Pre-Op Visit to None Other than Barley's

I was up slightly early once again. I was eager to get up and moving given the much improved weather forecast. The signs were already in place. For one, the skies were clear. That alone was a huge improvement. In kind, I approached my exercises with a bit more vigor and determination.

Walking Ykraps was a pleasure under the clear skies and cool temps. I was looking forward to a lovely day. Like other days, I poured coffee and spent the next ten minutes at the PC. Afterwards, I delivered Mindy’s coffee. It was only 6:00am, but she asked to be woken earlier. She had things she needed to complete before leaving for work - her last official day of school.

After my three mile run I returned just before Mindy starting cooking eggs. I took over the chore. Both Jacob and Bella asked for scrambled eggs even though I was determined to have mine fried. I made a special batch of scrambled eggs just for the kids. Turned out, they hardly touched ‘em, complaining about the taste. Bella commented that they were the worst ever. I anticipated as much. My fried eggs were yummy. Uncharacteristically, I fried up some leftover Au Gratin potatoes too. They were delicious fried in olive oil along with my eggs.

As usual, Jacob and I walked to the bus stop together. He asked for a ride in the BM’er. I objected. I wasn’t fully ready. After the bus picked up the kids, I retuned to load the BM’er and then drove off to work. Sure, it was a chilly drive, but the sunshine made the chill seem almost non-existent. I was in a great mindset. But then again, I generally am on BM’er days.

I worked hard all morning long. I made arrangements to take Eric to lunch since this would be our last day working together. We decided on Chinese - Wind Chimes. We left around 12;10pm. It was lovely then, too. It must’ve been about 65 and sunny. I drove. I ordered Wor Su Gai along with a bowl of Won Ton. I covered the bill, of course. We were back at the office almost exactly an hour later. I was concerned about getting back to give my peer a chance to get out. After all, she still had a long week ahead of her.

The afternoon went quickly. I remember looking at the clock near 3pm and thinking of Mindy. Her school year was OVER! I stuck around until 5:40pm. I took my time gathering my gear knowing that I wouldn’t be back in the office until next Monday. The drive home was nice. The weather held out nicely. It made it to 70 degrees as expected.

Mindy was walking Ykraps along with Olivia as I pulled in the drive. I hurried across the street to meet them at the bridge. Olivia ran to me. That warmed my heart. We played in the backyard for spell and then I took to repotting one of the hibiscus - the one that took on all the rain run-off from the bay window roof. I consciously chose to leave the removable plug in the new pots since hibiscus love lots of water. However, it was water logged after all the rain Saturday night and Sunday. I was determined to remove the plug. It was a messy job but I completed it in short order. Soon, the yellow hibiscus was repotted with the plug now removed.

Ashley showed up just before 6:30pm. She didn’t stay long. Mindy and I prepared to leave to pick-up Bella at dance, deliver her to Mawmaws, and then head to dinner. Jimaken had already picked up Jacob. He’d be with his dad until Sunday afternoon. On the other hand, Mindy made arrangements for Bella to spend Tuesday night through Friday afternoon with her Mawmaw. We picked her up from dance at 7;15pm and then drove to Gloria’s place. We hung out there for about fifteen minutes. Mindy & Bella said their goodbyes. I though that Mindy might cry but she didn’t, at least I didn’t detect it. Next stop, Barley’s - Mindy’s choice .

Barley’s was sparsely crowded, but I didn’t expect much of a crowd on a Tuesday. My ol’ friend Katy was bartending. I had forgotten that she bartends regularly on Tuesdays. And from what I’ve gathered, she always draws quite a crowd at the bar. This night was no exception. Despite there being few cars in the lot, there were few stools left barside. Lucky for us, Mindy and I got the last two. I was pleasantly surprised to find IPA back on the tower. Yippie! Mindy drank only water since she’d be having surgery bright and early Wednesday morning, She ordered a brisket quesadilla. I ordered not only an IPA, but also a Cuban with bacon along with a side of fries. Later, I ordered a second IPA. We also made a call to the Imber’s to see if they wanted to join us. They called back about 30 minutes later to decline. Bummer! We haven’t spent any time together for over a month.

Our friend Mark A. was there, though. We had fun, as we often do, talking with him. Mindy was determined to leave just after 9pm. She wanted a good night’s sleep. This was her day. We left at her prompting. We arrived home before 9:30pm. It wasn’t long before we headed off to bed. Mindy was very sensitive, obviously nervous about her impending surgery.