The Weekend Ahead

I was up and alert by 530am. Straight up, I freed Frankie from her pen and then took her outside to take care of business. It was a nice morning – warm. I cruised through exercise, PC, and coffee just ahead of mediation and stretching. And after a second outing, I took Frankie to Mindy along with a cup of coffee. It was only 620am. I took my time dressing for a run heading out the door just after 630am. I ran four miles without any drama. My lower back, now almost fully healed, didn’t bark even once. During my run I contemplated the weekend ahead. I was much looking forward to it, still hoping to finish the mulching and begin planting annuals. Before any of that, however, I still needed to cut the lawn, something that’s needed done since Tuesday or Wednesday. The spring rain has prevented me from cutting the lawn earlier in the week. I even toyed with the idea of cutting it after work, but seriously doubted whether I’d be up for that come 6pm. Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting. She was already preparing to depart. Jacob, I noticed, was wearing shorts with the forecast calling for a high of 71 under partly cloudy skies. On the other hand, Mindy had Bella in jeans in preparation for her trip to the zoo. Mindy decided that because the forecast called for a chance of rain, and the fact that the zoo always seems cooler than elsewhere that it just made good sense. She told Bella to take a medium weight jacket too. Mindy left for school and I headed for the shower. The kids and I headed out to the bus stop at 757am. Kenny was out with the kids after taking Chrissy to the airport earlier. Meanwhile, we had Frankie with us on her leash. She did pretty good. Kenny signed up to serve as a chaperone for the zoo trip. He’d be paired up with Makayla and Bella. The sky was slowlyg clearing during my drive into work leaving us under gorgeous sunshine. For the time being, the sunny skies left me in the right frame a mind for a potentially difficult day at the office. The work day was challenging. Through the morning hours I remained hopeful that I might be able to sneak away at lunch at head to Stader’s to get some annuals, but that wasn’t to be. It was crazy busy start to finish. The bright spot was that at day’s end I could look forward to a weekend away. I ended up at the office until just after 630pm, another long work day. It felt incredibly good to get away when I finally did. Mindy was at the grocery when I first arrived home. It wasn’t long before she was home, however. The puppy was in her pen and seemingly happy to stay in it even though I opened the door. I helped Mindy carry in the groceries. Mindy shared that the temp reached into the 80’s earlier in the day. We laughed about poor Bella at the zoo wearing jeans and a jacket. Speaking of her day at the zoo, Mindy said Bella ran into lots of our friends. The first sunshine in a few days, we sat on the deck for a few enjoying the fresh air. Mindy headed in to ready for a night at Barley’s while I tried taking a brief nap from the deck. After Mindy changed, I headed upstairs to switch shirts and freshen up a bit, too. We left for Barley’s at 7:35pm. Mindy called and left Tom C. a VM along our drive hoping he might stop in and have a beer with us. Not a ton of regulars but still a typical crowd. We cozied up to the bar where I ordered an Centennial IPA. Both Diedra and Beth were working. Shared stories about their recent cruise. Said Honduras and Belize were the nicest beaches they’d ever seen. Note to self. We ordered food pretty early, me a brisket quesadilla and Mindy a Barley burger. My food was delicious. Albeit slow, I ate the entire quesadilla. Mindy had only one beer. I drank three. We spent the last hour on the patio with my buddy Doug and a group of his co-workers. Lots of stories. Lots of good laughs. Just before 9pm, Mindy settled the tab and we left for home. Mindy drove. We weren’t at home long before making our way down to Kenny’s. I grabbed two cold beers from the garage mini-fridge, a CBC IPA and a Great Lakes Pale Ale. Not sure f Mindy took one or not. Think she did. Kenny was hanging out with the kids. We stayed for two beers – not too long. Home to bed around 11pm.

Frankie Follies

I was up on time after a delightfully fulfilling night of rest. I let Frankie out of her pen directly, and after a couple rubs and kisses we headed outside where she took care of business rather promptly. That only furthers my theory of getting to her early. It wasn’t raining but the deck was soaked and so was the lawn. From that I deduced that it had to have rained only recently. The lawn was swampy. We’ve certainly got our fair share of rain this week. Inside, I quickly completed my sit-ups and push-ups while trying to entertain the puppy at the same time. I don’t have the heart to re-pen her. The time I spend with Frankie is coming from my morning PC budget. Anymore, I’ll bet I don’t spend more than 2 or 3 minutes online. That’s OK, though … at least for a while. I did meditation and stretching before our second outing. And yes, I had to contend with Frankie crawling on and about me during. After another successful outing, Frankie and I delivered Mindy’s coffee. It was 620am. I was slightly ahead of the clock hitting the door for my run by 635am. My back was again a bit better than the day before – just what I hoped for – daily improvement. I ran four miles under cloudy skies and mild temps. It was 54 degrees when I last checked. I was back at home by 710am. Mindy was just getting ready to fry my eggs and asked if I wanted to do it myself. No thanks – continue as normal. Meanwhile, Bella had just brought the puppy in from yet another outing. This time she said she pooped. Good! Frankie followed me towards the PC, but then diverted under the dining room table. Odd, I thought. I went for a closer looks. Yep, she was peeing! No - Dammit. I wasn’t happy. I shared my frustrated feelings with Mindy. Feel like I’m right back where we were with Ykraps. Bella wasn’t pleased with me and gave me a very disparaging glance. She followed that up by moving down another place setting at our breakfast table so not to be next to me. I let her know that I wouldn’t tolerate a disrespectful tone or attitude. She straightened up right away. Perhaps I overacted to the accident, but I didn’t see anyone else making overtures to clean it up. Mindy allowed the kids to wear shorts. The high was expected to reach into the 80’s. Mindy left at 730am but not before throwing a roast in the crock pot. She asked me to tend to the bottom cardboard then reminded the kids to bus home with Noah. Bella kept the puppy while I headed for a shower. We regrouped downstairs at 755am. Frankie was content to rest in her pen with the door left opened. We headed out. After the kids were on the bus I headed home for some final prep. I closed the door on Frankie’s pen just before leaving. Work started out OK but quickly became overwhelmingly busy. Once again, I didn’t get a lunch. My boss came by mid-day and told me to make it a point to leave early and spend time with Mindy. The gesture was nice, but the afternoon got so busy that I just couldn’t leave. In fact, I didn’t leave until 7pm or after. It was crazy. I talked with Mindy a couple of times. She invited my dad for dinner and he was already there. I advised Mindy that they should proceed without me. It felt great to finally get out of the office. Again, it was after 7pm. I was hungry and tired. Any thought of cutting the lawn was now out of the question. The rain plaguing us for the past three days seemed to be gone and there was even a smattering of sunshine, although still shrouded by ominous looking clouds. Mowing will have to wait until Saturday - what a treat. Greeted Dad after arriving home. He’s fresh back form Florida. Said temps hovered around 90 everyday. Enjoyed himself. Dad and Mindy sat with me while I ate. We chatted about a number of things, including Glenn’s new full-time job status at MHCC. We’re all very excited and happy for him. Dad hung out until almost 8pm. That came around fast considering my late arrival. After Dad departed for home, Mindy and I walked down to the neighbors. Chrissy’s leaving for 4 days. Mindy wanted to say goodbye. I poured a bourbon and Coke. Mindy took a Sam Adams Imperial Stout. We didn’t stay too long. At home, we got the kids showers underway. And while the kids showered, I updated my blog. I headed up to tuck the kids into bed with Frankie in tow. It was 920pm. I collapsed on the sofa and tuned to the Earth Channel where I caught a program about nature and climate. Mindy joined me, but only briefly. She headed up to bed 15 minutes in front of me. I fell asleep like always. After waking, I put Frankie in her pen. She didn’t whine once. Good night!

Asteroids and Comets

I made it a point to free Frankie from her pen as soon as I made it downstairs. I was anxious to see if that would make a difference in her ability to hold it. She didn’t even have time to wake and whine before I freed her. I gave her some brief lovin’ then headed outside so she could relieve herself. It didn’t take long either. She took care of business, both one and two. Inside I started my sit-ups while Frankie played just off to my side. She then she chewed on one of her many toys while I whipped out 55 push-ups. It was 554am when I finally got around to pouring some coffee. I enjoyed it only briefly before starting meditation, which I did with Frankie resting quietly in my lap. Again, not the most ideal conditions, but the best I could muster for the time being. It was 605 when I finished. Without hesitation, I moved immediately to my stretch routine. Once again, I had to contend with Frankie crawling all about me, but I knew she'd need to to go out a second time before the transfer to Mindy, so I dealt with it. I was done by 620am. I’m sure that Mindy appreciated the opportunity to sleep longer. I took Frankie out for the round two. She only pee’d. I delivered her to Mindy just before 625am. Downstairs, I readied for my run. It was as warm as it’s been in a few days, a balmy 57 degrees with lots of humidity, too. I wore running pants and a long sleeved wicking shirt. That worked out well. For the record, it was cloudy, and the forecast called for another day of significant rainfall. For the time being, though, it wasn’t raining. I ran the full four miles without any rainfall. By the way, my lower back is loosening more and more with each passing day. For that I am grateful. I finished my run around 710am. Mindy was busy making my eggs. I shared how humid and warm it was. Jacob uttered something about not being able to wear shorts. Mindy snapped back that if he kept it up he’d be wearing long pants come Thursday too, when the high’s expected to reach into the low to mid 80’s. He backed down in a hurry. Mindy reminded me that she had a Southwestern Education Association dinner to attend that evening and needed me to be home by 5pm so she could make it on time. I asked that she remind me during the day. To make it home in time, I’d need to leave work before 445pm. Mindy left and the kids and I carried on as usual. I took Frankie upstairs and put her I the soaking tub while I showered. She wasn’t too pleased. Lucky for her, Bella soon came to her rescue. We headed to the bus stop at 757am taking Frankie along on her leash. She did pretty good. I took Frankie out back one last time before heading off to work. Don’t think she did anything. She went into her pen on her own. I started the dishwasher then left for work. The scuttle on ESPN radio was just how ineffective Lebron James was in last night’s loss to the Celtics. I guess it sucks to be the king. Work was a little less harrowing then the passed few days, but there was still a lot going on. I probably could’ve taken a lunch break but didn’t. I participated on a lengthy customer conference call through the lion’s share of the early afternoon. Mindy phoned around 330pm, and it’s a good thing she did. Equally, it’s a good thing I answered. She reminded me about being home by 5pm. Oops! I had totally forgotten. I promised to make it happen and quickly let my boss know that I had to cut out a little early. As expected, he was more than agreeable. I organized myself to leave the office at 440pm and was on the road by 445pm. I pulled into our driveway at 459pm. It felt a bit odd to be home so early. Mindy was dressed nicely in a little black dress and ready to go. The kids shared what leftovers they wanted for dinner even before Mindy left. We had plenty. They both opted for rotisserie chicken and fries. Jacob had the rest of his onion straws, too. I picked at the chicken and ate all the leftover Minelli’s pizza. Then, after dinner I had two brownies. We were done eating and had the kitchen cleaned up by 540pm. I failed to mention, Rachel cleaned the house today. It sounds like we’re back to every other Wednesday again. Bella and Jacob both headed off to the neighbors after taking Frankie out. I forgot to give them a curfew. Rats! Mindy always tells them what time to be home. While the kids played at the neighbors, I used the time to play with the pug and then update my blog. I had nine days to publish. I stopped around 8pm and took Frankie out. It just so happened that Chrissy was out with Woody at the same time. When the two pugs saw each other they ran towards one another. There’s an undeniable bond between the two. Chrissy shared that Woody swallowed one of her diamond stud earrings earlier in the evening after nipping at her ear. Said they were $1600 each! She would be rooting through poop. Heck, if it were me, I wouldn’t let her outside until I found it. At about the same time, both pugs ran under the neighbor’s deck, and all the way towards the back, too. Chrissy worried that Woody might take a dump while under there. I watched. I don’t think he did. It took some doing to encourage them out. Chrissy picked up Woody for safe keeping. Becky came out while we toiled in her yard. Talked briefly about the sale of their house. Still no firm offers. We headed our separate ways. I spotted Bella out running around. Gave her the ten minute warning just before heading back inside. Inside, I went right back to my PC determined to get completely caught up on my blog. I must admit, when I get behind as much as I was it feels more like a job than an enjoyable hobby. Mindy got home around 840pm. Said she had a good time. Also shared that my company received an award from her school district. Tried to introduce herself to the actual recipients on hand but couldn’t locate them after the dinner. I know one of them fairly well. We chatted only briefly before Mindy headed to the neighbors to corral the kids. We had the kids tucked into bed by 9pm. And like many recent night’s I plopped down on the sofa and tuned into the Learning Channel where I watched a program about the relationship between asteroids, comets, and the planets. Ate it up. Frankie did too. She nestled up next to me on the sofa and fell asleep. I upped and put her in her pen at 1015 then headed to bed. Not a peep.

Run in the Rain

I was awake well before 530am but allowed myself to sneak a few extra winks. I didn't wake for good until 535am. Like many other days, I had my shoes waiting at the foot of the stairs along with my eye drops. I started my sit-ups and push-ups from the livingroom avoiding any interaction with Frankie. I know she could hear me, however, because she started whining incessantly. By the time I finished my calisthenics and went to free her, she had already pee’d on the puppy pad in her pen. After some lovin’ Frankie and I headed outside. It was raining fairly hard. Frankie wanted no part of it. Tough! Sensing my insistence, she finally went #2. Back inside, I poured some coffee then did a meditation. I took Frankie out yet again before taking her up to Mindy but she didn’t go. I was certain she would have to pee soon. Time slipping away, I took her to Mindy along with a cup of coffee. I alerted Mindy that the puppy would need to pee soon. I know her habits all too well. Back downstairs I completed my stretch. While doing so, the rain pounded against our sky lights. I knew then that I was gonna get soaked during my run. The rain let up a little before I headed out. I checked the temperature to make sure I was dressed appropriately. It was 54 degrees. Hey, at least it was warmer than it’s been. I headed out in a light rain that soon turned back into the heavy stuff, and it remained that way for the run’s four mile duration. I might’ve gotten wetter than I have in the last couple of years. I was soaked through and through. I’ve shared this before, I know, but once I’m soaked, I hardly notice the rain. I reentered the home dripping wet. On such occasions, I’ve come to expect Mindy to have a beach towel waiting by the door. Not today. I wasn’t happy to learn that no one had taken the puppy out even after I shared before my run that she needed to go out again. Mindy then shared that she pee’d in the tub, where she keeps her while showering. I didn’t let up. I shared how I seem to be the only one that sacrifices fully for the puppy’s sake. I then proceeded to lead by example taking her out in the pouring rain where she immediately took a dump. In fairness, to defend Mindy’s point, she said she had just gotten downstairs. Hadn’t had a chance to get the puppy back out. I shared that I expect her to have the kids sacrifice their comfort and get the dog out as needed, even if it means they have to be slightly inconvenienced. I later learned, that Mindy & Jacob were battling over him wearing shorts again. That certainly didn’t help things. Mindy left for work not too pleased with Jacob or me. I eventually headed for the shower and was ready to go by 755am. Can’t remember who carried the puppy. Oh yeah, no one. We left her at the house. It was still pouring rain. No sense taking her out in it. I reminded Chrissy that we were all going to dinner at Barley’s after work. Jacob had soccer practice. He wouldn’t be joining us. The bus swept up the kids and I hurried back home. Even though it was raining I took the puppy out one more time. She didn’t go, but at least I gave her a chance. I put her in her pen and headed off to work. It poured during my commute in. It was another one of those difficult days at the office with too much going on to take a lunch. I heard some engineer’s talking about how hard it was raining around 10am, but I missed it. I worked straight through the day, although I did eat my packed veggies and tuna from my office. I wrapped up what was left on my plate and headed for home around 525pm. I saw Mindy walking Frankie on her leash down our street. She's only worn a collar and on a leash a handful of times. She doesn't quite understand. She was doing well then, however. I spent a few minutes readying coffee for the next day and then brushing my teeth. Once Chrissy arrived home we made plans to meet out front. She and Makayla would be riding with us. We left for dinner around 610pm. It was Bella, Makayla, Mindy, Chrissy, and me. Mindy procured us a booth in the corner. Sara was our server. I ordered a Hoptopus. Mindy ordered a Gret Lakes Stout. Chrissy wanted Corona but they didn't have any. She ordered a soda instead. The kids ordered sodas too. For dinner, I ordered a Cuban with bacon. Mindy went with brisket nachos. Chrissy ordered a Barley burger, and the kids shared an ordered of KC wings and fries. My Cuban was heavenly. I suggested Chrissy order a Mich Ultra. She didn't realize they had it. She ordered one. Before heading out, Mindy and Chrissy placed to-go orders for the boys - Gates of Hell wings and onion straws. While waiting, I ordered a second beer and so did Chrissy. Mindy opted not. One Stout is all she needs. The girls got giant gumballs. I picked up the tab. It was a pricey one! Jacob was waiting out front of the house with his daddy when we arrived home. Jimaken came in to give us our soccer pictures. Jacob headed out onto the deck to enjoy his to-go wings. I played with Frankie while also watching part of the Cavaliers basketball game - something I haven't done all year. By halftime I was bored and turned it off. I kept playing with Frankie. She was wound up. Chrissy stopped down with a beer and Woody. The two pugs played/fought for about 20 minutes. It wears Frankie out. I knew she'd sleep good later. Soon the kids had their shower and were in their PJ's. Both were in bed by 9pm. Mindy headed to bed around 940pm. I woke on the sofa around 1010pm and joined her, but not before putting Frankie in her pen. That wasn't any trouble at all. She was worn out, too.

Frost, Roger Waters doing the Wall

I slept OK but woke a few times during the night surprised that it was still so early. Each time I fell back asleep without a problem. Come 530am I didn’t really want to get up but did. I planned wisely and had my eye drops, exercise shoes, and last does of Prevacid waiting on the table by the front door, all in an effort not to wake the puppy. Not sure if it’s the grunts during sit-ups or what, but she always starts her whining before even seeing me. I didn’t give in, however. I left her whine until my exercise was behind me. By the time I let her out of her pen she had already pee’d on her puppy pad. I was marginally disappointed but also mindful of the fact that she’s only 8 weeks old. She was excited to see me giving me lots of kisses and bites. I took her out soon after. I knew right away that she wouldn’t be so warm to the idea. It was cold, and she was shivering like nobody’s business. I wouldn’t pick her back up insisting that she take care of business. My diligence paid off. She finally pooped. We headed back inside where she went for food and water while I went for coffee. During coffee and PC time she sat on my lap. I kept my time online to an absolute minimum, checking only the weather and a couple headlines. It was a chilly 36 degrees. Expected to reach into the low 60’s later with abundant sunshine. I did my meditation with Frankie resting on my lap, although I had to endure her persistent nipping. I took her back out before taking her to Mindy. She pee’d this time after several minutes of waiting. Again, she wasn’t too excited about being out in the cold. We woke Mindy around 615am. Mindy was happy to see her pug. I headed back downstairs to stretch and ready for a run. I didn’t get out of the house until almost 640am. Not sure why I took so long, but time flies. I ran four miles, and just like the day before, my achy left, lower back didn’t play into my run much at all. There was scattered frost throughout the subdivision, but probably not enough to kill the annuals people have already planted. I noticed that our newest hibiscus that I bought two weeks ago was looking limp all day Sunday after Saturday night’s big temperature dip. It snapped back nicely though late Sunday afternoon. Funny thing is, the one we stowed inside all winter wasn’t bothered at all. Maybe a more substantial/mature root system? Without being asked, I snatched Mindy’s keys from the cupboard and started the Honda after returning home. There was just a light coating of frost on the windshield that was easily taken care of by running the wipers, but I warmed it anyway. Inside, my breakfast was ready. Mindy hurried through her last minute prep then bolted for work just after reminding the kids to bus home with Noah. We didn’t discuss dinner plans. She did ask if I’d try to come home at lunch and check on the puppy. Yes. The kids and I were ready for the bus stop by 755am. I put Frankie’s collar on her along with a thin leash. Bella wasn’t pleased after seeing Frankie’s reaction. She’s not used to it and tries relentlessly to scratch it off. But I want her on a leash at the bus stop. Bella asked to hold her while we waited. Out the corner of my eye I caught Bella sheepishly, deceptively removing the leash apparently thinking I wouldn’t notice. I quickly snapped that I would spank her if she didn’t put it back on right then. She scrambled to reattach the leash. Jacob made some little disapproving gesture, but stopped short of getting himself in hot water. He wouldn’t make eye contact from that point forward. Too bad for him. I headed home to drop Frankie and take care of any last minute work prep. I left the house just before 815am. The pace of work picked up quickly and to near Friday levels. But I was determined to manage my response to it much better than I might’ve last Friday. One of my guys stopped by to chat around 915am. He shared news of Roger Waters coming to town in October and that tickets would go on sale at 10am this morning. Funny, I was just out on his website I know less than a month ago and there was no mention of a tour. He further shared that this would be the Wall tour – Pink Floyd. I was stoked, and immediately surfed out to try and learn about the venue and ticket prices. Found the show would be Friday, October 22nd at the Schottentstein Center. Tickets ranged $55 - $200. But I still had 30 minutes to wait before sale time. I worked through a couple issues while keeping an eye towards the clock. Word was, the tickets would sell out quickly. Come 10am the flood gates were opened. Of course, Ticketmaster has exclusive rights to sell the tickets and their webpage and process is annoying at best. You have to select a series of choices: quantity, price range, bowl area then enter a visual code to ensure you’re not an automated purchasing program, I guess. I stumbled through that for 20 minutes or more trying to find the ideal seats I was hoping for, which were lower bowl. But they were $200 each plus all the additional charges. I decided that $900 for 4 tickets was too much. I ended up buying four $75 seats. In the end, that was $360. I remember when concert tickets were $6.50 each. I was excited to have my tickets already in the bag. Not sure who’ll be joining Mindy and I, but I’ve got five months and more to figure that out. The rest of morning flew by. It was crazy busy. But as busy as we were, I was as determined as ever to take a lunch, not only to for my sanity, but to tend to my puppy as planned. To that end, I left for lunch at 1240pm and headed towards home. The Trooper really needed gas for which I was equally determined to head to the nearest Kroger with gas pumps cashing in on my $.50 per gallon benefit through the month of May. That’s roughly $10 per fill-up. The closest Kroger with fuel is at Roberts Rd and Hilliard-Rome Rd. I decided it made a lot more sense to stop there on my way back to the office rather than on the way home. I called Lindsey on my drive home to make sure she planned on planting the knock-out rose bush I gifted her for Mother’s Day. Said she planned to have her mother help later that evening. She also shared that Rocky fell asleep minutes after he got home Sunday night – surmised that he must’ve played hard. He did. At home, Frankie was resting quietly and didn’t immediately leave her pen when I opened the door. I was a bit surprised. I was gonna follow the ticket master email link to print my Roger Waters tickets but left the receipt at work. Crap! I resigned myself to doing it later. I played with Frankie for about 10 minutes and then took her out back for another 10 minutes. She wasn’t happy getting back in her pen. Didn’t understand. She did relieve herself outside, however, which was the idea in the first place. I left for Kroger. It took some doing to get the pump to read my Kroger card but it eventually worked. Got gas for $2.25 – a $.50 savings from their stated price of $2.75. The Trooper took 19 gallons. I headed straight up Hilliard-Rome to Davidson Rd heading back to work. I was back by 140pm – making excellent time. The afternoon was very busy. I had a 230pm customer call that lasted until after 4pm. That helped the afternoon soar by. It was 530pm before I knew it. When I left for home the skies were beginning to cloud over but peeks of sunshine were still rather abundant. I arrived home around 550pm. Mindy said she was surprised that I didn’t phone first. The kids were both on the sofa. Somehow the topic of Frankie being on a leash at the bus stop came up. Bella chimed in about how stupid it was even though I hadn’t yet shared her poor judgment to remove it with Mindy. I sent Bella to her room for being rude and disrespectful. Jacob couldn’t help himself and started in about how he didn’t agree either. Mindy quickly supported my handling of the situation – both during and right then. She emphasized that they are to follow directions regardless of opinion. I let Bella stew in her room while I printed off the Roger Waters tickets, but then headed up to talk to her about her earlier remarks. She seemed to get it. I made sure that she made eye contact the entire time we chatted, reminding her a couple of times as we spoke to direct her eyes towards my own. We hugged and headed down for dinner. Mindy stopped at Kroger on her way home and bought dinner – roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. That sounded good. Haven’t had rotisserie chicken in quite a while. The kids ate in a hurry then headed out to play. Unfortunately, Jacob couldn’t find a friend at home and came back depressed and bored. No matter what Mindy offered as something to do he found it boring or stupid, and that included riding the new 'something' stick he bought with his own birthday money. Said he wanted to take it back. Can’t ride it. Truth is, he tried only once. Buyer’s remorse. After washing all the dinner dishes I decided to take a brief nap on the familyroom floor. I slipped in and out of sleep while Frankie occasionally attacked my ears. Eventually she stopped and I got a decent nap. I woke maybe 30 minutes later feeling refreshed. I woke craving the brownies we had leftover from our Mother’s Day celebration Saturday. I cut myself a few small pieces. Yummy! The kids were outside playing. Mindy and Frankie took to the sofa for a rare nap. While she did that, I wrote in my blog. And speaking of my blog, I’m more than a week behind with publishing, but just short of caught up with my daily writing. It was 830pm when I finished writing Sunday’s entry. At that point I walked away still choosing not to spend anymore time on the PC. I found Mindy and Frankie both asleep on the sofa. Frankie was practically on her head. I fetched my camera and took a picture. Mindy woke and asked me to holler for the kids to come in. I did the ‘dad’ whistle thing. Mindy likes that. Both of our father’s did the same thing when we were kids. The kids slowly made their way home. We asked one or the other to take the pug out to potty. After some strife, Bella volunteered. There’s only problem with Bella taking Frankie out. After a couple of weeks, we’ve learned that almost all of Frankie’s indoor accidents can be traced back to shortly after a Bella outing. Watching her form the door, it’s becoming clear why. She picks her up after a few seconds and carries her around. She also mistakes sitting for squatting. It’s funny and cute, but also not. I had to open the door and ask Bella to put her down four different times. She finally pee’d. Bella means well. That’s not in question. She also cries when we close the door to Frankie’s pen at night or when we leave. The kids got into the PJ’s then returned for a snack. Bella had two Nutty bars, but she still came to the railing after tuck in to tell us she was hungry only ten minutes later. By then, Mindy and I were tuned into Stephen Hawking’s, Into the Universe. I eventually allowed Bella to come down and join us knowing how much she loves these science based programs. After Hawking’s program, we watched Alien Galaxies. Very cool! Mindy sent Bella to bed around 930pm. Mindy headed to bed around 945pm leaving Frankie and I sleeping on the sofa. I put Frankie to bed at 1015pm and soon joined Mindy.

Mother's Day & the Grand Kids

I was up for good at 7am after spending the lion’s share of the night sleeping with Olivia who woke crying in the middle of the night. I left her around 530am and headed back to my own bed with Mindy. By then, I had a terrible kink in my left lower back – an ache I haven’t experienced for several years. Not sure the cause: yesterday’s golf, giving piggyback rides to the kids, or simply sleeping wrong. Either way, it hurt bad. As expected, the rest of the house was quiet. I headed downstairs to deal with Frankie and make some coffee. She was very excited to have human interaction. Unfortunately, it looked like she already pee’d and pooped in her pen, but I half expected that given that I typically get up with her just after 530am on weekdays. It looked nice outside. It was sunny but still rather chilly. In fact, it was only in the mid 30’s. Frankie didn’t care for the chill but still took care of #2. Inside I poured some coffee then took to the computer. I got out Mindy’s Mother’s Day gift and cards and left them resting on the island. I played with Frankie for the next hour before anyone else rose. Like Saturday, Bella was up next, and that was somewhere near 830am. She entertained the puppy while I enjoyed coffee at the PC. Olivia didn’t get up until 9am. I took coffee and the pug to Mindy a bit after 9am. Olivia and Bella followed, and soon we were joined by Jacob, too. They all wished Mindy happy Mother’s Day. Mindy and the kids came downstairs around 920am. Mindy found her Mother’s Day gift and cards. She opened her cards before her bracelet. She seemed to like the Pandora bracelet a lot. While I prepared to leave for my run, Mindy started making pancakes, something I intended to do but only after my run. I left for my run after a good stretch. The stretch provided little relief to my back, but by no means was I going to let it stop me. I toughed out my usual three mile Sunday run. Thankfully, the run didn’t bother my lower back much after the first couple hundred yards. The pancakes were just coming off the stove by the time I returned from my run. Before sitting down to eat, I went looking for the Pandora catalog I picked up with the bracelet purchase. Mindy wanted to peruse it. I remembered stuffing the receipt in it but couldn’t recall where I stashed it, though I thought in the Trooper. It wasn’t until the second visit that I remembered placing it under the passenger’s floor mat. Inside I enjoyed three small pancakes. They were quite good. The kids were busy watching Bolt. Once again, we were having trouble with the DVD skipping. I’m convinced it’s the player. Almost every movie skips/sticks until we clean the DVD, even new DVD’s. We made loose plans to have the boys later in the afternoon and after Jacob’s 115pm soccer game. We asked Ashley if she would bring the boys since she already planned to pick-up Olivia anyway. Apparently that caused quite a stir between her and Lindsey. To us, Ashley was totally good with it. Mindy didn’t care for the passive-aggressive behavior and tried calling her on it, but Ashley wouldn’t return the call. To avoid drama, we agreed to fetch the boys. Always drama with the girls. It’s their chosen life style, and one inherited from their mother. Olivia and I headed out to swing after breakfast. We played out there for almost a solid hour. It was time to shower up for soccer when I headed back inside. The day was flying by. We left for soccer at 1240pm. I called and talked to my mom during the drive. She thanked me for the card I mailed Friday. Honestly, I didn’t think it would get there that soon. It took longer than ever to get to the soccer field due to a traffic snarl just around the corner. A lot of kids were bailing their parents’ vehicles and running between houses to get to their games on time. Jacob declined a similar offer from us. We pulled in just a minute or two before game time. He dashed off while we gathered our gear. We knew it would be chilly, now about 53 degrees. But what we didn’t figure on was a stiff, brutal northwind that made it feel more like 33. The chilly wind cut right through my fleece jacket. I was uncomfortable unless I had Olivia on my lap along with the blanket. The same held true for Mindy. Bella and Olivia ran around to keep warm. When the wind stopped, however brief, it felt much, much warmer. After all, the sun was shining brightly. Jacob’s team dominated from the outset. Two players scored all ten of their team goals. They won 10-5. Jacob had three assists. Played more aggressively than the past couple games. Game ended near 215pm. Wahoo! Let’s go home. I was very happy to get back in the Honda and out of the chilly wind. The drive home hypnotized me. I was so damn sleepy. Not sure why, but guessed it the half box of whale crackers I snacked on during the game. Mindy got grouchy on the drive home. Not sure why. Said she was leaving for the cemetery as soon as we arrived home. I found that odd being it Mother’s Day, and even asked about it. I mean just Friday night she shared how she never wants to visit another cemetery. And since I’ve known her (almost 5 years) we’ve gone only once, and that was right after we met. I needed a nap as soon as we arrived home, and quickly plopped down on the sofa. I couldn’t sleep with the kids running around. We weren’t home ten minutes when Rocky, Landon, and Ashley showed up. I wasn’t expecting them so soon, but then again, we did say anytime after 230pm. By then, it was already approaching 3pm. Mindy never did leave for the cemetery. I wondered to myself if she was purpsoefully avoiding Ashley. She headed down to the neighbors. It turned out that Olivia was just reprimanded for picking up the puppy after being advised not too. She was whimpering after being told no. As soon as she spotted her mommy the whimper turned into full blown tears. Again, the drama thing being perpetuated. Olivia eventually calmed but also acted out. She darted out the front door with Rocky even after being told no. I was curious how Ashley might respond to her blatant disregard. To my surprise, she whacked her on the bottom. Good, she needed it. When I asked what was the matter she replied that her momma smacked her. Ashley quickly corrected her. - spanked, not smacked. :) Ashley didn’t stay long. I gave her the knock-out rose bush I bought her for Mother’s Day along with the card that Olivia and Bella made. Ashley had nothing for Mindy – not that I thought she would. Again, my girls are terrible about acknowledging holidays with even the smallest kind gesture, let alone any type of card or gift. Ashley and Olivia were soon gone. They boys headed outside to play with all the other kids. It was a tad chilly but it seemed at least 10 degrees warmer here at home. Jacob and Jake asked me to play football. I reluctantly agreed after lots of prodding. We had fun for the first 30 minutes. Both boys were more than cordial to one another. I was surprised and impressed. But I knew it was too good to last. With Jake ultimately taking the lead, my Jacob threw a fit, pouted, and eventually stormed off angry. He told his mom that I helped Jake win. That’s a side of Jacob that I absolutely abhor. It was already nearing 5pm – the time set aside to start our cook out with the neighbors. Kenny was grilling steaks though we each supplied our own. Mindy coughed up more of those gourmet burgers for the older boys, and also made her famous green bean casserole. Chrissy’s sister Missy was over with her kids too. They didn’t stay long after dinner. She and Guy were apparently at odds. He didn’t make the trip. The steaks were delicious. Always are. After dinner we headed out back to play first bounce or fly with the kids. That was a lot of fun. Mindy agreed to drive the boys home after I cited the fact that I had one too many rum drinks. She left to run them home near 8pm. As part of the deal, I was asked to see Jacob & Bella got their showers, and then carry home several of our items. Before heading home. Kenny & I played the two older boys in a quick game of kickball. We won 5-4. I was surprised with my competitive nature even at such a benign game like kickball. I found myself diving for balls and bases with reckless abandon. Not good or smart! I headed home around 830pm, just minutes before Mindy got back home. By then I had the shower running for Bella, although she wasn’t yet in. By 9pm both kids were showered and ready for bed. I took care of everything. Before bed, we popped popcorn and tuned to the Learning Channel. Can’t remember what we watched. We ended up devouring two bags of corn before shooing the kids off to bed. Mindy and I were in bed before 10pm.

Chilly Golf Day, Minelli's, & RV

I planned to be up at 7am to insure myself enough time to exercise, run, and enjoy some coffee before leaving for golf. To that end, I rolled out of bed at 655am. I let Frankie romp around me while I did my sit-ups and push-ups. She wasn’t to much of a burden. I figured I needed to leave the house no later than 930am to make our 1020am tee time at Cook’s Creek. I had plenty of time to do everything I needed prior. It was chilly, gray, and windy outside but with a few breaks of sunshine. At the time, it was only in the 40’s. Bella was up early. I left her with the puppy when I headed out for my run. It was 830am. I decided to run just three miles. It was a relatively easy run. I wasted little time getting ready for golf. I hit the shower right away. I dressed warmly – Dockers and a heavy, long sleeved wicking shirt. I also planned to use my Viking pullover as necessary. Mindy wanted up at 9am. I obliged her request and delivered coffee. She needed to be at the Eagle Scout graduation ceremony around 11am or noon. I made and ate a sandwich before I left. Wished Mindy well. Briefly discussed out afternoon. I planned to pick up GD Olivia on my way home from golf. She’d be joining us celebrating Mother’s Day with Mindy’s family later in the evening. Mindy thought she might go shopping all afternoon. I tried reaching Kenny, who had to head to a job site early AM – around 7am. I left a message that I was heading out. Would meet him there. He was supposed to call if he was gonna be home in time to car pool. It’s a fairly long drive down Rt 23 – just south of the State Highway patrol building south of Bloomfield and Renick’s Family Farm Market. Of our group, I was first to arrive. Surprisingly, there were only about ten cars there total. Cook’s Creek is one of the finest local courses in our area. I guess the less than stellar weather was keeping folks away. I used the extra time to putt and chip. It was cold, especially when the sun dipped behind clouds and the constant wind gusted hard. I put my pullover on immediately. Felt more like March. The others slowly arrived. The clubhouse manager said there was no one scheduled behind us for some time and only a group of 6 in front of us. We were ready to go by 1030am – about ten minutes later than scheduled. No biggie! Kenny and I carted together. In the other it was Bob & Bob. I started rather well – two pars, a bogey, and a double. The double was the byproduct of some poor chipping being just off the green in two. I shrugged it off. OK. After that, I couldn’t score even though tee to green I was striking the ball rather well. I had only two or three bad mis-hits the entire round. Today’s big problem was the par threes. They ate me alive. Of the four, I’ll bet my average was 5.5. The wind was brutal and the temps downright cold at times. But I won’t even try to blame the weather for my poor score. That simply wasn’t the case. And while I topped 100, I played fairly well, especially tee to green. Chipping a putting hurt me. Despite all that, I genuinely had a good time. In fact, I think everybody did. We didn’t finish until 315pm. I called Olivia to let her know I was on my way. She was excited, ready and waiting. Next, I called Mindy but got Bella. She rambled on about me owing her $5 for not beating them home. Got caught up in some spotty rain showers on the drive home. Olivia was waiting at her door. I went inside for just a short period of time, long enough to say hello to Stephen and Benji, their dog. Arrive at our house at roughly 430pm. Confirmed with Mindy that we needed to be at Minelli's at 6pm. I planned to shower at 515pm. Mindy got the kids ready while I showered. We left for Minelli's at 545pm. We were first to arrive. In total, there would be 16 of us. We had four tables along the window, pretty much where they put us every other time. Everyone was present by 610pm. Mindy & I shared an extra-large pizza with three toppings: pepperoni, banana peppers and sausage. Bella and Jacob each ordered meatball subs. Jodi & Larry unexpectedly picked up the tab. That was nice! We were there until 715pm or so. We were hosting dessert at our place. Everyone shuttled there immediately after dinner. Mindy picked up a New York cheesecake and brownies from Sam's Club earlier in the day. I took Frankie outside. With me came Olivia and Bella. She wanted to swing in the trees. We played out there for 15 minutes then headed in for dessert. I had cheesecake. Everyone left around 830pm. The kids immediately asked if we could head to the neighbors. Mindy phoned first. No answer. The kids insisted we walk done anyway. We advised against it and why. Rude! Minute later Chrissy phoned. Everyone at her place was asleep, including Kenny who she said had been sleeping since shortly after golf. Said she was heading down to our house. She brought a six pack of green light. We watched the movie R.V. on DVD starring Robin Williams. Very funny. Chrissy headed for home soon after the movie ended. I took Frankie out while Mindy readied the kids for bed. Jacob agreed to sleep with Olivia in the guest room, but that didn't last five minutes. Changed his mind. I laid down with her until she fell asleep. I finally got to bed around 11pm.

Tough Work Day - 83 degrees

Up at 535am Unorganized for my early routine. Frankie was aware of my presence from jump. I exercised then let her loose from the pen. Exercise, puppy patrol, coffee, and meditation all before 610am. Warm outside. Expected to reach into the mid 80’s during the afternoon, but only in the mid 50’s through the weekend. No Jacob – just Bella. Jacob spent the night at his daddy’s. Still ill. Mindy didn’t sound good but needed to go to school. After a stretch I left for my run at 630am. Ran four miles. Enjoyed breakfast with Mindy & Bella. Mindy left at 730am. I was ready to go by 755am. Bella and I headed out together taking Frankie along too. Kenny was with the girls at the bus stop. Talked briefly about our Florida trip and the golfing. He thought he might get out that day for some golf. Not me. Busy day ahead. That I already knew. Left for work at 815am. Arrived just about 830am The work day was a blur – hardly even a minute to breathe. There was no lunch break to be had. And honestly, I let the day get the best of me. I wasn’t in a pleasant mood at all. My only reprieve was that I wouldn’t be on-call. Come 530-6pm, the day and busy week would be behind me. One bright spot. Bob Imber emailed about Saturday morning golf. However, the family social calendar was booked solid. I offered that I might ask Mindy for a bye from the Eagle Scout graduation she asked me to attend. Hearing my plea, she agreed that I should golf with my friends. That made me very happy. With that, we’d be golfing in stiff winds (up to 40 mph gusts) and chilly temps. Still, I was looking forward to it. I left for home just after 530pm turning over a number of issues to my peer who’d be on-call. Mindy was at the grocery and had both kids. Said earlier that Jacob was feeling much better. Made plans to grill with neighbors – gourmet burgers. Frankie was lazy. Didn’t even get out of her pen when I opened the door for several minutes. I called Kenny to measure his interest in joining our Saturday foursome. He’d have to check with Chrissy and let me know later. I wasn’t home long before Mindy and the kids returned with groceries. I helped tote everything in. Mindy and the kids headed down to the neighbors after the groceries were put away carrying all the cookout stuff. I tried taking a brief nap. I didn’t sleep but for about 10 minutes. That was all I needed. I did a brief clean-up then grabbed six-pack and walked down the neighbors. I found everyone in the garage chatting. Kenny let me know that he was a go for Saturday golf. I promptly phoned Bob to let him know we had our fourth. We headed inside and eventually to the deck to grill. Although there was a variety of options, I chose a bacon and cheddar gourmet burger. It was thick and delicious. I washed my burger down with a Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale. Mmmm good! We hung out with the neighbors until almost 11pm – kids included. Mindy headed home maybe five minutes ahead of me. She was just getting Frankie settled when I walked in. We were in bed shortly after.

Opening Pandora's Box

I slept longer than I should’ve. I didn’t get up until 550am, and even then I was still draggin’. I didn’t prep my stuff the night before, so I had no choice but to enter the kitchen to get my meds and shoes. And of course that woke Frankie. I carried on with my exercise routine as normal, not fetching Frankie from her pen until I was done. I was way behind, but Mindy was staying home, so that alone afforded me an extra 15-20 minutes. Still sleepy, I decided to steal a few extra winks. I laid down for about 15 minutes. Now I was really behind. I didn’t take Mindy coffee and the pug until almost 7am, and then didn’t get out the door for my run until 710am. By then, I was 40 minutes behind schedule. But on a more positive note, it was really nice, sunny, and warm. I didn't allow the fact that I was 40 minutes behind to influence my run. I still ran 4 miles enjoying every step of the way. When I returned home somewhere near 750am Jacob was still in bed, but Mindy and Bella were up as usual. I sat to eat the eggs Mindy had waiting in the microwave while Mindy walked Bella to the bus stop - a rare treat indeed. I headed up for a shower minutes later. In fact, I was downstairs ready to go by 810am - about the same time I would be preparing to depart for work on any other day. I was hopeful we'd be doing Thursday evening golf throwing my ball cap and shorts in my back pack. The clubs were already in the Trooper prompting me once again to scratch any notion of driving the BM'er. Mindy followed me out to the Trooper apparently not too pleased with my lack of morning interaction. I just listened to her complaint without much of a response. I might've arrived to work five minutes late, but nothing more. Work was incredibly busy. In fact, busy doesn't even begin to do it justice. It was psycho. And sometimes homey just isn't up for that. I did my level best to take it in stride and deliver a solid performance, but I was getting run over. I still made it a point to escape at lunch time to address three or four errands I considered critical. First stop was Wal-Mart in Dublin, looking at replacement cushions for our patio set. I didn't like anything they had. Next stop was Jared jewelers to look at Pandora bracelets, one of just a few items Mindy mentioned wanting for Mother's Day several days back. I had actually forgotten what it was called but thanks to Google, I was able to recall and conquer. Was very pleased to see they were sold at Jared, a reputable and nearby jeweler. Sue, an eastern Indian woman, met me at the door and was quick to assist with the Pandora experience. And let me just say, what a racket! Essentially, it is a charm bracelet, but everything is sold ala-carte, and believe me, it adds up quickly. First, you select the base bracelet itself, then spacers, charms, and clips. Everything costs money. I won't say how much my selection set me back, but it was significantly more than I went in expecting to spend. I left there and headed to Home Depot at Mill Run. There I bought a two-pack of the 30amp fuse I need for the hot tub. The fella working electrical aisle double checked my old fuse to verify that it was blown. It was blown. $17 for two new ones. Yikes! I also bought two small, double Knock-out red rose bushes and a small, twisted pink hibiscus. I still wasn't done. Lastly, I headed to Target, just next door, to pick-up a few Mother's Day cards. I also looked at their selection of replacement patio cushions, and then picked up another bottle of eye drops. I'm going through them fast. Speaking of my eyes, this has been a poor vision week. Working at a PC all day dries out my eyes in a hurry, but for whatever the reason, this week it's been more notable. Back to work. All totaled, I was out of the office for better than 1.5 hours - closer to two, but then again, I didn't take a lunch on Tuesday or Wednesday. It all works out. I ate my vegetables and tuna once I was back in my office. The rest of the afternoon moved by quickly aided alone by a deluge of escalated troubles. I talked with Mindy at some point. She was taking Frankie to the vet for her first appointment. Bella was at Dena's. Said Jacob was still somewhat ill and would be staying home with Jimaken on Friday. I didn't get out of the office until late once again. It must've been near 545pm. Mindy suggested we'd be having leftovers for dinner and that Jimaken would be coming by around 7pm to pick-up Jacob. He wouldn't be doing the typical Thursday evening dinner thing with both. Mindy said Frankie did well at the vet getting three vaccines. Needs to go aback in a month for two more. $140! yes, another racket! My dinner consisted of leftover El Vaquero - my fajita quesadilla. It was really good. After dinner, and after Jimaken picked up Jacob, I headed out to spread a few bags of mulch out front. I soon discovered I didn't have the energy to do too any more. I did the two curb-side trees and mailbox bed and that's it. Next, I attached the backyard hose to the reel and watered the hanging baskets and deck hibiscus. While I was doing that, Mindy & Frankie was busy entertaining a group of young boys who were playing in our backyard. Before I finished, Mindy headed down to the neighbors to visit. Bella was already down there playing with Mkayla. I love a sunny evening when the dappled sunlight shines through the trees and the hanging baskets are dripping with water. Something comforting about it. Once I completed my tasks and cleaned up a little, I snatched a cold beer from the fridge and marched down to the neighbors to join everyone else. We hung out with the neighbors until well after dark - almost like a Friday evening, the only difference being I enjoyed just two beers. :) We headed home at dark. Bella asked for a snack. We both snacked on Cheezits. We were all in bed by 10pm.

Cutting Two Lawns in the Dark

I was up at 530am after a fairly restful night of sleep. Thank God for Advil. I was still a smidge achy, but nothing that wouldn’t shake loose during my exercise and stretching. I had my morning kit on the small table by the front door. To that end, I was successful at not waking Frankie until necessary. She was a good dog again overnight – no accidents - and did a #1 & #2 as soon as I took her out. I was most pleased. In our brief week and a half, I’m aware of only one accident. Like a couple other days this week, I kept Frankie on my lap through meditation. She likes to lay quietly and it’s really no burden. It went well. I took the puppy and coffee up to Mindy who woke warmly to the presence of her dog. And just as she often does, she placated Frankie's enthusiasm by giving here one of her own black fuzzy slippers. Again, I’m convinced that she believes it her long-lost black sister, Camilla.  With the house all to myself, I did my stretch routine then dressed for a run. I ran only 3 miles thinking it plenty after the rigorous day of yard work Tuesday. Mindy had my eggs ready by the time I returned home. Jacob was outside with Frankie doing puppy patrol. Bella was just coming down for breakfast. Mindy prepared to depart for the day. As far as I knew, there was nothing unusual on tap either at work or at home. Mindy left at 730am. I headed up for a shower. I decided to wear a pink shirt with black Dockers. I looked good. I wear pink well. Just ask me. We were ready to depart for the bus stop at 755am. Jacob carried Frankie out ahead of me. Today was the first day we planned to leave her home alone. I promised Mindy I’d come home for lunch to let her out. Once again, they let her down in David and Becky’s driveway only a few feet from the street. I scolded Jacob for doing so and swooped her up. Not on my watch! I could tell he didn’t like being reprimanded. But then again, who would? Chrissy didn’t realize that we were keeping Frankie at home. I told her that we had to do it sooner or later. She understood. She said she’d be taking Woody to her mother-in-laws then for doggie day care. I thought about driving the BM’er but didn’t. Wasn’t sure what errands, if any, I might run at lunch time. I left for work at 815am. I dropped my Dad’s trailer off on my way, too. While there, I checked on the house and Archie. He was silent, simply watching me closely from the safety of his outdoor pen. I took the back way into work – up Old Dublin Rd to Davidson. Made good time. Work was crazy busy. I really wanted to visit Target & Home Depot during lunch but couldn’t get away at the planned time of 1pm. Instead, I was hammered with escalations needing my intervention. I wasn’t pleased. Mother’s Day is right around the corner and I still have no idea what to get for Mindy. Ugh!!!!!!!!! These holiday’s seem to come from nowhere. Not only did I work through lunch, but I ended up at the office late again, this time until 610pm. I called Mindy to let her know. I had her on speaker phone when my boss walked in to say good night. Commented that Mindy had a squeaky voice. I arrived home around 630pm after stopping for mower gas at Thornton’s first. Mindy shared that Jacob was ill, throwing up as soon as he was inside off the bus. He was all sprawled out on the sofa moaning and groaning. Mindy hasn’t been 100% all week either, but her symptoms different. She’s been battling a nasty cough. She'd already made arrangements to stay home on Thursday. Now it looked like Jacob would be home with her. Meanwhile, Bella and I were strong and healthy. Mindy made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Jacob was too sick to eat. It was good but lacked enough sauce. I couldn’t add more because Mindy mixed it all together. No biggie. I asked mindy if she’d do clean-up so I could get moving on the lawn. I really should’ve cut it Tuesday while home but ran out of time and steam. In addition, I agreed to cut Chrissy’s grass too since Kenny’s working out of town all week. I owe Kenny that much. He does so much for all of us. But it was already after 7pm. I worried that there wouldn’t be enough time to do both lawns thoroughly. I was a tad stressed to be sure, not to mention tired. I whacked, edged, and push mowed our yard first. That seemed to take a bit longer than usual. Before riding, I headed over to trim Kenny’s yard with the push mower. They have a lot more trees to mow around but no hills. By then, the sun was sinking fast. I hurried through a rough trim. Like our yard, it really needed whacked but there just wasn’t time for that and mowing. I fetched the Deere and finished our yard them moved to Kenny’s. I didn’t waste a singe second and got both yards fully cut. It was after 9pm once I had the mowers stowed and locked away and was inside for a much needed shower. Just as I was preparing to get in the shower Bella came in for the same cause (she is still using our shower). Not exactly sure why. I waited patiently. My shower took just a few minutes. I was downstairs in my flannel boxers by 930pm. I was gonna make a drink but opted not. Stuck to ice water instead. I did snack on some Lime Doritos though. They’re delicious! I stayed up with Frankie for about 20 minutes after Mindy headed for bed. I joined Mindy at 1020pm.

Mulch Day 2010

Not being a work day, I slept in until just after 6am. Mindy remained sleeping as I headed downstairs to tend to the puppy and start my exercise routine. Before anything else, I took the puppy outside. She took care of business quickly. Good girl! Already after 610am, I woke Mindy before doing sit-ups and push-ups. I kept Frankie with me while I exercised. I decided that I wouldn’t run until the kids were safely on the school bus. That left me almost two hours to do as I pleased. I updated my blog through Saturday while Mindy & the kids carried on with their morning like any other school day. It was a gorgeous morning with sunny skies and already near 60 degrees. The day’s high expected to reach into the mid 70’s. I received Woody at the bus stop and headed to the back yard before taking both puppies inside. I wanted to give them an opportunity to go potty. Good call, both took care of business. Inside, the dogs played/fought endlessly. I started to question why I volunteered to keep both. How would I manage my day – run? Get mulch? I fetched the old baby gate from the basement thinking I would trap them in the kitchen area, but that still left too much for them to get into. I got wise. I put Frankie in her pen and Woody in our soaking tub then left for my run. I ran four miles. Gorgeous! I was back from my run by 920am. The puppies remained quiet, Frankie visibly napping. I left them be, and then prepared to leave to fetch mulch. I headed to Dad’s to get his trailer. I almost pulled out of Dad’s drive without locking the trailer down to the hitch receiver ball. That could’ve been ugly. Not much of a crowd at Ohio Mulch, but then again, I didn’t expect one. It was a Tuesday morning. While at the walk-up window making my purchase, I noticed a couple Upper Arlington cruisers with their beacons flashing just behind the Ohio Mulch property. The girl working the counter said there must’ve been a crime but wasn’t sure just what. Said they’d been there all morning. I asked if it was simply an exercise, this being next door to where they store all their trucks, buses, plows, trash, etc. Two male employees were already loading my trailer with 25 bags of mulch. When I asked them about the cops they quickly replied that it’s just an exercise – do it daily. That made sense to me. Said the girls inside were clueless. I simply laughed then departed for home. Before doing anything with the mulch, I got the puppies out to play both inside and out. Woody was sound asleep. It didn’t take long for them to start going at it, however. We played for about 45 minutes. I made myself a sandwich too. Hmmm? I’ve never been a sandwich before. Not bad, but short lived.  After playtime, I put the puppies in their respective storage containers then headed out to place the mulch. I got out the Deere and pull behind trailer then loaded 7 bags at a time for yard delivery. I placed the bags in the rear beds first dropping all 25. After a brief break, I grabbed my keys and made a second trip to Ohio mulch for another load of 25 bags. This time the Arlington cops were doing some sort of shooting drill. Must’ve unloaded upwards of 100 round while I was there. This time they were a little busier. I loaded most of the mulch myself. I took an extra bag for all my effort. Back home, I quickly got the Deere back out and toted and placed the next 25 bags around the front and side beds. Afterwards, I took a break and let the dogs out for about an hour where we played mostly outback. They wrestled the entire time rolling down the hill and romping all over the back yard – very cute! Around 1pm I put the puppies down for yet another nap then headed out to start spreading the mulch. Buying in bags cuts the labor considerably, and the additional cost is minimal ($4 per cubic yard in my case). But even then, after slicing open 25 bags and spreading it neatly my body ached head to toe. I finished the back and the east side beds by 3:30pm. I decided to stop, relax and get the puppies. While outside playing under the trees, Bill, Chrissy’s father-in-law, stopped by to pick up Woody. That made life much easier on me. Frankie alone is no trouble at all. The kids got home from school a short time later. Bella took over puppy patrol. It was after 4pm. I did some miscellaneous yard chores until Mindy got home. She brought me fresh ice water and Advil. I took three. Next, I transplanted the remaining two 10” geraniums and vinca vines into the two hanging baskets for the Ash trees. They look incredible! And since I had the ladder out, I took the extra time to tie back the mature Virginia Creeper vines growing up the Ash trees. Many of the large vines have broken loose from the trees lower trunk and swing freely. While tying back the vines, I found part of a jaw bone from what I assumed to belong to a raccoon lodged in the trees bark. I found that highly unusual. While put the finishing touches on the transplanting, Mindy was putting the finishing touches on our dinner: baked boneless chicken breast, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. I took a quick shower before sitting for dinner. Aside from being achy, I was a sweaty, dirty mess. Dinner was delicious. Jacob, I forgot to add, was at soccer practice with his daddy. After dinner and clean-up, Chrissy asked Mindy & I if we’d keep Makayla and Woody while she went to fetch Jake from karate. We gladly agreed. Too, she shared with Mindy that they’ll most likely be joining us for our summer vacation to Clearwater. Still need to make their reservations though. We pretty much played outside with the puppies the entire time that she was gone. The puppies headed towards her yard where we followed and sat on the putting green while they played. Chrissy got home around 730pm and joined us outback. Not long after she got home, neighbors Mike & Teri joined us. Jacob arrived home from soccer around 8pm. He opted to play before eating his dinner, which Mindy had ready & waiting in the microwave. As 830 neared, I ran home to fetch some more ice water and to make a copy of our airline reservations to give Chrissy. She planned to mimic our flights if possible. Mindy called the kids inside for the night. Jacob ate dinner while Bella showered. I made popcorn for Bella and I. We ended up eating two bags after she complained about not getting enough of the first batch. The kids were in bed late – about 930pm. I stayed up a while longer dosing on the sofa. Mindy woke me near 1015pm when I promptly headed to bed.

My Dental Hygiene & the Vaq

Up at 530am I had exercise shoes, eye drops and Prevacid setting on the small table at the foot of the steps to avoid waking Frankie. Finished exercise around 545am and then let the puppy out of her pen Frankie and I headed outside. Clear skies – mid 50’s – beautiful morning. Coffee and puppy play time until 600am. Meditate with Frankie snuggling in my lap. Wake Mindy with coffee and Frankie Stretch – leave for run at 630am. Excellent run. 4 miles - no problems. Kids and Mindy up and milling about. Jacob outback with puppy. Two fried eggs and fruit. Mindy leaves for school at 730am Shower – ready to go by 750am. Kids and I to the bus stop at 755am. Bella drops Frankie while waiting on the bus. I wasn’t happy about it. Chrissy takes Frankie for the day. Log off laptop and leave for work at 815am Boss not in - working from home. Advises me to take Tuesday off as a comp day Called Dr March, my dentist, to double check on Tuesday’s scheduled appt. Set up for 3pm. I asked if they could get me in earlier so I don’t waste a day off. Tuesday full but did have an 1130am open today. I jumped on it. I left the office at 1115am for my dental appt. Right on time – Heather was my hygienist. Took about 45 minutes for the cleaning and exam – complimented me for the obvious extra flossing (under my retainer and bridge). Made next appt before leaving – Nov 3. Headed back towards work, but decided to pit stop at Strader’s to get a spike and four more vinca vines. Crowded again. I took my stuff to the check out line inside where there was next to zero wait. The line outside must’ve been ten deep, and everybody had lots of stuff. Smart! I was back at the office by 1pm. Ate my packed veggies and tuna. Busy afternoon. Didn’t get out of the office until 630pm. Mindy phoned wanting to know about dinner. Jacob campaigned for El Vaquero. I agreed. Bella wasn’t too pleased. I was home by 645pm. After a quick brush up off we went. The kids were going at it all the way there. Both grumpy. I was still in work mode – attached to my Blackberry. Preferred a patio table but they were all full. 20 minute wait – opted for immediate seating inside. Bella expressed her displeasure with the Vaq by pouting and acting a bit unruly. Not in the mood, I reprimanded her openly. She straightened up quickly. The chips were good but the salsa not their best. Funny taste, almost like it had been frozen prior. That didn’t stop me, however. Like always, I ate a bunch! Bella ordered chicken fingers and fries; Jacob, a combo of chicken and chorizo; Mindy, some Mexican seafood - scallops and shrimp; and me, a beef fajita quesadilla. Mindy picked up the check. More expensive than usual. Almost $50. Kids much less grumpy after dinner. I was in an exceptionally good mood knowing that I had the following day off work. I planned to retrieve and spread mulch. I also agreed to watch/keep both pug puppies, Woody and Frankie. I stayed up after the kids and Mindy headed to bed enjoying a whisky and Coke while playing with Frankie. I thought about a second drink but ultimately decided not. I headed to bed at 1045pm.

Soccer, Sunday Dinner, & Oliva's Plea

Up at 730am It was a non-exercise day so I let Frankie out of her pen right away It stormed overnight but stopped after daybreak. The skies remained cloudy, however. While coffee brewed, I took the dog out. Sipped coffee and checked in with work I thought about re-penning Frankie during my run but opted to take her to Mindy instead. She was out of it – in a deep sleep. I felt bad waking her. She took Frankie anyway Ran my usual Sunday route, and only three miles. Offered to make a big Sunday breakfast. Mindy at first accepted then recanted Made one for myself – left over steak and eggs Mindy & I took an hour long nap sometime around 11am Kenny knocked on the door just after we woke asking my interest in Sunday golf. Couldn’t golf – Jacob’s soccer game and on-call Needing to leave for soccer around 130pm, I potted two of the geraniums in the deck hanging baskets then removed the broken heater from the hot tub. Mindy reminded me of the time as I finished up. I had only 15 minutes to get ready. I was in a foul mood after misplacing my expensive Klein screw driver in my haste to put everything away. Mindy found it while I showered. Left it on the black granite counter tops – guess it was blending in. We left for soccer at 140pm. Stopped at CVS in Mill Run first to pick-up a prescription for Mindy. To the Hilliard soccer fields. Windy and rainy during soccer match – cool even. We endured. Game ended at 315pm 0 to 0. Defensive struggle At home we all had a snack but nothing too heavy. We’d be attending Sunday dinner around 4pm. We agreed to take Frankie too Left for Gloria’s at 405pm. Not first to arrive – Larry tells of their recent trip to NYC – good story – airline troubles, accommodations in Tribeca, saw David Letterman show, Ellis Island, Central park, bad service most places. Joe shares that he and Jerry ended their relationship – Mindy talked with him at length about it. Seemed sad. Rained all through dinner and after. Jacob played basketball in the rain after dinner. Soaked. Dinner celebrating Mindy’s brother’s birthday – lasagna - lemon cheesecake – ice cream sandwich pie. Gloria’s shared her unsolicited opinion on the process we used to name Frankie. We left for home at 715pm agreeing to stop by and see Ashley & Olivia along the way. Olivia left a VM earlier in the evening saying that her bag was packed and that she was ready to come over. Too cute! Warmed my heart. Of course, we had made no such plans. We got to Ashley’s 10 minutes later. Olivia was excited to see Frankie – held her too tight, and wouldn’t let her down. Mindy & I worried that she was hurting Frankie. Olivia’s not one to share. She wasn’t too pleased surrendering her back to us. As a diversion, Bella asked Olivia to show her, her bedroom. Invited Olivia to stay with us next weekend. Our visit brief – about 15 minutes. At home, the kids were encouraged to ready for bed quickly. Both had showers and were in bed by 9pm. I sipped a bourbon and Coke while relaxing on the sofa. I checked in with work around 930pm. I had to get involved in a couple ongoing issues before bed. I was really tired and finally got to bed just before 11pm.

Uno de Mayo

Sleeping soundly, I woke sometime between 630 & 7am to a couple loud claps of thunder along with the pitter-patter of rain. Feeling well rested, I decided to get up and get my Saturday underway. Not bothering to ready my gear in the livingroom the night before, Frankie started crying for release as soon as she heard/spotted me. After getting the coffee going I released her from the pen. After some quick play, she laid on my lap while I completed my sit-ups. Didn’t seem to mind the grunting whatsoever.  Too cute. It was too long before my push-ups were behind me and the two of us headed outside. It was raining steadily but she still took care of business. Good Frankie! Back inside I played with her long enough for her to calm down, then placed her on my lap while I logged into work. I bounced between work and pleasure for the next 1.5 hours, and eventually readied for my run just before 9am. I debated on putting Frankie back in her pen but carried her to Mindy instead. She planned on going to yoga, so she really needed to be up anyhow. I left for my run in the rain, although it was coming down only lightly. Just as important, it was warm, somewhere close to 64 degrees – very humid, too. About halfway through my run the skies darkened up considerably. I knew it was coming, but wasn't sure how fast. I saw it on radar before leaving. I decided last second to clip a mile off my run and head home, not wanting to risk getting caught in severe weather. I beat the heavy stuff. Mindy was lounging on the sofa with the puppy. During my run, I was thinking about the Krispy Kreme donuts Mindy bought at the grocery store. I ate two almost as soon as I was back at home. They’re far superior to Tim Horton’s. It was raining steadily, and the forecast looked bleak. While Mindy readied for yoga, I kept a close eye on work. Seeing everything under control, I decided to do some reading. With the rain and all, it seemed like the perfect day to snuggle up with a book. Although Mindy planned on coming home from yoga first, she’d be leaving for a baby shower shortly after. I pretty much had the entire afternoon to myself – well, myself, Frankie and work. Mindy must’ve left around 1130am. I read from the familyroom with Frankie curled up around my feet. Eventually, I dosed off netting some incredibly good, but brief sleep. I must’ve woke shortly after noon. By then the rain had stopped and the sky was brightening. I upped to check in with work and the weather radar. Work was seemingly quiet and the radar appeared surprisingly clear. What? What happened to our all day torrential rains? Looked clear all the way back to Illinois. Hmm? It wasn’t a minute later that I received a text from Tom C. asking about golf. I called him back to measure if he was serious. He was. We discussed options. He agreed to check with Raymond. If I were to play, somewhere close was paramount should work beckon my presence beyond Blackberry. If ever there was an opportunity to play Raymond on a weekend afternoon, this was it, just after heavy rains and an ugly forecast. We called it right. No one on the course. Said we could get right on, but that he had others calling too. Tom & I agreed to meet there by 1235pm (30 minutes). I called Kenny even though I knew he had soccer with the girls. With all the rain I figured they might’ve been rained out. Nope – played the first game in the heavy rain. He couldn’t pull it off. It would be just Tom and I. I got dressed for golf and wrote Mindy a note letting her know my eventual whereabouts then left. I might’ve been one of only four cars in the entire lot, but right behind me were five other cars in a hurry. I quickly phoned Tom to see what his ETA was. Minutes. I went ahead and paid our fees and was prepping my equipment when Tom pulled up. We ended up behind another foursome who arrived just after me. I picked up both fees since Tom got mine the last time out. We decided to walk. I carried. Tom used a pull cart. Still pricier than I think it’s worth - $27 each to walk. The course is very well maintained, however. I hit my drive on hole #1 about 250 yards but got hung up in the fairway bunker just left of center. Had the sand been dry it would almost certainly have continued through. No biggie. Because my lie was good, I hit a decent 3-wood out but still 80 yards off the green (it’s a par 5). I hit a not so lovely wedge up and into the greenside bunker. Four on- two putt – bogey. I played bogey golf through most of the front but had a couple lapses with my putting (two 3 putts and a 4 putt) that cost me big score-wise. But tee to green I was mostly on. More importantly, I hit my 5, 6, & 7 irons reasonably well for the first time in months. I was very encouraged. I had to lose my long sleeved wicking shirt on hole number five. Too humid. As we made the turn, we couldn’t believe the crowd at the first tee. Must’ve been some sort of outing. Maybe ten groups waiting. That’s Raymond! Then, the starter sent a single, 20 something female, to play with us from 10 out. We opted to let her play between us and the foursome in front of us. Truthfully, she had game. I could tell by her back swing. My Blackberry kept me occupied on the next three or four holes, and then sporadically thereafter until we finally finished. However, despite the disruption, I played reasonably well, especially tee to green. On the back nine I was putting for birdie three times but sadly made none. The sad part is, I missed all three easy par putts too. From three to four feet I was bad today. I’ll bet I missed 5 or 6 of them all day. But honestly, I didn’t care. I was simply happy to have my tee to green game back. The putting will come. Watch me! I phoned Mindy from #18 after she called me during a putt on 17. In fact, I jokingly blamed her for 3 putting that green after hitting a sweet 5-iron on from 175. I bogeyed 18, too. Mindy was done with yoga and the baby shower and heading to Kohl’s. I asked her to stop at Sam’s Club and pick-up a cheesecake to take to brother Bob’s Mexican fiesta later. I also asked her to pick me up a pair of black plaid shorts. Said she would. What a good wife! Tom & I chatted about our vehicles while we put away our golf gear. We headed our separate ways just before 5pm. Mindy said she was gonna take her time at Kohls, and she did. She didn’t get home until about 630-7pm. Brother Bob’s party started at 4pm. Yikes! We were invited to arrive in costume – preferably something with a Mexican theme. Mindy wore a tiny sombrero. I wore a Mexican thong.  We took a few beers and a cheesecake (all guests were encouraged to bring a dessert). Bob promised to have lots of Mexican food already on hand. Bob’s family alone generally packs the house. Must’ve been about twenty folks, kids included. Brother Tommy said he’d be there but didn’t show. But honestly, anymore, no one really expects him. He rarely keeps commitments for such things. Dad wasn’t immediately visible but I eventually spotted him hanging out on the deck dressed in his Mexican Vaquero get up. Adam was there with his new girlfriend Brittany, a girl he’s known most of his life. Seemed nice enough, and cute too. Graduates college in two weeks. I hung outside for most of the evening enjoying my beers and some tasty Mexican food. Bob built a fire in a patio cauldron that a lot of us gathered around. His daughter Hannah and I went back and forth all night by the fire. She’s got the Wright funny bone for sure. We hung out at Bob’s, I’m guessing, until 10pm, but not much later. I drove home. We really planned on being home sooner but still called the neighbors only to learn that both Kenny & Chrissy were already fast asleep. Unusual, but not too unexpected after their busy days. We stayed up just a short while longer then headed for bed ourselves.

April Ends Straders Begins

I was up on time and quickly downstairs to begin my morning routine. It was just after 530am. Wisely, I had everything I needed to get my eyes, stomach, and exercises out of the way without accessing the kitchen and waking Frankie. She likely heard me grunting halfway through my sit-ups and began to stir. However, I wouldn’t be deterred from my goal thus waited until my push-ups were in the bag before heading to the kitchen to free her from the pen. Happy to be free, she gave me lots of lovin’. I took her out after a few minutes of snuggling. She was good, doing both number #1 and 2. I sipped my first cup of coffee while sitting on the floor playing with Frankie. She eventually fell asleep on my lap. Trying hard to mesh my new world with the old, I used that time wisely. I did my meditation while she was sleeping on my lap. Effective and efficient use of time indeed! I handed her off to Mindy along with a cup of coffee then returned downstairs to stretch and ready for a run. It was in the mid 50’s under a clear sky, a lovely morning for a run. I ran four miles without incident. Trash pick-up had already been by to dump our garbage by the time I returned home. Mindy was starting breakfast and asked if I cared to fry my own eggs. Didn't know I had any??? Who knew? I agreed to do it. Soon Mindy was off to work, and I was off to the shower. The kids, Frankie, and I headed to the bus stop at 757am. I thought briefly about the driving the BM’er but didn’t. I was anxious to see if the check engine light was still on in the Trooper. Off to work. The check engine light was in fact still on but without any performance degradation. I didn’t worry too much about it, but did contemplate how I might proceed with plans to get a new vehicle sooner rather than later. I arrived at the work about ten minutes early. It was a challenging day work-wise, but I was careful to maintain an even keel in the face of adversity. Not only was the day busy, but I was on-call for the upcoming weekend too. That only added to the potential for stress. Barring any unforeseen issues, I planned on visiting Strader’s at lunch time to buy 4 hanging baskets for our backyard. However, before that, with my stomach already growling, I went ahead and ate the leftover pork chop I brought from home. Despite being inundated with to-do's, come 1245pm I managed to get away. Albeit brief, the time away at Strader’s would be like medicine. The crowd was larger than I anticipated, comprised mostly of older Arlington women filling their carts with flora. I had a plan and stuck with it. I bought four big, beautiful geranium baskets then four vinca vines as a complement. In addition, I bought 3 orange begonias and a 2 cubic foot bag of Miracle Grow potting soil. The entire cart load set me back $145. I wasn’t gone but about 45 minutes. I toyed with the idea of going elsewhere too but didn’t. Instead, I headed back to the office. By the way, the weather was superb – sunny and 70. I received an email from Bob I. indicating how nice it was on the golf course the evening before. I’ll bet. Wish I could’ve got out with them. The afternoon chugged along. I talked with Mindy late afternoon, but I had to keep the conversation brief as I was super busy. Quickly, she shared her intentions of going grocery shopping as soon as the kids left with their daddy. I hoped I could leave the office around 5pm, but before I knew it, it was 515pm. Everything in check, I headed out after packing up my laptop. I arrived home around 545pm. I was greeted by a sparkingly clean house. Almost forgot it was cleaning day. Thanks Rachel! Frankie was asleep in her pen and hardly acknowledged my presence. I headed back out after unpacking my gear to carry all of my plants around to the deck, although I stashed the more fragile vinca vines and begonias in the garage. The weekend forecast was calling for torrential rains both Saturday and Sunday with anywhere from 2 – 5 inches. I guess one could view that as a bright spot since I would be on-call anyway. Regardless, despite the ugly forecast and being on-call, I still hoped to get some of my flowers transplanted either Saturday or Sunday. I had plenty of time to play with Frankie after getting settled. I took her out back where she took care of business again. Good girl! Mindy got home while I was busy updating my blog. I helped her carry in groceries then the two of us walked down to Chrissy’s for a brief visit. Chrissy, Mindy, and Kenny’s mom were all gushing over baby shower gifts. Bored, I took to their sofa, put my feet up, and tried taking a brief nap. Hey, we’re neighbors! I got up around 705pm and said I was heading home. Mindy and Frankie followed. Mindy and I planned to head to Barley’s but promised to stop back down later, or after Barley's. We readied and left for Barley’s around 730pm. The bar had a crowd typical of a Friday evening. I had just been served my first beer, a Centennial IPA, when neighbors David & Becky showed up. Along with them was David’s mother, Celeste, whom I hadn’t met prior. Apparently Mindy had, however. She was very nice. Our favorite servers, Diedra and Beth, were both working, but also leaving for their long-planned cruise tomorrow morning. Mindy gifted each of them $25 (not a tip) to have as extra spending money. They take great care of us all year long. Mindy ordered food in a hurry. She went with the Southwestern Salad and I had a Cuban with bacon. Good eatin’! It was probably best, but there were no double IPA’s on tap. I had only three or four beers all evening long. We left for home around 1030pm. Mindy picked up the tab. She also drove. We took Frankie out then walked down to hang with the neighbors for a little while. I took only one beer. Kenny was home this time. His mom was busy in the kitchen baking some incredibly big and great smelling cookies. She offered us one but I declined citing a full belly and a cold beer. We stayed for no more than 30-45 minutes. And sometime close to 1130pm we headed home for bed.

Check Engine ... again

After waking at 525am, I decided to get up a few minutes early. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my running clothes, then headed downstairs. I woke Frankie as I went through my the early part of my routine- grabbing my exercise shoes, eye drops, and Prevacid. I could’ve kicked myself for not following through on my plan to place all of those things at the foot of the stairs before bed which I figured would allow me to complete my early routine a bit more transparently. As it was, I simply let her cry from her pen until my push-ups were in the bag. It had to be 545am when I finally let her out. She was excited to see me, anyone for that matter. I realize that. I sat with her calmly on the kitchen floor while she romped around. That lasted about five minutes before I decided to take her out. She took care of business quickly. I was proud of her. We headed back inside where I poured myself some coffee and tried to enjoy some peace and quiet. The truth is, I don’t get any quiet time until I drop coffee and the pug off to Mindy. Somewhat hurriedly, I checked the weather conditions and read the Daily OM. It was already 615am. Where had my morning gone? I spent the next 25 minutes meditating, stretching, and prepping for my run, not hitting the door until 640am. Ugh! I ran 4 miles with absolutely zero knee pain. – gone. And, if ever there was a morning when I half expected it, it would’ve been then – the morning after hitting 100 golf balls. Because of my somewhat late start, I was blessed with the sunrise from the very outset. Quite lovely. It was only 37 degrees at the time, but figured to reach 70 by mid-afternoon. The house was alive with activity upon my return. Jacob was outside with Frankie, and Mindy busy cooking breakfast. Bella was in one of her whiny moods. Jacob seized on the opportunity to tease her. Ouch! Mindy confirmed that Kenny was keeping Frankie again today and reminded the kids to bus home with Noah. She left at 730am. I was showered and was ready to go by 752am. I remembered that I said I’d take Rocky to a doctor’s appointment at 1pm, a commitment I made last Sunday. Honestly, I dreaded doing it. That meant leaving work no later than 1215pm, driving all the way to Lindsey’s, back to Hilliard for the appointment, back to Lindsey’s then back to Hilliard and work. In the end, a lot of driving to mask Lindsey’s inability to get her life together. The thought of it brings anger. I do it for the boys, not her. It’s not their fault. The kids were on the bus at their usual time. I handed Frankie off to Kenny then headed off to work. It was a gorgeous drive in. I was looking forward to the day’s lovely weather. I let my boss know that I had to leave for an appointment at 1215pm, and shared that I expected to be back around 130pm. We had a staff meeting that lasted about an hour, or until 11am. Lindsey phoned around 1145am to make sure I remembered. Yes. I left the office at 1215pm on the nose. There’s no quick and simple way to get to Kelly’s place from Hilliard. I took I-270 south to the Georgesville exit then cut across Clime Rd ultimately down Briggs Rd. I didn’t get there until 1245pm. Lindsey and boys were waiting out front. We were off. It dawned on me during the drive that I forgot to get the booster seats back from Mindy after last weekends Chiller trip. Oops! We headed back to Hilliard towards Dr Shultz’s office. Both boys asked if we could go to McDonald’s. I figured we could but didn’t fully commit. The cat stench that typically accompanies them where ever they go, was noticeably masked by heavy perfume. I didn’t say anything. We arrived at the doctor’s office right on time. Lindsey and Rocky headed in while Landon and I hung out outside in a nearby grassy area soaking up some of the warm spring sunshine. Landon had to pee so he and I walked over to Steak & Shake. Afterwards, we headed back to the car where we waited another 15 minutes or so. Lindsey & Rocky came out around 1:30pm. Lindsey had a prescription for Rocky. We headed over to the nearby Burger King where I bought the boys lunch. Lindsey wanted only a drink. Everybody happy we headed back to Kelly’s arriving around 2pm. I had already been gone from work for 1.75 hours. I decided to stop at home briefly to grab a couple monthly bills needing paid and perhaps some quick food. I was hungry. It was well past my typically lunch time. I decided to pay the bills from home rather than back at the office. Done. After a quick snack I was ready to head back to work. During the ten minutes that I was at home, a contractor for the county came by to assess my property value. Wanted to review it with me. I declined for needing to be busy with other things but offered freedom to roam my yard. I arrived back at work at 245pm. I’d been gone for 2.5 hours. I was a little stressed over being gone so long, especially on a golf night where I try to leave no later than 415pm. To that end, I didn’t feel right about bolting so early after being gone all afternoon. I decided that it was best for me to forego golf this week even though I really wanted to get out. I sent Bob I. and email indicating as much. My boss visited at 5pm. We chatted about the appointment. Shared that I should’ve left for golf, too. Also mentioned that he’d be off on Friday and would be deferring all of his escalations to me. Great!  I stayed busy until 530pm. I talked with Mindy well before via phone sharing that I wouldn’t be golfing and why. We agreed to make a Barley’s night of it since the kids were with Jimaken. On my drive home, I noticed that my Check Engine light was on again. Dammit! Are you frikin kiddin’ me? So far, no performance degradation, though. Still, I wasn’t the least bit amused. That’s it, I’m getting a new car. I am not gonna deal with anymore car troubles, especially repeat issues. I wasn’t happy about the dilemma, but at the same time, thankful to have the means to make it go away. I didn’t share my newest dilemma right away. Instead, I waited three minutes.  All Mindy could do was laugh. Me too. It’s crazy! We brushed up and headed to Barley’s. Janet was working the bar. Poured me a Centennial – Um good! Mindy went with a St Joan’s Revenge. We ordered food minutes later. Me buffalo chicken tenders, and Mindy their barb-q platter. Jill was sitting next to Mindy, a girl we met there a couple months ago. My buddy Doug showed up shortly after we placed our food order. We chatted with him for the duration of our visit. Always fun to hang out with the “do” side of Doomie.  Mie wasn’t in. She was working out at the gym. We stayed long enough for both Mindy & I to have second beers. Both of mine were regular IPA’s. Mindy’s were both of the high octane variety. I was done almost before Mindy started her second. I was fine to drive and did. I also picked up the check. We learned that our Friday server, Diedra has two pugs and absolutely loves ‘em. We headed for home just before 8pm. Mindy took a call from Jacob as we exited. The call was dropped. We assumed them already home waiting in the drive with their daddy. Yep, they were. I drug the trash can to the curb for tomorrow morning’s trash day before heading in. The kids were eager to see their puppy. I failed to mention that I contacted Teresa, the owner of the Clearwater Beach condo we stayed in July of ’08 earlier in the day. We booked it again for this summer. Having that booked, I was determined to secure our flights now too. To that end, I found ideal flights to and from on our desired dates and booked them. I’ll hold off on the car rental until it gets closer. Deals typically are for no more than 6 weeks out. Right now, the rates are through the roof. It felt good to have our summer family vacation booked. Mindy asked Bella to do her nightly reading with me. I listened while she read. Afterwards, both kids got showers. It was after 9pm in a hurry. At Mindy’s insistence, I went up to tuck in the kids at 940pm ahead of her. She was busy grading school papers. Bella threw a fit that I made her shut down the Disney Channel program she was watching. Jacob was watching the same show from his room. He didn’t pitch one though. In true Bella fashion, she cried to high heaven. And when her momma asked what was the matter, she chastised me for killing her show. Oh well! Mindy supported me, as expected. I didn’t want to be the first one up and the bad guy. I was forced. Bella went to sleep quickly. Mindy took Frankie out just before she and I headed to bed. Prior, Frankie laid on the sofa with me until 10pm in what’s become an every night thing. She loves to snuggle, something Ykraps never was into. Good night Sparky!