Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Happy Tuesday!

Damn, I got into trouble again with the neighbors!

It was 8:00 am, and I popped out of bed, dressed, and ran to the garden. I worked diligently until 11:00 am when Old Sol got too hot to handle! I turned into a roasted vegetable out there!

We planted and then mulched (which was needed as it was 97 degrees outside today!)  Once the plants were in the ground, we carefully put straw mulch around the base of each plant.

The plants are in the ground!

We now have two kinds of Swiss Chard, three onions, kale, cilantro, peanuts, and some squash!

There is still plenty to plant!

We use straw as a mulch since it decomposes and is pretty cheap!

Now, the little roots will stay cool even on a hot day!

We got cleaned up and went to get Dianne, who was looking for a skilled nursing facility locally. I drove, as it was easier for them. They could discuss their findings.  Dianne is an excellent navigator.

We found an excellent facility right out of the box, so we decided lunch was in order. So we went to Benjies New York Deli! 

I ordered a “Benjies Special,” and it was a meal for two! I took my other half of the special home to Jeff!

It was humungous!

Benjies has been around since 1967 and is still family-owned. Restaurant founder Stan Weinstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1921. He was raised during the Depression era in a brownstone apartment on Avenue K in Brooklyn. He graduated from Boys High and went on to college as a pre-med student. His education was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the army. While serving in the military, he met the love of his life, Eleanor Finegold, and they were married in 1946. Weinstein’s dream was to open his own business, and in the 1950s, he purchased Richies Drive-In in Garden Grove, CA, complete with roller skating carhops! Stan quickly outgrew Richies, and a new full-service family dining restaurant would be built on the site. Cookies Family Restaurant flourished, but Stan’s dream of owning a New York delicatessen had not been fulfilled.  In 1967 along with two partners, Stan purchased Squires Coffee Shop on Tustin Avenue in Santa Ana. The restaurant was remodeled and opened as Benjies on October 8, 1967 where it exists today!

Upon returning home, our attention was drawn to taking a nap. (I remember Mary saying, “I never take naps!”  Those days are gone.  After 1000 days of retirement, she has become a napologist!

We woke up around 5:00 p.m. and tested the outside temperature, which was still in the 90s. That means no porch tonight! We did not have dinner, as the trip to Benjies did us both in—we were in a food coma!

We didn’t eben male our evening calls to Colleen and Robin!

We headed to the office and worked until 9 pm with Mary, getting our social plans in order for the upcoming four months.  We are already planning for Christmas and have our tickets for several events.

We did not go into the pool tonight, but it was calling us!

I worked on updating the website with the latest Starlighters Dance and finished off our trip to the Caribbean with the kids.

We even added a new header for the Daily Diary!

Halloween, here we come!

After a long day of hard work, we finally plopped down at the breakfast table to watch some Seal Team. By 11:00 pm, we were proudly declaring victory over our Netflix queue and triumphantly marched off to bed! Who knew binge-watching could be so tiring?”

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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