Celebrating Jacob Turning 11 One Week Early

I woke in the middle of the night with a pounding headache. I worried that it would transfer into an all day hangover. It was close to 730a when I popped out of bed and took three Advil. I went right back to bed until my headache was gone. I woke headache free around 830a and headed downstairs. Mindy didn’t budge. My headache was gone but my shoulders were really stiff. After starting some coffee I completed sit-ups. I decided to skip push-ups again this Saturday giving myself a two day hiatus. Headed out with Frankie next. I was hoping for better weather, but the morning wasn’t much different than many of the past few days – cloudy and cool. After walking Frankie I published a weeks worth of blog postings while enjoying coffee. Mindy and the kids were up between 930-10a. Jacob was psyched for his 3p birthday party. They weren’t up long before I left on a run. It was 50 degrees and cloudy. Ugh! Forecast, meanwhile, was still calling for low 70s. I ran three miles without any problem. Felt good. Mindy was already busy decorating for Jacob’s party upon my return. Everything under control inside, Mindy suggested I put the new patio cushions out. I wiped the table and chairs clean first then tied the new cushions to the chair frames. And now that brunt of winter was past, I got the underground hose feed up and running and then refilled the hot tub. It’s official, I managed to keep the hot tub alive all winter. Honestly, didn’t think it would make it. I was eager to get a jump on more yard chores, especially given that our Sunday was booked solid with events too. I fetched my chain saw and systematically began to dismantle the wild mulberry tree on the west side of the house along the creek. It’s getting too big too fast. At first I thought I might just lop off its top but ended up pretty much taking it completely down. And just like I’ve experienced other times, it’s always looks two to three times bigger on the ground. Couldn’t believe how much wood was there. Jacob came out and gave me a hand. That helped a lot. The sun came out on and off, and it remained somewhat cool. Given my toil, I was glad. Mindy ran off to Target for something. For what, I can’t readily recall. Starving, I asked that she pick me up a double cheese burger from Burger King. She willingly agreed. Jacob and I drug the tree choppings back to the tree house area. Once there, we sawed it up further into stackable units using the chainsaw and giant loppers. By then I was officially exhausted. I cleaned and put away my tools then headed inside. By then, Mindy was back with my burger. I couldn’t wait to eat. The first couple bites went down hard. Not sure why. I chewed it really well. Hurt even. It was 130p. After finishing my burger I headed up for a much needed shower. Bella pointed out that I had saw dust all over my face.  Downstairs around 2p, I helped Mindy put the finishing touches on Jacob’s party, now only one hour out. I really wanted a nap. Gloria showed up early at 230p. Mindy predicted she would. She’s always early and willing to help. As luck would have it, it started to rain (sprinkle) shortly after Gloria arrived. Always rains at Jacob’s b-day party. It didn’t rain for long though, but enough to wet the yard, deck and patio furniture. Kenny put up their jump house earlier in the day for the kids to use. That was awfully nice. Jacob’s friends started arriving around 3p as did all of Mindy’s family. We invited my dad but he never showed. Kaileigh showed up around 330-4p. She was spending the night. Soon we had a house full. It’s worth mentioning that Jimaken and his parents (Tom & Candy) showed too. Always do. Mindy called Poppa John’s and ordered 8 pizzas around 11a but scheduled the delivery for 315p. That made party food much easier, though she still laid out a mini spread complete with veggies, cheese, chips, dip, and salsa. When given a choice of b-day cakes, Jacob opted for brownies in lieu of a formal b-day cake. It must’ve been around 4p when we headed out back to do the piñata – a paper mache football stuffed full of candy and small trinkets. Jacob went first, but after that it was smallest to largest. Blindfolded, they each got a whack at the piñata with a foam covered bat. Can’t recall who took it down. If memory serves, only five or six kids got a whack at it. A mad scramble for its contents ensued. Inside for cake (brownies) and gifts. The brownies were a big hit. Way better than cake. Gift-wise, Jacob cleaned up. Lots of gift cards and cash. Got some clothes too. His uncle Todd got him the coolest toy – an electronic flying duck and pistol – safe inside and out. That kept the kids, as well as some of the adults, busy for a while. The party began to wind down at 5p. Most of Jacob’s friends headed home, though Josh and Noah were staying. Most of the family members cut out too. Gloria & Joe stuck around. Gloria must've departed near 530p. Chrissy and nephew Joe hung out through the mid evening hours. And don’t you know, once the masses departed the sun came out and the evening got really pretty. The kids played out back while the adults sat around the patio table. I didn’t crack a beer until just before 7p. Mindy commented more than once that she couldn’t believe that I didn’t peel away for a nap. It got so nice that the kids ended up having a water balloon fight that turned wild in a hurry. Soon the hose was out and water was everywhere. Had to nix it. Joe headed home around 8-830p. Chrissy headed home too, though figured to be back down in a while with Kenny. Mindy and I got busy cleaning up after the party. Our downstairs was pretty much a disaster, though we had it looking good in about an hour. Mindy did most of it. I walked down to Chrissy and Kenny’s to say hello to her cousin Craig Schlagel, who we haven’t seen in two years or more. Mindy came down for a few minutes too. We headed back home around 9p. Kenny and Chrissy came down to eat some pizza a few minutes later. By then, Mindy had the all the kids showered and settled, most of them watching TV upstairs. Kenny & Chrissy headed home just before 10p. I quickly got cozy on the sofa. We were expecting Noah’s mom, Dena around 10p. Josh was the only boy spending the night. Kaileigh and Makayla were sleeping over with Bella. Mindy woke me around 1030p for bed. I bet that I was out in less than 5 minutes..

Grillin' Steaks with Friends

I was up on time and felt pretty good. I was downstairs staring out the back door at 535a. Cloudy skies. Been a while since I’ve seen a sky full of stars. I still had to prep coffee, haven forgotten to do so the night before.

On a positive note it was 50 degrees, and the forecast called for temps in the mid 60s with clearing skies. The weekend looked even better. 70s on Saturday and 80s on Sunday. I finished my calisthenics then took Frankie on a walk. We were gone a little longer than I really wanted to be.

Back at home I had just enough time to squeeze in a meditation and stretch before heading off on my run around 630a. As luck would have it, it rained throughout the entirety of my run. Drip drip drip goes the water.

Jacob asked how the run went as soon as I was home and inside. Wet! I stripped out of my exterior layer and settled in for breakfast. You guessed it, fried eggs, my favorite. Jacob was excited about his birthday party planned for Saturday afternoon. And while the forecast called for temps in the 70s, it was also calling for showers. Seems like it rains at his party every year.

Soon I was off to the shower. I was ready and downstairs packing my lunch by 750a. That didn’t take long thanks in part to Mindy making my salad the day before. I needed only to cut cheese and pack fruit. The kids and I headed out to the bus stop at 758a. By then the rain had stopped. Kenny was out with the girls. Hadn’t seen him in a while.

Back at the house, Mindy and I talked briefly about the evening’s cookout. I shared my plans to stop for beer on the way home. Mindy already picked up everything else the day prior. I left for work at 815a.

Low on gas, I thought about stopping at Thornton’s but blew on by. I had something less than a ¼ tank. That was enough to get to work and back a couple times. I arrived at work in a really good mood. How could I not? It was Friday and I wasn’t scheduled to be on call, and the weather was expected to be nice for the entire weekend.

The work day was eventful. At one point I thought I might come unglued, but somehow I managed to regain my composure. I really should’ve taken a formal lunch break just to get away but I didn’t. That would’ve done me some good. It must’ve been around 1pm when I ate my packed lunch while continuing with my work.

The day started to improve as the afternoon wore on. I asked my boss if I could scoot out about an hour early. He encouraged me to do so. I left at 4p. I had originally planned on heading to Whole Foods but opted instead for Kroger. I wanted to pick-up some CBC IPA for me and some roses for Mindy. I was a little surprised to find Kroger so busy. I parked in the pharmacy lot at the side, but even that was crowded. Got the beer and flowers quickly. After checkout I remembered needing ice. I paid for the ice with cash.

I called Mindy just as I was turning onto Cemetery Rd from Leap. She seemed happy to learn that I was already on my way home. Said she went to lunch with her mom. I shared a little about my workday and how frustrated I was earlier. A weekend was exactly what I needed.

I presented the roses to Mindy right in the door. She was very pleased. The drive home left me feeling incredibly sleepy and my back ajar and in spasm. Mindy rubbed my back briefly but it did little good. I had to stretch out on the livingroom floor for a while to get some relief. I eventually dosed off for a brief nap. I thought I heard someone knock at the door but rose to find no one.

A few minutes later Jacob mentioned that there was a package at the door. I assumed it his birthday gift. I was wrong. Instead, it was our replacement faucet. Cool! I wasn’t expecting it for several days yet having received an email Thursday indicating that it would be 7-10 more days.

We weren’t sure exactly what time the Imber’s would arrive. Mary Ann shared that Bob will often work late somewhat unexpectedly. I know how that is. Said she’d call before heading over. Kenny & Chrissy were supposed to join us too

I’m thinking it was near 630p when Mary Ann called to share that they were on their way. Arrived a few minutes later bearing gifts: a flower, Southern Tier brew pub t-shirts (purple and black), beer, & ULLR medallions. Totally cool! We chatted for about 30 minutes before Mindy insisted I light the grill. Spent most of our time catching up and sharing snow ski stories.

I let the grill preheat for about 15 minutes before grillin’ steaks. Chrissy showed up a few minutes later. Said Kenny would be eventually join us after helping her uncle with a project of some sort. Grilled 8 steaks: 4 t-bones and 4 filets. This marked our first grilling of the season – out of practice. I was careful not to over cook the meat. Inside, Mindy had baked potatoes and asparagus ready. Didn’t take me long to grill the steaks.

Inside, Chrissy promptly sent me back out to burn hers. Oops, forgot. She likes her meat super well-done. We joked that she might just love the York Steakhouse. Steaks turned out great. Brown and slightly crisp on the outside, juicy, redish pink inside. I chose a filet.

We enjoyed a vast assortment of ales through the evening (Bob brought a cooler full). Drank a few of mine too. - CBC IPA & Southern Tier XXIPA. Kenny showed up late. Had to be after 9p. We partied for a while. Kenny & Chrissy peeled off around 11p. We partied with Bob & Mary Ann until 130a. Jacob stayed up the entire time. Makayla spent the night with Bella. They had been asleep for a couple hours.

Onomato - Pia - We'll See Ya

After a poor night of sleep I was awake and up at 530a but draggin’. I brushed my teeth, found my hat and my running clothes then headed downstairs. I was hoping to find clear skies looking out the back door, but it wasn’t to be. Clouds galore. I slipped into my exercise shoes and eventually to the living room where I whipped out 55 sit-ups. Next, I checked the temperature. It was 39 degrees, not exactly spring like. I ended up online until 555a when I headed to the familyroom to do push-ups. They really got my blood pumping. I made a cup of coffee next, and took a few minutes to savor the quiet, the stillness. Very nice. I spent 10 minutes meditating before giving way to Frankie’s overtures. She was scratching at the back door. That’s rare. I popped up immediately and leashed up and headed out. Who’s in charge? We headed around front where I quickly remembered that it was a trash day, so I wheeled our can to the curb. Frankie took care of her business. Back inside by 615a, I completed my morning stretch. Now 625a, I took my time getting dressed for a run and was out the door by 635a. I was comfortable and felt terrific. Suddenly lots of energy. I knew it was going to be a good run from the outset. I ran the full 4.1 miles without issue. Daybreak was upon us just ahead of the two mile mark. I checked the trashcan once back at home. It was empty. I rolled it back to its home then headed in. Mindy and the kids were already up, and my eggs were ready too. Good as usual. I headed up for a shower just after 730a. Mindy was already prepping for her morning breakfast date with Teri. It bothered me a little that she was in my way. I’m not used to sharing the bathroom with anyone on a work day. Besides, isn’t my time always the most valuable? Mindy let me know that she saw the disapproving glance I gave her as she excused herself by me while I primped. I was downstairs by 745a and busy packing my lunch. I packed a fast salad (lettuce and tomato), cheese, fruit, and banana. Checked email before heading out with the kids. Walked out at 757a. Chrissy met us at the bus stop with the girls. The pugs wrestled as usual. I let Frankie play around out front before heading back inside. Just a lot of sniffing. I hollered upstairs to let Mindy know that I was leaving. She came down with her hair still wet to say goodbye. Again, she planned to meet her friend Teri for breakfast, and then shop for Jacob’s birthday party supplies. Planned a stop for Friday night cookout stuff too. Sounds like the Imber’s are coming over. Haven’t seen them since our last trip to MRM way back in mid-Feb. I headed off to work at 812a. I arrived at the office just after 830a. Our 9a staff meeting got canceled. The morning went really fast. 1p before I knew it. I left for a lunch break. Drove to Golf Galaxy planning to look at golf bags. I talked with Mindy too. She was up by the Andersen’s. Wanted to know if there was anything I needed/wanted. I gave her a couple beers I’d like to have. She was gonna look at their steaks too. I found a cart golf bag I liked, but didn’t buy it. One reason was that I had a $10 off coupon sitting somewhere at home. It would be sinful not to use it. Gone only 10-15 minutes, I decided to kill more time and walked next door to World Market. I browsed the aisles there quickly but bought nothing. Still plenty of time on my hands, I thought why not drive down to Wal-Mart (within eye shot) and poke around their garden department. In the meantime, my stomach was growling something fierce. I was super hungry. Hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and it was nearly 130p. My healthy lunch was waiting back at the office for me. Wouldn’t you know it, there was a guy in the home & garden department grilling hot dogs and giving them away. They smelt terrific. I was salivating at the smell, but turned down his offer for one. They were complementary – on Wal-Mart. I browsed their seasonal offerings seeing nothing that really caught my eye. Satisfied with my total time away, I hurried back to work. I went for my packed lunch right away. It was really good. Mindy and I planned to have dinner at Barleys while the kids were away with Jimaken, our usual Thursday night plans. I left work just before 530p and headed straight home. Talked with Mindy for most of the way. Mindy was home alone, the kids already gone with their daddy. We chatted only briefly before I headed up to freshen up. We left the house at 6p. The lot was pretty full. We had to park in the last row of the main lot. There were no bar stools available. Sitting at a barside table were Ken (one of the Kevin and Ken twins). At the other, our friend Mark with a co-worker. I ordered a Centennial and Mindy a St Joan's nitro. Centennial was just OK. We eventually ordered food. Instead of the reuben special, I was craving a Barley burger. I got the Pile it on Texas burger. Mindy ordered the hummus plate. We spent most of our time chatting with Ken, learning more about his marriage. Get the impression that he and his wife aren't exactly best of friends. Never brings her out. During my dinner my pint glass went dry. I quickly figured how and ordered another pint, only this time a Brew Kettle White Rajah. I sipped it slowly. I was all but done when Mindy asked if I could drive. What she really wanted was another beer. I agreed to drive and stop drinking so she could partake. She had a second St Joan's nitro. We left Barley's around 740p. I drove home. We arrived about 5 minutes in front of the kids. I was on the couch already prepared to watch Idol elimination night when they got home. They soon were seated with us. All of us were surprised when Pia was sent packing. The Idol judges seemed stunned too. Looked dumfounded. Pia is without a doubt one of the finest dingers they've ever had. Doesn't have the best, most glowing personality though. And make no mistake, Idol is as much a popularity contest as it is a singing contest. As the show ended, the eight remaining held her while she weeped. We watched Bones afterwards. I popped popcorn too. We all enjoyed some, even Frankie. Been a while since we've had any. I fell asleep during Bones - bored with it. I was super tired. Not sure the time when I suddenly popped up and declared that I was heading for bed. Mindy reminded me to tuck in the kids. It took all the energy I could muster. To bed and to sleep.

Lunch with Mindy

I was up and downstairs before 540a. I placed my running clothes on an island stool and then went for my exercise shoes. I put them on while glancing out the back door. Cloudy again. I had to prep coffee since I failed to address it the night before. I headed to the livingroom to do my sit-ups. The sit-ups seemed to knock a kink or two out of my neck. After sit-ups, I jumped online. It was 38 degrees and cloudy, but the forecast called for clearing skies and warming temps. Expected it to reach the low 60s later. I got an email from Delta confirming receipt of my email. Said we should receive our new replacement faucet in 10-14 days. That’s fine. Left me a tracking number too. I went to the family room where I completed 55 push-ups and then poured a cup of coffee. I drank about half my coffee before taking Frankie out for a walk. We took a fairly long walk, yet despite my efforts she only pooped. That was fine with me. I knew she’d need to go out again later, however. She wanted to stay out longer but I needed to move on. Inside, I gave Frankie a treat then settled down for a brief meditation. That went OK. Next up, a stretch. Felt terrific. My shoulders and neck were much better afterwards. Since I didn’t need to wake Mindy, I went ahead and dressed and left for a run. It was later than ideal. It was 638a heading out the door. I dressed in full winter running attire minus the toboggan. I ran the full 4.1 miles. The first half seemed to take forever, but then the time started flying by. I was back at home by 720a. Mindy & the kids had already started breakfast, Mindy still in her PJs and robe. Bella looked tired and shared as much. Didn’t sleep well. Told us she was awake until 337a. Cute. She doesn’t always read her clock correctly, though. Over breakfast, we talked briefly about our evening plans. Jacob had soccer practice at 630p. Mindy planned to leave the house around 6p figuring Bella would stay home with me unless I planned to meet them there. I agreed to head home after work and hang with Bella. Mindy & I also made loose arrangements to meet up for lunch. Asked her to call around 11a to firm plans. My reason being my day could get out of hand fast and I might have to call it off. I headed up to shower at 730a. I was dressed and back downstairs by 745a. Mindy said she slept much better through the night. Felt better than she has all week. Even though we had lunch plans, I still packed cheese, fruit medley, and a banana. The kids and I headed out for the bus at 757a. Chrissy and her girls joined us a couple minutes later. The bus arrived around 804a. After the kids were off to school, I walked Frankie again out front. I made quick work of my final preparations and said goodbye to Mindy, and once again confirmed our plans to try and meet up for lunch. I left the house near 810a. Arrived at work just ahead of 830a. Right away, the day was crazy busy. I had a lot of stuff stacking up in a hurry. I talked with Mindy around 11am. I was swamped. I told her that it wasn’t looking good for lunch, but that I would still try. In fact, I told her to still plan on meeting at 1230p and that I’d call by 1215p if I couldn’t. I don’t think we'd been to lunch together since last spring break. It wasn't getting any easier at work, but me being in the office wasn’t going to change things much. I decided to simply put work down for a while and go meet Mindy at 1215p. Work would be waiting for me when I got back. I called Mindy as I exited the building. She was nearby, I think at Tuttle mall. I arrived at PF Changs not 5 minutes later. I parked next to the Honda, though a parking island in between us. I headed inside expecting to find Mindy sitting in the lobby. Nope. I didn’t peak inside the Honda. I wondered if it was hers after all. I waited in the lobby for 5-10 minutes until finally deciding to venture out to make double sure it was our Honda. Remember, I just removed the Thule last weekend. That always made it easy to spot from any distance. Lots of silver Pilots out there. Out in the lot I peaked in the window. Yep, our Honda. Back inside, I peeked around the restaurant. No Mindy within eyeshot. A young greeter then asked if I was Jim or Rob. Yes, why? Is my wife here and looking for either of us, I quipped. She lead me to at table at the far end of the restaurant. I told Mindy I was waiting for 10 minutes. She thought she was helping. No biggie. I think our servers name was Joel, a young guy. Mindy already had her drink, water. I ordered a Coke. We ordered some lettuce wraps too. They showed up in a hurry and were delicious. We ordered our food then too. I ordered a pepper steak lunch bowl. It comes with soup. I went with egg drop. Mindy ordered some spicy chicken dish. Our food was yummy. PF Changs is always good. It was nice to get away for lunch. Mindy agreed to stop for lottery tickets sometime that afternoon. The Powerball jackpot was up to $200 million again. We headed separate ways near 115p. I headed back to work. Not sure where Mindy went. The afternoon went fast. I did some of my best work with an unusually full stomach. Word from Mindy was that that soccer practice fields were shut down due to the heavy rains over the past couple days. The coach emailed asking parents to wait until approximately 430p then to check back. The sun came out around 330p and temperature shot up about 10 degrees. Mindy sent a note indicating that soccer practice was a go, but that Bella wanted to stay home with me. In the same note, she shared that she bought 3 lottery tickets, including two with our lucky numbers from PF Changs. I did my best to get out of work on time, still didn’t manage my way out until 545p. I called Mindy right away to make her aware. No worries. Jacob didn’t have to be at soccer practice until 630p. We had plenty of time. I arrived home at 605p. After a brief greeting, Mindy & Jacob departed for soccer practice. Mindy reminded Bella that she needed to do 15 minutes of reading. After Mindy left, Bella asked if she could split up her reading thus affording her more play time with Emily. We made a deal, got out and play now, and do all of your reading when you come in, but she had to come in 15 minutes earlier than usual (730p). She agreed and happily headed off to play. While Bella was off playing I did little more than spend time on the PC. How sad is that? It was 730p before I knew it and time for Bella to come in. At 735p still no Bella. I went to the back door calling for her. She was in the tree house with Emily. Came in right away. I got her settled and reading in short order. She was about halfway through her 15 minutes when Mindy and Jacob got home. And as soon as she finished we all settled in on the sofa to watch Idol. With only nine contestants, the show went only 90 minutes. All the performances were pretty good. I liked Haley best. Hoping Paul will be the one going home Thursday. Do I sound bitter? Kids headed to bed at 930p. Mindy and I weren’t far behind. After about 45 minutes tossing and turning in bed, I gave up on sleep and headed back downstairs to play on the internet hoping that might help induce sleep. The cause of my angst was work related. After about 30 minutes I was sleepy again.

The 3rd Light

I was up a few minutes after 530a, and with both shoulders aching like crazy. Not sure why, but I’m guessing it the basketball or light hanging project completed over the weekend. I tossed and turned through most of the night trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I headed downstairs and glanced out back. No longer was it raining, and for that I was thankful. We got a ton of rain on Monday – almost 2 inches. The trade off was much cooler temps. It was in the low 30s. This I learned after finishing sit-ups. I read a few headlines ahead of push-ups but was done with those by 555a. Frankie and I headed out for a walk shortly thereafter. We walked out front where she eventually peed and pooped. I finished off my cup of coffee before doing a brief meditation and then an extra long stretch routine. I did my best to stretch out my upper back and shoulder area. By then, I could already feel that painful kink forming on the left side of my neck that I’ve battled on and off for the last ten or so years. A couple years ago, I went more than a year with it bothering me everyday. I dressed and left for a run at 635a. Not waking Mindy saved me about five minutes. I headed out bundled in full winter attire minus the toboggan. I still wore ear muffs over my ball cap. I was comfortable for the duration and completed the full 4.1 miles. It was fully daybreak by the 2 mile mark. Looked like clear skies in the offing too. Too bad that it wasn’t expected to get much above 45 for the day. Mindy and the kids were up and in the kitchen when I got back from my run. I shared how much cooler it was as compared to Monday morning. Felt like winter again. My eggs were ready and waiting in the microwave. I fetched them myself. Jacob ate the last of the wildberry pop-tarts while Bella had only fruit. Jacob thanked me again for buying him the airsoft rifle and pistol for his birthday. Bought it online. Expecting it to be delivered next Monday. I headed off to the shower. Just as I was getting out, Mindy came upstairs and jumped back in bed. I thought she had just told me that she wasn’t gonna do that. Oh well. It’s her spring break. Downstairs, I packed the salad Mindy made me the night before. It was one of those topped with ham and cheese. I also packed some cheese and fruit. The kids, Frankie and I headed out for the bus at 757a. With the sunshine, it felt like spring. Still chilly but the birds were singing and the sunshine warm. Chrissy shared that she ended up staying home all day Monday sick. Frankie and I walked out front before heading inside. She didn’t relieve herself. Instead, she only sniffed around for goose poop. Dang it! As I gathered my thing s for work I heard Mindy calling my name. I headed up to see what was up. She wanted some company, but I had to go. It was already 810a. She’d be meeting up with her mom later for lunch. Not sure what she’d be doing with the rest of her day. I left for work a few minutes later. As subdued as work was Monday, it was crazy busy again on Tuesday. Hardly a minute to breathe. I had to join a couple customer calls that ate up a lot of my morning. I ended up closing my door around 1p and took 45 minutes to write and relax. During that same time I ate my packed lunch. I ended up at work until 550p. Mindy called just as I was getting on the elevator. Her call dropped twice. We finally secured a good connection once I was out the door. Mindy let me know that she was running Bella to gymnastics and that Jacob was riding along. We talked until I was at the Roberts Rd exit. Once home, I noticed right away just how much the grass greened up in one day. Probably had less to do with Sunday’s fertilizer and more to do with Monday’s rain and today’s sunshine. I was inside taking care of chores when Mindy and Jacob got back. We had already discussed dinner plans, which called for leftovers. I was good with that. Mindy got out the chicken pasta and the pasta salad she made Monday night. I had a little of both along with some pita chips and hummus. While Mindy went to pick-up Bella at gymnastics, Jacob and I installed the second tiffany light fixture in the hallway. That went much faster given that I had experience. We had it up before Mindy and Bella were back home. Jacob was up the ladder screwing in the florescent bulbs when they came in. Come time to test our work, I let Jacob throw the switch. A success! Looks nice matched with the others. Now approaching 730p, I retreated to my PC where I did a little writing. I stopped when I became super sleepy and went to the recliner for a brief nap. Sometime during my nap I decided to sneak upstairs to our room and watch TV and continue napping. Bella and Makayla were being awfully loud playing downstairs. Napping in bed felt incredible. I remained upstairs through both kids’ showers. I headed back downstairs around 9p and ended up on the sofa. I searched high and low for the Reds game but couldn’t find it on TV. They were well ahead, though, this I saw on Yahoo Sports (8-2). Mindy headed up to bed around 930p. I stayed up and watched pieces and parts of The Bucket List, a Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie that I had been wanting to see for some time. I missed as much as I saw thanks to my dosing off, but still got the jist of the movie. I woke in time to catch the final five minutes. Good movie. I headed to bed at 11p.

Delta Dawn - Wha'ts that Faucet you have On?

I was up right on time. I had to climb over Bella, who joined us in bed somewhere in the middle of the night. I headed to the master bath where I brushed my teeth then grabbed some long PJ bottoms expecting it to be much cooler than Sunday evening. I headed downstairs where I glanced out back towards the sky. Cloudy. I slipped into my exercise tennies then headed to the living room to start my calisthenics. I checked the temperature next. It was 66 degrees. I checked via another source to make sure that it wasn’t a mistake. Nope, crazy warm. The day’s high wasn’t expected to be more than 63. Thunderstorms were in offing too, and judging by the radar, not that far away. I didn’t let the radar sway my routine. Next up, push-ups. I whipped out 55 with my wrist giving me next to no trouble. That’s good. I was a little concerned that it might still be painful. I did meditation before taking Frankie out. I was impressed with the extreme warmth out the door. There was a brisk wind gusting from the SW, though. We walked out front and to the east. She went both pee and poop. Back home, I enjoyed some more coffee before completing a stretch. I didn’t plan to wake Mindy, this being her first official day of spring break. That alone would save me a little time. After a thorough stretch, I dressed and left for my run. Still dry, warm and windy. I ran t the full 4.1 miles. Through the thickening clouds, I could see a hint of daybreak even from the outset. More daylight is creeping closer and closer each day. Mindy and the kids were up by the time I made it back home. Even though Mindy wasn’t working, she was still up to get the kids ready and make breakfast. My eggs were ready in a hurry. The kids were both eating wildberry pop-tarts. Mindy was cutting fresh fruit while we ate. The stuff currently in the fruit tray was on its last leg. About the same time that I headed up for a shower, Mindy headed back to bed. Said she didn’t get to sleep until 430a. The kids stayed downstairs playing Wii. I was ready to go by 750a and headed back downstairs to pack my lunch. I packed a salad, banana, fruit medley, and cheese. I put the Delta faucet receipt in my backpack, too. I hoped to call their customer service sometime during the business day. I walked the kids to the bus stop at 758a. I threw my new fleece on. I was way too warm. The kids removed their light jackets. Had to be near 70. Chrissy was out with her girls. After they were on the bus she shared some depressing news regarding a couple family members and then said she didn’t feel well and was heading back home to take a 2 hour nap before heading into work. I didn’t bother waking Mindy again before I left for work. I left the house at 810a. Somebody egged my Trooper overnight. I’d have reacted more harshly had I not witnessed several other cars around the subdivision treated the same over the last week or so. What I didn’t immediately realize was that it was running down my windshield too. I could barely see out. I ran the wipers with juice, but that hardly made any difference. It was already semi-hardened. There was a day when I wouldn’t have dreamed of driving my car looking so bad. These days, though, I don’t really care. I’m sure I’d have been more upset if my car were new(er). It started to spit rain about the same time I arrived at work. And then, an hour or so into my day it really started to pour. The rain was coupled with lightning and thunder too. The work day remained fairly calm. Surprising for a Monday. I called Delta customer service mid-morning and talked with Art. He was more than helpful. And after I described my issue and convinced him that I’d tried everything I could to fix the leaky seized up faucet, he agreed to replace it for free. Said they would send me the upgraded model of our current faucet, complete with new technology. All I needed to do was send a copy of our sales receipt via fax or email along with the case number he provided. Once they received it the faucet would be sent via mail..ool! I was thrilled. Around 1p I left for lunch determined to get a haircut at the Mill Run Saturday’s. Stacie was there but didn’t cut my hair. Instead, another girl who I know has been there for at least 10 years did. She cut it quick and did a good job. I shared that my last cut was done by my daughter’s boyfriend who was reluctant to cut it too short. Said he did a good job. She finished the job in less than 10 minutes and that included a wash, too. I picked up a new tube of Green Tree hair gel and tipped her well. I headed across the street to Lowe’s next. There, I sought a metal mailbox stake to address our cedar post that is nearly rotted below ground level. I don’t care at all for the new treated posts. This metal post will enable me to use our old post cut flush at ground level. I also picked up some liquid wrench and did a propane exchange. I headed back to the office feeling good with all I had accomplished. The afternoon brought busier times and heavy thunderstorms. There were gigantic puddles (ponds) of standing water where I’ve never seen them before. No doubt a byproduct of a saturated ground from March’s heavy rains and snow melt. I talked with Mindy mid-afternoon. She was on her way to Lowe’s to get another Tiffany light fixture to replace our 2nd downstairs hallway fixture, the one we overlooked. She was also going to the grocery. We didn’t talk again until I was on my way home from work. She shared that my dad was over for dinner. Didn’t tell me what we were having. I called my mom and talked for the duration of my drive home. Hadn’t talked in more than a week. Seemed in good spirits. Said she felt a sense of ease after learning that my dad bought her a cemetery plot. Said the thought of dying and not knowing where she might be laid to rest had been haunting her. I asked if she's saved anything for her funeral, or if she holds a life insurance policy. No, she does not. She commented about Glenn being buried next to her there too. At some point we stopped talking about cemeteries and talked instead about the kids. As I pulled to the curb at home we said our goodbyes and I love you's. Before heading inside I carried the full propane tank around to the deck and stashed it under the grill cover. Inside I headed. After a quick greeting, Mindy commented positively about my hair cut. It does look good, doesn't it? While Mindy served up dinner, I rinsed my lunch containers and then prepped Tuesday's coffee. Looked like she made some chicken & pasta concoction along with fresh garden salads and bakery fresh bread. Looked and smelt terrific. It tasted good too. I ate all of mine, but took a while. Never could eat pasta fast. During dinner, I shared the ongoing faucet saga with dad, and how Delta planned to replace our leaky faucet for free. Dad talked a little more about cemetery plots. He stayed until approximately 715p. After dad left for home I scanned our faucet receipt creating a PDF file then emailed it to Delta along with our case #. While I did all of that Mindy walked down to Chrissy's with some of her pasta salad. She took Frankie along too. Jacob's asked for an airsoft rifle for his upcoming birthday. To that end, he and I searched Amazon for airsoft rifles. We found several, but only one that ran off a rechargeable battery and could fire in an automatic mode. The one we chose comes with a pistol too. We bought it and a giant jar holding 10,000 airsoft bb's. Probably won't arrive until after his party. But that's not a bad thing. It was now around 8p. I headed upstairs where I changed out of my work attire and into my PJs. Back downstairs, I tuned into the Science Channel where we watched a little bit of a program we'd already seen. As 9p approached, Mindy said something about the NCAA championship game, but I had little if any interest in watching that. Instead, I watched part of a program about the civil war until bedtime.

Eating a Flip-Flop

I didn’t sleep all that well, but good enough to get up and out of bed just a little after 7a. The sky was clear and dappled sunlight was already splashing against the sides of the houses I could see out the masterbath window. It’s always good to see the sun. I quickly brushed my teeth and head downstairs with running clothes in hand.

I started a pot of coffee then went to my PC. I didn’t to do any calisthenics since it was Sunday, my weekly day of rest. As always, I did plan to run. I downloaded the pictures I took Saturday and played on the internet for a while. I took Frankie out for a walk around the backyard at 8a. She eventually took care of business.

Back inside, I started the arduous task of cleaning a handful of puppy pee stains we found under the diningroom table from when Frankie and Woodie were puppies. They used to hang out under there, and they were nearly impossible to see with the table in place (still in the livingroom after Saturday's lighting fixture install).

I did some writing until 930a when I stopped to go do my Sunday run. It was still cold, only 27 degrees, but calling for the low to mid 60s later. I ran 3 miles. Mindy was still asleep when I got back. I worked on those puppy pee stains a little more. Mindy was up a short while later.

I had some more coffee and spent a little more time on the internet. Mindy and I briefly discussed the day's plans. We needed to be at Jacob’s first soccer game of the season at 330p and then from there we planned to head straight to throw back Sunday dinner at the York Steak House. I wanted to put down some fertilizer and do a few other yard chores too, but also wanted to wait for it to warm up a little bit more. With time to kill, I decided to install the second new lighting fixture in the foyer. That proved much simpler than the dining room fixture, but still required an on-the-fly modification. We flipped the switch to on. Looked good, but there was one small problem. As we marveled at our new fixture all aglow we realized that there are two fixtures in that downstairs hallway. Suddenly it was obvious we’d need to replace the other now, too.

When Mindy headed up for a shower I went to the sofa to take a nap. I fell asleep rather easily. I’ll bet I slept for almost an hour. It was 1p when I leaped to my feet. Mindy was showered and busy doing some laundry. I headed out to fertilize the lawn. It finally warmed to near 60 degrees, sunny and very breezy. Rain coming Monday. I really wanted to get the fertilizer down then.

I put the Scotts with Halts down everywhere save for the thinned out area around back where my sod all but died out. There, I put down a bunch of grass seed a few weeks back. The Halts would prevent it from germinating. I used starter fertilizer over that area instead. After the fertilizer was down, I tried starting the tractor again. Still no joy. I may try charging the battery before replacing it. Why not?

And since I had the shed opened, I stowed the three sleds the kids used all winter. Jacob was sledding as recent as last Wednesday when we got the 2”. Mindy came out to provide a time check. Said we’d need to leave in about 40 minutes. I appreciated the heads up. I asked for her help tightening the patio table base to the top. Over the last couple of years it’s worked itself loose.

It’s a very heavy table. I slid it over the edge of the deck steps exposing the bottom bolt enough that I could get a socket on it all the while Mindy supported the entire table from falling over the edge of the step. I tightened slowly not wanting to risk snapping off the bolt. Our teamwork paid off. Snug as a bug!

Before heading inside for a shower, I grabbed the grill’s propane tank and put it in the Trooper so I could get it replaced during the upcoming work week. While at it, I also straightened one of the grill cabinet doors and cleaned up the magnetic closure contacts before recovering it. The little things.

I was showered and ready 20 minutes later. Mindy had drinks and camp chairs ready to go. I threw a bag of pretzels in with the drinks. We hadn’t eaten anything of substance yet. We both wore jackets, and heavier than the weather at home would typically dictate. We learned a long time ago that it’s always 10 degrees cooler and much windier at the Hilliard soccer fields.

Mindy shared that she invited my dad to join us at both Jacob’s soccer game and later at the York. He was a maybe for dinner. Like we predicted, it was crazy windy at the soccer field and much cooler too. We met Bella and Jimaken at the sideline. I ran a wicking shirt out to Jacob. He didn’t want to put it on until I told him his mother insisted. The sunshine was brilliant and warm. The stiff breeze was downright cold. The one good thing, the wind was at our backs. Jacob’s team played well. I’m thinking that they won something like 4-0. Bella and I walked around the soccer park late into the 2nd half. She was getting bored. We had fun.

The crowd at the soccer field thinned ahead of our departure. Don’t know that I’ve seen it that barren before. In any case, we exited heading west to Alton-Darby planning to take that all the way down to West Broad St. Along the way we passed Mindy’s old subdivision. I asked if they wanted to swing by their old place. I got a car full of no’s. Mindy suggested we wave to Linda as we passed. I one upped her and asked if we could make a brief stop. She agreed. It took us a minute or two to get our bearings once in the cemetery but we found it. As I suggested, her plot is right on a sharp corner and right out along the cemetery road. Not exactly an ideal spot to be buried. But then again, does it matter? We didn’t stay long.

Off to the York Steak House. Driving east on Broad St from Alton-Darby took some time. I think we were stopped at every traffic light. We still arrived on time, and maybe even a minute or two early. Didn’t spot my dad’s minivan. We headed in where we met the others already in the chow line.

It’s been 30-35 years since I’ve been in the York. The menus are still plastered to the wall complete with pictures proudly displaying baked potatoes and the extra-large dinner rolls. And you still grab a tray cafeteria style. In fact, I think they have some of the same golden brown soft drink glasses they had back in the 70’s (smallish). I ordered the twin filets w/baked potato. Of course, all their entrees come with the salad bar. Mindy ordered the same. Bella ordered a hot dog, and Jacob the chicken tenders.

As we wound around the chow line the grill came into view. My mind drifted back to days of yore when David Waters used to work there grilling steaks. If memory serves, he was fired for spitting on steaks. He worked there a long time too. Also remember how much he regretted his lapse in judgment. Tried unsuccessfully to get his job back.

Our steaks weren’t ready at checkout. Seems to me they were almost always ready back in the day. In fact, no one in the group left the line with their main course. They promised to bring them to our table shortly. We were seated in a reserved party room area - an off shoot of the main dining hall. There must’ve been 15 of us.

I enjoyed the salad bar, had two helpings. The contents were very fresh. Must’ve been about 20-25 minutes before our steaks showed up. By then, I was all but full from the salad bar. Good thing, too. My steak was bad. Twin filets – really? They were more like two burnt moccasins (dry and brown through and through) Mindy’s was cooked slightly less than mine. She shared a bite or two. I chuckled over the whole thing choosing not to make a scene or even bring it to light. And honestly, I went in expecting subpar quality and wasn’t disappointed.

The plan all along called for dessert at Gloria’s. To that end, everyone caravanned to her place after leaving the York. Along the way we passed the Westland mall as well as the proposed casino construction site. Nothing going on there for a while now. As I understand it, the city is fighting with the casino developers over annexation issues.

Arrived at Gloria’s around 630p. It felt much warmer than it did at the soccer fields. According to my DroidX, it was 65 degrees. Most of the family sat around talking for a solid 30 minutes ahead of dessert. Dessert was served at 7p, orange fluff and chocolate frosted cupcakes. I had two cup cakes and some fluff. Both good. Jacob asked me to play HORSE. I headed out bent on teaching him a thing or two. :)

We played two games. For the first few minutes, I couldn’t make a bucket to save my life. But lucky for me I came roaring back and found my groove. I won both games against Jacob. My luck soon soured, however, once Larry joined us for the 3rd and 4th game. I was 2nd in the third game and last in the fourth.

It was starting to get dark. It was already after 8p. We head inside where we quickly readied for home, this a school night for the kids and a work night for me.

Once home, Bella asked if she could run down and play with Makayla. No. Too late. It was already 830p. Bella took Frankie out for a walk. Afterwards, both kids headed up for showers. We watched a little Science Channel, a program about Earth’s oldest forests and trees, and then the wildlife therein. Fascinating. We watched until 10p, our bedtime.

Seeing the Light

I woke a handful of times fairly early before finally rolling out of bed around 740a. Mindy didn’t budge. I was careful not to disturb her sleep. I brushed my teeth and gathered my running clothes then headed downstairs.

It was cloudy. I started coffee then whipped out 55 sit-ups. Once again, I decided to skip push-ups until Monday giving my right wrist a much needed break. However, worried that my arm muscles might atrophy, I did 20 curls with 20lb dumbbells with each arm. Not only was it cloudy, but it was chilly again too. Only 37 degrees. Expecting a high near 50 later in the afternoon. Supposed to clear up some too. We deserve more spring-like weather.

I sipped coffee and played on the internet for quite a while. Before heading out on my run I downloaded the Todd concert photos and edited a handful of blog entries. Around 930a I forced myself away from the PC, dressed for a run, completed a stretch routine, then headed out the door. I ran my typically Saturday run, just 3 miles. No problems.

Back at home by 1010a, I slipped out of my new running shoes and removed my hand and ear covers then put on an old pair of tennis shoes. I headed out to remove the Thule from atop the Honda and stow it in the shed. It took less than 10 minutes to do the deed. I knew that would make Mindy happy.

With the suspension straps already in hanging in place, getting it up and out of the way was a breeze. While in the shed I decided to start the tractor. It’ll be grass cutting time here in a couple weeks. Uh-oh! Weak battery. Wouldn’t start. Add a new tractor battery to the list. I took it in stride. It’s 6 or 7 years old, and overdue to be replaced.

I got out the spreader and hose caddy, too. I planned to spread fertilize in the next day or two. Inside, Mindy was finally awake. Said she’d been up since 1015a. Came downstairs at 1030a.

We spent the rest of the morning lazing around the house. That was nice. We had dinner plans with Ben & Ryan. Supposed to be at their place at 530p. I offered that we go to Lowes together that afternoon to look at new kitchen faucets and replacement patio cushions. Mindy agreed.

By the time we both showered and were ready to head out it was close to 1p. We looked at replacement patio cushions first. I showed Mindy the set I liked. But I didn’t want to buy just yet, at least not until she saw the comparable set at Home Depot. We headed to the kitchen faucets next.

There was a sales associate assisting another customer as we walked up. The sales associate was just telling the customer that Delta has the best warranty – for life. Hearing that, I felt compelled to chime in with my recent faucet troubles and just how frustrating it was to have to spend more money on another new kitchen faucet after just 3 years. They both corroborated with my misery. However, the sales associate offered that we should call Delta customer service. He guessed they would replace it provided we still have the sales receipt. I know I threw the box away after install. Not sure about the receipt. Mindy chimed in that I had to have the receipt somewhere. “You never throw that stuff away.” She’s probably right.

We looked at a couple newer models but decided to hold off on buying a new faucet until we at least looked for the receipt. Who knows, maybe we could get a replacement. That would be cool, and also fair.

While there, we looked at new lighting fixtures, pretty much picking up where we left off about a year ago. And actually, we’ve been looking at upgrading (changing) some of the brass lighting fixtures in the house since Mindy moved in. Just haven’t found something we both liked enough to pull the trigger. This time was different. We both set our gaze on the dark metal tiffany hanging light fixture for over our dining table. Mindy pointed out that they had a matching ceiling fixture that we could put in the entry foyer. A couple minutes later we had two lighting fixtures in our cart. We picked up a hanging basket of purple pansies too. Those would be a gift for Ben & Ryan.

We left Lowes and headed north a mile to the Home Depot. We entered through the garden center where we perused fountain accessories and outdoor fire rings. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had pond lighting kits, in a single or triple version. On closer inspection it looked like they had the same wiring format as our current pond pump and spot light. Our spot lighting fixture is toast, and I had tried unsuccessfully to find a suitable replacement the last two years. We carried one inside where the replacement patio cushions were stowed. While Mindy looked over the cushion choices, I went for a cart.

Mindy agreed with me that the replacement cushions at Home Depot, while similar in color and pattern, were a little nicer than those at Lowes. We decided to buy them then rather than risking it and finding them sold out come May. We picked up a new black 9’ patio umbrella, too.

As we contemplated which checkout line to use, a friendly sales associate walked up and offered to check us out right there at the return counter. Cool! She commented how much she liked the cushions we selected and how smart it was to get them now, or before they’re gone. We laughed. Our thoughts exactly.

We left Home Depot and headed for the Market District in Arlington, about a 5 mile trip give or take. Not exactly sure how long the Market District’s been there, but every other time it was beyond crowded. This time there were plenty of available parking spots. For a Saturday afternoon, I was really surprised.

We went to the beer department first. I snatched up two rockets of the Brew Dog Hardcore IPA. Mindy picked up two bottles of wine. From there we wound our way through the food court stopping and looking at all the mouth watering delicacies. Holy smoke! Neither of us had eaten much of anything yet. We were salivating as we shopped. We bought a small shaved chocolate cake to take to Ben & Ryan’s. Mindy bought herself a chocolate bismark. It looked awfully good. She asked me at least twice if I wanted to eat there. I was hungry but said no. That might’ve been one of the hardest ‘no’s’ ever!

We made our way by the meat counter and over to the cheese where they typically keep the hummus and pita chips. It took a while to locate the pita chips but we eventually did after getting some help. We wanted to take some of that to Ben & Ryan’s also. After 40 minutes in the Market District, we were finally headed for home.

Now ravenously hungry, I made a leftover roastbeef sandwich while Mindy walked Frankie, who was more than eager to get outside. Boy was that sandwich good. We stowed the new patio cushions in the basement until the weather turns more favorable and then stays that way. However, before stowing them, I took one out to try it on. It fit like a glove.

Inside, Mindy suggested we go ahead and install the new dining room lighting fixture. We had two hours before we needed to leave for Ben & Ryan’s. Why not? But before getting started, I searched for the Delta faucet receipt. I found it quickly. It was in with the granite counter top receipts. That’s why we bought it in the first place. I planned to call Delta come Monday.

We moved the dining room table into the living room and the chairs against the wall. I carried in the step ladder as well as a few necessary hand tools. Taking the old fixture down was a snap. Putting up the new one … a nightmare.

I did my level best to remain patient. Bottom line, following the enclosed assembly instructions were next to impossible. We had to modify the install process to make it work. And I needed Mindy to hold the fixture, effectively supporting all of its weight while I tied in the electrical connections. Getting the chain at the right length and then attached was the most difficult step. After almost two hours of toil, we finally got it right. And thankfully, our marriage survived. :)

I couldn’t believe that it was 5p already. It was time to leave for Ben & Ryan’s. I had to re fix my hair, now a mess from the lighting fixture install.

We gathered the beer, wine, food and gift we planned to take along and left the house near 515p. The kids called while we were in route. I could over hear Bella on the other end asking Mindy where we were going in a very disapproving tone. I was a little surprised at Mindy’s direct response. Yikes!

We arrived at Ben & Ryan’s right on time. In the door we exchanged some pleasantries then cracked open a beer or two. We added the appetizers we brought to the ones they already had out. We might’ve been there for an hour when Ben and I headed up to his music room to listen to some tunes. Ben has an old Pioneer sound system up there complete with a receiver and turntable. We listened to some old LPs while I perused his book collection. Lots of classics. At the same time, Ben scanned a handful of family recipes then printed them out for Mindy. We rejoined the girls downstairs about an hour later.

We enjoyed some homemade stuffed mushrooms (some with feta the others with blue cheese). They were good, but mushrooms aren’t my thing.

Soon dinner was served. It was almost as much a treat watching Ben prepare the meal as it was eating it. It was delicious! The entrée? Steamed muscles and pan seared scallops served in a chorizo/tomato cream sauce. Yeah, it was good!

After dinner, we polished off the rest of the IPA that I brought as well as that which Ben had. We made another trip up to Ben’s music room. The girls came up for a while. Back downstairs, we enjoyed some of that scrumptious chocolate cake that we bought at the Market District. It was to-die-for delicious.

I had a pretty good buzz as the night drew to a close. Mindy agreed to drive home, something I end up doing more often than not. Yes dear, I said it.

We knew that Frankie would need to go out, so as soon as we got home I did the deed while Mindy got ready for bed. That worked out well. She took care of business in a hurry. She wanted some people time. I figured she’d be angry when we headed to bed immediately after heading back inside. As predicted, she barked for about an hour at the foot of the stairs. At some point Mindy got up and put her in her pen and latched the door. Good night moon!

You're Just Another Onion Head

It was Friday, my favorite day of the week. I was up a little early and feeling pretty good. After knocking out 55 sit-ups I checked the weather. It was 30 degrees and cloudy with light sprinkles in the immediate area. Expecting the skies to clear and the temperature to reach into the upper 40s. Slowly but surely making our way back to a more seasonal pattern. I decided to skip push-ups giving my right wrist a much needed three day hiatus. I took Frankie out around 550a after just a few sips of my morning coffee. We walked out front and towards Kenny & Chrissy's place. Frankie crapped and peed in their front yard. I scooped up the poop. It was already after 6a by the time we were back inside. Collectively, I spent the next 15 minutes doing meditation & stretching. Felt pretty good. I was upstairs with coffee for Mindy by 625a. She was just out of bed and starting the process of making the bed while still in the dark. I placed her coffee in the masterbath then helped make the bed. After a quick hug I headed back to the kitchen where I dressed for a run. I thought about dropping a layer, but in the end went with two shirts and my fleece. Glad I did. I was comfortable throughout the entire 4.1 mile run. The sky brightened considerably during my run. I'd guess that it was fully daylight by the halfway point. Back home, I started the Honda before settling down at the breakfast table. Jacob and Mindy went back and forth over the shirt he'd be wearing to school. Mindy initially said no short sleeves. Jacob was furious. She changed her mind after consulting with me, their weatherman. :) We exchanged a few April Fool's gags, Bella being the receiver of most. She wasn't thrilled. Very dramatic. Mindy made fried eggs for me, but ate only fruit herself. Just before Mindy headed off to school, this her last day before spring break, she reminded Bella not to 'flip her ticket'. I headed off to the shower a couple minutes after Mindy departed. Looked like the sky was clearing out in a hurry. It was nice to see some blue out the window. I wasn't long in the shower. I was back downstairs by 748a. I packed a banana, cheese, and fruit medley. I didn't bother with salad or tuna. I remembered making loose plans to have lunch out with my boss. The kids and I headed out at 757a. I started the Trooper in route to the bus stop while Bella handled Frankie. Chrissy and the girls joined us a few minutes later. Chrissy made reference to a comment Mindy made about her house keeping prowess. Apparently Bella told Makayla about getting in trouble for keeping a messy room. Mindy advised that she wouldn't let her get away with keeping her room like Makayla and Lillian do. Chrissy went on to share that she and Mindy laughed it off the night before. I remembered Mindy making the comment and thought it might come back on her. Kids tell all! Frankie and I spent a little more time out front, with her taking another pee before heading inside. By the time I had all of my gear packed and ready, it was 812a. The parking lot was as scantly attended as I can remember it ever being on a weekday. Not sure why. I was in my office by 829a. I took a few minutes to stow my snacks and fill my water pitcher before digging in to work. The morning went pretty smoothly. At some point, my peer and I were in our bosses office strategizing when a call came in from our counterparts overseas. And by the end of a rather lengthy conversation we concluded that we just might do away with the manager on-call rotation, beautiful, lovely, sweet music to my ears. That alone was enough to keep me peppy all day. Some time just after 12 noon, my boss, my peer, and I headed out for Chinese. It was mostly sunny and in the mid 40s. As raw as it's been lately, that felt great. How sad is that? We were seated immediately. No wait. We ordered our entrees quickly too. I went with their War Su Gai platter and a bowl of won-ton soup. It was quite good. I don't think we were there for more than 35 minutes. The boss picked up the check. Back at the office before 1p, I set-up a meeting to review weekend staffing. The meeting carried on in two phases up until almost 3p. The later afternoon was busy, of course, but never out of control busy. That was nice. I was very much looking forward to the weekend and not being on-call. Felt terrific. Oh, and I was looking forward to the Rundgren concert too. Mindy called right at 530p. We talked for the duration of my drive home deciding that we'd visit CBC before the Todd concert. Once at home, we didn't take much time at all getting ready for the show. I think we left the house right around 6p. Like we both anticipated, the CBC bar was pretty much full. We stood until a couple stools freed. Kevin was tending bar. Seemed agitated but still mustered some friendly banter. We ended up sitting next to the same guy we met last Thursday. Can't readily recall his name. One of the brewers was sitting next to him. I ordered their latest Hop Odyssey offering, Uncle Rusty, an imperial red ale. It was quite good. Mindy sampled some but didn't want a full pint. Think she had a glass of wine instead. We talked with the brewer for a while. Mindy was pleased to learn that there's another stout coming up, but still a few weeks out. We didn't have too long before we needed to leave for the show with a stated start time of 730p. I ended up drinking a second beer, a CBC IPA. It was good too, but then again, it always is. The Southern theatre is only a mile or two up the road from CBC. We parked just east of the venue in a self-serve parking lot. We chose spot #10. When we went to the cash box, there was already cash shoved in the hole. Our parking was FREE! We were inside the venue in less than five minutes and quickly guided to our front row loge seats. Our usher said the show was just about to start. Right away I heard someone calling my name. It was Brian, a friend and former co-worker. He was there with his wife Patty. Would've never pegged him as a Todd fan. Again, our seats were sweet. Nothing but air between me and the stage. Our usher was right, the show started just a few minutes after 730p. I knew that Todd was supposed to be playing two albums cover to cover, Todd & Healing, but wasn't sure which first. He opened with Fanfare and kept going straight through the entire album (Todd). Awesome! I absolutely loved that half of the show. The music, the costumes. the band, all were top notch.Todd was having a good time bouncing/prancing around, and being very deliberate with his hands and lyrics. He played guitar and piano interchangeably. In all the times I've seen him, I can't recall hearing him play more than one or two of the Todd album songs. Not sure the time when they took about a 20 minute break. It was timely, though. I needed to pee. When I returned, Mindy was chatting with my friend Brian and his wife Patty. Another couple approached, who were sitting in the row right behind us for the first half of the show. The guy asked if I would be willing to send him some photos from the show if he gave me his contact info. At the same time I was giving him a quick yes, he was handing me his business card. I know I had to look a little shocked when I realized the name on the business card, Jim Wright. No shit! Jim Wright. For a second I wondered if it was a joke. It wasn't. We laughed for a while. Mindy got a huge kick out of it too. Mindy turned immediately to his wife and asked her name. What do you think it was? Mindy? No, not quite. Her name was Cindy! Jim & Mindy Wright meet Jim & Cindy Wright. How unusual is that? They asked if they could come down and join us in the first row of the loge. Why not? Just so happened that the two seats beside us weren't taken. The second half of the show he played Healing. It's the one Todd album I'm least familiar with. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first half, but still appreciated the performance. Like the first half, Todd was very animated. He used a local choir as back-up singers. He performed barefoot. The band included Kasim Sultan and Prairie Prince, two longtime Todd associates, although Prairie is still active with the Tubes as well. The encore song was Sons of 1984. It gave me goose bumps. In all my years I've never seen a concert where the crowd kept singing for several minutes after the show had ended. It was after 10p. I was hungry and tired. Mindy was hungry earlier but only tired now. I asked if we could stop at Barleys. I had my heart set on it. She willingly agreed, but wasn't sure we'd arrive in time to order food. Arriving around 1030p, the bar was only scantly attended, which was OK by me. The two Rick's were there - big and little. I ordered a Centennial. Mindy ordered water and grilled cheese and soup. I didn't order anything right away, but slipped in an order for a brisket quesadilla just a few seconds before Dan announced that the kitchen was closed. I ordered a second Centennial too. It was going down easy. Good too. I shared my quesadilla with little Rick after his request for food was denied - kitchen closed! That's how I roll. We headed for home I'm guessing around 1140p.

Brew Dog Hardcore IIPA

I was up a few minutes early but only after a lot of tossing and turning during my last couple hours of sleep. I woke angry from a dream where two of my brothers, Tom & Glenn, were using my boat and sunk it. What really got me was that they exhibited little to no remorse for bringing about such peril, basically walking away almost like, oh well! My dad had to help me resurrect it from the river’s bottom only to discover the hull was also broken almost in two. I remained angry even in my woken state. Kind of silly thinking about it now.

I headed downstairs and started my routine in earnest. The snow from Wednesday was still covering the ground. After sit-ups, I discovered that it was only 25 degrees, but expected to make it up to 42 my mid-day (way below average). I busted out 55 push-ups before pouring some coffee. My right wrist had a pinch in it again. The push-ups didn’t help. Ouch! After enjoying a few brief minutes with coffee I leashed up Frankie and headed out back for a walk in the snow. Even amongst the snow cover, she managed to sniff out some goose poop. It really gets me angry watching her eat that crap. More often than not, I give her a good yank. She finally took care of business, but we’d been out there for more than ten minutes. What ever happened to the out and done thing?

Inside, it was already 605a. I hurried through a meditation and stretch routine faster than I would’ve preferred. I then poured and delivered a cup of coffee to Mindy, who was already mid-shower. Back downstairs to prepare for my run. I dressed in full winter attire. Going by looks alone, it could just as easily have been mid-January.

The front stoop was a little slick. I had to be careful. I ran the full 4.1 miles in what seemed like no time at all. I was lost so deep in thought that I had to think hard to remember the previous couple miles. I love it when that happens. I returned home to start the Honda. I checked the garbage can. Still full. Trash dude must’ve been running late. Inside, Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting. Jacob argued about not wanting to wear a winter coat again. Mindy had to put the hammer down. It was still really cold.

Mindy shared that she had a dental appointment right after school, but still hoped to be home in time to intercept the kids from the bus. I felt a tad bad because I talked her out of calling and asking my dad to help. We call him all the time for such tasks. I asked Mindy if she had the jogging stroller loaded for Karianne. She did. Figured out how to collapse it on her own (small obscure button on one side). Mindy left for school near 730a.

The kids were playing Wii basketball when I headed up for a shower. I noticed that Bella hadn’t yet brushed her teeth or made her bed. I went to the balcony and reminded her. She promised to address both while I readied for work.

I was back downstairs by 750a. With the few minutes I had ahead of bus stop time, I prepped my lunch. That was made easier than usual since Mindy prepped a salad for me the night before. Thanks dear! The kids and I headed out the door at 757a. Jacob harassed Bella with snow balls the entire time. He could use a little bullying back. He didn’t get too out of hand, though. The bus pulled up on time. Chrissy and I chatted only briefly before she headed back to her place.

Frankie and I walked more out front. She peed. I had the Trooper warming as I headed back inside. I made quick work of gathering my gear and running the dishwasher. I wore my brand new fleece to work. I left the house at 810a.

I found it humorous that this was opening day for baseball and the Cincinnati Reds. Not sure they had the same snow on the ground we had but I’m sure it was chilly just the same. I arrived at work around 825a and in my office a few minutes later.

I was very busy through the entire day. I didn’t leave for lunch, turning down an invite to dine out with my boss and peer. Instead, I closed my door for about 50 minutes some time just after 1p and did some writing. That felt really good. I ate my packed salad, cheese and fruit too. The salad was really tasty. Mindy sprinkled chopped ham and feta cheese over top. Yum-yum.

Mindy called just as I was leaving work. She shared how her dental appointment went as well as how the kids arrived home before her. Luckily, Chrissy’s father-in-law, Bill, took them home with him when he picked up Makayla. It was a kidless Thursday. Jimaken had already picked up the kids. Mindy asked about dinner out or in. I recommended staying in since we’d be out and at a concert Friday night (Todd Rundgren).

Ashley beeped in as we talked. I called her back as soon as Mindy and I hung up. Ashley said that it was actually Olivia who called to chat, but she had just left on a walk with her daddy. We chatted only briefly. She said every thing is going OK. At home, Mindy asked again about dinner. I asked what she’d prefer to do. She wanted to go out and recommended Barley’s, especially since we had another gift certificate, this one compliments of Karianne, a gift for giving her our jogging stroller. I acquiesced.

We arrived at Barley's around 630p. We squeezed into a couple stools available at the bar and next to a couple familiar faces, Kurt & Tom. As I perused the beer menu, Janet brought to light that they had Centennial back on the tower. That made my decision easy. One of those for me please. Mindy eventually settled on a St Joan's Nitro. I tasted my Centennial with some trepidation. Sadly, these days one never knows if it will be good or bad. Never consistent. I deemed this batch good, however! Yippie!

We ordered food. I ordered the Thursday special, reuben and fries. Mindy ordered the roasted half chicken. Kurt, sitting next to me, ordered a bottled guest IPA, Brew Dog Hardcore IIPA. Said it's incredibly good. Gave me a sample. Wow. He's right. Strong citrus, pine, floral aroma and an equally strong flavor. I asked for one as well. It comes in a 22oz rocket. Most surprising is that it's brewed in Scotland. Granted, Great Britain is the home of IPA, but their version is typically maltier and less hoppy than the American IPA's I've come to love. This one is the exception. Yummy!

As we finished up dinner and me my second beer, we got to sharing the story of catching Bella in bed with a vibrating back massager. Said she was massaging her stiff/injured leg. By then there were just a few patrons in the bar, and each one was listening/laughing. By the way, that same night, Mindy busted her playing with her DS in bed too. We had to hurry settling up our bar tab. It was darn near 8p. The kids would be home any minute. Sure enough, Jacob phoned during our drive home asking of our whereabouts. A mile out, we shared.

We arrived home just a minute or two ahead of 8p. We all four gathered in the familyroom where we quickly tuned in to Idol elimination night. The hour went fast. The evening's guest musician was Fantasia, a former Idol winner. Her normal talking voice scares me a little, drives me up a wall, like nails on a chalk board. Her singing voice, however, is powerful and strong. It looks like she's eaten a couple past contestants though, and she wears a hot dog bun on her head.

I wasn't surprised that Thia was one of the two sent packing. I was hoping the 2nd would be Paul, but guessed it would be country boy, Scottie. I was wrong. It was Naima (pronounced ny-eema), the exotic looking reggae girl. Paul and Scottie will be the next two to go. The kids headed to bed after Idol. It was 9p. Mindy & I started watching the next Fox show, Mobbed, but I fell asleep probably about 25-30 minutes into it. Don't remember if I headed to bed with Mindy or slightly after. In any case, I was in bed sometime near 10p.

Dinner with Dad

I made a concerted effort to be out of bed ahead of 530a and was successful. I was downstairs even before the coffee maker kicked on. I felt pretty good cruising right through my sit-ups. I checked the temperature after sit-ups. It was a balmy 34 degrees. I noticed that snow was in the forecast and that the day’s high wasn’t expected to soar much beyond where it currently stood. No sign of spring in the near term forecast. :(

I completed push-ups, enjoyed a little coffee, then leashed up Frankie and headed out back. Hadn’t walked her out there for a while. She did a lot of sniffing but also took care of business back by the tree house.

Inside, I enjoyed a little more coffee then did a meditation and stretch. It was 630a in a hurry. Not sure where all of my time went. Dang it! I delivered Mindy’s coffee and dropped off the pug. I wasn’t out the door for my run until 638a. I was bundled warmly. The stiff north breeze was much calmer than the morning before. I ran the full 4.1 mile track in about 35 minutes. No problems.

I started the Honda then headed in for eggs. I was incredibly hungry. I woofed my plate clean in minutes. Sorry Frankie. Mindy reminded me that there were leftover scrambled eggs in the fridge for Frankie. That’s right. She was in luck. I warmed and served them as soon as I was finished. Mindy asked if I planned on meeting them at Jacob’s soccer practice after work (630p). I was noncommittal. Promised to call her sometime in the afternoon. Mindy zipped off to work.

It wasn’t five minutes later that I was off to the shower. Felt terrific. I was in good spirits and hoped to remain that way all day. Downstairs ahead of 750a, I spent the next five minutes readying my lunch. I opted to skip the usual salad and replaced it with a can of tuna. Everything else the same; cheese, fruit, and a banana.

Kids and I headed out at 758a. Jacob wasn’t happy about having to wear his winter coat. He gave Mindy an earful about it earlier. She wouldn’t budge. I asked him how much money he had, but only jokingly. Frankie took a dump out front while waiting on the bus. I asked Bella to retrieve the shovel from our deck. I praised her for her willingness to help. Chrissy teased Jacob about his unbrushed hair. It did look out of control. The bus soon swooped up the kids. Had to be about 804a. Frankie gave the bus driver the dickens.

We headed back home with Frankie getting the opportunity to relieve herself again out front where she ultimately peed. Mindy had a beef roast in the crock-pot and asked me to peel off the frozen cardboard and then season it before heading out. I followed her directions. Afterwards, and just before heading out, I paid monthly bills online. I was very happy to have that stressful task completed.

I didn’t pull away from the house until 823a. In kind, I didn’t arrive at work until 839a. It wasn’t long before I was on our weekly staff meeting call. That lasted about 60 minutes. That call rolled right into another call, which lasted yet another hour. It was after 11a in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

After those two calls, I spent the lion’s share of the day running reports and analyzing some data. The data consumed me. Spawned all sorts of ideas. I stayed at it until well after 530p. I chatted with my boss until 545p and didn’t get out of the office until it was almost 555p. I called Mindy as soon as I was off the elevator.

I already knew that Jacob’s soccer practice was canceled. She emailed earlier. It had been snowing hard for the last couple of hours. There was about 2” inches on the ground. At times, I couldn’t even see out my office window. Mindy reminded me that we were having roast and that my dad was there for dinner. They were waiting on me.

I arrived home near 610p. Thankfully, the streets were only wet. It was 34 degrees. I met Jacob & Frankie at the side of the house. I was there to roll the trashcan to the curb for Thursday’s pick-up.

Inside, I greeted dad & Mindy. In an email sent by Mindy earlier, I learned that Bella would be grounded yet again. This time for getting in some trouble at school for talking too much. The nerve of that girl! :) Talking too much was my Achilles heel in elementary school too. I am on the fence with that one. Not sure that it’s such a bad thing, as long as it’s not couple with defiance. Still, I questioned Bella as if I talked with her teacher. I wanted to hear her side. Jacob, of course, always feels compelled to add his two cents.

Soon dinner was served. The roast looked and smelt terrific. And after the first bite, really tender too. During dinner conversation, dad shared news of his recent acquisition of four cemetery plots, and how he intended on dispersing them. I didn’t once let on that I already knew he sold one to Glenn, having read about it on his blog earlier. Little does dad realize that Glenn's having a little buyer’s remorse, thinking instead that his final resting place should be in Portland. Another of the plots will be set aside for my mom, certainly a kind gesture on behalf of dad. I think he said one of the other two was offered to Bobby. Not sure about the last one. Perhaps Vicki, I don’t know. :))

We talked about my kitchen faucet dilemma too. And after dinner and clean-up, dad offered that we simply try snugging up the ring shrouding the seat springs, something I recently contemplated as well. I wrapped the stainless steel ring in a rubber jar removing pad and took my channel locks to it. It snugged a little. I could tell by the loss of side to side movement. But unfortunately, turning the water back on revealed the same pesky drip. Earlier in the day I called Ferguson Plumbing Supply and learned that I can buy a new handle, screw, and plug for about $35. But how much more time, effort, and money do I want to invest in this drippy faucet? I am leaning towards simply replacing it, effectively kissing $200 good bye, but also the constant drip, drip, drip.

Jacob played Wii while we hung out talking. Dad stayed around until 740p. Mindy was laughing profusely on the phone just before he left. I forgot to share that there was a young raccoon on our deck all through dinner. At one point he rose to his hind legs and peeked in the deck door. Bella let out one heck of a yelp.

After dad left, I sat down at my computer to work on my blog. I heard Mindy and the kids talking about it being Idol night. Almost forgot. They hollered for me as the program got underway.

Another interesting week – Elton John night. For my money, five folks separated themselves from the pack: Haley (my fave), Casey, Lauren, Pia, & Jacob. Close behind were Stefano & Naimi. The others are OK but not at the same level. My prediction? Scotty and Thia will be sent packing Thursday night. We all headed to bed right after idol.

Punishing Dinner - Weeki Wachee

I was up a little late. Not sure why I overslept. Perhaps because I still wasn’t 100%. It wasn’t that late, only 540a. I started my routine but with caution. I was concerned that the dizziness would strike again suddenly, just like it did the past two days. Happily, though, it never did, at least not to the degree which it had the days prior. I got online after sit-ups and checked the weather, headlines, and the Daily OM. Once again, only in the mid 20’s and cloudy. Expecting a high of around 40 degrees later in the day. I did push-ups and then took Frankie out. Our walk ate up a good 10 minutes. Back inside, I poured coffee, although I wasn’t as eager to drink it as I usually am. No doubt a byproduct from the recent nausea. I spent about 15 minutes on meditation & stretching ahead of delivering coffee to Mindy. She wondered how I was feeling. OK, I replied. I headed out on my run a few minutes later. I wore my heaviest wicking shirt under my pullover fleece, the one I typically use for snow skiing. I quickly became convinced that wearing two thinner shirts is much cozier than one thick shirt. Not a huge deal. I was fine after a warm-up. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Mindy and the kids were quick to ask how I felt upon my return and after starting the Honda. Decent, but very sweaty. Mindy made plain scrambled eggs. There was enough for Frankie to have her own serving. Even still, I couldn’t finish all of those on my own plate and ended up sharing them with Frankie anyway. I went ahead and stowed Frankie’s intended portion for the following morning. Mindy left for school after reminding me and the kids that we’d be on our own for dinner. It was our punishment, but also a Bella gymnastics night. I was shaved and showered by 750a. I quickly prepped a lunch just ahead of the bus stop. Kenny was out with the girls. Kenny shared that he was heading to the doctor with an elbow issue. Not sure why it hurts and feels weak. The kids now on the bus, Frankie and I headed back home, but not before spending a few more minutes walking out front. Can’t recall if she used the time wisely. Probably not. I gathered my gear, including my monthly bills, and headed off to work at 810a. I arrived at work just before 830a. Several folks stopped by my office to ask how I was feeling. I had to jump on a scheduled weekly call right out of the shoot. The morning flew by. I headed to Lowes at lunch hoping to pick-up lawn fertilizer and also to look at new kitchen faucets just in case I decide to replace our existing dripper. Still fairly chilly. Wasn’t even 40 degrees. I was surprised to discover that the Scott’s w/Halts 15K sq ft bag was $60 this year. I already knew it was only $54 at Home Depot. And I thought that was high. Geesh! I wouldn’t be buying it at Lowe’s. I still perused their faucets and replacement lawn furniture cushions. I found some similar to the ones I like at Home Depot. I bought nothing. I left figuring to stop at Home Depot on my drive back to the office to get the fertilizer there. Not only was it $6 cheaper at Home Depot, but they were giving away a gallon jug of Weed- B-Gone with a 15K sq ft bag purchase. What a deal! I shared my delight with the sales associate. Back at the office the afternoon was a bear. It’s that way more often than not these days. I was busy at work until the minute I left, which was 550p. I called Lindsey on my drive home. We talked for about 10 minutes. She was in fairly good spirits but shared how rude both her mother and sister Courtney have been to her lately. These days, I am very careful about inciting more bitterness. I simply encourage her to take the high road and remain as calm as possible. Truth be told, I don’t know how anyone could live with Kelly. She’s a very bitter woman. The house was empty, at least for a few minutes. Noticed quickly that it was a Rachel day. House was bright, shiny and clean. I was only half way through my evening chores when Mindy got home from dropping Bella at gymnastics. Said Jacob was off playing with Evan. Again, Mindy wasn't making or buying dinner. She did make Bella a couple hot dogs earlier. I didn’t mind. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. I snacked on cheese, pita chips, and salsa. Mindy asked if I would be willing to fetch Bella. Mindy sounded as if she might be coming down with the same thing I had. I agreed to do the deed, thinking how much I’d appreciate it if it were me. I left around 650p. It didn’t take long at all to get to the dance studio, five minutes tops. Bella wasn’t quite finished. I waited in the Honda until 702p. The studio stunk of sweat when I finally headed in. Baaaad! Bella asked if I knew where the Smoothie place was, apparently she wanted one. I did not. She quickly asked that I forget it. We headed straight home. The kids and I each had a bowl of cereal, me Cocoa Krispies. Mindy found it humorous. Not sure why. We tuned the TV to the History Channel where we watched about 90 minutes of Larry the Cable Guy’s new TV show where he travels around the country taking in a little Americana. It was both funny and educational. He spent time at NASA, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, Demolition Derby, a Dog racing track, and the world’s largest Truck Stop somewhere in Iowa. We were all huddled on the sofa until I could take it no more. The four of us and the dog were too much for me. I ended up throwing a big pillow on the floor and plopping my rear down there. I fell asleep in a hurry. I woke only to find everyone else already in bed. It was still before 10p. Geesh! I tucked in Bella, who still wide awake. Jacob was already sound asleep. Mindy was reading.