When Your Boat is Sinking, Why Not Paddle with a Spoon?

I was up and downstairs ahead of 540am. That's up on time considering I have to pee & brush my teeth before heading downstairs each morning. After some exercise, coffee, and internet I freed Frankie from her pen. After meditation I took her out to relieve herself. I did my usual stretch then headed out for a run. It was sunny and comfortable - the temperature somewhere in the low 60’s. I did four miles making it back home around 720am. I started packing a lunch until I remembered I already had one waiting at work after lunching at PF Chang’s on Friday with the family. For breakfast, I fried two eggs and got out the fresh fruit tray. I was out of the shower and ready to head into work by 810am. Mindy remained in bed asleep. I left Frankie in her pen. I packed up my laptop and all the other necessary gear and headed off to work by 820am. One positive thing about the Monday following an on-call, it’s always an easier transition back to work. And I suppose that’s because I haven’t lost touch through the weekend. Work wasn’t as busy as I thought it might be. Things were moving along fine. As mid-day neared I left for a formal lunch break to take care of a couple personal things. First, I got a hair cut at Saturday’s in Mill Run. Secondly, I visited Finish Line at Tuttle Mall, this time expecting only to try on the Asics model 2150 I thought I wanted. I didn’t think they had the color (black) I wanted in stock. Once I had the perfect fit, I planned to order them online. However, as it turned out, they had them in black, so I bought them from the store. I quickly browsed Macy’s on my way back to the Trooper. The afternoon in the office moved quickly. I left for home near 530pm. Arriving at home I noticed several kids, including our own, hanging out in the driveway by the road. As I parked I realized they were selling lemonade. My dad’s minivan was there too. Mindy invited him to dinner. The kids shared they had made about $9 so far. Before dinner was served, Mindy whipped up two more pitchers of lemonade. By the time dinner was on the table the kids sales totaled close to $12. They were excited. Mindy grilled burgers. Very good. During dinner Jacob tested Mindy’s patience by talking back and making annoying body noises even after being asked multiple times to stop. She shared that he’d been in and out of the dog house all day. Before dinner was over Jacob was sent to his room. He was crushed that his part in the lemonade sales was over. He must’ve begged five or six times for leniency. Though, instead of leniency, Mindy offered more time with each ensuing beg. That brought out the girlish-like cries. We enjoyed more of that fudge chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert. Dad brought up the docking incident from our boating trip of a week ago where he struggled getting us close enough to deboat. Wanted to debate his technique which I openly questioned. I found it humorous that he stewed on it for this long. But I also know my dad. Having his boating skills called into question was almost like emasculating him. Dad left by 7pm During dinner clean-up, Mindy shared that Jacob would be getting the spoon. Meanwhile, I took Frankie out to visit the kids at the lemonade stand. Mindy came out to join me minutes later after dolling out the whippin'. She shared how Jacob refused to cooperate and in turn earned himself a few extra whacks. Wasn’t happy. I planned to talk with him about the scenario that lead up to his seemingly stiff punishment later. We helped the kids shut down the lemonade stand around 8pm. Mindy held the funds, which she planned to split up between all the kids the following day after more sales. I headed inside to do some blogging and then some reading. However, before reading, I headed upstairs to chat with Jacob. He was in a far better place as we chatted – remorseful even. Shared what he had done earlier to get on his mom’s naughty list. My last question was, and how did that work out for ya? Heading downstairs to read, I eventually drifted off to sleep. I was toast for the night.