Target, Hair, Inferno Chicken & Bitter Cold

I was up right on time and immediately felt a little better than the prior two mornings. I hoped that an indication that I was on the mend. By the time I brushed my teeth and made it downstairs it was 534a. Frankie was whining from her pen which is uncharacteristic, but I left her in the pen until I finished my exercises and checked the weather. It was cold, only 4 degrees. The sky once again crystal clear. After finishing push-ups, I freed Frankie. It always feels good to have my morning calisthenics behind me. I’m left feeling as though I’ve already accomplished something important. As soon as I freed her, Frankie went right for her water bowl. She must’ve been extra thirsty. Then, while pouring my coffee, I realized how silent Frankie was, figuring this highly unusual, I went in search only to find her pooping in the familyroom by the TV. Dammit! She didn’t even scratch at the door. Aside from giving her the stink eye, I wasn’t too hard on her. The bitter cold and snow are wreaking havoc on her cycle and instincts. As soon as I had half a cup of coffee in me I bundled up and took her out for a walk. For the first time ever, I think. We took the old sacred Ykraps route out front, walking west along the sidewalk about four houses up then crossing the street before heading back. I figured that gave her the biggest chance for success given that it was entirely shoveled and laden with the scent of other walked dogs. She did a lot of sniffing but with no tangible results. I worried that she might pee in the house next. If nothing else, it was a nice walk on an otherwise inhospitable morning. It was very cold! Frankie was very excited to be back inside, and I still gave her a treat. As soon as my layers were peeled off I spent 10 minutes in meditation, and then another 5 minutes stretching. It was darn near 630a when I wrapped the two up. Next, I poured Mindy’s coffee and took it and Frankie upstairs. I made sure to warn Mindy about Frankie’s inability to pee. Asked that she/they take her out as soon as they head downstairs. I dressed warmly for my run wearing the same attire that’s proved adequate all week. I was out the door by 637a. It was cold, but not nearly as windy as the two prior mornings. That actually made it seem warmer. A half mile into my run I was plenty warm and comfortable. Some of the terrain, however, was rugged and frozen. Gone was the cushy snow pack I enjoyed both Monday and Tuesday. I ran the full 4.1 mile track and enjoyed all of it. The neighborhood Christmas lights look especially inviting against the new snow pack. Very Christmassy. I worked up a good sweat by the time I was back at the house. I started the Honda before stripping out of my damp out layers. Mindy was up and functioning and planned on going to work (school), but she still sounded awful. Said she still felt unwell, too. Yet despite her feeling ill, she had eggs ready and waiting. They were as good as expected. Hit the hunger spot! It wasn’t too long before Mindy left for school and I headed up for a shower. While I was in the shower, Bella tossed Frankie in my room. Freaked me out when I got out the shower and found chewed tissue everywhere. That dang dog. The kids and I prepared for departure a couple minutes early due to the extra bundling required. It was still quite cold, by then about 8 degrees. Chrissy was out with her girls, which for unknown reasons, a rarity these days. I started the Trooper as I walked to the bus stop with the kids and Frankie. Thankfully, it wasn’t but a minute or two before the bus pulled up. Chrissy and I chatted briefly before heading our separate ways. I gave Frankie the opportunity to pee again but all she did was sniff. She seemed more interested in getting back inside the house. I took a few minutes to prepare a light lunch and then tidy up the kitchen before departing. I wanted to give the Trooper adequate time to warm. I left the house at roughly 820a. I arrived at the office near 835a and the day proved to be quite busy. My peer decided to extend his mini-vaca, so it was just me handling management escalations. I stayed busy until near 1p when I decided to take my lunch, get a hair cut, and make a stop at Target. I headed to Saturday’s first where I was taken care of immediately by – her name escapes me. Anyway, I’ve not seen her there before but she claimed working there for 1.5 years. Nice, and did a decent job. They’ve raised their price lately. Now $18.45 for a haircut. I tipped her $6. Next stop Target. In Target, I picked up Xmas gifts for Glenn, Tommy, Mindy, and the girls. I also bought myself something. So far this year, I’ve been very disciplined about buying myself stuff when Xmas shopping for others. Don't get me wrong, I've looked at stuff, though, but that doesn’t count. All totaled I was gone for about 1.25 hours, and back in my office by 230p. There I ate my cheese and the salad I packed. Hadn’t had a leaf lettuce salad in a long while. It was quite good. The afternoon moved swiftly. I was busy until the minute I left the office, which was just a few minutes after 530p. By habit, I got off the elevator on floor 2, which provides an exit to the front. I temporarily forgot that I parked out back out of necessity earlier. The near front lot was full upon my return from lunch. Sadly, I forgot my door code having not used it for two weeks. How sad is that? It’s a 4-digit code I’ve used religiously for years. Thought it was emblazoned in my mind. It was totally dark as I headed for home. I called Lindsey curious how her eviction hearing went. She didn’t immediately answer but called me right back. Said her mom drove her there – awkward – and that the judge was cold hearted and told her she would have five days to vacate once Kelly gives her the “orange sticker”, which apparently is the formal eviction notice. Said Kelly told her it will be before Xmas, but didn’t give an exact date. I pleaded with Lindsey to use the time to call/seek agency help and then asked how she intended to see Rocky to school. Hasn’t given it any thought. I emphasized that she’ll otherwise find herself wandering the streets in the cold. In Kelly’s defense, I can’t understand for second why Lindsey isn’t taking any measures to try and help herself. Denial, maybe? Still, the thought of my grandsons spending even one night out in the cold is disheartening. Makes me sick to my stomach. What’s the answer? I don’t know. What a mess. I encouraged Lindsey to spend her entire day Thursday making agency calls seeking help for herself and the boys. For crying out loud, at least show as much concern as us. I called Mindy as soon as I was off the phone with Lindsey. We talked about Lindsey’s situation after Mindy asked. Said she thought about calling her too. I arrived home near 6p.We were having inferno chicken, a fave of mine and Jacob. In fact, I guessed correctly when we spoke minutes before. I was home about 10 minutes before our dinner was served. In that ten minutes I did my repeatable chores. I rinsed my lunch containers and prepped Thursday’s coffee. I was checking email when Mindy called me to dinner. The inferno chicken was tasty. As a side, she made dressed up green beans. They were good too. All in all, dinner was healthy and light. I ate only one serving. Jacob ate the lone extra piece of inferno chicken. While I cleaned up the dinner dishes, Jacob shared how well-behaved he was while doing his math homework with his mom. While truly a basic expectation, I still acknowledged his goodness. I mean, hey, he thought enough of it to brag, he obviously was looking for some strokes! Later, I read a blurb in Glenn’s blog that Ski, the president of Mt Hood Community College, is already seeking another post somewhere in Pennsylvania. Apparently made the news out there locally. As I understand it, he’s well liked. After dinner I worked in my own blog while Mindy wrapped Xmas presents in the basement. Jacob, meanwhile, played basketball in his room – thud, boom, bang, all evening long. About the time that Mindy declared it bedtime, it had to be 9p. I was ready about then for a cold beer and some popcorn. I held off on the popcorn, though, until the kids were tucked into bed. Mindy, still not well, headed to bed right after the kids. We were watching Modern Family when she headed up. Very funny show. I popped some popcorn at 10p and aside from the small dish Bella came down and pilfered, I ate it all. Nothing worth watching on TV. I headed for bed around 1030p.