Yard Work & Barley's

Before I knew it, it was 7:15am, my self-imposed wake time. I was feeling a little anxious even though my body could’ve used another hour of sleep. I got up anyhow. I slowly pushed through some sit-ups and push-ups before heading out with Ykraps. It was cloudy but the prospects for sunshine looked good, at least according to the forecast. That was good news. I wanted to leave for a run by 8:30am in order to meet the day’s goals. My goals included getting some ComTil down off Rt 104 & 665 before Chris, the irrigation system guy arrived. I was expecting him around noon. I snuggled with Mindy after delivering coffee but set out on my run immediately after. I was back by 9:24am. By then it was mostly sunny. Before leaving to get ComTil I rechecked the tire pressure in dad’s trailer. One of them was down to 30lbs psi already. I used my craftsman air compressor to add air to the trailer and my Trooper tires as well. Only one of my Trooper tires needed air, and that was only a few lbs. I also made sure that I had some rope and a tarp to cover and tie down the load. I left for the ComTil plant just after 10am. I decided to get ComTil Plus this year since I’d be adding mulch on top. The Plus has more of a soil consistency, and can be used as a top dressing for the lawn. It’s actually less expensive, or it’s supposed to be. I’ve going there for ComTil for several years. I know the drill well. First, you pull up onto a giant scale and weigh your vehicle/trailer empty. Then, you proceed to be loaded with ComTil or ComTil Plus. This year’s load weighed just over 1600lbs. I was surprised at the total but didn’t bulk - $33.00. The guy said it was 1.99 cubic yards. Whatever, I didn’t question it. I was more concerned with getting it covered and then secured for the drive home. I forgot to bring a couple boards or rocks to help hold the tarp down. I had just enough rope to make an ‘X’ over the load. But sure enough, I got a mile down the road and the tarp began flapping like crazy chicken wing. To make matters worse, it was really windy from the west. ComTil was blowing out behind me. I decided then to avoid the freeway and take 104 to Frank, Frank to Eakin, Eakin to Hague, and then home. I stopped once on Frank Rd to resecure the tarp a bit differently/better. It helped just a little. I arrived home at 11:25am. Mindy & the kids were upstairs cleaning the bedrooms. I woofed down a quick snack but then decided to get busy with some yard work. Knowing that Chris was coming over, I didn’t want to get too involved in mowing, so I continued my efforts to prepare/level the new patio area. I kept checking for Chris out front. Mindy came out around 1pm and asked if I was skipping Jacob’s soccer game. I had no choice, still waiting on the irrigation dude. I asked that she place a note on the front door indicating my whereabouts – out back – before she left. He never did show up, damnit. Around 2pm I decided to go ahead and cut the lawn, but not before taking a few minutes to wrap Mindy’s Mother’s Day gift and write out her cards. The only thing left to do was have the kids sign their card. Relative to the yard, I did the whole thing; whack, edge, cut, & blow. I even cut the new sod. It was long when we laid but it had already grown considerably, too. I was just finishing up when Mindy & the kids returned from the soccer game. Mindy wondered if Chris ever showed. Nope! I moved from lawn cutting back to patio prep. One of the sprinkler heads was located just inside the arc of the proposed patio. I decided to go ahead and move it a foot or so just outside the arc. I purchased patio edging last week that requires staking. I used it for the arc. Last minute I decided to forego edging along the transition to the water and instead use natural stones, and preferably big ones if I could find and move them into place. That proved quite a challenge, but I got a few monsters from along the pond’s edge and even a couple smaller ones from the water. Rolling them into place took everything I had and then some. Bella and her friend Emily watched in amazement as I grunted and rolled the heavy stones into place. Finally satisfied with the layout, it was time to roll out the weed screen. Now for the easy part. Once the edging was in place and the screen down, it was time to randomly place the stepper stones. That was fun. I used the wheel barrow for transport. I could quickly see that I wouldn’t have enough stones to fill the area. I’d have to get more. When, I wasn’t yet sure. Once I had the stones in place I could see some low spots, mostly in the corners rolling towards the water. I figured I’d simply lift the edging, roll back the weed screen, and add some additional dirt before proceeding. But all of that would have to be on Sunday. I was pretty well beat. I watered in the sod before calling it a day. Mindy asked about dinner. We eventually agreed to do Barley’s with the kids. Meanwhile, the neighbors wanted to go along too. Hmm? That’d be fun. I took a much needed shower and then walked Ykraps. Mindy went along on the walk. We must’ve left for Barley’s around 7pm. Crissy & Kenny’s kids rode with us. They said they’d meet us there shortly. Mindy got us a big booth in the corner. Maria was our server. I ordered an Extreme Dan while Mindy ordered a St. Joan’s. The kids ordered lemonades and Mt. Dew’s. We waited for Kenny & Crissy before placing our dinner orders, but did order some sauerkraut balls as an appetizer. They arrived 15 minutes or so after us. Jake & Jacob each ordered Gates of Hell wings. I ordered a Barely burger and fries with a side of Gates of Hell sauce for dipping. Bella and Makayla each had grilled cheese. I think that Mindy & Crissy ordered burgers, too. Kenny had some other sandwich. All totaled, I drank three Extreme Dan’s. Everyone waited for me to finish so we could leave. Mindy kindly picked up the entire tab. That’s the least we could do for Kenny after all the help he gave us moving dirt last week. After getting the kids settled back home, Kenny came over to our place while Crissy took an online test for school. She joined us about 45 minutes later. We hung out until 10:30-11:00pm. Bella asked me to lay down with her for a few minutes. I fell asleep on her bed until she and Mindy abruptly woke me.