Family Drama

I was up slightly ahead of 530a, and after brushing my teeth and grabbing my running clothes I stumbled down the stairs to get my Monday fully underway. Refilled my water glass and choked down my last Dexilant capsule, which reminds me that I need to stop by Target to pick-up the refill that I submitted online. Not sure if I’ll take anymore, but like Mindy said, good to have it on hand. Frankie was sound asleep. I left her be while I carried on with my morning calisthenics. There were clear skies overhead and 40 degrees with a chance of rain later in the day. While sipping coffee I opened Frankie’s pen, but she made no effort to come out. However, I knew if I went to my place of meditation that she would likely follow. As expected, she did. I spent a few extra minutes giving her the attention she craved. She then left me alone for about ten minutes while in mediation. Before stretching I took Frankie out back. She was unusually quick to take care of business. Back inside I gave her a treat then did my typical stretch routine. It was near 630a when I poured Mindy’s coffee and took it and Frankie upstairs. Downstairs I dressed for my run wearing long running pants, a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt, and my pullover fleece. Then, after a quick stretch of my hammies from the front stoop I was off on my 4.1 mile run. I ran comfortably under partly cloudy skies. Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting. It was already 725a. Mindy still wasn’t feeling well, her blood pressure and pulse still out of whack. She reminded the kids to bus home with Noah then departed for school. Bella was still lollygagging around with her breakfast when I headed up for a shower. I let Frankie lick the egg yoke off my paper plate. There wasn’t a lot there. While preparing for the shower I noticed that it was clouding over significantly. Looked quite gloomy to the west. I was downstairs at 749a and quickly threw together what would serve as my lunch, a fruit medley, nuts, banana, and a can of tuna. Forgot to slice up some cheese chunks. The kids and I headed out to the bus stop at 757a. Kenny joined his girls at the bus stop and had Woody in tow. Surprisingly, the pugs didn’t go at it like most days. Both must’ve been tired. Kenny finally gave me the material receipts from the tree house that I have been asking for for many weeks. Said the total was around $1070. I shared that I would get him a check later that evening. The bus arrived on time, although it was a spare bus - #133 instead of #145. The kids always pick-up on that right away. I walked Frankie around the yard before heading back inside. She might’ve pee’d but that’s it. I took a handful of minutes to straighten up the kitchen and then pack up my laptop and other work gear before heading out. The last thing I did was pen Frankie. Almost forgot. The drive into work was low stress. I must’ve arrived somewhere near 840a. Again, one of the few benefits of being on call over the weekend is that there isn’t that feeling of shock that often occurs after a long weekend away from it all. Instead, it’s more like a continuation of the previous week. Work was well under control thanks to the guys working over the weekend. After getting settled I tried calling Paul’s Marine to schedule a boat winterization. No joy. I forgot, like I do every year, that they’re not open on Monday’s. Crap! I didn’t really plan to work straight through and skip a formal lunch break, but then again, I had no errands needing run. I should probably bring a book for such days to help give me more motivation to take a full hour break. I stopped in to chat with my boss mid-afternoon. He was late arriving after a doctor’s appointment until maybe noon. He shared that we’re having a town hall meeting on Thursday with our director. That was a nice segue into scheduling my on-call comp day. I asked for Wednesday, though really would’ve preferred Thursday. I hope to take care of the boat winterization that day, and then maybe find a way to play some golf, too. The sun was out for most of the day, but I noticed a line of healthy looking rain showers coming our way from the NW on the radar. I talked with Mindy around 330p. Said she was already at home. Shared that she left school early for an impromptu doctor’s appointment regarding her whacky blood pressure and elevated pulse. May ultimately put her on different meds. For now, though, she’s just supposed to monitor her blood pressure and pulse throughout the day. She also reminded me that this was a Jimaken Monday, although by the sounds of it, this may be the last. Thinking of moving it to Thursday’s after this week. This is the last week for Thursday soccer practice, and after Sunday, the last week of soccer all together. We discussed dinner as well but no plans were made. By 5pm it was raining steadily, and the forecast called for it to continue through most of the evening. We need the rain. I wasn’t disappointed. And besides, it’s supposed to be sunny for the next 4 or 5 days after this. I left the office at 530p. Mindy was resting quietly on the sofa at home. I started my normal routine of rinsing my lunch containers and prepping tomorrow’s coffee when my phone rang. It was my ex, Kelly. Odd! She shared some not so good news about daughter Lindsey’s latest antics. What we knew for sure, and what I’ll share, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The kids were left next door with the neighbor and Kelly’s house left a wreck. We talked for about 20 minutes, but then she called back a minute or two later with more info. Lindsey’s life is a wreck, and for that I am deeply saddened. But only she can take the initial steps to fix it. I worry most about my grandsons, and we have offered numerous times to take them into our home, albeit on our terms, above board and legally. Sadly, that most likely won’t happen unless there are extenuating circumstances. It was now about 630p. Mindy and I each made ourselves a plate of leftover meatloaf and smashed potatoes. I washed mine down with a glass of 2% milk (the other 98% Jack Daniels). Kidding!!  After dinner I updated my blog through Sunday. The kids arrived home just after 730p. Somehow I got suckered in to taking Frankie out for a second romp in the pouring rain. Mindy, not feeling well, I understood. The kids, however, should really be doing it. Frankie absolutely despises the rain. She wanted no part of heading out once she saw the rain coming down, but I insisted. Should’ve never scratched at the door. But she had to go both times that I took her out. For the first time in a couple of months, my left shoulder/neck was aching, an area that has bothered me for years, but am happy to report it being rather quiet for most of 2010. Mindy agreed to work on the knotted area for a couple minutes. It felt much better afterwards. It’s probably not a coincidence that I started doing curls again recently. I’ll need to be mindful of that as a possible trigger. We tuned into MNF just after 8pm, although the kickoff wasn’t until 830p. Mindy had the kids get into their PJ’s before then. Initially, anyway, they got to see very little, if any, of the game. However, when I tucked the kids into bed, Jacob asked if I would permit him to come down and watch part of the game with me. Yes. He rarely ever asks to stay up later. On the other hand, Bella sneaks back down often. I let Mindy know that I granted Jacob permission to watch some of the game. She didn’t question me. My phone rang again sometime after 9p. It was Kelly again providing another update on Lindsey. Apparently keeping her overnight. Had made arrangements to have the boys cared for the following day. We appreciated getting the update. Jacob stayed up until 930p or so. Bella came to the rail and spotted Jacob then asked why he was permitted to be downstairs. We joked that Jacob was ill, and, of course, he played along swimmingly. Somewhat surprisingly, Bella headed back to bed without much complaining. Mindy headed to bed shortly thereafter. I stayed up until 1030p. It was 20-0, Tennessee when I headed for bed.