No Rocky & Landon

I couldn’t wait to get up and out of bed Wednesday morning. There was just so much that I looked forward to getting done. Sadly, the only thing that stood in my way was an upset stomach, headache, and nausea. Ugh! I never did beat that sick feeling that hit me just after scaling seven floors of stairs the night before in the Ohio Theatre parking garage. I must’ve woken to pee about four times in the middle of the night. The last time I wisely took a couple of Advil. I felt considerably better come 8am when I finally rolled out of bed. Good thing, I was worried that I’d be ill the first day of having Lil’ Rocky & Landon, making Mindy’s day that much more difficult. Plus, there was the yard work and baking of pies I really needed to get done. There simply wasn’t time or room to be sick. After some exercise I felt a little better, but not perfect by any stretch. It wasn’t long before Mindy & the kids joined me downstairs. The cold air hitting my face while walking Ykraps did a world of good. Mainly, my stomach felt a tad uneasy, but the rest of me was fine. I survived the scare. Lindsey told us that she’d be dropping Landon at 9am. Mindy hurried with a few last minute prep things she wanted done before their arrival. Mindy was scheduled to pick Rocky up from school at 11am. She planned to talk with Mrs Dent at that time, and then run to Target to fetch some things to make the start of their extended stay that much easier. I chose to hold off on my run until Lindsey stopped by. 9:00am came and went. We checked our phones for messages around 9:10am. There was a message from Lindsey saying that her mother decided to keep the kids. Mindy and I were both disappointed. Not because the kids were with Kelly but because we both knew that would simply lead to more of the same. After all, this was go round number four. Furthermore, Kelly most likely did this not out of love but likely out of spite. Mindy called Kelly to measure the exact details. Kelly was her direct and her usual abrasive self. So, it now appeared that Lindsey would be in detox for three or four days only to return home to the same old routine – vindictive mother, kids to care for, no job, no time to heal. Soon, like before, she’d be right back at it. Very sad. We felt our plan offered so much hope. And ironically Lindsey seemed to think so too. She was eager to have the extended time to heal. I didn’t let it bother me as much as it bothered Mindy. She was sad. I hung my hat knowing that everything happens for a reason and everything in due time. If it’s meant to be then it will be - period! Mindy called Talbot seeking a conversation with Lindsey. I set out on my run. It was cold but warming. In fact, if the weatherman was correct, it would be the warmest day in a couple of weeks. We were expecting the mid 40’s with sunshine! Wahoo! I ran my normal route through the subdivision. My run went well. After my run I ate a few nuts and poured myself another cup of coffee. I was beat. I took a nap in the recliner with the heating massage pillow going. I didn’t have the energy or motivation necessary to carry out all of my tasks. That scared me because I had lots I needed to do. After waking, I forced myself outside to finish raking the backyard. I didn’t feel miserable, just tired, lethargic, and perhaps a tad queasy. Once I had the cool air and sunshine in my face I began to snap out of it. Before raking, I pulled all of the spent tomato plants. Next, I raked all the new leaf fall out of the flower beds surrounding the deck then raked the last red maple’s droppings lying in the yard into a heaping pile. I fetched my 9X12’ tarp from the back of my Trooper to carry the debris off to the compost pile. I made quick work of the leaves. Suddenly, my motivation was back. I decided to get out both mowers to give the backyard a once over – not so much to give it a cut but more to mulch any remaining leaves. By now the temperature had warmed into the 40’s, and with the brilliant sunshine it actually felt warm. I took this opportunity to add fuel stabilizer to both mowers so any gas left after today’s mowing wouldn’t turn to varnish. The mowing went exceptionally well. The yard looked deceptively summery afterwards. I took a couple of pictures. After dealing with the lawn, I topped off the hot tub using the hose used to water the new grass via the pond pump. I didn’t think to let the water run for a bit before sinking it into the tub. There was lots of dirt and debris from the pond in the long length of hose. Now, all of that was in my hot tub. Brilliant! I could’ve finished winterizing the deck furniture and deck pond but chose to move on to more pressing matters. I needed to get busy baking my chocolate pie for TG dinner. Mindy & the kids left for a while. I can’t recall where they went for certain, but I think Target. I rolled and baked the pie crust first since the chocolate pie is a no-bake. The crust turned out pretty good. I then turned my attention to concocting the chocolate mixture for the pie. I followed the recipe a bit more carefully this time making sure to add the right amount of sugar. Again, the key, I discovered is constant stirring. It worked! The filling turned out perfectly smooth and chocolaty. I let it cool prior to pouring it into the already baked pie crust. The end product, a completely from scratch chocolate pie. Mindy & the kids got home about that same time. Mindy licked the bowl. Jacob would be heading off to the hockey game around 5pm with his daddy. Mindy, Bella, and I would be going to Barley’s for dinner, or so we thought. Jacob left with his daddy as planned. Bella headed over to Emily & Evan’s to play. Mindy & I readied for an evening at Barley’s. We planned to fetch Bella just before leaving. However, the neighbors called to invite us down for some beer and a fire believe it or not. It was below freezing. We hadn’t hung out with Mike & Teri in a while so decided to stop there before Barley’s. We walked down with beers in tow. It was so chilly, I wore my running gloves. I saw no fire but hey, maybe they meant inside. Nope, no fire inside either. Mike was just returning from picking up pizzas from Sporano’s. Turns out, they planned a fire but a little later. We chatted for some time until another Mike, Mike Fetch, I think, came over with his kids. He’s a fireman too. Of course, he knows Larry & Todd quite well. He seemed very likeable. We turned down some pizza and readied to depart for Barley’s around 8:30pm. Bella begged to stay at Mike & Teri’s to play with Emily & Evan. Mike & Teri assured us it would be OK. Mindy agreed and we left. We wouldn’t be gone that long. Barley’s was marginally crowded, but we knew none of the patrons at the bar. That’s highly unusual. We expected at least some of our peeps to be there. Still, we made the best of it. I ordered an IPA, which I was craving all afternoon. We also brought a jug to fill before heading home. We ordered some sauerkraut balls to tie us over until we ordered dinner. While snacking, our friend Calvin, the psychiatrist, arrived. He’s a hoot. We talked for the better part of an hour. We never did order dinner. Mindy lost her appetite and so did I. The sad part is, I was craving some protein. I wanted/needed some read meat bad! We had Patty fill our jug with Barley’s Centennial IPA then headed for home around 10pm. Once home we walked back to Mike & Teri’s. They had a fire going by then, and it was a toasty one. The kids, surprisingly, were jumping on the trampoline. It had to be in the upper 20’s. We drank one beer and talked politics for a while. Mindy boldly broached the topic of abortion and gay rights, which never goes over well in mixed company. Everyone’s got a differing view. She seemed frustrated that no one was taking up her cross. But that’s why these topics are so controversial. We all agreed to be friends as we departed for home despite polar views. Happy Thanksgiving! Bella, Mindy, and I walked home and went directly to bed.