To The Movies!

Posted on Friday, September 12, 2025 by Paul

The day started COLD as the overhead bathroom heater went south.  I called our handyman, and he came over, got the cover off, and gave me the part number.  I dialed into Amazon, and the replacement part will arrive on Thursday.  Then I will call Joe, or my son, to work his magic. I am not allowed to be on ladders anymore because of my age.

DOA

We messed around most of the day.  Maria came over and dropped off Irene’s gold clubs, and we visited for a while.  Robin stopped by before her hair appointment.  We will pick her up at 3:15 to go to the movies, the Downton Abbey movie, here we come.

Great movie, and now we are in the 1930s

We decided to go to King’s Fish House for dinner and had a wonderful dinner, complete with a bottle of wine!

Paul did fish soup

Robin kept to her diet and ate shrimp!

Everything was wonderful!

Robin captured a picture of us!

We were so happy to be out and about!

By the time we got home, it was 9:00 pm, and we crashed HARD!  Tomorrow, we begin to celebrate Halloween!

Posted in Family, Just Us | Leave a comment

I Escaped The House Today!

Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2025 by Paul

We got up, and Mary did the morning groin check, and I was leaking every so slightly on the right side.  It was not significant enough to worry about, so we proceeded with the morning shower and a new gauze covering.

We walked to the garden as I wanted to see the pumpkin plant and talk to it.

Picking time; we loaded a large box with fresh veggies

The garden is beginning to show wear, summer is starting to end, and Fall will be here soon.

We still have 500 tomatoes on the vines!

The overhangs need some trimming, or we will have to lean over to get to the back of the garden!

We found some hidden treasures up in the overheads!  There were several LARGE tomatoes in hiding.

Off to the Elks Lodge for Girls’ Night Out.  We had great fun and gave away a big bunch of veggies!

Bill and Sue joined us today!

Linda was here with her bonnet of the day!

Lookin’ good, Linda!

George was in rare form; we laughed the whole time!

We are getting old; we shared our latest operations.

I ordered a steak, but was surprised!

Mary and I were asked on several occasions if we would get a room!  I wonder why??

THE SMOOOOOOCH!

Guess what she whispered in my ear?    Time to go home!

I cannot wait for the packages to arrive!

Mary’s new T-shirts

We got the pictures from Bob and Donna from their trip to Turnin.

We watched three episodes of “Virgin River” before retiring.

Posted in Elks, Food and Wine, Friends, Gardening, Working Around House | Leave a comment

I Am Tired Of Resting!

Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2025 by Paul

The day started slowly and kept going slower and slower.   I didn’t even make it to he garden.  As Mary says, “I ‘m keeping him on a tight leash”.

Mary’s wrist was swollen pretty badly after her fall, and not wanting to leave me alone, she called Dianne, who ran to the store and got Mary a wrist brace.  It’s good to have good friends.  We sent Dianne home with a basket of garden goodies.

Mary is considering a new acquisition, a t-shirt to go with my shirt that says “Trophy Husband”.

The rest of the day, Mary worked around the house, and I stayed close to the computer, trying to prepare for the last batch of Europe-O-Grams from Bob and Donna.

We both took long naps in the afternoon, and I made tea for us to have on the patio.  The weather was perfect with a slight breeze.  We actually put a small blanket on our shoulders around 7:00 pm.

Then we hit the kitchen and made FRESH bruschetta using items we just picked from the garden.  We cut up an entire load of French baguettes.  We then called Jeff, and we tootled over to Jeff’s house with two glasses of wine, and he had a post-dinner snack!

We returned home to watch TV before going to bed.  We started the series FUBAR with Arnie, and that was fun.

 

Posted in Cooking, Just Us, Working Around House | Leave a comment

Paul! Don’t Be A Cutup!!

Posted on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 by Paul

Easy for Mary To Say!!

Today is the day of the procedure, and I was not allowed to have anything but a teaspoon of water to take my morning pills.  Have you ever tried to take four pounds of pills with a teaspoon of water?

Everything is going well until the phone rings, and it is the doctor’s office saying they still haven’t received insurance approval.  I knew the operating/procedure was going for retail at $131,300.  Needless to say, we were out of bed dialing the doctor’s office and insurance company for the next two hours.   I thought for a while I would have to sell Scout and my firstborn (I could deal with the firstborn, but not Scout!)

It turns out the claim was approved, but apparently faxed to the incorrect FAX number.  We got everything fixed by 10:00 am, just two hours before check-in!  Good news, we can keep Scout.

I was dressed for the occasion.

We got checked in at noon, and we got called backstage a few minutes later.  Mary helped me get ready, and at 2:45 I was under.  Joe came and stayed with Mary for a long time.

Oops!  Wrong jammies!

Transportation came to get me, and we were off.  Mary walked as far as the OR.

I am ready!

I greeted the doctors with a big smile and a lot of jokes and with a BP of 130/82; not too bad for guy 80 years old facing surgery!

Counting down from 100…

As the anesthesia was taking its effect, I heard the doctors talking!

Anesthesia works by interrupting or altering the transmission of nerve signals throughout the body, though the specific mechanisms differ depending on the type.  General anesthesia affects the brain to cause unconsciousness, while local and regional anesthesia target specific nerves to numb a particular area.

How general anesthesia works

General anesthesia is a drug-induced, reversible coma that induces unconsciousness, amnesia, and immobility.  During the procedure, an anesthesiologist continuously administers medication, often a combination of intravenous (IV) drugs and inhaled gases.

I overheard some of the staff talking!

I was under for about two hours, and during that time, I got two catheters inserted, and the doctor did his thing.

After I came out, I was also a little worried as they didn’t seem to know what to do with the extra parts.

This situation was worrisome!

Mary said the doctor came to visit her and that I was A-OK.  Mary then came into recovery and took GREAT care of me.  She gave me water and ordered my dinner.  The food was good, but I was also VERY hungry.

At 9:30 pm, it was decided I could go home, so Mary got the car (after falling in the parking lot).

We made it home by 10:00 pm, at which time I went to bed with Mary, checking for leaks every few minutes.  I slept like a baby!

Side note:  Again, I am blessed to have Mary in my life as she went and did more than the call of duty.  She was my angel!

Posted in Doctor, Family, Just Us | Leave a comment

We Preppin’

Posted on Monday, September 8, 2025 by Paul

When I woke up, I was sure it was Sunday, but after consultation with the calendar, I gave in and declared it Monday.   We got ready to go to the hospital check-in, where we registered and got an EKG, plus some blood tests!  I studied last night and passed the blood test with frying colors.

We arrived at the St. Joseph’s facility at 11:15 am, and we were out in less than 30 minutes.  PS: I passed the test!   The EKG machine did not sound the alarm this time, so all is good.

We had lunch at Benji’s and then went to Polly’s Pies to get dessert for our neighbor Jeff.

The rest of the day, we just messed around the house.  Mary fixed a small dinner at 9:00 pm, as I cannot eat after midnight (the operation is scheduled for tomorrow at noon).

We watched “The Expendables 1, 2, and 3”.

At midnight we went to bed!

Posted in Doctor, Just Us, Working Around House | Comments Off on We Preppin’

Nothing On Sunday!

Posted on Sunday, September 7, 2025 by Paul

Today was a big ZERO.  We worked around the house but didn’t leave the premises.  Mary fixed a magnificent “Egg McMommy,” and after that, we watched Dalton Abbey and did some washing.

In the afternoon, I crashed for three hours, still trying to wear off the last procedure.

I worked on Donna and Bob’s vacation pictures from today.  We will be happy to see them again!!

We visited Jeff and came home to crash!

Posted in Just Us, Working Around House | Comments Off on Nothing On Sunday!

Relax, Unwind, Eat, Dance!

Posted on Saturday, September 6, 2025 by Paul

Robin stayed the night, and we spent the morning catching up with everything.  We called Colleen, and all is well on the East Coast.  Robin took off around 11:00 am, and we went to the Post Office (to mail our quarterly taxes) and then shopped for a while before returning home.

We called Lexus and then AAA, and another technician came out; this time it was a young man who knew his stuff.  He replaced the battery, and we are up and running again.

Replacement needed!

In the afternoon, Mary did some chores, and I checked for light leaks in my eyes by taking a two-hour nap.  I am getting ready for next week’s operation.

I put together some photos of yesterday’s Celebration of Life for Irene.

In the afternoon, we watched some TV and then got ready to go to the Elks to hear Jerome Dean sing and have dinner.

They had oysters on the menu, and Iris’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree!  Mary and I ordered two dozen.  They disappeared instantly.

Why don’t oysters ever share their pearls?  Because they’re a little shellfish.

Iris finished off two dozen oysters!

Jerome Dean was great tonight.  We played a waltz, and we were up and moving.  Bill and Sandee took to the floor also!

Bill and Sandee are dancing.

After the dust had settled, we headed for home.

Good night, yard!

We crashed as soon as we got home!

Posted in Elks, Family, Working Around House | Comments Off on Relax, Unwind, Eat, Dance!

Friday Was A Mixed Bag!

Posted on Saturday, September 6, 2025 by Paul

We were up and running at a normal time.  Today we had the funeral of our great friend Irene Kosmetatos.  After a quarter century of having her in our lives, this day was going to be tough.

Robin rode with us to Green Hills Cemetery, where we met up with Michele.

The service began at 11:30 am and was in a Greek Orthodox format.

As expected, Irene was on the 50-yard line – she loved her sports!

We were surprised when we got invited to light a candle during the ceremony.   We were honored to be part of the ceremony.

Lighting a candle in a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral signifies honoring the departed soul, symbolizing Christ’s victory over death, and expressing hope in the resurrection and eternal life for the deceased.  The candle’s light represents the soul’s infinite light and serves as a focal point for prayer, remembrance, and the worshippers’ expression of love and faith for God and the departed.

Where the candle lighting ceremony took place.

There was a video running that showed 80 slides of Irene’s life beginning at age one and going until her deathbed.  Even Scout got his picture in the show.

One of the family!

After the ceremony, we went to Old Ranch for a reception.  When we arrived, they had a projector, but no computer to drive it.  In days gone by, I would have run home, but now that was 20 miles away.  Ta Dah!  Michele, using her computer skills, examined the dilemma and drove home to get her laptop!   She saved the day!

Mochele saved the day; she brought her laptop

We had a lovely luncheon thanks to the great coordinating effort of Vicky Kuhn!

Some of our favorite photos were on the cake.

When Irene would say goodbye to a group, she always threw up her hands and blew kisses.  It was her way; always remembering everyone.

Irene’s last-minute goodbye saying.

Mary and I wore black, and I did not speak at the funeral, but I had a few choice words with Iris when she recalled that she and Irene had been friends for forty years (Iris needed some assistance at the podium).

We were the hosts of the reception.

We returned home, and I found my beloved Silver Fox dead!   We called the AAA, and they started it, but while it was running, it died again!  So tomorrow we will contact the Lexus dealer, and hey, haul the car into your shop!

Mary, Robin, and I watched “The Jazz Singer” movie in the TV room.   We were tired from an emotional day, so we crashed around 10:00 pm!

Posted in Family, Friends, Memories | Comments Off on Friday Was A Mixed Bag!

Success At The Doctors!!

Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2025 by Paul

I am so blessed to have Dr. Mary in my life.

Scout and I managed to go outside while Mary’s coffee was being made.  We talk and get ready for the day!

Mary says Scout and I are getting to act just alike!

Today we are firing on all eight!  Massive good news and success!   We were up early to get to our cardiologist’s office at 10:00 am for a pre-op consultation with Dr. Lee.   He walked into the office and said, “What a magnificent specimen!”  Unfortunately, he was looking at the TV and not at me.

When we made eye contact, he shuddered and probably thought, “Oh no, another one!”    We, with Dr. Mary’s magnificent assistance, had a good conversation as he explained how the head transplant procedure was going to work.  He even had pictures of my new look!  Not too far from the truth, I thought to myself!

We told him about our upcoming family adventure in the Caribbean, and he said it was a go, provided I had the operation within the next four days and saw him two weeks after that.  We agreed, and he put us on the priority list!

So, I am now scheduled for the cardiac ablation on the 9th at noon.  By six in the evening, assuming all goes well, I will be allowed to go home.   The ablation on the 9th will allow me to do the carotid post-op session on the 8th and the head-transplant (heart ablation) post-op session on the 26th, meaning we can go sailing on the 27th!

We had to wait a while for all the dates to be finalized with the surgical coordinator, but the stars were in alignment, and we are ready to go!

It’s a shocking experience, but I will mess it, I will be asleep (hopefully)

From the doctor’s office, we went to Girls Night Out at the Elks, and I celebrated with a hockey puck for lunch.  There are four of us gents ordering a hamburger without any fixings, just the burger.  I do use a little A1.

We all laughed and giggled for 90 minutes.  George was there to get his Thursday beating.  Capps was present so we could coordinate the weekend activities.  We took roll, and Iris and Will were present and accounted for.

From the Elks, we went to the Nephrologist (fancy new name for kidney doctor – a subspecialty of internal medicine).  She went through the last set of blood tests and announced that nothing had changed, and she expected the heart procedure to improve my numbers even further.

We drove home on the side streets since it was close to 5:00 pm.

Decisions decisions! Do I try to outrun the train??

The train moved before Hot Rod Mary hit the gas!

After returning home, we watched Downton Abbey for a while, and then I moved to the office to finish off Irene’s video, which we will show tomorrow at the ceremonies.

We crashed about 11:00 pm.

Posted in Doctor, Elks, Friends | Comments Off on Success At The Doctors!!

House Cleaning Day!

Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 by Paul

After a very short pick and collect in the garden, we returned to the office to drink our coffee and attempt to find the bottom of the bottomless piles of papers!  Computer geeks have called for a paperless society.   Be Serious (BS for short).  If my Mom and Dad saw the paper we collect every day, they would keel over!

We worked until 3:00 pm with a short break for lunch.  We accomplished a lot of things, including finalizing the insurance for the trip cancellation, paying our quarterly taxes, posting Bob & Donna’s latest pictures, and cleaning up the office.

After Domi arrived, we took a box of goodies, including a watercolor, that Becky wanted to the UPS.  We dropped off a box of veggies at the gym and then headed home.

Dianne stopped by and joined us for dinner.  She brought Italian Penicillin soup for dinner, and Mary made bruschetta.

Dianne departed around 7:00 pm, and we watched Downton Abbey until 10:45 pm, at which time we went to bed.

Good news, we have an appointment for a pre-operative consultation about the heart ablation scheduled for tomorrow.

Posted in Friends, Just Us, Working Around House | Comments Off on House Cleaning Day!