Smelly Com-Til

I was up at 5:30am. I saw right away that it was a crystal clear morning. After a round of sit-ups I checked the weather forecast. It was only 45 degrees. Burr! I also checked the Reds Monday night score. They won something like 13-5. Wahoo! After some push-ups I leashed up Ykraps and headed out for a walk. I wore a fleece jacket to combat the chilly air. I was most comfortable. Overhead, the moon gave off considerable light even while daybreak was evident in the east. It was an enjoyable walk. Back home I had a few minutes to myself before waking Mindy. Like most days, I spent that time on the PC reading the Daily OM and miscellaneous headlines. I delivered Mindy’s coffee at 6:07am. Call me bad but once again I used the next ten minutes to catch a few winks on the sofa. It felt so good. I might’ve slipped off to sleep for a minute but not any longer. The rest of the time I was conscious. I upped again around 6:25am and went through a quick meditation and a stretch. I was out the door at my usual time, or close to. I wore a fleece running jacket over my shirt for the first time in a couple of weeks. I was comfortable for the run’s duration. Mindy had fried eggs ready for breakfast when I got back home. Bella was dragging behind up in her room. Mindy gave her a little grief. She ended up woofing down a donut before heading out. Jacob asked if I would bring his football to the bus stop. I agreed. That hasn’t been part of our ritual for some time now. I miss it. We tossed the football for a solid five minutes before the bus pulled up. Because of heavy dew, the ball was wet & slippery, providing an excellent excuse for all the dropped passes. J I left dad’s trailer behind still pretty much full of Com-Til but covered with a tarp when I left for work. I stopped for gas, reluctantly. The price was up on Monday to $2.39 per gallon. The Trooper took about 17.5 gallons - $42. Work went well. I was busy most of the day with an ongoing issue I’ve had on my plate for some time running. At 12:30pm I left for lunch. I drove to the Anderson’s up off of Sawmill Rd in search of a ‘hardy hibiscus’ – one that comes back every year. My neighbor said she got hers there two years ago. Like I often do, I didn’t want to ask for help. Instead, I browsed around on my own looking at all sorts of plants, flowers, and shrubs. Low & behold, I found 4 of them. Ouch, $25 for what didn’t look like much at all. The new growth was just beginning to emerge from the potting soil. But it’s not what it looks like now. Instead, it’s what it will look like in short order. I was excited to find one. For a second I thought about buying two, but opted not. I figured I should see how this one does then decide whether to buy more. If our landscape lacks anything it’s flowering perennials. More specifically, summer flowing perennials. I also saw they had the same type of prefabbed stepping stones I bought last season for both of my hose approaches. I picked up two more. They gave me a ticket to use at the landscape will-call. I walked around and grabbed my two stepping stones without any assistance. I half expected to be chased down like a thief but no one ever pursued me. I headed back to work with my catch. Just like I generally do, I ate my packed lunch from my desk. This was soccer practice night, but Mindy & I already agreed that I’d stay home with Bella while she took Jacob to soccer practice. That way she could grade papers and study in the car for an entire hour. Perfect! For dinner, I was asked to fend for myself. I agreed. I warmed and woofed down a leftover brisket quesadilla from last Saturday evening. It was quite good. By 6pm I was out in the yard moving Com-Til, planting my hardy Hibiscus, and watering in the sod and seed. I was still at it when Mindy & Jacob returned from soccer practice. Because I used just a thin layer of Com-Til in all the beds, I had about 1/3 of a trailer load remaining. Neighbor Kenny gladly took the rest for his beds. I was happy to share. Weather permitting, I would take the empty trailer to work on Wednesday and return with it full of mulch. I think I’m going to get bagged versus bulk mulch this year. The bags are on sale bringing the savings of bulk to a measly $3 per cubic yard. I can easily justify the extra few bucks with what it saves me in time & ease of install. We’ll see. I headed inside around 8:30pm. I felt good about all I had accomplished. Once again, I had to shower. I was a smelly mess. Mindy & the kids were already tuned to American Idol. Tonight, the remaining three were doing two songs each – one being the judges choice, and the other their own. Mindy & I agreed that Adam was best … again. We watched the season finale of Fringe afterwards. It was very good. To bed at 10pm.