Yeah, it’s Friday!

A lovely Friday Morning sunrsie viewed from the deck.

Up at 530am and ready to get after it. It was another beautiful morning in Columbus, Ohio – the last day of August and the last day before the college football season heats up for the Buckeyes. I completed my exercises and then found my way outside with Ykraps. I was happy that the weekend was upon us, but my excitement was a bit tempered due to the realization that I’d be on-call.

I completed another early morning run, my tenth in a row at such an early hour. I returned to the house fully energized but also dripping head to toe with sweat. Mindy had our morning eggs cooking as I reengaged myself into the daily prep process. Mindy and Bella departed for school just a few short minutes after my return. I skipped watering flowers, although I shouldn’t have. Instead, I headed to the shower and readied fairly quickly for work.

After helping Jacob with his shoes he raced out the door to the bus stop seemingly eager to get to school. I wasn’t too far behind with the Trooper. There I greeted Pat & Alena, who were just arriving as I pulled up. Meanwhile, the bus was sitting parked at the subdivision’s entrance. Moments later the bus rolled our way and picked up the kids. As they zoomed off, I wished Pat well and departed for work. Go Bucks!

The day didn’t go too bad at all. I gave Eric $10 for my share of the group lottery tickets. We collected $1000! All of us were hoping to share in the $330 million jackpot. And because I ran at home this morning, I decided to spend my lunch hour picking up my new chainsaw storage bag and then checking on the price & availability of a slit seeder machine. The chainsaw shop & tool rental place are right next door to one another. How convenient! I picked up the bag and then ventured next door to seek out the seeder. They had three available, but two, they said, were already spoken for. In addition, the gentleman at the counter shared that because they’re closed on Sunday and because Monday’s a holiday, I could keep the machine until Tuesday AM for the price of a single day’s rental. Although it was good deal, I couldn’t commit right then because I didn’t have the means to haul it away. I’d have to take my chances and wait ‘til Saturday morning when I could borrow my dad’s trailer.

Back at work the afternoon whizzed by. I left the office right at 5pm eager to get home. The weekend was set up about as good as could be expected from an on-call perspective. I drove straight home. At home the kids and Mindy were looking forward to pizza night. While I walked Ykraps Mindy ordered the pies. When I retuned from our walk I left to pick-up the pies. The wait was short. They were ready within minutes.

Back home, Mindy had a cold beer waiting for me as we moved to the deck to eat our pizza. The kids didn’t eat as much as they generally do, but neither did Mindy and I. I got really sleepy after the pizza and thought about dosing while on the deck. Mindy dashed off to the neighbors a couple of times while I rested. But I never did fall asleep. Instead, I just sat and day dreamed. Eventually, I made my way in the house where I tuned into the Bengal/Colts game - one of the last preseason games. It was a boring game with a bunch of no name players running around making loads of mistakes. After the kids were in bed, Mindy and I spent more time on the deck enjoying the cool summer night air and clear, starlit sky. We headed to bed around 11pm.

Rolling out of bed

As it turned out, I was up before 5:30am today. However, I couldn’t tell exactly what time it was when I rolled out of bed. My eyesight is simply too bad to tell with any level of accuracy. But after brushing my teeth and staggering down stairs the stove-top clock registered 5:31am. Game on! Before doing anything else, I whipped up some tuna salad for both of our lunches then turned my attention to exercise. I breezed through my calisthenics and then sought out Ykraps for our morning walk. I could see a hazy moon but it was obscured by some light cloud cover. In addition, there was quite a breeze kicking and there was a bit of a chill in the air. It was 62 degrees. After returning home I poured my coffee and then settled down in front of the PC to get my social bearings. I read the headlines & then the Daily OM. I fooled around until it was time to head out for a run. It was barely dawn when I left out the door. I love watching the morning unfold as I run. I passed the same few runners that I have all week. It’s a different group who run early. I was back home by 7:04am. Mindy had eggs cooking upon my return. We ate breakfast together. Mindy and Bella soon departed and Jacob and I were home alone. I watered the flowers on the deck while Jacob ate his breakfast. While I readied for work, Jacoby watched the Disney channel. We left for the bus stop at 8am. By 8:08am I was on the rode towards work. Work went smoothly through the morning hours. I had a good but brief meeting with my boss. I was quite pleased with the results. I headed to Golf Galaxy to explore having my clubs re-gripped over lunch. It’s just a mile away. They have a full service club repair and fitting shop right in the store. It’s larger than it used to be. I looked at all the new clubs and was amazed at what they’re asking for some new technology. They had drivers for as much as $699.Folks – that’s just one club! I found the grips I like but they only had a few on display. I confirmed how long it would take and how much.- one business day and it’s $2.99 per club. Sounds like the way to go to me. I’ll probably bring my clubs in next week. After leaving Galaxy Golf I went in World Market right next door. I love that store too. I perused most of their aisles checking out their furniture and pictures. I looked to see if they had stacks of pumpkin ale like usual. They didn’t, or at least I didn’t see it. I left there and headed back to work. The remainder of the day went by quickly. I got stuck at work once again until after 5:30pm. When I called Mindy she reminded me that the aeration dude was doing our lawn. It turns out, he’s an old Time Warner cohort along with his wife. By the time I arrived home they were gone. Mindy confirmed that it was John and his wife Angie. Sounds like she chatted with him plenty. Mindy put salmon in the broiler after we walked Ykraps together. This was a kidless evening so it was a bit less hectic. The kids returned home around 7pm. They both seemed to be in a good mood. While Mindy got the kids ready for bed I updated my blog. After tucking in the kids I tuned into the last week of preseason NFL football. The Browns were on! Mindy rubbed my achy shoulders while watching then walked on my back. That helped a ton! I reciprocated too. Just before 9pm she asked if I wanted to watch the rest from bed. I didn’t stating that I wasn’t tired. I must’ve been, however, I fell asleep minutes later and woke around 9:30pm with Mindy no where in sight. I secured the home and headed up to bed. I fell back asleep easily and fast.

Golf Night

Up once again at 530am, I was raring to go. I was down stairs by 5:40am after brushing my teeth and taking a long pee. There were no lingering effects from Tuesday’s eclipse as the moon was several degrees removed from its prior day's position. I looked on curiously. The morning went by speedily. Before I knew it, it was 6:30am and time to run. As I left the house dawn had just broken. It was another incredibly stimulating run. I returned to the house just in time to wish Mindy and Bella well with their day. She soon was gone and Jacob and I were left to fend for ourselves. I made a couple fried eggs and woofed them down quickly. Jacob ate a pop-tart. After a shower I once again attempted to place my contacts in my eyes. This time I started with my left, since it gave me so much trouble on Tuesday. I got it in on like the third try. The right went in easily, as usual. Before heading out, I made sure I had everything for the day’s potluck and Wednesday night golf. Jacob rushed off to the bus stop just before 8am. I was right behind only in the Trooper. Pat and Alena were just arriving when I pulled up. We chatted for a few while we waited on the bus. We continued chatting for a few minutes after she departed with our kids. Soon I was in route to work. If the forecasters were correct, it was gonna be a very hot day. I entered the building around 8:25am. That’s mostly likely going to be my new arrival time give or take a few minutes. The morning moved by swiftly. Soon I could smell the wonderful crockpot concoctions warming for our potluck. That was the theme – crockpot recipes. My contribution ran counter to the theme, however. I brought homemade cheese dip and salsa. Of course I brought Triscuits and tortilla chips, too. We didn’t begin eating until 1pm wanting to wait for the afternoon team to arrive. We must’ve had ten or more crockpots simmering away with one thing or another. These guys can really cook! A good time was had by all. I had designs on leaving early for golf as I do each and every Wednesday. I let my boss know that I was bailing at 430pm. I was deeply entrenched in an escalated issue right up until it was time to leave. But at 4:30pm I hit the door already changed into my shorts and ball cap. I arrived at the Links of Groveport at 5:12pm. I was the first one there. I knew that both Bob’s were just behind me after calling Bob I on his cell. No matter which way you take, there’s always a traffic jam somewhere along the route. By 5:30pm everyone was there – me, Bob I, Bob B, and Chuck. We played the front nine. For the second round in a row counting Sunday, my game was on for the first handful of holes. However, unlike Sunday, I hit a handful of errant shots that made it tough to score decently. But I wasn’t too upset. We were all playing rather poorly, although, Bob B. finished strong. He had low round – a 43. We talked about our plans for a full day of golf on Thursday, September 13. Sounds like everyone wants to play Eagle Stix in Zanesville. It’s said to be a really nice course. I won’t be able to golf this Saturday since I’ll be the on-call dude. I had a couple of VMs waiting when I got on the road. The first was from the lawn aeration guy confirming plans for tomorrow evening. The second was the roofer calling to set up an appointment to review the contract. On the drive home I returned John Vereb’s phone call from Saturday. We chatted for a while. He invited me to play in the annual golf outing that he and Joe Dooley sponsor. The proceeds always go to a fellow employee who’s in need. I agreed to sign on. We discussed hooking up so that he can meet Mindy, too. We’ll have to see about making that happen. Finally, just minutes from home, I called Mindy to let her know that I was right around the corner. She and the kids went to Red Lobster for dinner. Apparently several of her teacher friends went along too. After getting home and settled I made a pig of myself with cheese dip and Triscuits, along with a leftover cheeseburger. I was tired afterwards. Not sure if it was the long day or a full tummy. Either way, I was tired. I fought off the sleepiness and stayed up after Mindy went to bed. She headed up around 9pm. I wrote my Tuesday blog. I finished around 10pm and promptly secured the home and then joined Mindy in bed.

The lunatic is on the grass

A poor picture of the full lunar eclipse

This is my habit… Like clock work, I was up at 5:30am ready to get after it. It was already Tuesday and a good day indeed. I made quick work of my exercise routine and then leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. I had forgotten about the full lunar eclipse until my eyes stared upward and then westward into the clear and starry predawn sky. There it was in all of its glory, the lunar eclipse. It was just minutes away from being at 100%. I hurried Ykraps along for wanting to get back home and wake Mindy. I was sure that she’d want to see this amazing view.

Back home by 5:50am I rushed upstairs to wake Mindy. She was still out cold. I simply asked if she cared to see it. She did and quickly got up and robed. She joined me outside where I stood on the sidewalk in front of our house with my camera marveling at the lunar eclipse. The moon was completely covered by the Earth’s shadow yet you could still see a faint, orangeish red moon. We marveled at it for several minutes, or until almost 6am.
Back in the house, Mindy made some coffee but eventually decided to go back to bed to catch a few more winks. I found that funny. I played on the internet and eventually readied and left for a run just after 6:30am. I was another cool morning with temperatures hovering near 60 degrees. The day’s high was expected to reach well into the 90’s, however. It’s still summer. The morning run seems very good for my soul & psyche. What a way to begin each morning. By the time that I returned, Mindy was just placing the finishing touches on her departure. I double checked to make sure there wasn’t something about Jacob’s prep that I needed to see to. She said not. Soon her and Bella sped off leaving Jacob and I to ourselves.

After eating a couple of eggs I headed up to the shower skipping a watering that I really shouldn’t have. I was making excellent time and decided to drive the BM’er. I also thought that I’d wear my contacts in lieu of glasses. I had a horrible time trying to get the left lens in my eye. I got so frustrated that I gave up and removed the right and chose instead to wear my glasses. I wasted almost 12 minutes screwing around. It was 7:55am and time to get Jacob ready to leave for the bus stop. As both Mindy and I understood it, the bus would be arriving ten minutes earlier beginning today – something I was very pleased to learn. We were running out of precious minutes in a hurry. I organized what I’d need to take and then walked Jacob to the bus stop figuring I’d simply come back to get my car and gear. The bus came and swept the kids away right on schedule. I headed back home and loaded the BM’er and left for work

Work went well. I asked several folks if they had seen the eclipse. No one responded so I guess the answer was no. :) I guess there just isn’t that much interest in that sort of thing. I find it fascinating nonetheless. Because I had already completed my run, I used my lunch hour to drive to Advanced Auto Parts to look for some sort of mirror fix for Mindy’s minivan. They had a number of mirror kits available but mostly for GMC vehicles. I ended up buying a simple piece of mirror glass that I was certain was smaller than her mirror frame, so I knew that I could glue it in place until we get a whole new mirror. I decided to browse the rest of store while there. And low and behind, the next aisle over I found what I had been looking for, for almost a month. A window clip that looks like it just might work for my Trooper. I had completely resigned myself to replacing the entire passenger side window, but these clips look like they just might work. They were $9, but I figured that beats $200 any day. It was worth the gamble. I felt energized leaving the store. I wouldn’t get a chance to try out the clips until the weekend.

Back at the office I dug into my packed lunch. It was a very good salad along with a cup of mixed fruit. I worked hard all afternoon. Come 5pm I hurried up and readied myself to leave excited about the prospect of getting home before 5:30pm for the first time in a long while. Mindy already had dinner ready by the time that I arrived. I walked Ykraps but then immediately sat down to eat some incredibly good hot wings. Mindy’s really gotten the hang of baking them just the way we all like them. We ate 33 of them between us.

We finished dinner around 6pm and clean-up was done fifteen minutes later. I had several small projects to complete outdoors and got started on them pronto. I started by raking all the weeping willow switches still lying in the yard to make the core aeration that’s supposed to take place later in the week a bit easier and beneficial. When done, I got started one tearing out the damn that formed at the rear of our yard that has since forced storm run enough through my compost pile. It’s my fault. I built a log bridge over the three foot wide storm run-off stream last fall, but it collapsed forming a dam.

I wasn’t done. The next thing I did was installed the temporary glass in Mindy’s mirror. When I finished that I watered flowers front and back. When I finished watering it was almost 8pm. I was officially tuckered! Soon, Mindy was prepping the kids for bed. While all that was going on, I took to blogging. Before going to bed I enjoyed a Honey Raspberry Ale. It couldn’t have tasted better. Mindy talked me into yet another early bedtime. It had to before 9pm when we headed up.

Real Deal

Today was the real deal. Mindy had her first day of school with students. I was up on time and downstairs by 5:35am. I was happy to be back on track relative to my rise time. I wasted little time leaping into my morning calisthenics. And like many recent days, I found myself back home after a morning walk a handful of minutes before 6am. The morning was a lovely one. Even though September is a week or so out, the sky was crisp and clear just like one expects most September morning’s to be. The moon was almost full, too. Very beautiful! Do you hear Neil Diamond? I spent the next 30 minutes reading the Daily OM, meditating, and drinking coffee. I donned my running shorts and shoes and hit the door just before 6:30am. So far, running in the morning is working out very well. What was originally a product of the intense summer heat is now driven by the need to stick around and see Jacob onto the school bus. It’s very nice having my run out of the way before 7am each day. But what I don’t want to happen is to get lazy about packing my lunch and start the bad habit of dining out, which will almost always lead to unwanted weight gain. I was back home by 7:05am after a pleasurable run. Mindy had my lunch set out and our eggs cooking on the stove. That brought a smile to my face. After eating some scrambled eggs I headed out to water the flowers. Mindy and Bella departed for Grandma Sharon’s and school. Jacob watched the Disney Channel while I watered and then showered. He was eagerly waiting for departure time. We were both ready by 7:50am even though his bus wouldn’t be here until 8:14am. He walked to the bus stop at 8am. As of tomorrow the schedule is supposed to change by ten minutes. She‘ll pick him up at 8:04am. That works much better for me. I left for work as soon as the bus picked up Jacoby. I arrived at work just before 8:30am. Things were really hopping in the center. The morning passed by quickly. And since I had already completed my daily run, I decided to make a Home Depot stop for lunch. I really wanted to get some more bar/chain oil for my new Echo chain saw, and I also wanted to look at gas grills after seeing that they’ve reduced their prices significantly. I spent about 40 minutes there. I got the bar/chain oil I wanted. I bought a gallon jug which should last me years. I also bought another bottle of Echo 2-cycle oil, so that I don’t find myself without fuel. I was back at work by 1:45pm. I spent the afternoon working on a few difficult issues. And just like Friday, I ended up at the office until almost 6:30pm working on an escalated issue with one of my new guys. I phoned Mindy to let her know my dilemma. She mentioned that brother Tommy was over with Wally. He was staying for dinner. I arrived home by 6:45pm. Mindy was helping calm Wally when I arrived. She had already walked Ykraps, too. After changing into some comfy clothes, I got the grill fired up. We were having Bubba burgers. While the grill heated, I began making some homemade salsa with garden fresh tomatoes and an assortment of hot peppers. I used a store bought Vidalia onion. I chose to make the main batch mild and then cut up some habanera and chili peppers which can be added in later. That way everyone’s happy. Soon the grill was preheated and ready for the burgers. It didn’t take long. We were eating our burgers ten minutes later. They were very tasty, too. To complement the burgers, Mindy whipped up some baked beans & garden salads. For dessert we each had a piece of the cheesecake leftover from Sunday dinner. After dinner clean-up I was overcome with sleepiness. I sat on the sofa where I tuned into the NFL preseason game. Mindy asked me to rub her shoulder, and while I did, I became increasingly sleepy. By 8:15pm I was dosing off. Seeing me dose off must have scared brother Tommy away. He upped and gathered his and Wally’s things and then departed. We sent him home with a bag full of hot peppers. He promised to bring us some banana peppers in trade. Not long after Tommy left, Mindy and I headed off to bed as well. It wasn’t even 9pm. We tuned into the football game from bed until we fell asleep.

Phoenix

Like a good soldier, I was up and into my routine by 7:30am. Mindy stayed sleeping. Truth be told, I don’t think that she even heard me get out of bed. I was extra quiet as I slipped out of bed and crept down the stairs. I sped through my morning routine, which included exercise and a walk with Ykraps. It was already after 8am when I returned from our walk and snuggled up to my first cup of coffee. I took my time sipping coffee and playing on the internet reading about the Vikings loss to the Seahawks. Just as I was preparing for my morning run I heard Mindy beginning to stir upstairs. I left for my run just before 9am. Thirty five minutes later I made it back home. By then, Mindy was finalizing her preparation for church. It was 9:30am. I needed to get moving if I were to make our 10:40am tee time at Phoenix golf course. After a quick shower I gathered all the necessary gear I needed to make today’s golf a pleasure. I gathered my clubs, made a sandwich, and packed a snack. Mindy left for church just as I was loading my clubs into the Trooper. Both of our vehicles were parked along the curb, hers directly behind mine. Someone smacked her driver’s side mirror overnight shattering the glass. More often than not, I collapsed mine any time I park on the street to prevent such a mishap. I didn’t yesterday. I looked at it quickly to see if there was anything I could do to secure it. I couldn’t, so I took the dangling glass off, and Mindy departed for church. I spent a few more minutes in the house making sure I had everything I needed. I was out the door by 10:05am after confirming the address on Rt. 104. I made excellent time by taking 70 east to 71 south. I got off at the Frank Rd exit then made a quick right onto Rt.104 south. The golf course was about two or three miles ahead on the right side of the road. I’ve been waiting to play Phoenix for a while. I was looking forward to today’s play. The weather was ideal. The sky was clear & sunny and temperature warm but not oppressive. Ten minutes later everyone was present and ready – Bob I., Bob B., and Chuck. Once again, I shared a cart with Chuck. Phoenix is built on top of the old trash dump. The design is a links style course meaning that in lieu of trees there are lots of rolling hills and tall grasses to swallow up any errant balls. The fact that it sits on top of the old dump creates quite a bit of elevation compared to the surrounding landscape. Because of this, there is an awesome view of downtown. It’s a perspective I hadn’t witnessed before. I was sorry that I didn’t bring my camera. More importantly, I was finally able to shake the double/triple bogey start that my 2007 golf season has become defined by. I played bogey golf pretty much all day long with only a couple double bogeys and pars sprinkled in. All in all, I played well. I shot a 91 – my season’s best, and only the 4th time that I’ve played a full 18 holes. My personal critique is that I am still not taking advantage of several decent scoring opportunities, but I know that they’ll come. Meanwhile, both Chuck and Bob Imber had there best outings of the season. In fact, Bob I. should’ve broken 80 save for one really bad hole. He ended up with an 82. I was impressed. But Chuck topped that with an even 80. He’s been erratic all season, at least on Wednesday’s. Today he was everything but. We finished at 3:52pm. I was really surprised that it was so late. After all, it’s not like we played slow or were delayed much. We were out there for 5 hours. Holy smoke! I left promptly and placed a call to Mindy while I was driving. She was readying the kids for departure. We agreed to simply meet at her mom’s – no sense in me driving home first. I took 104 to Frank Rd and then took Clime all the way to Holly Hill. Along the way, I called my mom. We hadn't talked in quite a while. As usual, she let me know it too! She let me know that her surgery was slated for Tuesday, September 4th and asked if I would be there. I told her that I would try to make that happen after confirming the location, which she explained was at Adena Hospital in Chillicothe. We quickly got caught up on what one another's been doing for the last month, and then said our goodbyes. I was already in front of Gloria's house. And just as we expected, I beat Mindy there. It was just Gloria and Joe, Mindy’s nephew. But all the others soon arrived. Everyone was there save for Craig & Jeff. I’m not sure what they were up to. After a little battle with the power, we sat down to dinner. We had roast beef, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. As you might guess, everything was just dandy! For dessert, Gloria made some of her famous fudge. We brought along a cheesecake that we picked up the day before while at Wal-Mart. I had some of that. We stayed until 7:15pm. The kids rode home with me. Mindy was a few minutes behind us. As usual, I took Ykraps on his evening walk as soon as I got home and settled. He was most thankful for that, I could tell. It wasn’t too long before the kids were all tucked into bed. Bella asked that I read her a story. She selected a Sponge Bob book. It was a quick read. I tuned into the Sunday night preseason NLF game immediately after just to pass time. Mindy watched too. We went to bed very early and well before the game was over.

Tornado Warnings

Xmas is just four short months away. I didn’t sleep all that well but still woke at 7:30am. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that, deadlines aside, my body clock wants me up at 7:30am. I took my time prepping the coffee and completing my exercises before 8am heading outdoors with Ykraps. It was a lovely summer morning. The sun was out and the humidity still rather high. As I walked with Ykraps I contemplated the days planned activities. I hoped to complete my lawn chores, install my new lock/hasp combo on the shed, and possibly even do some flower bed maintenance. It wasn’t an overly aggressive agenda by any measure. I took plenty of time to enjoy my morning coffee before setting out on a run. I gave myself just under and hour. I dressed and left the house around 9am. I could hear Mindy stirring just as I hit the door. She was planning to meet her friend Teri for breakfast in Worthington. By the time I returned from my run she was already gone. It was still kind of early to be out cutting the lawn so I spent the next hour or so eating a nice big sandwich, working on Friday’s blog, and doing a few household chores. I finished all of that just before 11am at which time I felt comfortable with starting the lawn chores. The grass was pretty high but before I could cut, I had to roll up a few watering hoses, wind up the pump’s extension cord, put my fiberglass extension ladder away, and rake away some willow debris still lurking in the back yard. That took about twenty minutes. It occurred to me while I was out back by the shed that I wouldn’t be able to complete the shed lock project since my shed keys were with my main car keys, which I left at the office on Friday. Shit! I knew that mistake would haunt me. Just as I was finishing up the push-mower piece, Mindy returned from her morning date with Teri. She asked if I would go grocery shopping with her. As I sometimes do, I curtly said that I couldn’t for all the chores still in front of me. However, after reconsidering, I figured it was more about spending some alone time then about going grocery shopping. I decided that I would put the additional chores on the back burner and go along. Besides, I enjoy grocery shopping. By the time I finished all the lawn chores it was nearly 1pm. Before heading in, I cleaned my new chainsaw given that I put it through its paces last week. When finished, I took a quick shower and asked Mindy if we could stop by my office on our way to the grocery so that I could get my keys. She agreed. We headed out around 1:30pm. My office building is largely deserted on Saturday’s save for a couple 24X7 centers. We parked up front. Mindy had never been inside the building before. I showed her my office for the very first time. I nabbed my keys. We spent several minutes chatting with a couple of the engineers. We even tried some Peruvian food that Phil prepared & brought in. It was very tasty! We left the office and made our way towards the newest Wal-Mart on Bethel Rd. The store was definitely one of the nicer ones, but as Mindy later pointed out, the aisles seemed a bit too narrow for the large number of shoppers. But realistically, we were probably there during the absolute busiest day and time of the week to grocery shop. Despite the crowd, we found pretty much everything on our list save for some specialty cheese we wanted to get for some dip. We headed home with our haul. I was feeling a little antsy and aggravated for no apparent reason. There’s a good chance it had a lot to do with many impending deadlines and the nervousness associated with meeting old friends for dinner. Sometimes I just can’t explain why I feel as I do. While Mindy tended to the groceries, I worked on the uplighting out back. The sockets had become full of grit over the past two years, which I believe has lead to bulbs burning out quicker than they might otherwise (high resistance creates more heat). I found some rubber gaskets made to cover the socket which I installed after cleaning them by scrapping and then blowing the brass tabs. That should help considerably. After completing the lights I went out to water flowers. It was awfully nice outside. While watering I thought that I heard what sounded like tornado sirens blaring, but that made no sense. After all, it was totally sunny and calm. I chalked it up to a city faux pas. As I continued watering I made my way around to the ‘mater plants. There, through the trees and houses, I caught a quick glimpse of some ominous looking clouds just to our immediate north. I was completely surprised. I quickly put down the hose and went inside to check out the radar. Holy Smoke! Channel 10 – our local CBS affiliate – had the radar on with a couple of meteorologists driving around the city chasing tornados. There were large purple blobs coloring the entire TV screen and actual tornado warnings. Apparently there was one headed our direction from Hilliard proper. Those dark clouds were quickly ascending on west Columbus turning our otherwise blue skies to black. Large chunks of clouds were dropping out of formation towards the ground. It looked very scary! The TV meteorologists were being very dramatic warning all viewers in our area to head directly to the basement. In all my years I have never heard or seen them react with so much drama. I was getting worried. I hollered for Mindy, not realizing that she wasn’t home. She had taken a six pack down to the neighbors after he helped me with the tree last week. I grabbed my camera and went out to snap a few pictures ahead of any rain. There I saw Mindy coming my way. I told her of the warnings and the coming storm. She was as surprised as me. What we found funny was that they were talking about it heading down Trabue towards Arlington – virtually yards from our house. But the ironically, it was not storming at our house at all. No lightning, no thunder, no rain, and no wind – nothing but dark, ugly clouds. But the radar confirmed what they were saying. It looked to be right over us. Minutes later a small gust of wind hit and heavy rain came down for no more than three minutes, but that was it. At the same time, those TV meteorologists were telling us to take cover. They were reporting funnel clouds around Lane Ave and Riverside Dr. – not too far from us. A few minutes later the same pattern was repeated – a few minutes of moderately heavy rain but nothing else -not one crack of thunder and not one gust of wind. Those TV meteorologists continued to sensationalize the storm for at least another hour as it moved across the central Ohio region. They just couldn’t seem to get enough of themselves. Around 5:30pm I decided to get ready for our dinner guests. It didn’t take me too long. After all, I was already showered. I was ready by 6pm. We weren’t expecting John & Sandy until 630pm. Mindy poured herself some wine and me a beer around 6:15pm as we awaited our guests. They arrived around 6:40pm. We had 8pm dinner reservations at Bone Fish Grill. John and I reconnected after a common friend, Mark’s recent passing. Consequently, we made these dinner plans about a month ago. Our weekends were already spoken for until now. We enjoyed one another’s company for the next hour sitting around the house. And Mindy seemed very comfortable around our guests although she had only met them one time, and that was at Mark’s funeral. But that’s Mindy. She does extremely well in such situations. She gave a tour of our home and chatted up a storm with Sandy. We left for the Bone Fish Grill around 7:40pm. John willingly agreed to drive all of us in his brand new pick-up. And what a pick-up it was! Pick-up truck aside, his truck was probably one of the most finely appointed vehicles that I have ever ridden in. Not only did it have a full rear seat, but it had two DVD screens for the passengers imbedded in the luxurious leather seats. Up front it had a state-of- the-art navigational system. It was one fine pick-up to be sure! We arrived at Bone Fish just before 8pm. Perfect! They told us that they were running behind so we found our way to the bar where we ordered drinks. We hardly got our first sip down before we were beckoned to the reservation desk to be seated. The place was full. Our server, Scott was kind, friendly, and attentive. He answered all of our menu questions professionally. We ordered two different appetizers, calamari & bacon wrapped scallops. They were very tasty! For entrees, Mindy ordered Chilean Sea Bass; Sandy ordered their Tilapia; John ordered a filet topped with butterfly shrimp; and I ordered scallops and shrimp. There was a decent selection of sauces available for each of the entrees too. The food was exquisite – just like the attentive service. We were very pleased. And we couldn’t leave without dessert. Mindy and I shared a slice of key lime pie, and John & Sandy shared a big piece of chocolate cake. Everyone else had coffee. I, on the other hand, ordered yet another Sam Adams. We left after I finished the beer. We drove back to our house where John & Sandy came in and spent a little more time socializing. We had a really nice time. We agreed to do this again sometime soon with a variation. We’ll most likely meet at their place. They left around 1130pm. Mindy and I didn’t stay up too much longer. I think that we were in bed before midnight.

Eye Options

Well, my streak came to an end this morning after waking at 5:50am. I wasn’t too disappointed, however. After all, I’ve got to keep things in perspective. And besides, I’ve done quite well getting up most days and realize that I won’t make it each and every day. I figure that my body just needed the extra rest. But if I were to complete my run as well as everything I usually do, I needed to get chopping, so chopping I did.

I exercised and then headed out with Ykraps. Once again it was a clear morning with plenty of stars for my viewing. It was still rather sultry although a bit less than many days prior. I made the decision then that I would be driving the BM’er to work today.

It was approaching 6:20am by the time I had my first cup of coffee in hand – a good fifteen minutes or so later than desired. I took Mindy her coffee and gave her a wake up nudge. Back downstairs, I rushed through my internet time, and then quickly donned my running shorts and shoes for a morning run. I must’ve left the house around 6:40am. It was a very nice run, and once again very sweaty. When I returned Mindy and the kids were already up. Mindy packed me a lunch even though she knew I had lunch plans with a friend just in case that fell through (that move proved insightful later in the day). While she finished making lunches, I made eggs.

I watered flowers this morning even though the lawn and beds were still fairly damp. The pots and baskets needed the attention after the scorching heat from the past few days. Today’s high was expected to reach as high as 97 degrees. Yikes! After the watering I rushed in to get a shower. At the same time, Mindy and the kids headed to the bus stop. It wasn’t long before I was ready for work. Jacob and Alena waved as the school bus sped by. They were sitting together in the back of the bus. I think they’re the first ones picked up.

I loaded the BM’er then left for work. It was a lovely drive in, just as most BM’er days are. I knew that I would be the only manager in the center today so the chance of it being a challenging day was strong. The day didn’t go bad at all. But don’t get me wrong, we were busy. In fact, we’re always busy. Since I had run from home, I planned to have lunch with a buddy. I sensed, however, that he wasn’t up to it after a morning meeting we both attended. He reported being up working since 330am. But honestly, that suited me well, because I really needed to make a trip to my ophthalmologist’s office to pick-up my glasses and contacts.

Come 12:30pm that is what I did. I hoped into the BM’er and headed towards Riverside hospital. It was a hot drive. The usually ice cold A/C of the BM’er was no match for the oppressive heat, especially with the top down and sun beating. I arrived at my eye doctor’s office about twenty minutes later. Despite telling me everything was in and ready, they weren’t. They didn’t have the new contacts for my left eye. They said that they’d mail them to me instead. They did have one, however, which they gave me for free. They repaired my old glasses too, which was the real impetus for the initial visit anyhow. Two hundred plus dollars later, I found myself with new glasses, my old glasses, and new contacts.

On my way back to work I stopped at the Saturday's on Bethel Rd to grab a quick haircut. I almost declined when a much older women called me back. I am a little weird about that. But in the end i didn't a let her hack away. But my worst fears were warranted. The ol' gal butchered me. She obviously paid no attention to the hair style that I walked in with. As I walked out after tipping her well I figured it'd grow back in a couple of weeks.

I drove back to work arriving around 1:40pm. I thought about stopping for fast food but fought off the urge. I had the lunch that Mindy packed for me waiting in the fridge. When I got back to my office I spent some time eating my lunch before digging back into the day’s workload. For some reason the afternoon went incredibly slow – much slower than I wanted. My friend John called around 3pm to confirm our Saturday evening dinner plans. Despite Mindy asking me to call him, I had forgotten. As the end of the day neared (ten minutes prior to my planned departure) my boss IM’d asking for some help with a difficult issue. Crap! Suddenly I found myself in the middle of a frustrating problem. I ended up staying at the office until almost 6:30pm helping get things on track.

The drive home was a pleasant one. But how could it not? It was Friday, and I was in the BM’er! I arrived home around 6:40pm. Mindy had already walked Ykraps, so there were few things that I absolutely had to do outside of relaxing. Mindy headed up for a shower around 7pm. I used the time to update my blog and snack. I was very hungry.

We left for Barley’s around 7:40pm. We drove the Trooper just in case Mindy needed to drive home. Initially present were Bob and Steve. Mary Ann was working. Tonight’s firkin was a Mint Russian. I wasn’t planning to try it, but Lee offered up a sample. Just as I suspected, I didn’t care for it. I ordered a Centennial IPA instead. Mindy soon ordered dinner. I passed on food for the time being after filling myself with snacks while waiting for her to finish her shower. I wanted beer more than food anyway. :)

As the evening unfolded other regulars made their appearance: Rick, Thad & Monica, and Jeremy & Courtney. Jeremy’s parents came in too. They live in Tennessee. We stayed until about 10:20pm. I never did order any food. I figured I’d eat something once at home. Through the night I had three beers. I let Mindy drive just to be safe. When we arrived home I cracked another beer – a Columbus Pale Ale. I also popped a bag of corn and enjoyed it from the deck. Mindy came out and joined me despite being tired. We talked about a bunch of stuff. She wanted mostly to talk about us. We went to bed around 1130pm.

Did it again

I was up just before 5:30 this morning after a fairly decent night’s sleep. I did my usual stuff. I took my One-A-Day, exercised, and walked Ykraps. A few minutes into the walk I glanced skyward and was happy to see oodles of stars glistening in the predawn darkness. That hasn’t been the case so much lately. Because of this, I was smiling inside. We were back from our walk in record time. It was 5:58am when I hung up Ykraps’ leash and reached for a coffee cup. I spent a bit of time on the PC downloading Jacob’s first day of school pictures before settling into my running shorts and shoes. I left for a run at 6:23am. The heat index was predicted to reach well into the triple digits during the afternoon thus prompting my early run. It was still very muggy even at that early hour. The temperature was already in the upper 70’s and the humidity around 80%. I was dripping wet upon my return. Mindy was already up tending to Jacob’s lunch when I returned. After toweling off I poured myself another coffee and began tormenting Bella who was lying on the sofa. There was a little tension in the air between Mindy and I as we both are trying to adjust to the new morning routine. I am not used to sharing my morning space and have been stressing over the plan to have me get Jacob on the school bus beginning Monday. All of this coupled with some unshared work anxiety was taking its toll on my otherwise sunny disposition. Mindy made breakfast while I threw together a lunch. We sat down at the table to eat at 7:45am. In the meantime, Jacob kept sleeping, refusing to wake & ready for school. He said he wasn’t going and that he didn’t like it. He was being strongly defiant. After I finished eating I headed up for my shower. I stopped in Jacob’s room in an attempt to convince him otherwise. He still wasn’t very pleasant and remained firmly entrenched under his bedcovers. I left the job for Mindy and went about my business. By the time I showered and dressed Jacob was up and ready for school. It was 8:10am. Mindy & the kids drove to the bus stop. I was right behind them leaving for work but had to go back in to seek out my building access badge. I remembered taking it of in my office as I dressed in my golf attire Wednesday evening but couldn’t remember where I placed it after. I searched high and low. I looked in my golf bag, yesterday’s slacks, and my gym bag. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I gave up and left for work. I’d have to get a temporary badge from the front desk. I also held out hope that my badge would be in my office. I waved hello/goodbye to Pat, Mindy, and the kids who were all at the bus stop. I arrived at work by 8:25am and parked in the front lot for the first time in years. I got a temp badge at the desk and proceeded to my office. I was bummed not to find my badge in my office. Before panicking, I once again searched my gym bag. Surprise! There it was hiding deep in one of the side pockets that I checked earlier. Hmmm? Problem gone!! The work day went quickly. I wouldn’t be departing for a mid-day run having done so from home. Instead, come 12:45pm I drove to Lowe’s to check out grass seed and their garage storage cabinet solutions. As I passed Saturday’s I gave consideration to running in and grabbing a quick cut. I didn’t, however, since I knew I absolutely had to be back in the office by 2pm for a staff meeting. I spent a good thirty minutes at Lowe’s. I found the grass seed that I plan to use for my fall reseeding project. I also found the perfect cabinets to install in my garage. They’re a little pricey but they are way cool and very functional. I headed back to the office. It was 1:30pm. The afternoon heat was nothing short of stifling. I was happy not to be running in it. I ate my lunch upon my return and then ran off to the staff meeting. The meeting went until 315pm. The rest of the afternoon went by very quickly. Suddenly, I remembered that I’d have the house all to myself until 7pm or so while the kids spent the evening with their daddy and Mindy held an open house at school. I had planned to cut the lawn but honestly, I just wasn’t too excited about it given the sweltering heat and humidity. By the time I got home I was very sleepy and knew for certain that I wouldn’t be doing the lawn. After walking Ykraps I reclined in one of the Queen Anne chairs in our living room and took a brief nap. When I woke around 6:15pm I took dad’s trailer back and unloaded the pile of small switches from the now history weeping willow tree. I was back home by 6:40pm.I spent the next 30 minutes updating my blog. Jimaken brought the children home at 7:20pm. And before I forget, today was his birthday. Not sure how old. Jimaken only stayed long enough to drop the kids and bid them a farewell. He’ll have them all weekend, too beginning Friday evening. Explicit instructions left by Mindy spoke of bathing the kids and having them in bed by 8pm. Shit! The kids were eating their McDonald’s, which they brought home after swimming. They ate quickly and then asked if they could play with the neighbors for a few. To make everyone happy, I told them that they had until 7:40pm to play – then it was tubby time! I really dreaded the thought of giving them a bath. This hasn’t always gone real well. Tonight however was different. They were very cooperative and even helpful. We’ve come a long way. By 7:55pm both kids were bathed and in their jammies watching TV in Jacob’s room. Mindy arrived home at like 8:02pm. She, I could tell, was very relieved to find the house calm and under control. We tucked the kids into bed and headed back downstairs. I tuned into the NFL preseason game pitting the Packers against the Jaguars. We exchanged back rubs (actually, I had her walk on mine) and then headed to bed. It was just before 10pm.

Wet & Wild

Happy First Day of 1st Grade, Jacoby!!

I was surprised to be awakened by thunderstorms rolling through the area during the predawn hours. I thought the storms were well past us. They were fairly heavy, too. There was quite a bit of lightning and thunder echoing through the nighttime sky. The kids, of course, ended up in our bed as they so often do during loud storms. The rain was slamming against the house. It was raining cats and dogs! So much for a lovely first day of school!

The rain had pretty much stopped by the time 530am rolled around. I was hopeful that it would clear so that I could squeeze in my run before work. I exercised and then walked Ykraps. It was sprinkling so I grabbed my ball cap. Meanwhile, the thunder continued to rumble off in the distance.

After coffee, computer, and meditation the rain and lightning returned. It was then that I nixed the idea of running. I’d simply suck it up and run at lunch. I already knew that I’d be late for work for waiting with Jacob at the bus stop on this his first day of school. I was all ready by 7:45am. And Mindy and the kids were already up like a normal school day, too. Now all we could do was wait. I took several pictures to capture the moment – the first day of school. It brought back memories of years past with my girls standing in the same doorway awaiting their bus.

Mindy, Jacob, and Bella walked to the bus stop – one house down. I drove figuring that it would protect me from the threat of rain as well as provide a quick exit to work. As we waited neighbor Pat & Alena joined us. She attends the same school – 5th grade, I believe.
The bust was stopped just down the road parked waiting for the stop time to arrive, I suppose. Once 8:10 hit she continued down the street to our bus stop. Jacob and Alena boarded. I took a pic of the bus driver for the blog. I left for work just as Mindy and Bella headed home.

I arrived at work right at 8:30am. The day was already off to a good start. The rain continued to come down periodically through the morning hours. But eventually the sky began to brighten, and by run time it was mostly sunny. The sun ushered in the oppressive heat. It was a sticky afternoon to be sure. The heat index was near 100 – a sure sign that my run would be a challenge. And it was.

When I got back to my desk I had an email from Bob I. who confirmed his intentions to golf. I then confirmed my own. I planned to depart at 430pm. Once that time arrived I departed as planned. Traffic started out a little dicey but opened up nicely. I made it there by 5:10pm – record time. Chuck was already there as he often is. I decided to cart with him. I picked up Bob I.’s green fees since he covered mine last week. He and Bob B. arrived a few minutes later. Soon we were teeing off the back nine – the tougher of the two.

I know this sounds like a broken record, but I played pretty much like I have all season. I started with my proverbial seven and then a six. After that I put together a string of bogeys with a par sprinkled in. So far I was two putting – not bad. I had one opportunity for a birdie but blew it and ended up three putting for yet another bogey. The eighteenth hole is probably their toughest and a par 5. I was sitting pretty at 150 yards out in two. Just an easy six iron over the water and I’d be putting for a birdie. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I lost my ball. Damn! To sum it up, my golf game was wet & wild. We’re planning to golf again on Sunday at Phoenix. I’m looking forward to it.

I drove home into a very lovely sunset. It was big, bright, and orange. There were storms all around the central Ohio area but none near me. We could hear rumbling thunder all the while we golfed. We even saw a couple impressive lightning bolts off in the far distance. I stopped at the Groveport Kroger to buy Mindy some roses and a card to commemorate our six month wedding anniversary. I bought a bag of salt & vinegar potato chips, too. I just couldn’t resist. I was craving the salt and tanginess.

I arrived home around 8:30pm. Renee’ was there chatting with Mindy. Renee left soon after I arrived home. Mindy asked that I tuck in the kids. She said that they were waiting on me. I did. Afterwards and while she typed a letter to her new students parents, I sat down to finish reading Tony Dungy’s book. I had about twenty pages or so to go. Mindy headed to bed around 9:30pm. I stayed up until I finished the book. That turned out to be 10pm on the nose.

Be My Valentine

Alright! Okay! I'm really getting the hang of it now. I was up at my desired rise time of 5:30am. My morning calisthenics went much better than the day before as my tight muscles finally loosened after the weekend’s demanding labor. Ykraps and I set out on our walk by 5:45am. I returned refreshed and invigorated after breathing some fresh morning air. It was very wet, warm, & humid.

My morning routine included a little internet, meditation, and food prep. I finished breakfast by 7:05am and then found my way to the shower. Mindy reminded me that we had Jacob’s open house slated for 5:30pm where we would meet his teacher and see his classroom. The school is only a mile or so from my office. I would simply meet her there after work. Jimaken would be attending too.

I arrived to work on time. The morning was busy, but certainly not out of control. I left for a run around 12:45pm. The weather at the time was mostly cloudy and the temperature only near 80, but the humidity was sky high making it feel more like I was swimming. My hamstrings were still a little tight, too. I noticed the sun’s lower position in the afternoon sky. Just a few short weeks ago I would have to bend my head back as far as I could just to catch a glimpse of the 1PM sun. In fact, only 30 days remain of official summer, and much less than that if you close it out at Labor Day like many folks do.

I returned from my run soaked with sweat – a very common occurrence of late. After a shower I returned to my desk to eat my packed lunch. I worked until 5:15pm. I left and headed directly to Jacob’s school – Beacon Elementary. It was kind of hard to find since I didn’t know what street it was on. I had only a general idea. Eventually, however, I found it. It’s a older school, especially compared to most other Hilliard schools. I had little trouble finding Jacob’s classroom where Mindy, Jacob, Bella, and Jimaken already were. Mindy introduced me to his teacher. We chatted only briefly while other parents and students arrived.

At 6pm she was slated to begin a presentation. I decided to walk the halls and discover the rest of the school in part to kill time. I found the art room. There I met Mrs. Southern, a very chatty and interesting art teacher. She welcomed me in and gave me an overview of the first grade art curriculum that Jaocby might expect. I learned that Jacob will have art once a week. Right next door was the music room. Mrs Southern was prepared to introduce me to that teacher too but I declined stating an urgent need to move on. Eventually I found my way back to Jacob’s classroom where Mrs. Valentine, his new teacher, was already engaged in dialogue with all the attendees. She went over everything from where the bus drops the kids to the grading scale. There were some scary looking people amongst us. And what couldn’t be overlooked was the extreme diversity amongst the student population. This is somethign that Mrs. Southern already mentioned during our brief conversation in the art room. This school in particular is noted for it’s diversity on many fronts, most notably racial and economically. A look around the room only confirmed her point. Probably a good thing.

The open house wrapped up around 6:40pm. Mindy and I were hungry. Jimaken went on his way. We opted for dinner at the Vaq. The kids rode with Mindy. I drove by myself. I arrived well ahead of them by taking the back way - Walcutt to Trabue. I even made a bad turn onto Roberts Rd. which I later corrected. Traffic was a nightmare there even at 7pm.

I went ahead and got seated once I knew that Mindy was nearly there. As they always do, I was served with complementary chips and salsa. I dug in immediately. Soon the family was inside and we placed our orders. Our dinner was fast, hot, and delicious! Always tops on my list.

We headed for home around 7:30pm. Bella rode with me. Mindy rushed the kids to the bath tub with a goal to have the kids in bed by 8pm – their standard school day bedtime.

After the kids were in bed I did some reading. I am almost finished with the Tony Dungy book. Mindy headed to bed first. I soon followed.

New Eyes

I was able to wrestle myself out of bed at 5:30am despite feeling extra sleepy and fairly stiff. But I expected it. Mindy was kind enough to rub my shoulder in the middle of night easing the dull pain that woke me a time or two. Also, a severe thunderstorm rolled through prompting the kids to join us in bed through the night. It rained harder than it has in an awfully long time. After the storm passed, Mindy coaxed the kids back to their own beds. We were getting the remnants of hurricane Erin. And word has it that we’re gonna get up to 3 more inches of rain throughout the day. We haven’t had that kind of rain all season. I exercised and then walked Ykraps. The rain had stopped by the time he and I were out for our walk. I was looking very forward to a hot cup of coffee. After some coffee, internet, and meditation I was ready to make food. I packed tuna fish and some leftover tomato salad. There was no need whatsoever to water flowers. God took care of that. For that reason alone, I found myself ready for work very early. However, my new eye glasses were in and I committed to stopping by and picking them up on my way to work. I drove up Riverside to Lane Avenue to catch 315N. I arrived at Riverview Eye Care 10 minutes early. The door was open and a young lady, although unfamiliar to me, was waiting for me. She quickly fitted me to my new lenses and began trying to repair my old pair. She found the old screw stripped and figured it would take a while longer to fix. She asked if I could leave them there. I agreed and made arrangements to tentatively pick them up when my new contacts arrive in a couple of days. Cool! Off to work. I arrived at work by 8:30am. I was dragging butt all morning long. I even tinkered with the idea of going home to get some sleep. In the end, however, I didn’t. I remembered that Ashley was there watching the kids. I chose instead to tough it out. By the time 12:45pm rolled around I felt even more tired. I wondered where my running energy would come from. It came from the gut, because I certainly had nothing left in the tank. All that physical work over the weekend kicked my ass. But I’ve been there a time or two in the past. Usually, during and after my run, I get a second wind. Today was no different. After about three miles my legs loosened and the fatigue seemed to fade. But the fact that it was so warm and humid didn’t help much. The anticipated heavy rain had yet to arrive so the temperatures soared to near 90 mixed with awfully high humidity. My running shorts were so wet they were dripping as if I had jumped in a lake. I was back at my desk by 2pm enjoying my packed lunch. It’s never tasted better. I felt one hundred times better than I did this AM - still a little achy and tired, however, but far more peppy & alert. Soon it was 5:10pm and time to head home. I called Mindy as I drove that way. She said that it poured extremely hard this afternoon. In fact, it began raining all over Central Ohio around 3pm. The pond was swollen as I drove by and pulled up in the drive. I was reminded that I needed still to take the last trailer load of weeping willow switches to dad’s wood pile. But due to the rain, that’d have to wait. Mindy was tidying up the house after Ashley left with Olivia. The truth is, the house is always messy when we return. I couldn’t deal with daily childcare in the home. As it was, I couldn’t focus on anything until the mess was straightened up. That’s just my nature. Truthfully, Mindy was toiling with dinner but all I could think about was the mess. It made me sleepy. I did my best to remain mum about it. After all, Mindy didn’t do it. I ate my dinner – two chili dogs and leftover au gratin potatoes. I helped clean up the dinner dishes then collapsed on the sofa. I was really tired now after filling my belly. Next thing I knew, it was 8pm and the kids were exiting the tub. I’ll bet I slept for an hour and one half. Wow! I was still very heavy headed, too. Mindy asked that I tuck in the children. I did. Returning downstairs I tuned into the preseason Monday Night Football game which featured a Super Bowl rematch. Mindy went to bed around 925pm and asked if I cared to join her. I opted out. Instead, I wanted to watch the game from the reading chair. I watched until the middle of the third quarter. I headed to bed just after 10pm. I was very sleepy, still.

Timber

Like a freak, I woke again at 7:30am. Even I’m amazed that my body has two naturally occurring rise times - one for workdays and another for weekends - that sit largely independent of my bedtime. The sky didn’t look too friendly. And while there was a hint of sunshine, clouds were the dominant feature. I was very sore, my shoulders ached, especially the right, and my legs felt weary. All that climbing and sawing took its toll.

Mindy and the kids were up around 8:30am. By the time I was ready to run it began to rain pretty heavily. I was disappointed fearing that it might threaten my tree cutting project. A check of the weather radar showed scattered showers, and my hope for a quick ending was validated. Minutes later the showers ended. At 9:25am I bolted out the door. It was cool enough that I wore my sleeveless running shirt for the first time in many weeks. I returned from my run right at 10am. Mindy and the kids were doing their final dress check before departing for church.

About that same time the sun broke through and dried up any remnants of rain. However, I still had the radar whirling and could see more scattered showers approaching. Further north, they were getting pounded continuously. After Mindy & the kids left, I made myself a big sandwich to satisfy my morning hunger. I was expecting dad by 1030am, just as he and I planned. He showed right on schedule. Save for finishing my sandwich, I was ready to get started.

Before getting started, I showed dad the two tree swings we had hung as well as the work at hand. We spent a good fifteen minutes strategizing about how we were going to proceed with bringing down the tree. Dad felt that we should take one of the three main branches off before bringing the entire thing down. That’s what we did.

Dad manned the saw while I worked the rope. Eventually we got the 30’ foot long & 10” diameter branch to fall right where we hoped – out away from the shed. Next, we talked about our strategy for bringing the whole thing down. Eventually we agreed on a plan. We had to remove the tip guard to allow the saw’s entire length to disappear into the tree trunk. The saw has only a 16” bar and the trunk is close to 24”. We made our hinge cuts and then I proceeded to the rope’s end to hopefully influence the direction of the fall. Meanwhile, dad delivered the fatal blow. The tree fell, but stopped short of hitting the ground. Dad had to hit it a little more with the saw. Down it came with a very impressive thud! We were rewarded with applause from Mindy and the kids who were observing our antics from the deck.

After celebrating we headed in for some KFC that Mindy brought home after church. After dad enjoyed some food he gathered his gear and headed for home. I spent the next several hours chopping up the tree into burnable logs. I got a significant workout cutting up the wood and hauling it to dad’s backyard. I stopped only for dinner around 5pm (pork chops and au gratin potatoes) but was right back at it after. It took until dark to clear the yard of all the debris. I was completely exhausted by 9pm. I even worked through several bursts of heavy rain. I was determined to bring the project to closure. Around 9:15pm I grabbed a much desired shower and a cold beer afterwards.
I sat on the sofa enjoying my beers and the Sunday Night football game along with two bags of microwave popcorn. Mindy rubbed my aching shoulders. We headed to bed around 10pm. We got to witness Troy Smith in his NFL coming out party. He played well.

Hearing an Echo

New chain saw about to be put to the test

Cricket food - that's right! food for the crickets.

Olivia visits

More tomatoes

Without even trying I woke at my static weekend rise time of 730am. I was eager to get my day underway, and more pointedly, get on to the business of “chopping down the cherry tree”. I was surprised to find Bella already up and sitting on the sofa in the family room when I made my way downstairs. She said she wanted to be up to let Ashley in. :) Although we were expecting Ashley & Olivia to visit, we didn’t expect them until much later.

I fired up the coffee maker, exercised, walked Ykraps, and watered house plants all before 8am. And in a strange twist of events, Mindy & Jacoby were downstairs by 8:15am. Mindy often sleeps until 10 or so on Saturday’s. She said she felt well rested. It was a lovely morning. We all made out way to the deck where we enjoyed abundant sunshine and moderately cool temps. Mindy and kids wore jackets and/or robes. I was fine with a t-shirt. I strummed my guitar all the while enjoying my coffee.

Around 8:45am I left for a run. I wore my MP3 player and ran along Trabue and Hague av. It was a very lovely morning for a run. By the time I returned, Mindy had breakfast all but ready. She made maple bacon and pancakes. Jacob complained about his food multiple times saying it was disgusting. He got sent to his room for a few. He wasn’t a happy camper. He rejoined us after about 10 minutes much happier and hungry. And not surprising, there were no more disparaging comments about the food quality.

After breakfast I carefully put together my new chainsaw and then got myself organized and prepared to cut down the willow tree. I was careful and organized as I started the process. I carefully calculated where each branch I wanted to cut would fall. After thinking it through I slowly and methodically began sawing. The first branch about six inches in diameter hung precariously over the shed. I knew that there was a strong chance that it would fall on the shed no matter what I did. Long story short, it did. Lucky for me, it didn’t fall too hard. I was able to pull it away with nothing more than a scuffed shingle or two. Later, a larger branch leaning the shed’s way fell squarely on the roof when I cut it. The blow was softened only by the thick cover of over grown honey suckle bushes. It made an awfully loud thud, but again, no damage. All totaled, I must’ve cut out about six or seven large branches. There were only three remaining when I called it a day, but they’re the three main trunks reaching as high as 45’ tall and about 10” in diameter each.. I would need some expert help before carrying on any further. I spent the remaining time reducing the fallen timber to 18 – 24” logs.

I wrapped up around 3pm to give myself enough time to clean-up my tools, water flowers, and shower/ready for the volleyball party. We left the house right about 4pm. We stopped and picked up Gloria along the way. We arrived at the DeWood’s annual volley party at somewhere close to 430pm. Food was just coming off the grill as the party had been rolling along since about 2pm. There were lots of good eats, but no beer –something very foreign to me, especially at summer yard parties. Still, fun was had by all. After taking part in all the good eats we played five games of volleyball. My team won all five games. I hadn’t played volleyball in many moons.

We stayed at the party until about 8:20pm. We dropped Gloria on our way home. As soon as we hit the door I leashed up Ykraps who hadn’t been out since 8am. Mindy readied the kids for bed. After they were tucked in I couldn’t wait to crack a beer, pop some corn, and tune into preseason football. Mindy and I watched the unveiling of Brady Quinn. He was most impressive in his debut. Two drive – two TD’s. We went to bed immediately after the game. I was very tired after wrestling with the willow tree.

KCOR SGNIKIV

Four out of five isn’t bad! It was Friday morning and I was up once again on time. Perhaps I’ve turned that proverbial corner. Because it was Friday, I had that extra little skip in my step knowing that the weekend was in front of me. It wasn’t too long before I had my morning calisthenics and walk with Ykraps completed. The sky was just beginning to show signs of daybreak when we returned.

After some coffee and meditation I got busy with food prep. And just as expected, I was well ahead of schedule. I finished making my food and eating breakfast in record time. Like always, I headed out back to water the flower beds.

I arrived to work by 7:55am and immediately jumped on a conference bridge to discuss some weekend work plans. Although I didn’t expect to be involved, I wanted to be plugged in case they needed me. The day moved along nicely. Before I knew it, it was time to head out for a run. I turned out to be a very warm day with plenty of humidity. I ran with my MP3 whirling in my ears. I couldn’t help but notice that the arm band needed a good soaking. It reeked of old sweat. Great run!

The afternoon went by quickly. Soon it was time to head for home. I headed to Home Depot before going home, and talked to Mindy along the way. She had been at school most of the day working on her classroom and hanging with her peers. She told me that Renee’ was over, and asked if I would bring home pizza. I assured her that I’d call her after laving Home Depot.

I planned to cut down the weeping willow tree over the weekend, and to accomplish this I needed to buy a chain saw. I’ve had my eye on a couple for the past year or more. Today was the day I decided to pull the trigger. I needed some other items too. I bought a new, more secure haps and lock for my shed, some specialty screws for a boat issue, some florescent light bulbs, and outdoor lighting fixture gaskets. That was plenty. I was excited to finally have the chain saw that I’ve needed for years. I would no longer need to borrow one from friends and neighbors.

As soon as I was back in the Trooper I called and ordered two pizzas from Minelli’s for pick-up. I called Mindy to let her know. I arrived at Minelli’s a little early, but convention says they always quote a longer prep time. I had to wait for about five minutes. Pies in hand, I headed home.

Mindy had a Honey Raspberry Ale waiting for me when I hit the door. It was looking forward to it. It was delicious. I hadn’t seen Renee’ for quite some time. She stayed and ate dinner with us. She’s always a pleasure to talk with as there’s always a good story or two! We sat on the deck eating our pizza. I went in just before 8pm to ready myself for the Vikings preseason game on Fox. Renee’ headed for home.

During the pregame, Mindy gave the kids a bath. Before they could even finish, the game was underway. And only minutes into the game the Vikings scored on an interception! I was most pleased. The Vikings took control of the game early with their defense – scoring twice before their offense ever really had a chance to play. The game went almost entirely our way. I was encouraged by what I saw, although I know it’s just preseason. We stayed up and watched the entire game, going to bed at it’s conclusion. Vikings 37 – Jets 20.

Rain & Gain

OK, so I am not back sliding after all. I was up again at 5:30am just like I wanted to be. I slept well save for being awakened by the kids around 4am when an unexpected thunderstorm rolled through. I was happy for the rain but also a little concerned for having my pump outdoors in the sprinkle-ready position. I knew, however, that it was under the protection of the clothes basket I rigged up to protect against such events, and it was up under a canopy of honeysuckle bushes. I didn’t worry too much.

I exercised then leashed up Ykrap for our routine morning walk. There was a smattering of leaves all over the front lawn, street, and sidewalks. They looked like walnut tree leaves. Those leaves always begin there descent in around this time – a sure sign that autumn is nearing. Just the very thought of autumn annoys me.

I returned from our walk eager to get some coffee pumping through my system. I used the caramel hazelnut creamer. It’s very good! I tried my best to avoid looking at the financial headlines since the market continues to plummet. I know that in the long run it always goes up but it’s still depressing to watch the bottom fall out of the entire summer’s large gains. I read the Daily OM and then turned my attention towards my morning meditation.

Like most days, I began my daily food prep right about 6:30am. I packed my usual menu items; lettuceless salad, turkey slices with chunks of cheese, nuts, and fruit. I made a cheese omelet for breakfast. I cut about a third of it off for Mindy and placed it on a paper plate covered with foil. I didn’t bother watering since it had just rained fairly hard an hour ago. And by the way, we got about a half inch.

I was in the shower by 7:10am – early by summer standards. I was ready to hit the door come 7:30am. Unless something unforeseen took place, I’d actually be at my desk before 8am. Damn!

I arrived at work well before 8am. The day went well, although I was very busy. I left for my afternoon run around 12:45pm. And even though the temperature wasn’t too high, the humidity was. I worked up quite a sweat. It was a great run, and I used my MP# player for the first time in a long while.

The afternoon was over seemingly before it had even begun. I had told Mindy I was stopping at Home Depot to possibly buy a chain saw, but a meeting kept me at work until darn near 5:30pm, so I headed straight home. Mindy was busy doing some character cut-outs for her class room. Once she reached stopping point she joined me on a walk with Ykraps. We could feel the humidity lessening as we walked – just like they predicted.

We didn’t make a formal dinner. Instead, we snacked. I ate nuts and some leftover cream cheese dip from her jewelry party, and I thought I might make some popcorn later. Mindy snacked on cheese. While updating my blog, the kids returned from their evening with dad. Word has it that Jimaken’s moving into his own place this weekend. I offered my help.

The kids got to play for about an hour before Mindy called them in for a shower and ultimately bed. She had them in bed and ready for the tuck by 8:15pm. We’re pretty close to a regular schedule, but they ended up staying awake for quite awhile longer. I watched the first few plays of the Thursday Night NFL preseason game with Jacob before settling in downstairs for the rest of the first half.

Mindy and I watched together from the family room. I drank a Jack & Diet Coke. I hadn’t had any Jack Daniels since Memorial Day weekend. We discussed, among other things, our weekend plans. Sounds like we’ll be taking a hall pass on Barley’s. Besides, the Vikings game in on TV and I’ll want to give it my undivided attention. We went to bed at halftime where we caught most of the third and fourth quarters.

New Habit? Not Quite!

Mindy bought both these vases at the Ohio State Fair.

The last time that I checked the clock it was 5:20am. I figured I’d sleep another ten or fifteen minutes. Wrong! The next thing I knew, it was 6:07am.I popped out of bed and headed downstairs to begin my day. The extra sleep was no big deal, however, because I had made plans to stop at my doctor’s office on the way in to work to pick-up a prescription, and they didn’t open until 830am. It did, however, remind me that I hadn’t yet beat this new habit.

I exercised, walked Ykraps, and still spent some quality time meditating. When I finished I jumped into food prep. By 710am I was done eating breakfast and back on schedule. I went out to water the backyard flowers.

After my shower and while Mindy repaired my glasses, she asked if I planned to golf after work. I’m glad she reminded me because I would’ve forgotten to take a pair of shorts as well as my clubs. I left the house at 8:10am.

I arrived at my doctor’s office sometime after 8:15am. Even though they don’t officially open until 8:30am the receptionist was nice enough to greet me at the door and tend to my needs. They had my script all ready to go. I simply had to have them modify it to reflect “90-day supply”. They did just that, and soon I was on my way to work.

Work went well. It was kinds quiet, at least for the first half of the day. I left for a run around 12:50pm. The sky was overcast preventing the sun from making it oppressive. I ran up a pretty good sweat even still. We had a meeting right after lunch that lasted until 3pm. And because of golf league, I readied for a moderately early departure – 430pm. But as luck would have it, things got really dicey from about 330pm until I left. Never fails!

Traffic on I-270 heading towards Groveport was quite a snarl for the first few miles. I called brother Tommy while driving to catch up on what he’s been up to. I got angry just listening to the antics that his soon-to-be ex-wife is pulling. What a mess! We talked for a while. In fact, we were talking as I zoomed right past my preferred exit- Alum Creek Dr. Instead, I had to take 33east to Hamilton Rd. I’m now convinced that it’s much further going that way. Still, compared to most weeks, I was making decent time. Bob called around 5:15pm checking on my whereabouts. He, Bob, and Chuck were already there. I pulled up moments later. Bob was waiting with cart in the parking lot. I didn’t take me long to prep. Five minutes later we were teeing off.

Like a broken record, I shot a 7 on the opening hole. My drive, a rather long one, went a little left and ended up actually inside of a large tree root cavity. I was already hitting number three. And like happens often, I shot bogey golf for the next handful of holes but leaving several legitimate scoring opportunities on the table. On hole number eight I hit a very poor tee shoot way right and into the creek. My next shot, another drive form the tee box, went only about 100 yards. Next shot, a duffed 3-wood. Nothing seemed to go right despite my willingness to shrug it off. I did hit a nice up & down (chip & putt) to save an 8!

Hole number nine is a long par three over a creek, about 240 yards. Like the hole before, my tee shot was errant and went in the nearby creek. It was a terrible shot. My next tee shot was a low line drive about 40 yards short of the green. I salvaged a 5. Bob I. didn’t play that last hole well either. He couldn’t find his somewhat errant tee shot. After we finished, Bob I. and I were determined to play number nine over again. There was no one behind us for several holes. Bob B. took Chuck back to his vehicle.

I tee’d off first. My driver was back! I hit a relatively low and straight drive right at the flag. It bounced on the green and looked like it rolled possibly even in the hole. I doubted that it truly went in but figured that it could happen. Bob hit a tee shot similar to his prior. Bob B. returned after dropping Chuck to play it again too. We all went towards the hole. I couldn’t see a ball on the green, so as you might expect, I got excited about the possibility of striking a hole in one. But as I walked up to the green I saw my ball setting directly behind the pin - about nine feet out just on the edge of the green and thick cut rough. Wow! Still a great shot, and certainly an exciting way to finish.

Bob dropped me at my Trooper and we parted ways. We briefly discussed Friday night and whether or not either of us would be at Barley’s. Not sure. I checked a waiting VM on my phone. It was Lisa Shultz calling for Mindy. I called Mindy to let her know that Lisa called back. Mindy was in the middle of something – can’t recall. I arrived home around 8:15pm. I was prompted to tuck in the children who were patiently awaiting my arrival. After the tuck I attacked the Chipotle nachos leftover from Mindy’s dinner. I encouraged Mindy to have neighbor Becky pick some tomatoes. We have a large bounty of nice ones! It turns out that she was already doing so.

I thought about watering all night but opted against. There was a minimal chance of rain and quite honestly, I just didn’t feel like going out and getting that whole operation underway. Mindy and I sat and chatted for a few eventually succumbing to sleepiness and going to bed very close to 10pm.