Push harder; I still cannot see the scale!! Mary is always there to assist me!
Another busy day began! After coffee and our high-level morning strategy meeting—also known as”figuring out what we forgot to do yesterday”—Mary headed to the showers to prepare for Girls Night Out.
While she was busy becoming even more beautiful, I reported to the patio for my own transformation: from an ordinary husband to an amateur irrigation specialist. I juggled two hanging plants, wrestled a drip line up the patio post, and somehow convinced water to travel into baskets on purpose.
At this rate, I’m basically becoming a plumber—just without the license, the truck, or any idea what I’m doing.
We moved the table inside the house and set up for Saturday’s main event before taking off to the Elks. The whole time I was working, I was thinking about how much I enjoy my life.
After careful consideration, I have decided to keep Mary around!
The Elks were only six of us today. Iris and Will, George, and Bob Z! We enjoyed lunch, and I even went off the reservation and tried their teriyaki chicken bowl with veggies, a nice change!
On the way home, we stopped by Manchurro Farms on Newport Blvd and grabbed twenty pieces of fresh corn. Now, except for the ice, we are ready for Saturday’s cooking fest!
We also got a flat of strawberries,s which will disappear quickly!!
We headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for Saturday. And by”getting ready,” I mean Mary worked while I conducted a very important two-hour field study on the patio chair, testing the effects of beautiful weather on a tired man.
The results were conclusive: sunshine, fresh air, and a comfortable chair will knock me out faster than a lullaby and a warm blanket.
Around 5:30 pm, we saw Robin coming into the backyard from the side of the house. Apparently our Ring Doorbell’s battery went flat!
We talked for a while, and Mary showed off her latest diamond paintings. We then headed to Rogrido’s Mexican Restaurant, where we delighted in sampling their menu. I was not fooling around; I went for the chili verde.
Here’s some chile verde trivia:
• “Chile verde” means “green chile” in Spanish, but it usually refers to a stew made with pork and green chiles.
• The green color typically comes from tomatillos, green chiles, cilantro, and sometimes lime.
• It’s especially popular in the American Southwest, particularly New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and California.
• Traditional versions often use pork shoulder, because it becomes tender after slow cooking.
• Tomatillos aren’t green tomatoes—they’re a different fruit, related to the gooseberry, with a tart flavor.
• Common chiles used include Anaheim, Hatch, poblano, jalapeño, and serrano.
• Hatch green chile is famous because it comes from the Hatch Valley region of New Mexico.
• Chile verde can be served as a stew, in burritos, over rice, with eggs, or smothered on enchiladas.
• The heat level can vary a lot depending on the peppers—some versions are mild, others are very spicy.
• In New Mexico, people often ask “red or green?” when ordering chile sauce. If you want both, you say “Christmas.”
We got a lot of comments about our outfits being patriotic!
Just us, decorated for the season!
After dinner, we called Nick and Layla, and Mary showed them how to download some paperwork, convert it to .pdf format, and upload it to another online application. The kids are moving to a larger, less expensive apartment closer to their work, and they had to provide some information in .pdf format.
Then it was time for the pool because it was a balmy 93 degrees—also known as Florida preheat.”
Robin had forgotten her swimsuit, so naturally, being the thoughtful gentleman I am, I offered her one of mine.
She turned me down flat, and honestly, I have NO idea why. I mean, whowouldn’tt want to spend the evening in a slightly stretched pair of men’s trunks with questionable elastic and a mysterious sunscreen stain from 2017?
What the heck is that in our pool?
Robin got a close-up, and here we are singing “Splish Splash”.
45 minutes of floating is really relaxing.
After the dunk, the three of us sat by the fire and proceeded to solve all the world’s problems. Unfortunately, no one from the world was there taking notes, so they remain unsolved.
We looked up at the sky and could see exactly one star, which felt a little stingy. Curiosity got the better of us, so Robin grabbed my iPhone and opened an app called SkyView. I pointed it at the lone bright object, and the app immediately informed us that our “star” was actually Venus.
So not only did we fail to solve the world’s problems, but we also misidentified a planet—a big night for science.
Sitting there by the fire, I thought a lot about my dad, who would have been 120 years old. I found myself wishing he could see me now—82 years old, happy, healthy, surrounded by people I love, and still learning the difference between a star and a planet.
Not bad for a guy who just got dunked and lived to tell about it.
Dad is sitting in my Aunt Opal’s house, and an old picture of his parents is on the wall behind him!
Dad was an amazing man!
The three of us headed to the TV room and watched the last three episodes of The Last Ship before toddling off to night night.
Another good day!
