To-Mulch-ewh-Us Day

 

I was up and out of bed near 740am. Out the window, I could see that we were under mostly cloudy skies but they didn’t look threatening. I quickly started a pot of coffee then played around on the computer. I checked the radar to see if there was any rain the offing. While there was a chance of thunderstorms forecasted, there didn’t seem to be any nearby. Our plan was to spread mulch, so I was hopeful that it would remain dry through at least late afternoon.

Mindy joined me downstairs between 830- 9am. We spent a little time together on the deck enjoying coffee before I ultimately dressed and headed off on a run. Jacob was up before I left. And at his request, Mindy started making breakfast burritos. During my warm-up lap, Kenny pulled up with a construction trailer full of bagged mulch, a full skid for himself and then another 15-20 bags strapped down for the O’
Connell’s. He commented that he hoped it remained overcast.

I ran the usual weekend 3 miles. Felt good. By the time I was back at home the girls were up too. Mindy asked if I wanted a burrito and then if I wanted her to put it together. Yes. It was really good. I’m thinking it was after 11am when we headed to start spreading mulch. Mindy agreed to meet me out front and spread while I cut and dumped. By then it was mostly sunny and only got sunnier as the day progressed. Before spreading the first bag of mulch, we had to pull some baby weeds that had already sprouted in the east most flower bed. I also raked the edge clean by hand tossing it all into a five-gallon pail. Mindy was going to do the weeds, but I had them all pulled by the time she joined. I had the Bose iTouch dock blaring Goo-Goo Dolls from the garage. Seemed like we were making great time working our away around the front and then along the west beds then the back. I tried to stay a couple bags in front of Mindy. Had to borrow a couple bags from the back beds to complete the front and westside. Still a pretty goods eyeball estimate. Mindy took a very brief break to check the laundry and fetch us some Gatorade, but other than that we kept going until 2-230pm. By then we had most of the back down barring the large red maple tree and the bed out by the shed. We took a 30 minutes break and Mindy made sandwiches. I wasn’t sure if we would have enough to finish. I knew one thing, it was going to be close.

There was poison ivy in the shed bed. And since Mindy’s less inclined to get a rash, she agreed to do the removal while I cleaned the edge up. Took her a while to carefully pull the poison ivy. While she did that, I took care of the small beds out front near the front door. When I finished we only needed a half bag more out front for one of the street side maples.

I had 2.5 bags leftover from last year’s mulching stashed under the shed. In year’s past any remaining bags turned almost completely to dirt. But keeping them out of the elements must be the trick. The two unopened bags looked good as new and came in real handy. Bottom line, we had just enough to finish the entire job. It was 4pm when we finished and Mindy headed in for a shower. We were supposed to be at Lane’s (Darwin’s son’s) 13th birthday party at 6pm. Mindy still needed to make a Target run to get a card and gift as well as picking up prescription. While Mindy rushed off to the shower, I got the girls set-up with a sprinkler in the backyard. Emma was over, a new neighborhood friend of Bella’s. She was at our home all afternoon after her dad stopped by to let us know that he was heading out. I mistakenly assumed he was running a quick errand. Emma later told us he went golfing. 

I got in the shower when Mindy got out. I was careful to use the exfoliation scrubber all over my arms, legs, face and neck to wash off any possibly poison ivy residue. Mindy left for a Target run while I hung at home with all the kids. They were outside playing for the entire time making my job extremely easy. I spent about 45 minutes writing in my blog. Mindy was gone a little more than an hour. I asked Mindy what she thought about taking Emma with us since we were quasi responsible for her. Mindy figured it fine, but has Emma call her dad. She ended up handing the phone to Mindy. We left for the McVey’s around 615-620pm. Mindy, Jacob and I opted to drive while Bella and Emma rode their bikes/scooters.

As expected, lots of cars lined up out front. We parked just around the corner on a street less traveled. Lots of kids gathered out front. And a lot of their family was there already too. Mindy jumped right in helping Connie in the kitchen. She was whipping up all sorts of interesting dishes for the party. When they realized they needed more ice, Darwin and I opted to make a run to the nearest carryout. I drove. He suggested we visit the Quarry Carry-Out on McKinley near 5th ave. Darwin wanted to pick-up more beer – CBC IPA. He knows the owner of the carryout and proudly introduced me to the two brothers. Can’t recall the older one’s name. The younger one’s name is Mohammed. Nice guys. After grabbing a six pack of IPA and a small bag of ice we were on our way back to Darwin’s.

By then the Weber grill’s coals were ready for Darwin’s shish kabobs. While Darwin grilled, I spent time with the kids playing out back and then talked with Darwin’s brother-in-law, Tom. Headed inside to check on Mindy, too. Darwin must’ve grilled 30 shish kabobs some chicken and some beef. I didn’t eat until most others already had their fill, though I did snack on the veggie pizza and cheesy sausage dip.

Shortly after I finished my shish kabob, Connie brought out a pyramid of chocolate donuts serving as a birthday cake for Lane. I snapped several photos. Shortly after the birthday song, many of us headed to the basement to listen to Jordan’s band play a few tunes. They’re certainly not ready for prime time, but it was fun just the same. According to Darwin, having several of his friends over the following weekend where he and his bandmates are putting on a mini-concert.

Most of the family members left soon after Jordan’s performance. It was around 9pm. Meanwhile, Connie was preparing to take Lane and several of his friends bowling, including Jacob. Mindy helped Connie get the house somewhat back in order, putting away most, if not all of the leftovers. Darwin was staying home and hanging out around their fire pit with his b-in-law, Danny. Mindy and I headed home with Bella. Darwin invited me to stick around but I headed home with Mindy. However, I did leave open the possibility of walking back in a short while.

Once at home, Bella asked if she could have a sleepover at Makayla’s. Those two are largely inseparable. Mindy agreed. I cracked open another beer and sat on the deck under the moonlight. It was a gorgeous early summer evening for doing just that. Both Mindy and I were tired and declared it bedtime near 1030pm. Mindy agreed to watch last week’s replay of SNL. We might’ve caught 15 minutes before turning it off and falling asleep.

Darwinian Evolution Proudly Dampened by Hopiates

By design, I slept in until almost 6am. I felt OK but still a little sleepy. Downstairs, I started a pot of coffee and then decided to skip calisthenics, which is something I rarely do. And because I planned to work at home, I got my laptop fired up while waiting on the coffee to finish brewing. Headed upstairs to wake Mindy at 615am. Left her coffee on the night stand.

Back downstairs, I didn’t hear the usual telltale sounds of Mindy up and stirring until almost 645am, or shortly before Jacob headed out the door for the school bus. Sounded as if Mindy skipped a shower. That wasn’t a good sign. By 7am, I was fully engaged in my work day. I didn’t plan to run until Bella was on the bus and off to school. By design, Mindy took the Accord to school. She left near 730am. I wanted access to the Pilot so I could go after mulch later that day in preparation for Saturday’s yard work. In fact, if all went as planned, I wouldn’t work much past noon.

I made sure that Bella was on pace to head out at 810am and then headed out with the pug for a walk. It was soupy, warm and foggy – about 62 degrees. Bella and I headed out on time. Just before she boarded the bus, I asked how many school day remain – just 10 including this one. After a short conversation with Chrissy I headed home to ready for my run. I was out the door by 825am.

Already, I could tell that the fog was beginning to lift. It was still cloudy but at least visibility was much improved. I ran the usual 4.1 miles and felt good doing so. Worked up one heck of a sweat. I was back at home shortly after 9am and quickly reengaged in work. I joined a quick call at 930am. Stayed busy with work until 1pm when I called it a day. I headed to dad’s place to pick-up his trailer and then onto Ohio Mulch. Buying bagged mulch, I knew I’d have to make two trips. I paid for 50 bags up front, but only took 25 at a time. I had to remind the two young guys helping me load of the current bag count multiple times.
At home I went to the shed for the tractor and trailer then delivered the 25 bags strategically around the flower beds starting out back. It’s hard work first lifting them out of the larger trailer then out of the smaller trailer in the yard. By 20-25 I was sopping wet with sweat. But as hard as that work is, it’s far easier than buying mulch it bulk and having to shovel it into the trailer. I took a short food, water and work check break before heading back to get the rest of my mulch purchase.

I had to laugh when once again the kid helping me load miscounted as if he was trying to short change me. As many times as I told him the goal was 25 bags, he kept trying to cut it to 20. He tossed in a couple ripped bags too. Oh no! By 230pm the sun finally broke through the thin cloud cover and really steamed things up. It wasn’t that hot, but still very humid. Was more than happy to finish unloading the last of the mulch before 3pm. Again, I didn’t plan to spread even the first bag until Saturday. With the mulch bags strategically in place, I took about 30 minutes to sink four grey gorge patio stones into the front edge of the westside flowerbed to making passing between the bed and the blue spruce pine trees a little easier. The task was much harder than I envisioned.

Jacob was soon home from school and quickly headed off to find and play with friends. After cooling off and then taking care of a couple administrative work issues, I headed out to mow the lawn. I was still worn out from heaving 50 bags of mulch around but the idea of having the lawn work completed by Friday evening was just too enticing to pass up.

However, before cutting the first blade of grass, I took a few minutes to saw up the rotted sheet of 4’X8’ wood siding I pulled off the front of the house last summer. I sawed into pieces small enough to fit in the trash can. That was another one of those tasks that’s been lingering on my to-do list for some time. Glad it’s finally done. I spent the next couple hours mowing, trimming, edging and blowing, finishing up the weekly (every 5 days) lawn chores by 530pm. Before heading in for a shower, I watered all the flowers front and back. I became aggravated by the damage already done to several of our plantings, either by animals or intolerance to weather conditions. I found that a couple of our large deck pots were rummaged through my squirrels. I could tell that Mindy was amused by my cursing at the plants.

Bella was having an overnight guest, her friend Alena. Leading up to her arrival, she and Makayla played outside. I told Mindy that it would soon turn into Makayla staying over too. It didn’t take but 10 minutes for that to come to fruition.  Mindy & Jacob asked about doing dinner at Barley’s. As good as that sounded and as hard as I worked, I wasn’t at all looking forward to Barley’s with four kids. IN fact, it sounded more like punishment. 

I knew Darwin had a rare Friday night off work. I sent him a text asking if he wanted to meet at Barley’s. Minutes later, I thought he responded but it was Bob Imber instead, asking I/we were going to Barley’s. I asked Mindy how she felt about me going to Barley’s alone. She was fine with it. She was busy working from home in an attempt to catch up on several yearend tasks, including report cards. I texted both Bob & Darwin that I was a go. Bob later withdrew citing Mary Ann’s desire to go elsewhere. I left for Barley’s by myself around 645pm. If memory serves me well, the last time I went to Barley’s alone was back in October.

Not too big a crowd at all and very few regulars. I talked with two older gentlemen I see in there quite often. Both are retired. The one guy shared that his wife passed away and he retired. Said he ran marathons’ until his knees gave out. Said he quit smoking at 40 and took up running. Felt on top of the world when he was 55. He soon added that it was all downhill from there. He encouraged me to keep running until I can’t. He did add that it’ll likely cripple me. That was an encouraging conversation. 

After those two left I stood quietly waiting for Darwin to show. Soon, Barley peep, Al showed up. I don’t know Al that well, but well enough to know a little about his family life. He encouraged me to belly up next to him at the bar. At first I declined the stool simply for preferring to stand. But then he asked me to sit down again. I sensed that he wanted to talk about something, but just what I wasn’t sure. He soon went on to share that his 20 year old daughter recently shared that she’s pregnant and he was devastated. Needed to talk to someone, and he said he knew that I had been through it before too. And for a short while there, his emotions got the best of him. He was struggling with several emotions: shock, fear, and anger. And some of the thoughts he shared were similar to those I had when I first learned that Courtney was pregnant with Kaileigh. I shared that despite my initial anger, fear, and resentment, Kaileigh was an absolute blessing and that I wouldn’t trade her for anything. We talked a lot about help without enabling. We both laughed when we both shared our first thoughts which was that our daughters couldn’t even take care of themselves, let alone a baby.

Soon Bob & Carol showed up. They’ll often stop in for one beer. And holding with tradition, they had one beer and left, but not before inviting me up to their nearby lair, which I’ve been. I had to decline the invite, however, since I was still awaiting Darwin’s arrival. And speaking of Darwin, he showed up around 8pm, or just before Bob & Carol left for home. Al soon left for home too.

Darwin and I sat for a while, me eventually ordering dinner – a Cuban with bacon. And man, was it ever delicious. I woofed down the whole thing. I drank three beers during my visit. My tab was only $20. Before cashing out, I offered to get Darwin’s too. After all, he & Connie helped us the evening before by picking up Bella from gymnastics. And since Darwin was dropped off at Barley’s, I drove us home, but not before texting back and forth with Mindy. She offered to come pick us up if necessary. I was fine having drank only three beers over 3 hours and eating a very hearty sandwich.

Darwin came in our place. Said he’d have Jordan come pick him up later. Mindy was already up in bed, but still awake and reading. Bella and her two friends – Alena and Makayla – were watching Grown-Ups in the family room. I went up to chat with Mindy briefly. She said she was coming downstairs to say hello. She never showed. Darwin and I each had one more beer but that’s it – a Hop Notch. As planned, Jordan came by to get Darwin around 11pm. I headed for bed as soon as Darwin left. Told the girls to make sure and turn off the lights and TV.

Favorite State

I was up at 525am after perhaps the soundest sleep I've gotten in the last couple weeks. Felt excellent. It occurred to me during exercise that there just might be a direct correlation between taking a 500mg Naproxen shortly before bed and quality sleep. I remembered, too, that it was a Todd Rundgren day. Mindy & I had tickets to his State tour show at the LC pavilion for later that evening. That elevated my spirits higher than they already were.

A thunderstorm rumbled through during the overnight. It was still cloudy but the rain was pretty much gone. It was fairly warm too, a balmy 68 degrees. Enjoyed coffee and internet until it was time to wake Mindy. Stretch and meditation were next. Both went reasonably well, though my meditation of late hasn't been as thorough as it needs to be. I left for a run around 635am, running the usual 4.1 miles. Great run.

Mindy was still at the house when I returned, but not for long. As soon as she left, I got busy making breakfast and packing my lunch. Bella and I headed out at our usual time - 810am. The bus was there on time. I took care of a few loose ends before leaving the house, including listening to more of Todd's new CD.

I was soon off to work, but not to the main office. Instead, I was working from New Albany since I was in training all day Wednesday. It was supposed to be another decent day but with a chance of storms. I opted to not drive the BM’er. Left the house near 845am taking 670 east. Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t a problem at all. I listened to ESPN on XM. All the talk was about Saturday’s Power Ball drawing, now forecasted to be $500 million. Note to self, buy a ticket. Arrived in New Albany around 910am. Beautiful walk into the office, already near 70 degrees and sunny.

Once I was logged in and settled I went in search of the director so we could catch up on a few things. Because it wasn’t my regular onsite day, we didn’t have any meetings or calls planned. I stayed focused and busy all morning. Left for lunch around 1pm and headed to Lowes where I bought a couple more big beautiful zinnias. I wasn’t gone that long, only about 30 minutes. Still, getting out in the lovely weather and milling about the Lowes nursery was therapeutic.

Once back at the office I grabbed my packed food from the fridge and got back to work. I had a very productive afternoon and subsequently the time went by quickly. Leaving the office, my mind was flooded with work issues, but I did a more than remarkable job burying those thoughts since this was a Todd Rundgren night. I called Mindy once I was safely on 270. We discussed the evening’s logistics, which included dropping Bella at gymnastics before leaving for the concert. My dad was then expected at the house by 730p to intercept both kids after their extracurricular activities. Jimaken was taking Jacob to soccer practice.

I made good time barreling around 270, getting home by 525pm. Mindy asked if it might make more sense for us both to take Bella to gymnastics and then head straight to the concert, which according to the tickets would start at 7pm. Why not? We both changed clothes and then left to take Bella by 540pm. As is always the case, traffic was tight the entire drive to gymnastics. We took the back way because the freeway is always a no-no that time of day. We dropped Bella a couple minutes ahead of 6pm.

Destined for the LC Pavilion in the Arena district, we took 270N to 70 E to 670 E eventually exiting at Neil Ave. Any concern for heavy traffic going that way was for not. Smooth sailing the entire way. We parked in the North Market parking lot. Figured it was centrally located to many bars and restaurants as well as the concert venue. It was only 615pm. I suggested Barley’s Ale House #1 or the North Market. We opted for the North Market. Neither one of us had been there for years.

We did a full loop of the indoor market checking out the food and beer offerings. We ended up getting gyros at the Firdous Express, a Mediterranean place. We ate outside under the cover of their patio. Nice! After woofing down our gyros we ventured over to the Park St Tavern to have a beer. Our ex-CBC peep, Kayla was working. Haven’t seen her since the end of September. We were hoping they’d have Bodhi on tap but Kayla reported just running out. I opted for Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger IPA. Mindy went with Nugget Nectar. We talked with Kayla the entire time. Learned she’s a poly-sci major. It was 7pm. We headed after just one beer.

Fairly long line waiting for entrance. I guessed they only recently opened the doors. The crowd appeared shockingly old to my eyes. I can only guess that I appear that way to others too.  Interesting how we view ourselves as compared to others. The line moved swiftly. Inside the venue by 715pm. We checked out the t-shirt offerings at the door. Mindy offered to buy me one, but I didn’t really care for the design/selection. We headed to the bar where we surveyed their draught beer offerings. All bad! We opted for booze instead. I ordered a Jack & Coke while Mindy ordered a Rum and Diet. We went and found our seats which by design were in the last row at the end. Turned out, however, they added a few more seats moving us in about 4 or 5 chairs. No biggie.

We sat for a while talking and people watching but then got up to use the restroom and then walk around. We never did sit in our seats again. Spotted a couple Barley’s peeps and spent a while talking with the two of them. We stood just behind the last row of seats center stage. I’m guessing no more than 150’ from the stage. The show started very near 8pm with Todd playing Imagination, the first song on his brand new CD. It was just three musicians – Todd, a drummer and a bass player. Todd, of course, played guitar, keyboards and vocals. There was a lot of prerecorded background stuff mixed in too.

The music was fantastic, and Todd’s voice was spot on. The presentation was top notch, too. Bottom line, the show ranks right up there with some of his very best, and most of the tunes he played were from his last three CDs. Still relevant after 4 decades. The new stuff has a strong techno influence. His encore included Can We Still Be Friends & Hello It’s Me, but juiced up with a flavorful techno beat. Very cool!

I did notice a couple couples leaving apparently in disgust, shaking their heads in disapproval. They must’ve come expecting Todd to play his old stuff. I left fulfilled and I know that Mindy loved it too. I think he’s finally won her over too, this her fourth T.R. show. The show was over by 940pm. We headed back to our car. Mindy had a decent buzz after two or three rum & Cokes to go along with the glass of wine she had before leaving the house and then the beer at Park St Tavern. She was texting her teacher pal Shelly, who was at Brazenhead. Asked if we could go meet her. It wasn’t until she learned that they were at the Dublin Brazenhead that she recanted. We headed home where dad was watching the kids.

Arrived home by 10pm. Kids were already off to bed after watching the American Idol finale. Bella shouted over the railing that so and so won. We chatted with dad for a good 15 minutes before we thanked him and he left for home. I took a couple Advil more as an insurance policy. But Mindy, I guessed was going to have a rough start come Friday morning. 

Cloud but No Clouds BM'er Day

I was up on time again, once again motivated by the fact that training started promptly at 9am and me wanting to be there about 15 minutes early. It was a push-up day, so exercise was a tad more grueling than the two even days. After exercise, I headed out on the deck with a flashlight to check the critter trap set-up by the hole going under my deck. Lo and behold, inside was a ground hog, and presumably the same one that's been tormenting us for a few years no. Not only has it tunneled around our foundation, but it also likes to eat our summer plants & flowers, and had even been known to come up on the deck to get at the pots.

Now that I had him trapped, I wasn't quite sure what to do with him, but decided quickly that I would release him at the golf course across the street - paradise for ground hog. I poured and delivered Mindy's coffee early, then shared my plan. I told Mindy I was going to take the Pilot over to Raymond golf course and free him. It was 6am. He was still and quiet until I lifted the bulky trap. Obviously frightened, he scrambled back and forth from one end to the other making it difficult to balance and carry. And don't think for minute that I wasn't concerned. I imagined placing him in the back of the Pilot only to have him escape the trap and then go into survival/attack mode. I covered the trap with the blanket we keep back there for the short drive to the golf course parking lot.

I envisioned freeing him without being noticed. But just my luck, they were mowing the hole #1 tee box and fairway at the same time. If that wasn't enough, a golfer pulled up nearby, too. Heck, and it wasn't even full daylight yet. I'd come this far. I decided to carry on with my plan. I quickly sat the trap on the pavement aimed towards the rough of fairway #1 and opened the trap door. The ground hog bolted immediately but not towards the course. Nope, Instead, he ran directly for the road. His timing couldn't have been worse. His trajectory had him on a collision course with a car tire. I cringed as he entered the roadway at full speed. I thought he was a goner, but in an instant he did a 180 and started back towards me & the course. He must've spotted me and remembered the horror I caused him, because a second later he did another 180 and bolted safely across Trabue and into the woods backing up to our subdivision. I figured he would find paradise in those woods and stop there. Let's hope my effort wasn't for not. I headed for home feeling good about ending the 3 year ground hog saga.

I was home by 620am and picked up right where I left off, enjoying a little more coffee before turning my attention to a brief meditation, a stretch, then a run. I headed out the door for my run around 655am, or about the same time that Jacob and all his school peeps were waiting at the bus stop. They're all at the age where they're just too cool to talk with me while I am running by. :)

It was plenty warm - about 68 degrees - so I wore shorts and the neon orange short sleeved running shirt Mindy bought for me a couple weeks ago. I ran 4.1 miles and felt terrific. At home, Mindy still hadn't left. She was anxious to here the results of my trip to the golf course. Bella was up, too, and was disappointed that I didn't keep the ground hog around long enough for her to see it. She was also worried that I might've killed it. I insisted otherwise.

Mindy soon bolted for school and I got busy preparing breakfast and lunch. Given the time, I didn't plan to shower until after seeing Bella onto the school bus. Finished eating and packing lunch around 755am. Spent a few minutes taking in the lovely weather and snapping a couple photos from the deck. Bella and I headed out at 810am. Kenny was at the bus stop with Makayla. Said he planned to stay home and work the flower beds. The kids were on the bus before 820am. I headed home and made last minute preparations for departure. Headed out the door at 830am in the BM'er.

Arrived at the office near 845am and headed straight to the training room where I quickly fired up my laptop but then ducked out to join a 9am customer call. The call wasn't long. I was back in the classroom with the others by 910am. The morning session held my interest well. We broke for lunch near 1150a. This time I made a Strader's run where I bought a single zinnia to replace one that inexplicably died. I also picked up four more vinca vines for the large geranium baskets. Because a visit to Strader's always does my heart good, I took my time browsing the flora instead of racing back to the office. Probably spent a solid half hour there in what could've taken just 5 minutes.

Still was back to the office 20 minutes before I needed to be. Used the time to catch up on email. Using the knowledge we'd acquired over the last day and one half, we huddled into teams for a group exercise. I've never been fond of those things. I let my partners pretty much dictate our solution. The afternoon session wrapped up before 330pm. After wishing those traveling a safe journey home, I packed my things and headed for home too, where I planned to finish the rest of my work day.

It was a glorious afternoon, sunny and well into the 80s. Later it would hit 89 degrees. Jacob was already home from school, and came downstairs briefly while I made a snack and got my laptop fired up. After working until 1030pm the night before, I had no intentions of working late again Wednesday. Come 510pm, I set work aside for the rest of the day and turned my attention to home and family. Neither kid had anything going on that evening. Mindy wasn't home until 520pm or so, apparently stopping for a beer after school with friends. As soon as she got home she whipped up a fresh garden salad and then spaghetti & meatballs. Didn't take more than 30 minutes to prepare everything. Ate dinner near 6pm. It was good.

After clean-up I headed out back where I planted the new vinca and replacement zinnia. Watered all the flowers, too, front and back. inside, I spent a solid half hour playing guitar and then took a nap in the recliner. My back was killing me. I asked Mindy if she would rub the knot out. Said she would but wanted me to come to the family room where she and Bella were watching Idol. I declined the offer for not wanting to participate in watching Idol. I took a 500mg Naproxen instead and then napped. I must've slept for nearly an hour waking shortly after 9pm. By then, Mindy was heading up to bed.

After my hour long nap, I got a second wind and stayed up quite a while longer watching How It's Made and then having a couple bowls of Cookie Crisp. Eiknarf apparently threw up on Bella'a comforter. She hollered for Mindy and I. Mindy went to help, ultimately deciding it best to wash her comforter. The house was quiet again around 930pm. I stayed up until almost 1045pm.

Head in a Cloud

Woke right at 530am and made sure I was out of bed and promptly downstairs. My goal was to stay on schedule and be at the office no later than 845am since the training class was slated to begin at 9am sharp. Completed exercise then enjoyed coffee until 605am. I delivered Mindy’s coffee then promptly moved on to meditation and stretching. Finished both of those at 625am. I rolled the trash can to the curb before dressing for a run. Judging by the neighbors full cans, he hadn’t been by yet.

It was still pretty chilly – 42 degrees – but the forecast called for a high of 75 and nothing but early weather for the next ten days. That was definitely a welcomed forecast. By the time I headed out for my run it was 740am.

It was cloudy immediately out the door but the promise of sunshine later remained. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Mindy was in the kitchen making last minute work preparations when I returned from my run. We actually had a few minutes together just like old times. She was giving Bella the business for dragging tail most likely brought on by staying up too late. I gleaned that Mindy caught her up screwing around in the middle of the night. That’s Bella!

I headed out with the pug. We were gone our usual 8 minutes. Mindy was ready to leave by the time I got back to the house. She had no sooner walked out the door when Bella asked what maw-maw did to her when she was a kid. I chuckled to myself but then reminded Bella that her mother only had her best interests in mind and that she needed to follow directions and avoid trouble. When she headed upstairs I reminded her to take care of her morning tasks: feed the pug, brush your teeth.

Packed my lunch, cooked and ate breakfast. Headed off to the shower at 748am. It’s been a while since I have been able to say that. I was showered, dressed, and ready for the bus stop by 806am. We headed out a few minutes later avoiding a few light sprinkles by hanging out under the rim of Trena’s garage. Chrissy remarked that it wasn’t supposed to rain. I shared that the sunshine was coming along with much warmer temps. The bus showed up near 815am. The pug and I headed home.

Took care of a few quick tasks, including pushing the hibiscus pots back out onto the deck and uncovering the flowers that Mindy covered the night before. I left the house before 830am.
Arrived at the office near 840am but wasn’t exactly sure where the training class was being held so I headed to my office first where I could log on and check.

Darn, the training was set-up on floor 2 just around the corner from the main entrance. I undocked my laptop and headed that way. Most of the class participants were already in place but there were at least 10 seats still available. I grabbed one in the front row and spent the next 10 minutes getting logged on to the network.

This was a 2-day training class on the ‘cloud’, which is one of the hottest buzz words in telecom right now. With few exceptions, I was at least somewhat familiar with everyone in the class. All totaled, about 25 of us. The presenter knew the material well and did a good job varying his delivery thus keeping my full attention. We took hourly breaks and lunch at 1150am. Asked us to be back at 1pm. Others invited me to join them for lunch, but I had errands to run. I ran to the bank to cash a check and then to Home Depot to get a new bulb for my halogen desk lamp. It’s been difficult to see my keyboard keys early mornings without the benefit of my desk lamp. A black desk and a black keyboard doesn’t lend itself to easy viewing without it. It died Sunday.

By lunch time it was sunny and warming nicely, though quite breezy. It was in the upper 60s, which felt marvelous after three straight days in the 50s. I was back well before 1pm and used the extra time to catch up on a few work issues and emails even though officially I had a peer covering for me.

The afternoon session went fast, though I hit a proverbial wall around 3pm. For the next 30 minutes I had to fight the urge to sleep. We wrapped up around 420pm. Because a few of my remote peers were in town for the training, my boss asked if I planned to join the team for dinner. Oops! Somehow I missed the email. I guess he sent it early Saturday morning. I declined for Jacob having soccer practice and Bella having gymnastics. I called Mindy, who encouraged me to go anyway. Nah.

I headed home and logged onto my laptop with plans to catch up on any emails I might’ve missed throughout the day. Once 5pm came around I tried putting work aside and being present with the family. We hung out for about half an hour before Mindy left to take Bella to gymnastics.

While Mindy was away, I was pulled into a mini crisis at work by the guy who covered me all day.
I wasn't pleased but had little choice. I sucked it up and dug into the matter best I could. Using leftovers, Mindy whipped up chicken wraps when she got home from dropping Bella. The wraps were yummy! By 6pm the breezy conditions from earlier were a thing of the past. It felt more like a summer evening, about 75, still and sunny. Very nice.

That work issue followed me all evening. I was committed to joining a 9pm call to help the customer. To temper some of my frustration, Mindy agreed to go after Bella leaving me to focus on work. She was back home before 8pm and we spent about 20 minutes together enjoying the lovely weather from the deck. I headed in again to prepare for that 9pm call.

Between the call and then a couple to-do's immediately after, I was up and working until almost 1030pm. By then Mindy was already in bed, and I could barely keep my eyes opened. I was more than ready for bed.

Chilly with the Hope of Coming Warmth

I didn’t sleep that well but still managed to get out of bed a few minutes ahead of 530am for a change. Downstairs I glanced out back at our many covered flowers. I didn’t notice any frost on the lawn or deck. I completed exercise; sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups, then went for coffee. For the first time in a while, I had plenty of time to enjoy coffee before needing to wake Mindy. That time went fast, however, most of it spent reading headlines.

According to the weather forecast, we’d have one more day & night of below normal temps then a return to early summer type conditions. A high in the mid-50s forecasted for Monday afternoon, but at least it was expected to be sunny. At the time it was 37 degrees. I decided to leave the plants covered until just before leaving for work. The frost warning was set to expire at 9am, and quite often our lowest temps of the day are right before sunrise.

Woke Mindy around 610am. Like me, said she didn’t sleep that soundly. Downstairs, I decided to steal a few more winks from the sofa. That turned into another half-hour. I didn’t get up again until almost 650am. I quickly stretched and dressed for a rung. Given the late hour, I headed upstairs to bid farewell to Mindy, knowing full well that she’d be gone by the time I got home from my run. She asked if I planned to work from home. No, planned on going into the office.

I ran the full 4.1 miles. It was chilly enough- about 38 degrees - that I had to tuck my hands up into my sleeves for the first half mile, or until my body heat took over. My thoughts quickly turned to how ready I am for the summer switch.

I was back home near 740am calling for the pug. I noticed how nicely the hibiscus and sweet potato vines bounced back after keeping them indoors overnight. And for the time being, I planned to leave then there since we were expecting one more night of chilly temps.

After walking the pug it was just ahead of 8am, I knew I wouldn’t have time to do much before school bus time, so I used the next ten minutes to do some work from home. Took care of a few things on my daily to-do list. Headed out with Bella at our usual time.

As soon as Bella was off to school, I got busy making my breakfast and lunch. Headed up for a shower around 850am. Was downstairs again ready to go by 915am. By then the sun was shining brightly and the temps well above 40. I headed out to uncover the pots and flowers we covered in bed sheets. I left the house around 930am. By then some clouds moved back in but they didn’t appear threatening rain.

Got settled in quickly and was logged on and working from the office by 10am. I had a lot I wanted/needed to accomplish, especially since I knew I’d be in training all day Tuesday &Wednesday. I had two important meetings/calls to join. The last not ending until almost 3pm. Sandwiched in between, I headed off to Strader’s where I bought four pots of deep purple verbena to add to one of the large hibiscus pots. I also stopped at the Giant Eagle just up the road from Strader’s hoping to pick-up some more White Rajah. They didn’t’ have any While Rajah, but they did have the Unita Hop Notch IPA brewed in Utah that I like. I bought a six pack of CBC Pale ale too, though I thought it was their IPA. I didn’t realize my mistake until I was putting it in my car and heading back to the office.

Joined the 2pm call shortly after I got back to the office. And as mentioned earlier, it went until just before 3pm. I spent the last couple hours of the day wrapping up sending out the most time consuming monthly report. I also sent notes to my client base letting them know that I would be out of the office both Tuesday & Wednesday for training. I provided a back-up contact, too. I left for home around 510p.

Mindy was already busy with dinner when I arrived home. She was grilling, but just what wasn’t readily apparent. It wasn’t until she called me to dinner that I noticed that it was boneless chicken breasts. IN addition to the chicken, she prepared fresh green beans and then an out-of-the-box rice dish. Dinner was delicious. I asked Jacob if the girl friend issue was resolved earlier at school. Said it wasn’t. Didn’t want to talk about it.

After finishing dinner clean-up I went to the livingroom recliner for a nap. I fell asleep quickly and slept for about an hour. I got up at 730pm, poured a glass of water, then told Mindy I was going to bed. She was a little surprised. I didn’t fall immediately asleep. Instead, I watched TV from bed - The Big Bang Theory reruns. Mindy & Bella joined me between 830-9pm. I fell asleep shortly after 9pm.

Chilly Brunch for Mom

I may not have slept super soundly, but the fact that I didn't have but one drink and got to bed at a reasonable hour, helped ensure that I woke feeling much, much better. I woke initially around 615am and even considered getting up, but somehow I managed to fall back asleep for another hour. Headed downstairs around 715am.

Downstairs, I quickly started a pot of coffee then gazed out at the weather. Despite brilliant sunshine, it was downright cold - only 38 degrees. Still, I was very happy to see the sunshine. I played around online while waiting on the coffee to brew. It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes.

I played around online for about an hour before heading out for a run. I dressed warmly but skipped hand and ear covers. My hands were a little cold initially but warmed quickly from body heat. Like most Sunday's, I ran three miles.

Back at the house, I poured Mindy some coffee then delivered it to her bedside. After setting her coffee on the night stand, I wished her a happy Mother's Day. She was up and downstairs about 15 minutes later. She asked if it was warm enough for coffee on the deck. I didn't think so, only 38 degrees, but we headed out anyway, albeit briefly.

I asked what time we needed to leave for brunch at CBC. Mindy suggested 1115am. By then it was already 10am and time for Jacob to get home from Josh's house. Josh hosted an impromptu sleepover after malling the evening before. to get in the shower. Mindy showered first, then me, then Bella. Jacob shower in there somewhere too. I asked Mindy if she wanted to wait and open her Mother's Day gifts later, after brunch and a stop at her Mother's. Nope, she wanted to open them right then.

Between the kids and I, we got her a couple cute cards, a bike helmet, a squirrel proof bird feeder along with a large bag of thistle seed. Bella wrote her a very sweet letter, too. Bella told me it made her teacher cry. We left for CBC just after 11am driving the Accord. Mindy put Gloria's Mother's Day gifts in the car so we could head there directly from brunch.

CBC only started serving brunch the weekend prior, so this was new for them as it was for us. I guessed that it wouldn't be largely attended. I was wrong. The place was near capacity. Wow! Still, we had a reservation and we were quickly guided to our table. Tara Paige was our server. She said we were on the reservation books as VIPs. How cool is that?

Mindy & I started with Mimosa's. The kids orange juice served in pint glasses. We ordered some calamari as an appetizer which came fairly promptly. Good thing, too. All of us complained of being extra hungry. So far that weekend, I hadn't eaten much at all.

The calamari was good but not that filling. We ordered our brunch entrees next. Jacob and I ordered the huevos rancheros. Bella, a Belgium waffle, and Mindy scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and biscuits. She ordered a 2nd mimosa too. Lots of time passed, probably 45-50 minutes, but still no food. Hmm? And then a couple guests that came in after us were already leaving after eating. That's when we guessed that something was amiss.

Tara Paige looked a little stressed when she went to the servers window and didn't see our food. Soon, Jamie the manager came by to share that they somehow misplaced our food ticket. She said the good news was that our meal would be fully comp'd. Wow! That certainly wasn't necessary, but very much appreciated. Jamie insisted she have another mimosa while waiting. Why not? I was driving. Our food ordered were out 5-10 minutes later. By then we were really hungry and we all woofed down our meals. Mindy shared her bacon and sausage. I was craving the protein.

As always, the food was delicious. Mindy ordered their freshly made keylime pie for everybody to share. I abstained. She and the kids dug in. We flagged Tara Paige down to insist that she give us a tab so we could easily tip her. She said there wouldn't be one. I didn't have cash so I had no real way to tip her without a bill. Mindy had plenty of cash and willing parted with $30 for a healthy tip. How's that for Mother's Day brunch? I didn't spend a dime!

Mindy phoned her mom soon after we left CBC. Told Gloria that we were about 10 minutes away. Made good time arriving near 1pm. Not only was it Mother's Day, but Gloria was celebrating favorite son, Todd's birthday that afternoon too, but all the others weren't expected to show up until much later. We were the only ones there.

Gloria was in good spirits and actually pleasant. We presented her with gifts, one I needed to put together - a solar powered multi-colored poppy landscape light. We quickly debated the best place to put it in her landscape where she was sure to get a glimpse of nightly. We agreed to place it along the fence bordering neighbor Paul's place. We tested it inside before Jacob and I took it outdoors.

Jacob and I were outside only briefly before heading back inside. We didn't stay too much longer, maybe another 15-20 minutes. We were home near 2pm. The kids quickly ran off to play and I headed upstairs to change into attire more suitable for working in the yard. My plan was to plant more flowers then also cut the lawn. I invited Mindy out to help with the planting. But by the time she joined in the fun almost all the planting was complete. I think she was inside doing laundry.

I was pissed when I discovered that our tropical planters were nipped during the overnight Saturday even though the temp didn't get much lower than 38 degrees Both the mini-hibiscus and sweet potato vines were shriveled up. I didn't think they were destroyed so I moved the planters so they could receive more of the afternoon sunshine. Still, I was frustrated that I just planted these on Friday when it was 80 degrees an now we get this cold snap. Just my luck.

We planned to enjoy the late afternoon with the neighbors, Kenny & Chrissy, who were hosting a Mother's Day cookout. Around 3pm I finally got started on the lawn. It was partly sunny, chilly and breezy. Looking at the bright side, the cooler temps made push mowing that much more tolerable. Took about an hour to cut the front and then the hilly side of the back. By then, Mindy was ready to walk down to the neighbors. It was near 430pm. I planned to finish the lawn chores before joining them.

Took about 15-20 minutes to tractor cut. And I didn't bother edging or whacking. After putting away the mowers as well as my planting gear, it was after 5pm. I headed inside to freshen up. Before walking down to the neighbors I grabbed two beers from the garage fridge - a White Rajah and a Southern Tier XXIPA.

Kenny & Guy were watching the end of the golf tournament. Tiger Woods was leading but by only one stroke. Kenny always roots against him. I greeted and extended a warm Happy Mother's Day hug to all the mom's then made a plate of food. Most of the others had already eaten. I ate the other half of Mindy's burger as well as a few chips. Not a whole lot.

Tiger Woods won the golf tournament more because all the others that were close failed to make key shots over the last couple of holes. After the scoriae, there was a sink full of dishes. Without saying anything, I started washing them, saving Chrissy the trouble. Actually though, she started drying soon after I started washing. We hung with the neighbors until 730-8pm. Jacob never did join us. Said he wasn't hungry.

Later, when Mindy talked with him she learned that he and his girl friend broke up. We think it had something to do with him being at the mall with other school peeps. including another girl while she was grounded. In fact, Mindy said he was crying in his room. About 30 minutes later I went up to check on him and talk. He didn't really want to talk, so I simply told him that it would all be OK.

After Saturday night's cold temps and a forecast promising more of the same Sunday, I decided to push the large deck pots already suffering into the kitchen for the overnight and then cover the others with bed sheets. Exposing them to the afternoon sun was already having a visible positive impact. That made me happy. I figured a night or two inside was just what the doctor ordered.

Once the plants were inside, I decided to call it an early night and headed to bed. It wasn't even 930pm but I was very tired.

Dreary & Gray GKid Day

I woke a couple of times in the middle of the night not feeling so well. However, never so bad that I felt compelled to get up and take Advil. Instead, I toughed it out and rolled over seeking more sleep. I heard Mindy get up around 8am. She needed to be up to get Bella to her gymnastics meet. We agreed that I would stay home with the wee ones and then take Jacob to his afternoon soccer game. I didn’t get out of bed until almost 9am. By then I felt pretty decent all things considered. Best guess, I drank about 6 beers the night before.

I poured coffee then gazed out the window at the dreary looking weather. It wasn’t raining but must’ve recently. The deck held puddles of water. Sticking my head out the back door I was a little surprised at how warm it was – about 50 degrees, especially considering that it wasn’t expected to be much warmer than the mid 50s all day.

While Mindy showered, the grandkids asked that I make them some frou-frou coffee. Bella asked Mindy if Olivia could attend the gymnastics meet. Mindy declined citing how board Olivia would become. She must’ve asked at least three times but each time it garnered the same response.

Mindy & Bella left before 10am. Once Jacob and Rocky were awake, I asked Jacob to keep an eye on the younger two while I set out on my 3 mile run. He agreed. As much as I trust Jacob, I worried the entire time I was gone. Lucky me, nothing to worry about. They were upstairs playing dolls the entire time I was gone.

The run left me depleted and hungry. I ate half of a cherry turnover that Mindy picked up at Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart. It was very good. Over the next hour I got really sleepy, and about the only thing I really wanted to do was nap but couldn’t. The kids, especially Landon and Olivia, kept after me to do this or that. I’m sure that they got real tired of hearing no, no, no! More than once I told myself that I was too old for this!

Mindy sent a text around 11am sharing that Bella scored 2nd place on the double-mini. In addition to keeping an eye on all the kids, Mindy had me doing Lindsey’s laundry. Near noon I needed some fresh air as much as the kids needed a diversion. I caved and let them head outside and play despite the wet, muddy yard and chilly temps. I was really aggravated to discover that the only shoes Lindsey sent with Landon were dress shoes. Ugh! Lucky for him, we keep an inventory of Jacob & Bella’s old shoes. Landon was able to squeeze into an old pair of his tennis shoes. While they headed to the tree house I planted/potted more flowers. The fresh air did wonders but wasn’t quite the magic pill I had hoped for. I simply needed an old fashioned nap.

After playing out back on the swing and in the tree house I called the wee ones to come in. They were covered in mud. Oh boy! Despite the chilly temps, I spayed their feet clear of mud and debris with the hose. I sprayed their shoes too. They were caked in mud. As soon as we were inside, they wanted food. Because of how poorly I felt, the multitasking left me wanting only to scream. But I want to be clear, it's not like they were misbehaving. Instead, they were just being 6. With Mindy away at Bella's gym meet, I took care of getting all of her Mother's Day gifts from me and the kids ready.

Mindy called a few minutes later asking how it was going. I had to talk on speaker phone since I was busy folding laundry. She said they were done and on their way home. Praise God! I was left with nothing in the tank. Mindy willingly took over shortly after returning home. By then, Lindsey's last load of laundry was in the washer. With her permission, I ducked off for a nap. I laid down in the recliner for about an hour but actually slept for less than 10 minutes. She made all the kids lunch. I heard all that going on while I was trying to nap.

The plan was for me to take Jacob to his Pickerington soccer game and leave the house near 3pm. Initially, all the kids were going to go too, but somehow Mindy talked then into staying home and playing. Landon said Mindy was way more fun that me. I agree, and especially then. I wasn't up for much of anything. Soon after I got out of the shower it was time for Jacob and I to bolt for the soccer match.

Took about 25 minutes to get all the way across town taking 70E to route 256 to Refugee Rd. then east another 3 or 4 miles. Jacob ran off to warm-up with his team mates while I sat in the car like a zombie. I watched the first half of the game from the car. Had a bird's eye view of the defenders goal. Jacob's team scored 4 goals in the first 10 minutes or so.

I tried sleeping but couldn't, though I did put the seat all the way back and tried. With 10 minutes or so remaining in the game, I headed out to watch from the sidelines. The game wasn't close. Jacob's team won 7 or 8 to zero. Turned out, I was standing with the Pickerington parents. They had many unkind things to say about the Hilliard team's play and attitude. Interesting perspective. I saw nothing flagrant or unsportsmanlike, and there were three refs controlling the game. Sore losers.

Jacob and I talked about going after fireworks, but i nixed that idea. He wanted to hurry home since he planned on going to Tuttle mall with a slew of his friends at 6pm. It was already 520pm. It was cloudy, cool, and windy late afternoon. Took about 25 minutes to get home. Lindsey & Ashley were there to pick-up the boys when we pulled up. They were just heading out the door. After a quick greet, the girls and gkids were gone. Jacob scurried off to the shower. His friend, Josh's mom was coming to get him at 6pm. Mindy agreed to go after them and deliver Josh home at 845pm.

We talked about going out somewhere for dinner but I had little desire and zero energy. I was content simply staying home and getting some much needed rest. Mindy, Bella and I watched four episodes in a row of Big Bang Theory. I poured a Jack & Coke and popped some popcorn. Mindy went after Jacob and Josh around 745pm planning a stop at Sam's Club to pick-up more brownies for Chrissy's Mother's Day cookout. I headed to bed early and was joined by Mindy soon after she got home. But as tired as I was, I just couldn't sleep. Watched the end of last week's Saturday Night Live episode then watched the 11pm news, something we do no more than 2 or 3 times a year. The plan was to watch the new SNL, but Mindy insisted we turn the TV off shortly after the weather forecast. Speaking of the weather forecast, they were calling for light frost in surrounding areas. Expecting lows in the mid to upper 30s. Not expected to return to normal temps until Tuesday.

Not Emilio Estevez

I was up at 545am and downstairs knocking out calisthenics a few minutes later. It was a push-up day, so any cob webs lingering in my head were soon a thing of the past. I planned to work from home and started checking email along with enjoying internet and coffee. Woke Mindy around 615am.

Back downstairs I spent the next 90+ minutes enjoying coffee, internet, but with a little work sprinkled in, too. And speaking of sprinkles, a brief but strong thunderstorm moved through the area just before dawn. At the time it was just humid, cloudy, and 60 degrees. Was supposed to clear up by day’s end. Saw Jacob, Mindy, then Bella off to school before heading out for a run.

Wore shorts and the new bright (traffic cone) orange running shirt Mindy bought for me last week. By run time the sun was already busting through the cloud cover. It looked like our weather was coming out of the west again after almost a week of an east moving system. I ran 4.1 miles and felt good the entire time. Worked up a good sweat in the near 100% humidity.

Back at the house I enjoyed some fresh fruit and a 3rd cup of coffee all while working. Planned an early lunch near noon and headed off to the westside Strader’s, Home Depot, & Lowes. I haven’t been to the Hillliard-Rome & West Broad St Strader’s for years (formerly Franks). I hoped to find some really nice large hibiscus for the deck. They didn’t have even one hibiscus, but they did have some small Althea (aka Rose of Sharon) in one gallon containers marked half off, or $5 each. I’ve been thinking about planting them along the water’s edge along with the honey suckle to add some brilliant summer color. I bought three. I also bought two large geraniums basket for the deck hanging baskets. Mindy really wanted to try something other than geraniums, but I’m convinced nothing will endure the long summer better than Strader’s lovely giant geraniums. The fact that there was only one register opened inside was somewhat of an annoyance.

Just a mile or so to the east, I headed to the West Broad St. Home Depot next. Surprisingly, they had some of the healthiest large hibiscus I’ve seen anywhere. I bought two, one red and one orange. A woman in front of me at the outdoor checkout had a large hibiscus, too, but not quite as full and a lesser price point. The only problem was it wasn’t bar coded so the cashier couldn’t scan it. The customer refused to go back to the outdoor display where she got it and get the SKU, and the cashier said it was too far for her to go as she wasn’t permitted to abandon register by that distance. They were engaged in what seemed like an endless stare down when I agreed to go after it to get the line moving. Good grief! The customer pointed me in the general direction and the cashier told me what to look for.

I found then in a hurry but rather than commit the SKU to memory, I pulled a tag and handed it to the cashier. Finally, I was on my way to Lowes. At Lowes I knew what I wanted. I quickly grabbed two of the purple ivy geranium hanging baskets that I planned to gift to Mindy for Mother’s Day. I also got a new sprayer for the hose. I went through two of them last season. After loading my Lowes purchase, the Accord was packed full of summer flora. At home I quickly unloaded my haul and got back to work. I planned to knock off around 1pm to make up for all the extra time I put in late evenings earlier in the week.

Ended up working until 130pm, but who’s counting? I headed out to do a little planting. I did the two giant red pots first, filling them both about 3/4s full then stuffing them each with three small hibiscus. After topping off the potting soil, I added two cannas bulbs to the center of each and then a couple sweet potato vines. Potted the giant geraniums next in the two new moss laden baskets. Stuffed with flowers and potting soil, they must weigh about 30lbs each. At finishing touch, I added two vinca vines to each. Given the size, I think I’ll add two more to each. But later.

Headed inside where I made myself a burrito. I was really hungry having not eaten anything other than fruit so far. That proved filling. I ran out of potting soil, and that’s after buying two of the 64 quart bags. I couldn’t do anymore. I thought I might run to Lowes at Mill Run to get another bag. A brief, but strong storm kicked up moments later complete with heavy rain, hail and wind. At times the gutters looked more like a waterfall. I waited to see if the storm would blow over before heading again to Lowes. Sure enough, the rain stopped and the sky brightened. I headed off to Lowes.

Started to spit rain again just as I pulled up at Lowes. Looked dark to our immediate west. I hustled into the garden center where I grabbed a 64 qt. bag of potting soil. The checkout woman asked if it might storm. I shared that it hit just south of there 30 minutes prior.

I was on 270 when another brief storm hit. It rained so hard that I almost pulled over. I could hardly see 10’ in front of me. Not only was it raining hard but the wind was blowing almost sideways. By the time I got back home the rain had all but stopped. I waited for the sky to brighten before heading back out to the deck for more planting. That was around 3pm. This time I potted the two hanging baskets in the maple trees.

There was more to be done but I was done. Figured I would do the rest – or some more – over the weekend. I headed in and upstairs for a shower. Jacob was going home from school with a friend. Bella got home around 4pm, or soon after my shower. She asked if she could go next door and play with Makayla. I asked the big question - is a parent home? Bella knows the drill. If there isn’t, she can’t stay. She was gone for just a couple minutes. Came home crying. Through the tears, I detected that a parent wasn’t home. She stormed off to her room and then called Mindy. Speaking of Mindy, it was 430pm and she wasn’t home from school. Figured she must’ve stopped for appetizers and beers with teacher peers.

Mindy got home around 515pm. Turned out, she made planned stops at Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart. She apparently told me about them the evening before.

Our Friday evening plans included having the grandkids overnight. Olivia was staying just because, and Rocky & Landon so Lindsey could work OT on Saturday. Figured it was far easier to have them overnight than to be at the front door at 7-730am to greet them. We were expecting Olivia at 630pm and then the boys around 8pm. Mindy suggested that she, Bella and I do dinner at Barley’s. I called Ashley to request that she simply drop Olivia there on their way to the Funny Bone. Despite her poor sense of direction, she agreed. I insisted it wouldn’t be out of her way (off 670 – on 670). Bella, meanwhile, asked if she could stay home at Makayla’s now that Kenny was home. Kenny agreed, so Mindy agreed. Mindy and I left for Barley’s at 6pm.

We got a barside table that would accommodate three. Justin was our server. The bar was surprisingly empty. Zach’s replacement, David, walked by. I stopped him asking where I might know him from. It hit me as soon as I asked. He was our server at BJ’s our first time there. He left a positive and lasting impression on us then. Good guy! Congratulated him on his new job. Mindy and I both ordered the new Barley’s Hopiate IPA, only Mindy went with one off the firkin while I had one off the tower. Very good!!

Ashley called a couple minutes later to let me know that she was in the lot. I went out to intercept Olivia. Olivia joined us at our table. She pointed out that she only recently – the day before – got her cast off. In fact, she was holding her arm as if it were still in the cast. I guess that’s common. She was sensitive to anyone touching/bumping it too. Said she’d already eaten dinner but was eager to have a Dr Pepper.

Mindy ordered a carnivore sampler – all brisket and I ordered bowl of the soup-of-the-day, which was bacon cheese potato. Yum! Mindy agreed to drive, and subsequently had just the one beer. I had two, but bought a jug of the Hopiate to take home. Steve Wonn showed up shortly before we left. Hadn’t seen him for a couple weeks.

We left for home by 730pm. We needed to be home before 8pm to intercept the boys. We weren’t home 5 minutes before Mindy & Olivia headed down to the neighbors. I wasn’t far behind but took my dear old time. I’m pretty sure that Mindy texted Lindsey letting her know that’s where we’d be. I took the new jug of IPA along.

I’d finished just half a beer when Kenny & Mike insisted I tag along to go after pizza for the kids. Mindy was OK with me going. Once in Kenny’s Jeep they shared that we were going to Emellio’s, a long standing westside tradition. I let Mike & Kenny know that I left my wallet at home and asked that they stop so I could get it. Said not to worry about it. Cool!

I’m pretty sure the last time I was in Emellio’s I was married to Kelly and was there for pizza and beer with longtime friend Joe Dooley. I love their pizza but it usually gives me horrible heart burn. The beers were on Kenny or Mike. They handed me a Yeungling while we waited on our pizzas. Was there only two or three minutes before I recognized grandma Sharon and Pappy Dick sitting at the bar. I greeted them both and ended talking with the two of them for quite a long time. They’re great people. A little bit later I recognized Mr. Bowman, Skip Bowman’s dad sitting at the other end of the bar. I hadn’t seen him for at least 10 years but walked down to talk with him too. Mr. Bowman owns a book binding company on the hilltop. I learned that Skip works there with his dad. We talked for a while. He recently lost his younger brother, Joe. I believe Dad attended Joe’s funeral. They worked together for years at National Graphics. Before heading out I asked Ron to say hello to Skip.

Sure that Mindy had to be wondering where the heck I was, I called to let her know my whereabouts and that I was hanging with grandma Sharon. I drank two beers during our visit. It was fun. Headed back to Kenny’s place with 3 or 4 pizzas in tow around 945pm. By then my grandsons were there now too. Mindy was about asleep on the sofa and didn’t last too much longer after our return. She headed home with Olivia and Landon I’m guessing around 10pm. She left Rocky and Bella with me.

I stayed for maybe another 30-45 minutes. Mike & Kenny kept topping off my beer from my jug of IPA. We were having a pretty good time. Not wanting to aggravate the wife, I headed home with the two kids around 1030pm.

Bracing Himself

Slept in until 550am again. That seems to be the new norm. I staggered to the master bath where I brushed my teeth then gathered my running clothes and headed downstairs. I didn't prep coffee the night before either. Had to take care of that first thing. Once the coffee was underway, I completed calisthenics. It was a non-push-up day. 603am when I headed to the coffee pot. Poured and delivered Mindy's before enjoying my own. I was back downstairs having coffee and playing on the internet by 612am.

I checked on that work issue that kept me engaged until 9pm the night before. It was fixed. Hooray! Took my time, not readying for a run until almost 7am. I headed to bid Mindy farewell knowing for certain that she'd be gone when I got back to the house. She shared that she needed to leave a little early to have donuts with dads.

It was a lovely morning, clear and close to 60 degrees. I ran 4.1 miles enjoying the many smells of mid-spring hanging heavy in the air. Excellent run. Got home at 740am and after checking on Bella headed right back out the door with the pug. We were out for about 8 minutes. It was 750am when I started my breakfast and packed a lunch. Once again, I wouldn't be getting a shower until after the bus left with Bella.

I asked Bella more than once to feed the pug. Said she was busy cleaning her room. It must've been a mess. I went ahead and fed the dog. had to remind her to brush her teeth again too. I didn't hear a drop of water run. Hmm? We headed out at 810am. Like many days over the past two weeks, it was absolutely gorgeous. But most of the preceding days clouds moved in and we even got a little rain. It's a pattern we seem to be stuck in. Thursday was expected to be the warmest of the week with the high reaching 80 degrees. Unfortunately, the lovely weather wasn't' expected to last. chance of rain and cooler temps each day through Sunday. In fact, Sunday's high is only expected to reach the mid 50s.

I was showered and left for work by 840am. It was a gorgeous drive into work. Had there not been a significant chance of rain I would've driven the BM'er, but as it was I took the Accord. In fact, I had even inquired about another car swap with Mindy, but when she shared that the Pilot was on 'E' I rescinded my request. I planned on a making a tri to Strader's at lunch, but figured I could squeeze any purchases into the Accord.

Parked in the far lot after noticing most if not all of the up close spots were taken. No worries. It was lovely walk to the building. Once I was settled and in my office my boss stopped by. Hadn't seen him but once briefly Monday morning. We chatted for a while, me giving him a status update on a couple dangling issues.

All things considered it was a decent work day. For the first time all week, I felt in control of my day. After a couple meetings/calls and then knocking a few to-do's off my list, it was already 135pm. It was then that I left for Strader's. What a gorgeous day - sunny and 80 degrees. Felt like early June. Too bad it wasn't expected to last.

I grabbed a plant cart on my way into the enormous greenhouse. As usual for this time of year, there was a decent crowd milling about, but this by far is the best time of day to show up short of extra early in the AM. I bought two of the giant green moss hanging baskets I've had my eye on since early April. I also picked up 8 sweet potato vines, 4 vinca's and a hanging basket of brilliant tuberous begonias that I planned to transfer into one of my own baskets. Back to work.

Got back to the office around 220pm, and it wasn't 10 minutes before I joined another conference call. Stayed vigorously busy until joining our weekly staff call at 415pm. The staff call was brief. Done by 435pm. Spent the next 15 minutes putting closure on the day's issues then left for home. Walked out around 450pm. Walked out with a peer. As we exited the building I'd temporarily forgotten where I last parked. Felt foolish having to back track about halfway out to the far lot. I parked up close after my Strader's run. Once home I carried my lunch time purchases, including the two new hoses I bought the day before, to the garage.

It wasn't too long before Mindy and Bella left for gymnastics. Jacob went with her on the promise of stopping for fast food on their way home. I objected to having fast food. Sometimes you simply have to say no! I snacked on peanuts, cashews, and cheese while they were away. I took a brief nap, too.

The plan called for me to pick-up Bella, and Mindy texted back and forth with Darwin making arrangements for me to take Lane at the same time. I left to fetch Lane at 712p. Darwin and his brother-in-law Danny were sitting in the front yard enjoying the evening. First time i formally met Danny. We were chatting when a Vivint sales guys trolling the neighborhood walked up doing his best to strike up a conversation. I played along. Darwin & Danny weren't as eager. We're already locked in with an alternative security provider but continued the discussion any way. While I chatted with the security dude, Lane was busy riding his scooter up & down the drive. Time to leave. Had to cut the conversation short and bolt.

Lane was eager to show me his new braces. Just got 'em installed the day before. Said he missed school for the headache pain they caused. Not an unusual side affect from first day braces, but it gets easier. Lane's always fun to talk with. Arrived at the gym a couple minutes late. Lane headed in just as Bella was heading out. She immediately asked if we could stop at either Chipotle or DQ. Odd options. I agreed to stop at DQ, thinking we could stop there, get her an ice cream treat, and then head across the street to Lowes to checkout their flora.

Bella suggested if the line was too long that we should turn around and head to Chipotle. The line was about 3 deep but moved fast. The two women in front of us complained about their chocolate dipped waffle cone being to small. The employee working the counter willing gave her a new one, but it looked no different. She walked away with a befuddled look on her face. Bella ordered a waffle cone with chocolate ice cream.

I grabbed several napkins as we headed out. I asked that she eat it carefully in the Accord until we got across the street to Lowes. I get a kick out of the fact that Bella loves visiting Lowes. Although she prefers to stroll the inside, this trip was exclusively for the nursery. Kind of busy, but expected it. Me & Bella walked around looking at all their plants and flowers, the entire time, her working on that drippy ice cream cone.

They had about 2 dozen of the purple vining geraniums Mindy gushed over last Sunday at the Hilliard location. There they had only one and it was gone when I went back Monday. I thought about buying two but the checkout line for the nursery was long and slow. While hemmed and hawed about making the impromptu flower purchase, Bella meandered around the outdoor flower displays with her ice cream. When I found her again she had ice cream all down the front of herself including some on Mindy's shoes she borrowed. Oops!

We left Lowes empty handed but the trip wasn't for not. If all went well, I would stop back again on Friday to pick-up those ivy geraniums. We got home around 810pm. Mindy and Bella tuned into American Idol while I played around on the PC. I poured myself a Jack & Coke too. Yum!

After Idol, Bella and I snuggled on the sofa watching a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory. Mindy headed to bed around 930pm. I headed up around 1010pm, or about the same time that Bella was making herself yet another snack.

Rare Soccer Win in My Presence

Was up late again. Slept in until 550am. No worries. Downstairs, I quickly completed calisthenics. Looked nice outside. There was a mix of clouds and clear, but far more clear. It was 607am by the time I got to coffee. Delivered Mindy’s coffee before enjoying any for myself. She asked that I turn off the ceiling fan. Took care of that on my way downstairs.

Coffee and internet were next. Checked work email too. Jacob was downstairs for breakfast before bus time near 640am. I was running behind but wasn’t too concerned. I got busy with meditation and stretching while Jacob ate. He headed out to the bus stop about a minute or so before me. I headed out for my run just as his bus was wooshing by for the turnaround.

The weather was ideal for shorts and a thin-long sleeved running shirt – about 58 degrees with a rising sun. Ran 4.1 miles fairly easily. As expected, Mindy was already gone by the time I got home. It was 740am. It was gorgeous, clear blue skies and temps already in the low 60s when I walked the pug. Back at the house, I started breakfast and packed a lunch. Bella was upstairs in her room. As usual, I hollered to make sure that she brushed her teeth. I'm convinced that should I not remind her, it wouldn't get done. I didn't finish my breakfast until almost 8am. I wouldn't shower until after school bus time.

We headed out near 810am and met Kenny & Makayla. Said he was going to zoo with Lillian's class. Jacob went the day before. The bus arrived near 815am and I headed home to shower. Was ready to leave the house around 850am. Traffic backed up once I got to the I-70 overpass on Wilson rd. And once I could see the freeway heading east, I knew i needed to turn around. It was at a complete standstill and bumper to bumper. Not me. Not today. At the entrance ramp light, I made a u-turn and jumped on 70 to 270N. As I've shared before, it's about 8 or 9 miles longer but often faster when there's a traffic snarl on 70/670.

Didn't arrived at my customer's campus until almost 930am. And by the time I got to my desk and logged on it was time to join the weekly 10am call. However, it wasn't until I was waiting on the call that I realized it was canceled. Not set to restart until the 2nd week of June. Alrighty! No problem.

Spent the morning knocking several items off my to-do list. Otherwise, it was a peaceful morning. No urgent emergencies. Come 1245pm I left for lunch planning a trip to Lowes to stroll through the nursery. Figured I might buy a few things for our summer landscape if I found just the perfect specimens. I figured the Easton store would hold a far better inventory than just about any other local Lowes store, so imagine my disappoint when I got there and found their selection substandard. The trip wasn't a waste, however. I went ahead and bought two new top of the line garden hoses, a 75' and a 100'.

I was only away from the office for about 40 minutes but the break served its purpose. I headed back to eat and work. The afternoon was busier than I thought it might be. In fact, I thought I might be able to leave as early as 4pm. That wasn't to be. Ended up there until almost 530p. Had a couple things crop up end of the day. That happens a lot.

Jacob had a home soccer game at Spindler field that started at 6pm and I planned to meet the family at the game. Made decent time barreling around 270 arriving at Spindler field around 605pm. The game was already underway but if it started on time it couldn't have been underway long. Mindy was there but no Bella. I learned that Bella asked to stay and play with Makayla.

I didn't bother bringing a camp chair. I chose instead to stand. It was fairly warm, about 70 degrees, but just any other soccer game, chilly when the sun dipped behind the clouds. Jacob's team went behind 1-0 shortly after I showed up, but unlike years past, that didn't last. His team scored two goals in the next 5-10 minutes. They lead at halftime 2-1.

Via blackberry, I was following the same work issue I was dealing with just before I left the office. I was a little frustrated when I realized I would have to log on and work when I got home. The 2nd half of the soccer game seemed to drag on longer than it should've. And most of the half was played on our defensive end. But the stars must've been aligned in Jacob's favor. He managed to score the 3rd goal making 3-1 with just a few minutes to go. His team won 3-1. Sadly, it's one of the few games I've attended that his team won.

After the game we lined up to give the team high fives. Jacob lollygagged around with his friends, Lauren included. She was in her soccer uniform too. She must've had a game or practice. She's always very sweet. I can see why he likes her.

Jacob rode home with Mindy and was in front of me leaving. They must've stopped for fast food. Not sure where. I didn't want anything. At home I quickly got logged onto my laptop to address that same work issue. I ended up working until almost 9pm. Couldn't believe it was so late. Mindy agreed to make me a burrito. It was so good that I asked for a second.

After woofing down those two burritos I wasn't long for the night. Instead, they left me full and tired. I headed to bed even before 930pm but turned on the TV and tuned into Big Bang Theory. Bella joined me. Uncharacteristically, Mindy stayed up longer than everyone. She joined us in bed just before 10pm. She told Bella she needed to head to her own bed, but I think she ended up in the bedroom recliner for a while. I remember waking a bit later hearing Mindy tell her she really needed to head to her own room.

Tractored & Whacked

I slept OK, but was in the middle of the dream when I heard Mindy’s alarm sound near 550am. In that dreamy state, it’s always hard to get right out bed. I did so, but begrudgingly. Downstairs, it took a couple minutes for me to muster the strength and energy to do calisthenics. Hey, at least it wasn’t a push-up day.

It was already after 6am when I finished so I immediately poured and delivered Mindy’s coffee. I was 90% sure that I was going to work from home, and after checking email and seeing no reason why not, I solidified my plans. To that end, I didn’t plan to run until seeing Bella onto the school bus.

For the next 90 minutes I enjoyed coffee, internet, and work. Jacob headed out near 7am and Mindy a half hour later. She said something about Leslie Dent’s father-in-law passing away and possibly heading to the funeral home sometime that evening. We had to be mindful of Bella’s gymnastics logistics though too.

Making the headlines was the escape of three women in Cleveland apparently taken into captivity 10 years ago by three brothers. Interesting story, though at the time not a lot of detail. I headed out with the pug around 750am. Back home around 8am, I spent the next 5-10 minutes stretching. A few minutes later it was time for the bus stop. Bella and I headed out at 810am.

Once Bella was off to school on the bus I headed back home and then soon out for my run. I checked work email first, however. Everything was fairly quiet. I ran 4.1 miles and was back at home shortly after 9am. Before settling into work I fried three eggs – two for me, one for the pug. If I don’t make my breakfast right away when I work from home, I find that I am more prone to skipping it completely which is never a good thing. I’ll end up snacking on junk food all day.

After breakfast it was full tilt on monthly reporting. I squeezed in a quick 30 minutes online training course too. I could hardly believe my eyes when I walked in the kitchen and saw that it was 3pm. Where had the day gone? I worked until almost 4pm, or when Bella got home. I then headed out to start on the lawn. The Toro started easily on the 2nd pull. That pleased me much! This week’s mowing went a lot faster. It was cooler too, so that always helps. It was only about 70 degrees under partly cloudy skies. And by the way, we were under that perennial spinning weather system that strikes every single May where our weather comes out of the east/northeast only to spin around and hit us again and again. However, this year’s model is much milder. Still with periods of clouds and rain, but the temps about 10-12 degrees warmer than usual. That makes it much more bearable.

I push mowed, tractored & whacked in all of about 75 minutes. By the time I finished, Mindy was home from school and the grocery, which she stopped at on the way home. The kids helped her unload while put everything away. She brought home rotisserie chicken for dinner, but didn’t plan to eat until we were back from delivering Bella to gymnastics. She asked if I would mind taking Bella that way she could continue on with making/prepping dinner and our weekly fruit tray. I agreed to do the deliver.

The drop went smoothly. Back at home, Mindy had dinner ready – rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes. Yum! Dinner was delicious. As soon as clean-up was completed Mindy asked if she could head to the viewing for Mr. Dent. She texted back and forth with Darwin. He agreed to bring Bella home from gymnastics when he dropped Lane. I’m thinking Mindy left around 640pm.

While Mindy was away, I got involved in a challenging work related problem. Near 715pm, I headed to the deck and fastened the two new pergola stringers using Dewalt driver. Awesome tool! Made quick work of it. Noticed one of those pesky wood bees drilling a hole under one of my deck benches. Sprayed the hole with WD-40. I’ve heard that kills the bees.

Reengaged in that same work issue. Darwin dropped Bella at home near 750pm. He didn’t come in. Bella was concerned that her momma went to the calling hours. She asked if she could go out and play until 830pm. After confirming that her homework was caught up, I agreed. Mindy got home around 815pm. Said it was sad, but glad she went. While she headed up to change clothes, I headed up for a much needed shower. That’s right. I went all stinking day without a shower. A hot shower felt great!

Spent the next hour or so downstairs watching something similar to How It’s Made. Popped some popcorn and shared it with Bella and the pug. Enjoyed a rare Diet Coke too. Mindy headed to bed around 9pm. Bella and I stayed up until 10pm bouncing between pleasure and work. Actually, Bella stayed up even later. She was still eating when I headed to bed. I only asked that she clean-up her mess and then turn off all the lights.

Hammer & Holler

I slept in until almost 6am but not before waking near 4am to what sounded like someone hammering on something and then hollering at a dog. It woke Mindy, too. She finally got up and closed our bedroom window. That helped. Downstairs I quickly completed calisthenics (sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups) then poured some much needed coffee. I glanced out sidelite of the front door and noticed what appeared to be a huge old woman sitting on the neighbor's front steps across the street rocking and praying. Suddenly it hit me, perhaps it was her that was making all that racket. It was still just before dawn so it was difficult to see. I wasn't quite sure what was up.

Add to all of that, a police helicopter was circling nearby. I could hear the unmistakable sound of its blades cutting the air. Morning drama! I woke Mindy and shared what I saw out the window. Back downstairs, I carried on with my morning routine meditating then stretching.

Dressed for a run and headed out the door about the same time Jacob headed out to catch his school bus - just before 7am. That woman was still on the front porch of the neighbors but now had a host of folks gathered around her. At the same time the recycling truck came by and when he saw the commotion on the neighbors porch, he immediately jumped from his truck to see if he could help. I was very impressed. However, they must've dismissed his help because he was back in his truck just seconds later.

I did my 4.1 mile run under partly cloudy skies and seasonably warm temps. Mindy was gone by the time I made it home from my run. With dad's trailer still attached to the Pilot, Mindy took the Accord again. Inside, I leashed up the pug then headed out for our walk. Back at the house near 750am, I fried three eggs. Just like that, it was time to head to the bus stop.

Met Chrissy and Makayla as well as the new family. Chrissy said she was sick. She looked and sounded awful. I sent her back home and agreed to see Makayla off to school along with Bella.

My plan was to drop dad’s trailer at his house on my way into work. By the time I showered, dressed, and loaded my gear to leave, it was near 9am. Dad was up and outside with Archie. I’m guessing about ready to head to breakfast. I gave Archie a treat in an effort to strengthen our relationship. 

Chatted briefly with dad, him showing me some of the yard work he’s completed over the past few days. And when I suggested coming by to borrow the trailer again over the coming weekend, he shared that he would use it to clean-up yard debris sometime during the week. It was already 920a. I needed to head off to work.

I back tracked to Wilson and Trabue preferring to take 270 in. It was cloudy and spitting rain when I arrived at the office. A decent chance of rain throughout the day, but also expecting brief periods of sunshine. I spent a large portion of my day working on monthly reports. Joined a regular team call at 11am.

Left for lunch around 1230pm stopping first at Target where I picked up a couple Mother’s Day cards for Mindy along with some more almonds and a black storage box for all of our printer paper. Leaving there I headed next door to Home Depot to briefly checkout their plant offerings. Quickly unimpressed, I left for Lowes, which is another ½ mile down the road.

At Lowes I picked out 6 mini-hibiscus just like we bought last year from Strader’s. The only difference was price. They were and still are $20 at Strader’s but only $7 at Lowes. Friends, that’s quite a deal. I grabbed three red spikes and two giant bags of potting soil. It started spitting rain again while I loaded my plants into the Pilot. I helped an older gentleman parked next to me that dropped his plastic tarp. Back to work.

Stayed busy all afternoon. Each Monday I have a customer team call that starts at 5pm. I thought about heading home early and taking the call from there, or simply participating from my car. However, that didn’t happen. I ended up joining from the office. I warmed Mindy so she wouldn’t be expecting me any sooner. Most of the call participants are either in Chicago or Texas, which is in the central time zone. Not the end of the day for them. Unlike last week’s call, this one was quick. We were done by 520pm. I quickly wrapped up my day and headed for home.

Talked with Mindy. She shared that my dad was coming for dinner. I didn’t confirm, but we talked earlier about her making tacos. Dad pulled up just seconds before me, and waited for me to walk in. I greeted dad and Mindy and then went out to unload the plants from the back of the Pilot.

The first 5 minutes at home has always been tough for me. I think it’s the transition. Turning off work mode and turning on family time. Always feeling a little on edge. Dinner was soon ready. As expected, tacos, which I was thrilled with. They’re always one of my faves. Mindy put dad’s burrito together. I did my own. It was big and delicious. I ended up having just the one along with a side of Mexican rice.

During dinner I told dad about my latest mower repair issues. He can easily relate. We joked about it not starting my next time mowing, which incidentally would likely be Tuesday or Wednesday. The grass is growing really fast this time of year. He also shared that he hasn’t been spending a lot of time at the casinos and hasn’t for a while either. Said his next losing day would be putting him back to even – square one so to speak. I reminded him of what he already knows, they’re a business and businesses stay in business only by making money, not giving it away.

He also shared that he’s having some issues with osteoarthritis in his back, and then explained the difference between it and the more familiar rheumatoid arthritis. He asked about mom, too. Shared that we met her for lunch a couple weekends back. Mindy broke out her mom’s fudge along with leftover birthday brownies. A bit more weight conscientious, I didn’t have either. Dad and Mindy had the last two pieces of fudge. The kids made a serious dent in the plate before heading out to play. Dad left for home near 7pm. I soon headed upstairs to change into my PJs. I used the blue sunburn lotion with lidocaine. Felt excellent.

I could already tell it was going to be an early night for me. I was really tired. I headed up to bed even before 9pm, but I did turn on the TV. Can’t recall what I watched. Mindy soon joined me. It must’ve been around 910pm. She was tired too after waking multiple times the night before with that commotion at the neighbor’s house.