Rolling Boulders

From the outset, I knew I was working from home so afforded myself the opportunity to sleep in for a while. The net result was me sleeping in until 640am. Felt great to get the extra 40 minutes of sleep. Downstairs, I completed calisthenics then enjoyed coffee and internet until about 715am when I got busy with work. Because there was no school, I didn’t bother taking Mindy coffee. Let her sleep in.

The peace lasted until about 815am or so. At that point I was joined downstairs by the boys. A short while I later I went ahead and took Mindy some coffee since I needed to head out for a run and didn’t want to leave the boys unattended. Mindy agreed to get up shortly thereafter.

Once she was downstairs I headed off on my run. Just before I left, I asked that she make sure and have Bella walk the pug. It was 52 degrees and partly sunny at the outset of my run. Like most Friday’s, I ran just three miles.

By my return to the house, all the kids were up and having breakfast in the kitchen. Mindy made a number of pancakes – some plain and some with chocolate chips. I had a few small, plain pancakes. Mindy had a number of Easter related crafts to keep the kids occupied while was busy with work. They colored Easter eggs, baked cookies and later decorated/iced them.

Must’ve been around 1230pm when I declared it my lunch time and headed out to the backyard where I fetched my spud bar from the shed and attempted to move the two enormous boulders in the middle yard that once looked perfectly in place up against one of the two mature ash trees we had cut down last October. Now they just looked in the way. I wasn’t having much success moving them by myself. It wasn’t until I employed the help of Jacob and his buddy, Caleb. Caleb seemed mechanically inclined, understanding how to use the spud bar and 4X4’s for leverage. Best guess is that the boulders weigh 400lbs each.

Once we got some momentum, we kept the first one moving towards the stone patio along the water, where I wanted to place them. And by the time I returned with two more pair of gloves for Caleb and Jacob, they had the first stone already in place. Now with a system, the 2nd stone went twice as fast, even though it had flatter sides which prevented us from rolling it. That one was more like “flopping”. I was tinkled pink to have both boulders moved in less than an hour’s time.

My plan is to put down some top soil then overseed the area where the boulders and trees were. By mid- summer you won’t even know there were once trees there. After the boys headed in for lunch, I surveyed the area by scratching off the last of the tree mulch. Unknown to me prior was another boulder, but 90+% of it underground. What the heck, I thought it made most sense to get it up now before trying to over seed the area. Well, it ended up being much larger than I ever imagined. After a little digging and prying, I could see that it was about 16” around. After woofing down a sandwich Mindy made for me, I headed back out to free it from the earth and roll it over to the stone patio with the others.

After lunch, I quickly got back to work. Around 2pm, Mindy and Jacob left to run Caleb home leaving me at home with the three wee ones. They weren’t much trouble, spending most of their time outside. Through the afternoon Mindy and the kids colored the eggs, baked and decorated cookies. The boys wanted nothing to do with coloring the eggs or cookie decorating. Most surprising was Landon, who in recent years has always wanted to do what the girls were doing. This year he was out in the back yard playing football with all the other boys.

Ashley had the day off, too, and came to get Olivia late afternoon. She wasn’t real excited about having to go but finally did once she understood that Jacob & Bella were leaving soon, too. And then, around 430pm Lindsey came to get the boys. As it turned out, however, neighbor Evan asked if Rocky could spend the night. Lindsey apparently walked down to discuss those arrangements with Teri. Landon, I noticed, was having a mini-meltdown over the thought of Rocky having another overnight and he having to go home with mom. I felt sorry for him. He was so upset, he wanted nothing to do with taking his Easter basket home. 

Just as Lindsey was outside convincing Landon to get in the car, I was off to shower. Must’ve been around 5pm. One of the habits of working from home is not getting a shower until late in the day. And by the time I was back downstairs all the kids were gone, including our own, who were spending the entire weekend with their dad for the first time in more than a month, though they did spend one night the Saturday after we got home from Oregon.

Mindy & I had plans to have dinner at CBC, though we didn’t leave for there until almost 615pm. Traffic wasn’t an issue. As we pulled in the Kroger lot across the street, we noticed that one of the three up front parking spots was available in the main parking lot. We quickly headed over to snag it. Inside, there were a few bar stools available too. After a brief meet and greet near the door, we took two stools on the patio side of the bar.

Vince and Kevin were working the bar. Because we’re rarely in on Friday’s, we don’t see Kevin that often. He only works one or two shifts a week, and almost always on Friday’s. The beer menu was an IPA lover’s dream. On tap was CBC IPA, CBC Bodhi, White Rajah, and Great Lakes Chillwave. We both had a Bodhi to start, and Vince son brought us bread and risotto balls. Yum! Almost like arriving home!

Mindy wanted a steak and eventually ordered the barrel cut sirloin. Equally predictable, I ordered wings. I know, as I’ve aged my palette has only gotten simpler. For my second beer I ordered up a Chillwave, and I am pretty sure it was my first taste of it ever, though I’d heard lots of scuttle about it.

My wings were terrific. Ate ever last one of them, which is rare. Usually take a few home. After two beers and dinner both of us were ready to head home. I don’t think it was much later than about 830-840pm. And by the time we left for home, the bar area was almost barren.

I poured a third beer at home, a CBC IPA, enjoying it at my PC and then in the kitchen. Mindy and I headed to bed fairly early, again near 10pm. I was eager for a lovely sunny, Saturday working in the yard. Good night moon!