What do Ramblin Petunias & John Cooper have in Common?

Me! I was up at 5:35am after one of the best nights sleep in quite a while. I couldn’t readily recall waking even once through the night. That’s odd. For once I didn’t have that lingering, tired feeling either. I did a full complement of exercises before heading out with Ykraps. It was lovely outside, blue skies and mild temps. A very enjoyable walk. By the time we were back at home it was already time to deliver Mindy’s coffee. I enjoyed a little PC time before moving on to meditation and stretching. It felt good to be back into my usual routine. I dressed and left for a run at 6:35am. My run went well. No aches, pains, or general discomfort. Everything was clicking! Sunshine was soon splattering everything, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The forecast called for sunny and 80. Does it get any better? The weekend, unfortunately, isn’t supposed to be as nice – rain on Saturday and much cooler on Sunday. There’s even a chance of frost Sunday night. But looking ahead to next week, the weather’s going to be ideal heading into Memorial Day weekend – sunshine mid 70s. Mindy had cheesy scrambled eggs ready when I got home. Bella had some too. Soon, those two were gone. I was showered and ready for work by 7:49am. I used the few minutes I had to burn some CDs for Bob I. I hoped to catch up with him and Mary Ann later that night. I got two of the three burnt before running off to the bus stop with Jacob. I took the football. We tossed the ball for a while before the bus showed. Both boys have slippery hands these days. Jacob used to catch everything I threw at him, but not so much anymore. I attached dad’s trailer to my Trooper since I planned to get mulch sometime during the day. At the time, however, I was undecided about exactly when – lunch or after work? As I walked into the building from the parking lot I couldn’t help but stop for a moment to drink in the lovely weather. There’s always that day each year when the warm spring air smells so sweet. Today was one of those days. The calm breeze, sunshine, and brilliant blue skies only added to my joy. I hated to go inside but knew I had to. Work went well. We did our coffee time just like we usually do. Things were very calm, especially for a Friday. Knock on wood! Come 12noon I left for lunch having decided to visit Strader’s to hopefully get our hanging baskets. The lot was packed, but that was expected. The mid-day crowd is always an interesting one. A lot of what some might call the Arlington snobbery. Women with their perfect hairdos, nails, and suntans were busy pulling around carts full of blooms. But as I’ve shared before, being in the nursery does something for me. I feel so good amongst the beautiful flora. I bought four large geraniums – two red & two purple/red to use in our backyard hanging baskets. I used to do giant Wave petunias but even the most studious care left them looking ragged by middle/end of July. Geraniums, on the other hand, do so much better. As I patiently stood in the check out line, I spotted a familiar looking older gentleman who just finished his purchase and was exiting. It was none other than my old friend, John Cooper (former coach of the football Buckeyes). I quietly acknowledged him by saying a friendly, hey John! He turned and gave me a grin and a nod. The crowd seemed almost oblivious to his presence. That, or they just don’t like him. But I find that hard to imagine. John has always been nothing but a gentleman. I loaded my geraniums into the Trooper, then decided to go back in and buy our Wave petunia for the front beds. I worried if I didn’t that I might be left with a picked over selection later. I was happy to see they had oodles of each color in stock and they were very healthy looking, too. They have a new variety this year that aren’t technically Wave petunias at all. Instead, they’re called Rambling petunias. The spread like the Wave but also grow up about ten inches high – perfect for my beds. I was very pleased with the concept. I decided to go with raspberry – a blend of red/purple. They’ll look sharp. I am certain. I also selected a flat of the white/blush Rambling petunias to use out back along with white geraniums, which I will buy later. The last couple of years I have experimented with white flowers and have enjoyed the results. I felt really good with my selections. I could’ve headed back to work but decided not. Instead, I drove to Ohio Mulch close to home (Roberts Rd). There I bought 35 bags of Absolute Black triple shredded mulch. From there I drove my haul home. At home I unloaded the flowers into the garage and then detached and covered the trailer. I headed back to work after getting myself a quick drink of water. I was gone for about 1.5 hours. I was so happy that I got the flowers and mulch taken care of. The early afternoon went about as smoothly as my morning, at least until 3pm. After that things got dicey. Typical Friday, end of day. I managed to end my work day at 5:30pm and turned things over to my peer. I was excited about the weekend ahead as well as the lovely weather overhead. Mindy had an encounter to share of her own. I doubted it could top my John Cooper encounter, though. A substitute teacher stopped her on the playground asking her identity. Turns out, the sub was in her 4th grade class some 14 -15 years ago. Mindy enjoyed the encounter but said it made her feel old. Yeah, I can see that. Mindy wasn’t home. She was at the grocery. The kids were gone with their dad for the weekend. In kind, we planned a night at Barley’s. After walking Ykraps, I put Mindy’s new fire ring together. While on the floor I noticed that Ykraps had peed on the back of our sofa again with the remnants easily visible on the white tile floor. Talk about being mad as a hornet! Damnit! Why is he doing that? I can only guess that another dog at one time or another was in our house and peed on it. The sofa back was inaccessible for 14 years, but now that we’ve rearranged the layout, it’s out in the open. He must smell something there and feels compelled to mark his territory. What he doesn’t realize is that it’s all MINE! I wanted to rub his nose in it and whoop him but didn’t. I cleaned it up the best I could. Mindy arrived home while I was busy downloading the last of the three CDs I was burning for Bob. I helped carry in the groceries. My neck was really stiff all day long. I had Mindy rub it some and then I laid flat on my back on the family room floor and took a brief nap. That helped a bunch. While I napped, Mindy readied for a night at Barley’s. I upped around 7:40pm. Mindy said I slept for 15 minutes or so. I felt like a new man. Never underestimate how beneficial a short nap can be. It’s a wonderful way to transition from work week to weekend mode. We left for Barley’s at 8:05pm. Nephew Joe called/texted while in route. He was already there and wondering our whereabouts. Right away, I ordered an Extreme Dan. Mindy ended up drinking rum & Coke. That’s a first, at least while out. It never got crowded. I guess it’s that time of the year when people start doing other activities that pull them away from the warm invite of a bar setting. Tom Clark joined us around 9pm. He’s close to closing on his house. He’s very anxious to get in. Later, Joe’s bff, Danny and her mom (Cheryl) joined us. We had a nice time. I eventually ordered a Cuban and fries. Not sure what Mindy ordered. My Cuban was delicious – best anywhere. We left for home just before 10:30pm, best guess. We called Crissy to see what she was doing. We invited ourselves over. We joined them for a beer and met Crissy’s mom, who was spending the night and visiting the grandkids. Kenny shared the story of Molly, his giant black lab, biting Duke, the little whatever dog that thinks he’s king of neighborhood. Mindy & I got a huge chuckle out of the story. Duke was said to be at home still shaking, traumatized from the ordeal. We headed home just after 11pm. Lots of yard on the agenda for Saturday.