Charitable Bella

Was up shortly after 530am feeling OK but also like I never got the deep, nourishing sleep my body craved. Had some strange dreams just before waking, too. That usually doesn’t bode well. I had to remind myself that it was in fact Tuesday – not Monday. As such, it wasn’t a push-up day. After calisthenics I retreated to my PC with coffee. It was only 550am. I had plenty of time to myself.

The weather, meanwhile, was cloudy with light rain, but warm – already 66 degrees. I stuck my head out the door. I felt like a summer morning. Muggy & sticky. Apparently our less than desirable weather was gone. Nothing but mid 80s and higher looking ahead.

Woke Mindy at 610am with a fresh cup of coffee. She asked that I turn off the ceiling fan. I did as much then headed downstairs for meditation and stretching. I am determined to get back on track with my routine which leaves me feeling more centered. Both meditation and stretching went well. Found myself slipping into my running clothes by 635am. Yippie! Headed out the door a few minutes later.

I ran the usual 4.1 miles working up one heck of a lather. Felt great. Got back home near 715am. Requested help leashing up the pug, who was dragging tail coming downstairs. My shoes were a tad wet so I didn’t want to tromp throughout the house if I could help it.

The pug and I were out the door a few minutes later and out for about 8 minutes. Mindy was just getting ready to head out when the pug and I got back. It was very near 730am, and I quickly got started making my breakfast and packing my lunch. Proudly, for the first time in a long while, I finished eating and was on my way to the shower by 745am.

Ready and downstairs by 8am. Had time to organize myself for my ultimate departure for work. Headed to the bus stop at 810am. Asked Bella how many more school days. 4! The bus pulled up on time. Headed for home with the pug. Still cloudy but appeared to be clearing. I was hopeful. Headed out the door for the office near 830am.

Got a blackberry call just as I was pulling up at the office. It was a customer needing help, and one I was taking care of for a peer, who was serving his first day of jury duty. Last he and I talked, he was unsure how long his duty might go on. As a consequence, I felt behind from jump, which is never a good feeling. My boss stopped by shortly after 9am. I was busy multitasking and could only muster a grunt or two. He laughed and shared that one should return with a smile after a three day weekend. Yeah, that is how life SHOULD be. 

Once I got over the initial hump, the day wasn’t so bad after all. Just seemed that way at the start. At 1pm I left for lunch and visited Lowes where I looked at their canned lighting options. Now that the basement is framed, the electrical stuff is next. Way more options than one might think. Different housing types, different sizes, different reflectors/baffles. Yikes! It became quickly apparent that I need to bone up on lighting design so we don’t under light, or for that matter, over light. And of course, we want it to look great, too.

Looked for vinca vines and algaecide, too. Couldn’t find either. Used the last few drops of algaecide that we had on hand for Mindy’s fountain on Sunday. Figured I would stop at Home Depot on my way back to the office to see if they had any.

Whipped into Home Depot and headed in through the nursery. Found some vinca vines right away. Cool. I bought 6 more. Also found algaecide. This time I bought a much bigger bottle. It should last for many years. Without it, the fountain water grows algae and turns green in a hurry.

Was back at the office by 205pm. Had to park in the far lot. Not used to the lot being so full. Stayed busy all afternoon, both with my customer base as well as with my peers. Left for home around 515pm. Failed to share that the sky cleared well before noon. Summer was back! According to my car, it was 84 degrees.

Talked with Mindy on my drive home. She was busy prepping dinner so our call was short. Arrived home around 540pm. By then Mindy was gone driving Bella to gymnastics. She was home again by 610pm. Our grilled salmon wasn’t ready until almost 640pm. It was delicious, though. As sides, Mindy reheated Sunday’s corn on the cob and made a fresh garden salad. By the time dinner was complete and clean-up started, it was time for me to go after Bella. During dinner, I sent Darwin a text asking if he wanted us to take Lane when picking up Bella. Unfortunately, he didn’t respond until I was on the road and near the Georgesville Rd. exit.

Made great time arriving at 725pm. Got to watch about 5 minutes of Bella’s practice. Once again, it smelt like a sweat shop. Ugh! Bella, bless her heart, told me that she donated the cash Mindy gave her for snacks to the tornado victims in Oklahoma. She was worried that Mindy might be upset and agreed to pay her back with her own money. 

She complained of being thirsty and asked if we could stop for ice cream. Uh, no! Ice cream will not cure your thirst. I did grant her wish to listen to 97.9 FM. Grueling!  Arrived home before 8pm. I headed out to water flowers front and back. Probably spent a solid half hour out there. Mindy took Eiknarf on a walk while I was watering out front. It’s somewhat surprising how quickly things were drying out after just one warm day. I soaked everything well.

None of us were up too much longer. Mindy headed to bed just after 9pm, but I could hear that she was watching TV. I stayed up and downstairs for another 30 minutes or so.