Gently Weeps

I slept as late as I could without messing up my rhythm or routine. Was downstairs engaged in exercises by 545am. It was Tuesday, which means it was a no push-up day. How sad is that? And it’s not that I despise the push-ups but there not the thing I’m looking forward to most fresh out of bed.  In fact, they’re quite grueling with some days better or worse than others. After curls I remembered that it was trash day. I headed out to move our can to the curb. I really need to remind Jacob to take care of that on Monday evenings. He was really good about it before we came upon the holidays when the pick-up schedule moves out a day after each one.

Poured coffee then played around online until 610am. Headed upstairs with coffee to wake Mindy next. Once she was awake, I headed back downstairs to start meditation and stretching. Both went well. Thanks to the work Mindy’s did on my back the prior two evenings, my neck and left shoulder felt about as good as they have since Utah.

Double checked the temperature. It was about 29 degrees under clear skies. I dressed accordingly for a run heading out the door near 645am. By legs felt about the same as they did on Monday, tired – dead even. I did the 4.1 miles on nothing but pure determination. Because the sky was crystal clear, dawn was apparent on the horizon from the outset, and by about the 2.5 mile mark it was for all intents and purposes daybreak.

Mindy was just backing out the drive upon my return. I headed in and leashed up the pug, who was waiting my return by the front door. We walked across the street out for no more than five minutes. Back at home I quickly transitioned into breakfast and lunch prep. Bella shared that Mindy may not be making breakfast (eggs) ever again. I got a kick out of that.

Made fried eggs this time, frying up two for me and one for the pug. They were delicious. Enjoyed the eggs along with some fresh fruit. As for my lunch, Mindy made me a salad the evening before. All I needed to do was pack some cheese, nuts, and fruit. Rushed off for a shower around 750am.

Joined Bella downstairs again near 805am. We headed out for the bus a few minutes later. It was a brief but chilly wait. I let Eiknarf spend a few more minutes outside before heading in. She pooped a second time in our own yard. I left for work a few minutes later arriving near 850am.

I took a mandatory online training class while preparing for a 10am call. I had to pause the class temporarily to participate. I picked up where I left off after the call. It was a busy and productive morning. I took lunch around 110pm and headed to Wal-Mart just up the road. I get in there about 2 or 3 times a year. I was hoping to pick-up some pellets for our air gun along with pellet loaders. They had both. I also picked up some carb cleaner and gasoline additive for the Toro mower. I headed back to the office after being out for no more than 30 minutes.

I enjoyed my salad and cheese soon after my return. Had a productive afternoon too. Mindy called around 4pm to remind me about the retirement party she planned to attend as well as confirming that I could be home in time to take Bella to gymnastics. I planned to leave no later than 5pm to make that happen.
She was heading home first to freshen up. Said she stopped at the grocery on her way home to pick-up more fresh fruit.

I wrapped up my day around 440pm and headed for home. Felt good to get out of the office so early. Made it home by 5pm. Mindy was still there as were Bella and Makayla, who were playing on the laptop. Mindy left not even five minutes after I arrived home. Mindy shared that Bella already ate a hot dog and that Jacob was off playing with friends. I reheated roast beef and risotto. Yum!

Bella and I departed for gymnastics at 535pm. Seemed odd to be doing the delivery having done it only three or four times. Perhaps even odder was the fact that the sun remained fairly high in the evening sky. Spring coupled with last week’s time change at work.

We made excellent time arriving at the gym by 55pm.Bella was happy to arrive early. I made sure it was opened waiting to watch her walk inside. I headed back home arriving by 605pm. Jacob was home. Before she left, Mindy shared that she would likely be able to pick-up Bella. I was hoping so. I decided to spend my quiet time updating my blog, which I have neglected since our return from Utah. However, from a writing perspective, I was caught up through the prior day. I edited a few but for the most part posted as they were written. Even had time to add photos here and there. Still haven’t added any Utah photos yet, though. I will.

Mindy called around 715pm to let me know that she was on her way to pick-up Bella. That was a relief. I had even more time to get caught up. I stayed busy with my blog and photos until those two arrived home, which was somewhere just before 8pm. As expected, Mindy stopped at McD’s for the kids.

I changed into my PJs then rejoined the others in the family room. While the kids ate, I surfed the TV looking for something of interest to watch. I bounced between a NCAA tournament basketball game and a NatGeo program about Beowolf, but nothing truly captured my interest. I ended up watching another program about alien viruses. That was somewhat interesting. Mindy headed to be shortly after 9pm. She only asked that I try to be in bed by 10pm. I agreed.

I didn’t last that long at all. Fell asleep watching TV by 930pm but didn’t get up and head to bed until just before 10pm. I remember waking once while Bella strummed her guitar from the family room floor. I didn’t want to discourage her joy so I didn’t ask that she stop.

The Clock & I

I woke just ahead of 530am feeling completely rested and ready to start the new work week. Maybe, just maybe I’ve finally adjusted to the time change, or perhaps it was a fluke or a byproduct of napping so much on Sunday afternoon. Regardless, it was nice to be up a little early and feeling so rested.

Because it was still before 530am, I hit the go button on the coffee maker on my way to the living room to start calisthenics. There I whipped out 50 sit-ups then headed to the family room for windmills and push-ups. I much prefer doing push-ups on the hard surface that the tile provides. The coffee’s brew cycle was just ending when I finished the exercises. I poured a cup even before it beeped.

I played around online until 605am when I delivered Mindy’s coffee. I headed back downstairs where I spent just a couple more minutes online before moving on to meditation and stretching. I was determined to get the door for a run somewhere close to my usual time of 635am. To that end, I finished meditation around 625am and then spent 5-10 minutes stretching. That always feels good.

By the time I was fully dressed for a run and heading out the door, it was 637am, or the earliest I’ve managed myself out the door in a really long time. It was a chilly 33 degrees and raining steadily, about the most miserable conditions possible. By the looks of most windshields, the rain was snow at snow at some point. No such luck during my run – pure, cold rain.

I ran the full 4.1 miles, my legs for whatever reason stiff as boards. That and the chilly rain made for a very uncomfortable run. It rained hard enough that it was next to impossible to avoid stepping in the occasional puddle, which sent cold water squishing through my running shoes. I hate that! The rest of me gets so warm that I barely feel it.

I was happy to see the house. By the time I made it home I was dripping from head to toe. Mindy had a towel by the door for me to use. Instead of drying off, I simply asked for a leashed pug. No sense drying off then heading right back out into the weather. Once Eiknarf noticed the rain, she wanted to turn around and head back inside. I wouldn’t allow it. Instead, I coaxed her onward until she took care of her business. As one might expect, she took care of business quickly. We rushed back to the house.

Inside, Bella asked for a bath towel to dry the pug while I stripped out of my drippy running clothes and back into my PJs. I tossed my running clothes in the dryer. I put my running shoes on a register vent. Mindy left without making any eggs. It was still ahead of 730am. I went ahead and made a plain, three-egg omelet severing a small section just for the pug. Mindy did cut up fresh fruit the evening before. I enjoyed strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple with my eggs.

Bella was still really excited about her new guitar. She suggested that she and I have father daughter time playing each evening. Sure! Before racing off to the shower, I finished packing a lunch and completely organized myself for my work departure. It was 750am before I rushed off to the shower. It took a little while to ready. Bella beckoned at 806am to see if I was coming. Yes. I hurried through my final prep and raced down the stairs. Because of the moderate rainfall, we opted to wait for the school bus from the comfort of the garage. Makayla joined us, too.

The bus stopped at the base of our driveway and the girls rushed aboard. I headed back inside where I poured a 2nd cup of coffee then fooled around online a while longer. I left for the office just after 830am. Still raining through my brief commute.

I had a case of the Monday blahs. I did my best to fend them off by immersing myself in work. That worked only marginally. I glanced down the hall out the window at the weather more than once. It was still raining. Despite the gloomy weather, I left for lunch, driving to the Hilliard Post Office to pick-up a change of address packet. According to friend, it comes with a 10-15% off any Lowes purchase. And with the basement project on the immediate horizon, that could amount to a significant savings. Worth the trip, and as it turned out, waiting in an incredibly long and inefficient line. Bet I had to wait at least 20 minutes. If nothing else, it was good therapy.  After all that, not exactly a coupon, but directions to complete an online form where they’ll email it to you. Of course nothing’s free. I’m sure I’ll get pummeled with spam from Lowes from here to eternity.

Headed back to the office by 130pm. Still raining. In fact, it rained for the duration of the afternoon. Stayed busy until 515pm when I finally bailed for home. Mindy sent a text earlier sharing that she planned to heat leftovers for dinner unless I wanted to go out. It was a Jimaken night. We’re back to Monday’s since he’ll be teaching on Wednesday’s again. I wasn’t up for going out. Eating at home sounded good.

Arrived home around 540pm. Still raining, though reduced to a light sprinkle. A strange car in front of the house. It was Phyllis, one of Mindy’s teacher friends. I gave Phyllis a hug then went about my usual routine chores. They were sipping wine, which Mindy explained was homemade by John & Carolynn, the parents of Kelly F., Bella’s gymnastics instructor. Carolynn volunteers in Mindy’s classroom a couple days each week. They also gave us a brochure for the Kentucky Bourbon tour. Said it’s a hoot! May have to give it a rub and whirl one of these weekends.

Mindy & Phyllis said Bella excitedly played guitar for the two of them as soon as she was home from school. Phyllis left for home 10-15 minutes after my arrival. Without missing a beat, Mindy warmed a plethora of leftovers, including sea bass, steak, gyro meat, cooked carrots, & risotto. She also whipped up another fresh garden salad. I know that sounds like a lot, and it was/is, but the portions were small. Still, I was pretty full after dinner. Including clean-up, we were done in the kitchen by 630pm. We weren’t expecting the kids until close to 8pm.

I soon got comfy on the sofa with the pug. I thought about reading but didn’t. Instead, I took a brief nap while watching How It’s Made. Let’s see, I saw how they make diapers, mufflers, and maritime barometers. Cool! Woke around 730pm and headed upstairs to change into my PJs. Dosed on and off again until the kids got home a little after 8pm. After Bella got ready for bed, I suggested she grab her guitar and show me what she learned at school that day. She said she learned two songs, all on the high e-string. She struggled but didn’t give up. Actually seemed to be enjoying herself. I was impressed that she picked up picking and strumming.

Mindy was off to bed early. I stayed up watching a Stephen Hawkings Grand Design program. His argument was that we don’t need a god to explain creation or the universe. Interesting point of view. Now the only one remaining downstairs, I headed for bed at 10pm sharp. Mindy must’ve had trouble falling asleep as she moved over to snuggle as soon as I plopped down on the bed.

Celebrating Landon @ 6

 

 

Dad with Jacob on his mind.

I slept until almost 8am, netting nearly 10 hours of precious sleep. As witnessed from the masterbath window, it was gray, wet Sunday morning. Mindy asked for a hug before I had a chance to slip out of the room. I headed downstairs where I started a pot of coffee. Played around online while the coffee brewed, which was ready by 810am. With a cup of coffee finally in hand, I continued my play on the internet until 830am when I took Mindy a cup of coffee.

Around 9am, Mindy poked her head around the corner of the stairs leading to the livingroom and asked me to come back to bed for a while. I obliged her request and spent the next 45 minutes snuggling with my wife. Near 10am I headed back downstairs for a little more coffee and then to ready for my run. My running clothes were clean and waiting in the dryer. Mindy shared that Lindsey and the boys were coming over at 11am to get a jump on the laundry before leaving for the boys basketball games. We planned to celebrate Landon’s birthday Sunday evening letting him decide what we made for dinner. I guessed he would request pot roast. He loves it. I just don’t really care for them coming over so early.

I left for a run shortly after 10am and ran three miles. Mindy walked the pug for change, I think while I was stretching ahead of a run. My run went OK, but for some reason my legs felt extremely sluggish and tired.

Back at the house, Mindy made scrambled eggs and hash browns. And before they were ready, Lindsey and the boys were over to start laundry. Mindy offered the boys some breakfast, too. Rocky accepted some hash browns. Landon didn’t want anything. Mindy was soon off to the shower and then off to the mall with Bella. The original plan was for Mindy to and Bella to shop at Kohl’s & Justice and then bring Bella home before Mindy headed on to the grocery. While Mindy was in the shower, I worked on my blog. I put Rocky in a time out for poor behavior. He has no problem telling how much he dislikes coming over. 

Not too long after Mindy & Bella left, Lindsey and the boys left for Rocky’s basketball game. With a quiet house, I spent time reading and napping. At first, I did so from the family room where I slept for at least 90 minutes. Man was I tired. I woke abruptly when Lindsey and the boys got back after Rocky’s game. He was about as loud as he could possibly be coming sharing with Jacob that he won his basketball game. He and Jacob soon headed out to play basketball at a neighbor’s. Still incredibly sleepy, I grabbed by book and headed up to my bedroom where I tuned the TV to sports (basketball and golf) but with the volume down. I did a little more reading but then quickly fell back asleep and remained there until Mindy was home from the grocery. By then, Lindsey was gone again, only this off to Landon’s basketball game. We expected them back around 630pm for dinner and Landon’s birthday celebration. I slept most of the afternoon away.

I hovered in the kitchen while Mindy put most of the groceries away. I didn’t ask, but I guessed that Bella opted to grocery shop with her. Mindy soon shared that my dad was joining us for dinner, too. We actually tried to invite Ashley as well, but she declined citing 630-7pm too late to have Olivia out on the school night. I feel bad that we weren’t able to celebrate her birthday sooner but we just haven’t been able to work something out. We actually tried to celebrate the week before her birthday but she had a change of plans with Steven’s parents in town.

Dad showed up between 530-6pm. Spent 45 minutes chatting about this and that. Said he finally won a little cash at the casino again after a long dry spell. I shared my Toro mower troubles looking for some insight into what I might try next. He suggested carb cleaner mixed with the gas. Like me, believes the issue related to the fuel line. I’ll likely try that before bagging it and buying a new mower.

630pm came and went. Mindy suggested we eat. Lindsey and the boys showed up minutes after we prepped our own dinner salads. Mindy prepped everybody’s plates. Bella asked for more roast just as Mindy was sitting down to eat her own meal. That happens a lot. The roast was especially tender and delicious. Landon sat next to me sporting his recently toothless smile (lost both top front teeth in the last couple weeks). Cute!

After dinner Landon elected to open his birthday gift before cake. He got $20 and a Play-Doh factory along with 24 colorful canisters of Play-Doh. Already after 7pm, e moved quickly to birthday cake (double chocolate fudge, just like the one I got for Mindy) and the happy b-day song. Got a couple cute pics. Landon asked for the piece with the big chocolate rose. The cake was as moist and chocolately as I remembered. Yum!

By 730pm, Lindsey and the boys were packing for home. Dad stuck around a while longer but not any later than 8pm. Mindy, Bella and I loosely watched an episode of Wicked Tuna, on the NatGeo channel. While watching, Mindy graciously agreed to rub/adjust my back from the family room floor. Felt terrific.

Bella asked if we could open and prep the Yamaha junior guitar we got her for Xmas 2011. Been sitting in her room unopened for 15 months. Her music class is studying, learning guitar. Now seemed like a good time to get it out and get her playing. She was very excited to open it up. It’s really nice guitar, complete with a soft sided zippered case. I had her fetch my guitar tuner from the living room. Took a while to get it tuned.

I grabbed my guitar so we could play together. I showed her a few things to get her started. Very cute! Mindy peeled off to bed shortly after 9pm. I stayed up watching Survive & Advance on ESPN, an incredible story about the 1983 North Carolina State basketball team’s NCAA championship run. Great program. I watched until it was over at 11pm. Despite heading to bed well ahead of me, Mindy was still awake. I shared a little about the program I just watched.

Early Spring Chores - Steak & Sea Bass

I got up somewhere close to 730am. I could’ve slept longer but the specter of sleeping in until 8am or after sent shivers down my spine. Once I was downstairs and had the coffee underway I felt fine. It was cloudy when I first got up but appeared to be clearing. The temperature was hovering near 40 degrees with a forecasted high near 50.

I wasn’t in any hurry to get in my run. Instead, I enjoyed the feeling of a leisurely Saturday morning sipping coffee and playing on the internet. Mindy joined me downstairs shortly after 9am. By then it was mostly sunny and in the mid 40s. I took Eiknarf on a walk and then joined Mindy out on the deck for a while basking in the late winter sunshine. Felt really nice out there. The yard was a little swampy but the otherwise pleasant. I let the pug run around out back for a while too.

Mindy and I talked about the feasibility of buying a retractable awning for our sunny deck. The patio umbrella simply doesn’t cut the mustard in the heat of the summer. I don’t know a lot about them, including the cost and reliability. We both agreed that it would be really nice to have more shade out back.

I headed off on my run around 10am. Just before I headed out, Bella was up. I jokingly asked if she wanted to join me. Not a chance. Said she was waiting around for 11am to go find her peeps. Did my usual 3 mile weekend run. Went without a hitch.

Jacob had his last indoor soccer game of the season at 3pm. Jimaken was coming over to take him. I talked about heading to Whole Foods and/or Market District to pick-up something to grill for dinner. I also wanted to pick-up a six-pack of the new Great Lakes DIPA. Before that, however, I planned to take care of a handful of chores, including cleaning, stowing Mindy’s snow skis, replacing the two worn out uplighting sockets, reinstalling the recently recharged battery in the tractor, fooling around with the Toro mower again, and possibly even jumping the BM’er, whose battery went dead over the winter.

I cleaned Mindy’s skis first. That didn’t take too long. Next, I replaced the two worn uplighting sockets. The seemingly simple task didn’t start out so well, but ended well. Got ‘em both replaced in about an hour’s time. Discovered that one of the CFL spots was burnt out and the other loose. Bottom line, both needed replaced, but I didn’t have any spares. I put a stop at Lowes/Home Depot on my list too. Reinstalled the battery in the John Deere next. That went smoothly. Started right up. I left it run while I went to toy with the Toro. Same problem as last Sunday. I could get it to start and run but not reliably. It might run for five minutes and then not want to start again. I’m guessing it’s a fuel line issue.

Jimaken showed up in his brand new Murano to get Jacob while I was monkeying with the mower. I was disappointed that he missed the driveway with his passenger side tires smashing the wet and saturated lawn. I chose not to say anything. I decided that I needed to talk with my dad before tearing into the mower, which is largely unchartered waters for me. After Jimaken and Jacob left, I jumped the BM’er using my new 12volt Black & Decker jumper. Worked perfect! Started right up. Decided to take it on a quick spin around the subdivision. Ended up heading out on Trabue and back down Wilson then back home.

I felt good with what I accomplished in all of about two hours. I headed inside, took a shower and got ready to go run a few errands. Bella left with her peeps to go play at Makayla’s. I asked Mindy if she wanted to come along with me. At first she did, but then changed her mind. Decided instead to stay focused on household chores. As it was, she was washing down all the woodwork (cabinets, banisters, doors) with Murphy’s oil soap. I could see a big difference.

I headed to Lowe’s first. There I bought four CFL spots for the outside uplighting. I’ll use tow right away and keep the other two on hand as spares. Next, headed to Market District. I checked out their beer offerings first. Looked all over for the Great Lakes Alchemy. No dice. I did put a 6 pack of the Unita Hop Notch in my cart then went to look at seafood and steaks. Disappointment awaited in the meat department. Not only did they not have any sea bass, but they didn’t have any nice looking steaks either. I decided right then that I wasn’t going to get anything, especially since my primary purpose was meat. I abandoned my cart and left for Whole Foods.

Thought I was visiting the temp Whole Foods sandwiched near the Rusty Bucket, but much to my surprise, the new store was opened – Grand Opening! Cool! It was crowded and the parking lot a little difficult to navigate in an around. No bother. I like the look. Inside, I headed to the butcher shop first where I bought 1.5lbs of Patagonian tooth fish (Chilean Sea Bass) and then 1.25lbs of NY strip. At the other end of the store I bought two varieties of aged sharp cheddar cheese, some hummus, and then looked for the Great Lakes Alchemy. No dice in the beer aisle. However, a kind sales associate indicated that she thought they had it on tap in the mini-pub up in the front of the store. Sweet! I headed there to ask. Had about 8 beers on tap for sale in growlers but no Great Lakes Alchemy. :(

Heading back towards home, I decided to try one more place – the Daily Growler, next to the Big Fat. Inside, I stared at their 4 40” LCDs turned vertically with all their beer offerings. No Great Lakes Alchemy. However, when I shared my quest to find it with John at the counter, he shared that he planned to put some on tap later that evening or possibly the following day. I could only laugh and then returned that, “just not when I’m here, right?” He laughed along with me, but then said if I would wait 5 minutes he’d put another keg on tap. Heck yeah!

While John disappeared around back, I continued staring at the screens. Out of nowhere, I was approached by a somewhat familiar looking woman asking me if I was Jimmy. She had a little kid with her. Uh, no that’s not my kid!  She then asked if Mindy was my wife. Yes. I remembered her but couldn’t pull up the name. I guessed Rene. Nope. Tara. Ah, yes, Tara. She used to teach ED kids at Mindy’s school, but also plays Cello in a few orchestra’s around town. Last we saw her, she brought her new born into Barley’s – Jane. She was standing there with her momma, and looks a lot like her. Very forward too. Eager to meet me. Cute! We talked for a few while John poured my growler. I gave Tara Mindy’s cell # and told her to call. She wondered if we still do Barley’s on Friday’s. Heck yeah!

Called Mindy in route to home. Played the guessing game with her. She couldn’t guess who I’d just ran into. She wondered if I got lost. I’d been gone probably near two hours. Not long after getting home I poured a Alchemy from my growler. Good stuff. We quickly planned our home cooked dinner, Chilean sea bass, steak, salad, and risotto. I started the risotto right away. While I worked on that, Mindy called CBC to see if they had any Bodhi on tap. They did. She left and went after a growler. I think I’ve turned my wife into a beer snob. We planned to ignite the grill as soon as she got back home. She was gone for about 45 minutes.

Now about 530-6pm, we lit the grill. Over the past hour or so the temperature dropped like a rock. While it was in the low 50 earlier, it was currently in the mid 30’s. Mindy grilled the sea bass. She’s perfected her recipe and process, and as expensive as that stuff is, I didn’t want to risk it. As always, she brought the fish in to place under the broiler for the last 5 minutes. While she took care of that, I grilled the two NY strips.

I sautéed the green beans in lieu of dumping them into a saucepan. That added a little extra flair. Mindy had the kids get cleaned up for dinner and we ate between 6-630pm. Dinner was absolutely delicious. Everything was top notch, even the kids concurred.

After dinner I tuned the TV to Palladia hoping for some good music, and more specifically hoping to find Live from Daryl’s House on again this Saturday. It wasn’t. Instead, it was a replay of a live concert from Glastonbury, England. Decent show, but nowhere near as interesting as Live from Daryl’s House.
We watched that until about 8pm.

We searched through all the MOD hoping to find a movie that everybody could agree on. That proved nearly impossible. Realizing that we weren’t going to agree on a movie, I tuned to the Comedy Channel where we watched Blue Collar Comedy. Jacob complained and mocked their southern draw at first, but then it grew on him. Mindy was in stitches.

After Blue Collar Comedy, we watched another show, My Red Neck Vacation. That was funny too. I thought Mindy might pee her pants. It was 10pm before we knew it. Mindy wanted me to come to bed at the same time she headed up. So despite my preference to stay up later, I headed to bed at 10pm with her. She agreed to turn on the bedroom TV where we tuned into last week’s episode of SNL on at 10pm. Didn’t know they did that, but like the idea. Not sure if that’s a weekly occurrence. I might’ve watched 5-10 minutes before falling asleep.

Throwing Fitz & Tantrums

Finally Friday after what seemed like a long grueling work week. I was up around 545am and soon downstairs engaged in calisthenics. I was still a little tired but nowhere near as much as I was on Thursday morning. I planned to work from home but still wanted to get my run in before seeing Bella off to school. The day just goes better when that happens.

Enjoyed coffee at the PC until it was time to wake Mindy. The weather was clear and chilly, only 28 degrees. I woke Mindy near 615am then spent a little more time on the internet. I also logged onto my laptop in preparation for my work day. I didn’t walk away to stretch and run until it was after 7am. Headed out for a run around 715am. Said good bye to Mindy before I left since she’d be long gone by the time I got back to the house.

The run went well, but I only ran three miles. I planned to get back at my 4.1 miles the following Monday. Back somewhere between 745-8am. Walked the pug then spent a few minutes fooling around before heading to the bus stop with Bella. The bus arrived at its usual time – 815am.

Back at the house I made some eggs then hit the shower. I didn’t want to sit around working in my running clothes all day. Was a fairly calm Friday, and as a result I was able to focus all of my attention on my scheduled to-dos. That isn’t always the case. I was most appreciative of that fate.

I didn’t have any household chores that I planned to squeeze into my work day and consequently didn’t take too many breaks either. Stayed steadily busy all day long. I did take a few minutes to go over our income tax return one more time making a few modifications, but nothing that changed the numbers to great degree. Still didn’t file. Plan to do that sometime in the next week.

Jacob was home from school ahead of 3pm. I say it almost every time, but his school day goes by incredibly fast. He was inside for about 20 minutes before heading out to find friends to play with. And then not too much longer, Bella was home. It was 4pm. She claimed to have no homework and asked to head to Makayla’s. I asked that she clean her room before heading out. And not sure what our dinner plans would entail, I asked her to check-in around 5pm. I said the same thing to Jacob when he left earlier.

Mindy was home between 430-5pm. She asked about my day and the kids whereabouts. I was proud of myself for remembering to ask them to check-in. I stayed busy at my desk until sometime after 5pm. Both kids soon checked in. Mindy asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. My thoughts were to stay home for a change. She agreed, but planned to take Jacob to buy new soccer cleats. Those from last fall are already too small. He planned to use his own money. I produced a $15 off Dick’s coupon for him to use. Just before they headed out, Mindy asked about picking up a pizza. Sounded good to me.

While they were away, I listened to music on my Kindle Fire via Pandora. Around 630pm I poured a Bodhi, still from the growler we bought about three weeks ago. Surprisingly still fresh. I soon tuned the TV to Palladia watching Fitz and the Tantrums, first as special guests at Daryl’s House, and then live from a music hall somewhere in Chicago. Pretty entertaining.

Mindy and Jacob were home around 7pm with new soccer cleats and Minelli’s pizza. I was very surprised with the pink soccer cleats Jacob picked out. Yeah – bright pink! The pizza as delicious. Between the four of us, we managed to eat all but one small piece. That might be a first. We kept the TV tuned to Palladia for most of the evening. I polished off the growler of Bodhi and then sipped a HopSlam. All totaled, I drank something just short of 4 beers.

Mindy peeled off to bed super early for a Friday. I’m thinking it was near 930pm. I didn’t stay up that much later, finding my way to bed around 1015pm.

Troubled Time Change

I slept later than I have on a work day in a long, long time, and didn't drag my rear out of bed until almost 7am. By then Mindy was already up, out of the shower and applying make-up. Yet despite the extra sleep, my head was still in a fog as I brushed my teeth and gathered my running clothes. Slowly but surely, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen where I talked myself into doing my calisthenics.

To the livingroom I headed with a full water cup and there I whipped out 50 sit-ups. Once the sit-ups were behind me, I felt a bit more awake and perhaps even motivated to move forward. I then headed to the family room where I completed both windmills and curls before returning to the kitchen to pour some much coveted coffee.

I poured coffee then made my way to my PC where I spent the next hour, or until it was time to head to the bus stop with Bella. Sandwiched in between, Mindy left for school. She asked if I planned to work from home. No. I had told my boss Wednesday that I would be in the office on Thursday. Just as well, nephew Joe was coming over to clean sometime during the day.

I walked the pug then dressed for a run just before heading out to the bus stop with Bella that way I could do my run soon after seeing her off. I printed off a copy of the basement design along with a rough framing materials list for Kenny. As luck would have it, he didn't join Makayla at the bus stop like he has for the past few weeks.

It was a chilly 28 degrees. I wore full winter running attire. I ran just three miles, granting myself an light week. The abbreviated run went super fast and without incident. Back home I fried a few of eggs, two for me, one for the pug. Headed for a shower around 915am. I was expected to join a 10am call and planned to do so from my office. I had to step on the gas. I guess I could've taken the call from home, but was bent on heading to the office.

Was all set to head off to work by 935am. I secured the home and headed out without warming the Accord. Once again, I listened to Blue Collar Radio on my drive in. Funny! Took a while for my laptop to boot up but still had enough time to fetch fresh ice water before the 10am. The call was put together to discuss me covering a former peer's fast approaching two week vacation. Went simple enough. It was over after about 30 minutes. My boss stopped by soon after to discuss the call's topic a bit more in depth. While I had his attention, I let him know that I needed to be out at least all morning on the 28th to take Mindy in for an inpatient procedure. No squabbles.

I took care of a handful of lingering to-do's all leading up to 1pm, which came around fast especially given my later arrival into the office. My plan was to take a lunch and get a haircut, stop at Lowes, and possibly even get a carwash, which is way overdue. The Accord looks like hell!

I stopped in the Mill Run Saturday's first. Got me right in. Sweet. A heavy blonde girl cut my hair. Haven't seen her there before. And for the first time in maybe a year, I opted for the shorter #2 guard. As warmer weather nears, I like the sides a little tighter. She did as good a job as anyone has. I was pleased. In and out of there in 15 minutes. I lubed my new do once back in the car then headed across the street to Lowes.

I picked up two outdoor spot light sockets to replace two that are damaged/worn, rotted. Given that they aim up into the weather the socket tends to gather water and eventually corrodes. No doubt constant freezing and thawing help it along, too. The new sockets aren't expensive. In fact, they're less than the CFL bulbs, only about $2.50 each. While there, I checked out their 12v jumpers, comparing theirs to what I bought the day before at Home Depot. Lowe's carries Stanley. They're comparable in features and price. I like the Stanley name better than Black & Decker but opted to be happy with what I have. Perused a few more aisles then headed to self-checkout.

Decided to have the car washed before heading back to the office. Headed t the Klean-a-Kar on Hilliard Cemetery Rd. Given the lovely later winter conditions, I expected a crowd. There were three cars in front of me but they line moves fast. I opted for the cheap wash - $7. It seemed to do a good job last time, which if memory serves, was right before Xmas. However, I don't think my car has ever been this dirty.

Looked good! Stopped at the free vacuums after the wash. Aside from the tires still showing a little dirt, it left the body super clean and shiny. Always feels good to drive a clean car. Back to the office by 215pm. I spent most of the afternoon tying up loose ends. As usual, we had our weekly staff call at 415pm. It lasted about 30 minutes, which is about 15 minutes longer than normal. No biggie. I told Mindy earlier that I wanted to be home by 5pm if I could help it. That wasn't going to happen, but I did manage to leave the office by 5pm.

Was home by 515pm. Mindy and Jacob were just heading out, Mindy taking him to his first outdoor soccer practice of the season. But actually, the first three were canceled due to snow or because the field was too wet. It's like the sport that never ends. It goes on and on, my friends.

There were dinner items out near and around the stove. While Mindy was away, I snacked heavily on nuts and some salt & pepper chips. I also replaced the spark plug in the Toro mower, which I left in the garage last Sunday. The new plug made no difference. Still having trouble getting it to start and stay running. Seems now that it's a fuel issue. Perhaps there's a fuel filter that is clogged. I'll wait for another warm day before proceeding further. Worst case is I'll buy a new push mower. Seems a waste given that I use it for just the trim.

Mindy was gone for 20-25 minutes. Put some pasta on the stove once home. Made a fresh garden salad, too. She, Bella and I sat for dinner near 6pm. She dished me a large plate despite me advising she not for my already half full belly. I ate half my pasta and half my salad. I was full.

After dinner I rushed through clean-up. Bella soon headed next door to play with Lillian. Mindy played on her laptop while I played with my new Kindle Fire HD. I downloaded the free Pandora app and instantly began streaming music. Cool! Listened to that for a quite a while.

Jimaken agreed to pick Jacob up from soccer practice saving us the trouble of going after him. They showed up around 715pm, Jimaken in his new Nissan Murano. Bella excitedly ran out to check it out. Bella wanted to tune the TV to Idol, but neither I nor Mindy wanted to destroy the peaceful evening. As a compromise, we told Bella she could watch it from our room.

We've had a jug of Bodhi in our refrigerator since the week before we left for Utah. We only drank one or two pints from it. I was certain that it would be bad/flat. I decided to give it a rub and whirl before giving it the dump. After all, it's like liquid gold. I couldn't get the lid off even with the aid of a gripper thingy. Jacob asked if he could try. He was able to get it. Made the typical gassy release. Hmm? Gave it a sip. Surprisingly fresh as ever! I poured a full pint then took to the sofa.

It was only 830pm but Mindy claimed she was tired and headed up to bed. Now the only one downstairs, I tuned the TV to the Science Channel while I enjoyed my beer. Can't really remember what I watched. Once my beer was about gone, I stretched out on the sofa and fell asleep. Sleep great for about an hour. When I woke it took all the energy I could muster just to get up the stairs and ultimately into bed.

Sun & Snow - No Haircut & Barley's

I believe it was somewhere around 550am when I finally rolled out of bed. I was feeling a lot better about things, but still awfully tired and groggy. In fact, I was so tired that I toyed with the idea of skipping calisthenics in their entirety. However, once I was downstairs, I gathered the energy to do sit-ups, but still considered skipping push-ups. I did windmills then poured coffee. However, before taking the first sip, I whipped out 50 push-ups finding it difficult to live with myself for skipping. Glad I did. It was already after 6am. Before enjoying the coffee I poured, I delivered Mindy’s coffee.

Downstairs I played on the internet and enjoyed coffee until almost 7am. I wasn’t in any particular hurry. While stretching, Mindy came downstairs and tossed some meatballs into a crock-pot, presumably for a potluck at her school. Looked like she skipped a shower. I asked as much, to which she confirmed.

After a stretch I headed out on a run. It was about 30 degrees. I wore regular winter attire. The run went fine. Felt good. Mindy was long gone by the time I got back to the house. I’m thinking it was somewhere near 745am. I went ahead and fried a couple eggs and threw together a lunch. Prepped my backpack for work too. By the time I finished with all of that it was time to head to the bus stop. I planned to shower afterwards.

Bella needed help putting on and zipping her jacket, her hand still swollen and in pain after her scooter accident the evening before. She asked me not to make mention of it to Kenny or Makayla at the bus stop. Cute, but I am still not sure why.

The bus was along in short order. I spent very little time chit chatting with Kenny, eager to get back to the house and in the warm shower. I still needed/wanted to be across town somewhere close to 9am. I headed to the shower without wasting a minute, and was showered, downstairs and ready by 840am. I took a few minutes to organize myself for departure then left without benefit of warming the Accord.

I made good time crossing town, choosing to listen to XM’s Blue Collar Radio instead of ESPN or music. Laughed all the way to work. Arrived at 905am. It was sunny but still a chilly walk into the building. They even had something more than an inch of snow on the ground in New Albany. The forecast predicted heavy, but brief snow squalls throughout the morning.

Inside, I quickly got situated and logged onto the network. My boss sent a note sharing that he was going to be on site as well and sit in on my monthly service review presentation. We had our usual 10am call. One of the managers joined from my office since our cubes now sit right next to one another.

My boss showed up around 1030am, or 30 minutes ahead of our 11am presentation. He and I talked for the entire half hour, mostly about work stuff. The presentation went well. The customer shared just how thrilled they are with the reporting as well as the results. I appreciate the positive feedback. On a personal note, I shared with them my Canada goose dilemma. They all got a kick out of the stories, especially the one about a neighbor stopping by to photograph the white swans in the pond.

My boss didn’t stick around too long after the meeting, and I got busy with the many other things on my daily to-do list. I stayed busy until 1pm when I decided to take a real lunch break and go get my haircut and possibly even make a stop at the Home Depot right across the street from the Saturday’s. There was only one sitting customer inside Saturday’s. Figured they could get me in, no problem. I was surprised then when she shared that my wait would be 30 minutes. No it won’t. Can’t wait that long. Sorry.

Headed across the street to Home Depot where I shopped for a bought a 12v battery jumper to complement the 12v trickle charger I bought the day before at Sears. I wasn’t thrilled with the name brand, Black & Decker, but picked one up anyway. As I exited Home Depot, I briefly toyed with crossing the street and stopping in Saturday’s again to see if they could get me in right away. However, sitting at the light, I opted to simply head back to the office.

As soon as I was settled, I enjoyed my packed food all the while digging back into the day’s many tasks. Buried my nose in my work and didn’t come up for air again until almost 5pm. That’s when I packed my stuff for home. Called Mindy once I was safely on the road. She informed that the school nurse called and shared that Bella came to the office with her hand hurting twice during the school day. Mindy in turn called Craig who referred her to the Hilliard branch of Children’s hospital for X-rays.

She was already in route there with Bella. Meanwhile, Jacob was left at home waiting on his dad to pick him up. The plan was to drop Bella by Jimaken’s place after the X-rays. Mindy asked where I might want to spend our date night. Without much hesitation, I chose Barley’s. Mindy said she planned on asking Jimaken to keep the kids a little later given that she wouldn’t get home until 6 or later.

With the house all to myself, I thought I might take a brief nap. The drive home left me awfully tired. However, once I got there I wasn’t so sleepy after all. One of the first things I did was get my tractor battery hooked up to the new trickle charger.

I played around online reading headlines waiting on Mindy to get home. She pulled up somewhere close to 6pm. We both freshened up a little then headed off to Barley’s. I’m thinking we arrived somewhere close to 630pm. The lot was full so we had to park in the back 40. But that’s pretty much and every time occurrence anymore.

Organized ourselves at one of the two barside tables until we noticed two stools available at the bar. We moved there instead. Janet was tending bar. She offered us a sample of the Sculpin IPA. Good! We both ordered one. About halfway through our beers we ordered food. Mindy ordered steamed mussels. I ordered K.C. wings and the soup-of-the-day, chicken & rice.

All about the TV was word of the new Pope – Pope Francis – a.k.a. Jorge Borgoglio. We had fun with all the fanfare. CNN was covering the event from St Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. There was a guy trying hard to get in every live shot. Must’ve moved around 10-15 times over the course of an hour to ensure his mug was seen around the world. I ordered a 2nd beer, only this time a Centennial. Mindy stuck with just the one.

During our brief visit, we chatted with Justin, Zach, Christa, & Kent. Kent shared the trials and tribulations of having custody of his 14 year old niece. Yikes! Giving he and his wife fits. Mindy picked up the tab for the first time since my return from SLC. Before we left, we placed an order for Buffalo chicken tenders for both kids to share at home.

Arrived home at 833pm. We were expecting the kids in the door at any time. Before they got home, Mindy & I were both in our PJs. Mindy and Bella were eager to watch American Idol. Jacob & I, not so much. He was off to his room and I was off to my PC. The kids eventually shared the chicken tenders. Around 920p, I topped off my water glass then snuck off to our bedroom, jumped in bed and tuned into the History Channel watching a program about Iceland. Cool stuff! Mindy joined me around 945pm after apparently growing bored with Idol. Both kids were off to bed by then too.

Mindy and I watched TV and stayed awake until roughly 11pm. Good night moon!

Dinner with Five Guys

I was up at 545am after somewhere close to 7 hours of sleep. It wasn’t perfect, but easily the best sleep I’d had since sometime the week before. I headed downstairs to exercise and enjoy coffee. I still planned to apologize to Mindy when I delivered her coffee, which I only speculated she wasn’t expecting.

Read a few headlines and checked the weather forecast. Expecting a high only in the mid 40’s, which was certainly a far cry from the weekend’s lovely conditions. At 615am I headed upstairs with Mindy’s coffee, not entirely sure how she would respond. Didn’t really matter, though. I was ready to take the high road, regardless. I could tell that she was surprised that I was there with coffee. In fact, she probably expected me to toss it on her.  Without much fanfare I apologized and told her that I loved her.


At some point during our conversation Mindy informed me that she was taking the day off school to go have lunch with her friend Teri. We talked until 650am when I had to break it off in order to join a work related conference call at 7am. I planned to work from home for the first couple of hours since the call would delay my run.

The call lasted almost an hour, which was a bit longer than I presumed. At its conclusion I slowly prepared for a run. By then, Mindy had already taken care of seeing Bella onto the school bus. I headed out for a run around 830am. I ran just three miles. It was chilly enough that it warranted a return to the long john’s, hand and ear covers. Again, early March, that’s what I expect, a weather roller coaster.

Back around 9am, I checked in again with work then made myself two eggs all the while I assumed Mindy upstairs taking a shower. I had another call I needed to join at 1030am. I decided not to rush to shower, pack my lunch and head into the office. Instead, I would join that call from home too. Before it started, I headed up for a shower of my own. Much to my surprise, Mindy was back in bed.

As planned, I joined the call at 1030am. This one didn’t last nearly as long as the first. By then, Mindy was up and showered and preparing to depart for her date with Teri. It appeared we would be heading out about the same time. I left for the office around 1105am arriving 15 minutes later. No sooner had I got my laptop hooked up my desk phone rang. It was a peer asking me to join yet another critical call. It took me a few minutes to get organized, but I joined. The call went well. It lasted about 30 minutes.

No matter what, I simply had to knock out a monthly report by day’s end. To that end, I made that my day’s priority, casting everything but the occasional urgent/emergency issues aside. I stopped in to chat with my boss around pm. Told him I was leaving for a short while to run to Sears.

First time in Tuttle Sears in a year or more. I typically stop in about once per year. I was looking for their trickle chargers and jumpers. Sad place. More employees than customers. The gentleman working the register in the tools department shared that I would need to pay a visit to the auto center for those items. Thanked him (rolled my eyes) then headed out to my car and just up the way to the auto center.

Perused their battery chargers settling on the $42 model. Looked at a jumper too, but didn’t buy. With plenty of work still to do on that monthly report, I headed right back to the office. Spent most of the afternoon finishing up that report. Near 430-5pm I was dragged into an escalation, the end of the work day kind that I truly dread. Before I knew it, it was 530pm. Rather than take the issue home, I figured I would stick with it from the office, hoping to get it resolved before heading home.

Near 6pm I phoned Mindy to let her know my predicament. She asked if we could do Barley’s for dinner. Said Jacob wanted to know. I wasn’t sure, but left the possibility open. Ended up at the office until 630pm. By then that issue was all but finalized. 

Arrived home around 650pm. Learned that Bella was skipping gymnastics because she injured her wrist after a fall off of her scooter. Mindy inquired again about dinner out. I offered that we try something new – different. I suggested Five Guys Burgers. One thing was for sure, I definitely didn’t want to drink any beer. Too worn out, and the time change is messing with me. Jacob jumped at the idea of Five Guys, and Mindy like the idea too. Bella wasn’t so happy with it. She apparently had eaten two hot dogs earlier thinking she was going to gymnastics.

We left for Five Guys around 710pm. There are two locations relatively close, one on 5th avenue in Grandview and then one even closer in Hilliard by Wal-Mart & Meijer. I was happy that Mindy and Jacob picked the Grandview venue. Bella was overtly emotional during our drive there. Not sure what set her off, though Jacob was picking on her a little.

Arrived at Five Guys perhaps 10 minutes later. Only a couple other customers inside. Given this our initial visit, we needed to peruse the overhead menu first. An eager employee recognized this as our first visit and explained how it all works. Bella wanted only a drink. The rest of us ordered burgers, Mindy a single patty, Jacob and I double patty burgers. We opted to share a large order of hand cut fries. Our tab was a whopping $34 but still far less than we can ever get out of Barley’s for.

Everybody enjoyed their burgers, which were definitely a cut above your typical fast food burger, whether McDs, Wendy’s, or Burger King. But I’ve got to say, I went in expecting something even better given all the hype.

I’m guessing that we arrived home around 830pm. The evening went deceptively fast mostly due to my late night at the office. I quickly changed into my PJs then headed to my PC to fool around with my SketchUp basement design program. A short while later Mindy asked for my undivided attention which meant moving away from my PC and into one of the two queen Anne chairs for a relationship chat.
We headed to bed before 10pm agreeing to be better communicators

Reflection

I didn’t sleep worth a damn, and I don’t think that Mindy did either. I heard her up several times during the night. I rolled out of bed near 530am and headed downstairs to exercise. It was Monday which meant push-up day. They came easy, though my left shoulder was stiff either from the tree removal work or lifting that dang tractor.

I enjoyed coffee and internet until 625am.

I finished my stretch then dressed for a run. It was still fairly warm, about 50 degrees. As lovely as it was on Sunday, the forecast was calling for dropping temps over the next few days and even some snow flurries on Wednesday. Pretty much the type of weather one should expect in early March (confused).

I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good throughout. Mindy was just leaving for school when I returned from my run. As expected, she gave me the cold shoulder. I walked the pug then made some eggs – plain omelet for the pug and I to share. Was off to the shower by 750am. I hurried so to leave myself enough time to pack a lunch before bus time.

Bella and I headed out at 810a where we met Kenny and Makayla. The bus arrived pretty much on time. Headed back to the house where I made final work preparations. I packed up our income tax info determined to sort out why my W2 was showing monies earned in New York in 2012.


I had a busy day ahead at the office. Not only were there looming deadlines, but also at least three conference calls I needed to join. Like most days, I managed to crank it all out. I even got away for lunch and visited Home Depot and Target. I bought some almonds and poop sacks at Target. I bought nothing at Home Depot, but looked at their selection of trickle chargers and jump starters. I’d really like to have both.

Finished almost everything I wanted to accomplish despite feeling under slept and dragging butt all day long. Headed for home around 510pm. At home, Mindy shared that she wasn’t making a family dinner. I pretty much expected that. The truth is, I wasn’t that hungry. I snacked on peanuts and later made a turkey and cheese sandwich, which was more than enough.

I watched a couple episodes of The Universe on the Science Channel before slipping quietly into bed just after 10pm.

First Sniff of Spring

I was awake and out of bed near 730am ,just like most weekend days. But this time there was a catch. I quickly realized that we needed to set the clocks ahead, so it was really 830a. I started some coffee then reset the stove and microwave clocks. From my PC, I checked the temperature. It was 50 degrees under partly cloudy skies. The day’s forecast was much improved when just the day before they were calling for rain. Now they were calling for partly cloudy skies with a high approaching 70. Here we go!

I enjoyed coffee and internet for an hour or more before taking off for a run. I stretched shortly before hand, heading out the door near 915am. Felt good to not need long johns, hand and ear covers. What a beautiful morning. I ran the usual weekend trail of 3 miles. During my run I contemplated how I might confront Mindy about her Saturday evening ‘errand time’.

Home from my run, Mindy and the pug were still sleeping. After another cup of coffee, I decided to follow through on my plan to search for goose nests outback around the pond. I put on some old tennis shoes and my running jacket, then grabbed one of my snow ski poles to use as a walking stick. I took my camera, too.

The sun was shining and it was getting warmer seemingly by the minute. A great morning for a walk in the woods. Meanwhile, the two new white plastic swans that Kenny anchored in the pond seemed to be doing their intended job of keeping the geese away.

I walked along the ponds edge as best I could. It’s a lot different back there before the foliage takes bloom. Still lots of underbrush to contend with though. Didn’t see any nests, but did find lots of plastic bottles both in the woods and along the edge of the pond. How sad is that? I plan to go back with the kids taking a few garbage bags along for a fun clean-up hike.

Because of the recent snow melt, the ground was rather mushy, especially where there wasn’t any brush or debris present. I slowly meandered all the way back to the waterfall and even stepped out onto the damn for a couple pictures. What a gorgeous morning! Noticed two pair of geese swimming around the small island and then one single. I hope there aren’t any more than that calling our pond their home.

I made my way back still keeping my eyes opened for nests. None to be found. I’m guessing that they're nesting on that island, safe from humans and coyotes. During my trek back through the woods and around the pond, I rescued two mini footballs. One was completely flat. The other is decent shape. I took it home.

As I made my way back up the yard I noticed Mindy and Eiknarf sitting on the deck enjoying coffee and sunshine. Mindy watched me carry the rest of the winter toys still strewn along the pond from last week’s sledding no-school day. I greeted them both warmly then took Eiknarf a walk in the yard without a leash. Often times she won’t relieve herself in our own yard when off leash, but this time she did. It took a little while, though.

I went inside and got my coffee and then joined Mindy and the pug still taking in the sunshine on the deck. After a couple minutes I asked Mindy about her 'errand time'. She responded differently than I imagined, pretty much blowing it off. To make my point, I quoted her exact words, which seemed in stark contrast to her recollection. In a huff, she headed inside and upstairs to our room. At first I assumed she headed in to refill her coffee. When she didn’t return I went looking. She was upstairs in the shower presumably preparing to depart for school.


Much to my dismay, Lindsey and the boys were expected to arrive around 1130am to start laundry but then leave again around 1245p for the kids basketball games. I wasn’t looking forward to their visit. What can I say? I took a shower and played on the internet soon after Lindsey and the boys arrived. Lindsey wondered of Mindy’s whereabouts and asked if she was still planning to finish her laundry while she was away with the boys. I only shared that it would get done. I did ask about her tax return, which she agreed to sign over to us as part of the Civic deal. Said she submitted her return a couple weeks prior. Still waiting for the check.

Lindsey and the boys left before 1pm as planned. Said she’d be back around 5pm. After they departed I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Mindy got home I’m guessing around 2pm. At the time I was watching TV. Can’t recall just what. With such nice weather, I decided it a perfect afternoon to remove the mower blades from the tractor and push mower. I headed out to the shed. I’d forgotten that the push mower developed a starting/running problem during the very last mowing, but it all came flooding back as soon as I opened the shed doors and unlocked the serpentine cable.

Since the Toro sits just inside the doors, I dealt with it first, pushing it to the garage where I could get a better look at any potential problem. I added fresh gas then checked the air filter, something I’ve apparently neglected to clean for 7 or 8 years. I was embarrassed with how dirty it was. Yikes. Truth is, I didn’t realize it had an air filter.

The mower started on the third pull and ran strong. I flexed the throttle numerous times to see if I could get it to sputter and stop. Nope. Ran fine. I stopped it completely several times then restarted. While messing with the mower, Mindy left presumably for the grocery, though I couldn’t say with 100% certainty. I tried restarting the mower multiple times. No matter what I did it just wouldn’t fire. Dang it! I fooled with it for another 10 minutes before bagging it and removing the old spark plug with intentions of picking up a new one later in the work week.

Next , I fussed with the John Deere tractor. It wouldn’t start either. The battery was almost completely dead after just two seasons. Without much hesitation I removed it with plans to but a trickle charger, something I need to have around the house anyway. I then lifted the tractor from the rear so I could roll it out over the lip the entrance and get it up on two concrete blocks, high enough that I could remove the twin blades underneath. That went easy enough.

Once I had the blades off I moved it back into the shed and secured it with the serpentine cable and lock. After putting away my tools, I got busy on Trena’s fallen tree, severing it fully from the main trunk and then into 5 or 6 manageable sections that I could carry to the back of her property. Even then the pieces were heavy and caused me to break a significant a sweat. In fact, the largest of them damn near gave me a heart attack. Like most tree work, once it’s on the ground it looks so much bigger.

Once I finished with her tree I was officially whipped and done outside for the day. I headed in where I tuned into PGA golf eager to watch Tiger Woods in Miami. I watched golf, but also bounced over to the Indiana/Michigan basketball game several times. If Michigan won, we’d share the big ten title again.
It was an exciting finish, Indiana won by one point. Michigan missed a lay-up as time expired. It rolled around the rim but then fell innocently to the floor.

Mindy & the kids got home near 5pm. I can only guess that Mindy picked them up from Jimaken’s place.
She spent most of the early evening on her laptop while I finished watching the golf tournament, which Tiger won! After TV, I prepped some dinner, making brown rice, reheating my leftover Saturday steak and then a garden salad. It was all pretty good. During my dinner Mindy disappeared to our bedroom.


After dinner I watched Science Channel. I’m guessing that it was near 7-730pm when Carl came to the door. Startled me. He asked if we were home Friday night and then went on to share that someone had the nerve to steal his license plates while his Jeep sat parked in his driveway. They even put other tags in their place. The story got even weirder. The plates came off of another Jeep Cherokee the same model, year and color as his. The cops found it Friday night full of bullet holes on the hilltop.

He went on to share that the cops stopped by our house on Saturday while we were at the gym meet to apparently ask if we’d seen anything suspicious Friday night. Carl and I talked for a good half hour. It was near dark when I headed back into the house to watch more Science Channel.

Back inside, I spent the next hour or so working on our 2012 tax return. It was near 930pm when I headed up to bed.

Dinner with Todd

I didn’t sleep that well, especially the last couple hours. Eiknarf was wedged against my body and was snoring like an old man. It was a little after 730am when I slipped out of bed. Quietly, I brushed my teeth then grabbed my running clothes. Mindy and the pug were still out cold.

It was a satisfying feeling to have a couple hours of leisure time at my dispense. I made coffee then played on the internet. It was sunny outside and the temperature quickly approaching 40 degrees. I was looking forward to my run. We needed to leave for Bella’s gymnastics event around 1015am. We talked about skiing afterwards but we didn’t have it as a high priority after our peeps shared that they’d all be gone by the time we got there.

I headed out for a run just ahead of 9am. I don’t think Mindy was up until I was out for my run. She was in the shower by the time I returned. Like most Saturday’s, I ran 3 miles. It was a lovely run. A little chilly but very spring-like. I took a shower soon after my return. Both Mindy & I wore our Solitude t-shirts.

As expected, Jimaken and the kids showed up near 10am. Mindy requested that so she could do Bella’s hair for the meet. They’re very picky about the hair, nails, etc. We needed to leave by 1015am in order for Bella to make the 1030am arrival time. We had an address and knew within a few blocks where the venue was, but none of us were 100% certain. We left the house near 1015am taking Trabue to Cambridge to Waltham, to Kinnear. We headed north on Kenny Rd. which turned out to be incorrect. We had to turn around and head south of Kinnear.

The gym is located far back off the beaten path in a warehouse area. Holy smoke! There was nowhere close to park. There were literally hundreds of car, maybe thousands. I dropped Bella & Mindy at the door then went to find parking. Jacob and Jimaken parked far out by Kenny Rd. I passed them on my way back out to park.

Finally inside, I couldn’t find Mindy & Bella anywhere. Heck, it was a sea of people. Surprisingly, the majority of the gym was taken up by what appeared to be a high school volleyball tournament. The gymnastics event was sandwiched into a small corner of the otherwise enormous gymnasium. I final located Mindy, who was seeking out the Gotta Flip Twisters folks to see if she and I needed to go on duty (we volunteered to be spotters on the trampoline from 11am-1pm). After 10 minutes or so we learned that our services were no longer needed. Sweet!

There was standing room only. We soon ran into Connie & Jordan McVey, who we knew would be there cheering on Lane in his first competition. In all the chaos, we soon learned that the overall meet was running well over an hour behind schedule. Great! Bella was originally scheduled to do her first completion at 11am. Turned out, she didn’t do the double mini until almost 1pm. Jacob was beside himself with boredom and wasn’t afraid to share it. I suggested he checkout the women’s volleyball tournament, which was really fun to watch. I also sheepishly suggested scout the gym for pretty girls.
Mindy & I went up the glass encased overlook for about 30-40 minutes, which provided a birds eye view of the entire competition. From above, we searched and searched for Bella but couldn’t see her anywhere. We finally vacated the mezzanine and returned the sweaty floor. We finally located Bella behind a bunch of other kids readying themselves to compete.

Bella did best on the double mini earning herself a 2nd place medal. She missed 1st place by the slimmest of margins. That, as it turned out, was her best event of the afternoon. She earned 4th or 5th on the trampoline and then 9th on the tumbling mat. By then all of us, Mindy included were more than ready to go. It was after 330pm, a full 2.5 hours behind schedule. I’d eaten a power bar earlier but refused to succumb to the concession stand food, hot dogs, chips, nachos, etc.

Because it was a Jimaken weekend, the kids left with Jim. Mindy were right behind them walking out to our waiting cars. Man, was it ever pretty out - mid 50s and sunny. Tossed a snowball or two Jacob’s way. Mindy and I headed for home winding our way through Arlington. Given the hour, we didn’t want to stop for lunch since we planned on grilling filets for dinner. I suggested we simply have a snack at home.

Felt good to get home. Mindy made herself a sandwich, I believe ham & turkey, while I snacked on Triscuits, cheese and hot pepper rings. It was already 4pm. Man, where had the day gone?

Just the day before, Mindy suggested we celebrate both Ashley’s and Landon’s birthday’s at Barley’s on Sunday afternoon. She also suggested we take a birthday cake with us. However, as it stood, we hadn’t even bought Landon's gift, let alone a birthday cake. After our snacks, I suggested that Mindy and I go shopping to get both a gift and a cake. Oddly enough, Mindy quickly, almost nervously, chirped that she wanted/needed to run some personal errands, including a stop to fill a prescription and then a stop at the bank. That seemed to come out of nowhere and it was abundantly clear that she didn’t want me to come along. Alrighty! She put a couple potatoes in the oven then left.

While she was away, I played on the computer and then did some reading. About 25 minutes later Mindy celled. I don't always answer but figured I'd better this time. I thought she might be calling to share that she was going to stop for Landon’s gift while out running errands. Nope. Instead, she shared that nephew Joe-Joe called and invited her to meet him at Memories in Grove City. She asked if that was OK. Uh, O.K., sure, though I thought we were supposed to have a quiet evening at home with dinner and possibly a movie. I asked if that was the real plan from the outset. She said not, but I still wondered otherwise. Said she wouldn’t be long and asked if I wanted to join her/them. Nah. I used the time to rest and relax in the quiet. She called again at 550pm but I was away from my phone. She was home 10-15 minutes later.

Upon Mindy's return, she seemed happy, spirits up and talking a mile a minute. She asked if I wanted to go shopping for Landon’s b-day gift. I didn’t. By then I had already poured myself a beer and was determined to stay home and relax. She also shared the drama surrounding picking up her prescription and then some chatter about Joe-Joe. Something about the way the whole thing went down didn’t seem entirely on the up & up. For one, the timing seemed a bit too coincidental for Joe-Joe to call just after she left to run errands. I gnawed on it for a while, ultimately choosing not to say anything.

Around 7pm Mindy asked if she should start the grill. Why not? I finished some reading as well as my 1st beer. By the time I headed out to grill, she had picked up several of the kids winter toys still strewn about the yard after Wednesday’s big dump.

While I grilled the filet mignon, Mindy cut up veggies: sweet peppers, carrots, and celery. Didn’t take long to grill the steaks. Used a flash light to make sure they were cooked well enough inside (very thick filets). Cook to perfection! Very, very juicy and dark pink in the middle. Just they was we both like them.
We weren’t 5 minutes into our dinner when I received a couple texts, one from Darwin and one from Bob Imber. Darwin was curious of our evening plans. I shared our intention of staying home, but then later responded that he was welcome to stop by. Bob Imber asked that I check out the Palladia channel. It was Daryl Hall, as well as several others at Todd Rungren’s place in Kaui, Hawaii. They jammed, had a pig roast, and a party. Looked like paradise. What an awesome program! Mindy liked it too.

Tom Clark also sent a text to Mindy sharing that he was at Barley’s. She told him that we intended to stay at home but extended an invite for him to stop over. He quickly asked if he could bring a couple friends along. When Mindy asked for my input, I declined for not feeling up to entertaining a house full. Besides, I was already comfortably in my PJs. Mindy agreed and responded accordingly.

After dinner, I poured a Jack & Coke. I was content to simply lounge around at home after good meal alone with my wife. After the Todd thing we kept the TV tuned to Palladia watching another unusual pairing of artist, this time Sting and Vince Gill. That was cool, too. Then later, we watched one with the Avett Bros & Randy Travis. All totaled, I drank 3 Jack & Cokes. I had a nice mellow buzz.

We enjoyed a nice evening watching Palladia. I think it was near 1030pm when we headed for bed. I laid there with Mindy’s head on my chest for a while and then just holding hands. But like a lot of nights, I just couldn’t sleep. I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs to watch SNL. I also poured yet another Jack & Coke. Yum!

CBC w/ McVey's - Chocoholique

I slept in until 550am and was downstairs shortly thereafter. It was cloudy and 31 degrees. I whipped out sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. All went well. Headed to my PC with coffee near 605am. Looked like a mild spring-like weekend in the offing – the 50s on Saturday and the 60s on Sunday. Still thinking that we’ll try and make it to MRM after Bella gym meet on Saturday afternoon.

Took Mindy some coffee near 615am. Still sleeping. A little more PC time then moved on to meditation and stretching. Both went well. Before leaving for my run, I headed upstairs to say goodbye to Mindy just in case she was gone at my return. She was mid-make-up. By the time I headed out for my run the sky was clear. Lovely morning for a run, and my last one in the full daylight for a while (time change).
I ran the full 4.1 miles, and while it was a tad chilly, with the sunshine and birds it felt a lot like spring. As I passed regular walkers/runners I reminded them that spring was indeed on its way.

Mindy was still at the house when I got back, but just getting the Pilot to depart. She handed me a tissue to wipe the sweat and snot away from my face. A quick hug and a peck then she was gone. I headed inside to get the pug. Bella brought the leash. Eiknarf was waiting for me at the door. It was nice to have an abundance of grass for the pug to sniff.

My eggs were in the microwave. I hit them for 10 seconds. Just right. Enjoyed eggs and fruit. Bella let me know that she added some more fabric paint to her sweat pants still stretched out across the kitchen table. Takes 4 hours to dry. Figured they’d be ready to wear by the time she got home from school.

Was off to the shower around 750am. I felt as though I was racing the clock in order to be downstairs and ready for the bus by 810am. I was very deliberate with my ready. Made it downstairs by 805am. Still with a few minutes, I worked on my lunch. Mindy prepped a hand-to-mouth veggie medley. I just needed to add fruit, nuts and cheese.

Just before we headed out, Bella asked for some cash for the dance raffle at school. She said the tickets were $.25 each. She gave a disapproving look when I handed her a buck. What’s the matter? She went on to explain that there are two raffles lo and hi. The low is $.25 per ticket and the high, $1. I handed her another single, but she still gave me that disapproving look. When I threatened to take my cash back she changed her tune in a hurry. We headed out to the bus.

Met Kenny and Makayla. I asked Kenny if he had a few minutes to look at the basement with me after the bus picked up the kids. Said he did. Cool! After the bus left, Kenny and I walked to the house and immediately to the basement to discuss some of the framing problems I was concerned about. To his eye, not a big deal. H3e’s seen it all and therefore sees it as a rather simple job. Explained how we would overcome all the obstacles I showed him. Sweet! He offered to help knock it out soon. He also shared that one can get a 15% coupon from Lowes or Home Depot simply by stopping by the local post office and requesting a change of address packet.

We were in the basement for no more than 6 or 7 minutes. I rewarmed my coffee then made last minute preparations for work. I left for New Albany at 835am. I wasn’t but a mile or so east on I-70/670 when I remembered that I didn’t pack my mouse or power pack. A sick feeling came over my already somewhat queasy stomach until I remembered that I had that spare power pack in my backpack fulltime now. I made decent time getting across town, arriving at the customer’s campus by 900am. It was a lovely walk from the parking lot, over the foot bridge to the main building.

Made it a point to stop by both manager’s offices to say hello. One had no idea that I was coming in on a Friday. I explained that after being on vacation for a week and then unable to make it in on Wednesday due to the snow storm, I felt the need to make it in for a visit.
From a work crisis standpoint, it was a fairly easy day. Happily, there weren’t any gotchas lurking out there to spoil the calm. I had plenty to do, including getting caught up on my monthly reporting. As it was, I was about a day behind where I like to be. I had a brief face to face meeting with one of the manager that went well. Spent the rest of my day on reporting.

Didn’t bother leaving for a lunch break. Instead, I ate packed food at my desk. I ended up busy at the office until 530pm determined to knockout a late request for assistance. Mission accomplished. Headed for the Accord at 535pm. Felt good to see daylight and sunshine. Hadn’t seen the sky since my drive in earlier. No windows.

Called Mindy once on the road for home. We didn’t talk too long. She was busy with getting Bella ready for her school dance. The mother of one of her school peeps was there to pick Bella up. And because it was a Jimaken weekend. He planned to pick her up after the school dance. By the time I got home, both Bella and Jacob were gone. Mindy had the house completely picked up and shiny. That was nice/comforting!

We had dinner plans with the McVey’s at CBC to once again celebrate Mindy’s b-day. Mindy made a reservation with Jamie, the manager as soon as I got home. Darwin sent a text earlier sharing that they were willing to drive. Made since, especially since Connie doesn’t drink alcohol. We responded favorable to their offer. Said they’d be over at 715pm.

It was near 6pm, and I felt like I needed a nap. I tried resting in the recliner but that just didn’t do the trick. Mindy was upstairs getting ready. I soon followed her upstairs and plopped down on our bed. I might’ve laid there for 10 minutes before getting up. Never did fall asleep. That drowsy feeling that plagued me for much of the week had at least temporarily abated.

I wore what I wore to work, adding only a black cashmere sweater. The McVey’s showed up right on time. Mindy and Connie sat in the rear. I rode upfront with Darwin. Darwin shared stories about his new job at Home Depot. Already received a Homer award for outstanding customer service. That’s Darwin. I would expect nothing less.

As anticipated, CBC was packed. Darwin got one of the few remaining parking spots. Mindy got a pager from Jamie then we stood at the bar. Kevin comp’d Mindy’s first glass of wine, a birthday gift. Darwin and I order Bodhi’s. Connie, I think, with only water. No sooner than we took our first sips our pager went off. We were soon ushered to a booth near the back of the restaurant. Kevin offered that the beers could simply be added to our meal tab. Cool!

Robin was our server. We ordered appetizers, fried asparagus and risotto balls. We enjoyed some conversation as we nibbled on the appetizers and sipped out drinks. As I alluded to earlier, I’d been feeling queasy and tired on and off for most of the week. Not sure what’s up, but I felt like I could fall asleep right there. Even the Bodhi wasn’t tasting all that good, which was a sure sign that I wasn’t feeling well.

I arrived thinking that I might go with their steak, but once Robin was there to take our food orders I deferred to wings. I just wasn’t that hungry. Mindy & Darwin went with the salmon. Connie a salad topped with chicken breast. Darwin and I both ordered a 2nd Bodhi.

My wings were just OK. But quite frankly, nothing sounded that great given the way I was feeling. Heck, I felt bloated after eating just half my side salad. Connie & Darwin presented Mindy a gift of chocolates for a new place in the short north, Chocoholique. Sweet!
CBC comp’d Mindy a dessert, banana upside down cake. I didn’t have a single bite. Just couldn’t . I was carving only my pillow and bed. The clock was nearing 10pm when we finished dinner. The McVey’s graciously picked up the check, a birthday present. Thanks Darwin & Connie! Connie drove home as designed.

Mindy offered that they come inside for a little while but they declined. They didn’t have the kids at home so who knows, perhaps some alone time was in their plans. I wasted little time getting into bed. I’ll bet I was asleep before 1030pm.

Snow Melting Fast

I rolled out of bed near 535am even though I really wanted to sleep a bit longer. I glanced out the bathroom window while brushing my teeth and was happy to see that the roads were almost completely cleared of the remaining snow. Soon I was downstairs engaged in exercise, whipping out sit-ups, windmills, and curls.

Enjoyed coffee and internet next. The current temperature was 33 degrees. Expecting sunshine and clouds with a high near 40 degrees. Supposed to reach as high as 60 on Sunday. Delivered Mindy’s coffee near 615am. She was slow to motivate. Headed upstairs around 640am, or just before leaving for my run and she was still in bed. Said she was still going to school/work.

Before my run I did a healthy meditation and stretch. Both felt terrific. Was out the door for a run by 645am. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Aside from a few cul-de-sacs, all the roads were clear making for a pretty easy run. Bella was up even before I left on my run. I half expected that she would’ve walked the pug. That wasn’t the case. I leashed her up and headed out again as soon as I returned home. Mindy was already off to school.

My eggs were waiting in the microwave. I hit them for 10 seconds which was just right. Enjoyed the eggs along with an assortment of fresh fruit. Hurried through breakfast then off to the shower. Wore jeans and one of my many black sweaters. Very comfortable. Had enough time to pack my lunch before heading out to the bus stop. We walked out near 810am.

Kenny was out with Makayla, Chrissy still recovering after knee surgery. Kenny asked if we planned to be home that evening. Offered to come over and look at my framing questions relative to the basement finishing project. I very appreciate the assist. We actually had plans to though. Supposed visit Jacob’s new middle school in preparation for the next school year. However, Mindy mentioned that we might skip it since they typically do another a couple weeks before school starts in August. We also needed to get Bella to and from gymnastics. Kenny said he planned to confirm the school open house thing because it impacts Lillian too. The bus showed up on time.

Back at the house, I needed to join an 830am conference call. Rather than join from the road, I simply waited and enjoyed coffee until 830am and joined the call from home. The call lasted about 30 minutes, after which I quickly tied up all the loose ends then headed out to warm the Accord. Just before backing out the drive, I discovered that I left my personal phone inside. Rather than leave without it, I headed back in to get it despite having to disable then re-enable the security system. Arrived at the office near 920am.

My boss stopped in to chat shortly after I was settled. We talked for quite a while. Spent the lion’s share of my day on monthly reports, though joined another planned conference call at 11am. I didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break, though did take a little time to do some personal writing during the late afternoon.

Kenny celled mid-afternoon to share what he learned about the middle school open house. As expected, they’ll have another on come August. I thanked him for the information and figured to call him that evening to come down and look at the basement with me.
Left for home shortly after 5pm. Walked out with my boss. Reminded him that I was working at one of my customer locations on Friday. He shared how excited he was for the warming trend and the fact that spring is in the air. Indeed it is. Called Mindy on my drive home. I told her about what Kenny learned. I think she said we got something in the mail about it too. She planned to drop Bella at gymnastics and have me do the pick-up. I expected as much. Said we were having leftovers for dinner. We had quite a bit, too. Swiss steak, PF Chang’s, The Pearl, etc. I planned to reheat my leftover Cuban from The Pearl.

Mindy, Bella & Jacob left for gymnastics soon after I got in the door. Jacob went along just for the ride. Just before they walked out the door, Mindy asked if I would reheat a plate of Swiss steak for her. Sure, dear. While they were away, I played around online, including checking out the stock market’s strong performance. It’s at an all-time high, finally passed the high from back in 2008.

Mindy and Jacob were back shortly after 6pm.Their timing was perfect. Mindy’s plate of Swiss steak and mashed potatoes was on its last 20 seconds in the microwave. She seemed to appreciate having her dinner waiting and ready. However, the gesture was somewhat spoiled by Jacob requesting she make him a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich. She took care of that before sitting down to her own meal. I microwaved my leftover Cuban too. It wasn’t very good at all, even though I finished it. Had a dab or two of the mashed potatoes too. They were terrific.

By the time we finished eating and the kitchen was back in order, it was close to 630pm. Rather than call Kenny, I plopped down in the family room chair where I took a nap. Slept for at least 30 minutes. Mindy headed upstairs and was never seen again. I think she was reading or watching TV from bed. I woke around 706pm. Needed to leave after Bella in short order. I used the next few minutes to wake-up.

Headed out the door at 715pm sharp. Hollered up the stairs alerting Mindy of my departure. It was somewhat warm. Had to be close to 40 degrees. And even though it was dark, I could see a slight hint of daylight resting on the western horizon. With this weekend’s time change, it won’t get dark until almost 8pm next week. Of course daybreak will be delayed an hour. I’m not really looking forward to the spring ahead thing. It’s always a tough adjustment, effectively having to wake an hour earlier.

Arrived at Gotta Flip at 724pm. I got to watch Bella’s last practice run on the trampoline. Wasn’t so good. Bella ran to my side. Soon after, I was approached by a hefty woman with a clipboard and list in hand. Asked if I was there with Bella. Yes. She immediately went into some spiel about all parents needing to bring a hot dish to the gym meet on Saturday. Before I could say a word she added that it needs to be there by 9am. I was laughing inside. I gave her the blank stare. Suggested she call Mindy. Why is it our responsibility to feed the coaches and judges? By the looks of the judges usually at these meets, they don’t ever miss a meal. They’re all heavy! If it’s up to me, we won’t be feeding them. We spend a lot of money for Bella to participate. Let the judges buy their own lunch, just like the rest of us. We’re already signed up to assist with various chores.

Saw Connie McVey on the way out. She was there dropping Lane. Apologized for not calling and coming after Lane thus saving her the trip. She had to being the two younger boys too. She only replied that she could’ve taken Bella home. We should probably work something out where it’s a win-win routinely. Bella shared that she was super hungry. When I suggested she have her leftover grilled cheese and fries from The Pearl, she cheered in delight.

As soon as we got home Bella asked me to warm up her leftovers. She wanted the grilled cheese in the microwave but the fries in the oven via the pizza stone. Can you say high maintenance? Mindy was still up in bed watching MASH. I stopped up briefly to change into my PJs. I told her about the hot food request from the woman at the gym. I headed back downstairs to tend to Bella.

Bella woofed down her dinner then snacked on pickles and cheese. She was bouncing off the walls about her first school dance taking place Friday night. She asked if she could use her assortment of fabric paints on an old pair of black sweat pants. Said that she and her gal pals are all wearing black and neon colors. Sure, why not? I got her set up at the kitchen table, protecting the table with a large trash bag. She went wild with the paint but did a good job not getting it everywhere. She took some pics with her iPhone and sent them to her pals.

Once I finished helping Bella and she was off to the shower, I got comfy on the sofa watching the Science Channel. I can’t remember what the first program was about but only got to see about 5 minutes of it as 9pm neared. At 9pm a program about asteroids and meteorites came on. Mindy came down a few minutes later to see if I was ready for bed. Not even 910pm, I wasn’t. I stretched out on the sofa where I watched TV until I drifted off to sleep. I woke once when Bella came down for yet another snack. Scared me! She was making all sorts of noise. I easily fell back asleep and didn’t wake again until very near 11pm when I secured the home and headed for bed.