When 4" = 1'

Happy Birthday Jim Farrell

I tossed and turned most of the night. My throat was scratchy and I felt like I might have a cold coming on, too. Not good! I don’t have time to be sick. It was 530a on the button. And just a few minutes later I was in the kitchen getting my arms around the day ahead. I gathered my exercise shoes then peered out the back door. The snow was done. Looked like we got another inch or so overnight bringing the storm total to about 4 inches. I did my sit-ups and push-ups then played on the internet. I checked the temperature. It was 12 degrees but with a 10mph wind making it feel like -2. After enjoying some coffee, I headed out with Frankie. She was tentative in the snow but managed to take care of her business under the tree house where there was much less of the white stuff. I wore my snow boots for our walk. First time this season. Meditation and stretching were next. Both went well. I took Frankie and coffee upstairs to Mindy who was just getting out of bed and heading for the shower. I dressed warmly for my run, but the only real change to my attire was a thin long sleeved wicking shirt serving as a base layer. No other additions. I hit the streets at 635a. The new fallen snow was lovely and because it was so fluffy and dry, it was nice to run in. I had to be careful though. There was a lot of black ice underneath. I ran the full 4.1 miles without incident, although anytime facing the west, I was immediately reminded of the biting wind chill. Back at home I went for Mindy’s keys, which were waiting as expected right inside the door. After starting the Honda I shoveled the walk from the drive to the house. Looked like Kenny was already out and cleared the driveway and main sidewalks with his snow blower. Thanks Kenny! I was inside by 725a to enjoy a hot breakfast. The kids, meanwhile, were bummed that school wasn’t canceled. Mindy left soon after I was seated. She sounded terrible, her voice all but gone. Apparently, we were both suffering the same illness, although she sounded way worse. I headed up for a shower around 735a. Boy, I looked awfully tired, but then again, I hadn’t showered since Saturday. I hoped the shower would wash away any sign of a coming cold. I took another dose of Delsym before heading to the bus stop with the kids. My symptoms, a dry cough and tired. The kids and I headed out at 757a. It was cold. Jacob was out without a hat. Bella was bundled warmly. The pugs wrestled. Kenny said he was taking Woody in to have his stitches removed later in the day. We didn’t hang out long at all. Kenny wasn’t dressed for lengthy exposure to the biting cold. I walked Frankie out front but she didn’t go potty. But at least she had a chance. I packed a light lunch of cheese and fruit, and also packed a few small slices of the ham leftover from our party. Then, after prepping a to-go cup of coffee I headed off to work. The Trooper was already running but was slow to defrost. But more importantly, it started right up. I was a little worried that it might be difficult to start after sitting idle in the cold since Thursday. The drive in was actually very nice as the sun was coming up in the east. I arrived at work around 835a due mostly to slow traffic on I-270. Having been out unexpectedly since last Tuesday, I had a lot of administrative tasks needing addressed. The work load seemed a bit overwhelming, but that’s typically the case after being out any longer than a regular 2-day weekend. Things were so busy that I skipped a lunch even though I really wanted to get a haircut and/or Xmas shop. Time’s a wastin’! I ate my packed food from my desk. The ham was especially tasty. I didn’t talk with Mindy all day long. Unusual. I wrapped up my day right at 530p and made my way to the Trooper. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to heading out into the bitter cold, but thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as I envisioned. The Trooper warmed quickly. I arrived home around 555p. It was already dark. Mindy was the only one inside and busy making dinner, which I assumed would be leftovers. Happily, she was making a fave of mine – cream of chicken over rice. The kids were out playing in the snow, a testament to their resilience. Not fit for man nor beast! Mindy and I both tried calling them to dinner. They were very slow to come. Having too much fun, I guess. I may not have mentioned it, but the Vikings Sunday afternoon game was moved to Monday night after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed under the weight of heavy snow on Saturday afternoon. Playing the game in Detroit instead. Saw pictures of the Detroit field painted to look like their home field. Sadly, though, it still wouldn’t be televised. Can’t compete with the regular MNF game on ESPN. Despite sounding even worse than she did this morning, Mindy served up dinner as soon as the kids were in and settled. Good call, dear. The cream of chicken over rice hit the spot. Mindy mentioned that she might not work Tuesday for being so ill. She wasn’t in the best of moods, either. After dinner and clean-up, I helped Jacob with his math homework. Torture, I tell you! He’s just now getting into division, exponents, and big-boy multiplication with word problems. Making all sorts of errors. I love that stuff and tried showing him various ways of setting up the problem for the greatest chance at success. I showed him how to verify his answers too. He wasn’t very receptive to my advice, and his penmanship remains a huge hurdle. I don’t like the way he approaches his homework, totally uninterested and in a big hurry. To my eyes, no chance of success. I don’t care for the way he holds his pencil, either. :) After spending about 30 minutes helping Jacob, I retired to my PC where I updated my blog through Sunday. Jacob made sure to keep posted on the Viking game even though I didn’t necessarily want to know the score. He relishes in their failure. At the time they were losing 7-3. At this point in their lost season, the most important or most notable thing might’ve been that this game marked the end of Brett Favre’s streak of starting 297 straight NFL regular season games. I remember listening to the very first game he played on the radio in September of 1992. It was against the Bengals and I was painting the house on Valleyview Dr. Couldn’t believe this new guy, whose name no one could accurately pronounce, came in, in relief of Dan Majakowski (sp) and was slicing up the Bengals. Once Jacob blurted out the score the wound was open. I followed through the score for rest of the evening. Sadly, it only got worse. They lost 21-3. :( The kids were tucked into bed around 9p. Mindy sat on the sofa for a while before calling it a night. By then, she had already firmed plans to have a sub take her class the following day and had already prepared and sent the necessary plans for the substitute teacher. She headed for bed around 930p. I stayed up a while longer after getting my second wind. I headed for bed just after the halftime tribute to Brett Favre. Thanks Brett! In bed around 1040p, I quickly became restless and got back up just like the night before. I headed back downstairs where I fooled around online for about 30 minutes or until I felt a little sleepy. I headed back to bed around 1130p.