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.