“Hey everybody…this is George. He just started today. That over there is John…”
I listened as Andrea named all the regulars at the three occupied tables at Kleifelds. I had some moving to do, but felt it important to start at least one day a week with a breakfast here. And the introduction to the employee is one of the reasons I come. Andrea actually knew the name of every patron in the place and they were more than pleased to be recognized and introduced to the cook. Why not?
I had the blueberry pancakes with my own maple syrup. I’m trying different things now to see what, if any, impact they have on my digestive system. Cecilia joined me and we went over the upcoming wedding of her son, Nathan, and the challenges facing an outdoor affair on February 27th.
“I still think he’s out of his mind,” I said, but was truly looking forward to seeing it happen. Diane is a wonderful girl and fits right in with the Duer/Rolf crowd.
I left there and drove to Diana’s apartment in Chagrin Falls. She was moving about ten minutes away and would be occupying the basement of her parent’s new condo. She was hoping I would be able to take her sofa, roughly the size of a minivan, down those basement stairs and into her living area.
“I am not hopeful, Diana. I’ve measured and it will be extremely tight. Prepare yourself for the possibility it will not make it though,” I said.
I was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt and by the time I’d made several trips, was sweating profusely and needing a head band.
“It’s December 13th and I should be in shorts!” I commented. It had to be in the sixties and was quite humid.
After two trips, I came to the moment. Bob, another friend, had been enlisted and we were unloading the beast and moving it into the front room of the condo. The stairs to the basement were just off it. He reached the stairs and to my delight, I could not make the swing to get it lined up for a shot down. End of story for the couch and back into the van for a trip to Habitat or anywhere that wasn’t going to have me trying to get it down those stairs.
I continued to sweat heavily for the next several hours and finished after about five hours of work. Rosary, Diana’s mom, had insisted I eat and had put together a plate of raw vegetables and fruit with a homemade meatball and a glass of lemonade. I’d told her several times I wasn’t really hungry, but gave in because I knew she wouldn’t stop. And it was very good.
I stopped at the farm to push the manure pile and ended up doing some maintenance on the tractor. Family dinner wasn’t going to be happening at my place, or anyplace for that matter, so I went home and turned in early. Though not an official workout, the move more than met my criteria for an elevated heart rate and level of sweat.
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