Gillette Wyoming

It was Tuesday, and I was up right on time. I guess it's fair to say that I've slipped back into my old routine of waking at 530am versus the brief string of days where I woke as much as fifteen minutes early.

 It was another clear morning with a temperature near 70 degrees. I slipped into my exercise shoes then whipped out 55 sit-ups and later 55 push-ups. Lately, the push-ups have been a real challenge. I poured some coffee then read some headlines and checked the day's weather forecast. Expecting sunshine and temps in the low 90s. The sunshine sounded fantastic, but the extreme heat a tad over whelming, especially considering that I absolutely needed to cut the lawn right after work. It's been nine days already since the last cut.

I enjoyed the morning solitude, alone with coffee, the internet and my thoughts. Time moved swiftly. It was quickly after 6am and time to meditate and stretch ahead of my run. Both went well. Time got away from me a little. I didn't get out for my run until almost 640am. I didn't worry about it, though.

I ran the full 4.1 miles without any problems. In fact, it was an easy run day. back home near 720am, I quickly preheated a skillet and fried up two eggs. Once again, Mindy prepped a salad, which helped expedite lunch prep. Breakfast was good. I've started adding lots of ice and even a little water to my glass of orange juice effectively thinning it. For me, that further enhances its drinkability.

Off to the shower by 735am. As always, I took Mindy a cup of coffee.  After a shave and a shower I was ready to head downstairs by 755am. Mindy was only half awake, and I am almost certain she remained in bed when I headed downstairs to make final preparations.

I left for work once again around 810am. Judging by the conversation on ESPN radio, I quickly deduced that this was All-Star game Tuesday. I've lost interest over the years. Used to be I'd never miss it. I ended up switching over to XM radio and Classic Vinyl #26. Awesome music. I figured out that Mindy must've programmed the seat to her setting because every time I get in the car the seat has me crunched against the steering wheel despite me moving it back to my favorite position. I did my best to change the program. I'll need to refer to the owner's manual to figure it out fully.

I parked out yonder making the long walk up to the building. I didn't mind. It was a gorgeous summer morning. Like the day before, I spent most of my day gathering and sorting data for monthly reports. I love digging in and creating spreadsheets and graphs, and can very easily get lost in time doing so.

I tinkered with the idea of going home at lunch time and cutting at least part of the lawn. In the end, however, I didn't. Instead, I worked through my lunch. I didn't mind. I was enjoying what I was doing. At some point close to noon I tried returning a call to Chris at Germain Honda. I got his VM, but he called me back five minutes later. He was just following up after the sale. Things were fine.  I shared my scary encounter with that huge storm Monday afternoon. I also asked about window tinting and who they might recommend. He had the name of a guy that used to work at the dealership who works for an auto detailer near Morse and Indianola Rd.  I asked about Ziebart, too. He had no opinion bad or good.

The afternoon breezed by. Mindy called and shared that her friend Christa was coming over and joining us for dinner. Grilling pork chops. I only shared that I intended to cut the lawn as soon as I got home. After all, if I ate first, I'd almost certainly find reason not to get it cut. Skipping out on the lawn chores wasn't really an option. Again, it had been nine days.

To that end, I left the office at 5pm sharp. By then, my head was spinning from looking at and sorting numbers all day long. My drive home was nice. Mindy and Christa were hanging in the kitchen, Mindy prepping food for dinner. I gave Mindy and Christa a hug then begged off to change into lawn cutting attire. I wasn't looking forward to it. It was 92 degrees under brilliant sunshine, and fairly humid too.

I'm guessing it was right around 530pm when I headed out through the garage. Sticking with my revised routine, I cut with the push mower first. I was dripping with sweat but kept reminding myself to slow down and not hurry. That helped. I raised the blade a full inch over the entire lawn. That helped reduce any clumping, though all the while knowing I'd have to cut again by Sunday.

I moved pretty quickly though all the phases - push mower, tractor, whacking, edging, and blowing. I finished up at 655pm, or about 1.5 hours later. I hurried in for a shower. Mindy had long since started grilling, doing the corn on the cob first, then the thick pork chops. Her timing was good. Dinner was all but ready shortly after my shower. By the way, Mindy watered all the flowers out back while grilling. That always helps out. I appreciate it much.

While Mindy was putting the finishing touches on dinner, Christa shared her P90X workout routine with me. Not an ounce of fat on that girl. Says she's on her third 90 day set. Go Christa! During dinner, she shared stories about Gillette, Wyoming, her hometown. Says it's the armpit of Wyoming, not much to look at. However, the Rocky mountains are only two hours away, and visible on clear days. Says most summer evenings are in the upper 40s. Her husband shared just recently that it was 63 one night. She promised that was freakishly warm for back home.

We talked through the rest of dinner and clean-up. Christa left not ten minutes after I finished cleaning up the kitchen. I teased her about doing the eat and run thing. Mindy sent her home with 3/4s of a  bottle of white wine that she started on last week when she was over. She didn't drink anything this time - driving her sisters SUV.

Mindy headed upstairs to get the kids in the shower. I was playing on the computer when neighbor Chrissy stopped over to see Mindy. Looked pale and lost. I asked what was a matter. She shared some awful news. Kenny's ex wife's baby of 3.5 months, Lanie, passed away that day apparently from SIDS. Needless to say, I was a tad startled by the news. They had Lillian with them and she had no knowledge of her lil' sister's passing. Once Mindy came down and learned the news, I impressed how important it was for her NOT to speak a word of it to our kids. Lillian needs to learn it from her parents. Mindy agreed.

Once again, we were in bed at a very reasonable hour. I'm thinking it was close to 1015pm when I headed to bed. Good night freshly cut lawn.