Trim

Like clock work, I woke for good around 730a. And that was after another fairly good night of sleep. Downstairs I started a pot of coffee then whipped out my sit-ups and push-ups. I kept a loose eye on the coffee maker just to avoid a duplication of last Saturday’s fiasco. I heard Mindy stirring around 830a, which was early for her, although I knew she planned to join her friend Teri for breakfast at the Worthington First Watch. It sounded as though I’d have a large chunk of time all to myself, something I've always appreciated and looked forward to. I didn’t head out on my run until Mindy left for breakfast. It was near 930a when I headed out. It was absolutely gorgeous – sunny skies and 44 degrees. I planned to run just three miles. It was a good run. I was back at home near 10a. I took care of a couple quick to-do’s inside before heading out to the tree house to caulk and paint the trim. Inside I caulked the ½” void just above the microwave with grout caulking. That little task had been bugging me ever since our spring-time tile project. It didn’t take but 5 minutes to get it done. Next, I installed the new heavy-duty ice maker water line to the fridge. When I pulled out the fridge, I was happy to see that the existing had already stopped leaking. I replaced it anyway. The old line was reinforced plastic and 20’ long with almost 10’ of excess coiled up and tie-wrapped in the rafters just below. The new stainless steel mesh line was only 10’ long, and just long enough to provide a little slack and enough length to pull the fridge out for cleaning. It took no more than 30 minutes soup to nuts. Near 11a I gathered the stuff I needed to spend the afternoon working in the tree house. I took caulk, paint, step-ladder, paper towels, paint brush, stirring stick, and water. I took Frankie out with me too, and tied up to her yard tether. She likes being outside in the sunshine. I toyed with taking my iTouch and dock but didn’t. I decided to enjoy the quiet instead. Before spreading even the first lick of paint, I spent at least 90 minutes caulking all the gaps and nail holes in the smart board trim. A lot more involved than I originally thought, but that was fine with me. Proved to be a very relaxing exercise. I started painting sometime near 1pm and took it very, very slow. I heard Kenny and Jake out back gathering leaves. Kenny stopped over to chat briefly. We both kept busy. Mindy returned from breakfast and came out to let me know that she was back. Said she’d be heading to grocery in short order. I kept painting away. Painting the edge of the trim abutting the cedar siding proved to be the most tedious. By the time I finished, all that remained of the original quart of paint was about 4-6 ounces, enough for touch-ups later. Glad I didn’t spring for a full gallon. I like the way the color turned out. Hard to tell for sure in store lighting. Mindy & I made plans to visit Target to shop for Olivia’s birthday gifts and then a stop at Giant Eagle to get some beer and hummus. It was almost 4pm by the time the painting was done and my tools cleaned up and put away. After a shower Mindy and I left for Target, but not before she gave Tom Clark a call to confirm his company later for the OSU/Wisconsin game. Yep, he’d be coming over. We spent about an hour in Target picking out Olivia’s birthday gifts. We bought her a number of outfits, a winter jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, underwear, socks, toy and candy. All totaled, we spent about $200. I’m sure Ashley will appreciate all the clothes, and Olivia will appreciate the candy!  Next stop, Giant Eagle. We picked up three varieties of fresh hummus; chipotle, cilantro jalapeno, and roasted red pepper, along with two varieties of pita chips. We picked out 5 six-packs of beer, too. As soon as we arrived home Mindy put together a table full of snacks while I iced down some beer. Tom arrived just ahead of 7pm with the kick-off slated, according to Mindy, for 718p. Imagine then our surprise when we rolled over to ESPN only to discover the game already underway. Not only that, but Wisconsin had already scored, returning the opening kick-off for a TD. Damn! And for the duration of the first half, we never seemed to leave our heels. They had our number from jump, moving the ball at will whether by run or pass. We were behind 21-3 at the half. The Buckeyes finally had a few things go their way in the 2nd half and pulled to within 3 points - 21-18 - after scoring two unanswered TD’s and a successful two point conversion. If we just could have held them to a three and out, we would’ve had a chance to tie or possibly go ahead. But sadly, that proved too big a task. Wisconsin took the ensuing kick-off and put together a long TD drive pretty much sealing our fate. Like most Buckeye fans, I was disappointed that we lost. But unlike others, I kept it in its proper perspective. The expectations in College football are really a joke. You lose one game and many say your season is done. With those lofty expectations you’re almost certain to fail. Tom left once it was obvious we weren’t going to win. Mindy & I quickly cleaned up all the snacks and dishes putting the house back in the order it was prior. We headed to bed by 1030p, Mindy cited being incredibly tired. To lure me along, Mindy agreed to watch the late college game, Oregon State vs. Washington from bed. My interest was stirred in part because I have a feeling that the Vikings may draft the Huskies quarterback, Jake Locker next spring. I fell asleep a few minutes into the 2nd quarter.