"Good answer"

Saturday, May 8, 2010


I was back at my landscaping assignment for another 6-hour stint. I had a twinge in my lower back – something I think I picked up from Yoga the other night, but I had to work through it. I spent the morning hauling around outdoor furniture, washing it, washing walls and floors and good stuff like that. I think these folks hate seeing me work so hard and try to slow me down by feeding me a huge lunch. It makes them feel good – so who am I to say no? I ate two ham sandwiches, chips, pickles and a couple of cookies.

After lunch, I emptied the garage and washed down the floor. By 2:30 p.m. I was done, but my stomach was a ways from being ready to run so I headed for home and my chores.

I completed the lawn stuff and started on the windows. It was Mother’s Day tomorrow and I wanted to wash the windows so that Holly could look out and see all the hard work I was doing in the yard. I hate doing the windows since as soon as it rains you can’t even tell I’ve done anything. About the time I got the screens out and completed my first window, it was raining again. Damn.

Okay…now the day was getting away from me. I had to pick up Heidi in Kent at 8 p.m., which meant I needed to get to the park now for my run. I changed quickly and went to tell Holly I was heading out.

“I didn’t know you were going running. I was just coming to talk to you since we haven’t seen each other all day. Then I was going to make dinner before you went to get Heidi,” she said.

Now…this is one of those defining moments in a relationship. I’ve been married for 35 years and there’s a reason for that. I know what to do at such moments…

“Okay. Sure. Let’s go talk. I can…um…skip the run,” I replied.

She gave me that ‘good answer’ look and I now had two days off in a row. Well…I’d worked pretty hard all day long and burned up some major calories, though it ain’t running. Still…I like being married and stuck with that decision. Maybe I’d have better luck tomorrow.