Sweet Caroline

Trick-or-Treat

A feeling like no other is waking and knowing that you don’t need to be up at any particular time. My Friday morning was just that. Mindy got up around 6:30am to begin her work prep process. She headed downstairs to make some coffee before returning to shower somewhere near 7am. That’s when I decided it was time to get up and start my day. 

Being somewhat less deliberate, I started my exercise regiment. And it wasn’t long before Ykraps and I were heading out the door. It was that time of the morning when darkness gives way to daylight. The sky was clear and the temperature chilly, but far warmer than it’s been for in over a week. I had to chuckle, however, when I noticed the spotty frost covering the boat. We returned to the warmth of our home at 7:20am. It wasn’t long before Mindy & Bella left for the day.

 I played on the computer passing the time before Jacob & I headed to the bus stop. He was psyched about tonight’s Trick-or-Treat event. We left the house at 7:58am. Kenny, Jake, & Lilly joined us at the bus stop minutes later. We tossed the football for a few minutes before the bus came and swept the boys away. Kenny asked if I planned to golf on my day off. I thought it a possibility but also really wanted to start refinishing the kitchen table when I got back from the boat’s winterization. I told him that I’d look him up if I decided to golf.

 Back in the house I poured myself another cup of coffee & began writing Thursday’s blog entry. At 8:30am I dressed and left for my run. It was about 40 degrees. I skipped wearing gloves and ear covers. It was quite lovely.  I finished my run around 9:10am and spent the next 50 minutes puttering around the house before ultimately heading up for a shower. All along, the plan called for me to leave the house at 10am for Paul’s Marine. I didn’t actually hit the road until 10:10am. Before setting out, I had to make sure the boat would turn over. 

Paul’s Marine is located at Rt. 23 and Lewis Center Rd in Delaware county up by Alum Creek. It took about 25 minutes or so to get there. This was about as nice a day as I can ever recall for winterization day. There have been plenty ugly ones over the years. However, come to think of it, last year’s wasn’t bad either. But two years ago it was spitting snow. I had just enough time to browse the showroom before my boat was ready. They got it in & out early. I was back on the road by 11:11am. I planned to stop at the Polaris Rd Wal-Mart on my way home to get more Halloween candy. I parked far out in the lot where I could easily maneuver the Trooper & boat trailer.

 Wal-Mart was bustling with activity. And just as one might expect, the Halloween candy selection was well picked over yet there was quite a crowd swooping up their last minute treats. I perused Xmas lights and other items on my list before heading back to grab some candy. When I returned there were significantly fewer patrons swarming in the candy aisle. While there, I remembered to get a new kick stand for Jacob’s bike. The adjustable piece fell off of his bike over a month ago while on a long ride. We’ve been stowing it upside down ever since.

 I headed back to boat storage and dropped my boat off outside the indoor storage building. Before leaving the facility, I went in the office to pay for another 6 months of fees. Between winterization and storage I threw down $550 dollars this AM. Definitely something one should consider before buying a boat. 

I got home just a smidge after 12:30pm. I thought about stopping by Kenny’s to see if he wanted to golf, but opted not. Realistically, we couldn’t have made it to a course until 1:30pm at the earliest (Raymond, I already saw was too backed up). And given that tonight was Trick-or-Treat, I decided against golf.  Instead, I got busy on refinishing the kitchen table – something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years. Logistically, it’s one of those things that required a ‘perfect storm’ of sorts. This was it. It was a 3-day, kidless, nice weather weekend.

 I carried the table out onto the deck where I planned to do the deed. I also carried out all the necessary items I’d need (I.E. palm sander, various grit sandpaper, extension cord, etc.). Before digging in, I thought the process through thoroughly. I’d sand four times progressing towards a finer grit each time. I ended up using 60, 100, 150, & 180 grit paper. The 60 & 100 grit removed all of the deep scratches, stains and water marks just as I hoped they would. The 150 & 180 left the surface smooth and ready for stain. I applied two coats of stain three hours apart. The original color was natural, and that’s what I used this time too. It doesn’t add much color, perhaps just a touch darker, but it seals the wood. 

I left it to dry overnight on the deck. If things worked out as planned, I’d apply two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane on Saturday then two more again Sunday. 

Mindy & Bella arrived home just before Jacob arrived home on the bus. He was wound up and eagerly looking forward to Trick-or-Treat. Mindy began making our dinner as soon as she was settled. She made a quick version of homemade chicken & noodles. That took slightly less than an hour all totaled. 

Jimaken arrived just after 5pm. He’d be taking the kids Trick-or-Treating in our subdivision after dinner. I was napping in the recliner when he arrived. I had the heated massage pillow going full steam on my lower back. It felt terrific. I got up about ten minutes later. Mindy served all of us chicken & noodles. Jimaken had dinner with us. While I walked Ykraps, Jimaken and the kids quickly got into costume since Trick-or-Treat started at 6pm.

 Jimaken and the kids left the house at 6pm sharp. Jacob could hardly wait. Mindy filled a large bowl with candy while I dug the camping chairs from the back of the Trooper. We also poured ourselves a beer before the serious Trick-or-Treating began. I went with a Bell’s Octoberfest while Mindy enjoyed one of her Stouts. We passed out candy from the comforts of our driveway.

 A little tid-bit about beer… There are relatively few pure styles of beer. Perhaps the two most popular here in the states are ales and lagers. We commonly refer to ales, porters, and stouts as different types of beer when in reality they’re variations of the one – ales. For instance, a porter is simply a dark ale, and stout is a dark porter.

 We had lots of guests begging for candy. Many were transported into the subdivision via SUV from elsewhere. About half of our guests did not speak English. Jacob’s girlfriend, Caroline came by. We asked if she was ‘the Caroline” When she acknowledged we told her that Jacob liked her. She’s actually a couple years older than he. And because she was with her friends, she let out a predictably loud – EWH!!!!!! Later, when Jimaken, Jacob, and Jake returned for a break, Jacob asked why we told her as much. Apparently she sought him out to tell him that his parents advised her of his desires.

 At some point Bella broke off from the boys and instead joined forces with Crissy, Makayla, Lilly, and Emily. She was home sooner than the boys. We got a big laugh at Jake’s expense when he shared that somehow he’d lost his mask sword, and even his shoes. Are you kidding me? How does that happen? Meanwhile, we had a steady stream of beggers right up until 8pm. I was happy when it was over. Soon Jimaken returned and loaded up the children and headed for home. Suddenly, just like that, Mindy & I were all alone. 

We wasted little time prepping for a Barley’s visit. I’ll bet we were out of the house and on our way after ten short minutes.  Barley’s was about as crowded as expected. It was Oysters & Stout night, but that’s not something we typically participate in. We know many that do, however. Mindy was bummed to learn that the Russian was all gone by the time we arrived. She went with a Southern Tier Oat Stout instead. Predictably, I went with a Southern Tier IIPA. 

Many of the Barley regulars were present an accounted for. And about half were in costume. Mindy got lots of compliments for her costume. I didn’t wear one. Perhaps the best – most creative costumes belonged to Bob & Mary Ann who showed up as the Hanson brothers from the 1977 movie Slap Shot. Very nice! We hung at Barley’s until nearly 11:30pm – a late night by our standards. I ended up drinking three Southern Tiers and eating a pork quesadilla throughout the evening. We got to see Thad & Monica for the first time in a long time. Among other things, we discussed the Hilliard City school’s operating levy and the pros and cons of teaching to the test. It was a very thought provoking discussion.

 Mindy drove home. We went straight to bed.