You Aint Nothing But A Ground Hog

It was 5:30am. Given my preference, I would’ve slept for another hour. However, this was a work day. There wasn’t time to give in to my fleshly desire. I wished I hadn’t stayed up so late the night before, but I did. The sleepies went away slowly but surely. I felt considerably more awake once my exercises were in the bag. By comparison, it was warm. It was 30 degrees outside. All the melted snow had re-froze over night, so I had to maneuver carefully as Ykraps and I went about our morning walk. Of course the same would hold true later, while on my run. I returned home for some much desired coffee. It was good. I delivered Mindy’s bedside. Downstairs I followed my usual pattern of internet, coffee, and then meditation. A new wrinkle is indoor stretching before heading out on my run. I think I like it. I dressed and left for a run at 6:35am. I stretched my hamstrings from the front stoop. They were almost completely pain-free. That’s great news! My run went well. I was able to navigate the streets pretty well. However, I had to keep an eye zeroed in on the road just ahead to avoid a slip, trip, or fall. There were many slick spots. Not only that, the hardened, icy snow was chunky enough to cause foot problems. I managed through it. Soon I was home. Mindy had my eggs ready at my place setting. The kids and her were just about to leave. I threw together a quick lunch with the fruit, veggies, and cheese that Mindy cut up Sunday afternoon/evening. I was off to the shower by 7:35am. Jacob and I dashed off for the bus stop at 7:58am.The bus was on time, and I was off to work by 8:10am. The work day went smoothly. I failed to mention that my eye favorite eye glasses broke again Saturday afternoon. I noticed it when we got home after skiing. The screw came out of the right arm. Mindy and I both struggled for nearly two hours trying to get it back in. Hopeless! The last time this happened they had to order a new arm ($30). I worried that might be the case once again, but I also knew it wasn’t that far off from going back in. I called my ophthalmologist to see if they would take a whack at getting it back in. They asked that I be there between 1:15-1:30pm. I left the office at 1pm. I wanted to look at snow skis at a couple other places while out, too. I went by Dr Julie’s office first. They fixed my glasses in less than two minutes. Nancy did it. She’s the same optician that tried the last time albeit unsuccessfully. She said it’s spring loaded making it difficult for most others to do. I thanked her and headed towards Sawmill rd. My first stop was Dick’s Sporting Goods. They had a very limited selection of skis, many of the brands and models I’ve been looking at online. Their pricing seemed like no bargain at all. I left there feeling good about Aspen Ski &Board. Next stop, Sports Authority, which is almost next door. Their selection was picked over nearly to nothing. They had oodles more just two short weeks ago. I wanted to make one more stop at the Ski Shack, which I found online but wasn’t sure exactly where they were located. I knew it had to be close, however. Turns out, it was up the road just a couple of blocks. The Ski Shack isn’t as a nice a place as Aspen Ski & Boards, but seemed to have similar stuff at comparable prices. I liked two sets; a Nordica Mach 3 & a Rossignol Z3. Both models were 2008s. I liked the 2008 color scheme much better than the 2009s. They were marked down considerably too. The 2009 version of the same Rossi’s were almost $200 more at Aspen Ski & Board. The 2009 Nordica’s were only $30 more. Their boot selection wasn’t even close to what they had at Aspen, though. I talked with the in-house ski smith about the pros and cons. He gave me some useful information. I left wondering what I might do. Back at the office, I ate my packed lunch and worked hard for the rest of the afternoon. I left for home at 5:40pm. I was surprised to see my dad’s SUV parked in front of the house. Like most visits, he had already walked Ykraps. He stayed for dinner - leftover pork chops. The kids were a little unruly, even more so than usual. I think it got to dad a bit. We talked about his coming Florida trip – about two weeks out. Said it’s been chilly down there a few times this winter. Dad left around 7:15pm. Mindy moved directly to bedtime readiness. I helped some. We tucked the kids into bed by 8:00pm. We spent a little time on the sofa watching TV. Mindy rubbed my aching foot, although it‘s feeling much better of late. We headed up to bed between 9:30-10:00pm.