Hot Heater Smokehouse

I was up just before 530am feeling well rested and ready to take on what would be the last workday of the week. That felt good to say. Work's been insane lately. Having four days off in-a-row was just what the doctor ordered. I took Frankie outside to relive herself after another clean night in her pen. It was again warm and clear. Very summery. Inside I completed 55 sit-ups and push-ups. I read a few news stories while enjoying some coffee then moved to meditation. That went OK. After 5 minutes of meditation, I started stretching. That felt great, too and was just what I needed. I was a few minutes ahead of schedule. I took Frankie out for a second go around. Next, I poured coffee and took it and Frankie upstairs to Mindy. Frankie is always happy to see Mindy. I headed back downstairs to get ready to run. I was out the door by 635am, and after a quick stretch from the stoop I was off on my four mile trek. The sun has moved much since daylight overtook darkness at the same hour. Now, the sun rests roughly 15-20 degrees above the horizon and slightly north of our street. I can feel it's warmth even at 635am. The run went well. As soon as I was back I ran the front sprinkler zone (zone #1) while we ate breakfast after noticing some stress in the front lawn. It's definitely time to set it to autopilot. Mindy was gone at 730am and the kids and I headed off to our usual tasks, me to the shower, Bella to tidy her room, and Jacob to contemplate the universe(?). Off to the bus stop at 755am. We took Frankie along on her leash. Kenny left Woody inside. I shared that this was my Friday and we discussed further the possibility of Friday golf. In fact, at that point, I still thought Thursday evening golf might be in the cards. The kids now on the bus, I headed back home to let Frankie out back for another try. She went with purpose, as if she knew this was it until much later. I left for the office at 815am. It was a gorgeous morning, one I appreciated fully as I slowly made my way into the office. I knew there was a good chance that I wouldn't see the light of day until 530pm or so. The work day was busy, just as I expected. But even in spite of the tough work day, I managed to get away for a lunch. Planning ahead, I had the blown out hot tub heater in the BM'er resting in an old Kroger bag. I drove to All Season's Spas, which isn't more than a mile and a half from the office. I walked around the store checking out new spas before inquiring about a new heater. I found the latest model of ours, a Sundance Cameo, on sale for a measly $9500! Holy cow! I found my way to the checkout counter where Jason, I think that was his name, spotted the old heater protruding from my Kroger bag and took it upon himself to ask if I was there to get a new one. Yep! He went to retrieve one from the back. Returned a minute later. It was $262 plus tax. I asked a few questions, namely about the owner, Pat F. Guess he's now living in California. I then asked about the warranty. I was surprised at his answer, which was no warranty with self installed parts. Ouch. I took a double take. He said if I had questions I could talk with Kelly, the business manager. I took him upon the offer. Kelly seemed nice enough and after some back and forth kindly offered to provide a 2-day warranty, basically providing me the security that if it were dead for some reason after install I could bring it back. Sounded fair to me. I felt a tad better. I headed back to work arriving around 145pm. It was steamy, about 86 degrees. It would eventually reach 88 under sunny skies. The afternoon moved along at a decent clip. I stayed focused on the task at hand. Mindy called sometime between 330-400pm to inquire about golf, more specifically, whether or not I was going after work. I shared that I wasn't. Bob I. emailed early morning that he was too busy and thought he'd be working late. He also shared that he and M.A. were heading out of town for the weekend, so he wouldn't be available for weekend golf either. I was OK with not golfing after work. I already had plans to golf Friday with Kenny. And since it was a kidless Thursday, Mindy & I made tentative plans to visit Barley's instead. My boss cut out early. I ended up staying until 530pm catching up on lots of dangling tasks. Believe me, it felt so good to pack up and head out come 530pm. I was off to celebrate summer for 4-days. I drove straight home after briefly toying with a stop at Kroger for a bottle of Jack. I decided not. At home Mindy was doing some laundry in an otherwise quiet home. The kids had already left with Jimaken. We headed out after I took a minute to freshen up. I was still in work mode but the feeling quickly abated. I didn't dare take my Blackberry. Not too crowded for Thursday. We took our pick of the many barside stools. I ordered a Centennial while Mindy ordered a stout. And just as we often do during the week, we ordered food quickly knowing we had limited time. I ordered a brisket quesadilla while Mindy went for a Lonestar, a brisket based sandwich with cheese, onions, and horseradish. I drank just one beer while Mindy had two. I planned to drive. Mindy picked up the tab. We weren't home long before I headed out to water flowers. I was feeling kind of lazy but the flowers needed a good soaking, especially after the day's mid-summer type heat. The kids got home around 8pm. At that point, we were still out back with the neighbors. After finishing the watering, I enjoyed another cold beer, this time a Great Lakes Pale Ale. Like any other school night, Mindy got the kids ready for bed and we tucked them in near 9pm. I stayed up after Mindy headed to bed. I was the only one off on Friday. I could afford to stay up a while longer.