Christmas Is Here!
Page Created November 19th, 2022- Last Updated: 10/21/2024 22:24:PM
This year has been amazing as Mary and I are celebrating Christmas together for the third year, our house is now a home, the vegetable garden is in and underway, our health is doing well (except for the stupid COVID coming to visit Paul), and the family is growing (we expect to be great grandparents again mid-summer, thank you Jax).
To My Liberal Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2023, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country, nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . This wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. ❤️
To My Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 🎄Emoji
On the down side, no Colleen this season but she needs to be with her family this time of year.
A Wonderful Story Being Told By Amazing People
Some goofballs brought this program to an end claiming racism! These actors were magnificent and sent the Christmas message to millions back in 1952. We need more of this today and less of the nasty finger pointing and pent-up hostility of the radical left!
November 19th we went to the Wally Rodeckers 80th birthday party at the Cerritos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach!
November 20th we were going to the Starlighters Christmas Dance at the Elks Lodge in Santa Ana! It was the "season opener!" But alas, what we thought was the flu turned out to be COVID for Paul so we missed it.
November 23rd and Mary is officially retired one year!!
We spent the day getting ready for Thanksgiving. I was feeling poorly and had the chills' so Mary insisted I go to Urgent Care and the result was COVID-19!!! After two and a half-years, why me?
November 24th, Juan came by to wash the cars and. like last year, $100 worked magic. He and his crew of two emptied the garage attic in a matter of minutes where it would have taken Mary and I two days! Christmas is now in the garage and poor Silver Fox has to stay outside for a week!
The boxes seem to multiply every year!!
November 24th, Thanksgiving 2022! It was a day to remember. It was a small Thanksgiving; just us. The COVID crashed the holiday group celebration but we have plans to celebrate again on the 10th of December.
November 25 & 29th, My oldest biological child and Mary's oldest son both turn 54 but they have decided, for reasons unknown, to turn her back on their family and we have decided they need to go her own way so no contact is just fine. It is a sad situation especially when you have no idea what happened. Life is complex.
November 26th We had two events today but again, we are locked up. We missed White Christmas in La Miranda with Robin and Bob and Family and we missed Five Star Band at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge.
November 27th we were off to Brea for the annual Christmas Musical with the greatest Doo-Wop singers of all time; The Alley Cats! Vicky had arranged a surprise visit by Joe and Amy but we had to bow out.
After dinner, we were told how bad the performance was!!!
November 27th, Finally we can do something but it is all WORK with a little bit of self-inflected frivolity added! We begin planning to decorate for Christmas!
Exciting News: We got a call from Paris France, Mary's daughter was proposed too and accepted, she is engaged! The video call from Paris was perfect. We were so happy that she called her mother and shared to great news!
On the banks of the River Seine in Paris!
November 30th we started rolling in the Christmas storage boxes into the Faultily Room and we opened our "field hospital" for broken toys and those who energy source has been depleted (batteries; Mary loves it when I talk dirty!)
The day started like this! We kept unloading and the boxes kept coming!
The Field Hospital was opened for business!
December 1st was Girls Night Out at the Elks! I went alone as Mary still had a positive covid test. I joined them while they ate but I ordered three salmon's to go; one for Jan and two for us (I did not want to dine without Mary).
Mr. Elk is ready for the holidays!
December 3rd was a sad day as it was the first anniversary of the shutting down of the Topper's Dance after 75 years. We went to Santa's Swingtime Dance at the Santa Ana Elks where we had a ball with dear friends and great music!!
Finally, we are out and about!
December 4th and we went north to visit Mary's daughter-in-law and grandchildren. 180 mile round-trip in the rain but it was worth the effort; great family!
Paul, Mary, Megan, and Diane at the Lure
December 5th and Happy Birthday Robin! We did not see her today but we called and sang happy birthday!! We worked around the house and got the garage situated so we can park both cars again! We finished decorating! Early this morning we visited the garden and said hello to everyone!
Ready for St. Nick to visit!
Good morning strawberry, it was nice knowing you!
December 6th we went to the Elks to make sure we had reservations for seventeen friends and family for New Years Eve, all was well! We had a good time and we stopped by Jan's on the way home. After watching a movie, Mary headed to bed and while walking down the dark (dog infested) hallway, she tripped and went down. I got her to bed hoping it was a sprain.
December 7th HUMBUG - We went to UCI ER and stayed there most of the day. It was not a sprain, Mary broke her arm just below the shoulder socket so we are out of business for a couple of months!
Silly girl was worried about her makeup and hair; even in pain ,she is beautiful!
December 10th was going to be the Thanksgiving Redux but we waived everyone off. We had to cancel out due to Mary's busted arm! We did have some company!
Joe and the boys came over and installed another length of the outdoor lights; all we need is one additional string.
It's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Becky and Dan stopped over to visit for a while and check in on Mom! We heard about their vacation and we saw the rock. They met Joe and the boys and we all visited for a while.
Robin and Bob came by about 5:30 PM and brought pizzas and we visited for quite a while. Mary was starting to feel she needed to crash so we said goodbye for the evening.
December 11th - Where can you go to see 10,000 lights strung out over two acres of beautifully manicured gardens? Sherman Gardens of course! We planned to go with the Duda's and the Zaitz. However, Donna called and Bob was "Out Of Commission" and I decided not to take Mary out in the rain and into a crowded restaurant with her wing broken. So, Nick joined the party and Mary, Bob, and I opted out.
Donna and Nick at Rothchilds Restaurant
The kids whooped it up while we stayed home!
Having fun at Sherman Hardens!
Bob said he would take a lot of pictures.
December 13th was not exactly a Christmas event but we went to the bone doctor to get a plan of attack for Mary's arm. The results were great! No operation required as long as the alignment stays the same. We celebrated by going to the Elks Lodge for lunch!
.
December 14th we were at the American Legion watching the Newport Christmas Boat Parade. Jeff Smith (our neighbor) and Irene joined us for the adventure. It was colder than a well-diggers butt and we managed to stay warm thanks to the overhead heaters.
Thank goodness for the fur coat!
Enjoying life!
Jeff kept his hands warm with the coffee
Ladies; having fun?
The boats paraded by!
December 15th was Elks for Girls Night Out
December 16th and the old man turns 78 (at 4:03 PM) so it is time for pierogies and mulled wine with family and friends.
Tonight we had
(The Pierogi Master) at the stove!
Vicky joined in so all was well
We better double check the recipe!
The musical turntable has been in use since Paul's second birthday;
it is 76 years old!
"Oh come on, just another 8 ounces for good measure!!"
December 17th we recovered from last night. We cleaned up and went to Bill & Mary Capps to dinner at a great Italian restaurant in Huntington. Vittorio's. We had so much fun talking that I didn't even bring the camera out. MAry found her veal picatta while I did seafood and capallini! A great time was had by all!
December 18th we started up the old tradition of seeing Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) at the theater with family! We had fourteen of us this fine day! Great memories and great fun!! This would be my 31st year and the first time with the "new" Scrooge!
Just us!
The Liles Klan!
The entire gaggle!
We had a late and unplanned lunch at Darya in South Coast Plaza
December 19th was International Dining Day for us. We visited the garden today and had our morning coffee; we had plans! Well, at 9:30 AM, Sydney called and said she would come over with the folks and bring Veal Picatta for Mary. That's all it took! We changed plans. Sydney, Hal, and Jeannie came over at 2:00 PM, bringing a wonderful lunch. We visited for a couple of hours before they departed so as to beat the traffic back to Seal Beach.
The Branders came over for dinner and brought everything from Yang-Ming, the Chinese place just down the street. We will have a chance to catch up with them since we all have been under the weather for the past three months!
December 20th We were up at 5:15 AM this morning as I have to be in Long Beach at 8:00 AM sharp for the cancer removal procedure using the Mohs technique. We departed Casa Valencia at 6:40 AM, and the freeway was wide open! We arrived at the office at 7:30 AM, so we went upstairs to the nice waiting room and read from our tablets. Dr. Glassberg did the first cut and sent it to the labs; sure enough, he did it "one-and-done"! We were out of the office at 9:00 AM.
We drove over to H&H Nursery just down the street on Lakewood and went wild! We filled up the trunk and backseat of the Silver Fox with blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and raspberry plants! Mary also got some Mums and other veggies.
We filled out car to the brim with goodies.
Smile, you are on candid camera.
December 21st was planting day and we did just that. We put in six blueberries and about eighteen blackberries, boysenberries , and raspberries along the eastern wall. We finished up about 4:00 PM and decided to visit Jan and bring sushi and pinwheels.
December 22nd, the shortest day of the year! We did chores and then it was Girls Night Out.
December 24th Is Christmas Eve and we had lunch at the Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens before going home and enjoying Christmas Eve with family.
Just us at Roger's Gardens!
We toured the garden before dining at the Farmhouse!
Fun with family and friends!
December 25th and we celebrate with Chinese/Mexican food with family and friends.
December 27th - We are off to the annual visit to the Mission Iinn in Riverside California for dinner and shopping at the antique store!
A stop by Robin's on the way there!
We love Robin's Christmas Tree
Robin was the designated wine taster and she had an opinion on this one!
Now it is time to walk!
Decisions decisions!
December 30th we invited our Catal friends over and we had a Mexican catered luncheon. I have known these people for twenty years and they are amazing. Robin and Bob will be joining us along with Vicky and Jim.