Hitting 90

I was up Sunday morning around 7:30am and felt terrific. After calisthenics I checked the temperature. It was already a balmy 75 degrees under clear blue skies – very summer-like. I wasn’t expecting Mindy to be up and out of bed anytime soon, not after last night. Wow! I knew it was warm but I wasn’t expecting the weather to hit me in the face like it did. The air was thick, wet, and warm – conditions we haven’t had to contend with for most of the summer. It felt good. I took my time puttering around the house and before leaving for my run. I didn’t bother taking Mindy coffee, figuring her stomach wouldn’t be up for it. I left for my run around 9:30am. I did only three miles, just as I often do on Sunday’s. As one might expect, it got a little warm given the unusual heat and humidity, but I survived. After my run I cooled down in the AC, which felt absolutely fantastic. As 11am neared, I still hadn’t heard even a peep from Mindy. I decided to head out and do some yard chores. More specifically, trim back the English Ivy from the chimney. It had gotten a little out of control through the summer. To do the job, I had to get out the heavy 28’ fiberglass extension ladder. I spent about an hour trimming Ivy away from the shingles and flashing around the chimney. Then, I moved around front to trim the excess growth from around our bedroom window. That took some difficult maneuvering with the ladder in and around the large shrubs. I never look forward to it. Not only did I trim away the runaway ivy, but I also removed three large bird nests that are always a nuisance. I remove them, then the birds return to build new ones. I was covered head to toe in small pieces of debris. That, mixed with the sweltering summer heat, made for extremely unbearable conditions. I was itching all over. No longer able to stand it, I climbed down off the ladder and hosed myself off. Much better! After sucking down some ice water, I went to the shed to fetch a tarp to drag the piles of ivy clippings to the compost pile. It was now time to clean the Honda after last night’s incident. I wasn’t looking too forward to it. Given the afternoon’s sweltering heat, I was glad that I got most of the barf cleaned out last night in the dark. Turned out, there was little that I missed. And most of that was just under the lip of the passenger seat. I cleaned the Honda inside and out. I hadn’t given it a bath since Memorial Day weekend. Fresh out of the shower, Mindy finally came out to see the light of day. Said she still wasn’t 100%. I gave her a little crap but not too much. She thanked me for taking good care of her. I asked if she would go up and trim the last of the ivy from around our second floor bedroom window from inside the house. I couldn’t reach it with the fiberglass ladder, or at least without leaning the heavy ladder against the glass. And since I had all the stuff out, I decided to wash the BM’er too. Just as I was moving the Honda Jimaken pulled up with the kids. It was already 3pm. Jacob rushed in to help his mother. Bella came outside to help me was the BM’er. We worked as a cohesive unit getting it cleaned up in a hurry. I let her wet it down and then wash the wheels. She did a decent job, too. Thanks Bella! Mindy asked what I wanted for dinner. I suggested tacos. No one knew it, but I had made guacamole earlier loosely following what I remembered of Bob Imber’s recipe. I already knew that it wasn’t as good as his, however. For starters, I put in too much lime juice. To that end, Mindy left to go get more beef from the grocery store. She wasn’t gone long at all. After wrapping up the cars and putting away all the necessary supplies, I got out my leaf blower to remove the last of the ivy debris that escaped the tarp. I also blew off Mindy’s patio out back. Finally done, I headed inside for a much needed shower. I was hot, sweaty, and itchy. I felt 100 times better after a shower. Mindy said she invited my dad for dinner but that he wouldn’t be able to join us. Still not doing too well. I walked Ykraps while Mindy finished making dinner. It felt incredibly warm – almost unbearable. Mindy hurried out to catch-up with me during the walk. Back at home Mindy advised that it hit 93 degrees. Since late June, we’ve had just one day hit 86 degrees or above. The Mexican dinner was delicious. Jacob asked who made the guacamole. I told him Bob. He said it was good but not as good as his last batch. :) He was right! After dinner I watered the rear flower pots and hanging baskets. Meanwhile, it was already after 7pm. The day was flying by. I had a piece of that yummy turtle cheesecake for dessert. That practically put me in a food coma. I took a brief nap on the sofa. Mindy made the kids come in and get showers just after 9pm. They were in bed by 9:30pm. I tucked them in just before calling it an early night for myself.