Chilly & Chili

I slept well, or at least until I woke up. J Sounds funny but there’s some truth to it. I probably woke the usual two or three times during sleep only to be reminded of my achy shoulders and groin. I should’ve taken some Advil prior to bed but obviously didn’t. I sprung from bed at 5:25am not wanting to risk one more go down and end up sleeping late.

 Downstairs, I started into my routine right off happy that I was getting a jump on an otherwise fast moving morning. My calisthenics were in the bag by 5:40am. Ykraps and I headed out for our walk immediately after. It was very chilly. For my money, this was the coldest morning yet.  I later learned that it was near 30 degrees depending on your location. The realization hit me that I really need to call the irrigation dude today to schedule a winterization. And for that matter, I need to call about having the boat winterized, too.

 Our walk was slow. Ykraps took his merry old time, but I was fine with that. Once we arrived back home I fetched his treat and also grabbed the liquid syringe and ear cleaning solution that I whipped up on Saturday. I squirted the mixture into each of his ear canals and then proceeded to massage it in as best I could. He loves having his ears massaged. The whole process took only a minute or two.

 Next was coffee time. Because it was still early – only 5:55am - I enjoyed some coffee of my own before making Mindy’s and delivering it. Around 6:05am I took Mindy hers. I spent a solid 15 minutes in meditation before my run. I did a much better job than I have lately suppressing the countless thoughts that constantly barrage my brain.

 My favorite running attire was too smelly to be worn again this morning. Because of this, I had to grab fresh from the laundry closet. I could’ve gotten away with wearing my new running gloves but didn’t. It was that chilly. By the time I dashed off for my run the trash truck had already been by to empty the weekly container. The bulk pick-up items were still there, however. But I expected that. They typically come later in the morning.

 My run went well. I was still slightly ahead of the curve so I saw some characters that I typically just miss. On the other hand, a few others that I typically encounter were up the road a bit from the usual location where our paths typically cross. It only makes sense. The sky began to brighten as I closed in on home. However, no more is there sunshine breaking through the horizon.

 As usual, Mindy had my breakfast ready. She was dressed in her new outfit again today. She only wore it to church on Sunday. She allowed Bella to sleep in until the last minute since she was going to the sitter’s house.  Bella woke and left in a surprisingly good mood. Mindy made chili for Monday’s dinner the afternoon before. The concoction was resting in the fridge, but the crock pot was still on the counter. Her plan was to heat it up once she gets home Monday afternoon.

 Jacob and I left the house at 7:59am. Not sure why we were running slightly behind schedule. Neighbor Jake was waiting in his mother’s SUV at the corner. As soon as we walked up she let him out and left for work. We tossed the football like any other morning. The bus fetched the kids at 8:05am. I walked home to finish loading the Trooper. I was smart enough to start it up earlier as it was covered in light frost. 

Off to work. I arrived at work just before 8:30am. I felt as though I had been gone for a long while when in reality it was a scant three days. My office smelt fresh as I unlocked and opened the door. It looked fresh and clean still too. Nice!

 The work day was well under control. I was the only manager in for most of the day after Ken left near 11am. My boss was working from home. One peer was ill and another on vacation all week. Ken shared that my irrigation guy stopped by and gave them an estimate over the weekend. It was a few hundred more than mine but sounded like it included watering the beds separately. I never left for lunch since I was alone. The day never got out of control, thankfully. I did stay rather busy, however.

 Mindy called me around 4pm in route to pick-up Bella. She wasn’t sure if we had any corn bread mix at home so she planned to pick-up some from her momma. She also asked how I felt about inviting my dad for dinner.  I was good with it. It was now 5:30pm. The work day flew by. Traffic was moving swiftly. I arrived home at 5:51pm. I was happy that the stock market performed well today – up 400 points, or almost 5%.

 Jacob was trying to set his bike on end in the garage just as I pulled up. I helped him out mostly to avoid it falling into my BM’er. My dad was already  there as witnessed by the presence of his minivan. After a brief greeting, he let me know that he Bella already walked Ykraps. Cool! He & I chatted all the while Mindy put the finishing touches on our chili and corn bread.

 She ended up microwaving each bowl individually since it never had a chance to get that hot in the crock pot in the short time she’d been home from school. I worried that it wouldn’t be spicy enough, but that turned out to be unfounded. It was plenty spicy. I topped mine with shredded cheese and sour cream. Yummy! The corn bread was delicious too, at least the top batch. I eventually reached for a second piece of corn bread. But that piece wasn’t nearly as flavorful as the first. In fact, it was nasty tasting. I remember thinking to myself that it had an awkward yet familiar smell/taste. Then it dawned on me. It actually smelt/tasted like Mindy’s moms’ kitchen – no kidding! I told Mindy that something was wrong with some of the corn bread on the bottom, and went on to tell her what I thought it tasted like. She tasted it and thought the same. At first, I was afraid that she’d be offended but it was awful. Somehow the cornbread mix she had picked up from her mothers managed to absorb the flavor and subsequently the smell of the house. It smelt like a combination of laundry and Pinesol. Not a bad smell on its own, but certainly not one you’d want in your food. The box and bag was sealed so we found it a little surprising that the corn flour managed to absorb its surroundings. No more corn bread for me.

 After dinner the kids got back to playing with the neighbors. Dad, Mindy & I sat around the table. We eventually enjoyed some dessert. Mindy had leftover ice box cookie cake. Dad & I enjoyed dirt cake given to us by Denna, Jacob’s friend, Noah’s mom. It was good.

 Dad didn’t stay much longer. I’d guess it was just after 7pm when he left. Mindy soon gathered the children. Jacob was already upstairs playing video games with Jake. Bella was down at the neighbors. After both kids passed the sniff test, Mindy concluded baths were not a necessity. They were off the hook. In turn, Mindy let the two of them stay up until 8:30pm watching TV from Jacob’s room. That didn’t last long, however.  Soon they were fighting and tattling on one another. They had Mindy hotter than a hornet. Choosing not to get involved, I simply listened in from afar. 

I did head up for the tuck in ceremony. Neither kid was in too good of spirits. I understood that. After finishing up with the kids I returned to my blog where I published the past four days including adding some relevant pictures. 

I must’ve finished up around 9pm. Afterwards, I retreated to the family room where I put in my new Deepak CD. There I listened with my feet propped up on some pillows while lying on the sofa. I dosed off for a few minutes here and there. Feeling a bit stiff, I took an 800mg Advil in an attempt to relieve some chronic stiffness in my shoulders and groin area. It didn’t take long for it to at least take the edge off. Mindy & I headed off to bed around 10pm.