Smelling of the Corn

Still not feeling 100%, I slept in until almost 640am, and by the time I was downstairs the kids were just about to head out the door to catch the bus. It was supposed to be another gorgeous sunny September day with temps near 80. I completed calisthenics which ended with 40 curls then retreated to my office where I enjoyed coffee, internet and a little work. I hung there well past Mindy's departure, and stayed busy with work until I mustered the energy to meditate, stretch and ultimately run. Oh, I walked the pug sometime after calisthenics and before Mindy left for school.

It was near 830am when I finally headed out for a 4.1 mile run. Somewhere in the low 50s at the outset but the rising sun's intensity warming things quickly as the run progressed. By the way, because no one picked up our old microwave from setting along the curb last weekend, I decided to pack it into the trash can on Tuesday. But sometime Wednesday evening, or shortly after I rolled the can to the curb for Thursday's pick-up, I saw a minivan pull up and snatch the microwave from the curbside can. Glad it will be repurposed rather than crushed/disposed of. It worked just fine.

Back from my run, I fried a few eggs, enjoying a quick breakfast ahead of a 10am call I needed to join. I had a couple tasks on my to-do list that have been eating at me for the past two weeks. I am happy to report that I finally took the time to address them. Dedicated a few hours to them on Thursday.
The workday moved along swiftly, and before I knew it Bella was home from school. And following her into the house was friend, Josie. And no more than 5 minutes later there were a few others over too. I let the girls know that I had a call to join at 3pm and to keep the noise to a minimum. They willingly complied.

It was curriculum night at Mindy's school, and as such, she didn't figure to be home until near 9pm. It would then be my job to make sure Bella was fed and delivered to gymnastics. I ended up working until almost 630pm. And when I asked Bella what she wanted for dinner she had no answer. I ended up stopping at Steak & Shake on the way, her request.

We arrived at gymnastics early. No problem. Bella said that would give her time to practice her Octoberfest routine. Back at the house near 730p, I reheated some of Mindy's chicken noodle casserole after pouring about a 1/4 can of cream of chicken overtop. It was good before, but even better with the additional cream of chicken. Because Mindy was at school so late, she planned to pick-up the peanut on her way home, thus saving the trouble of heading back out. Jacob got home around from soccer around 830pm. Said they lost 1-0, their first loss in 5 or 6 games.

As planned, Mindy was home with Bella around 915p and Bella soon off to the shower. I tuned into TNF on CBS - Giants/Redskins. I popped some popcorn and washed it down with orange soda, which had been craving all day. Bella smelt the popcorn and after her shower was downstairs wanting to partake. Mindy and the kids were off to bed even before 10p. I stayed up for another hour watching football and playing around online. Off to bed near 11pm.

Fillin the Gap

I slept in until almost 7am, and ever since Monday evening, still not feeling quite right. In fact, if nothing else, I was feeling worse. Despite the queasiness, I pushed through Wednesday calisthenics which included push-ups. More than once while sitting at my PC sipping coffee, I felt as though I might throw-up. Not a pleasant feeling at all!

Even before Mindy left for school, I pretty much knew that I was going to work from home. I sent an email to my customer letting them know that I wouldn't be on campus but would be available via email and cell if they needed me. At the time I thought for certain that I would end up back in bed but never did. Instead, I worked for about an hour in my PJs then headed out on a run. By the time i did meditation and stretch I felt a little better, though still a bit unsettled.

It was a gorgeous morning, sunny and near 50 by the time I left for a run. The day's high was expected to reach 75 - typical September weather. Felt even better after a run, but again, that uneasy feeling in my belly would come and go. Around 1pm I felt well enough to make a quick run to H.D. to return a box of decking screws that I bought Sunday but didn't use or need as well as picking up another piece of oak trim that I planned ot use to fill the 1/3" gap between our new dishwasher and the oak cabinet support next to it. Of course I'd have to match stain and urethane it first. I've done it before. No biggie.

Home again after maybe 35-40 minutes away and quickly back to work. Mindy sent a text asking if I was feeling any better. Marginally. Then later, she sent another text sharing that Molly would be coming over around 430p to pick-up Bella while Jimaken headed directly to Jacob's soccer game. I'd forgotten that it was a Jimaken night. Without me saying anything, Mindy already assumed that we'd be staying in since I wasn't feeling too good.

Like most work at home days, time seem to fly by and before I knew Bella was home from school. I let her know that Molly was coming around 430p and asked that she take care of her homework before that. She did as I requested without push-back. Mindy was home a little after 4pm and then Molly near 430p. I chatted with Mindy and Molly for a little while before heading back to my desk to wrap up my work day.

Mindy said she was making some comfort food for dinner, exactly what I wasn't really sure. It ended up being baked chicken and noodle casserole with stuffing sprinkled atop. It was really good, though perhaps a tad on the dry side. I suggested next time she add another can of cream of chicken or simply pour some overtop. Because it was just she and I, clean-up was quick and easy. Didn't do a whole lot after dinner either. I plucked on my guitar before and after the kids got home. I spent a little time online, too. I was off to bed around 945p eager for a quality night's sleep.

Punkt on Nitro

Clear early AM - cold, only 39 degrees
Sunny low 70s forecasted.
Didn't run until just after 8am. Ran 4.1 miles
Work at home early on but across town for most of the day.
Stayed very busy. No lunch.
Left work at 430pm
Called Mindy. Jacob came home after school on bus, skipped soccer practice. Wanted to go to Barley's for dinner.
Not feeling so well, I wasn't thrilled with the idea at first but conceded.
Unusual Barley's Tuesday with kids.
Enjoyed a Barley's Punkt on nitro. Mindy had one too
Jacob was excited to be at Barley's. Said it's been a while.
I ordered KC wings, Not very good. Came cold. Returned to be heated u. Small and somewhat dry. Unusual for Barley's. Mindy had the fried chicken. I tried it. It was good.
Lots of new servers at Barleys. Daniel was training our server that night. Can't recall her name.
After dinner we drove Bella straight to gymnastics.
At home and in my PJs by 745pm.
I reluctantly agreed to do the pick-up too.
I played guitar for about an hour before taking off to get her.
Was really tired. Felt drained.

And There it Began

Up near 615am.

Partly cloudy cool 48 at run time. Only a high of 64 and breezy

Ran 4.1 miles

Worked from home early on then at the office for the lion's share of the day. Arrived near 10am.

Haircut at lunch. Long overdue.

Jacob had a soccer game beginning at 6pm. I remained at work until 540pm. Made no sense to drive home then right back. The plan was to meet Mindy and Bella at the game. I beat them there by 10-15 minutes.

I was very cold, especially after the sun dipped below the horizon. It was in the upper 50s but it felt like the low 40s to my blood. Almost mind numbing. Mindy went for the blankets from the Pilot at the game's half. I was so cold it gave me a headache that I couldn't shake. In hindsight, I think I had the touch of something coming on. Didn't feel 100% the rest of the work week.

I left the game with something like 8 minutes to go. It was tied 1-1 when I left. Ever since the coach moved Jacob to defense playing the rover position, his team has been much more competitive. Not a lot of goals given up. He's fast and deflects a lot of otherwise shots on goal.

Mindy asked that I put mashed potatoes on the microwave once at home. She'd already put what remained of Sunday's roast back in the crock-pot when she got home from school. I did just as she asked. She, Jacob and Bella got home about 20-25 minutes after me. By then I was changed into my comfy clothes which felt terrific.

The roast was as good or even better than it was Sunday. Yum-yum! By the time we finished dinner and clean-up it was 8pm. I was tired and wanted nothing more than to lounge on the sofa and that's exactly what I did. I watched a good portion of MNF - Steelers/Panthers. Took a Naproxen before bed. Had a dull, throbbing headache - one I felt brought on by the unusual chilly air at the soccer game.

11 Step Program

The forecast was calling for cloudy skies and a significant chance of rain for Sunday, and before bed, I checked the radar and saw that a line of strong storms were sweeping south and east from Chicago. In fact, Michigan's Saturday evening football was postponed for several hours due to strong storms. However, all that said, not only did the storms fall apart during the overnight, the revised forecast was calling for partly to mostly sunny skies and only a 10% chance of rain. What's more, looking 10 days out, not a drop of rain in the foreseeable future. In other words, very Septemberish!

I played on the internet and enjoyed coffee for more than an hour before heading out on a run. By then it was almost 70 degrees. I even contemplated running without a shirt. Good run. Once Mindy was up, she worked on a grocery list. She put a roast in the crock pot for dinner, too. I asked if we could swap cars so I could make a Home Depot run to get the lumber necessary to add risers to our basement stairs. I'd also be going by my dad's to rip and cross-cut the boards. I left for H.D. & Lowes near 12noon.

I needed to stop at both places since Lowes had the brackets I wanted/needed for the project. H.D. had everything else. Bought 22 brackets at Lowes (two per riser). Bought six 1X10" pine boards which I planned to cross cut to roughly 33" and then rip to 8" exactly. I also bought screws and liquid nails. In addition, decided to go ahead and buy the PEX tubing I'd need to complete the plumbing for the basement.

Called dad in route to his place. He was there awaiting my arrival. Mindy called sharing some sad news about Ruby, Jodie & Larry's Giant Schnauzer. She died the night before after falling suddenly ill. I knew the two them would be hurting.

Arrived at dad's sometime after 1pm. He already had his table saw set-up in the driveway for easy access. After a little conversation we got down to business. Learned quickly that the rip fence was loose despite being fully engaged. A little WD-40 and it was fixed. I needed 11 boards that varied in width from 32-13/16" to 33" exactly. I cut them all to 33" planning to trim them to fit with my circular saw at home. Once we had all the boards cross-cut we started the ripping. Mindy pulled up unexpectedly. Said she was stopping by her sister's to drop off a card and flowers.

Ripped all 12 boards to 8" exactly. Once we got going it went really fast. Before heading home, I offered to help dad with a project he had going on, which was reinstalling about an 8' span of gutter on the north end of his house. He'd already painted the trim behind it. I pointed out how his power line in the same area was not only rubbing the roof shingles but also cutting into the corner of the house creating a very serious safely hazard. I insisted he contact AEP rightaway.

Took care of reinstalling the gutter then nailed down a few loose shingles and applied some roofing cement to some exposed nail heads on the flashing. Dad's been battling vertigo of late, so he was at least wise enough not to attempt the work himself. I helped him put all the tools we used away. And just before I left I shared that I would call AEP the following morning about the powerline issue. That way I could make sure it got addressed. We also invited dad for dinner - roast beef.

I headed home at what must have been close to 3pm. I headed immediately to the basement to get busy on the stairs. Mindy stopped home with groceries before heading over to her sister's. I signed the card before she left. Down the basement I got right to work. I'd already made a list with each board's exact width requirement. Not only did I write the number sequence on each stair tread, but once it was cut for that specific riser I noted the number on the board too. Smart!!! :) I then tediously installed two brackets to each cut to fit riser board. Before screwing into the stairs, I applied a bead of Liquid Nails. Took an hour or so to do all 11 risers. Went pretty much exactly as I planned. Very happy to have the task completed. It was one of the first dilemmas I contemplated shortly after Kenny framed the basement May '13.

Mindy was home shortly after I got everything cleaned up and put away. By then it was closing in on 340pm. I headed up for a shower, and at the same time I turned on the bedroom TV to check in on the NFL scores. It was after my shower that I learned that they were behind and on their way to losing. Not only that, but their starting QB, Matt Cassel was hurt and out. Teddy Bridgewater, our much ballyhooed rookie QB, was in. Bottom line, T.B. played well but they lost 20-9. :(

Das was soon at the house and dinner was soon on the table. I showed him my work in the basement. He was surprised that I had already completed the stair project The roast was outstanding and so were the accompanying carrots. I love fresh cooked carrots!

After clean-up Mindy served up the last of the chocolate pie. Just enough for the three of us to have a piece. Dad stuck around until near 7pm. Thanked him again for the assist earlier with the saw. After dad left, I changed into comfy attire and tuned into SNF pregame. The rest of the evening was spent lazing watching football.

Helenistic Day

I slept well and was up and downstairs around 745am. Mindy asked that I bring her coffee in a little bit. Sure dear. Downstairs I stepped out onto the deck to drink in some of the lovely morning air, which was slightly cool, though significantly warmer than the last few mornings. Inside, I started some coffee then headed to my PC where i spent a solid thirty minutes before taking Mindy coffee. She didn't wake when I entered the room with the coffee so I quietly set it on her night stand and tip-toed out. Rare that she didn't wake.

I played for a while longer before finally heading out on a run. Must've been near 915am when I headed out. Ran three miles. Mindy was sitting on the deck when I got back. I joined her there while cooling down after my run. Despite not being in the forecast, heavy cloud cover moved in over the next hour. Thankfully though, it didn't last. Around 1115am we made the decision to spend our afternoon in Yellow Springs. I actually offered that we do Darby Park instead, but Mindy was fairly adamant about Yellow Springs. We haven't been back since last October.

I took a shower. Mindy simply freshened up. We left the house near 1215pm taking the Accord. Ashley sent a text asking if we were brining the stove by. I shared that we were going hiking and would either bring it later that evening or possibly even Sunday. Took about 50 minutes to get to Yellow Springs. And like it did earlier at home, the skies bounced between sun and clouds. But by the time we got to Yellow Springs it was mostly sunny and somewhere in the 70s. We found parking along Xenia Ave. right outside the Twisted Tines. From there we walked to the public restrooms before heading into Glen Helen for a hike.

As fate would have it, we mistakenly took the wrong path once inside Glen Helen and instead of ending up along the name sake yellow spring and the all too familiar trail, we ended up heading almost due south on a lesser taken trail high above Yellow Spring Creek ducking in and out of steep out croppings or caves. Very unusual. We could hear those following the lower trail along the creek below. Lo and behold, we stumbled up a couple architectural gems. First we stumbled upon the Glen Helen Atrium Art Gallery in the middle of the woods. The building had a Frank Lloyd Wright feel about it. And then another 1/4 mile or so along the trail, we happened upon a nature center of similar architecture. Inside it was similar to the new Darby Park nature center. Cool! We stayed on that same upper trail hiking maybe 1.5 miles south of town. Almost purposefully, we aimed slightly west until we bisected with the bike trail - The Little Miami Scenic Trail. We walked that back into town, which proved to be a treat as well. Saw an enormous solar panel complex under construction, assuming it to power much of the university. Read about it here: http://antiochcollege.org/news/archive/antioch-college-breaks-ground-new-solar-farm

As we continued on we stumbled upon The Women's Park, a long narrow park nestled in between the bike trail and the college. It was loaded with greenery and lovely perennial flowers. We continued on the bike trail into town where we planned to have lunch. Though we love it, we agreed to try something other than Ye Olde Tavern. Decided to try Wind's Cafe.

By then it was nearing 3pm. Inside Wind's Cafe, which is newly renovated, we opted for bar seating. There they have a scaled down menu and a decent drink menu that includes a few good beers. I opted for a DIPA, Wanderlust from Nowhere in Particular Brewing in Dayton. Mindy opted for a glass of wine. We both decided on the lamb burger garnished nicely. It was top notch. Not wanting to sport a big afternoon beer buzz, I had just the one beer. Afterwards, we ventured out to hit a couple shops. Most notably, we wanted to check out the music store to see what they had in the way of drum boxes since we know two people who would love to own one. However, much to our chagrin, we were told that the guy who makes them found a real job and no longer has time to make the custom drum boxes. :( We ventured a couple more shops too, including the same one where we bought our large purple mosaic plate. There Mindy bought me a mini xylophone type thing. Too cool!

Before heading home, Mindy popped in Twisted Tines. There we bought nothing. We pulled out of Yellow Springs for home near 4pm. You wouldn't believe the crowd at Youngs Dairy. There must've been a couple thousand cars parked all along the road in all the makeshift parking lots. That time of year - the pumpkin patch.

Once on I-70, it's a very boring drive. I listened to the Alabama/Florida football game for most of the drive home. Just before arriving home I suggested we see if the old range will load up in the Pilot and if so, take it over to Ashley that evening to get it out of the way. I took some measurements before trying to simply cram it in and by all accounts it would fit on its back easily. We put the rear seats down, of course. I had to convince Mindy to come along, though she willingly helped load it up. I think she wanted to nap.

I sent Ashley a text letting her know that we were ready to bring it by. She called me back a few minutes later to let me know that they were home. I asked that she have the area behind her existing stove clean so all we'd have to do is slip the new on in. She shared that she'd already cleaned back there as recent as Thursday night in preparation for its delivery. Cool! We arrived to Ash, Steven and Olivia sitting out front. Ash & Steven were smoking. I gave them both a little crap about it. Always will too. Smoking is dangerous and will kill them if they don't quit! What Ashley may not realize is that Olivia will likely smoke just like the two of them. Odds are very, very strong.

Anyway, we wasted little time. First things first, Steven and I carried the old existing range to the dilapidated garage. And before carrying our old one, I had Ashley fetch me some cleaning supplies so I could "Jimmy clean" behind the stove. I joked with Ashley that I was going to come over one Saturday and teach her how to deep clean. I could tell that she swept and ran a sponge over the neighboring cabinet walls, but the sticky stove residue remained. I got most of it off with a lot of elbow grease and determination. Satisfied, Steven and I carried in the new range. Before moving to its final spot we leveled it up (brought a small level with me) and then installed the new drip pans. Looks like new! Ashley seemed excited. After all, it's far nicer than the one that was there and likely about 10 or 15 years newer.

We chit-chatted for a while, me visiting with Olivia who was busy watching kiddie TV, just like Bella does at home. Mindy and I headed for home near 6pm. We didn't plan to go out anywhere, agreeing early on to simply stay home, relax, and watch a little college football. Sometimes that the best plan of all.

While I cracked a beer and tuned into college football, Mindy headed off to the shower since she hadn't taken one earlier. She was upstairs for a while, emerging about an hour later all fresh, clean, and dressed only in a V.S. nighty. We watched a little football then lowered the lights for our own halftime show. :) Headed to bed near 11pm.

Shiny n' New and Zauber Too

Finding Myself in the Attic

In the basement, yard and attic.

Now Doesn't that Look Refreshing?

I was up shortly after Mindy and quickly downstairs engaged in calisthenics. It was a push-up day, and I opted to do them outside on the deck. It was clear and chilly, about 50 degrees. It was monthly presentation day so I planned on working across town and wanted to be there no later than about 930am. To that end, I was mindful of my morning playtime.

As a result, I walked the pug and completed meditation and stretching even before Mindy left for school. Actually, I was in the middle of my stretching routine when she left. A few minutes later I was out the door for a run. Despite and rain free forecast, clouds moved in turning our sunny forecast gray. I ran the full 4.1 miles.

Back at home near 810am, I headed out to water all the deck flowers since most were all but completely dry. Outside for about 10 minutes, made breakfast and packed a lunch. It was near 840 when I rushed off to the shower. Waiting at my washbowl was a greeting card from Mindy commemorating the nine year anniversary of the day we met, Saturday, September 17, 2005 - Bob & Mary's block party. Who says you can't have cheap sex on the first date and remain strong nine years later? Oh wait, maybe we didn't have cheap sex. :)

Headed out the door near 910am. Before getting on the freeway I needed to stop for gas. About as low as it’s been in a year, only $3.02 per gallon.

Arrived across town near 930am. The thick cloud cover that moved in earlier was already starting to thin. It was still a little on the chilly side but shaping up to be a nice day. One of the customer’s directors was leaving as I was walking in. Shared that he wouldn’t make the 1030am presentation. Ahead of my presentation, I procured a projector and took care of a couple quick issues.

All set up by 1025am. I like to be ready! A smaller than normal crowd, both in person as well as on the bridge. Presentation went well. Took the allotted hour to get through it all. Took care of a couple hot issues then sent myself a Lowes list via text and headed off to run errands around 1245pm. At Lowes I bought a new flower pot for our snake plant that’s grown considerably, now going on its 4th pot in seven years. The one I bought is a bit more decorative too. I also picked up a sconce light for the basement stairs, some new drip pans for our old range (giving it to Ashley), and looked unsuccessfully for some grout to match our existing floor tile.

Headed back to the office arriving near 150pm. Quickly back into work mode. Had a face to face meeting on my calendar for 3pm at another campus building, which I’d have to drive to. However, just before I was set to pack up and head over, I got a meeting cancelation notice. Sweet! I felt like I got some time back in my day. I used the time wisely to study for that certification I need to get before year’s end.

Left for home around 430pm. Called Mindy once safely merged onto 270. She was just leaving school. She sounded disappointed when I shared that I was happy to simply stay home and relax. I also thanked her for the card commemorating the 9 year anniversary of the day we met, Saturday, September 17, 2005. I had admittedly overlooked the date, though had remembered a few days prior. I guess I was consumed with my own birthday.  Not wanting to disappoint, I offered that we go wherever she wanted, and she suggested CBC. Got home near 5pm. The kids were soon off with Jimaken and Mindy and I on our way to CBC, but not before placing our garbage can at the curb. Guessing we arrived near 540pm and parked in the main lot.

Inside, the bar was near capacity but a few stools remained in my favorite corner. While Mindy chatted it up with a couple of the servers, I settled into my stool. Kate and Julie were working the bar. No Bodhi. Fine with me, I was happy to try something different. I eventually settled on their new hoppy red ale. Very tasty! Mindy went with a Pumking from Southern Tier.

We shared some risotto balls and bread and later order entrees. Mindy went with the special – crunchy fried chicken dish, and I ordered spinach artichoke dip. I had a 2nd Red ale too. Mindy wanted just the one Pumking though they’re about 8.5% abv. Despite ordering just the one, Julie or Kate, can’t remember which, brought her a Buffalo Bill’s pumpkin ale, which is touted as America’s first. I can vouch for that moniker as Glenn introduced it to me 11 or 12 years ago.

We left for home near 8pm arriving no more than 15 minutes later. I quickly changed into my PJs and brushed my teeth.

Livin in the Dog's Shoes

B-Day Behind Me

Thanks for all the love!

Playin Possum

I got a really good night of sleep. Slept for nine hours. Up just ahead of 8am, I was happy to see signs of sunlight out the window. Could really use some blue skies. It was chilly though, only 48 degrees. Autumn is in the air!

While coffee brewed, I glanced out the dining room window. And one of the first things I noticed was that the critter trap door was closed. Did I finally have that pesky groundhog? I was eager to head out to see. I slipped into my exercise/dog walking shoes then headed out back and around the deck. Caught a critter alright, but not a ground hog. Nope! Instead, I caught a juvenile opossum. He as all curled up by the door and when he saw me opened his mouth as wide as it would go apparently an effort to scare me. I assured him that I would be no harm but didn’t plan to release him until later once Bella was awake. I wanted her to see it.

Inside, I enjoyed coffee and internet for a little while before Mindy sent a text asking for coffee and a snuggle. Minutes later I headed upstairs with coffee and we snuggled for an hour or so. I could hear Bella up and romping around the house. I told Bella about the catch and encouraged her to get into her shoes and join me where we could venture out and get another look before releasing him. I took my camera along too. Took some very poor pics. Moved the trap near the edge of the honeysuckle bushes along the pond then opened the hatch and the little critter scampered quickly away.

After a three miles run, I decided it was time to mow the lawn even though I’d done so as recent as Tuesday. Not feeling any immediate time constraints, I took my time and moved the entire front lawn with the push mower. While I took care of the lawn, Mindy ran a couple errands. Spent about 2 hours on the lawn. By the time I finished it was NFL time, though once again I didn’t plan to watch. Instead, I took care of a few basement related tasks.

Mindy asked our guests to arrive around 4pm. We’d be ordering Minelli’s pizza then celebrating with chocolate pie. The boys and Lindsey showed up about 30 minutes early. Livy, Ashley and Steven were next, then Tommy, Wally, and Wally’s shadow, my dad, Larry & Jodie. Appreciate everybody coming over to celebrate with us.

Watched a little NFL action in the back ground, by then the 430pm games were on. The Vikings got a smack down at the hands of the Patriots. As good as they played the week prior, they played that poorly this week. No excuses!

The girls and grandkids gifted me the pug mask I’d had my eye on for a couple weeks now. Made me laugh. Ashley, I think, was over the day I was searching for it on the internet and must’ve taken that as her queue. Good job, Ash!

The Minelli’s pizza hit the spot, but the chocolate pie was even better -yum-yum! Our guests hung out until 630-7pm. Had a nice time. Again, appreciate everybody’s cards, well wishes, etc. Thanks to Mindy for organizing a handful of birthday related events.

Once our guests were gone, it was time to put the house back in order and prepare for the work week ahead. For me that meant little more than picking up in the kitchen and then slipping into my PJs and snuggling up in the family room chair and watching SNF.

Blood and Water

I got up around 715am no longer able to sleep. Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t have a hangover, but then again, I did take a Naproxen even before we left for Barley’s Friday evening. That most likely saved me. Once I started coffee I started feeling sleepy again. I laid down on the living floor but soon headed back up to bed. Maybe I did have a hangover.

I slept for another hour or so, waking this time near 830am. By then I felt good and ready for whatever the day would bring. I enjoyed coffee and PC time until almost 10am. We also committed to watching the boys so Lindsey could work OT. Thinking it was near 910am when they showed up.

Mindy was up around 930am and seemed surprised that I was feeling so chipper. More than once she tried to get me to eat something while we were at Barleys.

I did wake ravenously hungry. And to satiate that hunger I broke with tradition and woofed down a bunch of Barley’s chicken tenders that Mindy apparently brought home last night for the kids. They were so good! Other than a few slices of pita bread, I hadn’t eaten anything substantial since lunch time Friday.
I left for a run around 10am and ran the usual Saturday route of just three miles.

I was messing around out in the yard when Mindy hollered out that she was leaving to run Bella over to Jodie and Larry’s for game day. Said she was coming right back home to get busy making chocolate pies for my Sunday family birthday celebration. Yum! While she was away, I did a few household chores, like cleaning up all the house plants in the bay window, vacuuming up dead debris, and cleaning the window sills underneath. That’s a tedious task. I vacuumed the family room while I was at it. Noticed that it was full and nearly clogged. Took care of that too.

By then it was noon and time for the Buckeye game kickoff against Kent St. The game was expected to be a lopsided win for OSU but after last week’s upset, who knew for certain what to expect? But it didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to turn on the jets. Just like that it was 21-0. And then by halftime, a lopsided blowout – 45-0.

Mindy was home working on the pies while bounced between the TV and the basement, spending my time down there removing the rigid fresh air ducting and then installing the new insulated ducting that I bought a couple days earlier. Unfortunately, I soon learned that I needed a duct part that I didn’t have. I needed a 4” double male splice. I couldn’t finish the job without it. Figured I would make a Home Depot run after the game. But like a lot of seemingly small tasks, this one too lead to more work than originally foreseen. For starters, right next to the fresh air intake duct to outside is the black plastic power disconnect box I installed 20 years ago for the hot tub which is no longer. And three or four years ago when I scraped the hot tub and subsequent power feed, I had no choice but to leave a one inch hole in the side of the disconnect box. In hindsight, I probably should’ve plugged it. Anyway, I didn’t and a mouse conveniently crawled in and made a nest. This I discovered while pulling out the “6 wiring that ran into the basement and to the electric panel from the disconnect box. Stunk to high heaven.

So now the change of the fresh air ducting had turned into something more. First, I removed the wiring despite the wretched smell, then headed in and immediately washed my hands. Next, I cleaned the inside of the now empty disconnect box and plugged the hole with a metal plug made just for such things. I should also mention that because I didn’t put insulation or caulking around the wire entrance, there were signs of water migration riding in on the wire sheath. Not bad, but enough to catch my attention. So naturally, I took care of all that too. Not only did I plug the hole in the disconnect box, but used packing clay to plug the entrance hole into the house. I then caulked all around the fresh air vent hood.

All this work I am speaking of is right next to the A/C compressor, and I couldn't help but notice the black rubbery insulation that protects the copper plumbing for the Freon was all but rotted away. Knowing I had some in the basement, I decided to replace that too. In other words, the ducting I couldn’t replace because I needed an adapter turned out to be 2 hours of unrelated work.

Once everything outside was completed I headed back to the basement where I took a couple minutes to run the power feed into the over the sink mini-can light fixture. While doing so - which is easy work - I sliced a finger on the fixture’s sharp edges. Ouch!! While dripping blood and dismounting the ladder, I couldn’t help but notice a small but suspicious puddle of water. What the ….?

So, while applying pressure to my bleeding finger, I inspected the puddle of water looking for its cause. I could see a little moisture (wetness) around an electrical wire directly above going up into the subfloor. The water wasn’t coming from the kitchen sink plumbing. That’s another joist cavity over. Instead, I surmised that it had to be coming from the dishwasher, which had run within the last hour. Oh boy!

Once I wrapped up what I was doing in the basement and fetched a Band-Aid for my bloody finger, I turned my attention to the water leak. At the same time, I informed Mindy that I needed to make a quick Home Depot run to get the part for fresh air duct. Before heading out, I fetched my ¼” nut driver and removed the kick plate from the dishwasher. And then after replacing the batteries in my LED flashlight which just so happened to fail at that very moment, I got down on the floor for closer inspection. Nothing obvious, and neither the water input or the drain connection appeared to be leaking, though the bare plywood flooring just beneath the dishwasher was damp. I decided I needed to run the dishwasher to see if it would leak.

Of course having recently run it, it was full. Mindy agreed to unload the dishes while I patiently waited. Once empty I dropped once again to the floor and put the dishwasher through a wash cycle. It’s mechanical so I could advance it through the various stages at will. Sure enough, once what I’ll refer to as a solenoid engaged, which appears directly attached to the pump/motor, it began leaking and not from the water input line or the discharge tube. Not good. And on closer inspection it looks like it’s been seeping very likely for years because the metal part in question, while still operation, had a build-up of corrosion. I ran it through that same cycle three or four times to be sure. Finally after about 20-30 minutes I gave up and shared that we simply need to get a new dishwasher. Makes no sense spending money on this one. It’s 20 years old!

I wasn’t too disappointed having gotten 10 more years out of it than one might normally expect. The only thing was the timing and inconvenience. But then again, when is convenient? I didn’t say anything to Mindy, but figured I would take a look-and-see while at Home Depot, though I am not a fan of buying appliances there. I’ve heard lots of horror stories. But if nothing else, I figured I could compare featured and prices.

Off to Home Depot. At Home Depot I went first for the ducting, and there I struggled to find the piece I really needed though after a little time I found a piece that would work however its intended purpose is the transition from the large duct box to the 4” starter. They didn’t seem to have the splice piece I had in mind (double male).

Eventually headed over to the appliance department taking in their somewhat limited selection of dishwashers. Relative to features, looks and price, none really caught my eye. Although there was a GE model I liked but it was too pricey. While there, I looked over their selection or ranges too. And just like with the dishwasher, the only make I liked was the GE. The features I had in mind were gas, cast iron cook top grates, convection, stainless steel, etc. Again,, though, a little pricey. Between the two, $2K. Ouch!

I never intended to buy new appliances at Home Depot anyway. Instead, just look and compare, But realistically, I’d need to address the dishwasher situation fairly soon. It dawned on me while in the checkout line that I get a discount with a couple/few appliance manufactures. I told myself that I would check into that later at home.

As I was pulling down our street, Lindsey was just leaving our house with the boys. I failed to mention that Landon was originally planning to go to Home Depot with me but had a change of heart last minute. At home, I went straight to the basement to continue the insulated duct work. Took twice as long as expected but I got it done. Like a lot of little tasks, I had to do each end twice – forgot to install the hose clamps the first time. On a positive note, the new dehumidifier seems to be doing its job removing the heavy humidity and taking away that damp, musty basement smell as well.

Near 630pm I headed upstairs for a shower, and by then I was itchy head to toe, no doubt a byproduct of working with the insulated ducting all day. While I was showering, Mindy was making dinner, penne pasta, chicken and tomatoes, which is a family favorite (mine without the artichokes).

I was starving and the pasta hit the spot. The remainder of the evening was very low key. We watched oodles of college football. I think I drank one beer the returned to ice water.

My Name is Heimi. I Play the Bongos!

 

Up and engaged in calisthenics by 630am. Whipped the entire gamut by 645am, or about the same time the kids headed off to the bus stop. As soon as I finished, I headed out with the pug. It was another cloudy morning and the temperature near 60 degrees. Wasn’t expected to make it out of the 60s all day. Not exactly the kind of weather I was hoping for.

Mindy left for school around 715am. Her cough much improved. By the time she left, I was already engaged in work, though I enjoyed coffee and a little personal internet time in the background, too.

Once again, I spent a bunch of time and effort on my peer’s customer. It’s been a trying week taking care of his and mine. I knocked out some mandatory training sometime during the day too. Because I cut the lawn on Tuesday afternoon, I didn’t plan on any yard work Friday. I did, however, take a lunch hour working in the basement. Nothing big, but progress just the same. For one, I unboxed and plugged in the new dehumidifier. I also tacked down the two 20amp circuit for entry into the panel box, though I wasn’t ready to make them hot just yet.

I didn’t spend more than an hour in the basement. In fact, I had to join a call at 2pm. The call didn’t go so well. I was experiencing technical difficulties with some data that I was sharing/providing. The work day was quickly winding down, and soon the kids were home from school. And not too much later, Mindy was home too.

Our evening plans included Mindy and I going to Barley’s to celebrate my birthday with friends. And last minute, Jiamken’s weekend plans changed so he couldn’t keep the kids as scheduled. In turn. Jacob was supposed to stay home with Bella. Jacob wasn’t happy about that. He wanted to go to the Hilliard football game despite Mindy’s insistence otherwise. But later, when Bella was invited to go with the neighbors, Mindy acquiesced and let him go. She actually dropped he and Joel off at the game.

I stayed busy wrapping up a few last minute issues with work until almost 6pm. I got a shower shortly after that, and we left for Barley’s a little while later. Don’t think we showed up until almost 7pm. A handful of birthday well-wishers were already there, including brother Tommy who pulled in just in front of us. At risk of forgetting a few folks, I’ll just say that it was a great turnout. I very much appreciate those that took time out of their busy lives to come celebrate with me. That was nice. I had a really good time and probably one too many beers. Well, there’s that, and the shots of Woodford Reserve. I definitely wasn’t feeling any pain when we left for home, which I can only guess was somewhere close to 11pm.

Almost immediately in the door, Mindy headed off to bed. Me, however, I stayed up a while listening to iTunes music keeping time with my new bongos. I did that for nearly an hour.

Feelin' Spry @ 55

Happy 55th Jimmy!

As promised, I woke to light rain and cloudy skies. Not exactly what I had in mind for my birthday. It was 615am and everybody was up. Mindy greeted me with a warm happy birthday. Downstairs, I breezed through calisthenics. And both kids extending a birthday greetings as well. Like any other work day, I enjoyed coffee and internet ahead of work and run. The day's forecast was still calling for clearing skies as the day wore on. I held on to the promise the forecast offered.

Mindy asked if I wanted cards and gifts before she and kids bolted for school. No. I walked Eiknarf in the dreary weather and just about the same time that Mindy was leaving for school. I planned to work at the main office. Once again, my boss told me that he needed some help with a project. With that in mind, I was deliberate with meditation and a stretch, eager to get out the door for a run no later than 745am.

The temp was about 63 degrees with a fairly stiff and chilly breeze out of the NW. I ran 4.1 miles without fail. Felt great. During my run I contemplated my 55th birthday and just how good I felt. Consider myself blessed to feel so spry @ 55!

Arrived at the office near 930am. Quiet morning, but certainly not because there wasn’t plenty to do. Instead, just quiet. I took care of several to-dos before my boss and I talked about his big project and what he’d need me to do in his absence. No one mentioned or acknowledged it being my birthday and I didn’t share it. I prefer it that way.

Spent the lion’s share of my day taking care of issues for a peer’s customer. He was on vacation all week. I didn’t take a formal lunch break though I did eat my packed lunch all the while plugging away at my aggressive to-do list.

And while it was a gloomy, gray morning, the sky brightened as the day progressed. By midafternoon it was sunny. I remained at the office until 445pm. According to Mindy, Jacob’s soccer game got moved up by 90 minutes. It would now be over by 6pm. What she wasn’t sure of was whether or not the coach would make he and others stick around for the “B” team game.

Our plan was still to do dinner at Columbus Fish Market. I was very much looking forward to it. Jacob sent a text, first sharing that he was expected to stick around but later recanted and said he was coming home. Not sure if he mentioned our birthday celebration or not. Once Jimaken called to tell Mindy that they were on their way home, I headed upstairs to freshen up. Until then, I had been busy handling work matters.

Once home from school & soccer, it didn’t take Jacob too long at all to ready for dinner. We left the house around 630pm, cutting across Grandview via 5th avenue to Olentangy River Rd. It didn’t appear that Mindy made a reservation, but it didn’t matter. We were seated right away at a table.

I can’t recall our servers name but she was friendly. Mindy opted for a glass of wine while I went with a Jack & Coke. The kids enjoyed pink lemonade – Jacob at least 4 refills. Said he was super thirsty. We ordered a couple appetizers while we mauled over the menu dinner entrée options. I was pretty much set on steak and lobster. I ended up going with one of the summer specials – beef skewers and a lobster tail.
I know Mindy & Jacob both ordered seafood too. Bella went with a burger. We ordered a pound of King Crab legs to share.

Our server came by before our entrees were ready to clarify how I wanted the beef skewers cooked. I ordered them medium rare. She asked if I wanted them pushed more towards medium or more towards rare. Definitely rare! In the meantime, we enjoyed the appetizers: bacon wrapped barbeque shrimp and crab and spinach dip. I also enjoyed the Caesar salad that came with my meal.

The timing was perfect, Unfortunately, though, the skewers were way over cooked. There wasn’t even a hint of pink and that was even after our server came by to clarify. Yikes! Mindy called her over to show her. She quickly agreed and whisked my plate away to make them right. And while she was there, Mindy shared that they had also forgotten to bring the king crab legs we ordered. Oops!

Soon a manager intervened to apologize for the mistake with the beef skewers as well as the forgotten crab legs. To make it right he suggested that the crab legs would be removed from our bill and that they would give us a complimentary dessert. I asked only that they correct the errors but he insisted.

Soon they brought the crab legs and my dinner plate. This time only the smallest beef tip was over dine, the rest probably not cooked enough.  I didn’t complain again though. They’re obviously difficult to cook. In fact, our server implied as much and shared that they’ve had difficulty with others. And the thing is, they didn’t taste that good either. The lobster tail, however, was tasty and the king crab legs superb.

The manager stopped by again to make sure everything was resolved to our satisfaction. He then reiterated that desserts were on the house. But because it was my birthday, we planned to have dessert at home. Mindy had a cake there and waiting. We expressed as much, and the manager then agreed to remove one of the appetizers from the bill in addition to the crab legs.

On our way out, Mindy and our server were chatting. Sounds like they’ll be happy to see the beef skewer special go away soon – lots of issues. The seafood was delicious. The tips, not so much.

Arrived home near 830pm. I promptly changed into comfy lounging clothes while Mindy and the kids brought me cards, gifts, and a cake. The kids gifted me some cool tom-tom drums, and Mindy gifted me two bottles of Jack, a fancy single barrel and then a regular black Jack. She also gifted me Todd tickets for his November show. Sweet!

By design, I waited all week to open the birthday cards that came in over the past week. Lots of love. Lots of cool cards. Enjoyed some double-chocolate birthday cake along with another Jack and Coke.

Pre-Birthday Bodhi @ CBC

Up near 615am. Rain in the forecast, not for the Wednesday, but also on my birthday. At the time, partly to mostly cloudy with an expected high near 80. Exercise, coffee and PC time. The kids and Mindy off to school by 715am. It was near 8am by the time I finished meditation and stretching then headed out the door for a 4.1 mile run.

Back from my run by 845am and quickly off to the shower, again opting to make breakfast afterwards. Showered, breakfast, packed lunch by 930am. Off to work near 940am. Quiet morning with the customer. Near 115pm I left for lunch destined for Home Depot. There I bought a bathroom exhaust fan, insulated ducting for our fresh air intake, and another box of nail plates. Turns out, I needed more than I once thought.

Back at the office near 2pm, and by then I was pretty hungry. I enjoyed my packed food while working. Stayed busy until 430pm, which is when I packed and left for home. to the north and west the skies looked stormy, but the storm seemed to be tracking north of I-70. A lot brighter skies by the time I arrived at home. Jimaken was there to pick-up Bella. Jacob was already at his soccer game. They were planning to head there. Mindy and I didn't have solid plans for anywhere but it wasn't too long at all before we settled on a visit to CBC. Near 6pm when we showed up.

Kate, whom we hadn't seen in quite a while, was tending an otherwise sparsely attended bar. A number juicy guest beers on tap, I opted for a Bodhi, and so did Mindy. Chatted with Kate for a while. I woman that resembles Debbie Lombard was sitting at the end of the bar. In hindsight, I wish I would've ventured down to satisfy my suspicion. Mindy asked for some yummy bread.

Mindy was still battling a cold, and as such, she wasn't interested in any more beer after her first. I, however, went with a 2nd Bodhi along with an order of wings extra crispy, extra sauce. Mindy ordered the special, I think. Mindy ordered wings to take home for the kids, too. Thinking it was near 745pm when we headed home. As hungry and the kids claimed to be, they barely touched the wings. Happens a lot these days.

The next day (Thursday) being my birthday, we made plans to go to dinner at the Columbus Fish Market. As it stood, Jacob had a soccer game that was slated to wrap up around 7pm. We planned to go right after his game. Meanwhile, my birthday weather forecast wasn't too promising. Calling for rain the morning with clearing later in the day. Stormed on my birthday last year too. In fact, we even had a rainbow. More often than not, my birthday is a bright sunny day.

Basement Bleeding

I was up, out of bed, and downstairs near 620am. Before starting calisthenics, I took in a little fresh air from the deck. It was nice, mostly clear and in the low 60s. And given that it was Tuesday, that meant it was a non-push-up day. I like those.:) Headed to my PC with coffee around 635am.

I played on the internet until roughly 7am when I logged onto my work laptop. At the time I planned on working across town even though our standing 1pm meeting was canceled. However, as the morning progressed that eventually changed. Soon enough, the kids then Mindy were off to school. I played around a while longer before giving way to meditation and stretching. Think it was 750am by the time I was ready to head off on a run. Like most Tuesday's, I ran 4.1 miles. I am blessed to be feeling so good - loose, limber and fast!

Back at home near 830am, I realized that there wasn't any way that I was going to pack my lunch, make breakfast, shower and get across town before the 930am call I needed to join. I figured I'd join the call from home and then decided whether or not to head across town. The call was a doozey, lasting far longer than the 30 minutes it was scheduled for. Not only that, but I inherited a handful of to-dos as well. Already after 10:30 and I hadn't eaten breakfast or showered. It was then that I made the decision to simply work from home.

I stayed busy for the rest of the AM, taking no more than a few minutes to top off my coffee and grab something to eat. However, after a 12pm meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, I decided to take a real lunch and cut the lawn. That's right, even though it was Tuesday, our grass looked as long as it normally does on a Friday. I did the quick cut with the tractor, taking no more than about 35 minutes, though I planned to push mow, trim and edge and blow later.
I was busy with work again until 2:30pm or so when I headed out to push mow. That took all of about 15 minutes. I waited until after 4pm to put the finishing touches on my work. By then Mindy and the kids were home from school. Mindy looked tired and sick, and sounded bad, too. She was coughing (more like hacking) like an old smoker.

She said we'd be on our own for dinner, which was fine by me, because I wasn't even hungry. I ate a bowl of chicken & noodles earlier. We still needed to get Bella to and from gymnastics. I thought I might do both, but Mindy was good taking her. So while she did that, I headed to the basement to do a little work. I extended the storage room lighting circuit from the back shelving to the wash sink where for all these years we've had to rely on reflected light. Now we'd have a fixture directly overhead. I swore like a sailor when I stumbled with the ladder tripping over ski boots and totes that used to be tucked neatly on the shelving. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! And when I stumbled, my 9" pliers fell off the shelf's edge and put a handsome nick on my wrist, enough to draw a little blood.

Mindy came down while I was wiring in the circuit. Of course I had the light switch off but not the breaker. I told her that I couldn't talk and please not to flip any of the switches. :) I ran out of wiring clips while running the extension. I planned to leave about 20-25 minutes early to fetch Bella and stop at the Lowes near her gym. Mindy was already in bed when I left, though fooling around with school paper, not sleeping.

The Georgesville Lowes always looks dark and empty - almost closed even. Like I've been doing lots lately, I referred to a list I sent myself via text. I bought another ceramic light fixture, wire clips, more nail plates, and looked for insulated ducting. I bought all but the last, still not sure whether or not I was going to replace the rigid metal fresh air intake duct with the insulated variety. On to the gym.

Like most late spring and early autumn evenings, the gym was like a sweat box. Ugh! I arrived five minutes early so I watched the girls practice. However, Bella must've been done with all of her passes. I didn't get to see her do anything. Practice ended at 9pm sharp and she and I headed for home. Arrived there near 915pm. Not much else going on. To bed near 10pm.

Vacationing Peer

I was up near 615am and promptly out of bed once Mindy cranked the shower into full gear. Downstairs I quickly got going with calisthenics, completing sit-ups, windmills and finally push-ups. I did the 50 push-ups from the deck in the fresh air. It was cool and partly cloudy - only 52 degrees.

Enjoyed coffee and internet until Mindy left for school, which was close to 715am. I walked the pug between then and 730am. Next up, meditation and stretching, just ahead of my run. Got out the door near 8am. It was nice and cool, still in the 50s but sunny. It was a good 4.1 mile run.

Opted for a shower before making breakfast and lunch, just had to remember to brush my teeth and gargle after breakfast since it's outside the norm. I didn't leave for work until after a 930am call that I agreed to cover for a vacationing peer. I'm thinking that it was close to 10am when I left the house for the office.

Stayed busy all day, not for a lunch break. Jacob had soccer practice after school and Mindy asked if I would pick him up at 545pm. However, sometime during the workday Jacob sent me a text first changing the pick-up time to 5pm and then later to 530pm. I actually left the office at 445pm planning to make a quick stop at Home Depot to get a couple things.

Arrived at the middle school early, and then practice went on even past 545pm instead of the 530pm Jacob quoted. I actually dosed off while waiting. I woke with Jacob tapping on the window. At home it was taco night, a meal I am always looking forward to. And by the time that Jacob and I arrived it was ready.

Tacos were delicious. I had three and that was plenty. After dinner and clean-up I tuned the family room television to the regular season's first MNF game. As has been the case for the last 6 or 7 years, there are two games the first Monday night of the season. The first started around 730pm - Detroit and NY Giants. Mindy wasn't feeling well. She was coughing and tired. Sounded like a life-long cigarette smoker to my ears. She went to bed super early while I watched football downstairs. The Lions dominated the Giants, but just as they have for the last 10 years, they were penalty prone and always at the most inopportune times.

I stayed up until the first game ended but dosed off more than once while watching. I headed for bed near 1045pm

Yes, there are other chores too

It must’ve been around 4 or 5am when I first woke with a dull headache. I simply ignored it until 7am when I could sleep no longer, and it wasn’t like I felt fully rested. Instead, I just couldn’t sleep. Even before starting coffee, I popped a Naproxen. Fifteen minutes later any sign of a headache was gone. Heck, I only drank four beers and that was over a 3.5 hour span of time, though two of the beers were BIG beers – 10.5% abv.

While sipping coffee, I read headlines catching up on all the sure-fire negativity surrounding the Buckeyes poor showing the night before. Believe me, there wasn’t a short supply of criticism. I also checked the FOX programming schedule to confirm if the Viking/Rams game would be televised. It wouldn’t be on in our region, which was probably a good thing.

I had the house to myself for a couple hours, or until Mindy was up. She gave me a disapproving glance, apparently still miffed about me walking down to Kenny’s the night before. I clarified that she did in fact hear me say that I was walking down there. What she didn’t realize is that I was going to stay there for an hour or so. Truth is, I wasn’t sure I would. In the end I think it was more about not feeling loved, respected and appreciated. I gave her a hug and smooch before heading out on a run. Before all of that I did a through stretch.

Like most Sundays I ran three miles, and it was an easy run. After my run I was full of energy. And during my run I decided that I was going to knock out a number of non-basement tasks/chores before burying myself down there. Before even heading inside the house, I headed into the garage to get the grass seed and fertilizer. I wanted to over seed the service walk area since there are a few bare spots. Otherwise, the new grass is coming up great. I wanted to get it done since it’ll soon be too late for new grass to establish. It didn’t take any more than about 15 minutes to complete.

Next up, there was a significant low spot just one side of the new sod I put down where the ash trees once stood. I dug and peeled the sod back then built the dirt up with some of the topsoil I keep back at the compost pile. Done 20 minutes later.

I wasn’t done. Next, I watered all the seed in, and while I had the hose out, I watered all the deck flowers too. It was while shutting down the hose that I saw Mindy backing in the driveway. Hmmm? I had no idea that she’d even left since I was so busy outdoors. She’d been grocery shopping. And my big mouth sharing as much only got me in more trouble. Yeah, not realizing that she was gone was probably not the best thing to share.  Note to self!

Anyway, next up, I backed the BM’er out of the garage to give it a long overdue bath. Didn’t take long since there’s not a lot of body panels. First opportunity to use the new faux shamis I bought at H.D. Did an OK job. After pulling my sparkling clean BM’er back into the garage, I washed the Pilot. It needed a bath too, but because it’s silver, it doesn’t show it. In fact, silver might just be the best car color for hiding dirt.

Once the Pilot was sparkling clean, I topped off the air in all our car tires. That was prompted along by a low tire warning on the Accord, something that’s plagued one of the tires since it was new. It loses air pressure during large temperature swings, I’ve noticed. And while I had the compressor out, I topped off our bike tires too. Put 50lbs PSI in ‘em. Never get ‘em that high with the hand pump.

So after planting grass seed, filling a hole, washing cars, topping off tires, I felt well accomplished, at least outdoors. It was gorgeous outside too, so a rather enjoyable afternoon. Inside I made myself a sandwich then headed straight to the basement, ignoring the opportunity to check on NFL scores. Decided I wait until much later to check on the Viking game.

In the basement I made sure I had my phone and jambox so I could work to Pandora. That always makes it more fun. I worked until I had all the kitchen outlets and switches fully in, and then got to breaking off the storage room from the existing basement lighting circuit. I finished up all the wiring work around 5pm. I could smell something awfully good upstairs. Mindy was boiling down a chicken to make homemade chicken & noodles. Yum! She shared that her mom and my dad were coming for dinner – grandparents day.

I headed up for a shower. While the water was running I turned on the TV to try and get an NFL score update but to no avail. After a shower, which felt terrific, by the way, I went to my PC to check scores. Not only did the Vikings win, but the blew the Rams out of the water, 34-6! Bam! I was thrilled to see that.

Dad arrived a few minutes ahead of Gloria. I invited him to see the progress in the basement since he asked. Said he was impressed. Hey, I do good work. Just ask me.  Gloria was over by the time we headed back upstairs. Greeted Gloria with a hug. Soon we sat for dinner. Yum, homemade chicken & noodles, which is one of my favorite dishes. I ended up having two helpings.

The others enjoyed what remained of the lemon merengue pie while Jacob and I had ice cream. I had chocolate chip cookie dough. Jacob had peanut butter something or other. Dad and Gloria stuck around until 7-730pm, and they left at the same time, dad helping carry some of her things to the car.

We had a relaxing Sunday evening watching the inaugural SNF NFL game pitting the Broncos against his former team, the Colts. Denver dominated from the outset. Not only was Peyton Manning sharp, but their defense, too. Uh-oh! Look out, Seattle! I stayed up an hour or so after Mindy headed to bed, but still only through halftime. Off to bed near 1030pm.

Multilated Nuts

I popped out of bed near 730am and not so much because I felt fully rested but instead because I couldn’t sleep. I started coffee then played on the internet, enjoying about an hour or so of quiet time before being joined downstairs by Olivia. Predictably, she asked for some coffee. Mindy was up a short while later.

I headed out for a run near 9am. Ran three miles. During my run, I planned what I hoped to accomplish in the basement that day. I needed to nail mounting clips to the wire I pulled Friday, install nail plates over each stud that I’ve drilled and run wire through, and possibly even mount the plywood base to the block wall right next to the electric panel. In addition, I hoped to at least get started on the outlets and switches for both the kitchen and bathroom. Before any of that, however, I needed to make yet another Home Depot run to get supplies

And I know I’m making an awful lot of H.D. stops. Made the decision to buy as a I go rather than creating a giant project material list and buying it all at one time. It must’ve been near 11am when I headed to the basement. By then, all the kids, including GD Olivia were out playing. I took care of the wire clips and nail plates in about an hour’s time. I decided then to head off to Home Depot to get the stuff I’d need to complete the outlets and switches in the bath and kitchen.

Wisely sent myself a list via text. It’s funny how clear it is when I am at home or work but once I head inside H.D or Lowes I will draw a blank. Sometimes just walking the aisles it’ll come back to me. Moreover, there are times when I am in the checkout line and remember a couple other items I needed. Sending a text list is easy and eliminates the problem. Took my time getting those items on my list. Gone for about an hour. By the time I was back at the house, Olivia was gone. 

After a brief pause for food, I decided it was time to work on the CATV mess in the basement. To get started, I cut away enough of the foil-backed insulation that covers the upper half of the block basement wall to allow for an 18”X24” plywood mounting base. I mounted the plywood using Tapcon screws. I then spent the next two hours, first undoing the ugly nest of existing CATV wires - old splitters, and new equipment - and then remounted and reorganized the inputs, amplifier, splitters and outputs. Sounds simple enough, but it was a pain. However, having done this a time or two in my past, I had a vision of what I wanted so in the end it resulted in a very nice looking install.

One little glitch. When I cut the tie wrap for one of the CATV runs it dropped connector end first directly into the exposed power cabinet. Yikes! Nothing came of it but it got my heart racing. I carefully regained control of the wire and was extra careful moving forward. I finished my work in the basement around 5pm and headed for a shower. I nicked my hands up in a couple places drawing a little blood.

6pm or so by the time I was out of the shower fresh and clean. I was eager to watch and catch-up on some of the day’s college football action. The Buckeye game was slated to kick-off at 830pm, or so I thought. Ahead of that, I watched a little football and played around on my PC. It was around 820pm that Mindy hollered that the game was already underway. It was still 0-0 but V.T. had the ball and was driving. Not a minute later they drew first blood scoring a seemingly easy TD.

It never got much better. The Buckeyes fell behind 21-7 and looked largely outmatched for much of the game. We did, however, mount a ferocious comeback attempt and actually tied the game early in the 4th quarter, but similarly to the Mich St loss last year, we couldn’t hold on the momentum. We lost 35-21.

At the halftime, I told Mindy that I was walking down to chat with neighbor Kenny, who was watching the game on their outdoor big screen. I sat outside with he and Mike O. and watched the entire 2nd half. I headed home soon after the game ended. I didn’t take my phone with me, and Mindy was already in bed. She sent a couple texts earlier expressing frustration over me leaving for Kenny’s without consulting with her. She must’ve been dosing when I left because I did tell her I was walking down.

I stayed up a while snacking and playing around on the internet. Headed for bed near midnight.