Un-Earthly

I rolled out of bed at 5:25am, again just a little ahead of schedule. And like yesterday, I felt much better after taking two 200mg Ibuprofen tablets just before bed. Not certain why, but the 800mg prescription tablets seem to last for nearly 24hrs. Anyway, I was loose. Consequently, my calisthenics went that much easier. Soon I was outdoors with Ykraps. It was really chilly out there. The clear sky did nothing but exacerbate the chill. And since we walked out towards the east, the walk back was more brutal due to a cold breeze blowing out of the west. We survived. 

We were back earlier than usual. I had plenty of time to enjoy my own coffee before taking Mindy hers. After delivering hers, I returned downstairs for meditation. I used 15 minutes for that. I got dressed for a run at 6:25am and headed out the door a short time later. In addition to my usual fall running attire, I wore thick sweat shorts under my running pants as well as my new running gloves. It occurred to me that running so early in the morning has moved the need for heavier running gear up earlier in the year. Running at lunch, as I did for over ten years, put me out there in the heat of the day. I wouldn’t typically need gloves or thick under shorts until late December or early January most years. Heck, it’s only mid-October. I anticipate a warm up of sorts in the coming weeks – Indian Summer. 

My run went well. I was quite comfortable in my extra coverings. The next addition will be ear covers. They make a huge difference in how much body heat one retains. I was back a bit earlier than usual. Mindy noticed and mentioned as much. I asked about the strange smell in the kitchen. It smelt like heavy cooking oil. It wasn’t pleasant. I wondered if she might’ve cooked my eggs in canola/corn oil versus the usual olive oil. She said not. Later, as I began eating my eggs, I could taste what I smelt. They tasted as if they had been steeped in corn oil. Yuck. I threw them out and cooked two more. Jacob backed me up, complaining of the same smell. I knew I wasn’t crazy, or at least about that, anyway. J 

Mindy & Bella were out the door for school. After tidying up the kitchen I darted off for a shower. It didn’t take me long to return downstairs fully ready. I prepped the dishwasher for a running prior to leaving. I hit the go button just as Jacob and I headed for the bus stop. I started the Trooper on the way to the bus stop. The frost cover was thick. 

Jacob shivered as he tried keeping his hands warm. He most assuredly should’ve worn a heavier coat, but I’ll take the blame for that. Neighbor Jake never showed at the bus stop. However, after picking up Jacob, I saw the bus stop at what appeared directly in front of his house. I guessed that he was running behind. I think she got him. 

Back at home I had to scrape my windows before leaving. No trouble. The price of gas hadn’t changed. Still $2.53. Work was hopping. Stayed busy up until our weekly staff meeting at 11am. That lasted until 12:30pm or so. In keeping with our weekly potlucks this October, today our lead engineers were providing ice cream for everyone. They laid out quite a spread. However, before eating any myself, I heated and ate my packed lunch. Having the ice cream was timely since I brought leftover chili. What it heated up, the ice cream cooled. After scarfing down my chili, I had two big bowls of ice cream each topped with hot fudge. Way delicious!

 Bob Imber emailed. We firmed up golf plans for later. He asked about Saturday too. Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to since I’d be on-call this coming weekend. But I was very much looking forward to getting out there later this evening. 

The afternoon moved briskly. I left for golf at 4:35pm. As usual, things got dicey just prior. Things were good when I left, however. I talked with Mindy as I drove towards golf. She reminded me about choir practice and that Jim would be bringing the kids home around 7:30pm. Good deal. I must’ve arrive at Thornapple just before 5pm. The Bob’s had just gotten there a little before me. I hurried in to pay. The Bob’s carted together. I carted alone. 

We tee’d off the back nine for the first time this fall. Hole #10 is a long par five – about 560 yards. I was on in 4 but three putted. The 11^th hole is a long par 3 – 245 yards with a creek protecting the green. I went with driver, but mis-hit slightly leaving it in the creek and right. Hitting three on and two putting left me with a 5.  As luck would have it, those were two of my best holes. I never did find my groove or swing. I had one par I believe. I ended up shooting a 54. The many nice shots I hit last Wednesday were a thing of the past. That’s golf!  Before heading home, we talked about the weekend, and more specifically, the Penn State game. This is a biggie – #3 against #10, prime time, & nationally televised. Like last year, we’ll be at brother Bob’s Halloween party for the game. 

I was home by 7:05pm. Mindy had already walked Ykraps. I tended to tomorrow’s coffee and then cleaned/rinsed my lunch containers. I noticed right away, that Mindy had the house spic and span. That was nice. While waiting on the kids to return home from dinner with dad I wrote in my blog. I was nearly done by the time they arrived, which was 8pm -much later than I expected. Mindy phoned not five minutes later to let me know that she was on her way home. She only asked that I give the kids a sniff test before declaring a bath-bye, and then to see them into their jammies and through teeth brushing. Done! 

By the time that Mindy got home ten minutes later the kids were watching TV in their rooms. We did the tuck in minutes later. Downstairs, we talked about our day. Mindy ate some cereal after complaining of being hungry. I snacked on some Triscuits and cheese. Later, I poured myself a pint of Southern Tier’s Un-Earthy IPA. It was delicious. I finished my blog and then readied for bed. It was almost 10pm.