Oh My Darling Closing Time

I was up, out of bed, and downstairs by 540am. I glanced out back seeing a cloudy skies and a wet deck. It wasn't raining at the time. After exercise, I played on the PC for a solid 20 minutes. It was 60 degrees with rain forecasted for most of the day. And while it was warm early on, the temperature was forecasted to drop significantly throughout the day culminating with temps near freeing during the next overnight - typical spring weather for these parts.

Weighing on my mind was the refi closing. I was expecting a closing agent to show up at the house near 9am to finalize the deal. Woke Mindy at the usual time of 615am. She asked me to shut down the ceiling fan before heading back downstairs. Meditation and stretching went well. Headed out for a run near 650am wearing a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt - no jacket. I was quite comfortable. Ran the full 4.1 miles without any problems, though I didn't anticipate any either.

Mindy was home upon my return but heading out the door. She fetched me the pug while I waited by the front door. Bella was heading back to school despite an ugly cold with a pronounced stuffy nose. Mindy dosed her up with cold meds before heading out. I fried two eggs and packed a lunch while Bella readied for school. I didn't plan to shower until after bus stop time. We headed out at 810am.

The bus showed up on time and soon I was back at home and in the shower. Dressed and downstairs again by 840am. Checked work email from home while waiting on the refi closing guy. Charlie showed up at 9am sharp. Most of the forms were the same forms I signed and faxed back to the bank earlier in the week, but this time with the exact figures which came in somewhat lower than projected. That's always nice.

I was surprised by nothing and as a result, had few questions. I must've signed my name 25 times. That, I admit, was a little scary. Charlie wasn't there long, gone before 920am. I took care of a few last minute tasks then headed out. By then it was raining. I would be working across town at a customer's location but planned to stop at the Shred-it facility in Gahanna on my way. I Googled the address and then emailed it to my smart phone.

Made good time heading across town. Instead of heading north on 270 from 670, I headed south to the Broad St exit. One light to the east is Taylor Station Rd where I needed to turn. The Shred-It facility was north about a 1/2 mile on Research Rd. I signed some paperwork, paid, and gave my three boxes to a gentleman who greeted me with a two wheeled cart. Said I'd get a certificate of destruction in the mail within a few days. Good enough.

Still raining. Headed back to 270 then north to New Albany. Arrived near 1010am. Was a quiet day with my customer. They had a lot going on thus had little time to interact with me. That's actually a good thing. And as it turned out, I spent most of my day working on issues for another customer. Googled JD Equipment near Easton. Turned out there was one a couple miles down the road. I called to see if they had tractor batteries in stock. They did. I thought I would head there at lunch.

I worked steadily until almost 1pm when I decided to break for lunch and head to JD Equipment. However, when I got to the door I could see that it was pouring rain. I didn't have my umbrella with me, so I opted to head back to my desk and work for another hour or so. I checked the radar and it looked like the rain would be ending soon. I also noticed that the temperature dropped to 48 degrees. I tried again around 215pm. Same thing, pouring rain. After a heavy sigh and a deep breath, I gave up the notion of taking lunch and going after a new battery.

I ended up skipping a formal lunch break. Talked with Mindy near 3-330pm. She shared that Jacob's soccer practice was canceled. Practice has been canceled more often than not this spring. At a good place with my to-dos, I decided to wrap up early and head for home just after 4pm. By then the rain had stopped but the temperature a very chilly 43 degrees. I had a jacket but left it in my car. After all, it was in the low 60s then.

I decided to make the relatively short drive to JD Equipment where I bought a new tractor battery, hopefully putting that drama behind me. Was on the road for home by 420pm. I took 270S and 670W. Had to contend with a dangerous driver both on Morse Rd and then the same guy on the 270 t o670 entrance ramp. He came to an abrupt halt on the ramp and seemed to disappear from view. I wondered if he dropped a cigarette or something. What a fool. He nearly caused a collision multiple times. Lucky for me I was extra careful after his earlier antics. Made excellent time until I reached the 670/70 merge on the westside of town. Traffic was slow the rest of the way home. I exited on Hague to avoid the 270 back-up.

Mindy and Jacob campaigned for dinner at Barley's, and the idea resonated well with me too. Took care of a few miscellaneous chores then headed off to Barley's near 540pm. Mindy shared that Lindsey texted asking if we could keep the boys and deliver them to school the following morning so she could work mandatory OT. We talked it through and wanted to say no for the lack of energy. However, before we had to deliver the news, Lindsey texted back that she made arrangements to work her required OT by staying late the next two nights, which worked best for all interested parties.

Arrived at Barley's near 6pm. I dropped Mindy and the kids at the door. The lot wasn't quite full. I got a parking spot in the last row of the main lot. It was sprinkling just a little as I walked to the door. We were quickly seated in a booth off the main bar area in Justin's section. Soon, Mindy and I both ordered a Hoptopus, which I believe is a wheat IPA - light but real hoppy. Perfect for summer. They haven't had it on tap for quite a while. It was really good.

Mindy ordered a quesadilla, Jacob the usual - chicken tenders, Bella mini-corndogs, and me the new Reuben burger. essentially their traditional Barley burger topped beef brisket, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. Of course we got it started with a basket of fries. I wasn't feeling that great. Wondered if I might be coming down with Bella's cold. However, at that point I didn't have any of the other telltale signs. Jacob, however, started sneezing just before we left the house. We wondered if he might be getting it too.

Because I wasn't feeling 100%, my food was just OK, and I already knew that I wouldn't be ordering a 2nd beer. Mindy & I both stuck to just the one. Jacob and I stayed glued to the pre NFL draft programming on all the TVs. I am always excited for the NFL draft. For one, I love NFL football, and two, the draft means it's mid-spring.

I'm thinking that we bailed on Barley's near 7pm. Mindy paid the check. Sky was a mixed bag of sun and clouds, but more importantly, directly to the west the sky looked dark and threatening. Bella was looking forward to getting home and the possibility of spending the night at Chrissy's along with her friend Alena. With Thursday being the last late start of the school year, Chrissy volunteered to keep all the girls. We were on board as recent as last weekend, but with Bella sick with a cold and then having make-up OAA testing on Thursday, Mindy & I weren't too sure that it was a good idea. After all, we know the girls all too well. They'd almost certainly be up way late. And even though Mindy prepped Bella for a definitive no, she didn't tell her for certain until we were home from dinner. Mindy has a knack for delivering a bitter pill with tact and calm, something I've never been good at, at least not with spontaneity. Even still, Bella threw a mini fit and stomped away saying something like she hated her life.

She was soon over it and took Mindy up on the opportunity to at least head down and play for 45 minutes. Bella put on her shoes and headed off. She wasn't gone but 2 or 3 minutes when she came bursting back into the house in tears. According to Bella, all the girls hid when she knocked on the door. She was devastated and briefly inconsolable.

Mindy eventually slipped off to the master suite to take a bath in the soaking tub, something we/she does very seldom. In fact, I can't recall the last time the tub was filled and used. An hour passed and a later learned that Bella got in after Mindy got out. I'm sure it did both of them some good. All the while the girls soaked in the tub, I watched How the Universe Works. Mindy headed to bed near 920pm. I stayed up until 10pm then secured the home then headed to bed where I joined Mindy.