“Grief and love are conjoined; you don’t get one without the other.”
—Jandy Nelson
According to my calculations, Sue and I dance about 57,000 miles at the Santa Ana Elks over the years! Almost every holiday and generally every Saturday night we would trip the light fantastic and glide across the floor just like we knew what we were doing. Ha, little did they know.
We began dancing seriously just a few months after getting married. Before that, I would dance with Sue at the 6080 Club in Downey or other venues that had music; we did not need a dance floor.
In early 1989 we ordered a portable dance floor, like the one in the hotels, and set it up in the front room. We got tired of hitting the counters in the kitchen. Many miles were put on that floor until we donated it to the “Starting Gate”, a bar down the road from us across from Los Alamitos Race Track.
I miss dancing, and I certainly miss having her in my arms twirling about the floor with complete abandon! I love dear Sue!
We were sitting in the courtyard at the Santa Ana Elks.
OK, today is paperwork day! I completed the first part of my on-line application for Sewer District Director needed for the November election. Now I await the email notification with the next several steps. It’s exciting! Also, a notary public is in the future as I have some legal forms to finish off. Dang, I hate paperwork!
Colleen and I talked early today, and she was doing just fine. She was the grandbabies today, so she will be home the whole time.
Breakfast was leisurely; the berries were hidden with a small layer of cereal, and milk was added—twenty grams of protein like a flash.
A good start to any day. Fresh blueberries and cereal.
For almost a year, the front yard wall/gate lights on the left-hand side were not working correctly. They were a little dim. Finally, today it was decided that it can no longer be the case. So, tools in hand, I went to the wall, took the four lamps off, and traced the circuitry. The list was made, and the Grey Ghost was raring to go but, alas, he was fooled.
The silver Lady got the nod for the trip today, and wow did she stretch her legs. Entering the freeway at freeway speeds is not a problem for her. The reins had to be pulled in a bit when the speedometer indicated 80 mph!
History was made as it was the first time Lowe’s was exited with the bill be less than ten dollars!
It took about two more hours to jury-rig the wiring, but it now works just fine. I had to use the green-ground wire as the hot circuit because the hot wire developed a high resistance in it someplace under the concrete.
No problem if I can remember what goes where!
I rested a bit and watched two more episodes of “Middle” and laughed the entire time. Then it was time for a walk.
As I departed, my attack-cat was on duty. She lives down the street but spends a lot of time with me guarding the premises.
My guard cat is on duty!
Did You Know? The Bengal cat is a domesticated cat breed created from hybrids of domestic cats, especially the spotted Egyptian Mau, with the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). The breed name comes from the leopard cat’s taxonomic name.
Bengals have a wild appearance; their golden shimmer comes from their Leopard Cat ancestry, and their coats may show spots, rosettes, arrowhead markings, or marbling. They are an energetic breed that needs much exercise and playtime.
Off we go, heading north with the GPS set on stun. Today a link was sent to Robin so she could watch my progress as this magnificent body leap forward into the unknown. She gets a continuous update as to where I am in the adventure.
The gates look great.
The brakes were applied at the “Cheeto Tree”. Is that what it is called? Hell, haven’t a clue, but it looks like a Cheeto explosion.
Did You Know? Cheetos (formerly styled as Chee-tos until 1998) is a brand of snacks made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948 and began national distribution in the U.S. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In 1965 Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of The Pepsi-Cola Company, forming PepsiCo, the current owner of the Cheetos brand.
In 2010, Cheetos was ranked as the top-selling brand of cheese puffs in its primary market of the United States; worldwide, the annual retail sales totaled approximately $4 billion. The original Crunchy Cheetos are still in production, but the product line has since expanded to include 21 different types of Cheetos in North America alone. As Cheetos are sold in more than 36 countries, the flavor and composition are often varied to match the regional taste and cultural preferences—such as Savory American Cream in China, and Strawberry Cheetos in Japan.
There’s gold in them thar flowers.
Of course, the resident artist’s residence had to be photographed. Mr. Frog was out and about, likely looking for flies to eat. He seems to hop about the garden quite a bit.
Mr. Froggy says, “hi” and “Whee is my fly?”
Here are the two old sticks in the mud! One looks pretty happy while the other one looks like the morning after a good drunk! The bloodshot eyes were the give-away!
Fiddlesticks?
The hood is usually pretty quiet, and tonight was no exception. If it were not for me singing doo-wop music, such as “doobie-do wah wah doo”, there would be no noise at all!
Some evenings people come out of their houses and offer me cold drinks and marshmallows as they think my singing will be reduced. Have you ever tried doo-wop with a mouth full of marshmallows?
The streets are pretty quiet.
The flowers are quite beautiful, and with the tiny palm trees, it almost looks like Hawaii!
Flowers galore.
Oh-oh! The Sun is sinking into the west, and the hissing sound is just about to start. Where is my gear shift? I should be in over-drive right about now.
Hurry home, or it will get dark!
Screech! Dead stop required ahead as these folks are either terrible early or terribly late for Valentine’s Day OR they, like Sue and I, are hopeless romantics!
Love in the bushes
Another five minutes and home is spotted. That is good as the supply of cracker crumbs being left behind as the walk progressed was getting low. The walk was finished at 8:00 PM and started precisely one hour earlier!
One hour exactly.
Robin texted me and congratulated me on the walk. She had followed me the entire time via my app-link she was sent. Using the iPhone, I turned on the wall and gate lights, and they work! The cover on the hot tub was pulled back, water temperature checked, a perfect 103 degrees Fahrenheit, so the spa time has arrived.
Next is a nice shower and jammies!
No dinner tonight, and going out is getting a little embarrassing. Note to self: Do NOT go commando when dining out, especially with a friend!
Tomorrow is a big day as I have golf at 12:20 PM with Miss Charlotte and then dinner with Dr. Mary at 5:30 PM. On Wednesday, it is lunch with Lee and her son. The “social calendar” is filling up.
