After I returned from my Texas trip on Saturday, April 5, for the rest of the month I simply continued my typical Ohio lifestyle. Returning to work on Monday the 7th, I began preparing to open one of our new Kroger stores in Hebron, Kentucky. This was one of the most interesting stores that we opened as it was a former Flicks store and we had to make the coversion in only a few weeks. It worked out and we grand opened on Thursday, April 10.
The weeks were mostly consumed with the typical workday, uploading music to my iPod, and taking some relaxing Spring walks around my neighborhood. It began to warm up during the middle part of the month and it was great to get outside. We’ve even had the first grass cutting - of which Derek was responsible. I opted to invest in a Scott’s lawn treatment as the weeks were starting to really make me thoroughly nauseated.
I also really discovered the magic of the local library this month, figuring out that I could check out items from any Greene County Library and could even import items from other Ohio libraries. I visited several in the area, frequented their website, and have checked out many, many CDs in addition to an assortment of Presidential documentary DVDs. Books on tape is the next world to conquer. My cousin Chris (who works for the Washington-Centerville Library) has also leant me some of his check-outs and has come over a couple of times to watch borrowed DVDs: No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.
But most of the interesting diversions have been on the weekends. On Saturday the 12th, Jackie, Grace, and I went out to Brookville to visit Dad and help him get the fenders on his 1957 Chevy that he has repainted. It was kind of interesting to take a small part in putting together a car. Although I admire the skill, precision, and patience that he has in restoring and re-assembling old cars, I know that it would frustrate the living pee out of me, as it nearly did when we just couldn’t get the fenders to fit right. For our assistance, we were awarded with a great chicken and ranch pizza dinner at Carmela’s.
My Uncle Ed’s sister Dorothy Tangeman had passed away on April 4th at the age of 70. On Sunday the 13th, I went to the viewing at the Westbrock Funeral Home in Kettering and then out to eat at Marion’s with Bev and Ed’s family. The next day I attended the mass at the beautiful Saint Mary’s Church in Dayton. Although I wouldn’t say I was ever close with Dorothy, I certainly have fond memories of visiting with her and her sister Virginia at various functions that we attended with Bev and Ed.
That following week, I had a class (Checklane Optimization - yawn) that I had to attend down in Erlanger, Kentucky on Wednesday, April 16, so I ended up going out to eat to Carrabba’s with the Kroger people after the class and then staying at the Holiday Inn Airport that night. Sometimes it’s a nice getaway to spend an evening alone in a nice hotel. I wouldn’t like to travel regularly for business but it was fun to just kick back and read my new book on the Presidential families and watch the Obama-Clinton debate.
On Friday the 18th, Christi and Creed came over to visit and it was fun to hang out with a few beers and watch Creed and Grace assist Jackie in making a mess of a cake. The next day, Jackie, Grace, and I went out to Bellbrook for the annual Sugarmaple Festival to watch my Uncle Jim’s band, The Air City Movers, play a rousing selection of rhythm and blues music. He’s very talented and although it’s been quite a while, I always enjoy seeing his various bands perform. There we met up with Mom, Denise, and Adam - along with Diana and Tom, Susan and Charles and their kids, Bev, and Jan.
Creed and Grace ‘decorate’ a cake
Jackie and Christi: would you trust them?
In front of the fancy Bellbook Sugarmaple Festival sign
My Uncle Jim (right) leads the Air City Movers
Denise and Grandma watch Adam get down to the tunes of The Whippin’ Post
Jitterbuggin’ to some R&B
Grace has pretzel envy
Jan, Diana, Mom, and Bev at the Sugarmaple Festival
After the show, Jackie, Grace, Mom, Denise, and Adam met up with Bob and Ashleigh (who had driven out to Mom and Bob’s place) at the Golden Dragon Chinese buffet. Yes, this meal was much better than the last one that I had panned in February. Although it was 11 days after Denise’s 32nd birthday, I finally gave her a card and a Kohl’s gift certificate. Parenthetically, I stuffed myself to the gills.
Ashleigh feeds Adam some egg drop
My China girls
This is the last straw!
So that is pretty much the excitement of April. Barring Ashleigh’s celebrity encounter with Dave Chapelle in Yellow Springs on April 22 (during which she didn’t even try to get a photo with him!) and a return visit to the Phone Booth lounge for the first time in nearly seven years on April 25 - only to find that they couldn’t supply Jackie and I with steel darts (so we settled for a couple games of pool), the month ended rather bleakly. It got cold again, I was forced back indoors, and I came down with a bad cold. I ended the month utterly and miserably downtrodden.
More good news later as the happy hour continues in May…
Good thing the car frustrated you. Otherwise you would still have living pee in you.
Chris
May 3rd, 2008
Mischief makers can’t be loved….
Jackie
May 7th, 2008