Stubouts

I was up near 630am. The sound of the shower beating against the stall floor was enough to jar me from bed. Downstairs a few minutes later, I started calisthenics while the kids were putting the finishing touches on their school readies. I grunted through sit-ups, windmills, and curls ahead of them walking out.

At my desk with coffee by 645am. Rather than log onto my work laptop, I resisted the urge and instead got caught up on any goings on via my iPhone. Nothing required my immediate attention. I fooled around online until almost 745am. By then Mindy was long gone. I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated, but once I completed a meditation and a stretch I felt a bit more energetic. I’m guessing that it was just after 8am when I finally headed out for my run.

It was mostly cloudy and somewhere in the low 50s. At the outset I was a little chilly with just a thin long sleeved wicking shirt, but I didn’t want to wear a jacket since I’d be heating up in a quarter mile or so. Good call. Plenty comfy after a half mile or so. I ran the full 4.1 miles and was back at home near 840am. Without much hesitation, I headed outside again where I spent the next ten minutes watering all the deck flowers. They’re still looking pretty good and I don’t think there’s a freeze warming anytime in the near term forecast. Speaking of the weather, September rain was almost nonexistent. We got nearly half and inch on the 1st and only a sprinkle thereafter. A very dry month!

After another cup of coffee, a hearty breakfast, and a little more work, I was off to the shower. I wasn't in hurry up mode which bodes well for my psyche but not so much for the clock. It was 1030am before I headed across town. Arrived just ahead of 11am.
Had plenty to do, spending the first couple hours focused on a lingering problem. Then, come 1pm, we had our standing engineering meeting. Lasted the full hour. Back at my desk, I enjoyed my packed veggies, cheese, and yogurt.

Very busy afternoon and early evening. Didn't leave the customer's locale until 630pm. Very unusual. Last I talked with Mindy, she, the kids and my dad were at Jacob's last regular season soccer game. Sounded as if we might all get home about the same time. Mindy asked that I warm some canned veggies to go along with the pork ribs she left cooking in the crock-pot that morning. Turned out, though, she arrived home ahead of me. Got home around 640pm. Dinner was ready. Dad was there, too.

They shared how chilly it was at the soccer game - chilly wind, no sun, and steel benches. Yep, the same combination that sent chills through my entire body a week or so ago. The ribs cooked up nice and tender in the crock-pot. Very, very good! The others had mashed potatoes. Me, I enjoyed the leftover scalloped potatoes. I love 'em! We had peas, too.

I shared that I talked to mom again on my drive home. She went to see the hand doctor/surgeon for her broken wrist. Told her she'd need surgery to put the bones and to insert a pin. Predictably, mom was hesitant. Said she was going to wait 9 days before deciding. What? Deciding what? Her logic makes me laugh. Can you see me shaking my head in disapproval?

Mindy ran Bella to gymnastics while i managed clean-up. Dad stuck around until Mindy was back. I shared the story about our new gas range and how the scratches miraculously disappeared after I insisted they must go. :) Mindy gave dad a stereo she previously used in her classroom for years. We helped him carry it to the car.

It was my job to pick-up Bella from gymnastics. I left the house early, leaving myself enough time to stop at the West Broad St Home Depot to hopefully pick-up the sharkbite connectors I'd need to complete the basement plumbing. Much like the nearby Lowes, the parking lot and store both seem eerily darker than most others. Found exactly what I needed: tees, 90's, and copper stubouts. Until I learned about stubouts, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. The stubouts provide the ability to plumb in the new runs with active water ahead of drywall thus ensuring no leaks. Once the drywall's up and you're reading to attach fixtures you simply cut off the ends with a tubing cutter and attached the flexible water lines.

One rather small bag cost me $140. Sharkbite dramatically simplifies plumbing work but it is also expensive. Arrived at the gym with only a minutes to spare. Perfect timing. Bella and I headed for home. With her now in the front seat, one has to deal with the preteen music shuffle - station to station and crappy bubble gum pop. Comes with the territory. Makes her happy.

Mindy was already getting ready for bed. I played around online for a while then joined Mindy in bed near 1015pm.