Stayin’ Home Again

Posted on Saturday, March 21, 2020 by Paul

Sue, my love for you is endless, and I will always be thankful to you for all the things you did for our family! You gave me a fantastic life.

We would walk for miles and miles all around the Huntington, but we would end up having tea in the old bowling and card room, now known as the teahouse. We almost wore the wheels off the wheelchair going through the many gardens, and your favorite was the cactus area.  You always worried about how hard it was for me to go up and down the hills, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Time for a spring visit to the Huntington Library and Gardens 2017 right after the medical issues began in earnest

So this morning’s activity is to go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick up some herbs.  I finally have an appreciation for why you wanted fresh herbs around the house.  I shall populate the garden with your favorites!

Home Depot was open, and all the herbs were outside on racks, so I made my selections.  I planted them, and now they are happy!

It’s a start

After the planting, I made my “taco kit.”  Rebecca brought me over a chicken taco kit, and it was delicious.  I had three taco’s and was not hungry for the rest of the day! She also made chicken dumplings; I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Thank you, Becca!

I needed social contact, so I called a staff meeting at Vicky’s house!  Ed Roberts joined us in the driveway at 1:00 PM sharp, and we both killed off a bottle of wine while we met with Vicky and Del for a couple of hours.  

We decided to compare our “bucket lists” next week!and then Joe

I planned to go home and rest for a few minutes before going back to work around the house.  Best laid plans of mice and men; I woke up at 7:00 PM when Robin called.  The wine did a job on me!

Colleen called then Joe, so it was a busy evening.

I love visiting my grandsons on the Bat Phone!! All sorts of crazy!

It’s 9:00 PM, and I am heading for bed, watch a little TV, and crash.  Tomorrow, I plan to work work work!  No more staff meetings!

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The Heat Came On This Morning!

Posted on Friday, March 20, 2020 by Paul

With you, I could be my silliest best and never worry about being judged because you were my better half in the most real sense!

We danced and enjoyed the yearly Children’s Hospital of Orange County benefits were we danced, participated in the auctions, and enjoyed our friends.

At CHOC for a fundraiser with Sue putting up with my silliness, she was a trooper!

I do not know what happened, but the eyes opened at 4:00 AM on the dot, and I was not able to go back to sleep.  My thoughts kept going back to that fateful morning in the ICU when I lost Sue.  I guess these thoughts will linger for a long, long time.

But when given lemons, make lemonade!  I emptied the dishwasher, hung a few little signs on the wall, made a cup of coffee, and plotted the rest of the day! Zack may pop by this morning, so if he does, I have a protein breakfast for him planned!

There are some drawers that I plan to attack this morning and a couple of shelves in the bar area that need my attention.  I also plan to work in the garden for a while once it warms up a bit.  I had planned to go to Kohl’s this morning, but I got an email saying they are closed for two weeks.

So, off I go in a cloud of dust!  Two miles of walking as I must keep my weight under control since I am now dining at Chez Liles every day!

I made it just in time to avoid six droplets! It was a nice walk!

The walk was perfect, and I even made some new friends. Please meet the Ducks, a very nice family.  Now that it is officially Spring (it occurred yesterday), I will be walking a lot meeting a lot of new animals!

The quacked me up!

Walking on down the avenue!

After my walk, it was time to cook! And today you ask, “What was for lunch?”.  Baby spinach salad with baked lemon salmon wrapped in aluminum foil! It was delicious!  The rosemary came right from the garden and the lemons off my own tree.  Tomorrow I am heading to the hardware store to get herbs for the front yard.  I can see Sue harvesting the herbs all summer long while she cooked such wonderful meals.

Dang, I did, OK! Sue would have been proud, even if it was fish!

Comfortable surroundings, excellent choice of music, a sweet wine, and a healthy meal; what else could I ask for at lunchtime?

Did I say healthy??

Just after lunch, my granddaughter dropped off a “do it yourself chicken taco kit” with all the fixings!  Spoiled, yes, I am, very spoiled!  But in all fairness, I gave her back her “enchilada kit” plastic containers from last week! I see a pattern here.  Thank you, Rebecca, you’re a doll!  I got to wave at Remy and Lilly; Lilly promised to call great-grandpa this evening so we could talk!

My FoodSaver 4400 worked like a champ once I figured it out.  Almost everything in the frig is good to go now.  I vacuum sealed pork chops, the remaining salmon, and some Indian food.  I am not worried about eating; I am concerned about overeating!

About 4:00 PM, I watched JAG and then popped up to talk another walk, this time with a jacket on! After all, it is 64 degrees at 5:00 PM. It was warm plus Ila texted me while I was out and offered me some sweet and sour cabbage soup.  Well, duh, I was n’t going to pass that up so I walked another 2.6+ miles tonight!

I did it again!

The BAt Phone got busy as all the kids called so it is 7:30 PM and I am going to try to fit the cabbage soup into the refrigerator.

My burglar alarm went off and the security cameras kicked into action.  The Frito Bandito was in my garage.  I told Vicky she could use the frig in the garage anytime she wanted and there she was, stuff the frig full of goodies.  I am so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors!

The evidence!

I watched a goofy movie and then crashed at about 10:30 PM.  Its been a long day and tomorrow comes early.   I must mention that I cried a lot this afternoon as I listened to the Statler Brothers, a favorite of mine, and their gospel songs just tore me up but I had to listen as the words and meaning were always so true. Sue, I will go to my grave loving you!

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I Am Learning But It’s Slow!

Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2020 by Paul

Sue, No matter how hard my day was, but your lovely smile made everything right.

It’s a beautiful day, a day I would have asked Sue if she would like to walk on the pier and count the waves coming in, hear them crash onto the pilings, and buy her an ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. Alas, that can no longer happen, but I can sure think about it every moment.

Sue loved the new car shows; we went nearly every year until I was so difficult to walk. She and Zack would sit in every car. Sue loved the gold Chrysler Phaeton.

So,  I am studying cookbooks like mad and decided I needed a FoodSaver device.  We thought about buying one year ago but never really had a need.  Now I do have a need.  It’s hard to cook for one, but I do not mind left-overs.  I bought salmon, but you can’t buy one piece, I had to buy two, and the fillets were big.  So, the vacuum sealer popped into my tiny brain.

The FoodSave 4400 comes Friday, and I already downloaded and studied the manual. I got extra bags, and I have freezer pens at the ready

Another gadget to keep me busy in the kitchen. It says it will keep steaks usable for two years and fish for six months!  All I need is a couple of weeks, and it should do the job!

Do not laugh, but I also ordered PJ’s.  I have been cold for the last few days, and it’s probably because of sleeping alone.  I tried sleeping in jeans and a sweatshirt, but it didn’t seem right.  Thank’s to Amazon; I will have fleece-lined jammies tomorrow.

Sue, you were so right; we sure have great family and friends.  I told Colleen I could not find chicken breasts and she called our local Ralph’s and had them put some aside for me, I got them.  When I got home, Rebecca called and also found me chicken breasts, and Peanut is driving them over to our place.  Then Zack called and said tomorrow morning he was dropping off chicken tacos “kits,” all the fixings that Becca is doing tonight delivered fresh at 6:30 AM.  Yes, they asked me over for dinner, but I am going to do the quarantine thing.

Bad news, we got our taxes.  With great trepidation, I carefully opened the package, let the steam out, stood back three feet, screamed some cost reduction chants, and then slowly I opened the folder.  I was quite shocked! Oh well, it is what it is!  I tried to give the package back to the mailman, and he would not take it back. Poo!

So, I cooked! I did, I did!  All by myself. Sue would have been so proud.  I made beef stew in the crockpot/pressure cooker.  I learned a lot, and I guess one learns every time one cooks.  While following the recipe, I could hear Sue and her Mom saying, “Everything is approximations, don’t worry about being precise.”

So I begin making two pounds of meat from the four the pounds I started with, I had no idea of how much was needed!

Chopping up the meat was new to me!

Then it said brown the meat? Huh? Where is the paint? What brown. Thank goodness there was a picture.

Brown the meat? OK, I got it brown all over! About 2 minutes per side!

Then I added all the rest of the goodies, potatoes, onions, bay leaves, pepper, salt, and other stuff.  All went into the pot, and it was sealed up and set to cook on high for four hours—time to rest.  I called for a staff meeting with Vicky!

I forgot I was wearing my kitchen towel, no wonder Vicky was laughing so hard! The champagne was from Sue’s stash of non-alcoholic drinks!

We chattered for forty-five minutes, had a rainstorm go by, and then I departed for home a whole 40 steps away!  My iPhone told me I had three hours to wait.  The crockpot is connected to the internet so I can control it from anywhere! I had some time, so I decided a walk was needed.

Off I went down the street with a full head of steam.  I wanted to be back by the time dinner was done!

Time for a walk and a walk it was!

Now, it is about dinner time, so I opened up the pot and used a little thickener before plating the results.  If it tastes as it smells, I got a winner!

The finished products were pretty darned good!

I set the table and even had a green spinach salad before putting down the stew.  Pretty good for a guy who never cooked before.  A little lonely, but it was OK.

I even fired up the candles; Sue would have approved!

After dinner, I used the Bat Phone and checked in with the kids/grandkids.  Now they tell me the entire state is to be battened down, and I see cabin fever shortly.  Thank you, kids, for calling the ol’ man and checking on him!

I am doing “OK,” but not having Sue to lean on and talk to and hold is just very painful. Grieving is not easy.

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It’s Been A Very Lonely Four Weeks

Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 by Paul

Sue, my love for you is endless, and I will always be thankful to you for all the things you’ve done for our family!

Thank you, kids, for making St. Patrick’s Day acceptable.  No dances, no get-togethers, no crazy costumes, just staying inside!  Joe and Colleen called several times, knowing that bringing Sue home would be rough; I so appreciate your kind thoughts.  Robin came over yesterday, and we celebrated St. Patty’s Day.  It was nice!

Thirty years ago somewhere in the Caribbean

It’s been four weeks, and a lot of events have occurred.  Since Sue lived in this area since she was ten, I plan to drop in some of the happenings into the blog.

I am awaiting the Instapot to alert us.

Little old me cooking up a storm! I felt pretty good about my efforts.

After 62 years, Rossmoor Car Wash closed on Sunday, February 23, 2020. They have washed over 6 million cars over the years and helped our community raise over 2 million dollars in fundraising. The car wash was tired and ready for some new energy. Coming in late summer – 2020 will be a brand new, state of the art, modern, car wash experience called Clean Wave Express Wash.

It was cold this morning, 44 degrees.  After Robin headed to work at 4:30 AM, I went back to bed.  I did not sleep as I listened to the radio, and the news was ALL BAD—scary times.

To the kitchen and make breakfast.  I did the high protein special, three eggs, five pieces of bacon, two breakfast steaks, and three slices of Canadian bacon.  I topped it all off with a Grandma Sue Champagne.  It was excellent, and now I do not have to eat for the rest of the day.

The cleaning staff arrived early, at about 9:30 AM.  We surprised each other!  They cleaned, and I went to the garage and fixed some things and did some cleanup! By 11:30 AM, they were done, and I was frozen.  The heater was set at 68, and it felt fantastic.

Ila dropped by to get some fruits and veggies.  She was not aware of Sue’s passing and was quite upset.  Sue liked everyone, and everyone loved her.  We talked for a while, and then she went back to her picking, and I went back to cleaning up the workbench.

Walking time has arrived so into my P.F.Keds I popped and off I went in a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver, Away”.  Well, dufus me, forgot to set the pedometer!  But I solved the problem because at 5:00 PM I did another walk so using my higher mathematical skills I times it by two!

I called Lee while I was out and she was also on a walk as they have closed down most social gatherings around her home.

2.82 miles, not too bad for a start! 82 minutes and 6,800 steps! Tomorrow I shall do it again and increase the distance slightly.

The house finally heated up and is sitting at 72 degrees so it is time for me to clean up and get ready for some TV time.  Plus, time for the kids to call.

At 6:00 Colleen called and we chatted for a while; she is always a pick-me-up because she is funny.  Robin called at 7:00 PM and we visited for a while.  Lisa called in between those times and Michele and Theor called to say hello.  I talked to Joe earlier in the day.

At 8:30 PM I fixed myself a drink, and more surprisingly, I drank it.  Purple gin, my favorite.  I messed with the computers are a few minutes and hit the hay at 10:00 PM.  I watched three more episodes of “Salvation” before lights-out.

She is so right! That is the reason I do NOT listen to the news anymore.

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I Turned On The Heat; First Time In A Month

Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 by Paul

True love stories never have endings.

Can this be, I slept past 7:00 AM, especially after going to bed at 10:00 PM?  It must be true; the body has got to rest!  When I checked the inside temperature from bed (thank you, Honeywell, and iPhone), it was 65 degrees.

Sue would have had a fit; she liked it to be 77 degrees.  I decided to tickle the keys, say a few well-chosen incantations, and via the internet, raise the house temperature two degrees! Why just “two” degrees?  Just knocking the temperature a couple of degrees down seems to make an incredible difference, plus the gas company may not send out for a wellness check!  The heater only ran about seven minutes before it was “toasty” inside.

We took grandsons Jon and Zack to Alaska with us. It was cold in Glacier Bay that day!  The boys still remember that fantastic trip and time to bond!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and I am cooking up the traditional dinner.  Robin is coming to stay with me this evening, and I am looking forward to having company.  This big ol’ house is so very empty without Sue.

Also in my plans is a visit to Costa Mesa and the Neptune Society as I plan to bring Sue home today.  The kids asked me if I could do it, and I said,’ “It is something I must do.”  I do not want to be a burden on them.  Thank you, Joe, Colleen, and Robin for your kind thoughts, but the ol’ man has gotta do what he has gotta do!

I got my morning coffee, and it was perfect.  Jumping on the scale revealed I am now a svelt 206 pounds and heading in the proper direction. Dang, maybe my other dress-pants will not fit!

OK, what to do today.  Painting takes up time, so I went to Lowe’s and got three quarts of different color paints whose names are quite impressive.  For example:  “Caught In The Rain,” “Plumscicle,” “Enchanting Pink,” and “Powder Peach.”  These colors will get me through the rest of the week, especially since I also got a gallon of semi-gloss white for the baseboards.

It’s almost 10:00 AM, and I must go clean up as I plan to get grandma at 11:30 AM and then stop by our favorite Indian restaurant for a to-go order, which I will dine between pork chops and steak!

Coming home from the Neptune Society, Sue would have enjoyed the drive and tried to find images in the clouds!  I was one of our pastimes.

I did stop by the Himalayan Grill, and of course, the guys asked where Sue was. When I told them, they were in tears as they liked Sue a lot.  She was their favorite vegetarian!  I was terrible because I got two hugs from the guys!   I got Chili Chicken Tika to go, which will be my hot and spicy fix for the rest of the week!

Old Ranch was on my list of places I had to stop.  I met Charlotte there, and we commiserated as she just lost her mother.  I canceled the Celebration Of Life and told them we would do it later.  I also scrapped the next two dinner dances.

A gin and tonic was needed, and I bought Charlotte her favorite champagne.

Now I am at home and must get ready for Robin.  I put on the new green table cloth and got all the fixings out for dinner.  Into the InstantPot went the beef.  Robin took notes.  While it was cooking, we took our chairs out and took them next door on Vicky’s lawn and visited with her.  She needed to “get out of the house,” we all had a good laugh.

We talked about the need for the old fashioned front porch where we could all gather..the good old days!

It was getting chilly outside, but the sun was very bright!

I showed Vicky my InstantPot app, which told me the mode the InstantPot was in, the time remaining, etc.  When it was 5 minutes to go, Robin and I returned and finished completing dinner.  Easy, take out the meat and put in potatoes, cabbage, and carrots.  I started the InstantPot again and set it for four minutes.  Dinner is served.

Of course, I had to put on my St. Patrick’s Day cooking uniform.  Joe and Colleen called while we were doing the finishing touches.

This old hat has seen a lot of St. Patrick’s Day events in the past twenty years.

Time to dine, but we must have mood lighting!  Sue would have given me the elbow after I played with the light. Here we ware, io the green grotto!

Sue would have been proud of me cooking my first St. Patrick’s alone! Complete with Irish soda bread and green moose tracks ice cream for dessert!

Daughter and dinner guest! Thank you, Joe and Colleen, for the phone calls and support all day long!

OK, you asked for it! The light show begins! With the flick of a switch on the iPhone, we have color!

The whole house turned emerald green!

We finished dinner and cleaned up, ready for dessert and some TV.  We sat on the recliner, and I promptly dozed off.  We both headed to bed around 10:00 PM.  I crashed with no more TV, and Robin read for an hour or so.

Today was not an easy day, but alas, I do not think any day forward will be easy.  Sue is home with me now until the world straightens out, and things return to normal.  I thank my family and friends for their fantastic support during these times. God bless you all!

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I Am Grounded; First Time Since 1952!

Posted on Monday, March 16, 2020 by Paul

Sue, No greater light illuminated my path than the love and change you brought into my life. I miss you so much.

We loved our wine and we were members of several wineries.  The Laguna Winery was one of our favorites. This picture is from a barrel tasting activity.  We got to mix and match from various barrels, it was a load of fun!

We enjoyed the barrel tapping evenings at Laguna Winery

I woke up at around 6:30 AM and heard the stock market took another dump.  While I am not worried because I do not depend upon it for income, it does bring me pause!  I got to thinking about the Great Depression and then I thought about my father and mother who lived through those amazing days and survived.

Dear Dad,

I thought a lot about you this morning.  This has been a tough few weeks.  Losing Sue, the love of my life, my rock providing stability, was devastating.  Now our country is fighting a virus and we are being asked to stay inside, especially if we are over 70.  I was lonely before and now it is even worse!  The stock market took a hit and I had a lot of our money in the market.  Thank goodness I do not have to depend upon it to live.  The market will return but sometimes I think I should have put the money in a mattress!

This morning I tried to think about how you must have felt when the Great Depression began.  You were just 24, newly married when the Depression got underway.  You and mom were having difficulty finding jobs.  How did you feel?  Was it scary?  What went through your minds?

Then a few years later, World War II broke out. You were just 34 when it began.  How scary was that? Here I am worried (and perhaps a little scared) about a flu!

I know you had strong family ties and I know you wrote to Aunt Opal in 1932 wanting to come to California and start life again.  How amazing you were.  Leaving the south with very little and coming to a strange part of the country must have been difficult.  You and mom did it and did it well.  

Perhaps my age is the source of my uneasiness.  I do not want to be a burden on the kids or grandkids.  Perhaps it’s just the unknown? Maybe it is just having no one by my side during this ride. 

I was taught by you not to be scared of anything so when I get uncomfortable, I think about you and mom living through the Great Depression.

Thank you for teaching me by example and demonstrating what a man must do.  I miss you so much!

Love,

You Son

I got crazy again and dashed off to Lowe’s getting another quart of paint. This time it was a peach that I used to access the entranceway.  Lisa, Colleen, and Irene approve so I feel much better.  I am bringing Sue home tomorrow and I am picking her up at the Neptune Society around noon.  I was happy the girls found my work acceptable.  If they agreed then Sue would have agreed. 

Imagine me ordering a peach-colored paint! What next?

I had a small steak for lunch and then took a short nap after painting so the paint would have time to dry and I could add the wine signs.   

Robin is coming to stay with me tomorrow night so I am doing corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread.  It has been a tradition at this house for over thirty years and I don’t want to stop it.  This time, I am cooking dinner using the pressure cooker.  I am excited, so excited, I went out and got new green tablecloths and accessories.  I found Irish music on the XM Radio so we should have a good time.  I hope I can find green-pistachio ice cream at the market tomorrow.

The kids all called today except for one who has chosen to be estranged.  That’s OK.  Robin, Michele, Colleen, Lisa and Joe make my day with their calls.  Jon and Zack are an added bonus!

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Sunday, The Loneliness Day Of The Week (So Far)

Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2020 by Paul

Loneliness is the ultimate poverty.

It was 6:43 AM when my eyes popped open this morning.  Somehow I thought of the Senior’s Prom, an event Sue and I went to for years and years. Wow, she could dance all evening long, leaving me huffing and puffing.

Seniors Prom at the Irvine Marriot Hotel 2011, we did not go this year for the first time in 20 years.

I beat the Sun by eighteen minutes! Dang, I should have gone out on the back wall and crowed like the neighborhood rooster.  I would have probably got shot!

Eyes not quite opened, I felt my way down the hallway and barely made it to the kitchen. Turing on the new coffee maker and hearing it come to life got the heart started; this was a good thing.

I decided to go back to my old routine, and therefore I hit the shower. Knowing the house was 67 degrees, I threw my bathrobe in the dryer and set it on high. Good shower, a delightfully warm bathrobe, life is good.  I danced around the bathroom singing “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story.

Geez, I forgot to mention, I slipped on to the scale, and I am just over 209 pounds this morning—ten pounds in three weeks.  At least the damn scale is not saying,” One at a time please” like it used to! I can see under two-hundred by April! Yeah!

Today, since I will be alone as part of the virus control suggestions, I decided to accent the dining room wall with yellow paint. I removed all the pictures, which were mostly of wine-related topics. They are going to live in a less conspicuous location as they bring me no happiness at this point in my life.

We have quite a collection of “clever signs.”

Off to Lowe’s the Silver Ghost, and I sped. We plopped down the paint sample and asked for a gallon! Then it was off to get brushes, rollers, patching plaster, drop cloth, and other necessities. The paint-lady was quite helpful.

While I was out, I dropped by Ralph’s and did not even get out of the car. There was a line! To crazies are back. Guess they needed more toilet paper, duh!

I crossed the street and went into Sprouts Market, where I got everything I needed. Salmon, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, baby spinach, and dressing. Good going, Sprout’s!

Returning home, I whipped up lunch made of chicken sausage with spinach ricotta ravioli. Damn, that was good! No need for food for the rest of the day!  I may have a drink a little later, perhaps some purple gin?  I did have a glass of Sue’s champagne, alcohol-free, and it was pretty good!

OK, armed with a gallon of paint, I began.  It took only about twenty minutes to do one wall, and that’s all I wanted to do, just an accent.  It seems bright, but it will settle down when I put pictures on it.

Not too bad for an hour’s work!

While it was drying, I watched another episode of  “Salvation.”  I am at season one, episode six already.  Now I am getting to know the characters!

Colleen, Joe, Lisa, and Colleen called this evening just to make sure I was OK and see if I needed any foodstuffs.  I took inventory and I am good for at least a month or more.

OK, it is done!  Looks pretty good considering I have no eye for colors!  Robin and Colleen approved from the pictures I sent them so it’s probably acceptable! Tomorrow, perhaps a different wall and a different color?  We shall see. Looks like rain is in the forecast!

Tomorrow is the dry run of the InstantPot using a simple recipe for pot roast.

Crash time was 10:30 PM but I did watch a little bit of TV before turning on the red light!

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Oh, What To Do Today?

Posted on Saturday, March 14, 2020 by Paul

“When God says you’re ready, it does not matter where you are in life.” – Carlos Wallace

Seven hours of sleep felt so good.  Was it the G&T’s at the Elks or the red-light suggestion from our light-bulb company.  It doesn’t matter; I got some sleep. It’s 6:30 AM and time to get up!

The girls called me within an hour of each other.  First Colleen, and that’s where I get my laughs.  She and Mark are a beautiful couple.  They lighten up my morning!  Then Lisa called because they were planning to come up and stay with me, but we decided because of all the goings-on, they ought to remain in San Diego.  Then Robin called, and we just chattered about life in general.  She calms the waters.  I got an email from Michele, but she has her hands full with her birth mother.  Joe called a little later in the day!  I love my kids; I do!

We used to go to formal dances all the time and enjoyed them.  New tuxedo’s and new gowns, yeah!  What the heck am I going to do with five tuxedos?  Donna is going to inherit Sue’s gowns as they are the same size and liked similar styles.  Below is Sue and me on the Queen Mary at the Art Deco Ball a few years back. We are in the Observation Bar observing!

Enjoying life, not knowing things would soon change.

I tore down some plastic/fiberglass lath a few months ago and two weeks ago put it out front, hoping someone would take it.  The plastic was in great shape.  Well, after two weeks of no takers, me and ol’ trusty Makita cordless saber-saw cut them into small pieces.

After that episode, I went in and cooked myself a big steak, which will keep me filled for the rest of the day!  I plan to stay in my jeans and the black sweatshirt so I will not be going anywhere this evening.  I turned down a surprise birthday party as I was not in the partying mood.

I cannot sit still, so I got into the office and went through every drawer and tossed out stuff like there was no tomorrow.  It felt good.  The last of the CD’s went bye-bye.  Reminded me when I threw out the last of the 8-track tapes and the last of the 78 records.

The Silver Ghost was hungry, so I took him up to the 76 station to get his tummy full.  He is happy now.  I thought to myself, why not go to the market and see if it has recovered.  It was a little better; the crazies are gone.  I got two more steaks, some chicken and beef broth, some tomato paste, and some blue cheese.  I am still on the prowl for cabbage which I need by Thursday.

Tonight I cooked up Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts and had it with some salad I got yesterday.  No receipts today, I just followed a YouTube video I saw a few days pack form memory.

The blue cheese was amazing and I mixed in a bit of cooked asparagus (hence the green)!

Who needs to go out to eat when the home-cooked food is superb, and it feels like being home.  Oops, I am at home!

Later in the evening, I began to watch a new series, well, at least new to me, called “Salvation”.  So far it is pretty good.  However, I find myself looking to my right every few minutes expecting to see Sue watching TV with me.  It’s going to be a habit not easy to break after so many years.

Did You Know: When it is discovered that an enormous asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth, MIT grad student Liam Cole and tech billionaire Darius Tanz team up to save humanity from this impending apocalypse — without ever alerting the public. As part of the project, Darius recruits an aspiring sci-fi writer, Jillian, to work on a theoretical approach to saving humanity. While they try to save the world their way, the government has its own approach, with Deputy Secretary of Defense Harris Edwards spearheading the top-secret plan to deflect the asteroid.

Finally, it was time to call it a day and I didn’t even go check on the computer!  In bed by 10:30 PM and no more TV.  On went the red light, one went CoastToCoastAM, and down came the eyelids.

2:30 AM and I heard something, it was rain!  The hard rain was somehow soothing so I  left the door slightly ajar.  Back to sleep until 6:30 AM!

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Rain Rain Keep On Coming!

Posted on Friday, March 13, 2020 by Paul

“Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.”

The rain came hard and heavy for a couple of hours and then it stopped.  The sky was threatening but no moisture.

We enjoyed time with the kids and grandkids having many adventures.  One special adventure was apple picking.  When we were done, Due would make homemade apple sauce!  Delicious!!

Time with the grandkids!

Time to eat and I decided to have the left-over Surf n’ Turf from yesterday.  Two minutes in the microwave and it was ready to go.  Not bad, in fact, it was wonderful!

I piddled around for a while and then decided to go to Lowe’s for my two-mile walk.  I shopped every aisle and am becoming a regular wizard at finding things.  Perhaps I could be a Lowe’s Greeter? 

OK, it was only 1.9 miles but I walked up and down most of the aisle today (I stayed out of the garden department as it was outside and it was raining)!

Returning home I stopped by Ralph’s and all was well.  I say that because later that afternoon, around 4:30 PM, the lot was full and I stopped to get some vodka and the damn place was jammed.  Not a fresh vegetable in the place, all the onions, and potatoes were gone, and people were lined up with their carts stuffed with food.  There is going to be a lot of stuff thrown away in a couple of weeks.  The world has gone nuts! Thanks to the left-wing news, people are panicking!

I came home, took inventory, and I am good for a month or more!

It was approaching mid-afternoon and I was getting hungry so it was time for pork chops with broccoli and potatoes.  I put on my chef’s hat, called the fire department (to warn them),  did the “missing place” thing, and began.  It was pretty easy just following the instructions and the results were amazing!

The pork chops were perfect! Another success! Sue would be proud of me!

I added a small amount of butter as the finishing to touch on the cherry-vinegar sauce to top the pork chop!

I will never tenth the cook that Sue was but she would be happy that I am trying.  We spend thousands of hours in the kitchen together cooking, laughing, giggling, and sharing.

The broccoli fresh from the garden made wonder broccoli cheese soup!

Donna called about 5:00 PM and asked me to join her and Bob at the GG Elks.  I just dd NOT want to stay at home tonight so I went at 7:00 PM.  Donna danced with me twice and everybody looked!  Not because of me but because they know Donna is such a great dancer, why is she dancing with that ol’ bugger?  I just enjoyed getting out and moving!

Swinging tp the music!

We talked about Sue and I remembered Donna was also a Petite Small!  Great news, she and Bob can come over and select clothes!  Sue would be very happy to have Donna have some of her wardrobe!

Here’s looking at you Sue

After the dance, I went by Ralph’s market and wow, the place was devoid of food.  I picked up a couple of steaks and some other goodies but other than that, it was like out of a movie set.  There is going to be a load of food thrown out in the next two weeks!

I crashed at about 10:30 PM and tried something new.  I set the lights to be red at about 20% brightness.  Perhaps it was just needed but I slept almost seven hours, the first time in three weeks. 

Posted in Adventures, Dancing, Friends, Walking | Comments Off on Rain Rain Keep On Coming!

Rainy Day; More Indoor Things To Do!

Posted on Thursday, March 12, 2020 by Paul

Thank you, Sweetheart,  for visiting me last evening!

Sue and I were blessed, having so many friends.  John Schulte wanted to go to Club 33, so I pulled some chains at Boeing and got us into the club.  Ernie, John’s wife, surprised John with a limo ride to Disneyland. We joined them at their home and rode in the limo.  We were off for a delightful evening!

Off to dine at Club 33 in a limo and celebrating Ernie and John!

My eyes opened at 4:30 AM, and I bounded out of bed, heading to the Keurig machine before “hitting the head!” By 9:00 AM, I was hungry and decided I could have dinner for breakfast. I am old and have only a few rules I must follow! Surf n’ Turf for breakfast, why not?

Dang! I did it! The second serving is in a “TV Dinner:” container I bought from Amazon!

So what did MY concoction look like, you ask? Well, let’s see below.  Not quite as “pretty” but it was fantastic.  Loaded with proteins and easy on the calories.

Not too bad! It was delicious!

I was supposed to go to lunch with Connor, my grandson,  but the rain keeps on coming down, and I was a little nervous about driving in the rain in my mental condition, so I bailed out. Connor was understanding.

After another hour, I had to do something, so I went to the hardware store, Lowe’s,  and returned two bathroom faucet sets and walked around for an hour.  It was “warm” inside and not too many people, so it was safe.  Being lonely does not feel right.

On my way home, I passed by the AAA to get my passport photo so I can renew my passport.  I see London in the future.  Well, while there, I asked about AAA insurance as they came up #5 in the Consumer Reports insurance company rating list.  Our current company came in about #55 (Liberty Mutual).  Geez, the first glance, revealed there was a fantastic difference.  I can cover the house, earthquake, and umbrella policy plus the cars for less than I am currently paying for the vehicles alone.  That adds up!  Tomorrow I am going to get the details and compare plans item by item!

Then I headed to Ralph’s market to pick up a few odds and ends.  I was astounded.  There was nary a roll of toilet paper in the place!  The news reports were not exaggerating!  It was empty.  I am so glad that a) I have four cases of TP in the garage, and b) I have a bidet in the hallway bathroom!  Was it excellent planning on my part or an accident?


Dear Mom,

Today was not my most excellent day, and I missed you and Sue, my two loves!  Everywhere I look, I see Sue there.  I hear Sue all over the house.  I close my eyes and revisit our great adventures. I see you and Sue together enjoying each other’s company. I understand it is normal.

You remember, Lee, my High School girlfriend. She lost her husband three years ago and has been helpful in assisting me through this last few weeks. Lee, Sue, and I have been friends for more than ten years.

I was going to drive down to Orange County and have lunch with Connor, your great-grandson, but with the heavy rain outside and the unpredictable rain inside (I tend to cry when I think of Sue), I just did not want to take a chance.

It is not clear to me how you made it through losing Dad after forty-three years.  Sue and I had a mere thirty-two years of being married, and I expected another twenty years, but it was not in the cards. I lost you after forty-six years; that was tough. Decades of being side-by-side with Sue almost 24/7 as we worked together, and then she was taken away in a flash.

Thank goodness for friends and family, but even that is difficult because of the flu epidemic going on.  All of our dance clubs, including the Phoenix Club, are shutting down for the next few months (because we are all old).  Even Disneyland is closing for two weeks starting this Saturday. The government says older adults should not get together and especially not in large groups.

You would have been proud of me this morning. In honor of my bride, I decided I would not be a widower who dines out every meal. With Sue, I prepped and cleaned up, and she did the magic. Well, I am starting simply and preparing my meals. Today was surf n’ turf with lemon green beans and toast. By golly, it tasted super! Tomorrow I plan pot roast or an early corned beef and cabbage meal.

Today was so very lonely, and I am guessing it is going to be worse before it gets better.  Colleen and Joe have been wonderful calling me every day. Robin, who you never met, does the same. Que sera sera.

I love you,

David

Based upon the situation with the virus, I called Robin, Diane, Lisa, Joe, and Colleen, and we all agreed that the Celebration Of Life needs to be delayed until later on in the summer.  Most of our friends are chronologically challenged, so bringing them together is not a great idea. We will, however, do the burial at sea as initially planned.

Good night all.

Posted in Letters, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Rainy Day; More Indoor Things To Do!