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.