Dad Turns 75 - Happy Birthday
I tossed and turned through the wee hours of the morning, then rolled out of bed for good around 740a. For some reason I thought it was later. It was cloudy, this I could see from our master bath window. I couldn’t wait to brush my teeth after eating gobs of Mindy’s cheese ball late the night before. After brushing my teeth, I gathered my running clothes then headed downstairs.
My head was clogged with the remains of the cold I contacted a week or so ago. I felt ten times lighter/better after blowing my nose. I prepped a pot of Starbucks then went to the computer. I wasn’t planning any calisthenics given that it was Sunday, my scheduled day of rest.
I took Frankie out even before enjoying any coffee. She seemed anxious standing by the door. My hunch was right. She crapped twice and peed once. I checked the water level of the hot tub before we headed back inside. Down about 7 inches after 10 days. I knew I needed to get more water in it that day.
I read a few headlines while enjoying coffee. I took Mindy some coffee and the pug. Both kids were up and in our room too. Back downstairs, it wasn’t too long before I heard Mindy up and about, and eventually in the shower. I guessed she was attending church, although she hadn’t said as much.
As 930 neared I dressed for my run. I could hear Mindy unloading what the kids perceived as bad news. They were indeed going to church. I had to chuckle when I heard Jacob share that it was pointless and asked why he had to go hang out with a bunch of 90 year olds. Perhaps this is another reason why many kids end up with a skewed perception of God. Not exactly painting it in a positive light. I held my tongue when both pleaded to stay home with me, Bella surprisingly making the most noise. Mindy quickly invoked her parental right over ruling their pleas.
Perhaps if they taught the children how to meditate, find their inner being, and then perhaps a little yoga they might start liking it more, and actually ask to go. Hey, I may bring that up to Karen next time I see her.
I stretched then left for my run well ahead of the family leaving for church. It was around 940a as I headed out the door. I ran only three miles, my typical Sunday run. It felt good, not a single ache or pain.
I was back at home around 1015a, the Honda running and warm in the drive. Mindy wasn’t in the best of moods, and share a little as to why. Apparently the kids were acting up a ahead of church, and the gifts intended for church had been crushed while rolling around in the back of the Honda for the last 3 weeks. On top of that, she found Bella watching TV when she was supposed to be cleaning her room. Bella was now grounded from screens for the rest of the day. Jacob, meanwhile, was already waiting in the car.
Soon they were off. I wasn’t immediately sure what to do with the time, but thought I might wrap Mindy’s Xmas gifts, but eventually nixed it. Nothing like waiting to the last minute. I ended up doing all sorts of chores. For starters, I made Jacob’s bed with fresh linens, a chore Mindy asked me to complete before leaving. I also topped off the hot tub using the hose in the basement and the hot water tank. This was the first time I used the new hose caddy. The short (cheap) feeder hose leaked a little at the water heater and at the caddy itself, but stopped on its own after a minute or so.
I made my breakfast next. I fried up some ham and eggs. They were goooooooood! Next up, I inventoried the gifts I still need to wrap. Plan to do it on Monday or Tuesday morning before leaving for work. I was gonna get in the shower, but once I was upstairs in the master bath I decided it a good time to scrub the white tile and grout on the master bath floor, a chore that Rachel apparently doesn’t do, at least to that degree. She mops but doesn’t scrub the grout lines.
Knowing I’d be using bleach, the first thing I did was strip out of my black running attire and changed into nothing more than my light gray sweat shorts. I gathered up an old towel to serve as a knee pad, a bucket, scrub brushes and bleach cleaner. With 4” tiles there’s a lot of grout to scrub. And having done this a time or two I’ve got a decent system. After filling the pail with a bleach and water mixture I use a scrubbing sponge to spread a liberal amount of the mixture over an area about 3’x 3’. After allowing it to set for a minute or so I started scrubbing the tile and grout vigorously with a large scrub brush. Next, I use a narrow scrub brush that resembles a large tooth brush to scrub the grout lines. I then let it swim in the mixture while I moved on to another 3’x 3’ area. After getting halfway done I mopped up the residual with a steaming hot mop. It took about an hour, but it was well worth the effort. Looks almost like new, and this after almost 17 years.
I heard Mindy and the kids come in while I was finishing up. Mindy came up to check in just as I was wrapping up. She knew that the floor was driving me crazy, but she had no idea to what degree I had just cleaned it. Not wanting the effort to go unappreciated, I shared the details of my technique.
After wrapping up the floor chore I took a much deserved shower. Now around 130p, Jacob asked me to get the snow board and sleds from the shed. Reluctant at first, I remembered my parental duty and headed out to grant his wish. I figured this as good a time as any to get the Thule carrier out and ready for our fast approaching HV trip, too. Although as Mindy pointed out, can’t mount it on the Honda until after the Mannheim show, lest we won’t be able to park in the LeVeque parking garage. Good point!
I got the snow toys out first then the Thule. All the kids were out playing in the snow nearby - ours, Kenny & Chrissy’s, as well as the O’Connell’s. While I carried the Thule to the garage, Jacob followed to get his ramps. I knew what he planned even without him saying. Building a mini-terrain park. Good idea!
I straddled the Thule across two cooler, remembering how I broke one of the cleats last winter having it set directly on the garage floor. I check it for contents. Empty as expected. Next, in preparation for the Thule, I set the Honda’s cross bars as wide as they’ll go.
I headed back to the shed to lock it up and then I went to the back door asking Mindy to bring my Canon camera so I could photo the kids at play in they snow. We put Frankie out on her lead, too. It was only 28 degrees, but the sun was shining and it actually felt warm. I took about ten photos of the kids at play. Evan’s as daring as they come trying hard to ride the snow board down the mild hill and over the two ramp jump they built. Busted his rump a couple times.
We planned to leave for Mannheim at 3p. Mindy made arrangements for the kids to stay with Kenny & Chrissy. They in turn, planned to take all the kids to the Zoo in part to see the lights, but more importantly to see both their girls sing in a school sponsored event. While she made sure those plans were still a go, I checked online to see if CBC might be open. I already knew that they’re typically closed on Sunday’s but figured they might be open on this particular one, the final Sunday before Xmas. And I’ll be totally honest. I really wanted some more of their 12 Hops! Nope, closed.
I wasn’t defeated, however. Word on the street (thanks Bob!) was that the Columbus Fish Market has some of their 12 Hops on tap, and their website listed Sunday hours. Whoop-whoop! I thought we might stop there after the show provided we had enough time. Mindy soon confirmed that we’d have the time, and liked the sound of stopping at CFM after the show. Cool!
We readied ourselves to depart just ahead of 3p. The kids remained out playing in the snow. We advised them to wear their snow gear to the zoo for added warmth. We stopped quickly at Kenny & Chrissy’s to drop off our zoo membership card then hit the road.
We phoned dad during our drive downtown to wish him a happy birthday and to invite him over for Monday dinner. Shared the details surrounding his latest visit to the urologist with Mindy. They talked for about five minutes while I drove. She shared the story as we parked in the LeVeque lot. Apparently the stone dad passed and showed us late summer/early fall was not the biggie. Nope, it’s still in there, and his doctor said it’s not coming out on its own. Needs another sonic procedure to blast it out once and for all. Apparently feels comfortable enough sharing the story with Mindy.
We were parked on level 2. Mindy wisely noted that as we headed down the steps towards our venue, the Place Theatre. It was only 330p, or actually just before. The show not schedule to begin until 4p. It took just a minute to get around the corner and into the venue. Not that I mind, but the lobby was overrun with oodles of blue hairs. I reminded Mindy to keep a tight grip on her purse. Not sure if it’s the venue or what, but this had to be the oldest Mannheim crowd ever, this being my 4th show and 3rd with Mindy.
In fact, I had to hold an oxygen tank for the woman sitting beside me, and Mindy more than once had to point the woman sitting next to her back towards the stage, her sense of direction and eye sight apparently all but gone. For a brief moment, my thoughts turned to the Neil Diamond show.
The show didn’t start until approximately 410p. The band consisted of five members, along with a small eight piece orchestra and then two guys playing brass horns. Unlike past shows, and much to our liking, the videos, especially those of the Renaissance, were a much smaller part of the show. Instead, the focus was on the music. Bravo! And like it always is, the music was absolutely perfect. Can’t think of a better, more enjoyable way to kick-off the week of Christmas than with a Mannheim concert.
They played for about 50 minutes then took a 20-25 minute intermission that was followed by another 45 minutes. Then they added a powerful 4 song encore after getting a roaring standing ovation from the audience. Guess those blue hairs can make some noise when they wanna. Mindy had to turn that same woman towards the stage again.
If you get a chance to see this year’s tour …do it!
It must’ve been near 610p when we made our way back to the Honda. Similar to the Sarah Mclachlan show, it took several minutes to get out of the parking garage but probably no more than 10 minutes. I made sure that Mindy was still game for CFM and headed that way taking Spring to Twin Rivers to Olentangy.
The bar at the Fish Market was pretty full, especially for a Sunday evening. I told Mindy what I wanted then headed for the Men’s room. When I returned a 12 Hops of Xmas awaited me in a large sniffer. I was quite happy! Mindy ordered a glass of wine.
The beer was as good as I remembered. Double yummy!
It wasn’t long before Janie, the bartender, asked if we wanted appetizers, and also alerted us that they were ½ price until 7p. We ordered two – crab, spinach artichoke dip with flat bread, and then some crab cakes. It didn’t take long and both were fabulous, my preference being the artichoke dip.
I soon ordered another sniffer of the 12 Hops. Janie kept warning that the keg was about to blow empty. I got a second sniffer no problem. A few minutes later, though, it was dry.
While sipping our drinks and eating our food, we struck up a conversation with the two guys (Dan & Jim) sitting to our immediate left. After conversing a bit we learned that they were a couple and have been for almost 20 years. Very interesting, and seemingly a lot of fun. We found all sorts of connections. For one, we both came in after the Mannheim show. Secondly, both Jim and I have a brother living in Vancouver, Wa. They know the area but joked that his brother is so damn macho that he never takes them anywhere beautiful when they visit.
In addition, Jim used to be room mates with an old pal of Mindy’s, Kim Hull. In fact, he knows the westside fairly well, despite not being from there. As I say, very entertaining. Jim talked a lot about his Italian heritage, and shared many stories of his Italian upbringing. He and Dan have a side business – specialty dessert catering. Showed some sample pics on his smart phone. We’ll hook up with them again, I’m sure.
What a good time. We headed home just before 8p. We were probably at home 15 minutes before the kids got back from the zoo. Kenny walked them home. I noticed Kenny was wearing a new ski jacket. Said he just bought it. Very nice! He’s chomping at the bit to get out there.
After Kenny split the kids got ready for bed. In fact, we all did. I then watched the Patriots/Packers game on SNF. Bella was a little sad that she missed Faith Hill’s intro song. Sometime during the first half I fell asleep on the sofa. Didn’t wake and head to bed until 10 or so. Mindy, surprisingly, was still awake and reading in bed.
Dad Turns 75 - Happy Birthday
I tossed and turned through the wee hours of the morning, then rolled out of bed for good around 740a. For some reason I thought it was later. It was cloudy, this I could see from our master bath window. I couldn’t wait to brush my teeth after eating gobs of Mindy’s cheese ball late the night before. After brushing my teeth, I gathered my running clothes then headed downstairs.
My head was clogged with the remains of the cold I contacted a week or so ago. I felt ten times lighter/better after blowing my nose. I prepped a pot of Starbucks then went to the computer. I wasn’t planning any calisthenics given that it was Sunday, my scheduled day of rest.
I took Frankie out even before enjoying any coffee. She seemed anxious standing by the door. My hunch was right. She crapped twice and peed once. I checked the water level of the hot tub before we headed back inside. Down about 7 inches after 10 days. I knew I needed to get more water in it that day.
I read a few headlines while enjoying coffee. I took Mindy some coffee and the pug. Both kids were up and in our room too. Back downstairs, it wasn’t too long before I heard Mindy up and about, and eventually in the shower. I guessed she was attending church, although she hadn’t said as much.
As 930 neared I dressed for my run. I could hear Mindy unloading what the kids perceived as bad news. They were indeed going to church. I had to chuckle when I heard Jacob share that it was pointless and asked why he had to go hang out with a bunch of 90 year olds. Perhaps this is another reason why many kids end up with a skewed perception of God. Not exactly painting it in a positive light. I held my tongue when both pleaded to stay home with me, Bella surprisingly making the most noise. Mindy quickly invoked her parental right over ruling their pleas.
Perhaps if they taught the children how to meditate, find their inner being, and then perhaps a little yoga they might start liking it more, and actually ask to go. Hey, I may bring that up to Karen next time I see her.
I stretched then left for my run well ahead of the family leaving for church. It was around 940a as I headed out the door. I ran only three miles, my typical Sunday run. It felt good, not a single ache or pain.
I was back at home around 1015a, the Honda running and warm in the drive. Mindy wasn’t in the best of moods, and share a little as to why. Apparently the kids were acting up a ahead of church, and the gifts intended for church had been crushed while rolling around in the back of the Honda for the last 3 weeks. On top of that, she found Bella watching TV when she was supposed to be cleaning her room. Bella was now grounded from screens for the rest of the day. Jacob, meanwhile, was already waiting in the car.
Soon they were off. I wasn’t immediately sure what to do with the time, but thought I might wrap Mindy’s Xmas gifts, but eventually nixed it. Nothing like waiting to the last minute. I ended up doing all sorts of chores. For starters, I made Jacob’s bed with fresh linens, a chore Mindy asked me to complete before leaving. I also topped off the hot tub using the hose in the basement and the hot water tank. This was the first time I used the new hose caddy. The short (cheap) feeder hose leaked a little at the water heater and at the caddy itself, but stopped on its own after a minute or so.
I made my breakfast next. I fried up some ham and eggs. They were goooooooood! Next up, I inventoried the gifts I still need to wrap. Plan to do it on Monday or Tuesday morning before leaving for work. I was gonna get in the shower, but once I was upstairs in the master bath I decided it a good time to scrub the white tile and grout on the master bath floor, a chore that Rachel apparently doesn’t do, at least to that degree. She mops but doesn’t scrub the grout lines.
Knowing I’d be using bleach, the first thing I did was strip out of my black running attire and changed into nothing more than my light gray sweat shorts. I gathered up an old towel to serve as a knee pad, a bucket, scrub brushes and bleach cleaner. With 4” tiles there’s a lot of grout to scrub. And having done this a time or two I’ve got a decent system. After filling the pail with a bleach and water mixture I use a scrubbing sponge to spread a liberal amount of the mixture over an area about 3’x 3’. After allowing it to set for a minute or so I started scrubbing the tile and grout vigorously with a large scrub brush. Next, I use a narrow scrub brush that resembles a large tooth brush to scrub the grout lines. I then let it swim in the mixture while I moved on to another 3’x 3’ area. After getting halfway done I mopped up the residual with a steaming hot mop. It took about an hour, but it was well worth the effort. Looks almost like new, and this after almost 17 years.
I heard Mindy and the kids come in while I was finishing up. Mindy came up to check in just as I was wrapping up. She knew that the floor was driving me crazy, but she had no idea to what degree I had just cleaned it. Not wanting the effort to go unappreciated, I shared the details of my technique.
After wrapping up the floor chore I took a much deserved shower. Now around 130p, Jacob asked me to get the snow board and sleds from the shed. Reluctant at first, I remembered my parental duty and headed out to grant his wish. I figured this as good a time as any to get the Thule carrier out and ready for our fast approaching HV trip, too. Although as Mindy pointed out, can’t mount it on the Honda until after the Mannheim show, lest we won’t be able to park in the LeVeque parking garage. Good point!
I got the snow toys out first then the Thule. All the kids were out playing in the snow nearby - ours, Kenny & Chrissy’s, as well as the O’Connell’s. While I carried the Thule to the garage, Jacob followed to get his ramps. I knew what he planned even without him saying. Building a mini-terrain park. Good idea!
I straddled the Thule across two cooler, remembering how I broke one of the cleats last winter having it set directly on the garage floor. I check it for contents. Empty as expected. Next, in preparation for the Thule, I set the Honda’s cross bars as wide as they’ll go.
I headed back to the shed to lock it up and then I went to the back door asking Mindy to bring my Canon camera so I could photo the kids at play in they snow. We put Frankie out on her lead, too. It was only 28 degrees, but the sun was shining and it actually felt warm. I took about ten photos of the kids at play. Evan’s as daring as they come trying hard to ride the snow board down the mild hill and over the two ramp jump they built. Busted his rump a couple times.
We planned to leave for Mannheim at 3p. Mindy made arrangements for the kids to stay with Kenny & Chrissy. They in turn, planned to take all the kids to the Zoo in part to see the lights, but more importantly to see both their girls sing in a school sponsored event. While she made sure those plans were still a go, I checked online to see if CBC might be open. I already knew that they’re typically closed on Sunday’s but figured they might be open on this particular one, the final Sunday before Xmas. And I’ll be totally honest. I really wanted some more of their 12 Hops! Nope, closed.
I wasn’t defeated, however. Word on the street (thanks Bob!) was that the Columbus Fish Market has some of their 12 Hops on tap, and their website listed Sunday hours. Whoop-whoop! I thought we might stop there after the show provided we had enough time. Mindy soon confirmed that we’d have the time, and liked the sound of stopping at CFM after the show. Cool!
We readied ourselves to depart just ahead of 3p. The kids remained out playing in the snow. We advised them to wear their snow gear to the zoo for added warmth. We stopped quickly at Kenny & Chrissy’s to drop off our zoo membership card then hit the road.
We phoned dad during our drive downtown to wish him a happy birthday and to invite him over for Monday dinner. Shared the details surrounding his latest visit to the urologist with Mindy. They talked for about five minutes while I drove. She shared the story as we parked in the LeVeque lot. Apparently the stone dad passed and showed us late summer/early fall was not the biggie. Nope, it’s still in there, and his doctor said it’s not coming out on its own. Needs another sonic procedure to blast it out once and for all. Apparently feels comfortable enough sharing the story with Mindy.
We were parked on level 2. Mindy wisely noted that as we headed down the steps towards our venue, the Place Theatre. It was only 330p, or actually just before. The show not schedule to begin until 4p. It took just a minute to get around the corner and into the venue. Not that I mind, but the lobby was overrun with oodles of blue hairs. I reminded Mindy to keep a tight grip on her purse. Not sure if it’s the venue or what, but this had to be the oldest Mannheim crowd ever, this being my 4th show and 3rd with Mindy.
In fact, I had to hold an oxygen tank for the woman sitting beside me, and Mindy more than once had to point the woman sitting next to her back towards the stage, her sense of direction and eye sight apparently all but gone. For a brief moment, my thoughts turned to the Neil Diamond show.
The show didn’t start until approximately 410p. The band consisted of five members, along with a small eight piece orchestra and then two guys playing brass horns. Unlike past shows, and much to our liking, the videos, especially those of the Renaissance, were a much smaller part of the show. Instead, the focus was on the music. Bravo! And like it always is, the music was absolutely perfect. Can’t think of a better, more enjoyable way to kick-off the week of Christmas than with a Mannheim concert.
They played for about 50 minutes then took a 20-25 minute intermission that was followed by another 45 minutes. Then they added a powerful 4 song encore after getting a roaring standing ovation from the audience. Guess those blue hairs can make some noise when they wanna. Mindy had to turn that same woman towards the stage again.
If you get a chance to see this year’s tour …do it!
It must’ve been near 610p when we made our way back to the Honda. Similar to the Sarah Mclachlan show, it took several minutes to get out of the parking garage but probably no more than 10 minutes. I made sure that Mindy was still game for CFM and headed that way taking Spring to Twin Rivers to Olentangy.
The bar at the Fish Market was pretty full, especially for a Sunday evening. I told Mindy what I wanted then headed for the Men’s room. When I returned a 12 Hops of Xmas awaited me in a large sniffer. I was quite happy! Mindy ordered a glass of wine.
The beer was as good as I remembered. Double yummy!
It wasn’t long before Janie, the bartender, asked if we wanted appetizers, and also alerted us that they were ½ price until 7p. We ordered two – crab, spinach artichoke dip with flat bread, and then some crab cakes. It didn’t take long and both were fabulous, my preference being the artichoke dip.
I soon ordered another sniffer of the 12 Hops. Janie kept warning that the keg was about to blow empty. I got a second sniffer no problem. A few minutes later, though, it was dry.
While sipping our drinks and eating our food, we struck up a conversation with the two guys (Dan & Jim) sitting to our immediate left. After conversing a bit we learned that they were a couple and have been for almost 20 years. Very interesting, and seemingly a lot of fun. We found all sorts of connections. For one, we both came in after the Mannheim show. Secondly, both Jim and I have a brother living in Vancouver, Wa. They know the area but joked that his brother is so damn macho that he never takes them anywhere beautiful when they visit.
In addition, Jim used to be room mates with an old pal of Mindy’s, Kim Hull. In fact, he knows the westside fairly well, despite not being from there. As I say, very entertaining. Jim talked a lot about his Italian heritage, and shared many stories of his Italian upbringing. He and Dan have a side business – specialty dessert catering. Showed some sample pics on his smart phone. We’ll hook up with them again, I’m sure.
What a good time. We headed home just before 8p. We were probably at home 15 minutes before the kids got back from the zoo. Kenny walked them home. I noticed Kenny was wearing a new ski jacket. Said he just bought it. Very nice! He’s chomping at the bit to get out there.
After Kenny split the kids got ready for bed. In fact, we all did. I then watched the Patriots/Packers game on SNF. Bella was a little sad that she missed Faith Hill’s intro song. Sometime during the first half I fell asleep on the sofa. Didn’t wake and head to bed until 10 or so. Mindy, surprisingly, was still awake and reading in bed.
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