Delaying the Inevitable

There should be little doubt about what time I woke for work. 5:30am, of course. I had a foggy head as I began my exercise routine, but that went away quickly. By the time I finished the fogginess was gone. I remained on pins and needles as to the outcome of the Vikings/Lions game. Last I knew it went to overtime. I decided to walk Ykraps and pour coffee before checking the results. I know, it’s sad how passionate I am about my beloved Vikings. But I guess that’s what you get when you follow a single team for as many years as I have – 37 to be exact.

Once again, I wore a fleece jacket on our walk. It was quite chilly again this AM. I was back home before 6am and pouring my first cup of coffee. I checked the hot tub for leakage. There was none. It was time to face the music win or lose. I checked the Viking score – they lost in overtime 20 – 17. Crap! Of course we fumbled the ball away in overtime enabling the Lions to have excellent field position. I was bummed for a few minutes but moved on.

I read the Daily OM and then meditated for 15 minutes. Afterwards I was in a better place mentally. I proceeded to make Mindy a cup of coffee then went upstairs to dress for a run. I left at 6:30am sharp! It was chilly. I am glad that I wore my fleece. But despite the chill, the run was excellent. Nothing like running the motor full tilt at 6:30am!

When I returned home Mindy was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on our breakfast. I told her of the Viking loss. She already knew. Said she checked last night but didn’t want to tell me. Had they won, I am certain that she would’ve shared the news. I’m glad she let me learn on my own. Our breakfast was delicious. Hit the spot!

It wasn’t long before she & Bella blew outta there leaving Jacob and I to ourselves. I showered and readied for work just like always. We hit the door a little early. Jacob wasn’t feeling to swift and asked if I would drive him to the bus stop. Of course I did. Greeted Pat and Alena. Talked of weekend football. Soon I departed for work. I arrived just before 8:30am. Looked like a gorgeous day unfolding with an expected high of 75 degrees.

We changed some work flow procedures which had me and my peers on heightened alert. All in all the changes went incredibly well. We ordered pizzas for the team. I ran out to home Depot to pick-up a drain assembly wrench to hopefully removed the damaged tub drain. I also picked up some 3.5 inch deck screws to better mount my project center peg board. When I returned to work I caved and ate pizza in lieu of my packed lunch.

The afternoon went smoothly. I departed for home around 5:20pm. When I arrived home Mindy already had dinner cooking on the stove. She explained that she’d already completed so many tasks including her elliptical machine. She seemed jazzed. We walked Ykraps together. Jacob joined us on his scooter. Bella was none the wiser off playing with her friends. We all sat down to dinner. We had boneless chicken breasts smothered in a fresh garden tomato concoction along with reheated green bean casserole and a garden salad. It was good. I helped get the kitchen in order immediately following dinner. After which I sped off to the PC to get caught up on my weekend blogging. I stayed focus on the task at hand until 8:30pm stopping only once to tuck in the kids who went to bed at 7:30pm. Mindy wanted them in bed early since both exhibited tired behavior.

I retired to the family room after finishing up on the PC. Mindy was watching MASH reruns. She was sad because I had failed to formally recognize our two year “meeting” anniversary with a card, flowers, or gift. Honestly, I thought about it but figured I’d default to our new anniversary date of the 23rd. Geesh! She was really upset. She went to bed around 9:20pm. I was determined to stay up until 10pm and watch MNF. I began dosing off around 9:40pm but didn’t head upstairs until halftime – 10:05pm.

Lots Off the List - but more things to add

I slept later than I expected but the sleep felt awfully good. I didn’t get out of bed until 7:45am. Like the day before I put on a pot of coffee before beginning my exercises. I checked on the hot tub almost afraid of what I might find. Hmm - still full. After a round of exercise I donned a jacket and set out on a short walk with Ykraps. It was very chilly - only 43 degrees! Seems like autumn’s come early and struck quickly.

I wasted little time doing much other than playing in the internet and reading about college football results. I checked the FOX local programming guide to see if my Vikings game would be on. I was hopeful that it would be televised. To my chagrin it wasn’t slated. Instead, they were going to show the Cowboys. Damn it! Eventually everyone was awake. Jacob wasn’t feeling so hot and Mindy intimated that he would stay home with me while she and the two girls run off to church. But before leaving for church she made blueberry muffins and maple bacon. I quickly dressed for a run and headed out the door.

My run was pleasant – as usual. I was back before 10am. Breakfast was just about ready. Mindy made the two of us fried eggs in addition to the muffins and bacon. It was very good save for the fried eggs. She needs some help making frying eggs. At Mindy’s request I tried to help prepare the two girls for church by brushing and fixing Kaileigh’s hair. Mindy still had to do the hair brets. Soon the girls left for church leaving Jacoby and I home alone. No sooner were they out the door that I got cracking on my salsa. I decided to try Mindy’s handy-dandy chopper for all the ingredients this time. I always use it for the onion and peppers but have always cut up the tomatoes with a knife. And that takes forever! I thought the chopper might pulverize them, but it did a wonderful job. I just had to be mindful of the number of blows I applied to the compact chopper. Fifteen minutes later I had a large bowl full of Jimmy’s salsa!

I didn’t rest afterwards. Instead, I got busy making brownies. Jacob licked the bowl and loved it. While the brownies baked he and I threw the football in the back yard. And I’ll bet we threw the football for over an hour. The girls were back shortly after noon. They brought Rockie back with them, too. By then the salsa was in the fridge and the brownies cooling on the stove. While they all prepared for lunch, I dashed off to Home Depot to get even more project stuff. I wanted to get shelf liner, screws, and a couple 2x3’s. While there, as I often do, I got more stuff off of my project list. I bought a new hose for our shower head (it just started leaking badly). I bought a new drain assembly for the kids tub (needed for quite a while). And I bought a trouble light for the garage. I was gone for a good bit of time stopping at both Home Depot and then Lowe’s.

I got home around 2:30pm. I didn’t waste much time. I got busy cutting the grass and g all the other related tasks. I finished around 4pm or so. I took a shower and then walked Ykraps. I was pretty well beat. Mindy thawed the second of two NY strip steaks we bought at The Anderson’s a couple of weeks ago. She also made green bean casserole. I checked the Viking score on line and learned that they were tied 7 – 7. Joey and Shelly came to pick-up Kaileigh around 5:30pm to go to a family dinner. I wished Kaileigh could stay longer but understood. I started the grill shortly after they departed. I seared the two inch thick steak in high before lowering the temperature to cook the center a little. It turned out fabulously! The kids had hot dogs. J For dessert we enjoyed my freshly made birthday brownies.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Mindy gave the kids a much needed bath. I decided to work on my project center. I wanted to get as far as I could on my peg board tool rack. I was able to use my chop saw to make quick work of creating a 2x3 frame for the peg board. Soon I was mounting the peg board to the frame. It looked good. I placed it just above the tool cabinets/work bench and mounted it to the wall after some light leveling. I wished I had slightly longer deck screws for mounting the final product. I used 2.5” screws where 3 or 3.5” would’ve been ideal. I knew that by the time I went through the peg board, the 1.5” depth of a 2x3, and then the ½” drywall, I would be lucky to have any penetration into the studs at all. But I made do with what I had available.

I still have to build a storage shelf above the entire work center but it looks pretty darn good. Incidentally, the Viking game went to overtime after both teams missed field goals in the final minute. I couldn’t bear to watch/follow any more. I was on pins and needles! Combined, they had ten turnovers. I told myself that I would avoid learning the outcome until morning. Mindy and I got in the hot tub around 9pm. It felt terrific on a cool but clear late summer evening. We headed to bed soon after.

A Kaileigh Day

I swear I didn’t even try, but somehow I woke promptly at 7:30am. Like a trained puppy I jumped right out of bed and began my weekend routine. After making a pot of coffee and exercising, Ykraps and I hit the door. It was very chilly with clear skies. If I recall, the temperature was only about 45 degrees. I knew that I’d need more than a thin dry-fit shirt while running. Furthermore, the expected high is only 63 degrees.

After some coffee and internet fun I readied for a run. Mindy was up and already in the shower. She had to be out of the house just after 9am to make a 9:30am hair appointment. Also, Jimaken was picking the kids up for breakfast at 9am. He wanted to spend some quality time with the kids before an upcoming west coast business trip. I hung around long enough for everyone to leave before setting out on my run. When I did it was still rather chilly. I ran inside the subdivision. It was a good run, one in which I resolved several issues whirling about in my brain.

I was determined to chip away at several home projects this weekend, but before jumping headlong into any of them I felt compelled to tidy up the kitchen and take care of a few minor household chores. I spent about an hour watering house plants, unloading the dishwasher, windexing appliances and door glass, and putting away miscellaneous toys and junk. All of that was really getting to me.

I was torn like I so often am when I have a lot of items on my to-do list - almost to the point of paralysis. While many of my projects feed one another, I could start at various places. UGH!!!! In the end I chose to spend time assembling the second of two steel base cabinets for the garage. That went much faster than the first, which I suppose should’ve been expected. Meanwhile, the kids returned as expected from there short time with Jimaken. Bella wanted to help me with the cabinet. And honestly, she was a big help handing me screws and supplying that helpful third hand. Mindy arrived home about fifteen minutes later.

I was just about done with the cabinet when I realized that I had assembled it incorrectly. I used the black screws where silver were to go. And truthfully, it was only cosmetic but to leave it that way would’ve driven me nuts. I took all 24 out and replaced them with silver. Gee Whiz! I later learned that I put the drawer bottom on wrong too. Mindy had to make sense out of the archaic drawing.

Finally, I finished the cabinet. I moved the finished product to the garage still not sure what would be next on the list. Thankfully, the Buckeye game wasn’t kicking off for a few hours still, so there was plenty of time to squeeze in more projects. Almost by default I got to moving things around in the garage to facilitate the cabinets. I moved them into their assumed position and then took the time to level them with the adjustable legs to compensate for the slight fall towards the street. Next, I put the accompanying faux wood top into place. Looking good!

I was motivated now to move onto the black metal shelving. The directions stated that it should take no more than ten minutes to assemble. In reality that was about 25 minutes, but that was erring in favor of caution. Soon I had the shelves erected and ready to be placed right next to my new workbench. Eager to get a glimpse of the final project I put the metallic peg board into place with out actually mounting it (that would take more time than I felt I had). Cool! I like the look and the functionality. There was still about 30 minutes until kick-off. I decided to move forward with light fixture replacement. I replaced both fixtures out front even though only one was damaged. It looks like someone kicked the one closest to the walk on purpose. I had little trouble getting both replaced with standard outdoor lighting fixtures that handle full-size spots.

Kick-off happened while I cleaned up for the afternoon. I was done, to a great extent, with my Saturday project work, although I still needed to water flowers. While enjoying the Buckeye game, granddaughter Kaileigh finally arrived. I was very happy to have her over and to see her. She was spending the night. She’s always pleasant and is relatively low maintenance. Bella was as happy as me to have her over. The kids played outside during the game. Jacob and I threw the football at halftime all the while I made room in the shed for mowers. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes took control of the game in the third quarter. I returned outside to address a few other chores. I got the mowers secured in the shed and then reattached the hot tub access panel to the deck.

I got the grill going just after kick-off while Mindy walked Ykraps. Before long I got busy grilling Texas burgers & a few hot dogs. Mindy whipped up some A gratin potatoes too. I never did get around to making more salsa or the brownies I had Mindy buy for my birthday, but that’s often the case. I have too much planned. We kept a loose eye on football all evening long. The Wolverines beat Notre Dame rather convincingly. At 8pm we watched USC against Nebraska. USC spanked them. We went to bed early – well before 11pm.

Broken Brake

Friday was all about the coming weekend. Outside of that, there was little variation from any other work day. I was up on time, the day was sunny, and I ran before work. Jacob returned to school after a two absence. The week went incredibly fast due to taking Thursday as a vacation day.

I took the rest of my homemade salsa and birthday cake to work. I also stopped at Kroger on my way in and picked up a couple bags of Lime Tostitos. And before moving on to work I bounced over to Advanced Auto Parts to pick up a bottle of brake fluid. I noticed yesterday that my brake fluid is a smidge low. Not sure if it’s been like that or if there’s a small leak. One thing’s for certain, the brake light has been coming on intermittently for a couple of months, but only first thing in the AM.

During my lunch hour I drove to Home Depot to pick-up some weekend project materials. I bought a sheet of silver peg board for my garage project center & some light fixtures to replace the two front uplights. When I returned to the office I finally ate the lunch that Mindy packed for me on Tuesday.

Five o’clock came quickly. I was eager to get out of the office and head home for the weekend. I left at 5:25pm. I wasn’t home to long at all before Ashley and Olivia arrived. Olivia was walking as much or more than crawling. That’s cute to see but also a bit of a curse because she’s completely mobile meaning that she’ll be in everything. She was, too!

Jacob wanted to throw the football. I spent a good 30 minutes with him. Mindy joined us out back and so did Ashley and Olivia, eventually. I went in and changed in and washed up in preparation for an evening out.

We left for Barleys around 7pm – much earlier than usual. The bar stools were all spoken for upon our arrival. I wasn’t in that great of a mood either. I waited for a seat patiently all the while sipping an IPA. Eventually two seats came free and we sat at the bar to enjoy some dinner. I had some Gate of Hell Wings. They were most tasty. We spent a lot of time with Jeremy and Courtney, who were already there when we arrived. The big day is close. Courtney looks like she could pop any day. Check the picture.

Most of the usual characters were there minus Bob and Mary Ann, who were back home in Wadsworth attending her grandmother’s funeral. And in case you were wondering, that’s an excused absence. Sarah, who I hadn’t seen in quite some time, stopped in with her new “friend”. I worked with her at UUNET before she started working at Barley’s. She was as chatty as ever.


We hung out at Barley’s until 1030pm. We weren’t up too long at home. In fact, I think that we were in bed by 11pm.

Eagle Sticks - not a 70's-80's rock concert

I wanted to be up as close to my usual time as possible to help facilitate an aggressive morning agenda. Starting from my goal, which was to leave the house at 8:00am I had little wiggle room on the actual wake-up time. I got out of bed at 5:40am (some vacation day – huh). The early morning sky was a pretty as predicted, and once again, it was darn chilly. It was 49 degrees. I returned from walking Ykraps at 6:15am. I poured some coffee then spent only a few minutes playing on the PC.

Like usual, I dressed for a run at 6:30am. For the first time this season, I wore a pull-over fleece on top of my long sleeved running shirt. Something a little thinner would’ve been ideal but I knew without it I would be too chilly. I was comfortable out the door, and for me that’s critical. In fact, I was comfortable through the entire run. I made it back from my run at 7:15am. I poured Mindy some coffee before heading up for a shower. She was snuggling with Bella.

Thus far the morning bore little resemblance to a vacation day. Instead, it mirrored most work days. But that was all about to change. First, I dressed in shorts and a polo shirt - attire for a day of golf, not work. From there I loaded my clubs and gear into the Trooper. Mindy & Bella joined me in the kitchen just as I was readying to depart. I ate some strada and threw together a bag of nuts to stuff in my golf bag. I was out the door just as Jacoby’s bus was pulling up. Only trouble was, he wasn’t going to school again today.

As I departed I motioned for Mindy to lean out the door. When I rolled down my newly repaired passenger window it quickly reverted to being broken – again! ugh! I pulled away a little frustrated but all along I had stated that I had little confidence in the gorilla glue. I mean, hell, it broke loose from the old window clips too. Still, I’m never one to want to fix something twice. I went on to Bob’s driving down Cambridge Ave. through Arlington. I arrived 5 minutes early. Bob was just about ready. I spoke briefly with Mary Ann who just lost her grandmother of 94 years. I wished her well and expressed my sympathy. Soon Bob & I were on the road.

We had little trouble in traffic. In fact, we made excellent time. It felt kind of like driving to Salt Fork. The golf course, Eagle Sticks, sits on the south end of Zanesville – about 60 miles from home. The directions were easy as the first 55 miles were all freeway (I-70E). We were all anxious to play this course, which is rated in the country’s top 100 public venues. We arrived at 9:30am – a full 24 minutes before tee-off time. Bob I and I carted together. And unexpectedly, Bob picked up my green fees – a birthday present. Thanks Bob!

My golf. My God! I played poorly, although I did have a few decent holes. But as most golfers will tell you, if you’re not driving well you can’t get too excited about your game. My driving has been suspect the last two times out. I even hit one of the golf course workers delivering a new cart to the group in front of us. Now, if they were directly in front of me I wouldn’t have felt so bad but they were nearly 90 degrees off target. But I still hit ‘em - at least their cart! My score was 101. I had three pars, no birdies, two 8,s and two 7’s, and a whole lot of double bogeys. As luck would have it, all of my shots began to shape up on the last few holes. That’s just enough to keep me coming back for more.

We finished at 3pm – where’d the day go? Because Bob & Mary Ann needed to head to Wadsworth for her grandmother’s funeral, Bob made arrangements for Mary Ann to pick him up at the golf course. He said that they’d just hit I-77 which is about twenty miles east of Zanesville. OK. I headed west alone.

It was a very nice afternoon and a nice drive in. I decided to stop at Lowe’s to get the garage cabinetry I’ve been eyeing for some time. I stopped at the Brice Rd Lowe’s. Not only did I buy the cabinetry but also bought the accompanying counter top, and then some additional black wire shelving. Also, I picked up some non-mixing epoxy glue for my passenger window. I’ll give that one more try before throwing in the towel. I called home once I was within eyeshot of downtown. I told Mindy that I’d be home by 5pm.
She reported Jacob feeling much better and outside playing. Hmm?

After settling in at home we took Ykraps for his evening walk. And as I have for the past two weeks, I decided to check the hot tub’s water level. Holy shit! Are you kidding me? Damn! Once gain, the water level was down over a foot! Now I’ve just about had it! While Mindy cooked dinner I spent time watering the flowers and then refilling the hot tub. I still contend that there’s an issue with the air hoses siphoning the water out. I was slightly agitated that both the hot tub and my car window broke again on the very same day. Geesh! Can a guy get a break?

Mindy did her best to remind me of all the good in my life. That’s her job. I expect her to try and bring me back when I hit a bump in the road. I’ve never done well managing troubles such as these. The irony runs too deep! Rains it pours… bah, blah, blah!

We ate our dinner. It was good. We had boneless chicken breasts fried in a grill pan. I helped clean-up before carrying on with my evening. I was a day or two behind on publishing my blog. I started working on that. I didn’t get too far before neighbor Mike stopped over with the kids. He had two six packs of Buffalo Bill’s pumpkin Ale for me. It was a gift for allowing him to borrow the slit seeder a couple weekends ago. Too cool!
I offered him one. He said that he’d meet Mindy and I on the deck after a few minutes on the bridge with his kids.

Mike joined us ten minutes later. We sat and chatted for about an hour all the while enjoying a beer. Turns out Mike’s fire unit was at our friends, Thad & Monica’s, house fire recently. Scary! Mike left just before 8pm. At the same time, Mindy hollered for the kids to come in and get a bath. I tuned into the Thursday night football game on ESPN, and then went to the garage and brought in one of the new cabinets in hopes of putting it together while watching the game. It took a full 1.5 hours to assemble the cabinet, but the directions were pretty good at least compared to other do-it-yourself directions I’ve had the privilege of working with in times past. Mindy helped a little, too. We went to bed just after 10pm even though I wasn’t tired when we headed up. However, generally speaking, once my head hits the pillow all bets are off!

Get a Grip

Up at my usual rise time, I was eager to get my day underway. I was impressed after a quick glance out the back door by the crisp star filled predawn sky. After completing my daily exercise regiment I leashed up Ykraps for his morning walk. We soon hit the pavement taking in the cool, fresh September morning air. It was only 50 degrees and for the first time in a long while, I wore a jacket. While strolling in the chilly morning air my thoughts turned towards the coming season and the reality that winter weather is right around the corner. Save for T.G., Xmas, and snow skiing, I could do without it. But too, there should be plenty of beautiful autumn like weather ahead of all that. I delivered Mindy’s morning coffee while also following through on my other daily rituals. I left for a run a smidge earlier than usual. It must’ve been 6:25am. It’s somewhat humorous to see the exact same people each morning on my run. But because I left five minutes early I happened upon other familiar runners/walkers along different stretches of the trail. I wore just a long sleeved running shirt and was chilly for the first half mile or so. Daybreak was upon us at my return home. I heated a couple pieces of the breakfast strada for Mindy and I. I didn’t need a packed lunch since I still had Tuesday’s lunch resting in the fridge at work. I didn’t need to water either. As Mindy prepared to depart, Jacoby played his sick card throwing a wrench into her day. He complained of a severely sore throat. She promptly called the school – hers and his to share the news that the two of them were staying home. She also made a doctor’s appointment with brother Craig. I the meantime, I carried on with my morning like normal. I noticed Jacob up and playing happily just as I was about to leave. Still, Mindy was comfortable that he wasn’t well enough to attend school for the fear of him having strep. I left for work at 7:45am. Work was great. It was a gorgeous day, too. We had a staff meeting that went until 12:30pm where upon my return I quickly grabbed my car keys and dashed off to Golf Galaxy to pick-up my clubs. As expected, my clubs were ready with one small snag. They had failed to shorten my putter as I had asked and paid for. Glad I checked! The fellow behind the desk was eager to help, though, and did it in less than 5 minutes. That also meant he had to install yet another grip. Of course this one was free. I grabbed a box of golf balls and a new glove while I was there, too. Before heading back to the office I decided to walk through Best Buy, which is essentially next door. I looked at the new 8 mega pixel version of my camera that also has a much larger LCD screen. Nice! I also looked at laptops and TV’s. We’re looking to buy Bella a TV/DVD combo for her coming b-day. I was gone less than an hour. Back at the office I had to dash off to yet another meeting/training session. It was slated to last only an hour but went two hours. It was after 4pm by the time I returned to my office. I had a number of things that I intended on completing before leaving. I ended up at the office until just short of 5:30pm. I headed directly home after work. Jacob was tested for Strep. The results were negative. He did, however, have an unnamed virus that closely mimicked the symptoms of strep. Craig advised him to skip school until such a time that he sleeps through the night and has no fever. Apparently his demeanor was such that he was testing Mindy’s patience all afternoon. And once I was home, he tired it with me too. Sometimes he can be a real pill! This was sort of like a Friday night in that I had the next day off of work. However, instead of going to Bartley’s I was slated to stay home with the kids while Mindy went to choir practice. We ate Johnsonville Brats, and soon Mindy left for choir practice. The instructions were that Jacob wasn’t permitted to venture any further than the deck due to his illness. Bella, on the other hand, was free to go out and play with her friends. She did. Jacob whined for the next 15 minutes about being bored. I joined him on the deck where I cleaned my soiled golf clubs. At one point he got up, went inside, and locked me outside. I was not too pleased. I threatened bodily harm. I think that he got the message. After I went back inside, I heard him going all out to coax Bella and her friends into joining him topside. At first, they would have no part of his ploy. Eventually however, they did join him on the deck. Soon I had three screaming little girls running around the house playing with balloons. It was more noise and action than I was hoping for. But lucky for me, bath time was approaching. I gave Bella a fifteen minute warning. Jacob entertained the girls from the deck popping each of their balloons. Come 7:45pm I ended the fun and called the kids in for a bath. Mindy’s instructions were for a simple wash down only, so that’s what I did. They also were told they could wait up for her return. So, after a bath an PJ’s they waited downstairs for Mindy to return. Mindy returned home shortly after 8pm. I was relived to hear her come in. After getting the kids both tucked into bed I cracked open a Honey Raspberry Ale and did some blogging. Around 945pm Mindy and I decided to get in the hot tub. It was a great night for it. We stayed in for almost thirty minutes. It felt terrific! We headed to bed shortly after hot tubbing. I was very relaxed!

911 revisited for the 49th time

Happy Birthday 48th Jimmy I was up just before 5:30am on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. The last time September 11 fell on a Tuesday the twin towers collapsed. Scary thought! But this day has never been a downer for me. No sir! It's my birthday! I did my exercises and walked with Ykraps just like any other day. The sky was heavily overcast unlike most of my birthdays where the sky is more often than not crystal clear and a deep blue. I checked the radar between my walk and run. A storm was about to blow threw the area. But I had to do my run just the same. I hit the streets with a brisk but warm wind blowing against the darkening sky. I didn’t get two blocks before the sky seemed almost certain to burst open with rain. Thankfully, it never did. It sprinkled just a little and the winds gusted, but nothing came of it. I completed my run like always. By the time that I finished my run it was day break. Back inside the house Mindy and Bella were up and about. I warmed some strada for both of us. Bella asked for a piece too. Mindy and Bella departed on time leaving Jacob and I home to fend for ourselves. Once again, I didn’t need to water. The beds were still adequately wet from the weekend rains, cooler than normal temps, and little if any sunshine. I was showered and ready to depart for work by 7:50am. I threw my golf clubs in the Trooper in hopes of having them re-gripped today at lunch. I met Jacob at the bus stop at 8:00am. Once again we greeted Pat and Alena. Pat was quick to wish me a happy b-day. I was appreciative of that. There wasn’t much time to gossip. The bus was there to snatch the kids in no time flat. I forgot to remind Pat and tell the bus driver that Jacob was going to go to their house after school since Mindy had a late staff meeting. Oops! Onto work. I arrived at work around 8:20am. My buddy Ken was still there when I arrived for the first time in at least a month. It was really good to catch up. I was extended a birthday greeting by a handful of folks. That was nice too. I was looking forward to heading out at lunch to drop off my clubs. By now the sky was beginning to shed the thick cloud cover and a few breaks of sun shone through. One of my guys offered to buy my lunch at Chipotles. That sounded good. We agreed to meet there after our separate errands. I arrived at Golf Galaxy at 11:55am. I had a rough time getting my golf bag full of clubs situated and through the store’s doors. I took them immediately to the club shop where I ordered the grips I wanted. They promised to have them ready for pick-up by noon on Wednesday. I was having all twelve – including my putter re-gripped. As I left the store and reached for my Blackberry I realized that it wasn’t at my side. Strange?? Now, I wasn’t 100% sure that I had it with me when I entered the store but felt confident that it was. Perhaps I left it in the Trooper I surmised. Nope, not there either. Hmmm? My heart raced! Before racing back into the store like a mad man I dashed back to the office only a half mile down the road hoping I had inadvertently left it there even though I was sure that I attached it to my side. I could almost visualize putting it on before I left. I ran up to my office only to find that it was not there. Shit!!! I left in a hurry to get back to Golf Galaxy to back track my every step. I was careful to not panic or at least show it outwardly to those I greeted and passed on my trip back there. I looked around the area where I parked initially thinking that it most have come off when I flung my clubs over my shoulder, but it wasn’t lying around anywhere. I dashed back inside the store and directly to the club shop. The kid that checked my clubs seemed oblivious to my question about the Blackberry. I was almost insulted at his non response. I wasted little time dashing to the front desk to ask the checkout clerk. I called it three times while in the store hoping to hear it ring, but still no joy. But as I approached the check out counter I spotted what looked like my Blackberry right next to the cash register. That was it! In that instant I was overcome with joy! I left Galaxy Golf and immediately headed towards the Chipotle at Mill Run. I phoned Eric along the way. He was already there waiting for me. We enjoyed our lunch in all of about thirty minutes. We were back at the office by 1:30pm. The afternoon flew by. Soon, it was time to head for the hills. Given that it was my birthday, I had lofty expectations as for what the evening might hold. After all, my birthday was created for the sole purpose of celebrating my very existence. When I got home I was greeted by my family (M, J, & B). Mindy asked how my b-day at work went. I responded with something like, just like most other days. I wasn’t hungry, still feeling the effects of my giant Chipotle burrito. I skipped a dinner. The kids presented me with a gift – a Minnesota Vikings pullover wind shirt. Cool! Mindy left Jacob and I home alone for a few while she went to the dance studio to fetch Bella. They returned somewhere between 7:30 – 8:00pm. In tow, they had a birthday cake. Mindy prepared the cake with candles and soon they all sang out in joy for it being my birthday. Even I participated. What a joyous occasion. That b-day cake became my dinner. There was no room for anything else. All that sugar put me over the edge. I was hyped up and anxious for the rest of the evening.

Red Lobster

The very minute I begin to brag about being settled into my renewed habit of waking at 530am I’ll experience a minor set back. Still, I’ve got to applaud my progress as I’ve done a pretty good job of rising on time for three weeks running. In the past, waking at 530am was simply a desire, but now it’s almost mandatory should I choose to remain on task. And to an extent, it’s even a bit troubling, since I never like to feel forced or rushed. My weekday routine is everything but leisure these days. I completed my exercises and walk with Ykraps by 5:55am. After, I was happy to be facing the coffee pot pouring the morning’s first cup. After my three day weekend I wasn’t too motivated to head back to work. But before I could worry about work, I had my morning run ahead of me. I spent the usual thirty minutes catching up on the Yahoo headlines, reading the Daily OM, and meditating. It’s a proven fact that all my days go better if I meditate. By 6:30am I donned my running attire (shorts and shoes) and then hit the streets. It was a good run. Mindy had a fresh strada (breakfast casserole) ready in the oven by the time that I returned from my run. Her idea is to have this ready for heating each morning. At my place setting she already had a bowl of fruit set out too. Mindy and Bella dashed off towards school a little bit late my most accounts. Mindy called me minutes later to ask me to make sure Jacob got his allergy medicine and to make his bed. Because of the weekend rains there was no need to water flowers so I wasn’t rushed at all. Instead, I took my shower at a leisurely pace. Jacob and I departed for the bus stop at 7:59am. He still seems eager to get out there each morning. Pat & I discussed the Buckeye game, his weekend golf outing, and a little bit about the NFL. I headed towards work. It was 8:10am. Fifteen minutes later I was unlocking my office door all set to begin another work week. One of the first things I noticed was that my boss approved my Thursday vacation day. That felt good. I had a one on one meeting scheduled with him that he ultimately canceled. He stopped by my office a bit later to explain why. Come lunch time I headed off to Lowe’s. My goals there were simple. I wanted to checkout their gas grill selection as well as take another look at their storage shelves. I really want to get that project done in the next month. I spent about 25 minutes looking around. I saw a couple of grills that I really liked but they were much pricier than the one I fancied at Home Depot. By all accounts, it was a cloudy day. Just thought that I’d throw that in. We haven’t had too many of those this summer. I was eager to get out of the office at a reasonable time. I managed my way out around 5:10pm. Originally the roofer was supposed to stop by tonight to sign our contract but he called around 5pm to cancel. Seems he injured himself climbing on a roof. Mindy had designs on taking me and the kids out for my birthday dinner immediately after. I called Mindy to let her know that the roofer canceled. We agreed to simply meet at Red Lobster. That way I wouldn’t have to exit 270 just to get back on minutes later. Good idea! She walked Ykraps before heading out. We met at Red Lobster around 5:45pm. Uncharacteristically, it wasn’t too crowded for a change. I ordered a lobster tail and shrimp combo. Mindy ordered Tilapia and shrimp. Jacob ordered scampi – his favorite! Bella had apple sauce and French fries. Service was quick and efficient. They’re probably never going to get high marks for quality but the food is adequate & service is generally fast & friendly. We enjoyed it. Earlier I had my eye on their desserts but after eating my entire dinner entrée, that idea went out the window. Instead we paid the bill and headed home. At home the kids were eager to play but there wasn’t much time allotted for such toil. Jacob got a little aggressive with his mother and ended up losing his TV privileges. But his antics didn’t stop there either. Eventually he lost them through Wednesday. He wasn’t happy, especially since that meant he couldn’t watch the Bengals on MNF with me. Sucks to be him! Finally, he went to sleep. Mindy headed to bed at her new bedtime of 9:15pm. I stayed up and watched the game in its entirety (almost). I did dose off for about five minutes of the fourth quarter but saw the final three plus minutes, which were loaded with excitement. The Bengals won! Being opening weekend there were two games on. I saw the opening drive by the SF 49ers but that was it. I needed to go to bed.

Yo Adrian Peterson - SKOL

I woke Sunday morning around 7pm. I heard it storming all through the night and it continued even after I woke. For this I was most pleased. After making coffee and completing my exercises, I leashed up Ykraps for his morning walk. I used the umbrella for the first time in seemingly months. It was pouring all the while we walked.

I was frustrated to find a small pile of crap and a dried puddle of pee on the carpet right by his dog bed as we exited the house. It appears that he had a seizure over night. And come to think of it, Mindy and I heard him flopping around a little right after we went to bed, but we thought nothing of it at the time. To my knowledge he hasn’t had one in a couple of months. Anyway, I knew I had to clean that up once I got back from the walk. Oh the joys of dog ownership.

Upon our return I grabbed a towel to dry Ykraps from the rain. He didn’t have the benefit of the umbrella like me. Again, I can’t recall the last time he and I walked in a drenching rain. However, it seems to happen in stretches. I’ll be poised and ready again. After pouring a cup of coffee I got down to the business of carpet cleaning. The stain was tough to beat given that it sat most of the night. But I have gotten pretty good at this over the years. It’s all about hot water, Resolve, and absorbency. Mindy introduced me to using old-fashioned baby diapers for the absorbency piece about a year ago. They work better than anything I’ve ever witnessed.

Mindy woke sometime near 9am. I thought that she might sleep even longer. About that same time there was a break in the clouds – at least in the rain, so I dressed in a hurry for a run. Mindy offered to make French toast with our fresh Italian bread while I ran. That sounded dandy!

I kept my run confined to the subdivision. It sprinkled during my run but never came down too hard. I was fine. I was happy to finish somewhere near 10am. When I returned breakfast was all but ready, and it smelt terrific! We sat together and enjoyed fresh French toast, orange juice and coffee. It was gooood!

We had neglected to pick-up a few things that we wanted at the grocery on Saturday. Mindy’s terrible at that. Although, sometimes I think that she does it on purpose just so she can go shop again. In which case, then, I’d have to say that she’s excellent at it. J So, after cleaning up our breakfast mess, Mindy and I were soon headed out to the stores once again. We stopped first at the West Broad Home Depot just to check to see if they might have the grill we wanted despite the Hilliard store telling us otherwise. They didn’t.

To keep our travels simple, but against my strongest desire, we stopped at ‘Targhetto’ and ‘Kroghetto’ on West Broad for our other items. As we passed Westland it was never more apparent than today just far it has slid. They were hosting a real circus in the parking lot in front of the old Macy’s. Most of the signage was in Spanish. Lots of vacant store fronts.

We shopped Targhetto where Mindy paid a ridiculous amount of money for a new comforter for Bella. Her money, though. And besides, she’s rich! From there we ventured Bath & Body just to see if they might have their pine scented candles out. But of course they didn’t. Minutes later we were in the neighboring ‘Kroghetto’ picking up the few grocery items we missed on Saturday. We were out of there in ten minutes. Only on the Westside… While we were checking out, seems someone’s very large German Sheppard escaped their car and ventured into the store perusing the aisles at will. Hell, no one was gonna stop this beast. Oh, and the dog was prettier than the owner. J

We were home shortly after all that fun. By now, I was motivated to accomplish some things on my never ending chore list. I checked the NFL scores just before beginning. I saw that the Vikings held a 7-0 lead over the Falcons. As usual, I was nervous and curt. I knew that I had to stay busy to keep my sanity. I decided to try installing that window clip I bought two weeks or so ago for the Trooper passenger window. If this was a success, I could save myself about $200. It started to drizzle again so I pulled the front half of the Trooper into the garage after moving the mowers forward. Thirty minutes later I had the clips installed and was ready to set the glass into place. If nothing else, the four times that I monkeyed with the window before hand taught me how to do this job most efficiently. The clips fit quite nicely – thank you! I filled the clips with some gorilla glue and carefully slid the window glass in. I cautiously put it all back together and left it to set-up. I figured that I wouldn’t try to operate the window until Monday morning. Afterwards, I checked the Viking score again. It was halftime and they were still up 7-0. Wahoo! SKOL!!

I decided to pull weeds and the unfavorable and unsightly grasses from the front lawn. Most of it’s confined to the strip between the street and curb. That took over an hour with frequent breaks. The kids arrived home from their weekend with dad while I worked away. Like a sleuth, Jimaken departed without me even seeing him leave. The kids talked about doing lots of hiking. However, that made little sense since I knew of no hiking at or near Deer Creek. We later learned that they cabined at Hocking Hills – not Deer Creek. Now that made sense!

I spent the next hour enjoying the Vikings game via Yahoo Gamecast. It’s not as good as watching the game live but it sure beats watching the scrolling scores on Fox or CBS. I watched until the end. They won convincingly, and scored two defensive touchdowns at that. Double Wahoo! I felt instantaneous relief – euphoria!!!

Mindy ordered the Sunday dinner pizzas at 3:45pm. We would pick them up on our way to her mom’s. I waited outside with the kids while Mindy fetched the order. We arrived at Gloria’s with four hot pizzas at 4:20pm. Only Joe and Lynn-Lynn were there. I went to the lower-level to watch football – Bears vs. Chargers while waiting on all others. Twenty minutes later everyone expected had arrived and we all gathered at the family table for din-din. It was yummy. Turns out, we had plenty of pizza leftover. We always worry about getting the proper amount. Good turn out too.

After dinner I retired to the lower level for more football. I just can’t get enough! It wasn’t long before it was dessert time. Gloria made my favorite – chocolate pie - complete with candles and an “84” on it to commemorate the festive occasion. After the singing & wishing I opened my cards. It’s my birthday (almost)!

We hung out until just after 7pm when we gathered up the kids and our gear and left for home. At home my first order of business was to walk Ykraps. He was long overdue. Turns out, everyone came along. It was truly a family affair. Back at home Mindy bathed the kids and got them ready for bed. I did the tuck in as usual. I was excited about watching the more football - Sunday Night Football on CBS, which pitted the Cowboys against the Giants. When I finally went to bed the Cowboys were ahead. All in all, it was a good day of football!

P-U Blue! You Stink!!!

I woke at 7:30am and drug myself out of bed. I went through the usual paces; I made coffee, exercised, and walked Ykraps. I was expecting it to be much cooler and less humid than the many days prior. But while it may have been a little cooler it was by no means less humid. It was still steamy, albeit gray.

I headed out for a run around 9am. It was a good run. I ran Trabue and Hague. Mindy was up when I got back. She asked about the jewelry show at April’s and if I was going. I didn’t feel much like going. Instead, I wanted to get some things done around the house as well as listen to the Buckeye game. In addition, I wanted to make some salsa. In fact, I got started on that right away. Mindy understood. We agreed that she’d go to the jewelry party then come home and then we’d most likely go shopping together.

She left around noon – right about kick-off. I paid a few bills, tidied up the kitchen, and took care of a few miscellaneous chores. Mindy phoned from April’s to let me know that Randy and Dodie were there. She asked if I wanted to come watch the game with all of them. But I didn’t feel up to it and declined. Mindy was back from the party by 1:40pm. I think that I was napping when she returned. She revisited her grocery list, and I reminded her that I wanted to go along. We planned to stop at Home Depot, too, to look at gas grills ( a potential birthday present).

We must’ve left the house around 2:30 or 3pm - can’t be certain. We stopped at Home Depot first. They were almost completely depleted of their entire gas grill inventory. But they had signs up prompting customers to check with the service desk to see if the model in question might be available at another local Home Depot. The one I wanted wasn’t. Crap! I guess it wasn’t meant to be. We left Home Depot and headed up to The Anderson’s. Because I expressed a desire to stay home and cook steaks on the grill in lieu of dining out at an expensive restaurant we thought that The Anderson’s was the perfect place to get quality steaks. It’s our opinion that they have some of the best meat in town. Once there, and while Mindy perused their produce, I ventured into the beer isles. There I snatched up a six pack of Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale along with some Flying Dog IPA. When Mindy and I regrouped at the butcher’s counter she was noticeably upset with me for drifting off. However, she got over it quickly – I think. J

We decided to get two extra thick NY strip steaks (1lb. each), four 6oz filet mignons wrapped in bacon, and a pound of large shrimp. We grabbed another lawn ornament on our way to the check out isle as well. We left there and headed to Columbus Sports Authority to look for running shorts. Bingo! Finally, we found some black running shorts with pockets (hard to find) Mindy insisted on buying me two new pair giving me a total of four. That’ll prevent one of two things: Me wearing the same pair day after day, or doing laundry every other day. She also bought herself a Buckeye t-shirt.

Next stop was Giant Eagle on Bethel Rd. We got our normal grocery items there. It was 5pm or so by the time we arrived back home. We were surprised to see that Michigan was getting their asses handed to them again, and in the “big house”. Damn! I quickly took to walking Ykraps as the sky threatened rain. It wasn’t long after we returned that the sky dumped buckets and the thunder rolled. We had thunder and lightning every where. Our plans to grill were soon dashed. We decided instead that it would make more sense for us to broil inside. But before starting dinner we enjoyed a beer or two. Come 6:30-7pm we got to prepping our meal. I was worried that we might have trouble cooking those extra thick NY strips all the way through. After all, they were no less than two, maybe three, inches thick! But they cooked up fine after searing them first in a hot skillet. Soon we were eating our simple yet elegant meal consisting of mouth watering steak and scrumptious shrimp.

After our meal we watched the remainder of the Notre Dame game. They got spanked just like Michigan. Afterwards we watched LSU against Virginia Tech. We didn’t last the entire game, however. We headed to bed around 10pm.

Momma said there’d be days like this…

I was bent on sleeping in a little since I didn’t have to be up for work. But Mindy was up at her usual 6:15am and that consequently woke me from my lazy slumber. So, by 6:30am I was downstairs whipping out my morning calisthenics in preparation for my day of leisure. After exercise and a walk with Ykraps it was already 7am.

The day was already speeding by. Mindy & Bella were just about ready to depart. They left at their usual time – 7:20am. I already knew that I wouldn’t do my run until I had Jacob safely on the school bus, so I spent the next thirty minutes watering flowers front & back, and then getting the sprinkler running. I placed it at the very end of the back yard to finally get some much needed water on the new grass seed by the tree swings.

Jacob seemed a little put out that I walked with him to the bus stop in my sleeping boxers (cut-off at the knee pajama bottoms). As usual, we were greeted at the corner by the Schultz’s (Pat & Alena). We exchanged some pleasantries and then discussed our weekend plans. By 8:10am we were headed our separate ways.

Before heading out for my run I decided to do a little work on my blog. Come 9:00am I dressed and left for a run. It was nice and sultry and a bit windy – just like the weather forecast promised. I returned home and moved the sprinkler.

I was leaning towards spending my day in my boat on the river, but also toyed with the idea of completing several home projects. In the end, I chose boating. :) Full steam ahead I readied for such an endeavor. While moving the sprinkler one more time, dad showed up for a quick visit. He was noticeably ill and he didn’t stay too long. By 10:45am I was headed to pick-up the boat. My preparation was minimal – a small cooler of drinks and light snacks. I didn’t even bother to shower. I was putting the boat in by 1130am. The weather was nice, sunny, and warm, but a fierce wind was kicking up from the south making it somewhat difficult to manage the boat at the dock. In the end, however, the launch was successful and soon I was on the water cruising up & down the river all by my lonesome. I remember feeling free and happy. I was very nice to be out on the water.

Eventually, I made my way up north to my favorite spot well above Hayden run Rd. I threw an anchor, both out front & in back, but still found myself drifting in the stiff breeze. That is until one of the anchors snagged a sunken tree. I probably stayed anchored for an hour and one half. The sky gradually became overcast and I grew bored. Truth is, I didn’t feel that well either. Around 1:40pm I decided to head back, but also take my dear old time doing so. Back at the dock the wind made maneuvering skillfully very difficult. I almost smacked dead into the dock while drifting in. But I avoided disaster and eventually got the boat out unscathed.

After battening down the cover I took the boat back to storage and then headed home. As I tucked the boat neatly into its space I wondered if that would be my last time out for the season. The weather, along with my schedule, can be tricky this time of year. Finally home I decided that it made sense to wash the Trooper which was looking pretty ragged, especially the wheels and tires. But not only was it filthy on the outside, it was dirtier than ever inside, too. Two hours later I finished up. By then Mindy was and Bella were home from school. I meant to call Mindy to let her know that I would intercept Jacoby at the bus stop but I got caught up talking with my neighbor Carl. To my chagrin, the sky darkened just as I finished detailing the Trooper. But even if it rained, I figured the Trooper needed a bath to rinse away the dirt from the last month or two.

After finishing up outside, I became increasingly sleepy and headed back inside. I wanted a nap in the worst way. The kids were playing noisily downstairs so I headed up to my bed. There I drifted off for almost an hour. I was jostled awake when Bella hollered goodbye as she and Jacoby left for a weekend with their dad. As reported, they were staying in a cabin at Deer Creek. Cool!

I was up but feeling grumpy. I had no good explanation other than just because. I mean, holy smoke, it was Friday, I was off of work, and it was a Barley’s night. I should’ve felt great! Mindy pressed me for a reason, but it was one which I couldn’t give. All I knew was that I couldn’t simply shake it off. I decided to blog and drink a beer. I couldn’t help but notice just how badly I smelt after a run, boating, and working outside all afternoon. After a shower I felt marginally better. Mindy pressed me further for the cause of my glum outlook, but I still didn’t have one. She also asked where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner tomorrow night. Honestly, I felt a strong urge for nothing.

We left for Barley’s a little earlier than usual - around 7pm. In kind, we hung at Barley’s later than usual, too. It was well after 11pm. The odd thing is, it didn’t seem that late at all. We were home and in bed before midnight. Good night moon!

I'm Ready for Some Football

I got up just before 530am to begin preparing for my Thursday. I put myself through the usual paces; exercise, walking Ykraps, coffee, and then meditation. It was yet another gorgeous late summer morning with lots of stars and warm temperatures. Again today the expected high is supposed to stretch into the 90’s. However, looking ahead, they’re predicting only mid 70’s come next week after some rain passes through. We could use the rain. We haven’t had any significant rainfall in a few weeks, or immediately after I cut down the weeping willow tree.

I delivered some coffee to Mindy before setting out on my run. I left around 6:35am. It was a good run, but then again, all my runs are good. Duh! When I returned to the house, Mindy’s friend Chris was there. He dropped off Jacob’s missing sandal along with a pan of lasagna that he/they made for us. I guess it was a gift for watching their kids last Saturday. We chatted for a while. Mindy and Bella left around 7:25am, and Chris departed too. I didn’t bother watering the flowers figuring that I would do it this evening instead. Time was running out. I went up and grabbed a quick shower. Jacob was excited to learn that I was driving the BM’er today and insisted on me giving him a ride to the bus stop in it. I did, of course.

The bus arrived minutes later. It wasn’t long before I was on my way to work. I arrived around 8:20am. I was excited about the fact that the day represented my Friday since I schedule Friday off as my Labor Day holiday. I worked hard – of course! I didn’t take a real lunch break. Instead, I ate while I worked. I had tuna fish salad, which I made early this morning just before setting out on a run. Mindy asked that I make it. And while the day went fast, it was pretty much a blur. We squeezed in a staff meeting since we failed to meet on Wednesday. Lots of changes in the wind, but we’ll/I’ll be fine. I was anxious for the day to end. I had plenty to keep me busy right up until almost 5:30pm. I took the freeway home, which is something I don’t often do when I drive the BM’er. Being admittedly careless, I turned right on red at Trueman and Hilliard Cemetery almost causing an accident. I didn’t realize that the curb lane only turned right and instead I was competing with the center or second lane of traffic. The car behind me was furious, and honestly, I don’t blame him. I’m sure I gave him a good scare.

Olivia was at our house while Ashley went to the emergency room to have a rash she’s developed examined. I was eager to get home to see her. She was demanding Mindy’s full attention upon my arrival home. She’s walking/crawling everywhere and in everything. She was flipping the springy door stop and pulling up the hallway register vent when I walked in. What’s funny about that to my eyes is that that is the exact same thing that Kaileigh used to do. Later, Olivia went for the dog food, Ykraps' cage, and our house plants. Again, all past objects of Kaileigh’s affection.

We were having Chris’ lasagna for dinner, and it was ready pronto. I ate mine then decided to see if Olivia would like it. She did. In fact, she ate a whole lot of it. And, in her baby words, asked for plenty more. I kept delivering. But eventually she seemed to tire of it. I got out some strawberry ice cream to give her for dessert. She enjoyed that, too, eating an entire scoop. After dinner I played with her and Lil’ Rocky on the family room floor. We had a lot of fun – at least I did. Ashley returned unexpectedly early. Apparently she gave up waiting at the emergency room. She was still very upset about the rash that no one, up to this point, including a dermatologist, has been able to figure out. I didn’t think it looked as bad as she described, but then again, I didn’t have my glasses on. :)

Mindy gave her some ideas to bounce of her doctor. She soon left with Olivia as her mother was waiting outside. Mindy gave the kids a bath as the time was approaching 7:30pm. It was a school night. I was ready to relax and watch the first 'real' 2007 NFL game. It was the Colts against the Saints. I tucked the kids into bed just after kick-off. Mindy watched the first quarter of the game along with me, and even some of the second. It was 10 – 10 come halftime. She went off to bed early. I chose to stay up and play. I drank a couple of beers while watching more of the game. I began getting sleepy come 10pm, or a few minutes into the third quarter. I stretched out on the sofa and took what I thought was a short snooze. I didn’t wake until almost midnight when the game was over. Shit! I drug myself off the sofa, secured the home, and went to the PC to check Yahoo for the score. Wow! I was amazed. The Colts won 41 – 10. I went onto bed.

Oops ... The Real Wednesday

I was back to my routine Wednesday morning, up at 5:30am exercising and beginning yet another sultry summer day in Columbus, Ohio. And while I knew it was Wednesday, it sure seemed like everything but. It wasn’t long before Ykraps and I were walking around the neighborhood under a crescent moon and millions of stars. Save for the dead of winter, I don’t know that the sky is ever as beautiful as it is during the month of September.

Back at home I was disappointed to find the coffee un-made. I somewhat hurriedly prepped a pot. While it brewed I carried on with other mundane morning tasks. Most notably, I went ahead and dressed for a run so that I could hit the door after sucking down a cup of Joe.

It was plenty warm – temps in the mid 60’s. I didn’t need a shirt. The expected high is 95 degrees. A late summer blast to be sure. Mindy had all the makings for breakfast burritos awaiting my return. It hit the spot. Soon her and Bella were out the door leaving the Jacoby alone with me. He simply asked that I tune the TV to the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon before I headed out to water flowers. The time went fast. After my shower it was 7:55am. I remembered to load my golf clubs aboard the Trooper since this was league night. Jacob and I both hustled to get out the door and to the school bus stop.

I arrived at work at 8:25am only to realize that I had left my laptop at home. Damn! I tried working from my secondary machine but couldn’t get access to all of my personal accounts. At 9:15am I decided it best to return home to fetch my laptop. I listened to AM talk radio on my drive. I was surprised to hear that Senator Craig from Idaho was reconsidering his apparent resignation. The only problem I had with the entire thing was the spin he tried placing on his earlier words, not that he was reconsidering his position. You might remember, he’s the one cited for soliciting sex in the men’s room at the Minny airport. I can’t help but wonder what would’ve been the public’s response had he instead been cited for soliciting a female prostitute? My guess is that it would’ve made the news but that no one would’ve been calling for his resignation.

I was gone from work for only 25 minutes in total. By 9:40am I was back at my desk and settling into my work day. Our VP was in town so we had a lunch pow-wow where we discussed our strategy and what not. That went until about 1:30pm. I worked hard the rest of the afternoon right up until 4:30pm when it was time to leave for golf. Traffic was backed up on I-270. I could see that when I exited the building. Great! I decided to take Lyman versus Trueman to the freeway. Big mistake! It was almost 4:55pm by the time I made it to I-270 & I-70. I made a quick call to Bob to warn him of the traffic. He was just leaving work. Cool! No sooner did I hang AND the traffic opened up. Smooth sailing all the way to I-270 & I-71. But just past Grove City there was another ugly back-up (there usually is). I arrived at the Links of Groveport at 5:20pm. Looked like I was the first to arrive. I went ahead and fetched a cart and paid my fees. Bob already pointed out that Chuck couldn’t join us, so I figured the two Bob’s could cart together since they’re both righties. We often end up on opposite sides of the fairway.

My golf game was horrendous. And I could feel it from the first hole. I never once felt in control or settled standing over my ball. I couldn’t hit a straight shot to save my life. After my third shot into the second hole I almost drove the cart to my Trooper and threw my clubs in and left. I was frustrated to say the least. The shot went way right of target and hit a building in a maintenance lot. Geesh!!!

I stuck with it, however. Never exposing too much emotion. In fact, in my later years I have always prided myself on my golf course conduct, being careful not to define myself by the ups and downs of my game. But of all the rounds we’ve played this season, this might’ve been the most frustrating given the way I was playing – like a beginner! I shot a 50 on nine holes, but that only begins to clue one in on how awful my swing was. It was Crap! I was angry. Despite the poor play, Bob I. and me proceeded to the back nine and squeezed another five holes at a feverish pace. And even though it was quite sticky, it was absolutely gorgeous as the sun set in the western sky. The horizon was a brilliant orange. It was nearly dusk as we finished up. We could hardly see the ball off the club head. A time check at the car revealed that it was only 8:22pm. Summer is indeed waning.

I drove straight home after golf arriving somewhere near 8:45pm. The drive home always goes much faster. The kids were already lights out asleep. I woofed down some quick food before settling down in front of the PC. I went to bed around 10pm.

Hiatal Hiatus

Cirleville's twirling Bucket of Chicken
Chillicothe skyline - quite lovely
Mom post-op

I still got up before 6am even though I wasn’t going into work. Instead, I would be spending the day with my mother, who was having surgery in Chillicothe. However, before heading that way, I still had lots to accomplish. First, I had to exercise and walk Ykraps. But instead of running immediately after, I had to return the slit seeder to Sunbelt Tool Rental on Mound St.. So, after walking Ykraps I loaded the machine onto the trailer in the dark. I needed to be back before Mindy and Bella departed for school at 7:15am. I waited until 6:45am to leave since they didn’t open until 7am. When I arrived, they were courteous and helpful getting the machine off the trailer and the paperwork processed. I was back on the road towards home by 7:05am. Mindy departed minutes after I returned. Because it‘s my job to see Jacob onto the school bus, I didn’t bother heading out for a run. I wouldn’t run until he was gone.

I spent the next twenty minutes watering flowers. I checked the hot tub, too. The water level hadn’t dropped even a smidge. I am totally perplexed! How could the thing lose roughly two hundred gallons of water in a few short hours but now not even a drop. But honestly, I was just happy that the hot tub wasn’t junk. As I pondered the situation, I wondered if there isn’t some siphoning effect taking place when a certain jet is used causing the water to run out one of the small air hoses underneath. That’s one of the few scenarios that makes any sense at all.

At 8am I walked Jacob to the bus stop. Like usual, we were there with Pat and Alena. After the kids boarded the bus Pat & I headed back to our respective homes. I promptly dressed for a run and hit the street. It was a wonderful run under warm and sunny skies. When I finished it was still before 9am. I spent the next hour showering and then washing the BM’er. I wanted to drive but, but also wanted to do so with it sparkling clean! I left for the Adena hospital in Chillicothe at 10:05am. What a beautiful drive it was down Rt. 23. Once you clear the clutter of the city it’s vast and green. And once you’re south of Circleville there are lots of lovely rolling hills in easy view. Add to that the clear blue skies and it had all the makings of the perfect drive. 48 miles later I spotted the hospital off to my immediate left. To my surprise, the Kenworth plant where Randy S. works sits just to its east nestled against some foothills. Quite lovely!

I parked on the west side of the hospital. I entered and eventually found my way to the same-day surgery wing. They told me that mom had already checked in and was likely under the knife. But this I already knew. She also advised that I could wait out in the waiting area until they called for me. I brought a book figuring that I’d be doing a lot of waiting. I brought A Fearless Heart – Convicted Not Condemned, by David L. Waters. I found the book gripping. I couldn’t put it down. Time flew by. At 3pm my mom’s friend, Denise rang my cell to let me know that she was out of surgery and in her room. She even gave me directions from where I was. Denise, however, was heading out to get a bite of food.

I found mom’s room easily. She was almost completely out of it still, but did recognize me. She uttered only a few things: that she felt sick, was in pain, and thirsty for water. I let the nurse know. Unfortunately, given the procedure, she wasn’t allowed to have any water, at least to drink. I think they had her on some pain medication via the drip bag. I sat there and read more of my book. I was already 150 pages into it. My Uncle Chuck arrived about 30 minutes later. I was friendly, but kept my nose largely buried in my book. I stopped to chat only briefly. Soon, her friend Denise returned. Those two left around 5pm leaving me there alone with mom. However, it wasn’t long before brother Charles arrived. He helped mom by swabbing her mouth with water. He stepped out to get a bite to eat shortly after he arrived. I did even more reading. I had only about twenty pages left when I finally put it down and readied to depart. I left the hospital soon after Charles returned. It was 6pm. I found my car after a few minutes of near panic. The drive home was just as colorful and fun as the drive down. I absolutely loved it. The weather was ideal for such a thing.

I arrived home around 7:00pm. No one was home but Ykraps. Mindy had both kids at Bella’s dance class in Hilliard. That’s right! Bella’s begun formal dance classes. It wasn’t too much longer before they were home. I checked the hot tub. It was still full. I added a little more water to bring it to its preferred level. The kids played outside for a few minutes before their bath and bed time. Mindy was eager to get to bed early. She reported being overly tired. I agreed to go to bed early, too. It was just after 8:30pm. Geesh!

A Laborious Day

Albeit a holiday, I greeted the day at 5:39am and proceeded like any other Monday. That’s right, I was heading into work. I went through my usual morning routine up to and including going on a run. It was a beautiful morning and promised to be like this all day long. The neighborhood was quiet and so were the streets when I finally left for the office. It seems most people were still in bed this Labor Day morning

I dressed casually – shorts, ballcap, and flip-flops. I drove the BM’er in, too. Work was very relaxed. I anticipated it being much busier than it was. But that was a good thing. Come lunch time I bought the crew pizza from Donatos. They were the only shop we could find open.

I worked straight through until 4pm and thought that I was headed directly home. Mindy, however, asked that I pick-up her prescription at the Roberts Rd. CVS. I did. I was still home by 4:30pm. I had lots on my agenda. I intended to spend a little while investigating the leaking hot tub, which lost half its water in just over four hours while we were at the Jump’s on Sunday. Too, I wanted to visit a neighbor a few houses down the street to get their roof shingle make/model/color. I really like the look. I also wanted to see how easy Mindy’s side view mirror comes off of her Quest minivan.

The first thing I did was add enough water to the hot tub to safely turn it on and then removed the front panel along with some deck skirting. Initially, I couldn’t see where it was leaking anywhere. Hmmm?

I decided to let it run for a while and figured that I would check back later. Before doing anything else, we sat down and ate our dinner as a family. Mindy made stuffed peppers. The peppers were from our garden, and they were very good.

After dinner I headed out to address those chores which I mentioned earlier. I completed them all. Afterwards I watered the flowers and got the sprinkler pump going. It was hot & sunny all day long and the forecast calls for plenty more of the same through next week. I had to get some water on my newly planted grass seed. I checked the hot tub once again, too. Still no leak.

I finished up outside around 8pm and made my way back inside. Mindy had me tuck the kids into bed. Afterwards, I tuned into the College Monday Night Football game on ESPN. Periodically I returned to the yard to move the sprinkler and check on the hot tub. All was good. Mindy headed up to bed shortly after 9pm. I stayed up and enjoyed the game, played guitar, and sipped a Jack & Coke. I buttoned up the house and headed to bed at 10:10pm.

Trixie

Evan Wright
Tammy Wright
lovely deck shot #1
lovely deck shot #2

I was up just before 7am. But honestly, I had hoped to be up by 630am leaving myself plenty of time to exercise, run, and walk Ykraps before heading off to the third, 1st Sunday of the month family breakfast. So, with time tight, I hurried through my exercise routine and then tried to rush through a walk with Ykraps. However, I was very careful with Ykraps since he was still in noticeable pain.

Back at the house I drank my first cup of coffee and then quickly donned my running shorts for my Sunday morning run. I ran a slightly abbreviated path cutting about a half mile off to help gain back some precious time. I ran by the subdivision park entrance where I thought that I saw Trixie bothering another runner and her dog. But they were off in the distance and I didn’t bother to pursue it any further. As I ran on I thought that maybe I should’ve.

I completed a dandy run by 8:23am. I poured myself another cup of coffee before heading up to get a shower. Mindy was just finishing getting ready and had Bella getting dressed. Jacob was still lying lazily in our bed. I showered and dressed in less than ten minutes. I was ready to go! I went about organizing my gear – both phones and camera so we could hit the road. Outside, I saw the dog owner trolling the neighborhood again looking for her “Holly” and our “Trixie”. I didn’t dare got out and tell her that I thought that I saw her again. I didn’t want to face any more of her misdirected scorn. I did tell Mindy, however.
As we pulled away from the house we decided to drive by the park to see if we might happen across Trixie (a.k.a. Holly). We didn’t see her. We drove on to Frisch’s Big Boy!
Bob, April, and kids were already there waiting outside. It was 9:05am when we arrived. Missing was dad. According to Bob, he wasn’t feeling well and shared that he may not show. Despite his absence, as well as others, we had a nice time sharing and eating.

We finished up around 1030am. Outside, Bobby & April invited us over to spend sometime on the deck. We accepted, but had to go home first to get the kids swim suits.
After picking up the swimsuits we cruised by the park once again keeping an eye out for Trixie. No luck! We headed to Bobby’s. The cool morning air warmed quickly in the brilliant sunshine. Soon the kids were swimming in the pool all the while the sun made its way slowly over Bob’s roof top. We sat on the deck and chatted for a couple of hours. By the time 1:30pm approached, we gathered our things and departed for home. We were planning to be at Courtney and Jeremy’s for a Labor Day cookout by 5:00pm. Mindy mentioned the possibility of picking up her mother on the way back to our house so the two of them could go shopping. I was against it only because I sorely needed a nap. And as soon as we got home I headed straight upstairs and jumped into bed. While drifting in and out of sleep I watched a couple of shows on the History Channel. The first was the history of major league baseball and the second was about the sun. Both were very informative. But most importantly, I got some much needed rest. I rested until a little after 4pm. What a slacker!

We readied and departed for Courtney & Jeremy’s around 4:40pm. Jacob discovered that Chris’ son had mistakenly made off with one of his sandals yesterday afternoon leaving Jacob with one size “1” and one size “3”. Jacob wasn’t pleased and threw a little fit. He said he was staying home. OK, we said. We got in the car to depart when all of the sudden he came running out to join us, only without shoes.

We stropped at Giant Eagle on our way to pick-up a keylime pie, some beer, and some flowers for Courtney. Mindy also asked that I look for some flip-flops for Jacoby. Secretly, I had already planned to do so. They didn’t have any. But I got everything else on our short list. I really wanted some Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. They didn’t have any, but they did have Jack’s Pumpkin Ale. I figured that I’d give it a try. We arrived at the Jump’s around 5:10pm.

The Jump’s have a lovely restored old brick home in west Grandview. After our initial greet, I cracked a Jack’s Pumpkin Ale. Jeremy poured Mindy a glass of wine. Meanwhile the kids played cautiously. We snacked on chips and Jeremy’s homemade smoked pepper salsa. He also allowed me to sample his latest batch of homebrew – IPA, which he bottled earlier in the day.

We hung out for the next hour or so visiting and sharing stories. We were all hopeful that Bob and Mary Ann would make it over. Save for Barley’s, the six of us haven’t gotten together all summer. Around 7pm Bob finally called to tell us that they’d be over but to go ahead and eat without them. Jeremy got to cookin’. He grilled some homemade refried beans and a marinated flank steak. He also made a sauce comprised of olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and jalapeño to place over top the steak. It was all very delicious. The Imber’s arrived just as we were finishing our dinner. They ended up eating after all. When they were through, Courtney brought out the keylime pie. It was very tangy! I had a couple Rye P.A’s that Jeremy had in Barley growlers. It was very good, too. As the evening wore on, the kids became increasingly tired and asked to go home. A few minutes later we gathered our things and headed towards home. Mindy drove. We arrived home right at 10pm sharp. We were all sleepy. The kids went to their beds without prompting and fell asleep. Mindy and I weren’t too far behind. I had to be up for work, so a good night’s sleep was important.