The day started at 6:30 am, even before the sun was up. We got up and went to the kitchen to kickstart our day with coffee. Suddenly, we heard Scout coughing, and he couldn’t stop. We were worried, so we took him to the vet. Scout always manages to make things interesting!
Even though we had to leave at 11:30 am to be at the Elks for lunch, we took a spin in the garden to ensure everything was ready for the predicted downpour this afternoon. All seemed well, except the lemon tree was weeping. It was so loaded with fruit that we picked some and made lemonade!
This little guy will need some serious support after the fruit is picked!
We went VFR to the Lodge and met up with Bob and Bill. Keeping with our diets, we did not have any alcohol but did indulge in chili and a salad.
We got to the Lodge at 11:45 am and went to our assigned table. We asked for a picture of us to prove we were here.
Keeping with our diets, we did not have any alcohol but did indulge in chili and a salad. I had hot tea as my cough was coming back.
We keep the lights lit in case Santa needs to have us guide the sleigh in the next few days!
Bill sent us a picture of opening his first Christmas present – a towel for cleaning glasses and PC screens – in the mountains outside the Lodge. OK, I used my new AI-enabled background remover!
He was happy to get the new rag!
We departed the Lodge at 11:40 am and went to Mary’s doctor in Newport Beach, arriving just in time. It took her about an hour, and I used that time to call the Branders about Christmas dinner and made some other essential calls.
While surfing the web, I found a perfect present for our neighbor. A Lego Ham radio set! I tried to find it on Amazon, but it was not available!
I think this is not real!
From the doctor’s office, we went to VFR to Mary’s gym appointment, dropping her off at 2:45 pm, and then I returned home. The breeze was going quite strong when I drove up, and the flag was kept in the proper spot so I could get a picture of it waving in the wind.
The flag needs to be a brighter red! It says: Merry Christmas from Mary and Paul!
When I picked Mary up from the gym, we ordered Christmas dinner at the local Chinese restaurant called Yang Ming Gardens. Yang Ming was established in Orange in 1994 and relocated to Villa Park in 2020. It’s a tradition to have Chinese food and watch the “Christmas Story” movie.
We have enough food now to feed an army.
They will deliver the various dishes we selected at 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve. It will go into the fridge until Christmas Day, and with a bit of help from the microwave, we will have a great Chinese dinner.
Remember… “Tra Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra… BAM”
Note: When I found this image from the movie, some idiot labeled it “racist.” What has happened to our country?
We left Yang-Ming in heavy rain and took refuge at Rockwell’s three doors down. We had a glass of wine and Caprese salad, in line with our “diet.”
Who is hiding behind the menu??
We found a new item!
The Caprese salad was beautiful and quite tasty!
Did You Know? Caprese salad is an Italian salad made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil. It is usually arranged on a plate in restaurant practice. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colors of the Italian flag: green, white, and red.
The salad is named after the island of Capri, where it is believed to have originated. Two common stories about its origin include it being an homage to the Italian flag or “in the 20th century to appease the palates of vacationing royalty and important politicos”.
Mozzarella is named after its specific production process. In Italian, the verb mozzare refers to the way the curd is hand-stretched in strips and then cut into balls. The term ‘mozzarella’ first appeared in Italy in 1570 in a cookery book by Bartolomeo Scappi, chef to the papal court.
The colors were amazing.
We decided to go to Jan’s house as she was lonely, self-imposed! We shared a glass of wine with her before making the one-mile journey home. She will be joining us on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, one way or another.s
The rain had dissipated by the time we got home. We got on our night clothes and headed to bed to warm up. I took Scout the Wonder Dog out for his pre-betime piddle.
We are lucky to have each other!
