We Got the Power

I tossed and turned quite a bit during my last hour of sleep finally waking for good near 8am, which in my world is sleeping late. The blackberry rang around 1am, but by the time I heard it and grabbed it the call had already dropped. I fumbled with it in the dark trying to enter my password three times before setting it aside in disgust.

After starting coffee I logged onto my laptop and then checked the message on my blackberry. I followed up on the issue right out of the shoot. Seemed to already be at least somewhat under control. Before enjoying any coffee I completed both sit-ups and push-ups. After exercise I felt more awake and alert. The coffee didn’t hurt either.

Mindy was up shortly before 9am. Already, Lindsey was calling leaving messages on our phones. Not sure why. Mindy had already agreed to take her to fill out an application for a new apartment sometime between 9am and 2pm. And I believe Mindy texted her the night before saying it would be closer to 11am or noon. Not sure why the early AM calls.

Mindy and I enjoyed some coffee while the kids continued to sleep. We figured they’d both sleep late given that they both were up past 11pm. Mindy finally talked and texted with Lindsey. Shared that I would pick her and the boys up near Ashley’s place around 11am. They would be taking the bus. Before any of that I still needed to run and make sure work was taken care of.

I’m thinking that it was near 930am when I finally left for a run. It was cloudy and chilly. I wore my fleece. The run was easy, but then again, that’s what I expected. I felt a lot better about my day when my run was complete. That’s often the case. Feel a greater sense of accomplishment and have a more positive outlook on whatever else the day might hold.

While I was running, Mindy was in the shower. The plan was simple. I’d go fetch Lindsey and the boys, and once we were back Mindy would run Lindsey to the apartment complex in question while I hung out at home with all the kids. It had to be near 1045am when I left to fetch Lindsey.

I parked in the Massey’s Pizza parking lot at Binns & Sullivant. I think I said it was a KFC before. Oops! The store manager came out to ask if he could help me. I guess in that neighborhood having a car parked in the lot sitting, waiting seemed a bit unusual or suspicious. Right on queue, the COTA bus pulled up and dropped the boys and Lindsey. The boys were both donning Buckeye jerseys – cute. This time the boys got off first with Lindsey right behind. They loaded in the Pilot and off we went.

The kids wanted to know if they could play Wii. I wasn’t sure. Mindy and Lindsey left soon after we got back. By then everybody was up and about. Bella slept the latest, not waking until I was gone. Rocky and Jacob were outback playing football the entire time that Mindy & Lindsey were gone, which ended up being something less than 90 minutes. They stopped at Kroger too.  I spent most of that time dealing with a couple work related matters, both of which were under control just before Mindy got back home.

While they were gone the sky brightened considerably. The threat of rain apparently gone, I was eager to get as much yard work done as possible, at least until work beckoned again. Mindy was fine with me heading out. I didn’t waste a minute either. I got started on the lawn immediately, doing all the backyard push mowing first. The sun busted out by the time I was around the front. Felt good. The temperature meanwhile couldn’t have been much above 60 degrees.

The grass now cut, I took the time to put the deck back together moving all the chairs back where they belong and then reattached the hose caddy and hose. And then after talking it over with Mindy, I decided to stow the fountain for the season since it was already apart and dry. She took the light and transformer inside to wash off the algae. She also agreed to soak all the shells in bleach water while I continued my yard work.

I check in via blackberry at least every hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how quiet it remained. The way I saw it, any yard work I got done this weekend would be considered a bonus. Counting on accomplishing a lot on an on-call weekend is typically a recipe for disaster.

Still only about 130-200pm, I decided to get started on my lawn restoration work. I started out front fixing the area that’s been bothering me the most, the same area I resodded last fall, and the same are that WOW destroyed when they repaired their damaged cable while I was in NYC. I rake away the dead patches then topped the same area with a mix of topsoil and peat that I had standing ready in my wheel barrow. Mindy came outside to chat briefly Said she needed a break from Lindsey and the boys. By the way, they were staying for dinner.

I made quick work of the restoration out front eventually working my way around back to the side yard that I’ve been nursing along for the past few years. I spent much more time back there preparing several bare spots for new seed.

 I failed to mention that Jacob left around noon to go to the Buckeye game with his daddy. The game started at 330pm. Can’t remember who, but somebody hollered out as the game was about to begin. I kept working, however, feeling it more important to get my chores done.

After watering in the restoration work I thought about spreading fertilizer about the entire yard, but didn’t have the energy or desire. Instead, I decided to be happy with all I had accomplished, get a shower, and perhaps even enjoy the 2^nd half of the Buckeye game.

A shower felt terrific. It was probably 5-530pm by the time I was out of the shower. I then poured myself a White Rajah, which was absolutely delicious. Asked Mindy to give it a try. And surprisingly, she liked it too. In fact, so much so, that she kept taking sips. It’s very hoppy but has a heavy grape fruit flavor too. Im quite pleased with it. I didn’t plan to drink another until we were back from dropping Lindsey and the boys, and that wouldn't be until after dinner, which was served around 6pm.

Mindy made chicken & noodles along with mashed potatoes. They were delicious. The kids loved them too. It’s one of Rocky’s favorites. Lindsey shared that she should know by Tuesday if she gets the apartment. I pray that she does, and also that her new job works out well.

The game wasn’t quite over when we rounded up everyone to take them home. Mindy and I agreed that we’d all go. Bella wasn’t too thrilled about it, but we didn’t really ask her opinion or give her the choice. We all loaded into the Pilot and headed east. The Buckeye game ended shortly after we set out. We listened to its conclusion during our drive out 670.

I’m thinking it was near 7pm when we dropped Lindsey and the boys. Like me, Mindy was impressed with the looks of the facility. It is a very attractive place and seemingly secure. Lindsey complained of being near ready to vomit since we left the house. Said she got sick playing with the kids on the tree swing. She’s always been like that, and me too. And sure enough, she threw up as soon as she got out of the car. Ewh!

We’d just started for home when Jacob rang Mindy’s cell sharing that he and his daddy were at the house. He was supposed to call before they left the game. Mindy shared that we’d be home in 10-15 minutes. It’s a quick drive. We were there in 10 minutes. Jacob and Jimaken were out back throwing the football. Jimaken left soon after we got home.

With the evening ahead of us, Mindy suggested that the three of us play spoons as a family. It was a lot of fun. It seems while teaching the two kids the object of the game she forgot to share perhaps the most important piece, which was to grab a spoon once you get four of a kind or also if someone else grabs a spoon. That was too funny.

Eventually both kids picked up the concept. We must’ve played about 4 or 5 rounds before the power suddenly went out. Out of nowhere Bella leaped out of her chair and ran to the back door completely freaking out. She started to dart outside, why I don’t know, but she was crying profusely and rambling about how frightened she was that the power was out. Holy smoke!

We all panicked a little when she left the back door open because we were watching the neighbors pug, Woody, who had already ran out two times earlier. And he’s a pain in the ass to catch. By the way, we were watching Woody while Kenny & Chrissy spent some time at a family cabin out in the woods doing some four wheeling and what not.

Mindy rustled up some candles, enough that we could continue playing spoons. Bella finally calmed once we had about ten different candles illuminating the downstairs. We got a fire going in the fireplace too. That was Jacob’s idea. Mindy was able to source AEPs website from her Droid and was eventually able to check the status of our power outage. Said to be impacting approximately 1900 customers. No ETA.

Mindy and Bella headed upstairs to get into their PJs while Jacob and I hung by the fire enjoying the quiet night. And by the way, there were plenty of stars out for the 2^nd night in a row. Wahoo!

I took advantage of the candlelight to further experiment with low-light photography adjusting both the aperture and shutter speed to get just the right effect. While Mindy and Bella were upstairs the power came back on. I’m guessing it was off for a little more than an hour.

Once the power restored we tuned the TV to the Saturday night college football game between WVU and LSU. LSU was well ahead. Jacob peeled off to bed around 10pm while Bella, Mindy and I remained up and downstairs. Mindy’s phone rang sometime around 10pm. I figured it Chrissy checking on Woody. Sure enough, it was, but she wasn’t necessarily calling to check on Woody. Instead, I heard Mindy gasp, and then express sorrow. Uh-oh! Turns out, they took their black lab, Molly, with them to the cabin. While they were out four-wheeling, she had a heart attack and was struggling to breath and walk when they returned. She was 11 years old, which is about the expected life span of a healthy lab. Kenny eventually found a vet that would see her. They could do nothing for her. They agreed to have her euthanized. They were packing up and coming home. Not quite the getaway weekend they had hoped for.

After another half hour or so, Mindy headed for bed. I eventually dosed off from the sofa only to be woken by the pugs, namely Woody going aggressively after TV dogs, something he does all the time at home. Startled me to no end. It must’ve been around 11pm when I headed up to bed with both pugs tailing behind. I stowed them in with Bella, who was happy to host them both. Good night starry sky!