Sporting a Fever

It was just ahead of 530a and after more than 10 hours of sleep I rolled out of bed to start my Tuesday. I felt terrific after all that sleep. I must've needed it. Downstairs, I collected my exercise shoes then gazed out the back door to check the weather conditions. It was cloudy and frozen. Looked like an inch or more of fresh snow on the ground. I headed to the living room to complete my sit-ups and was quickly joined by Frankie who hasn't slept penned up for several days. Knock on wood, but she's been very good. No accidents for quite a while. After 55 sit-ups I jumped up and into my PC chair. The first thing I checked the weather. It was 20 degrees. The sky was clearing after the overnight snowfall. Next, I did 57 push-ups. Ouch! My right wrist was hurting. Not sure why. But I guess that just happens as we age. Mysterious little injuries seem to pop up out of nowhere. Frankie and I headed outside around 540am. She was quick to relieve herself after seeming somewhat anxious and waiting by the back door. What's more, she peed for like 30 full seconds. Inside, I gave Frankie a treat and some luvin' then poured myself a cup of coffee. I enjoyed the coffee at my PC where I also read the Daily OM and some of brother Glenn's journal. Come 6a, I stopped and turned my attention to meditation and stretching. Both went well. Mindy was staying home with Bella who at last report still had a fever. Didn't really matter though, she had to stay home regardless after sporting a fever Monday afternoon. Because of that, I didn't plan to take Mindy coffee, let alone wake her up. Instead, I dressed for my run and headed out the door at 635a. The fresh snow made for a nice cushion for the feet. I still had to be on full alert for covered ice. By now, I have a pretty good idea where all the treacherous spots are lurking. I ran the full 4.1 miles without fail. No slipping, tripping or falling. Wahoo! It was almost daylight by the time I got back home. At first I was a little surprised to find Mindy up, but I hadn't considered that Jacob still needed to be up and ready. She made he and I breakfast like normal. I ate then headed up to the shower. Bella was soon up and on the sofa. Mindy took her temperature. It was 100. something. Although not ridiculously high, Mindy added that that was after a steady dose of Tylenol through the night. I needed only cheese for my lunch having abandoned Monday's in the fridge when I left to get Bella. I headed out to start the Trooper and to see Jacob onto the bus. Kenny was out with his kids. Said he had a job in Cleveland planned but it was canceled due to cold weather. I loaded our skis in the back of the Trooper. If everything went as planned, I'd be taking them in to ABSCO at lunchtime for a mid-season tune-up (edge sharpening and hot wax). I headed in to wish Mindy & Bella well. I arrived at the office near 830a. It took a few minutes to get logged on after booting my laptop from scratch. The day was another busy one. I forewarned my boss that it was highly likely that I would need to work from home again Wednesday if Bella's fever worsened during the day. He had no issue with it at all, though he asked that I keep him apprised. Sure thing. He also shared some long awaited information regarding our team charter. I left for Aspen Ski & Board near 1p. It was a nice drive. It was cold, but also sunny. The brilliant sunshine made a big difference. I was one of only two customers in ABCSO. They took care of me right away. Promised to have the skis ready by Friday. I looked around for about ten minutes and even tried on a slick looking new ski jacket. I headed back to work. I was back after being gone no more than 40 minutes door to door. I ate my packed lunch then had another impromptu meeting with boss. While he was in my office, Mindy emailed that Bella's fever was still too high and as a result would need to stay home again on Wednesday. I shared the email with my boss. We continued our discussion at length and planned to discuss it more at greater length on a call tomorrow sometime. The afternoon faded into evening in a hurry. There was a lot going in during the last hour, and I couldn't get away until after 545p. I took notice of the lovely the sunset as I exited the building and hit the road for home. I watched the sun make its final descent below the western horizon just about one minute ahead of 6p. The days are definitely getting longer. Carrying that thought further, it's not at all unusual to get a few days up near 70 before mid March. On the other hand, it's not uncommon for us to get our biggest snow storm during that same time period, either. Who knows? For my money, it can remain snowy and cold through all of March thus prolonging our local ski season. At home, I unpacked my lunch containers while also greeting the family. I headed out to address the trash before I forgot again. I failed to place the can at the curb during last week's ice storm. Reflecting back, I thought about it but guessed they wouldn't come. I was wrong. Not a big deal, though. Anymore, thanks to recycling, our weekly trash is typically no more than two kitchen sized trash bags. It was already around 15 degrees and expected to drop as low as 5 degrees overnight. I was happy to get back inside. Mindy had dinner ready in a hurry, cheese tortellini and red sauce. It was quite good. What surprised me, both kids ate it and liked it. Bella was really warm to the touch, and Jacob sounded congested. Oh boy! It was after 630p by the time dinner and clean-up was behind us. Mindy & the kids put in a DVD, Happy Gilmore. I had little interest in watching a movie. I went to my PC while they enjoyed the flick. I only complained when they started squabbling and bothering me. I used the time to write in my blog and play on the internet. I thought about starting our 2010 tax return but didn't have the motivation. Mindy asked the kids to get ready for bed around 815p. They soon lost interest in the DVD, and was more than happy to shut it down and turn to something educational like Family Guy. :) OK, I'm kidding. I tuned to the knowledge networks but once again can't recall what we watched. Mindy headed to bed at 915p. I stayed up until 935p. Bella asked me to come tuck her in as I made the turn for our room. Oops! I tucked both kids into bed. Jacob was all but asleep. Bella almost wide awake.