Somebody likes their balls!

The work week flew by. It was already Friday. I was downstairs engaged in exercise just a few short minutes after my self-prescribed wake time of 530am. Just a hint of dawn hung in the eastern sky, but for all intents and purposes, it was still dark. It was 555am when Ykraps and I headed out for our morning walk. Zone #1 of our irrigation system had just shut down freeing us to walk to the west without getting wet. It was mild but extremely humid, much like one would expect mid-August in Ohio. And by the way, we’re getting some of the driest weather of the season. So far for the month of August we’ve received less than a quarter inch of rain. And looking ahead, the weekend should be sunny and hot. I did my usual stuff before leaving for my run. It was well past 645am when I finally headed out. I ran shirtless and was comfortable. The sunrise was gorgeous – a big orange ball. I half expected to find Mindy already up and about upon my return, but she wasn’t. The night before, she asked that I make sure she was up, but after clarifying a time she said around 8:00am. That’s really no different than any other day. Oh well! She and the kids had dental exams scheduled for mid-morning sometime. Mindy got up with me after my shower – about 8:05am. We sat together on the deck sipping coffee. At her request, I stayed as long as I could without making myself too late. I zipped off to work once again in the BM’er. That’s five days straight. That might be a record. I arrived at work a few minutes late. Work was pretty busy and stayed that way through the entire morning. I was eager to get away at lunch time for the first time all week long. Come 12:45pm I left the building and headed to the Anderson’s off Sawmill. I browsed the entire store but bought nothing. If nothing else, it felt good to be out of the office for a while. I was back at the office by 200pm. I had two–sets of veggies and fruit in the fridge. I ate all of it. For whatever the reason, I was craving meat much more than normal, but didn’t have any tuna at work. Received an email from Bob Imber indicating that we had a 1020am tee time at New Albany Links for Sunday morning. I talked with Mindy just as I was exiting the building and heading home for the day. She shared that she and the kids were at the pool with the neighbors’ kids but were just getting ready to depart. She hoped we could go to dinner at Barley’s with the kids. I beat Mindy and the kids home. I walked Ykraps as soon as I put my stuff away. I saw Mindy pull up just as we were making our way back towards home. The kids scattered once at home. Mindy told me that Rocky called asking to come over. She hadn’t yet committed either way. I told her that I was OK with him joining us for dinner and even spending the night. She was OK with it too. While she headed off for a shower I settled in for a brief evening nap. After a ten minute siesta I updated my blog. I called Lindsey around 630pm to let her know that Rocky could join us and that we’d pick him up on our way to dinner. She said that they were away from home, but close to our house and on their way to Sam’s Club. I asked, then, if she could simply drop him off. But, Kelly refused to go out of her way. I could hear her in the background saying it seemingly with a bit of venom in her voice. To avoid conflict, we agreed to simply meet them at Sam’s Club. We already had a change of clothes for Rocky anyway. We headed out five minutes later. Soon we arrived at Sam’s, and even from the depths of the parking lot we could see Lindsey and the boys standing out front waiting for us. I was disappointed that Kelly wasn’t out there waiting and waving too. Rocky was excited. As soon as he got in the Honda Mindy helped him with the uniform change. Any kid that hangs with us must where the Wright family uniform. It’s our new regulation. Rocky was reluctant to strip down to nothing but finally acquiesced after we all agreed not to look. J Soon we were heading towards Barley’s and dinner. We must’ve arrived at Barley’s around 7pm. Mindy asked for the large table just off the bar area. From there we could see three or four TVs. I fixed my sights on the PGA tournament, and more pointedly, Tiger Woods. Just like the last couple of weeks, he and Padrig Harrington were neck and neck. Exciting finish to round two. I started off with a Sierra Nevada IPA on the guest draught menu. It was good. The manager, Dan, gave Mindy a complimentary glass of wine to help gauge its quality. We all ordered food. Rocky & Bella ordered burgers while Jacob ordered his usual, Gate of Hell wings and a side of onion straws. Mindy ordered a salad, and I ordered a Cuban. We also ordered a basket of sauerkraut balls for everyone to share. The food was ready in about ten minutes, but already, the kids were getting antsy. The wait was worth it. Everyone loved their stuff. And while I ate only half of my Cuban, it might’ve been the best ever! I had an Otter Creek IIPA before we left. It wasn’t as good as I remembered it being last week. I’m guessing I got one of the last pints in the keg. I paid the bill. I was surprised at the number. Of course we were feeding five. I was eager to get back home and see how the Vikings were doing in their preseason opener against the Colts. We weren’t home five minutes when the kids asked if we could have a fire. Yes. I gathered wood and lighter fluid, hell bent on doing it the easy way. In short order, we had a rip roaring fire. The charcoal lighter fluid proved far more combustible than the ten year old kerosene I used before. Mindy said she was tired. As proof, she lied down on the patio bench and began to dose off. But she remained involved in the fire outing for its entirety. The kids did the burning stick thing. We had to call it off, though, fearing that one of them might end up hurt, most likely Rocky. He’s a little wild. Jacob and Rocky tinkered with the idea of sleeping on the deck. However, to do so they insisted I sleep there as well. Not me. They trashed the idea. Rocky & Bella asked me to inflate the air mattress, something they do almost every time someone stays. I got it inflated and covered in sheets. Mindy disappeared off to bed. I tucked in the kids and then went back downstairs to watch more of the Bengals preseason football game. I also followed the Vikings game via the internet. They won rather handedly, 13-3. They sacked Peyton three times in two drives. Needless to say, the Colts coaching staff pulled Peyton from the game pretty quickly. It was nearing 1030pm. And just like Mindy, I was extremely tired. I didn’t think I’d be able to stay wake. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa well before the Bengals game ended. I headed up to bed before 11pm.

Popping Corn

Like most other days over the past week or so I slept well past 5:30am and didn’t get my downstairs routine underway until 5:50am. I had a really strange dream overnight. Basically, I was back at my old house on Valleyview Dr and still married to ex-Kelly. That’s bad enough, but that wasn’t the worst part. It took a while, but I eventually discovered that our electric supply panel, furnace, appliances, and windows had all been stolen. I was distraught. I went to let my wife know and realized that it was Kelly. Confused, my heart sunk. I woke seconds later to discover a better reality. For the first time in a long while, I was mildly achy all over. Must have been the stress of the dream. Without giving it much thought I snapped down to Advil then started my exercise routine. Some time just after 6am Ykraps and I headed out the door for our walk. It was yet another gorgeous morning – a little cooler than I expected, only 64 degrees. We didn’t get back home until 6:15am. I made some coffee and allowed myself just ten minutes on the PC before moving on to meditation and stretching. It was after 6:40am when I finally dressed and headed out for my run. I wore a sleeveless wicking shirt to counter the cooler temp. After another quick stretch from the front stoop I was on my way. I got lost in my thoughts, and so much so that I was all but finished before I came back to reality. I love that! It was 7:30am by the time I was back at home, toweled off, and ready to prep some food. I cut veggies, fried two eggs, and poured some OJ. I was mindful of Mindy’s plan to have Kara watch our kids all day. I remembered her saying to expect her around 8am. To that end, I made sure to find a shirt to pull on while I prepped and ate my breakfast. I was gonna head up and wake Mindy but I could hear that she was already up and getting ready. Kara arrived early, just as she usually does. She was there by 7:50am. I finished my breakfast but waited for Mindy to come down before heading upstairs to shower. I offered Kara some coffee but she declined. Mindy was down by 7:55am. I was showered and dressed by 8:10am. Mindy & I pretty much left the house at the same time. The kids remained asleep. I told Kara that if she’s lucky, the kids might sleep until 10am. I drove the BM’er again, this being the nicest stretch of summer weather yet. It was a lovely drive into the office. I arrived on time. Work was extremely quiet for the first couple of hours. My peer and I used the time to brainstorm some positive changes. We planned to share them with our boss later. Like every other day this week, I ended up skipping a formal lunch break and worked straight through. Come 1:30pm, I was growing hungry, but not for my veggies. I decided to skip the veggies and eat the can of tuna I had in my office instead. That did the trick. It hit the spot nicely. My hunger was gone. The afternoon got really busy, about like one would expect. In kind, it moved by quickly, and soon it was time to go home. I didn’t bother calling ahead. I just enjoyed a relaxing drive home on a lovely summer evening. I had already discussed my intentions to cut the lawn after work with Mindy. As soon as I was in the door she asked me if I wanted food before or after. I said after, otherwise, I would get sleepy and lose what little motivation I had. I mean , hey, who really wants to rush home from work and cut the lawn in steamy temps? It had been a full week since I last cut the lawn. I haven’t been able to go 7 days all summer long. But I did scalp it last Thursday. Mindy stopped at Kohl’s and bought the new Dyson vacuum she really wanted. She was eager to show me her new toy before I headed outside. Seems nice enough. They’re typically very pricey, but she had a 30% off coupon along with some Kohl’s bucks. She struggled trying to show me how easily the attachments work. Too funny! I headed out to get started on the lawn. While whacking the edges I was troubled to see the effects of turning off zones #2 & 5 of the irrigation system. For the first time in two months, there were some significant dry spots. After having an irrigation system for a while now, I’ve learned the lawns problem areas. Also, I sprayed for weeds two weeks ago. It’s apparent now that I mixed the solution a bit too strong and consequently damaged some of turf while killing the weeds. Oh well! While mowing, Mindy headed out to walk Ykraps. Oops! I forgot about him. I did the full Monty: whacking, edging, cutting and blowing. Before calling it a night, I hand watered some dry patches out front then moved around back where I watered the hanging flower baskets and deck pots. In addition, I took the extra time to drain, clean, and refill the fountain. Not only was the inside of the fountain covered in moss, but the pump was clogged with it, too. It looked and worked 10 times better afterwards. The lawn looked really sweet when I finally headed in. It was 8:05pm. Not bad – two hours to complete all of those chores. Mindy advised that Bob Imber phoned while I was busy cutting. We have a Sunday AM tee time at New Albany Links. I need to confirm Kenny or Tom’s availability. We played there last September. It’s a really nice course. I headed in for shower. After my shower, Mindy wanted to hang out with the neighbors, but I was in the mood to stay in, tinker on my PC and watch the NFL preseason game on ESPN. I told Mindy to go have fun. She headed over to Chrissy & Kenny’s. I updated my blog and watched football. Mindy & the kids were back at home shortly after 9pm. Mindy sent the kids up for showers while promising to pop popcorn afterwards. We all snacked on the popcorn while watching the football game on the sofa. We tucked the kids into bed sometime after 9:30pm. We headed up to bed ourselves after 10pm. We both were really tired.

Breaking 40 ... but not me

In what seems to be becoming habit, I wasn’t out of bed and downstairs until 5:40am. It’s not an issue during the summer, but once school starts up that ten minute delay will become critical. I did a full complement of exercises and then leashed up Ykraps. For the first time in a while, I didn’t do any PC time in between sit-ups and push-ups. That saved me 5-10 minutes. Also, I remembered the Perseid meteor storm was supposed to be viewable early that morning, but was too late getting outside to catch a glimpse. Save for the bright moon over head, conditions were ideal. Shoot! The morning temperature was cooler than it’s been for a number days, but it was still in the upper 60s. I was back at home for coffee by 6:05am. I spent a good 15 minutes on the PC before giving way to meditation and stretching. I could tell that Mindy put scented baking soda on our carpet. It smells like flowers. I left for my run at 6:45am. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a run and again the sun was just coming up over the horizon when I initially set out. I worked up a good lather. I toweled off with a fresh beach towel once I was back at home. I started prepping my breakfast and packing my lunch immediately. It was already 7:30am. I finished breakfast and headed up for a shower at 7:50am. I hustled through my shower and prep. I wore my new wicking golf shirt and grabbed a pair of shorts to toss in my back pack. I asked Mindy if she planned to join me downstairs. She did. Mumbled something about needing to start getting up earlier now that school time is back. She joined me for coffee in the kitchen. I loaded my golf clubs and golf shoes into the trunk of the BM’er. This was a golf Wednesday. Mindy and I sat together enjoying some coffee for about ten minutes. Her day would be spent putting her classroom together. She planned to take Jacob & Bella along with her. She also planned to have one of her former students help. I left for work at 8:15am. This was a meeting Wednesday. I was happy to find my boss and peer in a much better moods. As is usually the case, the morning moved along quite fast. It was afternoon before I realized it. And immediately after our staff meeting I woofed down my packed nuts, veggies, and fruit. I was starving. More often than not, I eat the nuts around 10-1030am. That way I never get ravenously hungry. That’s a far better plan. The afternoon went pretty fast too, especially since it was a golf Wednesday. I confirmed via email Bob’s intentions to golf. It would be just he & I. Tom should be able to join us beginning next week when his new schedule kicks in. I changed into my golf shorts in my office and behind closed doors. I left for Split Rock at 4:30pm sharp. Traffic was a tad heavy at the Hilliard I-270 interchange but loosened up quickly. I made it to Split rock by 5:05pm. For the first time, I checked the mileage from I-71 and rt 665 to Split Rock – 9 miles. I casually went about readying myself for nine holes of golf. I knew Bob would be a little bit yet. I was able to practice putting and chipping. I fetched a cart and paid my fees then went to the lot to wait for Bob. He showed up around 5:25pm. We tee’d off hole #1 by 5:30pm. I started really well for a change. I was on #1 in two strokes, but couldn’t convert the birdie or par putt. I took a bogey. Bob par’d it. Number 2 is a 145 yard downhill par 3. I hit a nice 8-iron on and within about 12’. I par’d it. Moving on to #3, a 500 yard par 5, I hit a decent drive and then a nice 3-wood to leave myself about 50-60 yards out. I then discovered that I left my PW & SW resting along the fringe of #2. Crap. I drove back to get them. I worried that the brief diversion might errode my mojo but it didn’t. I put my SW with about 12’. I missed the birdie but converted for par. Three holes and three birdie putts. It doesn’t get much better. Bob and I were neck and neck. He hadn’t played for about three weeks, but you couldn’t tell it. We both went slightly right off the #4 tee. We could still see the green but needed to hit high arching shots over trees to get there from about 150 yards. I went first and clipped the tree top sending my ball straight down into the tree grove. Crap! Bob didn’t do much better but got a much more favorable bounce and lie. I had to squeeze my third shot between trees while avoiding yet another. I was just off the green in four. Chipped on and one putted for a six. That was the beginning of a string of four 6s. Included in that run were two crappy duck hooks with my mid-irons. I was laboring on those holes. Moving on to #8 - a 150 yard par 3 (down a hill and then back up). I hit a horrible 8-iron, slicing it hard left. This was the very hole where this problem first surface about three or four weeks ago. In fact, I had pretty much the same lie. The pin was just over the tree tops. This time however, I was about 5 yards closer to the tree line. I hit a remarkable SW up and over the trees and landed it within about 15’ feet of the pin. I was very excited, but also distraught over leaving myself in such a predicament in the first place. I missed the par putt but salvaged the bogey. As Bob and I drove to the #9 tee box I let him know that if he par’d the hole he’d break 40. He was 3-over through eight holes. He hit a fair/poor drive to the right. I hit mine to the left. The right hand side leaves one far better than the left. My ball rolled to the edge of the woods in tall grass, but still playable. Bob just needed to clear a few scattered young trees. I had no choice but to use my pitching wedge to get my ball out into play. I managed to get it within 20’ of the green, certainly not a bad shot from where I was. Unfortunately, I got tentative with my pitch and left myself still just off the green. I took another 6. Meanwhile, Bob hit his approach short of the green too. He wasn’t pleased. However, he hit his 3rd shot to within a foot of the hole. He did it – 39. I shot a 47. Nice job Bob! We made loose plans to golf over the coming weekend but couldn’t firm anything up. We agreed to workout the details over the coming days. I headed for home at 7:18pm. It was a gorgeous night to be driving the BM’er. And the drive home from Split Rock is always a lovely one. Instead of jumping on I-270W fro m71N, I took it all the way up to I-70W. I was home in 27 minutes and measured it to be a 23 mile drive. No one was home when I arrived. I hurried through rinsing my dirty lunch dishes and prepping Thursday’s coffee. Mindy arrived home about ten minutes after me. She’d been grocery shopping. Not thinking I was home, she came in the door asking “who’s here?” Not sure what that was about! Who else would it be? I helped her carry in the groceries. Both of us were hungry. No. Wait. I was starving! Mindy suggested we have nachos with Sunday’s leftover taco meat. I prepped a plate of nachos while she put the new food away. Not long after the nachos came out of the microwave, the kids got home from their evening with dad. The kids came in the front door and rushed right out the back, off to play with the neighbors. The nachos were OK and filling, but honestly, not as good as I had hoped. That’s OK. While the kids played, I did some writing and also read about the last day of Vikings’ training camp. Chrissy stopped over around 9:30pm, about the same time that we called the kids inside. I asked if Kenny could golf on Saturday. She said yes, as long as he would be home by 1pm. I recognized that to be a tall order, but not impossible. That would mean a 7:30am tee time. Yikes! At the same time, Mindy and Chrissy worked out a deal for Mindy to keep Chrissy’s kids on Friday while Chrissy agreed to keep Jacob and Bella early Saturday afternoon so Mindy can go to her yoga class. Everybody wins! When Chrissy left, Mindy urged the kids upstairs for their showers. The kids weren’t in bed until 9:45pm and we were right on their heels. I was beat.

Parallel Universes

I was up and downstairs by 5:40am after a not so good night’s sleep. For starters, I was up around 3:30am peering out the windows looking for criminals after hearing that neighbor Mike’s work truck was broken into a couple weeks ago. That sorta news always pisses me off. Second of all, I was worried about daughter Courtney. It’s a good thing I took three naps Monday evening or there’s a good chance I would’ve had an even harder time getting up. I completed my push-ups and sit-ups then leashed up Ykraps and headed out for a walk. It was a lovely, clear morning and 71 degrees. The extended forecast is calling for sunshine and mid 80‘s through the upcoming weekend. If that hold up, it’ll be our warmest, driest stretch of summer yet. And as Mindy will tell you, just in time for her return to school. L I played on the PC until 6:30am and then quickly moved onto meditation and stretching. That went well. I was ready to run by 6:45am. The sun was just coming up over the horizon as I set. It was a gorgeous sunrise indeed. The run went really well, seemed almost effortless, and very therapeutic. After my run I noticed that the deck fountain was off again. I went to the basement and found the breaker tripped. That was the second time in as many days. There’s obviously something wrong with either the circuit or the fountain pump. I’ll have to troubleshoot it more thoroughly later. Resetting the breaker did the trick. I wasn’t too hopeful that it would hold, however. As usual, I packed my lunch and made a cheese omelet for breakfast. I finished breakfast and headed off to the shower at 7:45am. I took Mindy some coffee thinking that she needed to be up. I guess I was wrong. She wasn’t heading into school after all. I was showered and dressed by 8:05am. Mindy got up and joined me for coffee before I left for work. I left the house at 8:15am. Mindy kindly moved the Honda so that I could drive the BM’er. Off I went. Work went well. As busy as we were on Monday, it was that calm on Tuesday. I thought about leaving for lunch but had no pressing errands to run. I ended up staying back at the office and working through lunch. I enjoyed my packed veggies and fruit around 2pm. I didn’t hear from Mindy all day long. And I half expected to hear from Courtney but she didn’t call either. All quiet on the family front. Last I knew, Mindy talked about having leftover tacos for dinner. I left for home around 5:15pm and arrived just after 5:35pm. No one was around. No Mindy. No kids. On the counter was the crockpot. Inside, I didn’t know what. I leashed up Ykraps and headed out the door. It was a lovely, yet steamy summer evening. Ykraps lifted his leg a number of times but was dry. I guessed that Mindy must’ve walked him before I got home. She came out just as we were getting ready to cross the street and come back home. She confirmed that she’d already walked him. I was hungry. Mindy informed me that we were having pot roast and mashed potatoes – not your typical summer meal. That sounded terrific. As terrific as the pot roast sounded, it tasted even better. I ate more than my share. She made canned corn and crescent rolls, too. Neighbor Makayla came down to stay with us while her momma ran to the grocery. She wasn’t hungry. Said she’d already eaten at her grandparents home. Soon all the kids dashed outside to play. After cleaning up the dinner dishes, I suggested that Mindy give Courtney a call. They talked for a short time while I went outside to water. Courtney promised to call back in short order. By the time that she called back, I was in working on updating my blog. They talked for a while, with Mindy expressing most of our shared concerns. Courtney asked if she could come over and finish talking face to face. We agreed. She showed up all the while the kids were outside playing with friends. The three of us sat at the kitchen table talking. I sipped on a rum drink at the same time. I warned her that I was going to be frank and to the point. I did my level best to communicate our concerns without tearing her down unnecessarily. I feel that we did a good job. Mindy added valuable input as well. Courtney seemed to take it well. When we finished talking, Courtney shared her thoughts. She didn’t stay all that long. Mindy got the kids in the house and ready for bed. While they showered, Mindy popped two bags of popcorn for all four of us to share. It was ready just s the kids finished their getting into their pajamas. We enjoyed popcorn while watching a program about a relatively new theory about the evolution of our universe on the History Channel. Very cool. In a nut shell, the theory goes that the universe keeps dividing and creating new parallel universes. It’s just a theory, but one that’s gaining a lot of steam fast. We all headed to bed around 1030pm.

Advanced Prosthetics

I heard the irrigation system kick on but wasn’t done sleeping. I didn’t lie there long, however. I was up and downstairs by 5:40am. Unlike a month ago, it was still pitch black outside. A few minutes later I learned that the extreme darkness was aided by cloud cover. I did my exercises then headed outdoors with Ykraps. It was again very warm (low 70s) but not as sticky as Sunday morning. Also, it appeared to have rained lightly overnight. It wasn’t unexpected. I was back home by 6:05am and eager to sip some coffee. I was careful not to spend too much time on the PC, realizing that I need to rein in my morning routine a little since school will be starting in two weeks. When hitting on all cylinders, I’m off the PC by 6:20am. Lately, I’m fooling around until 6:30am. I spent another ten minutes meditating and then a few more stretching. I didn’t get out for my run until 6:50am. By then, the clouds gave way to a little sunshine. It was a very enjoyable run. I was covered in a sweaty glaze afterwards. That beach towel hanging up in the laundry room is getting a good workout of late. After my run I started food prep. I made a cheese omelet for breakfast and cut veggies for lunch. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any fresh fruit cut up other than a bowl of strawberries. I didn’t bother cutting up some myself. I did pack a container of the strawberries. I forgot to take Mindy coffee and didn’t bother waking her. She was up after my shower, however, so I invited to come down and enjoy a cup of coffee with me before I left for work. She agreed. Mindy was heading into school for the first time this summer to meet with her teacher pals. In her case, the carefree portion of her summer was officially over, albeit the official first day of school doesn’t arrive until August 25th. I left for work at 8:15am. I arrived at work a few minutes late. I was pretty busy for most of the day, and it only got busier as the day moved along. I didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break but did get up and walk around a few times just to get off my ass. I ate my packed veggies and fruit around 2pm. I was going to eat tuna but decided against it. I didn’t hear from Mindy until late afternoon. She was on her way to pick up the kids from Gloria, who watched them while Mindy went to school. She said her meeting went well and that we’d be having burgers for dinner. Sounded good to me. I let her know that Courtney was stopping by later that evening. I left work just after 5:40pm. I made a pit stop at the bank and didn’t get home until just after 6pm. Along my drive home, Courtney called asking if she could come over right then. Yes, I quickly replied. She went on to explain that she wanted to use our PC since her laptop was stolen. I wasn’t pleased. At home, Mindy shared that she had already walked Ykraps saving me the trouble. Thanks dear! Our burgers were ready in short order. Along with burgers, Mindy whipped up some Brussels sprouts and then tortured some tater-tots. My burger was delicious! Courtney arrived while we were eating. She didn’t even step in the kitchen/eating area to say hello. Instead, she went right for the PC to work on her school paper. Hmmm? Jacob pushed his burger aside asking for cereal instead. I ended up eating his, too, after offering it to Courtney first. She said she wasn’t hungry. Eating a second burger is not my typical behavior. I was overcome with sleepiness after woofing it down. It was so good. After helping with clean-up, but not finishing, I plopped down on the sofa for a brief rest. I woke after maybe 20 minutes and after hearing Courtney preparing to leave. Not so fast, I exclaimed. I wanted to talk with her first. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were showing me. There was Courtney in what amounted to nothing more than a nighty. I was shocked! I even asked if she had pants on. She did but they were like ‘Daisy Dukes’. Not at all amused, I probed into her thinking, and then asked about her laptop and eye glasses, which she volunteered had also come up missing – lost. She went on about how poorly she’s feeling to a point where I could take it no more. I excused myself to the upstairs. The only thing I can say is that I felt hurt, let down, and betrayed. All of the sudden the stories/excuses/actions aren’t adding up. Courtney departed while I was upstairs getting into my comfy clothes. I returned to find her gone. Mindy & I chatted about it briefly putting into perspective all that’s occurred since early July. Although we can’t be certain, we fear the worst – backslidden! I wasn’t in a pleasant mood for the duration of the evening. Trust me, kids will do this to you! I ate a piece of cheesecake and then another. It was so good. Inside, I was still trying to rationalize daughter Courtney’s tales. But no matter how positive I tried to be, none of it made any sense. I went in and took yet another brief nap on the sofa. I woke again around 9pm. I went to my PC where I read the latest on the Vikings training camp practice. It wasn’t long before Mindy got the kids organized for bed. She turned tuck-in duties over to me around 9:30pm. Afterwards, I turned on the TV to the Science Channel and watched a very interesting program about prosthetics and the huge technological advances they’re making. Absolutely incredible. Case and point, there’s a male double amputee in South Africa that’s pushing the world record running the 100 meter. Another example was a double amputee who also happens to be an MIT professor working on prosthetics advances. He climbs mountains better now than he did with his biological legs. At 10pm I was ready for bed. I couldn’t keep my eyes open even after those two brief naps. Good night moon!

Hitting 90

I was up Sunday morning around 7:30am and felt terrific. After calisthenics I checked the temperature. It was already a balmy 75 degrees under clear blue skies – very summer-like. I wasn’t expecting Mindy to be up and out of bed anytime soon, not after last night. Wow! I knew it was warm but I wasn’t expecting the weather to hit me in the face like it did. The air was thick, wet, and warm – conditions we haven’t had to contend with for most of the summer. It felt good. I took my time puttering around the house and before leaving for my run. I didn’t bother taking Mindy coffee, figuring her stomach wouldn’t be up for it. I left for my run around 9:30am. I did only three miles, just as I often do on Sunday’s. As one might expect, it got a little warm given the unusual heat and humidity, but I survived. After my run I cooled down in the AC, which felt absolutely fantastic. As 11am neared, I still hadn’t heard even a peep from Mindy. I decided to head out and do some yard chores. More specifically, trim back the English Ivy from the chimney. It had gotten a little out of control through the summer. To do the job, I had to get out the heavy 28’ fiberglass extension ladder. I spent about an hour trimming Ivy away from the shingles and flashing around the chimney. Then, I moved around front to trim the excess growth from around our bedroom window. That took some difficult maneuvering with the ladder in and around the large shrubs. I never look forward to it. Not only did I trim away the runaway ivy, but I also removed three large bird nests that are always a nuisance. I remove them, then the birds return to build new ones. I was covered head to toe in small pieces of debris. That, mixed with the sweltering summer heat, made for extremely unbearable conditions. I was itching all over. No longer able to stand it, I climbed down off the ladder and hosed myself off. Much better! After sucking down some ice water, I went to the shed to fetch a tarp to drag the piles of ivy clippings to the compost pile. It was now time to clean the Honda after last night’s incident. I wasn’t looking too forward to it. Given the afternoon’s sweltering heat, I was glad that I got most of the barf cleaned out last night in the dark. Turned out, there was little that I missed. And most of that was just under the lip of the passenger seat. I cleaned the Honda inside and out. I hadn’t given it a bath since Memorial Day weekend. Fresh out of the shower, Mindy finally came out to see the light of day. Said she still wasn’t 100%. I gave her a little crap but not too much. She thanked me for taking good care of her. I asked if she would go up and trim the last of the ivy from around our second floor bedroom window from inside the house. I couldn’t reach it with the fiberglass ladder, or at least without leaning the heavy ladder against the glass. And since I had all the stuff out, I decided to wash the BM’er too. Just as I was moving the Honda Jimaken pulled up with the kids. It was already 3pm. Jacob rushed in to help his mother. Bella came outside to help me was the BM’er. We worked as a cohesive unit getting it cleaned up in a hurry. I let her wet it down and then wash the wheels. She did a decent job, too. Thanks Bella! Mindy asked what I wanted for dinner. I suggested tacos. No one knew it, but I had made guacamole earlier loosely following what I remembered of Bob Imber’s recipe. I already knew that it wasn’t as good as his, however. For starters, I put in too much lime juice. To that end, Mindy left to go get more beef from the grocery store. She wasn’t gone long at all. After wrapping up the cars and putting away all the necessary supplies, I got out my leaf blower to remove the last of the ivy debris that escaped the tarp. I also blew off Mindy’s patio out back. Finally done, I headed inside for a much needed shower. I was hot, sweaty, and itchy. I felt 100 times better after a shower. Mindy said she invited my dad for dinner but that he wouldn’t be able to join us. Still not doing too well. I walked Ykraps while Mindy finished making dinner. It felt incredibly warm – almost unbearable. Mindy hurried out to catch-up with me during the walk. Back at home Mindy advised that it hit 93 degrees. Since late June, we’ve had just one day hit 86 degrees or above. The Mexican dinner was delicious. Jacob asked who made the guacamole. I told him Bob. He said it was good but not as good as his last batch. :) He was right! After dinner I watered the rear flower pots and hanging baskets. Meanwhile, it was already after 7pm. The day was flying by. I had a piece of that yummy turtle cheesecake for dessert. That practically put me in a food coma. I took a brief nap on the sofa. Mindy made the kids come in and get showers just after 9pm. They were in bed by 9:30pm. I tucked them in just before calling it an early night for myself.

Spinning out-of-control at Club Diversity

Sometime during the night I got up and took three Advil. I had to ask Mindy if she saw me take some earlier after an overwhelming sense that perhaps I had. Neither of us could recall with any certainty, so I took more. I got up at 8am, and was still a little on the tired side but otherwise felt fine. It was sunny, which was reassuring after a run of ugly Saturday’s all through July. It proved to be a warm morning, too as Ykraps and I discovered while on our morning walk. It occurred to me during our walk that I had absolutely nothing planned for the day. And even better, the weekly lawn chores were already done, leaving me with a tabula rasa. Honestly, it felt a little odd. After returning home I tried lying down for a few minutes on the sofa thinking that I might get some more zzzs. Albeit, cozy, I didn’t get any additional sleep. I poured some coffee and fooled around online for quite a while. Mindy remained asleep. I headed out for my run around 10:00am. While running, I thought that I might see if Tom Clark wanted to golf later. Of course I’d need to run that by Mindy as well. At the time I still expected her to be up and leaving for her 11am yoga class by the time I got home. But when I got back home she was still asleep. I chose to let her keep sleeping. Mindy eventually got up, but it was already after 11am. She made some coffee and went out to sit on her patio. I joined her for a little bit. I asked about golf. She was good with it. In fact, she saw it as an opportunity to have some free time of her own. Already noon, I called Tom Clark to see if he was interested. He was. I didn’t want to drive far, though, so I called Raymond. They gave me a 2:24pm tee time. Mindy suggested I call Kenny too, after I shared that their weekend trip to Lake Erie looked like it was postponed. I was surprised to see their car still setting in the driveway when I went for a run. However, when I checked the weather radar a little later I could see why. There was a big storm over the lake and it stretched all the way back into Wisconsin. Lucky for us, it was well to our north, and it wasn’t supposed to impact our local weather for once. I called Kenny to measure his interest. He sounded interested. I clarified the time but got the strange sense that he thought the tee time was for Sunday afternoon. I didn’t give it much more thought and headed outside on the deck to bask in the sunshine. An hour later Kenny came over and said he wouldn’t be able to join us after all. As we continued to talk, it became clear that he thought it was Sunday, not this afternoon. They had a family birthday party to attend this afternoon. He still couldn’t squeeze it in. It would be just Tom & I. I hustled off to the shower. Even though the afternoon was heating up nicely, and warmer than it’s been all summer long, I was determined as ever to walk the course, which is something I haven’t done for about two years. To that end, I went to the garage and grabbed my golf bag to try and lighten the load a little. Much to my dismay, I pulled nine dozen golf balls from my bag, all of which have been found during the numerous rounds of golf over the last couple years. After the purging, my bag was considerably lighter. I kept about fifteen balls on hand – mostly Titleist Pro V1s. I left for Raymond at 2:00pm. Because it’s across the street, I was there in less than three minutes. While waiting on Tom I practiced some putting. It was discouraging to see as many as four foursomes backed up on the number 1 tee box, but then again, that’s Raymond - always crowded- always backed up. I phoned Tom just before he pulled in to tell him that I wasn’t going to wait/play Raymond. In turn, he immediately called Thornapple, who said they could get us off in 25 minutes. Cool! I threw my stuff in his truck and we headed off to Thornapple. We left the Trooper at Raymond. As promised, they got us off the first tee at 2:50pm. Being a twosome, we were concerned that they might insist we join up with another twosome, but they didn’t. Cool! Hole #1, I hit a long drive straight down the middle, but followed with a sub par second shot leaving me about 90 yards to the green. And just when I thought that my short/mid-iron shanks were gone, I shanked a PW well left of the green. Man! I wasted that great drive and ended up with an ugly 7. For the remainder of the front nine I drove exceptionally well, leaving myself in great position to score almost everytime. However, I continued to struggle with my irons although not nearly as bad as I had been prior to Wednesday. Clearly trying to over compensate for the sharp slice, I pulled a number of iron shots on my approach well right. I had four 7s on the front and shot a 50 overall. But as well as I was driving, I should’ve broke 40. The back didn’t start out much better. After a brief stop in the clubhouse for a hot dog and Gatorade we tee’d off on # 10 – 580 yard par 5. I hit my drive about 250 yards but in the left rough. My second shot was a 3-wood that I mis-hit. It went only about 100 yards. I ended up taking a seven or an eight, can’t recall for certain. Not a good start on the back. The next hole, #11, is a long par 3 – 250 yards with a creek crossing just in front of the green. Landing one on the green is rare. I hit a 3-wood that carried the water but landed left, about 15 yards from the pin. I was pleased. Tom hit his onto the left fringe. Nice! He got a par. I got a bogey. Finally, I got my act together and went par, birdie, bogey, par, bogey, bogey, bogey. I shot a 43. I felt good about my back nine but still left a lot of easy scoring opportunities on the course. Hopefully I can get my iron shots fixed soon. Tom drove me back to my Trooper, which was still setting at Raymond. It was almost 7:30pm. I told him that we’d pick him up around 8:30pm. He was joining Mindy & I at CBC and then Club Diversity in the Brewery District. Mindy spent her afternoon shopping for her classroom for the coming school year. Said she spent $175 on materials. I’m troubled that she has to spend her own money on the class room. There’s something not quite right about that. I took a much needed shower and changed my clothes. I was ready to go shortly after 8pm. I didn’t waste any time getting ready. We left to fetch Tom at 8:15pm. It was a gorgeous evening. Tom was playing his electric Fender guitar when we pulled up. He let me pick around it, but it’s strung upside for me (I’m a lefty). We were on the road to CBC just after 8:30pm. We took Riverside Dr all the way into downtown then Civic Center Dr south all the way to Mound St then to Short St. Easy drive. Kate was working the bar. Most of the help at CBC has been there forever. That speaks volumes about the owners. Friendly, loyal employees. We love it there. Mindy ordered a rum & Coke. Tom & I beers. I ordered their seasonal offering, a hi-test Belgium. They were out of both their IPA and their new lager, Summer Teeth. We ordered some calamari to share and then separate entrees. Tom declared that he was picking up the check. Bring me filet please! ~ :) Actually, I ordered a wood fired pizza with peppers, sausage and pepperoni. Mindy had the wood fired tuna or salmon. Tom a pepperoni pizza. I drank just the one beer. I planned on being the DD. Meanwhile, Mindy had a second rum& Coke, and Tom had another beer. We left for Club Diversity near 10pm. Tom knew right where it was. We found a parking spot right along High street within eyeshot of the door. Cool! The venue is an old house converted to a bar. The band was just warming up as we entered. First thing you’ll notice in the door is just how small and intimate it is. Looks like an old living room/dining room combo. We haven’t seen Deanna’s band since the 2007 pumpkin show. We ran into her at Barley’s one night which I think was after that, but can’t be sure. Mindy & Tom ordered martinis, me only water. The club has a reputation for making some of the best martinis in Columbus. Mindy went with chocolate. The band started right away. Kevin, Deanna’s husband, was on piano. He’s a classically trained pianist and very, very good. Tonight’s rendition of the band featured Deanna on vocals and acoustic guitar, John Zuck on bass, Kevin on piano and vocals, and Brian Coon on saxophone. They played some old standards and a few older pop hits, too. Very nice! Even before the first few songs were played, Mindy was showing signs of having quite the buzz. I asked that she slow down her consumption of the martini, but she didn’t listen. And soon she fetched another. All the tell-tale signs were present. During break, I headed to the restroom. When I got back, Deanna was sitting at our table with Mindy & Tom. We chatted for a good while catching up on what’s been going on. Mindy invited Deanna & Kevin to my 50th birthday gathering at Barley’s, of course. As soon as Deanna got up to go socialize with others, Joe and Danny arrived. While Danny & I chatted, Mindy took Joe to meet Deanna. She retuned with another martini, her third. Not good. The band started playing again around 11pm. Most of us danced. Uh-oh! Mindy was crashing fast. I could see it in her eyes. Minutes later she asked if we could leave. Into the next song she asked if we could leave then. Yes. I said goodbye to Joe, Tom, and Danny and then went to settle our tab. I found Mindy already waiting outside sitting in a chair chatting with other friendly patrons. They joked about Mindy’s hefty buzz. Honestly, by then she could barely walk and was beginning to slur her words. Good grief! I loaded her into the Honda and was just about to pull away from the curb when she advised that she was gonna throw up. I sat there patiently while she tried throwing up with the door opened. We sat there for a good five minutes, but she never did hurl. She lied back in the seat and I pulled away for home. But just as we were pulling away I spotted Tom Clark leaving the bar. I stopped and offered ride, but he had already hailed cab destined for another nearby hangout. Even before the evening had begun, he talked of taking a cab home. We headed for home. I can’t remember exactly where we were along our drive home when Mindy suddenly woke and threw up all over herself and the Honda’s interior. I do know that we were on the freeway and couldn’t pull over. I put both front windows down to drown the smell. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. We arrived home around 11:30pm. I left Mindy in the car while I unlocked the house and retrieved a beach towel. I had her wipe off the chunks before she went inside. I helped her up the stairs then went back out to clean up the Honda as best I could in the dark. Lucky for us, the majority of the barf landed on the passenger floor matt. Furthermore, it was dry and chunky. It cleaned up easier than I expected. I hosed off the floor matt and hung it over the deck railing. I scraped what was left and what I could readily see out of the Honda and onto the drive. I’d clean it more thoroughly come Sunday. Inside I went to check on Mindy. Somehow she got herself in the shower. I helped her into some PJs and then lifted her into bed. Still resting in the shower were her shoes. I went back downstairs and watched TV until I fell asleep. I can’t even recall what I watched. I went up to bed around 2am

Otter Creek

After an incredibly nice day off, it was time to return to work. I was up and out of bed around 5:35am for the festivities. It was Friday, my favorite day of the week. I completed a full set of exercises: sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I felt pretty darn good. Ykraps and I headed out for our morning walk like we always do. It was still quite dark overhead, although the glimmer of daylight was apparent, especially to the east. Just a month ago it was already daylight at this hour. Time doesn’t stand still. Back at home I played on the PC all the while sipping on a large cup of coffee. I couldn’t help but notice the weather forecast, which was calling for the first summer-like conditions since late June – sunshine and mid 80s on Saturday and then 90 and sunny on Sunday. About time. We’ve had our share of rainy, cool Saturday’s this summer. It was after 6:20am when I peeled myself away from the PC and went to meditate and stretch. It was well past 6:40am when I finished both of those routine tasks. I left for my run around 6:50am. I was quite comfortable running shirtless with the temperature near 70 degrees. Mentally, I felt completely rested after having Thursday off work. I could do that every week in the summer. I finished my run and went straight for the beach towel hanging in the laundry room to wipe the perspiration off my neck, face, and shoulders. After cooling down I jumped into food prep. I ate two fried eggs and fruit while packing veggies, leftover chicken breast, and nuts for lunch. Off to the shower. My poison ivy is getting much better but still an issue. Once again I scalded it while in the shower and then applied rubbing alcohol and Benadryl gel after. I gathered an ivy relief package to-go for work. I backed the Honda onto the street so I could drive the BM’er. Why not? It was supposed to be a lovely day. I left for work at 8:15am. I was most pleased to find work calm on a Friday morning. What’s more, it stayed that way for the lion’s share of the day. I was determined to getaway for lunch. To that end, I headed for the mall at 1pm. I visited Macy’s and Finish Line. I ended up buying a wicking golf shirt at Macy’s. Not ready for a new pair of running shoes, I just looked at Finish Line. I was gone for the full hour. More importantly, I was on my feet the entire time. Back at the office, the afternoon moved by pretty quickly despite it remaining unusually quiet. Mindy and the kids spent the afternoon at the pool. I must’ve talked with her around 3pm. The late afternoon continued its quiet ways. And after seeing everything under control I left for home and the weekend at 5:05pm. It felt terrific to be heading home on a Friday a little early. The downstairs was quiet and put together when I arrived home. No sign of the Mindy or the kids, though. I got a case of the sleepies during my commute home. I quietly plopped down in the recliner hell bent on getting a short nap. Mindy eventually found me downstairs napping. She quietly went about her business until I woke from my slumber. I didn’t sleep that long. Soon after I woke we took Ykraps on his evening walk. We shared our day’s activities while we walked. Mindy commented that she turned the temperature down on the new fridge and now everything was getting really cold. I assumed the settings went from 1 to 5, and we had it set on 3, but Mindy found that it went all the way to 10, which would explain why things weren’t getting as cold as we preferred. Great! We planned to go to Barley’s but not until 7pm. Don’t want to show up too early. It was only 6:15pm. I used the time to work on my blog and went upstairs to freshen up and change clothes just before 7pm. We left for Barley’s just after 7pm. Mindy wore her ‘little black dress’. Said she wanted it to feel like a date. She looked good. I wore shorts and a t-shirt. We found ourselves a good parking spot and one fairly close to the door. There were lots of familiar faces at the bar and a couple of stools setting empty just for us. Perfect! Per usual, I asked for a Centennial. Mindy ordered the Ivan Porter. We left Tom Clark a VM on our way to Barley’s inviting him in. We hoped to see Bob & Mary Ann but they didn’t show. Mary Ann probably had to work. Steve Wonn was there, and reported interviewing with the city of U.A. for a maintenance supervisor’s job. Hope he gets it. Mindy ordered the shrimp & jerk chicken combo. I decided to wait and eat later, or so I thought. I eventually made my way outside to find neighbor’s David & Becky having dinner with her brother and his girlfriend. I sat and talked with them for a good long time. Mindy came out for a little while but soon disappeared back into the bar. I headed back in fifteen minutes later. Nephew Joe and his buddy Chris showed up. They always add a bit of flair to the evening. We made sure to invite Joe to join us tomorrow night at Club Diversity to see The Deanna Sweeney Band. I finished off my evening with a Maharaja IIPA. They had a new Otter Creek IIPA on tap tonight, too. I had one of those earlier. It was quite good. The night was winding down and I hadn’t eaten a thing. It must’ve been about 1030pm. By then, I really wanted a Cuban but Mindy wanted to head home. I acquiesced. We weren’t home long before we walked over to Kenny & Chrissy’s. I took a beer, of course. Chrissy was inside but not Kenny. She said he was out in the garage. I walked through the house to the garage. Everyone else ended up out there, too. We must’ve stayed out there for at least an hour. Chrissy went across the street to wake neighbors Kaleep & Pabena. In addition, next-door neighbors David & Becky came over when they got home from Barley’s. It was another late-night neighbor fest. Mindy & I stumbled home sometime around midnight. Sleepy, but also rabidly hungry, I woofed down a handful of dill pickle flavored Pringles potato chips. Hardly a satisfying meal, but it was bed time.

Rocky, Sam, Steak, Echo, Propane, & Fire

Knowing that I didn’t have to be up at 5:30am was definitely welcome news, but I did commit to helping Mindy by picking Rocky up for his dental appointment and having him back to our house before 9:30am. That meant I needed to be up by 7am if I were to comfortably exercise, walk Ykraps, relax and then run before hand. I was successful in executing my plan. I was back from my run at 8:40am. And after sharing a little time with Bella I darted off to fetch Rocky. Rocky was ready and excited. Landon acted bashful but warmed to me quickly, or just before I had to head back home. Honestly, I worried that he might be heart broken seeing me pull away with Rocky, but he didn’t seem to mind. He gave me a hug and then a big smile as Rocky & I pulled away. Mindy & the kids were waiting at the front door ready to go when we pulled up at the house. I didn’t even get in the house before the entire gang headed out. Not only was Mindy taking Rocky to his dental appointment, but she was taking all three kids to her bff’s house afterwards and hanging out with them for the day. Incidentally, her bff’s husband is the dentist fixing Rocky’s teeth. Meanwhile, it was a simply gorgeous morning. One couldn’t ask for prettier weather. It was sunny and in the mid 60s with an anticipated high of 81 degrees – September-type weather. I spent the next hour updating my blog. Mindy suggested that I visit Sam’s Club, purchase a membership, and then buy some of their awesome steaks. To that end, I left the house at 11am. The crowd at Sam’s was quite entertaining, employees and customers alike. No one was in a hurry. The employees don’t mind airing their dirty laundry right in front of customers, either. Realize, at Sam’s, if you don’t have a membership you can’t buy anything. I had to go to the service desk to purchase a membership before anything else. That took about 20 minutes best guess, although it seemed longer. They gave me a business membership since I ‘manage’ a business. I added Mindy so she can play there too. Finally, I was set loose in their large warehouse-like store. I took my time perusing all the aisles, but planned to buy only two or three specific things: dog food, steaks, and perhaps a new extension cord for the new garage fridge. I spent a good hour walking around looking. I had to chuckle at some of the bulk items they carry, like a box of 1500 Styrofoam cups and boxes of cereal as big as our entire pantry. I concluded that you won’t necessarily save any money by purchasing these larger quantities. Do the math before you buy. I ended up at the meat counter. They had some awesome looking ribeye steaks for just under $7 a pound. I bought a three pack for $27. They were gigantic and about 2” thick, just like I like my steaks. I bought a frozen turtle cheesecake, too. Even though I had cold items, I still took a cursory stroll through the neighboring Kohl’s and Dick’s looking at wicking golf shirts. I didn’t buy one from either place. I could use one or two but don’t want to buy compulsively. Cognizant of having fresh meat and a frozen cheesecake out in the Trooper, I headed for the car and ultimately home. I was there by 1pm. I was really hungry so I made a roast beef and cheese sandwich. I enjoyed my sandwich while surfing the internet reading Viking training camp updates via Twitter for up to the minute breaking information. At 1:30pm I left the house again only this time for Home Depot. As you may recall, I wanted to get an extension cord for the new garage fridge but they didn’t have them at Sam’s. I knew that they had what I needed at Home Depot. And since I was there, I figured I would go ahead and buy that gas powered Echo leaf blower that I’ve had my eye on for literally the last two years. I kept thinking that Mindy would get it for me as a birthday, Xmas, or Father’s Day gift but she hadn’t. Just the same, don’t get me wrong. She’s bought me all sorts of cool stuff, just not my gas powered leaf blower. At Home Depot I fetched the leaf blower first. I’ve looked it so many times I didn’t need to ‘shop’ per se. The Echo PB-251 is one of the top gas powered blowers on the market and it comes with a 5 year consumer warranty, which is practically unheard of in the industry. Over the years I’ve had two other gas powered blowers, neither were even near the same quality as the Echo, the most recent being a Weedeater, and it lasted a mere two seasons. It was junk! I’ve been using an electric model for the last three or four years. It works well and needs zero maintenance, but it’s too restrictive with having to drag extension cords around the yard. I found a 12’ #14 extension cord with a three outlet hub that would be perfect for the new garage fridge. It was $10. I bought a new one gallon fuel container just for the leaf blower too, what the heck. I have one specifically marked for each of my gas powered lawn toys that require an oil/gas mixture. I headed home thinking that I might settle in for a quick nap before cutting the lawn. But by the time I got home and plopped down on the sofa I just wasn’t that tired. I headed out to work on the lawn around 3pm. I had just started whacking when the trimmer head ran out of line. Crap! I had to spend fifteen minutes loading new line. Anyone who’s done that a time or two knows how much fun that can be. I’m getting better at it, however. I trimmed, edged, and mowed for the next 1.5 hours. Mindy & the kids got home from Teri’s around 4:40pm, just as I was in the middle of putting together my new leaf blower. The new fuel container has this new fangled safety device that is supposed turn the flow of fuel on and off with the press of a button. I found it clunky and ended up spilling gas on the garage floor. Not a big deal, except for the fact that it is supposedly designed to prevent such accidents. I cleaned it up and then gave my new blower a rigorous workout. It felt great to be free of the extension cords for the first time in four years. I was able to do a much nicer, more efficient job. It’ll come in real handy come fall. After finishing the lawn I went inside to take my second shower of the day. It was a quick one. It was 5:40pm when I returned downstairs. Mindy and I planed dinner – ribeye steaks, ricearoni, and cheesecake. Before starting the grill, we walked Ykraps together. I started the grill around 6:15pm while Mindy seasoned the meat. After allowing ten minutes of warm-up time, I went to put the steaks on the grill. Oh yeah - out of propane! Are you kidding me? Dammit! I wasn’t pleased. Instead of spending a lot of time bitching I freed the cylinder and grabbed the Honda keys along with Mindy’s debit card and headed off to boat storage to fill-up the propane tank. No worries! I pulled up at Lee’s RV just before 7pm. Oops – sorry, we’re closed. Dammit – again! After a bout of swearing like a drunken sailor I headed off to Lowe’s just a couple more miles up the way. I worried that I might not be able to make the purchase without ID. Plus, I was wearing sawed off pajama bottoms and a raggedy t-shirt. Wouldn’t you know that I immediately ran into a fellow employee. J That’s just how it works. He was getting propane too. I was back at home sometime after 7pm. Felt like I had been gone forever. I attached the new propane cylinder and fired up the grill. Something didn’t seem right but at the time I didn’t know what. One thing’s for sure, the grill wasn’t getting as hot as we expected. It maxed out just over 300 degrees. And to cook a good steak you want to cook at a very high temperature to sear in the juices leaving it brown on the outside while remaining pink in the center. Mindy suggested that it reached over 600 degrees just the other day. What the …??? Frustrated, I went ahead and cooked the steak as the grill was – at 300 degrees. It took twice as long. I knew that meant they’d end up brown all through to the center, but there wasn’t anything I could do. It was already 8pm. We needed to eat. And by the way, according to Mindy, the kids went ahead and ate cereal while I fetched the new propane. It was just her and I eating the giant steaks. Sure enough, the steaks were over cooked (brown all the way through), but still, they were tasty. I grabbed the owner’s manual from the cabinet and perused the fault troubleshooting section while dining. How romantic! There it was, ‘grill not getting hot enough’. Apparently there’s a safety mechanism in the regulator that significantly reduces/limits the flow of gas at start-up. This condition is often caused by hooking up the gas cylinder with the gas already turned on. That’s it. Ours was. Bingo! The solution was simple. Disconnect the tank, let it sit for a few minutes, then reattach and test. I was eager to give it a try. After dinner I went outside and did the regulator reset. While waiting, I went back inside and enjoyed a piece of that turtle cheesecake. It was delicious! I asked Mindy if she minded finishing clean-up while I went out and tested the grill. She gave me her blessing. Within five minutes the grill was at 620 degrees. Problem resolved! While out back, I went ahead and watered the flower pots and hanging baskets. They weren’t dry, but I didn’t want to wait another day giving them even the slightest chance of drying out. Mindy and the kids started tossing the baseball while I watered. I promised to join in after I was through. I topped off the hot tub while I was watering. It was down an inch or two. By the time I rewound the hose and got out to play with Mindy & the kids it was dusk. It was getting difficult to see the baseball. After about five minutes of play I suggested we bag it for safety concerns. Everyone agreed. Bella wanted to hot tub. Mindy wanted a fire. I thought the fire sounded good. We spent the next 15 minutes getting a fire going on Mindy’s little pond-side patio. It took a little while to get it burning on its own even after using kerosene. That’s because some of the wood already in the pit was damp. I really should’ve dumped it and started anew. Kenny & Chrissy joined us by the fire along with their two girls, Lilly and Makayla. They had fun playing with the fire. But unfortunately their fun left us on pins and needles. Like we all did as kids, they were burning the tips of sticks to a firey glow so they could make trails of orange in the dark. But they were coming and going so fast we feared that someone was gonna get poked in the eye with a burning stick. We made them stop after about 15 minutes. While sitting around the fire I sipped two beers. We headed in around 1030pm. Bella & Jacob helped extinguish the fire with water using a plant watering bucket. We were all in bed by 11pm. There was a full moon under a clear sky. Good night moon!

Fair Shoulder Turn

Wednesday started off mostly cloudy and warm – about 65 degrees. The forecast, however, promised improving skies throughout the day making Wednesday golf nearly a certainty. Great news! I completed my morning calisthenics then headed out with Ykraps. I was up on time so I had plenty of time to putter on the PC while sipping my morning coffee. At 6:20am I started meditation and stretching. I was off on my run by 6:45am. I ran shirtless and was quite comfortable. The run went about as well and easily as it could. I felt terrific afterwards. I made a cheese omelet for breakfast. This time I didn’t bother adding a third egg for Bella after Mindy reported her not eating the one I made her on Monday. I packed some veggies and tuna for lunch. I was off to the shower by 7:40am. While in the shower I purposefully scalded the poison ivy on my legs. Afterwards I swabbed the same area with rubbing alcohol before applying a liberal amount of Benadryl gel. It’s a tried and tested treatment that works quite well. I probably haven’t mentioned it, but my legs are dotted with poison ivy after last Saturday’s mowing. I think I whacked too deep in the brush along the pond splattering my legs with ivy debris. Thus far I’ve done a good job of not allowing it to spread. I remembered to grab a pair of shorts for golf before heading downstairs. I also remembered to pack a to-go ‘ivy care’ package (cotton balls and Benadryl gel). Mindy and the kids planned to spend the entire day at the Ohio State Fair. They’d be meeting her long lost friend, Teri and her two kids, Massimo and Giana. I left for work at 8:15am. Work was quite manageable – a welcome change after a rough week or so. We had our weekly staff meeting, but in a more informal setting. It didn’t last as long as it usually does either. A bit of good news came from the meeting. We’re gonna get a comp day for our on-call weekends again provided we’ve had a busy one. I decided to work through lunch since I planned to leave early for Wednesday golf. Mid-afternoon I asked my boss if I could take Thursday off for my on-call comp day. He agreed. Cool! I would have preferred Friday but a peer was already scheduled off. The forecast for Thrusday was ideal. Having it off work sounded really good. Made my afternoon! I received a voice mail from neighbor Kenny asking if we planned to golf and also expressed an interest in joining us. Not five minutes later I received an email from Tom Clark asking the same. Yes to both. I emailed Bob Imber, too, who was fresh back from vacation. I later learned that he wouldn’t be able to make it after finding himself in catch-up mode after a ten day vacation. I wrapped things up around 4:25pm and changed into my golf attire. I left the office right at 4:30pm. It felt fantastic to be heading off to golf all the while knowing that I had the following day off of work. Yahoo! I called Mindy just as I was leaving. They were still at the fair. We didn’t talk long. Said they’d be heading home shortly. After hanging up from talking with Mindy I phoned my mom to see how she was doing. She sounded far better than she did last week, although still trying to manage her pain. We talked for a good while. We hung up just as I was coming up on Rt 762 and Young Rd. I arrived at Split Rock around 5:10pm. Kenny was already there, but it looked like he’d just arrived. We went in and paid and got two carts. I drove back to the lot to fetch my water bottle and to see if Tom was out there. He pulled up a minute or so later. He would be carting with me. We were told to tee off the back, which was our preference. We all three hit nice drives on the 500 yard par 5 –all three in the fairway, although mine was a little short. I hit a beautiful 3-wood to follow, and so did Tom C, except that his rolled up against a tree trunk just to the left of the green. I was setting about 80 yards out middle of the fairway. Don’t you know, the short iron bug got me again. I sent my PW shot flying hard left and into a grove of thick mature trees. UGH! For the life of me, I did not know what I was doing wrong, but whatever it was, I was consistent. I struggled getting out of the tree grove and took a nine. Meanwhile, Tom was struggling, too even after being just off the par 5 green in two. He even tossed his wedge disgust. Kenny wasn’t fairing much better. We collectively agreed to go back and play the hole over again. Tom & Kenny hit powerful drives equaling or surpassing their first. Me, I hit a weak draw towards the trees but got a very favorable bounce back into play. I hit a decent 3-wood just past the 150 stick, and hit my third shot into the green-side sand trap. Four on, three putt. Bad! Unable to fix my swing, I struggled mightily with the par-3 #12. I took a nine. In fact, I used 15 strokes on the two back nine par 3s. Very ugly! But even still, I managed a few pars and a few bogeys otherwise. More importantly, I think I finally figured out and fixed my swing. The solution came to me once I simply disallowed the problem to affect my psyche. I just went with it. The problem was a simple missing shoulder turn. For some reason I had gotten away from turning my shoulders in my back swing with my mid/short irons, and instead made my back swing with arms only. That produced a very pronounced outside in swing pattern that more often than not resulted in a horribly weak slice. I was elated that I fixed my swing. It didn’t bother me that I shot a 50, especially considering that I used 22 strokes between the two par 3s and the first par 5. Kenny suggested we play the other nine. We went inside to inquire. Another $5 – that’s it! We were all three game. I had only one really bad hole on the front nine (2nd nine), but even that was due to a slight miss on a par 3 that has a sharp hill to the immediate right of the green feeding into a stream. I found the stream, and ended up with a six. All totaled I left myself with three birdie putts from inside of 15 feet. Once again, though, I couldn’t convert even one. But more importantly, I didn’t mis-hit even one mid/short iron shot. We finished the second nine just as darkness was setting in. I marveled at the orange full moon rising in the eastern sky. It was awesome! I talked with Mindy just as I was leaving the course. Said she figured we either played an extra nine or went to Barleys. It was fully dark by 9:10pm. I was home by 9:30pm. I was really hungry and craving carbs. I woofed down about twenty Triscuits along with Mindy’s leftover pork quesadilla. I poured myself a CBC IPA, too. It went down smoothly. I tucked the kids into bed. Both were out in a hurry after a long day at the fair. Mindy & I tuned into Shark Week, I believe on The Discovery Channel. I poured a second IPA and got comfy on the sofa knowing I didn’t need to be up at 5:30am. Before I could finish my beer, I dosed off at least a few times. Mindy headed to bed. I stayed up, or at least stayed downstairs. I fell asleep on the sofa before finally caving and heading up to bed.

Rogue Lightning

I outright overslept. I didn’t get up until 5:50am. I still completed my sit-ups and push-ups and soon headed out the door with Ykraps. The irrigation system was running even though there was a significant chance for rain. I wasn’t going to count on the forecast. That never works. It was cloudy overhead, but at that point that is all I knew. Soon after we were back at home I got my coffee and parked myself in front of my PC. I was very surprised to see a small but mighty storm moving our way on radar (lots of red). I proceeded with my normal routine all the while realizing that my typical run time looked to be in direct conflict with the approaching storm. I finished stretching and meditation around 6:45am. It was raining ever so lightly but with lots of thunder and lightning. There was no way I was gonna head out in that. I spent the time instead, updating yet another missing day in my blog. That took me right up to 7:30am. According to the weather radar, it appeared that the once fast moving storm was slowing down. Thunder continued to rumble for another 15 minutes. Finally, though, around 7:50am the thunder seemed to stop. I hurried out the door for my run. Happily, I could see much brighter skies just off to the immediate NW, but a quarter mile or so into my run a few rogue lightning flashes struck. That was enough to scare me back to our home which I was just about to pass in my usual route anyhow. I went to the front porch for temporary shelter. I hung there for a few minutes all the while the clearer skies moved even closer. I didn’t hear another clap of thunder or see another flash of lightning. I felt good about my chances. I dashed off for the rest of my run. The rest of my run went well. After my return I made fried eggs and prepped a lunch. After breakfast I headed up for a shower. I delivered coffee for Mindy, too. I was ready to go by 9:00am. I chatted with Mindy who reminded me that she and the kids were planning a trip to the Olentangy Caverns. I reminded her that it was voting day and to make sure and cast a “NO’ vote for the city’s income tax increase proposal. I stopped in at Raymond Golf Course to vote before heading on to work. There was no line whatsoever. More workers than voters. There was just the one issue on the ballot – the city’s .5% income tax increase proposal. I voted then dashed off to work. My problem with the proposal is that it’s permanent 25% tax increase, yet the problem is temporary. The budget shortfall is said to be caused by the downturn in the economy, which I completely understand. But why then should one approve a permanent tax increase when the economic downturn is cyclical? I believe everyone should have to make sacrifices/tough cuts is a down economy, including city services. I’m certain there’s plenty of fat to be found. Need I remind everyone of the five city employees sent out to paint our fire hydrant last month. This is nothing short of the public being held hostage. What’s worse, they’re using what I would deem unethical tactics to promote the issue – “save our firehouses”. I arrived at work around 9:30am. Things were much calmer than they were on Monday. And for that I was thankful. I worked hard all morning long and got pretty busy late morning, so much so that I didn’t feel comfortable taking my lunch until just after 1pm. I left the office and headed to Able Golf Center to hit a bucket of balls and hopefully resurrect my errant golf swing. It was windy and cloudy – not a very pretty day - while the temperature struggled to leave the middle 70s. I paid $9 for a jumbo bucket of balls and then headed to the grass tees to the south (the only grass tees opened). I started with my pitching wedge and made good contact for the first few swings, but then the same ugly results I’ve been getting on the course lately reared their ugly head. I immediately went to sand wedge but still with similar results. I’ll be dammed. I took a brief break then decided to use a different strategy. I went 3-wood, which I’ve been hitting straight and long recently. I was able to produce excellent results and with consistency. I moved to my 3-iron next. I wasn’t quite as sharp with it but far better than with my short irons. I slowly worked my way down my bag to the problem area, and happily with much greater success, although still shanking one here and there. I decided not to allow it to bother me. With the final 20 balls I hit more 3-woods and then a few with my new driver. I hit all of them on the screws and with decent success. Before leaving the golf center, I spent another 20 minutes working on chip shots. I must’ve hit another 25 balls on their pitching green. I did really well, switching back forth between my PW and SW. I was surprised to see that I had been gone for about 80 minutes. I got back to my office around 2:30pm. Mindy phoned sometime mid afternoon to share some of their experience at the Olentangy Caverns. Said they had a great time. She and the kids went to the Lennox Target afterwards to fetch one of those dorm room refridgerators she wanted. While in Grandview, they also stopped in to visit the Jump’s. Our conversation was brief. She and the kids wanted to do Barley’s for dinner. I agreed. Late afternoon I drafted an email to my ex-Kelly to share my thoughts about Lindsey starting college in the fall. We’re excited that she wants to start but at the same time sense her plan is somewhat pie-in-the-sky, and certainly not well thought out. In the email I clarified what we agreed to do to help relative to childcare, as well as some other things we’d like her to consider. I’d like to think that Mindy & I know a little something about what it takes to be a successful college student. Included, was an alternative to her proposed schedule, which Mindy and I agreed would place a lesser burden on everyone, including Lindsey, the kids, and Kelly. I followed up the email with a phone call but got no answer. I left work around 5:30pm and was home before 6pm. Mindy was walking Ykraps as I passed. I opened the garage overhead door so I could fetch my rear cargo cover. Mindy walked up just as I was re-installing it in the Trooper. We didn’t waste any time preparing to leave for dinner. I freshened up a bit but that’s it. We were on the road by 6:15pm. While Jacob was eager for Barley’s Bella wasn’t. She wanted to stay at home but Mindy trumped her preference. We arrived at Barley’s after the short drive. The parking lot was much fuller than I would’ve expected for a Tuesday – a Katy Tuesday. Sitting at the bar were two familiar faces, Jim Bosch and Calvin. We got ourselves a booth nearby. Our friend Deanna was our server. I ordered a Centennial IPA and Mindy ordered an Ivan Porter. We placed our food orders at the same time. Jacob ordered Gates of Hell wings and onion straws, Bella a cheeseburger and fries, Mindy a pulled-pork quesadilla, and me – KC wings. The food arrived quickly. Well into dinner I ordered a second beer, a house Pale Ale. I hadn’t had one of those in a long time. It was even better than I remembered. As you might expect, we didn’t make too long an evening of it. We were home before 8pm. Mindy & I together worked to set-up/level the new mini-fridge in the garage. I couldn’t help but notice a line in the operating manual warning against operating it in a garage-like setting where the temperature may dip below 55 degrees. We should be fine about ten months out of the year, but January and February not so sure. We’ll see. We couldn’t plug it in without na extension cord. We need to buy one suited for such things.. While I spent time updating my blog and reading about the Vikings training camp, Mindy got the kids showered and into PJs. Afterwards, Bella popped popcorn for her and I. She brought down her mini-camp chair and placed it next to at the PC along with the bowl of popcorn. Too sweet. They were off to bed in short order. I headed up to bed after dosing on the sofa around 10:30pm. Meanwhile, Mindy lagged behind still glued to her laptop looking at male porn, I think. :)

Circle of Influence

I started my day by pondering a well known principle that I learned many years ago while reading/studying Stephen Covey. ... what separates us from all the other animals in the world? One answer is our ability to insert reason between stimulus and response. The keyword, of course, being ability. Unfortunately, we don't always take advantage of this human-only feature. Monday morning came around fast. I allowed myself to sleep later than usual after not getting to sleep before 1am. I was up around 6:15am to Bella flashing two one-dollar bills in my face – a gift from the tooth fairy. Mindy sent her back to bed. Too cute! I took my time after resigning myself to being late. I earned it. I worked hard all weekend long – dangit! I slowly progressed through my entire routine all the while fighting father-time. Around 7:15am I sent my boss an instant message letting him know that I’d be about an hour or so late. I took off for my run around 7:30am. It was sunny and cool – about 59 degrees. I wore a sleeveless wicking shirt to help counter the slight chill. But honestly the cooler temp felt just fine. I made it back home by 8:08am, about the time I would typically be departing for work. I prepped breakfast and packed a lunch comprised of fruits and veggies – really healthy stuff! I was off to the shower by 8:30am. And while I placed coffee at Mindy’s bed side, she didn’t budge. She was slightly coherent after my shower and just before I left the house, but she remained in bed when I left for work. The work day was busy, especially with my early-AM peer again being off and all the fallout remaining from the weekend. I did my level best. I had a good conversation with my boss regarding the weekend’s activity. He understood that I was really busy. I took lunch around 1pm and drove to the Dublin Wal-Mart just to walk around and blow off some steam. Just before heading inside the store Mindy phoned. She reminded me that the kids were spending the entire day with neighbor Becky. Apparently she agreed to keep all the ‘local’ kids today. See what too many beers can do to your thinking? J Mindy and I continued talking for about ten minutes, mostly about her mom’s most recent verbal assault and how we might tactfully respond. We both agreed that by not saying anything was almost like saying it’s OK to speak to us in such a manner. In prior conversations, I talked about addressing it with her, but we ultimately agreed that Mindy would handle it, at least for now. We ended our conversation and I headed in Wal-Mart. I thought that I might pick-up a replacement anchor for the one I lost while camping, but they didn’t have any. I spent an entire hour looking at stuff but bought nothing. I headed back to work feeling good after walking around for an hour. The afternoon went really well. All the fallout from the weekend was now history and things were finally settling down. I was able to get away around 5:30pm. I drove the BM’er by the way, so the drive home was fun! Mindy was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was grilling burgers and corn. Because everything needed to come off the grill in a hurry, I walked Ykraps on my own. During dinner one of the kids mentioned that their momma had talked with Gloria this afternoon. Mindy nodded and said we’d talk about it later. The burger and corn-on-the- cob were both delicious. The corn was by far the best of the season. This was the stuff we got from the O’Connell’s. Jacob had two ears. The kids were anxious to dash out and play with friends. Mindy and I did kitchen clean-up. I headed outside to water the back flower pots and hanging baskets while Mindy begged off to Targhetto to see if they had any of those small fridges we saw in their Sunday add. I was done watering and back inside by 8pm. I went to the PC to update my blog. Mindy must’ve joined me in the livingroom once she returned home. She filled me in on the conversation she had earlier in the day with her mother. I won’t go into the details but will say that our position has been clearly communicated. From my perspective, this was clearly a case where Gloria’s circle of concern is far greater than her circle of influence (another applicable Covey principle). One can never find happiness living their life in such a manner. However, I also know that what she ultimately wants is only what’s best for her grandkids and kids. Heck, I do too. On a lighter note, I added a really great picture of Olivia rolling around on our lawn to our blog. I also added a video clip of Chrissy’s dance fest along with a picture of Mindy, Ryan, and Becky singing karaoke. Nice! The kids came in around 915pm after a long day of playing. Mindy saw to it that they got their showers. We tucked them in around 9:40pm. We weren’t up much longer. We talked briefly from the sofa. Mindy was still a little anxious over the conversation she had earlier with her mom. We talked until 10pm or so then headed to bed.

then I guess the fudge wasn't for me after all

I knew when I woke around 8:00am that I wasn’t going to be getting out of bed anytime soon. And it wasn’t that I felt bad, because I was wise enough to choke down three Advil just before bed. Instead, I simply needed/wanted more sleep. I didn’t wake again until 10:15am. Mindy, I noticed, was already up and out of bed. Rare for that to happen. I muddled through brushing my teeth and eventually made my way downstairs. Mindy and the kids, Olivia included, were all up and eating breakfast. Mindy already had a mug of coffee ready for me. Yummy! I logged into work and sipped my coffee. Work unfortunately, was already hopping. I had no choice but to get involved right out of the shoot. After about an hour I pushed away from the kitchen table and readied for a run. At about the same time Bella wildly announced that her front tooth finally fell out. I tried flinging it out the night before but all that did was make it bleed. She wasn’t happy then, but was really happy now. In fact, she was elated to finally have lost that front tooth.That’s almost like cold hard cash! Come noon, Jimaken arrived to pick-up the kids for a special event at the Easton Lego store. They expected to be gone for about two hours. Out the door for my run, I noticed no activity at any of the neighbors’ houses. I wondered if they were already up and away, or still sleeping off last night. :) I ran four miles and stayed in the subdivision. It was very pretty – sunny & warm. I wasn’t back home long before Olivia asked if we could go swing. Mindy left for the grocery store at about the same time. It was just Olivia and I, along with work of course. :( Olivia asked if we could play hide-n-seek just like we did on Saturday afternoon. I agreed. She’s a hoot. She also loves to spin around really fast in the computer chair. We were doing just that when Mindy returned with groceries. After carrying in the groceries Courtney arrived. She wanted me to look at her brakes. I not only looked but also drove it. They were fine. Not sure what she heard or was feeling. I took a shower and then a brief nap after she left. I slept until 4:00pm. The kids were back by then, too. It was time to depart for Sunday dinner. We must’ve left the house sometime around 4:30pm. Relief! We weren’t the last to arrive, which is always good. Don’t want to get on Gloria’s bad side. Everyone was out back under the patio awning. Olivia got busy playing right away. There was nothing shy about her. I like that about her. She likes everyone. She played with Bella and also with our two youngest nieces. Dinner was served sometime between 5:30 – 6:00pm. We had taco salad with lots of choices for toppings. It was really good. I had two helpings. Just as dinner was winding down, Gloria asked the kids if they have played with their new slip n’slide. They told her that they hadn’t, and that I don’t want it up because it will kill the grass. All true. Needless to say, Gloria somewhat harshly expressed indirect disdain for my preference in lawn care. :) I didn’t rebut figuring her entitled to her own opinion, as well as her right to share it. I acted almost as if I hadn’t heard her curt remark. After dinner about half of us retired to the living room while the others retired to the back patio. I used the time to browse some of the Sunday Dispatch adds, something I never would do otherwise. And proof to their value, Mindy & I found a good deal on a mini-fridge for the garage – one to keep a healthy supply of pop and beer in. Dessert was served around 7:00pm. The feature was peanut butter fudge, a family favorite, and a treat often used to reward and recognize family achievements. She announced many. I happen not to like peanut-butter fudge but don’t make a big deal about it. Gloria made a cheesecake for those of us that don’t care for it. Actually, brother-in-law Larry is allergic to peanuts, or so I believe. I had two pieces of cheesecake. Shame – shame! Time was ticking away. We needed to get Olivia home, and we also talked about stopping by to see Rocky & Landon briefly on the way. We loaded our gear around 7:30pm. Just as I usually do, I hugged, kissed, and thanked Gloria for a lovely dinner. And don’t you know, I didn’t get ten feet from her before she professed her undying love back at me, albeit in the most peculiar way.

She brought up the slip n’ slide thing again except this time got pretty loud about it, too. She went as far as saying that I was creating ‘bad memories’ for the kids and that there’s nothing for them to do in our yard. She even poked at how foolish it is that I covet my lush lawn, but not in those exact words. In fact, I don’t recall her exact words as I did my best to tune her out. I let her vent. What else could I do? But I’ll admit, it was hard not to take her rant personal, especially when she turned her anger into negative comments about me directly in front of the kids, not to mention the rest of the family. Even still, I did my level best not to respond or show any emotion. Sometimes the best response is none! Believe me, inside I was extremely disappointed on so many levels. You can just imagine what was going through my mind. None of it good or wholesome. I uttered just a few disapproving words of discomfort to Mindy about it as we made our way down the drive and then on to see Rocky & Landon. For the time being and at Mindy’s prompting I suppressed my anger. Lindsey & the boys were outside playing at one of their neighbors as we pulled up. Both boys came running. That did my heart good. They were very excited to see us. Rocky was a little bit wild running and jumping on all of us. He got a ball to toss with Jacob. When it went in the street he darted out with reckless abandon. Mindy curtly grabbed him and scolded him for not listening. He wanted nothing to do with her rules or discipline. She didn’t care what he wanted and continued until he listened. The very same ball eventually found its way into the storm sewer. Bye-bye ball! We didn’t stay long. We still had to run Olivia home. In fact, Ashley phoned while we were there. We loaded up and left after a 15 minute visit. Landon wanted to go with us, but can you blame him? He likes structure. He’s his grandpa’s boy! We arrived at Ashley about ten minutes later. Ashley and Steven were sitting out front waiting. Both came around back to greet us. Olivia was very excited to see her mommy. They mentioned needing to make a trip to Wal-Mart to get their car tire fixed. They were driving his mother’s SUV. We departed for home. We arrived home and immediately walked Ykraps. Not long after returning, we headed over to the neighbors, Kenny & Chrissy’s just to see how they were feeling. They were lounging quietly on the sofa. We laughed about the night before’s party, and Kenny shared a video clip he took of me dancing with all the girls. Afterwards, we watched the Gene Simmons show (Kiss fame) He’s quite funny. We headed home after 9pm. After tucking in the kids, Mindy & I sat on the sofa talking about the day’s events. We discussed in brief the whole episode from her mother’s and the possible catalyst for such an outburst. There’s obviously more to it than a $5 slip n’ slide. We both had our ideas, which were fairly similar. How to respond/deal with it was the question now. Meanwhile, it was very quiet after the kids were in bed. Bella had her recently lost tooth neatly tucked under her pillow anticipating tooth fairy booty. We headed to bed around 10:30pm. I tossed and turned for about 20-30 minutes before getting back up and heading downstairs. I got involved with a problem at work needing some attention. I popped some popcorn and spent the next hour or so dealing with that. Mindy came down around midnight just to check on me. I was OK. She headed back to bed. I rejoined her in bed around 1am.

Where's Dick Clark?

I was up for good at 7:30am but not before waking an hour earlier to choke down three Advil. I felt better by 7:30am. I did my exercise routine, made coffee, and walked Ykraps. It was sunny and mild – about 62 degrees. Afterwards I logged onto my work laptop. I sipped coffee while reviewing several work related matters. Around 9:00am I went to check on Olivia. She was lying quietly with her eyes open in our guest bed. She smiled ear to ear when I walked in. I carried her into our bedroom where she laid with Mindy and Bella watching TV for a short while. I went back downstairs and did some work. Looked like a busy day work-wise. I headed out for a run around 9:30am. There must’ve been three or four dozen garage sales going on. Most of the homes in the back of the subdivision had no customers. I quipped that the crowds were coming, but for now they were all gathered at the homes closer to the entrance. Most were selling what I would categorize as junk. I also believe I spotted Gold-Grill, the neighbor hood con. Looks like he’s staying at Trixie’s house. Trixie is the dog that befriended Jacob and Bella almost two years ago. The owner was furious with me for letting it wander off from our yard. After returning home and checking on work I took Olivia outside to swing just as I had promised her I would. She loves swinging. We must’ve hung out outside for nearly an hour. During that time we swung and fed the ducks. Mindy begged off for her yoga class around 11am. She expected to be gone until 1:30pm, or possibly even later. Jacob and Bella ran off to play with Jake and Makayla leaving Olivia and I at home by ourselves. I recommended that the kids come home for lunch around noon. They never did. I divided my attention between work and Olivia all afternoon long. Mindy stopped at Gentiles and Giant Eagle in Grandview after yoga class. She found me some Spanish Peaks, Black Dog Honey Raspberry Ale – one of my all time favorite bottled beers. Cool! She was back home around 2pm best guess. Once she was settled and I had work under control, I headed outside to cut the lawn for the third time in eight days. It was thick, lush, and long. I lowered the blade another half inch this time even while knowing it would be tough sledding. It’s just growing so fast. It took me while to get the lawn whipped into shape. I whacked, edged, cut and blew. And for the first time this year, I sprayed the lawn weeds with Weed-B-Gone. I went through 2.5 gallons. It was 5pm when I returned to the house completed. Back to work. We were having a rough go of it. I was admittedly a little frustrated. Finally, I broke away for a much needed shower. I felt good afterwards. Work pretty much consumed my entire evening. Mindy ended up grilling the chicken, filling the role that I had agreed to earlier. I stayed busy through dinner and beyond, although I did take the time to eat with the family. The barbequed chicken was delicious. Earlier, Mindy walked Ykraps after seeing how busy I was. Hey, every little bit helps. She and the kids headed out to play while I continued interacting remotely with my team. I could see out the door that they were all playing kickball. Around 8:30pm I headed out to play some with them. Olivia even got in on the action. Too cute! At one point, I carried her around the bases. At the same time that we played kickball, Kenny & Chrissy’s karaoke party got going. It was supposed to be adults-only so we didn’t intrude since this was our kid weekend. We could’ve gotten a sitter but I asked that we not. Mindy, however, stopped over more than once with Olivia In tow to say hello to the gathering. They were all out back playing cornhole. Meanwhile, a couple early teen boys, Nick and Anthony, stopped by and joined our kickball game about the same time that everyone else quit. It was those two against Jacob and I. We had fun. We like Nick & Anthony. They’re good kids. Besides, it’s wise to stay on the good side of the teenage boys in the hood. We called it quits just before dark. I worked up quite a sweat. It wasn’t terribly hot, but it was humid. In fact, it even sprinkled a smidge. It didn’t last long, however. Mindy leaked off to Chrissy & Kenny’s party with Olivia again. Earlier, I told her that she could go and that I would watch the kids. Back at home I changed out of my sweaty t-shirt and freshened up a bit. I spent about another hour or so working up until 10pm. I then made myself a drink and headed down to the neighbors, too. Mindy and several other woman were busy doing the karaoke thing. It was entertaining. Even though it was supposed to be a kidless party, Olivia was a hit with almost everyone. She’s just so joyful and sweet. She spent a lot of time with Julie, Chrissy’s bff. Mindy and the kids headed home sometime between 11pm & midnight. I stayed after getting an approving nod from Mindy. Good. I really needed to unwind. The karaoke party eventually morphed into a dance party in the kitchen. And nearly everyone got in on the action, even me. All the neighbors were over. It was a really good time. Most had quite a buzz going as the wee hours approached. I peeled off at 2am even though the party was seemingly still going strong. I’d had enough and really needed some sleep. After checking in with work I headed to bed. Good night!