Great Fun

Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Neil Diamond is best known for his iconic song, “Sweet Caroline”, (you’ve definitely heard it at the Drive stadium), along with hits such as “I Am… I Said”, “Song Sung Blue”, “Cracklin’ Rosie”, and of course, “Cherry, Cherry”.

 

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Girls Night Out!

Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2022 by Paul

Fact: One of President John Tyler’s grandsons is still alive today—and he was born in 1790. How is this possible? President Tyler, the 10th US president, was 63 when his son Lyon Tyler was born in 1853; Lyon’s son was born when he was 75. President Tyler’s living grandson, Harrison Tyler, is 93. Lyon’s other son Lyon Jr. passed away in 2020 at the age of 95. The Tyler family still maintains the President’s home, Sherwood Forest Plantation, in Virginia.

First, I got the newspaper and checked the obituaries, and I was not in it today. That’s a beautiful way to start the day. We looked at the calendar, and no doctor’s appointments, another plus for this fine day.

However, we did have to heat south at 7:30 AM because we had an appointment at the gym. I go running when I have to – like when the ice cream truck is turning 60, or I need a lift to the bakery. Ah, Exercise: The joy of flex.

We finished our self-mutilation in about 55 minutes and walked out with our tongues dragging the ground. We had to get some gift cards from Starbucks, but Mary was out like a light when we arrived there.

When we arrived home, Ed and Betty stopped by, and Ed took a look at my upstairs air conditioner. We decided it was probably the running capacitor, but we had no way of checking it here. Ed took it to the running capacitor hospital!

Now down to serious business, Girl Night Out at the Elks. Someone took a movie of our antics.

Upon getting home, Mary got the cooking itch again, and off we went. We cooked until 9:00 PM.

Neil Diamond will be here tomorrow evening, and we have a table for ten set up!

Yes, we are going!

Bob came in on the Honda with wheels burning rubber and bugs in his teeth! He looked better; the butterflies gave him that “ridden look.”

Bob took the training wheels off before the picture was taken.

Mary hit the kitchen again, doing a stir-fry with meatballs. The yellow is from the yellow squash, which was delicious and pretty. Squash are classified as either summer or winter varieties, depending on when they are harvested.

Summer squashes!

Summer squashes are harvested when immature while the rind is still tender and edible.

Yummy!

Spicy meatballs to go with the squash; can’t beat that! Why did the meatballs tell the spaghetti to go to sleep? It was pasta bedtime.

Oh boy!

Mary plated everything up while I got the vino ready. We watched a movie called The Age Of Adaline. A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into.

Time to dine!

We watched “Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher” during dinner; it was an excellent movie. A remarkable story inspired by the life of renowned Chickasaw cattleman Montford T. Johnson, a man who overcame incredible hardships to establish a ranching empire along the famous cattle highway of the American West, the Chisolm Trail.

By the time dinner was over, we had decided to crash. It’s going to be a busy weekend.

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Hump Day! We Are Off And Running!

Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Just over 96% of the total amount of the world’s water is held in its oceans, according to Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Fresh Water Resources via the United States Geological Survey (USGS). However, that’s primarily saltwater. To find the bulk of the world’s freshwater, you need to trek to the poles, as 68.7% of it is encased in ice caps, permanent snow, and glaciers

I could not resist poking fun at another of Biden’s brilliant appointees. How can one man surround himself with such a collection of poor choices? Oh Well!!

The perfect idiot!

We were up again at 5:00 AM and headed to the Los Alamitos hospital for the pulmonary test; this time, the machine worked. It was done in the radiation department for a reason I do not understand! The technician was outstanding.

I was locked up!

There were eight tests, two of which were repeated after eight minutes of breathing activity. Spirometry is one of the most common pulmonary function tests. Spirometry measures how much air you can breathe in and out. It also measures how fast you can empty the air out of your lungs. Spirometry helps diagnose breathing problems such as asthma and COPD.

Then I did a body plethysmography test, which measures how much air is in your lungs when you inhale. It also checks how much air stays in your lungs after you breathe out as much as you can.

That was followed by a lung diffusion capacity test measures how well oxygen moves from your lungs into your blood. This test is similar to spirometry. You breathe into a tube attached to a machine. The test can help diagnose a disease of the blood vessels between your heart and lungs, and it can show the amount of damage done by a disease such as emphysema, a disease in which your air sacs are gradually destroyed.

After four BM’s this morning, I nearly melted the plastic hoses. Oh, BM means Bloody Mary!

I blew a 1.2!

On the way home, we stopped at a place two blocks from our home to look at dirt. We can buy 20 yards of soil mix for about $1,200. We figured another $500 for amendment and we are good to go. The people were very helpful.

We know where to get dirt!!

The day was HOT! Being fairly smart, we had a little lunch at home and headed to the movie theater. We left the air conditioning on so that Scout The Wonder Dog and our house cleaners would be OK.

It is four miles from our home.

We arrived at the theater and made our way to screen #9 with our little pile of concessions; M&M’s and a hot dog for daddy! We saw “Elvis,” which was a story of how Colonel Phillips bamboozled Elvis for many, many years. The movie was quite good and told the real story. Tom Hanks did a magnificent job.

The show was not out until almost 6:00 PM so we went to Donna and Bob’s for the Starlighters Board Meeting, where we spent two hours planning for the next few dances.

While taking a picture, my cameras revealed what I looked like two years ago! I was a fizzy little bugger back then.

Two years ago !

Donna came in the middle of the dates and dance-type discussions. She volunteered to figure it our; we are in trouble now.

Don’t ask!

We finally had to give the job to the adult meeting supervisor, Vicky! We finally have a not-so-firm idea of what we might be doing, maybe.

Figuring out the dance types (formal, semi-formal, or casual)

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Just Plain Busy!

Posted on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Few odors are as pleasing as “new car smell”—and not just because it’s nice to be in a brand new car. But while the scent may be strangely satisfying, the fact is that it’s pretty much just a combination of 50+ chemicals (known as “volatile organic compounds”) that are released into the car, decaying quickly over time. The concentrations found in a typical new vehicle aren’t dangerous, but among the VOCs that make up much of that new car, smell are those found in nail polish, auto fuel, and petroleum.

The day began with us checking out the drip system as two of the pots seemed dry. After I removed the 1/2″ line and blew into it, the water flowed freely. I added a sprayer to the end instead of the dripper. The water covered more area, and the plant was happy.

Tom, our handyman, dropped by and did several small jobs. We left him at our house while we did a quick errand.

Tom to the rescue!

We covered all the chairs from the Saturday swim party and got the remaining water toys inside their little house. It was off to Home Depot to get a new pot, a screen door, and some other goodies. We decided to call a screen door installer and have them do the job.

I got a new faucet for my bathroom as the one that came with the house was slipping. We got an excellent Braun system that will last for years, and Tom installed it for us; he hates plumbing also.

Then the outside temperature was 90 degrees, so on came the air conditioning, and we stayed inside the comfortable 76-degree house until it was time to go to the gym.

I showed Mary a recipe from Facebook, and she had to try it. The recipe called for hollowing out cabbage and placing meatballs inside with a sauce. The cabbage goes into the oven for 90 minutes at 400 degrees! I did have to ask her, “What do you call Chinese cabbage that composes music? Bach Choy.”

We had extra meatballs, so they stayed outside in the pan.

The lady needs a chef’s hat complete with 101 pleats!

The creation is ready for the oven!

We went to the gym at 4:00 PM, and on the way, we saw a truck overturned, spilling cabbage all over the highway. It was horrific! We slaw it happen!

Come on, Doc, I am trying to exercise!

After departing the gym in great pain, we dropped by Jan’s at 5:00 PM to enjoy an afternoon visit and glass of wine. We left Jan’s at 6:00 PM and raced home to put Mary’s creation into the oven. While it was cooking, we watched a movie on the 60″ portable roll-around TV.

Dinner was served at 7:30 PM, and it was magnificent! Again I asked Mary, “What’s the difference between a unicorn and a head of cabbage? One is a funny beast, and the other is a bunny feast!”

The result was fantastic!

We opted out of the swim spa this evening as we have to be on the road at 7:00 AM for another try at the pulmonary function test at 8:00 AM. It was a good day.

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We Had A Full Day!

Posted on Monday, August 8, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

We were up at the crack of dawn as we had an appointment at Los Al Medical Center for a pulmonary function test. We arrived on time and were greeted by a technician who waived us off! The machine was busted! So by 9:00 AM, we were in a quandary; do we stay and have breakfast or go home? We opted for home as that’s the best place to eat. Mary worked her magic in the kitchen while I did several repair jobs.

The Silver Fox whisked us down the 22 freeway, and by 10:00 AM, we were home. We watched a movie as it was too warm to go outside, and at 3:00 PM, we were dressed and ready to rock and roll. We rolled down to Laguna Canyon and met up with friends for an afternoon at the Festival of Arts.

We entered the grounds at 4:00 PM.

We enjoyed sitting and having wine while we waited for dinner planned for 6:00 PM. We walked around the artwork to pass the time.

Interesting collection of “art.”

Terra Laguna Beach is the on-property dining destination and event venue focusing on California cuisine with sustainable food practices utilizing farm stand fresh ingredients and creating artfully crafted meals. Surrounded by nature and creative expression, Terra Laguna Beach offers guests an artistic culinary experience unique to this place and space.

We had a private area above the restaurant.

Vicky was my next-door neighbor for thirty years and a fantastic person! Not too often do we sit next to each other because the kibitzing goes on continuously.

Thank you, Vicky, for putting this together!

Dinner is done; time to enter the outdoor theater!

Mary, Vicky, and Donna. Ladies, the show is about to begin!

We entered and found our seats. We have the best in the house! Row G is perfect!

Inside we had perfect seats.

There were sixteen of us this evening, and we are all like family to each other.

Bring on the show! Vicky, Paul, Mary Yollie (Vicky’s sister), and Irene are left to right.

It is a wonderful world.

A kaleidoscope of international art becomes your passport to distant lands, cultural celebrations, and fascinating history in the 2022 production of Wonderful World. Transported through the theatrical art of living pictures, the Pageant sets sail in pursuit of seasonal festivities, ancient and modern, promising new surprises at every turn. Prepare to be amazed by the Pageant’s intoxicating blend of original music, storytelling, and stage illusions. WONDERFUL WORLD is a love letter to our common humanity,

The picture was interesting, especially when the figures moved!

 

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Time To Dance!

Posted on Sunday, August 7, 2022 by Paul

Research also proves that dancing reduces stress and tension for the mind and body. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute studies have shown that dancing also prevents heart disease.

In the morning, we worked in the garden, deadheading some of the flowers and working on the drip systems. We watched our televangelist at 11:00 AM while having lunch. We dilly-dallied inside for the rest of the afternoon as it was too warm to be outside.

At 5:00 PM, we dropped by Jan’s on our way to Chino to dance. We danced for two hours before heading back home.

Mary with our friends, the Capps.

It was an easy day; we needed that!

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More Celebrating; Yeah!

Posted on Saturday, August 6, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Birthday cards are extremely popular in the US. Why so? That’s because 58% of all cards purchased in the US are birthday cards!

Charlie had a birthday, and he asked Mary and I if his friends could come over for a swim party. Duh, let’s do a party! The gaggle arrived at 11:00 AM and headed for the pool!

Teenagers: Those old enough to know everything. I overheard one of the teens say, “What do you call a Star Wars droid that takes the long way around? R2-Detour.

The pool was a warm 87 degrees!

They were in the pool for a good two hours! After getting out of the pool, the boys disappeared, so we went to find them. Wow, almost like the 1950s again as the boys were in the street playing baseball. Joe flew my drone over the game and took videos.

After two hours in the water and a lot of pizza, they tried their hand at baseball!

It was a beautiful but warm day. I kept the house at 76 degrees, so the adults spent most of the time inside next to the chilled wine! There was a nice breeze so sitting on the patio was also an option.

We got the pizza from First Class Pizza and had it delivered. It was truly a fantastic pizza.

It was a beautiful day!

During gift opening and dessert time, Charlie made a killing. Joe and I offered to hold his money but were refused. We look honest, I think! I also heard one of the boys say, “Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl in the bathroom? It has a silent pee.”

There was more food, dessert, and presents after the baseball game.

The “cake” was excellent. We all walked around with blue frosting o our faces.

Charlie is not a cake fan, so a LARGE cookie was served.

Joe’s inlaws and their friend Diane and sister Mary joined us. The ladies enjoyed the pool, especially after Joe and I moved the portable umbrella over to where they were sitting.

We all had a ball! Alex was after the brownies!

After everyone departed, we went into the pool to enjoy the 88 degrees water. After an hour, we were waterlogged and headed inside and watched some movies before crashing for the night.

We love family, and today was just super for everyone.

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To The Fair!

Posted on Friday, August 5, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The OC Fair has welcomed more than a million guests every summer since 2005 when it first hit its million-person mark. It was only 21 days then; it’s 23 days now!

See all the pictures from the fair right here!

We headed to the fair as soon as we returned from an unsuccessful visit to the hospital; the machine they needed to test for pulmonary function was busted. Spirometry is the most common type of breathing or pulmonary function test. The test measures how much air I can breathe in and out of my lungs and how easily and fast I can blow the air out.

Robin, Nick, and Colleen joined us in the Silver Fox. We got there in about eleven minutes and entered via the yellow gate.

We are ready to go!

Mary had to kiss the snake. Poor thing died of fright; he rattled three times and fell over. It was a horrible sight.

Smooch!

We were hungry, and Mary wanted a turkey leg, so we stopped at the Blue Bayou, got a glass of wine, and sat on their patio. Becca showed up soon after that, and everyone went out and got their favorite.

That turkey leg disappeared in a flash!

Robin did the same thing, but alas, her’s was overdone. Crunchy would be a good word for it.

We have plenty of pictures of the evidence.

I wore my official martini shirt and canvas hat to protect my delicate head from getting burnt.

Hic!

We stopped at the petting zoo, where Colleen made friends with a Llama. Did you know Llamas, who are Star Trek fans love to say, “Live llama and prosper.” I heard that a Llama mother and daughter are spitting images of each other.

Whose smile is goofier?

As we went toward the Centennial Far,s, we stopped by the Huey display, and the girls took turns flying the machine.

Oh dear, Remy is in the co-pilot seat!

Mary named her bird “Turkey Legs.” We should have known.

Mary makes a great sound like a chopper taking off.

We continued walking and put on over 7,000 steps today. Becca did a perfect photobomb in the Carnival of Products, which was the name of the fair between 1907 and 1911!

The girls found a treasure and had to buy it!

I went by my favorite shirt store. Mary bought me a green Hawaiian shirt that goes with the Hawaiian outfit. I purchased an additional five shirts; two for Halloween, two patriotic, and one drinking shirt.

Our resident cowgirl got two blinged-out cowboy hats. She plans to wear it to the upcoming concert she and Mark are going to.

Where did I park my hoss??

After all that walking, we had to rest, so we did in our favorite spot, the swim spa. We soaked for a good hour, and I slept like a baby!

The lighting in the spa is excellent, ranging from green to bright reds and blues.

After soaking, we crashed. It has been a perfect day with family!

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Whadaday!

Posted on Thursday, August 4, 2022 by Paul

Fact: 90% of U.S. money has cocaine on it. A study revealed that 90% of the dollars circulating in the economy have cocaine from exposure or drug use. Traces of cocaine were found to reach 0.006 micrograms (several thousand times smaller than salt). The green dye on dollars causes cocaine residue to stick to the bills.

Ever feel like you are on a treadmill? We popped out of bed and headed to the gym for our exercise and fitness. Returning home for a few minutes, we headed out to Girls Night Out, where frivolity is king and silliness runs rampant!

We dined at the Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, which was terrific; the menu was excellent!

Mary & Bill’s first time here!

Chef Rich Mead has been cooking farm-to-table food before the term even existed. With decades of culinary expertise, Chef Mead has cultivated relationships with the highest regarded local and sustainably focussed farms and purveyors, allowing him to create the freshest menus using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and specially grown vegetables. Today, Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens is the culmination of Mead’s long-standing relationship with these farmers and purveyors, who have become in many ways like family and have provided him with quality ingredients that Farmhouse uses throughout the menu in thoughtfully crafted dishes and cocktails.

Chef Mead came out to greet us as he knows Jan Mongell well!

We had a lot of fun with spears and arrows flying in every direction!

Fun times

Colleen is learning how to dine out of the box; she had their eggplant special! It looked good, and she did not even share it with anyone.

The eggplant special!

We departed about 7:30 PM and took a short drive to Mary and Bill’s place for some serious color matching.

Heading back to Bill’s

Mary asked the girls if they wanted to know their colors; a resounding YES came forthwith!

She was getting her color on!

Mary C. looked at me and said, “BLACK & BLUE.”!

Both Colleen and Mary liked the winter colors!

We departed Newport Beach around 9:00 PM with Colleen as the driver (for obvious reasons). At home, we crashed; it had been a long day!

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Mid-Week Already! Happy Birthday Irene!

Posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Some in Britain still practice an ancient way of celebrating birthdays by placing thimbles and coins in the cake’s batter. The person who will get the coin will be wealthy, and the one who receives the thimble will never marry. The one that bites hard will break a tooth!

We decided to go to Sherman Gardens today, so we first stopped at the Cannon repair/service center and then another six miles to the gardens. Mary and I are members, and we had a bunch of guess passes.

Come and join the fun at our website!

The flowers were magnificent, and Mary noted our front yard garden needs.

Hello there!

Did You Know? All dahlia flowers and tubers are edible. The flavours and textures can vary greatly depending on the soil and conditions in which they were grown. Flavours range from water chestnut through to a spicy apple or even carrot.

 

The restaurant was BUSY, so we put in our name and then strolled the garden for an hour. The first stop was the cactus garden, and I got a picture of two thorns. I know there’s something wrong with my cactus, but I just can’t put my finger on it.

I asked Mary if she had ever fit a porcupine with glasses. I asked her if she had heard about what the porcupine said to the cactus. “Hey there, good looking.”

The girls enjoy Sherman Gardens.

We wandered over to the actual library and spent 45 minutes looking through phone books for Los Angeles dating back to 1935. I found my dad and neighbors. An example is the Coolmer’ who lived across the street from me growing up!

Can you read it? John Coomler was a mechanic at Gree-Haldeman Chrystler in Los Angeles. They love at 6047 Comey Avenue in LA.

The library was quite cool inside; it had good roof insulation!

We went to the library.

It was time to eat, so we headed to the restaurant and were seated immediately. Mary did trout, I did quiche, and Colleen had a small steak! The food was almost too pretty to eat, and we kept asking the waitstaff what the edibles were made from.

Quiche pronounced Quickie!

After lunch, we continued our walk and ran into a giant butterfly.

We tried to spray for it, but it followed us home!

We went into the hothouse to visit the rainforest creatures, and Mr. Turtle woke up and said hello. It reminded me of what you get when you cross a porcupine with a tortoise—a slow poke.

Hey turtle, how’s it hanging?

It is hanging quite well, the bananas, of course. That reminded me we did NOT have dessert. I took a banana to the doctor yesterday because it wasn’t peeling well.

We ice cream and whipped cream, and dessert is served.

Hey there, good-looking!

In the garden.

On our way home, we stopped by Jan’s to drop off some wine and visit for a few minutes since Colleen is heading home Saturday.

Mary made another tomato pie; wow!!!

Irene’s birthday is today, so we called her, and she went over the perks of being over 80 with us!

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation, you will likely be released first.
3. No one expects you to run–anywhere.
4. People call at 8 PM and ask, “Did I wake you?”
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won’t wear out.
8. You can eat supper at 5 PM.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.
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