True love stories never have endings.
Can this be, I slept past 7:00 AM, especially after going to bed at 10:00 PM? It must be true; the body has got to rest! When I checked the inside temperature from bed (thank you, Honeywell, and iPhone), it was 65 degrees.
Sue would have had a fit; she liked it to be 77 degrees. I decided to tickle the keys, say a few well-chosen incantations, and via the internet, raise the house temperature two degrees! Why just “two” degrees? Just knocking the temperature a couple of degrees down seems to make an incredible difference, plus the gas company may not send out for a wellness check! The heater only ran about seven minutes before it was “toasty” inside.
We took grandsons Jon and Zack to Alaska with us. It was cold in Glacier Bay that day! The boys still remember that fantastic trip and time to bond!
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and I am cooking up the traditional dinner. Robin is coming to stay with me this evening, and I am looking forward to having company. This big ol’ house is so very empty without Sue.
Also in my plans is a visit to Costa Mesa and the Neptune Society as I plan to bring Sue home today. The kids asked me if I could do it, and I said,’ “It is something I must do.” I do not want to be a burden on them. Thank you, Joe, Colleen, and Robin for your kind thoughts, but the ol’ man has gotta do what he has gotta do!
I got my morning coffee, and it was perfect. Jumping on the scale revealed I am now a svelt 206 pounds and heading in the proper direction. Dang, maybe my other dress-pants will not fit!
OK, what to do today. Painting takes up time, so I went to Lowe’s and got three quarts of different color paints whose names are quite impressive. For example: “Caught In The Rain,” “Plumscicle,” “Enchanting Pink,” and “Powder Peach.” These colors will get me through the rest of the week, especially since I also got a gallon of semi-gloss white for the baseboards.
It’s almost 10:00 AM, and I must go clean up as I plan to get grandma at 11:30 AM and then stop by our favorite Indian restaurant for a to-go order, which I will dine between pork chops and steak!
Coming home from the Neptune Society, Sue would have enjoyed the drive and tried to find images in the clouds! I was one of our pastimes.
I did stop by the Himalayan Grill, and of course, the guys asked where Sue was. When I told them, they were in tears as they liked Sue a lot. She was their favorite vegetarian! I was terrible because I got two hugs from the guys! I got Chili Chicken Tika to go, which will be my hot and spicy fix for the rest of the week!
Old Ranch was on my list of places I had to stop. I met Charlotte there, and we commiserated as she just lost her mother. I canceled the Celebration Of Life and told them we would do it later. I also scrapped the next two dinner dances.
A gin and tonic was needed, and I bought Charlotte her favorite champagne.
Now I am at home and must get ready for Robin. I put on the new green table cloth and got all the fixings out for dinner. Into the InstantPot went the beef. Robin took notes. While it was cooking, we took our chairs out and took them next door on Vicky’s lawn and visited with her. She needed to “get out of the house,” we all had a good laugh.
We talked about the need for the old fashioned front porch where we could all gather..the good old days!
It was getting chilly outside, but the sun was very bright!
I showed Vicky my InstantPot app, which told me the mode the InstantPot was in, the time remaining, etc. When it was 5 minutes to go, Robin and I returned and finished completing dinner. Easy, take out the meat and put in potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. I started the InstantPot again and set it for four minutes. Dinner is served.
Of course, I had to put on my St. Patrick’s Day cooking uniform. Joe and Colleen called while we were doing the finishing touches.
This old hat has seen a lot of St. Patrick’s Day events in the past twenty years.
Time to dine, but we must have mood lighting! Sue would have given me the elbow after I played with the light. Here we ware, io the green grotto!
Sue would have been proud of me cooking my first St. Patrick’s alone! Complete with Irish soda bread and green moose tracks ice cream for dessert!
Daughter and dinner guest! Thank you, Joe and Colleen, for the phone calls and support all day long!
OK, you asked for it! The light show begins! With the flick of a switch on the iPhone, we have color!
The whole house turned emerald green!
We finished dinner and cleaned up, ready for dessert and some TV. We sat on the recliner, and I promptly dozed off. We both headed to bed around 10:00 PM. I crashed with no more TV, and Robin read for an hour or so.
Today was not an easy day, but alas, I do not think any day forward will be easy. Sue is home with me now until the world straightens out, and things return to normal. I thank my family and friends for their fantastic support during these times. God bless you all!
