Does It Ever Stop???

Posted on Saturday, May 18, 2024 by Paul

[wpcode id=”76760″]As my amazing mother would often say, “I’m busier than a fart in a whirlwind!”  Today was one of those days!  We started at 6:00 am and finally hit the sack at 11:30 pm.

We checked the trap, and Bunny #2 has not visited the cage, even though he has been in the yard several times.  We will get him eventually.

The day was magnificent. We opened up the house and just enjoyed the 150-foot-deep yard, where we get our exercise. We visited the garden, but there were more pressing things today, so we did not stay.

It was a beautiful day!

We went to work rearranging our formal dining room, expecting to see WC Fields and Mae West in the early afternoon.  The room’s corners are now bare, and our upstairs “ballroom” now has more goodies.

We got the formal dining room ready.

Scout (aka Luigi) heard the word “company” and stayed by the front door, ready to pounce!  He has his scarf on from the groomers; he likes to be ion style.

Scout (aka Luigi) awaits their arrival.

Around 1:00 p.m., the movers came along with David.  Special movers are required as these full-sized wax figures are quite fragile.  Scout observes them and wonders who these two new people are.

Scout comes to see the unveiling.

Good afternoon, Ms. West.  We decided to come over and see you sometime.  Mae came from the Movieland Wax Museum when they closed and still has her sales tag from the museum.

On October 31, 2005, Movieland closed after forty-three years in business and 10 million visitors.  David arranged to get several of the figures for his museum.

Mary Jane “Mae” West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, a sex symbol whose frank sensuality, languid postures, and wisecracking became her trademarks.

We could not have her live with us alone, so WC Fields came along.

William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler, and writer.

Together again. My Little Chickadee is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields was funny.

No fighting kids!

David says goodbye to Mae and WC.  They will have a good home and will certainly be a conversation piece!  Now, our friends can come over and dine with Mae and WC.

Cute!

We got ready for the rest of the day as we went to Vicky’s garden display, then off to Franco’s for dinner, and finally, a performance of the “Riders In The Sky.”

Vicky has been busy!

See the details right here on our regular website!  

Oh boy, would you want to water this garden by hand?

We begin the tour.  Vicky has a large collection of delightful plants and containers.

We love the “Del Mural.”

As Vicky says: When my husband, Del Kuhn of over 40 yrs. died in 2021, I grieved deeply. Compelled to create a visual piece of art, I had this commissioned. It was designed to reflect his life & our history. The quail he hunted, his lucky coin, his fishing, the coveted trout, marshmallows toasting over the fire, 2 raccoons in the tree (called our grandsons ‘bandits’), pine cones for crafts later, his favorite wildflowers, deer/elk he hunted, his beloved airplane and secret images in the mountains.

Even the note he wrote me 50+ years ago is copied on the painted tree. The river represents the sum of my grieving tears, but I have learned to ‘go with the flow. ‘

Life is for the living. The ‘stars’ light up at night. His memory plaque is displayed. He was deeply loved and is missed. (Google his name)

We then went to Franco’s for dinner and had much fun with Vicky, Jim, and Yolie. Guess who is getting pasta this evening? His name is Luigi. Mary said the veal piccata was outstanding. I did the swordfish, and it was also outstanding.

We went to Franco’s for dinner.

Mary liked the waiter and tried to take him home; he would not fit.

Mary met the head waiter.  Whoa!!!  There were two glasses of wine on his platter!

Off to Cerritos to see “Riders In The Sky.”

Did You Know? The Riders first performed on November 11, 1977, at Herr Harry’s Frank N’ Steins in Nashville, TN. The Riders consisted of Deputy Doug (Douglas B. Green), Windy Bill Collins, and Fred LaBour for this first performance. Happy with the crowd’s reaction, the Riders performed for the second time at Herr Harry’s the next evening.

The band still didn’t have a name between the second and third performances, but that changed in December 1977, when Fred LaBour found a copy of The Sons of The Pioneers album Riders in the Sky. When LaBour saw the album, he immediately called Green and told him that Riders In The Sky should be the band’s name. Green agreed and from their third performance on, they were officially billed as Riders In The Sky.

We were dressed for the occasion.

Take a listen, be ready to laugh!!

We all enjoyed the evening.  Spending time with friends makes life worth living.

Vicky and Jim await the show.

We had wonderful seats, and the sound in the theater was very good.   They did a Q&A session with the audience, which brought even more laughter.

What a show! This was their 7890th performance in 40 years!

Fun with friends!  Thanks, Yolie (in blue), for the photos.

We laughed throughout the performance.

Giddy Yup!

After the show, we went to Ace’s for a glass of wine before going home.

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Friday Was Busy!

Posted on Friday, May 17, 2024 by Paul

So true

Joe and Bob came over this morning to finish removing and replacing the solar system panels and repairing the attached points. The work went easy for them as they were high on the learning curve.

Each attach point was removed and resealed with high-quality Henry asphalt cement, and the lag bolts were removed and replaced with holes filled with asphalt. They found three places where the bolts were loose, probably because the wind got under the panels and constantly moved them.

Leaks are gone! Good for another fifteen years!

When an employment application asks who should be notified in an emergency, I always write, “A very good doctor.”

Mary and I went to South Coast Plaza and had lunch at Din Tai Fung, which our Chinese dancing friends highly recommended. Founded in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1958, Din Tai Fung is known for soup dumplings and noodles, and the New York Times named it one of the top ten gourmet restaurants in the world. They continue our traditions of making dumplings, buns, and noodles by hand to serve high-quality cuisine that wins rave reviews worldwide.

The inside was huge, seating 200 people easily!

Decisions decisions! Their food was quite interesting.

Dining at Din Tai Fung is enjoyable.

We had an entire selection of goodies. Mary’s favorite was the nutrition-packed wood ear mushrooms, which are soaked in our special vinegar dressing until tender and juicy and then topped with goji berries and finely shredded ginger. Fragrant sesame oil and a splash of lemon juice bring a sweet, tangy flavor.

Wood Ear Mushrooms in a Vinegar Dressing

We looked at the menu and then wrote down the quantities for each on paper. Our waiter, Tony (who was Vietnamese), was outstanding and made several excellent recommendations. The service was exceptional!

We ordered from the menu on the phone and made selections on paper.

They had a nice selection of wines, and we did partake.  I tried the chopsticks.  It was taking a long time to get my wine from the glass to my insides!

I love my wine! Remember: A meal without wine is called breakfast.

In dog wine, I’ve only had seven glasses.

Why limit happy to an hour?

I practiced with the chopsticks, but using chopsticks on wine had drawbacks!

I finally succumbed and got a straw!

Age and glasses of wine should never be counted.

Each dish was served perfectly and was just enough to fill us up. The menu can be checked out online right here.

Chicken Spicy Wontons
Made with high-quality chicken.

The kitchen was amazing and visible behind a large glass plate. This photo shows about a third of the people working behind the scenes. Every meal served was perfectly arranged and hand-made.

It was a curious kitchen.

The restaurant already had a standing line when we arrived at 10:30 am!  Getting reservations is quite a challenge.

The kitchen was amazing!

From South Coast Plaza, we went to see Dianne and David, where we wanted to see their life-size wax figures of W.C. Fields and Mae West. David and Dianne are reducing the size of their collection, and we wanted to help. Mary is sure I look like W.C. Fields; it’s the face; I thought it was the belly!

W.C. W.C. Fields is coming home with us.

Did You Know? The most public warrior in the fight against prohibition, W. C. Fields, was born William Claude Dukenfield in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Quote by W. C. Fields: “I like children. If they’re properly cooked.”

Fields had a prolific career in the film industry, from silent movies to talkies. He starred in over 60 films, including classics such as “It’s a Gift” and “The Bank Dick”.

Mary visited with Mae (Dianne in the background).

Mary wanted Mae West!

Did You Know? She was among the first women to consistently write the movies she starred in.

Her films are credited with single-handedly saving failing and debt-ridden Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy in the early 1930s.

Although critics thought that she and W.C. Fields worked well together on camera in My Little Chickadee (1940), off-screen, they couldn’t stand each other.

Looking good there, lady!

We had decided to place them in the formal dining room so we could have people come over to dine with W.C. Fields and Mae West!

The pesky Wraskally Wabbit was in the yard again! I pulled out the trusty Red Rider double-action BB gun to try to scare him away, but alas, he was too fast.  Mary yelled at me, “You’re going to shoot your eye out.”

Based upon her outburst, I renamed the rabbit “Black Bart.”

Rabbit hunting in the backyard.

Did You Know? BB guns are airsoft guns (or pellet guns) designed to shoot projectiles. These non-powder guns can become dangerous weapons if misused. The name “BB” refers to the ball bearing or “bullet ball.” A bullet ball is a round pellet roughly the size of a single lead shot in a shotgun shell.

HOWEVER, his partner in crime finally set off the trap, and we captured one.  We did not want to hurt the little fellow, so we decided to go to the Mining Company and turn him loose.  The restaurant is about 1.5 miles from our place, and that’s far enough to ensure he will not return.

Gotcha, you little devil!

After we dropped the bunny off, he ran off into the mountains, and we ran into the bar! We had three sliders and a glass of wine before returning home. That became dinner. When we got home, another bunny had taken his place, so we set the trap again and hoped it would work overnight.

Tomorrow is super busy with W.W.C..C.Mae joining us around 11:00 am, then we are off to Vicky’s to see her garden, then to Franco’s Italian Restaurant, and then to Cerritos Performing Arts Center to see “Riders In The Sky”.

Good Night All!

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Thursday Has Arrived!

Posted on Thursday, May 16, 2024 by Paul

I may have done it, but I think I forgot!

[wpcode id=”76760″]We were up and moving early and walked in the garden. We enjoy seeing the dew on the leaves and the dew shines like little diamonds on mornings when the Sun is out.

Morning is wonderful.  Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.

I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake.  We had our coffee but were at the breakfast table this time, attempting to plan how to pack for Ireland.  It is going to be COLD   in Ireland.

It’s so cold this time of year in Ireland that the dogs at the greyhound track must put jumper cables on the rabbits just to get them running!

A quick pass through the yard revealed that the hibiscus pot was not draining, so we tipped it over and opened the plugged hole.

Did we say red?

We also set the rabbit trap because we saw them running around the backyard last night.  If we catch them, we will deliver them a few blocks away!

What do you call 50 rabbits walking backward?  A receding hare line!

This wabbit is smart because he eats the bail in the trap, and the trap never closes.  We can’t figure out how he does it!

Come here, little rabbit.

The Sweet Peas are so tall that we need a ladder to reach them. The distance from the walkway to the top of the flowers is now twelve feet.

An 80-year-old woman was arrested for shoplifting.
When she went before the judge, he asked her, “What did you steal?”
She replied, “A can of peaches.”
The judge then asked her why she had stolen the can of peaches,
And she replied that she was hungry.
The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can.
She replied, “6.”
The judge said, “Then I will give you 6 days in jail.”
Before the judge could conclude the trial, the woman’s husband spoke……and asked the judge if he could say something.
The judge said, “What is it?”
The husband said, “She also stole a can of peas.”

Purple Sweet Peas are pretty.

So far, it has been cool, but the SunGold tomatoes decided to grow anyway.  They are so sweet.  Sungold cherry tomatoes are exceptionally sweet, golden-orange tomatoes around one inch in size.  They ripen early, stay firm longer than other cherry tomatoes, and have an inherently lower acid level than other yellow varieties.

These are the first of this year’s tomatoes.

Table grapes are grapes intended for fresh consumption instead of grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or drying into raisins.  Growers favor common commercially available table grape varieties such as Thompson Seedless and Flame Seedless for their high yield and relative resistance to damage during shipment.

The grapes are coming along nicely.

Have you ever had a stuffed squash blossom?  Take the blossom, remove the center, wash it carefully, and then stuff it with cheese (like goat cheese), add a little garlic and basic, and roast them in the countertop oven for just a few minutes (or you can also sauteé them).  Yummy!

A Squash will soon be here.

Summer squash, picked when they are small, are delicious raw!  Mary uses them in her cooking, and they add so much to a dish.

The Summer Squash is doing amazingly well.

We have additional hibiscus in the back of the property to add a little color.

Quite an interesting variety.

It’s time to go inside and prepare for Girls’ Night Out.  Today, we are going to drop off Luigi at the groomers so he will be prepared for Aunt Irene.  Joe will remove the solar panels and repair the roof underneath tomorrow.  That will take the entire day.

Mama heads inside.

We prepared to take Luigi (aka Scout) to the hair salon.  He wants to look good for Auntie Irene.  Then, we headed straight to the Elks Lodge to meet up with the gang.

Conversations underway!  Mike, Bob, and George hold down the left side of the table.

On the left, we have Bill (not shown), Iris, Will, Karen (standing) and Linda!

Linda is out of uniform, no hat!!

Iris, Will, and Linda are getting the lunch orders to give to Karen (standing).

Linda is out of uniform, no hat!!

Then, there was us!

Just us holding court at the Elks.

Dr. Capps, PhD (Pile it Higher and Deeper) was also with us and out of uniform!

Bill is the adult supervison for this group!

We happen to have a picture of Bill IN uniform!

It’s no wonder the girls like sitting with him all the time!

We had reservations for Father’s Day and will have Joe Liles and family, plus the Zs.

How do dads like their steak on Father’s Day? On a plate.

Years ago, I gave my father $100 and said, ‘Buy yourself something that will make your life easier.’ So he went out and bought a present for my mother.

We left the Elks, picked up Luigi, who is now prancing and shaking his mane, and then went to the FedEx store to drop off a return.  We stopped at Home Depot and got some Miracle Grow and three plants needing a new home.

Mary planted two plants, I planted the cantaloupe, and I sprayed the garden with two bags of Miracle Grow.

After an hour of gardening, we had thirty minutes before leaving for dinner at Old Ranch with Irene, her daughter, and Vicky.  We are making plans (plotting) to celebrate Irene’s 90th birthday at our home in August!

 

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June Gloom Never Went Away Today!

Posted on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 by Paul

We love Thomas, a very bright man!!

We got up early to clean the house before the house cleaners came!  Go figure.

We strolled the garden quickly to check on the wraskilly wabbit activity.   We had our morning coffee by the firepit.

The first time in almost a year we have had the fire on.

The June Gloom was going well, and we had to use the windshield wipers both coming and going.  The mist was just enough to make the dirt on the car run, making for a marvelous place to write “WASH ME!”

From there, being Wednesday and recovering from the gym on Monday, we went to the gym again.  OUCH!

Since I am smart, I have a new way of getting into shape faster!

After the gym, we went to CVS for some meds and came home for a great brunch!  In the afternoon, we worked in the office for several hours, preparing for our trip and ensuring we had paid all the bills.

The Ireland Website is ready to populate, which is a lot of work.  We talked to Colleen, Dianne, and Robin on the batphone.

I love those little add-ons to the Batphone!

Dinner was interesting!  We are trying to empty the frig before the trip, and Mary saw some Mac & Cheese.  I spotted the shaved pastrami.  It was just like Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate.  We put the mac and pastrami together and had a wonderful meal!

We then decided to hit the hot tub, and we sat there for almost an hour, talking and planning about the trip and watching the airplanes go in and out of the clouds.  It is supposed to rain tonight, but who knows?  The moon was half and very bright.

We finally crashed around 10:00 pm after watching a Tom Selleck And Jerry Reed movie about robots from the 1980s.  Summary:  In this advanced society, most homes have robots performing menial everyday duties.  Every so often, one malfunctions, and Sgt. Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck), an expert in rogue machines, must deal with it.  When he and his new partner, Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes), investigate a robot-involved homicide, they discover strange computer chips.  Rather than a malfunction, someone is programming the robots to kill.  The police must find whoever is behind the murder before more harm is done.

We crashed at 11:00 pm.

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Something Is Wrong; We Have Zero On The Calendar!

Posted on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 by Paul

I was up at 6:30 am, which was expected, but someone else did not rise until almost 9:00 am.  She got hooked on a movie and didn’t come to bed until midnight.

Scientists have finally discovered exactly how much sleep a human needs.  “Just five minutes more.”

We hit the garden at 9:15 am and returned inside around 11:45 am.  I reworked the grape vines to ensure the ties were not choking the shoots. I replaced the ties with plastic clamps.

The beets are ready to pick, so borsch will be on the menu in the coming days.

Q: Why did the beet go to therapy? A: To get to the root of its problems.

The beets look great, and their leaves are even better.

The strawberries are coming along well.  We will have to have Irene check the beds while we are gone.

We love fresh strawberries.

The Brussels sprouts are coming along.  You can see the babies forming below.  A half cup of this vegetable contains more vitamin C than an orange.

Did You Know?  A Dutch scientist, Hans van Doorn, who worked at a seed and chemical company, figured out exactly which chemical compounds in Brussels sprouts made them bitter.  The next step was to plant sprouts with the least amount of these chemicals and eventually cross-pollinate the chemicals out.

They will be full-sized in about three weeks.

Mary took down the last peas so that we could plant some more tomorrow.  The weather has not cooperated with the peas this year.  We peed for a good hour?  Correction, we shelled for an hour!  Fresh peas will be on the menu this fine day.

I was thinking about work. One day, my boss told me to have a good day, so I went home.

We worked around the house the rest of the day, watched movies, and had dinner.  It was nice just staying home and not having to drive!

It was in the mid-60s as I ventured out to turn off the pool water outlet.

I’ve asked so many people what LGBTQ stands for, but no one has given me a straight answer.

I tried to get Scout to go to the bathroom, but he spotted a rabbit, and that’s all it took.  He refused to do anything but watch for the rabbit.  I finally went to bed, and Mary came out and got him to come inside by using the old trick of rattling the treat jar.

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We Are Off And Running!

Posted on Monday, May 13, 2024 by Paul

We considered taking a Middle Eastern airline to Ireland, but after some quick research, I decided against it.   Their female airplanes look a little scary!

At 6:30 am, I took off for Los Alamitos to meet with the dermatologist.  I arrived early, and he had a cancellation, so I was back in Orange by 8:15 am, just in time for the gym.   While I was there, I asked what I could do about my face.  He suggested a transplant.

At the gym, we had another session of arm twisting and bodybuilding.  I was asked to wear my mask, not because of any medical issues but because they did not like the tongue marks on the floor after I got off the machines.

The gym exercises are working because I saw my shoes for the first time in years without having to inhale!

We had two cars at the gym, so when we were done, Mary went to the market, and I headed to the dry cleaners to get my formal wear for the trip and then to CVS for some meds.

Arriving back home, we headed to the garden for some harvesting.  Mary took the high road and searched for squash; she hit the jackpot.  Squash directly from the garden is magnificent.

Playing hide and seek with the yellow squash!

Did You Know? “Squash” comes from the Narragansett Native American word askutasquash, which means “eaten raw or uncooked.”

There are two different types of squash: summer and winter squash. Summer squash, like zucchini or pattypan squash, have thin skins and can be eaten whole — skin, seeds, and all. Winter squash like pumpkin and butternut squash have robust skins that aren’t usually edible (though some people like to keep the skin on with thinner-skinned winter squashes like delicata squash), much harder flesh, and their seeds generally need to be removed before eating (though they can be toasted and eaten separately).

Mary has the eagle eye and came up with a load of goodies.  The yellow squash (summer squash) cooks up so tender it is delightful when added to greens.

Just part of the harvest!

I thought about dining at home, which beats going out to dinner!  Tinkerbell should talk to her cousin  Tacobell and convince her of the same things!

Better idea: stay home and eat!

At 2:00 p.m., we popped into the Silver Fox and went to Mary’s dentist for an appointment. Then, we went to Chico’s to get Mary’s birthday present!

We were home by 4:00 p.m., so we brought Jeff some goodies from the kitchen, including items from yesterday’s Mother’s Day celebration. We talked with him for quite a while, had a small dinner, and then watched three movies.

While watching the movies, Mary made her trip list of clothes to take. I will do the same thing (minus the underwear and jewelry) because I had too many clothes on the last trip.

Mary plans for Ireland.

At 10:00 pm, it was time to water Luigi, who polished off his dinner since it was topped with Spaghetti. Scout sniffed a lot, so I assumed the rabbit had been in the bushes lately.

I think tonight might be a good time to hide in the bushes and make a noise like a carrot.  Then perhaps I can catch the waskally wabbit!

On his way to the potty, Scout had to stop ten times!

Sniff, Sniff, Sniff!  He is  going to wear out his nose!

Sniffing everything is a requirement!

We finally crashed at about midnight.  We have nothing planned for tomorrow, so that means chores around the house and some serious cooking.  Borsch is on the menu because we have so many beets1

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on Sunday, May 12, 2024 by Paul

So very true!

We are having family and friends over to celebrate at 11:00 am, so we needed to be up and get things ready!  We called Colleen to thank her for Mary’s Mother’s Day gift; Mary loves frogs!

Colleen sent Mary a present: Frogs that light up at night!

By 10:00 am, we had almost everything ready.  Robin came early and brought a homemade Charcuterie Board.  It was beautiful!  We had bagels for every description and two different kinds of quiches.  While out this morning, I got fresh orange juice and a box of Kristy-Creme donuts, which went fast, BTW.

We could have fed a small army.

Every family get-together usually begins with a garden tour.  Lisa brought Toby to meet Scout.  Both dogs are fourteen years old, so the running around was slow-motion, punctuated with frequent rest stops!

What kind of flowers are best for Mother’s Day?  Mums.

Pete, Lisa, and Toby came from San Diego to join the fun!

Everyone visited the garden.  The dogs chased each other all afternoon!

The dinner bell rang, and everyone came running.  Our family was NOT bashful; food was flying in all directions.   Plates were filled, and plates were emptied.

Moms don’t wish they could sleep like a baby.  They wish they could sleep like a dad.

Come and get it.  Irene joined right in and filled her plate.

Making at least two complete circles around the island is essential so you do not miss anything.  Mary also made Jalapeno Poppers for those who like spicy things!

Silence is golden.  Unless you have kids, then silence is suspicious.

Plates were filled.

What did the digital clock say to its mother?  “Look, Ma!  No hands!”

Lisa kept an eye on Toby because he was much smaller than Scout.

We even had fresh-picked oranges courtesy of Paul’s long arms and our next-door neighbor’s permission.  Mary picked the Sweet Peas this morning.  Donna brought some red wine to have with breakfast!  All together, we had a feast!

Mary and Donna make their selections.

I asked everyone to tell us something funny or memorable about their mothers.

One person mentioned that while shopping at Zody’s (that will date the event), she saw her mother changing price tags on clothes!

Donna also told us about eating grass; ask her for the details.

I told the story of my mother running away from home because I opened a Christmas present early.  I can still see the image of me chasing Mom down the street, yelling, “I promised NEVER to do that again.”  To this day, I will not touch a wrapped present.

Bob tells a story!

Since we travel so much, Robin got Mary a travel purse that fits ID, money, and a cell phone and goes around the neck.  This keeps pickpockets and purse snatchers away.

Robion told the story of Sue, who was on an alcohol-free diet wanting champagne at Old Ranch.  When Paul turned around to get a soft drink for her, Miss Prim and Proper flipped him off.  The family nearly died laughing.

Robin also got one, so they will match when we travel together.

Bob Z. and I kibitzed all day, which usually goes down some bunny trail with no end.  He is my brother by another mother.

Bob and Paul cavorting as usual.

It is just us!  It was a wonderful day, and Mary’s daughter called to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day, which made Mary very happy!

Just us!

The day was beautiful, and we had time to visit everybody.  The girls cleaned up everything, so Mary and I could only remove the dishes from the dishwasher and put them away.  They are good kids.

We talked to Colleen and shared her day, which began with a gourmet dinner courtesy of her son (our grandson) Jon and Sarah.  Colleen then went to Cassie’s in-laws to celebrate some more.  All is good.

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We Vegetated Today!

Posted on Saturday, May 11, 2024 by Paul

We were not up late last night, but neither of us wanted to move this morning!  We were up early and called Colleen while enjoying our cup of coffee.  We each had a bagel and watched a series called “The English.”

Summary: Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke comes to the West in 1890 looking for revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.  She meets Eli Whipp, ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth.  Eli is on his way to Nebraska to claim the land he is owed for his service in the US Army, despite having been told that the white men will not honor their debt.  Cornelia and Eli discover a possible shared history.

I worked on my tan in the garden, and Mary stayed indoors and did chores around the house. At 3:00 p.m., we started getting ready to go to Campus Jax to see a Michael Bublé look-alike with Vicky and Jim.   Feelin’ Good: The Ultimate Michael Bublé Experience is a dynamic show that delivers the essence of a Michael Bublé concert at an affordable price. Ith interactive elements woven into its scripted format, the energy is high throughout.   backed by an 11-piece orchestra, the focus is on Bublé’s contemporary persona, moving beyond Sinatra’s influence to embrace his modern song choices.

We arrived just a little 6:30 pm6:30 pm and immediately went for some appetizers as we were starved.

We skipped lunch; Mary was starved!

We will never figure out how they got eleventh musicians onto that small stage, but they did it.  The brass section made the music jump out at you.

The band was set up when we arrived.

Vicky entertained us with stories.    I noticed she had her Michael Bubbles shirt on.    thought about stopping and getting some bubbles for Vicky, but we decided we were too hungry.  Also, Vicky would have been blowing bubbles all night long!

We had great seats, and Jack, the owner, visited since we were regulars.

The girls got the best seats.

Jim and the Roberts sat across, but turning the chairs 180 degrees was easy when the music began!

The Roberts joined u5:40 pm 5:40 pm.

Mary and I got up and danced, but our end of the table did not have much room.   ob and Dopnna had more room.

Paul looked sad because the bottle was empty!   Oh, Dear, what to do?   I yelled, “Uno Mas,” and as if by magic, a fresh bottle appeared.

We had a wonderful time.

We all left at 10:00 pm and headed home for tomorrow. It is a big day for Mothers everywhere. We are having ten friends and family over for brunch.

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Celebration Time!

Posted on Friday, May 10, 2024 by Paul

It is Friday morning, and we have a pretty full day, starting with Joe coming over with Bob to repair our solar system, which caused leaks in the roof last winter.  Then, at 8:30 am, we had to head for the hair parlor in Huntington Beach to get ready for the upcoming trip.

Three years have passed since we received the keys to the house that we have been lovingly transforming into Casa Valencia.  Take a look back on our website at that time.

On May 10th, 2021, the house became Casa Valencia.

We walked in the yard for a few minutes before getting ready to get our hair fixed.   I didn’t even know it was broken!  The sky was clear as a bell as we departed.  Joe had just shown up as he was going to save our butts and repair the roof leaks we had this past winter.

The leaks occurred UNDER the solar panels, meaning the installation had failed.  So, with the assistance of Bob, his high school classmate, they will remove the panels and reattach every joint using Henry mastic cement.

Once repaired, it will be good for twenty years!

It was a beautiful California Day.

The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” does not work.  In fact, Mary goes out every morning and talks to the apples.  In another 30 days, we will be eating these beauties.

Did You Know?  Deciduous trees are plants that shed fruit or leaves when they reach maturity.  Half of all deciduous fruit trees used for fruit production are apple trees.  The countries that produce most of these trees are China, the United States, Poland, Italy, and Turkey.

There are four varieties of apples on this single tree.

They are butter-yellow!

We also have flowers in the yard, as evidenced by the Snapdragons.  International common names for snapdragons include “rabbit’s lips” in Asia, “dragon’s mouth in Spain, and “lion’s mouth” in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Today, they are working on the fourteen front panels.  Next week, they will work on the remaining forty panels on the back side of the roof.

When we returned, Bob and Joe had fourteen panels removed and replaced.  They removed the lag screws and filled the hole with Henry roof cement, and then coated the attachment with polyurethane.

Next week, they will start early as it got hot on the roof today!

We just stayed indoors and read while the guys worked.  Mary would not let me onto the roof or a ladder.  If I tried to go up and assist, Joe and Bob would not let me!

We are as happy as a goose (or geese)

We rested most of the afternoon because as one ages, one needs more sleep!  There are two of us, so we need twice as much.  At 6 pm, we jumped in the Silver Fox and headed to the gas station. The Fox was dead empty. I  punched the button on the dash and asked for “range to go.” It responded with, “Are you kidding? You better be prepared to push this sucker!”

We drove to Huntington Beach for the second time today. The first was to the hair parlor, and now we’re going to Vittorios for dinner with the Capps, Iris, and Will. The Ash’s came a little later.

The Piano Bar was open for business, with Ken James doing the honors!

Ken can play anything!

The music was quite danceable, So Iris, and I tripped the light fantastic.    For a woman who is 97 years old, she moved right along with the music.

You go, girl!

We had quite a dance, and she helped me back to the table!

We got a lot of applause from the other patrons!

Yesterday at the Elks Lodge, we talked about Carter’s Little Liver Pills. I ordered some from Amazon for Bill, who is currently in “liver training.”  Bill brought them this evening so everybody could see them.  He plans to share with others in “liver training.”

Bill carries them everywhere; you never can tell when they will be needed.

Mary was happy because they had veal piccata and steamed veggies. She shared them with me. I went for the spaghetti and meatballs only because I would bring some home to Luigi, our Italian son who used to be named Scout before he got turned on to Italian food.

Mary loves her veal.

Did You Know?    Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle.    Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding.    Generally, veal is more expensive by weight than beef from older cattle.

Will and Mary are deep in discussion about who knows what!

They are probably continuing a conversation that started last Thursday at the Elks.

Linda and Mary are making plans for the upcoming Starlighters Dance, which has an English theme!    They also discussed the various kinds of Sweet Peas.

There are hundreds of varieties of Sweetpeas grown in the US.

Linda and Mary talk about the fragrance of sweet peas.

We left at about 9:00 p.m. and headed home via Aces Bar And Grill. We stopped there for a quick glass of vino before going home for the night.

Posted in Dining Out, Friends, Fun, Working Around House | Comments Off on Celebration Time!

Another Busy Day!

Posted on Thursday, May 9, 2024 by Paul

We hope Becky’s life is like ours!

[wpcode id=”76760″] June Gloom has come early this year.  The sky is grey every morning, but by noon, the sky is blue, and the birds are flying backward to see where they have been!

May and June are typically the cloudiest months of the year in coastal southern California, with only 59% and 58% sunny days, respectively, on average in San Diego.  The number of days in May and June that are “gloomy” varies yearly.

Mary got a video/slideshow of Becky’s wedding shower, so I converted it to share with friends and family.  The shower was held a week ago in Newport Beach.!

We both wish you two nothing but a lifetime of love.  See you at the wedding in two weeks in Ireland.

Today is Girl’s Night Out at the Elks Lodge, and we are getting close to celebrating our fourth year having lunch there on Thursdays.

Being at the Lodge every Thursday started thanks to my brother by another mother, Bob Z. It was on July 16th (twelve days before Mary and I had our first “date”)  that Bob pried me out of the house (click the link to visit July 16th 2020 on the Daily Diary).  Bill Capps and Mike Andersen were also there.  Thank you guys!  We have gone there every Thursday since missing only a few days due to being out of town.

Since we were heading to the Lodge, Mary wanted to bring Iris some sweetpeas, but she had already picked all the lower ones.  So, with the assistance of a ladder, she went up top to get the ones closest to the Sun.

As we left, the sky became clear, and we enjoyed beautiful blue skies all day, with temperatures in the mid-70s.

Up Up And Away (Great title for a song!)

I trimmed the onions while Mary was up in the air and looked after our newbie, the Borage.  Borage grows 2 to 3 feet tall and has blue, star-shaped flowers.  The leaves and stems are grey-green.

Quite an attractive plant!

Did You Know?  In traditional medicine, borage is used as a sedative and a diuretic and as a treatment for seizures and kidney disease.  The leaves are often used as dried herbs or tea.

Borage leaves have a subtle cucumber-like flavor and are commonly used in salads, teas, and cocktails.  They add a refreshing taste and are rich in nutrients.

We departed at 10:45 am as we had to stop at the Honda Dealer and get new windshield wiper blades, which we bought a month ago, and finally had time to install them.

We were at the Lodge with Bill C., Iris, and Will, which made for an interesting conversation.

Iris and Will joined us today; Iris will be 98 this year!

Somehow, I can’t remember how we got on the subject of old medications.  I blurted out “Carter’s Little Liver Pills,” and everyone remembered these little gems, which, by the way, can be bought through Amazon!

Interesting conversations always occur at the Elks Lodge.

Carter’s Little Liver Pills (Carter’s Little Pills after 1959) were formulated as a patent medicine by Samuel J. Carter of Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1868.

Did You Know?  Carter’s trademark was a black crow.  By 1880, the business was incorporated as Carter Products.  The pills were touted to cure headaches, constipation, dyspepsia, and biliousness.  In the late 19th century, American businessman John Morgan Richards marketed them in the UK.

Carter’s Little Liver Pills predated the other available forms of bisacodyl and was a very popular and heavily advertised patent medicine up until the 1960s.  It spawned a common saying (with variants) in the first half of the 20th century: “He/She has more  (filling a noun) than Carter has Little Liver Pills.”

In 1951, the Federal Trade Commission required the company to change the name to “Carter’s Little Pills” since the “liver” in the name was deceptive.

Most surprising of all?  While the marketing is practically non-existent today and the packaging has changed, you can still find these storied little pills on Amazon.  Carter’s Little Pills are currently offered as a sodium-free laxative, the active ingredient of which is bisacodyl.

We all thought the conversation hilarious.  We are a combined age of 400 years, wow!  There is nothing we do not know! In addition, if we do not know something, we make it up!

Just us!  The soup and salad kids!

We headed home because we had gardening to do.  We worked in the front yard for about an hour.  The neighbors had requests regarding our new decoration, which we promptly ignored.  Ceramic flower pots are long-lasting and add character to the home.

We watered everything carefully! During the summer we give the plants two flushes!

Then we went to the backyard, where Mary trimmed the roses while I worked on the grapes and manually removed the suckers from the tomato plants.

Keeping roses trimmed keeps the blossoms going all summer long.  Even though these blossoms were “done”, it made a nice picture.

I cropped this image from a larger image.

Roses are red, violets are blue; roses are red—whoa, déjà vu!

The picture started as a picture of the wheelbarrow!

The beautiful picture was taken in a wheelbarrow.

We worked in the backyard until about 6:00 pm, then headed to the swim spa to ease our aches and pains.  The older we get, the farther down the ground seems to be.

Mary gardened and clipped the dead flowers and examined the lillies.

After three cycles in the tub, about 45 minutes, we felt no pain!  We discussed the plan of attack for tomorrow as Joe and Bob are coming over around 8:00 am, and we are heading to the hair parlor at 9:00 am to prepare for our trip to Ireland.

Posted in Elks, Gardening, Just Us | Comments Off on Another Busy Day!