Lobster Loose - Run for your lives 2.0

Celebrating Jacob @ 14

I was up around 6am to some really cold temps. Only 22 degrees at least according to the Weather Channel. The skies were clear though which meant the sun would warm things up a bit once it made its ascent. For the time being, however, it was simply going to feel more like winter. Mindy was actually up just ahead of me to preheat the oven and start cinnamon rolls for Jacob’s birthday.

Took care of exercises and then delivered Mindy’s coffee. I put Jacob’s cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven, too. After enjoying coffee and internet, I pulled the cinnamon rolls out of the oven about 10 minutes later. Mindy was surprised to come down and find them done. I wasn’t sure how we would’ve pulled off the early AM b-day celebration otherwise. Mindy even woke Bella for the occasion, insisting she come down and sing the birthday song before Jacob needed to leave for school. We sang and took photos shortly before Jacob left for school.

Shortly before it was time for Jacob to head out, I warned him that it was really cold. He, after all, was dressed in shorts. He said he already knew. He headed out in the cold shortly before 7am. Mindy opted to leave for school earlier than usual too. Think she left by 715am. I planned to run as soon as Bella was off to school. Ahead of that I walked the pug, stretched and meditated.

It was 745am when Bella came running down the stairs giving me all sorts of attitude for not waking her again. Huh? Apparently after celebrating Jacob Bella headed back upstairs for more sleep. She had 14 minutes to finish her ready, which was more than enough. I didn’t appreciate the disrespectful tone, though. Bella finished her ready with a couple minutes to spare and I gave her hug before she headed out the door to catch the bus.

Shortly after the bus pulled away, I was out the door for my run. Ran the full 4.1 miles in the cold, wearing full winter garb, including hand and ear covers. And based on the 10 day forecast, perhaps for the last time this season. No more sub-freezing temps on the immediate horizon.

Whipped up ham & eggs for the pug and I once back at home. Ate, showered, and prepared for work over the next hour or so. A few of us had lunch plans with the customer. As such, I only packed a few snacks just in case the plans fell through. It’s happened before. I headed across town around 945am arriving about 25 minutes later. By then, the brilliant sunshine made it feel a whole lot warmer.

As mentioned earlier, me, my boss, and a peer had a lunch plans with the customer. However, sometimes the best laid plan goes awry. And it turned out, Wednesday’s lunch plans fell into that category. Just 30 minutes before all of us were scheduled to meet the plans fell apart. Long story short, my boss and peer opted to meet for lunch anyway. We changed the venue from Bar Louie’s to On the Border. Still fairly early – only 1130am – we were well in front of the lunch crowds. There might’ve been one other table occupied when we first arrived.

Before we ordered entrees we enjoyed a few baskets of freshly made nachos with salsa. And On the Border’s might be the best in town, certainly better than El Vaq and Chipotle. And truth be told, I would’ve been fine with just chips & salsa. I am sure our server wouldn’t have been pleased. We all ordered entrees, me the green chili carnitas tacos. They were really good, too. Lunch was great. We used the hour to discuss our strategy moving forward. Dropped my boss back at his car nearby then headed back to the office where I finished out my work day.

It was Jacob’s 16th birthday, and to celebrate, we had dinner plans at the Sawmill Rd Red Lobster. However, it was a Jimaken night, too, so he still picked the kids up around 430-5pm. He, Molly and the kids planned to meet Mindy and I there at 7pm. Mindy and I left the house around 615pm. Didn’t take more than about 20 minutes to swing around 270 and arrive at the new Red Lobster. Not that big of a crowd at all. Still, when we asked for a table for six, they told us we’d have a 5-10 minute wait. Huh? The place was next to empty! It must just be standard protocol so that they can line-up resources – a server. Soon we were seated in an enormous booth, bib enough to seat 10 if necessary. At the time it was just Mindy & I. Seemed a bit over kill.

While waiting on the others, we went ahead and ordered drinks, me raspberry lemonade and Mindy only water. Jimaken and the kids showed up about 10 minutes after us. I went to the lobby to announce our table. Molly still was present. Until then, I assumed she was arriving with them. That wasn’t the case. She apparently had an after work event that she needed to attend. We waited for her arrival, but did order some appetizers shortly after she called to share that she was near. We ordered her a Diet Coke too.

Molly showed up around 715pm apologizing for being late. No worries. Mindy shared that we had all night. Uh, sort of. About then our appetizers arrived, muscles and deep fried green beans and dipping sauce. Both were quite good. We also went through three or four baskets of their yummy rolls, which are always a big hit with Jacob, who loves Red Lobster.

Bella ordered crab from the kids menu, and Molly ordered muscles as an entrée. The rest of us ordered a version of the seafood feast, which came with a lobster tail, scampi, and fried shrimp. Others did a replacement here or there. All the entrees came with salad and rice. My dinner plate looked far from the menu picture but it was still pretty good.

Mindy told our server, who was very attentive, that it was Jacob’s birthday. He rounded up some of the crew and came over and sang happy birthday. Jacob declined dessert for being too full. We split the check 4/2. And while the kids arrived with their dad, they rode home with us. There was a Canada goose nesting in the Red Lobster parking lot right next to the Accord. Could see that it was sitting on a bed of eggs. I was prepared to defend myself as I got into the car. It didn’t make any aggressive moves. Good thing!

Arrived home near 9pm. Jacob complained of an upset stomach. Mindy gave him some Tums. I headed to bed before 930pm with a full stomach.

Ken & Stella, Columbus Ale House

A dusting of snow on the ground when I woke near 6am, but by the time I completed calisthenics and delivered Mindy’s coffee it was snowing again and this time a lot harder. In fact, it looked more like a full-on winter storm outside. Jacob, I am sure, wasn’t too thrilled with the sudden burst of winter weather, but he still wore shorts.

I planned to work from home until 10am or so and then head across town to a customer location where I would finish my day. A judging by the radar, the snow would be out of the area within the hour. Mindy & Bella were off to school as normal, and shortly after Bella left, I headed out for a run. By then there was between 1-2” of fresh snow. It was gorgeous and plenty fluffy. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees and it melted quickly on the walks and roads. As a consequence, and aside from bundling warmly, it had little if any impact on my 4.1 mile run.

Enjoyed ham and eggs for breakfast then headed up for a shower. Left the house for New Albany near 945am. Cold walk from the depths of the parking lot, still hovering near freezing. Supposed to get even colder Tuesday night with a low around 23 degrees. Too bad for all the flowering trees and shrubs that started to bloom over the past weekend. Good chance their flowers wouldn’t survive should the forecasted lows come to fruition.

Stayed busy with another customer call and more reporting until our standing 1pm Tuesday meeting. And just as it usually does, the meeting went till almost 2pm. I had a lot on my daily to-do list, and certainly enough to keep me busy until 415pm and our weekly team call. Wrapped the call up at 445pm and soon packed up for home.

I talked with Mindy on the drive home. We planned on going to visit Ken at Dodd Hall. To accommodate, Jimaken agreed to take the kids for a couple hours. Soccer practice was canceled. No surprise there. I got home by 520pm and after freshening up, Mindy and I headed off to Dodd Hall at OSU to see Ken.

We cut across 5th avenue through Grandview arriving near 6pm. We parked in the adjoining parking lot so we didn’t have to walk in the cold spring air. By the way, by then the sun was out and almost all the morning’s snow had melted away. Just a few scattered remnants.

There was a nurse in with Ken and I think he’d just gotten out of the shower. After a couple minutes Mindy and I were allowed in to visit. We thought we heard Lori in there but it was just the nurse and Ken. She left us alone to visit. Ken looked far better than the week prior but his mood much darker. The original plan had him going home the previous Sunday for a short visit but that was before complications with his right knee where they discovered a blood clot and had to do surgical procedure to prevent any possibility of it causing another stroke. As a result, he was still heavily drugged for pain during our visit.

Ken told Mindy and I that he wished Lori hadn’t found and save him. I hated hearing him say that but understand his frustration. He wants his old life back. He told us that the plan is still for him to go home on Thursday and then go to daily physical therapy in Grove City close to home. However, given that he was noticeably drugged, I wasn’t ready to take that as fact.

Ken looked really tired, and even admitted as much when asked. In turn, Mindy and I said our goodbyes then left Dodd Hall around 655pm. Once on the road, I suggested a quick stop at the new Miller’s Columbus Ale House for one beer. It’s located at the corner of Olentangy and Third Ave where an old, ornate bank once sat. I think it’s been opened for about 6 months now. Mindy agreed.

Fairly good crowd on hand. We opted for two stools at the end of the large U-shaped bar. Quite a large beer selection and lots from Ohio. We both settled on a CBC Bodhi and then decided to share an order or potstickers. Spotted former CBC server, Stella. We hadn’t seen Stella for a really long time, and maybe since she left CBC. She gave Mindy and I both a hug and shared a little about what’s been going on in her world. Still looking for love. Her daughter Olivia is about to turn 5. Wow! Hard to imagine.

We stuck to our plan, having just the one beer then heading for home. Shortly before we left, the manager stopped over to say hello. Seemed very friendly. We took the opportunity to brag about Stella. HE concurred. Said she works circles around the others. Both kids sent texts asking Mindy to pick-up Chipotle on the way home. Not his time, Mindy countered. We had too many leftovers in the fridge.

Arrived home around 810pm. By then the sun was setting with a mix of thin and thick clouds on the horizon making for one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen in recent memory. I wanted a pic but our views were tainted by buildings. We weren’t home too long before I slipped off to bed where I watched some TV before falling asleep. Just vaguely remember Mindy coming to bed. No idea the time.

Shapened Blades in-hand Gratis

Up near 6am. Still nice and warm – 70 degrees - though calling for dropping temps, light rain, and then cold and a couple inches of snow by Tuesday AM. Ran 4.1 miles.

Jacoby, Mindy, Bella off to school between 7 & 8am. As for me, I was off to the shower by 810am and then off to work by 840am. Took lunch and headed to JD Equipment to pick-up my mower blades. Same guy that I handed them off to the Friday prior. He was again apologetic for not being able to do them while I waited Friday. No worries. He handed me the sharpened blades and wished me happy Easter. No charge! Said to bring my mower in when it needs service. Sure! Thanks.

Stopped at Home Depot on my way back to the office. Considered buying basement can lights but wanted to be 100% certain on the specs I wanted/needed. To determine that I needed to do a little more internet research to remind myself of the benefits and use of air-tight versus not. Back to work.

Finished out the work day around 440pm and then headed for home. Mindy was grilling brats, dogs and smoked sausage. Invited my dad for dinner again, too. I got home near 5pm. I was already on my PC when dad arrived. Dinner was ready by 530pm.

Both kids were acting up at the dinner table. Mindy threatened bodily harm to Jacob. I soon followed by advising Bella that she’d be spending the rest of the evening in her room if she scowled at me again. It’s something she’s started doing over the past month or so when she’s not happy with something I ask her to do. Dinner was good. I had a turkey brat and corn on the cob.

Dad provided a more detailed update on Uncle Kenny’s status. Unless mistaken, I think they placed two or three more stints. Dad also shared more about his dermatologist appointments. Recently had a number of precancerous growths removed from his arm and face. We talked about the looing snow storm, dad confirming that we’re expecting up to a couple inches by morning. So much for the 70s and sunshine. However, the cold isn’t expected to stick around. Nice again by Thursday.

Dad headed home around 7-730pm. The rest of the evening not too eventful. Off to bed early – 915pm, and by then it was raining and fairly hard

Stihling Hedges

I was up and out of bed by 745am. From bed, I could already see blue skies, and it was supposed to be nice and warm near 80. I made coffee then enjoyed a little quiet time at my PC. I’m thinking that it was near 9am when I set out on a run. It was warm, about 67 degrees. I ran the usual 3 mile weekend route. As I rounded the last bend, I could see Mindy sitting on the deck drinking in the sunshine and presumably sipping coffee. As soon as I was back at home I topped off my coffee and joined her.

Lovely morning! We hung out back for the next hour or so, including me coaxing the pug to join me for a romp around the yard. We loosely discussed the day’s agenda, which for Mindy would include a trip to the grocery store. I wanted to take care of a few more yard chores like chopping back more honey suckle and then using my new gas powered hedge trimmers. I asked for Mindy’s help raking out the area by the stream where we’d already cut the honeysuckle back. She agreed. Bella, by the way, remained sleeping until almost noon. Jacob was still in Cincy at his soccer tournament.

Mindy guessed that we’d be getting a call from the boys wanting to come over. Completely skipping breakfast, we started our yard work around 1030am. While Mindy raked, I chopped back the enormous honeysuckle bush still somewhat blocking the treehouse with the chain saw. I didn’t take off much more in height, but instead, cut back the long draping branches, some as long as 10’. As usual, looked like a whole lot more on the ground than on the bush.

I spent about 15 minutes sawing and another hour chopping and stacking all the cuttings onto the compost pile. Took some doing. I headed up to check on Mindy when I finished. By then she had a tarp full of debris she raked from along the stream. And wow, did it look better! While she finished, I put my new hedge trimmers to work, not only going over what I had cut with the electric trimmers the week before but then all the burning bushes east and west and then the thorny barberry bushes out front. By the time I wrapped up with the hedge trimmers my stomach was growling for some food. Feeling weak, we both headed in for some food, and opted for mostly unhealthy fare: leftover pizza and sub. By then Bella was finally up and downstairs. Bella gave us a little crap for not going to CBC for brunch, which is something we talked about doing as recent as Saturday evening. During lunch, the boys called asking if they could come over just as we predicted they would. We agreed but asked that they give us an hour or so to finish out yard chores. After stuffing myself with leftovers, we headed back out to finish what we started. We enlisted Bella’s help, too. I gave her my better garden gloves and took a beater pair for myself.

We drug the tarp full of rakings to the compost pile and dumped it all. Tough work!! I then took the empty tarp around the yard picking up the new hedge trimmer trimmings. Bella’s help was somewhat aloof. She actually spent more time playing in the pond, though Mindy had her fishing some trash out, too. She and Mindy headed in while I finished up outside and put my tools away. The boys showed up while I was putting the finishing touches on the yard work. Landon gleefully helped me carry the last of the debris to the compost pile and then helped put away the lawn tools. He asked for a tractor ride but I had to decline for having the blades removed. Next time!

Mindy and Bella soon departed for Justice and the grocery leaving me at home alone with the boys. They asked if they could shoot the BB gun. Yes, but only with my supervision. They both followed my instructions carefully, and Rocky was a one heck of a shot, hitting almost every target he aimed at. Landon, on the other hand, struggled. His arms just aren’t long enough to reach the trigger with the butt of the rifle in the crotch of his arm and shoulder. As a consequence, his aim was always at least 20 degrees too high. Funny! I let them shoot for about 30 minutes until they bored of it.

In the garage, they asked if they could ride scooters. Sure. And while they did that, I fired up my blower and blew the leaves out of the garage as well as from the front flower beds. The boys soon bolted for Evan’s house after seeing him arrive home with Mike. By then I was tired and dirty. I headed in for a much deserved shower. Ahh, felt terrific. Downstairs and alone, I tuned the TV to The Masters on CBS. Prior to that, I hadn’t seen even on shot of the tournament. I was quickly fixated on the tournament, watching a young 20 year old open up a 3 shot lead but only to squander it over a span of about 20 minutes. Too bad. I got a little nappy and allowed myself to slip blissfully off to sleep, but only for a few minutes.

I woke when I heard my phone. It was Mindy requesting that I be ready to help carry in groceries. Maybe 20-30 minutes before Mindy got home, Jimaken dropped off Jacob. I didn’t even see Jacob. He went right to his room and to bed. Jimaken poked his head in the family room to say hello.

Jacob got up to help his mother and I carry in groceries. Just before she got home, I heard another tap at the front door, only to find Lindsey getting back into her car. She must’ve found the boys at the O’Connell’s, where they’d been playing for the last hour or so. Even though Mindy picked up some meat for grilling, Jacob asked if we could do dinner at Barley’s instead. I was indifferent and my hunger still satiated from eating all the leftovers earlier.

Mindy asked me again 30 minutes later. I soon agreed to dinner at Barley’s. More than anything, a beer or two sounded really good. We left for Barley’s around 615pm. Not much of a crowd at all. We opted for one of the two community tables. Justin was working and traded with Steve to be our server. Justin isn’t long for Barley’s. After 7 years, he’s finally moving on in about 45 days. Moving back home to the Pittsburgh area and going back to school. We’ll miss him.

I enjoyed a guest stout for my first beer while Mindy opted for a flight of five. Sunday is $.60 wing day at Barley’s. I ordered 10 K.C. and 10 Texas. Jacob & Bella went with their usuals: chicken tenders and smothered fries respectively. Mindy ordered muscles. For my second beer, I ordered a Centennial. Yum! Quite good. I couldn’t eat but about 8 or 9 wings. Asked for a take home box. Justin shared that the owner frowns on customers asking for take-home boxes on wing day since the price is supposed to be for dine-in only. We simply laughed it off. If Lenny wants to play that way then we’ll start buying those damn 50% off cards, which to date I’ve refrained from since I recognize their purpose is really to attract new business. Mindy covered the check.

We headed for home near 745pm. Spent a little time online and then watching TV. We headed to bed early where we continued watching the Cosmos. For the first time all year, it was a tad too warm in our room despite having the window opened and the ceiling fan going. Despite the discomfort, I fell asleep but not for long. I woke within an hour and despite feeling tired I was also wired. Couldn’t sleep. I got up and headed back downstairs to watch more TV. Once I started to dose off I headed back to bed. Back in bed, once again I couldn’t sleep. Ugh! Not one to enjoy tossing and turning from bed, I promptly headed back downstairs for round two. I played around online for maybe 45 min. It was 1130pm when I headed back to bed for try number 3. This time I fell asleep for good.

Bevo from Rio

I wanted to be up no later than 7am to ensure I had enough time to enjoy coffee, internet, a run, a shower, and breakfast all before 9am, because that’s when we wanted to leave the house for Bella’s gym meeting in lovely Rio Grande, Ohio.

To that end, I was up and downstairs by 645am. I started some coffee then glanced outdoors. As forecasted, the skies were mostly clear. Checked the temperature, too. It was a cool 45 degrees, but it was expected to warm nicely into the mid 70s by late afternoon. Unfortunately, due to the gym meet, we wouldn’t get to enjoy much if any of the nice weather. I enjoyed coffee and internet until about 730am when I headed upstairs to wake Mindy.

And then after a quick meditation and stretch, I headed off for my Saturday run. Fairly easy 3 mile run. Back at home near 810am, I promptly walked the pug. Next, I sipped another cup of coffee then took the broom to the deck to sweep up most of the silly string left behind by Jimaken, Bella, and Jacob. Headed up for a shower around 82am. Mindy was just finishing up and asked if I wanted her to cook me some eggs. Yes, please.

Showered and downstairs again by 835am. It didn’t take long. Eggs were ready, and by then, Mindy was upstairs working on Bella’s hair. Finished breakfast and was pretty much ready to go by 850am. Mindy said she didn’t think we needed to leave until 915am. Hey, OK. While she put the finishing touches on Bella’s hair, I started and loaded the Accord. Squeegeed the windows clear of dew as well. We left the house for Rio Grande at 915am.

Stopped to fill-up the gas tank at Circle K. Lovely drive. Called my mom somewhere close to 945am to see if she wanted to meet for lunch at Dakota’s. Yep, agreed to meet us there near 230pm. Of course the time was dependent on Bella’s gym meet remaining on schedule. I told mom I would call her as the time neared to give her a status update. Mindy called my dad shortly thereafter asking how Uncle Kenny’s heart procedure went. Mindy invited him to meet us at Dakota’s too, but he had plans to hang with brother Bob and family that afternoon.

We made good time down route 23 and east on route 35 E. After 95 miles of driving we arrived at Rio Grande University at 11am sharp. This was our third visit to Rio Grande for a gym meet. Making this one unique was the fact that this was the state meet and qualifier for the nationals. What I remember most about Rio Grande is reading about the legendary Bevo Francis, the NCAA record holder for most points scored in a single game – 113 points. Holds other scoring records, too.

Bella was called for the first of three events (floor) around 1120am. Different from most other meets, far more kids competing at each age/expertise level. I’m guessing that’s because it’s the state event. It was another 30-40 minutes before the actual competitive event started. Lots of warm-ups. This is usually Bella’s most challenging event. This time, however, she did better than ever before.

Her next event was scheduled for 1230pm – trampoline – but they were apparently running behind. I actually took a nap while waiting. And let me tell you, that took some doing, especially while sitting on bleachers! Might’ve slept for 10 minutes. Listened to some tunes via my phone to help pass the time. During Bella’s trampoline event they called her group to the double-mini. Sweet! That meant we’d be getting out of there sooner rather than later. As soon as she finished up on the trampoline she rushed over to the double mini for her four practice passes. And while the competitive event started on time (130pm) it was an hour later by the time we had the results and Bella collected all of her trophies. These events definitely aren’t known for their expedience.

While waiting on her last award, I got a hold of my mom, who had already left her house to meet us at Dakota’s. She didn’t answer her cell phone, but did call me back near 230pm. Let her know that we were at least a half hour behind. The Jackson Wal-Mart is just a block or two from Dakota’s. She offered that she would simply head there for a while. Told her I would call her again once we were 5-10 minutes out.

By the time we left Rio Grande, it was 245-250pm. It was a gorgeous afternoon, 78 and sunny. About 20 miles west on route 35 to Dakota’s. We arrived ahead of mom. Sat outside on a bench awaiting her arrival. It was about 15 minutes before she came barreling down McCarty Ln from Wal-Mart. Was closer to 330pm by the time we were seated at our booth.

Rolls, peanuts and drinks. Mom, Mindy, and I had iced tea. Bella, lemonade. I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy dinner. Initially, I thought I might only have salad, but after the others ordered steak dinners, I could hardly get by with just a salad. Instead, I ordered a burger but opted out of the fries replacing them with a salad. The burger was good. I couldn’t finish all of it. Left a ¼ or so on my plate. Mom took what was left of her dinner home in a to-go box. I’m thinking we were there for about an hour.

On our way home near 430pm. It was still plenty warm, hovering in the mid to upper 70s. By the way, the trees south of Circleville were noticeably further along their spring bloom. Arrived home near 550pm after 199 mile round trip. Shortly after we got home Bella was off to her room and Mindy went horizontal on the family room sofa (rare) while I played on my computer. Must’ve been around 7pm when I declared that I was going to Barley’s. Mindy had no interest. I bagged the idea. Once Mindy was up, I invited her to join me walking the pug. After all, it was a gorgeous spring evening. When we got back Mindy headed down to the neighbors briefly with the pug. She was back about 10 minutes later sharing that Rachel and Josh were down. Now about 8pm, I poured a Jack & Coke. We stayed up and downstairs watching TV until 10pm or so. We then watched a little more TV from our bedroom. I fell asleep around 1130pm.

Sharpen Blades, BM'er Battery, Hedge Trimmers & Lunch @ Piada

I woke eager and rested near 615am. Jacob wasn’t up yet so I knocked on the wall as I passed down the stairs. Downstairs I quickly whipped out calisthenics, including sit-ups, windmills, then push-ups. Happy to have them behind me, I poured myself a cup of coffee then headed to my PC. I didn’t take Mindy coffee since she took the day off school so she could take Bella to a mid-morning doctor’s appointment to have a wart burnt off of her ankle.

Jacob was downstairs near 640am and out the door 10 minutes later. I read a few headlines and checked the weather forecast. At the time it was 56 degrees with very light rain. What little rain that was around wasn’t supposed to stick around. Instead, the skies were expected to brighten throughout the day. Mindy was up around 8-815am. I headed out for a run around 830am. At the same time, Mindy said she was off to the shower.

I skipped wearing my brand new running shoes for the light rain. In so doing, I complained to Mindy that more often than not my first day with new running shoes is hampered by rain. Like most Friday’s anymore, I ran just three miles. Back at the house near 9am, I was a little surprised to find Mindy still milling around in her PJs. I guess she never got around to getting that shower, though she headed for one for real in short order.

Meanwhile, I got busy with work, joining a call at 10am. Next thing I knew, Mindy and Bella were ready to head off for the doctor’s appointment. However, before they left, Mindy gave me a brief rundown of her plans. After taking Bella back to school after her doctor’s appointment she planned on running a few errands. She also planned on picking up her mom and taking her shopping at Kohl’s. I asked if she wanted to meet for lunch. She did, but I don’t recall agreeing on a specific time.

Stayed busy with work until noon. In addition to meeting Mindy for lunch, I planned to have my mower blades sharpened at the annual JD Equipment open house for $2. Once a year they have this event and so the sharpening while you wait. That’s a good deal given that the price is usually $7 per blade and it typically takes a few days. I thought I might buy the Echo gas powered hedge trimmers from them too. In addition, I planned to stop in Advanced Auto Parts and buy a new BM’er battery. The two venues are less than a mile apart.

I stopped at JD Equipment first. I expected there to be crowd but there wasn’t. In fact, I was one of only two or three customers there. One of the employees was outside manning a grill full of meat (brats, burgers, and dogs). Took my blades in and was promptly advised where to take them. In the back, which is the same place I took them last year, I waited for someone to help me. A young woman had me complete a form similar to the one I completed the year before. I made it clear that I was there for the same day $2 sharpening. I immediately got the sense that that might not happen. And it turned out that I was right. A gentleman came in and told me he would call me when they were done. Hmmm? I thought you were going to sharpen them while I wait? Said he wished he could but that they were too backed up.

I didn’t want to make too much of a fuss about it. After all, it wasn’t like I needed them back that instant anyway. He must’ve seen the frustration on my face because as I turned to walk out he shared that he would still get to them that day and would call me when they were ready. OK. Back in the showroom I looked for the Echo hedge trimmers. Even though their website says they carry a full complement of Echo gas powered yard tools, I didn’t see them. Instead, they were prominently displaying Stihl equipment. However, in the center of the showroom they had a small little rack of Echo equipment. When asked, the sales guy told me that they didn’t have the model I was looking for but could likely get one transferred in my early next week. He called two of their other stores: New Albany and Washington Courthouse. W.C. had one. New Albany didn’t. Said he would have it in on Tuesday. In kind, I offered that I would simply pick-up both the trimmer and mower blades on Tuesday.

I headed just down the road to Advance Auto. I opted to leave the old battery in the car this time until I confirmed they still had the right battery as well as the venting kit. Turned out, they had the battery but not the venting kit. Offered to check two other local stores: Hilliard Rome and then West Broad St. West Broad had both the battery and venting kit. He had them hold both for me.

Mindy called just as I was leaving Advance Auto. Agreed to meet for lunch at Piada Italian Street Food in about 30 minutes. On my way to west Hilliard decided to make a quick stop in Hilliard Lawn & Garden to see if they still carried Echo power equipment. They used to. Just like JD Equipment, they had switched over to Stihl, they had the stuff hanging on three of the store walls. Josh, one of the sales associates, asked how he could help. I simply asked if they still carried Echo. Nope! Carrying Stihl instead. I could see that. I, in turn, asked why. Said they got tired of fighting with Echo to back-up their products. He in turn asked if I was dead set on Echo. Not deadest, but very happy with my other Echo products, a chain saw and blower.

After asking what Echo model I was looking for he offered to show me the Stihl equivalent. Stihl has an equally good reputation and quite possibly better, but they also cost more and come with a tighter warranty (2 years versus 5 years). I was going to stick with my original plan and move on, but decided to give Josh a chance and take a closer look at the Stihl. They had a smaller model and a slightly larger model. The smaller was $10 more than the Echo and the larger was $70 more. I was immediately impressed that the larger, despite being more powerful, was actually lighter and definitely more balanced in the hand, which is critical after a few minutes of use. In fact, everything about it seemed a notch better. Skeptical at first, I quickly decided to take the plunge at buy the Stihl. Forgot to mention, simply buying a 6-pack of the Stihl oil extended the manufactures warranty by two more years. I bit on that offer too.

Josh took the time to gather the paperwork, register my product warranty, and then getting it fueled up, started, and quick demo. I very appreciated the service – the difference between buying at a small specialty shop versus big box. I headed to Piada to meet Mindy. On my way, I noticed they put a new Moo Moo car wash in at the north end of Target. For a brief second, I thought about turning around and getting my car washed. Lord knows it needs it. Figured I better head to the restaurant. Mindy wasn’t there yet. I waited maybe five minutes before she pulled up. Neither one of us had tired Piada prior. I was eager to give it a try. Very similar to Chipotle in the set-up, menu selections and process, only with an Italian spin versus Mexican. Mindy ordered a pasta dish. I ordered what was essentially a chicken burrito with an Italian bent. It was really good. Glad we gave it a try. We hung out for maybe 30 minutes. Mindy needed to go after her mom and I needed to go get my battery and then get home and back to work.

Before heading to the New Rome Advance Auto Parts on West Broad St. I headed back to the Moo Moo car wash just down the road a bit. And while the sign advertises a $5 carwash, I opted for the $8 wash which included an under body wash as well as a blow dry. Considering how filthy my car was, they did a decent job. I thought about asking if I could go through a 2nd time but didn’t. I did, however, take advantage of the free vacuuming. Spent about10 minutes vacuuming the interior and trunk.

Traffic was tight near Hilliard-Rome and Trabue. Always is. For my money, one of the worst intersections in town. Took Hilliard-Rome all the way to Broad St. A little seedy, but they were really nice and helpful. Hooked me up with the battery and vent kit. Sold me an anti-corrosion kit, too. Headed home via West Broad to 270 N.

Got home at 215pm. In somewhat of a surprise, Mindy was home. She explained that she stopped home to put the food items she purchased for Jacob’s bday party away. Eric, the Orkin service manager was there too. I’d almost forgotten about the appointment. Mindy left within a couple minutes of my arrival. I talked with Eric about the return of the piss ants. I quickly gathered that he must’ve talked with Mindy since he already knew where she spotted them and where he planned to treat with bait. While Eric did his thing, I got back to work. Thankfully, things were still quiet. Within the next hour, Jacob was home from school. He headed out to play minutes after arriving home. Don’t blame him. It was sunny and nearing 70 degrees.

Around 3pm I headed out to install the new battery in the BM’er. Not only is the battery located in the trunk, which is why venting is necessary, but it rests in a deep recess, too. Not a problem, but getting the clamp around the base of the battery shell is a trick. I was lucky and got it installed first try. However, I had to pull it back out after somewhat boogering up the venting hose coupler. That took some rigging but I got it. As expected, started flawlessly.

Just inside the front door were two packages, one for me, and one for Mindy. I opened the one for me. As expected, it was the trimmer parts I ordered online Monday or Tuesday. No time to fool with them right then. Instead, I put my focus on closing out my work day and week. Bella was home from school around 345pm. Mindy and her mom got home from shopping around 415pm. The plan all along was for Gloria to stay for Jacob’s birthday party. I’m pretty sure that Jodie & Larry agreed to give her a ride home. Mindy, Gloria and I readied the house for the family birthday party. Among other things, I vacuumed and watered plants.

The family began arriving near 6pm, just as Mindy requested. We ordered Sparano’s subs and Minelli’s pizzas. Until all that arrived, we had chips and dip laid out. Jacob’s cake remained in the freezer since it was an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. According to Mindy, it’s to be left in the freezer until 10-15 minutes before use.

Present were all of Mindy’s sibs and their spouses minus Missy and the girls. They apparently had a school event to attend. Julie, Katie, Joe and Lindey were there too, as were Jimaken, Molly and Candy, Jimaken’s mom.

The 10 Sparano’s subs arrived first. Pizzas arrived maybe 10 minutes later. Let the feeding begin. Many enjoyed wine while I enjoyed a couple beers. Cake and gifts took place after everyone got their fill of pizza and subs. After singing the birthday song, I cut the cake. Took some doing since it was still half frozen. As for the gifts, Jacob cleaned up. Lots of gift cards and cash. Of course Mindy and I got him a new pair of Nikes that he picked out when we were in Oregon.

The kids and their dad had a silly string battle on the deck. In all, 4 cans worth. Most were gone by 830pm. Jacob went home with his dad and Molly since they were taking him to his Cincinnati soccer tournament early Saturday AM. If memory serves, they needed to be on the road by 5am. Ugh!!
Near 930pm by the time we had the kitchen/familyroom back in order. We headed to bed fairly early too since we needed to be on the road for Bella’s gym meet in Rio Grande at 9am.

Gettin' New Runners

I was up and out of bed near 6am. Mostly clear and cool – about 43 degrees. Expecting mostly sunny skies and a high near 70. Exercises behind me by 615am, I soon delivered Mindy’s coffee and woke her for work. Downstairs, I enjoyed coffee and internet until 640am when I forced myself away from my PC for meditation and a stretch. Near 710am I headed upstairs again this time to bid Mindy farewell since I knew she’d be gone by the time I got back to the house after a run.

I ran the full 4.1 miles. Back home near 750am, I promptly walked the pug. Still ahead of 8am, I took a couple minutes to pull the BM’er’s battery and stowed in the trunk of the Accord hoping to replace it at lunch. Noticed Kenny at the bus stop with Makayla. Walked down and talked with him. Been a while since he and I were at the bus stop together. We talked plumbing problems since we’ve both been through one or two of late.

Back home for another cup of coffee and eventually a shower. Having forgotten my lunch on Wednesday, I sat it out for that afternoon. Left for the office near 840am arriving just ahead of 9am. Stayed busy all morning working on monthly reports. Left for lunch near 1pm, first heading to the Tuttle mall Finish Line to look at new running shoes. Had my $10-$20-off coupons in my back pocket just in case. Like most shoe shopping trips, I cut through Macy’s Men’s department.

They had an Asics model and color scheme I liked on sale for $69. I tried them on. Not only did they fit well, but they were incredibly comfortable too. The sales associate assisting tried upselling me on full insoles. Once I declined that offer he tried pushing heel cushions. Uh, no thanks! They actually had to color schemes I liked, and for the price, I toyed with buying one of each, but in the end went with just the one pair.

Cut through Macy’s again on my way back to my car. Looked at a couple things but bought nothing. Gone about 40 minutes, I headed to the nearest Advance Auto Parts on Cemetery Rd in front of the Kroger. Carried in my old, depleted Diehard. The counter was busy. I had to wait a few minutes. No worries. Tested my battery while checking availability of a replacement. According to their website, they had two models for the Z3. Test indicated a dead cell. I wasn’t surprised.

Problem with the recommended replacement was that the venting hole on the battery was located on the end, not the center like my old battery. Not wanting to fuss with retrofitting the venting tube, I refused the replacement battery thinking I would try elsewhere, including Sears. Back to the office.

While working through the afternoon, I took a minute to call the Sears Auto Center at Tuttle mall. The fella said they had the right battery and even walked back to make sure it was center vented like my original. Offered that I would stop by sometime that afternoon to pick one up.

Finished my work day near 430pm. Headed back to Tuttle mall and more specifically to Sears Auto Center. Turns out, their offering was vented no differently that the one at Advance. I was peeved because the kids told me he went and looked at it to make sure it was center vented. Oh boy! I wondered if I might have to retrofit the vent tube. I opted to keep looking around. I headed for home.

I was planning to jump on 270 S from Tuttle mall, but the traffic to 270 was backed up all the way to the on-ramp which was a good ½ mile. Heck no! Instead, I opted for the back way down Old Dublin Rd. Nice drive and next to no traffic. Awesome!

Arrived home around 515pm. Bella and Mindy would soon be leaving for gymnastics. Bella had a ham sandwich before they left. I had Mindy leave it out so I could trim what was left of the ham off the bone and consolidate it into a Ziploc. Ended up with a baggie for us and another one for the pug. I unloaded the dishwasher before Mindy got back home too. I am such the good husband. Just ask. 

At my computer, I did a little more battery research. Seems even the replacement batteries at the BMW dealership are vented on the ends. Hmm? I guess I’d simply have to buy the venting tube kit and retrofit the venting tube no matter where I bought the replacement battery.

Mindy worked on sub plans when she got back from taking Bella to gymnastics. It was such a nice evening we walked the pug together. Around 7pm I asked what time she was leaving to get the peanut. I was only joking. I did ask if she wanted to ride along. She did. Jacob, by the way, was at soccer practice.
We left to get Bella earlier than usual and a result, we arrived at the gym near 710pm.

We sat in the mini-bleachers watching her and others practice. I think Bella was happy to find that we both came to get her. Home near 745pm, the sun was still well above the horizon. Still getting used to it being daylight at pick-up time.

At home, Bella was soon off to the shower. Shortly after 8pm I tuned the TV to CBS and a new episode of Big Bang. We watched Big Bang and The Miller’s, both were hilarious. Enjoyed a couple Jack & Cokes while watching TV, too. Hadn’t touched the stuff since Utah. We headed for bed before 10pm.

Cut, Zauber, & Chipotle

I was out of bed near 610am. It was Wednesday, which is a push-up day. Whipped out 50 of those along with 50 sit-ups and 40 windmills. Headed upstairs with coffee shortly thereafter. Mindy asked that I crank up the heat and close the cracked bedroom window. Yes dear.

By the time i was back downstairs it was 630am. And then before i knew it, Jacob was heading out to catch the bus. Once again, I didn't have the motivation to rush myself out the door for an early run. Instead, I decided to wait and run just after 8am, or once Bella was off to school.

Stretched and meditated in the half hour between Mindy leaving and Bella heading out. Walked the pug in there somewhere too. Left for a run near 810am. It was 45 degrees and run time under partly cloudy skies. The forecast for most of the clouds to move out later in the afternoon. Ran the full 4.1 miles and felt pretty good.

Fried a few eggs, two for me, one for Eiknarf. Enjoyed the eggs with toast, strawberries and orange juice. Off to the shower near 920am. Didn't take long to ready. Left for work near 945am. Didn't realize at the time, but I left my packed lunch in the fridge. Because I packed it early, I put it in the fridge in lieu of leaving it out on the counter for more than an hour. 670E traffic wasn't an issue. Rarely is anymore.

Arrived near 10am. And it was during my unpacking that I realized that I forgot my lunch/snack. Speaking of 10am, I already knew that our 10am call was canceled. That allowed me to dig further into my monthly report without interruption. Stayed busy with that until near 1pm when I left for Saturday's and a much needed haircut. I was a walk-in so I wasn't sure if that was going to work. If the wait was too long I was prepared to bag it until another day.

I must be living right. Another stylist showed up for work just about the time I walked in the door. She took me right away. Cool! I hadn't seen her there before but she claimed having worked there for 3+ years. She did a decent job, though I almost said something with how rough she was with the clippers. Pushed too hard against my head. No other issues/complaints. Tipped her fairly well - $5 on an otherwise $18.95 haircut.

Left Saturday's and headed directly across the street to the Home Depot. For the first time all year, they had the garden center entrance opened. It's official, the spring/summer growing season in is the air. There I perused many aisles looking a number of products. And even though their website says they no longer carry Echo gas-powered hedge trimmers in the store (only available online) they one in stock. I found it somewhat awkward and unbalanced (heavy feeling). Still leaning heavily towards buying them but not that day. I did pick-up a few things from my list: charcoal lighter fluid, ear plugs for summer lawn work, mesh metal washer hoses, and specialty peg board brackets.

I was really hungry and without any food or snacks. I can easily go without lunch but even then I usually have almonds and a banana as a mid morning snack. Not this time. I caved and stopped in the local McDs where I peed then bought two regular cheeseburgers. They hit the spot but left me still hungry. Back to work.

Stuck around the office until 430pm. Mindy and I planned on visiting my friend Ken at Dodd Hall OSU hospital after work. We'd be meeting my boss there too. Talked with Mindy twice on the drive home. IN between she was seeing the kids off with Jimaken. Got home near 5pm. Checked mail and email then freshened up. We left for the hospital near 540pm, our plan being to cut through Grandview across 5th Ave. Trabue was backed up at McKinnley headed est. No problem. We took McKinnley to 5th ave. and we planned to go straight through the light but that lane wasn't moving at all. Instead, we opted to turn right on Dublin Rd and go past the post office towards 315. Much to my dismay, no way to enter 315N. Took it to Neil Ave and then north to King. Definitely the long was but at least we kept moving. Arrived just before 6pm. Parked in the adjacent garage. And completely by chance, we ended up right next to my boss's Jeep. My boss sent a text earlier indicating that they'd be in the cafeteria. Well, there wasn't any signage pointing to its location and it certainly wasn't obvious. Not proud, I asked a nurse for help. She pointed out that it was on the 2nd floor just off the elevator. We found them, Ken, Lori and my boss, just outside the elevator sitting at a table, Ken in a wheel chair.

My boss left shortly after Mindy and I sat down. He'd already been there for an hour or so. Ken with in fairly good spirits though he looked really tired. Shared how his physical therapy has been going and also talked about how they've been testing his mind, memory, etc. We visited for about half an hour before Ken's uncle John and aunt Doreen showed up for a visit. Now I'd heard Ken speak of uncle John a time or two past but had never met him. Uncle John is quite the character, from his floppy hat, the toothpick hanging loosely in his mouth, to hilarious stories he told. He had all of us laughing in no time. His best story was of his heart attack, which evidently happened a few years prior. In tongue and cheek fashion, he blamed his wife's Spanish rice and their new hot tub.

In all, we visited for about an hour. Near 7pm Mindy and I bid Ken and family farewell then headed to the parking garage. Instead of stopping at Barley's, I suggested we try Zauber's, the newest Grandview brewpub, located on 5th Ave. near the McDonald's. We had trouble finding parking but then found a sign pointing out that the Goodwill Industries lot next door was available for Zauber customers after hours. Sweet! Still, once inside I asked the bartender if parking there was cool, since there were several signs posted in the lot warning of towing at owner's expense. Yep, we were good. He also pointed out that it wasn't necessarily a kind gesture, that instead, they pay them a fee for the parking lot's use.

Somewhat surprised to learn that they didn't have any of their own beers on tap. They're a start-up and still in the process of having their larger, mass production kettles built and shipped. Until then, they're stuck with small batch brewing which typically doesn't last through the week. He explained that they tap each Thursday and serve it until it's gone. And since it was Wednesday, they were all out. They did have a nice selection of guest drafts on tap. I went with Elevator's Big Vic Wheat IPA while ordered a Seventh Son - Lost Sparrow Black IPA. We were going to do food from the onsite food truck, which is the latest local craze in dining, but Mindy wasn't too keen on the menu options. Further discussing our dining options, we opted for a stop at Chipotle on the way home instead.

More often than not, the Grandview Chipotle is packed, and this day was no exception. With no parking spots available, I dropped Mindy at the door then drive around the block eventually parking along the street, sending her a text, then waiting for her to return. I was within eyeshot of the Chipotle parking lot, and once I saw a spot free, I cruised up and took it. Mindy came out with a bag full of food after a few more minutes.

Arrived home near 830pm. By then it was dark. Just saying. We got something for everyone and sat down at the kitchen table for dinner. The Chipotle chips were delicious. We had two bags of those. My burrito was pretty good too. I ate all but maybe a fourth, wrapping it up in foil and stowing it in the fridge for another day. Off to be bed before 10pm.

Better Weather

Tuesday began much the same as Monday. I was up shortly after 6am and still feeling as though I needed more sleep. That wasn’t to be, however. Instead, it was full speed ahead with calisthenics. Woke Mindy with coffee. Predictably, she asked me to turn up the heat and close the bedroom window. Yes dear.

Downstairs and in no particular hurry, I enjoyed coffee and internet. Got my work laptop fired up too since I was working across town but not expecting to leave the house until 930-10am. In kind, I was able to relax a little, and savor the coffee. The time went by fast. Jacob was off to school just before 7am, Mindy about 30 minutes later, and then Bella after another 30 minutes. In the half hour between Mindy and Bella departing, I meditated, stretched, and walked the pug. Certainly a good use of my time.

Headed out for a run at 805am. Ran the full 4.1 miles. It was in the upper 40s and partly cloudy. Rain was still in the forecast but clearing skies were on their way. Lots of spring birds singing, too. Back at home, I fried three eggs, two for me, one for Eiknarf. Opted for a little honey baked ham, too. I then enjoyed another cup of coffee before rushing off to the shower. Ready to leave for new Albany near 945am. However, just before heading out, I took a couple minutes to find the burnt slice of pizza Mindy pulled from the microwave the night before. I found it in the garage trash can. It was charred to black carbon. I thought it would make for a great joke sometime down the road. I put in a Ziploc baggie and then a brown paper bag for keeping.  Left the house around 950am. It took about 20 minutes to get across town. Traffic was a non-issue.

By the time I arrived the sun was out and it felt like full-on spring, thus I didn’t mind the long walk from the deep depths of the parking lot into the building. I had a little more than 2.5 hours before our standing 1pm meeting. I used the time to work on my monthly report. Our 1pm meeting lasted just under an hour. Like most, it was informative.

Back at my desk, I enjoyed my packed lunch, but then around 3pm decided to head home to finish out the rest of my work day. There I would need to join our weekly staff call at 415pm. Got home around 330pm. Jacob was already home from school enjoying a snack. He soon headed out to play basketball, still a little frustrated that soccer practice was canceled due to (saturated) wet fields. Bella got home around 345pm. And just before the team call, Mindy got home. Said we were on our own for dinner – leftovers.

Wrapped up work near 515pm. By then Bella was enjoying a hot dog before leaving for gymnastics. I wasn’t that hungry but still made a grilled ham & cheese. It was really good. Mindy let me know that she had several stops to make after dropping Bella. Didn’t know if she would be back before I’d need to leave to fetch Bella. With the 90 minutes before I needed to leave, I worked on my blog. Time flies when I write. Seems I looked at the clock at 6pm and the next minute it was 711pm. Yikes! Before bolting after Bella, I changed into sweat pants. Way more comfortable.

Arrived at the gym at 726pm. Got to see Bella take her final practice vault off the double-mini. On our way home Bella asked if we could stop for food. Nope, not tonight. Offered to make her something at home, though. Mindy got home from shopping a little after us. We all helped her carry in the goods. I spent a little more time writing but then slipped off to bed early. It couldn’t have been but about 830pm. I was hoping to watch some Science or History Channel but the programming line-up was terrible. Nothing educational. I ended up watching back-to-back episodes of Modern Family, which always makes me laugh. Great show!

Mindy joined me just after 9pm. I asked if Bella was off to bed or allowed to stay up. Said she left her downstairs until 930pm. Oh boy! A few minutes later Bella popped in our room and up in our bed, but only for a few minutes. I was asleep before 10pm.

Frozen/Burnt

I was up and out of bed just after 6am. And like most mornings since my two winter ski vacations, I woke sleepy and a little stiff. Downstairs I hit the go button on the coffee maker then completed calisthenics. From my lazy, sleepy state, getting to the end of calisthenics seemed like an enormous feat. Somehow I managed, and it’s never as daunting as it may seem at the outset. Once exercises were behind me I felt a little better.

It was 620am when I headed up to our room with Mindy’s morning coffee. She asked me to crank up the heat and close the bedroom window she cracked opened before bed. As for the weather, it was at or near 50 degrees with big rain forecasted all day. At the time, however, it was dry. Checking the radar, it looked like the bulk of the early storms would skirt to our south and east, though more was on the way.

There was some pretty important activity going on with one of my clients overnight. As such, I was engaged in proactive work related matters as early as 635am. All seemed to go well. Despite dragging my rear, I managed to get out for my run near 7am, or shortly after Jacob caught his school bus. I opted to wear a light long-sleeved wicking shirt and jacket. I was comfortable but had to unzip about halfway into my run to cool off a little. Tweener weather. Ran the full 4.1 miles.

Mindy was already off to school by my return, but I expected that. I headed out with the pug around 750am. Shortly after Bella was off to school I headed up for a shower. Didn’t leave the house until almost 850am. Arrived at the office just after 9am. My boss asked if I wanted to go up and visit Ken one day this week. Shared that I would likely go up Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

Stayed busy all day long opting to skip taking a formal lunch break. I originally planned to take lunch and return the bogus weed trimmer head I bought last Thursday, but instead figured I would stop at Home Depot on my way home. Rained hard through most of late morning and early afternoon. Work day went pretty fast. I left for home around 430pm, again planning a stop at Home Depot along the way.

They didn’t ask any questions about the return, but I offered my opinion on the product anyway. I also wrote and published a product review online so to help or prevent someone else from buying the faulty product. Was on my way home by 450pm. Called Mindy. She shared that my dad was joining us for dinner. And speaking of dinner, we were having chicken. Mindy gave me the option of inferno or plain. I opted for either.

After the days heavy rains the stream was fairly high. And for some reason, I was incredibly sleepy after my drive home. Actually, though, I was sleepy all afternoon. I asked Mindy if I had time for a nap before dinner. Yep. I took full advantage, stretching out on the sofa. Took a few minutes to quiet my mind but eventually slipped off to sleep. I woke when Bella came in asking if I wanted to see what the boys found. Jacob & Evan were out playing in the rain. Said they found some goose eggs in the woods. Oh boy.

Dad arrived about that same time. While waiting on dinner I chased a couple of those pesky geese from our yard. All it took was a little persistent clapping. Got ‘em trained. Dinner consisted of tender boneless chicken breast, fresh green beans, macaroni & cheese, potato salad, and garden salad. All very good.

Both kids headed off to play after dinner, Jacob back to Evan’s to shoot hoops, and Bella to Makayla’s where we heard they had a mini plumbing crisis earlier that afternoon caused by an overflowing upstairs toilet. Ugh! Took me about 20 minutes to manage kitchen clean-up. Mindy helped by putting away all the leftovers. Afterwards we enjoyed several option for dessert: brownies, strawberries and chocolate sauce, & finally mini éclairs. I opted for a brownie with some of the chocolate dipping sauce drizzled over top. I nuked it for a few seconds too. Totally yum!
Dad departed for home around 730pm, but not before Mindy extended an invite to join us celebrating Jacob’s birthday Friday evening with pizza and subs. After dad Mindy put in the movie Frozen. She was eager for the two of us to watch it. She and Bella went to see it at the movie theatre in mid-December.

I found it predictable and boring. In fact, so much so that I fell asleep about halfway through. Sure, there were some decent parts. Olaf the snowman comes to mind. He was an interesting character, but even he wasn’t a fresh idea, taken instead for the likes of Frosty. I woke with about the last 5 minutes. Mindy chided me for falling asleep. Hey, the great thing about movies, like all the arts, they’re valued in the eyes of the beholder. What one loves another may despise.

I think it was after the movie when Bella apparently put a slice of the leftover homemade pizza in the microwave set and walked away. We’re still not sure how long she put it in there for, but it was Jacob who called our attention to the thick smoke billowing from the microwave oven vents. Mindy checked its contents. Inside was a charred black slice of pizza. Mindy had Bella open the front and back door as well as a couple windows.

When Mindy quizzed Bella about what she had done she burst into tears making for a very dramatic scene. Later, when I went to console Bella she said, while holding back more tears, that she was afraid that she was putting all of our lives in danger. Said she didn’t know what was wrong with her. Cute! I encouraged her to come join us in bed for a few minutes for some snuggling. That helped big. After 10-15 minutes of snuggling she seemed fine. The house, by the way, stunk like burnt popcorn.

Ride the Kink

Fairly well rested, I got up near 745am. From the masterbath window I noticed immediately how hospitable it looked outside compared to Saturday when the sunshine was hard to come by. Downstairs I started coffee then played on my PC. I was very surprised when Mindy got up somewhere between 830-9am. She had lots of party prep yet to take care. I am sure that helped motivate her out of bed.

Enjoyed coffee and internet until almost 10am before heading out on a run. Ran the usual 3 miles. My legs were still feeling tired which left me drained by run’s end. Ugh! Jacob was up by my return enjoying leftover homemade pizza. Mindy asked if I would vacuum. Yes, but not until I finished fertilizing the lawn.

Took about 20-25 minutes to fertilize the lawn. Afterwards, I carried the Thule to the shed for summer stowage. Locked the shed then turned to head inside. Crap! Forgot to stow the spreader. Reopened the shed so I could stow it.

I headed inside where I vacuumed the downstairs carpets and then prepped the honey baked ham for the party while showered. I pulled about 2/3s of the ham off the bone and placed it on a glass party platter then stowed what was left in the fridge. I took care of a few more odds and ends chores before heading up for a shower of my own.

Mindy asked if I still planned to take Jacob to Aspen Ski & Board to look at new snow boards. We’d talked about heading up before they close for the season, which is Monday, April 7th. Thought we might possibly take advantage of their season ending 40% off sale. Jacob was open to the idea on Friday. However, I hadn’t talked with him about it any further.

The wedding shower wasn’t expected to start until 2pm but Jodie, Lindey, and her bff, Brittany were coming over early to help get things organized. Jodie was first to arrive. I’m pretty sure that was near 1245pm. Lindey and Brittany showed up about 10 minutes later. I finished helping Mindy with a few decorations but then quickly prepared to bolt for the afternoon. At the time Jacob was playing basketball at Evan’s. He wanted to go to Aspen Ski & Board. Earlier, I inquired about Bella joining us too, but Mindy would have none of it. Instead, she insisted that Bella be part of the shower.

I’m thinking it was near 130pm when Jacob and I bolted for ASBCO. We took the long way up Riverside Dr. all the way to 161. Not really sure why, though it’s certainly a much more scenic drive. We then took 161 to Sawmill to 270 to Rt 23 to Polaris Pkwy. Near 2pm when we arrived. Just a couple cars in the lot and a few customer’s inside.

Scott was there, the kid that helped me with my last ski purchase. However, even though he was a big help. I ended up buying another make/model. Still, I enjoyed his knowledge and personality. He was temporarily tied up so I asked that he come find me once he was free. It wasn’t but another minute or two before Scott looked us up over by the snow boards. I took a few minutes to explain our dilemma (Jacob’s board getting stolen on Mt Hood) and then suggested that he might be able to sell us a replacement should the deal be too good to pass up. Scott was eager to help but quickly deferred to a peer since his expertise is skiing rather than boarding. I very much appreciated him doing so rather than faking it and possibly selling us something that wasn’t the best fit for Jacob.

This time I let Jacob handle most of the interaction. The young man asked all sorts of preference type questions to which Jacob answered both quickly and confidently. I was surprised and proud. Sometimes Jacob can become a wallflower in such circumstances. Like me, he seemed to like both Scott and the other young man. And the young man Scott called over really knew his stuff. After assessing Jacob’s preferred style and what not, he hooked Jacob up with a comparable board though the next model up in the Ride snowboard repertoire. Next, the bindings. Jacob insisted on the rear entry easy cinch bindings, similar to what he had on his last board, which is why I think it was an attractive theft target. They didn’t have any of that style on display, and Scott wasn’t confident that they’d have any in the back either. He went to check.

Lo & behold, Scott emerged with some rear entry easy cinch bindings in a bright purple and neon yellow. What’s more, they would go well with the busy color scheme on the board itself, but I was sure Jacob would pooh-pooh them. I joked with Scott that they were too close to Vikings colors. But as soon as Jacob saw them he immediately took to them. Should have seen his eyes brighten up when he held them up against the board.

I asked when they could have the bindings installed since I knew they were closing for the season after Monday. Scott gave me a look and then shared that he could install the bindings right then but would have to defer the tune and wax until reopening for their summer sale. He also offered that we simply take all home in the box and bring them back for the summer sale, the same time we bring in the rest of our gear for tune-ups. Made sense to me. Bottom line, we were getting newer, slightly upgraded gear for pretty much the same price we paid for the last board and bindings, which we bought at the summer sale last August. This time, however, Jacob took a much greater interest in all of it. The week out west did a world of good for his attitude and confidence relative to snowboarding.

We talked at length with the ASBCO staff, who were all psyched about their annual employee spring ski trip at Mt. Bachelor in Bend Oregon, which they’d be leaving for on Thursday. Mt. Bachelor is one of their favorite mountains. Jacob thanked me for the board and bindings as we exited the store. We both agreed that we’ll always put our gear in ski check moving forward.

Next stop lunch. We decided on Panini Opa, a Greek restaurant at Sawmill & Bethel. Jacob hadn’t tried it yet. We both ordered their spicy gyro platter. Been a year or so since I was last in. Honestly, looks to have slipped a little. Still, the spicy gyro was good. Jacob really enjoyed it. Woofed his down in just a few minutes. The wedding shower was set to run until 4pm and it was somewhere near 3pm when we finished lunch. I thought about stopping at Hayden Falls but instead, we stopped at Griggs Dam. Been quite a while since I pulled into that part of the river park. My dad used to take us there when we were little.

Of course the CPD’s river patrol office is right there now too. Not sure, but maybe it’s always been there. As luck would have it, there was some police action going on just as we pulled in. A cruiser was there at the gates of the east dam with its lights going. We never did figure for certain, but later guessed it was the four or five teens walking out on the west damn past the locked gate. Stupid, really. The water was spilling over the dam like crazy from all the recent spring rains. We didn’t stick around long enough to see if the cops headed to the other side to get them off the dam. Around 325pm we headed for home.

Judging by the number of cars out front, the shower looked to be a huge success. We parked in the driveway and then Jacob carried is new gear inside and immediately upstairs. Loud with laughter inside. Mindy took a minute to welcome me home then asked Jacob to show her his board over the upstairs balcony. Lots of oohs and awes. I greeted a few of the guests then grabbed a couple snacks and headed out back where I spotted nieces, Mia and Sophia along with another young kid playing. I think his name was Jake.
I pushed Sophia in the tire swing and then played wiffle ball with the three of them. Hung outside for about 30 minutes. And by the time I headed back inside, at least half the shower guests were gone. However, brother-in-laws, Larry & Todd were there now, too. Talked with Mel of Pat & Mel. Hardly recognized her with longer, curly hair. Looks far younger with that do. Said she’d be seeing us three times in April: the shower, Easter, and then the wedding.

Mindy did a little clean-up from the shower while also making plans to drive over and see Lindey’s new condo in Hardesty Village. Larry loaded all of the wedding shower gifts in the back of his pick-up. I offered to ride along and help unload the haul. The others would follow a bit behind.

We talked weddings on the drive to the condo. Sounds like a maddening experience. Haven’t been in Hardesty Village for perhaps 30 years dating back to my early Time Warner days. And actually, it’s fared far better than most other similar complexes. Larry & Jodie picked up the condo pretty cheap. I guess the deal was a year or so in the making. Pretty much redid most of the interior over the last month or two. For the price, I was very impressed. Hard to go wrong.

The others showed up about 5-10 minutes behind us. There must’ve been another 4 or 5 cars. Jacob didn’t come with Mindy & Bella since his soccer team was having an impromptu practice, which his dad agreed to take him to. The condo is real close to the pool complex, which for some might be a negative. Not me, as long as the noise isn’t ridiculous. We visited at the condo until roughly 6pm.

At home, we made honey baked ham sandwiches and then put the house back in order, including vacuuming the carpet and mopping the tile floor. I spent the duration of the evening playing on my computer and writing in my blog. Rolled the trash can to the curb for Monday’s pick-up too. Headed for bed near 930pm.

BM'er Battery

Sic Balls!

 

Mindy was up early to both transport and then take-in Jacob’s 1st spring soccer game. I’m pretty sure that she was up around 7am. The night before she said she wanted to leave the house around 810am. I remained in bed and asleep but woke a few times during her ready. I could smell freshly brewed coffee but resisted the urge to get up too early. Instead, I luxuriated in bed until almost 815am. Felt good to sleep until I was done.

Downstairs, I poured coffee then headed to my PC. It was cloudy and cool, only 37 degrees. The day’s high was expected to barely reach 50 degrees. Sunnier and warmer on Sunday. Mindy called around 9am or just before Jacob’s soccer game was set to start. She was apparently inside at Grove City Christian H.S. (Nazarene) waiting. Said it was like 16 degrees with windchill. Not according to weather.com, but then again, I wasn’t there. Definitely cold, though. Jacob’s game was being played on their state-of-the-art artificial surface. Mindy reminded me that she was stopping at Kroger for wedding shower food after the game.

I didn’t have much planned. I headed out for a run around 10am. Fairly easy 3 miles Saturday run. After completing my run and before even heading back inside, I fetched the square shovel from the garage and went along Mindy’s side of the driveway raising the edge of the turf where she’d driven over it a few times under snow/ice pack. As it was, it was severely compacted. It didn’t take too long to complete. Before heading inside, I charged my battery powered jump-starter with hopes of trying to start the BMer if at all possible.

Enjoyed more coffee while adding/updating a handful of blog entries. Must’ve been around noon when I headed out to once again try jump starting the BM’er, this time with a fully charged jumper. Started on the 2nd crank. I let it run for about 30 minutes while I swept the garage floor and took care of a few other miscellaneous tasks, including carrying in and stowing the rest of our ski gear from the Oregon trip. After letting the BM’er run for a while I decided to take it for a brief drive before turning it off and trying to start it again. Moved the Accord street side to make room for backing it out of the garage. Headed off towards the back of the subdivision exiting onto Hague and heading north to Trabue and around the ened up heading north on Hague. And she ran really well. German engineering at its finest.

Lo & behold, Mindy and Jacob were home and blocking the driveway upon my return. I had to ask Mindy to move the Pilot over a bit so I could get back into the garage. Tried restarting the BM’er, but it was completely dead. Crap! Can’t complain much. The battery is 10 years old. Helped Mindy carry in the goods. She quickly got started on a few house cleaning shores while I carried the ski bags and boots to the basement. I tried enlisting Jacob’s help but Mindy quickly jumped in instead. I tried to quietly motion that I was specifically trying to enlist Jacob for help but she didn’t get the message. She actually gave me crap about it instead. Good grief!

Agitated with all that, I headed out to the yard to take care of a couple nagging tasks, one to remove the blades from both the tractor and push mower and then to lower the turf that catches the shed door each time I open it. It’s been a problem for a few years. Not sure if the shed has settled or if the ground is simply swollen with rain. Maybe a combination. Either way, I’ve checked the shed for levelness. If it has settled, it’s done so evenly. Still level.

Removing the mower blades took about 15-20 minutes, and that includes putting the front of the tractor up on blocks to make getting to the blades that much easier. Still a bit of challenge, requiring me to lie on the ground. I plan to take them into JD & Equipment on Friday for their annual open house and have them sharpened while I wait for only $2 each. Once the blades were off and the mowers back in the shed, I dug up the sod in the path of the swinging door. Moving the sod to the side temporarily, I removed a couple inches of soil before putting the sod back. I tamped it down really good then over-seeded the area. I locked the shed up then realized that I failed to retrieve the fertilizer spreader as originally intended. Crap! I headed back to the shed to get it. I didn’t plan to spread fertilizer that afternoon, but instead most likely on Sunday when it was expected to be sunnier and warmer.

Now about 2pm, I headed inside to continue helping Mindy with getting the house prepared for her wedding shower. She asked me to put the sofa and chair covers back on, which is something I am very good at. I was a little annoyed only because up to that point, she had asked very little of the kids, especially Jacob, but that’s pretty much par for the course. His contribution to recurring household amounts to about 10 minutes a week and then he complains the whole time. Bella, on the other hand, does quite a bit more as well as taking care of the dog duty in the afternoon and evenings. That really needs to change.

After taking care of the sofa and chair I watered and trimmed all the house plants. I really need to do a spring fertilization as well, but perhaps on another day. Admittedly, Mindy did most of the big chores, like cleaning our master bath, which sorely needed some TLC. She dusted the living room too. Sometime mid/late afternoon Mindy and I briefly discussed the family chores thing. Good to put it behind us, but more importantly, she agreed that we need to get the kids, especially Jacob, more involved and without cutting them continuous slack.

Not sure the time when I finally got a shower. But later that afternoon Mindy shared that she pulled a nasty long clump of hair from our shower drain. Every now and again, one could get a sniff of sulfur like odor. Learning about the clump of hair, I am sure that was it. Yuck! We briefly discussed dinner plans. We agreed to stay home and make homemade pizzas. I think we both were looking forward to a quiet night at home. Sometime later afternoon, I headed out to the driveway where I put some new stickers on the Thule, one from Park City and then a 2nd EVO sticker. Minutes later I went ahead and removed the Thule then stowed it temporarily in the garage. Would likely stow it in the shed after fertilizing the lawn on Sunday.

Mindy made yet another run to Kroger to pick-up something she forgot earlier. I suggested she pick-up some Italian pizza cheese too in place of using plain ol’ mozzarella. It must’ve been around 7pm when we got started with the pizza making. I put a few good beers from the garage in the freezer and fridge for later. Once I had the dough prepped and rising, I suggested that we engage Bella in the pizza making process. At the time both kids were in their rooms. Jacob was already asleep, and Mindy bet the ranch that he’d sleep through the night. Bella was reluctant to want to help at first, but once she joined us in the kitchen she seemed to really enjoy the entire process. Let her do it all with a little coaching. She got to spread the dough, add the sauce, top with cheese, pepperoni, and peppers. She was grinning ear to ear. Did my heart good.

Ready by 8pm, Jacob didn’t budge. Instead, he was sound asleep. It was just the three of us for dinner. And perhaps because she had a hand in it, Bella loved the homemade pizzas. We made one thin crust and one thick. Neither as good as Minelli’s but way more fun. Just ask Bella!

Finished with dinner near 9pm. Through the dinner making process, Mindy enjoyed a couple glasses of wine while I enjoyed a few beers. Mindy headed to bed before 945pm. I joined her near 10pm where we watched last week’s episode of SNL, which I had already seen most of online last Sunday. Still funny. I don’t think I/we made it for too long though, maybe 20 minutes before falling asleep.

Clothes from Oregon

Slept comparably late, not rolling out of bed until almost 625am. However, because I planned to work from home I was still in good shape. I started the coffee then knocked out calisthenics. I briefly toyed with skipping them. How sad is that. That just shows how tired I've been feeling. With the exception of Thursday, I had a hard time getting up all work week long.

Took Mindy coffee somewhat late near 640am. Spent the next 80-90 minutes working/playing, and enjoying coffee. After seeing Bella onto the bus and then walking the pug, I headed out for a run near 830am. It was another soggy run but this time with slightly warmer temps. It was 57 degrees with light rain when I left the house. Ran just three miles. Darwin was just exiting the Darmada when I ran by his home. I stopped briefly to chat a little. Said he’s been working, painting during the wee hours. Unlike me who complained of jet lag, he said the west coast jet lag was probably helping him stay awake. He looked tired.

Back home near 905am, I put my damp running shoes on the heating vent and then I poured another cup of coffee then got back to work. I was hosting an 11am call with one of my clients along with a peer. The call went well, and also brief. Spent the rest of my day working on monthly reporting. Instead of making eggs, I skipped a regular breakfast and instead heated up a bowl of chicken & noodles around noon.

Shortly after noon, the mailman came to the door leaving a small package on the stoop. It was the running/ski clothes I left in Govy Camp. I was eager to open the box. Inside was everything I believed missing along with a couple more items. What I hadn’t remembered was an extra pair of ski and dress socks. Cool! Again, well worth the $15 cost of shipping. I sent Heather at Collins Lake an email letting her know they arrived and again thanking her for taking care of all that.

I was expecting the Orkin Service manager to show up sometime between noon and 2pm just as we agreed on Tuesday. He never did call or show. That in and of itself is very telling of their credibility. I called him around 445pm to ask what happened. Of course he played dumb at first but the fell on his sword. But what could he possibly say that would justify him not even giving me a call? While he stumbled, fumbled for words, I decided to move on and simply suggested he show the following Friday. It’s not that I was accepting of his no call, no show. Instead, I was embarrassed for him and his company. Believe me, it was going in my back pocket for later.

Mindy was going to a retirement party for her teaching partner after school She didn’t expect to be home until 6pm. And honestly, I wasn’t banking on that. I figured it more like 7pm. We talked about going up to see Ken once she was home, and then the possibility of taking the kids to Barley’s. Heavy rain moved through midafternoon, or at about 3pm. At the time it was fairly warm – a balmy 67 degrees. However, it got really windy, too, as the front blew through. Behind it were much cooler temps. In fact, by 6pm it was almost 20 degrees cooler. Big drop!

Both kids were home from school near their normal times. And Mindy got home from the retirement party near 6pm just as she had planned. Soon after arriving home she asked about plans. I wasn’t so sure. To me it made little sense to get ready, head to the hospital to visit Ken, head back home to fetch the kids and then head to Barley’s. At best, we wouldn’t get there until 8pm or later. Heck, we’re often heading home from dinner with the kids by that hour. I eventually suggested that we skip the hospital visit. That would make things far easier and made a lot more sense. We’d simply head to Barley’s with the kids arriving near 7pm. Makayla was over, and of course Bella asked if she could join us.

Mindy mentioned that Kevin & Kerianne might be heading to Barley’s too. I only shared that I didn’t really want to sit in a booth with a bunch of children. Later it became just Kerianne. Kevin, I guess, was staying home with the kids. We arrived at Barley’s near 715pm. I found Rick C. over at the far end of the bar. Took up refuge talking with him while Mindy and the kids stood in the lobby waiting for a table to open.

Mindy and the kids finally got a booth near the bar. I chose to remain standing at the bar talking with Rick. Among other things, we talked about his new (second) grandson. Very proud grandpa. Mindy joined us on and off while waiting on Kerianne to show. Think she showed around 8pm. And it had to be around 830pm when I finally sat down in the booth with all of them. There I ate some of Mindy’s hummus and pita. In all, I had three beers, which was plenty enough to feel relaxed and buzzed.

Grandpa Tom & Steve showed up around 9pm. Always late arrivers. Talked about their fast approaching European vacation. We laughed about the funny stories that the trip will almost certainly foster. Something always seems to go awry when they travel, making for hilarious stories later. The plan all along was for Mindy to drive us home. I think she had one beer. We were home by 930pm. Bella asked if Makayla could stay the night. Why not? They’re pretty good about entertaining themselves without causing commotion. Mindy and I were in bed by 1030pm.

Bogus Weed Whacker Parts

I woke near 605am feeling as rested as I have in a while. Weather-wise, it was pretty much a carbon copy of the morning before, mid 40s with rain. Expecting it to rain all day again, too. The only difference being heavier rain with the addition of lightning and thunder thrown in for good measure. Had a lot going on at work that morning. As a result, I worked for a while before a stretch, meditation and run. Ended up waiting until Bella was on the bus before heading out for my run. Lucky for me, the rain was fairly light at the time. I did my best to skirt the puddles, running the full 4.1 miles.

Despite engaging in work from home early morning, I still planned to work from the main office. To that end, I showered and headed out near 915am. Arrived near 930am. Rained for most of the day, and at times extremely hard. Around 1030am former work peep and friend, Chris called. We compared notes on Oregon ski trips. Our trips overlapped by several days. He was in Bend (Mt. Bachelor) while we were on Mt Hood. Said they had bluebird ski days for pretty much the duration, which for the girls was ideal, so he wasn’t too disappointed. Did get a little snow on his last full ski day, which was Tuesday the 25th.
Said he wants to move to Bend. Many say that about Bend.

Near 1pm I took lunch and headed to Home Depot. There I returned a toilet repair part I didn’t use from a month ago. While there, I also bought a new trimmer head kit for my gas powered Toro weed trimmer. I spent a lot of time looking at recessed lighting options too. Need to get cracking on the basement.

Back to the office near 2pm where the first thing I did was eat my packed lunch while I worked. Didn’t leave the office for home until almost 530pm. By then there were just a couple folks still in the office on my floor. Sometime during the afternoon we got an email sharing that our cafeteria would be opening on Monday. It’s been about 10-12 years since it was last opened. A new era indeed.

Thankfully, the rain had all but stopped by the time I made my way to the Accord. Mindy shared that we’d be on our own for dinner (leftovers) which was fine by me. She and Bella were leaving for gymnastics just as I arrived home from work. Mindy said she had many stops to make after dropping Bella in preparation for the wedding shower she’d be hosting at hour house on Sunday. Still needed me to pick-up Bella.

While she was away, I enjoyed a bowl of chicken and noodles. After that, I headed to the garage to install my new trimmer head. Yeah, about that trimmer head supposedly designed to fit my trimmer. Impossible. Oh, the head fit the trimmer but the twin spook was completely bogus. No way to thread the trimmer line through. I must’ve read the directions 10 times thinking I was overlooking something. Nope. Just impossible to work as outlined in the directions. And yes, I was aggravated. By the time I looked at the clock it was already time to go after the peanut. Daggone!

Arrived just as Bella was running off the mats. Perfect! She was in an exceptional mood and very chatty. Talked about the upcoming state meet and the possibility of nationals. Mindy still wasn’t home when we got home. Must have been around 815pm when Jacob said he wanted grilled cheese. I agreed to show him how to make one for himself. We walked the through the process step-by-step. Voila! Grilled cheese. He was most proud of himself.

Mindy got home in there somewhere. After a shower, Bella asked for nachos. I used the last of the Lime Doritos, her favorite. I am pretty sure that Mindy and Jacob watched American Idol. Bella and I do what we can to avoid it. I headed to bed fairly early again, somewhere near 930pm.

Umbrella Day - Seeing Ken

 

Up at 605am. Exercise (push-up day), coffee, internet, meditate, stretch, and run (ran 4.1 miles).

Raw and rainy run. About 45 degrees in moderate rainfall.

Wednesday call canceled. Still planned to work across town though. Left the house near 945am.

Long, wet walk across the parking lot and over the bridge. Thank goodness for my big umbrella.

Busy until 1pm. Left for a Lowes run. Bought two 15K bags of lawn fertilizer, one with crab grass preventer, the other plain fertilizer. They had deal, buy 2 bags and save 20%. Couldn’t pass that up. In addition to the 20% discount, I used the Lowes gift card I found a few months ago in the gutter. Still had about $10 on it. Sweet! Perused a few aisles before checking out but bought nothing else.

Back to the office. Still raining. Stayed busy through 430pm when I left for home. Kids were leaving early with Jimaken. Mindy and I planned to visit Ken at Dodd Hall, OSU hospital. Haven’t seen him since the Monday before the Oregon trip.

I needed only to freshen up before we hit the road. Figured we’d hit Barley’s too, but only after visiting Ken. Easy drive across Grandview to Dodd Hall, which is off King and Olentangy. Lori, Ken’s wife was there too. He was sitting up in a chair with his protective helmet on. Looked good, though perhaps a thin as I’ve ever seen him. Seemed a little down at first, but also very happy to have visitors. As always, he joked about a number of things, including the dent in his skull where they temporarily removed bone to allow for the initial swelling, which has receded dramatically. Should be replacing the bone soon. As it is. There’s quite a dent where the bone was removed.

We stayed for an hour or more. Ken looked me in the eyes and reminded me to not take anything for granted – even sitting up in a chair. Message received. Humbling. Lori shared that hid therapy is progressing well, but that Ken wants to be up and walking now. Realistically, she said it should be more like October. Wow! Said he will likely go home in a wheel chair, which even before Ken uttered his displeasure with that notion, I knew how he’d feel about that. Not good.

It’s hard not to leave there encouraged. Ken is one tough and determined dude. Just before we left, he introduced us to his shower buddy, a young female nurse that actually really does shower with him. Not exactly sure how she does it. Still, Ken enjoyed sharing as much.

Got to Barley’s very near 7pm. A gaggle of off-the-clock employees were gathered near the end of the bar enjoying a few beers. Actually working the bar was blonde girl. I had just one beer, a nitro porter and a Texas Barley burger, salad, and a cup of their soup-of-the-day. Mindy had a Russian imperial stout. Can’t recall what she ate for dinner. We didn’t stay too long. It was after 8pm in a hurry. Guessing it was near 815pm when we pulled in the driveway.

The kids were already home from their evening with Jimaken. We enjoyed a little family banter before calling it a night.

Halley & Newton

Up near 615am. Again, didn’t really want to get up. Exercise, coffee, internet. Woke Mindy near 630am.

Planned to work across town but not until 1030-11am. Would work from home until then.

Weather forecast looked was fantastic. Supposed to be warm and sunny most of the day but rain moving in late in the night.

Mindy left for school near 730am. Bella & I headed out at 8am. Walked the pug after Bella was boarded on the school bus.

Ran 4.1 miles. Almost 50 degrees out the door. Slightly over dressed and as a result, a tad warm.

After a run, I fried a few eggs for breakfast. Gave one to the pug.

Gorgeous day shaping up outside – brilliant sunshine and warm.

Worked at home until 10am. Stopped for gas before getting on the freeway. Took about 14 gallons. 23.5 mpg last tank full.

Got a parking spot up close. But it was such a gorgeous morning a long walk from the deepest depths of the lot would’ve been OK by me.

Spent my time working on a special project. Around noon received notification that our Tuesday 1pm meeting was canceled due to so many vacations. Had I known that earlier, I wouldn’t have driven clear across town.

Around 130pm I packed my stuff and headed back home to finish out my work day. Man, was it ever beautiful. It was our first day above 70 degrees all year. After eating my packed lunch consisting of salad and tuna and cheese, I took Eiknarf out back for a brief walk around the yard.

Before digging into work, I called Orkin to complain about seeing more piss ants Monday. Told them their service was a farce and asked what I paid for. The service manager asked if he could come out to our home and check out the situation. Agreed to come on Friday between 12 noon and 2pm. Now we’re seeing them in the master bath of all places.

I spent most of the afternoon working on that special project. Before I knew it the kids and Mindy were home. Both kids had events that night. Jacob had soccer practice and Bella had gymnastics. Jimaken was coming by to take Jacob to soccer. Mindy boiled down what remained of the rotisserie chicken the night before. She started chicken & noodles shortly after she got home.

I finished out my work day around 515pm. We sat for dinner shortly thereafter. Bella wanted only a hotdog before Mindy left to run her to gymnastics. The chicken & noodles were delicious. I can’t recall if Mindy came back home or if she went to run errands, seems the latter. In any case, the time went fast leading up to needing fetch Bella. I left the house near 717pm. Made excellent time, and thought I had plenty of time to spared, but Bella was already changing into her street shoes and ready to go once I was inside the door.

As we exited the freeway for home, she asked which restaurant we were stopping, McDs or Wendy’s. Nice try. Neither. Told her that I’d gladly warm her some chicken & noodles. She asked for nachos instead. Sure. After getting her some nachos I did some writing for my blog. I also contacted Line Skis about my broken Whip ski pole.

Mindy & I were off to bed shortly after 9pm. We opted to allow Bella to stay up later than us provided she was in bed by 930pm. She promised. I fell asleep for about an hour but woke when Mindy got up for something and then couldn’t return to sleep. Rather than toss and turn, I got up and headed back downstairs.

By then Bella was off to bed. I popped some popcorn and tuned into a program about Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton. Cool program. Headed back to bed near midnight.