'29, '87, '00, '08

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.