Seasoned Firewood for my Man Cave

I was up around 745am after a pleasant night’s sleep. As expected, it was cloudy and chilly – pretty much a carbon copy of most other October morning’s this year. I started coffee, exercised, and walked Ykraps. It was just after 8am. I enjoyed some quiet time and coffee before even thinking about a run, but there wasn’t too much time to waste if I was to complete the morning’s desired goals. The Buckeye game was slated to kick-off at 12noon, but before that I wanted to fetch a trailer load of firewood from my guy out on the eastside. I left for a run around 930am. No trouble with my knee, although I could tell it still wasn’t 100%. I am very careful making cuts, turns, and quick lateral movements. I ran three miles. I was back home around 10am. I let Mindy know that I was heading out to get firewood and expected to be gone about an hour. I had to stop by Dad’s to get the trailer first. Dad wasn’t home so I helped myself to his trailer. I wisely checked the tire pressure even before attaching it to the Trooper. Both tires were good. Off I went. I was a little paranoid for the duration of the trip after noticing that the trailer lights weren’t working. It’s a fairly long haul out to Alum Creek Dr and Refugee Rd – Brownwood and Supply where I’ve been buying firewood since my early Time Warner days. His product is consistent and the prices are fair. Same guy working there all these years too. That says something. I got a half cord of the 18-24” seasoned hardwood for $95 – tax included. I helped load the trailer. We ended up needing to put 20-30 logs in the back of the Trooper after filling the trailer to more than a comfortable height. Had we stacked it neater, I’m almost certain we could’ve gotten it all in. No biggie! Headed for home. I was a tad nervous driving home worried that a log might bounce out and onto the freeway. That’s never happened, but then again there’s always a first time. It was 1130am. I decided to get as much wood moved and stacked in its usual spot before kick-off. However, before moving the first new log, I pulled the last two rows of old stuff off the bottom so that it could/would be burned first. With the area now ready, I fetched my tractor and trailer to haul about 30 logs at a time. I got about half the load moved before kick-off. I planned to do the rest after the game. We had loose plans to watch the game with the neighbors. I watched the opening kick-off then headed for a much needed shower. We watched the entire first quarter at home then headed down to the neighbors. All of the sudden, I wasn’t feeling that great, so I took only ice water – no beer for me. Kenny & Chrissy’s place was rockin’. They had a house full of guests. And just as you might expect, it was pretty loud, too. I tried getting cozy & comfortable at the end of their leather sofa but no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake the tired, uneasy feeling brewing inside. For a time, I worried that I might be coming down with whatever Mindy & the kids had. And to make matters worse, the Buckeyes were playing poorly and fell behind. I’d seen enough. After the third quarter I excused myself for home. I wanted nothing more than some peace and quiet on the sofa with a pillow. Mindy soon followed checking to see if I was alright. I was fine. I just needed to be alone in peace and quiet. I quickly got comfy and cozy on the sofa, happy to be left alone watching the rest of the Buckeye game in complete solitude. I think Mindy felt that it was something she said or did but that wasn’t the case at all. I just didn’t feel that good, was tired, and wanted to rest. I assured her of as much. She eventually headed back to the neighbors. I watched the end of the Buckeye game. Sadly, we couldn’t get out of our own way and lost to Purdue. Maybe the ugliest, most uninspired performance I’ve witnessed in years. But keeping things in perspective, it’s just a GAME. After an hour on the sofa drifting in and out of sleep I mustered the energy to finish moving/stacking the firewood. It didn’t take but three more trips. After moving all the new wood into place, I put the old, existing wood on top. Around 530pm Jimaken dropped off Bella so he and Jacob could go to a Blue Jackets game. Mindy & Bella headed down to the neighbors. I upped and left for Target to get Olivia’s birthday presents. I got Olivia a couple outfits, an attractive rug for her bedroom, some lollipops, and Play-Doh. I picked up a new, colorful kitchen apron for Mindy after hearing her comment about wanting a more stylish one a week or two ago. That’s me - always thinking of the wife! Before heading back home, I stopped in Giant Eagle for some beer and then Burger King for food. I was hungry. Mindy & Bella were back from the neighbors when I arrived home. Mindy shared that Kenny delivered a T-bone steak while I was out. I ate my Burger King then changed back into my comfy clothes, plopped down on the sofa, and cracked open a CBC IPA. Jimaken stopped by after the hockey game to reclaim Bella. They were soon off. I was content to spend the rest of my evening relaxing on the sofa sipping a beer or two while more college football whirled on the TV.