Prayers 4 Soul Cakes

I was up a few minutes after 530a and quickly in the middle of exercise and internet. A check of the weather revealed clear skies and 46 degrees. Actually, I expected it to be cooler given that the day’s high wasn’t expected to top 53. After exercise I went ahead with meditation before taking Frankie out. She was slow to motivate. Couldn’t wait. It wasn’t one of my better meditation days. After 7 or 8 minutes I recognized it and got up and took Frankie out. Frankie was fairly swift taking care of her business. Back inside I finished my coffee then completed a stretch. The stretch felt terrific, and just what the doctor ordered. I delivered coffee and the pug ahead of getting dressed for my run. Mindy was already in the shower. I dressed in my light-weight winter attire including a pullover fleece. That proved adequate for the conditions. I was comfortable throughout the entire 4.1 mile run. A very bright half moon resided directly overhead providing an inordinate amount of light to an otherwise dark sky. Daybreak was just barely evident on the horizon when I finished. Mindy asked if she needed to start her Honda as soon as I entered the house. No. Not cold enough for frost. Mindy had eggs ready and waiting. This was Trick-or-Treat day. Bella was understandably excited. Jacob, on the other hand, seemed indiferrent to it. I asked Jacob if he had home work assigned for the night, just as he implied he would a couple days prior. Even bet me a $1.50. He didn’t. Tongue in cheek, I asked that he pay up. Mindy headed off to school at 730a. On her way out, she scolded me for being so pissy the night before. I simply listened. She also asked that I try to leave work a little early to help prep for Trick-or-Treat. I left my paper breakfast plate for Frankie to lick away the egg remnants, something she looks forward to now each morning. I headed up for a shower just after 730a. The kids and I prepared for bus departure at 755a. Bella managed Frankie. Kenny was out with the girls. Looked tired. Asked about his bow hunting adventure. Didn’t get anything. Going back out in a week or two, though. In a rare move, Frankie crapped out front of our house. She usually saves it for someone else’s yard.  We headed back inside where I prepped for final departure. I drove the Trooper after only briefly considering driving the BM’er. The first half of the work day was tense. Lots of issues to talk through. We remained huddled up for nearly three hours. I didn’t get back to my office to do real work until almost noon, and then stayed busy until 230p when I decided to make a trip to Target and Home Depot. I stopped at Target first for chewing gum. It’s rare that I find myself without gum, either in my pocket or in my office, but I was totally out. I bought a three-pack to keep in the drawer at home and then a canister for my office. I thought about picking up some additional Halloween candy, although Mindy already bought some. I was a little worried, however, that it might not be enough. I dismissed that notion last second. At Home Depot I was quick. I picked up a replacement toilet valve for the guest bath toilet. It’s been refilling ridiculously slow for a couple months now. I was back at the office after being gone about 45 minutes. I was just after 3p. Not much time left in the day, really. I spent about 30 minutes chatting with my boss before returning to my office for another hour or so. I talked with Mindy around 345p after seeing that I missed a call from her earlier. She was on her way home after picking up Lindsey and the boys. She had a turkey roast cooking in the crockpot. She also reminded me that Jimaken would be at our house to take Jacob & Bella Trick-or-Treating. He’d most likely be having dinner with us, too. She asked if I still planned to leave early. Yes – 5p-ish. To that end, I wrapped up my day just ahead of 5p. It’s been a long week already. I was ready for a weekend. I listened to my Deepak CD on the drive home. Good therapy. At home, the house was abuzz with humanity: Mindy, Jacob, Bella, Jimaken, Rocky, and Landon. But I was prepared for as much and subsequently didn’t allow it to overwhelm me like often is the case. The kids had already eaten their dinner and some were playing Wii. Mindy prepared my plate. The boneless turkey roast had a unique, truly overbearing flavor. Not sure how it was seasoned, but Mindy assured me it wasn’t by her. Most likely came that way. I couldn’t eat it all. Mindy shared that both boys ate a big dinner, something they rarely, if ever, do when dining with us. Must’ve been hungry! Trick-or-Treat was set to begin officially at 6p. The kids began getting into costume around 540p. They were pretty much ready ten minutes later and chomping at the bit to get out the door for their share of the sweet bounty. We had several early Trick-or-Treaters at our door. I told Mindy to send them away, but instead, she kindly granted their wish and placed candy in their bags. Just prior to all of our kids’ departure, I snapped a few photos of them in costume. By then, Bella had decided to abandon the idea of Trick-or-Treating with Jimaken and Jacob, and instead go with Makayla. Mindy, Chrissy, Lindsey and the boys. I’d be at home alone passing out candy. Darn! Everybody headed out at 6p sharp. Once the house was all to myself, I let the Wall blare from my PC’s sound system while writing in my blog. We had relatively few Trick-or-Treaters show up during the first 15-20 minutes. But when they came, they came in droves. At one point, we must’ve had 15 kids either on our porch or coming up the drive. I held tight to Mindy’s guide, only one piece of candy per - a guide designed to make the candy last the full two hours. Sometime shortly after 7p, the Trick-or-Treating really picked up, but like it had all night, the foot traffic was spotty – feast or famine. Mindy and the wee ones returned around 715p. Once they were home, I took Frankie out back to finally relieve herself. She’d been wanting out for a while and did a good job holding it. The little kids used plastic pumpkin pales as their treat bags. They were filled to the brim. Jacob, on the other hand, took a pillow case, We didn’t expect him home until near 8p. Bella and Rocky were just as excited about passing out candy to the remaining Trick-or-Treaters as they were about getting some of their own. I only asked that they remember the rule – one piece per. As the evening waned, it was apparent that we needed to follow the rule. Suddenly, our supply was diminishing quicker than anticipated. Even after agreeing to follow the guide, we discovered that Bella was handing out 3 & 4 pieces per. Said she felt sorry for the kids. She & Rocky resupplied the bowl with candy from their own coffers, and candy that they dubbed unfit for their liking. That tied us over nicely. Jacob got home around 755p. He had plenty of candy in his pillow case. By then, it was already determined that I would be taking Lindsey and the boys home. We got everyone ready to depart just after 8p. Even as we pulled away from the house, there were still a handful of Trick-or-Treaters walking their beat. The boys expressed gratitude for the invite to Trick-or-Treat outing. They both had a good time. Lindsey thanked us too. It’s just what grandparents do! It was a quiet drive back home. Nice! At home, in lieu of Halloween candy, I popped some popcorn. Bella asked if there was any Thursday night college football on TV. When I responded that there was, she joyfully went and found it. That’s my girl! It was Florida State versus N.C State. I eventually popped a second small bag of popcorn that Bella got Trick-or-Treating. We watched as a family for about 20-30 minutes, or until Mindy declared it bedtime. Mindy headed to bed shortly after the kids - 933p. She asked if I was joining her. I wanted to stay up and watch more of the football. I didn’t head up to bed until 1010p, but had fallen asleep on and off for most of that stretch.