Night Car Drop

I slept well and was up for work at 520am. I noticed right away that the house was much warmer than usual. I turned the heat up the evening before and didn't turn it back down before bed like we generally do. I started the coffee maker manually, its auto start still set to 530am.

I glanced out back seeing more cloudy skies and a wet deck, though it wasn't raining at the time. I was hoping for a dry run. I completed sit-ups and then waited for coffee to finish brewing. I spent the next 15 minutes online. It was 47 degrees with an expected high in the upper 50s.

I started meditation at 550am and went for about 15 minutes. That time always flies by. Soon it was time to wake Mindy and deliver coffee. Mindy shared that she was still very tired. I headed back to the family room to stretch. Felt great. I dressed for my run next. It was 621am when I headed out the door.

Once again, I wore hand covers but nothing over the ears. I was comfortable from the outset. The streets were wet but other than a few spurts of light drizzle now and again it remained fairly dry. I ran the full 4.1 miles. During the course of the run there might've been 5 or 6 flashes of lightning. Never once did I hear a clap of thunder, however. At the house I waited just inside the door for Mindy to coordinate the walk with Eiknarf. I rang the door bell just like the morning before. It roused her from bed and produced a few barks, but she didn't come running down the stairs this time. Apparently she's smarter than we sometimes give her credit.

We walked over the bridge to the west. One of the contracts working on the dredging project had just pulled up and was milling around the parked excavator. Eiknarf barked/growled incessantly. I pulled back hard on her leash and steered her gaze elsewhere. She eventually lost interest and took care of her business.

Mindy was in the kitchen making my breakfast for the first time in two or three weeks, or ever since she began running the boys to school. Lindsey now has her car so Mindy's off the hook. Sadly though, the plan is to get her car in as soon as Tuesday evening to have the brakes looked at once again. We must endure!

My eggs were already to go. I exchanged the English muffin Mindy had in the toaster for Catherine Clark whole wheat bread.  I love that stuff. It tastes like grape nuts. Mindy prepared to depart giving Bella and I hugs and kisses. Mindy was in a far better mood than the previous ten or so mornings. She had some alone time ahead and this would be her last work day for five straight days.

Bella wasn't immediately sure what she wanted for breakfast. She eventually opted for two of the baby cinnamon rolls Mindy picked up over the weekend. I snapped one down real quick too. Couldn't resist. My saving grace is that they're ridiculously small. I headed off to the shower just after 730am. I had little to no lunch prep having not touched my packed lunch from the day before after leaving work just 15 minutes after I arrived to fetch Rocky.

I was ready to go somewhere close to 745am. Although just Tuesday, I was treating it like a Friday wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. I used the pre-bus time to tinker and play. The kids and I headed out at 810am. I took my umbrella. By then it was raining hard enough to matter. Bella used hers too. Jacob relied on the hood of his hoodie.

The bus arrived a couple minutes early for a change. That was refreshing. Eiknarf and I were back inside by 815am. I tidied up the kitchen then headed out just ahead of 820am. Arrived at the office just after 830am.

Took a few minutes to get settled and logged on. Still had a full pitcher of water from the day before and my lunch was already stowed in the fridge. I spent the early part of my day putting October's monthly report in a powerpoint presentation. That didn't take too long. Called Hatfield Hyundai around 10am to work out a time to drop the Accent to have the brakes checked again. Said they'd be overwhelmed on Friday. Rich suggested I drop it that evening and he'd get to it on Wednesday. Sounded good, but also means more time running Lindsey to and fro.

I sent Lindsey a text sharing the plan. Of course, that prompted a call a few minutes later where I had to  further clarify the plan, which as for her to meet me at Hatfield after she got off work and then I'd take her and boys home. She went on to ask if I would pick up the boys after school and then take Rocky to his doctor's appointment at 330pm on Wednesday. After a long sigh ... yes.

Earlier, before heading into work, I sent myself an email with the necessary ingredients for sauerkraut balls and a cheesecake. I thought I might run to Kroger at lunch but that never materialized. Instead, I planned to stop on my way home. Meanwhile, it rained all day long, and at times really hard with a stiff breeze to boot.

The office cleared out early. Lots of folks done through the following Monday. That was my plan too until one of my customers asked if I would bless them with my presence on Black Friday. I wasn't too thrilled about the idea at first but came to grips with it and decided to pocket the personal day I originally planned for Wednesday. Instead, I would do a holiday swap. I'll hopefully use the personal day sometime in December, before my Xmas vacation.

It was a fairly easy afternoon and early evening. Mindy planned on going to Chrissy's brother-in-law's showing in Grove City. She wouldn't leave until I got home from work. I left the office at 5pm destined first for Kroger where I planned to get the ingredients I spoke of earlier. I called Mindy on the way just to make sure she knew I'd be another 45 minutes or so. She was OK with it.

As expected, Kroger was very busy with TG shoppers. However, despite the throngs of people filling their carts with holiday goodies, the checkout lines were short. In fact, I was able to walk right up and check out. All lanes were open, definitely a welcome change, and one worth paying perhaps a little more for.

Arrived home before 6pm. Mindy was ready to leave as soon as I was in the door. Said we'd be ordering pizza/subs from Sporano's when she got back home.

Her time away seemed short. Was home with Jake and Makayla after about an hour. I left to meet Lindsey at Hatfield around 730pm. I was there ahead of her, and took a few minutes to fill out the night drop service form. Lindsey phoned as she neared the dealership asking where to turn. However, not knowing where she was it was hard to advise her with any degree of certainty. She was a total spaz and difficult to talk with. I told her to turn at the Hyundai sign. She didn't see it and drove right by. Watched her do so. She was very animated once she pulled up. I motioned for her to get out and let me park the car in the dedicated service area.

She was going a mile a minute and espoused a few things that weren't too kind or pleasant. I wanted to smack her, and at one point told her I'd be happy to leave her there. :) I dropped the service form envelope in the door with the keys as outlined on the sign. Lindsey questioned that move too. Of course! Again, I wanted to scream.

This was payday for Lindsey which meant she was supposed to give me the proceeds but not before showing me the paystub to validate the amount. She did so, but reluctantly. Lots of drama as we headed across the street to Kroger where she cashed her check and then handed me all but the agreed allowance. Fairly nice check, and plenty enough to cover her bills. I'll admit it, though, she had me on pin and needles, and I uttered a few things I wished I hadn't, especially in front of my grandsons. I'll admit, I allowed our interaction to crack me like an egg.

Both boys said they were hungry and hadn't eaten dinner while at the their dads. Said he never feeds them. Despite being hungry, Landon fell asleep before we reached Wilson Rd. I pulled in McDonald's to get the boys some dinner. I ordered two happy meals. Landon remained sleeping. Lindsey ordered on his behalf.  

McDonald's is just down the road from their apartment. I dropped them home, me carrying Landon from the car up the stairs to the apartment. Man, is he a load!

It was nice to be alone again. I drove the quarter to our house where Mindy and the kids were already enjoying pizza and subs.

I decompressed by not speaking, my feathers still ruffled from my interaction with Lindsey. I ate some pizza and a small section of the sub before cracking a beer. The neighbors joined us a little later to share some pizza and beer. I finally shared the story of my earlier interaction with Lindsey adding that I was disappointed with the way in which I handled the conflict.

We yucked it up for at least a couple of hours. We got to talking about the Penn St. molestation scandal which I morphed into the 'wanna go camping' joke. And at one point Mindy & I were in stitches with laughter with neighbor Terri's response. In fact,  I literally fell to the floor with laughter. My belly ached from laughing so hard. I'm thinking that we hung out until 11pm or so. Despite not working, Wednesday would be a very busy day.