Accomplishing Plenty

Landon squawked a few times during the night but each time it was short lived and he eventually fell back asleep. We got up for keeps a little before 8am. Mindy toyed with the idea of going to church but never did. She did, however, insist on going grocery shopping after my run. I have a feeling it was as much about getting away for some alone time as it was about seeing to it that our cabinets were restocked. That’s OK. I understood. Once again, I left for my run around 9:30am. This time I kept my run contained within the subdivision. It was a good four mile run. I was hot & sweaty at its conclusion. I spent the next several hours working remotely just as I did on Saturday. Mindy eventually left for the grocery after putting Landon down for a nap. I was most diligent about keeping the kids quiet during their comings and goings to extend Landon’s nap. During Mindy’s absence she asked that I address a few chores. I mopped the kitchen tile and then made a batch of salsa. The salsa turned out really good – hot-hot! It wasn’t long before Mindy made her return with a van load of groceries. Me and the kids helped her carry in the goodies. Before releasing me to my outdoor chores, Mindy insisted that I help get everything out of the bags. I obliged her. Outdoors I badly wanted to finish the wall project along with getting the lawn chores completed. I started on the wall first. That went surprisingly well – easy! It just goes to show you how important a good plan is. I don’t think that it took more than about 1.5 hours to finish the cutting of the 2X8s and get them mounted. Mindy and the kids left for the pool just as I was finishing up. Given her druthers, I would’ve been going along. But the need to complete my weekly lawn chores prevailed. She understood – at least I think! I moved quickly into lawn cutting mode. I wacked, edged, cut, and blew in all of about 1.5 hours. But I wasn’t done there – no sir! I also trimmed some over grown ivy, started the sprinkler pump, and sprayed another coat of Round-Up on the targeted lawn restoration area. Mindy was home from the pool around 4-430pm. She invited my dad for dinner. He arrived somewhere near 5pm. He was gracious enough to walk Ykraps leaving me to finish up my chores before heading in for a much needed shower. Mindy had originally asked that I do the grilling, but because I was running behind schedule, she took over the first half of the task. I simply finished the grilling. I coated my chicken breast with some of my brand new homemade salsa. No one else wanted anything to do with it, although, dad gave it a try on some Lime Tostitos. Too hot! This year’s habaneras are very warm. Dinner was excellent. Along with the grilled chicken, we had cucumber salad, and baked beans. For dessert, Mindy made everyone a bowl of ice cream. There were several flavors to choose from. I had Edy’s butter pecan. In addition, she baked chocolate chip cookies. They were equally delicious. Dad entertained the children with his ice cream and cookies. He had them all in stitches. After dinner, the boys, Jacob and Rocky, asked me to play football with them. I did, but only after asking Mindy if it was OK to leave the dinner mess for her. We played outside for quite some time. Eventually, though, my dad came out with Landon. He took over playing ball with the older boys while I took Landon to the baby tree swing. He loves that thing. We swung for a good long time. Dad departed around 8pm after a fun filled evening. Like clock work, Mindy got the kids bathed and eventually tucked into bed. Landon first. By 9pm they were down for the count. Mindy and I chatted in the kitchen for about 30 minutes before hearing our neighbors yucking it up out on their deck. Not able to resist the temptation, we decided to join in their fun. We grabbed the baby monitor and headed over. We enjoyed their company for a little more than an hour. And we really enjoyed Kenny’s story about recovering his stolen four-wheeler, which was taken right out of the back of his pick-up in our subdivision several months ago. It was chained and locked down too. As the story goes, he was golfing in Johnstown when he spotted a four-wheeler for sale at a neighborhood yard sale. Stopping in for a closer look he was convince that it was his. He soon called the cops and started a big ol’ problem. Turns out, Columbus’ finest sold it at auction to this guy after it went unclaimed in the stolen property facility. Kenny says no one ever called to let him know they had recovered it. As you might imagine, that started a big ol’ mess! Mindy and I headed home near 11pm. We were both tired and I had to be up early Monday morning.

Catching Extra ZZZ's

Mindy bounced out of bed just before 8am to answer Landon’s cry for attention. I think it’s fair to say that both Mindy and I felt blessed that he slept as late as he did. I stayed in bed hoping to catch a few more Z’s, but never really did. Instead, I laid there for about 15 minutes contemplating my day. Everyone was up by the time I made my way downstairs. Mindy had my coffee ready by the time I exercised and walked Ykraps. I didn’t head out for my run until 9:30am. In between coffe and my run I got caught up on a few work related matters. I ran four miles via the outer loop along Trabue and down Hague. I called Courtney upon my return to firm up any plans for her visit. I really didn’t want to miss much, if any, of the Buckeye game if I could help it. Eventually we nailed down our plans. Courtney gave me direction to her place close to Pickerington. I left to get her around 11:30am. She brought me in the long way. Had I known, I could’ve made the trip so much shorter. I eventually found her apartment complex out off of Refugee Rd. Meanwhile, the Buckeye game had already begun. We listened via radio. They were up 10-0 pretty quick. And by the time we made it home they were up 16-0. Shelly dropped Kaileigh off around 1pm. She and Sienna Grace stayed & visited with Mindy for about an hour. I didn’t give it much thought initially but I think her lengthy visit left Courtney feeling uncomfortable. The kids were all having a ball playing inside and out. Landon was excluded from most of their activity only because of his young age. Courtney took Kaileigh, Jacob, Bella, and Rocky to the park during the game’s second half. The Buckeyes won 43-0. It was a blowout. Late afternoon Mindy headed out for a mini-shopping spree. She was going to Target to get a couple of things for the kids. She ended up stopping at Kroghetto, too, to pick-up a few grocery items. She wasn’t gone that long. During her absence I gathered and strategically placed some tools I’d need to make some scant progress with my yard wall project upon her return. I couldn’t do the work with Landon in tow. I had to wait for her return. Once Mindy got home I begged some time to work on my project. I ended up spending about an hour or so getting the 4X4 posts set in concrete. Project wise, that’s all I was able to accomplish, although I did manage to water flowers front and back a bit later. I truly hoped to get a bunch more chores done on Sunday. Mindy grilled hamburgers while I showered and walked Ykraps. In an odd turn of events, neighbors Lilly and Makayla walked Ykraps with me while Bella and Jacob remained firmly entrenched back at home. The burgers were delicious, although the coordination of the event was a bit chaotic with so many diners. Shelly came to pick-up Kaileigh at a little after 730pm. Like she often does, she visited with us for about an hour. Soon after they departed, I ran Courtney home. It must’ve been around 8:30pm or perhaps even later. Courtney’s facing an uphill battle but seems to say the right things. It must be hard. I couldn’t live like she’s living. By the time I returned from running Courtney home, Mindy had the kids already tucked into bed. She had a beer all ready for the go upon my re-entry. We stayed up and watched some college football, but not too late. Both of us were exhausted.

No Barley's Tonight

I was up just prior to 530am and happy to see clear skies overhead. After a round of calisthenics I was out the door with Ykraps. The rest of my predawn routine was just that – routine. I left for my run just after 6:30am. I ran four miles. I noticed the Southwestern school district high school kids are again at the bus stop waiting for their buses as I pass the halfway point. I always make it a point to greet them as I pass. A cheery response is rare. Still, it doesn’t change my good cheer. My enthusiasm for the coming Labor Day weekend was tempered by the fact that I would be on-call through Monday night. Furthermore, Mindy & I agreed to keep Landon and Lil’ Rocky over the weekend so that Lindsey could address some personal issues. And what’s more, it was sounding like we’d be hosting a Kaileigh/Courtney visit on Saturday, too. The house was abuzz with activity when I returned from my run. Mindy had my lunch packed and breakfast ready. That sped things up considerably. I drove the Trooper to work. At the last second, I remembered to grab one of my empty five-gallon gas containers for more mower gas. I reckoned that I’d stop on my way home. Come lunch time I drove to Jack’s Aquarium. There I purchased a bag of 18 crickets for our lizards. They’ll love me for it. I also stopped at Home Depot to buy a plywood remnant. I found a 2’X4’ piece of ¼” plywood and then had them cut it down to 18”X36”. This would serve as a shelf to place atop Ykraps’ kennel. I was back at the office by 2:15pm. I took the crickets in with me, not wanting them to bake in the Trooper. Sometime mid-afternoon I received an email from Bob Imber measuring my interest in Monday golf. Hmmm? The afternoon was busy. And since I was on-call I stayed a little late to make sure that I had a good handle on everything going on. I arrived home Friday evening just before 6pm, but not before stopping at Thornton’s for mower gas. It was only $3.49 per gallon. Being so cheap, I topped off the Trooper, too. The house was much quieter than what I expected with all the kids. I later learned that they were outside playing. Rocky & Landon were already there having been dropped off by Kelly & Lindsey. Landon was napping and Rocky was outside with Jacob and Bella. By the time I got back from my walk with Ykraps, Landon was back up. He was very shy with Mindy & I. He wouldn’t even look at us, let alone speak. But honestly, there’s little wonder why. Heck, we don’t get to see him very often. Mindy got the kids bathed and in bed before 9pm. I was charged with inflating the Coleman air mattress. I spent the lion’s share of my late evening taking care of work related matters. Fun-fun! We were in bed before 10:30pm.

Passing Gentle Rain

bedside then quickly returned downstairs. I spent an abbreviated amount of time on the PC but still managed to read the Daily Om and meditate. I didn’t head out for my run until 6:40am. Without any thought, I ran four miles. And it rained lightly for the duration of the run. I was damp upon my return home. Mindy had my breakfast and lunch fully ready. This saved me oodles of time. I appreciate that immensely. I readied and left for work by 8:10am. The work day was business as usual. By day’s end the rain from yesterday and overnight had completely cleared out giving way to warm sunshine and clear skies that’s expected to carry us through the Labor Day weekend. I talked with Mindy sometime after school let out. We discussed dinner plans. Mindy was craving a Minelli’s pizza. We agreed that is what we’d have. I called her back before leaving work to confirm which one of us was gonna fetch it. I agreed to pick it up on my way home. I called Minelli’s as I exited the parking lot for home. The pizza was ready by the time I got there. Mindy was walking Ykraps as I pulled down the street. That saved me some time. I dug into the pizza immediately. It wasn’t long before Mindy and the kids were back with Ykraps. We all sat down at the table to share what remained of the pizza. J I was looking forward to the evening’s NFL preseason action. The Vikings were playing the Cowboys. Neither team was expected to play any of their key starters, so the outcome was truly inconsequential. Still! Unfortunately, that particular game wasn’t on TV, but both the Bengals and Browns games were. We watched a little of both. In between, I dashed to my PC to check out the Vikings score. The Vikings lost. Next game is for real – Monday, September 8th. We were in bed by 10:30pm.

That Day Each Year When...

After staying up late watching Hillary the night before, I woke a little tired. But it was nothing I couldn’t shake after about five minutes, so no big deal. I hit the “go” button on the coffee maker before sliding into my exercise routine. Outside, there was the pitter-patter of rain slapping against the skylights. It would just figure to rain the morning after applying Round-Up on my lawn. However, the product is still guaranteed to work as long as rain holds off for 30 minutes after applying. I’ve got more should another application become necessary. After walking Ykraps I had a few minutes to tinker before taking Mindy her 6:00am coffee. After returning downstairs I did my usual coffee, internet, and meditation before prepping and leaving for a run. I headed out just as the clock struck 6:30am. I ran the full four miles, the first mile being almost in total darkness. The thick cloud cover didn’t help. The rain was persistent but light, almost drizzle. It felt good, really. Mindy was up and had my scrambled eggs coated with cheese already at my place setting on the island counter. Quickly, I grabbed the lunch she’d already packed and placed it on the counter ready to load into my day pack. Having my breakfast and lunch prepared afforded me the opportunity to be in the shower by 7:30am easily. Mindy & Bella departed all the while Jacob and I choked down the rest of our breakfasts. She asked that I run the dishwasher prior to leaving. Noted. I dressed in long khaki pants and a black t-shirt, attire that wears well both at work and on the golf course. This was, after all, a golf Wednesday. Despite the gloomy morning weather, I remained optimistic about getting out later. I walked Jacob down to Kenny & Crissy’s at 8:10am and was soon on my way to work. Hopefully we’ll have this whole bus schedule thing resolved by next week. And yes, I drove the BM’er with the top up. Work was busy in the door. I barely had time to fetch coffee. We had our regular staff meeting at 11am. That meeting ended up leading into another. We didn’t get out of there until 3:30pm. Yikes! Being in the meeting, I couldn’t see outdoors so I had no idea what the weather was doing. An email from Bob seemed to indicate clearing skies, at least a lack of rain. That seemed to jibe with the forecast, which called for rain east of the I-71 corridor. Consequently, I responded favorably to getting out for nine holes at Indian Springs. Not ten minutes passed before Bob responded once more saying that the rain was moving back in. Without seeing it, I said it was clear here! I had to laugh when I finally got back to my office and saw how miserable it was out there. It was pouring! We were getting the remnants of Fay, and it was coming up from the southeast. Sadly, our standing golf outing looked to be in jeopardy. I ended up staying at work until after 5:30pm. Mindy called around 4pm to see what my thoughts were relative to dinner. She suggested either beef & noodles or dining out. I left it up to her, but afterwards regretted as much figuring she and the kids would choose dining out. I just wasn’t in the mood. Whatever the reason, I get incredibly sleepy on my drive home more often than not. Much to my pleasure, I spotted silverware placed neatly on the dining table as I entered the house through the garage. That could only mean one thing. We were dining at home. Wahoo! After emptying my backpack of my lunch containers, I leashed up Ykraps and headed out the door for our evening walk. I shortened our walk because of rain. Ykraps still did his business. At the end of August or early in September there is always a day when one can quite readily detect a change in the air. Today was that day for me. Summer’s definitely waning. :) Inside we sat down as a family for beef & noodles along with mashed potatoes. After adding oodles of salt and pepper they were quite tasty. Mindy & I had two helpings each (she might’ve had three). After dinner and clean-up I retired to the PC where I updated my blog. Recently my desktop has been infected with a virus that causes unwanted pop-ups despite my blocker being enabled. I don’t how it got on board as I never open unknown attachments or rarely go to untrusted websites. However, recent reading suggested that I may have been hijacked from a recent Google search Ugh! The kids were playing with neighbors until just before 8pm. Bella was extremely upset when Mindy told her that we had no time to play the Chicken or the Egg game. It was canceled due to her being away playing. She eventually got over it. I worked on my blog until the kids were tucked into bed. Afterwards I poured myself a Jack & Coke and then kicked back on the sofa. I tuned into the HD-Discovery Channel. There I watched an episode of Myth Busters, and then a program where a guy is air dropped into the Florida swamps with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a knife, his goal being to find civilization, while at the same time avoiding alligators, snakes, and spiders. Very cool! Mindy headed to bed soon after that program started - around 10pm. I joined her about 20 minutes later. I was fixated on that TV program.

Making Good After Bordeline Thievery

Mindy & I talked for a while before finally falling asleep the night before. That meant that I netted little more than 5 hours of sleep. Regardless, I woke just before 5:30am feeling just fine. Of course it didn’t hurt that neither one of us drank alcohol at the Neil Diamond show. Smart move! I was moving swiftly through my routine and found myself back from Ykraps’ walk well ahead of schedule - 5:50am. I spent a good 15 minutes on the PC before meditation and run prep. Even though this was Mindy’s first day of class with kids, I didn’t bother waking her. She had the wherewithal to ask permission to be an hour late due to the concert. I left for my run just after 6:30am. It was quite chilly – only 53 degrees. I wore a tight, long sleeved wicking shirt. I was comfortable and ran the full four miles. Mindy was up helping get Jacob ready for school by the time that I returned from my run. She made my scrambled eggs but was otherwise quiet. She spoke of heading up for shower at the same time that I would normally head up. I let her know my intentions. I don’t think that she realized that she would hold me up. She came up to shower just as I was blow drying my luscious locks. She was still in the shower when I left for work. I left right at 8:00am in the BM’er. Work was quite busy. But as busy as we were, I still planned to take a full lunch. Come 1:15pm I left for the bank. I had a check from my insurance company that had been lying around for nearly two months. I finally got it deposited. That took five minutes. I spent the remainder of my lunch hour browsing Lowe’s, essentially walking every aisle. I had a lot on my mind. In such cases, that’s always good therapy. I was back at my desk by 2:15pm, and spent the afternoon fully engaged in work related matters. I took afew minutes in the late afternoon to draft a quick email to the Schottenstein Center expressing my disgust with the Neil Diamond show. Within 30 minutes I recieved a reply advising that refunds would be issued upon request along with a link to a formal apology from Neil himself (see my email and then their reply below) I had a nice drive home. I really wanted to get some minor yard work done after diner tonight. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let time slip by without doing it. We were having pot roast for dinner. Ykraps was already walked upon my arrival home. Cool! The pot roast was especially tasty. Not sure what the difference was but the au jus was much thicker, and a bit spicier, too. I helped with the rough clean-up but deferred the final duties to Mindy so that I could get outside and onto my yard chores. I headed out to spray/kill the bad grass in the front lawn in preparation for my fall lawn restoration project. I was nervous about using Round-Up. Once it’s down there’s no turning back. I spent about 25 minutes mixing and then spraying the two large areas containing unwanted/undesirable grasses. Immediately after, I moved onto watering the rear flowers. The kids played with the neighbors while I watered. They were quite noisy but having fun. After watering, I reloaded the humming bird feeder with nectar and the bird feeder with seed. These are tasks usually reserved for a weekend. By the time I was finishing up, Mindy was out on the deck relaxing. She shared that she had already applied for an received a refund for the Neil Diamond debacle. After finishing up outdoors, I headed in to wash my hands and move onto updating my blog. I got myself caught up through Sunday. Mindy called for me to tuck in the kids around 8:30pm or so. Afterwards, I returned to the PC but eventually found my way to the nearby recliner for a nap. I was overcome with sleepiness. Next thing I knew I woke up to find that Mindy had headed off to bed. It must’ve been 9:45pm. Feeling fully awake, I took to the family room where I tuned into an episode of South Park. Still not sleepy, I tuned into the DNC and got to see/hear Hillary’s speech. I really like her. Afterwards, around 11:30pm, I headed up for bed. To whom it may concern, My wife and I purchased two $120 tickets for last night’s Neil Diamond performance with great anticipation. Needless to say, we were completely disappointed and left the venue feeling completely taken advantage of. Neil Diamond’s trademark voice is what makes him who and what he is. Without it, he’s just another “old guy” prancing around on stage. And who would pay money for that? Perhaps what’s worse, he failed to fall on his sword and admit/recognize the obvious loss of his voice. There is no rationale that can explain away why the show was allowed to go on. After all, we’re not talking about $20 tickets here. I have been a life long Neil Diamond fan and was eagerly looking forward to finally seeing/hearing his iconic performance. However, instead of leaving your venue feeling entertained, we left feeling as though we’d been robbed. During the debacle, Neil commented that he does each show hoping to make each of our lives just a little bit better. Excuse me Mr Diamond, but it seems to me that you did last night’s show only to serve yourself as you certainly didn’t entertain my wife and I. The only recourse I would consider fair is a full refund of the hard earned dollars my wife spent on these tickets. Respectfully, JJW

(the response) For Immediate Release (Tues. 8/26 – 4PM) Refunds available for Neil Diamond ticketholders Guests seeking a refund for tickets purchased by phone or internet for the Neil Diamond concert August 25th at the Schottenstein Center should call Ticketmaster Customer Service at 614-431-3600. All other tickets must be returned to the point of purchase. VALID THRU FRIDAY, SEPT. 5 See Neil’s personal comments at www.neildiamond.com

Song Sung Blue ... P-U!!!

I was up by 5:30am just like I was supposed to be. However, I was still tired after only 5.5 hrs of sleep, but otherwise felt pretty good. I had to prep coffee since neither of us did the duty the night before. Despite a forecast calling for sunshine, a glance towards the dark sky revealed lingering clouds – the first in weeks. I completed my exercises by 5:50am and then leashed up Ykraps for our ritualistic morning walk. The temperature was moderate – about 64 degrees. I was a tad glum about the day ahead until I remembered this was Neil Diamond day. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to see him for several years. Tonight I would realize my wish. Shortly after returning home I delivered Mindy’s coffee. It was just after 6am. That’s right, we’re back into our school day routine. After some time on the PC, coffee, and meditation I readied for my run. Then, after a quick stretch, I dashed out into an otherwise dark cloud covered morning. I ran four miles with little, if any, mentionable discomfort. For this I was grateful. Back into our school day routine, Mindy was already up and preparing my eggs when I returned from my run. I took over cooking my eggs after seeing that Mindy was struggling, essentially running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Whether it was a case of over sleeping or simply being out of practice, I wasn’t sure. After finishing my own eggs, I fried one for her. As Mindy prepared to dash out the door with Bella I asked how Jacob was getting to the bus stop. All I knew was that his bus wasn’t coming until 8:30am for the next few days. Thus far, we hadn’t discussed the details. Apparently she was expecting me to run him to Crissy & Kenny’s at 8:10am. Glad I asked. Mindy & Bella headed out just after 7:30am. I headed up for a shower soon after they departed. I was ready by 7:55am. We walked down to Crissy’s at 8:10am as suggested. I felt uncomfortable, not knowing if Mindy actually made contact with Crissy regarding the matter. Crissy was just pulling out when I walked up. She said that Mindy had just called her and that Kenny was in the house. Crisis avoided. I hustled off to work in the Trooper minutes later. Work was frightfully busy. I headed to Auto Zone and Home Depot come lunch time. At Auto Zone I bought a replacement headlight bulb for the Trooper. I had no interest in driving with a burnt out headlight. At Home Depot I bought a treated 2X8X12 and had it cut in half. However, the first board I picked up and had them cut wasn’t treated. Oops! I didn’t realize this until I was about to check out. Once I realized, I went back and got a treated board and had it cut to the same specifications. In addition, I picked up 20 lag bolts & three bags of concrete. All of this was for my wall project. Back at work for the last three+ hours of my day. It was a quick afternoon. I didn’t leave the office again until 5:45pm. Mindy was already back at school doing parent conferences. Rene was at our home watching the kids. As soon as I got home I got crackin’ on chores. I prepped tomorrow’s coffee and cleaned up my lunch containers. Rene, meanwhile, was out on the deck reading. I eventually made my way out and chatted with her for a while before walking Ykraps. Leaving her alone to her reading, I left with Ykraps and then returned for more chores. Mindy asked that I help with some laundry. In addition, I carried the two 2X8s that I bought earlier around to my work area. Next, I went out and replaced my headlight bulb. Thanks to Ken, a buddy from work, I was able to get it replaced with only minor cussing. J It was now 6:45pm and all of my chores were complete. I went back in and played on the PC updating my blog. It was just about 7:30pm when I overheard heard Rene talking with Mindy. Apparently Mindy was almost home. We left for the Neil Diamond concert within five minutes of Mindy’s arrival. The show was slated to begin at 8pm. It was 7:40pm when we headed out. The Schott’s a quick and easy drive from our place – a straight shot down Trabue to Lane Ave. What we didn’t expect or plan for was a huge traffic jam just west of the venue as hundreds of cars vied for the final few parking spots. Plus, we ended up having to park all the way up by Ackerman Rd. Lucky for us, they were providing shuttle service to the Schott. We found our way in and past security by 8:20pm. I had my small digital camera in tow, but was told absolutely no cameras allowed by the gentleman helping concert patrons board the shuttle. I asked Mindy to bury it in her purse and then hoped for the best. Turns out, they only performed a cursory glance into her purse and missed it. Wahoo! Our seats were close to the stage ($120 a piece). Ouch! They were a Father’s Day gift so I didn’t know it at the time. I could hear Neil singing even before we found our seats. I was more than a little bummed that we were late. From the outset, I could tell something was amiss with his voice. And by the time we sat down in our seats it was clear that he was having major voice issues. In fact, it was so bad that I was down right disgusted. I mentioned as much to Mindy, who, I think, took it personal, at least at first. However, I was grateful for the tickets, but still bummed that he sounded so bad. I could not bring myself to applaud like many of the blue hairs still did. He sucked! What’s worse, he made no effort to address his obvious lack of a voice with the crowd. I felt cheated. And as we later found out, so did many, many others. Somehow we endured the entire show. It was the least I could do to show my wife respect for buying these expensive tickets. It became a joke as the show went on. We couldn’t believe the old folks acting as if nothing was wrong. By the second hour, he wasn’t even singing at all. Instead, he was lip syncing. He did the “talk sing” thing a little too. I was thrilled when the show ended as we eagerly headed for the exit and then the shuttle back to the bowels of the parking lot. On the shuttle, Neil’s poor performance was all the buzz. We were happy to hear that we weren’t the only fans soured over the matter. I told a bunch of blue hairs how good Alice Cooper was the night before, and for only $25. I also promised to draft a letter/email letting Neil know that I wasn’t fooled. Sadly, the most exciting event of the evening was how quickly we got to our car, out of the lot, and onto the road home. Rene was resting when we got home. The kids were already tucked into bed. After a little socializing Rene departed and Mindy & I headed up to bed.

Vincent D. Furnier & 3 Birdies

The clock hadn’t yet struck 7:00am when I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. I was still a little tired but also eager to get moving. I made a pot of coffee and promptly plopped onto the floor and began whipping out 55 sit-ups. Ten minutes later I had both sit-ups and push-ups in the bag. Before curls, I moved the sprinkler to the deep back. After curls and walking Ykraps I spent a little time sipping coffee and surfing the net. I set out for my run by 8:10am. Mindy said she wanted up by 9am. I ran just three miles in part to conserve time, but also to conserve a little energy for 18 holes of hot steamy golf. My left hand and forearm were stiff and inflexible after yesterday’s posthole digger work. I worried that it would adversely impact my golf game (hey, any excuse I can get). The run was nice and went fast. My legs felt terrific. Mindy finally crawled out of bed after I was showered and downstairs prepping to depart. She offered to fry my egg but I respectfully declined. I wanted to leave by 9:20 but didn’t end up hitting the road until 9:30am. I had a number of pesky chores to complete. First, I had to transfer my golf clubs from the BM’er to the Trooper since I was picking up Bob. Secondly, I wanted to buy and print an extra Alice Cooper ticket since Mindy changed her mind and now wanted to go. And thirdly, I needed to shut down the sprinkler pump. I managed to get it all done before 9:30am and left for Bob’s. I wouldn’t see Mindy until about 6pm. Because I was running low on gas, I decided last minute to stop for a fill-up at the Grandview Ave. BP station. I arrived at Bob’s just as he rang my cell phone inquiring of my whereabouts. I was out front. We loaded his gear and hit the road by 9:50am. Our tee time was set for 10:40am. We had plenty of time to get there, especially given that most of the 30 mile drive was freeway and/or highway. We arrived at Royal American Links in Galena with 20 minutes to spare. We even had enough time to hit the range. For sure it was heating up quickly. In fact, for the first time in several days/weeks, thunderstorms were forecasted for later in the day. But for the time being, it was crystal clear. The clubhouse at RAL is worthy of mention here. This place was incredible. It has the look and feel of an old English castle. We were golfing with two of Bob’s old friends, Scott and Wayne, or as Bob calls him, Pick. The course has bent grass fairways and greens with oodles of trees, hills, and water. For a change, I started off well. I par’d hole #1, and then birdied hole #2. I was ecstatic! Probably my most alarming failure was my play on two of the 4 par threes, where I took triple bogeys on each. Damn! I shot an 89 for the day and ended up with three birdies. And to think, I went an entire year without even one last year. Along with those two triples, I had an eight too. I enjoyed the course. The regular green fees are $59 but Scot had four vouchers from a past partial rainout and shared the wealth. We each played for $38 with cart (a $21 discount). Not bad at all. RAL is a popular wedding venue, too. And to our surprise, there was a wedding just as we were finishing up. We could hear the wedding march and lots of applause. I pretended as if they were cheering my play. Thank you! We finished around 3:30pm. By then a few pop clouds were moving in, but still no rain. It was very steamy, however. The guys wanted to grab a quick beer. I joined them but drank lemonade. I wanted a fresh head for later, and besides, I rarely, if ever, drink on the golf course. I bolted for home around 4pm. Scot and Pick stayed for one more. Bob had plans with his old neighbors. I think that he was happy to hit the road, too. As we headed home, it looked like storms were moving in just to our immediate north. And just as we hit I-670 in the downtown area, some sprinkles came our way. I dropped Bob at 4:30pm and then headed on home. I wasn’t settled for more than ten minutes when the sky let loose. We had a big thunder storm move through complete with heavy rain, lightning, thunder, and strong wind. It was nice to see. That, of course, made me sleepy. I wanted to get Ykraps’ evening walk out of the way. However, even though the rain had stopped, lightning bolts continued to pepper the area causing me to change my mind. We hung back for another 15 minutes or so. During that time, I actually napped sitting upright in my computer chair. I can do that rather easily. Come 5:30pm I woke and headed out with Ykraps. We finished quickly as more rain came seemingly out of no where. Damn!! Mindy arrived home from her mother’s around 6:25pm. By then I had showered and freshened up for the Cooper concert. I was getting psyched! We wasted little time getting ready. Mindy changed quickly into more appropriate attire (g-string and ripped t-shirt). J We left for Tom’s around 6:40pm. Tom lives in Merion Village, or just south of German Village on Frebis. He has a lovely home that he completely gutted and restored over the past several years. It’s currently on the market but slow to sell. It’s a tough market right now. Tom offered a Bud Light. I accepted. We sat in his living room where Mindy made recommendations on his furniture placement. Before we knew it, we were moving his furniture around to better use available space. We left for the show around 7:30pm. Tom guided us in since we were “out of downtowners”. J Brother-in-law Larry called and offered us free parking at Engine House #1, but we opted instead to park closer. And to top that, we found a free meter since it was Sunday. Cool! It wasn’t too long before we were at our concert venue. Before heading in, we had to buy one more ticket. After buying the third ticket we promptly entered the venue to check out the digs. I had never been to the outdoor venue, having seen Todd Rundgren just this past January on the inside stage. I guess the best description would be similar to Polaris only much smaller. My guess is that the max capacity is around 5K. After grabbing a drink we found our way to the upper lawn area where we stayed for the duration of the show. We never did take a seat on the lawn, choosing to avoid a wet/muddy ass, an after effect from the thunder storms of earlier. The opening act was Cinder Road, a heavy metal rock band. None of us had heard of them before. They were OK. Alice came on just as darkness set in. He was as good as I remembered. Catchy lyrics and chilling theatrics aside, the band was exceptionally tight, too. I was impressed. He played for about two hours covering stuff off of his new CD plus most of his familiar old tunes. Among others, he played Cold Ethel, I Love the Dead, Billion Dollar Babies, No More Mr Nice Guy, Dead Babies, Eighteen, Elected, Poison, Only Women Bleed, and School’s Out. Theatrically, he was hung live on stage, drove a stake through a baby’s heart, and was placed in a straight jacket. After the show concluded Alice introduced his band and the dancers. The three female dancers were his daughters. I later learned that his wife was a ballet instructor. Go figure! Great Show, and well worth the $25 ticket price.

We dropped Tom at home and then headed for our own. Joe & Danny were at our place watching the kids, who were already tucked into bed. They left five minutes after we got home. We went right to bed. It was around 11:30pm as we both needed to be up for work/school.

The Wall, Bone Fish, & Vikings

I woke around 7:30am feeling OK, but perhaps still a little under slept. I had enough scruples to choke down two Advil before going to bed last night. That act alone likely saved me from a throbbing headache. I started a pot of coffee before beginning my exercises. I was draggin’, but nothing a little fresh air wouldn’t solve. The morning air felt good and left me much more awake. It was just what the doctor ordered. Mindy planned on going in to school again today to finish getting her classroom ready while I worked on the retaining wall project. She slept in until sometime after 9am. After she woke we spent a little time together before I prepped and left on my run. She’d be gone by the time I returned. We had dinner reservations for 6pm at Bonefish. I ran 4 miles and felt good doing it. I was surprised to see Mindy’s van still at home as I rounded the corner. As I got even closer I realized that she was inside just preparing to pull away. It was already 11am. After cooling off inside, I decided to take a nap before doing any chores. I felt a little less than desirable. I plopped down on the sofa for about 40 minutes. That pretty much did the trick, although my motivation was admittedly lacking. Still, things were needing done. To that end, I got up and headed out to begin my chores. Before doing anything else, I gathered and inventoried all of the treated wood pieces I had stashed under the deck. I had plenty of 4X4’s and 3 of the 4 2X8X10’s I needed. However, one of the three 2X8’s was stretched across the inside roof trusses of my shed, still there from the building phase. I had no choice but to severe 3 inches off to allow it to come down (long story). After laying out my wood supply, I decided to cut the lawn. For the first time all year, I did the entire mowing job with my tractor skipping over only the steepest slopes. With all the dry weather, and despite my watering, the grass hadn’t grown that much anyhow. I finished mowing in less than 35 minutes. After a water break it was time to get cracking on the wall project. The first thing I did was draw a picture of my plan. Once I was happy with the concept, I measured and staked off the post locations. Before digging, I laid the 2X8s out to get a rough idea of how it might look. Seemed OK. Time to dig. The temperature was pretty warm. It was 92 degrees according to NWS. I had sweat running down my face. To help curb the sweating I brought a bath towel out to wipe off my face periodically. And because the work location was along the pond, skeeters were out and biting. I planned to dig only 16” deep. After all, I’m only building a wall to hold back dirt. Besides, the ground along the bank is saturated with large rocks. The digging was tough sledding. I hit rock after rock in each hole. Not one went easily. My arms and hands were stiff and stressed by the time that I finished digging. I cut the 4X4s next. I placed them into their respective holes then backfilled each with a little gravel. That’s where I stopped. It was nearing 4:30pm. I was tired, and needed to shower up for our date. Mindy had talked about grocery shopping while she was out earlier, but ultimately didn’t. Instead, she said she’d go Sunday while I am golfing. Mindy took a shower first. While she showered I walked Ykraps. We left for the Bonefish by 5:35pm, again our reservation set for 6pm. We drove the BM’er, too. It was very lovely out – still very sultry. We planned an early reservation on purpose. I wanted to be home in time to catch the Viking/Steelers game which started at 8pm. The Bonefish had a good crowd but no wait. We were taken directly to our table. We ordered drinks, me a Great Lakes Dortmunder & Mindy, a glass of wine. Our appetizer - calamari. For the entrée, I ordered swordfish and shrimp. Mindy ordered Chilean sea bass. Everything was excellent, equally up to par with the service afforded us by Christopher, our server. He was knowledgeable, attentive, but not pushy – perfect. We escaped for $73 before tip. Ashley phoned while we dined. We returned her call just after getting back into our car for home. She was worked up about her childcare costs and the possibility of not being able to pay again this month. We agreed to help. Meanwhile, I was eager to get home to watch the Viking game. We had plenty of time. It was only 7:15pm. I poured myself a Droughtfire soon after arriving home. It was pretty sour, actually. It’s been in the fridge for a week now. Not able to finish, I resorted to one of the high-quality bottled IPA I had on hand. Incidentally, Mindy and I were celebrating our 1.5 year anniversary today. Wahoo! She promised me a good backrub while watching the game. I had to remind her of as much. She came through and rubbed my back well. The Vikings started quickly on defense. However, in stark contrast, they started slow on offense. We had three procedure penalties on our opening offensive drive. Geesh! The Vikings defense sacked big Ben on three occasions – two back to back. I loved it. We held them to 75 total yards until mid way thru the third quarter when both teams put their scrubs in. The Steelers won 12-10 on a last second field goal, but the Vikings won the real game! I headed to bed around 11pm.

Six Beer Night

I guess you could say that I was paying the price for staying up so late Thursday night. I didn’t really want to get out of bed come 5:30am, but still did. After all, it was Friday, my favorite day of the week. I began my exercise routine after hitting the go button on the coffee maker. We had a brief power outage last Monday and I still haven’t reset the coffee maker clock, which subsequently renders the auto brew feature useless. But it’s not a big deal. I finished my exercise and then turned my attention to Ykraps, who was waiting patiently by the front door just as he always is. The morning proceeded as normal. I ran four miles before readying my meals. After readying myself for work, I chose to drive the Trooper thinking that I might need it to pick-up more yard project material. Reviewing my personal to-do list, I still needed to phone Tom Clark to see if he was up for the Alice Cooper show Sunday night and still had to confirm weekend golf plans with Bob Imber. Just before lunch, I spoke with Tom. He was in for the Vincent D. Furnier show. However, I still wasn’t certain if I wanted to golf on Sunday. The idea sounded good, but I didn’t know how feasible that would be with the concert later than same evening, not to mention Sunday dinner. Because of that, I didn’t respond to Bob’s voice mail. I figured we’d confirm plans later at Barley’s. The work day was a blur. I never managed to escape for lunch. By the end of the day I the idea of golfing on Sunday was sounding better and better. That way I could work on my yard project all day Saturday leading up to my date with Mindy. Either way, the weekend was going to be tightly booked. I arrived home long after the kids had left with their daddy. Mindy already guessed that I would want a nap. She headed up for a shower after working in her classroom all day. I settled into the recliner with my Ric Edelman book. I never did nap. Come 7:15pm I headed upstairs to freshen up. We left for Barley’s around 7:35pm. We hadn’t been to Barley’s on a Friday in a number of weeks. It felt good. Bob and Mary Ann were there for the first time in a while, too (at least at the same time as both of us). Many regulars were equally present – Mark, Steve, and Dan. As the evening wore on, nephew Joe and his buddy Chris & Danny showed. I think it’s fair to say that we had lots of fun singing and getting rowdy. Nephew Joe was in rear form, certainly exceeding any of my antics. I guess Joe thought of me as his personal tackling dummy. Through the evening I had four beers – two Droughtfires and two 471 IPA’s. I had a plate of wings, too. Mindy had two glasses of wine. She drove home. We arrived home around 10:30pm. I remember checking the clock. I sold Mindy on the idea of paying a quick visit to our neighbors, Kenny & Crissy. Not certain that they’d be up, we walked over. They were up & hosting a pre-teen sleepover for their two daughters. We hung out with them for about an hour. I drank two Labatts with Kenny before heading home.

Drooping Hydrangea

I bounced in and out of a heavy sleep for nearly an hour prior to waking. By the time I was fully awake and downstairs it was 5:35am. I pushed the go button on the coffee maker then took to the floor to begin my exercise regiment. While exercising I reviewed the past day’s accomplishments along with the current’s day’s goals. Aside from work, I hoped to get the plasma TV hung on the wall later in the day with the help of brother Tommy. It’s been a long time in the making. Because I got home so late after golf the night before, I didn’t bother starting the sprinkler. This was the first evening all week that I didn’t need to head out and move or shut it down. As I gazed out the back door I remembered that I really needed to water all the pots and hanging baskets. I hadn’t soaked them since Sunday. The Hibiscus and Hydrangea were showing the most stress. Ykraps and I walked towards the east. Neighbor Kenny’s new sprinkler system was watering so we had to alter our usual trek into the street. His lawn is looking lush after three weeks. This was trash day, too, so I hurried Ykraps along so that we could get back and get our can to the curb. They often show up just after 6am. It was 5:55am when I set ours out. I spent the next 30 minutes enjoying coffee, playing on the PC, meditating, and prepping for a run. I hit the road at 6:40am. I ran four miles. My body felt really strong and pain-free –only a slight strain in the groin area. I noticed today that my mind is back to automatically taking me to the four mile turn versus the three mile – a good sign to be sure. At home, I packed my lunch and made breakfast. I didn’t bother waking Mindy or Jacob. I knew that they’d eventually be up on their own accord. I was ready to leave for work by 7:55am. I fooled around for a few minutes before setting out on my way. I drove the BM’er. It was a gorgeous morning. Work went well. I took my lunch kind of late. I went to Home Depot. There, I picked up two rolls of bright orange barrier tape to use along with wooden stakes to quarantine the area housing the grass I plan to eradicate. I browsed other stuff for a while just to kill time. I was back at work after about 50 minutes. The afternoon got busy. I didn’t leave the office again until 5:50pm. I was expecting brother Tommy to be there to help place the TV on the wall. He wasn’t there initially but showed up just as I was starting the sprinkler. We got busy mounting the TV before sitting down for dinner. The job required a few minutes of prep. I had to switch the CATV input on the back of the plasma to the new one fished up through the wall. That took only a few minutes. Tommy and I struggled with the TV, carefully lifting it onto the mount. Oops – the stand was still attached. We unscrewed the stand and tried again. Damn! The stand was sticking. We had to call for Mindy’s help. She came to assist. After a little struggle we got it mounted. The final step would be dressing up the wiring and moving the new entertainment stand into its permanent position. I planned to address that later. For the time being, we simply made sure all the slack in the fished wires was pulled out. Dinner was ready. We enjoyed brats, cucumber salad, and green beans. Wally ate like a man. I was shocked, really. Promptly after finishing my food, I headed out to address my wilting potted plants. Tommy stayed in doing ‘girl talk’ with Mindy. I spent a good 30 minutes watering the backyard flowers. I was disappointed in myself for not getting to them sooner. No excuse! Tommy and Wally departed shortly after I went back inside. Why? Was it something I said? :) I moved the sprinkler several more times as the evening waned. My plan was to get all the front’s tough spots watered prior to the weekend and before bed and then move it back out back for an all nighter. While watering, I watched the NFL preseason game on Fox HD – 49ers vs Bears. Mindy headed to bed around 9:30pm. I stayed up until 1130pm. I accomplished plenty. Not only did I get the sprinkling done that I set out to do but also got some reading in along with updating my blog and adding pictures. Busy busy busy. I felt good with all that I accomplished.

Anti-Itch Cream

I was up right on time – 5:30am. After cruising through my exercise routine I headed outdoors to relocate the sprinkler from the front yard center to a dry area out front & close to the pond. Once again, I left it run all night long. After walking Ykraps, I spent considerable time on my PC and then fifteen minutes meditating. I readied and left for a run by 6:40am. It was crisp and clear – just like most other mornings this week. In fact, it feels like September with cool mornings but warm afternoons. Again today we’re expected to hit the mid 80’s. In addition, there’s little chance of rain all the way through Sunday. I ran four miles with out any problem. I was back at home moving the sprinkler once again by 7:15am. I had little food prep to do because we were having a potluck at work. I still fried two eggs for breakfast. This was Jacob’s second day of school but he wasn’t yet up. Mindy wasn’t worried, however. He didn’t need to be at the bus stop until 8:30am. It was only 7:30am. I went by his room anyway. He woke immediately. This was my golf day, so I packed a pair of shorts to change into after work. I was happy to drive the BM’er after spit shining it on Sunday. I left for work at 8:10am. Mindy closed the garage door after I backed out. Work was good. We had our usual Wednesday staff meeting that went until 1pm. Our potluck began immediately after. The theme was “wings”. We had 250 of them. Along with wings, several folks brought a variety of desserts, and all of them were delicious. I ate more than my fair share. I ate thee cookies and a large brownie. Not good! I could feel the sugar buzz! I emailed Bob Imber mid-afternoon to check on golf. He responded near 3pm that it would be just he & I. I campaigned for Indian Springs. He was game. It’s about the same distance from home as Split Rock, but perhaps easier to get to, especially for me. I left the office at 4:30pm sharp. I got there by 5:00pm. It’s located in Mechanicsburg on Rt 161. Nothing but farmland out yonder. Nice drive. I arrived well before Bob. He got hooked up at work. No worries, though. There weren’t many golfers out. This course has bent grass fairways, and not too long ago was all the rage. Today, however, it isn’t as well maintained. Too much competition, I guess. Bob didn’t arrive until about 5:55pm. We tee’d off the front nine quickly. I par’d the first hole for a change. Hole number two is a long but straight par 3. I ended up taking a triple bogey. Ugh! For the nine I shot a 48. I could’ve easily shot a 44. I wasn’t too disappointed. I had only one bad drive. We didn’t finish until nearly 8pm. Mindy, I saw, phoned while we were still golfing. I called her before heading out of the lot. I guess she was checking on my whereabouts. She called to tell me she made me food. Hmmm? The drive home was invigorating. There were a couple pockets of farm air that almost choked me. The stench from animal dung held tight in the air. I arrived home around 8:30pm. Mindy was going round and round with the kids immediately in the door. Apparently they were tormenting one another. Mindy didn’t seem to be in a very good mood. I kept to myself but eventually went upstairs to tuck in the kids. Afterwards I decided to pour myself a Droughtfire IPA. Mindy & I sat on the deck with only the light of citronella candles burning. It was relaxing, but also made me sleepy. Suddenly, I felt bloated again from the earlier potluck. I couldn’t finish my beer. And a few minutes later the kids came out citing the inability to sleep. First Jacob, then Bella. Jacob was scratching his penis profusely. Geesh! Later, after Mindy tucked them in for a second time, she said he asked her to put anti-itch cream on it. No! As I understand it, he eventually did it himself. We were in bed by 9:40pm, although we probably weren’t asleep for another hour.

First Day of School - 2008

I was up and downstairs at 5:35am. I had to prep the morning’s coffee after blowing it off just before bedtime. It didn’t take too long, however. It was next to pitch black outdoors. I needed to move the sprinkler but decided to wait until after exercise and walking Ykraps. I relocated the sprinkler out back to further soak some of the drier areas sloping down towards the pond. I played and then meditated prior to my run. I stretched then hit the running trail by 6:40am. I ran 4 miles easily, although my groin was a little stiff out the door. I had enough foresight to slam a couple of 200mg Advil’s after exercise. I figured they’d be kicking in about mile number 2. I was back at home moving the sprinkler once more at 7:14am. I headed inside to prep lunch and breakfast. It was another lovely day. The September like weather continues. I packed the usual and made two fried eggs for breakfast. This was Jacob’s first day of school. I wasn’t sure what time Mindy or Jacob wanted up. Mindy, I know, was planning to head into school too to work on her classroom. She didn’t seem too worried when I woke her near 7:30am. She rolled back over for more Z’s. I showered and was ready to leave by 8:00am. I drove the Trooper since I wanted to stop at Home Depot for some project material at lunch, otherwise I would’ve driven the BM’er. It was that nice. Work was busy. I didn’t take lunch until 1:30pm. When I did, I drove to Home Depot as planned. I bought a 12’ treated 4X6”and had it cut into six 2’ pieces. Out of this I would make steps leading down to the pond and eventually my sprinkler pump. Right now I slip and slide down the slope, especially when it’s wet. Too, I bought some Round-Up to kill some unwanted grasses in preparation for a relatively small lawn restoral project in September. I bought some rebar and a drill bit, too. I plan to use rebar to secure the steps into the earth. The afternoon at work went fine. I took the back way home down Leap Rd to Scioto Darby Rd. That way worked well. Mindy was grilling when I got home. She was making burgers and corn on the cob. Yummy! I walked Ykraps while she put the wraps on dinner. Before eating, I got the sprinkler going out back. During dinner Jacob shared that his first day of school was good. He seems to like his new teacher, Mrs Taylor. Dinner was great. Afterwards, I was determined to get caught up on my blog. I got ten days published. I decided to forego any editing and skipped adding photos for the time being. I am sure it’ll read that way too. Generally, I proof read once before publishing. After blogging and tucking in the kids, I moved the sprinkler some more. I moved it back out front to water the center front all night long. We headed to bed near 10pm.

Jacob’s Last day of summer - Gianna's 1st Day out of Womb

Mindy's friend Teri and her new baby, Gianna I was up right at 5:30am. I purposefully left the sprinkler running all night long. After starting the morning’s coffee I headed out back to move the sprinkler’s location. I returned inside to complete my exercise routine, walk with Ykraps, and eventually my run. It was quite chilly despite a forecast calling for the mid-80’s. It wasn’t even 60 degrees. I wore a long sleeved running shirt. I was quite comfortable. My run went well. I did the full four miles. I was back at home moving the sprinkler once again by 7:12am. Once back inside I moved immediately to food prep. I had to pack my lunch from scratch. Unlike most days, there wasn’t anything pre-prepped. No biggie! I made a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. It was delicious. And like most other times when I make an omelet, I saved half for Mindy. I was showered a ready for work by 8:00am. I left the house at 8:05am destined first for boat storage. I wanted to drop the boat before heading into work. That went according to plan. However, that made me about ten minutes late for work. I had tons of email to get through and lots of administrative tasks to muddle through. I managed. My boss was cool about giving me tiem to get caught up. I didn’t bother taking a lunch break. Instead, I worked straight through stopping only to eat at my desk. I left work at 5:45pm. Tonight was meet the teacher night for Jacob. Tomorrow marks the first day of school – 2nd grade. I drove straight to the school – just a couple miles form the office. Lucky for me, Mindy had already been through the painful meet & greet. Mindy insisted on introducing me to Mrs Taylor, Jacob’s new teacher anyhow. That was fast. We were headed home by 6:30pm. All of us were hungry, especially me. Mindy had already walked Ykraps, so I was able to get busy watering. I got the pump primed and the sprinkler going out back. Tonight’s focus would be in the back – back. I planned once again to leave it run all night. Upon my retune inside, everyone was eating cereal. I chose to finish my Barley wings from Sunday night. I had nine left. I supplemented the wings with several Triscuits – one of my favorite snacks topped cream cheese. I spent an hour or so on the PC reading and catching up on email. Come 8pm I tuned to the MNF game – the Browns and Giants I moved the sprinkler only once content to water the crap out of the back-back. I fell asleep around 9pm for about 30 minutes I’d guess. I woke around 9:30pm and headed for bed. Mindy joined me. I tuned to the MNF game from bed, too. As expected, I fell asleep before its conclusion.

Chores Galore

I slept really well in my own bed, and I didn’t roll out of bed until 8:20am. I was awake at 7:30am but decided to sleep as long as my body wanted. After all, this was my last vacation sleep. I had lots on the agenda. Aside from the daily exercise and run, I wanted to get the yard back in shape, which included a full grooming and heavy watering. By the looks of things, we had a dry week. Bella was up and chose to join me on my walk with Ykraps. Mindy & Jacob remained asleep. I spent quite a bit of time reading about the Vikings victory and viewing vacation pictures before setting out on my run. It was a lovely morning, in fact, a tad chilly. My run went well. It was good to be back on a familiar track, although not nearly as scenic as the one in Tennessee. Jimaken came to pick-up the kids around 1130am. I spent most of the day working outdoors grooming the lawn, taming the growth, and watering. Mindy left to go visit friend Teri, who just had a baby mid-afternoon. Taking full advantage of the alone time, I moved onto washing the BM’er. While at it, I vacuumed the Trooper out as well. As one might expect, it was trashed from our travels. Mindy called early evening to inform that she picked the kids up at Jimaken’s and was heading to dinner. She wondered if I wanted meet them. Apparently Teri wasn’t accepting visitors, so those plans got changed. By the time that Mindy and the kids were home, I had most of my chores done. I took a shower and tried to relax. Mindy and the kids dined at Rd Lobster, Jacobs favorite. Even still, Mindy kindly brought me home some Barley’s wings and a growler of Droughtfire IPA. Thanks, dear! Turned out, we couldn’t fully kick back. We still had some unfinished business with daughter Courtney. We had to drive to ex-Kelly’s father’s place to drop off some cash. Neighbor Crissy agreed to keep the kids at her place while Mindy & I made the drive to Grove City in the BM’er. Nice drive! We visited with AL for about 30 minutes. He was most pleasant. We share an equal interest in Courtney’s well-being. After departing there, we made a surprise stop at daughter Ashley’s. It’s just a few miles up the road from Al’s. Stephen, Olivia’s father was there playing with hr and Ashley. Yuck! We were pleasant. After all, we wanted to see our precious little grand baby. Olivia was slow to warm to us, but like always, eventually did. We played for about fifteen minutes before heading home. We got home as dusk approached. Mindy hurried the kids in for a bath and then her I relaxed in the family room. I watched the Bengal preseason game against Detroit. We headed for bed just after 10pm. I was tuckered and really wanted a good night’s sleep before heading back to work.

... Where the Buffalo Roam

I was up at 7am and very eager to get going. I made quick work of my exercise routine and then sipped coffee while watching ESPN2’s Mike & Mike. Soon, I dashed out the door for my final run in Tennessee. And you can bet your sweet bippy that I ran towards the east. I drank in the cool sunny morning air doing my best to store into memory the sweet mountain air. I’ll miss this place. I kept my run to approximately three miles. Cujo joined me for the final mile. I knew the kids would be excited to see him back one last time. The owner of the house we rented didn’t come by to pick up her money until last night kind of late. Very laid back style. She said that Cujo was a refugee apparently left behind by other Lake Norris visitors, and that she and the other neighbors have some what adopted him. She inquired if we wanted to take him home. NO! J Back home Mindy and the kids were finally up. We set a goal to be out of the house by 11am but quietly aimed for even earlier. We systematically moved all of our gear to the lower level. It took us just 15 minutes ot load everything into the boat and Trooper. We pretty much followed the same blue print we used on the trip down. Happily, we had lightened our load by approximately 500lbs in consumed food and liquids. The last big challenge was getting us safely out of the drive and then up and out of Hollow. I had the kids and Mindy pose for one last picture at the house. Mindy helped guide me as I backed down the steep gravely drive. The brakes proved ineffective against the steep hill. Fully depressed, I still rolled backwards. Somehow I missed two passing pick-ups that I didn’t see. Mindy later said she tried to stop them but to no avail. The important thing was that we missed them and were safely onto the road. Next, up and out of the Hollow. We were off at 10am. The drive out to highway 63 was a stressful experience lightened only by the assurance that we knew the correct way. I worried about the brakes and the potential for on coming traffic. We were good on all fronts. I was never happier to see a real 5 lane highway. We stopped to fill-up at the Shell station by the Christmas Inn at exit #134 on I-75. Off we went. The drive on I-75 was far easier than the drive down, especially now that we had the most treacherous piece already behind us. Next stop – lunch. We drove non-stop to 25 miles south of Cincy – about 215 miles. We stopped at an Exxon station that also housed a Dairy Queen – Mindy’s choice. Mindy and the kids dashed in while I pumped our gas. Afterwards, I found a parking spot and joined them. We all enjoyed our lunch at DQ. Next stop - home! Crossing the Ohio River pulling a boat is kind of scary, not to mention winding through the city’s freeway system. But that was nothing compared to the hollow. We were home by 5pm. And it seemed like we made it there in a snap of the fingers. Predictably, the kids asked almost immediately if they could run off to the neighbors. We made them help first. Collectively, we worked to carry in all of our vacation gear. We had everything carried in and well on its way to stowage in less than 30 minutes. And by 6:30pm we had almost everything put away. I jumped back into the routine by walking Ykraps and then watering my flowers. They looked very thirsty. Mindy brought me a cold beer while I watered by hand. I noticed lots of ripe tomatoes resting on our vines, too. Yummy! We did little else other than relax for the remainder of the evening. I followed the Vikings preseason game against the Ravens online. The Vikings won! Mindy & I were both looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. We headed up around 11pm.

Apprehension in Appalachia

After exercise I went down to the lake and dock to snap some photos and check the dock rash on the boat again. I was troubled by that whole experience through the night. Adding to the morning was a fair amount of fog lingering over the lake. I was certain that pictures would be awesome. As I made my way down the steep slope to the lake I slipped on the dewy grass and busted my rear good. My head narrowly missed smashing against a boulder protruding through the grass. Much of the local terrain is like that. I jostled my neck pretty good and scraped up my left arm but was otherwise fine. Down at the dock the photo op was all I hoped it would be. The sun was barely visible through the fog as it hung just over the water. Cool! The dock rash didn’t look as bad today. For this I was pleased. Back to the house. I took Mindy her coffee and let her know that I was taking off on my run. I decided to run west – the way we came in on Sunday. I couldn’t recall much if any of the terrain since I was so nervous as we pulled in Sunday. The run west was much different than eastward. For starters, there were fewer homes and more wilderness. The cove ended too making it a run in the woods. As I approached a fork in the road I took a left not remembering which way we actually came in. The hills were tough and twisting. I was winded and worried. Soon I happened upon two or three run down homes that gave me the creeps. Suddenly I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. There was strong odor of rotting meat hanging in the air too. That’s when I let my imagination run. I spotted dog four legs up in the air lying on its back in a gravel drive of one of the run down homes. I surmised that he was rotting dead. I promptly turned around and headed back for home. I had gone much further than I had thought. That happens a lot when I run in unchartered waters. I was very happy to spot familiar landmarks as I closed in on our lakeside home. Mindy & the kids woke soon after I returned home. During breakfast, I asked Mindy if we could take a practice drive out of the hollow up to the Bethlehem church we passed coming in. We agreed it a good idea although Mindy was confident that she knew the way. But the thought of pulling the boat out of there tomorrow AM without the confidence myself was a harrowing thought. She understood my apprehension. After breakfast, we detached the boat trailer form the Trooper, loaded the kids, and headed west towards the highway. Mindy was correct in her navigation. But more importantly, I knew what we would be facing as we pulled out in the morning. It was a scary drive even without the boat. Quite a bit of the drive out is single laned. I still don’t know what I would do if we encountered a vehicle going the other direction. Back home we readied for the last day on the lake. Mindy & I agreed that we would trailer the boat immediately after the day’s activities. We coved just around the bend to the south across from the island of pines. I napped much of the afternoon and didn’t drink a like of booze or beer. The kids spent most of the afternoon in the water, just as expected. We headed back to the dock at 4pm even though, mentally, I was ready much earlier. That’s how I am. Once I set my mind to something, I am ready. Mindy dropped me at the dock and then took the boat back out to await me and the trailer at the boat launch. I tried to hurry but without panic. I faced a little dilemma as I went to reattach the trailer to the Trooper. The terrain was steep and rocky so maneuvering the trailer to the hitch was tricky. I tried moving the trailer by hand when it got away from me and began rolling down the steep gravely incline. Shit! Lucky for me, I had enough foresight to push it sideways enough to stop the downward momentum, which if left unabated would’ve most likely rolled all the way down the slop and into the lake. The thought sent shivers down my spine. I wrestled with the trailer and Trooper until I successfully reattached the two. It took every ounce of strength I had to reposition the trailer up the incline enough to meet the trailer hitch. I slowly made my way to the launch ramp just down the road. Meanwhile, Mindy was idling out on the lake awaiting my arrival. I positioned the trailer and guided Mindy in. The launch was shallower than most back home making loading onto the trailer difficult. You only want to back your vehicle in so far. I had to have Mindy attempt to drive it up onto the trailer. We missed center by an inch or two requiring a do over. I back in a little more and eventually got it. After short little clean up we headed up the long steep ramp for the road. The kids waited at the top. I let Mindy and the kids out of the Trooper before charging up the steep gravely drive to avoid any unnecessary weight. Shifting into 4-wheel drive and low gear I cruised up with little trouble. After a sigh of relief, we unloaded our daily boating gear. I spent the next hour prepping the boat for the trip home. That entailed a simple wipe down, stowing all boating gear, and lubing the trailer’s bearings. Inside, I spent the next half hour relaxing then packed as much of my personal gear as feasible. As usual, Mindy had much of the inside stuff already to go. She chose to do most of our dirty laundry there instead of taking it home. That would dramatically reduce the workload once home and save our own electric. We ate leftovers for dinner. I asked the kids half heartedly if they wanted to take a walk but they didn’t want to. Jacob was especially against it. :) Instead, we spent a leisurely evening watching more Olympics and another NFL preseason game (Titans vs. Raiders). We watched Michael Phelps earn his 7th gold medal. We headed to bed around 11pm.

Rene Departs Early

I was up at 7am. After exercise I took off for a run towards the east. I ran even further than the day before. It was very nice. Mindy made breakfast burritos. Everyone enjoyed them. The kids were a little rowdy at breakfast. We loaded our cooler for another day on the lake. I took beer out today. We found our way to the same cove as Wednesday. We liked that spot quite a bit. Rene lobbied for shade if possible. We maneuvered ourselves in a spot close to natural shade that left the boat and the rest of us in shade while affording Rene close proximity to the shade she craved. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that she had a hangover. She was feeling groggy and didn’t want to be in direct sunshine. She spent most of the early day floating alone on her lounger. The kids, Mindy & I did much the same as the days before. We opted to install the convertible top. I’ve only had it in place tow other times in its eighteen years. It still looks almost new. Some time near 2pm Rene rejoined us on the boat. After sharing that she still wasn’t feeling well, I offered to boat her back to the house. She brightened up at suggestion. Bella wanted to exit with Rene. Back at the dock a neighboring boat zoomed past causes excessive dock wake which caused us to bounce off or our dock leaving a nasty dock rash on my boat. Lucky for me, it was only the rubber bumper guard, but still, I was pissed. Mindy, Jacob & I headed back out. We ended up in the coving just around the corner from our house/dock. It was very lovely, and also very private. We stayed out until almost 5pm. Rene texted mindy that she was seriously contemplating heading back home yet this evening. Once we got back to the house she was showered and packed and nearly ready to depart. We understood, but were sad to see her go. She must’ve left at 5:30pm. She figured she could be in Cincy by nightfall. She claims making the drive down in a little over five hours. It took us 7.5hrs pulling the boat, stopping for lunch, and three additional stops to snap a loose boat top. It was kind of hard to imagine her being home by bed time. We had leftovers for dinner (filet mignon, brats, and spaghetti). After dinner, Mindy and I watched some NFL preseason action. They had a 58 minute delay due to local lightning. During the game we switched back and forth to the Olympics. It was an exciting evening. Mindy talked with Rene a couple of times – the last being just before 11pm. She was just south of I-270. I asked Mindy if she cared to depart tomorrow (Friday). She did not. We went to bed.