A Saturday in the life of David and Anita

5:45 am:  Wake up.  Dress in running clothes and take Patches for a walk.  We work on Automatic Sits (while heeling, whenever I stop, the dog automatically sits). The dog is still very sleepy so we don't have many discipline problems.  Patches completely freaks out over a parked old-style Jeep Cherokee.  Is this the type of car that hit him?  Is there a dead body inside?  Is there a mean dog under it?  At end of street, Patches turns head to make sure it's not following us.

6:20 am:  Return home.  Realize that I don't regret drinking wine the night before a  Saturday run, but do regret that we opended that second botttle.  Just because you're watching Ab Fab on BBC doesn't mean you can act like them.

7:00 am:  Give animals various pills and shots.  Feed them.  Leave to meet running group.

7:30 am:  Run 8 miles.  Plead, beg, and harangue group to run slower.

9:20 am:  Arrive at Fran's house to borrow power washer so we can clean unnaturally green deck and fence.  While Dave receives instructions on powerwashing, Fran and I watch children, discuss landscaping and  make plans for Monday run.  Also borrow spray painter so we can stain or paint unnaturally green deck and fences, thus preventing reoccurance of moss/mold/mildew. (Whatever it is)

10:30 am: Arrive home.  Dave makes traditional apres-run breakfast of pancakes with bonus of fried eggs.

11:30 am:  Dave mows the lawn while I take a lazy-ass long, long, long, long HOT shower.  After all hot water has been used up, I tell Dave he may need to wait a while before showering.

12:30 pm:  Leave house.

1:00 pm:  Arrive at Charly's restaurant to meet Catherine for lunch before she goes to Paris for vacation.

2:00 pm:  Return too large shorts to Steinmart.  Shop like fiends in this well priced, upscale TJ Maxx type store.  (Recall cheap ass comments; this is my kind of place)

3:00 pm:  Stop by Eastway Paints to discuss deck/fence stain or paint options with Frank.  Note the 1:00 pm Saturday closing time and the notice that store will be closed on Monday and decide that this weekend may not be the best weekend to powerwash and stain/paint the deck and fences.

3:30 pm:  Arrive home and debate how much extra money we need in our incomes to afford a housekeeper and still have $$ for the remodel and vacations.  Decide it's too late to do any real work.  Catch up on magazines and BBC until 5:30.  Pets engage in typical behavior.  Cats try to sleep. Dog chases cats around.  Cats hiss at dog. Dog grabs bills and runs through house, but unfortunately, does not offer to pay now slobbery bills.  Instead, offers to continue herding cats and destroying valued objects* for free! *see 10:45 pm entry.

6:00 pm:  Leave for Charlotte Knights minor league game in South Carolina.  No, I do not know why they are called the CHARLOTTE Knights when they play in another state.

6:30 pm:  Arrive too early for rendez-vous with George and Maria.  We go in and leave tickets at will call.  Tour around the stadium and note that a game is underway.  Actually, Dave notes this.  I see them playing but just didn't "get it."  Determine that this is the game that was rained out the night before and realize we will now see a double header.  Worry about ability to stay awake long enough to see the post game fireworks.

7:00 pm:  George and Maria arrive.  Drink beer.  Eat peanuts.  Catch up on lives.  See Charlotte (SC) Knights come from behind and win!

7:30 pm (approx):  Note that field workers are pulling tarp onto field to cover the baseball diamond.  Is this some sort of double header cleaning ritual?  Voice on speaker says "showers" are coming but should pass soon.  There will be a short delay of game.

7:45 pm:  Just before the monsoon hits, run for cover.  Eat hot dogs, popcorn and have another beer. 

8:15 pm:  Storm breaks.  Tarp pulled off of diamond.  Crowd cheers.

8:20 pm:  Tarp pulled back on diamond.  Rain starts again.  Crowd silent.

8:45 pm:  Storm stops.  Tarp pulled off diamond.  We wait until they start rolling the tarp up for permanent storage  before heading back to seats armed with semi-absorbant dinner napkins to wipe off seats.

9:00 pm:  Observe gallant effort by field workers to squeegie water off of field.  Can see water splash up as they merely walk across the field.  Determine that roller squeegies work much better than push squeegies, although the staggered three squeegie run in which three people run/push the squeegie in a line while offset about 2 feet to the right and behind each other makes very pretty waves of water from the grass.  Announcements continue that they are cleaning up the field and the game will start soon.

9:20 pm:  "Post game" fireworks start.  Ooohing and Aahhhing occurs in the right places.  After fireworks, announcements change to telling us that they will soon let us know the status of the game.  Baseball players are walking around the field carrying their small children.  We guess the status of the game.

9:45 pm:  Decide after being at ball park for 3 hours and the game has not started, it's time to leave.

9:50 pm:  Receive case of chocolate milk from overstocked milk distributor as part of the "Got milk" day at the park.  (yes, 64 pint size cartons.  We'll be taking them to our elementary school teacher neighbor)

9:51 pm:  Hear game called off due to rain on the speakers.  Dragged down by huge case of milk, try to waddle quickly  towards the car.

10:30 pm:  Arrive home.

10:45 pm:  Discover recently worn sweater apparently yanked from kitchen counter, shredded and serving as a new doggie blanket.  Dog, confined to hall by puppy gates, denies any responsibility.

11:00 pm:  Go to bed.

11:15 pm:  Hear next monsoon shower hit Charlotte.  Curse the rain.  Sleep.

10:01:50 AM     Comments? []