Spaghetti, Frogs, & Spills

I must’ve woken sometime between 530 and 540am, but by the time that I was downstairs and exercising it was 545am. No worries. Outside, the tell-tale signs of rain were evident, wet streets and wet walks. Even still, not enough to supplant the irrigation system. It was barely sprinkling when I headed out the door with Ykraps. Back for coffee by 6:08am (later than usual but nothing to worry about). I had to use Mindy’s hazelnut creamer. There was no ‘Jimmy’ creamer. What next? Ugh! I spent the usual amount of time on the PC before heading back to the family room for meditation and stretching. The stretching was extremely satisfying. I wore a long sleeve wicking shirt to counter the slight chill that hung in the damp morning air. It was only 60 degrees. That turned out to be just about perfect. The 4 miles went well. I was back inside the house by 7:22am and quickly transitioned to food prep. I cooked a cheese omelet and packed a typical lunch. I was off to the shower by 7:40am. I didn’t dare head upstaris without Mindy’s coffee. Once again, she reported poor sleep and bad dreams. I was ready to go by 8:00am. She stayed in bed, yet another indicator of how tired or sleep deprived she’s been. Off to work by 8:10am. The morning went by quickly. At lunch I headed toward Lowe’s to browse. I remembered along the way that Mindy wanted me to stop at CVS to pick-up a prescription. That took just about five minutes and $5 (her own little blue pills). At Lowe’s I browsed almost all the aisles, but went looking specifically for two things: a new flower pot and a rigid steel mesh screen to secure our garage entry door. I found neither. I still enjoyed my time away from work. Sometimes it’s simply good to get away. I was back at work by 2pm. Like the day’s first half, the afternoon moved swiftly, too. I didn’t bother phoning Mindy. I drove home in peace. It was sunny and warm – about 84 degrees. I passed my dad walking Ykraps. Mindy must’ve invited him for dinner. Inside I learned that he watched the kids while she grocery shopped. The kids were out back frog hunting, their latest favorite thing to do. It was evident by the cooking tools that we were having spaghetti and meatballs, not exactly standard summer fare but still quite good. It was a few minutes before everything was ready. Dad and I chatted while waiting. Mindy had me call the kids in to wash up. Jacob, I discovered, was covered with pond mud. I had him go around the house and meet me at the hose bib. We squirted the bulk of it off outside. During dinner, Jacob was being his usual careless-self, reaching, grabbing, and laying his head on the table – an accident waiting to happen. Seconds later- he spilled his mother’s ice water just as I was asking him not to reach but ask. He scampered away in tears. He rejoined us minutes later. Through the rest of dinner, he placed himself in still more accident prone situations. Table manners are not his strong suit. Mindy excused he and Bella well before any of us were done, and probably for the best. They headed out for more frog hunting. I was tired with a belly full of spaghetti but still completed kitchen clean-up. It wasn’t long before Jacob came to the front door reporting that Bella hurt herself and needed her momma. Apparently her foot slipped off the bike peddle causing a contusion on the back side of her ankle. She was streaming tears once inside. After some hugs, kisses, and a band-aid, she limped away back outside with friends. Not sure of the time, but after clean-up I snuck over to the sofa even while Mindy asked me not to. I was so tired. Dad soon left for home. Next thing I knew, It was 8:38pm and the house completely quiet. I’m guessing that I slept for almost an hour. After heading upstairs and slipping into my comfy summer bed clothes I returned downstairs to do a little work on my blog. And speaking of my blog, I got the last nine days published. Minutes later, Mindy emerged from the deck where she reported napping herself. Rare, indeed. A few minutes later she asked if I would corral the kids. I did as she asked meeting only minimal resistance. I had to demand they come in twice. She promptly sent them up for showers, which they did largely on their own. It was just after 9:30pm. Both of us were tired. After tucking in the kids I secured the house and headed up for bed. Unlike normal, Mindy stayed up a while longer. I vaguely remember her joining me 15 minutes or so later.