I'm exhausted.  It's midnight.  Micah, Howie and now it's Jack Howard sleeping over are jumping on the trampoline.  I await screams, but maybe not.  It sounds like they have already come inside, too cold out for them I guess.  So I repeat, I'm exhausted, but those kids they're never exhausted, now the t.v. is on, I'll give them 10 more minutes and get them in bed. Micah has had way too many very late nights as has Howie.  Micah and Mike did sleep in this morning, slept till 1 pm, but then again I think they fell asleep around 2:30 watching a movie.  

Howie got up around 11 am and called me, he didn't know that grandpa was awake as grandpa was in the only room Howie didn't look in, his bedroom.  So I came home and got Howie and Grandpa and brought them back to the store around noon.  The Associated truck showed up at 11,  I was actually at the gym riding the bike, watching for the truck to leave the country store so that's when I quit riding.  John told me to take it easy and not work out, just ride the bike until the soreness and kneecap pain went away.  Celeste didn't show up, so I unloaded the truck with Crystal and Cara.  I did all the heavy boxes with the handtruck.  Then I put the charcoal away, then I went and picked up Dad and Howie.  Howie was into working - he was a big help, putting groceries away.  I ran the register for awhile and bossed people around.  It was a little busy, there are lots of people in town right now, lots of new faces.  The guy who lost his cat was in and said that someone took his cat when they moved out.  Someone told him they saw someone else take the cat away with them.  He also said you are not allowed to have pets there so its just as well...

Janet Cronin was in for groceries and Howie helped her out with her bag.  He was a good worker.  He helped some other customers out with their bags, he did the cereal aisle, and he helped run the register.  At around 2 pm just before I sat down to eat my lunch with Dad, Micah called announcing that he and Mike were awake and hungry so I ran home to get them and bring them back.  Mike had all his stuff with him.  I got back and sat outside with Dad and ate my lunch.  Micah and Mike ordered lunch and sat inside.  At around 2:45 pm I realized I could be done working for the day so I gathered the troops and we headed for Ousel Falls trail.  Dad said he didn't want to go for a hike.  I told him it was more like a short walk - it's less than a mile to the falls on a very wide smooth trail.  I put my rod together and gave it to Micah.  Micah asked if Mike could wear my sandals.  Micah said we should have brought 2 rods.  I said I wouldn't fish at all - so they could just share my rod. Mike and Micah ran ahead.  Howie ran ahead of them with Buddy crying about something.  Dad and I and Murray slowly brought up the rear.  At one point Dad and I could see Mike and Micah way down below on the river fishing.  By the time we got to the first bridge they had quit fishing there and  I had assumed continued along the trail.  No sign of Howie and Buddy.  Dad and I slowly hiked on, stopping to rest at a bench on the top of a hill.  Then, still slowly, we continued on.  And then my phone rang.  It was Micah.  

"Dad, Mike fell on the rocks and he hurt himself really bad."

"Where are you?"

"At the mini waterfalls."

I was only maybe 150 feet away, "I will be right there."

Mike was sitting on a bench with his t-shirt wrapped around his shin.  Micah was on his cell phone.

Mike showed me the wound, a deep gash - definitely needed stitches - so I asked Micah if he had seen Howie.  "No." 

"O.K., he is somewhere ahead of us, so you will need to run ahead and find him. Then catch back up to Grandpa.  I will start back with Mike."

So Mike and I started hiking back.  Mike had no trouble walking and was doing really well.  When we got back to the first bridge I asked Mike if he wanted to take a rest.  He did. So we sat there and first I saw Micah running back, then I saw Howie and Buddy, Then I saw Grandpa.  Murray was with us.  So we all regathered.  Micah escorted Mike, Howie had Buddy and Dad and I brought up the rear again with Murray.  We loaded into the car and it was off to the medical clinic.  When we got to the medical clinic, I called Mike's mom, Teresa and let her know what was going on.  She was on a hike, but she gave me partial Blue Cross Blue Shield info.  Meanwhile right behind me Paul Cronin came in with a lot pain in his side.  Janet was with him and later told me she thought it had to be a kidney stone.  Brad, the physician's assistant took a look at Mike's wound, it was deep, you could see the bone - there's not a lot of flesh near the shin, he also tested his leg and could easily tell that nothing was broken.  Mike layed on the table, had his vitals checked, then the doctor came in and novacained up the wound. Then they cleaned out the wound , flushing it out with a needle like contraption.  Then the doctor, it was Doctor Samuels (the fill in doc, out of retirement to help out at the clinic), came in and stitched him up after cleaning it out with a scissors, trying to even out all the jagged lines left from the rock gash. Mike layed there and took it all very well.  6 stitches.  Just as the doc was doing the last stitch, Teresa called to check in on Mike. I told her what was going on and then let her talk to Mike.  Then the doc talked to her as well.  She was super mellow about the whole thing, continuously apologizing to me, because I had to deal with all this, while I was trying to apologize to her for somehow not preventing it.  The funny thing is Micah said he fell first and just scraped his shin, then told Mike to be careful.  Mike said he was holding the rod and was afraid when he fell that the rod was going to break.  I laughed and told him that the rod is  a Sage and if it breaks they would replace it for free no questions asked.  It might have been easier to get a new rod than get his shin fixed.  I just felt bad about the whole thing.  Teresa then asked if I was still planning on taking the kids to the movies.  I laughed, "Now I think I have to!"   We made plans to talk later and meet up after the movie.  When I hung up I noticed that I had missed a message from Tim Howard, he was bringing Jack over for a sleep over - They were driving, on their way from Fresno.  Tim was on his way to Livingston, but wanted to drop Jack off for a couple of days.  Micah and Jack are good friends from when the Howards lived here - they moved away when Jack was 5, but Micah and Jack have kept up their friendship.  I called Tim back, he was a block away from our house.  I told him that we would be there in 10 minutes and then we were off to town to the movies.  "Perfect."

So we grabbed some milk from the store, grabbed our garden box from the drop off spot, and headed home. Tim was waiting in the driveway with Jack.  We said our hellos, Micah and Jack and Mike started hanging out.  Dad changed into pants, I put the milk away.  I fed the dogs.  We switched cars to the van cause we needed the seats.  And before you know it we are off to town.  

When we get out of the canyon. I call Lauren to see how she's feeling. Not good.  She didn't go to a doctor in town.  She went back to the clinic.  Carla wasn't there - it was the same doctor who did Mike's stitches.  I wish she had gone to town.  We talked for awhile.  She said they did some blood work, but there will be no results till Monday. The main thing is that she just doesn't feel right, she's running a fever and she doesn't like the antibiotics she's on.  I wish she had a regular doctor.  So I need to call her again tomorrow and check in on her.  I told her I would take her to the doctor if she needed me to.  

Then it was onto the movies.  The kids are all out of the car and heading into the movies.  Dad is still sitting there.  The kids want to see Transformers 2,  which I don't really need to see, but thought it might be fun to just join and see it with them.  I open the passenger door.  Dad is opening up the glove compartment and then starts fishing around in the overstuffed compartment.  "Dad, what are you looking for?"

"My glasses."

"Dad, they're not in there. They must be in the glove compartment of the other car." 

Dad laughs at himself and shakes his head, "Yes, I left them in the other car."  He gets out of the car and start walking to catch up with the kids.  "I guess this is going to be a very dark movie."  

"Dad, we don't need to go to the movie with the kids.  I don't care to see this movie anyways.  We'll go out to dinner instead."  So I bought the kids tickets to the movie, plus popcorn and drinks - the movie started at 7 and ends at 9:40 so Dad and I had a lot of time to have dinner somewhere.  I called Teresa and let her know what we were doing.  Then we walked into Barnes and Noble for a little bit.  Dad was looking at the 40 year anniversary books for Woodstock.  We found a picture that showed the concert with the hills in the background - the land that his upstate house is on.  

We then headed to Main Street.  It was an Art Walk night.  I found a parking space on Main Street and so we walked a bit up the street and then headed over to the Bistro for dinner.  It was the second night of a new menu and I think they still have a lot of kinks to work out.  The meal was O.K.  I had the special lamb dish which was overcooked - the waiter over heard me say to Dad that the lamb wasn't very good - and he came over and asked me about my meal - he could tell that the lamb was no good and he insisted on taking it off the bill.    Dad had a polynesian pineapple crusted chicken dish that he liked.  It was just nice to be sitting there talking to Dad.  I told him at the bookstore a guy noticed my Mets hat and said to me, "You're a Mets fan." and I replied laughing, "Don't you feel sorry for me?"  He laughed, "I'm a Phillie's fan, my brother's a Mets fan."  Dad then told me being a Mets fan is just like it was being a Brooklyn Dodger's fan - they never won either.  "The only year they won was 1955, that was the same year I met your mom.  The Dodger's won the world series and I won Pearl.  You know the story about how I met her, asking her and Marilyn Krishka for a cigarette, down in Florida..." Dad had such a big smile on his face.  We just talked and laughed. 

(Micah comes upstairs, it's 1 am, it's a little ridiculous that I'm letting these kids stay up, (Howie is alseep) but Micah and Jack only see each other once every few years and Micah's sleep schedule has been way off.  Micah says to me I just realized I never had dinner and I'm kind of hungry.  So we make a quick guacomole and chip snack and then it's off to bed!)

Dad told me was he was taking funny pills.  I said you mean happy pills.  Yes, happy pills.  Are they working, I asked him.  Yes, I think so.  They've mellowed me out.  "You mean you're not as melancholy as you would be if you weren't taking them.  "That is one of your traits.  It's a Robin trait," I say

"It's not a Robin trait, it's a Roogow trait."  

"Yes, Roogow."

Dad starts talking about all the Roogows, Uncle Sol, Uncle Ernie, cousin Alan, uncle Louie.  That was Dad's favorite - Uncle Louie, he named my brother Lou after him. The Roogows and their personality traits....

It was a really nice meal, Dad treated, and we walked some more on Main Street. It was a beautiful evening with lots of people milling about, talking, eating outside at tables.  There were a couple of new stores - one was a candy store ice cream parlor.  I got myself a single scoop cone and then we found ourselves at the car.

Then it was 9:30 and time to go pick up the kids.  The kids came out of the movie, Teresa came out of the parking lot and we made the trade off.  I said, there's Mike, he still in one piece, though we had to sew part of him back together.  She laughed.  She had little Joe with her who I threatened to take home with me, but lucky for me he didn't want to come.

The drive home.  Watched the Yankees game with Dad, this time Jeter dropped an easy pop up.  The Yankees lost, the Mets had already lost.  Dad went to bed and now so will I.