that I stop and get crickets on my way home. I did. While at Jack’s they told me that we could bring the dead meal worms back for an exchange after I shared that the lizards wouldn’t eat them.

I called Mindy along my trip home. She informed me that the garage door wasn’t working for her. I told her that I’d take a look once home. The kids were already gone by the time that I arrived home. They were going camping for one night with their daddy at Deer Creek. I give Jimaken a l lot of credit for doing so. It’s not easy being the sole adult on a camping excursions regardless how simple. After tending to a few mundane chores, Mindy casually mentioned that one of the springs on the garage door was broke. Certain that she was somehow mistaken, I ventured out to take a look for myself. Ouch! She was correct. The left of the two springs was cleanly broken about 1/3 the way in. I tried raising both electronically and manually but to no avail. Shit! I wondered how such a beefy thing could simply break. Aside from the unknown cost of a repair, (I imagined the repair being about a $1000). I was frustrated because I would not be able to drive the BM’er to Barley’s, or worse yet, I wouldn’t be able to use the tractor to cut the lawn which I planned to do before departing for Barley’s. And looking ahead, I wouldn’t be able to load the vehicles for out camp trip through the garage.

Despite the door dilemma, I still wanted to cut the lawn to create golf time Saturday morning with Bob I. I tried not to worry much about the garage door and instead I got busy on the lawn. I carried the push mower and string trimmer out the side entry door and got busy manicuring the lawn. I hadn’t cut the entire lawn with a push mower for several years. It wasn’t a task that I looked forward to. Mindy napped while I worked in the yard.
I finished the lawn chores in about 1.5 hours. I moved fast with the push mower.

After a quick shower we left for Barley’s in the Trooper. It was just after 7pm. At Barley’s were many of the regulars; Jeremy & Courtney, Bob & Carol, Steve, Mark, Lee, & Janet. Bob arrived without Mary Ann about 20 minutes after us. Mary Ann was working. My buddy from work, Bill Gray arrived with a couple of friends a little later too. We hung at Barley’s until 10pm or so. Mindy drove home. I had four beers over the course of the three hour visit.

Damn Car Window

As with most any trend, the longer the pattern continues, the harder it is to break. My recent bout of sleeping late continued again this morning as I didn’t get out of bed until almost 6:15am. But once again, there was no need to water due to strong storms blowing through during the overnight, so the net effect of sleeping late had little impact on my departure schedule. A quick check of the Hibiscus flower pots confirmed there was no need to spend precious time watering. Their overflow bases were full to the rim. This pleased him much.

For the first time in a couple of weeks we had thunderstorms, something noticeably absent from this spring and summer. Moreover, the storms were intense. In fact, I learned later in the day that we had some 30,000 lightning strikes in the central Ohio area over the course of about two hours. They claimed that to be the most in these parts in some time.
That seemed like a ridiculous amount to me, but that’s what they said.

I finished packing my lunch and began cooking breakfast by 6:55am. I made a cheese omelet. I made an omelet big enough to share with Mindy, who asked to be woken around 7:15am in order to greet the grand children whom she agreed to watch for the day.
I woke her at 7:10am to let her know her breakfast was ready. She joined me for food for the first time, I believe, all summer long.

We enjoyed about fifteen minutes together before I had to surrender myself to the shower. The kids arrived while I was cleaning my teeth. After my shower I greeted both grand kids – Rocky and Landon. Mindy agreed to take Landon in for his 6 month vaccines. From Lindsey we learned that Grandma Rosemary was helping to get her paperwork submitted for her title 20 childcare, which we initially set-up and heard back from last evening. They called to tell us that they had openings for the children beginning September 1. We viewed that as good news provided Lindsey follows through, which is always the bigger concern.

I ran off to work and arrived shortly after 8am. The day was a pleasant one despite being a little busy. I left for my run at the usual time -1245pm. The run was largely uneventful but rewarding just the same. The afternoon went quickly. Soon it was time to head on home. I called Mindy. She reminded me that we would have Bella despite this being a “daddy” night. Jimaken was taking Jacob to see the latest Harry Potter movie. I planned to get new running shoes at Tuttle, so Mindy and Bella decided to go to dinner on their own. They went to Bob Evans.

At the FinishLine I found some shoes I liked but realized I didn’t have my $10 off coupon. I decided that it would be irresponsible of me to leave ten bucks on the table so I left without the shoes. I figured I’d stop back tomorrow after my run. I arrived home and quickly took care of the few chores I routinely address upon arrival. Determined to fix my broken down passenger window, I prepared to tear off the door panel and investigate the trouble a bit deeper. It was a bit of a challenge getting the panel completely off, but I eventually did. I could easily see that the window, just as I expected, was off the track, and the repair looked simple. There were even pads on the window were the clips for the track were to rest. I maneuvered the glass to the proper height for the track and got it back into the clips. Before putting it all back together I tested the up/down briefly. It worked. To say that the repair went smoothly and caused little angst would be misleading. It didn’t. I swore at the door and all the little nuances several times. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. I put the door back together and then tested it once again. To my dismay, the damn thing jumped the track again. Shit! Double Shit!!

I tore the panel off once again and investigated further. I determined that the pads, now separate from the clips on the track, were most likely one part but had somehow separated, thus allowing the window to easily slip out and off. Enter Gorilla glue! I fetched my glue from the garage and decided to drip glue into the clips and then reseat the glass pads. But during the somewhat tricky process of lining up the track and glass one of the clips broke. Shit, Double shit! Triple shit!

After calming down I figured worst case I could contact an Isuzu dealer on Friday and order/buy a couple of window clips. AFter all, there’s nothing to them. In the meantime, it looked like the glue would serve its purpose and hold the unbroken clip to the glass pad. Also, what remained of the broken clip was holding with glue, too. I put the door panel back together. I had an “extra” clip I found laying on the driveway when I finished. That might explain why one of the panel screws turned endlessly.:) I figured I would fix that when I get the new clips.

The remaining hours of the evening went quickly. We went to bed shortly after 10pm. What a light weight I am.

Thornapple in my side

I was up before 530am but made a conscious choice to get more sleep. I ended up getting out of bed at 545am. I was anxious to see the results of last night’s rain on the lawn and flowers. Other than overcast skies and a few puddles on the deck, one could hardly tell that it had rained. The streets and walks were already dry. But that’s often the case with summer storms. The residual effects don’t last long. As usual, I choked down a vitamin and began exercising. I left the house with Ykraps at 6:05am. As we walked by the Trooper and onto the sidewalk I remembered that I’d need to stow my golf clubs if I were going to golf after work. The lawn no longer had that “I’m thirsty” look about it. At least the rain had taken care of that more immediate need. But truthfully, we could use a few rainy days strung together to help resuscitate most struggling lawns. After checking my beds, pots, and baskets I was happily convinced that there was no need to water. Everything was soaked nicely. Weatherbug, if it can be trusted, indicates that we received 1/4-1/2” of rain on the westside of town. I read the daily OM and then spent a good ten minutes in meditation before getting a start on food prep. And since there was no need to water, I found myself with lots of spare time. I decided to shower and leave for work earlier than I have the last month or so. The mood today was cheerful. Everything seemed to be going swell. I received a golf email from Bob around lunch time asking my intentions. I responded after my run that I expected to play and would meet him at Thornapple Country Club around 530pm. Unlike other weeks, we made plans to hit a west Columbus course rather than drive all the way to Groveport. Thornapple informed Bob that we could get off just after 6pm. And since it’s so close, I wouldn’t have to leave work early and drive for 35 minutes. Wahoo! I worked through the day looking forward to an evening of golf. The only potential obstacle was the heavy storms predicted for our area for late afternoon/evening. But a check of the radar showed nothing but skies all the way back through Indiana. Along my way to Thornapple after work, I casually tried rolling down my front windows to allow airflow at least until the AC cooled down. In doing I discovered my latest problem. MY passenger window is either off track or broke. I’ll have to dismantle the door to inspect further this weekend. Damn it! It’s always something. I arrived at Thornapple right at 530pm. I put our names on the after 6pm list. We were to be 2nd inline. Bob didn’t arrive for another fifteen minutes. I spent the time putting and then walking about the clubhouse. We tee’d off just after 6pm on the treacherous back nine. Hole number ten is a 550 yard par 5 that looks a long way off. I hit an admittedly crappy drive but stil lout there about 180 yards. Blocked by a pine tree, I had little choice other than slapping it out onto the fairway to give myself a nice third shot. I hit a real nice 3-wood that left me still about 180 out. My fourth shot, a four iron, landed just shy of the green in the thick rough. Sadly, I hit a poor chip shot and left myself still in the fringe just off the green. From there I three putted and ended up with an eight. Fro mthis you can see how a break here or there can impact your score dramatically. If my fourth shot would have traveled 3 yards further I would have been putting for par and at worst, a bogey. That’s golf. After that, I played fairly well, playing bogey golf through hole #16. Hole #17 is a 81 yard par three. Oops! I hit my tee shot into the creek off the tee, but then recovered nicely by placing my drop within 14’. I scored a five (a double bogey). I finished hole #18 with a bogey 5. Bob beat me by 4 strokes. We discussed this coming weekend’s plans before parting ways. Hopefully we’ll meet by the firkin on Friday, and possibly Alum Creek one evening next week. I headed home. It was 830pm. It took just ten minutes to get there. Mindy already had the kids in bed and dinner on the stove. She asked that I tuck in the children. I did. We ate our dinner then headed to bed. It was almost 10pm.

Weather Radar

I woke a couple of times during the wee hours of the morning to pee. I knew then that I didn’t feel like getting up at 530am. I slept as long as I could. I didn’t get up until 5:50am and didn’t start my exercises until 600am. The biggest reason for my stall was that I didn’t get to sleep until almost midnight. I broke through the invisible veil of sleepiness as I pounded out my sit-ups. And by the time my push-ups and curls were in the bag I was wide awake. I had a watchful eye on the weather radar all the while I exercised. My thirst for rain has been reignited as we once again we find ourselves in a situation where we really need some. Somehow, the showers have managed to skip over us like so many other times this summer. It’s a trend we can’t seem to break. I plowed through the rest of my morning routine and found myself watering the flowers until 7:35am. By the time I grabbed a shower and dressed it was almost 8am. I left for work around 8:05am. The morning was hectic. We were extremely busy. I broke away for my lunchtime run at 12:45pm sharp! I failed to bring a pair of running socks in my gym bag. Lucky for me, I wore running socks with my jeans. I’d simply have to sacrifice wearing socks after my run. That’s what I did. It was another steamy run. The predicted storms were no where to be seen but the skies were very overcast. I finished my run in a sweaty glaze. The afternoon was busy, too. I was actively involved in issues right up until I departed. I walked out of the office at 5:10pm. This was a Mindy Tuesday, and I gave her a call once I was on the road. I let her know that I intended on stopping at Home Depot along the way. I wanted to get a few 8” terra cotta pots for our newly inherited house plants. I was going to stop and get crickets for the Anoles, but Mindy told me that she had just picked some up. Home Depot didn’t have any 8” pots. I left and headed to Lowe’s. They had plenty. I bought only two. Interestingly enough, they had dark brown terra cotta pots. I hadn’t seen these before. I also bought a spray bottle to hydrate their terrarium. Chipotle is directly across the street. I decided to surprise Mindy and take some home. I bought Mindy a Chicken bowl and got myself a shredded beef burrito. I got a couple bags of their tasty nachos and chunky mild salsa, too. I called to let her know I was brining home the Chipotle’s fearing that she might’ve been prepping dinner. She wasn’t and was happy to learn of the Chipotle’s. We ate soon after I arrived home. I decided not to water hoping instead that we’d get some rain like predicted. After dinner I got busy repotting several house plants, two of which were the ones given to us from dad. The kids arrived home shortly after 7pm. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out and playing together, including feeding the lizards a fresh batch of crickets. The kids were in bed and asleep by 8:40pm. Mindy and I sat in the sitting room talking. As we talked, Mindy noticed that it was raining. Yep! Finally, we were getting some much needed rain. It was coming down fairly hard, too. We went to bed around 9:45pm all the while the rain continued.

A Classic Mid-July Day

1) A little piece of Sheila in our home
2) The dining room (learning to trick the flash into a sunny window)

I found it extremely difficult to motivate myself out of bed this AM. I didn’t get up until 6:10am. Perhaps it was the heavy dinner Sunday evening at Gloria’s, or the frequent tossing and turning through the night – not sure. Either way, it was a struggle. It was already 6:30am by the time I finished my exercises and found my way outdoors with Ykraps. By that time, I am usually well into food prep.

Since I was behind the proverbial eight ball, I spent a shorter amount of time on the PC sipping coffee, but I still took about ten minutes to meditate. By 6:45am I was aggressively into food prep and well on my way to catching up. I left the house to water at 7:10am. I watered just the back figuring that the front beds got plenty of water over the weekend and were still a little wet. I finished watering the back bed, baskets, and pots by 7:35am. I was caught up for all practical purposes.

By the time I showered and dressed it was just before 8am. I left for work right at 8am. Work wasn’t as busy s expected for a Monday morning. I was happy and thankful all the while knowing things could break loose at any time. Things stayed rather calm during the morning hours. I left for a run around 1245pm. It was a picture mid-July summer day. It was about 85 and sunny with a smidge of humidity. My run was practically effortless as I listened to my MP3 player.

I finished run, showered, then returned to my office to pick-up where I left off. The afternoon was busier than the first half the day but still manageable. I closed the book on the work day around 5:10pm and headed directly home. I thought about stopping for flower pots and crickets but didn’t. As soon as I arrived home we walked Ykraps together as a family. Once back at home I primed the sprinkler then lit the grill. We were grilling boneless chicken breasts. I threw some hickory chunks on the grill, too, to add some extra flavor.

The kids were playing noisily in the family room while dinner cooked. I found that a little unnerving. I kept to myself on the deck so I could unwind. We ate our dinner out there, also. Mindy knew I was tired and allowed me to nap on the deck while she cleaned up and eventually went out to play with the kids. I slept a little but was interrupted a couple of times preventing me from getting the peaceful rest my body craved. I gave up on sleep around 7:40pm and spent the next 20 or 30 minutes in a fog, or until the kids and Mindy returned from playing with neighbors.

I eventually made my way to the PC where I surfed a little before being called to tuck in the kids. They were watching TV from Jacob’s bed when I went up so they didn’t count that as an official tuck-in. I was asked up again about ten minutes later. I obliged their request. Mindy and I eventually found our way onto the deck to spend some quality time together. I made myself a Capt’n and Fresca. I decided to call my mom and check in. We talked for about thirty minutes getting disconnected once. She reported spending the day with my dad as he was kind enough to take her to her doctor’s appointment. She’s still suffering the same symptoms that caused her to have back surgery in early May.

Seconds later both kids were up & on the deck. They said they couldn’t sleep. A minute didn’t pass before Mindy ushered them back to their beds. I was being attacked by bugs – not bitten. Around 9:40pm we gave up on the deck and went inside. Before going in I went to retrieve the sprinkler pump not caring to risk it raining over night. Mindy opened the overhead garage door to facilitate my entrance. We walked back out to the front yard to view the large crescent moon in the northwest sky along with Venus. We retired to bed soon after.

A Lazy Sunday

I woke around 530am but that was just to pee. I went back to sleep rather easily waking for good at 7:15am. Mindy was still sleeping and asked that I wake her whenever I want her to be up. I went downstairs and prepped a pot of coffee and got busy with my daily exercises.

By 8am I had already finished exercising & walking Ykraps. I spent the next 1.5 hours sipping coffee, working on my blog, and editing photos. Around 9:30am I readied and left for my run. I ran along Trabue and Hague ave. It was already very steamy even at the relatively early hour. Mindy and I spoke of boating today, and I figured that would be at Griggs since we’d have to be home to greet the kids and head to her mom’s for Sunday dinner around 4pm, but as I sipped more coffee and watered flowers, the idea of simply staying home and relaxing sounded very appealing.

I got he sprinkler pump primed and began watering the difficult spots in the front lawn. At the same time, I watered the rear flower beds with city water. While watering away, Mindy came out on the deck to enjoy her first cup of coffee. It had to be nearing 11am.
We talked for a while and Mindy agreed with my sentiments regarding boating. We both needed some down time after our busy Friday & Saturday.

I figured I’d water the lawn and complete a few tinker projects like gluing the cracked mud flap on my Trooper. I ended up taking care of a couple other small tasks too, but it was done at a very leisurely pace. We spent time catching ants for the lizards, too. It’s very exciting watching them chomp their prey! At one point, while feeding them, Mindy looked at me and said, “we bought them for us didn’t we.” There seemed to be some truth to that, but we didn’t plan to share that with the kids.

Some time around 2pm I headed up for what I thought would be a short nap in bed, but Mindy hollered up that friend/neighbor Pat was over. I came back down. For whatever reason, we don’t see each other all that often. We talked for an hour or so. Like always, Pat had a few funny/interesting stores to share about his relationship (or lack there of) with his neighbor just to the west. He also had some surprising news about his brother-in-laws marriage. We agreed to tray & hook-up next weekend.

As Pat departed, I followed him out and once again moved the sprinkler. At the same time, Jimaken arrived with the kids. It was just after 3pm. The kids seemed excited to be home. Mindy took a shower while I did some more work on my weekend writing. Come about 335pm I rushed up to get my shower. We left for her mother’s around 410pm.

When we arrived I got right to work on installing the two gate hooks as well as trimming the Rose of Sharon bush blocking her trashcan. It was a small gathering as compared to most other Sunday dinners at Gloria’s. It was just us and her brother’s family. We had goulash, although not the traditional Hungarian version. Still, it was mighty tasty. For dessert we had ice cream sandwich pie. That was exceptionally good too, but I had only one piece. I ate so much that I could barely keep my eyes opened. I went to the living room where I fell asleep amongst the play of the kids.

I woke just after a short nap. We readied to go. It must have been just after 8pm. As soon as we arrived home Jacob and I took Ykraps on his evening walk. Mindy got the kids a bath while I addressed a few chores and downloaded the day’s pictures. It was after 9pm when we tucked in the kids. Afterwards we spent a few minutes on the deck while I sipped a beer. We didn’t stay out too long, however because the mosquitoes were vicious! We decided instead to go inside and sit in the aptly named sitting room. We headed to bed just after 10pm.