Vern, Vern, Vern Vern, Vernal Equinox

Welcome Spring!

At first glance it looked to be a lovely kick-off into spring. Although it was still dark, the sky was crystal clear giving way to the full moon. Just the fact that it was the first day of spring was enough to elevate my serotonin levels. Not only was it spring but it was also my Friday. I was very happy about that. I went about my exercise routine with an extra bounce in my step. I was up a little early, too, so Ykraps and I were out the door by 5:40am. We had a nice, leisurely walk.

The morning went well – coffee, PC time, and meditation. I delivered Mindy’s coffee after I was fully dressed for my run. I headed out the door at 6:30am on the nose. It was still dark but the coming sunrise was detectable in the eastern sky. As I set out I remembered the full moon. However, gazing skyward I couldn’t find it. And with the sky being perfectly clear I was at first stumped. But then, finally, I caught a quick glimpse of it as I ran past a couple houses. It was big and orange and sinking quickly onto the western horizon – a rare view indeed. Such a view is typically reserved for its rising, not its setting. I felt blessed to see it.

My run went fast, and again because it was clear, daylight came on quickly, too. It won’t be too long before it’ll be daylight through my entire run. I’m looking forward to that – about April 7, I predict.At home Mindy was already up as was Jacob. Bella was apparently still asleep. Jacob was in a good mood since this was his Friday, too. I made the eggs again today, an omelet with roast turkey and cheese. I was in the shower by 7:45am and ready to go by 8:05am. Bella woke just as I was putting the finishing touches on the day’s wardrobe. She greeted me first. She told me that her mommy was sad yesterday because I left without giving her a hug and kiss. I was touched not only by her words, but that this was the first thing on her mind right out of bed. Too cute!

It wasn’t long before I was out the door and on my way to work. I arrived at 8:25am with an extra bounce in my step. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and a great start to spring. Work was bustling with activity. I was engaged in important issues all day long. But I still managed to leave for a lunch break around 1pm. I drove to Kittles first to look once again at entertainment centers, and then to Home Depot to look at landscaping stuff. It’s getting to be that time. I was back at the office by 2pm. Like always, I pee’d, washed my hands, and grabbed my packed lunch from the fridge.

Thankfully, the afternoon went quickly. I left for the day and weekend at 5:30pm. I already knew that we were having dinner guests – Mindy’s mother and my father. We were having spaghetti & meatballs. We also tried to coordinate a Kaileigh sleep over but as it turned out, she had standing plans with her great-grandmother Rosemary. Instead, we’d pick her up tomorrow afternoon.

Dad was walking Ykraps when I arrived home, and Jacob was out riding his skate board. Gloria, Mindy, and Bella were inside. This was the first time that our parents had met. As I understood it, Gloria knew my dad was coming but he didn’t know of her attendance. For whatever reason, he’s been shy about meeting her. The meet/dinner went well, and the spaghetti and meatballs were very good. I had two helpings, as did others. Mindy bought a chocolate pie for dessert. Despite it being frozen, it was still good – not as good as Gloria’s homemade version, however.

The back yard was like a swamp after two plus days of heavy rain. The kids wanted to go out and play after dinner. Much to my chagrin, Mindy allowed as much but only after insisting they wear their snow boots. I was fearful what damage they might do to the lawn. And sure enough, they headed right to the wettest spots in the yard and began splashing in the slushy muck stirring up mud and stomping the lawn. I begged Mindy to request they stop. Nothing good would come from the activity. Mindy, my dad, and her mother all took exception to my anal way of thinking. The grass, they explained, will always grow back. Of course that is true but I saw no value in allowing such destructive behavior to continue. They stopped.

Dad decided it was time to head home around 7:45pm. Gloria wasn’t far behind him. Mindy left to take her home around 8pm. I helped the kids into their PJs and then played on the computer. Mindy was back after only about 15 minutes. After the kids were in bed I enjoyed an ice cold HopSlam. Mindy wanted to go to bed together yet it was still before 10pm. I expressed my desire to stay up and watch some funny TV since I didn’t have to be up early. She reluctantly relented and went to bed on her own. Meanwhile, I watched an episode of South Park and then Lil’ Bush. Now that was funny!

We're All About Gettin' Wet

I was up and downstairs by 5:33am. I had mistakenly left my Blackberry on the island, and its obnoxious alarm was blaring once again. After gaining control of the situation I went about my 55-50-40. Once again, I could hear it raining steadily even though I was next to certain that the rain was forecasted to end. With a downtrodden spirit Ykraps and I headed out into the wet mess. If nothing else, it was a bit warmer – almost 50 degrees.

Back inside the rest of my time was much like Tuesday. I delivered Mindy’s coffee just before leaving for my run. It was raining harder today than on Tuesday.
And again, my feet got the wettest, but by the time I reentered the house I was dripping wet head to toe. I put my wet running clothes in the dryer. And like the day before I began making my breakfast. I prepared a cheese omelet. At the same time, Mindy was packing Jacob’s lunch and making both kids breakfast. The kitchen just seemed ridiculously small. I was a mess inside. I could’ve screamed! I did not.

Mindy walked Jacob to the bus stop while I showered and dressed. I wasn’t sure where Mindy was when I was ready to go. I hollered up the stairs that I was departing. Out into the rain I went. Mindy finally surfaced on the porch just as I was beginning to back out of the drive. I returned in the rain to give her a hug goodbye.

My work day was much like Tuesday. I was busy all day and didn’t bother taking a lunch. I did, however, enjoy my salad and fruit while carrying on with the task at hand. I didn’t leave for home until 5:20pm. By then, the rain was intermittently changing to sleet, but it was still raining – and now for over 36 hours straight. I took the back away after observing I-270 traffic at a crawl.

This was a Mindy Wednesday. Jimaken was still at the house as I drove that way. But he and the kids were gone by the time I arrived home. However, there were two pairs of tiny shoes resting ownerlessly by the front door as I entered. Turns out, neighbor Mike’s kids, Emily & Evan, were playing in the basement while he ran to the store. Apparently Teri, his wife, was home sick so Mindy told Mike to leave them with her. I found that amusing. Our kids were home too when Mike left. After Mike returned for his kids we wasted little time deciding on dinner at Barley’s. We drove off at 6:05pm knowing that choir practice began at 6:45pm. Mindy said that she might not go.

We managed to find two stools at separate ends of the bar but pulled them close together. Mindy ordered a Russian Imperial Stout and me a Pale Ale. We chatted with Bob, but not Imber – Bob & Carol Bob. We both ordered the mini-burger special. Pale Ale has been off the menu for a few months, and I haven’t had a regular Barley’s Pale Ale in many more months. It tasted as good as ever, and reminded me much of my all-time favorite Columbus Brewing Company Pale Ale. It went down easily. I ordered a Maharaja, not knowing how much longer it would be on tap. I noticed, too, that they had HopSlam on hand but only in bottles. The Maharaja was incredible. Mindy worked to the bottom of her Stout slowly. I was finished with my second while she still had plenty left.

We saw on the big screen a story about QB Terrell Pryor committing to Ohio State. Many experts are now launching the Buckeyes 2008 recruiting class to the top of the heap. But buyer beware. I’ll mention just one name – Justin Zwick!

Heck, I alerted Mindy that choir time was upon us. She stated firmly that she wasn’t going. I then asked if I could have one more Maharaja. She agreed! I checked to be sure that she would be driving. Yummy! We left Barley’s around 7:45pm. Mindy tried phoning Jimaken, who usually brings the kids home between 7:15-7:30pm, but got no answer. I talked with Ashley. She promised to call me back later.

Jimaken’s car was in the drive when we arrived home. Everyone was inside so I guess no harm. I gave Jimaken our access code some time back just in case something such as this happened. They were in the basement playing. Jimaken left a minute or two after we arrived home. Mindy then insisted that the kids get baths. Jacob didn’t pass the sniff test. I helped him through a shower. Mindy was up reading with Jacob and tucking the kids in when I got suddenly became overwhelmed with the sleepies. I leaped into the living room recliner and went quickly out like a light. I woke around 10:15pm chilly. I checked the house and headed up to bed. Mindy was already asleep.

Noah's Ark

Tuesday morning came quickly. But like a good soldier, I was up right at 5:30am. I was still grumpy, but as long as I was alone I was OK. I proceeded through my typical routine with little hesitation. Meanwhile, I could hear the unmistakable sound of rain pounding against the house and skylights. I wasn’t too excited about the prospect of running in a downpour, especially given the chilly temps.

My walk with Ykraps confirmed what I already knew. It was raw & rainy. I used Mindy’s large green & white umbrella, so I didn’t get too wet at all. After PC and meditation I delivered Mindy’s coffee right on queue. It wasn’t but a few minutes before I was out the door running in the rain. I managed to stay dry despite the heavy rain, thanks to excellent running gear. However, I did mis-step into a puddle or two soaking my shoes & socks. But that I hardly noticed until I was back home. I was lucky, the rain lightened considerably during the run.

Inside, I stripped out of my wet clothes and slipped back into my pajamas. Mindy and the kids were already up as expected readying for their day. Mindy and I competed for kitchen space all the while making lunch & breakfast. I found it bothersome since I am used to no competition for space.

Mindy walked Jacob to the bus stop while I showered. I was able to shower 15 minutes later than usual yet leave for work a few minutes earlier. The work day went pretty fast. It rained all day long. Looking at the radar it looked similar to the storm that brought us two inches of rain early in the month and 20 inches of snow a few days later. This, our third significant rain storm of the month, was once again tracking out of the Gulf of Mexico. I saw, too, that Mt Hood was being hammered with a late season snow. Their base is back up to 200 inches with snowfall for the season now over 620 inches. Wow! More coming too!

I didn’t take a lunch. I worked straight through. I left for home a little early – 5:10pm. Mindy had hot wings on the table by the time I arrived home. I had to walk Ykraps first, however. It was pouring rain, still. Needless to say, our walk was brisk. The wings were tasty. Jacob wanted more than his share. Lucky for him, I wasn’t ravenously hungry and ate only nine. After clean-up, Mindy lured me to the basement to show me what she’d done organization-wise. She was at stand still with all of my junk at this point. We went through several piles deciding what would stay and what would go, and then where. Even still, there’s much, much more to go through. I get agitated looking through stuff like that, almost to the point of paralysis. Not sure why. But more importantly, thanks to Mindy, we at least made some progress. But if our basement is to be finished, the rest will have to get done soon.

While in the basement, Jacob caught view of a couple bamboo sticks once used in home decor. He asked to play with them. Sure. Suddenly I realized I had armed the boy with weapons. He was swinging them at me, and then also at Bella. Eventually he gave the smaller stick to Bella. Some where along the line Bella got worried for Jacob’s safety even though he was the one attacking me and so began crying profusely for ME to stop. Me? I was only defending myself. In truth, Jacob and I were both just having fun. Mindy came down in a vain attempt at calming her, but it did little good. Eventually, Jacob and I tired of the horse play and headed back upstairs.

That was Mindy’s queue to get the kids into their jammies and then finally to bed. As usual, I tucked the kids in. Afterwards, Mindy was determined to talk about my pissy attitude. I wasn’t too keen on the idea wanting instead to relax and read. And while it was true that I was in my cave, I wasn’t at all ready to come out! But still, she persisted. Subsequently, we talked for about 15 minutes. Neither of us ended the conversation feeling the issue was resolved, however. Lucky for us, that’s rare. Mindy went on to bed while I stayed finally getting some reading in. I’m reading Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Like most of his other stuff, I find it enlightening.

I read until I began to dose. That felt terrific. I crept up to bed a little after 10pm.

Wearing Black

I was all about my sleep, not rolling out of bed until the very last minute. Meanwhile, as I fumbled with my toothbrush, I could hear my Blackberry alarm blaring downstairs. It’s set to a very obnoxious tone, and it doesn’t stop alarming until it’s physically acknowledged.

After choking down some pills I whipped out my 55-50-40. My shoulder didn’t ache but it did feel stiff. Ykraps and I enjoyed our morning walk. It was mostly clear and also a little chilly. Coffee was just what the doctor ordered. It tasted so good all dressed up. I noted the fact that Mindy would be on spring break all week thus wouldn’t need to be woken. That meant I could slow down my routine a bit more since I wasn’t being counted upon to get Jacob to the bus stop.

I took full advantage. I went about my PC time, meditation, and run prep at a snails pace. I didn’t leave for a run until 6:45am. Oops! I forgot that Mindy asked me to wake her up just before leaving for my run. I thought that I heard her up and stirring, though. My run went very well. I happened upon ol’ Jim Richards in the dark looking over his broken mailbox just around the third or fourth bend. Looks like the mailbox bandit has struck again. Punks!

It brought a smile to my face hearing all the birds singing just before sun rise. Temperature aside, we had all the signs of spring. In addition to the birds, the daffodils & crocus are up about 3-4 inches, although not yet in bloom. We haven’t had but one really warm day thus far. Looking ahead ten days it doesn’t look like we’ll get one either. Crap!!! But I’ve digressed.

Back at home Mindy & the kids were busy in the kitchen. Mindy asked why I forgot about waking her. I did it purely to annoy. And apparently I was successful. My eggs were served in Ykraps’ dog food bowl. J I didn’t realize until later that those eggs were simply the scraps. I ate my breakfast while Mindy & the kids continued edging in on my usually quiet time/space. I found that somewhat troubling. I am a creature of habit. I headed up for a shower at 7:45am.

While putting the finishing touches on my hair, I heard what sounded like a school bus out front of the house. Then I heard Mindy wishing Jacob well. I guess Mindy didn’t get him out of the house in time. It was just after 8:00am. I was sure Mindy knew that Jacob needed to head out at 7:55am. I wasn’t too far behind Jacob. I left for work at 8:10am.

The work day was busy, but nothing I didn’t expect. It was, after all, Monday. I didn’t take much of a break at all. However, I did call Gentiles to see if they carried Avery’s Maharaja. They did. I was surprised when he said it sold for about $7. And compared to what I have been paying for Double IPA’s, that would be steal. That made my day. I knew then that I’d be stopping there on the way home. I worked straight through the afternoon leaving for home at 5pm.

Mindy let me know early afternoon that she had talked with a tax attorney friend and he would look over the letter she received and advise moving forward. Her hope is to resolve the issue quickly. Mine too. I made my way towards Grandview via Riverside Dr. I arrived at Gentiles by 5:21pm. I spotted some single 22 oz bottles of the Maharaja but no six packs. Was it possible that we mis-communicated- me and the guy on the phone? I mentally reviewed our conversation, and come to think of it, I never asked how it was bottled. I went to the counter to ask. He said that they only had it in the single 22oz bottles. They’re $6.99 each! Ouch! It’s good but not that good.

Disappointed, I drove to the Boulevard Carry-Out since I was close by and bought another six pack of HopSlam. It’s very yummy too! The same fellow was working as the time before. He let me know that due to the well-documented hop shortage, Bell’s supposedly announced that they won’t be making it much longer. Sigh.

I left for home happy with my fetch. I was behind a slow Cadillac driving south on Grandview Ave. I suspected her a drunk given the extra slow speed. It was St Patrick’s Day, after all – a holiday that I largely ignore. I was home by 6:05pm. Mindy & the children had just returned from walking Ykraps. I was half expecting a home cooked meal but that wasn’t the case. But truth be told, I really wasn’t that hungry. I was, however, stressed - stressed over Mindy’s whole tax thing and work matters, too. I just needed to be left alone. Mindy & the kids had leftovers sprawled out on the island for the taking. I opted for a couple quick hot dogs. I didn’t feel much at all like a social animal. I was happy to spend an evening reading and/or on the PC. But Mindy doesn’t always understand that. She prodded me several times over the next couple of hours. I was largely unresponsive. I did my best to remain still.

We both helped ready the kids for bed. I coached Jacob through a shower while Mindy gave Bella a bath. While play fighting with Jacob my stiff shoulder got in an awkward position and then popped. It made me wince, almost like when the most recent injury occurred. I immediately reached for it and shook it around cautiously. As I walked away clutching at it any and all pain subsided. Minutes later I was totally pain free and loose. I gathered that something in there had been out of place all along and my little tiff with Jacob helped get it back into place. Hmmm?

I tucked in the kids around 8pm and then I went back downstairs to read while Mindy played on her laptop. I dosed just briefly once or twice. Mindy headed to bed around 9:30pm. I went to the familyroom where I tuned into a Family Guy episode, and later an episode of My Name is Earl. I headed up to bed around 10:20pm. I was tired.

Drip-Drip-Drip Goes the Water

We all slept late, or better stated, past our typical weekend rise time. I didn’t head downstairs until almost 8:30am. No one followed. I took my time making coffee, taking my daily medication, and whipping out my exercises. I also logged into work before taking Ykraps out for his morning stroll. Just as we were heading out the door Jacob came down and asked if he could join us. Of course you can! The sun was already shining but the temperature was still at or below freezing. Still, it was pleasant, and the sounds of spring filled the chilly air. Birds from every direction were singing away seemingly in celebration of the coming equinox. Jacob expressed some remorse for being seen outdoors in his bright yellow sponge Bob jammies. Quite possible his first sense of vanity. I laughed at his reasoning. Said he didn’t want to be seen in them and that he wasn’t even sure why he had them in the first place. He said, “I don’t even like Sponge Bob.”

Once back at home, I poured some coffee and sat in front of my laptop to complete a little work. That kept me busy for a good hour or so. In the meantime, Mindy was up and milling around. She & the kids were heading to church around 10:15am. I worked right up until they left. I took a couple of pictures of the three of them drenched in spring-like sunshine just before they left. By then, the temp had crept into the mid 30’s. I expected to find that the high would be near 50, or possibly even higher, but the forecast said something quite different. 42 was the expected high.

I readied for a run as soon as they departed. I wore a lighter fleece running jacket and skipped ear covers. I still wore my running gloves, however. It was a very nice run. Despite the cool temps, the sun is noticeably warmer these days. I also ran without an audio stimulus. Instead, I used the time to creatively think. My run concluded with me peering over the pond all the while a few Canada geese made their obnoxious calls. At the run’s end I fetched Saturday’s mail. Looked like an official letter from the IRS addressed to Mindy. That couldn’t be good – could it? Yikes!

I tinkered with making a full-blown breakfast but didn’t. Instead, I snacked on leftover El Vaquero chips. They’re very addictive. I made good use of my time, dividing it amongst work and downloading yesterday’s pictures. I took about 50 pictures yesterday, all but three on my Canon. My battery was low on the Olympus so I had it icharging most of the day. I got some really cute shots of the kids.

Through early afternoon, I continued my interaction with work. I was still working when Mindy & the kids returned home. I pointed Mindy to her mail. At the same time she was scrambling the kids to get ready for their daddy’s arrival. He was taking them back to his place for a couple of hours. Mindy wasn’t pleased. The IRS, it seemed, wanted more cash. She spent the next half hour searching for supporting paperwork to the contrary. Jim arrived a short time later to fetch the kids. While over, Jim offered his input on the tax issue since he would be equally accountable.

Jim soon left with the kids. Mindy spoke of going shopping but she never did. Instead, after some computer time, she headed upstairs for a nap. She must’ve slept until 3:45pm, or the time I headed up for a shower. We, I assumed, were leaving for dinner at her mother’s around 4pm. The kids arrived home right about 4pm. We were just about ready to leave, too. We left the house at 4:10pm and arrived a short time later. Jacob & I tossed the football out front for a few minutes prior to going in. Others arrived just ahead or at the same time. Eventually, everyone was present save for Craig, Jeff, and Lindy.

For dinner we had pork chops, taters & green beans, and baked apples. Very tasty, and a very enjoyable time. After dinner I assisted Larry with two plumbing problems plaguing Gloria’s home. Her washer was leaking, and so was her bath tub. The good news was that we found the culprit of both. The bad news was that neither was readily repairable. Instead, parts would have to be fetched and a real plumber contacted to address the leaking bath tub drain pipe. Dessert was ready soon after we finished our toil. Served was lemon pie & brownies topped with sprinkles. The kids had ice cream as well. I had a piece of each. Damn – I did it again!

We were there later than usual. I don’t think we left until 7:45pm. Along our drive home I called Daughter Ashley, who had picked up some used furniture today from a co-worker of her mother’s. Tommy helped her. As soon as we got home Jacob & I walked Ykraps, who was more than eager to go for a walk. No sooner did we arrive back home did Mindy lure the kids upstairs for bed. I helped by tucking both in.

Mindy and I sat at the kitchen table, both of us working/playing on our laptops. I enjoyed a Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale. Mindy had a glass of wine. We headed towards bed a bit after 10pm.

Paw-paw & Mimi

I woke a couple times early Saturday still very sleepy. That was surprising given my early bedtime and good behavior. All totaled, I slept more than ten hours. By the time I found my way to the kitchen and the coffee pot it was nearly 8:30am. After starting the day’s coffee I checked in with work all the while I completed my sit-ups. I decided to give my shoulder a break and skip the 50-40 piece.

Ykraps and I took our Saturday morning walk at a more leisurely pace than usual. I felt really good. It was foggy this morning. Back home I sipped coffee while seeing what my on-call work day held in store. Early on, at least, it didn’t look too bad. Bella was first to join me downstairs. But it wasn’t long before everyone else was up and milling about, too. Some time around 9:45am I left for a run. It was an enjoyable run. I finished listening to CD #4 of The Third Jesus. Time went fast.

Back at home Mindy was already preparing to leave for choir practice. She had made arrangements to stop at Ashley’s too. While there, she planned on seeing if she could bring Olivia home for a while. That pleased me much. Mindy left just before 11am. The kids were both really good. I bounced between work and personal stuff. I was able to do some photo editing all the while keeping things at work running smoothly. Mindy phoned sometime after noon to let me know that she’d talked with Ashley and that Olivia would be coming over but not until later in the evening. Ashley & her mother were going to Bingo, so Mindy & I would be playing with Olivia. That sounded great. Mindy asked about lunch. I recommended El Vaquero since I knew there was a new one open right around the corner there in Grove City. Mindy thought that sounded good too.

She arrived home a short time later. I had already managed a shower while the kids played quietly. We all sat and ate our lunch together. It was delicious. Mindy got to cleaning while took to reading and ultimately napping in the living room. I must’ve read & slept for about two hours. By the time I woke, Rene was over for a short visit. We were expecting her. Also stopping over were Jake & Makayla, the neighbors kids. Rene seemed stoked about her coming trip to PA to visit relatives. We gave her back the DVD she let us borrow, Super Bad! We made loose plans to do dinner once she’s back. She didn’t stay too long. She hadn’t yet packed but was planning to leave in the morning. Yikes!

We phoned Ash around 5pm to see when she might be bringing Olivia over. She confirmed direction to our house from Grove City. Geesh, Ash! What, no sense of direct? She’d be bringing Lil’ Rocky along too. By 6:30pm we had a house full - six kids. All the cleaning that Mindy did earlier was already difficult to detect. I remained surprisingly calm through the chaos. Olivia kept me busy, too. You can’t let her out of your sight for a second.

Mindy & I both were charmed by her rapidly developing verbal skills. Equally, she seems to understand our verbal communication to a greater degree than most 17 month olds. She even asks simple questions and identifies people by their name. Very cute! She has a voracious appetite as well.

The neighbors, Jake & Makayla went home after dinner. Mindy then gave the remaining four baths. Olivia went first, but Bella got in with her. I got a couple cute pictures. By the time everyone was done with their baths Mindy suggested Olivia be put to bed. She looked a little tired clinging to Mindy, but I was certain that she’d throw a big ol’ lengthy fit. Sure enough, once Mindy put her down she cried painfully loud. At the same time, I escaped to brush my teeth. Not 15 seconds later the crying stopped. Olivia had already conceded to sleep. Wow!

We all went downstairs where the kids watched a Veggie Tales DVD while I worked a little more. Mindy put Jacob & Bella to bed around 8:30pm. We allowed Rocky to stay up with us knowing that Ashley was coming to retrieve him shortly. Besides, if we put him in bed with one of the kids he would most likely have kept them awake. So, choosing th lesser of two evils, he sat at the kitchen table talking with me. He made me a couple drawings all the while we chatted. Eventually, he talked me into popping some corn. Knowing it a gamble, I did it anyway. Sure enough, Bella smelt it and asked to join us. We permitted it since, after all, it was a weekend. The two of them shared with me two bags of popcorn and also made their share of noise. Let’s face it, Rocky doesn’t know quiet.

Ashley must’ve shown up near 9:00 or 9:30pm. Mindy, already anticipated her arrival, had gone to fetch Olivia from her sleep. Mindy & Olivia came down just as Ashley walked in. Olivia was quiet and non-reactionary, just as she often is shortly after waking. Ashley said that her mother was in the car and that she needed to go. We hugged all goodbye then closed the door.

Mindy & I stayed up for another hour or two before calling it a night.

Preying on our Youth

I woke in an instant just as Mindy’s alarm sounded. Like a couple times past, I mistakenly assumed I was waking late. I hurried through my morning progression only to find it was only 8:33am when I made it down stairs for phase 2. I chuckled to myself and calmly began my 55-50-40 exercise routine.

It wasn’t long before my calisthenics were complete and Ykraps and I were on our way out the door. It was another mild morning with the temperature hovering near 40. The snow piles that were once as high as four or five feet only 5 days ago were now almost nonexistent. That made me happy. I could tell that it rained some through the night but it had temporarily stopped. That, too, I am sure, helped melt some of the remaining snow.

Coffee sounded awfully good. I made my usual vanilla caramel coffee topped with whipped cream, caramel topping, and cinnamon, and then headed to the PC. There I checked email, read the headlines, and finished with the Daily OM. I delivered Mindy’s coffee at 6:10am, just before meditation. Still weighing on my mind were our taxes, and more specifically how we’d get the mistakes corrected. Taking advice from one of my spiritual guides, I decided to let go realizing that there was nothing I could do at this hour. My time in meditation was time well spent. I finished up around 6:25am and quickly dressed for a run.

I ran listening to CD #4 of The Third Jesus, The Christ We Cannot Ignore. Like the day before, my run went incredibly fast. I finished with a stop on the bridge observing the geese swimming about the pond. Back inside Mindy had my eggs almost ready. I was hungry and eager to eat. I teased Jacob a little about his coming spelling test. Apparently he and his mother had already studied today’s words. Jacob’s only missed two words all year. He doesn’t take well to the strikes. Mindy has to work hard to restore his pride. As I’ve tried to impress upon him, that’s just what school is for – teaching what we don’t already know. There’s a strong chance that Jacob will always remember how to spell the two words that he’s missed. The latest, incidentally, was the word below. He spelled it ‘belowe’.

Mindy & Bella soon left leaving Jacob and I on our own. We somehow managed yet again. I headed up for a shower at 7:33am. It was time to head for the bus stop as soon as I returned downstairs. Jacob was first out the door just as he often is. I put my things in the Trooper and started it before heading down to the bus stop. There, Pat and Alanna were already being entertained by Jacob. He has a lot of morning energy. Pat & I chatted for a few minutes before we both headed off for home then work. I was backing out the drive at 8:20am.

It rained ever so lightly along my commute. And the rain only intensified as the day progressed. I was a very busy at work focusing most of my attention on one particularly challenging issue. I didn’t take a lunch but did have some hearty food. Mindy packed me some leftover chicken & dumplings. They were even better today than they were the day they were fresh – Tuesday, I think. During the day I left messages at our tax accounts home and office requesting that he call us to discuss our tax return. My strategy is to leave him several messages each day until he phones us. Soon, I figured I would fill his in box at both places making it almost necessary for him to call. I would be polite but also relentless. Late afternoon Mindy phoned to discuss our evening plans. She wanted to take the kids to Barley’s for dinner. I was warm to the idea but my on-call would take precedence. I called around 5:25PM to let her know that I would be working late. I was still dealing with the same issue from early this AM. I finally left for home just after 6pm. When I phoned Mindy she said a corrected tax return was in our mail today. Apparently Mike the tax guy got our message. She shared some new numbers. Our fed return was within a hundred of what I had roughed out originally. The State, however, was the exact same. That made no sense, and in fact, had to be incorrect. I told Mindy that I’d look at it once I was home.

I walked Ykraps almost as soon as I got home. When I returned, Mindy was on the phone and had our tax return forms sprawled out in front of her. My assumption was correct. She was finally talking with Mike the tax guy. As it turned out, he changed the State return, and, in fact, we now owed several hundred. The cover sheet simply hadn’t been changed. But again, I chalked this up to inattention to details. He told Mindy that he would make it right. By the time she hung up the phone it seemed, at least, that we had the right numbers. I felt a sense of relief knowing we were finally on our way to putting 2007 taxes behind us.

All of us began making preparations to leave for dinner. I logged onto my work laptop wanting to make sure that things were satisfactory prior to us leaving. We left around 7:05pm. Parking was difficult due to the crowd of cars. We had to park on the west side of the building. That never happens. Inside, Mindy was quick to find and chat with friends. The kids were very excited to share in our Friday night hangout. I was excited to try the Avery IIPA – Majahara. It was awesome. It’s almost as juicy as the Mean Manalishi. We found a table since having the kids at the bar would most likely be frowned upon - not by our peeps, but by other non-regular patrons.

Bella wanted a tour of the brewery. I walked her over to the heavily windowed brew area and pointed out the various containers and their purpose. She seemed to have a heart felt desire to learn, and I was most happy to oblige. Mindy had a Russian Imperial Stout. We ordered our food lickity-split. Jacob and I ordered wings. He ordered Buffalo. I ordered Gates of Hell. Mindy ordered a Pulled Pork sandwich. Bella had Grilled Cheese. Jacob seemed to enjoy his wings, but moreover, he asked to try my Gates of Hell. That, of course, perked my ears. You bet! We swapped wings. I was sure that he’d reject the Gates of Hell for the heat, but he didn’t. Instead, he relished it! He thought they were the best! How about that? He later asked for another. At that point I knew that I had just converted him! Some day, it’ll be time to let him experience his first double IPA! My guess is that he’ll enjoy that too, savoring the moment and hopefully passing it down through the generations.

We didn’t stay at Barley’s too late. We left after dinner and after only two beers for me. Mindy called Tom C. while we sat and dined. He was busy painting his flip-it in German Village. We hope to connect next weekend for some fun. It was just after 9pm as we loaded back into the Trooper. The Police helicopter hovered just overhead as we moved towards the Trooper. Jacob and I played much like Sean Meehan and I did as kids, when we were thrown into a cruiser behind Woolco’s Dept Store for a suspected crime we never committed. Then & now, we were only playing chicken with the police helicopter. Certainly they wouldn’t suspect a family leaving Barley’s as crime suspects. They finally moved their spot elsewhere. If nothing else, the kids gotta charge out of the event. Mindy drove. Soon, we were back home and getting ready for bed. Mindy got the kids tucked in pronto. I checked in with work and then cracked open a Stone’s Ruination Double IPA.

We headed for bed even before 10pm- shamefull.

Spring's Coming onto Me

Thursday morning represented the new norm. I woke at 5:30am after roughly seven hours sleep. My head was foggier than usual, but we were a mere four days into the more difficult time change. Downstairs, I choked down a vitamin, anti-inflammatory, and Prilosec OTC. I began my 55-50-40 workout in earnest. By 5:45am Ykraps & I set out on our morning journey. The streets & walks were noticeably clearer. The warmer temps coupled with the more direct overhead sunshine have spelt doom for last weekend’s snow and ice. However, a few stubborn “icebergs” remained. The walks, at least, offered a clear path to infinity.

Our return meant coffee! I was looking forward to it. After a few minutes of sipping coffee in front of the PC I fixed and delivered Mindy’s. Soon, I was back down the stairs meditating. It was good. I was encouraged. I dressed and left for a run around 6:35am. I chose to run with an audio book whirling in my ears – the third of my four CD set, The Third Jesus. As expected, I was so engrossed in the book that I hardly realized the physical demands of my run. I was done almost before it began! :) Instead of rushing right back into the house I stopped atop the bridge overlooking the peaceful pond for some additional quietness. It was beautifully tranquil. The sun had not yet risen, but there was a detectable glimmer of daylight present on the eastern horizon.

Back inside Mindy had scrambled eggs ready topped with cheese. I enjoyed them much along with my usual fruit medley. Mindy & Bella dashed off around 7:25am. Jacob and I were left to our own measure. I was tinkering with my camera to a point where Jacob had to question my intent. Was I showering before or after? Before! I hurried on along not wanting to fall too far behind schedule. I reemerged ready to go with four or five minutes to spare. As is often the case, Jacob dashed off quickly while I toiled with organizing all of my electronic gadgetry. I met him at the bus stop a minute behind. We chatted with Pat & Alanna before the bus arrived. She pulled up at 8:03am and left with our kids. I headed back towards home and my Trooper.

It was a lovely drive into work. The day’s weather promised to be special with loads of sunshine and a high near 60 degrees. Work was busy most of the day. I left for a Home Depot visit around 1pm. I wanted to again checkout kitchen faucets as the time is drawing near for our counter top install. We’ve got to decide soon. Even though I had an intended purpose, the escape was just as much a psychological one. I enjoyed my time away returning just before 2pm. For lunch I ate my tuna salad. It was good.

The afternoon drew to a close with me working a little late. We were very busy. Once again I took my laptop home to stay connected in case I was needed. Mindy made cheeseburgers for dinner. We walked Ykraps together, even Jacob joined us. He rode his scooter. It was a lovely evening. After our dinner we all headed outdoors to get some fresh air by the bridge. Neighbor Mike & his son, Evan, were out there, too, fishing. Evan loves fishing, and had his cool new fishing pole. Technically, it’s not a pole at all. It looks more like a large squirt gun. However, instead of casting you pull a trigger to “blast” the line into the water. Very cute. I threw snow balls at Jacob for a while, but then we threw the OSU football for about 15 minutes. We chatted with Mike the whole time. He is such a good guy and good neighbor.

We headed in around 7:45pm. I was surprised that it was that late already. Mindy got the kids bed gear ready. I assisted Jacob with a shower while Mindy took care of Bella in the tub. We tucked the kids into bed just after 8pm. I poured a Beam & Diet Coke that I sipped while updating my blog. We headed to bed around 9:30pm. I was expressly tired.

Flying Dog - Double Dog Pale Ale

I slept just a few minutes later than I had hoped but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t make up with a little focus. Quickly, I took my vitamin and anti-inflammatory. Next, I started into my 55-50-40 exercise routine. My shoulder did OK but it’s definitely not fully healed. Honestly, though, I don’t anticipate that it will be for another month or so.

Ykraps and I walked our regular beat. Just like Tuesday, we had to be careful navigating across the few remaining icy patches on the sidewalks. We managed. Back home I treated Ykraps and then poured my first cup of coffee. I enjoyed my coffee in front of the PC. I headed upstairs with Mindy’s coffee around 6:10am – a few minutes late. I returned to meditate but had a difficult time. Instead of quieting my mind, work related matters of some sort whirled around in my head, none of which I can still recall. Even as I type, that’s an eye opener. What I allowed to sway my mood so drastically yesterday I can’t even recall today. Must not have been a big deal after all. I was still sore over the tax thing, however.

I left for a run around 6:35am. It was completely dark at the beginning and only began to show signs of daylight as I finished. Mindy made scrambled eggs topped with cheese. I was eager for them. I decided that I would give Mindy the opportunity to contact her tax guy her own way today since she was fearful of how I might handle it. She thought that was a good idea. I told her that if he didn’t respond that I would take the matter into my own hands. I really hoped that she could get a hold of him. I really don’t want to talk to this bozo.

I continued eating my breakfast as Mindy & Bella departed. Jacob found ways to stay busy. I’m not sure if he was without screens or not. We left out the door for the bus stop on time, rushed just a little. I was off to work by 8:18 after spending a handful of minutes chatting with Pat after the kids were gone.

Work was busy right out of the gate. Next thing I knew it was staff meeting time. Our meeting lasted until 12noon. I skipped a formal lunch hour not really having anything pressing to address. The afternoon was just as busy as the morning. I didn’t get out of the office until 5:15pm. When I walked out the door it was kind of nice. I-270 was almost at a stand still. I knew right then that I’d be taking the back way home. I talked with Mindy who reminded me that it was a Mindy Wednesday. I originally thought that we might go out to dinner but we ended up deciding on staying home. Mindy would have to bolt for choir practice come 6:45pm anyhow.

I walked Ykraps immediately after arriving home. Mindy said that she never did hear from the tax dude. Bastard! I didn’t speak much more of it as I didn’t want it to dominate my thinking for the night. I told myself that it’ll get worked out. We snacked for dinner. Mindy had hot dogs. I ate Tostito’s and buffalo chicken dip. Mindy was soon preparing to leave for choir. I had 20 minutes or so before the kids returned. I used that time to blog. Jimaken dropped the kids at 7:05pm. Jimaken warned that Jacob was being a pill in so many words. Bella was anxious to get in the hot tub. I promised as much on Monday. She hadn’t forgotten. Around 7:45pm I got the tub ready. I had the kids bring down their pajamas so that we could quickly slip into them after our soaking. They complied.

We stayed in the hot tub for about 20 minutes. They enjoyed it almost as much as their first time in. We were out by 8:10pm and back inside. We moved immediately to the Wii. First the kids played some carnival games, but then all three of us bowled. I won the bowling game! I haven’t played much Wii since our return from Oregon. Mindy returned home just as we finished bowling. She got the kids moving towards bed. It was already 8:45pm. I was drinking one of my Flying Dog - Double Dog Pale Ale’s. It was good! Once the kids were tucked in we watched elimination night – American Idol. It was good entertainment.

Idol ended at 10pm. Afterwards I tuned to South Park. In this episode, Cartman contracted AIDS while in for a tonsillectomy. Fed up with his friends jeering at him, he purposefully infects his friend Kyle. He accomplishes this by squirting a syringe of his infected blood into Kyle’s mouth all the while he was sleeping. I began dosing just as they were heading off to find Magic Johnson for a cure.

Mindy and I were in bed minutes later. I was tired and needed sleep.

Taxing Evening

Mike the Tax Accountant

Sometimes I feel like a well trained dog. Once again, I woke right at 5:30am with no external prompting. I was downstairs fumbling with my Blackberry, vitamins, and anti-inflammatories by 5:34am. Minutes later I was working through my 55-50-40 exercise routine with only my minor shoulder discomfort. I sat pretty and begged for a treat immediately after.

Ykraps and I headed out the door at 5:50am. The greater majority of our trek was on a dry walk, although there were a few brief unshoveled sections remaining. Those were difficult to navigate due to their lumpy – frozen state, yet somehow we managed. We were back just before 6am.

I poured my coffee and then retreated to my PC. There, I read the Daily OM, morning headlines, and weather forecast. I delivered Mindy’s coffee next, and then completed a successful meditation before dressing for my run. I was more energized than normal for the run. I made sure to stretch good before dashing off. I pondered many things while I ran, including my spirituality. Heavy on my mind today was how I might best deal with characters and situations which seem to run counter to my best interests. Key for me was reminding myself that I can be in the world but not of it. My run went really fast as it often does when I think so deeply.

My trash can was emptied. I lugged it back to its resting place through the deep, crunchy snow. Inside, Mindy was just finishing her own eggs and asked if I wanted her to cook mine. I chose to cook my own. Additionally, I scooped some chicken & dumplings into a Glad container to serve as the main course of my lunch. Mindy still packed my fruit and nuts. It wasn’t long before Mindy & Bella were out the door. Jacob lost his access to “screens” for some transgression, so he played basketball in the basement while passing time. As always, he was eager to hit the door as soon as I emerged from upstairs. I really don’t like being rushed!

We walked to the bus stop on what was an overcast morning. The bus came kind of early – 8:01am. Alanna never showed up. I figured Pat must be taking her to school. I arrived to work at 8:20am. Traffic wasn’t an issue. Work was pleasant. Ken made it a point to thank me for helping him over the weekend. I was happy to help.

I decided somewhat early on that I would make a trip to the Anderson’s at lunch time with perhaps an additional stop at the Sawmill Kohl’s. I left at 1pm. I took Hayden Run Rd to Sawmill and then north to 161. It was a fast drive. As I walked into The Anderson’s I decided last minute to grab a cart. After a double take I realized the cart greeter was none other than Art Plantz, and old Time-Warner co-worker. In fact, he was my boss for a few years back in the 80’s. He’s since retired and doing the greeter thing two days a week just to get out of the house. He seemed as happy to see me as I him.

I wandered back to the beer section, which was my primary reason for the trip. They have, by far, one of the largest beer selections anywhere in Columbus. I was hopeful to find more HopSlam and perhaps even some Widmer Broken Halo IP. But as it turned out, they had neither. They did, however, have Stone’s Ruination IPA – a close second to HopSlam. I bought a six pack of that and then some Flying Dog Double Pale Ale that has an IBU of 85 and ABV of 10.5% - right up there with most others I like.

I was pleased with my catch. I asked the beer/wine guy the whereabouts of their HopSlam and Broken Halo. They don’t carry the latter and were out of the prior. Not sure where the Broken Halo might be sold but will consider contacting Columbus Distributing seeking a vendor. I passed off my cart to Art as I departed. I headed straight to Kohl’s just a half mile or so west then south. At Kohl’s I was hoping to find long sleeved black tees like the one I lost on our Oregon trip, but just as I suspected, there were none to be had. All of their winter-type offerings were on close-out racks in a hodge-podge. I looked only briefly through a few of them but then gave up. It was time to head back to the office.

The afternoon was bullish. We were very busy. Mindy phoned me late afternoon to let me know that our taxes were back and that we were getting more than twice as much as I had roughed out. Honestly, that seemed impossible to me but who am I to doubt a tax accountant, right? That made my afternoon, mulling over an unforeseen financial windfall. I left for home around 5:40pm calling Mindy along the way. I told her again that I was surprised at the number. As soon as I got home I asked to see the package wanting badly to confirm the numbers. It didn’t take me but about 10 seconds to see a glaring mistake causing the excessive return. I wasn’t too pleased. You should’ve heard me going on about the idiot we entrusted with our tax return. You see, I have never been one to have someone else do my taxes save for one time – the year I bought my second house. Then, we had lots of points and the sale of our old home to claim back when the tax laws were much different. But that was the only time. I've done them confidently every other year. And I certainly could’ve done them this year with nothing out of the ordinary. Now I was regretting our move.

I attempted to call the illusive accountant but like all of our prior calls for status, it went unanswered. Truth is, I have never had a good feeling about this character, although Mindy professes him to be a long time family friend. She went as much to say that everyone makes mistakes. True, I espoused. But when you’re an accountant your life’s work is in numbers. You better not make too many mistakes. Further, to make such a silly mistake shows me that he’s, one, careless, and two, not double checking the numbers. Both are warning signs. I ranted for about an hour. I then prompted Mindy to call his home given that his wife was a friend from church. She talked with his wife and asked that he call us back. She even told her that we found a serious mistake. The entire evening went by without a call back. This guy already electronically filed too, which I do not know how he could’ve pulled of such a feat without my permission or knowledge.

For the rest of the evening I let the issue ride figuring it out of my control, at least temporarily. I spent the next hour or two playing on the PC. We headed to bed just after 10pm.

Changin' Time

I didn’t fall asleep until after 11pm, and then my sleep wasn’t nearly as tight as I had hoped. And what’s worse, I woke in the middle of night fretting over issues well out of my span of control. All of this added up to a sleepy start to my Monday even after gifting myself an extra half-hour of sleep.

Still, it didn’t take long to get into a rhythm whipping out a full complement of exercises. I was pleased that my shoulder felt damn good afterwards. Soon, Ykraps and I headed out for our walk. The sidewalks were for the most part dry, but where they were still wet & slushy last evening they were once again solid ice. And that ice was chunky-bumpy, very difficult to walk on. We walked long enough for Ykraps to do his business. Back at home I enjoyed a cup of coffee. There was no need to wake Mindy. School was canceled for all three - Mindy, Jacob, and Bella. I took my time not at all worried about the time. I worked plenty over the weekend.

Meditation was good. And by the time I finished and dressed for my run it was already 7:15am. I took Mindy some coffee before heading out just in case. The sky was clear so it was a lovely morning run. Because of the relatively late hour, it was about as light as my normal run time prior to Day Light Saving Time. I was back home for eggs right about 8am. I made myself a delicious roast turkey & cheese omelet. It was huge so I ate only slightly more than half. I left the rest for Mindy.

I didn’t head up for a shower until almost 8:30am, although, I really didn’t pay too much attention to the clock. In fact, I didn’t again check the time until I was on the freeway. My first glance towards the Troopers built-in clock took me by surprise when I saw 8:10am. It took me just a second to realize my error. I hadn’t yet moved it forward an hour. However, just below, my stereo clock displayed the correct time. It’s not that smart on its own. Instead, I never bothered moving it back last November. That four months went incredibly fast.

Work went fast after arriving late. I stayed very busy, too. I thought that I might venture out at lunch time but didn’t. I had no pressing errands. I thought about paying early bills but never got around to it. I worked straight through leaving around 5:20pm. I took my laptop home just in case I was needed during the evening hours. My evening peer is on vacation all week. Mindy was making chicken and dumplings for dinner. She asked that I phone her just as I was leaving work using that as her cue to actually cook the homemade dumplings. I did. She mentioned that my dad was over and so was Lil’ Rocky, who came over much earlier with Lindsey & Landon. When Lindsey left, he asked to stay.

I greeted everyone before heading out with Ykraps. My dad mentioned that he had intended to walk Ykraps but found himself battling that old nemesis of his, Vertigo. That’s something that plagued him 20 some years ago rather severely. To my knowledge it hasn’t been an issue since then. Ykraps and I weren’t out long. He finished his business quickly. I was very much looking forward to a big plate of chicken & dumplings and mashed potatoes. Mindy dished us all up a plate full. Dad mentioned not eating too much for fear of blowing chunks due to his vertigo. I ate two plates full and then some. I finished up Jacobs, too. Mindy bought an orange crush cake & some snickerdoodle cookies at the grocery for dessert. I skipped the orange cake but went for the cookies. They weren’t bad but they didn’t taste anything like snickerdoodles. I pretty much took care of the kitchen clean-up, although Mindy helped a bit. After dinner, dad played cards with the kids and I napped. Some time during all of that, Lindsey & Kelly stopped by to pick-up Lil’ Rocky. Before he left I asked him to spend the night Friday. He said no, citing his desire not to wash his hair. Too funny!

I blasted Kelly’s car with a couple snow balls trying to entertain the kids. I thought that she might not be too pleased but didn’t seem to mind. I hit Rocky with one or two just as he entered the vehicle. He liked that much. Mindy & I got the kids bathed – Jacob took a shower and Bella a bath. After the tuck-in I spent the rest of my waking hours updating my blog through the weekend complete with pics. I was excited to discover a quicker way to shrink my photos to about 100K or less. That’s proved difficult ever since getting my new 7 mega-pixel camera. That made blog uploads very speedy, and the resolution trade-off was largely undetectable, at least on the PC. Of course, I keep the originals at full size.

All the while I was in the livingroom updating my blog, Mindy was in the kitchen on her new laptop. Turns out, she was reviewing my blog as I updated. That seemed/felt a bit strange. We opted for bed right at 10pm. Both of us were ready. Even still, I turned on the TV from bed where we watched about 20 minutes of My Name is Earl.

Day in the Snow

I never gave any thought to moving my bedroom clock forward, although I was well aware of the looming time change. I woke at what I originally thought was 8:00am only to remember the spring forward. Suddenly, I felt behind the eight ball. I got up and headed downstairs to get the day rolling.

The first thing I did was take my vitamin and anti-inflammatory and then prepped some coffee. In between sets of exercise I logged into work only to discover my assistance was again needed. I helped however I could. Outside it was bright & sunny but still quite cold. It was 16 degrees. The snow was lovely. Ykraps headed out for our walk where again he struggled to find his sweet spots. After returning home I sat at the PC with my first cup of coffee. Columbus made national headlines because of our weather. Officially, we got 20.4 inches of snow. According to the article, we set a new snowfall record for a single storm. Cool!

I can’t recall what time it was when Mindy joined me downstairs. I know that she was back at her laptop when I returned from my sunny run. In many respects, it was a tougher run today than yesterday’s. The plowed streets were slick with hard packed snow, and with the sun beating down it created the slip & slide effect. I had to be extra careful, not to mention the lumpy bumps that were next to impossible to detect by eye. When it’s sunny & lumpy like that there’s always the possibility of twisting an ankle. But thankfully, I managed to navigate through it safely. Upon my return home, I asked Mindy if she would help me clear the drive and sidewalks. She agreed. In the meantime, I headed to the shed to fetch my extra snow shovel. Getting in the shed wouldn’t be easy. I had to drudge through 20 inches of snow where it easily topped my snow boots. They quickly filled with cold snow.

After fetching my old plastic shovel, I drove a bigger screw into my new shovel to make it useful too. I also grabbed the square shovel since the bottom two or so inches of snow against the concrete was hard pack. Together we worked for about two hours clearing the driveway and then the walk. The sun was bright so I knew that once we got it cleared the sun would dry it off quickly. Carl came over and asked if we wanted to borrow his snow blower for the walks. I declined initially but Mindy chimed in and said I’ll do it if you teach me. Carl willingly showed her how. Mindy cleared our walk all the way to the bridge in one direction and then all the way to neighbor David’s drive the other way. David was appreciative of that. While Mindy finished out front, I went around and cleared a path on the deck and then cleared the hot tub cover. In fact, I put quite a bit of snow directly into the hot tub. We figured having the hot tub ready was a good idea since our muscles ached from all the shoveling.

We weren’t inside long at all when daughter Ashley phoned upset about a flat tire. She was over at Kelly’s when it occurred. Mindy urged me to not ask a lot of questions and instead just go help. I took her advice, went and changed clothes, and then loaded my hydraulic jack in the Trooper and drove off. Sure enough, there sat Ashley’s car not only with a flat tire but also stuck in the snow. Lil’ Rocky and Olivia were out playing in the snow. They were both very cute. Of course, I took my camera along and got a couple great shots. Lil’ Rocky even helped me change Ashley’s flat.

Unfortunately, Ashley’s donut spare was next to flat. Lucky for her, it had just enough air to get her to the Speedway just up the road. I followed her there to get air after digging her car out of the snow. A similar thing happened with her car last year.

I hadn’t forgotten that Rocky wanted to have a snow ball fight. Instead of driving off home I headed back by Kelly’s and had Ashley get Rocky ready for a snow ball battle. He seemed to enjoy the pummeling I put on him. J He’s at an age where he needs my influence. I can feel it in my bones. I left Kelly’s around 4pm and headed towards home. Mindy gave me cash to stop at KFC on the way home. I stopped and got an eight piece dinner for about $13. Can’t beat that price for feeding a family of four.

At home, I parked on Mindy’s side of the drive way. There remained snow where the Trooper sat all weekend that I wanted to clear. Inside, neighbor Becky was chatting with Mindy psyched that Hilliard Schools were canceled tomorrow. They announced early. Mindy was hopeful South-Western would soon follow suit.

We enjoyed our KFC and then the whole family headed out to play in the snow. We did a little snow boarding and then headed out further to swing and build a snow fort and snowman. I got some really good action photos in the snow. It was lovely – about 34 degrees and brilliantly sunny, making for perfect packing snow. And, Oh, by the way, snow boarding is not easy at all. I could hardly stand up on the thing. I fell three times before tossing it aside.

We stayed out for about 1.5 hours. Mindy and I had more fun than the kids. They both said they were bored. I thought what kid gets bored with 20 inches of snow? Gessh!

We went in to warm up around 6:30pm. We had already discussed hot tubbing with the kids. They had never been in it before, so they undoubtedly had no idea what it would be like. And judging from their favorite bath water temp, they’d be in for a surprise. Bella stayed on me the entire time I was downloading snow pictures to get the hot tub ready. As a last ditched effort she came to me already in her swim suit. Too cute! I finally conceded and got the tub ready for fun.

Bella was out first. I helped her in. As expected, she found the water alarmingly hot. I coached her through the slow descent technique and the three second approach – basically the boiled frog syndrome. Once she acclimated herself to the temp she loved it. Jacob was next. He came out and did the same thing accept was even more uncertain than Bella. Mindy was slow to join us. She was busy trying hard to overcome her electronic card game. So far, her new laptop is the most expensive solitaire game in the world. Jacob eventually trusted me enough to try the three second technique. It worked equally well with him. Soon Mindy joined us. Meanwhile, the kids had an absolute ball playing in the hot tub. We stayed in for just over 20 minutes.

The kids skipped a bath and instead loaded right into their jammies, that is after Mindy lubed them up with lotion. They watched a movie before heading off to bed. I spent the next hour or so updating my blog through Thursday.

Mr Blizzard!

I slept four solid hours waking somewhat abruptly just before 9am. Mindy was certain that I’d wake with a hangover but I didn’t. I headed downstairs while she remained snuggly in bed. I was anxious to see what it was doing outdoors. It was still snowing and blowing, and visibility was shallow. The snow depth was shocking. We already had over a foot as measured by the accumulation atop the deck table, trash can lid, and hot tub.

I completed my sit-ups then decided it a wise thing to rest my shoulder again today after two straight days of push-up and curls. I bundled warmly and headed out with Ykraps. Last second I grabbed my camera to hopefully get a few shots of the wicked weather. My new camera allows for such photo ops whereas my Canon does not, at least without worry of damage. We had little choice but to walk in the street, but even that presented issues. The only hope we had was to stay in the one or two tire tracks, otherwise the snow almost completely engulfed Ykraps. I could see the confusion about his face. He didn’t know what to do. A neighbor was out shoveling her drive. It was comical. I wanted to get a photo, but because I barely know her, I didn’t want her to think I was weird. I did snap a photo on our trek back. The wind an snow facing west was almost unbearable. I knew then that my run would be memorable.

I enjoyed some coffee and cleaned up the small mess left behind by last evenings late night antics. I logged into my work PC wanting to help Ken, my peer & friend, the best I could. I was certain there would be travel issues for those scheduled to work. I worked for the next hour and some helping however I could. I delivered Mindy coffee around 10am. I told her of the blizzard like conditions. I left for a run around 10:30am. By then the blizzard winds had subsided considerably, but I was ready just the same. I wore my ski goggles which was a very wise choice. It helped keep the driving snow from my eyes.

I was fortunate in that there were wide tire tracks in the snow along my entire route save for one small stretch of road on a loop enabling me to run without too much of an issue. It was really quite pleasant. I heard a number of people snicker as I ran by their houses, but honestly, the conditions were far from miserable or treacherous relative to running. It was actually quite nice! To further my point, I’ll bet there were more people out in the weather either working or playing than I have ever seen during a run.

I was back home after about 40 minutes. I went right for my snow shovel anxious to get at least some of the walk and drive cleared should we need to leave. My decision to temporarily give my plain old snow shovel to Jimaken back fired. My new lightweight curve handled shovel broke, or at least the screw holding the shovel to the handle came off. I was rigging it up when neighbor Kenny drove up in his dually pick-up with a plow offering to back drag our drive. At first I declined not wanting to be a burden, but in the end I came to my senses and agreed to move my Trooper so he could do it. It didn’t take him but three minutes to drag it to about an inch or so deep. He saved me a ton of hard labor. Thanks Kenny!!!

Next, I focused my attention on the walk from the drive to the front door. Back inside Mindy was sitting at her new laptop playing a card game relaxing. She uttered that she was happy just to putter today. We pretty much bagged our dinner out plans for the bad weather. I sat across from Mindy and logged back into work where I continued helping however I could. We did little else all day. I bounced back and forth between work and my home PC. On my home PC I finally uploaded pictures to my website dating back to our trip now almost two weeks ago. I felt a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

Sometime mid-afternoon, Mindy made plans with Pat & Lisa, our neighbors. We would be heading to their place around 6:30pm. We agreed to bring some food. We decided to make buffalo chicken dip. The snow continued coming down all afternoon with only one short reprieve around 2pm. It finally stopped for good around 4:30pm and the sun actually came out. In fact, many folks were back out shoveling taking full advantage of the break. By our rough measure, we had nearly 20 inches on our deck. I finally took a shower around 5:00pm after my second short nap. Afterwards I took Ykraps on another walk. He managed to take care of business in the road. For a moment, I thought about shoveling through the additional 6 or so inches that fell through the afternoon but in the end decided to leave it until tomorrow.

Around 6:45pm we walked over to the Shultz’s. I was a little surprised that Mindy was willing to walk. But it was a nice little walk. We took beer, chips, and buffalo chicken dip.

Lisa was napping upon our arrival. We hung out in the kitchen/family room area. Lisa joined us shortly after we arrived. It was a mellow evening of quiet conversation, some drinks, and a little food. We had a nice time. Jake, Jamie, and Alanna were home too. Jamie & Jake conversed with all of us. While helping Jake out of a snow drift we noticed a squad in the court. Initially we weren’t certain at which house. However, I decided to walk right up to the squad and look on the PC screen I could see illuminated from a distance. I could then easily see that they were at 1451 Beman Ct, the Hartwell’s. I went back inside. Pat stayed out shoveling a spot for Jake to park once he returned from the carry-out. Pat came in a few minutes later and told us that it was Bob, his nemesis. Apparently, whatever happened, Bob walked out to the squad under his own power for more tests. Not sure what developed after that. Hope he’s OK. I was worried that it might be his new grand baby.

We stayed at Pat & Lisa’s until 11pm. I was tired & so was Mindy.

Snow Blind

It was Friday morning and I was up on time. I was well into my exercise regime by 5:35am. I did a full workout churning out sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I could still feel some dull pain in my left shoulder but nothing too concerning. Ykraps and I headed out for our walk by 5:50am.

After we returned I delivered Mindy’s coffee just like every other day. Next, I spent a handful of minutes on the PC reviewing the day’s headlines, weather, and Daily OM. The expected snow total had been upped from 4 - 8inches to 12 – 15 inches. I read it twice to be sure. Wow! According to the NWS we could expect snow to arrive around noon and continue through Saturday evening. The temperature would be dropping through it all. OK, we’ll see!

I dressed and left for my run by 6:35am. It was an uneventful run. I was back home by 7:11am ready for some breakfast. We finished off the breakfast casserole. I asked Mindy if she heard about the expected snow storm. She hadn’t, and was as surprised as I at the expected totals. She & Bella left at their usual time.

As soon as I finished my eggs I headed out to plant grass seed. I had been contemplating this event all winter long. Each year, near the end of February, there’s a window of opportunity to simply scatter seed onto the lawn, especially onto any bare spots. This is often considered the second best time of the year to sow grass seed, but also the easiest. Because of the heaving effect causes by repeated freezing and thawing the seed gets pulled down into the soil providing ideal germination conditions. There it will lie dormant until the soil temps reach approximately 59 degrees. And getting it down just before a coming snow storm adds even more protection from birds and such. I spent about fifteen minutes spreading seed by hand.

It was 7:45am by the time I finished up. Jacob requested that I not shower before walking him to the bus stop citing that there would not be time. He was right. I waited. We walked to the bus stop, me still in my sweaty running clothes. I chatted with Pat for a while. He & Lisa still planned to join us at Barley’s later that night. We expect it to be a good time. I headed back home for a much needed shower.

I arrived at work just before 9am. All the talk was of the coming snow storm. Much to my dismay, the snow began coming down just after 10am – a good two hours ahead of schedule. Not only was it coming down at a fairly good clip, but the wind was blowing hard too. By noon the weather was the dominate story with everyone. Some asked to leave citing worsening road conditions. Nonessential employees were permitted to depart early. A few others did as well. Many school districts called school early requiring some parents to leave to fetch their kids. By 2pm or so the NWS dropped the winter storm and replaced it with a blizzard warming! Now they had everyone’s attention. The snow continued coming down sideways all through the day. As you might guess, I didn’t take a lunch.

I left for home just after 5pm. I took the back way after witnessing I-270 at a near stand still both directions all afternoon. Mindy called just before I left work asking if Jimaken could borrow one of our snow shovels to dig out his drive. I agreed. We have three. It took me about 25 minutes to get home. Not bad at all. By then, Jimaken and the kids were already gone. Mindy said Jimaken helped her shovel our drive. I walked Ykraps immediately wanting that behind me. By the time he and I returned, I noticed that the Trooper had slid down the driveway about 12-15 feet, just five feet from the street. Wow!

Mindy asked if I still planned to visit Barley’s. I did. But before doing anything else, I wanted a nap. I took Mindy’s massage pillow to the recliner and tried going out. I was able to relax but never quite fell asleep. I upped around 6:45pm just as darkness was approaching. The wind was howling but the snow had let up considerably. Mindy said that Courtney Jump called to say that they were still going, too. Cool! It’s close.

We left for Barley’s around 7:30pm. Parking was a breeze given the weather. I got my favorite spot. Inside, there were several Friday night regulars on hand. The bar stools were fairly full, but the nearby tables were largely barren. I had a Drought fire to begin my evening. Mindy ordered wine. Not long after we arrived so did the Imber’s. And not long after them the Jumps. Later, Bill Gray made a rare appearance. Mark Pansing was there too. My old buddy, Tom Clark showed up around 9pm, as did Rene, and then Rick snuck in there at some point. An ex-date of Mindy’s, Jim Bosch, was there too. He had one of his sales associates, Molly, with him. She was very nice looking. I measured her a good fit for any of my single guy friends. In what I felt was a funny maneuver, I introduced three of them to her within minutes, Bill G, Mark P, and Tom C. Later, Jim B gestured that perhaps my intros were a bit over the top. Further, he stated as much in a very disapproving manner. Sorry!

Slowly but surely folks began to leave. In the end, it was just me, Mindy, Bob & Mary Ann & Tom Clark. We could see out the window that the snow was really coming down again. Beth & Dan were closing up the place as we hung out for the final 20 minutes. The lights were out immediately after we exited. The weather was brutal, and the roads were treacherous. Mindy invited Tom to stop by our place. He really wanted to hit another venue. After all, it was only midnight. Mindy won. We headed to our house. Tom followed close behind as we navigated I-70 west.

At our house we sat around the kitchen island while enjoying a few more beers. The time went fast. Eventually, Tom introduced us to a band from the Philippines via a CD he brought along. Can’t recall their name. Later, he pulled them up on You Tube where he and I spent the next couple of hours listening to all kinds of old music. Mindy headed to bed around 3am. Tom & I stayed up. Around 4am Mindy came down asking us to turn the music down. I guess we had it up pretty loud. Somehow or another it managed to work its way back up once again. Around 5am Mindy once again came down only this time took matters into her own hands. She turned off the PC audio. I chose not to question her motives. Tom, realizing the late hour, decided it was time to depart even after both Mindy & I insisted he stay. With no hesitation he bolted out the door into the horrendous blizzard conditions.

I was tired and headed up for bed. I choked down three Advil before making the dive.