Concrete Deal

In bed and asleep near 8pm Sunday night, I woke rested but my legs (hamstrings) still extremely sore. In fact, stiffer than they’ve ever been. Holy smoke! No doubt the mulching did me in. I wondered if I’d be able to do push-ups because my wrist and arms were sore too, but I was able to push through any pain.

Expecting rain with a high only in the upper 50s. At the time it was cloudy and cool – 45 degrees. Getting past Monday, the weather is expected to improve dramatically – 80’s by Wednesday. Took Mindy coffee then relaxed with internet and coffee until about 635am. Meditated, stretched relatively early. Was out the door for my run by 650am. Early on, I made the decision to curb my run to just three miles. I hated to but knew it was the right thing to do. And actually, my hamstrings loosened considerably during the run.

I was back ahead of Mindy’s departure, and promptly leashed up the pug for a walk. It was definitely chilly, and certainly didn’t feel like May. Back home just in time to see Mindy off to work. Heck, it was like old times. I ate my breakfast then headed off to the shower near 745am. I was quick with my ready. In fact, I was downstairs again shortly after Bella headed out. Rather than rush right off to work, I took the opportunity to enjoy another cup of coffee first. Relaxation!

Left for the office near 830am arriving about 15 minutes later. My boss was on vacation the week prior. We spent a few minutes catching up. I overheard a conversation he was having with Sears regarding a riding mower he bought that’s malfunctioning. It didn’t seem to be going well, though he did a fantastic job of keeping his cool.

I really wanted to make a Strader’s run at lunch, but also needed to work from home from 3pm so I could meet a couple concrete guys to get estimates on driveway extensions and service walk around to the deck. I forgot about a 2pm call on my calendar until it was too late. I ended up blowing off any plans for lunch and instead headed for home at 130pm so I could join both my 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock calls. No sooner did I arrive home when I got a call from one of the concrete guys sharing that he wouldn’t be able to be there until 4pm, which unfortunately was the same time interval that I set aside for the other concrete guy. Oh well, no secret that I was planning to get more than one estimate. Who wouldn’t?

Joined the 2pm work call, which was relatively brief, and then another at 3pm. That call lasted about 35 minutes. Wrapped up well ahead of either concrete guy showing up. King concrete showed up first, right at 4pm. He was very matter of fact. Went over the job then he wheeled it off getting the exact dimensions. I asked a couple questions: When will I get the estimate? And if chosen, when can you do the work. What about the irrigation system? Said I'd have the estimate in a couple of days, and that his team couldn't do the work until mid July. He also shared how the payment works: 20% when contract signed, 30% the day they start, then the last 50% upon completion. Sounded fair given that they need to schedule the resources and concrete delivery.

The next guy, Butch Bando Concrete showed up while King was still there. Actually, I figured it a good thing, see the competition. Lyn was the estimators name, and he was very chatty and a nice guy. He went over the details of the work and took similar measurements. Said I would have the estimate via email by the end of the week and that they could do the work in June.

Mindy wasn't home until much later. She was grocery shopping after school. Both kids had explicit orders to thoroughly clean their rooms when they got home from school. Jacob came down around 415pm asking if he could go outside. Said his room was completely clean. Without checking I granted permission to go play. Bella had Makayla over. They played in her room until Mindy called to let me know that she'd need help carrying in the groceries. I hollered for the two girls to come help. The four of us attacked the task in a hurry.

Mindy soon shared that we'd be having burgers for dinner. While she prepped dinner I did a little more work. She asked me to grill. No problem. Near 545pm she fired up the grill and I took over. The burgers weren't just plain ordinary burgers. Instead, she painstakingly stuffed them with a number of things. They were very large, too, just like I like them.

Blondie (Makayla) was going to stay for dinner, but Kenny soon beckoned her home to clean her room, I guess. Sound familiar? :) The burgers were done in about 10 minutes. I was worried that they might not be done enough in the center given that they were so thick, but in the end, they were perhaps just a tad over cooked, at least to my liking, I like them to be light pink inside.

Mindy out did herself. By far, these were the best grilled burgers we've ever made at home. Even though we toasted the buns, they weren't quite up to the challenge. Aside from the bun, they were dynamite. Surprisingly, Bella ate all but a perhaps a bite or two of hers. It had to be nearly 1/2 a pound, too. The kids is really starting to put the food away. Seemingly eats constantly, and especially in the evenings up until bed.

We weren't up too late. Again, Mindy and I were still tired from a weekend's worth of heavy-duty yard work.