Bakin’ Bacon

Next thing I knew it was 7:15 Sunday morning. I slipped out of bed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs. Mindy indicated that she had no preplanned wake time. Just as well. Like almost all other morning’s, I started some coffee then proceeded to complete my exercise routine. I thought about skipping push-ups but didn’t. My arms got one heck of a work out Saturday. There was an abundance of sunshine, but the temperature much cooler than the morning before. It was in the mid 40s. Our walk went well. I took the camera but didn’t snap a single photo. I reviewed the day’s to-do list as we walked. Simple, really, Cut the lawn and spread the mulch. There were several other, less demanding things, too, but they’d be considered icing on the cake. I spent the next 30 minutes enjoying coffee and bringing my blog current. I have so many interesting photos of our recent projects/events that I still haven’t added. I know t hat pics make the blog more interesting. Very busy!!! I left for my run still before 9am. I ran three miles only, taking the short route through the subdivision and out to Trabue and down Hague. I noticed Shawn’s minivan parked at Dad’s. Hoped things weren’t going poorly for dad. My run was over even before 9:30am. I thought briefly about heading out to start yard work but I was really hungry. For the first time in a long, long while, I decided to make breakfast – maple bacon and a fancy omelet. That’s something I sued to do most weekends. I hoped the smell of the food would wake Mindy naturally. Turns out, she got up even before I put the bacon in the oven. While the bacon baked, I decided to use the 20 constructively. I fetched the rotted boat cushion form the garage and took it along with a few hand tools to the deck where I proceeded to remove all the staples holding the marine vinyl to the rotted plywood base. There must’ve been 200 staples all totaled. I stopped a few times to check/turn the bacon. I let the bacon cook a minute or two too long. No biggie! I made the omelet while the bacon cooled. I added sliced buffalo chicken and Italian cheese – no veggies. It turned out really nice. Mindy & I enjoyed a quiet breakfast in the sunny kitchen area. After breakfast I wrapped up the boat cushion project and readied for another day in the yard. Mindy spent some time inside but promised to help me once I got back to mulching. I was eager to cut the lawn. Not only was it long, it was thick, too. I took extra time whacking around the new sod making to get the edges cleanly. Edging went well too after turning the blade around getting a fresh, sharper edge. I cut the new sod first. It’s looking awesome! I ended up cutting the entire front with my push mower for a much cleaner, neater cut. I used the tractor out back. I was startled to find Mindy sitting on her bench on the new patio reading. Later said she’d been out there for a while. After finishing the mowing I left the tractor out and attached the trailer for the mulch project. Before spreading the first bag, Mindy & I went on a hike in the woods behind the house looking for large rocks that might fit well around our new patio. We found relatively few, and those were small, softball sized. We gathered them still. Back in the yard we moved to the west side of the house where we repeated the dead ivy removal project. Once again, we filled a tarp full of dead clippings. We pulled the entire tarp around to the east to finish over there. All totaled, that phase took a little more than an hour. Both of us were complaining of aching backs from all the kneeling and leaning over. It was worth it, however. The beds were looking good. After hauling all the clippings to the back we started spreading mulch. I sliced and dumped while Mindy did the spreading. Having a second set of hands made big difference. We moved our way around the back in short order. We had the lion’s share of it done when the kids got home from Jimaken’s. Bella ran off immediately to reunite with her friends. Jacob clung by his mother’s side. I had to ask him more than once not to walk on the edge of the new sod. He wasn’t pleased. I am emphatic about keeping ALL unnecessary traffic off of it until it’s firmly taken hold. We finished up on the west side of the house. We ran out of mulch once again. Lucky for me, neighbor Kenny bought to skids, or 100 bags. He had lots left and said he’d sell me whatever I needed. I drove down to get 7 bags. I was grateful for his willingness to share. It allowed us to finish wholey, save for some touch up here and there. I stashed the last three bags under the shed for later use. What I thought might take 35 bags ended up being 60. Yikes! Sound familiar? Just like the dirt thing. Mindy headed in to get a shower while I put the toys away. It must’ve been 4pm. Before heading in for my own shower, I blew the drive and walk clear of the grass clippings. The yard was looking top notch! It was hard to stop and go in with so much more to do, but the break and diversion would do me good. Besides, I was really hungry. Mindy and the kids were waiting in the Honda when I came down ready to go. We arrived for Sunday dinner just few minutes earlier than last Sunday – about 4:55pm. The temperature only reached into the low 60s but the brilliant mid-May sunshine warmed things nicely. Sunday dinner would be enjoyed by something less than a full house. Still, it’s about who’s there, not who isn’t. The menu consisted of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, coleslaw and rolls. Everything was delicious, especially the meatloaf. I had two big helpings. After dinner I headed for the lower level for some rest. I might’ve dosed for a few minutes but more than anything I just needed to stretch out and veg. I’ll bet I was down there for 30-40 minutes. It was time for dessert just a few short minutes after my return upstairs. There were two choices, chocolate cupcakes and peach Jello. I had two chocolate cupcakes. We left soon after dessert. It was already after 7:20pm. It felt like we ate and ran but we needed to get home. At home, Jacob and I walked Ykraps. He rode along on his bike. By then it was 7:40pm and the temperature was down around 58. It felt chilly. Needing to water flowers and grass, I decided what the hell, and started up the irrigation system starting with zone #1. It took a minute for the lines to refill with water but all the heads popped up and distributed water as designed. I was most pleased to see it operational once more. The heads were aimed correctly too. I proceeded to through run all six zones. The only problem being the head I relocated in zone #5. It’s aiming into the pond. J I actually thought about that after the fact. It’s a relatively simple fix. Seeing all the heads working, I removed the flags I’d left in the yard since the first week of October. I headed back inside feeling good about the irrigation system. I still need/want Chris to add one more head, however. Neighbor Kenny tried turning on his system at the same time. I spotted him looking closely at his deduct meter. Uh-oh! Yep, it was leaking. Said the backflow device had a crack in it. I was warned that it’s most susceptible to freezing. Kenny winterized his own. I allowed Nationwide to do mine. Note to self. Inside I changed into my pajamas and then tucked in the kids, who were already in bed. Mindy wanted to hot tub. We hadn’t been in it for several weeks. I readied the tub with chlorine and then I poured myself a rum & Fresca to enjoy tub side. The hot tub was most enjoyable. It eased both of our aching muscles. I was surprised how much better I felt after. I had Mindy walk on my back afterwards. I figured my muscles would be looser and therefore easier to adjust. We headed to bed just after 9:30pm.