Donut Run & Backyard Baseball Season Begins

I slept a little later than I planned, not waking for good until 745am. I had nothing in particular on my plate so it wasn’t a big deal. I noticed scattered frost but more importantly, it was sunny. I started a pot of coffee then played on the internet. Went back for coffee about 15 minutes later. In between, I got caught up on the Boston bomber story.

Bella was knocking at the back door near 9am. Said Kayla was off to church. She was going to go with her but didn’t have the proper attire. She headed upstairs for a while. I played on the compute some more until Bella came down sharing Mindy’s request for coffee. I took a few minutes to deliver a fresh cup.

As I prepared for my Sunday run, Bella asked for Tim Horton’s donuts. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, but wanted/needed to complete my run first. She insisted otherwise, but lost. I stretched and then headed out for my run near 940am. It was still chilly – about 40 degrees. The brilliant sunshine made all the difference, though. As long as I stayed out of the shade, I was plenty warm. Ran three miles and was home by 1010am. I wasted little time gearing up for a donut run. However, I did take a minute to chase the geese from our backyard for like the third time that morning.

Bella wanted to take the BM’er but I insisted that it was too cold. She reluctantly agreed to take the Accord. I thought it was cute that she took Mindy’s donut order just before we left and wrote it out on a piece of paper. Like most other Tim Horton runs, we got a dozen donuts and 20 Timbits. I let Bella pick almost everything. She did well. We headed home with our goodies.

I enjoyed one double chocolate donut then headed briefly out into the yard. Mindy and I hung out on the deck enjoying more coffee. I shared mine with the pug. She loves the stuff. Bella soon headed off to play with neighbor Emily and Jacob off to play with Jake. I was considering going after my dad’s trailer and eventually the framing lumber for the basement project. Earlier, I had talked about taking Jacob with me. I suggested that Mindy go along instead. She would be much more positive about it than Jacob. She agreed to go, but not a minute later we received a phone call from Lindsey asking if we would watch the boys while she worked some OT. We reluctantly agreed, prioritizing family over preferences. She brought the boys by near noon or 1230p.

The boys headed out once they learned that Jacob was next door at Jake’s. A few minutes later Mindy left for grocery store. Within fifteen minutes the neighbor kids organized a backyard baseball game in Trena’s yard. They asked me to be all-time pitcher. I agreed. We played baseball for more than an hour and everybody seemed to be having a good time until Rocky not paying attention tossed his ball glove right at Bella’s face striking her in the nose. She cried and ran inside. Despite Jacob’s constant belittling of Bella, he came immediately to her defense and returned the favor to Rocky. I let it play out until Jacob did it two or three more times. Suddenly our baseball game was done!

All the girls headed in our house to console Bella. While there, they dug into the rest of Bella’s Timbits. It was like a brief tornado went through the house. They were all there and gone in a matter of minutes leaving behind an undeniable trail of food, drink, and dirty floors.

Mindy was home from the grocery near 230pm. I helped her carry in the haul. Told her I was saddened that she didn’t haul away the many cardboard boxes still in the garage from our recent furniture purchases. She reminded me that the recycling center once located at the Arlington/Grandview Kroger was no more. She offered to run them all to the firehouse at Mill Run though. I helped her load them up. I think she was heading to the Target or teacher store there too.

She asked that I brown the beef and onions so she could make manicotti for dinner (Bella’s request). I agreed to take care of that. In addition to the manicotti stuffing, I whipped up a batch or risotto, too. I didn’t think I’d have time but ended up cooking/boiling the manicotti noodles, too. I was very efficient in the kitchen. Not only did I have all three things cooked by the time that Mindy got home, but I had my mess cleaned up too. More often than not, I clean while I cook. Can’t stand to make and leave a big mess for later.

Mindy took over the whipping up of the actual stuffing for the manicotti. While she did that, I took a brief but heavenly nap in the recliner. My body ached from the backyard baseball game. I slept for no more than 15 minutes. That was plenty of rest. I woke feeling refreshed and ready for dinner. By then the manicotti was out of the oven and setting to cool. Along with manicotti and risotto, Mindy whipped up a fresh garden salad and fresh italian bread.

Mindy had to call Chrissy’s house to get Bella home for dinner. She came running. She loves manicotti. Dinner was delicious. Bella finished her geometry homework immediately after dinner. I was a little surprised with the complexity, but she seemed to get it with a little guidance/help.

After clean-up Mindy and I walked the pug. It was a lovely evening despite a slight chill hanging in the air. We walked for about 15 minutes. It was near 730pm when we got back home. Didn't do much for the remainder of the evening. Played guitar, did some reading and napping from the living room recliner. Mindy and I were both in bed by 935pm.