Off To The Fair

Posted on Friday, July 20, 2018 by Paul

Think About It” The shovel really was a groundbreaking invention.

Today is the day we made it to the OC Fair.  It just opened and we wanted to avoid the crowds so Friday seemed like a natural and we did good!  This is our 32nd year of going to the OC Fair.

We arrived at noon and were fifth in line.  It’s gonna be an excellent day! As added insurance, we bought our tickets on-line and avoided having to stand in the ticket line…we be smart!  Great entertainment for $7 per person!

Awaiting the gates to open

This year’s fair theme, “Free Your Inner Farmer,” a nod to everyone involved in all facets of agriculture, from backyard gardeners to farmers market lovers and workers who harvest and raise our food. The first display was “Don’t fence me in” presented by the dairy associations.

The Theme For 2018

We bought a hand full of tickets and went to the sky-way ride immediately.  We did a round trip as we left the wheel chair at the south end of the ride.  Taking the sky-way allows us to see the fair from 65 feet up and we can observe what has changed from last year.  Plus, we get to ride over all the food vendors and get smoked as we go!  Sue smelled like the world’s greatest hamburger for an hours!

First ride? The sjyway of course

We went to Centennial Farms and saw all the new crops.  We can saw our pumpkins are bigger than theirs! We headed to the pig pens and of course, Sue had a long conversation with these two little guys!  They were just  15 days old. Three months, three weeks, three days is the average gestation length for most sows. This clever sequence of three totals up to an average 114 day pregnancy. The average litter size globally is six to ten, with most sows having 1.5 litters per year. In the US, litters average more than 13 pigs per litter, due to improvements in genetics, nutrition and herd health.

Born July 7th!

Hungry we were so we found our favorite, Ten Pound Buns!  They have been at the fair for many years and offer sour dough break with cheese and trimmings… We like the jalapenos topping and the thinly sliced tomato/onion topping.

Love their sandwiches!

We dined in the wine tasting area and since we could not bring our wine in, we shared a glass of real wine.  Paul noted that he preferred our non-alcoholic wine to the “real stuff”.  Any liquid would do after we downed the jalapeno topping!

We had 10 Pound Buns for lunch

Paul did the selfie thing…notice the shirt…perfect for the fair. Speaking of shirts, Paul bought eight new shirts from High Seas Trading Company.  He can hardly wait to wear them and show them off!

Great day at the Fair

Returning home Paul checked the pedometer and we did almost four miles in four hours!  We watched some TV and then decided we would not go to GG Elks tonight but rest up as we have Starlighter’s tomorrow night!

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Thursday…The Weekend Is Not Far Away!

Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2018 by Paul

They say St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. I wonder if he could do that for Congress.

This morning Paul walked up the Staples to get a colored glass marker.  One of the tools Paul recently boought was a Dremel…high speed drill…30,000 RPM. Dremel is an American brand of power tools known primarily for its rotary tools. Dremel’s rotary tools are similar to the pneumatic die grinders used in the metalworking industry by tool or moldmakers.

The tools were originally developed by Albert J. Dremel, who founded the Dremel Company in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1993, the company was purchased by Robert Bosch GmbH, and today it is a division of the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation located in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

We have a lot of “wine” bottles and they are actually just right for projects around the house.  We have three that we use to water the indoor plants but they are so plain.  With  a little work, they can be informative and decorative!

Handy little device!

Off we go…after returning Paul checked and he hit 550 miles (on the pedometer) meaning he probably has twice that in reality.  1.4 million steps, wow!

The pedometer (Pacer) keeps trace of my progress

Almost to the shopping center and there it was…magnificent white flowers reaching foer the sky!

Bunches right in the front yard

They looked like papier-mâché. Paul touched them and indeed, they were real!

Did You Know?  Starting around 1725 in Europe, gilded papier-mâché began to appear as a low-cost alternative to similarly treated plaster or carved wood in architecture. Henry Clay of Birmingham, England, patented a process for treating laminated sheets of paper with linseed oil to produce waterproof panels in 1772. These sheets were used for building coach door panels as well as other structural uses. Theodore Jennens patented a process in 1847 for steaming and pressing these laminated sheets into various shapes, which were then used to manufacture trays, chair backs, and structural panels, usually laid over a wood or metal armature for strength. The papier-mâché was smoothed and lacquered, or finished with a pearl shell finish. The industry lasted through the 19th century.

Looks like the center was painted on…amazing!

When I saw the flower I thought of my Mother and her wonderful artistic skills.  She was so very clever and talented. All of a sudden trains popped into my head.

Random Memory:  I was into trains as a kid and he had a large layout in a room behind the garage…large meaning 20’x15′.  The layout looked pretty flat so I asked my very talented mother what could I do?  She thought for a few minutes and then said “Go out into the alley and look for some old window screens”.  I was puzzled but I did what I was told. After an hour of walking around, I returned with several large pieces of screen wire.

Meanwhile, Mom had built three wooden stands kinda like 1’x4’s with vertical 2’x2’s standing vertical at different heights…looked weird!  Mom had me crumple up the screen wire and then we nailed it onto the wooden stands kinda forming little “mountains”.

What next? Mom sent me in the house to get some newspapers and meanwhile she mixed up a batch of paster of Paris.  Upon returning, she had me cut 2″ strips from the newspaper and we dunked them into the wet gooey plaster.  We then took the soaked papier-mâché and applied it onto the screen wire mountains.  Instantly, we had several “ice bergs”.

The next day, Mom and I went through the paint cans and found green, grey, brown, and black and with great fervor, we applied the paint to the papier-mâché and volia, mountains appeared before our eyes.

My mother was truly amazing…she was oozing with talent!  I miss her so much!

Paul worked in the garden for a while putting the last touches on it before the trash folks show up tomorrow.  We watched TV and thought today would be a time to rest so we could go to the Phoenix Club tonight.

Around 4:30 PM Sue’s back began to hurt and hurt pretty bad.  We decided to stay home and nurse it back to health but alas, the back was NOT being cooperative.  Looks like the pain reducing shot has worn off and tomorrow we will attempt to see the back doctor one more time.  It seems like back surgery is in the near future.

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Hello Walt! We Are A Day Late!

Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 by Paul

Disneyland: A people trap operated by a mouse.

While answering the emails, we got our annual notice for Scrooge (A Christmas Story).   We take our local family to the play as a tradition and we have been going since it started nearly 30 years ago…every year like clockwork. This year we have Joe, Robin, and Michele and their families going with us!  We got two extra tix in case the Brits are in town!

Fifteen tickets procured!

We were up and at’ em’ early today… Instead of walking this morning, Paul hit the garden and worked for a couple of hours. All the new plants are in the ground and watered and the berries are cut back slightly…they do not hang into the pool now!

Paul got in three miles (on the pedometer) but several hours apart! Paul got in another 1-2 miles just walking around the yard/house/market. Whatever works! The first part was around the garden and then, after deciding to go to Disneyland, he got the last of the three miles!

Paul walked but differently than usual!

In the morning Paul drove to H&H and picked out some plants to fill in where the tomatoes were removed.  This one is a “Mushroom Plant”.  We got onions, two tomatoes, some herbs, Swiss chard, and some bell peppers.

The Mushroom Plant… Had to try it!

Did You Know? Originated and very popular in Papua New Guinea, Rungia klossii is a fast grower bushy herb, common named ‘Mushroom Plant’ due to its leaves special mushroom flavor!

Rungia klossii’s beautiful green glossy leaves contain large amounts of iron, vitamin C and beta carbonate.

The leaves have a crispy texture, similar to spinach and can be eaten raw in tossed salad, tucked into a sandwich or use as a great garnish.

The mushroom flavor increases with cooking (in soups or stews). Pay attention that over cooking can make the leaves lose their bright color. So it is recommended to add it at the last minute of cooking.

Leaves are extremely rich in chlorophyll, therefore, valuable for blood cleansing and building. Mushroom plant leaves have 3% protein (higher in protein than mushrooms); calorie content 33 per 100 grams of leaves, calcium 272mg to 100 grams of leaves (this makes it extremely valuable as a food, as the calcium content is considerably higher than most foods).  The plant is also considered to be a rich source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

For people who suffer from candida, thrush, and similar ailments and are not able to eat mushrooms due to the fact that they are a fungus, they will find they can enjoy the mushroom plant to their hearts’ content, as it is not a fungus. Regular picking is recommended, as this keeps the plant bushy and productive. The plant has excellent potential to be developed as a commercial crop as the stems and leaves carry well when cut.

The mushroom plant is an amazing flavor treat, rich in health-giving nutrients. It sure is a novel way of growing your mushrooms and eating them too, and still having your bush to produce more and more. The old saying “have your cake and eat it too” is a reality with this unique plant!

Indeed, welcome to the garden…Paul’s escape from reality!

Indeed

Paul cleaned out the dead leaves caused by our short but intense heat spell last week.  In doing so the pumpkins were uncovered.  The sunflowers were also removed and they almost fit a 100 gallon barrel!

Clean out the underbrush…These guys are BIG!

Paul pulled a load of onions and left them outside for the top will dry and close up so the onion will stay moist for a couple of months.  We might braid them and hang then up to dry later.

Drying the onions

After the garden activities, we had lunch and then got cleaned up and awaiting the house cleaners to arrive.  They showed about 4:00 PM so we headed down Katella to Disneyland for the evening!  We stopped at Catal first for a drink before entering the park.  Entering the park at 5:30 PM, it was pretty busy…after-all, it is summertime on SoCal.

We made it to Disneyland

We walked for two+ hours inside Disneyland and they over to California Adventure. About 8:00 PM we headed back to Catal for dinner.

All smiles!

Paul had deviled eggs and then a huge pork chop which was delicious!  The average American will eat the equivalent of 28 pigs in their lifetime. In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as people.

Paul’s pork chop played havoc with the bathroom scales!

We were done eating about 9:15 PM (after three scoops of ice cream each) so we decided to stay for the fireworks…out onto the balcony we went and saw the show!  Wonderful! The temperature was in the low 70’s and no wind.

After dinner entertainment!

We headed home about 10:00 PM and decided to watch some NCIS until about 11:00 PM… crashing about 12:30 PM…we were finished…a good day!

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Happy Birthday Disneyland…You’re Sixty-Three

Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 by Paul

Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

So, Paul knows EXACTLY where he was 63 years ago today!  Opening day at Disneyland!  Ralph got six tickets for opening day from Whitman Publishing Company (publisher of Disney books) since the dime stores bought so much from Whitman.  Off we went, not knowing what to expect. Remember, some called this “Walt’s Folly” building a million dollar “entertainment park” in the middle of nowhere!  Little did we know where this was going.

Did You Know? Whitman Publishing is a book publisher that primarily produces coin and stamp collecting books and materials.  The company is owned by Anderson Press.  From the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, Whitman was a popular children’s book publisher. For decades it was a subsidiary of Western Publishing. Its genres included westerns, mysteries, science fiction, adventure stories, and various others. Whitman also published authorized editions of popular television shows, such as Hawaii Five-O, The Roy Rogers Show, Lassie, and book adaptations of many Walt Disney films. One of its most popular mystery series, a Nancy Drew-like series intended for girls, was called the Whitman Authorized Editions.

We took Ralph’s brand new Cadillac convertible, it was a 1954 as I recall. We drove down the “freeway” into Orange County and we had open areas still with orange trees on both sides of the road.  The freeway was not even finished as we got closer to the park. Imagine that, four lanes through Los Angeles all the way to the country!  Disneyland was in the middle of agricultural country!

Disneyland is the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Construction cost $17 million and took exactly one year to complete.

July 17, 1955: Disneyland opening aerial. In foreground is the still-unfinished Santa Ana Freeway. The Harbor Blvd. intersection is on extreme right.

The ride was wonderful… Loved seeing the country in the convertible!

Ralph got a new company car every two years!

We got there and showed our tickets and walked right in…we had REAL tickets.  It was a hot day and the smell of blacktop permeated the air.  Thinking back, all of the trees were recently planted and were quite small.  We had to be careful where we walked as the TV cables were all over the ground…in those days, the TV cameras were NOT wireless, they weighed several hundred pounds and required a 1-2″ cables to follow them around.

Notice something different from today?

Yes…look closely.  The girls/ladies were wearing dresses…no jeans in sight, everybody was “dressed-up”.

When the castle opened I was in the crowd heading for the draw bridge!

Study the map below (click to make it larger) and see the changes over the past 63 years! Of the 18 attractions that opened, 14 are still running including a favorite, ‘The Mad Tea Party.”

Stage Coach, Pack Mules, Speed Boats, etc!

We were all over the place today and bought a lot of cokes as the watering fountains were few and far between due to the plumbers strike.  It was a choice of bathrooms or drinking fountains…they made the right choice! The day was hot and we headed for home about 7:00 PM as I recall…tired and still quite excited  Then it happened!

Random Memories:  It seems we were going right along about 60 MPH on the “freeway” with the top down and we were smelling something burning.  Odd to smell something burning in an open convertible so maybe it was a car near us?  Who knew?

In those days there was no “stop and go” on the freeway, it was just “go”.  It took us about 40 minutes from Disneyland to West Los Angeles.  As we pulled off the freeway and tried to slow down, Ralph noticed the brakes seemed to have “faded”.  In those days, brakes fading meant they would not not stop quickly…like going through water…ah, I date myself!  Disk brakes can go through water and still stop…the old drum brakes would not stop until they dried out.

We made it home but Ralph had to drive very slowly and start applying the brakes well ahead of time at each light/sign in order for the car to stop.  When we pulled into our home (near Ralph’s house) dad examined the car and said the brakes smelled hot.  It was then that we discovered we had driven all the way home with the emergency brakes on.

You may not remember but in the old days, you reached down and pulled up hard on the emergency brake and to release it, you gave the top handle a quarter-turn to lock it…sometimes resulting in an immediate “jerk your arm out of the socket” motion. The new Cadillac had a new-improved system.  The new system required on to step on the emergency brake and there was a simple release activated by your hand.

Needless to say, all the brakes had to be replaced on the brand new Cad!  Ouch!

You pulled up hard using the handle and the brakes would lock, to release the brakes, you rotated the handle 90 degrees!

OK, back to reality.  Paul was sick last night waking up at 3:00 AM with a belly-ache.  Didn’t sleep at all but did decide to go to “The Ol’ Guys’ Luncheon” anyway.  We went to Taco Surf in Sunset Beach and had a great time.  There were thirteen of us and the while bill was $133 so we picked up the tab…since we stopped drinking, it made sense.  In the old days we would have five Cadillac margaritas at $15/each so that along would have been $75 plus our meals.  Robin joined us and that made it special.

We returned home, rested for a few minutes and then off to the eye doctor for Sue.  She got a new prescription and got the glasses ordered…she was excited about the “weightless glasses” she discovered.

We talked about going to Disneyland to see the fireworks and return to the year 1955 but Paul flaked out since he did not sleep the night before, we decided just to go home.  Paul crashed for about an hour and a half and then returned to the land of the living.  We decided to stay home and watch TV.

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Monday Has Arrived… We are Ready!

Posted on Monday, July 16, 2018 by Paul

Yes,,,the week begins with Paul in the garden knee deep in old tomato vines! Next Tuesday the operation on the hand will occur and the hand will be useless for about 3-4 weeks as it heals so now is the time. The tomatoes that remain look pretty good and the back fence needs a little more attention before next Tuesday. I worked from 6:00 AM until about 11:30 AM before stopping for lunch.

Yes I do!

After lunch, we watched some TV and then headed for Malanie’s for our Monday afternoon cocktail with Irene!  Paul did the Shepard’s Pie which was really pretty good…but, hot sauce had to be added!

Returning home, Paul rested his aching body. Hours in the garden take their toll but he had to work as in a week, he is out of the garden for almost a month due to the hand surgery.

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Sunday…Time To Relax And Watch The World Go Bye

Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2018 by Paul

Q. What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?
A. I don’t know and I don’t care.

OK, time for a test!  I got up, sat with Sue for a few minutes, and then decided to “clean the front walkway”.  With the new cordless blower, it was so fast I could not believe it.  I got rid of the leaves on the walkway, the front patio and the sidewalk in less time that it took yesterday to plug in the extension cord, spread it out, plug in the old blower — SUCCESS!

Dang… The Makita is quiet! I should have bought the cheaper one!

I checked Alexa this morning asking her “What will the high temperatures be for the next week?” and she said 82,83,82,84,82,87,88!  I love Alexa!

Random Memories: In the 1950’s, we had summer heat…especially in June just before summer vacation and then again in September, when we returned to school.  Air conditioning, yeah…right!  We never heard of air conditioning in schools in those days…it was just hot!  The bungalow buildings were like ovens. When the temperatures got hot, we turned off the lights in the room, opened the windows, and put our heads down.  Kids today had it so easy…no wonder we have a lot of snowflakes!  One year, probably 1955, we had several days of over 100 degrees in west Los Angeles…all in a row!  Guess what? We survived!

We stayed home all day.  I went to Home Depot and got ten six-foot long steel fence posts so I could put lines up for the grapes.  They worked fine.  $4.65/post but they will likely last forever.

One word… sturdy!

Between 2-5 PM, the garden got my attention. I pulled up all the bush beans and three tomato plants.  Tomorrow morning, the cleanup will continue.

We watched NCIS for several hours in the afternoon and then watched an old Shirely MacLaine movie, “What A Way To Go”.  The old movies are really great!

Storyline: This black comedy opens with Louisa Foster donating a multi-million dollar check to the IRS. The tax department thinks she’s crazy and sends her to a psychiatrist. She then discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.

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Paul Pulled The Trigger!

Posted on Saturday, July 14, 2018 by Paul

Law of Annoyance: When working on a project, if you put away a tool that you’re certain you’re finished with, you will need it instantly.

Paul walked this morning heating to Staples where they know him well! Finally, he will not need to come into the house for a) a pencil and b) a pencil sharpener!  Problem solved.

After getting home Paul stopped and checked the log on the iPhone Pacer application… 542 miles since October 2018… 700 miles is still well within reach!

Random Thoughts: Going back to the 1950’s, I remember always being a hard worker and that there was one house in our neighborhood that was “trashed”…an old lady, Mrs. Janes, lived there and the yard was a mess.  As I was walking by one morning, she asked me if I wanted to earn money to clean up the front yard.  Duh, money and work, no problem.

I worked all day, I mean from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM only leaving to go home (three doors down the street) to eat lunch and tinkle!  As I recall, I did a great job cutting the lawn, weeding all the flower beds, removing the old newspapers, trimming the roses (I still have scars from those plants), and putting everything in trash cans that I borrowed from other neighbors (there was too much for hers).  I put in a good ten hours hard work!

At the end of the day, I was pooped!  My hands were sore, I had bandages everywhere from the thorns, and I was pretty well sun burnt.  My clothes had to be burnt as washing was out of the question. Mrs. Janes thought the yard looked fine and offered me a whole $1.00 for all days work.  Being naive, I though that was OK.  I had money now.

I went home for dinner and told Mom about the days activities (remember, in those days kids would be gone playing from morning until sunset) and she got angered.  I did not understand why….hey, I made money.

Mom got up from the table, mumbling something to herself, and headed down the street like a locomotive barreling down the tracks.  I have NO idea what she said to Mrs. Janes but I am sure it was not very nice.  Mom returned with $10.00 for me (to this day I am not sure who the $10.00 really came from).

Keeping track automatically!

After a quick lunch, Paul headed for the hardware store because if he trips over the dang extension cord one more time while using the old leaf blower, he might get electrocuted when chopping the cord into 100 pieces!

Makita to the rescue! Seems silly to pay $300 for a leaf blower but it’s sillier to have to drag 100 feet of cable around the yard!  This puppy really works!  The two 18 VDC batteries work for 30 minutes without a charge meaning it will run for a week before charging at the rate I use it.  Also, I now have two new 5 AH batteries!

The leaves depart the yard at 220 MPH

We finished off all our left-overs  so no more Chinese-Indian-Italian lunches!  Going to lunch is economical because at our age, we can dine three days on each visit to a resaurant.  We decided to watch TV and went on with season 3 of NCIS.  At about 6:00 PM Sue decided we ought go to the Garden Grove Elks for the regular dinner dance.

We met up with the Branders, Kuhn’s, along with Pat/Margot. The band was excellent but loud…so loud the Kuhn’s departed.  We complained and guess what…the band cut the volume way down!  We enjoyed several dances and Paul got a large order of ribs which are delicious.

We love the GG Elks Lodge!

We stayed until almost 10:00 PM and then came home…you know, the tookies await.  We watched some more NCIS before Paul baked four tookies.  Sue was feeling pretty good so we watched TV until 120:00 PM

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Laid Back Friday

Posted on Friday, July 13, 2018 by Paul

Indeed: Loves the smell of Friday in the morning, it smells like… WEEKEND.

No walking today…worked in the garden again! The air conditioner turned on for a few minutes as I got up so I investigated the power usage with the following result…

The spikes are when the air conditioning is running

Not too bad. The SCE bill this past month was $220 and previous years it was $420 and $510 so I am still $200/month ahead…happy Paul.

Nice being old and enjoying an 80 degree house in stead of the 72 degree house of ten years ago!  The chart is from by Chai Energy Monitor I got online and it “talks” to the SCE meter and puts the data on-line with many charts and graphs to display what is happening in the house.  I can see it anywhere in the world!

I worked in the front yard cleaning up the lemon tree and thinning the blood orange tree. I also  painted the tree trunks of two more citrus trees giving them that “professional look”.

I spent two hours up in the lemon tree elimination dead branches

The top of the orange tree was totally blocking any light/air from the inside area of the tree…not so anymore!  This allows the tree to breath and the fruit to see the sun.

The blood orange tree is not open on the top and white on the bottom

We had lunch and in the afternoon I went to Home Depot to get some goodies for the garage workshop.  I bought a small finishing sander for my sign projects.

4/5 by 5/5 sanding pad

Returning home, I did some chores and about 3:30 PM we began binge watching NCIS season 3,

This season begins to drop little hints about Gibbs’ past, and is the first to reference his first wife, Shannon, and his daughter, Kelly. The season finale introduces his former boss, Mike Franks (Muse Watson), who assists Gibbs in recovering from a near-fatal bomb blast. The season ends with Gibbs retiring, leaving DiNozzo in charge of the Major Case Response Team.

We were supposed to go to the Rondeliers Dance but Sue was not up to it…we thought perhaps we could go to the GG Elks but decided to stay home.  Sue’s back was killing her and it was better just to relax.

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Today Be Thursday…I Tartled Today!

Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2018 by Paul

Did You Know: The Scots have a word for that panicky hesitation you get when talking to someone whose name you can’t remember: tartle.

We stayed home today and I did some walking in the morning.  I needed some birthday cards so I went to Rite Aid which is about an hour and forty minute walk.  I saw a friend but I was tartled! It is  Scottish term means ‘the act of hesitating while trying to remember someone because you’ve forgotten their name’

Making “The Great Circle”

What a magnificent tree with its blooms in full regalia!  The blossoms have not began to fall yet but when they do it will be a purple carpet for sure.

Just an amazing Jacaranda… Had to walk under it several times!

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

After getting home we ate and then Paul worked in the yard for three hours trimming the top of the orange tree so the sun could get into the inside of the tree…filled a 100 gallon container with the results!  I also painted the bottom of the tree trunk white. There are a few reasons why I paint their tree trunks white: It helps prevent sun damage to the trunk tissue, especially if the tree has thin bark. The white paint reflects the sun. It acts as a pesticide, keeping bugs from burrowing into the trunk. Plus, it looks neat!

We watched TV in the late afternoon but then Sue got sick and we decided to stay home and not go to the Phoenix Club.  I was worried because of the recent trip tot he hospital and did not want a repeat of that event.

She crashed about 10:00 PM and I plan not to let her sleep too long in the morning. so make sure “the problem” from July 2nd does not return.

I went to the computer room and worked on some pages.  At 10:30 PM I decided to look through Netflix for a Sci-Fi series to watch and stumbled upon “Star Crossed”.        Read More

Star-Crossed is an American science fiction romantic teen drama television series created by Meredith Averill. Star-Crossed premiered on The CW on February 17, 2014. On May 8, 2014, The CW cancelled Star-Crossed after one season.

Set in the near-future in 2024, the series follows a romance between a human girl named Emery and an alien boy named Roman when he and six others of his kind are integrated into a suburban high school. It is filmed and takes place in Louisiana in the fictional town of Edendale.

So I am now hooked and watch it in the corner of the computer screen when I spent time on the computer!

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Time For A Walk!

Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 by Paul

No, really! Walking takes longer… than any other known form of locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed.

It’s the truth… No, really!

I calls it “the cross-over walk” because I have no idea where I am going and I change my mind while on route!  This usually ends up in crossing my own path! Three more miles in my quest for 750 miles this year!

Another three miles under my belt

The red flowers always amaze me as red on a house fades, red on a car fades, red on a flower stays red until the leaves die.  Did you ever think about how many saying include the word “red”?

Now this here is red!

Saying with the word “red”

I often pass by Rossmoor Park on the way to the outer limits of our walled community.

Walking by the park

I could not pass these by… Sitting up on the wall watching the world go by and getting pinker and pinker every day! They look like Bougainvillea.

They are looking down upon the passers-by

Pink or purple, that is the question! They are that color because I think they like being talked about!

Fantastic

Our old friend red pops up again!  I saw some bees and then a question popped into my fuzzy little brain. Why do bee keepers wear white?

Did You Know? Most of the enemies of bees are very dark in colour: bears, skunks, raccoons, etc. Bees, in turn, have grown to dislike big dark animals approaching their hive. By wearing white, a beekeeper can approach and open the hive without the bees becoming defensive.

Hey! I am red also!

The cleaning folks were late today and we didn’t leave the house until about 4:30 PM and on the way to ORCC, we called Zack and he popped by and had some chicken wings with us before heading home.  We are blessed having Zack and Jon as grandsons… in their late 20’s and are happily married, own their own homes, and Zack has 1 and 8/9th’s kids… Remy will be here in about a month!

Random Thoughts:  I certainly do not feel old but, having dinner with my 27 year old grandson, Zachary, who owes his own home, has a beautiful wife and has presented us with a beautiful great granddaughter and soon to be great grandson gives me pause for thought.  I only wish his great grandmother and great grandfather could be here to see him and share in the joy he brings to the family.  Both Zack and Jon, our oldest grandson, are on a path to success with beautiful wives, homes, and occupations.  I hope I can be around for another 20 years and see the great great grandkids join the family…who knows?

I knew my great grandmother…Granny “B”, “B” was for Beatty.  She lived with us in our small home for several years and enjoyed crocheting  and listening to the old time radio programs.  She had no means of income as she was born in 1880, well before social security, and was in her 80’s when she passed in the mid 1950’s. 

We popped home after visiting with Zack and spent the evening binge watching NCIS, season 2.

The second season of the police procedural drama NCIS was originally broadcast between September 28, 2004 and May 24, 2005 on CBS. This season shifts away from the naval setting of the show somewhat, and includes more character development than the first season.

With the episode “Lt. Jane Doe”, the show also introduced the foofs, a black and white “preview” which was shown at the beginning of each act of that episode and has continued to be used to this day.

Season two had Norfolk Case Agent Timothy McGee being promoted to a full-time field agent, and transferring to NCIS HQ in Washington to work with the Major Case Response Team. Tony DiNozzo nearly died of the pneumonic plague in “SWAK” while the season finale, “Twilight”, ended with a shocking and unexpected twist: Caitlin Todd was shot and killed by Ari Haswari.

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