06:30 – Wake up. House is quiet. Roll back over
07:15 – Boo wakes up. Announces his needs for the morning. Go and quietly advise him to take care of his needs then play in his room without disturbing everyone else.
07:18- Boo is in his room playing. Lay back down in bed
07:22 – Boo decides he’s done playing, comes into our room, and jumps off the third turnbuckle, laying an elbow into my sternum.
07:25 – I can breathe normally again. Boo is asleep cuddled up to his mother.
07:27 – After counting to 10 in several languages and reconsidering selling my youngest son to the gypsies at a discount, I notice that Boo is awake and is giggling as his mother tickles him.
07:35 – Boo has fully awoken Irish Woman, who takes him out to get breakfast. I decide to be a lazy soul for just a little while longer.
07:37 – I am up after getting “The Look”. I think wistfully back on the days when getting up at 7:37 on a Saturday morning was ‘early’.
07:40 – Begin morning routine
08:30 – Irish Woman and I get in the truck and head up the road to get lumber, tools, and hardware to replace the posts on the side porch.
09:15 – After purchasing some of the hardware at our local farmers’ supply store, try to start truck. No luck. Doesn’t even crank. Pop hood, notice that the negative post on my battery looks like brain coral. While trying to knock off the large chunks, the connector to the negative post breaks into three pieces. Inspection shows that it was corroded almost through.
09:25 – Have purchased a new battery connector, a set of linesman’s pliers, and a battery post cleaner at the farmers’ supply store. Manager of the store notices that the hood of my truck is up and I’m buying tools and parts. Sends out one of his minions to assist me.
09:35 – Connector is replaced. Truck starts. Convince the young man who assisted me to take the $10 I offer.
09:45 – Arrive at lumber yard/hardware store. Realize that we left our list of wood and other accoutrements, along with the gift cards we were planning to use to pay for these supplies, at home. Smile quietly to my wife, who was the one who was carrying them as we prepared to leave the house, then put the truck back in gear and head home. Assure her that I do not mind driving the 15 miles back to the house and returning.
10:30 – Return to lumber yard/hardware store. Gather hardware and tools. Spend 45 minutes sorting through posts trying to find enough wood that is straight and intact. Explain to teenage employee why one should not use wood that is twisted, not square, and full of knots/bark for structural timbers.
11:45 – Pay for lumber and hardware. Load up truck. Have to explain to Irish Woman that it’s OK, and that 12 foot lumber can hang off the back of the truck if we secure it and put a flag on it. Eventually she is convinced when the attendant at the store tells her the same thing using the same words. Remind myself how lucky I am to have her. Finish loading.
12:30 – Back at home. Check weather outlook. Doesn’t look good. Jacking up the carport/porch and trying to replace posts during a thunderstorm is probably not a good idea, so I’ll put that off until tomorrow or Monday. Informed that I have other things that need doing. What would I do without my wife to keep me on task? Probably drink beer and watch college football, and who wants to do that all afternoon?
13:00 – Assist in cleaning up yard and harvesting latest batch of tomatoes and green beans. The green peppers are finally starting to take off. The cucumbers are officially done, as are the sunflowers.
13:05 – Boo lets the dogs out of the yard. Retrieve Blue and Shadow and put them back in the yard. Put Boo in with them. Lock gate and return to yard chores.
13:22 – Boo figures out how to unlock gate, lets dogs out again and joins them in a run for freedom. Retrieve progeny and pets. Consider paying gypsies to take all three.
14:00 – Finish yard chores. Unload lumber onto side porch. Test out new bottle jack. Wonder how I got so far in life without owning one.
14:30 – Sit down for 5 minutes in my chair. Wake up 3 hours later rested but with a horrendous crick in my neck.
17:30 – Woken up by Irish Woman, who has made dinner. One bowl of chili with corn bread and cheddar cheese later, I am stuffed.
18:00 – Notice it’s raining when a bolt of lightning and a thunderclap go off directly over the house. No casualties except for the cat’s psyche.
18:15 – Look out and realize that Timmy the outdoor cat has a rather large frog from Irish Woman’s pond in his mouth. Go out in the rain, get cat to drop frog, pick up frog in paper towel to return to pond. Boo thinks frog is really neat and asks if he can keep him. Frog is now named “Mister Frog”. Mister Frog looks entirely nonplussed by his new moniker. Mister Frog is returned to pond.
19:00 – Rain seems to have stopped. Sun comes out. Outside air feels like the inside of a steamed clam. Go to Stop-n-Stab to get a soda. Apparently going to the corner store on Saturday night in my neighborhood dressed like Joe Shit the Ragman is unusual, because the crowd of nicely dressed teenagers and hipsters parts before me like the Red Sea.
19:30 – Begin watching Muppet Treasure Island with Boo. This may be the most intellectually stimulating thing I’ve done all day.
21:00 – Movie over. Time for bath and bed for Boo. Tuck-in is relatively uneventful.
21:15 – Boo needs a drink of water
21:22 – Boo needs to use the bathroom
21:30 – Boo reminds us that he only got one hug from each of us tonight
21:38 – Boo begins singing songs from Disney movies. He is quickly hushed and reminded that it’s time to go to sleep
21:53 – A quick check of Boo finds him sleeping sideways on his bed with no covers nor evidence of PJ’s. Cover him back up.
22:00 – Tell Girlie Bear that she’s had enough fun for one night and send her off to bed. Get cleaned up, do some web surfing, start to get drowsy.
22:28 – Finish web surfing. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
DaddyBear’s Den 