Like We Never Left ... Almost

It always feels good to return to ones own bed after an extended absence. I woke at 7:15am feeling pretty darn good after a restful night’s sleep in my own bed. Our bed is so darn comfortable. I originally planned to leap out of bed, but Mindy had other ideas. She wanted to snuggle. We laid there in bed until just before 8:30am. She remained in bed after I got up and headed downstairs. Up until then, the kids remained asleep in their rooms. After prepping a pot of coffee, I got started on my calisthenics, which save for my daily push-ups, I skipped while at the beach. My legs ached and were stiff, but I expected as much after the travel and yard work on Saturday. It felt good to work through my usual routine. I leashed up Ykraps, who was waiting anxiously by the front door. We walked westward at a slow pace. I can always tell when he’s spent considerable time with my Dad. He always allows Ykraps to set the pace. I tend to be a bit more impatient. Go figure! After returning from our walk, I quickly poured myself some coffee and then headed back outside to get the pond pump fired up to continue watering my thirsty lawn. Mindy didn’t wake until 9:50am. During my remaining free time, I downloaded Saturday’s pictures and then did some August vacation investigation on the web. Just after Mindy & the kids came downstairs I readied for my run. At the same time, Mindy began making French toast and maple bacon. I already knew my run would be tough. Not only were my legs extra stiff, but the temperature and humidity were high, too. I simply accepted it and headed out hoping to make the best of it. I took my time and battled through the stiffness and heat. I worked up one heck of a sweat. I did the full four miles. I wondered if Mindy would try to meet me at the three mile marker but she didn’t. She spoke of getting in a run today. She never did run on the beach. Our timing was perfect. Mindy had breakfast ready just after I toweled the dripping sweat from my over worked body. The French toast was exceptional. She used real French bread, too. Mindy & the kids spoke of going to the pool. She & I had already discussed the day’s plans. I wouldn’t be going. Instead, I would be staying home tending to the lawn watering and a handful of other lingering tasks – nothing too demanding. In between relocating the sprinkler, I took to the deck in my running shorts to read the final 30 or 40 pages of my Eckhart Tolle book. Mindy & the kids departed while in the midst of reading. They’d be home around 4pm to ready for dinner at her mother’s. I read to within ten pages of being done. And after a short break I thought that I might head back out and finish it up. However, I really wanted to finish the Plasma TV wiring project, too. The HDMI cable I ordered arrived while we were gone. I chose to lay my book aside and finish the wiring. I spent the next hour fishing and attaching the new HDMI cable. It’s important to note, I got this high quality 10’ HDMI cable online for $6.99 + shipping (another $2.49). A similar cable at Circuit City or Best Buy was $80. J It was worth the wait. Not only did I get the HDMI cable attached, but also hooked up the DVD player feed, which I had inadvertently left off the last time I pulled the receiver out to hook up the VCR feed. I chose to kill two birds with one stone. I tested all the various video feeds before declaring the TV ready to be wall mounted. Everything worked! I made a mental note of the various TV/Surround sound receiver settings necessary for each feed, which I hope to document for others to more easily follow. I need to get a hold of a buddy to help me mount it on the wall another day. After finishing with the TV, I headed back out for a little more reading and to relocate the sprinkler. I took care of a few more minor tasks as well. I still didn’t get around to pruning the red maples, a task I’ve been putting off all summer long. Perhaps another day soon. Mindy & the kids arrived home about 20 minutes after 4. I was surprised that she was so late. We typically leave for her mothers by then. Regardless, I was already showered. I tinkered further while she showered and groomed. I sprayed new lawn weeds. It was 91 degrees and still very steamy. We left for Gloria’s by 4:45pm. Mindy said that her summer dinner hours are generally 5pm versus 4:30pm. In her mind, we weren’t late. But if we were late, then so were Jodie and Larry. They arrived just as we pulled up. I was happy to see that. I was good to see the extended family, having not gathered for Sunday dinner for several weeks running. Summer often ends up that way for one reason or another – mostly due to birthday parties, vacations, and other family events. We had chicken – KFC and some Kroger barbeque. In addition, we had pasta salad, cheesy potatoes, and rolls. Delicious! After dinner, Larry & I investigated the moisture problem in the lower level bedroom (Mindy’s old sleeping quarters). The house is a bi-level. The moisture in my opinion is the result of excessive rain water run off. We decided to rip down the old paneling at a later date to get a better view of what’s actually going on. On with dessert. Dessert included chocolate peanut butter fudge and strawberry flan cake. Unlike most others, I had the flan cake. Gloria’s chocolate peanut butter fudge was, and always is, a huge hit with Mindy’s sibs. We were there until 7pm or so. The kids were anxious to get home and so were we. Once we were home, all of us walked Ykraps. The kids had a small window of time to play with the neighbors, too. However, it wasn’t long before Mindy had the kids upstairs for yet another bath & shower. I assisted just like I did on Saturday evening. The kids were in bed by 9pm – late by most measures. Mindy played on her laptop while I watched Family Guy. I hadn’t caught an episode of Family Guy in many moons. This was a funny one! I wasn’t long for the TV, however. By 9:30pm I was dosing hard. I garnered enough energy to head upstairs to bed at 10pm. Mindy soon followed. From bed, I purposefully placed a double stack of pillows under my feet to help relieve some of the strain on my groin and lower back. It seemed to help.