New Bike for Bella

I woke near 530am having to use the bathroom and take some Advil. Mindy heard me getting the Advil and asked that I bring her a few. We both took Advil and went back to sleep. I slept for another 2 hours, or until 730am when I got up feeling pretty good. Mindy hardly budged as I gathered my running clothes and headed downstairs to start my weekend.

The sky was crystal clear as I prepped a pot of coffee. I checked the temperature. It was only 33 degrees with scattered light frost. I looked out at the hydrangea. It wasn’t covered. Mindy must’ve removed the bed sheet the day before. I worried that it might’ve suffered further damage. I played around online until 930am or so updating my blog for the past two weeks. I didn’t bother doing any proof reading or edits.

I readied and headed off on a run around 930am running the usual 3 mile weekend trail. I was home again near 10am. Mindy & Eiknarf were up shortly after I returned from my run. Can’t recall who walked the dog. I headed out to assess the damaged sprinkler head and then to get started on cleaning out the edgings from the beds. I dug down until I found the bottom of the damaged sprinkler head and the feeder hose. That part wasn’t damaged. I went to the garage where I had a spare sprinkler head left behind by nationwide irrigation three or four years prior. All I had to do was screw the new head into place. It was that simple. Just so happens, I’d very much like to add two additional sprinkler heads in the same vicinity where this one was damaged to help cover the flowers I plant there every spring/summer.

After finishing the repair, I raked the excess dirt that the edger machine left along the edge back into each of the beds. Kenny was out in his yard fooling around too. After finishing up my own, I walked over and rake all of his beds too. I felt it was the least I could do for all the work he did in my yard. He asked if I’d seen the broken sprinkler head. Yes, but shared that it was already repaired. I joked that I glued the old one back together, but he knew better. It was completely obliterated.

I ended up raking all the residual dirt into Kenny’s beds too. Mindy walked over to see what I was doing. While hanging at the neighbors, our kids arrived home after an overnight with their dad. We were expecting them at 11am, which I figured it was close to that then.

We headed back home with me preparing to go after mower gas and then cut the lawn. I had already told Mindy that I was going to offer to take Bella to get a new bike, keeping with the promise I made a couple weeks back. But when I asked if she wanted to go pick out a new bike she quickly declined citing the desire to play with her friends instead. She ended up changing her mind, but only after some coaxing from Mindy. We planned a run to the Hilliard Wal-Mart, but not before I dealt with the printing problem Mindy was having with her laptop. She wanted to print a grocery list but the wireless printer was showing offline for some reason. Happens a lot. Bella was growing bored waiting for me to finish. I suggested that I would deal with the printer when she and I got back. I didn’t want to make her wait any longer.

I took the empty five gallon mower gas container with us, planning a stop on our way home. Bella was still in a bit of a crusty mood as we made our way to the Wal-Mart. We entered through the garden center and quickly made our way to the bikes. They had less inventory than the Dublin store, but still had a few nice ones. Bella spotted one she liked, a BMX Mongoose – pink & black. Even I thought it was attractive. It was on the upper rack, and far removed from our reach. We needed a sales associate. Anyone who’s shopped Wal-Mart knows how much of a challenge it can be to find help. After about five minutes we found a guy to help us, though he had another couple wanting help in the bike department first.

The sales associate had a special tool to lower the upper bike rack to ground level. Nifty! At Wal-Mart the bikes come assembled, which is very convenient. I had Bella sit on it and ride it briefly up the aisle. Said she liked it and wanted it. Wanted to know if she could ride it to the checkout line. No. We looked at new bike helmets too, but she said they were too expensive and would simply use her old one. We took the bike to the garden center checkout where we paid.

We had to reconfigure the seating to get the bike in the back of the Pilot and then headed towards home but not before making a stop at the Circle K to fill-up the mower gas container. I could tell that Bella really wanted to get home and play with her friends. As soon as we got home she only wanted to put her bike in the garage presumably so she could run off to play. I didn’t mind. Before I could get all the paper work removed Mindy came out with Bella to check out the bike. Bella decided that she would ride it for her momma. We ended up lowering the seat to its lowest point to make it easier for her to ride and balance. She ended up taking her bike to the neighbors to show them.

I made myself a quick ham and cheese sandwich and then headed out to start on the lawn still somewhat regretting that we’re not having a lawn service take care of the mowing. Still may, but it’ll have to be another guy. Did the rear push mowing first eventually working my way around to the front. Despite not being as high as the week before, the west half of the front still bogged the mower down due to the grass being so thick. I had to scrape the underside of the mower deck free of clippings a couple of times.

Mindy left for the grocery, but not before me asking that she move the Accord to the curb to leave me room to edge. She did the deed willingly. While I finished the mowing, four teenaged boys wandered into our yard and back to our tree house. Between the push mower and tractor I walked back to talk with them asking that they knock and ask permission before coming in our yard and playing. I recognized the little on as the kids who threatened to shoot out our windows a year or so ago. One of the four told me Jacob gave him carte’ blanch access to our yard and tree house. I only responded by once gain insisting that they get permission each time. They were polite and asked if they could stay. Yes. I continued on my with yard chores.

A while passed before Jacob came strolling home. I asked if he knew the boys and if he had given permission for them to play in our yard. He assured that he hadn’t. Said he doesn’t care of those boys. I chose to leave well enough alone for the time being. I finished the mowing, whacking, edging and blowing and then got out the trailer for the tractor and started gathering the edgings from the beds. I finished all the back beds before calling it a day. I was exhausted from yard work and still wanted to take the Accord to the carwash.

I helped Mindy carry in the groceries then asked if she had $2 worth of quarters I could have for the carwash. Now about 4pm, I took the Accord to the self-serve carwash on Wilson just south of I-70. As feared, all the carwash bays were full, but only a handful two deep. While waiting my turn, the bay next to me freed first, but just as I started to back out to move and pick-up zoomed up and took the bay. What’s scary, I didn’t even see him coming and damn near backed into him. Still not sure why I hit the brakes. A few minutes later another bay cleared two down. I more carefully backed out and took the open bay.

Most of the dirt being tree pollen, it came off pretty easily with the soapy hot spray. I brought my carwash bucket and sponged it off between sprays. One it was washed and rinsed I pulled out into the sunshine to shami it dry. It got even busier while I was there. Almost all the bays were two deep.

Back at home I gave the Accord one more once over with the shami then sprayed the tires with dressing. I headed upstairs for a much needed shower. Didn’t take too long. Mindy asked that I plan to grill the steaks before 6pm. I’m thinking that it was 530pm when I poured myself a White Rajah and fired up the grill.

I grilled three prime filets while Mindy made corn-on-the-cob, baked potatoes and salad inside. The filets were extra thick, 2.5-3 inches. Didn’t take too long to grill em’. We were eating by 615pm after Mindy called the kids in from their play. The filets were grilled to perfection – medium rare. Dinner was delicious and the meat tender as could possibly be.

Dinner clean-up was fast and easy. Afterwards, Mindy and I headed out onto the deck to enjoy the lovely evening sun. It was chilly but still nice. Eiknarf joined us and whined for a sip of my beer. Not wanting to give up my White Rajah, I headed to the garage for a Miller instead. Despite Mindy insisting I not, I gave Eiknarf about half the beer over three pours. She loved it!

As evening set in Mindy insisted we head to the neighbors where our kids planned to participate in a night time Easter egg hunt. Chirssy had 150 eggs filled with candy and then 2 golden eggs filled with $20 each. There was a 3rd golden egg, but it was empty – a dud. Kenny & Chrissy had all their nieces and nephews over for he hunt too. While all the kids finished their dinner, grilled hamburgers, Kenny, Mindy and I hid all the eggs in the back yard. Kenny let me hide the two $20 eggs.

Once it was fully dark and the O’Connell’s were back from their grandparent’s the egg hunt began. All the kids headed outside outfitted with flashlights. There must’ve been 12 flashlights looking for eggs. The two money eggs weren’t found until almost last. In fact, the 2nd one was the very last egg found. I was glad that our two kids didn’t find it. Emily found one as did Kenny’s nephew Jake.

We hung out with the neighbors until 930pm when Mindy declared it time to go home. Said both kids needed showers before bed. I cracked open another White Rajah once home. I’d already had three. One more was just what the doctor ordered. Mindy was off to bed by 1015pm. I stayed up playing on the internet and then watching TV. Couldn’t have been later than 11pm when I headed to bed.