I was up on time this last day of May, and the first day of the Memorial golf tournament, and Mindy’s last day of school with students. For the month, we spent at least 20 calendar days above 80 degrees, which might be a record, and also had 5 or 6 days at or above 90. We only got about half the usual monthly rainfall too.
I exercised, played, meditated, and stretched all before 630am. It was only in the upper 50s when I set out on my run. I wore a long sleeved wicking short and shorts. I was comfortable throughout. I ran the full 4.1 miles finding myself back home somewhere near 715am. After walking the dog I enjoyed my eggs. Mindy left for school with ice cream and whipped cream that was all part of their field day festivities. She took a swim suit too. Apparently she was getting in a dunk tank.
Just before she left she warned me that she’d likely be having an after school event at the house. Wanted to know if I still planned to go to the golf tournament. I had a ticket but still wasn’t sure, my answer based more on how my work day would unflold.
After my shower I packed shorts and a polo more fitting for walking a golf course. I also packed my running shoes and a ball cap. The bus arrived on time. Chrissy shared that Kapil was coming into town Friday night and staying through the weekend so he could make a friends wedding in Lancaster. Hope to spend a little time visiting with him.
Left for the office around 825am arriving roughly 15 minutes later. At the time, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, a perfect day for the start of the Memorial tournament. I stayed busy all morning, balancing my time between conference calls and month end tasks. I managed to keep my calendar open to allow me to leave near 2pm for the tournament. I didn’t take a lunch either. I was a tad concerned that a crisis might find its way onto my lap just before 2pm, but that never materialized. Come 2pm I packed up my stuff and headed out, though I planned to stay connected via blackberry.
I changed into tournament attire in my car before leaving the lot. I drove to the Sports Ohio facility of Cosgray rd. in Dublin for the free shuttle parking provided by Nationwide. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but they had shuttle vans running every minute or so between the Sports Ohio lot and the course, which I’m guesstimating about 5 miles away. That proved to be a positive experience. Dropped us right at the clubhouse entrance. We saw Tiger Wood on the practice tee. And after looking at the program, I guessed that we was already finished for the day.
My pass gave me full access to the course as well as free food and drink at the Jack Nicklaus Club at the par 3 #16. I spent the first hour or so hanging around hole 18 watching several groups finish. I ran into three folks I knew, including my boss’ boss. I chatted with each of them only briefly.
I haven’t been to the Memorial in probably 17 or 18 years. Can’t believe it’s been that long. The houses along the course are still nice but many look dated. Another observation, the course and the landscaping were as dry as I’ve seen it. That’s something I’ve never seen before. For several years we struggled with the leather lips curse. More often that not, it would be chilly and rainy during the tournament. But as I’ve pointed out before, we haven’t had much if any rain since early May.
I eventually made my way to the Nicklaus Clubhouse to take full advantage of the free food and drink. Why not? I had to exchange my pass for a wrist band, and with it came a free program. Inside I enjoyed some of the provided finger foods as well as a bourbon and coke. I hung out in the clubhouse for about 30 minutes taking in some golf for its lofty perch. I checked email too, and had a couple issues requiring my intervention. I even made a couple calls before heading back out onto the course for a little more live golf action.
I watched another hour or so of golf before making a stop in the main clubhouse just before leaving and picking up a t-shirt or ball-cap. There, I opted for a Memorial tournament ball cap. Now near 430pm I made my way to exit, the same way I came in. There was a queue about ten people deep for the Red lot shuttle. I had to wait for the next van. The wait, however, was brief. Again, they literally had vans running every minute or two. Because I was first in queue, I got shotgun on the ride back. Cool! Missed a call and text from Mindy. Responded letting her know that I was on my way home. She responded, reminding me that she was having her after school event.
Was in my car and on my way home even before 5pm. Traffic on 270 south was even tighter than usual. It was pretty much a crawl from 33 all the way to Roberts Rd. Talked with Mindy briefly, she was preparing for guests. Niece Lindy was there and had just finished cutting Jacob’s hair when I got home. She didn’t hang out long, however. She left before 530pm. Mindy’s friend Phyllis was there too. She didn’t stay long either. She left while I was busy catching up on that work issue that crept up earlier. I dealt with that for about 30 minutes.
A few of Mindy’s teacher pals showed up around 6pm: Two of them brought their children. The school principal, Jan and her husband, Jeff showed up too. I joined them on the deck sipping a pint of Bodhi. By then it started to cool off, and even a few clouds moved in, but they didn’t look threatening in the least. Expecting much cooler weather through the weekend, only in the 60s on Friday and then the low to mid 70s Saturday & Sunday.
Mindy had several snacks available but also ordered two Minelli’s pizzas. We hung out with Mindy’s school peeps until 830pm. Mindy and I cleaned up the deck and the kitchen after everyone left. Mindy was happy that her school year was finally over, though she still needed to be in on Friday to clean-up her classroom. Mindy headed to bed well before 10pm. I kidded her about it. I stayed up a while longer catching a little bit of the Science channel.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Overdue Hair Cut
I woke initially near 430am and quickly realized I had another hour or so to sleep. I took full advantage falling back asleep and staying that way until 540am. Once awake I brushed my teeth then headed downstairs to kick out some exercise. Wasting little time, I gazed out back at another clear sky then slipped into my exercise shoes. By 545am I was fully engaged in sit-ups and as soon as they were completed I whipped out 50 push-ups. The push-ups were tougher than usual. Hadn’t done any since the Friday prior.
Finally got to enjoy some coffee just before 6am. And I ended up playing around online until 617am when I remembered that Mindy wanted up a little early so she could tend to her potluck preparations. I delivered her coffee ahead of meditation and stretching. Completed both of those by 635am and then dressed for a run. It was about 64 degrees so I dressed in just shorts and a short sleeved wicking shirt. That proved ideal.
It wasn’t nearly as humid as it had been. And the 5-day forecast is calling for a cooling trend carrying through the coming weekend with highs only in the 70’s under partly cloudy skies, for many a welcome transition from the early oppressive heat and humidity. We haven’t had any appreciable rain since Mother’s Day, and for those north of I-70 even longer. Many lawns are showing significant stress, much like you might expect to see come mid-July. I left for a run around 640am.
I ran the usual 4.1 miles without issue. It was unclear to me when I left if Mindy was leaving early for school, but she was still there when I got back home. She ended up meeting Eiknarf and I out on the walking trail to say goodbye. My eggs were ready and waiting in the microwave. While I enjoyed eggs, Bella enjoyed honey nut cheerios. And even though they’re sweetened, she adds sugar to them. I was finished with breakfast and off to the shower by 740am. I left the dishwasher door open thinking I would run it before leaving for work.
Was back downstairs and ready by 755am. My hair, I noticed, it getting entirely too long and unmanageable. It’s been 5.5 weeks since my last haircut. I thought I might make that a lunchtime priority. It was Wednesday so that meant I’d be working from one of my customer’s offices near New Albany. If I planned a haircut for lunch, it would be at the Saturday’s up there. Threw together my lunch while Bella headed out early to scooter with her peeps. At the same time, Jacob played Wii until bus time.
Met Chrissy at the bus stop. She asked if we would water their flowers while they’re in Jamaica mid June. Yep. The bus was on time. I headed back to the house where I paid a bill online then headed off to work. Just before I left the irrigation system kicked on. I had to time my exit out the front door just right so to avoid the sprinkler head closest to the driveway. It really needs re-aimed/adjusted. It’s traveling too far counter-clockwise covering almost half the driveway. But that’s a task better suited for a weekend, not right before work. Add it to the list.
I headed to 70 expecting to take 670 east, but as I neared the on-ramp I could see eastbound traffic at a complete standstill as far as the eye could see both east and west. No thanks! Instead, I turned around at the BP station and opted for I-270 north, a much longer trek mileage-wise but certainly faster this time. That proved a smart move. Traffic slowed only briefly as I near Rt 23 but was otherwise undaunted. Made decent time arriving at 905am. The walk from the far lot was heavenly on such a gorgeous morning.
We had our usual 10am call, all of the time spent talking about one challenging site. The call was over by 1030am, and I spent the rest of the morning working on a host of other issues. There was another call for that same site that transpired near noon. That lasted until 1pm or so when I left for a lunch break and headed to the nearest Saturday’s.
There was much more activity this visit. The only other time I visited this Saturday’s (think it was last September), I was the only customer there with only one employee. This time there were three customers and three stylists. Even still, Jessica took me right back. Great! She was very assertive and seemed to be the one in charge, which suited me just fine. She used the #3 clippers then steered me to the sink for a quick wash. Never before have I gotten a head massage during the wash. It felt great, all the tension releasing almost instantly. I told her how good it felt. She did a really good job with the cut too. She tried styling my do with gel but didn’t quite understand how I like to wear it. I smiled and shared that I would fix it once in my car. I have a kit, I explained. I tipped her well then headed directly across the street to browse Home Depot’s garden center. I didn’t buy anything, instead just looking around for some ideas for another flower bed. Gone about 50 minutes I headed back to the office.
I spent the rest of the afternoon taking charge of my to-dos relative to the two calls I was on earlier that day. All that took my right up to 5pm when I wrapped up my day and left for home. I didn’t try calling Mindy until I was well on my way home heading west around 270. We chatted only briefly since Jimaken was there to pick-up Jacob for soccer practice. After that brief call, I tried calling my mom again. This time I got through. We talked for a good 20 minutes. Said she was doing well. Wanted to know if I planned to let Glenn stay at our place while we’re on vacation. Said she’s got a new doctor. Likes him. Thinks she’s doing good. Had her car’s AC looked at. Will cost $300 to have the compressor replaced – labor only, the part is covered under a lifetime warranty. Asked about the family. End our conversation as I was exiting 270 onto Roberts Rd. It was almost 6pm by the time I arrived home. Traffic was slow around the western corridor.
Mindy had leftover chicken breast out to make wraps. She asked if I wanted her to make one for me of I would do it. I wanted to make my own. Bella had leftover corn on the cob and cereal. Clean-up was a snap. Mindy said she planned to run a couple errands after taking Bella to gymnastics. Fine. The two of them left near 650pm. Shortly after they departed I headed upstairs where I changed into flannel pajama boxers and a t-shirt then headed out to water flowers. I watered all the flowers front and back save for the geraniums handing from the rear ash trees in baskets. Because they’re under the constant canopy of the ash trees, they can go almost a week between waterings.
I finished up the watering then headed inside where I spent a little time working on weekend blog entries, though I didn’t post anything. Jacob got home from soccer practice around 740pm. Said tryouts went pretty good but his left calf muscle cramped up badly which inhibited his ability to run like he wanted during the brief scrimmage. Mindy got home around 815pm
Finally got to enjoy some coffee just before 6am. And I ended up playing around online until 617am when I remembered that Mindy wanted up a little early so she could tend to her potluck preparations. I delivered her coffee ahead of meditation and stretching. Completed both of those by 635am and then dressed for a run. It was about 64 degrees so I dressed in just shorts and a short sleeved wicking shirt. That proved ideal.
It wasn’t nearly as humid as it had been. And the 5-day forecast is calling for a cooling trend carrying through the coming weekend with highs only in the 70’s under partly cloudy skies, for many a welcome transition from the early oppressive heat and humidity. We haven’t had any appreciable rain since Mother’s Day, and for those north of I-70 even longer. Many lawns are showing significant stress, much like you might expect to see come mid-July. I left for a run around 640am.
I ran the usual 4.1 miles without issue. It was unclear to me when I left if Mindy was leaving early for school, but she was still there when I got back home. She ended up meeting Eiknarf and I out on the walking trail to say goodbye. My eggs were ready and waiting in the microwave. While I enjoyed eggs, Bella enjoyed honey nut cheerios. And even though they’re sweetened, she adds sugar to them. I was finished with breakfast and off to the shower by 740am. I left the dishwasher door open thinking I would run it before leaving for work.
Was back downstairs and ready by 755am. My hair, I noticed, it getting entirely too long and unmanageable. It’s been 5.5 weeks since my last haircut. I thought I might make that a lunchtime priority. It was Wednesday so that meant I’d be working from one of my customer’s offices near New Albany. If I planned a haircut for lunch, it would be at the Saturday’s up there. Threw together my lunch while Bella headed out early to scooter with her peeps. At the same time, Jacob played Wii until bus time.
Met Chrissy at the bus stop. She asked if we would water their flowers while they’re in Jamaica mid June. Yep. The bus was on time. I headed back to the house where I paid a bill online then headed off to work. Just before I left the irrigation system kicked on. I had to time my exit out the front door just right so to avoid the sprinkler head closest to the driveway. It really needs re-aimed/adjusted. It’s traveling too far counter-clockwise covering almost half the driveway. But that’s a task better suited for a weekend, not right before work. Add it to the list.
I headed to 70 expecting to take 670 east, but as I neared the on-ramp I could see eastbound traffic at a complete standstill as far as the eye could see both east and west. No thanks! Instead, I turned around at the BP station and opted for I-270 north, a much longer trek mileage-wise but certainly faster this time. That proved a smart move. Traffic slowed only briefly as I near Rt 23 but was otherwise undaunted. Made decent time arriving at 905am. The walk from the far lot was heavenly on such a gorgeous morning.
We had our usual 10am call, all of the time spent talking about one challenging site. The call was over by 1030am, and I spent the rest of the morning working on a host of other issues. There was another call for that same site that transpired near noon. That lasted until 1pm or so when I left for a lunch break and headed to the nearest Saturday’s.
There was much more activity this visit. The only other time I visited this Saturday’s (think it was last September), I was the only customer there with only one employee. This time there were three customers and three stylists. Even still, Jessica took me right back. Great! She was very assertive and seemed to be the one in charge, which suited me just fine. She used the #3 clippers then steered me to the sink for a quick wash. Never before have I gotten a head massage during the wash. It felt great, all the tension releasing almost instantly. I told her how good it felt. She did a really good job with the cut too. She tried styling my do with gel but didn’t quite understand how I like to wear it. I smiled and shared that I would fix it once in my car. I have a kit, I explained. I tipped her well then headed directly across the street to browse Home Depot’s garden center. I didn’t buy anything, instead just looking around for some ideas for another flower bed. Gone about 50 minutes I headed back to the office.
I spent the rest of the afternoon taking charge of my to-dos relative to the two calls I was on earlier that day. All that took my right up to 5pm when I wrapped up my day and left for home. I didn’t try calling Mindy until I was well on my way home heading west around 270. We chatted only briefly since Jimaken was there to pick-up Jacob for soccer practice. After that brief call, I tried calling my mom again. This time I got through. We talked for a good 20 minutes. Said she was doing well. Wanted to know if I planned to let Glenn stay at our place while we’re on vacation. Said she’s got a new doctor. Likes him. Thinks she’s doing good. Had her car’s AC looked at. Will cost $300 to have the compressor replaced – labor only, the part is covered under a lifetime warranty. Asked about the family. End our conversation as I was exiting 270 onto Roberts Rd. It was almost 6pm by the time I arrived home. Traffic was slow around the western corridor.
Mindy had leftover chicken breast out to make wraps. She asked if I wanted her to make one for me of I would do it. I wanted to make my own. Bella had leftover corn on the cob and cereal. Clean-up was a snap. Mindy said she planned to run a couple errands after taking Bella to gymnastics. Fine. The two of them left near 650pm. Shortly after they departed I headed upstairs where I changed into flannel pajama boxers and a t-shirt then headed out to water flowers. I watered all the flowers front and back save for the geraniums handing from the rear ash trees in baskets. Because they’re under the constant canopy of the ash trees, they can go almost a week between waterings.
I finished up the watering then headed inside where I spent a little time working on weekend blog entries, though I didn’t post anything. Jacob got home from soccer practice around 740pm. Said tryouts went pretty good but his left calf muscle cramped up badly which inhibited his ability to run like he wanted during the brief scrimmage. Mindy got home around 815pm
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Bring on Summer '12
The long weekend over, it was time to get back to the grind. To meet this challenge, I was up and out of bed a few minutes ahead of 530am. I felt good and eagerly headed downstairs to start some coffee and exercise. Because it was Tuesday, I completed sit-ups and curls.
At 550am I headed to my PC with coffee. I spent the next 15 minutes there. Meanwhile, it was another warm, clear morning, though the temperature not quite as warm as the two previous days. It was 67 degrees at 550am. I split the next 15 minutes between meditation and stretching and then headed upstairs to wake Mindy near 620am.
Downstairs, I changed into freshly laundered running clothes then headed out the door a couple minutes ahead of 630am. However, it was probably just after by the time the first foot hit the pavement. As we close in on the summer solstice, the sun was considerably further to the north than it was as recent as Friday. The haze in the sky gave the sun more of an orange hue.
I ran the full 4.1 miles working up a good sweat and passing many of the same characters I typically pass at that hour. Something comforting about passing the same folks either walking, running, or simply leaving for work. Mindy was downstairs and just getting the eggs in the pan when I returned home. I leashed up the pug then headed out for our walk. We walked across the street thereby avoiding most of the goose crap out front on our side of the street. What a mess!
We were back at the house by 720am where I settled in for some breakfast. By then Bella was up and in the bathroom doing her hair. The only fresh fruit we had available to compliment the eggs were strawberries. Mindy left for work around 730am after telling the kids to bus home to Noah’s. She also touched on the evening plans which included Jacob’s soccer practice. We didn’t’ discuss dinner.
After finishing my own breakfast and then slipping eggs into Eiknarf’s bowl I headed up for a shower. While getting ready I was reminded that I needed to call Dr March to make an appointment to have my failed bridge reglued. I was back in the kitchen cutting up cheese, packing some yogurt and a banana by 756am. Bella headed out to the bus stop even before 8am after asking if she could scooter.
I joined the kids at the bus stop at 808am. By then the sun was bright and warm. Hard to believe it’s only May. Last year we struggled all of May just to get a few warm and sunny days in the 70s. Met Chrissy at the bus stop. We compared notes regarding Hilliard Elite soccer tryouts. Makayla has tryouts Tuesday and Thursday. Jacob has tryouts Wednesday & Friday. The bus was on time and soon the kids were off to school, the beginning of their final week. Man, the school year’s gone fast!
Back at the house I enjoyed another cup of coffee then logged off my laptop that had been up and running since the prior Friday afternoon. I headed off to the office near 825am. Always feels good to be heading into work in a bright sunny day. All is right with the world.
Parked in the front lot. Not a lot of cars. I suspect many extended their holiday an extra day. One of the first things I did after getting settled and logged on was calling Dr March’s office. Laura answered the phone. Said they could get me in as soon as 230pm that afternoon. Cool. I accepted the appointment after making sure that I didn’t have a meeting conflict.
The day progressed somewhat quietly, which I was more than happy about. I didn’t plan to take a formal lunch break since I had to leave for a dental appointment around 2pm. I did plan to return to work afterwards. The only thing I ate before 2pm was the banana I packed. I brushed and gargled before leaving for my appointment. I made sure to take the bridge I had stashed in a baggie inside my backpack, too.
Arrived early, or about 220pm. Talked with Colleen, who’s been working the office for Dr March for about 14 or 15 years. She and Faith, a hygienist, just got back from a week in Punta Cana. Laura was already for me, but waited patiently while I finished my brief chat with Colleen. Laura hasn’t had the pleasure of working on my mouth for about 2.5 years, or since my last crown. I gave her my bridge then she left sharing that she’d be back in a few minutes. She and Dr March were in progress with another patient in the rood next door. I always find it more than humorous that Dr March often carries on a conversation with his patience while he’s working in their teeth. And more often than not, they’re in a position where they can’t speak clearly. I like Dr March, but he’s a bit odd. He’s an Arlington boy born and raised. We’re roughly the same age, both of us graduating HS in ’77. We have some common interests, but he definitely comes from a more refined background. We often talk OSU football, but today’s conversation centered around this week’s Memorial tournament.
He checked my bridge and tooth sub structures for any problems. Didn’t see any. Said both looked good. Said it’s been 12 years since I had the bridge put in. Said the quality of the glue they use today far exceeds what they used back then. I’ll bet I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes. Felt good to have my bite back to normal, though I am grateful that it wasn’t accompanied with pain due to raw tooth exposure. He mentioned that teeth can and will move even after just a day or two if not kept in check with those above and around them. Hmmm?
I was back at the office by 320pm. We had our regularly scheduled team call at 415pm. Before that I ate my salad, cheese and yogurt. I felt full. The meeting went as planned and was only about 15 minutes in length. Made it through the entire day without any major escalations. Wahoo! I wrapped up in the office near 5pm and headed for home. I noticed a significant difference in the air as I exited the building. It was still warm, but no longer stifling. Also, the humidity we experienced for three straight days was nonexistent.
Tried calling my mom on my drive home using Honda Handsfree. Despite telling it to call mom, it called Mindy. We laughed about it for a second, and then Mindy shared that she was busy grilling dinner and that my dad would be joining us. We hung up and I tried calling mom a second time. This time it rang the correct number but went to her voice mail. I left a brief message.
I felt great all day, but during my drive home I got a bad case of the sleepies. I did my best to battle through it. Dad arrived shortly after me. I haven’t seen him since he joined us for a soccer game a couple days before my colonoscopy. Seeing that Mindy was just getting the chicken on the grill, I figured I had enough time to take a brief nap. While dad sat on the sofa, I went to the family room chair. We chatted briefly, dad sharing how he spent some of his recent casino winnings on a new refrigerator. He eventually headed out to see if Mindy needed help. I took that as my opportunity to dose. It felt heavenly, though it seemed like just a couple minutes. Next thing I knew Mindy was calling me to dinner.
The grilled chicken, stuffing, and corn on the cob was all really good. Bella ate more than I expected putting away almost as much as I did. Dad asked about the siding I repaired/replaced. Seemed to be aware of many mini-projects we've completed around the house of late. M curiosity was killing me. I asked how he knew. Mindy reminded me that they were chatting while I napped before dinner. Ahh, OK. That makes sense.
Dad asked if we'd considered having Glenn stay at our place while we're vacationing and he's home. We have, and planned to offer that as an option. We could use someone at the house taking care of our flowers and what not. The dog will likely be cared for by Gloria. I showed dad the front siding I replaced. Dad thought he might use the same material to reside his shed. He used regular plywood coated with cement/stucco paint. It's held up for about eight years but is now beginning to rot.
Jacob was home from soccer practice before dad left. We discussed the Vietnam program that Jacob and I watched the night before. Obviously left a lasting impression on the both of us. Dad headed for home around 730pm. Not long after he left I changed into my PJs then around 8pm retired to the family room where we once again tuned to the knowledge channels. We watched a little of the History Channel special mini-series about the Hatfield's and McCoy's, but quickly tired of it. Instead, I changed the channel to Discovery where we watched The Universe, admittedly an episode that Bella and I had watched recently, but I still found it interesting. It's the one that goes into great detail explaining the size, motion & speed of the universe. Jacob wasn't pleased at first, not being as big a fan of space as Bella and I. But surprisingly, he hung on and seemed to get into it. Soon he'll be hooked, and maybe one day he'll tell his grand kids how we used to watch that stuff endlessly way back before we colonized Mars and beyond. :)
Mindy and the kids were in bed by 930pm. They hadn't been upstairs for more than five minutes when I tore into the new box of Honey Nut Cheerios and snacked on a bowl full dry. Yum! I stayed up until 1030pm or slightly beyond. By then my eyes were heavy and my mind craving sleep.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Summer's Front Door
I was up sometime before 7am to yet another sunny, warm start to the morning. Expecting a high in the 90s. Golf was on the agenda. Kenny & I planned to leave the house near 850am. To that end, I started some coffee then played around on the internet for a few minutes before eventually setting out on a three mile holiday run.
It was humid and already 73 degrees. I thought about skipping a shirt completely but threw one on last second. Nobody wants to see an old man running without a shirt these days. Just ask Chris Spielman. I survived but soaked the short sleeved wicking shirt by the time I completed the run.
It was something like 810am when I got back from my run. Mindy was already up, which surprised me. I’d forgotten that the boys were expected to be there by 9am. While Mindy enjoyed coffee, I headed up for a quick shower. Because it was expected to be hot & steamy, I wore a white golf polo. Downstairs by 830am, I put the weeks running clothes in the washer then gathered up my golf gear, Gatorade, and water. I made a hot dog too. I was hungry but didn’t’ have a lot of time.
Mindy figured to leave for Guy & Missy’s place around noon. We’d meet them there soon after golf.
I walked down to Kenny’s much like I did on Thursday. I sat outside again waiting for the overhead garage to open. With little to-do, we headed off for Johnstown around 855am. We passed Lindsey pulling out of her apartment complex, presumably heading to our house with the boys.
Our tee time was slated for 950am. We made good time out 670 to 270 to 161 and to route 62. I hadn’t played Kyber Run before. I wasn’t sure how to get there. Turned out it really close to New Albany Links and Royal American, but just a little further north then east. We arrived around 930am. As we headed in to pay our green fees I met Bob, Julie’s dad. Guy invited him to golf with us as well. The starter, meanwhile, shared that the tee box was opened if we wanted to get started. The only problem with that was that we were still waiting for Guy. He showed a few minutes late. No biggie. We weren’t holding anyone up.
My golf:
I started out like I usually do, hitting some good drives, some so-so 2nd shots and then some decent putting. But after about the 7th hole my game seemed to fall completely apart. I did manage to birdie a short par five, but that was the lone highlight. On the back nine I couldn’t even get off the tee with any consistency, which is more often than not my ace in the hole. I’ll bet I lost about 6 balls on the back and carded a handful of 7s and 8s. To sum it up, I wasn’t even having fun by the end of the round.
The course:
The course was nicer than I expected, and there’s water in play on almost every hole. The rough was thick and grabby, often gulping all but the top of the ball. Staying in play was paramount to a low golf score. The greens got really fast as the day wore on. I want to go back and tame that beast!
We finished near 2pm, or just short of 4 hours. Guy struggled to find his keys in his golf bag even after checking all the pockets at least twice. He went inside to ask if anyone found keys. He checked his bag one more time but this time they turned up. Crisis averted!
Kenny & I headed to Guy’s where we were supposed to meet our wives and kids. He lives about 5-10 minutes north of the course, not too far at all. We arrived around 230pm but are families weren’t yet there. Missy and the kids were, though. Missy greeted us on the deck about the same time that Guy pulled up after stopping for ice. I heard another car too. It was Mindy, Chrissy and all seven kids. Nine folks all piled into the Pilot. They got lost trying to find Mike & Julie’s new drive-thru in eastern Delaware. They blamed Julie’s directions.
Kenny wanted to head up and see Mike’s new drive-thru too. I did too. I rode up with him. Took a lot longer to get there than I guessed. I’ll bet it was a good 15 miles away. We made our way through Johnstown, Sunbury and finally to east Delaware off Route 36 to M&Js Drive-Thru. Opened on Friday. It’s big. They sell drinks, snacks, and feed. Nice place. Still not up to full inventory thanks in part to problems with local distributors. Mike invited us out back where they had a canopy and grill fired up. Kenny drank a beer. I passed on a beer but enjoyed a hot dog. We visited for about an hour. I knew the girls wouldn’t be happy that we were gone so long. Sure enough, Mindy rang my blackberry. I left my Droid back at Guy & Missy’s. Assured her that we’d be heading home soon. We left about 10 minutes later and got back around 430pm. Most everyone else had already eaten. I had another hot dog and some sides. Everything was good. I enjoyed one of the White Rajah’s Mindy brought out for me too. Actually shared it with Mindy.
After eating Mindy and I walked out back to the pond, complete with a fountain and a dock where all the kids swam and rode around in a paddle boat. Rocky was afraid to jump. Jacob teased him repeatedly until we asked that he stop. Landon couldn’t get wet due to his bandaged hand. Kenny was nice enough to drive him around in the paddle boat.
The kids had a blast cooling off in the pond. I’m thinking they swam for about an hour. Mindy wanted to go in short order, this being a work and school night. I’m thinking it was close to 6pm when we organized our stuff and headed for home. Took a while for the kids to get changed and then gather all their wet gear into grocery bags. Chrissy & Kenny’s kids elected to ride home with us. We thanked Missy & Guy for their hospitality then departed.
We made good time getting home. Traffic wasn’t an issue at all. Must’ve taken about 30 minutes. We dropped the boys at home first. Mindy walked them up. Upon her return to the car, Mindy commented on how tidy Lindsey’s apartment was. Neither of us has been over for a while, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Mindy called her about an hour later and complimented for keeping the place looking nice. Positive affirmation, it’s something I have to keep harping on Mindy about.
The kids dashed out to play as soon as we were home. Kenny stopped by about 20 minutes later while I was busy digging into a work issue. Happens. Kenny dropped off my golf clubs, which rode home with him. A few minutes later Mindy and I walked the pug down past Kenny’s who was already out weeding a flower bed. The man never stops working. While chatting, we met some new neighbors that just moved in to David & Tessa’s rental from Arizona. They’re a family of four, a two year old daughter and few months old boy. The only name I can readily recall is the three month old boy, Luke. The daughter was very cute. She was her new bike helmet. The parents said they just bought it for her and she doesn’t want to take it off. Even wanted to nap with it on. Kenny pulled several volunteer petunias from his front bed. Said he knew they were volunteer petunias but didn’t want to mess up his read, white & blue color scheme. I picked up three of the baby volunteers and sunk them in our front beds.
At 8pm I turned on the TV to the History Channel 2. I was intrigued to see a show titled The Vietnam War – HD just about to start. I ended up watching for the next 165 minutes. And Jacob watched most of it with me. It was very graphic and had lots and lots of real video clips from the war taken by soldiers and news reporters. Both of us learned a lot. As you might expect, Jacob had more than a few question. It was a good experience for us to share together. I did my best to help him understand what was going on. He’s mature beyond his years in that regard.
Mindy and Bella had peeled off for bed much earlier, or around 915pm. Mindy asked that Jacob be in bed by 10pm. He headed up at 1020pm. I think the program ran until 11pm, but I started falling asleep around 1030p. I shut down the house at 1045 and headed for bed.
It was humid and already 73 degrees. I thought about skipping a shirt completely but threw one on last second. Nobody wants to see an old man running without a shirt these days. Just ask Chris Spielman. I survived but soaked the short sleeved wicking shirt by the time I completed the run.
It was something like 810am when I got back from my run. Mindy was already up, which surprised me. I’d forgotten that the boys were expected to be there by 9am. While Mindy enjoyed coffee, I headed up for a quick shower. Because it was expected to be hot & steamy, I wore a white golf polo. Downstairs by 830am, I put the weeks running clothes in the washer then gathered up my golf gear, Gatorade, and water. I made a hot dog too. I was hungry but didn’t’ have a lot of time.
Mindy figured to leave for Guy & Missy’s place around noon. We’d meet them there soon after golf.
I walked down to Kenny’s much like I did on Thursday. I sat outside again waiting for the overhead garage to open. With little to-do, we headed off for Johnstown around 855am. We passed Lindsey pulling out of her apartment complex, presumably heading to our house with the boys.
Our tee time was slated for 950am. We made good time out 670 to 270 to 161 and to route 62. I hadn’t played Kyber Run before. I wasn’t sure how to get there. Turned out it really close to New Albany Links and Royal American, but just a little further north then east. We arrived around 930am. As we headed in to pay our green fees I met Bob, Julie’s dad. Guy invited him to golf with us as well. The starter, meanwhile, shared that the tee box was opened if we wanted to get started. The only problem with that was that we were still waiting for Guy. He showed a few minutes late. No biggie. We weren’t holding anyone up.
My golf:
I started out like I usually do, hitting some good drives, some so-so 2nd shots and then some decent putting. But after about the 7th hole my game seemed to fall completely apart. I did manage to birdie a short par five, but that was the lone highlight. On the back nine I couldn’t even get off the tee with any consistency, which is more often than not my ace in the hole. I’ll bet I lost about 6 balls on the back and carded a handful of 7s and 8s. To sum it up, I wasn’t even having fun by the end of the round.
The course:
The course was nicer than I expected, and there’s water in play on almost every hole. The rough was thick and grabby, often gulping all but the top of the ball. Staying in play was paramount to a low golf score. The greens got really fast as the day wore on. I want to go back and tame that beast!
We finished near 2pm, or just short of 4 hours. Guy struggled to find his keys in his golf bag even after checking all the pockets at least twice. He went inside to ask if anyone found keys. He checked his bag one more time but this time they turned up. Crisis averted!
Kenny & I headed to Guy’s where we were supposed to meet our wives and kids. He lives about 5-10 minutes north of the course, not too far at all. We arrived around 230pm but are families weren’t yet there. Missy and the kids were, though. Missy greeted us on the deck about the same time that Guy pulled up after stopping for ice. I heard another car too. It was Mindy, Chrissy and all seven kids. Nine folks all piled into the Pilot. They got lost trying to find Mike & Julie’s new drive-thru in eastern Delaware. They blamed Julie’s directions.
Kenny wanted to head up and see Mike’s new drive-thru too. I did too. I rode up with him. Took a lot longer to get there than I guessed. I’ll bet it was a good 15 miles away. We made our way through Johnstown, Sunbury and finally to east Delaware off Route 36 to M&Js Drive-Thru. Opened on Friday. It’s big. They sell drinks, snacks, and feed. Nice place. Still not up to full inventory thanks in part to problems with local distributors. Mike invited us out back where they had a canopy and grill fired up. Kenny drank a beer. I passed on a beer but enjoyed a hot dog. We visited for about an hour. I knew the girls wouldn’t be happy that we were gone so long. Sure enough, Mindy rang my blackberry. I left my Droid back at Guy & Missy’s. Assured her that we’d be heading home soon. We left about 10 minutes later and got back around 430pm. Most everyone else had already eaten. I had another hot dog and some sides. Everything was good. I enjoyed one of the White Rajah’s Mindy brought out for me too. Actually shared it with Mindy.
After eating Mindy and I walked out back to the pond, complete with a fountain and a dock where all the kids swam and rode around in a paddle boat. Rocky was afraid to jump. Jacob teased him repeatedly until we asked that he stop. Landon couldn’t get wet due to his bandaged hand. Kenny was nice enough to drive him around in the paddle boat.
The kids had a blast cooling off in the pond. I’m thinking they swam for about an hour. Mindy wanted to go in short order, this being a work and school night. I’m thinking it was close to 6pm when we organized our stuff and headed for home. Took a while for the kids to get changed and then gather all their wet gear into grocery bags. Chrissy & Kenny’s kids elected to ride home with us. We thanked Missy & Guy for their hospitality then departed.
We made good time getting home. Traffic wasn’t an issue at all. Must’ve taken about 30 minutes. We dropped the boys at home first. Mindy walked them up. Upon her return to the car, Mindy commented on how tidy Lindsey’s apartment was. Neither of us has been over for a while, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Mindy called her about an hour later and complimented for keeping the place looking nice. Positive affirmation, it’s something I have to keep harping on Mindy about.
The kids dashed out to play as soon as we were home. Kenny stopped by about 20 minutes later while I was busy digging into a work issue. Happens. Kenny dropped off my golf clubs, which rode home with him. A few minutes later Mindy and I walked the pug down past Kenny’s who was already out weeding a flower bed. The man never stops working. While chatting, we met some new neighbors that just moved in to David & Tessa’s rental from Arizona. They’re a family of four, a two year old daughter and few months old boy. The only name I can readily recall is the three month old boy, Luke. The daughter was very cute. She was her new bike helmet. The parents said they just bought it for her and she doesn’t want to take it off. Even wanted to nap with it on. Kenny pulled several volunteer petunias from his front bed. Said he knew they were volunteer petunias but didn’t want to mess up his read, white & blue color scheme. I picked up three of the baby volunteers and sunk them in our front beds.
At 8pm I turned on the TV to the History Channel 2. I was intrigued to see a show titled The Vietnam War – HD just about to start. I ended up watching for the next 165 minutes. And Jacob watched most of it with me. It was very graphic and had lots and lots of real video clips from the war taken by soldiers and news reporters. Both of us learned a lot. As you might expect, Jacob had more than a few question. It was a good experience for us to share together. I did my best to help him understand what was going on. He’s mature beyond his years in that regard.
Mindy and Bella had peeled off for bed much earlier, or around 915pm. Mindy asked that Jacob be in bed by 10pm. He headed up at 1020pm. I think the program ran until 11pm, but I started falling asleep around 1030p. I shut down the house at 1045 and headed for bed.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Fireworks
Woke for keeps near 630am again. Not sure why the sudden change to my weekend wake times, but I like it. Perhaps it has everything to do with the position of the sun. I brushed my teeth then headed downstairs where I started a pot of coffee then headed out on the deck to fill my lungs with some heavy summer air. Felt and smelt like midsummer. And more surprising, it was already 73 degrees.
Spent about half an hour online before heading outside. I thought about running the irrigation but knew that I’d be mowing very soon so thought better of it. Instead, I decided to hand water the flower beds after soaking all the hanging baskets and pots.
Left for a run early, somewhere close to 810am, hoping to avoid as much of the heat as possible. I ran the usual Sunday trail of only 3 miles. Like the day before, I worked up quite a sweat in the early sunshine and humidity. Back home well before 9am, I was surprised that Mindy was up and sitting on the deck with coffee. I joined her there with more coffee of my own. She asked if I would walk the pug. Yes dear.
I shared my desire to get started on some chores, which included planting the remaining flowers and more importantly cutting the lawn. She asked that I sit there with her on the deck for a few minutes before striking out on my day’s mission. She reminded me that Lindsey and boys would be over later to do laundry, but we wouldn’t see them for too long since we had another graduation party as well as Mia and Sophia’s birthday party to attend. We’d be leaving for those events near 3pm.
I believe it was sometime Saturday that Lindsey called Mindy letting her know that she was taking Landon to urgent care after he fell and cut his hand open on a piece of glass. We learned later that evening that he ended up with two stitches and punctured a small artery.
Because the high was forecasted to approach 95, I started cutting the lawn earlier than I might otherwise do. It was just after 930am when I got started. But even then it proved overtly warm. I took my time with the push mowing but nothing could stop the sweat from flowing. I was soaked through my shirt and shorts by the time I finished around back. Doing the tractor piece was a dream. Felt cool even. Finished the lawn chores by 1130am. Next up was planting two small hydrangeas and potting another sweet potato vine.
Jacob & Bella were home around noon. I’m thinking that Lindsey and the boys showed up about a half hour later. I kept myself busy in the yard, deciding to rip down the rabbit fence we put up around our tomato plants last summer. A lot of good it did, something still got in there and ate all of our near rip tomatoes and clipped most of our plants off near the plants main trunk. We’re putting flowers there instead this year.
I went inside and took a break. Mindy and Lindsey wanted to talk briefly. Lindsey shared that she’s ready to manage her own money. Fine. My first question was did she have the insurance and car payment money. She didn’t. Said she planned to pay me with the first paycheck in June. Even Mindy had a hard time understanding where I was coming from. But my point was simple, those bills are due by the end of the month. By pushing them to the first paycheck on the subsequent month only moves the problem. Now she’ll be struggling to meet the bills due out of the following check.
I headed back to the yard where I planned to spray the foundation for piss ants, a task Mindy’s been after me to complete for more than a month. I still have some Diazinon concentrate, a pesticide no longer available for residential use. Before spraying the foundation, however, I needed to cut the English ivy back away from the block. It’s grown aggressively this spring reestablishing itself along both sides of the foundation up the stucco even though I cut it back completely last spring. Mindy came out to chat about Lindsey’s money management/bill paying stuff. Said she understood where I was coming from but thought I’d want to help out through her struggles. It’s not like I need the money, but want what’s due me and on time. I want her to think of me as a legitimate creditor.
I took my time cutting the ivy away from the block, and in tow places I revealed a large population of piss ants. I removed all the ivy before from both sides before spraying the entire foundation. By then the ants had vacated. I sprayed all the way around the house making sure to spray up under the edge where the stucco meets the block foundation as well as along the stone front and rear deck. I used about a gallon of the gallon and a half I mixed up.
By the time I was done with the Diazinon it was time to shower up for the parties. Like the past few weekends, we planned to let Lindsey and the boys hang out while we were away. Mindy had everything loaded and the Pilot cooled by the time I was ready to go. I’m thinking that we left the house around 230-245pm. We took 270 around to Grove City, exiting on 62 but turning quickly onto Home Rd to Hoover Rd. We arrived at Austin T.’s graduation party near 3pm. Mindy’s very proud of Austin, who received a full ride to Notre Dame, which includes his education, room and board and even an allowance. We were at his older Brother Peter’s graduation party too. He’s a double major at Miami of Ohio. Just graduated with his under grad degree in music. Still finishing up his other major in electrical engineering. He was there and eager to see Mindy too.
Our kids, especially Jacob, were bored to tears at the party. Under his breath, Jacob asked numerous times if we could leave. But Mindy wanted to stay and see if her all-time favorite student, Tyler, showed up. She texted him and learned that he was on his way.
I talked some with Peter and Tyler. Both are doing well, and very handsome, smart, articulate boys. Their parents, I am sure, are very proud. We left for Todd’s around 415pm. We weren’t sure if we could get to Grove City Rd from Hoover Rd. We took it all the way to 665 then west to 62. That took us far out of our way. Note to self. We ended up having to back track north about 4 or 5 miles. No biggie. It was nice drive.
We arrived at Todd & Missy’s around 440pm. The party started at 4pm so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that we were the last family members to arrive. It was quite warm but Todd had plenty of tree and man made shade available. I was comfortable. He also had a hose nozzle tied off to a nearby tree in the mister mode. The light breeze blew the mist towards all of us on occasion. When it did, it felt terrific.
There was plenty to eat: pizza, hot dogs, sides, and lots of chips & cookies. There was some beer available, too. I took advantage and had an ice cold Yeungling. Todd built a tree house roughly similar to ours – a platform rising up from two tall trees with a roofed shelter up top. He added an enclosed slide, too. . Looks good, and the kids played on it all afternoon.
It was a birthday party so gifts and cake were next on the agenda. The outdoor gift table always photos so nicely, and this year the girls were dressed as colorful as the gifts themselves. It’s kind of funny, even though that Columbus is known to be chilly and rainy on Memorial Day weekend, it always seems like it’s hot and steamy for the girls b-day yard party.
We hung around until 7pm or so, well after dinner, gifts, and cake. We didn’t have well defined plans for the evening but were excited about the prospects of heading home for some relaxation in our yard. Of course Bella was hoping to hook up with Makayla. Once at home I poured a beer and walked down to chat with Kenny who was out in the yard, rolling up the tent he and the kids slept in down at the cabin Saturday night. We ended up hanging out for the evening, me walking home to top off my beer when empty. My Memorial Day plan all along was to go after and spread mulch. But that all changed when Kenny offered up a morning of golf instead. Said he had a tee time at Clover Valley (AKA Kyber Run). Mindy gave an approving nod, so I accepted. Kenny offered that we’d need to drive separate vehicles since he planned to meet the rest of his family at Chrissy’s sister Missy’s in Johnston immediately after golf. Somewhat out of character, Mindy quickly chimed in that she’d just meet us there at Missy’s, effectively inviting us to their Memorial Day celebration. Add to that, we’d have Landon and Rocky with us too, so Lindsey could work OT.
When darkness set in, Jacob asked if I would go after some fireworks. Why not? I went home returning with a couple packs of bottle rockets and some M-60s (fake M-80s). This was a right of passage of sorts. After setting off a few by example, I turned the fireworks and lighter over to Jacob & Jake. They had the time of there life with both types. They especially liked the M-60s since they blow up under water. They must’ve set 10-15 of them off in the pond. Their fun eventually drew the attention of a couple neighborhood girls and two other boys, who walked back to see what was going on. They hung together back by the tree house and then in the neighboring woods. Kenny & I joked that the fire works are a babe magnet. The boys went through those fireworks pretty quickly. At their prompting, I went home for more. Many of these I’ve had for 5-10 years. We’re due for some new stuff.
Mindy headed home around 10pm citing her inability to keep her eyes opened any longer. She asked that Jacob and I not be out too late. I’m thinking we hung out with Kenny until 11pm. Kenny and I firmed up plans to leave for golf at 850am. Mindy was already out when I crawled into bed. Good night half moon.
Spent about half an hour online before heading outside. I thought about running the irrigation but knew that I’d be mowing very soon so thought better of it. Instead, I decided to hand water the flower beds after soaking all the hanging baskets and pots.
Left for a run early, somewhere close to 810am, hoping to avoid as much of the heat as possible. I ran the usual Sunday trail of only 3 miles. Like the day before, I worked up quite a sweat in the early sunshine and humidity. Back home well before 9am, I was surprised that Mindy was up and sitting on the deck with coffee. I joined her there with more coffee of my own. She asked if I would walk the pug. Yes dear.
I shared my desire to get started on some chores, which included planting the remaining flowers and more importantly cutting the lawn. She asked that I sit there with her on the deck for a few minutes before striking out on my day’s mission. She reminded me that Lindsey and boys would be over later to do laundry, but we wouldn’t see them for too long since we had another graduation party as well as Mia and Sophia’s birthday party to attend. We’d be leaving for those events near 3pm.
I believe it was sometime Saturday that Lindsey called Mindy letting her know that she was taking Landon to urgent care after he fell and cut his hand open on a piece of glass. We learned later that evening that he ended up with two stitches and punctured a small artery.
Because the high was forecasted to approach 95, I started cutting the lawn earlier than I might otherwise do. It was just after 930am when I got started. But even then it proved overtly warm. I took my time with the push mowing but nothing could stop the sweat from flowing. I was soaked through my shirt and shorts by the time I finished around back. Doing the tractor piece was a dream. Felt cool even. Finished the lawn chores by 1130am. Next up was planting two small hydrangeas and potting another sweet potato vine.
Jacob & Bella were home around noon. I’m thinking that Lindsey and the boys showed up about a half hour later. I kept myself busy in the yard, deciding to rip down the rabbit fence we put up around our tomato plants last summer. A lot of good it did, something still got in there and ate all of our near rip tomatoes and clipped most of our plants off near the plants main trunk. We’re putting flowers there instead this year.
I went inside and took a break. Mindy and Lindsey wanted to talk briefly. Lindsey shared that she’s ready to manage her own money. Fine. My first question was did she have the insurance and car payment money. She didn’t. Said she planned to pay me with the first paycheck in June. Even Mindy had a hard time understanding where I was coming from. But my point was simple, those bills are due by the end of the month. By pushing them to the first paycheck on the subsequent month only moves the problem. Now she’ll be struggling to meet the bills due out of the following check.
I headed back to the yard where I planned to spray the foundation for piss ants, a task Mindy’s been after me to complete for more than a month. I still have some Diazinon concentrate, a pesticide no longer available for residential use. Before spraying the foundation, however, I needed to cut the English ivy back away from the block. It’s grown aggressively this spring reestablishing itself along both sides of the foundation up the stucco even though I cut it back completely last spring. Mindy came out to chat about Lindsey’s money management/bill paying stuff. Said she understood where I was coming from but thought I’d want to help out through her struggles. It’s not like I need the money, but want what’s due me and on time. I want her to think of me as a legitimate creditor.
I took my time cutting the ivy away from the block, and in tow places I revealed a large population of piss ants. I removed all the ivy before from both sides before spraying the entire foundation. By then the ants had vacated. I sprayed all the way around the house making sure to spray up under the edge where the stucco meets the block foundation as well as along the stone front and rear deck. I used about a gallon of the gallon and a half I mixed up.
By the time I was done with the Diazinon it was time to shower up for the parties. Like the past few weekends, we planned to let Lindsey and the boys hang out while we were away. Mindy had everything loaded and the Pilot cooled by the time I was ready to go. I’m thinking that we left the house around 230-245pm. We took 270 around to Grove City, exiting on 62 but turning quickly onto Home Rd to Hoover Rd. We arrived at Austin T.’s graduation party near 3pm. Mindy’s very proud of Austin, who received a full ride to Notre Dame, which includes his education, room and board and even an allowance. We were at his older Brother Peter’s graduation party too. He’s a double major at Miami of Ohio. Just graduated with his under grad degree in music. Still finishing up his other major in electrical engineering. He was there and eager to see Mindy too.
Our kids, especially Jacob, were bored to tears at the party. Under his breath, Jacob asked numerous times if we could leave. But Mindy wanted to stay and see if her all-time favorite student, Tyler, showed up. She texted him and learned that he was on his way.
I talked some with Peter and Tyler. Both are doing well, and very handsome, smart, articulate boys. Their parents, I am sure, are very proud. We left for Todd’s around 415pm. We weren’t sure if we could get to Grove City Rd from Hoover Rd. We took it all the way to 665 then west to 62. That took us far out of our way. Note to self. We ended up having to back track north about 4 or 5 miles. No biggie. It was nice drive.
We arrived at Todd & Missy’s around 440pm. The party started at 4pm so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that we were the last family members to arrive. It was quite warm but Todd had plenty of tree and man made shade available. I was comfortable. He also had a hose nozzle tied off to a nearby tree in the mister mode. The light breeze blew the mist towards all of us on occasion. When it did, it felt terrific.
There was plenty to eat: pizza, hot dogs, sides, and lots of chips & cookies. There was some beer available, too. I took advantage and had an ice cold Yeungling. Todd built a tree house roughly similar to ours – a platform rising up from two tall trees with a roofed shelter up top. He added an enclosed slide, too. . Looks good, and the kids played on it all afternoon.
It was a birthday party so gifts and cake were next on the agenda. The outdoor gift table always photos so nicely, and this year the girls were dressed as colorful as the gifts themselves. It’s kind of funny, even though that Columbus is known to be chilly and rainy on Memorial Day weekend, it always seems like it’s hot and steamy for the girls b-day yard party.
We hung around until 7pm or so, well after dinner, gifts, and cake. We didn’t have well defined plans for the evening but were excited about the prospects of heading home for some relaxation in our yard. Of course Bella was hoping to hook up with Makayla. Once at home I poured a beer and walked down to chat with Kenny who was out in the yard, rolling up the tent he and the kids slept in down at the cabin Saturday night. We ended up hanging out for the evening, me walking home to top off my beer when empty. My Memorial Day plan all along was to go after and spread mulch. But that all changed when Kenny offered up a morning of golf instead. Said he had a tee time at Clover Valley (AKA Kyber Run). Mindy gave an approving nod, so I accepted. Kenny offered that we’d need to drive separate vehicles since he planned to meet the rest of his family at Chrissy’s sister Missy’s in Johnston immediately after golf. Somewhat out of character, Mindy quickly chimed in that she’d just meet us there at Missy’s, effectively inviting us to their Memorial Day celebration. Add to that, we’d have Landon and Rocky with us too, so Lindsey could work OT.
When darkness set in, Jacob asked if I would go after some fireworks. Why not? I went home returning with a couple packs of bottle rockets and some M-60s (fake M-80s). This was a right of passage of sorts. After setting off a few by example, I turned the fireworks and lighter over to Jacob & Jake. They had the time of there life with both types. They especially liked the M-60s since they blow up under water. They must’ve set 10-15 of them off in the pond. Their fun eventually drew the attention of a couple neighborhood girls and two other boys, who walked back to see what was going on. They hung together back by the tree house and then in the neighboring woods. Kenny & I joked that the fire works are a babe magnet. The boys went through those fireworks pretty quickly. At their prompting, I went home for more. Many of these I’ve had for 5-10 years. We’re due for some new stuff.
Mindy headed home around 10pm citing her inability to keep her eyes opened any longer. She asked that Jacob and I not be out too late. I’m thinking we hung out with Kenny until 11pm. Kenny and I firmed up plans to leave for golf at 850am. Mindy was already out when I crawled into bed. Good night half moon.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
A Lasting Stain
I woke a couple of time after 5am but managed to go back to sleep until 630am when I decided to get up for good. I was excited about the prospect of the lovely summer weather and enjoying a couple hours alone. I had a pot of coffee started and was sitting at my PC by 640am. I poked my head out back briefly too. Wow, was it ever steamy.
I must have spent about an hour online, drinking coffee and watering flowers before heading out for a run sometime just before 8am. I ran the usual weekend mileage - just three miles. Once again I worked up quite a sweat. Even a short sleeved wicking shirt was a bit much. Felt like thick seal skin by the time I finished.
The irrigation system was running by the time I got back to the house. It’s amazing how much quieter the system is since we had the main meter replaced. From inside you’d never know it was running. At some point I realized the system stopped between zones 3 and 4, or the same intermittent failure we experienced last year. I headed out to check the solenoid box. And just like last year, all I had to do was tweak the wire cap that connects the DC voltage for each of the 6 zones when zone 4 kicked into action. At some point I’ll likely need to re-do all the connections in the main box.
I’m thinking it was near 930-10am when Mindy rolled out of bed. Said she woke earlier with a headache but felt better after taking some Advil. We had plans to attend Makayla Vidosh’s graduation brunch that was slated to run from 11am to 2pm. I figured we would head there near noon. We also planned to make an appearance at nephew Joe’s party later that evening. In between I hoped to take care of a handful of chores.
While Mindy showered for the graduation party I updated my blog. And once she was about ready I headed up for a shower of my own. I have it down to a science. That way we typically end up ready to go at roughly the same time. It was already approaching 90 when we left the house for the Vidosh’s. I haven’t been to John’s house for a number of years. I’m thinking at least ten years. He lives in a beautiful house near the Thornapple golf course.
Found it with little trouble. Of course we had to park a few houses down as there were a number of cars already there. Just like another couple who showed up just seconds before us, we opted to walk around to the back yard in lieu of walking through the house. We caught the eye of John’s wife, Sandy pretty quickly, who came over to say hello and offer hugs. We soon headed inside to see John and congratulate Makayla. Just as I expected, she didn’t have a clue who we were. But little wonder, I haven’t seen Makyala since well before she started school. Daughter Courtney used to babysit her. Wow! I’m getting old.
They had a full-on brunch set-up, complete with a manned pancake making machine and all the fixins, including sausage, baby quiche, fruit, juices, and bloody Mary’s. Mindy and I sat quietly under the rented tent in the backyard for about 20-30 minutes. We then engaged John’s older sister Janis’s daughter Liz in conversation. I remembered Liz from 14 – 15 years ago when she, her sister, and her mom moved in temporarily with John & Sandy. She turned out to be quite the young lady – smart, attractive, and confident. She graduated from an art college in the Philly area and still resides there with her older sister.
Talked with Liz’s mom, Janis some, too. John fixed me up with his sister Janis way back when, and she and I went on one date. She’s interesting too. Works at one of the Apple stores. She’s talking about moving to California one day soon. I asked if it was just talk. Said not. Will do it soon.
We probably weren’t there for too much more than an hour before begging off for home. But by then, aside from family, most others had already gone too. Mindy & I both had a number of things we wanted to get done. But by the time we arrived home it was so hot that it was hard to motivate for outdoors chores. We ended up taking about an hour long nap before doing anything else.
I’m thinking it was near 2pm when I finally headed out to stain the cedar lap siding. The staining went predictably well and one coat covered nicely, though I plan to add another soon. Didn’t take even an hour to do the staining part. I also fetched the trim paint to touch-up the wood trim just above and below where I got a little stain. They’re the same color, but the trim paint is a satin finish and the stain is flat. A discerning eye can see a difference. Even though it was hot and humid, I was warmed up and eager to keep busy. And after removing the English ivy a month prior and repainting the front trim, I wasn’t happy with a few areas of the wood trim where I could still see remnants of the sticky ‘ivy fingers’. I decided to fetch my palm sander and see if that would make a difference. Initially, I used a 220 grit paper. That took most of it off but left the trim smoother than I wanted. I then worked with an 80 grit paper, and that did an even better job. I was anxious to recoat it with trim paint and see if the effort did the trick. It did. No more ivy remnants.
As soon as the staining and painting was done, I got started installing the coach light fixture on the front stoop that matches our new post light. The old weathered brass fixture had seen its better days. Mindy returned from running several errands while I was busy fooling with the light fixture. I was struggling to get the fixture lined up correctly with the mounting hardware supplied. I was beyond frustrated and let it get the best of me. Not only was our installation a bit out of the ordinary, but I really needed four hands. Mindy offered to help but I declined, knowing that it would not likely end well. I eventually rigged up a wire to hold the fixture in place while I did the wiring and mounting. I’m guessing I spent about 90 minutes mounting the light fixture on the wall whereas the post light fixture took all of about ten minutes. And just like with the post light, I put in the coolest daylight CFL bulb they make. I really like that look. Much ‘whiter’ light.
Now about 5pm, I was more than eager for a shower. As it was, my black t-shirt was soaked to the core. However, as hot & sweaty as I was, I went for a quick snack first. To satisfy my hunger I woofed down a cheese stick. While enjoying the cheese stick I felt something unusually hard while chewing. I spit whatever it was into my hand. I was shocked to see that it was my bridge. Yikes! I showed Mindy. I cleaned it up and snapped it back into place even while knowing I’ll need to make an appointment with Dr March to have it fixed permanently early next week. It snapped in fine and it didn’t appear that the tooth substructure was damaged. Still, the bridge wouldn’t stay seated, at least where I could chew. Any movement at all would cause the bridge to lift. The good news is that the tooth sub structures weren’t painful even though they were exposed. I was grateful for that.
I asked Mindy if we could stop for some White Rajah on the way. She recommended we stop at the Lane Avenue Whole Foods. I packed the Jimindy 31 cooler with ice in a large Ziploc and we headed off to Joe’s but with a stop first at the Arlington Whole Foods.
Whole Foods is temporarily located in small store front in the new Lane Avenue mall while their new digs are under construction. Smart idea to keep a local foot print lest they might lose all their faithful clientele to the Market District. There we bought two six-packs of White Rajah. Off to Joe’s.
We headed back towards home thinking we might take 270 to the Georgesville exit, but as we progressed along I decided to take Fisher and Phillipi Rd so we could go by the new casino and see their progress. Casino is coming together but looks like a very aggressive schedule to get it finished and opened by autumn.
While sitting at the light at Alkire and Holt, we saw Jodie and Larry zoom by just in front of us. We pulled up at Joe’s seconds apart, parking out front along Holt Rd. It was still really hot in the sunshine. We headed inside where we greeted Joe and a number of his friends. They had quite a bit of food out and available. I found the pasta incredibly good, and also loved the black pepper Tostito brand artisan tortilla chips.
We sat outside on the patio where I cracked open a White Rajah. Mindy wasn’t drinking. Larry joined several others playing volleyball. But after spending 3 hours working in the hot sun earlier in the afternoon, I had no desire to sweat another drop. Mindy & I chatted with Jodie through most of our visit. Spent a little time chatting with Joe’s life-long pal, Chris too. He’s making a bold move to California next week. We only encouraged him to chase his dream while he’s got few ties in his life.
We hung at Joe’s until about 9pm. And once we arrived home we took our cooler and walked down to Chrissy’s place. She was home alone with Makayla. We didn’t stay there too long. Maybe an hour tops. While there, Makayla eagerly showed off all the clothes her momma bought her at Justice earlier in the day. They also both went for a pedicure.
Mindy was off to bed before 11pm. I made myself a burrito and played around online before heading to bed. I’m thinking it was near 1130pm when I joined Mindy in bed and asked if we could watch TV. She gave an emphatic no! Suggested I watch downstairs. I wasn’t yet tired, so I did just that. I headed to the kitchen, popped some popcorn, then tuned into SNL. I might’ve last about 20 minutes before falling asleep, but not before putting a serious dent in that bag of popcorn. I didn’t wake and head up for bed until almost 1am.
I must have spent about an hour online, drinking coffee and watering flowers before heading out for a run sometime just before 8am. I ran the usual weekend mileage - just three miles. Once again I worked up quite a sweat. Even a short sleeved wicking shirt was a bit much. Felt like thick seal skin by the time I finished.
The irrigation system was running by the time I got back to the house. It’s amazing how much quieter the system is since we had the main meter replaced. From inside you’d never know it was running. At some point I realized the system stopped between zones 3 and 4, or the same intermittent failure we experienced last year. I headed out to check the solenoid box. And just like last year, all I had to do was tweak the wire cap that connects the DC voltage for each of the 6 zones when zone 4 kicked into action. At some point I’ll likely need to re-do all the connections in the main box.
I’m thinking it was near 930-10am when Mindy rolled out of bed. Said she woke earlier with a headache but felt better after taking some Advil. We had plans to attend Makayla Vidosh’s graduation brunch that was slated to run from 11am to 2pm. I figured we would head there near noon. We also planned to make an appearance at nephew Joe’s party later that evening. In between I hoped to take care of a handful of chores.
While Mindy showered for the graduation party I updated my blog. And once she was about ready I headed up for a shower of my own. I have it down to a science. That way we typically end up ready to go at roughly the same time. It was already approaching 90 when we left the house for the Vidosh’s. I haven’t been to John’s house for a number of years. I’m thinking at least ten years. He lives in a beautiful house near the Thornapple golf course.
Found it with little trouble. Of course we had to park a few houses down as there were a number of cars already there. Just like another couple who showed up just seconds before us, we opted to walk around to the back yard in lieu of walking through the house. We caught the eye of John’s wife, Sandy pretty quickly, who came over to say hello and offer hugs. We soon headed inside to see John and congratulate Makayla. Just as I expected, she didn’t have a clue who we were. But little wonder, I haven’t seen Makyala since well before she started school. Daughter Courtney used to babysit her. Wow! I’m getting old.
They had a full-on brunch set-up, complete with a manned pancake making machine and all the fixins, including sausage, baby quiche, fruit, juices, and bloody Mary’s. Mindy and I sat quietly under the rented tent in the backyard for about 20-30 minutes. We then engaged John’s older sister Janis’s daughter Liz in conversation. I remembered Liz from 14 – 15 years ago when she, her sister, and her mom moved in temporarily with John & Sandy. She turned out to be quite the young lady – smart, attractive, and confident. She graduated from an art college in the Philly area and still resides there with her older sister.
Talked with Liz’s mom, Janis some, too. John fixed me up with his sister Janis way back when, and she and I went on one date. She’s interesting too. Works at one of the Apple stores. She’s talking about moving to California one day soon. I asked if it was just talk. Said not. Will do it soon.
We probably weren’t there for too much more than an hour before begging off for home. But by then, aside from family, most others had already gone too. Mindy & I both had a number of things we wanted to get done. But by the time we arrived home it was so hot that it was hard to motivate for outdoors chores. We ended up taking about an hour long nap before doing anything else.
I’m thinking it was near 2pm when I finally headed out to stain the cedar lap siding. The staining went predictably well and one coat covered nicely, though I plan to add another soon. Didn’t take even an hour to do the staining part. I also fetched the trim paint to touch-up the wood trim just above and below where I got a little stain. They’re the same color, but the trim paint is a satin finish and the stain is flat. A discerning eye can see a difference. Even though it was hot and humid, I was warmed up and eager to keep busy. And after removing the English ivy a month prior and repainting the front trim, I wasn’t happy with a few areas of the wood trim where I could still see remnants of the sticky ‘ivy fingers’. I decided to fetch my palm sander and see if that would make a difference. Initially, I used a 220 grit paper. That took most of it off but left the trim smoother than I wanted. I then worked with an 80 grit paper, and that did an even better job. I was anxious to recoat it with trim paint and see if the effort did the trick. It did. No more ivy remnants.
As soon as the staining and painting was done, I got started installing the coach light fixture on the front stoop that matches our new post light. The old weathered brass fixture had seen its better days. Mindy returned from running several errands while I was busy fooling with the light fixture. I was struggling to get the fixture lined up correctly with the mounting hardware supplied. I was beyond frustrated and let it get the best of me. Not only was our installation a bit out of the ordinary, but I really needed four hands. Mindy offered to help but I declined, knowing that it would not likely end well. I eventually rigged up a wire to hold the fixture in place while I did the wiring and mounting. I’m guessing I spent about 90 minutes mounting the light fixture on the wall whereas the post light fixture took all of about ten minutes. And just like with the post light, I put in the coolest daylight CFL bulb they make. I really like that look. Much ‘whiter’ light.
Now about 5pm, I was more than eager for a shower. As it was, my black t-shirt was soaked to the core. However, as hot & sweaty as I was, I went for a quick snack first. To satisfy my hunger I woofed down a cheese stick. While enjoying the cheese stick I felt something unusually hard while chewing. I spit whatever it was into my hand. I was shocked to see that it was my bridge. Yikes! I showed Mindy. I cleaned it up and snapped it back into place even while knowing I’ll need to make an appointment with Dr March to have it fixed permanently early next week. It snapped in fine and it didn’t appear that the tooth substructure was damaged. Still, the bridge wouldn’t stay seated, at least where I could chew. Any movement at all would cause the bridge to lift. The good news is that the tooth sub structures weren’t painful even though they were exposed. I was grateful for that.
I asked Mindy if we could stop for some White Rajah on the way. She recommended we stop at the Lane Avenue Whole Foods. I packed the Jimindy 31 cooler with ice in a large Ziploc and we headed off to Joe’s but with a stop first at the Arlington Whole Foods.
Whole Foods is temporarily located in small store front in the new Lane Avenue mall while their new digs are under construction. Smart idea to keep a local foot print lest they might lose all their faithful clientele to the Market District. There we bought two six-packs of White Rajah. Off to Joe’s.
We headed back towards home thinking we might take 270 to the Georgesville exit, but as we progressed along I decided to take Fisher and Phillipi Rd so we could go by the new casino and see their progress. Casino is coming together but looks like a very aggressive schedule to get it finished and opened by autumn.
While sitting at the light at Alkire and Holt, we saw Jodie and Larry zoom by just in front of us. We pulled up at Joe’s seconds apart, parking out front along Holt Rd. It was still really hot in the sunshine. We headed inside where we greeted Joe and a number of his friends. They had quite a bit of food out and available. I found the pasta incredibly good, and also loved the black pepper Tostito brand artisan tortilla chips.
We sat outside on the patio where I cracked open a White Rajah. Mindy wasn’t drinking. Larry joined several others playing volleyball. But after spending 3 hours working in the hot sun earlier in the afternoon, I had no desire to sweat another drop. Mindy & I chatted with Jodie through most of our visit. Spent a little time chatting with Joe’s life-long pal, Chris too. He’s making a bold move to California next week. We only encouraged him to chase his dream while he’s got few ties in his life.
We hung at Joe’s until about 9pm. And once we arrived home we took our cooler and walked down to Chrissy’s place. She was home alone with Makayla. We didn’t stay there too long. Maybe an hour tops. While there, Makayla eagerly showed off all the clothes her momma bought her at Justice earlier in the day. They also both went for a pedicure.
Mindy was off to bed before 11pm. I made myself a burrito and played around online before heading to bed. I’m thinking it was near 1130pm when I joined Mindy in bed and asked if we could watch TV. She gave an emphatic no! Suggested I watch downstairs. I wasn’t yet tired, so I did just that. I headed to the kitchen, popped some popcorn, then tuned into SNL. I might’ve last about 20 minutes before falling asleep, but not before putting a serious dent in that bag of popcorn. I didn’t wake and head up for bed until almost 1am.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Kicking Off Long Memorial Day Weekend
I was up just before 530am and quickly brushed my teeth then headed downstairs for exercise and coffee. After sit-ups and push-ups I spent about 20 minutes online. The day’s high temperature was expected to reach 90 and then well into the 90s through Monday with just a small chance of thunderstorms on Sunday. I was in good spirits, very much looking forward to a long three day weekend. The only downer was me being on-call.
Woke Mindy near 615am after both meditation and stretching. Headed out for a run just after 630am. It was quite humid immediately out the door. Ran the full 4.1 miles working up on heck of a sweat in a relatively short amount of time. Felt good, though.
Mindy had already left for work by the time I returned from my run. She left early to drop the boys at school again. I walked Eiknarf across the street. Back at the house I enjoyed the eggs Mindy had waiting in the microwave. Off to the shower by 732am.
It didn’t take me long to ready. I was back downstairs ahead of 750am. Bella headed out early to scooter with her pals. Jacob and I didn’t head out until 806am. Met Chrissy at the bus stop. She shared more details about her son Jake’s recent meltdown. She also asked about our weekend plans. Kenny would be heading to the family cabin on Saturday into Sunday. She expected to be home with only Makayla. I suggested that she should join us at nephew Joe’s party Saturday evening. Our weekend (Saturday & Sunday) was chalked full of parties/events.
I planned to drive the BM’er, so as soon as the kids were on the bus I moved the Accord to the curb. I enjoyed another cup of coffee before leaving for work. I’m guessing it was about 825a when I finally headed off. The BM’er might be as dirty as I’ve ever let it get. I had half a mind to stop by the carwash on my way into the office but didn’t. The heck with it! Still drives the same.
Work wasn’t bad at all. Spent most of my day on administrative tasks, but still had a couple escalations I needed to handle. Left for lunch around 1pm and headed to the bank to deposit a rebate check from my insurance company. It was plenty warm, about 88 degrees. I stopped at Home Depot on my way back to the office just to browse their exterior trim offerings. I didn’t plan to buy anything.
Headed back to the office near 2pm and enjoyed my packed lunch. My boss sent out a note telling everyone to try and get out of the office by 330pm to start the three day Memorial Day weekend a little early. Despite being on call, that was still music to my ears. I wrapped a handful of additional administrative tasks then left for home around 325pm.
I actually beat both Mindy and the kids home. Thinking I arrived around 345pm. I was just settling in at my computer when I heard Mindy pull-up just before 4pm. Because I had the Accord at the curb she had no idea that I was home. I hid behind the door as she opened and entered. She just about leaped out of her skin! Mindy asked why I was home so early. I shared my boss’ kind gesture, but at the same time shared that I had to log into work from home to take care of n escalation I received just moments before she arrived home.
The kids were home a couple minutes later, and both in great spirits. I worked until almost 5pm. By then a nap sounded really good. I kicked back in the recliner while Mindy took the dog out for a walk. The kids, meanwhile, were busy gathering their gear to spend the weekend with their dad. The plan was for him to bring them home around 1pm on Sunday so they could go with us to a high school graduation party as well as their cousin Mia and Sophia’s birthday party Sunday afternoon.
After the kids left, Mindy got started on some laundry but then headed up for a shower. She looked whipped after spending all day in a non-air conditioned classroom. While Mindy showered, I finished writing my Thursday blog. We had plans to do dinner at CBC. Haven’t been there for a couple weeks. I was looking forward to some Bodhi. I headed upstairs to freshen up around 635pm. Mindy was just putting the finishing touches on her ready. It took me no more than 5 minutes. We left the house around 645pm, but not before I grabbed an empty CBC growler and the Jimindy soft cooler.
The CBC parking lot offered plenty of parking. Tis the season when the crowds typically thin at most of our favorite spots. Mindy’s stand-in principal and her husband showed up at CBC the same time as us. They were already downtown to check out an art exhibit. They opted to sit out on the patio while we opted for the bar. As expected, there was plenty of barside seating. We sat on western side of the bar where I could see the Reds game as well as the city skyline. Perfect! We both ordered a Bodhi and determined early on that I would be the designated driver. For me that meant no more than two beers.
Kevin and Vince were tending bar. Kevin brought us a post card promoting his band’s performance at the Woodland’s in Grandview the weekend of June 9th. We plan to check it out. We ordered food after our first beers. I ordered wings while Mindy went with the special, which was jalapeño crab cakes. The wings were more than satisfying. We enjoyed a 2nd Bodhi with dinner. Before heading for home, I had our jug filled and paid the tab. It was a little after 9pm when we headed for home.
Shortly after arriving home Mindy texted Chrissy to see if they were up for company. Chrissy shared that they were hanging in the garage. We grabbed a couple beers from the fridge, opting to leave the new jug of Bodhi at home, leashed up the pug and walked down to the neighbors.
One of Kenny’s employees, Scott, was over visiting too. Scott has been dating cousin Tawny on & off for some time now. Said they’ve been talking again. He shared a little family dirt, apparently Tawny & Missy, who’ve been sharing an apartment for a couple years are soon heading their separate ways. Might’ve spent about 45 minutes at Kenny & Chrissy’s before walking down to the O’Connell’s, who were hosting some friends on their patio.
I walked home and fetched a couple more bottled beers for Mindy & I to share. Mindy was feeling no pain. But realistically, she had only two Bodhi’s and then half of the two beers I carried down earlier. What a light weight! Ivan, another employee of Kenny’s, showed up after about 30 minutes. He brought a bottle of tequila as well as some limes. Chrissy headed for home well ahead of the party ending. There was talk of getting in the hot tub, but Mindy & I headed for home before any of that after pronounced herself done. I’m guessing that it was near 1130p.
Woke Mindy near 615am after both meditation and stretching. Headed out for a run just after 630am. It was quite humid immediately out the door. Ran the full 4.1 miles working up on heck of a sweat in a relatively short amount of time. Felt good, though.
Mindy had already left for work by the time I returned from my run. She left early to drop the boys at school again. I walked Eiknarf across the street. Back at the house I enjoyed the eggs Mindy had waiting in the microwave. Off to the shower by 732am.
It didn’t take me long to ready. I was back downstairs ahead of 750am. Bella headed out early to scooter with her pals. Jacob and I didn’t head out until 806am. Met Chrissy at the bus stop. She shared more details about her son Jake’s recent meltdown. She also asked about our weekend plans. Kenny would be heading to the family cabin on Saturday into Sunday. She expected to be home with only Makayla. I suggested that she should join us at nephew Joe’s party Saturday evening. Our weekend (Saturday & Sunday) was chalked full of parties/events.
I planned to drive the BM’er, so as soon as the kids were on the bus I moved the Accord to the curb. I enjoyed another cup of coffee before leaving for work. I’m guessing it was about 825a when I finally headed off. The BM’er might be as dirty as I’ve ever let it get. I had half a mind to stop by the carwash on my way into the office but didn’t. The heck with it! Still drives the same.
Work wasn’t bad at all. Spent most of my day on administrative tasks, but still had a couple escalations I needed to handle. Left for lunch around 1pm and headed to the bank to deposit a rebate check from my insurance company. It was plenty warm, about 88 degrees. I stopped at Home Depot on my way back to the office just to browse their exterior trim offerings. I didn’t plan to buy anything.
Headed back to the office near 2pm and enjoyed my packed lunch. My boss sent out a note telling everyone to try and get out of the office by 330pm to start the three day Memorial Day weekend a little early. Despite being on call, that was still music to my ears. I wrapped a handful of additional administrative tasks then left for home around 325pm.
I actually beat both Mindy and the kids home. Thinking I arrived around 345pm. I was just settling in at my computer when I heard Mindy pull-up just before 4pm. Because I had the Accord at the curb she had no idea that I was home. I hid behind the door as she opened and entered. She just about leaped out of her skin! Mindy asked why I was home so early. I shared my boss’ kind gesture, but at the same time shared that I had to log into work from home to take care of n escalation I received just moments before she arrived home.
The kids were home a couple minutes later, and both in great spirits. I worked until almost 5pm. By then a nap sounded really good. I kicked back in the recliner while Mindy took the dog out for a walk. The kids, meanwhile, were busy gathering their gear to spend the weekend with their dad. The plan was for him to bring them home around 1pm on Sunday so they could go with us to a high school graduation party as well as their cousin Mia and Sophia’s birthday party Sunday afternoon.
After the kids left, Mindy got started on some laundry but then headed up for a shower. She looked whipped after spending all day in a non-air conditioned classroom. While Mindy showered, I finished writing my Thursday blog. We had plans to do dinner at CBC. Haven’t been there for a couple weeks. I was looking forward to some Bodhi. I headed upstairs to freshen up around 635pm. Mindy was just putting the finishing touches on her ready. It took me no more than 5 minutes. We left the house around 645pm, but not before I grabbed an empty CBC growler and the Jimindy soft cooler.
The CBC parking lot offered plenty of parking. Tis the season when the crowds typically thin at most of our favorite spots. Mindy’s stand-in principal and her husband showed up at CBC the same time as us. They were already downtown to check out an art exhibit. They opted to sit out on the patio while we opted for the bar. As expected, there was plenty of barside seating. We sat on western side of the bar where I could see the Reds game as well as the city skyline. Perfect! We both ordered a Bodhi and determined early on that I would be the designated driver. For me that meant no more than two beers.
Kevin and Vince were tending bar. Kevin brought us a post card promoting his band’s performance at the Woodland’s in Grandview the weekend of June 9th. We plan to check it out. We ordered food after our first beers. I ordered wings while Mindy went with the special, which was jalapeño crab cakes. The wings were more than satisfying. We enjoyed a 2nd Bodhi with dinner. Before heading for home, I had our jug filled and paid the tab. It was a little after 9pm when we headed for home.
Shortly after arriving home Mindy texted Chrissy to see if they were up for company. Chrissy shared that they were hanging in the garage. We grabbed a couple beers from the fridge, opting to leave the new jug of Bodhi at home, leashed up the pug and walked down to the neighbors.
One of Kenny’s employees, Scott, was over visiting too. Scott has been dating cousin Tawny on & off for some time now. Said they’ve been talking again. He shared a little family dirt, apparently Tawny & Missy, who’ve been sharing an apartment for a couple years are soon heading their separate ways. Might’ve spent about 45 minutes at Kenny & Chrissy’s before walking down to the O’Connell’s, who were hosting some friends on their patio.
I walked home and fetched a couple more bottled beers for Mindy & I to share. Mindy was feeling no pain. But realistically, she had only two Bodhi’s and then half of the two beers I carried down earlier. What a light weight! Ivan, another employee of Kenny’s, showed up after about 30 minutes. He brought a bottle of tequila as well as some limes. Chrissy headed for home well ahead of the party ending. There was talk of getting in the hot tub, but Mindy & I headed for home before any of that after pronounced herself done. I’m guessing that it was near 1130p.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Day of Play
Despite it being a day off I was up and out of bed just prior to 6am. Funny, I felt like I’d slept in. Mindy told me the night before that she wanted up at 615am to account for the extra few minutes it would take dropping the boys at school on her way to work. After brushing my teeth I headed to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, something I failed to take care of the evening before.
After I had the coffee going I completed 50 sit-ups then 40 curls. Time flies. It was already time to wake Mindy. By the time I headed upstairs with her coffee she was just about to get into the shower. I sat her coffee on her dresser then gave her a quick hug. Downstairs I made my own coffee then played leisurely on the internet. The day's weather was set to be sunny and near 90. If the day played out as planned I’d be golfing later. Even though I was off work, I still took care of a few things, sending a couple follow-up emails regarding an issue I was involved in up to my neck. No sweat!
Mindy and the boys left for school around 720am. It wasn’t too much later that Eiknarf was downstairs expecting a walk. Yep, her needs don’t change just because I’m off work. I leashed her up and headed out. Saw Pat apparently driving daughter Alana to school. Thought little of it. And as we walked further to the west, we passed two more Hilliard High Schoolers walking back towards their homes, Nick and another girl whose name I don’t know. The cute girl asked if she could pet Eiknarf. Sure, but why are you guys walking the wrong way, I asked? She said the bus didn’t show up. She was walking home to ask her dad to give her a ride. Too bad I hadn’t known a minute sooner, I could’ve flagged Pat down to give her and Nick a ride. Neighbor Kenny went by heading out of the subdivision at the same time. He pulled over so we could talk golf. Said he planned to be back at home around 11-1130am. That would work well for me. That way I wouldn’t feel rushed to run and ready.
Back home I spent more time on the PC ahead of bus-stop time. Once again, Bella asked if she could head out early and scooter with peeps. Sure. A few minutes later Jacob and I headed out, me already fully dressed for my run. We met Chrissy there. She asked if I was golfing, but before I could answer she quickly acknowledged that Kenny had already told her we were. I’m guessing the expression on my face was one of mild trepidation.
The bus was on time. Eiknarf and I scooted back home around 815am. I did a little more work but then headed off on my run near 840am. About five minutes into my run and from a distance, I could see that our irrigation system kicked on as scheduled. Love seeing it throwing water about the lawn. Because I had the day off work I decided to trim my run to just three miles. It was very beautiful, sunny and under cloudless blue skies. The temperature was somewhere near 70.
I was home around 915am. I poured another cup of coffee then puttered around the house and deck for a while. I ate a ham & cheese sandwich then headed for a shower. Near 10am, I headed out back to paint the two new pink flamingos. I decided to spray paint out by the tree house. I installed the long wire legs first then shook the begeezies out of the fluorescent green spray paint can. Made me smile seeing the flamingo turn lime green. Fluorescent orange was next. Both looked good. The paint covered nicely, but still planned a 2nd coat for later.
Planted three more herbs I bought for Mindy next. Was happy to get that out of the way. I still had plenty of time. It was near 1045am. At some point I got a call from Kenny. Said he was out east but expected to be home by 1130am. He only needed to take a quick shower and let the dogs out. Said he'd swing by to pick me up afterwards. I organized my golf gear then headed out back to hit a few chip shots. Afterwards, I gave my clubs a bit of a cleaning with a wet towel and Windex.
I saw Kenny’s dogs out back, a clear indication that he was home. About ten minutes later I gathered my gear and walked down to his house where I sat contemplatively on the front porch until he opened the overhead garage doors. I think he was a little surprised to see me pop my head around the corner as soon as the door opened. It wasn’t a minute or two before we were off to Phoenix Golf Links. Asked Kenny about exterior trim options. He concurred that Hardie board is difficult to handle/ work with.
Arrived at Phoenix just after 12noon. We didn’t have a tee time but rarely if ever do when playing there through the week. No problem, said they could get us off. Set us back $33 each. The clubhouse sits well below the level of the course so we couldn’t see if there was a back-up on the tee or not. As we made our way up the hill we could happily see that there wasn't. It was wide open. After a few practice putts we were on our way.
Hole #1, Kenny took honors and teed off first. A tad nervous, this being only my second time out all season and not at all for almost two months. But, I am happy to report I hit my drive about 250 yards straight down the pipe! Sadly, that’s where the joy on hole #1 ended for me. I struggled mightily near and around the green. I carded a nine. Kenny didn’t do much better, having his problems in the heather. He carded an eight.
Hole #2 is that dreaded par three where I almost always shank my tee shot. The pin sat about 175 yds out. I decided to go with and easy rescue #3 wood. I hit a straight and low shot that landed on the green but rolled just off the back and into a small bank. After hole #1 I played fairly well, pretty much bogey golf save for a 7 on one of the par 5s on the front where it took me two shots to exit the hard pack bunker. I wasn’t at all discouraged. Even better news, we weren’t held up even once on the entire front nine, though we were now just two shots behind the group in front of us.
Before pressing onward, Kenny wanted to stop in the clubhouse and pick-up a couple of beers for the back nine. While he fetched himself a couple beers I peed. By the time we got to the #10 tee box there was a threesome about 100 yards out meandering around in the heather and looked to be in no hurry whatsoever. Great! We waited about five minutes before deciding to move on and play around them. Not sure where they came from. They weren’t behind us. We wondered if they self started on hole #10. Kenny wanted to call them out as we passed by. I suggested we just blow by them and play on. That’s what we did. We gave ourselves a par on the skipped hole.
I played more consistently on the back nine, finally getting into a somewhat of a groove with my iron shots. I played bogey and par golf for the remainder of the afternoon carding a 43 on the back. And more impressively, I finally par’d the challenging #18. That made my day. We finished at 345pm or about 3.5 hours in. Not bad time. As we made our way down the hill to the lot we passed that threesome that somehow managed to get in front of us on hole #10. They were just pulling up to the 17th tee box. Kenny asked if they started on hole #10. Yep, said they were part of a league that started on hole #10 this week.
With Mindy at school likely until 8pm and the kids scheduled to be home at 4pm, we made a beeline for home arriving around 410pm. The kids were already home kicking back watching TV. Right away Jacob asked if he could head to Kyle and Cody's and then added that he didn't have any home work. Yes. Meanwhile, Bella lounged on the sofa watching kiddie TV. After wetting my whistle I headed out back to put another coat of paint on the flamingos. This time I did the painting behind the shed. After a 2nd coat of fluorescent orange and green, I fetched the two existing purple flamingos from the nearby Sparky bed and gave them a fresh coat of purple paint. However, I cleaned them first with water and a green scrubbie. I carefully carried all four back to the flower beds in sun where they'd remain.
Next, I watered all the flowers front and back. That took about 20-25 minutes. Now about 530pm Bella shared that she had two homework assignments due on May 30th, and both required reading a book and then completing a writing assignment afterwards. She was in tears over not having any non-fiction animal books as a source. And when I suggested she simply get a book from the school library on Friday she fussed even more sharing that the library is effectively closed for the school year. I suggested we use e-books online and went on a quest to find some.
By the time I found a handful of options, Bella had found a book on great white sharks she had hidden away somewhere. Said she was going to use that as her source. Fine! Jacob was in and out with his friends. Neighbor Jake came over too. And sometime around 7pm I got a call from Lindsey's number. I couldn't make out the conversation but could hear Lindsey in the background. I tried calling back but no one answered. I ended up sending a text letting her know she could bring the boys by anytime.
The kids asked about dinner. Originally we talked about going out, but as the evening waned I decided to make tacos instead. I defrosted 2lbs of ground sirloin then slowly simmered the beef on the stove. Lindsey dropped off the boys around 730pm. Landon was crying as Lindsey brought him to the door. He didn't want to stay. Of course Rocky busted in and without even as much as a hello asked where he might find Jacob. Landon got over his sadness in a hurry. He and I eventually headed out to feed the ducks, although it ended up being geese and their babies. I only did it for Landon's sake. I hate those geeses to pieces. :)
While Landon and I fed the geese from the bridge, Lillian and Emily came from behind our house asking if I'd seen Bella and Makayla. Nope. Not long after, Bella and Makayla came along asking if I'd seen Emily & Lillian. Yes, I pointed them towards Pat & Lisa's cul-de-sac, which was total BS. They bit on the data and went looking. I forgot about it until 10 minutes passed and I saw them standing at the corner looking in wonderment. The eventually spotted the girls coming from the opposite direction that I pointed them. They weren't pleased with me.
The taco meat was ready but the kids didn't want to eat until Mindy got home. We waited. She arrived home around 810pm. I made me, Rocky, and Landon tacos. Jacob opted for Krave cereal instead. Bella, meanwhile, was AWOL, still off playing with her friends. When 9pm rolled around and Bella still wasn't home we got a little worried. Mindy asked what time I told her to be home. I didn't. She headed out to play around 6pm. I never thought of issuing a curfew then. But now it was getting dark and still no Bella. Mindy texted the O'Connell's and then called Chrissy. No kids! Mindy and I separately went looking on foot. I crossed the street giving myself a better view of the sidewalks 5-6 houses down each way. Bella was off on her scooter, that we knew.
Then, all the sudden, I heard them. They were riding their scooters in Pat's cul-de-sac, the same place we let Bella ride it last Saturday night. It was now 920pm. We didn't scold Bella, but Mindy made clear that she was setting a standing curfew unless otherwise told of 830pm.
I fixed Bella a taco while Mindy tucked Rocky & Landon into bed. Bella was sent to the shower right after dinner. This time both boys went right to sleep. I stayed up long enough to watch the Reds close out a four game sweep against the Atlanta Braves and extend their winning streak to 6 games. Exciting finish. I headed up to bed just after 10pm. Mindy was already in bed but reading with her night stand light.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Busy Wednesday
I was up on time and actually even a few minutes early. It looked like another gorgeous morning – not a cloud anywhere in the predawn sky. The coffee kicked on while I was doing sit-ups. It was Wednesday, which meant it was a push-up day, too. I did 50 of those as well. I logged on to both my home and work PCs while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.
At the PC with coffee, I checked the weather and headlines. The Reds won, extending their winning streak to 5 games. The temperature was only 57, a few degrees chillier than it’s been the past few mornings. Expecting a high around 80, and then a streak of 4 or 5 days at or above 90 just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend. Played around online until 605am when I headed in to meditate. Spent a solid ten minutes doing that. Completed a stretch next, taking me up to 621am. Delivered Mindy’s coffee next.
Because it was only in the 50s, I opted to wear a short sleeved wicking shirt but with my pullover fleece. I thought that would be more comfortable than a thick, long-sleeved wicking shirt. That proved a little too warm by the 3rd mile, but rather than stop and remove a layer I trudged onward to the finish completing the 4.1 miles by 709am. Mindy was busy in the kitchen making breakfast. I grabbed Eiknarf’s leash then waited at the foot of the stairs. We headed off on our walk a few minutes later.
Before heading off to school Mindy reviewed the evening’s plans. Bella would have gymnastics and Jacob soccer practice w/ Jimaken, who was freshly home from his 4 or 5 day trip to the Florida Keys where he competed in a 100 mile marathon. He made it 50 miles before his feet began hurting too much. He texted a picture to Mindy. I never did see it but the kids said it was gross. Mindy offered that she might be taking Jacob to see Craig again. His cough sounds terrible. We didn’t have specific dinner plans.
Mindy soon left for school and I headed up for a shower. I was ready to go by 755am and spent the few minutes before bus time finishing packing a lunch and picking up the kitchen. Bella headed out early to scooter around with her pals. I met the kids outside a few minutes later. It was field day at Beacon, an entire day dedicated to fun & games. Bella was very excited. Jacob, not so much. Chrissy was at the bus stop with the girls. Kenny left early for work in Cincy. The bus was on time.
Eiknarf and I headed back home, me pulling her away from the oodles of goose pop in Trena’s front yard.
I fooled around at home for another 5 minutes or so before heading off to work. I drove the Accord since I’d cutting across town to New Albany. I took 670 east, which quickly backed up somewhere before the Grandview exit. I was listening to the Blue Collar Comedy channel on XM. Nothing I could do about the traffic so I simply savored the minutes crawling east on 670. There was a broken down truck blocking a couple lanes just before the heart of downtown. Once we got past it, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way in. In fact, the flow of traffic was exceeding 70 mph after the back-up. I arrived later than usual, not getting to the customer’s campus until 910am.
It was a beautiful morning, thus a pleasant walk from the far parking lot into the building. We had our usual 10am meeting that went for about an hour. It’s usually over in 15 minutes. All in all, though, it wasn’t that busy of a morning. Near 1pm I left for lunch with stops planned at Sherwin Williams and Lowes. At SW I bought a gallon of solid wood stain, the same color as our home’s trim, to cover the cedar lap siding I installed last weekend. At Lowes I looked at alternative exterior trim board options. They have Amour wood, which is real wood, but comes knotless and primed. It has a rough sawn side and then a smooth side. It’s finger jointed together to make the various lengths. It’s also treated but not with heavy metals like deck woods. Seems like a viable option. They also have vinyl boards that look just like wood. They also come with one side rough and the other smooth. I was just looking, still undecided on which direction to go.
While there I bought the next lawn fertilizer application, which I hope to get down this weekend, as well as another toilet rebuild kit, only this time for the one in the master bath. Just this week I noticed that the valve isn’t working properly. It’s probably 7 or 8 years old. It was pushing 2pm by the time I headed back to the office. I was hungry and much looking forward to my packed lunch. After washing my hands I went for my lunch and spent the next hour eating while working.
I stayed busy through most of the afternoon but still managed to get out of the office by 510pm. I gave Mindy call once I was on the freeway but got no answer. I made good time until I got near Hilliard where traffic often backs up. Mindy called me back sharing that Lindsey called/texted asking if we’d see the boys off to school for the next two days so she could work early hours (545am to 230pm). We agreed to do it, but insisted the boys spend the night so we don’t have to alter our lives too dramatically. Her plan was to drop them off at 5am. Mindy also shared that Jacob’s cough wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Just the virus he had last week running its course. Good to have peace of mind. He was already off to soccer practice with his dad.
At home, I had an issue I needed to follow-up with for work. Plus, I failed to set my out-of-office for my Thursday comp, so I needed to take care of both those things. I ending up spending my first hour at home working. Can’t recall what we had for dinner – odd – but I’m thinking it was a fend for yourself night. I don’t recall eating anything. Not sure what Mindy & Bella had, but do remember Bella having a piece of that strawberry pound cake and then asking for seconds. I nixed the 2nd piece since she had to be tumble/flip ready in 20 short minutes. Mindy ran her to gymnastics at 650pm. She wasn’t gone long. Back 15 minutes later.
I spent time between work and leisure for the rest of the evening while Mindy worked on grade cards again. Don’t recall her spending so much time on grade cards before. Mindy asked Lindsey not to bring the boys until about 830pm or just ahead of bedtime. That way we would have our house stabilized for the night by the time they arrived. Jacob was home from soccer practice just after 730pm. I wanted to crack a beer but since I planned to pick-up Bella from gymnastics I knew I should wait until I was back. But as that time neared Mindy suggested that she would go get her so she could see Bella do her flips, something she specifically wanted to show her momma. I saw it on Monday.
By the time Mindy left we were already watching the Idol finale results night. Both of us were surprised to learn they would be dragging it out for 2 hours. I poured a beer just before Mindy left to get Bella. And unless I’m mistaken, Lindsey dropped off the boys soon after Mindy left. They were already in their PJs and just had baths. Nonetheless, Rocky still wanted to go outside and play. Sorry, dude. We’re in for the night.
Mindy & Bella got home around 850pm. Bella told me that she asked her mom for Wendy’s but that she wouldn't stop. I asked if she demo’d her flips. Yep! Mindy had Jacob and Bella get showers and then tucked Landon and Rocky into bed at 930am. Rocky didn’t like having to be in bed before the others, and Landon wasn't thrilled with wearing a pull-up. The rest of us stayed up long enough to see the final Idol results. Phillip Phillips was named season 11's American Idol. During the two hour program, Steven Tyler performed live with Aerosmith. The band sounded great, but Steven Tyler's vocals, bad. I wouldn’t pay to see their upcoming tour.
Mindy and Bella headed for bed right after Idol. I stayed up about 20 minutes longer since I didn’t have to work on Thursday. Before 1030pm, I joined Mindy in bed but was quickly up again after hearing Rocky crying for his momma. He doesn’t like to be away from her long at all. I went to comfort him, and eventually took him downstairs to get a snack. Revealed that he hadn’t eaten dinner. Whether it was true or not is anyone’s guess. No matter what I offered her refused. Finally, said he wanted some Cheezit’s. OK, I poured a handful in a bowl. He nibbled the corner off of one. He then told me he was going to throw up. Oh boy! I sent him to the bathroom. He stayed there only a few seconds before coming back out telling me he was fine. We eventually made our way to the living room where I played on my computer and also checked in with work again. I played around online until I started to nod off. I upped and told Rocky it was time for bed. And when I glanced over, he was starting to fall asleep too. He pretty much went right to sleep this time around.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Silencing the Water
I woke to my bedroom clock flashing 412am which meant that I had no idea the real time. Don’t recall the power bouncing. However, it was still pitch dark, so I knew it wasn’t yet dawn. I went back to sleep for a few more minutes until I decided to pop out of bed and glance over at Mindy’s clock, which by then showed it to be just after 5am. Mindy keeps her clock about 15 minutes fast. I judged it to be about 445am. I went back to sleep using my clock despite it flashing. I got up when my clock read 5am. I know that sound complicated but it really isn’t.
By the time I brushed my teeth and headed downstairs it was 527am. Not bad! It had rained through the night but by dawn the rain was past us. It was still mostly cloudy though. I planned to work from home until the water department paid me a visit to replace our noisy water meter. I planned to head into the office and work until leaving for my 6 month dental appointment scheduled for 310pm.
I proceeded with my routine like any other work day, the only difference being that I was ahead of schedule by a few minutes. And since I’ve been sleeping 10-15 minutes late a lot lately, it seemed I was ahead by a whole lot more. I exercised, enjoyed coffee and played on the PC until 605am. At that point I headed to the family room for a 12 minute meditation session. That went well. And since I was ahead of schedule, I did my stretch before heading upstairs to wake Mindy.
By the time I was done stretching it was 622am. I delivered Mindy’s coffee a minute or two later. She explained that she needs to fall asleep on my chest. Hasn’t been able to for the past few nights due to my headache. And speaking of the headache, I could still feel a little tension but the dull ache was gone. I didn’t take any Advil or Acetaminophen. It was 65 degrees so I was able to comfortably run in shorts and short sleeves. I was out the door just after 630am.
I ran the full 4.1 mile track without concern. Returned home sometime after 7am to leash up the pug. Bella had to wrestle her to the top of the stairs, but she came down them on her own. She and I headed west despite all the goose poop. I had to tug her away from it numerous times, each time I fell for the fake bathroom break stop. She’ll do anything to eat that crap.
Back at home, Mindy had a plain omelet prepared for me. She had a salad ready too. Once again, she asked the kids to bus home with Noah. And once again Jacob expressed frustration over the directions. It was a big day for Jacob. His 5th grade class was taking a field trip to the 6th grade school he’ll be attending next school year. Before Mindy left for school I reminded her that I was working from home between 8-11am, or until the water guy arrived and completed his work.
Hit the shower at 735am. I was ready and downstairs again by 750am. I got my laptop fired up and logged on before we headed out to the bus. Bella asked if she could ride her scooter while waiting on the bus, a feat she and her peeps have been a doing a lot of lately. Sure! That seemed to make her morning. I met them out there around 808am. Kenny was out too. We talked about Thursday golf again since I had the day officially off. It was then that Kenny remembered that he volunteered for field day with the kids at school on Wednesday but also needed to be out of town for work. The kids weren’t too forgiving.
As soon as the kids were on the bus I headed back home and poured a cup of coffee and got to work. Thankfully, it wasn’t too crazy. It’s much harder for me to concentrate when working from home. Too many distractions. The water guy showed up around 840am. I put Eiknarf in her pen so she wouldn’t bother him. Said it would take him no more than 202-5 minutes to replace the meter, both inside and outside.
He was right. It didn’t take him too long at all. I was anxious to give it a try but waited for him to pull away from the curb before testing. It was about 915am. First, I went around the house turning on the various faucets to bleed the air out of the lines. After that I flushed the toilet to see if I could hear the meter. Nope! But the real test would be the irrigation system which hands down draws the most water thus causing the most meter chatter.
And while I was it, I planned to kill two birds with one stone. I wanted to make sure the system would automatically switch through all 6 watering zones. I set each zone to run for just 1 minute then did a manual start. I didn’t hear it kick on so I programmed it again. Still nothing. Hmm? While thinking about it, I heard water now showering against the overhead garage door. It was on. I just couldn’t hear it. I headed inside to the living room and then our bedroom to listen for the meter chatter. From the living room I could hear a quiet ‘shhhh’ sound but no chatter whatsoever. And from our bedroom I couldn’t hear a thing. Mindy, I knew, would be thrilled! Finally, I will able to program the irrigation system to kick on at 4330am again.
The system ran flawlessly through all 6 zones, too. That made me happy. This, I think is year 4 for the system. Only Monday evening did I figure out that our 4” pop-ups on the east side of the house have an adjustable arc. I tweaked three or four to efficiently maximize coverage.
I left for work around 930am arriving an hour later than usual. I encountered my boss just as I was getting off the elevator. We chatted briefly before I got crackin’ with my day. Once settled in I spent what was left of the morning working on a proactive project for one of my new customers. I joined a conference call at 1pm that went until 215pm. I planned to leave for the dentist’s office at 245pm. We had a 415pm team meeting scheduled. I hoped to be done with my dental appointment in time to join the call, even if I had to join it remotely from my car. Because of the dental appointment, I decided not to eat my salad and banana. Instead, I ate just some cheese. I brushed well before leaving the office.
Arrived at Dr March’s place at 302pm. I was hoping they’d get me right in but Heather shared that they were running a little behind due to two staffers being out on vacation. I perused an article about John Travolta while waiting. It must’ve been about 325 when Heather came to get me. But by then I was engaged in a phone call with one of my customers. I took care of the issue quickly then hurried back for my cleaning and exam.
The cleaning went pretty quickly thanks in part to having my permanent retainer removed last summer. She always complained about build-up below and around it despite my incessant flossing. No more. Dr March gave me a once over when she finished. She mentioned that my front teeth seemed a tad wiggly which would alarm anyone. Dr March checked and disputed her assertion. I mentioned a rough edge behind my right canine. Said he could smooth it out but I’d have to wait for a few. An alternative more agreeable to both of us was to take care of it at my next visit the week after TG.
Got my goodie bag and was on my way. It was only 354pm. I had to make a quick decision, do I return to the office or simply head home and join our call from there. I opted for home. I got home by 408am and quickly got myself situated for the call and also logged onto the network, though I joined the call via blackberry a few minutes before I was back online on my laptop. The meeting was informative but no more than 20 minutes long.
I stayed busy until just after 5pm, or when Mindy and the kids arrived home. A flush of somewhat urgent emails showed up in my inbox just as I was walking away. I went ahead and took care of a few household chores as well as greeting the family before addressing the two or three I deemed essential.
Mindy asked how I felt about dinner at Barley’s. I wasn’t in favor of dinner out citing my headache as one main reason, but more than anything I just wanted to relax at home. Mindy suggested that we had a fridge full of leftovers anyhow. We did. We had pizza, chicken, and enchiladas. I opted for pizza. So did Jacob. Despite sounding horrible, he was eating an awful lot. Bella and Mindy had enchiladas.
Darwin’s son, Lane was over and out in the back yard waiting for Jacob to finish dinner. They seem to get along well. They’re birthday’s are within a month of one another. After dinner and clean-up I did a little more work. Then, out of the blue, Bella came in asking if Mindy would take her to the school’s art show. Prior to the request, we knew nothing of it. Mindy surprised me and agreed to go. No one appreciates school artwork more than me, but I just wasn’t in the mood to run out anywhere. Jacob didn’t want to go either.
While those two were away I retrieved the mail. Looked like a check from my insurance company. Hmm? I opened it. Yep, a sizable check. Seems they did in fact double bill my mortgage company for our homeowner’s policy. Somehow they have us with two policy numbers. I think it was caused when I added Mindy. I called them a day after receiving two separate statements and asked if they were double billing. They insisted not and further shared that our premium had reduced significantly. Apparently they were wrong. The details of the check shared as much. At least they corrected the mistake, though it made me wonder if they might’ve done the same thing the year prior. I planned to pull my mortgage statements which show all outgoing escrow payments.
Somehow or another I remembered that this was the day Haley Rinehart’s first CD would hit the shelves. I went to my PC to buy it via iTunes. I only showed $.02 in my account but had another $25 iTunes gift card to redeem. However, when I scratched off the silver strip to reveal the code, the last few numbers came off with it. What the %^&&! I could make out part of the number third form the left then a small piece of the last, but the 2nd from the end was totally gone. I tried several combinations but to no avail. Each time returning invalid redemption code. Crap! What now?
On iTunes page there’s a link for service and a means of getting the issue corrected. It was a bit cloogey to use, however. I had to submit the lengthy serial number of the card along with several other bits of data, including the part of the number I could read as well my user name and password. Somehow I had two or three windows open reporting the same issue. Not sure that the first went through I proceeded filling it our again. This time when it asked me to supply the code I tried entering what it looked like, and on the third try it took. Somehow I figured out the last three alpha/digits. But it’s not like I guessed at random. As I shared earlier I could detect parts of two characters. As soon as I had the credit in my account I bought the CD.
I enjoyed the single they released a month prior quite a bit, but at first blush the rest of the CD doesn’t sound as good as I hoped. I’m guessing/hoping it’ll grow on me, though. I let the entire CD play while I did other things. At 8pm I joined Mindy and Bella in the family room to catch Idol finale sing night. Instead of the usual Wednesday & Thursday, it’s on Tuesday & Wednesday this week. At this point, I feel indifferent to who wins. Most of the top ten will get a crack at some music deal. I listened and watched passively while also reading the final pages, including the epilogue, of my latest book, The War of Worldviews – Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow. I was far more interested in the reading.
Idol lasted only an hour. Wednesday they’ll announce the results revealing the season 11 winner. Mindy and the kids headed for bed just after 9pm. Like most other evenings, I stayed up reading and watching TV finishing my book around 940pm and then watching Discovery Channel, How It’s Made. Headed for bed around 1030pm. Mindy was awake enough to roll over and lay on my chest once I was in bed.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Love What You've Done With the Star Dust
I was up and downstairs on time. The coffee maker kicked into action as I settled into my exercise shoes and glanced out back at the clear sky. I could see the large family of geese making their way into the yard from the far back. Grrrr!
I whipped out 50 sit-ups and 50 push-ups then settled in front of my PC with some coffee. I had plenty of time to play and still pull away by 6am. The forecast was calling for sunshine and 85 degrees. Supposed to be 91 on Thursday, and aside from a couple of days in the mid 70’s, the ten-day forecast shows nothing but the 80’s. Looks like a summery Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, I’m on-call. Looking at my calendar, I think I’ll be taking Thursday as my comp day, and hope to get in some golf.
Did meditation and stretching ahead of waking Mindy. Both went well. Woke Mindy at 623am with coffee in hand. Turned off the ceiling on my way out. Dressed for a run wearing shorts and a short sleeved wicking shirt. Headed out the door at 630am. The blinding sun was already rising above the roof tops much further to the north than I expected it to be as it makes its trek towards the summer solstice. I ran the full 4.1 miles with no trouble whatsoever. It was a very good run.
At home I waited for the pug at the foot of the stairs. She came with little resistance. We headed off on our walk across the street avoiding the goose poop coating the sidewalks on our side of the street.
Mindy had eggs waiting upon our return. I ate all of mine before dishing up Eiknarf’s. Bella filled her food bowl with chow first. I asked her to reduce the amount she put in. She tends to overfeed. Mindy reminded the kids to bus to Noah’s after school. Jacob gave her an earful about it. Doesn’t like going there. After last week’s fever and headaches, he’s now sporting an ugly sounding cough. Mindy left for school near 730am.
I was off to the shower by 740am. It didn’t take me too long to ready either. I was back in the kitchen finalizing my lunch at 756am. The kids and I headed out 808am. Talked with Kenny at the bus stop. Shared that I was pushing for taking Thursday off. Suggested that he and I go golfing, which would sadly be just the 2nd time for me this season. How pathetic is that? The early forecast is calling for sunny skies and 91.
After the kids bussed off to school, I went back home and started the dishwasher as well as the irrigation system. The lawn’s looking a little stressed in all the tough places (between the walk and curb, and then just off the driveway). We haven’t had any appreciable rain for about a week, and we’ve been in the 80s with sunshine too – our first dry spell of any sort. That reminded me that the water department is scheduled out Tuesday morning to replace our noisy primary water meter.
I drove the Accord to work. I had two regular scheduled meetings to attend. Also, as a favor, I was asked to help another team by putting together a quarterly service review. I spent most of the day on that. Between morning meetings I placed a call to 5th Avenue Lumber and then Contract Lumber looking for the rough sawn pine trim boards similar to the ones M/I used originally on our home’s exterior. Neither place carry it. And Contract Lumber was the original supplier. The gentleman there was nice enough to offer to call around to see if he could find it somewhere. I knew then that I was going to call M/I homes and ask if they had a new supplier or if they had another idea.I called M/I. They were kind and offered to have the service manager return my call around 3pm after taking my cell number.
At lunch time I made a trip to Ohio Mulch and Strader’s, right across the street from one another. I stopped at Ohio Mulch first where I bought a whopping 6 natural gray gorge stepping stones. They sell them by weight, and they weighed 61lbs. That set me back $15. We plan to place one or two just off the deck stairs into the yard, and then the rest in one of the front flower beds that we often cut through when walking the yard. I placed the stones carefully in the trunk of the Accord on a beach towel I carry around.
Across the street at Strader’s I ran into old neighbor Jennifer W.. Haven’t talked with her for a number of years. She was already in the check-out line while I was hollering her name. She was either ignoring me or didn’t hear me. I decided to approach. We talked for a minute or two. At the same time the check-out clerk said, aren’t you hot? I responded by asking if she was flirting with me. That caught her off guard. She blushed ten shades of red. She quickly said no, but it’s because you’re dressed in all black.
I picked up three more 3” pots of herbs for Mindy’s herb growing experience. I bought another parsley and another basil, and then some chives. I arranged the tray on the passenger side front floor board. I headed back to the office. It was near 2pm. I spent my afternoon working on that service review report. At 3pm, Cliff, the M/I homes service manager, called. We talked for a while. Said I should try Contract Lumber. He went on the share that they no longer use real wood for exterior trim on any of their home lines. Instead, the use a wood composite, which are structurally more stable but much more prone to rot if not meticulously maintained. I shared my current experience with the composite panel I just removed and replaced with cedar lap siding. I asked about the Hardie board, which is made of concrete and all the rage. Said they only use it in their higher end homes - $500K and up. He shared that it’s expensive and much harder to work with, but a viable option.
A peer and I were chatting in his office when Mindy rang my blackberry wondering when I’d be coming home. I was surprised to see that it was already after 530pm. She said dinner was ready. It was somewhere near 540pm when I left for home. Arrived somewhere near 6pm. Despite running the irrigation system before leaving for work, the lawn still looked awfully dry. I wondered if the cycle didn’t complete. Mindy had dinner ready – chicken enchiladas. During dinner she asked if I would willingly take Bella to and front gymnastics while she worked on grade cards. Sure, dear. I took Bella to gymnastics right after dinner clean-up. My mind was everywhere but where it needed to be. First, I was in the turn lane at Trabue and had to get back into the forward lane last second. Duh! Then, instead of heading west on Roberts Rd to the gym, I jumped on 270N as if I was heading to work. Bella was a little worried that she’d be late. We got off at the Cemetery Rd exit and then got right back on270 south. In the end, she was only 1 minute late.
As soon as I got back home I headed out to water flowers. I spent about 20-25 minutes watering, and then a little time on the PC. Before I knew it was already time to pick-up Bella. Time flies! Bella was eager to demonstrate her ability to turn a front flip on both the mini tramp and trampoline. Awesome! She was very excited. She asked about a stop at Wendy’s. I agreed. At first I was only going to get food for her, but remembered the crap Mindy gave me for doing so one time past. Even though Jacob had a milk shake just before I left home, I ordered him a spicy chicken sandwich too. Those things are $4.50!
At home by 845pm, I changed into my PJs then settled into the family room chair with my book and the History Channel watching How The Universe Works, and incredible program about nebula’s and the creation and demise of stars. What many don’t realize is that everything on Earth – everything – comes from stardust, the remnants from an exploding star.
Mindy & Jacob both headed to bed shortly after 9pm. I stayed up watching the History Channel until 1015pm. I can’t get enough of that stuff. Bella had already taken Eiknarf up to bed by then. All I had to do was secure the home. Good night moonless sky.
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