Jagger, Tyler, and Lambert?

I woke around 5:15am and saw that I had a good fifteen minutes left to sleep. After falling back asleep, I woke again at 5:25am, only this time for good. Downstairs, I started my exercise routine, which included sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I checked the temperature before heading out with Ykraps. It was 40 degrees under mostly clear skies. We walked to the west passing ‘Bucky’ and his dog doing their morning jog. Bucky is Mrs. Dent’s (Rocky’s kindergarten teacher) husband. Back home, I was more than eager for coffee, but was disappointed to discover that I didn’t have the auto-brew button pushed. I had to wait a few extra minutes after hitting the go button. I did some early internet surfing while waiting on the coffee to brew. It was done just in time to make and deliver Mindy’s first cup. I left mine to await my return. After waking Mindy I returned to enjoy my own much anticipated cup of coffee. It was so good! Like most mornings, I read the Daily OM, the headlines, and some of Glenn’s blog. Sounds like Tom S., Glenn’s BFF, is now out of work, yet another fatality of the newspaper business. Glenn may go skiing this weekend. As far as I can tell, he hasn’t taken advantage of the early spring dumping on Mt Hood. Us folks back here in Ohio covet such conditions. They’ve received close to 100” of new snow in the last 2-3 weeks, and of that, about 3-4’ to their collective base. Of course Snow Trails has been closed since Mar 8th, and Holiday Valley’s snow pack is dwindling fast. Hell, with all the snow they’re getting, Mindy & I may do an Oregon ski vacation the first week of June. At 6:15am I headed to the family room for a stretch and meditation. I really needed some peaceful meditation. It was quite nice. My stretching was equally rewarding, and it’s making a big difference. I managed my way out the door for a run at 6:37am. Because it was a clear morning, daybreak was apparent immediately. In just a matter of minutes it was daylight. An enjoyable run, indeed. Back at the house, the kids were just finishing their breakfasts. Jacob asked his mother & I if he could take his MP3 player to school. I deferred to Mindy. She said yes, but that he could use it only on the bus. He headed up to his room to watch TV. Mindy & Bella finalized their prep and departed just before 7:30am. I was off to the shower a short time later. I toyed with the idea of calling off work since the weather was supposed to be so nice (low 60s and sunny). But of course, I didn’t. Jacob and I were off to the bus stop at 7:57am. He expressed no desire to toss the football. Lovely morning. We noticed several flowing trees nearby sprouting their bouquets. Definitely spring! Jacob was on the bus by 8:03am. I went back home where I had to clean up an accident Ykraps had on the dining room carpet overnight. I wasn’t pleased, and have no idea what got into him. I left for work around 8:15am. The work day progressed at a feverish pace, especially the early part of the day. Things slowed down a little in the afternoon. I took time to eat my lunch: veggies, fruit, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Because this was soccer practice night, I didn’t have any reason to leave work before 5:45pm. And even that gets me to the soccer field early. But this time I was prepared. I brought my book. I left the office at 5:45pm. It took all of 14 minutes to make it the enormous soccer complex. Once again, I beat Mindy and the kids. Mindy phoned while in route, and while I was busy reading. She was in transit. I didn’t know how close. I told her just how crowded the facility was. She and the kids arrived at 6:20pm. Unlike me, they had to park towards the back of the lot. Mindy brought me a McDonald’s combo meal: quarter-pounder with cheese, fries, and a Coke. Thanks, honey! She and Bella jumped in the Trooper with me after while Jacob ran off to meet up with his team, which congregated in a field about 100 yards from our lofty perch. I sat my book aside and talked with Mindy & Bella the entire time. Like a carbon copy of the past two Tuesday’s, the sky clouded over and the temperature cooled off a bit. As I’ve stated before, it’s always windy in Hilliard. Mindy & Bella played learning games- math & spelling. At 7:20pm, I drove the two of them back to the Honda so they could depart for home a little early. I waited for Jacob while also reading my book. Practice ended right at 7:30pm. This time, at least, they weren’t the last team in the park. We took Scioto-Darby to Walcutt to Trabue and then home. We made decent time. Mindy was outside with Bella talking to neighbor Mike on the bridge when we pulled up. Jacob asked to ride his bike. I knew that it was too late and told him no. It was already 7:50pm, and just a couple minutes shy of ‘come-in’ time. He understood. Because they both bathed Monday night, they received a skip-pass tonight, but not before Jacob passed a tough ‘sniff test’. Oh, today was report card day for Bella. She did really well. Although, she acknowledged that she needs to brush-up on her handwriting. We were very efficient. We had the kids tucked into bed by 8:10pm. Mindy tuned the TV to Idol while I updated my blog. I could hear the crooners from a distance. Satisfied with my posting, I joined Mindy in the familyroom around 8:20pm. I poured myself a Jack & Coke and got comfy on the sofa. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t a particular theme to the night’s performances. Most did songs they enjoyed. Our favorite, Adam, did Wild Cherry’s, Play that Funky Music. Very nicely done! Paula Abdul paid him perhaps the greatest compliment given to an Idol contestant ever. She said, and I paraphrase, there are three musical performers that set the standard for all others: Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, and now Adam Lambert. Wow! Not sure about that, but he his special. We saw two or three top notch performances. Mindy & I also agreed on the two worst, Scott & Lil. Idol ended at 9:25 – odd finishing time. Picking up where it left off, Fox ran the Osbourne’s (Ozzy & family) Reborn. It was a goofy show to say the least. They staged a wedding at the end. What was that? Mindy headed to bed at the outset of the Osbourne’s show. I watched to its end, which was 10pm. I headed up to bed immediately after.

A Nasty Disposition

I didn’t sleep as well as I hoped, yet still woke just after 5:30am feeling moderately rested. If I had to guess, I’d blame all the sugar I consumed on Sunday, which was far more than I typically do. Already, things were looking up after I spotted crystal clear skies. Too, the temperature was 38 degrees. I expected much worse. Like usual, I whipped out my sit-ups and push-ups just before heading out with Ykraps. Shortly after he and I were back from our walk I had my coffee in hand. It was just before 6am. I spent five minutes on the PC before delivering Mindy’s coffee and waking her for work. She didn’t sleep well either. And from the sounds of it, far worse than I. My guess was that the Lindsey thing was weighing on her mind. Back downstairs I continued my PC time reading the Daily OM and the morning’s headlines. I didn’t break away for stretching and meditation until 6:15am. By then I could hear the shower running upstairs, proof that Mindy was indeed up and moving around. It was already 6:38am by the time I completed my stretching, meditation ,and was dressed for my run. My running clothes reeked of stale sweat. Note to self - wash before leaving for work. I was amused to see daybreak, albeit just faintly, on the horizon immediately out the door. It came on fast, too. By the 2-mile marker it was effectually daybreak. My run went well. I kept myself occupied with numerous thoughts, some positive - some not so positive. The net effect was a run that seemed to end just after it started. Like most Monday’s, I passed the trash truck well into his route. I often make a game of it. Incidentally, ours was emptied even before I left for my run. I moved it back to its resting spot after my run and before heading back inside. Jacob and Mindy were toiling in the kitchen. Noticeably missing were the Cabot boys. The house was very quiet. Another obvious difference was the time that Mindy had to prep my lunch. Alright! Jacob headed up to his room before Mindy and Bella departed. Mindy carried Bella down from bed. This was not a school day for Bella. She’d be going to grandma Sharon’s instead. I commented that she’s too big to be carried down the stairs. Soon Mindy & Bella were gone. Mindy mentioned just before leaving that she started to unload the dishwasher but ran out of time. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she departed without the boys in tow. But on a positive, she’d, almost assuredly, have a much quieter commute. I unloaded the dishwasher before heading up for my shower. I had the time. Why not? I was still showered and dressed before 7:50am. Before Jacob came down to leave for the bus stop, I decided to try yet another AAA battery I found in our room in his MP3 player that we assumed was broke. That was it. The new battery brought it to back to life. Someone must’ve placed spent batteries in our battery tote by mistake. I felt a sense of relief. I was thinking another $40 wasted. Just as Jacob was heading out the door I shared the good news with him. He was pleased too. I grabbed the football and met Jacob and Jake in Dave & Becky’s drive, our bus stop. We tossed the ball back and forth while battling the bright morning sunrise. The sunshine was very warm despite the chilly temps, which by then hovered around 40 degrees. Soon the boys were on the bus. They were excited to see that their sub was still driving. Not sure what’s up with their regular driver. I know the boys don’t care too much for her, though. Not exactly sure why. Before leaving for work I organized some bills needing paid and took them along with me. I headed out the door at 8:15am. There was a little frost on the windshield of the Trooper but nothing a little window juice wouldn’t cure. I was on my way. Gas prices were down a few cents but still just above $2.00. I arrived at work around 8:25am. It was a most pleasant walk into the building – birds singing and the sun shining. Ahh spring! Were expecting sunshine all day, but the high was only going to reach 54 degrees. But after yesterday, we’ll take it! And besides, did we have a choice? Work was only moderately busy. I spent the first hour of the day discussing several key issues with my boss and peer all the while sipping coffee. I walked down and talked with my team a bit later. Things were going smoothly. Come 1:15pm I decided to take a lunch break and drove off to pick-up Mindy’s prescription at CVS and then stop in Lowe’s. Her prescription required a $20 co-pay! Damn! At Lowe’s, I wanted to price a few spring project related items: a spud bar, patio stones and edging, replacement wheel barrow tires, and garden hoses. My wheel barrow has had a flat tire for several years. And some of my garden hoses need replaced after almost 15 years or more of faithful service. They’ve become very brittle. Today I was simply browsing and not buying. After Lowe’s, I stopped at Home Depot to price compare the same stuff. They have the replacement wheel barrow tires that Lowe’s didn’t. After about ten minutes in Home Depot I headed back to the office. The afternoon moved by at a snails pace, at least until about 4:30pm. Mindy called and shared that she was stopping by Kelly’s to drop off more of the boys clean clothes. I had called there earlier and talked with Rocky. He was eager and excited to see Mindy. Landon wanted to talk with me too, but hung up on me by mistake. I didn’t bother calling back. Come 5:00pm I got roped into a lengthy conference call related to a sticky work issue. That call lasted until 5:45pm. I didn’t get out to my Trooper until 5:50pm. I still had to run an errand as well – stopping at the ATM for Courtney. She needed a little cash to make ends meet. She was starting spring quarter tonight at Columbus State and moving in her new place this afternoon. I called Mindy and told her I was running behind. She shared how happy the boys were to see her and how Rocky got a star for his performance at school. That made me happy. She also said that Rocky wanted to show his new bedroom to Bella. Bella said it was cute – smelly, like the rest of the house, but cute! I arrived home by 6:05pm. I wasn’t in the best frame of mind after that lengthy conference call at work. I lost my cool a little and was largely disappointed in myself for it. Mindy offered to walk Ykraps with me and shared that ex-Kelly just called and berated her for stopping by her house. What on Earth? She shared the details while we walked. One needs look no further than Kelly’s nasty disposition to see where Lindsey gets it. We both shook our heads in disbelief. Kelly apparently espoused some obscenities and indicated that Mindy wasn’t welcome to stop at her home- ever. Yeah? I had my cell phone with me at the time, so I decided to call and rattle her cage a bit. Nothing Kelly could say to me, however, would justify her ignorance. Kelly answered and after switching phones, immediately made some disparaging comments about my wife running to me. Initially, I simply asked why she would be so rude. Sadly, the conversation only went downhill from there, just as is often the case when talking with Kelly. And it probably didn’t help that I was already in a somewhat agitated state from that call at work. Kelly continued barking unrealistic orders for how we might handle dropping off and picking up the kids in the future. I could no longer resist. I called her an obscene name and hung up. Again, I was disappointed in myself for allowing her bitterness to impact my mood. Crap! That was twice in the last hour or so that I let someone else’s warped perspective impact me. No excuses, but Kelly’s simply a hard person to like. Back at home the mood lightened. The kids came home from playing outdoors and we all sat down for our Mexican dinner of tacos and Spanish rice. Mindy recently took my advice and bought large taco shells. I could manage only two. Jacob the same. But I did eat two helpings of rice topped with taco meat and cheese as well. Courtney phoned around 7pm to let us know that she was on her way over. Class had just let out. Mindy & I put on our spring jackets and walked out front. It was a lovely spring evening, although still a tad chilly. Jacob was already out there riding his new bike with friend/neighbor Jake. Courtney pulled up minutes later. We talked out front while sitting on the front lawn. We talked about money management, her dog, and then Kaileigh. Courtney expressed concern over feeling lectured. And honestly, in a way, we were. In the same breathe, we’re very proud of the hurdles she’s overcome. I know it hasn’t been easy, but there are many more hurdles/opportunities yet to come. We carried our conversation inside. G.D. Kaileigh phoned Courtney a few minutes later. She asked to talk with me. That felt good. She said she planned to spend the night at our place next Monday while she and Bella are on Spring break. Courtney asked if I happened to have a TI-83 or 84 calculator she could use for her Algebra class. Sure enough, I found my old one from the mid-90s in the cupboard. It’s a TI-82 but should suffice. It’s a graphing calculator. I was happy to lend it out and save her a few bucks. We discussed the coming weekend and how we might get all of her stuff moved into her new place. I offered to rent a truck and get it moved. She has to work but I figure I can ask brother Tommy, dad, or even Ashley’s boyfriend, Stephen for help. She left around 7:45pm. Mindy called the kids in from play and got them upstairs for a bath and shower. I used the time to post to my blog. Mindy called on me around 8:12pm to tuck in the kids, who were already in bed. I did the deed and returned downstairs where we watched the rest of House and then 24. Mindy gave me a strong back rub during our TV time. My neck had stiffened significantly. It can come and go in an instant these days. We headed to bed at 10pm.

A Good Day for Napping

I woke around 7:30am feeling pretty darn good. Mindy asked me to fetch her some Advil just before I headed downstairs. I wondered how she felt after sucking down four hi-octane beers the night before. She also asked me to make sure that she was up by 9:00am. I took that to mean that she still planned on attending church. Good girl! Meanwhile, it was bright and sunny overhead. Puzzled, I checked the forecast, which still called for cloudy skies and chilly temps (low 40s). But heck, it was sunny and 38 already. Ykraps enjoyed our walk. We took our time drinking in all the spring time sounds and sights. And while the sky was blue overhead, I could see thick gray clouds just to our immediate west. Looked like a matter of minutes before they’d engulf the sunshine. Still, I enjoyed it while it lasted. I sat in front of my PC sipping coffee for the next 30 minutes or so. Bella came down around 8:30am and asked if I would put together her new bath toy so that it would be ready when her momma got up. Sure! Lucky for me, the toy went together easily, just a few loose parts. By the time that I was done, Mindy was up. I spent the next 45 minutes uploading a couple recent short videos to YouTube, the first I’ve ever shared. I also added a video to my blog for the first time. Cool. That was easy. Ever since our last ski trip, I’ve been taking more short video clips (30-60 seconds) of our family activities. I stopped playing on the PC around 9:40am and got dressed for my run. Mindy and the kids would be leaving for church before I got back. I made sure that Mindy knew I was heading out. Because I could, I reduced my run to 3.5 miles, keeping it within the subdivision. I passed Mindy & the kids heading to church at about the 3 mile marker. By then I was contending with a sudden cloud burst of cold driving rain. That pretty much nixed any plans I might’ve had to do yard work. Earlier, I tinkered with the idea of raking out the flower beds – something that needs done before edging. The chilly temps already were a potential hurdle, but now the rain all but sealed the deal. At home, the first thing on my mind was getting something to eat. I thought about making eggs and stuff but didn’t feel like going through the cooking process. I settled on a roast beef sandwich with all the trimmings. Glad I did, too. It was delicious! While enjoying my sandwich, I spent more time on the PC. I added another video to my You Tube collection. Just before Mindy and the kids got home I did some stretching on the living room floor and eventually took a nap while still lying there. I straightened up the kitchen after that. Mindy & the kids arrived home around 12:30pm. They brought home donuts after having their appetites teased at church, where they ran out on donut Sunday. I ate perhaps the first real donut I’ve eaten in years. Jacob was again being a pill, giving his momma some crap about something. Can’t recall what it was. Mindy was about to head off for the grocery store and leave the children with me. However, both expressed a strong desire to go along. Wahoo, More free time! While Mindy & the kids went to the grocery, I did a few chores. I finally reorganized our ski gear into one larger tote and moved it to the basement shelving. I swept and cleaned the kitchen tile, too. Still with the house all to myself, I snuggled up in the oversized familyroom chair and did some reading. I hadn’t done any reading since our last ski trip. My, how far I’ve gotten away from the things that make me feel whole. One must admit, however, we’ve had our hands quite full for the last four months. Perhaps I’ll be able to do more reading now. Mindy & the kids returned from the grocery around 3:00pm. The kids helped carry everything inside. I eventually slipped off to sleep while reading. That felt incredibly good! Still tired, I begged off to our bedroom for an even better nap. I slept until 3:40pm when I decided I’d better get up and get a shower. As far as I knew, we were still doing Sunday dinner. I showed up downstairs showered and dressed around 4pm. Mindy was just about ready, but still had to round up Jacob, who was out playing on his bike. We spotted him in Mike & Teri’s backyard apparently ignoring Bella’s call to return home. Not at all pleased, Mindy opened the back door and did her own version of the cattle call. Not pretty! He soon hurried home. We met him at the foot of the driveway the rest of us already in the Honda. We had him stow his bike before getting in the car. We arrived at Gloria’s around 4:35pm. We weren’t the last to arrive, which was good. Jodie & Larry shared stories from their recent trip to Vegas. Sounds like they had a good time. Larry also shared that we lost yet another former classmate, Norm something or other. Jeff Farrish passed just a couple weeks ago. Soon, Gloria called us for dinner. We had sloppy Joe’s, fried potatoes, and pasta salad. All good, of course. Boston Crème cake was served for dessert. I had an extra-big piece, and then the rest of Mindy’s. It was magically delicious. It was already after 7pm. Hate to eat and run, but we needed to get home and get things ready for Monday. Jacob rode his bike while I walked Ykraps. I kept the walk straight to avoid crossing any streets. Both kids bathed earlier in the day making our evening that much simpler. Mindy had them tucked into bed just after 8pm. I did my tuck-in with them too. That was easy, although Bella came to the railing not three minutes later telling her momma that she couldn’t fall asleep. Mindy wasn’t in the mood for such toil and demanded she get back in bed. She did. I tuned to the video TV Guide to see what was on the Science & National Geographic Channel. Both had interesting programming. I chose the National Geographic Channel where they uncovered a huge biblical artifacts counterfeiting ring. Next up was a program that traced the roots of this 160lb Satanic Bible found in some monastery overseas. It was pretty much a joke. I lost interest and fell asleep. I woke around 10pm and head up to bed.

New Hair Cut & Bike

The forecasted weather certainly wasn’t nice enough to motivate me out of bed, but the thought of sleeping the morning away didn’t excite me much either. I took two Advil around 5am after waking with a dull headache. Mindy fetched them for me. I got up for good at 7:45am. Mindy remained sleeping. I was careful not to wake her. I started a pot of coffee, exercised, and then walked Ykraps. The morning weather wasn’t as dismal as I expected. It was partly cloudy and 40 degrees, pretty much on par with every other day this past week. As far as I knew, Mindy & I didn’t have any major plans for the day. I knew the kids would be home sometime later but didn’t know the exact time. I didn’t worry about making the day a productive one. I was happy to have some down time. I sipped coffee and surfed the internet for a good hour. I left for my run around 9:30am and ran along Trabue & Hague. I felt really good and had plenty of energy in the tank. Mindy was up and sitting in front of her laptop when I got back from my run. We haven’t had many quiet Saturday morning’s of late. It was quite nice. Still, we both missed the Cabot boys and worry for their development and well being. Neither one of us give Kelly & Lindsey much, if any, credit for their parenting/homemaking skills. Rightfully so. We chatted for about an hour while sitting on the sofa. Around 11am I headed up and took a shower. Again, we had no solid plans but I wanted to be clean and ready for anything. Mindy talked about grocery shopping but never fully committed to it. I thought that we might even go shopping together. Mindy was already in house cleaning mode when I came down from a shower. She was determined to ‘spring clean’ all three kids’ rooms. I asked when we should expect Jacob & Bella. She said near lunchtime. And sure enough, they were home around noon. Mindy asked if I’d take Jacob to get his haircut. I agreed. I mentioned the idea to Jacob as soon as he came in with his daddy. He adamantly objected and even went as far as to throw a little fit. Geesh, it’s not like he takes care of his hair anyway. I certainly didn’t expect that reaction. He continued his antics for the next 30 minutes or so. Mindy eventually had to have a little come-to-Jesus talk with him. He was much better after. I didn’t say anything to Jacob, but I planned to look at new bikes with him too. That’s what he wants for his 9th birthday, which is roughly two short weeks away. We left the house around 2pm. He was in a far better mood. We went to Great Clips on Hilliard Rome Rd. They got him in right away. Great! I gave the stylist instructions, and also requested extra care be given to his bangs (no bowl lookin’ cuts allowed). She seemed to understand. While Jacob was being groomed, I curled up with Ski magazine. I was surprised to find both Bachelor & Timberline listed in the top 15 late season ski resorts across the country. It’s really hard to beat their snow pack – more than anywhere else in the US. In fact, Timberline never really closes, except for the 2 weeks after Labor for maintenance. It didn’t take long to finish Jacob’s haircut. Looked really good to my eyes. Afterwards, I offered that we walk down to Target to look at bikes. He was excited. It didn’t take Jacob long to find a bike he really liked. He was determined to get a bike similar to the one he already had only bigger. He just isn’t ready for gears and hand brakes. The bike he chose was black in color – my preference too. Mindy was also insistent on a new helmet. To my surprise, he liked the black bike helmet, as well. Now we’re talking! We got an adult-sized helmet (he’s got a big, tall head). I also wanted to get him a new soccer ball, one that looked sportier than his beater ball he currently takes to practice. We found one in shimmery gold that we both liked. I let him ride the bike through the store to the checkout line, but he got a little self conscious and ended up walking it up. Total bill, $101. Not bad for a bike, helmet, and soccer ball. Again, this was his birthday present from Mindy & I. He was quite happy. He asked if he could ride his bike as soon as we got home. I couldn’t see any reason why not. Jacob was on his bike as soon was we pulled it out of the Trooper in the driveway. I went to fetch some cutters to remove the owner’s manual from the handlebars. He was chomping at the bit to ride. Meanwhile, Mindy was happy to see that we returned not only with a haircut but a new bike, too. Jacob was soon off and riding. Mindy wasn’t far behind, walking down to neighbor Crissy’s to settle up on the floral arrangement we collectively bought for The Curran’s a couple of week’s ago. She returned a few minutes later with an invite to stop down later. I was just heading out with Ykraps when Mindy returned. Jacob followed along while riding his bike. Mindy suggested we do dinner out with the kids earlier in the day. Jacob was bent on it being Barley’s. Bella liked the idea too. How could I resist? So, at 6pm we all headed off in the Honda for Barley’s. We sat in a booth. Deanna was our server. I ordered an IPA and Mindy ordered a St Joan’s. Jacob ordered ice water and Bella ordered 7-Up. For dinner, Jacob ordered 10 Gates of Hell wings with a side of cheesy fries. Bella ordered 10 K.C. wings. Mindy ordered the long standing Saturday special, brisket and braised greens. I went with an old-fashioned Barley burger & onion straws. Our dinners were delicious. Both kids ate really well. Before we were through, I ordered another beer, only this time an Avery’s Maharaja DIPA. Mindy picked up our tab. Jacob wanted to ride his bike as soon as we got home. It was about 7:40pm or so. We allowed Jacob to ride the area around our home. After a few short minutes, Mindy & I each grabbed a beer and walked down to Crissy & Kenny’s, who invited us down earlier in the day. Jacob rode his bike over a few minutes later when darkness set in. We had a nice time hanging out. As the evening wore on, all the neighbors stopped over: Dave & Becky, and fireman Mike. We joked with Mike about wheeling Teri down, who’s at home with a broken ankle. Through the night Mindy drank a St Joan’s at Barley’s and then three Expedition Stouts at the neighbor’s. Needless to say, she was feeling no pain. Bella had a melt down as the clock neared 11pm. She was insistent on taking a bath when we got home. Of course, Mindy would have none of that. We walked home and put both kids to bed. Mindy promised Bella a bath first thing in the morning. You might be wondering what the lure was. Well, Bella’s been taking showers since the Cabot boys arrived in part to help speed things up, not to mention the new bath play set she recently got. She’s very excited about the prospect of taking a bath again. Mindy and I headed to bed right after the kids. I turned on the bedroom TV. Mindy insisted on controlling the remote since I have a reputation for falling asleep.

Boyz Gone Wild

I recall hearing Landon squeak at some point through the night and Mindy going to his aide. But she wasn’t gone long. She was back in bed in less than a minute or two. Landon must’ve had a bad dream or something. Out of bed just before 5:30am.It was Friday once more, and no one was more pleased than I. Just as I was heading out of the room and down the stairs, Mindy asked that I leave the bedroom door opened in case Landon called out again. The weather was on the cool side. It was 38 degrees under partly cloudy skies. We were expecting the mid 50s later in the day but with clouds. My exercises and morning walk went without incident. Back at home I enjoyed coffee time at the PC before waking Mindy. I delivered her coffee and a wake-up call at 6:05am. After more PC time I did my morning meditation and then inside stretching on the family room floor. I can already detect greater flexibility and looser leg muscles. This stuff works! Plenty more work to do, however. It was already 6:30am and time to head out for my run. I dressed in a heavy wicking shirt but lighter jacket. That worked out well. I wore hand and ear covers too. Quite comfortable, thank you. Even though the cloud cover was thick, daybreak was obvious and deliberate. My run went extremely well. Before heading back into the house I picked up the ‘trash’ new papers thrown down on our approachway and tossed them into the garbage. Inside the house was full of life. Everyone was up, including Landon, and eating their breakfast. My thoughts turned immediately to the reality that this would be our last morning with the Cabot boys. Jacob and I toyed with Rocky some. He wasn’t amused. He asked if he could still come over for sleepovers. Of course! Mindy and the kids departed at their normal time. This was Jacob’s last day of spring break. He was going to school with Mindy, something he was looking forward to. I enjoyed my alone time and readied for work at a slower than usual pace. I was downstairs and ready by 7:50am but didn’t leave right then. Instead, I used the time to download the previous night’s photos and tinker on the internet. I left for work at 8:15am. Work was moderately busy. I had one particular issue that dominated my entire day, but still managed to squeeze in all of my usual Friday administrative tasks. I didn’t take lunch and took relatively few breaks. No wonder my back and neck often ache. Although, it was under control for the better part of the day. Any time I began to feel spasm-like pain I would stretch my neck and back from my chair until it cracked. That always brings temporary relief. Ex-Kelly phoned and left a VM requesting I call her. I must’ve returned her call mid-day sometime. She wanted to arrange the transfer of the boys. Instead of us dropping them after dinner, she wanted to pick them up at our place. I was largely indifferent, but wanted to check with Mindy first. Mindy had no issues, so I called Kelly back to give her the green light. Kelly figured to be at our place before 7pm. The work finally came to an end giving way to the weekend I longed for. I left the office around 5:10pm destined for home. Bella and Jacob were already gone with their daddy. Rocky & Landon were busy playing. I walked Ykraps alone, even though Rocky said he was going to join me. Can’t recall what changed his mind. Mindy made the boys French bread pizza - a favorite of Rocky’s. He ate very little prompting us to wonder how much he’d eaten at Grandma Sharon’s during the day. Rocky colored after dinner, once again demonstrating incredible control over the crayon and a keen eye for color. I can’t help but think he’s got the Wright ‘art’ gene. He must’ve asked a hundred times if it was time for his mommy to come. That got old quick. Landon spent time with me in the living room while we waited on Kelly. It was 6:30pm. Just a short 30 minutes to go. I really wanted to nap but Landon wanted to play. He asked me to spin him in the computer chair. I obliged his request. He loves it. I also shot a video of him playing the harmonica. I was amused with his playing ability. Shoot, he’s only two. Kelly & Lindsey arrived just before 7pm. Rocky was very excited. Mindy & I carried out their clothes and toys. And in case you’re wondering, we did hold back several outfits for both, many with the tags still on them should they return. We also kept many of the toys we’d purchased, including Rocky’s Leapster. We gave them both hugs and kisses before they pulled away. And for some reason, Kelly wasn’t very pleasant. She made some bitter remarks as we were loading the last few bags. Unfortunately, I was purposefully tuning her out so I didn’t hear much of what she was saying. But judging by the tone, it certainly wasn’t a great big ol’ thank you. They were gone. Just like that, our house was once again the peaceful, tranquil place it’s been for most of its life. I relish the peace, calm, and tranquility. It didn’t take long for Mindy to rush upstairs. I followed after several minutes to check on her whereabouts. Sure enough, she was crying. She wondered if we’d done enough to try to get & keep the boys. She’s troubled deeply thinking about the boys under Kelly & Lindsey’s care, especially Landon, whose early childhood development flourished with us. What will come will come. I, on the other hand, was OK, a tiny bit sad, but still OK. I did my level best to pick Mindy up. I gave her a hug and thanked her for all she’d done for both boys over the last 115 days. We got cleaned up and left for Barley’s at 7:45pm. The bar was a little crowded at first but loosened rather quickly. Bob & Mary Ann were there. It was good to see them both. It did Mindy some good having Mary Ann to share her feelings with. Mindy’s mood improved quickly. Lots of our peeps were there. We had a typical good time. This time I made sure to order some food. I had a Cuban and fries while Mindy had their Southwestern salad. I played pinball with Bob #2, probably for the first time in 20 years. He has one in his home, he later shared. Rene showed a little later like she often does. Mindy was tired and suggested we leave even before 10:30pm. Rene wanted me to have one more beer, but Mindy nixed that idea, citing a desire to have a coherent husband. We left just after 10:30pm. Mindy picked up the tab. Hooray! I noticed that the clouds had cleared giving way to a starry night. I found that strange given that Saturday’s forecast called for clouds and rain. We didn’t stay up too late once at home.

The Last Supper

I was up at 5:30am feeling more tired than usual. It wasn’t raining but the streets and deck were still a little wet. The temperature was a moderate 53 degrees. After my exercise – non-curl day – I headed out with Ykraps. Our walk was enjoyable. Because of warm temps and humidity, it felt pretty darn comfortable. Back home, I enjoyed some coffee in front of the PC before delivering Mindy’s around 6:05am. At 6:12am I decided to forego more PC time and instead, chose to plop down on the sofa for a little more sleep. I slept until 6:29am. I got up and completed a quick meditation and stretch before dressing and leaving for a run. I was still a little tired but the extra sleep helped a bunch, however, still lacking my usual energy. I worked up one hell of a sweat running. My wicking shirt was soaked when I returned to the house, so much so that the only rationale recourse was to remove it. I ate breakfast bare chested. Oh yeah, baby! Mindy & the wee one’s departed at 7:30am. I spent the next 45 minutes readying for work and playing on the PC. I didn’t leave the house until 8:15am. I arrived just before 8:30am. Work was quite busy, by far the busiest day of the week. I stayed focused all day and didn’t take formal lunch break. Instead, I worked straight through. Only the last hour or two seemed to linger. Late afternoon, I sent ex-Kelly an email detailing some particulars regarding the boys. The note included their current schedule/routine along with a few tips. All of it good stuff. Whether she & Lindsey employ any of it is anyone’s guess, but at least we tried. Tonight was supposed to be their last night with us. To commemorate, Mindy invited my dad to dinner – spaghetti and meatballs. I talked with Mindy sometime just after 4pm to let her know how busy my evening at work was but that I thought I’d be home at my usual 5:50pm-ish. I tied up a few loose ends and left work at 5:35pm. By then, the sky was clear and the temperature in the mid 50s. Quite nice, really. I arrived home around 5:50pm. Even before seeing anyone, I could hear Landon in the kitchen belting out excitement over me being home. That always feels good. Dad was entertaining Landon while Mindy toiled in the kitchen with the spaghetti. He was busy sharing a story about Shawn. Dad advised that he’d already walked Ykraps saving me the trouble. Cool! I reloaded the coffee pot and then rinsed my lunch containers all the while avoiding getting in Mindy’s way. Dinner was ready in short order. All the kids were wound up, but none more so that Rocky. He had his usual million questions. The spaghetti was great. After dinner the kids asked to go play at Emily & Evans. Before they did, Mindy announced that tonight would be the last night the boys were staying with us. Rocky was elated to be going back to his mommy’s house. Landon was indifferent (he didn’t understand). Sadly, our kids were celebratory, too. But that’s how young kids are. As for Mindy & I, we were both sad. Still are. Dad stayed long enough for dessert. The kids dashed off outdoors to play but weren’t gone long. Apparently, neighbor Mike sent them home after fighting broke out. Dad left around 7:30pm. Mindy declared it bath time around 7:45pm. While she got all that started, I worked on my blog. That didn’t last long. She beckoned my help with the kids not five minutes into baths. I rushed to her aide just like a lap dog. Soon we had the kids tucked neatly in their beds. For Rocky & Landon this would be the last time, at least this go around. Sad, really. I headed back downstairs and published the past four or five blog entries. I didn’t bother adding pictures, but hope to later. I sipped a cold HopSlam during the fun. I mistakenly thought that American Idol elimination night started at 9pm. I worked on my PC until 8:55pm. When we tuned the TV from music to Idol, they were just saying goodbye to the oil rigger dude. Probably the right choice. Immediately, I tuned the TV to the Science Channel to watch The Big Blue Planet, or something like that. Fascinating stuff. Tonight’s program covered the lifecycle of the various animals living in both polar regions. Mindy headed to bed before me by about 15 minutes. I joined just after 10pm.

Track of My Tears

Just like I am programmed to be, I was up at 5:30am. Immediately, I could hear a steady rain beating against the house. Before even thinking about my run, my thoughts turned to Mindy asking me if it was supposed to rain last night just before bed. I told her I wasn’t sure. She then put something, laundry related I think, out on the deck. Oops! Next, of course, I thought about my run and how much I loathe heading out the door in it. Downstairs, I started my exercise routine then checked the temperature. It was 54 degrees – pretty warm, really. This was a curl day, by the way. It was still raining as I headed out with Ykraps. I grabbed the purple dog walking umbrella off the porch but struggled to get it opened. Thankfully, I eventually got it. Our walk was brisk and to the point. I didn’t want there to be any lollygagging this AM. I got a little wet but not too bad. I poured some coffee and then took to the PC. I checked the radar to see what I might be up against. More importantly, I wanted to see if lightning might be a worry. It wasn’t. Much to my liking, there was a fair sized break in the clouds nearing town but with loads more rain to follow. I didn’t panic or rush, but did hold out hope that my run would benefit from the approaching cloud break. I delivered Mindy’s coffee and also let her know that it was raining. I then asked about the laundry she placed on the deck. She wasn’t concerned. Good! Back downstairs I played on the PC reading the Daily OM, a few emails, and the headlines. I’ve been encourage by the bullish market of late. Perhaps there is hope. But I’m also smart enough to know that the bottom could drop out once more. Still, it’s nice to see some positive upward movement followed by good financial news. My heart goes out to those needing/planning to retire this year or last. I did a very brief meditation and stretch before donning my running attire. I wore a thin wicking shirt and lighter jacket hoping to sync up with the moderate temperature. I had to keep in mind how humid it was too. Lucky for me, the rain had stopped completely. And except for a little sprinkle towards the run’s end, it stayed dry for the duration. Mindy had my eggs ready upon reentry. Mindy left with the wee ones around 7:25am. I had the house all to myself. Yippee! I didn’t leave for work until 8:15am. I used my extra time to download recent photos and surf the net. By the time that I departed the rain was coming down again and at a fairly decent clip. It was on and off for the duration of my relatively short drive – seven miles. It stopped long enough for me to make it into the building. I got busy right away diving into a couple problematic issues. Those issues kept me busy all morning long. Normally, we would’ve had a staff meeting but my boss canceled today’s. He canceled the meeting but not our team lunch. We left early, around 11:20am, for PF Changs, a popular and nearby Chinese Bistro. We all four ordered one of their lunch bowls. I had the pepper steak over brown rice. The bowl comes with soup. I chose hot & sour. It was very rich and spicy. Great price - great food. The afternoon moved by at a decent clip. Mindy phoned. She was dropping the boys at Kelly’s on her way home after working a little late and picking everyone up at Grandma Sharon’s. Per usual, Lindsey flooded our cell phones with frantic calls in an attempt to track Mindy down. Get a life! This was a Mindy Wednesday and because it was raining there wouldn’t be any golf. That meant a dinner date for the two of us. Mindy didn’t want to dine at any of our regular venues (Barley’s, The Vaq, Big Fat, or CBC). Instead, she suggested the Fish Market in Grandview. Sounded good to me. We’ve heard good things about their happy hour specials. I left work at 5:05pm in order to take full advantage of our alone time. I arrived home even before 5:30pm. I walked Ykraps while Mindy tended to a few chores. Laundry I think. It was still raining steadily when we arrived at the Fish Market. I recommended we sit at the bar. Mindy agreed. We spotted two familiar faces from Barley’s sitting across from us, however we don’t know their names but see them there often. It took a few minutes, but they finally waited on us. I ordered a CBC IPA and Mindy ordered a glass of Shiraz. After sipping our drinks we ordered a slew of ‘small plate’ appetizers: buffalo shrimp, wings, calamari, and a bowl of lobster bisque. The prices were damn good. I eventually ordered another IPA and a second plate of the buffalo shrimp. Mindy ate most of the bisque. All of that good stuff and our tab was only $38 before tip. Not bad at all considering the venue. We arrived home before 7:30pm. I fooled around on the PC Mindy did some laundry. The kids (Jacob and Bella) returned at 7:30pm sharp. I gave Jimaken a copy of Jacob’s soccer schedule before he left. I forgot that Jimaken was taking Jacob home to spend the night. After all, this was his spring break. Rocky & Landon got home around 7:45pm. Rocky must’ve hugged and kissed his mother goodbye ten times – always does. Landon was disinterested and seemed happy to be back with us. After a quick snack and chat, we ushered the kids upstairs to ready for bed. We didn’t get them tucked in until about 8:10pm. I quickly changed into my own pajamas then headed back downstairs to watch American Idol. We missed the first two performers. We hoped we hadn’t missed Adam. Turns out, we didn’t. This was Motown week. I wasn’t too impressed with most performances, but did like Adam’s rendition of Smokey Robinson’s, “Track of my Tears”. After Idol, Mindy and I headed straight to bed.

Finding the Pond Light Bulb - It's the LittleThings

I slept extremely well. In kind, I was up a few minutes early. It was 5:30am on the nose by the time that I made it downstairs with my teeth brushed and my running clothes in hand. I glanced out the deck door to check out the sky. It was another clear morning. I put on my dog walking/exercise shoes and started my routine. I had my exercise regimen completed by 5:40am. This was a non-curl day. I checked the temperature. It was a balmy 41 degrees, and just about on par with every other morning for the last week save for last Friday. We had a nice walk – not too cold. It was 5:50am when I hung up my jacket, glanced at the clock, and treated Ykraps. I had plenty of time to sip coffee and relax in front of my PC. Time passed quickly, however. Soon it was time to wake Mindy and deliver her coffee. She was grateful for the coffee. Not so sure she felt the same about getting up. :) I was smart with the time between then and my run. I left oodles of time for meditation and stretching. I left the house for a run at 6:32am. Once again, a new quarter moon was rising in the southeastern sky, but today it was filtered by a few scant, wispy clouds. Daylight came on fast. It was daylight at about the 2.5 mile marker. Once again, the clear sky made a world of difference. Mindy had a full plate of scrambled eggs ready upon my return. I topped them with some sharp cheddar cheese and hot sauce before partaking. They were delicious. Soon Mindy and the kids were leaving. Landon slept until Mindy fetched him from his bed. He was kind of grumpy, which is very rare. I hung out in the garage until Mindy backed out. I wanted to take the fountain pump and light combo inside to retest and check the bulb type. I retested the light. It still didn’t work. While trying to remove the bulb from what I thought was the socket, I broke the bulb. I put it down in disgust and headed off for my shower. I was back downstairs and ready before 7:50am. Because I didn’t need to see Jacob onto the bus, I still had plenty of time. I started monkeying around with the pond light some more. I pulled up the pump/light manufacturer’s webpage. It was in China. I found the light but the page had no way of ordering a replacement. I was frustrated. I spent several minutes looking for alternatives but found nothing economical. Eventually, I looked on the bulb base for a part number, found it, and Googled it. It was then that I discovered that the bulb and base were one. I found lots of websites selling these bulbs. Most wanted more to ship it than the cost of the bulb. What’s more, some required the purchase of an entire case. I decided to email the part number to myself at work and continue my research from there. Surely somewhere in town carries them. Work was again very manageable. I got involved in a couple interesting issues that kept me focused until 1pm or just after. At 1:15pm I decided to drive over to Home Depot and/or Lowes to see if they might stock this particular bulb. I know from past experience that they each have a shelf with a bunch of different bulbs for landscape lights. Home Depot is closest, so I stopped there first. I found MR11 bulbs right away. However, my pond light is a 5W bulb. All I saw were 20 & 50W versions. Then, off to the side, I found a 10W model for $4. I figured what the hell. While in the bulb aisle, I checked out exterior spots and floods to see if they had them in fluorescents yet. Lo and behold they did, and for about the same price as their incandescent brothers. I was eager to give one a try in one of my uplights out back. Packaging says it’ll last 7 years. However, on closer inspection, that’s when averaging just 3 hours of use each night. But even still, that’s a far cry better than most regular spots/floods. I headed happily back to work. Like often happens, the afternoon got dicey. I was juggling a few hot issues all at once. If nothing else, it helped the afternoon move briskly along. This was soccer practice night for Jacob meaning that Mindy & the kids would be meeting me at the Hilliard soccer fields after work. I worked until 5:40pm since I can get there in ten minutes. Practice didn’t start until 6:30pm. But it would make no sense heading home first. I arrived at 5:55pm. Although not initially tired, I decided to try taking a nap. I put the seat back and closed my eyes. Out I went! I slept good. I woke to the site of Jacob milling around in front of my vehicle. It was 6:25pm. Mindy, of course, had all four kids in tow. She brought a bag of pretzels for all of us to snack on, especially me. I just love ‘em. The partly sunny skies turned all cloudy in a hurry. Plus, as I predicted, the wind kicked up. It was chilly. I heard many others commenting about how much cooler it always is at the soccer fields. I entertained Landon, Rocky, and Bella while Mindy chatted with another kid’s mom. Mindy left about 15 minutes before practice was over. I stayed and waited for Jacob. I waited in the car. Practice ended at 7:30pm sharp. We took Scioto Darby to Walcutt to Trabue and then home. Mindy already had the wee ones in the bath. Jacob walked Ykraps earlier before soccer practice saving me the trouble once again. What a good boy! While Mindy bathed the kids, I tested my new pond light. It worked splendidly. And for that I was most pleased. I put the new fluorescent spot in one of the backyard uplights, too, but it wasn’t fully dark, so seeing its effectiveness wasn’t going to happen for a while yet. I’ve noticed with this and other fluorescent bulbs, they take several seconds to get up to full brightness. I also shoved some cheese down my throat. I was pretty darn hungry. Next, I headed up to give Mindy a hand with the kids. We had the kids tucked into bed by 8:15pm. I’d forgotten that the President was on prompting Americana Idol to move this week’s programming to Wednesday & Thursday evenings. I decided to watch Obama, and he did good. I popped popcorn so I could enjoy it like a movie. Bella snuck down to enjoy some with me. Mindy headed to bed around 9:30pm while I watched a PBS broadcast about the melting of the polar ice caps. Insightful. I headed to bed immediately following the program – 10pm.

Spring's New Moon

I had one of those sleeps where my eyes were closed but lingered there in a semi-conscious state. On top of that, I woke at 4:30am and couldn’t get back asleep at any level. I was OK for the time being, but knew all to well what would likely happen later – a crash and burn. I glanced out the back door and saw that the sky was clear. Very nice sky. Unfortunately, I also noticed that the uplight socket that I replaced on Sunday was already sporting a burnt out bulb. UGH! Some times I just can’t win. I left that worry behind and proceeded to knock out my exercise regimen. This was a curl day. Ykraps and I headed out for our walk. It was a tad chilly but not too bad – 37 degrees. It was a productive walk. We were back home by 5:55am. I moved immediately to pouring coffee but also treated Ykraps while grabbing the Splenda and cinnamon from the pantry. I sat down in front of the PC for a short while before stopping long enough to pour and deliver Mindy’s coffee. I returned to read the Daily OM and brother Glenn’s blog. I did my usual meditation and stretching before dressing and leaving for a run. Without question, I was tired. I could feel the sleepies coming on. My run would only serve to delay the effect with the sudden release of endorphins. I noticed a sliver of the new moon hanging low in the southeastern sky. Very beautiful against a cloudless backdrop. My run went well. By my run’s completion I was wide awake. Mindy & the kids were all in their usual positions upon reentry. I helped Mindy get the kids ready and loaded for departure. This was Jacob’s spring break so he went with the others to grandma Sharon’s. That meant I had a little extra time on my hands. Wahoo! Somehow I let the time get away from me. By the time I showered and was ready to leave it was a quarter after eight. I hated to leave without unloading the dishwasher knowing how much time it saves Mindy when she gets home, but I had to get going. I had about a quarter tank of gas. It was $1.95 at Thornton’s. I didn’t stop, but figured I would later this evening. Just hoped the price didn’t jump $.25 like it did last week. Work was relatively quiet. The time passed quickly. I called Lindsey mid-morning to ask about Rocky’s visit with his dad – something we don’t condone. It happened alright. I them proceeded to ask when they planned on picking up the boys. Lindsey had no idea. It wasn’t five minutes later that Kelly called me at work asking about my conversation with Lindsey. I shared with her my concerns and questions. She offered up that they were ready to take the boys back either the week of April 3rd or 10th. What a train wreck! At lunch I drove to Lowes & Target. While at Lowes I browsed their pond pump section looking for replacement parts for Mindy’s fountain. The underwater light burned out. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the bulb or the fixture but wanted to price/find both. Of course they didn’t stock the bulbs or the exact model fixture. I could buy a new fixture for $40, however. I decided to check the manufacturer’s webpage and then check the bulb type, something I didn’t readily know. I picked up eight AA rechargeable batteries for my camera but the line was so long I put then back and left for Target. I knew that I could get the same batteries there. At Target I got the batteries, some Delsym, and some windshield washer fluid. Spent about $21. It was 2pm by the time I was back at the office. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. I left for home just after 5:30pm. I called Mindy along my drive home. She mentioned that the kids were a little cranky. She was in the process of making dinner when I got home. Looked like some noodle concoction. I didn’t ask. I did walk Ykraps. It wasn’t too long before we were called for dinner. She made a chicken noodle casserole. The kids didn’t care for the crushed potato chip and cheese topping baked on top. Not one of my favorites, but it was OK. I had two helpings. We enjoyed a fairly relaxing evening at home with the kids. The bigger kids played outside after dinner. I took a nap on the family room floor. My neck was really stiff. I must’ve slept for about 30 minutes. I woke and helped Mindy get the kids into their pajamas and then tucked into bed. Back downstairs, we watched House and part of 24. We chatted some about the boys some, too. Mindy called Kelly sometime around 8:30pm to share some thoughts surrounding their care. In the end, Mindy suggested we bring them back this Friday versus next, not seeing any value in us being their glorified babysitters. After all, it’s been 115 days and Lindsey’s done little to improve her situation thus far. What’s another week do? She also shared our thoughts about the schooling and the episode Sunday evening. Earlier in the day, Kelly implied that she witnessed the debacle and how even her neighbors were appalled at Mindy’s actions. Hardly! Kelly eventually acknowledged Mindy’s perspective. Still, the call ended somewhat curtly. Fact is, we’re never going to see 100% eye to eye. Kelly & Lindsey are cut from a different branch with much different priorities relative to the boys. From my perspective, they’re either too stupid to see it or worse yet, operating with self-indulgent motives. Maybe a little of both. I fell asleep again during 24. I was undoubtedly making up for missed sleep the night before. Mindy woke me around 10pm to go to bed.

Manifested Dysfunction

Sunday morning arrived gracefully. I was up at 8:20am after almost 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Mindy stayed in bed but said she’d be joining me downstairs in short order. The sky was a lovely blue and the early temperature a chilly 38 degrees. I started some coffee then completed my exercise regimen. Ykraps and I head out for a walk around 8:40am. Even though it was chilly, the sunshine was warm and felt terrific. I decided not to deliver Mindy’s coffee bedside for wanting to let her sleep. She joined me in the kitchen somewhere close to 9:00am. We chatted briefly about the boys and then the day’s plans. Mindy planned to go into school to work on report cards while I did yard chores, which includes getting fertilizer down, and then cleaning/prepping flower beds. Before anything else, I wanted to complete my run. I left while Mindy started breakfast. I ran along Trabue and Hague doing just three miles. I encountered an unusually high number of cars heading north on Hague, figuring I must’ve hit the ‘mass exodus’ from St Margaret’s. It was a very enjoyable run. Back at home, Mindy had sausage and scrambled eggs just about ready. We decided to make some Mimosas, too. The Bob Evans sausage links were supposed to be fresh through early April, but after one bite it was apparent that something was amiss. We threw out the entire batch and stuck only with eggs and mimosa. That worked! One mimosa quickly turned into two. They were yummy. Immediately after breakfast, Mindy headed off for a shower and me outside to fertilize the lawn. I had about 1/3 of a bag of fertilizer left over from last fall in addition to the new bag. I had to dump fertilizer from the spreader back into the bag twice in an effort to fix the spreader. It wouldn’t open fully. I discovered that the plastic locking mechanism was catching prematurely. Simple fix. After getting the spreader fixed, it didn’t take long at all to get the entire lawn fertilized. Mindy was just about to leave for school when I asked for her assistance with getting the new gas grill on the deck. I wanted to get it in place and fired up for the first time. It’s been setting in the garage fully assembled since last September. First, I moved the old one aside. It’s about 14 years old but still going strong. I pulled the new one around to the deck by myself but needed help lifting it up onto the deck. As soon as we got it up and in place, Mindy bolted for school. I fetched the directions before attaching the propane tank. I followed the directions carefully testing all the connections for a gas leak with a dish soap/water mixture. Testing went without incident. All four of the main burners worked well, as did the side burner. It comes with a rotisserie, but I didn’t test it. But I did take the time to read how to use it. To complete the setup, I got out my new lock and cable and secured it to the deck. The last task was to cover with its new cover. While working on the grill I could see my two neighbors, Pat and John, out working in their yards. John was in his hip waders cleaning debris from the pond. Pat was busy raking his back yard. I walked over to talk with Pat. I haven’t talked with him since his New Year’s Eve party. We spent a good hour talking. I shared the latest about our family dysfunction. Pat shared that he’s taken a new job. I wondered. He’s been a custom home builder for a few years now and I knew the economic downturn had to put a squeeze on the business. That was confirmed. Just recently he started selling roofs for Feazel Roofing. With the recent onslaught of wind storms, business is booming. He said he doesn’t really like crawling around on roofs, however. But hey, gotta pay the bills. I was impressed. While Pat and I talked, John continued his work in the pond. Along with loads of drift wood, he pulled out two dead animals – a musk rat and a raccoon. They stunk to high heaven. Yuck! The pond’s only about a foot deep and it keeps filling with debris from storm sewer runoff. Time was wasting away. Pat & I agreed to get together soon and then parted company. Back at home, I drug out my 9X12’ tarp and electric hedge trimmers and began cutting back the many ornamental grasses in our landscape. I filled the tarp twice. I drug the trimmings to my compost pile out back. I spent the next 15 minutes putting all of my stuff away. For the time being, I was done. But there’s so much more to do. It was after 3:30pm. By then the kids were home from their weekend with dad. Mindy was still not back from school. I took a shower so that I’d be ready to head off to Sunday dinner once she got back. She probably got home around 4:15pm. We left the house at 4:33pm. Short Jodie and Larry, everyone else was in attendance. We didn’t get started with dinner until after 5:30pm. We waited for Julie, Katie, and Joe, who were playing organized softball. Dinner included baked chicken, spaghetti, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was all very good and very filling. It was after 7pm by the time we returned to the dinner table for dessert. Surprise, surprise, my favorite chocolate pie! Yummy! I managed enough discipline to have only one piece. We left for Kelly’s and to pick-up the boys at 7:40pm. I had already called Kelly to let her know we were a bit behind schedule. We could see Lindsey and the boys down the street several houses playing with other kids. Because there are no sidewalks, they were all gathered at the street’s edge. But that all changed as we pulled into Kelly’s drive. Rocky came towards us on his bike, and Lindsey and Landon followed close behind carrying a toddler-sized riding toy apparently belonging to another. Just as they approached the “T” intersection directly across from Kelly’s place, Lindsey put Landon down in the middle of the road and walked forward carrying the riding toy. He lingered close behind but still in the middle of the road. WOW! I was speechless, and before I could pursue him, Mindy instantly raced toward him, swooping him up into her arms while at the same time berating Lindsey for the ignorant maneuver. I must admit, it caused quite a stir, drawing looks from the neighbors and children who were already gathered around. Meanwhile, Lindsey went straight to her mother’s ear uttering disdain for how Mindy handled the situation. I heard her say just how embarrassed she was to have Mindy do what she did and make such a scene. Granted, I didn’t want a scene either but in the end, Landon’s well being is far more important. Of course our on going worry is that he’ll thinks it’s OK to be in the street unattended. In fact, we’ve already witnessed the same behavior out of Rocky more than once. One would think that this would be instinctual to a mother/father, but not for Lindsey. She wouldn’t/couldn’t understand. We loaded up the boys as quickly as possible. Once a bit down the road Landon fell asleep, a sure sign he hadn’t had a nap. Lindsey rarely if ever sees that he gets one. Rocky pointed out that he saw his daddy again over the weekend too. If Mindy wasn’t pissed earlier, she was absolutely fuming now. Sadly, the only label that fits is ‘white trash’. And like every other time we pick up the boys from Kelly’s, the boys smelt of cat piss. We never make mention of it to them. It’s not their fault. All of their belongings coming home smell the same. We have to wash most of them twice – some even more. Rocky did ask why he had to take another bath when he’d taken one earlier that morning. Mindy told him it was because he’d been out playing all day. And besides, he actually was filthy head to toe. By the end of bath time both boys were adequately readjusted. Landon was smiling big and seemed happy as could be. We quickly got them into their PJs and tucked all four into bed. Already 9pm, we sat on the sofa contemplating the week ahead. Mindy exhibited anger, sadness, and despair all rolled into one. I felt a little hopeless relative to the boys, but also offered up that what is meant to be will be. We just need to be opened to it. I poured a Jack & Coke to help myself believe it even more. :) We headed to bed after some Science Channel TV time. Must’ve been just after 10pm when we headed up.

McAuthor, Hamden, Wellston & Jackson

Even though Mindy had early plans, I was the first one up & out of bed Saturday morning at 8:30am. I was still a little tired but couldn’t bare the thought of sleeping any longer. I prepped a pot of coffee then turned my attention to my exercise routine. I could’ve sworn that it was supposed to be sunny but for the time being, at least, it looked mostly cloudy. I checked the temperature before heading out with Ykraps. It was in the mid 30s. I felt a bit let down to see that the forecast now called for cloudy skies all day. I was so counting on sunshine. Ykraps and I took our time during our morning walk. The sky already looked more promising than the new forecast. Looked like the clouds were thinning, and several pockets of blue were heading our way. I was hopeful that the forecast was wrong. I delivered coffee to Mindy who had plans to meet her friend, Teri for breakfast around 10am. They haven’t hooked up in several months. She needed to be up and getting ready. She was up and in the shower in short order. She left the house around 9:45am. Not long after she left for breakfast, I left for my run. I ran along Trabue & Hague. It was still a little chilly but the sun was shining brightly. For that I was most pleased. I finished my run before 10:30am. There were lots of things around the house I would’ve liked to have completed, but we had plans to visit my mom this afternoon. We’d be leaving as soon as Mindy got home. I called my mom sometime after 11am to confirm her availability. She was already home from work and expecting us. I also placed a call to Lindsey just as I promised her I would do Thursday evening. She said that she and her mother talked and that they wouldn’t be signing temporary custody orders. I asked when they wanted the boys back? She hadn’t a clue, but stated that her mother would agree to have them back by the end of this school year. I wanted to hear that from Kelly, not Lindsey, but she wasn’t available. I promised to call her mom later. After a shower, I thought that I’d surprise Mindy and vacuum and mop the downstairs. I got it all done before she returned home. The house was looking pretty nice by her return – about noon. Mindy freshened up and changed her shirt as soon as she got home. We left for my mom’s not 10 minutes later. Mindy agreed to drive. Just as we were backing out the drive, Mindy asked if I remembered to call Lindsey. I purposely hadn’t yet shared the news. When I said, yes, she asked immediately how it went. I shared what Lindsey had told me but cautioned that Lindsey often misrepresents her mother’s words. After gathering our collective thoughts, I placed a call to Kelly for clarity but had to leave a VM. Door-to-door, it takes about 90 minutes to get to my mom’s. The new Rt 33 – Lancaster bypass shaves a good ten minutes or more off the drive. It was a lovely drive, too. And the 28 miles down Rt. 93 always has a visual surprise or two. Gotta love Appalachia! I spotted the first daffodils in full bloom during our travels. This is the earliest I can readily recall seeing ‘em in years. We arrived at my mom’s just before 2pm. Meanwhile, her small heard of dogs were making all sorts of racket almost on queue. Her place smelt like a mixture of Pinesol and cats – not very pleasant to my nose, but then again, not nearly as bad as ex-Kelly’s. Prior to today, I hadn’t been there since MLK weekend 2007 – a little more than two years ago when Mindy & I spent the weekend in Hocking Hills and paid a visit to mom beforehand. Mom looked good and seemed happy to have our company. She’s been painting I could see. Her kitchen cabinets are now two-tone green (very vivid). And she’s in the process of painting her dining room tan. We chatted for a short while before I purposefully drifted off to sleep on the sofa. It felt really good to get some shut eye. I probably didn’t nap but for 10 or 15 minutes. Mindy & my mom chatted the entire time. After waking, I suggested we head out for some lunch/dinner. After a little banter, my mom selected the Dakota Roadhouse, a favorite of hers just south about 12 miles in Jackson. Fine! We drove off. We drove through Wellston, just a few miles south of Mom’s place. She gave us a quick drive-by tour that included her place of employment, Foodland, where she works in the deli/bakery. I spotted a sign that said Wellston was established in 1873 as a coal mining town. A little Google action later revealed that the town was named after Harvey Wells. A little further south and to the west we finally arrived at Dakota’s. There was already a moderate sized crowd, and the help was immediately attentive. We were seated at a four-person table in a corner. There main offering is beef (steaks and prime rib). As a starter, my mom ordered us a ‘bloomin’ onion, but when it arrived it looked more like a brick! J It tasted similar though. Not bad. I ordered a 16oz ribeye. Both my mom and Mindy ordered prime rib. Salad and a side were complementary. I couldn’t help but notice how may ‘cowboys’ patrons were there and dressed in full gear. We were definitely far from home. I watched a little of the girls state HS basketball championship game they had whirling on the TV. I also eavesdropped on a few close by conversations. I wasn’t very focused on the conversation between my mom and Mindy. Mid way through dinner Courtney phoned to ask about stopping over Sunday to get some money. I was quick to remind her of our prior agreement. She acted confused. I wasn’t humored in the least. After paying our bill, we headed back to mom’s. During our drive back we talked about family and ultimately about death. I pointedly asked her wishes upon death. Did she want to be buried or burned? I was surprised to learn that she said she wanted to be burned and then have her ashes spread on her father’s grave in Hawaii. It’s good to know her wishes. Back at mom’s we spent a few minutes inside before readying to go. I gave her some money then departed. She really wanted me to take my grandmother’s old wooden hutch, but I refused citing lack of room for storage. I drove home. We chatted most of the way. We were back on Rt 33 in no time at all. Somewhere along the drive I phoned Kelly once again, but got Lindsey. She promised to have her mother return my call. Somehow I missed her return call, so I called yet again. Kelly agreed with Lindsey’s statement that she was not in favor of signing the custody order. Her sole reason being the loss of Rocky‘s free ride to St Mary Magdalene. She hoped we might continue doing the deed without the temporary custody, but our position remains firm. I was admittedly baffled that she would compromise what we’ve been collaboratively working towards for the last 100 days, and honestly, any real hope of Lindsey EVER getting it together. I understand that it’s a priority that us non-Catholics might not understand, but the fact that she’s placing it above all else baffles me. It simply defies logic. But one needs look no further than how her home’s ran to see the conflict of interests. I think her priorities are sorely misguided. After all, what’s the use of the free ride if home life doesn’t model what’s being taught? As she has for years, Kelly places an inordinate amount of weight on having a Catholic education often citing higher test scores, never mind what goes on at home. No structure, no mentoring, no role modeling. The fact is, home life has a far greater reach than the school kids attend. Hell, Kelly went to Catholic schools and look at what good that’s done. Sadly, her life is in shambles. On the other hand, Mindy & I are both products of Columbus West and each have two college degrees, nice house, nice life, and are arguably more spiritual. And, oh, better looking too. :) Meanwhile, Mindy was seething catching bits and pieces of the conversation. She was silent for the remainder of the drive home. Her worry, rightfully so, was for the well being of the boys. Kelly seems more worried about losing free school tuition than about Lindsey fixing her life. Can’t dance! I walked Ykraps alone almost as soon as we got home. Mindy was disturbed by the whole turn of events and kept to herself. Regardless of Kelly & Lindsey’s decision, we weren’t going to cave on our position. We spent the rest of the evening quietly. I chilled two HopSlams before we even left for my mom’s. I sipped those throughout the evening. We headed to bed between 10-10:30pm.

Spring 2009

There wouldn’t be any kind of consecutive streak building relative to waking at or before 5:30am. That deal was sealed when I woke Friday morning at 5:35am. Even then, I was slow to want to get up and face the new day. But it was Friday, and anyone who knows me knows all too well how much I love Friday’s. I was downstairs exercising by 5:40am. In an effort to help my aching upper-middle back & stiff neck I skipped push-ups for the first time in months. I did only sit-ups. Ykraps and I headed out the door right after checking the temperature. It was only 28 degrees – about 20 degrees cooler than where we’ve been most of the week. I bundled appropriately and was comfortable enough, at least for the short amount of time we usually spend on such walks. We were back by 5:55am. I poured some coffee and then relaxed in front of my PC for a few minutes reading the morning headlines, The Daily OM, and emails. I took Mindy coffee at 6:05am sharp. Ironically, this was the first day of spring. I say ironic because it was by far the chilliest morning of the week. The actual event – the sun crossing directly overtop the equator - took place at 7:44am EDT. A relatively fast moving winter, indeed. I can honestly say that this was the first winter where I was sad to see it end. Of course that had everything to do with our deepening passion for skiing. Once it became apparent that the ski season was over I turned my focus to the onset of spring. During today’s meditation I focused my energy towards helping Lindsey make the right decision relative to the boys. I asked the universe to give her the wisdom and strength to get her life together. I felt at peace with what ever may come. I did some stretching before donning my running attire. The benefits were obvious and immediate. Before setting out on my run I made Bella the cheese omelet she had asked for all week. Once it was done, I placed it in the microwave and taped her letter on the microwave door before heading out at around 6:40am. Although completely dark, I could see the promise of daybreak in the eastern sky. We were less than an hour from the vernal equinox. Daylight came on fast. For all intents and purposes, it was daylight at mile number three. I arrived back home around 7:15am. Bella had already finished her omelet. She was thankful that I remembered. Mindy shared how thrilled she was to discover that I remembered. The second half that I truly intended for Rocky still remained. He wanted waffles instead. I happily ate the other half along with some fresh fruit. Mindy & the wee ones left the house at 7:25am. I retreated to the shower after putting the kitchen in order. I was downstairs and ready to go by 7:50am. Earlier this morning, a song I’ve been stalking for the past several days was playing on Soundscapes. This time I got the information I was seeking – Fridrick Karlsson – Spiritual Fitness- Colour Purple. I decided to check its availability on Amazon. I was indeed available via CD or download. I chose to download and burn. To buy the CD and wait would’ve been almost $18. On the other hand, buying the download was only $7.92. What a deal! I burned it to CD before stopping. By then, Jacob had already headed out to the bus stop. I glanced out and saw him onto the bus for peace of mind then finished what I was doing. If you get a chance, give this music a listen, especially the title, Colour Purple. I think you’ll like it. I left for work at 8:15am. And just as you might expect, I let my brand new CD whirl during my drive in. What a fabulous morning it was. Spring was upon us, the sun was shining, and it was FRIDAY!!!!!! Work went about as smoothly as a Friday could go. I was careful not to do anything to jinx it. Just before 1pm I left the office destined for Home Depot. Along the way, I phoned my friend Tom Clark, who is fresh back from Florida to invite him out with us tonight. Said he’s starting work at the Time Warner RR Business Class NOC next week. Cool! At Home Depot I bought a bag of fertilizer to help jump start the lawn. It’s already greening up. Now’s the time to get it down. I also picked up a new light socket for one of my rear uplight fixtures. Fertilizer is getting more expensive every year. I paid $38 for a 15,000 sq ft bag, and that’s just plain Turf Builder. The crab grass preventer which will go down next is running around $55 this year. I may reconsider paying a service to do the work. However, the problem with most lawn services is quality. I was gone only 25 minutes. I thought about going elsewhere but had nowhere I needed to go. I headed on back to work. The afternoon moved rather slowly, a likely byproduct of a slow day. None of us were complaining. I used the time constructively and took care of numerous administrative tasks. By day’s end I was well caught up. Mindy called after dropping the Cabot boys at Lindsey’s. She was headed home to greet Jacob off the bus and eventually see the other two off with their daddy. This was a Jimindy weekend. I left the office at 5:30pm. I called my mom just to make sure that she’d be home tomorrow for our planned visit. She said she should be arriving home from work by 11am – far earlier than our planned arrival time. We were set. Mindy was at the grocery when I got home. I’d have about an hour all to myself. I walked Ykraps but then sat down in front of the PC to upload the past eight days worth of blog entries. From a publishing perspective, I was behind a lot more than usual. I managed to get it all updated before Mindy arrived home. She must’ve got home right around 7pm. I helped her carry in the groceries. It was nearly 7:30pm by the time she got them all put away. Time to ready for a night out at Barley’s! We left the house about 10 minutes later. We phoned neighbors David & Becky but got their VM. We left a message inviting them to join us. We also phoned neighbor Teri, who recently broke her ankle, just to see how she was doing. We left a VM there too. Barley’s wasn’t that crowded at all. That was nice for a change. Steve Won was already there and as were many other regular peeps. Tom Clark arrived earlier than usual. He & Mindy ordered food. I did not. David & Becky arrived after an hour or so passed. Glad they came out. And not too long after they showed up, nephew Joe & Danny arrived. We had a blast and didn’t leave until just after 11pm. That’s late for us. Time flew. Through the night I drank four beers, three of which were double IPA’s – Founder’s Double Trouble’s. Mindy had just one St. Joan’s. Of course, she drove. And while I didn’t order and eat dinner, I did nibble on some of her fries. We arrived home before 11:30pm. We chatted for a short while in the kitchen where I tore open the bag of dark chocolate M&M’s Mindy picked up from the grocery store earlier that evening. We headed to bed before midnight.

Negotiating with a Child

Translated: From Bella - To Jimmy

Please make my omelet don't forget.

For the first time in a long while, I was up and out of bed before 5:30am. Since the recent time change, I want nothing more than to curl up and sleep for another hour or so. I’m sure that’s it - the time change. It’s amazing what being up for that extra 5-10 minutes will do. I was able to glide through my entire morning routine without being rushed during any one phase. I even got out for my run a little early, which got me home around 7:10am – plenty of time to see the kids and Mindy before they left. I half expected the weather to be much colder this morning but it was pretty much on par with the last two. It was 47 degrees out the door. The biggest difference was the cloud cover and the forecast, which called for nearly stable temperatures all day long. We weren’t expecting to get much beyond the lower 50s. In fact, I don’t see the 70s anywhere in the ten day forecast. But they’ll be back. Mindy & the wee ones left at their usual departure time – 7:25am. I finished my scrambled eggs and fruit then picked up the kitchen even before heading up for a shower. I wore blue jeans and a work logo’d black tee-shirt. Jacob and I left the house at 7:55am. I took the football along. We hadn’t tossed it at the bus stop for a week or two. We had fun tossing it around. Kenny & Lilly came out and chatted for a minute or two just before the bus arrived. The bus pulled up at 8:03am. I grabbed my gear from inside the house then headed on to work in the Trooper. Gas was down to $1.96. I’ll be needing some soon, but not today. I arrived to work around 8:22am. The morning went well, nothing too overwhelming. I had no immediate plans to leave the office to run errands at lunch, so I simply stayed busy all day long. I ate two containers of nuts after finding I still had Wednesday’s on my desk. I wasn’t real hungry, so the only other thing I ate was my packed fruit. Mindy & I gave daughter Lindsey until today to give us an answer on our proposed temporary custody of the kids. To that end, I drafted and sent an email to Kelly detailing our intentions. We also had a parent/teacher conference scheduled with Rocky’s kindergarten teacher after work. Kelly & Lindsey would be there, too. We anticipated having a full blown face to face discussion with Kelly & Lindsey after the conference. Kelly called me late afternoon to let me know that she received my email. She expressed support for our position, but shared that it was Lindsey’s decision. Sadly, Lindsey’s simply not capable of making smart decisions. After all, that’s why we’re where we’re at now. I talked with Mindy a short time later. She informed me that she was picking up a pizza for the kids, and reminded me that Kara would be over around 6pm to watch the kids while we attended Rocky’s parent/teacher conference. I left for home at 5:35pm. Traffic was light making my drive home a breeze. It was sunny and cool – just about 50 degrees. Kara was already at the house by the time that I got home, and the kids had already eaten. Jacob walked Ykraps for the second evening in a row. What a good boy! Mindy & I both freshened up a bit before leaving at 6:05pm. We arrived at St Mary Magdalene around 6:20pm. Mrs. Dent was busy with another parent. We hung out in the hall admiring some of Rocky’s artwork. Lindsey & Kelly showed up a minute or two after us. It wasn’t long before Mrs. Dent ushered us all into her classroom. She was very good at running the meeting. She presented Rocky’s strengths first, and then talked about how much she adores him. Once she had everyone nodding in agreement she delivered the big blow. She recommended holding Rocky back for another year of kindergarten. From that point on, her focus rarely left Lindsey. Lindsey, no big surprise, was a bit distraught even though we had already told her as much since we knew this was coming a couple weeks ago. Honestly, the deck was stacked against his success from the get-go. Rocky never attended any type of preschool and he didn't turn five until late July. That makes him one of the youngest kindergarteners. Born five or six weeks later he wouldn't have been allowed to enroll this year anyhow. Still, Lindsey took it hard, but Mrs. Dent did a masterful job of reassuring her that it wasn’t anything she had done and that it would serve Rocky best in the long run. Additionally, she assured Lindsey that she’d be his teacher again next year and how much she liked having him and how she would lean on him to help the others. We were the last meeting of the night. We spent a few minutes in the hallways looking at the old class photos prominently posted. We found Courtney & Ashley's class pictures framed and hung. Lindsey, of course, didn’t finish at Magdalene. She moved onto Hilliard, but that’s a story for another day. At my prompting, we agreed to meet at the Wendy’s on Sullivant and Crescent Ave. to discuss the ongoing care of the boys. I offered to buy everyone dinner (big spender- ay), but Lindsey was the only one wanting something to eat. Mindy had a drink. I had an M&M twisted Frosty. Kelly wanted nothing. BTW, the Frosty left a bit to be desired. Don’t get one, at least not from that Wendy’s. We talked about a bunch of lighter topics before diving into the situation with the boys. When we finally started discussing the care of the boys, I cut right to the chase. And in typical Lindsey fashion she responded with a simple ‘no’. I had to laugh because a simple no wasn’t going to cut it. Of course, what we asked for was legal temporary custody while we continue our care for the boys. What was originally undefined but thought to be a few weeks and maybe a couple months looks like it could be as long as 1.5 years. We’re game but only with custody (decision making rights). Given her druthers, Kelly would keep it on the down low too, but also isn’t willing to allow Lindsey to bring the boys back to her place to live. And I might add, for all the right reasons. The whole idea of us having the boys is to allow Lindsey the freedom to focus entirely on herself: get a job, car, & apartment – reestablish herself. But in classic Lindsey fashion, she wants to have her cake and eat it too. I called her bluff and said, then come get the boys. The dialogue went on for about an hour with Lindsey never conceding anything, really. From my perspective it’s like talking to a 12 year old. But honestly, it’s close to what I expected. She pretty much thinks if she lays low it will pass. It won’t, however. As we parted (it was late and we needed to get home) I informed her that I needed her final answer by Saturday. We went our way, and Kelly & Lindsey went theirs. We arrived home around 8:15pm. Mindy couldn’t pay Kara unless she wanted a check. Kara simply asked that she give the money to her mother tomorrow at school. She left for home and Mindy got busy giving the kids baths. I helped by getting Bella through her shower. During the process, Bella asked me again to remember to make her cheese omelet in the morning. She decided to write me a note and taped it on my bathroom mirror – too cute! We had the kids tucked into bed after baths, showers, and reading by 8:45pm. Jacob was the only shower exception. He took one Wednesday night. Downstairs, Mindy played on her PC while I sipped a beer and watched some TV. I can’t readily recall what I watched. Honestly, it was more to numb the mind than anything else. Mindy headed up to bed by 9:30pm. I promised to be up shortly. She guessed that I would dose off on the sofa. I almost did but caught myself and headed up to bed just before 10pm.

75, Sunshine, & Golf!

I didn’t make it downstairs until 5:40am. I was really slow to get moving. It wasn’t until I thought about how lovely the weather was supposed to be and then the fact that this might be our first golf league outing that I felt motivated to get out of bed. Is that bad? I checked the temperature even before I got busy with my sit-ups. It was 47 degrees under clear skies. Nice! I finished my sit-ups and push-ups then headed out the door with Ykraps. Like the morning before, we took our time drinking in the lovely spring-like weather. We weren’t back until almost 6:00am. I poured some coffee but had just a few precious minutes before I needed to get Mindy up. I had barely gotten seated when 6:05am rolled around and I got Mindy’s coffee ready for delivery. She woke easily. I headed back downstairs to finish my routine. It was 6:30am when I finished a brief meditation. I still took a few minutes to stretch before dressing for a run. I managed to hit the door before 6:40am. My run went well. I didn’t use hand or ear covers. I was slightly cool for the first half mile or so but warmed quickly. The morning sky brightened quickly, too. By the run’s completion it was effectively daybreak, although the sun hadn’t yet risen. Mindy had my eggs ready. We discussed the evening’s plans before she left. Bob & I planned to golf as long as the good weather held out. And while the forecast called for 70s and sunshine, storms and much cooler temps were forecasted to invade our space by the evening. Mindy & the wee ones left around 7:25am. And yes, Mindy was in a far better place this morning. I was ready to go by 7:50am. I used the time between then and bus stop duty to load my golf clubs into the Trooper. It felt incredibly good to do so. It definitely doesn’t seem like it’s been almost five months since our last outing. I thought about gasing up but prices at the pump shot up by almost $.25 per gallon yesterday. I still had a half tank so I passed. I arrived at work just before 830am. I had a team meeting planned for 10am, so I made sure to take care of any morning business fast. After my team meeting I had to be at our weekly staff meeting. I was out-of-pocket until 1pm. At 1pm our first potluck of the year began. My peers and I contributed $20 each and bought burgers and brats. Our team’s, in turn, brought all sorts of sides and desserts. The feast went well. And just as I often do, I over indulged in the cookies. I ate three big chocolate chippers after a big cheeseburger and sides. I was stuffed. I made arrangements to leave work around 4:30pm after first checking with Bob to make sure that we were still a go. Meanwhile, the weather was terrific. It was 75 and sunny. I made it to Thornapple Country Club by 4:50pm. Bob didn’t arrive until a little after 5pm. I used the time to practice putting and chipping. The greens looked freshly aerated with half inched sized holes filled level with sand. Not sure if that was carry over from last fall or fresh done this early season. Either way, putting would be treacherous and slow. We tee’d off hole number one. We were following two teenaged walkers. We were in a cart. Neither of us hit outstanding drives. Bob hooked his and I pushed mine. Rightie/leftie, we ended up in roughly the same area and under some giant pines. I had no choice but to plop my 2nd shot back out onto the fairway. My third shot landed just right of the green. I chipped on and two putted for a six. My expectations in check, I wasn’t concerned at all. After that, I played fairly well, especially tee to green with one exception – hole number seven. Just as Bob & I finished our play, the weather was heading south, and fast. Dark clouds were moving in and the temperature dropping like a rock. It was 7:05pm when we finished up. We headed our separate ways a few minutes later after discussing the likelihood of gathering by the Friday night firkin. Meanwhile, Mindy was at home enjoying her alone time. She chose to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes along with Wednesday night’s these days. Wise choice. She has very little of that in her life. I know how precious it is given that I had it almost 24X7 for multiple years running. Jacob & Bella were delivered home even before I got there. Jimaken was just leaving when I pulled up. The kids left the house to play at the neighbors almost as soon as they arrived. We chatted about the two younger boys with the time between then and when Kelly pulled up. We let them have a quick snack before rushing them off to ready for bed. Jacob & Bella were back home at the 7:45pm deadline we’d given them. Mindy got the kids ready for bed. I helped a little, but not too much. I did, however, help with the tuck-in. That went well. Once the children were settled and in bed, I relaxed in the family room. Actually, I fell asleep waiting for American Idol to come on. I must’ve slept for 30 minutes. It felt good, too. I forgot to mention that the nagging kink in my neck was miraculously cured earlier on the golf course. My neck cracked loudly after hitting a drive on hole #6 at Thronapple. It was instantaneous relief. We watched Idol elimination night. Alexis was sent packing. The final ten were set. Randy Travis did a sweet little duet with previous A.I winner, Carrie Underwood. I was surprised to learn that she’s already produced nine number one hits. That can’t be right, but that is what they said. We headed to bed just after 10pm.