White Lightning Axiom: Redux

I decided to pick up kids early since I got a call from the Ever Busy Wife that she was at Acme picking up the baby wipes, early being 1700 instead of 1730. Well, at least that is what I thought I heard. What she really said was that she was leaving work to go pick up the baby wipes at Acme. Not the same thing. She did eventually arrive at the Haupertonian International HQ and Manor at 1830. Long after we had finished our extended play time and were well into dinner time. At the beginning of dinner, I had loaded up the twins' plates with their various favorites and ran out to knock a couple of pieces of wood apart. After getting a couple of pieces of wood split off, I would run them up to the winter wood pile and then run into the house to check on the kids. I did this several times with sweat running down my brow an dripping off my substantial proboscis. They seemed pleased with the meal and had done a fairly good job at polishing their plates by the time Mommy got home. Jacob was being his usual interesting self. He would sit there reading his Thomas Tank Engine catalog, periodically shifting it to the side to see what was on television for a moment, then taking a little bite of the fish sticks and returning to his involved reading. He was almost mimicking the behaviors I had seen in my grandparents in their lounge chairs. It was uncommonly amusing.

I spent an hour or so chopping wood. Some of the larger rounds are nearly impossible to penetrate. There are so many knots and burls in them such that the maul just sinks into the wood without starting a reasonable crack. I end up having to take the wedge and pound it in with the 200lb sledge hammer. There are some pieces that I think I will need to rent a gas powered splitter to break them down with. After some frustration when the wedge is fully involved in a round, I go for softer targets and split some of the smaller rounds. Two more stacks are built on the winter pile and I call it a night. I learned my lesson from last winter and have brought out the tarp to cover the wood this time. Trying to start a fire with wood encased in snow and ice is no simple task. Ounce of prevention and all, ya know. My shoulders are starting to ache and I've got a blister on my thumb now. Good thing it is going to rain so that I can get a break from this for a bit.

Once the Unbearably Adorable Twins are bathed and put to bed, the Wife heads out to do some shopping. As it turns out, the sale on baby wipes is over TODAY and she needs to get to the other Acme to buy up their stock. After she leaves, I sit down to write a bit of my blog and read a bit more, but find my flagging energy level is not up to it and crawl into bed early. An hour or so later, the wife calls to let me know that she is pulling into the driveway. Out of the bed I stumble to calm the dogs. They get pretty riled up when someone enters the Manor unexpectedly. That pretty much means anytime after 0700 hours, they are guaranteed to bark and skitter across the floor to see who the hell is intruding at such a later hour. I usually escort them outside so they can watch the Wife maneuver the Family Tank up the Grand Fairway to the car-port. It eases their watchful and suspicious minds. Its good to have such paranoid guards, but it wakes the kids and that is something that I would prefer not to have to deal with.

Since I went to bed early, it is a matter of course that Jacob the Jovial Joker should wake up in the middle of the night, about 0300 hours I think. The Wife likes to handle this problem because all it involves is putting him on the futon and snuggling with him as he sleeps. She is into that, my fat rear wont fit comfortably on the futon with him. She came back to bed an hour later and we ended up sleeping to well beyond our normal time to wake. It of course, was raining outside so I can blame Sebastian the Raindrop for this insurgency. Since we woke at 0730, traffic on the local roads would only be that much worse. Once we got underway, my predictions of traffic mayhem were proven correct. Philly roads: Just add water and POOF Instant Asshole. I'll stick to my guns and stay in the slow lane, thnx. Got to work at 0930 ... and much to my surprise, not many other people had arrived yet. Heh, same problem I imagine. Since I got to work late and have no plans on staying for my full eight, I will be going out to lunch for the Dollar Pint Thursday at Rock Bottom. Might as well just write off today in full.

# posted by mdmhvonpa @ 8:32 AM