The First Snow Fell

I didn’t sleep all that well yet still managed to get up early. And it’s not that I felt fully rested either. Instead, I was achy, uncomfortable, and also worried about my daughters. But nothing cures the Monday morning blues like exercise. I got busy right away whipping out my calisthenics. I noticed a dusting of snow on the deck while glancing outdoors. It’s was still snowing a little too. I bundled well before heading out with Ykraps. It looked cold outside. It’s been a few years since we’ve had any measurable snow fall prior to December. I couldn’t readily recall last year’s first snow fall. However, I could always refer to my blog for the answer. Our walk went well, and from Ykraps’ perspective, it had a happy ending.J Back inside the house I was eager to get my coffee after treating Ykraps. I noticed the temperature was hovering right about freezing. The day’s forecast called for flurries essentially all day long with temps hanging in the mid 30’s. We could expect up to an inch of accumulation. Meanwhile, Cleveland was expecting up to ten inches. Yikes! I read some headlines, the Daily OM, and brother Glenn’s blog. By then, it was 6:05am and time to deliver Mindy’s coffee. She was appreciative. Downstairs I did my morning meditation. I focused much attention towards Ashley. Mindy & I both sense trouble. Immediately, all I could do was pray for wisdom to come her way. I dressed warmly for my run – in fact, too warm. For some reason, I thought it a good idea to wear my old Columbia fleece under my winter running jacket. I realized after a quarter mile or so that I was gonna cook. I unzipped my outer jacket and removed my gloves. That helped regulate my body temperature quite a bit, but it didn’t prevent me from working up one heck of sweat under both of those jackets. Note to self. I finished my run around 7:05am. Mindy was already making my eggs. Just about the time I got comfy back inside, the snow started coming down again. This time they were the giant flake variety - the kind every kid loves. Jacob sat with amazement staring out the back door at all the snow. It was very pretty. I took several photos of the action, but my little camera doesn’t capture snow fall too well. Still, having the first snow fall documented seemed important. Mindy asked that I finish cooking my dippy eggs while she prepped a pork roast for the crock pot. That would be our dinner. Gladly! Mindy carried Bella out to the van. Jacob did as we always do. He ran off to his room and I ran off to the shower. We reconvened downstairs around 7:55am. Kenny and Jake met us at the bus stop. Jake complained of not feeling well. He didn’t look well either. Jacob poked a little fun at him until I asked that he stop. Kenny and I walked back home together with me splitting off at my home and he continuing on to his own. I left for work at 8:06am. The roads were fine. The sky was mixed – clouds, sun, and snow. The flurries started in earnest again during my drive in. Very pretty. Traffic was a bit heavy but never stopped. I was at work just a minute or two later than usual. But I was still on time. I talked with my boss for an hour or so. The morning soared by. Around 1pm I left for the newly remodeled Dublin Wal-Mart. I planned to see if they had any of those Bakugan’s and possibly a Wii Fit. They had neither. After checking out Wal-Mart, I ventured just across the lot to Best Buy to see if they might have the Wii Fit. They didn’t. However, they have a huge selection of games and other accessories. Honestly, I see little value in the Fit. We don’t plan to get real exercise from the Wii, or at least I don’t. Plus, we force the kids outside for their exercise, and we limit their electronic game activity. Probably a better value for the family would be one or two new regular games. While there, I checked out their latest TVs just because. We certainly don’t need one. Always fun to check out the latest offerings. Before heading back to the office, I crossed over the freeway and visited Macy’s just to browse a few gifts ideas for Mindy. I was back at the office after being gone just over an hour. The afternoon moved briskly. Soon the day was in the bag. I talked with Mindy around 430pm. She invited her mom over for dinner and was picking her up on her way home from school. Again, we were having pork roast. I arrived home around 6pm. It was snowing and getting rather blustery. It felt like December or January – definitely not mid-November. After greeting Gloria, I took Ykraps on his evening walk. He was more than grateful. I was anxious to get back home and have some of that wonderful smelling pork roast. Dinner was served a few minutes later. Keeping Gloria’ propensity to take shots at my parenting skills in mind, I did my level best to restrict my tongue even while Jacob acted up at the dinner table. I figured Mindy should/would do the deed. But even Mindy was allowing behavior we wouldn’t generally permit. To say it didn’t bother me would be untrue. It bothered me measurably. That aside, the pork roast, potatoes, and sauerkraut were top notch. I loved it. And by the looks of it, everyone else did too. Mindy out did herself. Great job hon! I did most of the clean-up. That took about 20 minutes. After the clean-up was complete all five of us played Apples to Apples. I won the first game and Jacob won the second. It was approaching 7:30pm. It was time to take Gloria home. Mindy asked that I do the honor. Gladly. Jacob wanted to go with. I suggested that he do just that. It was snowing ever harder outside and beginning to accumulate. It was getting much colder too. The front stoop was slippery with ice. We had Gloria back home in no more than ten minutes. Jacob moved to the front seat for the drive home. As soon as we arrived home Jacob ran up for his shower, just like his mother asked. The kids were done with their reading by 8:10pm and ready to slip into bed. Jacob complained to Mindy about a toothache. He apparently has a baby molar with a cavity that’s ready to fall out. Mindy gave him some Ibuprofen to combat the pain. It took a while to take affect. After the kids were down I tuned into Monday Night football. I was eager to see Brady Quinn quarterback for the Browns on MNF. Like many past night’s, Mindy headed to bed before 9:30pm. I stayed up a tad longer not joining her until 9:30pm. The Browns were ahead 13-0 when I headed up.