A Zit Hro My Cin

I must’ve jumped six feet in the air when a clap of thunder woke me from my slumber. It rattled Mindy, too, but she held no recollection later. That must’ve been around 5am. I didn’t wake again until almost 7:10am when I got up for good. By then the storm had passed and the sky was showing signs of clearing. That was my favorite kind of storm, the kind that arrives during sleep hours and is gone by rise time. Once again my sinuses were giving me trouble. I’ve got to do something about this. After a full set of calisthenics Ykraps and I set out on our morning stroll. We took our usual path, which was towards the west. Coffee was ready upon my return. I was looking forward to it much. Because I was on-call, I got my laptop fired up even before 7:30am. While it booted up, I put another coat of joint compound on the ½ bath wall scars. I sipped coffee at my laptop while making sure that work was going smoothly. Afterwards, I went to my home PC to check email and write for a little bit. Mindy got up around 9am. Among other things, we discussed the day’s plan. We had a 12noon appointment to visit daughter Courtney. Mindy offered to take me out to dinner for Father’s Day, but I suggested we cook out at home and work on our projects, she on the ½ bath and me on the plasma TV. She agreed. I left for my run a little after 9am. It was a good run under pleasant conditions. Because it remained mostly cloudy, I didn’t get too warm at all. By runs end the sun was peaking through intermittently. Meanwhile, the forecast called for afternoon sunshine and temperatures in the 80’s. And they’re saying near 90 once again on Sunday. We didn’t bother making breakfast. Instead, we showered and readied for our visit with Courtney. Brother-in-law Craig emailed back that he called in my antibiotic prescription. Thank you! We left the house around 11:30am. We arrived at Maryhaven about 20 minutes early. My ex-in-laws were there too. I hadn’t seen or chatted with Al in many years. However, I’ve seen and chatted with Rosemary a number of times, the most recent being Easter when I picked up G.D. Kaileigh at her home. We had to wait at least 20 minutes. That time was spent socializing with Rosemary & Al. Another visitor of Courtney’s, Jackie, showed up just before noon. Eventually, we were herded into room ‘F’ to greet the subjects of our visit. Courtney looked really good (healthy). She was elated to have five visitors. As part of the Saturday visit program, we had to watch a short film about addictions. The film quickly covered the symptoms of addiction as well as the impact to the family members, and the various roles they play in the process. After the film we were free to visit as we saw fit. During a break, Courtney presented me with the first Father’s Day card I’ve gotten from her in at least 10 years, maybe longer. More importantly, it was self made and included a beautiful note. Courtney mentioned that almost all of the patients were addicted to drugs other than alcohol. We can visit on Sunday’s, too, as long as we can show proof of attending an ALANON meeting before hand. Courtney should finish the program soon. Her friend Jackie has been through a similar program and has been clean for a few years. As a means of giving back, she helps others get over the hump. She’s taken a genuine liking to Courtney, which we all appreciated. The four of us (Me, Mindy, Rosemary & Al) view her as an angel in disguise. She seemed to have the real scoop on how to get a life back on track, including the various programs and opportunities available for successful patients. This was my first ever experience with anything like this. I was a bit taken back by all of it. I just want Courtney to heal. After our two hour visit, we phoned Ashley to see if we could stop by to see her and Olivia. She asked if we would be willing to watch Olivia this later evening. I told her that I’d let her know once we got there. I had to talk it over with Mindy. We had plans to spend our last evening together dining at home and working on our projects. Watching Olivia for 3 or 4 hours would certainly put a damper on all of that. We agreed to decline even though we really miss having Olivia over. It was after 2pm and neither of us had eaten anything. We decided to stop at the Burger King right around from Ashley’s apartment. We phoned her back to see if she and Olivia wanted something. We got to Ashley’s by 2:30pm. Olivia was excited to see us. We sat in the kitchen enjoying our fast food lunch. After we ate, Olivia took me up to her room to show off a little. She’s so cute! Ashley asked if we had decided about watching Olivia. When I told her that we couldn’t do it she cried. She said she was so stressed and simply needed a short reprieve. As we frequently witness, Olivia works her momma really well. Of course she doesn’t do it to us. Ashley’s a wonderful young mother, but in the same breath, she could certainly take a firmer stance during mother/daughter powers struggles. Before we left, I caved and told her that we would go ahead and watch Olivia so she could have a few hours to play. As much as I wanted to have a quiet evening at home, I sensed that Ashley needed the break more. We headed back home around 3:30pm. At home, Mindy and I each got busy working on our projects. Mindy began painting, and I began working the TV project. I needed to hang the TV bracket, fish some cables, and reroute some speaker wiring. During our work, we received a call from Ashley sharing news of Lindsey’s arrest. What in the world? Someone needed to take the kids. Of course, Mindy & I stepped up to the plate. Ashley was bringing them over. We knew few details concerning the arrest but were very interested in finding out. Checking online, we saw that it was for theft. And furthermore, based on the address where it took place, it looked like it was at a Grove City gas station. Stealing gas, perhaps? I don’t know that we’ve ever had a week with so much dysfunction. Mindy & I scurried to reach a stopping point on each of our projects before the kids arrived. Rocky & Landon arrived around 6pm. We took them outside where we played on the tree swing and tossed the football. Ash & Olivia hung out for while, too. Mindy did an incredible job feeding the kids and getting them all bathed. Olivia stayed long enough to get a bubble bath with her cousins. After Ash & Olivia left, Mindy put Landon to bed. He cried for about fifteen minutes but eventually fell asleep. We got the impression that he’s never put to bed on a schedule. Mindy had steaks all ready for the grill. It was fast approaching 9pm. I lit the grill and was getting ready to coat it with PAM when she changed her mind. She was too exhausted to eat so late. And truth be told, so was I. I turned the grill off, made myself a drink, and popped some corn. Mindy went to the deck with her cell phone. I reckoned that she did so with the intent to phone a friend for some strength/advice. Rocky couldn’t sleep and soon came downstairs with me. I shared my popcorn while he watched some kiddie TV show. I carried him up to bed after he fell asleep. Mindy & I headed to bed around 10:30p