Friday Is Here, I Can Use The New Shower!

“Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” – Virginia Satir

It’s still birthday month and every year, we would g to the Sawdust Festival (which she introduced me to in 1987).  We would spend the entire day down in Laguna walking around.  Whatever we bought, we would ask them to hold it until we got back!  Sue would look at two or three dress boutiques and always found a treasure.  I remember this day as she bought a pantsuit made of a Chenille bedspread! It was soft and quite beautiful.  She also loved the blouses made from tablecloths!  She has a style of her own, and she knew exactly what she wanted!

I miss that smile that would come across her face when she spotted a treasure. I got into looking for these kinds of things; also, I was happy when I spotted something she liked!  Sue was frugal when it came to herself, and often I had to bend her arm a little bit to make her proceed with the purchase.  She was anything but frugal when it came to others; she was a fantastic person!

This picture indeed brought me to tears, but that is OK, tears can be good things!  I only wish I could be with her one more time going through the one-of-a-kind treasures at the Sawdust Festival.  I love you, Sue!

Traditions were important to us!  The Sawdust Festival was Sue’s first post-birthday outing!

OK, it is Friday, and you know what that means!  I can use the new shower, and I did.  I discovered it is not only a shower but a time machine.  I usually take a five-minute shower, but today, the clock scampered forward, and when I was done, it had moved thirty minutes!

Into the mirror, I gazed in my glorious nakedness! Nary a wrinkle on this marvelous body (you must remember, my eyesight is terrible and I had turned off the lights!).

The overhead rain feature is phenomenal; I might have to bring an umbrella next time and sing in the rain…just kidding, don’t go for the cotton balls to stuff in your ears just yet.

So much room and so easy to enter/exit! I love the rain head!

I left the exhaust fan running as it is now automatic, sensing the humidity in the room and starting/stopping accordingly.  Fifteen minutes later, when I checked, the fan was off, so all things are as they should be!

Yesterday, Vicky went shopping in my back yard, and today I got a lovely message from her.  She has a way with words and thoughts.  I am blessed to have such amazing neighbors!  Note to self: Send Vicky a bill for all the groceries!

Do you know what’s really nice? That, especially during this time that is hard for all of us, we have good friends help us get through this. I think Sue would be very proud of you, Paul, for continuing to do your gardening & share as you always have the harvest of your hard work. I’m sure you have your moments of sadness & grieving, but I believe she is happy that you have not shut down but moving forward trying to find happiness because that is your nature, which is probably one of the reasons she loved you so much. Thank you for sharing your bounty and your friendship.

Now it is time for a stroll down the street and get in a few thousand steps under my belt before lunch arrives. My radio is set to listen to Rush, and my pedometer now sends a text message to Joe, letting him know I am out and about, in case of an emergency.  He can watch my progress, and if after two weeks the map does not show movement, he can send in Apollo (his black Labrador Retriever) to get me.

So, I am zipping along minding my own business when I hear a p-s-s-s-s-s-s-t!  I look down, and this little guy asks, “Wanna buy some dirty postcards?” I was shocked, but he had such a sweet face, so I responded positively.  I gave him a dollar, and he pointed to a postcard someone dropped in a mud puddle nearby, I had been had! Scammed by a cactus, I was!

I met a new little friend on my walk! He turned out to be a sneaky little devil!

A couple of more steps and I saw a new person in this particular garden.  He looked to be contemplative, so I said, “Hello!”.  Not a word exited his mouth, but the cactus asked me, “Why do you talk to painted logs?” Enough already; I left quietly.

He was just sitting there watching the world go by and giggling the whole time.

The lady that does this garden is so very talented.  It is a pleasure to walk by, stop, and look for the newest addition to her amazing collection of objects.

The “hood” was in pretty good shape for the middle of summer, and many flowers were out, reaching for the sun. The orange color on this little plant was stunning.

So pretty with sensational colors.

Of course, the plumerias were doing their thing.  I should have sent this picture to Ed.  In the Hawaiian culture, the plumeria symbolizes positivity and is used in leis or to celebrate special occasions. When worn in the hair, the plumeria flower symbolizes the relationship status of the wearer. A flower over the right ear means she is available while one over the left means she is taken.  Being quite confused, I wear the plumeria right on top of my head!

I could not resist a close up of the plumeria.

So my walk was complete, and I am ready for meal number one of the day, berries topped with cereal. Eating healthy is the way to go!

The evidence is kept on the computer!

After breakfast, the Silver Ghost and I went to Lowe’s and got several LED replacement lights.  These guys go into the can lights I have in the house, but they are variable color LED’s meaning I can set them from 2700-7000 degrees Kelvin of warm romantic white to bright sunlight on an ice very cold blue.  They take a few minutes to install but are beautiful, and they respond tot he wall dimmers I already have installed.

There is a small slider switch in the back that allows five settings for the temperature of the color; I like 22700 K.

Work in the yard is never done, so I did some watering and noticed the corn stalks are falling over, so I need to do some work tomorrow.  After an hour or so, I was hungry, so I stopped and cooked myself a hamburger and a batch of onions. Delicious, I could feel the energy returning to the old body and again headed outside to work.

It dawned on me I could ask Joe to drop by and I could cook up something special for him and I.  However, I remember last time I cooked for him!

I had some spare time so perhaps I should go to the beach before the weekend gets here.  We have a clothes-optional beach nearby; I thought about it, but worried about my tan lines so, I stayed home.

Another one of my bad ideas?

Late in the afternoon, I was getting a little lonely as Dr. Laura was off the air, so I cleaned myself up and headed to Patty’s Place for one drink!

Just one drink was the plan. I sat outside, of course, and had a ringside seat into all the activities.  I had not realized how many people I know.    The patio is quite lovely; I love the lights overhead and am thinking about adding the same to my front yard patio next week.

I was lonely and headed to Patty’s Place for a drink.

I was minding my own business all of a sudden, a text message arrives.  What can it be?   Did I win the lottery? Am I a great grandpa again?  With shaky fingers, I manage to hunt and peck the controls to get to the message.

Well, Chuck, the bartender, apparently could not resist his camera. OMG, perhaps he is hinting that I ought to sit somewhere else and stop scaring the clientele. Was it a photo for their weekly advertisements, the paper showing a responsible drinker with a drink, a flower, and a mask (which also doubles as a bathing suit!).  I shall ponder on this picture and attempt to arrive at the true meaning.

Yes, I do get a lot of comments on my shirts from everyone.  Today I felt out-of-it, so I selected the out-of-it shirt, which made sense to me.

Chuck snapped this from his vantage point at the bar.

I could not resist the shrimp cocktail especially after Chuck referred to me as skinny!.

Chuck talked me into a shrimp cocktail; he said I looked skinny! He also has an eyesight issue!

Of course, I must have my purple martini, another talking point with everyone.  It is an excellent drink and quite delightful to look at, plus it gets a lot of attention!

The purple gin was back in stock.

The picture has not been photoshopped yet, but I can see this with some of the imperfections removed.  The colors just seem to go together.

My table was quite colorful.

I had a second drink, and then, per the previous agreement, I am automatically cutoff by Chuck.  That is a good thing.  What is NOT shown is the bread that I devoured with impunity.  I know the meal will show up on the bathroom scale tomorrow, but I cannot help myself, I get it from my Mom.

I mustered a snile, even showing my tooth.

The evening is done when I look down and see a diet coke sitting in front of me.  That is the message, “Go home, young man!”

A glass of diet coke and a glass of water!  Thank you, Chuck!I could almost see Sue sitting with her glass of wine, twice baked potato, saying, “It’s time to go home!” Sue also took outstanding care of me.  We went to Patty’s Place very often as we had no interest in the TV and she enjoyed meeting and talking to people.

I remember the many times Sue and I would go to Patty’s Place; it was just like Cheers!

On the way home, I listened to the “news”. There is now news anymore, just talking heads spewing their beliefs and attempting to make it sound like news.

The news is useless anymore!

Returning home, I did a few small chores and then decided to watch some TV.  I can honestly say I didn’t make it fifteen minutes before it was lights out.  The result was predictable; I was up at 3:00 AM.

My mental notes are taken, the question is, will I remember them tomorrow.  Hinges, doorknobs, door bumpers, and something else; it is now committed to memory.