Pesky Shih Tzus

I was up on time and downstairs a few minutes after 530a. The end of the work week couldn't come soon enough. When it did, it was ushered in by partly cloudy skies, but more importantly dry skies. I pushed through sit-ups and push-ups before hopping on the internet for about ten minutes. It was chilly, only 44 degrees. It was supposed to remain dry all day under partly sunny skies with a high only in the upper 50s. I’d take it. It’s been a very wet April.

Frankie and I took our morning walk heading out near 550a. I’m guessing we were out for about 10 minutes when she finallytook care of business. Back home I sipped coffee while reading the Daily OM. Time to move on.

Collectively, I spent the next 15 minutes meditating and stretching. That went reasonably well. Still dealing with a kink along the left side of my neck. Something’s out of alignment.

Took Mindy coffee and the pug. She was mid-shower. Headed back downstairs to ready for a run. Wore long running pants, thin long-sleeved wicking shirt and pullover fleece. Just about right. I was comfy/cozy throughout the entire 4.1 mile run. It was nice to see a splash of sunshine on the horizon.

Mindy made scrambled eggs again. I topped mine with a combination of peach mango salsa and green Tabasco sauce. Quite good. Before heading off to school, Mindy asked what our evening plans entailed, this being a Jimaken weekend. Barley’s, probably.

Off to the shower. I was back downstairs packing my lunch by 745a. I packed a banana, fruit medley, tuna pouch, and cheese. The kids and I set out for the bus stop at 757a. Chrissy was out with the girls, both of whom were wearing blue pea coats. Unusual for Chrissy’s girls to be ‘over coated’.

As soon as the kids were on the bus I spotted the older gentleman with the two yappy shih tzus was quickly coming our way. Instead of hanging out with Eiknarf, I opted to head directly back inside in hopes of avoiding the usual barkfest between our dogs. After a couple minutes I headed out to prep the Trooper for picking up shrubs at lunch. I put the rear seats down and its rear contents in the garage. With those pesky shih tzus now past, I took Eiknarf out for one last walk.

It was a pleasant drive into the office. I thought about stopping for a fill-up. The price of a gallon of gas was up to $4.09 at Thornton’s. That’s up $.35 over Thursday’s price.

Arrived at the office just ahead of 830a. The morning went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, the Vikings were atop the sports headlines for their questionable #1 draft pick, Florida State’s Christian Ponder. But really, who knows for sure how it will work out? Come 1p I left as planned for Darby Creek Nursery. Like the day before, I was the only customer in the lot. I went immediately to their stash of large burning bushes and picked the two I liked most. I then went to fetch an associate. They were fairly heavy so he called for assistance. I declared that unnecessary and offered to help load them onto a cart. Probably 60lbs each. He asked that I go pay while he and another guy loaded them into the back of my Trooper. In addition to the shrubs, I purchased 4 bags of peat/top soil that I plan to use for overseeding some thin areas in the back lawn. I was out of there in less than 25 minutes. Very efficient! Headed back to the office.

I was back ahead of 2p. I washed my hand thoroughly then went for my packed lunch. I was quite hungry. More than one person commented about the smell of tuna coming from my office. Like most Friday’s, the afternoon was incredibly busy, frustrating even. More than I could handle really. The saving grace was knowing that come 530p the weekend would be upon us, and I could let go for a couple days. 530p couldn’t come fast enough.

I ended up at the office until 540p. It felt great to be walking out with the weekend ahead. I talked with Mindy during the brief drive home. Discussed her day in brief then confirmed Barley plans. I arrived home just before 6p. Mindy asked what time I wanted to leave for Barley’s. I suggested 7p.

Until then, I was eager to rest, nap even. I decided to leave the two burning bushes in the Trooper until I was ready to plant them, which I hoped would be Saturday morning. I took a nap on the family room floor while Mindy changed clothes and tinkered around the house. I woke just before 7p and tuned to the NFL draft on ESPN. The Vikings were just about to make their 2^nd round pick. I was glued to the TV until the pick was made. Most pundits had them taking a defensive end. They surprised me and everyone else by picking a tight end from Notre Dame. We left for Barleys shortly after the pick.

The lot wasn’t full, especially surprising for a Friday. Inside, the bar was even less populated than the lot. I guess most guests were dining. We took refuge on a couple of bar stools facing north. Katy & Diedra were tending bar. I went with Rogue’s Sublimely Self- Righteous black IPA. Very good! Mindy had a St Joan’s nitro.

Friend Tom C. eventually joined us. Haven’t seen Tom since we golfed together in mid-March, or the day before our last ski trip to HV. Before forgetting, I asked for Hector the tree guy’s contact info. Tom swears by his work, and we have a large branch in one of our ash trees needing removed.

All three of us ordered food. I went with a Texas pile-it-on burger while Mindy went with the southwestern salad. Can’t recall what Tom ordered. The burger was absolutely terrific. I enjoyed a Centennial next. Darwin stopped in for carryout, and long enough to have a beer with us. Asked how long we’d be there. Mindy wanted to leave between 930-10p. Not long enough for him to return home with food, eat, then rejoin us. I had a 3^rd beer, another Centennial before heading home. I paid the tab. Mindy drove us home.

Mindy called Kenny on our drive home. Asked if they were up for company. Said they were, but not too late. Kenny had to catch a 6a flight to Florida Saturday (golf trip). We stopped home long enough to pee and corral Eiknarf. I grabbed my ½ full growler of IPA and a stout from the garage fridge for Mindy. We headed to the neighbors.

Visited with the neighbors long enough for me to drink two more beers. We talked about the royal wedding, which lead into a debate of the time difference. Well, given that I deal with various teams in the many time zones around the world, I was confident that London was on GMT and bet Chrissy $10 that I was right.  I lost because I didn’t account for London rolling to BST. Dammit!

Mindy and I walked home just after 11p. We didn’t stay up long before heading to bed. Mindy wanted to talk but I was ridiculously sleepy and wanted nothing more than my soft comfy pillow.  I rolled over and went to sleep.