Come Back Ol' Yeller'

I woke a few times early but decided to go back to sleep. But when the pugs started raising a little hell I took that as my queue to get up and out of bed and head downstairs. I wasn’t that sure of the time given that my bedroom clock was still flashing from Saturday night’s power outage. However, before closing my eyes the night before I took notice of the flashing time. Seems to me that it was about 3 hours fast. That being the case, it was just ahead of 8am.

While tip toeing out of the room after brushing my teeth, Mindy asked that I bring her some coffee in a little while. Yes dear. I peeked down the hallway and noticed both pugs with their faces pressed against the doggy gate. I decided to free them both to avoid any more loud, obnoxious barking. Bella woke briefly saying that neither of them slept all night. I’m guessing that an exaggeration of sorts.

They were both excited, growling and wrestling the entire time I prepped coffee. I figured I’d take one out at a time otherwise they’d never tend to their business. I opted to take Woody first, since he’s more prone to accidents.

Eiknarf looked put out as he and I headed out the deck door. I walked him all about the back yard but he didn’t do a thing aside from sniff. I eventually took him around front and by his front yard and then back again. Still no joy. Finally, he peed on the fire hydrant near Pat’s cul-de-sac. He never did poop.

I took Woody inside then leashed up Eiknarf. Unlike Woody, she did both within two minutes of being outdoors. We quickly headed back inside. In hindsight, I probably should’ve walked her longer giving her a break. Back in the house I poured a cup of coffee then checked in with work. The one problem I followed all day Saturday seemed to be resolved. That was good news!

Sometime after 830am, I delivered coffee to Mindy’s bedside then headed back downstairs. The sky, meanwhile, was partly cloudy with plenty of blue scattered about. I fooled around on the computer for another 30 minutes or so before heading out on my run.

It had to be close to 60 degrees, so I didn’t bother wearing my fleece but did wear a long sleeved wicking shirt. I left the house around 930am and ran three miles. During that time the sky cleared to mostly sunny. It was nice and warm by the time I was back at home. I went for more coffee and then checked in on work again. Mindy was up a few minutes later. She quickly started on a grocery list and then headed up for a shower.

Chrissy called while Mindy showered. I expressed sorrow for their losing Molly the night before. I knew it had to hit Kenny hard. She said he planned to bury her outback by their shed later that morning, or as soon as the kids were home. I offered to help him dig.

While Mindy loaded the recycling in the Honda Pilot, I was busy carrying all the stain tools back to the basement. And since she had the overhead door open, I moved the bag of fertilizer out to the drive way so I wouldn’t have to open again a few minutes later when I was ready to fertilize. Mindy said she expected to be gone about an hour. While she headed off to the grocery I got busy fertilizing the lawn. Took no more than 15 minutes. I was careful not to lay down too much new fertilizer on or near the areas I just over seeded the day before. I had starter fertilizer in with the seed/dirt/peat mixture.

As soon as I finished fertilizing the yard I grabbed my shovel and headed over to help Kenny who I saw was out by the shed. Sure enough, he was back there digging by himself. He already had a good start. And just like the earth surrounding the nearby treehouse, it was hard rocky clay. In other words, tough sledding! I went for my spud bar. Kenny’s pretty amazing with a shovel. It made me sore watching the guy dig. No wonder his back aches! I made him take breaks and let me loosen up some of the earth with my spud bar. Heck, that took everything I had.

After about 45 minutes I spotted Ashley & Olivia walking out back. Once Olivia spotted us by the shed she came running with open arms. Did my heart some good. I took a break to head and inside and take care of Ashley. I owed her a check. They didn’t stay long, but long enough for Olivia to head out for a push on the tree swing.

After they left I walked back to the hole. By then Kenny was already done and must’ve been inside taking a break.  I headed back home where I continued my yard work, including reinstalling the rope lighting on the deck pergola. That took a little while. Mindy was soon back from the grocery. While out, she picked up some flowers for Molly’s grave and a condolences card for Kenny. The kids came running to let us know the funeral was about to get underway.

Until then, Kenny had Molly in the back of his Jeep, which he drove to the back of his yard out by the shed. By the time Mindy & I got back there Molly was already laid in the hole wrapped in an OSU Buckeye blanket. Kenny’s ex-wife was there too. That was nice. She told a couple stories about how close Kenny and Molly were.

The kids tossed the flowers over the blanket. I asked permission to snap a couple photos. Bella, Makayla and Emily asked if they could pull the blanket back and take a peek. Kenny agreed. Mindy and I walked back up to the house where I finished reinstalling the rope lights.

I had a couple more chores I wanted to get to, including trimming the ivy away from the base of all my burning bushes. It didn’t take too long since I did the same thing in spring. But it had grown surprisingly fast and thick again. I also took several minutes to pull up any spent flowers in the two front flower beds. Funny, one of the two beds hosting petunias was completely spent while the others still looked decent.

One of my final chores for the day was stowing the fountain pump, light, sensor, and shells. I headed inside around 230p-3pm calling my work outside all but done. I still needed to secure the shed and water the new grass seed but figured I’d do that later and possibly after dinner.

Call me ridiculous. I don’t care, but I purposefully avoided TV and any NFL scores. I didn’t want to know how the Vikings were fairing, good or bad. Figured I’d check later in the evening. After a shower and checking in with work I thought I might take a nap. I snuggled up on the sofa and fell asleep but only for a little bit. I got up just before Jacob left with his dad for the Blue Jackets 1st preseason home hockey game.

I also snacked on Stacy’s naked pita chips ahead of dinner, which was going to be chicken & noodles again. Mindy added more fresh noodles and had it on the stove for a couple hours cooking. She called my dad and asked if he was up for some. Offered to drive them over. She was feeling ill, likely a cold, otherwise I’m sure she would’ve invited him over for dinner.

My on-call weekend ended up being fairly uneventful. For that I was grateful, but to be fair, the weekend wasn’t over yet, either.  I spent the hour or so before dinner updating Friday’s blog entry and then went back and added some pictures to a few entries from the past week.

It was just Bella, Mindy & I for dinner. Bella commented about how peaceful it was. Mindy and I both had 1.5 helpings of the yummy chicken & noodles. First Sunday in a while that we didn’t make plans to cookout with the neighbors. Bella shared that they went to the House of Japan for dinner. Oh! That is one of Kenny’s favorite places. He deserved it big time.

I managed clean-up while Mindy ordered Bella’s birthday gifts, American Girl doll accessories. She later filled out invitations for her skating/overnight party coming up next weekend. Oh boy! Sounds like a boys night out to me. Mindy shared how busy our weekend would be - almost like not having one.

She and I walked Eiknarf together on what turned out to be an awfully nice evening, about 70 degrees under partly sunny skies.  The lovely weather wasn’t expected to last, however. Supposed to rain for the next couple of days and starting late Sunday evening.

It must’ve been about 730pm when Mindy asked me if the Vikings’ played that day. Yes. She asked if I knew if they’d won or lost. No. She must’ve checked right then. She shared that they lost. Crap! They lost in OT, and once again after leading 20-0 at halftime. Gonna be a long season. I decided to read the box score. I did my best to let it go after that. Football is all expectations based. If you’re not expecting much then you won’t be disappointed if they don’t do well. And after the last two seasons, I just don’t have it in me to get so emotionally involved only to be let down again.

Jacob returned from the hockey game just about then. He and Bella headed out to play with the neighbors for the last 30 minutes of daylight. Mindy and I walked down to check out Kenny’s deck after he spent the late afternoon power washing. Looks good, though he didn’t get finished.

As the evening wound down, I tuned the TV to the SNF game featuring the Steelers vs. Colts. Mindy had both kids get showers. I decided to make some popcorn. Bella and Eiknarf joined me for some. Without Peyton Manning leading the Colts, they’re just not the same team. They got behind quickly, and Mindy and the kids peeled off to bed.

I checked in with work and then spent about 10 minutes on my PC. By the time I rejoined the game it was halftime and the Colts were ahead 13-10. I might’ve watched for maybe another 5-10 minutes after the half. Tired, I secured the home and headed up to bed. By then, heavy clouds were moving in but the rain still had yet to begin.

We Got the Power

I tossed and turned quite a bit during my last hour of sleep finally waking for good near 8am, which in my world is sleeping late. The blackberry rang around 1am, but by the time I heard it and grabbed it the call had already dropped. I fumbled with it in the dark trying to enter my password three times before setting it aside in disgust.

After starting coffee I logged onto my laptop and then checked the message on my blackberry. I followed up on the issue right out of the shoot. Seemed to already be at least somewhat under control. Before enjoying any coffee I completed both sit-ups and push-ups. After exercise I felt more awake and alert. The coffee didn’t hurt either.

Mindy was up shortly before 9am. Already, Lindsey was calling leaving messages on our phones. Not sure why. Mindy had already agreed to take her to fill out an application for a new apartment sometime between 9am and 2pm. And I believe Mindy texted her the night before saying it would be closer to 11am or noon. Not sure why the early AM calls.

Mindy and I enjoyed some coffee while the kids continued to sleep. We figured they’d both sleep late given that they both were up past 11pm. Mindy finally talked and texted with Lindsey. Shared that I would pick her and the boys up near Ashley’s place around 11am. They would be taking the bus. Before any of that I still needed to run and make sure work was taken care of.

I’m thinking that it was near 930am when I finally left for a run. It was cloudy and chilly. I wore my fleece. The run was easy, but then again, that’s what I expected. I felt a lot better about my day when my run was complete. That’s often the case. Feel a greater sense of accomplishment and have a more positive outlook on whatever else the day might hold.

While I was running, Mindy was in the shower. The plan was simple. I’d go fetch Lindsey and the boys, and once we were back Mindy would run Lindsey to the apartment complex in question while I hung out at home with all the kids. It had to be near 1045am when I left to fetch Lindsey.

I parked in the Massey’s Pizza parking lot at Binns & Sullivant. I think I said it was a KFC before. Oops! The store manager came out to ask if he could help me. I guess in that neighborhood having a car parked in the lot sitting, waiting seemed a bit unusual or suspicious. Right on queue, the COTA bus pulled up and dropped the boys and Lindsey. The boys were both donning Buckeye jerseys – cute. This time the boys got off first with Lindsey right behind. They loaded in the Pilot and off we went.

The kids wanted to know if they could play Wii. I wasn’t sure. Mindy and Lindsey left soon after we got back. By then everybody was up and about. Bella slept the latest, not waking until I was gone. Rocky and Jacob were outback playing football the entire time that Mindy & Lindsey were gone, which ended up being something less than 90 minutes. They stopped at Kroger too.  I spent most of that time dealing with a couple work related matters, both of which were under control just before Mindy got back home.

While they were gone the sky brightened considerably. The threat of rain apparently gone, I was eager to get as much yard work done as possible, at least until work beckoned again. Mindy was fine with me heading out. I didn’t waste a minute either. I got started on the lawn immediately, doing all the backyard push mowing first. The sun busted out by the time I was around the front. Felt good. The temperature meanwhile couldn’t have been much above 60 degrees.

The grass now cut, I took the time to put the deck back together moving all the chairs back where they belong and then reattached the hose caddy and hose. And then after talking it over with Mindy, I decided to stow the fountain for the season since it was already apart and dry. She took the light and transformer inside to wash off the algae. She also agreed to soak all the shells in bleach water while I continued my yard work.

I check in via blackberry at least every hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how quiet it remained. The way I saw it, any yard work I got done this weekend would be considered a bonus. Counting on accomplishing a lot on an on-call weekend is typically a recipe for disaster.

Still only about 130-200pm, I decided to get started on my lawn restoration work. I started out front fixing the area that’s been bothering me the most, the same area I resodded last fall, and the same are that WOW destroyed when they repaired their damaged cable while I was in NYC. I rake away the dead patches then topped the same area with a mix of topsoil and peat that I had standing ready in my wheel barrow. Mindy came outside to chat briefly Said she needed a break from Lindsey and the boys. By the way, they were staying for dinner.

I made quick work of the restoration out front eventually working my way around back to the side yard that I’ve been nursing along for the past few years. I spent much more time back there preparing several bare spots for new seed.

 I failed to mention that Jacob left around noon to go to the Buckeye game with his daddy. The game started at 330pm. Can’t remember who, but somebody hollered out as the game was about to begin. I kept working, however, feeling it more important to get my chores done.

After watering in the restoration work I thought about spreading fertilizer about the entire yard, but didn’t have the energy or desire. Instead, I decided to be happy with all I had accomplished, get a shower, and perhaps even enjoy the 2^nd half of the Buckeye game.

A shower felt terrific. It was probably 5-530pm by the time I was out of the shower. I then poured myself a White Rajah, which was absolutely delicious. Asked Mindy to give it a try. And surprisingly, she liked it too. In fact, so much so, that she kept taking sips. It’s very hoppy but has a heavy grape fruit flavor too. Im quite pleased with it. I didn’t plan to drink another until we were back from dropping Lindsey and the boys, and that wouldn't be until after dinner, which was served around 6pm.

Mindy made chicken & noodles along with mashed potatoes. They were delicious. The kids loved them too. It’s one of Rocky’s favorites. Lindsey shared that she should know by Tuesday if she gets the apartment. I pray that she does, and also that her new job works out well.

The game wasn’t quite over when we rounded up everyone to take them home. Mindy and I agreed that we’d all go. Bella wasn’t too thrilled about it, but we didn’t really ask her opinion or give her the choice. We all loaded into the Pilot and headed east. The Buckeye game ended shortly after we set out. We listened to its conclusion during our drive out 670.

I’m thinking it was near 7pm when we dropped Lindsey and the boys. Like me, Mindy was impressed with the looks of the facility. It is a very attractive place and seemingly secure. Lindsey complained of being near ready to vomit since we left the house. Said she got sick playing with the kids on the tree swing. She’s always been like that, and me too. And sure enough, she threw up as soon as she got out of the car. Ewh!

We’d just started for home when Jacob rang Mindy’s cell sharing that he and his daddy were at the house. He was supposed to call before they left the game. Mindy shared that we’d be home in 10-15 minutes. It’s a quick drive. We were there in 10 minutes. Jacob and Jimaken were out back throwing the football. Jimaken left soon after we got home.

With the evening ahead of us, Mindy suggested that the three of us play spoons as a family. It was a lot of fun. It seems while teaching the two kids the object of the game she forgot to share perhaps the most important piece, which was to grab a spoon once you get four of a kind or also if someone else grabs a spoon. That was too funny.

Eventually both kids picked up the concept. We must’ve played about 4 or 5 rounds before the power suddenly went out. Out of nowhere Bella leaped out of her chair and ran to the back door completely freaking out. She started to dart outside, why I don’t know, but she was crying profusely and rambling about how frightened she was that the power was out. Holy smoke!

We all panicked a little when she left the back door open because we were watching the neighbors pug, Woody, who had already ran out two times earlier. And he’s a pain in the ass to catch. By the way, we were watching Woody while Kenny & Chrissy spent some time at a family cabin out in the woods doing some four wheeling and what not.

Mindy rustled up some candles, enough that we could continue playing spoons. Bella finally calmed once we had about ten different candles illuminating the downstairs. We got a fire going in the fireplace too. That was Jacob’s idea. Mindy was able to source AEPs website from her Droid and was eventually able to check the status of our power outage. Said to be impacting approximately 1900 customers. No ETA.

Mindy and Bella headed upstairs to get into their PJs while Jacob and I hung by the fire enjoying the quiet night. And by the way, there were plenty of stars out for the 2^nd night in a row. Wahoo!

I took advantage of the candlelight to further experiment with low-light photography adjusting both the aperture and shutter speed to get just the right effect. While Mindy and Bella were upstairs the power came back on. I’m guessing it was off for a little more than an hour.

Once the power restored we tuned the TV to the Saturday night college football game between WVU and LSU. LSU was well ahead. Jacob peeled off to bed around 10pm while Bella, Mindy and I remained up and downstairs. Mindy’s phone rang sometime around 10pm. I figured it Chrissy checking on Woody. Sure enough, it was, but she wasn’t necessarily calling to check on Woody. Instead, I heard Mindy gasp, and then express sorrow. Uh-oh! Turns out, they took their black lab, Molly, with them to the cabin. While they were out four-wheeling, she had a heart attack and was struggling to breath and walk when they returned. She was 11 years old, which is about the expected life span of a healthy lab. Kenny eventually found a vet that would see her. They could do nothing for her. They agreed to have her euthanized. They were packing up and coming home. Not quite the getaway weekend they had hoped for.

After another half hour or so, Mindy headed for bed. I eventually dosed off from the sofa only to be woken by the pugs, namely Woody going aggressively after TV dogs, something he does all the time at home. Startled me to no end. It must’ve been around 11pm when I headed up to bed with both pugs tailing behind. I stowed them in with Bella, who was happy to host them both. Good night starry sky!

King in a Bottle

It was Friday and once again I was up on time and perhaps even a couple minutes early. I already knew it was raining after hearing the familiar pitter-patter of rain drops slapping against the roof and skylights. It's getting old. I heard the coffee maker kick into gear shortly after I started sit-ups. It wasn't long before both sit-ups and push-ups were done and coffee was ready.

I spent a good 15 minutes on the PC enjoying coffee. I checked the weather forecast. It was currently 55 degrees with rain, but a diminishing chance as the day moved along. I heard the rumble of distant thunder near 6am. I was happy to see that the weekend forecast wasn't as bleak as originally thought. Now there saying partly cloudy with only a slight chance of rain both days. Just a couple days ago it looked like a washout through next Tuesday. Supposed to reach into the 70's, too.

I did meditation then took Mindy coffee. It was about a quarter after 6am. Shared that it was raining again. Downstairs, I did a stretch then dressed for a run. I wore a long sleeved wicking shirt along with my pullover fleece. Happily, out the door the rain was reduced to just an occasional sprinkle. Aided along by the cloud cover, it remained dark through nearly three miles of running.Had it been clear, I'm sure the sky would've brightened around the 2 mile mark.

Our morning routine would be slightly altered due to a reading intervention breakfast that I planned to attend with Bella at her school. It started at 815am so we'd need to leave the house by 8am. That meant I'd have to hustle through breakfast and a shower. So would they. Mindy left at her usual time of 730am. I rushed off to a shower after reminding both kids that they needed to be brushed and ready by the time I got back downstairs.

It felt good to dress in  jeans. I was downstairs and ready by 750am. I hurried through gathering everything I'd need for the day, including logging off and packing up my laptop. We backed out the drive at 757am. The entire time Jacob expressing disdain for having to leave for school early. Said he'd much rather have taken the bus. I gave Chrissy a courtesy call just before we left to let her know that we wouldn't be at the bus stop.

Traffic wasn't a factor. We arrived at the school by 810am. Jacob was still grumbling even as we made our way inside. He insisted we didn't need to, but I still stopped by the office to announce myself and share my reason for being there. Not really sure where the event was being staged, they sent us to Mrs. Sobo's room. Bella lead the way. We ended up walking around the entire school. Should've gone the other direction.

When we arrived at Mrs. Sobo's room but it was dark and locked. I glanced at my Droid. No problem. We were still a couple minutes early. Odd, however, that no other parents or students around, that is  aside from the latch-key kids who were just down the way in the gymnasium playing ball games. We waited patiently outside the door. I had a feeling that we had the date wrong. In fact, I even asked both Bella and Mindy if they were sure it was today. I could've sworn I heard Mindy & Bella mention Thursday when they talked about it a week or so ago.

Jacob, meanwhile, was showing his frustration by uttering unpleasantries aimed towards Bella. I could tell that Bella was feeling bad. I gave her a hug and told her it didn't matter if we had the date wrong. I offered that I would head back to the office and ask more questions. Told them both they could stay or follow. They followed closely behind with Jacob badgering Bella the entire way.

In the office again, I asked if they knew more about the program. Nope. But when I shared that there were supposed to be donuts at this kick-off meeting they had a sudden epiphany. Oh, that. That was yesterday! Jacob and Bella were just outside the office door. I could hear Jacob give Bella an 'I told you so'.

Me and the office staff laughed about it. They said it wouldn't be a problem to leave the kids out in the hallway while I scooted off to work. As it was, they were there about 15-20 minutes earlier than they needed to be. I gave Bella another reassuring hug and said goodbye to both before heading off to work.

I arrived at the office at about the usual time - 835am. As it is almost every Friday, the lot was far less populated than it is Monday through Thursday. And my floor, the 6th, was far less active than it is most other days. Again, a common trend I've noticed. That actually made me happy. Typically translates into a much calmer, easier,  low-key day.

And just as I hoped it might, the morning progressed gracefully. I had one urgent matter that took some time and focus but I didn't mind. That's what I do. Got it under control in a hurry.  Come 1pm I left the building for lunch. I drove to the Wal-Mart just up the road to look at airsoft pistols. I thought I might buy Bella one for her 9th birthday. The kids, girls included, love having airsoft battles out back in the tree house and woods. I found an inexpensive pistol and bought it. I should've picked up another jar of ammo too but didn't. I did get her a pair of safety glasses as well. I looked at some other items too but bought nothing else.

I was gone about 45 minutes, long enough to feel the escape that a lunch break is supposed to afford. The weather, meanwhile, was still gloomy - cloudy and cool. In fact, I wished I had worn the fleece jacket that I left back in my office.

The afternoon was even calmer than the first half my day. I let some David Gilmour whirl while I toiled. I was looking forward to the weekend, but the fact that I was on-call damped my joy to some extent. Aside from one of my peers just around the corner, the place was barren come 330pm. But I kept busy, sticking around until after just 530pm.

Mindy called twice within five minutes around 5pm. The first time to check on my status and then to remind me that Bella was going to a skating event. She also wanted to know if I still planned to stop by ASBCO to pick-up our ski gear before dinner at Barley's. Yes. The second call sounded more desperate. It seems Bella told yet another stupid lie, this time about the results of her walk with Eiknarf. Did she poop and/or pee. Why lie about that? Well, she did and Mindy was pissed. Instead of finding poop in the Kroger bag tossed in the trash, she found only the remains of Bella's apple. Mindy wanted my opinion on what the punishment should be. I only shared that we could decide once I got home. I needed to wrap up my day. I did share that she should be allowed to go to the skating event. In my mind, she'd already had a traumatic day starting with the reading intervention debacle.

Perhaps if Mindy had caught me earlier in the day, I would've put the kibosh on the skating event. We've got to find a way to stop the silly lies. It's a real problem for Bella.

I arrived home at 555pm. The house was unusually quiet. Mindy quickly shared that both kids left with the O'Connell's for the skating event. Jacob apparently decided to go last minute. Because ASBCO closes at 7pm, we didn't waste a lot of time getting ready to leave. While Mindy changed and primped, I got my laptop set-up for a weekend of on-call.

On our way out the door at 615pm, Mindy shared a funny story about neighbor Jake, funny for us, that is. He and his band mates from the middle school were set to march with the Davidson high school band at the night's football game. Only problem was, Jake left his trombone at school. According to Mindy, Kenny was ready to kill him. I could visualize Kenny's frustration. :)

We arrived at ASBCO near 630pm. It took a while for the guy working the counter to organize all of our stuff. He originally found only the paper work for our three pair of skis, but we also wanted to pick-up Jacob's new snowboard package. Eric was there, too, so if it needed vouched for, no problem. We got a big laugh when a little head peeked over the boot bench. It was Avery. The same little girl that was there last Friday when we dropped off our gear. She was in again with her daddy. She and Mindy interacted for a while. She asked of Bella's whereabouts, and then had Mindy try on a few pair of ski sunglasses and stuff. She's very articulate and cute.

While waiting on our gear (must be a ploy) I tried on another ski jacket, and one that actually caught my eye the week before. I avoided trying it on then because of the hefty price tag dangling in my face - $398. Yikes. As things like this often go, this jacket fit perhaps better than any other I've tried on. Even Mindy thought so. And because it was a cool evening, I already had on the fleece jacket I wear under my ski jacket. It fit perfectly.

Aside from a good fit, it comes with a cool marketing gimmick, free lift tickets all over the USA & Canada. Mindy chimed in that if I liked it, she was willing to buy it for me for Xmas. Eric verified that it was 20%, like everything else in the store. One thing is for sure, I'd never buy it for myself. Can't spend that kind of money on a jacket.  I also picked up a thin, light weight ski bag that'll come in handy when I want to throw my skis in the Accord preventing the edges from scuffing up the leather interior. Mindy said she'd get both. Thanks dear! While she settled up, I carried all of our gear to the car.

With an SUV full of pricey ski gear, we made sure to camouflage it with blankets. We headed towards Barley's winding our way through Upper Arlington and south on Tremont. And since we were in the vicinity, I suggested we stop at Gentiles where I could see if they had any Two Brothers Hop Juice in stock, and if not, would they, could they order it. They'll do that for you. Along our drive I asked what the total outlay was for the jacket and ski bag. I guessed near $400, but Mindy said only $300. I had her check the receipt, which she had in her purse. Hmmm? The jacket rang up as $309 and then they took another 20% of that. But the price tag on the jacket clearly said $398. Oh well, I guess the ski gods were smiling on us.

We pulled in Gentiles after taking one wrong turn in the winding Arlington neighborhoods. No biggie. Immediately in the door I noticed White Rajah now available in bottles, and 12 oz variety at that. They were selling singles for $1.99. One of the sales associates advised that they it in six-packs too, but had only one left in the cooler. Until recently, it was only available on tap. I went after it.

At the same time, I asked if they had any Two Brothers. He didn't think they did but offered to take my contact info and he would try and order it. Basically, if one of their distributors sells it, they'll get it. Mindy and I headed back to the cooler where we perused their other IPA's. I grabbed the lone six-pack of White Rajah along with a six-pack of Hop Wallop. Both are fairly pricey but well worth the money. Almost grabbed a four pack of the new Mad Hatter Imperial IPA, but didn't. It was $15.99 for the four. Yikes! That's more per bottle than even Bell's Hop Slam.

Mindy asked if I still planned to have my Barley jug filled with Centennial. Yes, I did. We headed on to Barley's continuing our trek through the Grandview neighborhood. We were fortunate, and got a parking spot second from the door. The lot was otherwise chalked full. Someone most of just recently left. We headed inside. On the patio was a couple peeps that Mindy always stops and chats with. Charlene I believe is one of them. She's a school teacher, too. Said she saw me earlier in the day at Wal-Mart. Wanted to know if that was really me. Yes, it was me! I headed inside to pee while Mindy continued the conversation.

Inside I bellied up next to Steve W., banker Dan, and the twins. Not too many familiars in, though. I ordered a Centennial while Mindy ordered wine. More than happy to stand, I gave Mindy the lone stool currently available. It does my back and shoulders good to stand. Mindy ordered food fairly quickly.  I held off as usual, citing the need to finish my first beer. Again though, I come to Barley's on Friday's to drink beer first and foremost. Eating is always secondary.

Jim B. was there when we got there. Funny, we were just talking about him when we passed Fineline Graphics Printing on Goodale Blvd. Mindy talked with him for a while. Said he was drunk. He headed out the door a bit wobbly a little later. I went in pursuit offering to drive him home. He refused. I wasn't willing to push the issue fearing he could get agitated and aggressive.

I ordered my 2nd beer from the guest draught menu - a Mach 10 Imperial IPA made by Bear Republic. I really like their Mach 5. But honestly, the Mach 10 was nothing special - drinkable but not memorable. I wouldn't order another. After beer #2 I decided I'd better eat. After all, I was getting really hungry. I ordered the 'heart attack on the bun' (Cuban with bacon). When my food arrived I took the stool to Steve's right. Mindy was to his left talking with others. According to Mindy, a guy named Charlie, a tall handsome 30 something, who we see there fairly regularly apparently asked her if he could hit on her.  He's definitely a player.

I eventually ordered my 3rd and final beer, a Centennial - I know, rare for me to keep it to 3. Just before we left for home Grandpa Tom and Steve showed up. Always good to see those two. Little Rick stopped by for a brief chat before he left, too. Left his cell phone as he departed. I took it to him.

I picked up the tab and we left for home around 940pm. We figured the kids would be home from their skating adventure about the same time. Mindy called neighbor Teri shortly after we arrived home. They were on Wilson Rd and almost home.  We planned to hang out with all the neighbors and have another beer.

Mindy & I walked down to Chrissy and Kenny's. They were inside, just the two of them, enjoying their alone time. We chatted for a while before agreeing to walk down to Mike & Teri's where all our kids now were. They had other friends over as well as a fire going. Wanted to know if we had any marshmallows for roasting. Mindy ran home to see if we did. I enjoyed just the one beer being mindful of my desire to wake Saturday morning feeling well. We hung out at the fire for about 30 minutes. We all headed home around 11pm, kids included, despite their wanting to stay and play.

The kids and I had a snack before heading to bed, the chicken tenders we brought home from Barleys.

Macy's Tooth Fairy

I was up a couple minutes early after a really good night of sleep. Was most pleased to find the deck dry and at least partly cloudy skies overhead. In fact, I could see a waning crescent moon hovering at about 10 o’clock in the eastern sky.

I slipped into my exercise tennies and whipped out my sit-ups. After that I checked the weather. It was really warm - 66 degrees. The day promised to be the warmest this week, but unfortunately expecting rain and cool temps again as soon as Friday. I headed to the family room for push-ups next. It was still only 550am.

My shoulders remained stiff, and I knew the push-ups wouldn’t make them any better but did them anyway. I did windmills and arm stretches before hand. I poured some coffee next. It hit the spot. I returned to the PC where I read the Daily OM, some of Glenn’s blog, and then printed off a Macy’s coupon for 15-20% off. Thought I might shop for more dress slacks at lunch.

Sometime after 6am I peeled away for meditation. I did that until 615am when I deemed it time to deliver Mindy’s coffee. As usual, she woke as I set her coffee on the night stand. After a brief hug and kiss I was back downstairs to stretch and prep for my run. I wore long running pants but a short sleeved shirt. It was as nice (warm) as it’s been all month. I hit the door just after 630am.

I ran the full 4.1 miles without a problem. The time seemed to fly by, too, which is always nice. Back home a tad earlier than usual, I fed and watered the dog soon after toweling off. The sky wasn’t crystal clear by any means but there were plenty breaks of blue.

Mindy made scrambled eggs topped with cheese. There were plenty to share with Eiknarf, and even enough for the following day, too. Won’t she be happy! Mindy wanted to leave a little early to make a meeting where she expected a new temporary principal to be introduced, while, Jim, her permanent principal, convalesces for undisclosed reasons. She expects it to be for a couple/few weeks. I’m thinking she left at 725am after reminding the kids to bus home with Noah.

I was off to the shower at 736am after getting my lunch together beforehand. Mindy didn’t make my salad. She was too tired and overwhelmed the evening before. I took the extra time to pull one together for myself.

I was downstairs and ready by 757am. Can’t recall what I did with the ten minutes or so before bus time. The kids headed out ahead of me. Bella waited for me by the rear of my Accord. She had yet another very loose tooth hanging on by only a thread. I asked more than once if I could twist it out. Nope!

As a neighbor walked his big brown dog by both Woody and Eiknarf after they started their usual doggie rant. We can usually get Eiknarf to stop pretty quickly, but when Woody’s doing it too it’s understandably harder. She wants to be in full alert too.  I find there incessant barking to be quite annoying.

Soon the kids were on the bus, and Eiknarf and I heading back towards home. I walked her briefly out front like I always do,  but she didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to relieve herself again. However, I suppose she did get some benefit, like some extra fresh air. The kids’ school bus passed on its way out of the subdivision just as Eiknarf and I reentered the house. I made a few last minute preparations then left for work.

I arrived at the office near 840am and was settled in a few minutes later. We had our staff meeting set for 9am. I joined the team in one of the nice conference rooms. Our meeting went for about 45 minutes.

I thought I was gonna have time for some proactive stuff before a conference call but as it turned out, I got roped into taking care of some urgent/emergency stuff again. But that’s the nature of my job. One day it's all proactive, then the next a big hair ball. I had an important conference call organized for 11am to discuss process improvements. It was all internal. But for whatever the reason, I hadn't been looking forward to it, thinking it could get a little ugly. However, I was feeling much better about it that morning. Perhaps a good lesson in how ones mood impacts ones perception? And I am happy to report that it went even better than I hoped. Felt like we really accomplished something of worth. The call took me right up until almost noon.

After the call I bounced back to the urgent/emergency stuff until I left for lunch around 115pm. As promised, I drove to the Tuttle mall Macy’s and headed directly to the Men’s department. Long story short, I picked up three pair of dress slacks and a new black button up. One of my others ripped along the sleeve.  I think I snagged it on something. I used my 15% coupon. I could’ve saved another 5% by using my Macy’s card, but opted not. Haven’t used that account in years and years.

I headed back to work after being gone just slightly more than an hour. It was almost 230pm by the time I was resettled at my desk with my packed lunch in hand. I was really hungry too. The chunks of cheese were especially good. I just love that smoked gouda and then the fontina. I appreciate Mindy spending the extra money for good quality cheese.

Talked with Ashley late afternoon. She was wondering if I planned on going with her to the 2^nd phase of her root canal at OSU next Wednesday. Unfortunately, I can’t. But not to worry, all she really needs is for me to pay the bill. I don’t really need to be there for anything beyond moral support.

Talked with Mindy a bit later, and real close to the end of the day. She was just picking up the kids. Called me back a few minutes later asking if I wanted a salad for Friday. Yes. Didn’t discuss dinner. Thought there might be chance that she, Bella and I would be dining at Barley’s. Jacob had soccer practice. I left the office at 535pm. It was surprisingly warm, and according to the Accord’s temperature gauge, 78 degrees.

The sky was partly sunny but thicker clouds were looming on the far western horizon. Mindy was in the middle of making dinner; brats, dogs, and salad. She boiled then grilled the brats. Like I often do, I snacked on roasted peanuts before dinner was ready.

Mindy shared the outcome of her doctor’s appointment for her rising blood pressure. After inexplicably enjoying a month or so of normal, or even low blood pressure, it's started creeping back up again. Her doctor put her on a alpha inhibitor (?) that would lower her blood pressure but not her pulse. I believe she was taking a beta blocker before. She attributes the sudden rise to work.

The hot Italian brats were good. I had only one in a bun smothered in shredded sharp cheddar cheese. But during clean-up, I ate another entire brat piece by piece and without a bun. They were so good. During clean-up Mindy and I talked about how to change Jacob’s habit of leaving his stuff all about the house for others to fall over. My suggestion was to make it routine before anything else gets done (I.E. homework, food, snacks, play, etc). Mindy's point was for me not speak to him in such a mean spirited tone, or something like that.

I understood what she meant, and proved it by asking if she meant the way she rips into Bella when she find her clothes scattered about her bedroom floor for the 5^th time in as many days. That brought a smile to both our faces. Funny thing, those pet peeves.

Jacob got home from practice I’m guessing around 730pm. By then, Mindy was off to pick-up her prescription and then to Target for something else. I took the opportunity to practice asking nicely. Jacob, will you please make sure to put your soccer shoes and ball in their proper place before doing anything else? Said he would. Hmmm?

I also took the opportunity to make small talk with Jimaken about the soccer team’s progress, or in some cases the lack there of. I shared that our players were yelling at each other frequently during the game, something I knew he missed being so far removed from the action on the far sideline. Sure enough, he didn’t know about it.

Jim soon left. I’m thinking that Mindy pulled up just before he pulled away. Mindy greeted Jacob in her normal jovial manner. Asked what he wanted for dinner. She knew he wouldn’t eat brats or dogs. Never does. Not sure what he ate. While he ate we all chatted. Noticed that his soccer ball was once again rolling around on the kitchen floor despite my earlier request. I kindly reminded him that I had already asked once that he put it away and that he agreed. He waited for his momma to tell him he needed to do as he was told. Tisk tisk tisk.

Bella did her 20 minutes of reading - Garfield again. Jacob asked if we could watch the Thursday night college football game. Sure. Wasn’t sure who was playing at the time. It was NC State vs Cincinnati. Cincinnati took an early 21-0 lead. I poured a Jack & Coke around 830pm and settled on the sofa. Mindy had the kids shower and prepare for bed. Jacob hung out watching football as long as he could.

The kids were in bed by 915pm. Mindy and I weren’t far behind. She acted surprised that I was joining her, but I was probably just as sleepy as she.

Late Start - Earth 2100

I slept about ten minutes later than I really wanted to after playing cat and mouse with the clock for the last half hour or so. It didn’t have much if any impact on my morning, however. It was a late start day for the kids, meaning I wouldn’t be leaving for work until almost 1030am.

And just like the past couple days, it was raining again. Big surprise!  My new deck stain is getting put to the test right out of the shoot. I didn’t prep coffee the night before so I took care of that just ahead of sit-ups. Coffee finally brewing, I quickly whipped out sit-ups and push-ups. The good news was that the temperature was warm, a whopping 66 degrees. The forecast was calling for rain but a diminishing chance as the day wore on. Meanwhile, Thursday was expected to be partly cloudy but then another 4 or 5 days of rain. Good grief! This might be the wettest September on record. Already more than 4 inches.

After meditation I took Mindy some coffee. She asked if I still planned to run before she left for work/school. Yes, though perhaps a few minutes later. I headed back downstairs for a stretch ahead of my run. Felt great. I wore long running pants and a short sleeved wicking shirt. The rain was light but steady, pretty much the same as it’s been through most of my September morning runs. The upside to all the recent rain is that the lawn looks great. It felt good during my run too.

I was back at the house between 720-725am. Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting in the microwave.  She didn’t wake the kids. Instead, she’d left that job to me. After all, they didn’t need to be at the bus stop until 1010am. After eating my breakfast, I fired up my laptop since I planned on working from home for the first couple hours of my day. I had to join a 10am conference call.

I got logged onto my PC then headed off to the shower. We were expecting the neighbors’ kids any moment (Jake, Makayla, and Lillian). I agreed to keep them for late start too, and as a consequence, Chrissy said she’d do the next one. Bella must’ve gotten up when the neighbors arrived. They were all up and making a mess in the kitchen when I returned downstairs from a shower. Jake was already drinking orange soda, and Bella was about to pour some for herself until I nixed it. She tried convincing me that her momma would approve. I knew better. No!

I let Jake keep his. Aside from the fact that he was already drinking it, I also cited his advanced age. J The girls didn’t like it but respected my decision. A short while later,  Jake was off to school. His bus normally comes at 715am. He headed out at 905am.

Jacob didn’t get up until about 930am. He only added more chaos to what I was already dealing with. He made it his job to annoy and pester the girls. Lots of verbal sparring and turning off the Wii. I gave him the dickens more than once. I made sure the kids were aware of my need for silence come10am so I could join that conference bridge. I reminded them at least three times. They were being so loud that I was sure they’d continue. Much to my surprise, they kept quiet until they needed to step out for the bus at 1010am.

The call lasted about 15-20 minutes, or about as long as usual. I poked my head out  the door immediately after the call. They were already gone. I heard the bus pull up earlier. I talked with my boss briefly before packing up and heading east to the customer’s office. Again, this was Wednesday, the one day each week that I work at their place. I left the house around 1030am.

Because normal rush hour was behind us, I decided it would be OK to take 670 east to I-270 north. The coast was clear tip to toe. I arrived at 1055am, or five minutes earlier than I predicted and shared.

I had a plethora of issues to deal with, including one my boss asked me to help with for another customer. And I felt like I made a positive difference. I didn’t take lunch until 215pm. I left the premise and headed to the Best Buy across from Easton thinking I’d look at iPods – Bella’s birthday gift of choice.  I was just looking.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a Sports Authority next door too. I thought I might stop in there after.

I make a visit to Best Buy two or three times each year. And each time I am flabbergasted at all the technological advancements. It lets you know how behind the times your stuff is. This marked the first time I took the time to check out the new 3D TVs. I can only say that the glasses might be a tad clunky, but the results are absolutely stunning. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I also realize the video loop I was watching was likely as extreme as one can get with the 3D technology.  If you haven’t checked it out, do so!

All the new TVs are super light and super thin. Prices have come way down too. I looked at phone cases as well, but they don’t have squat for Droid 2’s anymore. I guess they’re already considered yesterday’s news.

Just as I expected I would, I left empty handed. I walked next door to Sports Authority. There I checked out their winter weather garb, jackets and running attire. I saw some winter weight wicking shirts I really liked.  I need a couple more. Uh, should say, want a couple more. Now about 3pm, I headed back to the office, which was only a half mile or so away.

I stayed plugged in for the remainder of the afternoon, not leaving for home until approximately 515pm. Provided the traffic flow wasn’t an issue, that would get me home near the usual time. I took 270 north all the way around. I wasn’t about to try my luck taking 270 south to 670 west. That’s almost a guaranteed traffic jam once downtown.

Talked with Mindy on my drive home. She sounded tense/stressed.  I shared a little bit of how the late start went. She had just gotten home too, and said there were piss ants all about the tile floor again.  And I was just thinking that morning that I hadn’t seen a one in what seemed like two weeks. Figured the new traps were working like a charm. Not sure what changed.

I arrived home at 555pm. Mindy was busy helping Bella with math homework. I eventually took over the spelling words. Bella wasn’t in the best of moods either. Still seemed a little perturbed with me after this morning’s late start. J

Mindy made herself and the kids leftovers. Asked if I wanted something warmed. No thank you. I was busy dealing with carryover work issues at the same time. Good grief! I eventually made myself a chicken chili burrito with leftovers. Mindy insisted I come sit at the table to eat. I wanted to stand at the island. One, my neck and shoulder were bugging me, and two, I was tense and feeling stressed.

She then asked which part of gymnastics transportation I wanted. I wanted to do neither but offered to do the drop off. Bella was ready to go by 645pm. Mindy made her do reading aloud until the moment we left. Asked that she take the book along in the car too. That way she could get as many minutes out of the way before gymnastics as possible. Needs to read at least 20 minutes each day. By the way, she’s still reading that Garfield book, and she seems to love it. In stark contrast, Jacob was reading Harry Potter in the 3^rd grade. 

Dropped Bella at gymnastics without incident, though we had to wait a minute or two for the instructor to show up and unlock the doors. We got their 3 or 4 minutes early. Back at home I spent time on the PC doing both work and play. Enjoyed a brownie while at the PC.

I asked Jacob to make sure and rewrap the brownies after he took one. He shared that I hadn’t made a positive comment about him in a couple days. I only listened without further comment.

Mindy & Jacob left to fetch Bella around 820pm. They weren’t gone long. While they were out, and then a little bit after, I proof read several blog entries. Around 9pm, I retired to the familyroom and tuned into the History Channel where I watched a cool program called, Earth 2100, a show about what the earth might be like in the year 2100. Interesting spin/story. Gives one a lot to think about. Do try and catch it if you have some time.

Mindy and the kids headed to bed shortly after 9pm. I eventually fell asleep on the sofa where I remained until I woke and headed for bed around 1045pm. I was completely zonked!

Earth Craters

I woke at what I thought was 530am. It actually turned out being only 520am. But by the time I discovered I was up early, I was already downstairs and wide awake. I’d use the early rise to my benefit. For starters, I’d take a more leisurely approach to my morning.

I glanced out back. It was raining … again. I just can’t believe how often it's raining at my rise time this year. Seems like half my mornings have been rainy ones. Nothing I could do about it, so I did my best to let it go and move on to things that were under my control, like exercise. I completed sit-ups and push-ups over the next 15 minutes. Sandwiched in between was a little internet surfing.

It was warmer than it’s been early morning’s of late – a balmy 63 degrees. The forecast promised brightening skies as the day progressed, though I wasn’t going to hold my breath. What’s more, the five and ten day outlook wasn’t pleasant at all, with more rain coming in by Friday and hanging around for 5 days. The only upside that I could see was that I’m on-call over the coming weekend anyway. If there’s ever a weekend to have less than desirable weather it would be that one.

Turned out, I spent all my extra time playing on the computer. Boy, how time flies. I headed to the familyroom where I did a little more than ten minutes of meditation. I delivered Mindy’s coffee at 615am.  Back downstairs I stretched and dressed for a run. It was 629am when I turned for the front door. I wore a long sleeved wicking shirt and long running pants. Skipped the fleece. It was wet and humid, and also trash day. I placed our can at the curb the night before even though it’s really Jacob’s job.

It rained lightly on & off throughout the duration of my run. Mood aside, it wasn’t much of an inconvenience at all. I ran the full 4.1 miles and drug our can back to its resting place before heading to the deck entrance for reentry. I waited patiently at the door for Mindy to reemerge from the basement. I stripped out of my wet running shirt and shoes right at the door. I was wet from a combination of rain and sweat. After toweling off I switched back to my sleeping t-shirt.

By then my eggs were ready. I was hungry and ate every last bite without even thinking about it. I felt for Eiknarf who counts on me leaving some for her. I fired the stove back up and fried one just for her. 

Mindy left for work at her usual time after reminding the kids to bus home to Noah’s. She had a planning meeting scheduled for after school with her peers. She also reminded Jacob to do his homework while there, too, since he had a soccer game that evening. I was downstairs just long enough to finish prepping my lunch. I was off to the shower by 733am.

Bella headed out a little early with ‘duck’ bread in tow. I wondered when she headed out if she might be going to pick-up Jacob’s pennies. Sure enough, she came back in a few minutes later with about 20 pennies she said she picked up from the side walk.

We headed out to the bus stop at 810am. I chose not to bring up the whole penny thing, but Chrissy brought it up to Jacob. My whole thing is, we need to be able to trust the neighbors’ kids in our house without worry. After the kids boarded the bus, Chrissy shared how excited she was to be starting her last quarter of college on Wednesday. That is a good feeling.

Eiknarf and I headed back home. By the way, the rain had stopped and it looked like the sky was trying to clear, but still no blue overhead. Eiknarf and I walked out front before heading back inside. Can’t recall if she went or not.

I made last minute preparations and left for work at 825am. It was the first time driving my Accord since last Thursday on our way to Barley’s. Arrived at work around 840am. Took a while to get situated (laptop fired up, lunch stowed, and ice water). By the time I was settled and organized, it was after 9am. I joined a 9am call ten minutes late. I received the invite while I was off. I only got to hear the last few minutes.

I talked to my boss but only very briefly. I congratulated him on the arrival of his grandchild. Don’t think it was his first. Noticed the sun shining a few times during the afternoon. I didn’t leave for lunch but did take time to eat at my desk and then catch up  on some writing.  I sent brother Glenn an email asking about his knee/MRI. Brought up winter skiing too.

Talked with Mindy around 330pm. Her after school planning meeting got canceled. She’d be home to intercept the kids after all. Said she called the school to let the kids know. Also said she planned on talking with Emily to get to the bottom of the penny ordeal. We agreed to meet at the soccer field near 6pm.

Mindy called me back sometime near 4pm. Said she talked with Emily and sorted out the penny ordeal. Apparently Makayla took all the pennies and once they were outside walking Eiknarf she put them all in Bella’s hood. They then took them out and tossed them about the sidewalk. Mindy called Chrissy back to give her the story too. Kids!

I left work a couple minutes after 530pm.  I wasn’t sure the best, fastest, most efficient  way to get to the Spindler Rd soccer fields. I eventually opted to take I-270 as if I were going home. The difference being a right versus a left at the Roberts Rd exit. That worked well. Took Roberts all the way to Spindler (about a ¼ miles east of Alton-Darby Rd.) where I headed south.

 

For a moment I thought I needed to go north, but realized my mistake when I discovered it doesn’t go north. I Parked one spot over from Mindy and Bella, who were already there and setting up their chairs. I could only laugh at the weather. It was actually warm and sunny when I left the office. But there was one lone big dark cloud in the sky and it was hovering over the soccer field making it feel much cooler. Wise to the Hilliard soccer fields, I asked Mindy to bring me my fleece jacket.

The sky was literally blue all around us and I could see the sun was shining nearby too, but just not on us. Bella said she felt a few rain drops. Aside from a few brief spurts of sunshine, that one cloud managed to hover overhead for the game's entirety (one hour). Perhaps the cloud was foreshadowing how Jacob’s team would play. They got outplayed yet again, losing 5-1. I almost dreaded face to face interaction with Jacob afterward. He’s never pleasant, and recently has been more than eager to cast blame on his team mates, a character flaw I totally disapprove of.  In fact, he and his team mates more than once were yelling at one another during the game. There’s no doubt that the caliber of players in this league is far superior to what he’s accustom to. They’re small but mighty!

If I know Jimaken, he’ll get them up to speed soon, but it might not be until next season (spring). This is Hilliard’s first year in this league.

Mindy asked if I had heard back from Lindsey while we were watching the soccer game. Up until then I hadn’t, but don’t you know that when I checked my droid I saw I had an email waiting from her. In it, she went on about needing our help with before and after school care for the kids as well as help with transportation to and from her new job. Oh boy!

Sure enough, Jacob moped over to us after the game. I did my level best to tune out the dialogue he was having with Mindy. Honestly, not sure what he was saying. Bella was riding with me. We’d already agreed to stop at Wendy's on our way home, a promise I made to her the night before when I picked her up at gymnastics. Mindy asked that I get Jacob a spicy chicken sandwich with lettuce and no mayo, fries too.

We stopped at the Wendy’s drive-thru at Hilliard-Rome and Trabue.  We had our order filled and were on our way in no time. Mindy and I would be eating leftovers. My mom called as soon as we pulled out of the Wendy’s. We chatted over Bluetooth handsfree the entire drive home. She talked mostly about her upcoming knee replacement surgery. Seems likely that she’ll do both too. I mean she’s got to keep up with dad. I purposefully kept dad’s latest surgical procedure a secret because next thing you know, she’ll be scheduling a face lift too.

Not in the best frame of mind, I gave her an earful when she shared that she’d likely skip the recommended rehab. I even accused her of making poor decisions much like daughter Lindsey. 

I handed the bag of Wendy’s to Bella while I finished my call with mom and then carried in my work gear. Immediately in the front door I nearly tripped over Jacob’s soccer cleats, which were left smack dab in the middle of the entry way on the rug. Damn it! For the last time, move your frikin’ shoes out of the door way.

I find the act dangerous, not to mention rude and offensive. His mother let him eat the Wendy’s I bought him before making him follow through with moving them. I was beside myself. It was all I could do to restrain my thoughts from going verbal. And it wasn’t just the shoes. He did the same thing with his soccer ball, dropping it once inside the door and leaving it rolling around on the tile floor. Yet another serious danger. It’s white just like the floor. Somebody’s gonna hurt themselves.

Mindy asked if I wanted her to prep me some leftovers. I declined. After blowing off some steam and waiting for the soccer shoes & ball to be picked up, I made myself a real chili dog.

Mindy had the kids get showers after they finished their dinner and homework. Like it often does, dinner sat heavy in my stomach. It made me incredibly sleepy, that along with a little History Channel, which incidentally was another show about significant asteroids that have impacted the Earth. I fell asleep in short order. Probably even before 845pm. I didn’t wake again until everyone else was already in bed. I’m not really sure the time but guessing it was close to 11pm. I know this, I had not trouble at all falling right back asleep.

Rainy Vacation Day (not quite what I had in mind)

Despite having one more vacation day, I was up just ahead of 6am and well before Mindy. I felt good and fully rested. Getting a jump on the day only made sense. I glanced out back at the deck. It wasn’t raining at the time, but it must’ve overnight. There was water beaded up nicely on the freshly stained deck.

I started coffee then completed both sit-ups and push-ups. I took Mindy some coffee around 620am. Back downstairs I played on the computer for nearly an hour, not only reading about my hapless Vikings, but also a few bits from a few of the other Sunday games.

I listened to Mindy coax the kids out of bed, a treat I miss most other work days since I’m usually out doing my run about that time. They were slow to motivate. Mindy didn’t have to bother frying eggs since I was staying home. I didn’t plan to run until the kids were off to school on the bus.

The time went fast. Soon Mindy was leaving for work and the kids playing in their rooms ahead of bus time. I killed time editing pictures using the full edit capabilities in Photo Shop Elements 8. I’m almost embarrassed to say that I wasn’t aware of all the basic editing tools available to me in the full edit mode. I’ve been living with the lame quick edit tools for almost two years now. Obviously, the full edit tools offer much greater flexibility. It’s like getting new software.

It was 805am in a hurry. The kids and I headed out to the bus stop a few minutes later. At the time it was only threatening rain. The bus pulled up right at 815am. I have to laugh every time I see the same little boy with his head pressed against the bus window starring with an unchanged expression every single morning. He seems to be looking at the pugs. He never makes eye contact with me or Chrissy. 

Chrissy asked what I had planned. I shared only that perhaps some yard restoration work should the weather cooperate. I headed back home walking Eiknarf out front for a short while. By design, I was already in my running clothes, a kind of reminder not to divert my attention elsewhere before the run was completed.

I wore a thin, long sleeved wicking shirt and long running pants. It started to sprinkle a little while doing the 4.1 miles. I didn’t let it bother me, though. If it stayed like that, I figured I could still do my lawn restoration work without a problem. I just wouldn’t have the pleasure of doing it in the sunshine.

I was back home somewhere close to 9am. No sooner was I back that I got started on my projects. Before doing anything outside, I took down the trim rings from around the kitchen spot lights. Originally white, they’ve yellowed significantly over the years. I could easily have replaced them but they’re about $5 each. I bought a can of white spray paint for $4 that would cover all four and then some. They come down easily. You unscrew the bulb then lift off two springs and voila. I washed them with hot water and Fantastik first, and then let them set for a while. I headed to the PC to do a little writing.  After about an hour or so I gathered up the four trim rings along with some lashing wire and headed out back behind the shed where I do most spray painting. I hung each ring from a honeysuckle branch using the lashing wire. As careful as I was to not spray the paint on too thick, I still managed to create a couple runs, but nothing to worry about. I left them dangle then headed back inside to do a little more writing. After another 30 minutes I noticed that it was starting to rain. I hustled outside to fetch the rings. They were still dry, protected by the cover of honeysuckle.

I took them to the garage where I suspended them from the base of the overhead garage door and gave them a light 2^nd coat. I then hung them from a wire shelf so I could close the overhead door. The rain continued. In fact, it was raining hard enough that I had to scrap my yard restoration work, at least for the time being. I spent time writing and then napping while it rained. It wasn’t a pretty day outside.

Waking from my nap around noon, I took the hair dryer out to the garage where I hit the trim rings with some warm, dry air. That helped the paint harden enough that I could reinstall them in short order.  They look exactly like I hoped – a bright white satin finish. With the afternoon my oyster, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself since I didn’t really have a contingency plan for a rainy day. Again, when I scheduled my time off it was forecasted to clear for four straight days. The rain continued all afternoon. I did plenty of writing and a lot of napping.

It was 3pm in a hurry. Where had the day gone? Mindy asked that I put four potatoes in the oven at 3pm baking them for dinner. I followed her orders then headed up for a shower. A shower felt great, and even lifted my spirits some. A rainy Monday is not what I had in mind. I guess I just needed to be thankful that I got the deck stained and a round of golf in.

I’ve had a kink or dull ache in my left shoulder since trimming trees a couple weekends ago. It was getting better until I aggravated it again with two days of brushstrokes staining the deck. It felt like it needed to pop.  I did my best to stretch it out realizing that the source of the pain might actually originate elsewhere.  What felt best was getting my lower back up against a vertical surface allowing my shoulder blades to bore the brunt of my weight. I didn’t pop but it stretched the entire area nicely. I took three Advil, too. I knew that would help.

It was 4pm and the kids were soon home from school. They both enjoyed snacks and played until Mindy got home around 430pm. She stopped at Kroger or Target on her way home. She thanked me for remembering the potatoes and then started dinner – salmon. She also helped Bella with homework while I took yet another lazy nap.

 I slept until about 5pm. Once up, I helped Bella finish her math homework and then quizzed on her new spelling words. Mindy was baking the salmon in her homemade foil pouches. I asked that she throw mine under the broiler to finish it up. I saw she was pan searing some asparagus too. Dinner was ready around 530pm. Bella was the exception. She had hot dogs while the rest of us had the salmon.  Jacob couldn’t finish his dinner. He usually loves salmon.  I guessed that he made too big a pig of himself eating half a bag of pita chips and hummus earlier. Mindy agreed. He ate several donuts fresh off the bus too.

Mindy asked which transportation shift I wanted – drop-off or pick-up. Again, I acquiesced to her preference. She wanted to drop-off. I managed clean-up and was done by about 610pm. Afterwards, I went to my PC where I did some more weekend blogging and then took yet another brief nap. During my nap I heard Mindy ask Bella to take Eiknarf out for a walk. She did, even though she had friends over playing upstairs (Makayla and Emily).  I heard a crashing sound upstairs, which I later learned was a bunch of pennies Jacob had lying in a towel drying off. Don’t ask.

The girls headed out to walk Eiknarf with Bella a few minutes later. When Bella got back, Mindy took her to gymnastics. I’m guessing it was near 650pm. Mindy wasn’t gone that long at all. I really wanted to chill out and lounge around, but also wanted to finish writing Saturday’s blog. I stayed at it until that day was done. I haven’t published anything since last Wednesday which I noticed was dated incorrectly. It happens.

I stayed dressed in my regular clothes as opposed to getting into my PJs since I agreed to fetch Bella at 830pm. We watched the MNF pregame leading up to my departure at 820pm. It didn’t take long to get to DCW Elite. I walked in and witnessed a girl on the gymnastics team doing some darn good flips and twists on the mini trampoline. Wow! Impressive. Bella gathered her things and we scooted outta there. Again, they actually go until 9pm, but Mindy shared that we’ll be picking Bella up at 830pm.

Bella asked if we could stop at Wendy’s on our way home. I, of course, declined, but offered that she would have time for a snack. She wasn’t too thrilled. She then shared that she wanted to quit gymnastics. Not sure where that came from. And by the time we were home and in the house, she was just short of tears. Said she had a terrible day, but wasn’t willing to share why.

Mindy and I both tried consoling her, but to no avail. In fact, she only got more dramatic. Mindy put her in a basket hold until she agreed to calm down. And even once she was loose she rain off to her room. Mindy insisted she get a shower while up there. Mindy again quizzed me about what she might’ve shared with me on our drive home. There was only the Wendy’s thing and then something about somebody at gymnastics saying or doing something. Bella can be very dramatic.

For a brief stint after her shower, she would only communicate with Jacob. She was having nothing to do with Mindy or I. Mindy and I both laughed when I said that life has to be pretty bad when Bella is counting on only Jacob for her moral support. J

Jacob actually got her to come downstairs and enjoy a snack – a pop-tart. She remained quiet to both Mindy and I until it was bedtime. At some point the episode with Jacob’s pennies came up. Most of which were now missing. According to Bella, Makayla took them, something she’s got a habit of doing – taking other peoples money.  Mindy quickly phoned Chrissy even though it was 945pm.

They talked for a while. Mindy later confided that Makayla admitted taking them, but said Bella and Emily did too. Said they threw them outside while walking Eiknarf. Mindy was determined to get to the bottom of it. Of course it’s not the value of the pennies that had us concerned. Rather, it’s the idea that she would think it’s OK to take them from our house.

I tucked Bella into bed a couple minutes later. On her own accord, she shared three reasons while she might’ve had a meltdown earlier. In brief, three different run ins with peeps. Said the last thing pushed her over the edge. I simply shared that it’s OK to get frustrated but it’s how we respond to those  tough times that helps us grow. She seemed at peace as I left her room.

Downstairs with Mindy, I shared what Bella told me. Wasn’t sure if she had told Mindy the same thing. She hadn’t. Mindy and I stayed up until halftime of MNF, or 1010pm. At the half, the Giants lead the Rams. It was still raining as we headed off to bed.