Tricinosis

I woke a few minutes late on Tuesday morning but not by more than a few minutes.  It rained overnight and came down hard a couple of times too. We hadn’t had any appreciable rain since early September. I welcomed the rain as long as it didn’t rain so hard as to wash away seed and top soil off the west slope of my front lawn. The seed’s just beginning to germinate. A gully washer would/could wreak havoc on my little restoration project. The only other draw back was the fact that I washed the Trooper on Saturday and now it was getting rained on. But in each life, a little rain will fall. :>) 

While walking Ykraps it was apparent that we didn’t get all that much rainfall overnight. Additionally, there was no impact or harm to my newly seeded area. For that I was pleased. After delivering Mindy’s coffee I headed back downstairs for some of my own. After meditation and Internet I dressed for a run. Once gain, it was cool enough for a winter wicking shirt and long running pants. I was comfortable for the run’s entirety. 

Mindy had my eggs ready upon re-entry. Cool! My lunch was packed too. I noticed no roast beef. I asked if we were out. Mindy said we weren’t but that the package was unopened while the turkey was, so… No biggie. 

After Mindy left, I finished with my breakfast and then headed up for a shower. Jacob dashed off to his room to watch some TV. We reconvened downstairs around 7:55am. I had to stall him for few minutes. He likes to head out the door early. I drove the Trooper to work given the less than desirable weather forecast. 

The work day wasn’t too bad at all. Meanwhile, the weather didn’t turn out too bad either. The unexpected sunshine brightened the day. Come lunch time, I drove to Target where I purchased a new replacement football for Jacoby (not sure where his first one went), a vanilla scented diffuser for my office, and some Minute Maid Lemonade Light. I also checked out mini-area rugs since we’re looking at placing one in our family room in front of the fireplace. I saw two that I liked. 

The remainder of the work day went fairly well. Mindy asked how pork chops sounded for dinner. Hmmm, to my knowledge, they make no sound at all. If they did, we’d likely pass form trichinosis. J J I warmed to the idea of chops after she talked of making stuffing too. She was grilling the chops when I got home. They were at a spot where she could comfortably walk Ykraps along with me. Meanwhile, the sun was out and the temperature moderately warm. It was quite nice. Heavy on my mind was the ailing stock market, which recovered about 67% of the prior day’s huge losses. That lifted my spirits some. During our walk, I went on & on about work and the ailing stock market for as long as Mindy would listen. 

Dinner was very good. Along with the chops and stuffing, we had canned corn and gravy. For some reason, the gravy seemed extra delicious. I topped both my chops and stuffing with it. Mindy agreed to handle the entire dinner clean-up so I could head outdoors to cut the lawn – a chore that I just couldn’t get to during my on-call weekend. I really wanted to get it cut before Friday. Thanks Princess! 

Instead of the usual routine, I started with the tractor. My thinking was as darkness approached, I would assure myself of having the largest chunk knocked out. That went fast. I was able to get all of the push mower stuff done as well. In fact, I had enough time to blow off the driveway. I didn’t have time to edge and whack, however, but it really didn’t need it so much. Without question, it was a quick and dirty cut, but it looked decent enough. 

By the time I headed back indoors it was almost completely dark. That’s because I spent more time watering the newly seeded areas of the lawn. I did some by hand and some by sprinkler. The by hand stuff was done with city water whereas the sprinkler was fed from my pond pump.

 I began to stiffen soon after finishing all of my chores. I felt a little nauseous too. By the time I got into my pajamas I was overcome with the chills. I was shivering so hard that my teeth were chattering out of control. The kids heard and rushed to my side in worry. I rushed back to my closet and grabbed my thick winter robe. Holy smoke! What was the matter? 

I managed to tuck in the kids before heading downstairs where Mindy was playing on her laptop. She commented about my dramatic ways and how it differs significantly from how she responds to illness. Perhaps, but I was feeling bad and all of the sudden, too. I took an 800mg Ibuprofen mostly for the stiffness. It began working fast – probably within fifteen minutes. I still felt slightly feverish and lethargic. I curled up on the sofa. Eventually Mindy joined me and agreed to rub my head. We watched the last half of House, and then a new show, Fringe that comes on immediately after. It was cool. I’d classify it as a weekly Sci-Fi drama, similar to X-Files. 

Mindy headed up to bed halfway into Fringe. The blood spillage was too much for her tender psyche, I guess. I enjoyed it until the end. She came to the balcony a couple of times seeking my attendance in bed. I joined her at 10pm. She rubbed and scratched my head until I fell asleep.

Six-Pack Abs

Monday morning came fast. The weekend went by in a flash. That’s usually the case, but even more so for on-call weekends. I was up at 5:30am just like I am supposed to be. The sky was mostly clear and the temperature chilly. I checked in with work to make sure nothing went belly-up overnight. Things were looking good. 

Once I verified that work was good, I began my usual morning routine in earnest – exercise, walk with Ykraps, coffee, PC, meditation, and run. I wore running pants in lieu of shorts along with a thick wicking shirt. That proved more than ample given the chilly autumn-like temps. 

Jacob and I hit the bus stop at our usual 7:58am. We took the green Nerf football along to ‘pass’ the time away. J I shared my golf experience from Sunday afternoon with Kenny, who was at the bus stop with Jake at the same time. I wore a pair of old dress slacks to work. I only mention this because they still fit comfortably after 11 years. The fact that I hadn’t worn that particular pair in maybe a year left me wondering whether I’d be able to squeeze back into them or not. It’s reassuring to do so. I rarely weigh myself. Instead, I go by sight. But sight, I know, can often be deceiving. The eyes can be tricked into seeing what one wants to see rather than what’s really there (think about that).  I look in the mirror for sculpted abs (not a six-pack) and defined muscle tone, especially in the arms. If present and nothings lapping over something else I feel good. 

 I drove the BM’er to work. It felt good to drive it while it’s clean. Around 11am I called the irrigation dude to see when he has me scheduled. He suggested this coming Friday. Just before hanging up I made sure he had both my home and work phone numbers. I planned to schedule Friday off as my on-call comp day. Hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue. 

Meanwhile, it was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day. It was sunny and 70 degrees. The rest of the week, however, was expected to be a bit grayer and chillier. Mindy was making spaghetti for dinner. That sounded awful filling but good. I walked Ykraps alone. While out, I inspected my new grass. It’s coming on but very slowly. 

Back inside, I washed my hands before sitting down for dinner. Bella likes spaghetti more than Jacob. He suffers from the same problem I always had as a kid. I could never eat more than a few bites before feeling overwhelmingly full. I can eat a lot of it now. After dinner and clean-up, I headed out to water the new grass. 

Inside, I spent an hour or so writing. At the same time, Mindy got the kids back inside, bathed, and ready for bed. I tucked them in as required before returning downstairs to tune into Monday Night Football – Steelers vs Ravens. Mindy went to bed well before me. I tried to stay up and watch until halftime. The Steelers looked hopeless and were losing players to injury left and right. However, the score remained relatively close at 13-3 at half.

Titanic Struggle

I was up early so not to waste any time. I must’ve been up just after 7am. Like the day before, the first thing I did was log into work. After finding work in order, I made a pot of coffee and then started my exercise routine. By 7:30am I was walking Ykraps. It was gray and chilly – about 58 degrees. 

The coffee was ready by the time I made it back. Bella was up and asked that I get her breakfast together. She ordered mini-waffles, of course. After satisfying her request, I satisfied my own by pouring myself a hot cup of fluffy coffee. For the next hour I split time between work and playing on the internet. Mindy eventually joined us downstairs for coffee. When she headed up for a shower in preparation for church, I readied and left for a run. My run went very well. I felt fine and also took two Advil just to curb any possible stiffness that might come along with golf later in the day. 

The family was still home when I got back from my run. They weren’t there long, however. They left for church around 10am. I checked in with work then headed for a much needed shower. I was ready early so I took some time to make myself steak and eggs. While eating, I did a little more work and made sure things were sitting well before heading out for the afternoon. I took my laptop along just in case I’d need it later. Plus, I made my team aware of how to reach me. 

I left the house at 11:20am. The first thing I did was fill up the BM’er. I paid $3.57 per gallon. I headed northeast on I-70/670 to I-270 north. I took I-270 to 161 then east to Rt 310. Willow Run is right at that intersection in Alexandria. The lot was packed in as tight as sardines. The weather, meanwhile, was gloomy. It couldn’t have been much warmer than 62 degrees with gray skies, although the forecast called for clearing skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. Just before leaving home I grabbed a long sleeved wicking shirt just in case. Glad I did, too. I needed it right away for comfort. 

I immediately went and found Joey Dooley, who runs the Steve Weese Memorial golf outing along with John Vereb. I paid my fees then moseyed around the club house. I checked in with work a number of times even before we tee’d off. Things were going well. I ended up spending about 30 minutes talking with Joe Dooley’s father and mother, who were there just to be part of the festivities. Joe Sr advised that he’s bored with retirement after four years. The latest market crisis isn’t helping either. Says the first two years were fun but not anymore. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t golf, doesn’t do much of anything. We talked a lot about investing and 401Ks. 

Jonh Vereb rounded me up just before 1pm and let me know where our cart was. There were 144 golfers playing the event – a great turn out. The format was a 4-man scramble with a shot gun start. We were going off #10. There were your typical four-man scramble rules along with several prize ops, too.

To keep it short, we had a really good time and ended up shooting six under par with no bogeys. We left three other birdies on the course. But in the end, I was in it for fun only. I didn’t care about winning anything. I was simply happy to be golfing with two of my old pals. 

The round of golf ended just after 6pm. I made sure to steer clear of the TV in the shelter house.  I didn’t want to know how the Vikings fared until I got home. Since John & Joey host the event, they had to move directly to their emcee/administrative duties. I thanked them for inviting me then bid them farewell. We agreed to meet at the upcoming Muff Bros. reunion at the Newport the weekend of Thanksgiving. Should be fun! 

It was 6:30pm. The sun was already beginning its final descent. The drive home went incredibly fast and was most pleasurable. I was home before 7:00pm. The Columbus cops had the west entrance ramp to 70W blocked from Wilson Rd. Not sure what that was all about. I walked Ykraps as soon as I got home. A check of work revealed nothing significant. After 11am, I only had to respond to one issue via phone – very cool! 

After getting settled in it was after 7:30pm and Mindy was readying the kids for bed. I decided then was as a good a time as any to check on the Vikings game. Crap!! They lost 30-17 to the Titans. After I finished crying I reviewed the box score and read the accompanying headlines to see what went wrong. Quite a bit apparently. Four turnovers were cashed in for 21 points by Tennessee. We’re now 1-3. My hopes may be dashed or the season, and we just got started. 

Often, after a Vikings loss, I am in no mood for football. Tonight, however, I was still eager to catch Sunday Night Football on NBC. Mindy and I watched The Bears and Eagles square off. I lasted longer than Mindy but not by much. We both were in bed by 10pm.

 

 

Wet Diapers - Maybe Someday She'll Change Mine

I was out of bed early for a Saturday. And because I was on-call I wanted to get a jump on any possible issues needing my attention. After starting a pot of coffee but before exercising I logged into work. Things were busy but nothing needing urgent attention. I started my exercise regiment in earnest. Bella must’ve heard me and soon joined me downstairs. 

After exercise and a little work, Bella and I set out on a walk with Ykraps on a partly cloudy morning. Bella wasn’t wearing any shoes. I reluctantly allowed it to happen. Soon after we were back, Bella headed up to check on Olivia. She returned to let me know that she was up. I went up and got her from bed. She was in a very pleasant mood. No sooner were we heading for the stairs when Mindy got up. Mindy changed Olivia saving me the trouble.

While I sat down to do some work, Mindy got the kids breakfast. If not mistaken, they all had waffles. Bella and Olivia had the mini variety. After getting a few things squared away with work I dressed and left for a run.

 I ran along Trabue and Hague just for a change of pace. Mindy had egg and

 bacon sandwiches ready soon after my return home. It was good. Olivia ate some of that too. 

Soon after breakfast, I took the kids out to the bridge where we fed the ducks some cracked corn we’ve had for a few years. Olivia really enjoyed it. There must’ve been 30 ducks swarming all around us. It was now about 11am. We were expecting Ashley about this time but a call from her revealed that she’d be running a bit later. No problem. 

Mindy put Olivia down for a nap around 11:30am. I went out to take a look at Mindy’s minivan which was down and out with a dead battery. At first glance I figured she’d need to replace it, but after closer inspection I found that the positive cable was a little loose causing a build up of corrosion. I promptly cleaned up the connectors before attempting to tighten it back down and jumping the vehicle. I slept about as well as I have in about a month. It’s probably no coincidence that I didn’t wake in the middle of the night either. Shutting off the watering system since the ground was more than saturated after the heavy rains from Tuesday night & early Wednesday made for a quiet night.  I was up and downstairs by 5:31am. 

I gazed skyward and happily saw that it was crystal clear. I began my calisthenics in earnest. Weighing heavy on my mind was our ailing stock market and its impact on me. Realistically, my entire retirement is hinging on the market’s success. That’s a scary proposition. The market was setting just above 14,000 in July & October of 2007. Now it’s hovering around 8500 and we probably haven’t yet hit bottom. My saving grace is that I am still gainfully employed and still have 10-15 years before retirement. I’ve been consciously aware of two other huge drops – October ’87 & ‘00’s dotcom implosion. However, this one hits a bit closer to home since the personal impact is far greater. At the same time, I realize that there is very little I can do. I think fundamentally, my investment strategy remains sound. I’ll take solace in that. 

After walking Ykraps, delivering Mindy’s coffee, enjoying some coffee of my own, & meditation, I readied for a run. My jacket was still a wee bit damp after yesterday’s rainy run. My shoes were slightly damp too. I shrugged it off and wore both. The wetness from my jacket couldn’t penetrate my thick wicking shirt anyhow. I dashed out the door just a smidge after 6:30am.  It was a good, strong run. I felt terrific. 

Daylight was just beginning to dawn as I rounded third and headed for home. Mindy had my breakfast fully ready at my usual place setting. It was good. Mindy was happy that she didn’t need to pack my lunch since I had Tuesday’s in the fridge at work. She & Bella headed out around 7:25am. I headed up to the shower at 7:30am. 

I returned downstairs ready to go by 7:50am. That left a few minutes for me to tie up some loose ends. In addition, because the weather was so nice, I chose to drive the BM’er. I was looking forward to it, having not driven it for a week or so. I walked Jacob to the bus stop and tossed the football with both he & Jake before the bus arrived. We barely had time to throw a pass. As I drove into work, I heard on NPR that stock futures were up on the ½ point rate cut. That left me hopeful for a rebound in market. 

Work wasn’t too bad at all. We were able to stay on top of things all day long. Because of the lovely weather, I was determined to make an escape for lunch, if for nothing else, a pleasure filled drive. I ended up going to Tuttle Mall to peruse running shoes. It’s practically time to buy yet another new pair. We’re coming up on the five month mark. However, the soles on my current shoes are holding up surprisingly better than any other pair – ever. Not sure why (materials, design?). 

I enjoyed my time at the Mall. I found my way back to the office by 2:00pm. It turned out to be a very lovely afternoon. The afternoon in the office went as good as the morning. I left for home right at 5:30pm. Mindy was making hot wings for dinner. This we had already discussed. Jacob was thrilled. I arrived home by 5:50pm. After taking care of a few next day prep tasks, Mindy & I headed out to walk Ykraps. 

We enjoyed our walk. We took our dear old time chatting about everything along the way. After we got back, Mindy confirmed that I had plenty of time to address a few chores before dinner. I used the time to take out the trash & then pick up the many stones unearthed by the irrigation guys. No big surprise, the sprinkler heads installed nearest the driveway produced the most rocks. While out, I inspected the new grass growth,too. It’s beginning to thicken but still has a ways to go before its first cutting. We’re setting at three weeks and one day since planting. Not bad! It should be filled in real nice by month’s end. 

Dinner still wasn’t quite ready when I went inside. I used the additional time to put finishing touches on my two most recent blog entries. However, while doing, the dinner bell rang. They weren’t yet ready for publishing. The wings were delicious as usual. I ate eight, I think. Jacob, as he often does, had the most. And Bella only wanted the remnants. The kids dashed out for 30 minutes of play time before their bath time. I used that time to finish my blog entries. I was fully published, including having pictures added before read and tuck-in time. 

Later, after the kids were in bed, Mindy sipped wine while I sipped a Jack & Coke from the comfort of the sofa. While doing so, we watched ESPN’s college football. It was Clemson versus Wake Forest. Neither of us cared much who won. In fact, I dosed off a time or two, but in the end opted to stay up a little later than Mindy. She headed off for bed at halftime – 9:30pm. I stayed up until 10:10pm. 

I allowed her seized up battery terminal to get the best of me. I became seriously frustrated after several attempts at loosening the chewed up nut on the positive terminal bolt. I tried every trick in the book before giving up. One couldn’t simply replace the positive cable either. It has a side bracket attached that feeds several other instruments as well. Geesh! I ended up putting it back on as loose as it was. It wasn’t ridiculously loose, just a little loose. After a quick jump it seemed to hold a charge. 

Next, I pulled her van up to the garage where I used my new air compressor for the very first time. I put air in all four tires. Two of the tires were down to about 20lbs PSI. I tested the battery’s charge. It was holding. Mindy seemed pleased but also bothered by my auto repair moodiness. 

While Mindy prepared to leave for the grocery, I headed back in the house to once again check in with work. Things were moving along smoothly. At the same time the Buckeye game was underway. I watched very little of the game, spending the tim

e instead completing small tasks around the house all the while keeping a watchful eye on work related matters. 

When it was time to water the back yard flowers I took the baby monitor outside with me. Incidentally, Jacob and Bella were down playing with the neighbors. After watering the flowers I got the sprinkler going on the new grass. I went inside to check on Olivia, work, and the Buckeye game. Work was fine. The second half of the Buckeye game was just about to get underway. I checked on Olivia to find her looking around. She spotted me looking in and immediately wanted my attention. I plucked her from the bed and changed her wet diaper. 

After giving her two bowls of ice cream she and I went out back to play on the baby tree swing. While out playing, Ashley showed up to pick-up Olivia. She was happy to see her momma. Not two minutes after Ashley & Olivia pulled away, Mindy returned home with the groceries. I helped carry in the haul. 

Eager to get more chores completed, I decided to wash the BM’er, which badly needed a bath. That went fast, so after finishing up I chose to do the Trooper, too. It was even dirtier than the BM’er and took three times as long. The wheels were esp

ecially dirty. The kids asked if they could help. I willingly allowed them to participate. They did the wheels, mostly. 

Mindy wanted a commit time to grill steaks for our dinner. I wasn’t prepared to offer one and also in no frame of mind to think about food. Instead, I was hell bent on completing many of the mounting list of chores. I could tell she wasn’t pleased with my answer. I had Jacob have Mindy pull her car into the drive so that we could wash it too. The kids washed it while I detailed the Trooper. 

In between the Trooper and minivan I had to make impromptu hose repairs. The hose cracked and was leaking profusely just before it threaded onto the hose reel. I’ve had that hose for maybe 20 years. It’s getting brittle and rigid. For now I simply cut off about 2 feet and reinstalled the female end. Leak cured. It had been leaking all summer. Geesh! 

I finished washing all the vehicles and headed inside for a shower at 5:30pm. Mindy was busy grilling our dinner. My shower felt terrific and much deserved. I was ready to relax and eat. The steak and potatoes were quite tasty. We dined on the deck. 

 Immediately after dinner I got involved in more work related matters. After they were resolved I poured myself a Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught IPA then went to the garage to get reacquainted with my new gas grill. I still had to install the side burner, the rotisserie, and the main burners. That took about an hour. By then the kids were ready for bed. I went back inside where Mindy and I tuned into the night’s big college football game – Illinois vs Penn State. I checked in with work periodically all the while sipping my beer and enjoying football. 

I was getting tired fast. Mindy headed to bed well before me. I think that I headed up around 10:45pm. Penn State was handling Illinois rather easily.

Pizza Night at the Wright House

Friday would prove to be a long day.  Most of the day would be spent working, both in the office then again later at home. It started out like any other Friday with me waking around 5:30am and with that extra Friday bounce to my step. 

The weather was magnificent making for a splendid first week of Autumn. After my exercise routine, walk with Ykraps, and coffee, I settled down for a brief meditation fifteen minutes before setting out on my four mile morning run. The run began and ended well. Mindy had my food ready by the time I made it back home. It must’ve been about 7:15am. 

She and Bella headed out for school shortly after I got settled onto my breakfast stool. I chose to drive the BM’er since the weather promised to be favorable to such a move. I know that those days are numbered, at least on a regular basis. But before heading off for work I walked Jacob to the bus stop where we met up with Kenny & Jake. Like most other days, we tossed the Nerf football prior to the bus’s arrival. She was right on time – 8:04am. 

Work went well especially for a Friday. Sure, we had our usual issues but noticeably missing were the hurricanes that have plagued many of the past several weekends. For that I was pleased. This was an on-call weekend for me so heading into it with a clean weather map was appreciated. I decided to visit Lowes at lunch. While there I bought a 25’ foot 12 gauge extension cord specifically for my new air compressor. I also bought a new female plug for my severed extension cord. This one looked more like the one I cut off, and now I could take back the one I mistakenly borrowed from Home Depot. J 

The afternoon was busier than I expected or desired. In fact, just after 4pm it got rather dicey like often happens on Fridays. I didn’t get out of the office until well past 5:30pm. Mid afternoon, daughter Ashley phoned asking if Mindy & I would keep Olivia over night. I was up for it but wasn’t sure about Mindy. I told Ashley that I’d phone her back after speaking with Mindy. I knew Mindy was tired after being sick most of the week. Later, she agreed that we could keep Olivia. That made me incredibly happy. We haven’t had Olivia over night since the 4^th of July week, I think. 

Mindy and I also agreed that we’d have pizza for dinner. I would order them after arriving home. Meanwhile, there was a bad wreck on I-270 near I-70. Hearing this on the radio I took the back way home. Turns out, it was bumper to bumper all the way down Old Dublin, then a detour to River side Dr, and then backed up all the way west on Trabue. I didn’t get home until after 6:30pm. 

Ashley phoned to confirm plans. She’d bring Olivia around 7:30pm. Between then and now I got my laptop hooked up and logged into work. We timed the pizza pick-up for roughly that same time, although it’s usually ready much earlier than quoted. I left to pick it up with that in mind. Sure enough, when I got there at 7:20pm our pies were already waiting but still piping hot. I had a $5 off coupon which they never asked for. Cool! In an unusual twist of events, I didn’t sneak a piece on the drive home. I chose to wait. 

No sooner had we gotten situated with the pizza when Ashley and Olivia arrived. I raced out to carry Olivia in. She was happy to see me, and asked about Mimi too. Short of a couple brief visits, we hadn’t seen her in many weeks. I wasn’t sure if she’d remember me but she did. Her hair’s longer, she’s talking more, and growing like a weed. She blends well with Bella and Jacob too. She asked for pizza right away. We served her some cheese pizza. Ashley might’ve had one piece. She slipped out while we kept Olivia busy. She doesn’t like her momma to leave. But she was fine and only asked for her momma maybe once or twice. We explained that she was shopping and that she’d be back to get her tomorrow. She seemed fine with that and stayed busy playing and entertaining all of us. 

Come 8:30pm Mindy got the bigger kids ready for bed after Olivia began rubbing her eyes. She joyfully went to her own bed without a lick of trouble. She actually wanted to go to bed. That brought a smile to my face. After the kids were down I spent an hour or so getting a handle on a couple work related matters. Things were under control so Mindy and I watched the presidential debate passively. It was quite comical. I couldn’t help but feel that our country’s in trouble. Are these two fellows are best options?

Turn About's Fair Play

I overslept just a tad. It was 5:35am when I finally rolled out of bed and headed downstairs to begin my Thursday. I’d gotten plenty of sleep having gone to bed around 9pm. I noticed that my chest didn’t feel as tight although I still had some low hanging congestion I knew that I needed to cough out. 

By the time that I finished my exercise and walk it was 6:00am on the nose. I had the sprinkler running all night long on the backyard hill – probably the driest spot in the entire yard. Before enjoying coffee, I moved the sprinkler out front to water the new grass seed. 

I spent about ten minutes meditating before dressing and setting out on a run. Today I remembered to wear a heavier wicking shirt to help ward off the cool temps, especially immediately out the door. The run went well, and like the last couple of weeks, it was dark out the door but daylight upon my return. Mindy had my scrambled eggs and fruit ready for consumption. I was extra hungry. Bella reminded me that she was heading to Grandma Sharon’s today. Mindy reminded me that her and the kids wouldn’t be home until 7:30pm or later since she was doing a reading summit after school. I figured I’d use the alone time to perhaps put the new gas grill together, or at least get started. 

Kenny had to work out of town so Crissy dropped her son Jake by the house at 7:45am. I agreed to get them both on the bus. I walked down to the bus stop with Jake & Jacob at 7:58am. We threw the football while waiting on the bus. She was there on time – 8:04am. Before heading off to work I shut down the watering. I drove the Trooper. I needed gas so I stopped at Thornton’s. Gas was $3.59 per gallon. 

Work went smoothly, although we were very busy. I left for a lunch break somewhere near 1pm. I visited Home Depot where I planned to get some fertilizer, an extension cord specifically for my air compressor, and a new plug for the extension cord that I carelessly severed last Saturday while trimming shrubs. The price of the new female plug was over half the cost of a new 100’ extension cord. I opted for a new cord instead. After check-out, and while loading the fertilizer and cord in the Trooper, I found the female plug I originally picked up underneath the new extension cord. Yikes! I had stolen it by accident.  Not sure how I would handle it, I went on back to work. 

The afternoon went on as usual and soon 5:30pm was upon me. I headed home knowing that I’d have the entire house to myself for a couple of hours. After walking Ykraps and prepping Friday’s coffee, I stretched out on the recliner for a nap. I slept for no more than five minutes, troubled by an aggressive agenda (water new grass seed, begin assembling new gas grill). After shaking off the sleepies I got busy with the watering. Assembling the grill would take more time. And honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it having put together two others over the years. Very tedious.

 I opened the box and began setting the various pieces about the garage floor in close proximity of one another. After finding the instructions booklet I quickly inventoried the parts (screws & washers) that were neatly packed in a see-through package for easy counting (nice). However, the picture diagrams meant to assist one in assembly were hardly helpful. But I didn’t get angry. Instead, I laughed it off having been through this time and time again. I just can’t believe for a minute that someone really believes this is the best way to provide instruction. With today’s technology, I would think a DVD would be more user-friendly and practical. The assemble-yourself furniture industry generally does a good job by labeling or numbering each piece to aid in the process. Charmglow could use that technique to their benefit as well. 

Somehow I managed through the inept instructions making educated guesses where the instructions fell short. Looked good to me. Mindy & the kids arrived home shortly after 8pm. By then I was ready to mount the main grill body to the now assembled frame.  I stopped after that figuring I’d get to the rest over the coming weekend. 

Mindy got the kids readied for bed quickly. I went up to tuck them in and then returned downstairs for some Thursday night college football on ESPN. The game featured USC vs. Oregon State. Wow! I had no idea.  I was eager to watch as long as USC didn’t run away with the game early. I also knew that Oregon State has a knack for knocking off USC. And that’s what happened. OSU (Oregon State) took control of the game early and then never relented, at least during the first half, which is all I watched. It was 21-0 at the half. I went to bed with a smile about my face.

Not a Single Bogey

I was up just before 5:30am after a rather lengthy night’s sleep. I left the sprinkler running on the front lawn all night long. I completed my exercises before heading out to relocate it to the newly seeded area.  I leashed up Ykraps and walked east in part to avoid the sprinkler. It was yet another crisp and crystal clear autumn morning. 

Like most other morning’s, I delivered coffee to Mindy and then went back downstairs to enjoy my own along with some PC time before meditation and a run. I was chilly out the door even wearing a regular long sleeved wicking shirt. But like other similar morning’s, I warmed up quickly. I ran the full four miles as expected. To be fair, I could see a hint of daybreak in the eastern sky, but for all intents and purposes, it was pitch dark when I set out yet fully light upon my return. 

I coughed up a thick gelatinous luggie once I returned home. Mindy wasn’t impressed with my graphic description. I felt a huge sense of relief getting it up and out, however. Mindy & Bella were ready to depart at 7:25am. She asked if we were golfing after work. As far as I knew we were but I’d have to let her know for sure later. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t need a packed lunch, knowing how poorly she felt. However, the topic came up just before she left. I came clean. The boss was taking us to lunch after our meeting today. At least now she wouldn’t have to pack my lunch on Thursday. 

Jacob and I were into the second day of our new but familiar routine. We left for the bus stop at 7:58am. Like we did a lot last year, we took the football along.  Jake & Kenny were already there. After the kids boarded the bus I hurried home to turn off the sprinkler pump and lock the house. I had already moved my golf clubs into the Trooper since I was driving it to work on a golf day. The reason being, we were planning on using my vehicle as the commute vehicle for our team lunch. 

The work day went really, really fast. Most of the morning was eaten up by meetings. After our staff meeting we set out for our team lunch. We ate at Wind Chimes, a local Chinese restaurant. I ordered the War Su Gai combo and a bowl of Hot & Sour soup. It was quite tasty. We were no sooner were back form lunch that when we found ourselves in yet another planned meeting. I had sent Bob Imber an email early on asking about golf.  I was expecting him to cancel given our 27 holes on Monday, but he was game and aiming for Split Rock. Cool. At least I thought so. Work got a little dicey after 4pm and I knew that I needed to stay. I sent Bob another message just before 4:30pm indicating as much. I hated to miss and had been looking forward to righting my swing, but, after all, work is a priority.  

As a courtesy to Mindy, I called to let her know that I wasn’t golfing. She was at home working on some school related stuff. She asked about dinner.  I assured her that I was still full from lunch even though Chinese food isn’t known for its ability to sustain one for too long. I am not used to eating so much food at lunch, however. 

The house was quiet. The kids were gone and Mindy was working on grading school papers. We didn’t do a whole to. Mindy was still feeling bad and I was tired. I did get out and water the new grass seed, though. The kids returned home shortly after 7:30pm. Despite being under the weather Mindy got them bathed and ready for bed. I helped with the tuck in process. We didn’t stay up too late ourselves. We were in bed by 9pm.

My Own Little Blue Grass Festival

Tuesday represented a return to work after a long three-day weekend.  Monday’s early bedtime helped me get the rest my body badly craved. The lingering effects of a cold, which Mindy is also battling, were still hanging on. 

I completed my exercises and then headed out with Ykraps. It was another lovely Autumn like morning with crystal clear skies and temperatures hovering just above 50 degrees. It’s hard not to like this time of year or that kind of weather. I went to pour our coffee soon after returning from the walk. But all that was there was steaming hot water. Oops – someone (me) forgot to put coffee in the filter. I corrected the mistake, which honestly delayed me little. Instead, I did my PC time while the coffee brewed. 

Despite being under the weather, Mindy still had my eggs ready upon my return from a run. Along with them, she had my lunch ready too. It was actually packed the day before. Today was the first day of the new bus schedule. I would once again be responsible for getting Jacob on the bus before work. Pick-up has been moved to 8:04am from 8:30am, just like last year. Hanging at the bus stop together is good for our relationship. 

Kenny and Jake met us there too. I told Kenny that he can send Jake to our house if he has to be to work since I have already modified my work schedule to accommodate the hours. He may take me up on that. We also briefly discussed the sidewalk I want put in from our drive around the side of the garage to the deck. He’s supposed to give me an estimate soon. 

Work went well. We were very busy. I visited Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowes at lunch. I broke my oscillating sprinkler this morning in the exact same place I broke the gear driven sprinkler two months ago – right where the hose enters the contraption. There’s a pressed in plastic coupler that can’t be replaced. Once it snaps off the device is rendered useless. Even though I have several different sprinkler types, I really need an oscillating sprinkler to get the proper water coverage on the newly seeded area. I found the one I wanted at Lowe’s for $10. 

The afternoon was pleasant but busy. I left work for home at 5:30pm. Mindy asked that I stop and pick-up KFC on my way home. She’s wasn’t feeling well at all and certainly wasn’t up for cooking a meal. I agreed to do the deed. Before leaving work I printed of some KFC coupons via the internet.  I was able to save about $5 by doing so. I picked up a 12 piece dinner, three sides, and six rolls for $20.99. Not bad. I was hungry and the smell from the KFC drove me crazy all the way home. I thought about raiding the bucket on the drive home but didn’t. As she’s done many evenings of late, Bella walked Ykraps saving me the trouble. However, she warned that he didn’t poop. She also told us that she only walked three houses down and back. 

Unfortunately, the KFC smelt better than it tasted. The taters and gravy were good but the chicken left a lot to be desired. I ate one giant breast and then several of Jacob and Bella’s scraps. After dinner I headed out to get the sprinkler going on the grass seed. Still no new growth detected. I checked the germination label on the bag, which is still the garage and half full, it said 2 to 6 weeks.  I was surprised, but also knew that blue grass is known for being one of the slowest cultivars to germinate. This was only day number eight. 

Mindy was working on grading school papers on the sofa. It was just a little after 6:30pm when she asked me to come sit with her. I did. After a few minutes of conversation I found myself incredibly tired. Not wanting to resist temptation, I fell fast asleep. I didn’t wake again until 8:30pm. At that point I told Mindy that I was heading up to bed. From bed we tuned into a rerun of House on USA and caught the last 20 or 30 minutes of it. We both fell asleep.

Autumnal Equinox & Golf

Goodbye Summer 2008. It's been great!

My good fortune meant good fortune for Mindy too, at least with respect to her get-up time. Because I was off work, she could afford an extra fifteen minutes of precious sleep. I discovered that being on the other end of having the bathroom lights come on while sleeping isn’t fun. I ended up popping out of bed and heading downstairs at 6:30am. 

I needed to be exercised and have my run completed prior to Jacob’s bus stop time of 8:30am. This was to be the final 8:30am bus stop. Beginning tomorrow, we’re back to first pick-up at 8:04am just like we hoped. I exercised and walked Ykraps all before 7am. Soon after Mindy & Bella left I headed out for my run. Jacob would be up in his room watching TV. I told him that I would be back by 8:00am. 

I chose to run only three miles to save some energy for a full day of golf.  It was a nice easy run. I was back home right about 8:00am. I decided not to shower until after Jacob was on the bus for school. We left for the bus stop at 8:20am. Crissy dropped Jake at our house so that I could get him on the bus. Kenny had to be somewhere early.  I spotted Pat Shultz in his garage just as the bus pulled up. I ventured over to chat after the boys boarded the bus. I hadn’t seen Pat since the USC game. We chatted for five minutes or so. He had to dash off to work and I had to head home for a much needed shower before golf. 

I had been watering the newly seeded lawn areas all morning long. I left it run a while longer while I readied for golf. I was showered and ready by 9:10am. I made myself a sandwich, turned off the sprinkler pump, and headed out the door in the BM’er at 9:20am. My Yahoo map directions said to get off I-670 at RT62 and take that all the way through Gahanna and eventually up through New Albany. But having taken that route to New Albany before, I knew it would be a mistake. Instead, I took 670 to I-270 N, and then to Rt 161 east. I then picked up RT 62 off of 161. That proved to be incredibly quick. I was at New Albany Links in just 22 minutes. Wow! 

The starter greeted me at my car with a golf cart. I appreciated the gesture. I took my time putting and surveying the grounds. I was early. Tom and Bob Imber arrived within minutes of one another.  Bob Bolyard arrived last but still with time to spare. The proshop dude mistakenly charged me for all four green fees and had to do a credit. I need to check my banking statement to ensure his accuracy.  Yikes!

The starter made sure we knew how treacherous the greens were and also gave us a few tips for successful play. If we only knew! 

We tee’d off at 10:50am. It was a lovely morning and still just a tad chilly, but the afternoon promised to warm close to 80 degrees. None of us started out real well. And the greens were just as advertised – tough! In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever played greens quite as stiff as these. There was no give whatsoever. I think that Bob Imber described them best – tight as a snare drum. Not only were they stiff, but they were undulating, too. Even a high arching approach shot hitting on the front of the green would frequently roll off and into one of many sand traps guarding the greens. I’d bet I found myself in a trap on half the holes. Frustrating. I did manage a birdie on the par 5 number four hole, though. But after that my game went south. I don’t want to make any excuses, but I knew I was in trouble when I forgot to take ibuprofen before leaving home. My legs and forearms were stiff after all the shoveling and wheel barrowing the two prior afternoons.  Regardless, except for a few frustrating moments, we had one heck of a good time. My buddy Tom nailed a house with an errant drive that made an awfully noisy thud when it struck. That was funny. On another occasion, I was looking for other's lost balls on a heather covered hill when Bob Imber’s errant shot out of the same stuff struck me squarely in the right shoulder. I had no time to react – none! Lucky for me, it had no power after his club got twisted up in the tall grass. Still frightened me, though. Everyone got a laugh at my expense. 

I had more eights than I care to mention. We all had more than our fair share of bad holes. The course humbled me. Tom & Bob B. both had to be elsewhere after we finished. It was 3:40pm on the nose (a 5 hour round). Bob Imber asked if I cared to get in another nine. Sounded good to me.  The gentleman in the pro shop only charged us for the cart. Cool. Nine more! 

We played the front nine a second relatively fast - probably in about 1.75 hours. Once again, the course proved tougher than the game either of us had in our bags, although Bob did better than me. However, I narrowly missed another birdie on hole #4. We finished around 5:30pm. I called Mindy about halfway through the front nine. She wished me well and only asked that I stop and pick-up a prescription for her on my way home. I agreed. The drive is almost all highway. I found myself at the Hilliard CVS by 6pm, and finally home by 6:20pm. Mindy wasn’t feeling well. She heated a family sized Stouffers Lasagna for dinner. She also made crescent rolls and side salads. Everything was delicious. After dinner I headed out to water the seeded area of the lawn. With all the dry sunshine, I’m finding the area needing watered twice each day. 

The kids were in bed by 8pm. Mindy and I sat down to watch Monday Night Football. We didn’t realize that the start time wasn’t until 8:30pm. We watched most of the first half from bed. The TV was off by halftime. We were both tuckered.

Dirt, Dirt, and more Dirt - Vikings Win!

Last Day of Summer...

I slept a little later than I did on Saturday, but only by about 20 minutes. It was 8:00am when I rolled out of bed. Aside form the twenty minute difference, the day began in much the same sequence. I made coffee, exercised, and then headed out with Ykraps. The weather was expected to be a carbon copy of Saturday. For that matter, it was going to be carbon of the past five days. Moreover, it’s expected to remain this way for at least another solid week (sunny and near 80). I like that! 

I spent my free time filling the bird feeder with seed and the hummingbird feeder with nectar. I had to add more potting soil to the geraniums again too. I was none to pleased about that. I swore that if I caught the pesky squirrel that I’d shoot him with my BB gun. 

Once again, Mindy slept for nearly ten hours. She’s still battling cold symptoms as made apparent by a nasty sounding cough. I left for my run around 9:45am and this time ran along Trabue and down Hague. For one reason or another, that particular run always feels better than staying within the confines of the subdivision. The only problem is the inherent dangers associated with road running. 

After my run I suggested that Mindy prepare each of us a roast beef sandwich made with last Sunday’s leftovers. She agreed, and the sandwiches were tasty. By then it was 11am. We drove to my dad’s where we shoveled another load of fill-dirt into the trailer. We chatted with dad before heading back home. He showed us some of the wind damage to his roof. I volunteered to stop over next weekend to assist in the repairs. 

Back at our house, we began unloading the trailer full of fill-dirt one wheel barrow at a time. I was already tired from Saturday’s work. Today’s got to me even quicker. But Mindy helped by doing all the shoveling giving me a chance to rest between loads. Finally, after about an hour or so we had all the fill dirt in place. I spent the next fifteen minutes raking it smooth, and then tamping it down with the tamper I borrowed from dad in early summer. Satisfied that I had it about as good as possible, I headed off to Ohio Mulch for a load of top soil. Mindy stayed home but agreed to assist once gain upon my return. 

 I wasn’t gone long at all. I was the only customer in the lot. This isn’t their busy season. This is my third trip there for top soil in the last two weekends. Mindy & I began moving the top soil following the same process as with the fill dirt. She’d shovel it into the wheel barrow and I’d run it up the incline and eventually to the project area. I didn’t bother doing any leveling until we had the entire yard dumped. I was beat after moving all that dirt. I took my time spreading and leveling the top soil. My goal was to have the area seeded before heading to Sunday dinner. 

The kids arrived home shortly after we finished unloading all the dirt from the trailer. Mindy eventually showed the kids the 1.5” thick vine that came loose from one of our backyard Ash trees which now was attempting tree swing. The kids went bonkers over it. All the neighbor kids did too. Mindy thought to grab the camera to catch some of the action. While they played, I seeded and fertilized the project area. That didn’t take long at all. And all the while we were working on the lawn I was watering existing grass. In fact, I left the sprinkler running all night Saturday. It’s been sunny and dry now for nine straight days with several more yet to come. 

After finishing my yard work the lawn looked very nice. I was most pleased with all we had accomplished. But there’s always more! I still haven’t touched my new gas grill, and I really want to sand & refinish the kitchen table. And there’s more yet. For today, however, the project work was done.  I took a quick shower in preparation for Sunday dinner. Before leaving, I made sure to pack the items necessary to seed a bare spot in Gloria’s front lawn where she had a tree cut down last year. I also took our giant loppers to trim a big rose of Sharon bush from her side yard. 

We left for Gloria’s around 4:05pm. I saw that the Vikings won their game against the Panthers just before we left. For this reason alone I was very, very happy. Super Bowl bound! J  We no sooner pulled up at Gloria’s that I got busy seeding the area in Gloria’s front yard. That took no more than five minutes. I topped the area first with Scott’s top soil made especially for reseeding. Then, I threw down some Patchmaster. Mindy helped by watering it all in. I moved onto trimming the rose of Sharon bush. That took just a few minutes, too. After finally greeting everyone, I took to the lower level to catch some of the Browns game. They were actually ahead when I joined but that didn’t last. Earlier, the Bengal blew a late fourth quarter lead to the world champion Giants and ultimately lost in OT. 

For dinner we had cheese burgers. They were good. After dinner Jacob and I headed out back to toss the football. After 30 minutes of that, I went back to the lower level to watch more football. While there I dosed off a time or two. Mindy soon fetched me for dessert. We had Boston cream cake. At first I thought that I might abstain but ended up eating a piece. It was good, of course. 

We headed for home at 7pm sharp. The kids fussed on the way. Bella, Jacob and I walked Ykraps after arriving home. For some reason, Bella was carrying her wallet in her mouth. Jacob saw that as an opportunity and aggressively ripped it right out of her mouth. I don’t think he meant it to be mean or painful but still. She let out a loud Bella scream. After checking, another front tooth was now loose. She lost her very first Friday night at her daddy’s. She was most proud. The replacement tooth was already up & ready resting quietly behind the baby tooth. 

We finally got the kids in bed after much toil. I was tuned into Sunday Night Football. We headed to bed at halftime.

Heimat Haus - CBC

It must’ve been about 7:40am when I finally rolled out of bed for good. I felt terrific having logged over nine hours of sleep. As I tip-toed out of the room Mindy requested that I deliver coffee a little later.

By 8:05 am I had coffee made, Ykraps walked, and my exercises routine in the bag. I debated what time to deliver Mindy’s coffee knowing full well how much she enjoys sleeping-in on our kidless weekends. I waited until well after 9am to deliver fresh coffee. During that stretch of time I did some writing, down loaded pictures, and played on the internet. I was quite angry after finding our geranium baskets hanging from the pergola once again decimated by a psychotic squirrel. No matter what I do, he returns to dig out the potting soil I replenish thus exposing the roots and subjecting the mature flowers to drying out. I’ve repotted them twice already in the past week or so. 

Mindy joined me downstairs just as I was preparing to head out for my run. I kept my run inside the subdivision, although I toyed with the idea of running along Trabue. I was back by 10:15am. I wasn’t back from my run too long before heading out to begin a full day’s worth of yard work. I spent a lot of time trimming shrubs and ivy and then raking all the trimmings into several small piles. Just as I was finishing up, I severed the extension cord with my electric hedge trimmers. That’s the second time in the last five years. I used my new collapsible “spring bucket” to gather up all the clippings. That came in really handy. About the time I finished up all the trimming, Mindy was leaving for the grocery store. I began mowing and blowing. The yard was looking pretty darn good after about 4 hours worth of work. I began sprinkling the lawn almost as soon as I finished cutting the lawn. 

There were several other tasks I wanted to accomplish, too. First, I decided to install another 4X4” post halfway along the 10’ section of the support wall I recently built. That will add some additional rigidity and prevent the fill dirt from pushing it out of alignment. That didn’t take long at all. Mindy worked on some inside chores while I worked outside. That changed around 4pm when she agreed to head over to my dad’s with me. We filled his trailer with another load of fill-dirt then hauled it home. Not only did she help fill the trailer, but she helped unload it too. I was surprised by her willingness to help. It saved some wear and tear on my already tired bones. She filled the wheel barrow while I did the running and dumping. I could tell rather quickly that we’d need at least one more load of fill-dirt before getting more top soil, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. I as whipped. And besides, we had a wedding party to attend in Grove City around 6pm. We both showered up and were ready to go by 6 pm. But we decided not to rush ourselves. We both enjoyed a beverage before departing. In addition, Mindy suggested that perhaps we could visit CBC after the wedding party. Sounded good to me. 

We arrived at the Heimat Haus in Grove City just before 7pm. Mindy & I both noticed an overwhelming cat urine smell at the entrance to the party house. We did our best to not display a sour face as we made our grand entrance. My guess is that there are Ferrell cats that frequent the grounds eating scraps left behind by party hosts. We celebrated the wedding of Kevin and Kari along with about 50 other folks. We decided early on not to partake in the buffet style dinner just so we could take our appetites to CBC a bit later.  We left the wedding party around 8:30pm and headed towards German Village. We passed niece Julie’s apartment on our way, and decided to give her and Katie a call to see if they cared to join us at CBC since it’s right around the corner. They accepted our invite. 

Mindy and I took two corner stools at the finely appointed bar and did our level best to save two seats for Julie & Katie. Kevin was bartending. He’s been there each time we’ve visited over the past two years. Eventually, Kevin introduced us to his wife Catalina, who’s from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She was sitting by herself at one end of the bar. We struck up and lengthy and lively conversation with her. Like most Latinos we know, she was very animated, and funny too. Each time we visit CBC we’ve met someone interesting. 

Julie & Katie showed up a short time later. We ended up ordering some calamari to share but they weren’t hungry. They did, however, enjoy some wine. Mindy ended up ordering their version of sushi – yellow fin tuna – and shared some of it with Katie. Neither Julie or myself were willing to eat any. 

Looking around the bar, we were the last to leave. In fact, the official closing hour had already passed. We tipped Kevin well for putting up with us. Mindy drove home. We weren’t up long. Mindy was tired and so was I. I did relocate the sprinkler to the mid backyard planning to leave it run all night long. 

Three Day Weekend Ahead

Friday started just like all the others. It was 5:30am, dark, clear, and chilly. I whizzed through my exercise routine before leashing up Ykraps and heading out for our morning walk. I grabbed my black fleece jacket just before dashing out remembering that it was chilly. Good thing, too. We walked westward and took our merry time along the way. The moon was noticeably higher in the sky than the previous mornings, which is nothing earth shattering, rather just acknowledged.

 Back inside at by 6:04am I quickly poured our coffee and delivered Mindy’s bedside. After a brief hug I was back downstairs to play, meditate, and prep for my run. I chose to wear my thick wicking shirt knowing that the temperature was flirting with 50 degrees. That proved to be the right choice. I was quite cozy for the run’s duration. I noticed daylight overcoming darkness at approximately the 2.25 mile mark. It was totally daylight at my run’s conclusion. 

Like clock work, Mindy had two eggs and fruit setting on the island. Both kids were up and in pretty good moods. Bella’s is the one that varies wildly these days. This was a school day. After her third day of school, this past Tuesday, she complained that she didn’t like it anymore and didn’t care to go back. Perhaps the teacher made some disparaging remarks about Guatemalan’s. J Mindy & Bella left before 7:25am. Jacob headed up to his room to watch TV while I headed off for a shower. Just for the sake of change, I wore a white long sleeved t-shirt today shunning my usual black. 

I was ready by 7:47am. Jacob not needing to be at Kenny’s until 8:10am I had some time to kill. I used the time to check the pressure release valve on my new compressor.  I wanted to make sure that it would still turn on and off easily, or without the aid of a wrench. If it didn’t, I was determined to return it yet again. It seemed to work fine. I was happy for that. After acquiring so many gadgets, gizmos, and toys, I have little patience for something that doesn’t work as it should, and thus requires more time than it should. I’d simply prefer to do without. 

Jacob and I left at 8:07am. I walked him to Kenny’s. I drove the BM’er to work. It was a lovely morning for it. Work went well. Perhaps the best part was when my new boss officially approved my Monday vacation day. Yeah! I was looking forward to a three day weekend, an evening at Barley’s, some solid yard work, and golf with friends on Monday. I left for home at 5:30pm. 

Originally, our Friday plans included a visit to Oddie’s in Old Hilliard to see an old buddy off onto a new venture. But I was a little tired and really just wanted to hit Barley’s. After watering the newly seeded area I went inside to change for a night out. We left for Barley’s earlier than usual. We drove the Trooper. Jeremy & Courtney were there dining on the patio and had Porter in tow. I hadn’t seen them since July, I think. Courtney’s pregnant again, so she wasn’t drinking beer. I suggested that they name their next son Pilsner. J 

I headed inside to have an IPA. I didn’t taste that good. In fact, it was down right disappointing. Their beer quality has dropped off severely over the past six months. Sadly, whenever there’s a chance, I order a guest draught. Still, lots of our friends play there, and it’s always good to bond with friends after a long work week. We didn’t stay too late, however. Mindy was feeling under the weather and I was getting tired. We left just after 9pm and two beers. We did manage to squeeze in dinner. We both had Barely burgers. 

We were home by 9:15pm. I couldn’t wait to drink a really good IPA. I finished off one of my Avery Maharaja DIPA’s. Mindy headed up to bed. I wasn’t too far behind.

Compressed Air

Up at 5:30am expecting the day to be like most others this week -sunny and 75.  After a quick round of calisthenics I was out with Ykraps while he tended to his business. The sky was once again crystal clear and the ¾ moon hung high in the northwestern sky. It was a little chilly too – about what one would expect from mid-September in Columbus. 

Coffee provided that little lift I needed to get my rear in gear for the day ahead. I delivered Mindy’s shortly after 6am. After my Jimmy time I headed out the door for my four mile run. It was an easy one. I probably should’ve worn a thicker wicking shirt but ended up comfortable after a mile or so. Again, it was chilly – probably low 50’s.

My run went well. Afterwards I returned home for some breakfast, which was already waiting at my usual place setting. Mindy & Bella soon dashed out the door. I finished my food then headed up for a shower and grooming. I chose to drive the BM’er once more realizing that those opportunities, at least comfortably, are fading. Still no word on the bus change. I dropped Jacob at the neighbors before driving off to work. 

Work was good. We were busy. I like that. I didn’t take a lunch. Instead, I worked straight through the day. I talked with Mindy and some point late afternoon. She planned to leave our dinner options open to Jacob. I already knew that he’d pick chicken. I was right. Dinner was tasty. We had grilled boneless chicken breasts topped with melted cheese. 

After clean-up, I headed out to water the grass seed. You really can’t afford to skip a single day. While I watered, the kids rode their bikes. At some point, Jacob came running back saying something about Bella. I couldn’t hear her crying so I directed him to his mother. Apparently she fell off her bike. By the time that Mindy came out I could hear her cries as she came running home in tears. However, with Bella, that could mean several things. She could have picked scab or lost a leg. She lets out blood curdling screams regardless of the peril. I believe a hint of her emotional make-up that will likely follow her into adolescence and perhaps even beyond. She was OK.

 After watering, I went in through the garage where I decided to prep my new air compressor. I had already removed it from the box the night before. This version had more specific setup directions as compared to my first. I found it interesting that the literature stated to use only 12 gauge extension cords, and no longer than 25 feet lest you’ll get a voltage drop that will cause the motor to over heat and stop. That closely mimics the symptoms my first one exhibited after attaching it to a 16 gauge - 100 foot extension cord. 

Everything went well until it was time to fire it up. There’s an “air drain” on the tank that must be closed to allow pressure build up. Equally, it’s to be opened after each use before stowing to allow all the air to escape relieving pressure from all the components. It’s a simple brass, backwards threaded valve. Trouble was it wouldn’t easily turn. It acted as if it were stripped. Crap! Are you kidding me? I monkeyed with it for several minutes eventually getting my GWD-40. But that still didn’t do it. I had to use pliers to gently turn the valve. 

It eventually loosened. I repeated the tightening and loosening process many times to ensure its operation. I don’t want to keep it if it’s going to happen again. It’s a simple part, but also imperative. It tells me that there is no QA process for these compressors. Sears Craftsman should be ashamed. After getting it working I tested it on bike tires. I had to use thread tape to stop air leaks on the fittings and hose but that was expected and stated in the literature. 

Satisfied that I had accomplished enough, I went inside for the night. The kids, meanwhile, were already in their beds and requesting I tuck them in. I took care of that pronto. I headed downstairs where I spent the next hour bringing my blog current. 

Mindy hasn’t been able to fully shake her cold (the entire family has had one). In fact, hers even seems to be getting worse. She was eager to get to bed early. We headed for bed just a smidge after 9pm. 

Power Mongers Delight

I was out of bed and downstairs by 5:35am. It was quite nice waking up with power and subsequently being able to see to brush my teeth. It’s the little things. The clock wasn’t set on the coffee maker but I did have it loaded. I hit the go button to begin the process. The coffee was ready by the time that I finished my calisthenics. 

Ykraps and I headed out the door just before 6am feeling relaxed and eager for a stroll. On our walk back towards the house I noticed that Mindy was already up and getting ready to enter the shower. She had all the bathroom lights on – her way of celebrating the luxury of power, I guess. Either way, she was up early. 

I poured our first cups of coffee and then delivered Mindy’s to the bathroom where I placed it on the lingerie dresser. After notifying her of its whereabouts, I quickly headed back downstairs to relax a little. I spent some time on the PC before dedicating about ten minutes to meditation. I left for my run around 6:30am. It was almost totally dark and a tad chilly at the outset. I wore shorts and a long sleeved running shirt. I warmed up quickly. I ran the full four miles with no trouble at all. 

It was daylight by the time I returned. The sun was just beginning to creep up on the horizon. Mindy was already backing out of the drive since she was leaving early in part to drop some things by Al & Rosemary’s for daughter Courtney. I’m glad I got to see her before she left. Jacob was standing at the door, and according to Mindy, fearful of being home alone while waiting my return from a run. 

I was ready to leave for work by 7:50am. We still don’t have the bus schedule fully resolved, apparently due to the power outages. Hopefully that’ll be resolved very soon. I drove Jacob down to Crissy & Kenny’s in the BM’er. He insisted on a ride. The BM’er is very dirty, and I really hate to drive it looking that way. However, this was golf night and gas prices being what they are, I drove it anyhow. 

Work went well. I was in meetings for a lion’s share of the day. That made it go really fast. I exchanged emails with Bob Imber regarding golf. And because he missed the two previous days due to the power outage, he was out. However, given that this was the three year anniversary of the day Mindy and I met, I viewed that as minor blessing and  made alternative arrangements to have dinner with my wife. 

Later, Bob Bolyard emailed letting me know that he could still get away for golf, but by then it was too late. I had plans with Mindy. I apologized to Bob B. Since I skipped lunch I still left work for home at 4:30pm. However, I made a brief stop at Home Depot to get more wooden marking stakes to quarantine the newly seeded area of my front lawn. A bundle of 24 was on sale for $2. Great price! 

I arrived home just before 5pm. Mindy must of heard me coming in because she was scurrying about to get my anniversary card placed on the island just as I entered the house. I left hers on the island before leaving for work this AM. I won! J The kids were alredy gone with their daddy. We haven’t had a Wednesday evening dinner date ever since golf season began. It was quite nice. And since I was home a little early I asked if I could sneak a quick nap. Mindy didn’t mind. It gave her a little time to catch up on a few chores. I slept for no more than fifteen minutes. We left for El Vaquero by 5:35pm. Mindy really wanted Ding-Ho but that didn’t sound good to me at all. Besides, the Vaq was the first restaurant we visited together on date September 19^th, 2005. 

It was a very lovely evening – probably about 74 degrees with no humidity. We asked for a table outdoors even though it was currently full. The inside was nearly empty. We decided to visit the bar until our table was ready. Mindy ordered a margarita on the rocks. I ordered a jack & Coke. My drink was extremely strong. It was more like Jack with fiz. J We enjoyed a basket of tortilla chips and salsa too. They’re complementary. 

Our table was ready in short order. They kindly moved our bar tab to our table. Cool!

We enjoyed another basket of tortilla chips & salsa before ordering our meal. Mindy ordered a second margarita while I continued nursing my extra strong Jack & Coke. Being creatures of habit, Mindy ordered the same dish she usually orders – something with sea scallops and shrimp. I, however, went out on a limb and ordered beef chimichangas. While dining, I noticed three sets of Scioto Woods neighbors enjoying dinner there as well. We approached Susan, her kids, and Brian (her new live in boyfriend) as we exited. She’s recently divorced and probably 43. Brian looks to be 25 tops. Go Susan! Fire Chief Steve, who lives right down the street, was waiting for a table just outside the front door along with his date. 

I asked Mindy if she’d help water in the new grass seed when we got home. She willingly agreed. That way I could focus my attention on driving in the new marking stakes. Watering in the new seed took about thirty minutes. Afterwards, since we still had time, she helped me replace two outdoor spotlight sockets. Because they face up, they’re prone to water damage. After about two years the brass tabs corrode down to nothing and bulbs begin burning out at a much faster rate than normal, probably due to excessive heat. Don’t get me going about the life expectancy of light bulbs. Most fail in less than a quarter of the time stated on the box – some even less. 

The kids got home a short time later. I was out in the garage unpacking my new compressor when they arrived. I didn’t get it totally ready, and never planned to. I headed in shortly after 8pm to tuck in the kids. I used the quiet time to update my blog. I was sitting on several days of entries. We headed to bed separately – me first. Mindy wasn’t far behind, however.

Who's Got the Power? We Do!!!

My B.B. alarm sounded at 5:30am. I leaped from bed and quickly disabled it. In almost complete darkness I pulled my t-shirt over my head and fumbled my way into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth almost entirely by feel. Sadly, our power was still out – day three. 

Because of our incredibly awesome neighbor Kenny, our fridge and freezer were powered up via generator. I went ahead and prepped a pot of coffee plugging the coffee maker into the three-way outlet at the end of the extension cord. After going without Monday morning, I was very much looking forward to my favorite morning creature comfort. 

After a round of exercises I headed out the door with Ykraps. I felt pretty darn good after nearly 8 full hours of sleep. As I walked by the large dirt covered areas of my lawn I was immediately reminded of my goal to get it seeded & fertilized after work tonight. 

Back at home I poured coffee for me & Mindy. Mindy was up making our bed getting ready to jump in the shower. She was certain she’d have school since she didn’t receive a call otherwise. Jacob (Hilliard), we already knew, would be out for yet another day. Mindy  was simply happy and excited to have fresh hot coffee. 

I spent a little more time meditating than usual given that there was no PC time without power. That I viewed as a good thing. I left for a run a little before 6:30am.I wore long running pants and a regular long-sleeved wicking shirt. I was quite comfortable. I ran four miles. I noticed most houses in the subdivision had power where we still did not. In fact, I would say 90% of the division was powered up. I’ve known for some time that our house/street was fed from a different grid. This time it wasn’t playing out in our favor. 

I could hear generators running around every turn. I was hopeful (wishing) that our power would be on upon my return but it wasn’t. We were still out. Mindy had fruit at my place setting – about all she could prep. I went ahead and woofed down a pop-tart too. I was hungry. Mindy and the children left around 7:35am. Jacob was being delivered to Grandma Sharon’s since his school was canceled. Bella had kindergarten. 

I showered and left for work around 8:00am. I drove the Trooper since I hoped to pick-up grass seed and fertilizer at lunch. Work went much smoother than Monday. It didn’t hurt that my peer was back. I was able to take my lunch a little after 1pm. I drove to Lowe’s where I bought seed and fertilizer. On my way back, I stopped at Home Depot to get two outdoor light sockets for the two broken uplighting fixtures. I picked up a couple new spot lightbulbs too. 

I was back at work by 2:10pm. After enjoying my packed lunch I focused on several key work related issues. I left for home at 5:30pm. As I exited the parking lot I dialed up Minelli’s and ordered a pizza for pick-up. Still no power at home.  On my way home I stopped at Target to pick-up an anniversary card for Mindy. We met three years ago, tomorrow (September 17) at Bob’s block party.  

I was really hungry. I ate two pieces of pizza on my way home from Minelli’s, and it’s a very short drive. Mindy & both kids were down at the neighbors when I arrived home. It wasn’t long, however, before they were all back and eating pizza. Bella complained just a little about the toppings I chose. They were the same toppings we always get (pep, extra-cheese, and hot pepper rings).  We ate all but four pieces. Mindy was hungry! 

Mindy offered to help me with the grass seed after dinner. I accepted her offer. We grabbed the spreader, fertilizer, seed, and rake and headed out front. The kids took off to play with the neighbors. Carl came over just after we got started seeding. While I operated the spreader, Mindy lightly raked the seed into the loose layer of top soil. Carl warned once more that we should’ve put sod on the steepest part of the slope, thinking it will run off with the first heavy rain. But I countered with a weather forecast that calls for 70’s and sunshine for the next ten days. I’ll be in control of the watering. We should be well into new grass before the next appreciable rain. Still, I understood his point. 

Carl’s wife eventually made her way over to invite him along on her evening walk. He declined. I asked Mindy if she cared to walk with her while I finished. She decided to walk. Carl and I chatted the entire time they were gone. During that same time period, several neighbors walked by talking about the top news story – the power outage. AEP was quoted as saying back on by next Sunday at 9pm. Ouch! The power being off is no doubt bringing people closer together. More folks than ever are out walking since there was nothing else for them to do. In our particular case, it was altering our lifestyle very little, as we don’t typically watch TV as part of our evening routine. 

Mindy was back from her walk about thirty minutes later. I put the tools away while Mindy whisked the kids inside for showers by flashlight. By the time I headed in Mindy had candles lit. I poured myself a Barley’s IPA and kicked back on the sofa. After tucking in the kids we both returned downstairs and sat at the island talking. We plugged an indoor uplight into the generator feed to give off a little light beyond candles. Suddenly, while we were chatting, the power came back on. Just like that we were thrust back into normalcy. I threw open the back door and let out a big ol’ hootie-who. 

For the next fifteen minutes we got the clocks set, the fridge and freezer plugged back into house current, the proper lights lit, and the wrong ones turned off. I also helped Kenny get his extension cords rolled up and organized after he shut down the generator. It was exciting to have our power back. It’s something we won’t take for granted for a short time. It was inconvenient being without power. You just don’t think about how dependent we’ve become on power for all aspects of our life. Go three days without any (power that is) and your thoughts will change – guaranteed! 

I got the CATV and TV set-up. We watched an episode and one half of Family Guy. I laughed my ass off. We headed for bed just before 10pm. Mindy wanted some undivided attention.

Yearning for Power

I woke several times in the middle of the night each time glancing towards the clock. Still no power. Our home was left in total darkness. No lights, no clock, no nothing. However, planning for such, I had my Blackberry bedside complete with its alarm set for 530am just in case I didn’t wake up naturally. And that’s what woke me, the BlackBerry alarm. Not sure why, but I woke excruciatingly tired. I rolled back over and slept until 5:50am. 

What made it worse was that there would be no morning coffee. Ugh!  I pretty much had to feel my way around the house, which honestly wasn’t that hard. I did my exercises in total darkness.

 The walk with Ykraps was a bit different without the benefit of any lighting. The usual early risers weren’t out either which only added to the eeriness of the powerless morning.  All in all I took the ongoing power outage in stride. I was certain that it would be back on soon. Before getting into anything else ,I leaped back onto the sofa where I slept for yet another 45 minutes. Let me tell you, that was some blissful sleep, too. 

I alerted Mindy to the conditions which she already knew. She already knew that she and  Jacob wouldn’t have school due to the widespread power outages and wind damage. Lucky them. 

I headed out the door for my run around 7:00am. The weather was much cooler than Saturday & Sunday. The day’s forecast called for temps in the low 70’s with increasing sunshine. I ran four miles on almost empty streets. I noticed a few streets where the power was mysteriously on, but by and large everyone’s power was out. 

I showered and left for work a little late. I didn’t leave the house until 8:20am. On top of that, there were long delays due to the power being out at both major intersections along Wilson Rd heading towards I-270. I didn’t get to work until 8:50am. Because of the wide spread power outages, we had several call-offs. And honestly, it was a little difficult to focus given that our power was out and that we had trees down. I really wanted to be home tending to all of that. Despite How I felt, I was needed at work.

 Before heading into work, I remembered to put my new air compressor in the Trooper so that I could do a lunchtime return. Come 1pm I drove to the mall to return it. I was worried just a little that they might try to force a repair in lieu of a return. They did not. In fact, there was another compressor, same model as mine, setting at the counter also returned. I asked about it. The fella working the counter pleaded ignorance. He said I could get another or perhaps even another model. Long story short, I decided on a different model that was $10 more today but $20 more the day we bought mine. Of course, I fully expected to have to cough up the difference. However, the guy working the register fumbled with the return process, seemed clueless honestly. He finally gave up and told me it was the same price and gave me a receipt and wished me well.

 Back to work I went hopeful that my replacement compressor would serve me well for years to come.

 I called Mindy once I was back to share my Sears story. She was at lunch with neighbor Crissy and the collective batch of five kids. They were at Barley’s. Apparently they tried Bob Evans but it was packed. Barley’s, on the other hand, was not. At least that was Mindy’s excuse. Too, Mindy informed me that neighbor Kenny ran an extension cord to our home from his ginormous generator to power up both our freezer and fridge. We were setting at roughly 18 hrs without power. Mindy mentioned that Barley’s had Centennial IPA on the tower. I asked if she’d bring me home a growler. She willingly agreed. 

I left work for home around 4:30pm so that I could hurry home and cut the large tree branches lying in our backyard. Mindy, bless her heart, had already raked the entire backyard prior to me arriving home. She even convinced the kids to help, but only after threatening bodily harm. J I wasted little time getting after the work ahead. I changed clothes then gathered everything I’d need to saw wood, including my Echo chainsaw that I bought last summer to cut down the weeping willow tree. I had to smile when I opened the storage bag. The saw looked like brand new thanks to the thorough cleaning I gave it prior to storage. Mindy used the giant loppers to cut away the lateral branches while I got busy with the chain saw. I offered to let her operate the chainsaw but she declined. It took us about an hour to finish up. Afterwards we carried all the logs and trimmings to the compost pile behind the tree swings. 

The yard looked nearly perfect last Saturday before our party, but now it looked war torn. Unfortunately, that’s happened a few times over the last couple of years, each time due to big storms.  We spent the remainder of our evening relaxing under candlelight. There wasn’t much else to do. For dinner I ate their Barley’s leftovers. To wash it all down, I poured myself an IPA after the kids were in bed. Once again, the kids, especially Bella, weren’t too keen on going to bed without any power. Ultimately, they did, and so did we.

Lil' Ike

Morning came quick. I rolled out of bed around 7am after waking several times just prior to. I was happy to be up early so not to waste valuable time that could be spent working on my lawn restoration project. 

The house was in pretty darn good shape even after last night’s party. The only remnants were the coolers still resting in the kitchen and the table in its customary ‘party’ spot. Otherwise, we were back to normal. I made coffee and then exercised right away. It was cheerfully sunny and warm even at such an early hour. I enjoyed some coffee and quiet time alone before the kids or Mindy got up. No one else was up until well past 9am. At that point I could hear little feet scurrying about upstairs. By then, I had already finished my run and started playing on the PC.

 I checked the Ohio Mulch webpage and learned that they didn’t open until 11am. My plan was to borrow my dad’s trailer and then pick-up a load or two of top soil to spread about a half inch layer over the entire area to be restored. Mindy soon joined me downstairs as did the kids. She mentioned her willingness to help me in the yard if I wanted it. Yes. I left for my dad’s around 10:30am. I invited Jacob but he declined the offer. 

My dad wasn’t home, but I took the trailer anyhow. He knew I’d be coming by for it and some of the available fill-dirt too. Ohio Mulch was open even though I was a little early. I was back at home with a yard of top soil by 11:10am. I quickly gathered the materials I needed to spread dirt: the wheel barrow, shovels, and gloves. I grabbed two rakes as well. Pushing the full wheel barrow up the slight incline was rough at first but like anything, once I got into a rhythm it went much smoother. Meanwhile, it was heating up quickly and the humidity was a ruthless as the day before. The only solace was the ridiculously stiff breeze out of the southwest. There were gusts of 30-40 mph predicted. 

I blew through the first yard of top soil in a hurry. I left to fetch another around 12:30pm. Mindy helped me spread the second load. That proved to be almost the perfect amount. The area was ready for seed. I plan to pick that up Monday after work. 

 Not wanting to waste valuable project time as summer wanes, I left for my dad’s only this time to fetch a load of fill-dirt left in his yard by the county after the road widening project. I would use this dirt to raise and level off the severe slope on the west side of my home where I built the 16” support wall. Jacob agreed to come along. 

Dad was sitting out back by his shed when we arrived. I pulled up to a much smaller pile when he directed me further back to a much larger pile. Cool! He has plenty. The only problem is I’d have to shovel it in one scoop at a time and then repeat the steps once I got it home. Jacob helped after dad fetched him a smaller shovel. Jacob helped himself to some of dad’s fallen apples too. I filled the trailer only about half way. That took thirty minutes or so. 

Once we were back at home, Mindy rejoined the project. For this I was pleased. I filled and wheeled the barrow full of dirt to the area of concern while Mindy and Jacob did the spreading. During our efforts the patio umbrella blew out of its table mount and deep into the yard. At the same time, my large potted Hibiscus plants kept blowing over. That was our first clue that the wind was picking up – literally. J 

After emptying the trailer of fill-dirt it was apparent that we’d need another trailer load or two. But I was whipped for now and happy with the afternoon’s progress. I put away all the tools then headed inside for a much needed shower. 

We left for Gloria’s and Sunday dinner just after 4pm. Just before leaving the house our power went out. We attributed the outage to the strong winds now blowing. It was getting a little dicey out there.  I made sure to take my drywall tools and the stipple brushes that I borrowed from dad so that I could texture the ceiling I repaired several weeks ago. We were the first to arrive. I went right to work. 

Meanwhile, Gloria’s power was out as well. And along our drive, we spotted several large trees limbs blown down. Gusts were being reported up to 70 mph. While I textured the drywall repair the rest of the family members arrived. And with every passing moment the winds only seemed to get stronger. Dinner was severely delayed and handicapped due to the lack of power. We tried to order pizzas but nothing was open. Businesses as we’d later learn were shutting down. Gloria’s neighbor has a gas oven and agreed to finish cooking Gloria’s roast beef. We gathered for our weekly family feast without the benefit of light, AC, or circulating air. Through it all, however, we hardly noticed what we didn’t have. Instead, we enjoyed the closeness and the food. After dinner I snuck a nap on the lower level while most others congregated outside on the covered patio. The wind was blowing and tossing tree branches and building materials everywhere. While I rested, I could here the stiff winds and an occasional crash. I joined the rest of the family after my customary ten minute nap. I felt recharged. Jacob and I tossed the winged football while others talked and looked on. We had to dodge flying tree branches a number of times. After 30 minutes outdoors we headed in for dessert – chocolate sheet cake. Yummy! I had two pieces. 

We left for home just after 7pm. Mindy talked with our neighbor Crissy who informed her that our power was still down and that we had large tree branches down in our backyard. However, she was quick to point out that none hit our shed or our home, which was of primary concern. 

Bella and Jacob agreed to walk Ykraps while I was busy toting everything in from the Trooper. Mindy found the heavy hot tub cover blown off, the plants blown down, and chairs strewn about. I didn’t find out all of this until later. My focus was on removing the fallen tree branches. My neighbor Carl came over and told of all the trees knocked down in the subdivision. The yard looked similar to the aftermath of October 2006’s hail storm that stripped the trees of their greenery.  There was debris everywhere. My neatly manicured yard was everything but. Mindy and I drug all of the large branches into a pile at the back of our yard. I figured we’d saw them up tomorrow. We headed back in hopeful that our power would be restored very soon. The neighbor reported AEP telling her 6pm. It was nearly 8pm and we still were down. We headed in with the kids around 8pm. I was certain the power would restore promptly. 

The kids were reluctant to head to bed without power. Bella was especially bothered that she didn’t have her night light. We gave each kid a flashlight for their room. Mindy lit candles about the house giving it a bit of a romantic feel. There wasn’t much to do besides talk after the kids were in bed. We headed to bed after some conversation. I checked NFL scores via my Blackberry. Until then, I had no idea how the Vikings fared since power was out after 3pm. Last I heard they were shutting out the Colts 9-0. Crap! They lost in the final seconds 18-15.  That bothered me more than it should’ve.