The Week Starts Again!

Posted on Monday, January 17, 2022 by Paul

Fact: A chef’s hat has 100 pleats. It’s meant to represent the 100 ways you can cook an egg.

By 7:00 Am we were up courtesy of Scout, The Wonder Dog. We had a cup of coffee and then got ready to go shopping at BB&B and Lowe’s, have lunch, and then go to our physical therapy sessions. We’re busy beavers.

Out plant, which we won at the Nightlighter’s dance on Friday night, is doing well in the window. Mary says it grows two inches a day!  Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.  Mary mentioned that she is rooting for our bulbs to become flowers.

There are five different bulbs/plants in this single pot!

I listened to Fox News and heard the new Lt. Governor of Virginia speak. Mrs. Sears is first class in my book and tells it like it is; we know she will have a successful stint as Lt. Governor.  God bless her! We need a lot more fine people like her in our government!

Lt. Governor Sears – Keep telling it like it is!

Did You Know? Winsome Earle Sears (born March 11, 1964) is a Jamaican-born American politician and businesswoman currently serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia. She is a member of the Republican Party. Sears served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004. She lost a write-in bid in Virginia for the U.S. Senate in 2018. In 2021, she was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia. With this election, Sears became the first woman to be elected as lieutenant governor of Virginia and became the first woman of color and first Jamaican origin to be elected statewide.

I moved one of the file cabinets in the office to the other side of the room to get access to the closet easier; it was a smart move. Now the file cabinets are on either side of Mary’s sewing desk and they frame the TV set.

Now both file cabinets are easy to get to from our seats!

We plan to get mirrored doors in all four of the bedrooms (ours is a walk-in). We are going to Lowe’s and then to a glass/mirror store to get two estimates.  The one below is in our office and it is twelve feet wide.

What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? “Supplies!”

The doors are en feet wide and will give us a lot of reflection!

We are working on our desks and the bookshelves to get them whipped into shape!  We had a collection of (ugly and old)  desks and shelves between us so we bought matching desks and bookshelves; it was a great idea.

We slide the window open and set Alexa on the shelf when we are in the swim spa!

I love my new gadget, courtesy of Colleen. If you want to send a picture, email it to paulliles@mynixplay.com, and within minutes it will show up on by 8×10 electronic frame!

We were hungry, so we stopped at Hopdaddy Burger Bar Restaurant. We were looking for “In An Out”, but this place had signs saying “Burgers And A Full Bar”; what can go wrong with that? Gotta tell you; the food was terrific! I did a jalapeno/habanero burger, and Mary did a “Burger In A Bowl.” Oh yes, we did have a drink!

Good groceries!

Mary’s burger bowl was unique; a burger without bread (yeah!) laid on top of a fresh salad underneath!  It looked great and had a wonderful flavor.

We enjoy finding new places with unique items!

We went to Bed Bath & Beyond to get some goodies, and we went to a store that was closing in Tustin. We planned to be there 20 minutes and ended up staying ninety minutes and spending $550! Fortunately, we got 20% off because they were closing; Mary had a $100 gift card, and I got another 20% because I have been a long-time member. We got out for $337. Geez, what a haul!

On the way out, I walked past a mirror and thought, “you take away the looks, money, intelligence, charm and success and, really, there’s no real difference between me and George Clooney”.

We went VFR to P.T., where we spent thirty minutes getting loosened up and adjusted. Mary took a picture while I was not looking; sneaky!

I asked my cannibal friend where he gets his veggies. He replied “the local physical therapy clinic”.  That was worrisome.

The pretzel table; I get bent into all sorts of shapes! (I was afraid someone would come in the door, yell, “Thar she blows,” and harpoon me!)

Returning home, we put all the BB&B items away or installed them. I got a mirror for my bathroom and it extends from the wall; I love it. Mary got some racks for her closet to hold her belts and other clothes. We put down several new rugs in the kitchen, including new rubberized ones, where we prep food and cook together.

While making dinner, we called Robin (who is doing well), Colleen, and Dianne. We checked up on everyone.

Time to dine; I made a request yesterday, and today I was rewarded with my stuffed jalapenos.   I made artichokes; we had a feast!

I did ask Mary, “Why did the jalapeno put on a sweater?”  Since I was going to the garage and out of the reach of her frying pan, I answered, “Because he was a little chile!”

Yummy!!!!

I rolled the 50″ T.V. in from the exercise room, and we watched Tim Allen and laughed ourselves silly. An unhappily married Manhattan socialite couple flee from the I.R.S. and end up in Amish country where they pretend to be visiting relatives.

The public did not like the movie; we thought it was great!

We crashed soon after that! It was a super day!

I always do; I kiss my bride and wish her sweet dreams!

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The Real Sunday Has Arrived

Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Australia is wider than the moon. The moon sits at 3400km in diameter, while Australia’s diameter from east to west is almost 4000km.

We were up and going by 7:00 AM, and the first order of business was the swim spa to soothe our legs from last night’s dancing! The warm water felt amazing! We stayed in for about 45 minutes, and we put an Alexa device in the office window so we could listen to music, hear the news, and answer the phone!

Ninety-five degrees and strong jets were just what the Doctor had in mind!

I asked Mary, “What do you get when you drain a hot tub full of clowns?” he was awaiting the answer, so I responded with, “Several gallons of laughing stock.”

After the spa session, we toured the yard making sure everything would be ready for the potential rain.

We prepared for a potential day of rain.

We also checked the new sprinkler system and made some adjustments. Some plants were getting too much water, so I shortened the watering time. We have eight zones for the watering cycle, and each can be controlled via the iPhone at will or run in automatic mode.

The hibiscus is doing well!

We have a job ahead of us in the next two weeks! The two sheds still are loaded with “stuff” that we need to go through and either label/store properly or toss out.

Magnificent display just for us!

Then we went to the office and spent the rest of the day going through paperwork and files.   At about 5:00 PM, Mary went to fix dinner, and we dined outside as it was in the low seventies.

By the end of dinner, I turned on the table-top heater,  The sunset was beautiful, and it is perfect for dinnertime from our patio! In fact, some sunsets are so mind-bogglingly beautiful that it can be hard to find words to describe them.

I heard the neighbor next door and looked over the fence and checked if our many wind chimes bothered him at night; they are pretty melodic but sometimes loud on breezy nights.

When Mary begins her painting, I have a project awaiting me!

He assured me they do not bother him, and in fact, he enjoys them!

Wow! Mother Nature gave us a real show this evening! The sun’s saying goodnight again.

We talked to Colleen, Robin, Vicky, and Jan during dinner, just catching up on the day’s activities. We’re tired and are going to bed early!

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Saturday And Time To Dance!

Posted on Saturday, January 15, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The flashes of colored light you see when you rub your eyes are called “phosphenes.” Phosphenes are the luminous floating stars, zigzags, swirls, spirals, squiggles, and other shapes that you see when closing your eyes tight and pressing them with your fingers. Basically, these phenomena occur when the cells of the retina are stimulated by rubbing or after a forceful sneeze, cough, or blow to the head.

We hit the deck running today; I headed for the office, and Mary got the coffee. Time to get the files in order. After a couple of hours, Mary went to the front hallway closet and worked magic; we can see the inside, and it doesn’t fall out like “Fibber McGee’s Closet.”

At 10:00 AM, Mary says, “I am going to fix waffles in our new machine so we can eat while Dr. Stanley is on, our televangelist.” I went in to assist her in getting the new fangled thing unpacked. Being a dutiful hubby, I set up the TV trays, got the drinks, and we headed to the TV.

Time to dance!

She was so good at it; I needed a video to prove it. Light, camera, action; Dr. Mary, Take One!

These puppies came out just right.  Thank you Dianne & David for such a thoughtful gift!  We will use this quite often!

Waffles are ready!

Well, at 11:00 AM on KTLA, there was no Dr. Stanley – what the heck! We watched an episode of Bewitched before going back to work.

Since we were going dancing, I decided to lay down and rest my leg. It dawned on me after about fifteen minutes; today is SATURDAY, not Sunday. Duh! I promptly jumped up and went to the backyard where Mary was working and announced she was “officially retired” Once I said, “It’s Saturday,” we both had a good laugh!

We got gussied up for the Starlighters dance, and tonight we were the official greeters; that’s work, BUT we get to meet everyone.

Bob and Donna made the announcements, and I didn’t even take pictures during the evening. We were having so much fun dancing that I forgot I was the photographer! Next time!

Bob and Donna make the pronouncements.

We sat with Bob and Donna and Jerry and Kathy Walasko from Old Ranch!

Mary pitched in and arranged things with Donna.

We had close to twenty couples with three opting out at the last minute due to illness (non-COVID).

Go guys go! 

The music was wonderful and you can see the dancers enjoying themselves!  We had almost ten Elks members with us so we got the Elks-rates on the drinks!  That was very nice of Heidi, our bartender!

We headed home at 9:30 PM to make sure Scout, The Wonder Dog, was watered. We crashed by 10:00 PM. What a great day!

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Friday Has Arrived; Surprise, We Are Ready For You!

Posted on Friday, January 14, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands – The Philippines is an archipelago, which means it’s made up of a group of islands—7,641 islands, to be exact. That figure does not include the thousands of sandbars and other landforms that emerge during low tide.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

It is 6:00 AM and Scout, The Wonder Dog, shows us that he can read the clock. He strolls around the bed, pawing at any human form close to the side. We either have to take him out or huddle at the center of the bed and not make any noise. Finally, at 6:13 AM, I broke down and took him outside. After a few minutes, I heard Scout whimpering; I looked!

Scout hadn’t learned from the time he got his tongue stuck to the hydrant.

Before we did chores, we walked Five Miles (a.k.a. Scout) around the block, about 0.8 miles.

We needed to do some chores; the bank, the market, the cleaners, the jewelry store, and decided to stop at Jan’s and attempt to fix the water sprinklers. Well, the sprinklers needed some tools, so we visited instead,

We discussed cooking and dancing and kids!

We returned home and worked around the house for a couple of hours, mainly in the office, and it is beginning to come together! We now have a system for our mail, and I had a place for the 2021 tax documents to go!

Our new avocado looks pretty bad, but the tomato (from June of last year) is still excelling! We are getting excited about the garden.

A friend rubbed tomato ketchup on his eyes by accident. In Heinz sight, it wasn’t a good idea.

Can you imagine; fresh from the garden tomatoes in January?

Even the ól lime tree is doing well in his new home. Perhaps it’s the total access to sunlight?   I thought to myself, which always comes with unexpected results, “What do you call a lime that opens doors?” Duh! A Key Lime.

I see many lime-flavored dishes in our near future!

We even have a few flowers. The snapdragons are magnificent right now. When you look at the blossom’s face on, they look similar to a dragon face, and when the flower is pressed gently on the sides, their ‘mouth’ can open and shut.

Did You Know? Snapdragon flowers can are edible, which is why some restaurants and bars use them as a garnish for certain plates and drinks.

Snapdragons are exciting and beautiful to look at!

It looks like avocado #2 has gone belly-up! He is one week old and is pretty much dead! We will call the nursery and try again or try another kind of tree; I plan to check the soil!

It looks like it is a goner!

At 2:00 PM, we began getting ready for our trip to Altadena, where we danced with the Rondeliers. It is 45 miles away, and GPS says about an hour. The last time we went to Altadena, it took us two hours, and today it was one hour and ten minutes with lite traffic. When we arrived there early, about 5:00 PM, we went into the lounge and had appetizers and a bottle of Cakebread. I called ahead and got the OK from the GM to enter the private part of the club.

We met up with old friends I’ve danced with for years. Ludwig is from Germany originally, and his wife is from Chile, so Mary had a field day talking to them in their native languages!

They are looking good!

We got our picture taken, so we will remember we were there. There were only six couples this evening; COVID-19 has retaken its toll.

A dashing pair of people if I don’t say so myself!

Wyatt Haupt played tonight, so every bit of music was danceable, and the music was excellent; his selections are fantastic. I asked Mary if she knew the Hula, and she said, “Why, of course. The hula dance is simple: you put some grass on one hip, some more grass on the other hip, and then you rotate the crops.” I should have known!

I tried one more time by asking Mary, “Where do one-legged dancers go for Breakfast?” She gac=ve up, so I replied, “IHOP. I apologized, and we continued dancing with me, wearing a mask in a way I never thought about, stuffed in my mouth!

We have fun when we dance especially when I remember an old step I had forgotten for years!

Even though the dance went on until 10:30 PM, we departed at 9:30 PM so Scout could get some relief. There was no traffic on the way home, and we got back about 10:15 PM which was six and a quarter hours. Well, poor Scout had an accident by the door. He was ashamed, but we cleaned it up and talked to him; he tried, but five-plus hours is too long to be away.

I hugged the baby and told him what Groucho Marx once said; “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Scout looked up, turned around, and headed for bed!

 

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We Were Filled With Friends At Girls Night Out

Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2022 by Paul

Fact: German chocolate cake was invented in Texas – The “German” part of German chocolate cake comes from an American man—not a European country. Specifically, it’s named after Sam German, who in 1852 created the formula for a mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker’s Chocolate Company, which was subsequently named Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. Fast-forward to June 13, 1957. According to What’s Cooking America, the Dallas Morning Star published the recipe for the cake, invented and submitted by a reader identified as Mrs. George Clay. 

We are dancing Friday, Saturday, and  Sunday but Friday’s engagement with the Rondelier’s requires a vaccination certification or a recent test. We departed the house at 7:30 AM to go to Huntington Beach and get Mary’s COVID-free certification test.

You could not get reservations online, so we pulled into the parking lot at 8:00 AM and waited until 9:00 AM to get the test. She was in shock when she read the sign in the parking lot!

Mary looked startled when she saw the sign!

Well at least during this recent outbreak we do not have a lot of shortages like last year!  I did  ran out of toilet paper and started using lettuce leaves. Today was just the tip of the iceberg, tomorrow romaines to be seen.

Being a wonderful and supporting husband, I immediately suggested an alternative approach, although it would take a little longer to get the results.

I bought twenty envelopes, large ones!

I never thought the comment “I wouldn’t touch them with a 6-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are!

Mary finally figured out what the sign really meant and settled down for the hour wait until the nice person with the five-foot-long stick would show up. Mary had to fill out some forms, and this morning, she enjoyed filling them out.

Mary was playful this morning.

The World Health Organization announced that dogs cannot contract COVID-19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. To be clear, WHO let the dogs out.

After the test, we went to her old office, and she tested my eyes, we ordered some glasses, and she picked up her incoming mail from patients. We then turned toward Santa Ana and joined the gang for Girls Night Out. We had a long table full, and four had to sit at another table; we were in overload.

Everyone was in full tease-mode today; we were having a ball!

The gang was collected.

We had a delightful lunch with Mary doing the salmon, and I had the New England Pot Roast; we shared as usual. When I realized I was addicted to roast beef sandwiches, I decided to go cold turkey.

Sydney and her dad joined us.

We always sit near the head of the table to watch all the goings-on.  I whispered to Mary, “We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t remember which one of us is the bad influence.”

Just us!

What will Iris do with that orange; nobody knows! Iris asked everyone, “What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?” We did not know the answer but suspected the worst; “A carrot.”

I told Iris, “I went to the grocery store today to buy some oranges, strawberries, and apples, but they didn’t have any. It was a fruitless trip.”

Iris and Will; always fun to be with!

After our meal, it was almost 1:30 PM, and we had to head for home to let Scout, The Wonder Dog, out for his afternoon piddle party!

Mary went to the door, and our TV stand had arrived, so into the garage it went, and I attempted to put it together. Dang, it was in English and Russian; I used the Russian version. We got it put together, mounted the new TV, and I rolled it into the kitchen where we watched “Crazy On The Outside.”

We will keep it in exercise room or dining room out of the way!

Summary: A recently paroled ex-con who has trouble adjusting to the wacky normalcy of life outside of prison. After getting caught committing a crime and taking the rap for his much more dangerous pal, he has spent the last three years behind bars.

 

We crashed after that. I really think that tossing and turning all night should be considered exercise.   I left Mary with one thought as the lights went out! “What do you call a sleepwalking nun? – A roamin’ catholic”.  I left myself with a thought also, “If you think women are the weaker sex, try pulling the blankets back to your side.”

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Another Busy Day!

Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The circulatory system is more than 60,000 miles long! According to the Franklin Institute, if a child’s entire circulatory system—we’re talking veins, arteries, and capillaries—were laid out flat, it would stretch for more than 60,000 miles. By the time we reach adulthood, our bodies have become home to approximately 100,000 miles of blood vessels.

BTW, I have lost six pounds since the first of January; 208.1 this morning. Sawdust is beginning to taste good! BURP!

We went to PT at 8:30 AM and returned home via the bank and Rockwell’s. We shared a veggie omelet, and I went off the diet and did a side of bacon!

Chez Côté will be open for business! a little later!

On the way home, Mary checked Facebook, and my daughter Colleen has been busy! Her sense of humor is much like ours!

Funny Mate!

We worked around the house, finishing off the Valentine’s Day tree before going on two errands and then to the dentist!

It is now Valentine’s Day tree.

Into the car again, and we stopped at Jan’s to drop off some goodies to eat and then to Dr. Annie’s,s where I got fitted for a crown. Apparently, after 77 years, my old tooth ion back was starting to split, and the crown will protect it.

All is well!

We then headed to The Fish Company in Los Alamitos, where we had dinner at about 4:30 PM. Mary did her rainbow trout while I polished off a great swordfish! We went there because we had to see Vicky and pick up some Starlighter’s items since we will be the official greeters at the door this weekend. Of course, we picked up a dozen oysters for Vicky, and she was happy as a little school girl!

We also picked up two pints of clam chowder, which we delivered on the way home. First, we went to Costa Mesa to see Bill and bring him a surprise birthday cake, a mess of MAry’s secret beans, and tonight’s dinner (clam chowder). We did not visit long as we had to get home.

The second drop-off was at Dianne and David’s; David loves the Fish Companies chowder. We did a fly-by, and then we set out for home. We were gone a long time but our housekeeper, Domilita, made sure Scout was taken out and did his business.

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Up At The Crack Of Dawn!

Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Sudan has more pyramids than any country in the world! Not only does Sudan have more pyramids than Egypt, but the numbers aren’t even close. While 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt, Sudan boasts around 255.

We were up early to take The Silver Fox to the beauty parlor and get his oil changed; the 20,000-mile checkup was due. We had a 10:00 AM appointment at the dealer and a 10:00 AM appointment with our handyman. So, we decided to take the car in early!

On the bright side, I got to meet the neighborhood roosters; I wanted to see what they were crowing about! Today, we put up the Valentine’s Day decorations, including decorating the holiday tree with hearts.

Mary asked me a strange question, “What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?”  I thought about it carefully and then answered, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

The day was magnificent, and there was a little wind, so I attempted to get a snapshot of our last Christmas decoration, the flag!

The bottom flag says, “Merry Christmas from Mary & Paul.”

We took both cars to the dealer, and I dropped mine off. The Lexus electronic wizard connected both of our iPhones to both vehicles while I was filling out the paperwork.

On the way home I remembered that I sent my hearing aids in for repairs three weeks ago. I haven’t heard anything since

We returned home just in time for Tom to come in and begin the work:

  1. Takedown the house Christmas lights
  2. Put on the new Gazebo cover and tie the gazebo structure to the concrete
  3. Connect the hallway bathrooms exhaust fans to the outside, properly
  4. other miscellaneous stuff.

Two of us on two ladders, but we got it done!

The last time we had a stiff wind, the gazebo “walked” and stuck one leg into the pool; it will not do it this time!

My latest ponderism, “Did Noah include termites on the ark?”

Getting the anchors installed was challenging as the concrete has rebar in it and the concrete bit did not like that!

We, Tom and Mary, and I placed six  2x8s on the rafters so we could walk in the attic without having to stand on the rafters; it made working in the attic much easier! Mary made a quick lunch for me using soup, chicken, and sausage. It was delicious!

Chez Côté was open for business!

We worked until almost 3:30 PM and then decided to stop. We got into Precious and went to pick up the Silver Fox. We returned home and went to Jan’s to deliver some bean soup. A bottle of wine was somehow magically emptied while we visited for an hour.

We went to bed about 8:00 PM, and we were tired; it was a long but good day!  I turned on the TV but my eyes were shut almost immediately.  Whenever I lose my TV controller, I always find it in a remote location.

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Monday Has Arrived; Back To The Grind!

Posted on Monday, January 10, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The United States walks the least of any industrialized nation. The average Australian takes 9,695 steps per day (just a few short of the ideal 10,000), the average Japanese takes 7,168, the average Swiss: 9,650, and the average American just 5,117.

Ha Ha, we are well on our way to walking 8,000+ today. We walked Five Miles this morning, and he really liked it!

Scout is a big blabbermouth!!

I learned something today, which I should have known anyway. Read the “DidJaknow” below!

Did You Know? Have you ever wondered how dead dinosaurs turn into oil over time? The general idea that oil and petroleum come from dinosaurs is prevalent in America, with frequent references in pop culture, as well as the use of terms like “fossil fuels” in the media. But how a dinosaur skeleton transmutes into crude oil is still, for many, shrouded in mystery. That’s because, essentially, crude oil doesn’t come from dinosaurs at all.

In 1933, the Sinclair Oil Company hit the Chicago World’s Fair with a presentation on dinosaurs to promote the exciting link between the giant land beasts and the eventual formation of the gasoline sold by the company. Sinclair had started using the image of a Brontosaurus (now referred to more accurately as an Apatosaurus) on its signs three years earlier and found it was a hit with children. Sinclair came to the World’s Fair with a whole exhibit on the supposed connection to promote the brand and the perceived science behind it.

The complex and often confusing formation of crude oil starts with some of the smallest organisms on the planet. Then – through a process that takes tens of millions of years, occurs thousands of feet below ground, and depends on complex chemical transformations.

We worked around the house for most of the day until 3:00 PM when we headed to our PT session. We cleaned the garage before leaving for PT, and I installed the second Wi-Fi-controlled lawn sprinkler controller. As I turned on and off the zones, Mary would tell me what to label them.

Mary and I have appointments together for the next couple of weeks!

OMG, I was tortured by many machines, and the PT Whizard bent my legs into positions only seen on Saturday morning cartoons. I went into the place feeling great and came out on a stretcher. I wondered what he meant when he said, “We are going to work on your core today!”

He did exactly that! (He did refer to me as “a seedy character.”

We stopped by CVS and perused all the meds to see if we needed anything more for home. Then Mary fixed a great dinner of leftovers; we are attempting to empty the three freezers so we can begin cooking again! We had some pot-roast, pasta with broccoli, and the last of cheese and macaroni á la Kosmetatos.

While she was cooking, I attempted to assist her. I asked Mary, “Did you hear about the pessimist who hates German sausage?”  To my surprise, she responded immediately with, “He always fears the Wurst.”  The girl knows her German.

While dining, we called several people, including Colleen, who we talked to for 45 minutes),  Irene, and Vicky. We used the batphone to call Dianne, and she was cooking in her 1950s styled kitchen. I love visiting her as it turns back my clock to my Mom’s kitchen in the early 1950s. The average size of a new house in 1950 was 983 square feet, and the cost was $7,354.

Dinner with Lucy in the 1950s

Scout was tired from working all day by the end of dinner, so he curled up with his babies by the fire and went to sleep.

Da baby is sleepin’!

We could not let this go on; after all, he is a working dog! Mary got his brush and removed seven pounds of fur, enough to stuff a small pillow. They were nose to nose at the end of the brushing (Mary is on the right).

Mommy loves her baby!

We love our baby; dogs are an interesting lot. Scout, The Wonder Dog, sounds like he will take you apart and spit out the remains. He knows our Gardner now but still goes bonkers when Carlos shows up. I send him out to meet Carlos, get a quick scratch from Carlos, and then Scout goes back to rest.

It was 8:00 PM, and we decided to watch Topper on TCM. We did most of the movie, but the sandman came by early.  Just before going to sleep I asked Mary, “Why do dragons often sleep during the day? So they can fight knights.”

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Sunday Has Arriven And We Are Ready!

Posted on Sunday, January 9, 2022 by Paul

Fact: Dead skin cells are a main ingredient in household dust.  According to researchers at Imperial College London, humans shed around 200 million skin cells each hour—and they have to go somewhere when we’re indoors. 

Let’s do a comparison!  With fog and without fog! The temperature was 55 degrees at 7:00 AM with the fog.  I remember talking to some scientists who were studying the odder aspects of fog. They were mistified.

I took the iPhone outside to take the picture.  It’s was so cold and foggy outside that I kept making mistakes when I tried to send text messages.  I think that it’s the early stages of typothermia.

Yesterday with the fog warning in effect!

The temperature was 40 degrees at 7:00 AM with the fog gone and the thermal insulation removed! B-r-r-r-r-r; even Scout, The wonder Dog, went outside and did his business returning quickly to the house!

Fog at 7:00 AM Sunday morning.

I checked out the irrigation system at 5:00 AM and it went on right on schedule watering five zones for 10 minutes each.  Today I will rewire it hiding and protecting the control cables after a quick visit to Home Depot.

Total control of all my watering needs!

I took off at 9:30 AM for HJome Depot to get some supplies and since it was cold, I put on my new tee-shirt1

Courtesy of Jonathan; my oldest grandson!

After going outside and into the car, I returned and decided a sweatshirt was needed!  I was thinking, I hate people who use big words just to make themselves look perspicacious

Courtesy of the Duda family! It was really warm! (I sent this photograph to a Lonely Hearts Club. They sent it back saying they weren’t that lonely.)

We had breakfast and then watched our televangelist before going to the south forty and working in the yard.  Mary planted cabbage hoping for another crop as we had at the old house last year.

We have seventy days; we will report on the progress!

We worked in the yard for a couple of hours and we planted about 40 or more daffodils which we will be able to see from our family room window.

Scout provided adult supervision; the power auger made the job simple!

Daffodils were first used in gardens around 300 BC. The Greek botanist and philosopher Theophrastus listed and described Narcissus in his book ‘Enquiry Into Plants’. Romans also treasured the flower. The flower then faded for centuries until it re-emerged during the 1600s when the English gave them a place in the garden. It is thought when settlers came to America from Great Britain, they brought Daffodils as a reminder of their past lives to the New World. The bulbs were hardy and easy to transport during their ocean voyage, so a huge percentage of them survived and were planted across the eastern seaboard and Appalachia.

They are poisonous to dogs so we have to be careful.

We stopped working at 3:00 PM so we could clean up and make our “fly-bys” to Jan and Bill on our way to dancing in chino We brought them pasta with salmon and Jan got a box of Cape Cod Potato Chips, her favorite!  As we pulled out of our complex, the sun was amazingly bright.

I was glad we were heading north instead of west!

Off to Chino to have dinner with Bob and Donna at PF Changs.  Then over to Studio-M, we went to visit Marcin and the gang.  We danced until 9:30 PM when we headed home.  It was Linda’s birthday so we had her sing.

After arriving home, we watered Scout and hit the sack.  Today has been busy and productive!

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Today Our Avacado Tree Comes Back To Life

Posted on Saturday, January 8, 2022 by Paul

Fact: The Hass avocado variety is a California native, and Rudolph Hass first discovered it in the mid-1920s. Every Hass avocado in the world can trace its roots to that “Mother Hass Tree” in La Habra Heights, California.

Today was chores day! Mary worked inside, and I worked outside. She took care of loads of table cloths and placemats while I attacked the garage with a vengeance!

Mary made a great brunch using eggs and a new delivery of turkey bacon we bought from Amazon.

I got attacked by a bacon tree the other day. Turned out to be a hambush.

What do you get if you play tug-of-war with bacon? Pulled Pork.

Yummy

We now have two more boxes of Christmas to go upstairs, things we overlooked or found in the past few days!

The tree guys showed up about 2:15 PM, replanting an avocado tree. The new one looks pretty good; we are glad we bought the insurance as the first one went belly-up in a week!

We will have avocados this summer!

After the tree was planted, we headed for the local nursery to buy cabbage because St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner, and it takes about 60 days to get the cabbage ready to eat! We found two different varieties; they will be in the ground tomorrow.

If you put cabbage in a wood chipper, you get Slaw dust!

I had a dream I was attacked by a giant head of cabbage in my kitchen. I grabbed a knife and stabbed, hacked, and slashed at it, but it still kept coming! I threw a jar of mayonnaise at it, to no avail — then I hurled a bag of carrots, but nothing would stop it! In the end… I fought the slaw, and the slaw won.

This nursery was established in 1948!

Arriving back home, I replaced half of my old yard sprinkler controller with a new-fangled internet-connected wi-fi device. I can now control the sprinklers from the phone, and it is smart enough to stop watering when the rains come! I love the technology!

Now I can set everything from the dining room table!

While I was busy doing the sprinklers, Mary worked her magic on some salmon in the kitchen! We had salmon and pasta for dinner, and it was magical!

I am sooooo lucky!

I helped a bit by setting the table, pouring the wine, and moving the salmon in and out of the oven as we adjusted the cooking arrangements.

Dining tonight was like being at the Ritz at a tenth the cost!

The salmon was cooked to perfection, and the small lemons and fresh garden salad made it a perfect meal1

The angel hair pasta was a perfect addition to the meal!

We called Colleen and chatted with her for a half-hour before heading to the swim spa. We stayed in the spa for about 45 minutes; until we were both well done! Tonight I slept like a baby!

We watched Charade with Cary Grant and dozed off to sleep; we will rewatch it tomorrow.

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