The Hard to Find Grove City Kohl's

It was early Saturday morning. I was tossing and turning in bed. My body was tired but my mind working in overdrive! After several failed attempts at falling back asleep, I finally got up for good at 8:15am. I chose to let Mindy sleep. I crept away quietly.

Downstairs, I quickly got a pot of coffee going and then started my exercise routine. It wasn’t too long before Ykraps and I headed out the door for our morning stroll. It was noticeably warmer than the last couple of weeks. There was no frost and plenty of early morning sunshine. The sun had just recently broken the horizon for the latest sunrise on record (8:01am).

 While enjoying my walk with Ykraps, I reviewed everything that I hoped to accomplish during the day. My primary goal was to apply two coats of polyurethane to the kitchen table, which was setting ready out on the deck. In between, I figured to get a little yard work done. Back at the house I enjoyed some coffee while doing a little blogging. Come 9:30am I set out on my run. By the way, although unusual, Mindy was still sleeping when I left. However, she was up by the time that I got back. 

We spent a little time relaxing together before getting our day’s underway. Mindy headed off to the shower while I got started on the table. She was leaving to get her hair done in Grove City. Just before she left, daughter Courtney called asking if we’d get her a couple new pairs of jeans. Mindy agreed to pick her and Kaileigh up after her hair appointment. I’d have three or four hours all to myself.

 Before applying the first coat of poly urethane, I lightly sanded the table after yesterday’s two coats of stain. That went fast and well. The urethane went on easily. I didn’t put it on too thick. I finished the first coat just after 12 noon. According to the directions, I could apply another coat after three hours. I used that time to address a handful of yard chores. I filled in the comparatively few bare spots remaining in my new grass area with some Scott’s Patchmaster that I had leftover from the lawn work I did for Gloria. That took just a few minutes.

 Next, I trimmed the English Ivy away from the base of the burning bushes that line both the east & west side of the house. I had to replace ten of them about three years ago after some rodents ate the bark off their tender trunks. After checking with a garden specialist I learned that the damage was most likely from rabbits and/or moles that like to hang out in the thick English Ivy all winter long. He suggested that I trim away the growth from the trunks of the shrubs, leaving the rodents little to no effective cover.  The English Ivy is so aggressive that I have to trim it away from the trunks two or three times each year. This requires great discipline.

 After trimming the Ivy I retrieved my sprinkler pump and began watering my new grass. Afterwards, I worked my way around back trimming back other deciduous shrubs (Deer bush, Butterfly bush) along the way. When I came upon my two old rose bushes I remembered my plan was to dig them out this fall. I followed through with the plan. However, rather than throw them into the compost pile, I transplanted them down along the pond. If they bloom – great. If not, no biggie. I’ll mull over my options for the space they vacated over the winter. After hauling all the trimmings back to the compost pile I raked up all the walnut tree debris that fell last week. Much like the old weeping willow, these walnut trees drop more than just leaves in the fall. I raked away most of the actual walnuts a couple weeks ago. But when the trees loose their leaves they also drop their thin, switch-like branches that once held their foliage. If left alone, they’ll surely suffocate my lawn. 

Perfect timing. It was 3:30pm. Time to apply the second coat of polyurethane to the table before heading inside. That took no more than fifteen minutes. 

I planned on making my first chocolate pie this weekend. So, if I were going to follow-through with the plan, I needed to prep my pie dough this afternoon. I decided to do that before a shower. I had a few pie crust recipes to choose from. The basic ingredients are largely the same. However, variations in the amount of butter versus Crisco can net completely different results. I prefer a flakier, yet flavorful crust. I followed that plan. It took about 45 minutes to get my pie dough mixed and rolled into balls for over night refrigeration. 

I headed up for a shower next. Mindy & Courtney showed up just as I was making my way back downstairs after a shower. Good timing. Kaileigh was supposed to be with them but decided against it. I was bummed!

 I went ahead and walked Ykraps after realizing that we most likely wouldn’t be coming back home before heading out to dinner later this evening. Our plans included taking Courtney shopping, dropping her off at Al & Rosemary’s, and then heading to CBC to meet our friends Steve and Erin for dinner. We left the house around 5pm for the new Kohl’s in Grove City. We arrived in Grove City 20 minutes later. The only trouble with that was… there isn’t a new Kohl’s in Grove City! I asked Mindy if she was sure. Oh yeah, sure. Oh well, if nothing else, it gave us time to chat with Courtney. After realizing our faux pas, as much as I hated to, we headed back towards the West Broad St Kohl’s. 

Mindy & Courtney headed off to the junior’s department while I ventured off to the men’s. I was looking to replace my black Columbia fleece after the zipper fell off my old one last week. I found the new version pretty fast. I also picked up 6 pairs of Nike running socks. And while browsing the housewares dept I stumbled upon some stainless steel grilling accessories marked 80% off. I grabbed tongs and spatula. What a deal! I went looking for Mindy & Courtney.  I found them. Courtney had all sorts of stuff in her arms. What? She asked for jeans but had a bunch of other stuff. She said she could only find one pair of jeans. Mindy went with her to find another pair.

 While there, I ran into Chris Combs, a former co-worker and friend. We chatted for a while. He loves his new job working for Dept. of Defense. After chatting with Chris, I went and found Mindy and let her know that I’d be waiting in the Trooper. Among other things, it was really hot in the store. I listened to a conservative radio talk show while waiting on Mindy & Courtney.

 It was already 6:25pm when they finally emerged from the store. Next stop, Hoover Crossings. We arrived around 6:40pm. We walked Courtney to the door and also got a hug from Kaileigh. But honestly, we didn’t feel welcome so we turned and left. Rosemary didn’t as much as utter a hello. Courtney mentioned that she’s been in a bad mood lately. I hope everything is OK.

 Mindy guided me ‘the back way’ to I-71N & Stringtown Rd. From there we took I-71N to the Greenlawn Ave. exit. It didn’t take long for us to arrive at our destination – CBC. We were several minutes early. Kevin, our favorite bartender spotted us straight up as we bellied up to our corner bar stools. He poured me an IPA and Mindy a glass of red wine. Mindy called Erin to make sure she had a bead on the place. She reiterated the finer points of navigating through the Brewery District to Short St. Most people have no idea where Short St is, let alone CBC.

 Steve & Erin showed up a little after 7:30pm. By then, Mindy & I had already polished off an order of calamari. We ended up staying seated at the bar. I thought that we might get a table but we never did. I was OK with that. Erin & Steve moved to Canton about a year or so ago. Erin’s now a speech pathologist in the private sector, and Steve does sales for Diebold. He’s a very funny guy. He also loves to play rugby and shared a recent story where he got his eye stomped on during a game opening up three gashes. Lucky (or maybe unlucky) for him, one of the players was a doctor and stitched him up right there on the sideline. His only anesthetic was beer. 

We ordered another round of drinks and then some food. Steve ordered jambalaya. Erin ordered salmon. Mindy ordred sea scallops. And I ordered a cheeseburger. I had a bowl of their tortilla soup, too. I was stuffed half way through my burger. Sleepiness was a byproduct of being stuffed. Mindy picked up our tab. She also bought me a CBC t-shirt. Until now, they didn’t have any masculine colors. I finally got a black one. 

We left CBC sometime after 9:30pm. We arrived home ten minutes later. We didn’t waste anytime finding bed. I was zonked.