Contending with Snow

Up at 530am on the nose, I staggered to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth then gathered my running clothes all the while trying to remain as quiet as possible so not to wake Mindy. Pretty much a repeat of every other work day morning. It was still snowing lightly, this I could see out the front door's sidelights. It looked so calm and peaceful. As I started my exercise routine it dawned on me that my throat and sinuses were feeling significantly better than the previous handful of days. Although Still not a 100%, this was cause for celebration. As I typically do, after sit-ups I checked the temperature online. It was 10 degrees, and -4 with wind chill. I saw that Southwestern City schools were closed, so I went up and notified Mindy. She immediately asked about Hilliard. So far, no word. She asked that I let her know if that changed. I returned downstairs to complete 53 push-ups. Afterwards, Ykraps and I headed out into the winter wonderland. The freshly fallen snow was about as pretty as it gets - soft, fluffy, and largely undisturbed. Thanks to neighbor Carl, our driveway and walk were cleared the evening before save for the additional inch that fell overnight. As he always has, Ykraps struggled to find the perfect spot to pee, relying so heavily on his sense of smell. But lucky for him, he eventually found his way. Back home at 555am, I kicked off my winter garb and poured a hot cup of coffee. I returned to my PC for another 10 minutes of play. I read the Daily OM and a few significant headlines. Just after 6am Hilliard announced their school closings. No school for the kids, too. Jacob would be thrilled. He went to bed agitated that school wasn't yet canceled. I went about my business as usual. I still had to be at work. Come 615am I did my meditation and stretching, which both went really well. I bundled warmly for my run. I was excited to get out there in the wintry setting. I found my best footing was about 6 feet off the curb in the road and remained there as much as possible. On occasion I had to jump up to the sidewalk or into a newly cut tire rut to avoid approaching traffic. The run went really well. The house was unusually quiet with everyone remaining in bed after learning their schools were closed. I started the stove, bent on making fried eggs. I made Ykraps some too. He wasn't as eager for eggs this morning after eating more than he's eaten in days the night before. I was off to the shower later than normal, but because there'd be no bus stop time, I wasn't really behind. I saw both kids finding their way to our bed while I was readying myself. After checking my Blackberry, I was troubled with a couple call-offs. In turn, I phoned one of my guys to let him know that I still expected him to work. I called one of my peers during my drive in. The roads were ideal - not a spec of snow or ice after exiting the subdivision. Hats off to Mayor Coleman and his team. At work, I parked out front, which is rare. Once settled, I spent a good 30 minutes visiting with my team before heading to my own office to check email. Everyone was in pretty good spirits sharing stories about the snow storm. My boss and I had a good long chat mid-morning. The day wasn't as busy as I expected. For that I was grateful, especially given my on-call responsibilities for the coming weekend. Come lunch time I was determined to get away. I drove to Dive Adventures which is located next door to McDonald's on Cemetery Rd. I wanted another mesh dive bag to store our mounting inventory of snow ski equipment, such as helmets gloves, hats and gaiters. First time inside the place. It was very nice - two pools for diving certification, and two diving/swimming supplies stores - one for swimming the other for diving. Both had mesh bags, but the diving store had a greater selection. I ended up spending more than I anticipated, $39, but found a really cool mesh duffle that doubles as a long back pack, too. It can hold most of the family's skiing accessories. I gathered some literature on their diving cert programs too. I'm already certified, but the kids and Mindy are not. Next? After the dive shop, I headed next door to McDonald's to treat myself to a rare fast food lunch. I ordered a quarter-pounder happy meal. I snacked on the fries while driving back to the office. They're fries are far better than either Wendy's or Burger King. It's not even close! Back at my office I ate my lunch while digging back into work. I talked with Mindy who had her friend Deena and her three kids over for a lunch and snow play date. Mindy really likes Deena. She's quite lovely, sweet, and smart. The afternoon was steady, but never overwhelming. My boss was agreeable to me cutting out early. I left for the day at 440pm. I phoned Mindy along my drive home. Mindy revealed that Deena and her kids were just leaving and the kids were getting ready for their weekend with dad. I suggested that I might be taking a nap. I was feeling a tad short slept after staying up late watching the NC game Thursday. Deena was just backing out when I pulled up. The house was cleaner than I expected after a snow day and a house full of guests. That made me happy, and helped me relax. The kids were busy playing Wii Fit while waiting on their dad's arrival. I took refuge on the sofa and snuggled briefly with Bella. It wasn't long before Jimaken arrived. He tried the Wii Fit soccer challenge a time or two before they left. I found it somewhat comical. It probably didn't take more than 5 minutes for me to fall fast asleep after the kids left. I slept until 550pm - not sure how long I was sleeping but I'm guessing 30 minutes. I felt much better after my nap and having a few minutes to gather myself. It was time to walk Ykraps. Mindy was quietly playing on her laptop. Ykraps and I walked around the eyebrow court just to our north. He pee'd, but that's it. I noticed he still hadn't eaten anymore food all day either. His pill was still tucked into a piece of cheese, too. Mindy and I discussed our Barley's departure, agreed to leave around 7pm. With a little less than a hour to kill, I updated my blog. I posted the past 5 or 6 days with Sunday through Wednesday being only bullet-type entries. Using that style still captures the crux of my day's activities, but what it doesn't do is help hone my writing skills, which is another reason I like to blog. Mindy & I were ready to go as planned. We left the house just a few minutes after 7pm. We took belated Xmas gifts for Beth, Bob & Mary Ann. We saw Bob & M.A. last Saturday at MRM but forgot to take their gifts. The lot was packed tightly but then again, most Friday's are like that. We found a spot towards the back. We spotted our neighbors brother and girlfriend, Rick & Carol, heading in at the same time. Many of our peeps were in tonight: Rick, Steve, Lynda, Scott , Rebecca. Tom Clark and his roomie, Victor arrived minutes after us. We gifted Beth early on. We left Bob & Mary Ann's in the Honda after not spotting their vehicle in the lot. I ordered a Centennial IPA. It tasted extra good. I called Rene around 9pm to see if she was still coming out. Said she was, but waiting on her BFF, Susan. They showed up around 945pm. Rene's planning to join us for our Holiday Valley trip next week, and just bought new skis the day before. Picks them up on Monday. We spent a lot of time talking about our trip. We're totally psyched. While chatting with neighbors David & Becky, they introduced me to one of their pals, David, who's a ski patrol at Mad River and Seven Springs. Has a house at Seven Springs too. Invited us to come out. Heck yeah! Sold us on the resort's features, but shared that it has a different feel from that of Ellicottville NY - HV. It's more of a self-contained resort - no ski town like HV. We may do a weekend there this winter, if not just once to try it out. Supposedly just a 3.5 hour drive. We hung at Barley's long enough for me to have four beers - 3 Centennials and 1 Green Flash West Coast. Mindy got the tab and drove home. She drank two glasses of wine through the entire evening but had nothing but water for the last hour or so. If memory serves, it was just after 11pm when we arrived home. I glanced down at Kenny & Chrissy's. It looked dark. We opted for a relatively early bedtime instead.