Hump Day Has Arrived! It Is Down Hill From Here!

The neighborhood rooster went off at 5:54 am this morning, leaving us six minutes before we had to get up and get started.   We did not want to be in a hurry, so we got ready to go to the gym and departed at about 8:15 am.  A walk in the garden can wait.

We had thirty minutes at the gym to ride the stationary bikes before working out.

One more time, and he will be dinner!

After an hour’s worth of physical abuse, we had just enough energy to walk across the Ralph’s Market parking lot to the bagel store. The cops showed up because people reported strange noises coming from the parking lot. It turned out to be our bones creaking after the workout.

My bones seem to produce an F-flat melody, and Mary’s is an A-sharp. We make beautiful music together. We sound like two cats fighting inside a 100-gallon trash can!

The cops gave us two shots of WD-40 and sent us along our way.  This seems to happen to us more and more as we get older.

Just the knees? I think not!  My everything creeks!

Mary had an “energy bar” bagel, while I opted for the “Everything But The Kitchen Sink” bagel. We had a latte and sat in the store, downing the bagels. People stared at us, and I overheard one lady saying, “They smell like a service station.”   I guess it was the fumes from the WD-40.

We made it home and then walked the garden, Mary in her workout uniform and me in my “get an all-over tan” uniform!  As an added benefit, my outfit scares away the birds and small rodents!

The first stop was visiting the rooster killer.’ Yeah, right!  That baby doggie would not hurt a fly unless he thought they were sky raisins.

Our rooster chaser was out of commission this morning.

We sauntered down the path to the veggie garden, and I felt like someone was staring at me. Mary’s garden decorations seemed to follow my every move, probably because of my gardening attire!

Well, I never!

The apples are going great, with two of the four species coming along nicely. The other two will be waiting until late summer to bloom and produce.

The apples are doing well.

Mary loves the purple flowers, and these spotted gladioli are magnificent.

Talk about purple!

What do you call a grandpa flower? An elder-berry!

What is special about the gladiolus? These blooms are very rich in symbolism. Generally, gladioli represent strength of character, faithfulness, moral integrity, and remembrance. Gladioli are actually the traditional 40th-anniversary flower and the birth flower for the month of August!

We visited the Hawaiian Islands for a few minutes and observed how our pet pineapple was doing. He has been in the ground for almost four months and is getting some green growth. It takes 18 months to grow a pineapple, so next year, we will know.

Once you have a pineapple, you can grow another one from the top. After chopping up the edible flesh, don’t toss the remnants away. Recycle the pineapple’s top by planting it to regrow it into a houseplant that will produce fruit.

Why did the pineapple stop in the middle of the road? It ran out of juice!

The pineapple we planted from the January Hawaii trip is doing quite well; just another year to go!

We worked in the garden for about an hour.  Mary observed that my gardening outfit was turning a little red, so she suggested we go indoors for a while.

The timing was perfect, as our cleaning crew arrived at 1:30 pm.

We love our roses.

While the cleaning folks were here, we went to the dry cleaners and delivered my dark suit and tuxedo so they would be ready for our trip to Ireland in a week. Returning home, I took a two-hour beauty nap; it did not work.

Mary fixed a super dinner of homemade beans and a salad from the garden.

We got cleaned up and headed to the Tustin Senior Citizens Center for an evening of dancing. Mary was wearing her new dance shoes, so we only stayed for about two hours before going home to read and eventually crash!

Dancing the Night Away: The band was extra good tonight. We waltzed and two-stepped and did several other dances this evening.

She is such a dear!

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Go Go And Go

BECKY!  If you re reading this, look at our website!

Today is another “catch me if you can” day.  It begins with working around the house, followed by a visit to the doctor (both of us), dinner at a Spanish restaurant, and then to the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center to see Aladin!

After three hours in the office, we had brunch with everything except the cheese and cranberry juice from our garden!

We are happy to announce our full  Panama Canal trip is on the website

We love those beans, and the pamellos were perfect. The weather was warm and clear as a bell.

I had a little salad with the lettuce just picked, and it was so crisp; it was like eating crackers; they were so crunchy!

It does not get fresher than this!

We went to the doctor’s office for some acupuncture treatments for Mary’s back and my sciatica. The treatments seem to work, and they are better than taking a bunch of pills. Her office is close to the theater, so going home made no sense. We selected Vaca since it opened early and was within walking distance of the theater.

Vaca  (which means Cow in Spanish) is between the world-famous Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the premiere shopping destination, South Coast Plaza, on Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, California.  The space evokes the energy and ambiance of Spain with the comfort of California.

I looked at the bar and thought I had died and gone to heaven! Oh my! Floor-to-ceiling drinks, oh boy. I wanted to order something from the tippy-top, but alas, my eyesight would not support my plan!

There was a wide selection of alcoholic drinks… vast!

Pavlov walks into a bar. The phone rings, and he says, “Damn, I forgot to feed the dog.”

We had a Spanish chardonnay, which was pricey but outstanding! The barkeep knew how to use a camera, which was quite refreshing.  We didn’t have our heads cut off!

Hey, how did this happen?  We are together in a picture.

I’ve started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It’s all about raisin awareness.

We dined outside, and it was pleasant.  The toast was quite interesting. We spread a homemade tomato sauce on the bread, covered the sauce with olive oil, and then added a pinch of sea salt. It was delicious.

We polished this off in about ten seconds.

As usual, Mary brightened up the surroundings.

Yummy!

Since it was a Spanish restaurant, I ordered a selection of their famous ham plus, an oxtail appetizer, and  “Datiles Rellenois,” blue cheese stuffed dates, bacon, and honey.

Did You Know? While Spain’s regions vary in their local food traditions, cured Serrano and Ibérico hams are treasured from coast to coast, from the markets of Barcelona to the bars of Galicia and everywhere in between.

Iberico Pork comes from the distinctive Black Iberian Pig.  Native to areas of Portugal and central and southern Spain, the pigs’ diet of acorns and elements of the natural forests in these areas directly impacts the meat, giving it a nutty, evocative flavor.

Delicious, even Mary tried it!

I went for the seafood paella.  The paella contained prawns, clams, mussels, octopus, saffron bomba rice,  and garlic aioli.

Sofrito, the base for paella,  is a flavorful mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.  It’s often called the “secret ingredient” in paella, as it adds a depth of flavor and richness to the dish.

The prawns took some work, but they were well worth it.

Mary saw filet mignon, and that’s all she needed!  The cow thought something different!

How could you? Cannibal!

Mary proceeded anyway much to the dismay of our new friend.

Mary thought it was pretty good but NOT as good as the Grill on the ship!

We dined outside, and the overhead heater kept us quite comfortable.

We so enjoy each other’s company; always a laugh and a giggle!

We saw Aladin, which is always a hoot, especially if the genie is good, and tonight he was hilarious!

His expressions and comedic timing was perfect!

The night was magic.  A pleasant 70 degrees and a very slight breeze cleared the sky of could, and the stars were out.

We went outside at halftime to get some cold air.  Usually, a dark, warm spot after a glass of vino does us in.  Not tonight; the show was terrific.

We talked about the plan for Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday!  We are ready to go!

Just us!

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Go Away Monday!

One Summer Night was a wonderful tune.  I remember it well!

More kids ought to think about this!

We were up early again because we had to go to the gym at 8:30 am and get stretched until it hurt!  After three weeks of vacation, I am starting to get all the kinks out of the system.

After the workout, we returned home, freshened up, and went to our Huntington Beach dentist appointment.  Dr. Anne gave us an A+ rating, and we did not need dental work.   Since we needed no work, she tried to sell us some Amway!

While cleaning my teeth, I took a picture of their new cleaning machine, which uses water from artesian wells.  It is outdoors so as to capture the healing rays from the Sun.   I was a little worried when a bird landed in the machine.  I had visions of the bird taking off with my teeth in his beak!

The technician drops my teeth into the bath, and a few minutes later, they come out clean!

After the visit, we went home, and Mary jumped into the kitchen to make beans, cornbread, jalapeno poppers, and other goodies for dinner.

The beans were picked last year and stored in an airtight glass container.  Mary let them soak overnight, and after an hour of simmering, we had astoundingly good bean soup.  I chopped up an entire red onion and added it to the soup, and Mary added the celery greens to the mix.

While Mary cooked, I worked in the garden for an hour, planting some ground cover around the base of the grapes.

Did You Know?  Healthline says the top five healthiest are garbanzo beans (chickpeas), lentils, peas, kidney beans, and black beans.  These varieties tend to be the highest in fiber, folate, and protein and are the most effective at mitigating post-meal blood sugar spikes.

Beans alone and rice alone both lack certain essential amino acids.  If eaten together, however, each contributes what the other is missing to form a complete protein.  Beans-and-rice dishes are highly valued for protein in areas where animal proteins are often hard to obtain and expensive.

This was serious bean soup; out of this world, delicious!

We took some goodies to Jeff, who likes a good home-cooked meal!  We returned home, watched TV until about 9:30 pm., and crashed.

While putting on my jammies, Mary remarked that my knees were black. It was more than a remark: “YOU AIN’T COMING TO BED WITH THOSE KNEES!!!”  She sounded just like my Mom!

I looked down, and sure enough, my knees matched the black color of the kneepads I used today.

I went to the shower, washrag and pumice-laden soap in hand. Rubba-dub-dub and a good hard scrub returned my knees to their original glory!

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We Continued Relaxing Until We Remembered It Was Cinco De Mayo!

The day got started early!

Holy guacamole, it’s Cinco de Mayo.

Oh dear, it is the 5th of May, and we must get going!  To celebrate, we have a 10:15 appointment with Vicky at Casa Del Sol.  This activity is NOT clothes optional, even though it is World Naked Gardening Day!

We dressed for the occasion. I was wearing a hot pepper and was also with a hot pepper!  Surrounded, yeah!

We both got the memo!

We began with a glass of water, perhaps a glass of cactus juice!  There was an occasional shot glass thrown in for good measure.

At least you don’t need a prescription for tequila.

When life gives you lemons, get tequila and salt.

Okay, are you sitting down?  Because this last tidbit might make you weak in the knees.  According to researchers, the sugars found in agave plants, and thus, tequila, may be linked to weight loss.

I swear to you, I am the cheapest drunk on the planet. It takes nothing to get me loopy and doing stupid stuff. Yeah. Well… like riding an electric floor buffer for a shot of tequila. Did it! I polished it off!

We got there as it was opening, and we had the best seat in the house!

Jóse Hernàndez, the owner, is a master of mariachi music and an internationally recognized musician, composer, and educator known for breaking boundaries in the world of mariachi. A sixth-generation mariachi, Jóse brings the pleasure of mariachi music to audiences all across the globe. 

The restaurant is in Tustin.

The place was packed as we departed for home.

The facility is enormous.

We were next to the stage and thought, there goes our ears.  That is not true; the musicians were AMAZING.  They were the best Mariachis we have ever heard!

Mariachi is an ensemble of musicians that typically plays ranchera, the regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century and evolved over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico.

A mariachi band was in a car accident.  Unfortunately, some of the instruments were damaged, and the band members were injured.  Don’t worry, they made a maracaless recovery.

We were right next to the stage!

All dressed for the occasion!

What do you call a mariachi band with one member?  A Juan man band.

Ladies!

The gents were ready to party!  We all went to the buffet several times as their selections were excellent.

I tried to get them to ride the floor buffer with me, but alas, I was alone in this endeavor.

Gents!

The music was not loud, and the vocals were exceptional.  It was quite enjoyable.

The band was terrific!

Eye Yi Yi Yi!  We could not help ourselves.

We were ready to dance.

The ladies had their eyes on this young man, guessing her age between 18 and 25.  I asked him about his age, and we fell over when he said, “I am fifteen!”  This kid has a future in music and singing.

How old is he?

At noon, we departed: the Zs went gardening, Vicky and Jim were going home to rest, and Mary and I were going to celebrate World Naked Gardening Day!

We departed around noon!

The day turned out terrific, with the temperatures in the mid-70s and the bright sun.

World Naked Gardening Day is an annual international event generally celebrated on the first Saturday of May by gardeners and non-gardeners alike.  (It was yesterday, but the temperature was in the high 50s, so it was too cold to celebrate!)

Finally, a nice day!

She caught me working hard in the garden!  I have to send my gardening outfit to the cleaners to see if they can remove all the wrinkles!

World Naked Gardening Day officially got underway in Orange.

Mary did most of her gardening behind the tomato plants!

I yelled, “Come out, come out wherever you are!”  Not a sound was heard.

Mary hides everything well.

At 4:00 pm, we stopped gardening, dressed, and headed to Campus Jax to hear Lia Booth.

As we arrived, they were doing sound checks, so we had some early entertainment.

Back at Campus Jax.

Mary and I enjoyed a glass of wine, waiting for Vicky and Jim to arrive.

My Lady is ready for the show!

We had an hour to eat and swap stories.  Vicky was wound up this evening, so the waitstaff gave our table a wide berth for fear of getting poked accidentally.  We laughed and cried and just enjoyed each other’s company.  Good friends make the troubles of everyday living go away!

Vicky talks with her hands.

The performance was good, and we tapped our toes with the band!

Lia kept us entertained.

After departing Campus Jax, we stopped at Aces to visit the locals and see what celebrations were underway.

Mary checked her iPhone to see what photos she had taken today.

We went home after stopping at Jeff’s to drop off desserts from Campus Jax.  Jeff has a sweet tooth, and we are trying to keep his teeth happy.

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

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A Visit With Zack And Becca!

Our country needs more of this!!

It’s World Garden Naked Day, and the weather has turned cold!  Oh my, the thermometer registered -65 degrees.  The brass monkey was even worried.  So, we stayed inside, and then the phone rang!

Robin was with us this morning after our bar-hopping adventure of last night.   She departed about the time Joe showed up.  Mary gave her some flowers, which are her favorites.

Joe and his high school friend Bob were on their way over to take a look at our solar system.   They examined the roof and decided they could remove the panels themselves, repair the leak, fix ALL the joined into the roof, and reset the panels over a weekend.  That will save us about $10,000 as we have fifty panels, and people get $200/panel these days.

I am a lucky man to have such a marvelous son!  He says, “No Problem!”

When Joe left, we entered the Silver Fox and went to Zack’s house, where we discussed his plans for a new patio.  We visited the family for a few hours before heading to Joe’s house.  We got the latest rundown on the family and friends.

Remy has become quite a chatterbox!

The rabbits are having a field day with a wide selection of new greens from our garden.

The great Grandkids, Lilly and Remington, play with their rabbits.

Mary picked a mess of greens for the rabbits.

We went to Joe’s to drop off two fairway woods he wanted to borrow as his clubs were Cosco specials (i.e. not very good).   With all the help Joe has done for us, we will probably surprise him with a trip to a club fitting facility and get him a new set of first-rate clubs!

When we got home, Mary made one of her unique sandwiches using garden ingredients and 256-grain bread!  The sandwich was fantastic.

Dinner will be served!  The lettuce was so fresh I had to slap it!

After the sandwich, I got to thinking which is always dangerous.  If the earth was one giant sandwich, the entire population would be in-bread.

We watched a movie and stayed inside where it was warm!  Tomorrow is another day!

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What A Day!

It’s Friday, so it’s time to stop working and rest. We walked the garden, and the roses were amazing—almost like they were plugged into a power source somewhere!

The roses were magnificent.

These little roses produce summer blossoms and look like the Irish butter we buy on St. Patrick’s Day.  Yellow roses symbolize friendship, joy, and happiness.

Roses are red; violets are blue; I’m allergic to flowers. A-a-achoo!

Just like the color of butter.

We worked in the office most of the day and finally got our reservations to fly to Florida for our vacation with Colleen and Mark.   Robin was a big help because buying flights online is a pain in the rump.  We spent almost two hours attempting to get first-class tickets to and from Ft. Lauderdale.  Before Robin arrived, we were almost booked on a Ford Tri-Motor with eight stops; Robin fixed it.

Why are iPhone chargers not called Apple Juice?!

Joe and Bob popped over, and they made plans to repair the roof leak. In two days’ work, the roof will be as good as new—probably better—with Bob and Joe doing the work. We are so very lucky to have our son Joe around. Not only is he extremely handy, but he is also a nice man.

I am a lucky man to have such a marvelous son!

At 5:30 p.m., we departed for the International Packard Club meeting in Newport Beach. The Packard Automobile Club is an international community of 1,000+ members who share a passion for the Packard Automobile, its history, and preservation. To that end, they host functions to share our cars and experiences and build lifelong friendships. They gather annually to host a Concours D’Elegance, where they exercise high standards of judging, thus preserving the Packard history of quality and elegance.

In my next life, I want to be a restored Packard; they are treated with kitt gloves!

Mary has been a member for many years, and this is my third dinner with the group.  It is a load of fun to hear the tales of yesteryear.

David has two Packards, and we loved his ’38.

“As the man who owns one.”

The auction is about to get underway.  The sales go to the International Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio.

The National Packard Museum is a non-profit organization established in 1990. The museum was located at three different locations in Warren, Ohio, before the current facility opened in July 1999. On July 20, 2008, the museum broke ground for a 10,000-square-foot addition and renovation of the existing facility. The expansion and renovation project was completed and opened in July 2010.

David and Dianne are enjoying the International Packard Club dinner.

Mary has a place for her new thermometer.

What’s the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer?  The taste.

Mary got her thermometer.

The Fire Engine holds an original bottle of Irish whiskey, so it had to come home with us.

What will we do with that?

It will find a home on our mantle and be quite a conversation piece.

The detailed work is quite amazing.

Mary’s friends from San Francisco drove down for the weekend festivities.

Friends.

Rich sat next to Robin and told us about his seafood restaurant in San Francisco.  We will have to visit him when we see Diane, Pat, and the kids in San Jose.

We will have dinner there in the near future.

Bar Hopping intransitive verb. : to visit and drink at a series of bars in the course of an evening.  We departed the hotel and headed to the Elks Lodge to have a drink and dance.  Mary and Robin hit the floor, and the line danced up a storm.

The girls loved the music, and line danced until they were tired.

Mary and I also kicked up our heels. Depending upon the music, we range from beginning to advanced.

Beginning Dancer: knows nothing
Intermediate Dancer: knows everything; too good to dance with beginners.
Hotshot Dancer: too good to dance with anyone.
Advanced Dancer: dances everything, especially with beginners

We danced before leaving.

Being friendly, Mary shook the little girl’s hand, and the arm came off.  I heard a scream and came running.  Mary was asking, “Is there a doctor in the house?”  I reminded her she was a doctor.  As I approached, it looked like a Chinese fire drill, with Mary and Robin attempting to reattach the arm.

Note to self: DO NOT MAKE MARY MAD!

After some serious reconstructive surgery using paper clips, rubber bands, silly putty, two wine corks, a dinner fork, and a pint of gorilla glue, the little girl was almost back to normal.  We wonder if the lodge officials will realize she now has two right arms.  Time will tell.

Is there a doctor in the house?

After the botched operation, we looked at the doll, ran out the door, and headed to the next stop, Aces Bar and Grill on Chapman. I hoped they did not have any little dolls in the room.

We had a glass of wine and asked the owner to play some music on the jukebox that we could understand.

Our final stop is Aces Bar & Grill.

We got home in one piece and crashed. In the morning, Robin is going to go with us to see the cars.

Posted in Dining Out, Elks, Food and Wine | Comments Off on What A Day!

Today Is The Tooth Of May; Time For Girls Night Out!

This morning, we hit the computers to catch up with the bills!  UGH!  I had to backfill four days of the Daily Diary as we were too pooped after the vacation!

Dear Becky called from Tennessee this morning, worried about us because the Daily Diary was not updated for several days; we were pooped out.  So, we are now up to date.

At 11:15 am, we headed to the Elks Lodge for our weekly luncheon.  There were four of us today as Bill was at a funeral, Bob was in the desert, Iris was playing bridge, and everyone else was AWOL!

Girls night out!

Mary missed the Elk, so she had to stop and say hello!

Down, big fellow!

We worked in the garden all afternoon, and at 5:00 pm, we declared victory, and Dr. Mary fixed up a mess of greens!  We had Swiss chard, beet leaves, radish leaves, white radishes, and several other ingredients.  We also had chicken for the protein and even had a spot of wine.

Greens in process.

Mary had to let her digging tool rest for a while after we planted all the watermelons, string beans, and other goodies.  It needed a rest!

Mary’s gardening tools are cooling off.

The apples are coming along well, and in about a month, we will have homemade apple sauce and several other apple dishes.

Apples are on the way!

The watermelon plants are small, but they grow amazingly fast.  Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide.  Watermelon is an ideal health food because it contains no fat or cholesterol, is high in fiber and vitamins A and C, and is a good potassium source.

While we tend to focus on the melon’s succulent flesh, watermelon rinds are also edible and full of nutrients.  In China, the rinds are often stir-fried or stewed, while in the American South, cooks like to pickle them.  Across the Middle East and Asia, the seeds are dried and roasted (similar to pumpkin seeds) to make a light, crunchy snack.

Summer means relaxing by the pool, barbeques, and refreshing slices of watermelon, and no one produces more of this favorite summertime fruit than Florida.  The Sunshine State is the top producer of watermelon in the United States.

The watermelons are planted; wait 90 days!

Every morning we pick fresh blueberries and serve them for breakfast!

We pick blueberries every morning.

The sweet peas are genuinely unique. In the language of flowers, a bouquet of sweet peas is a way to say goodbye or thank you for a lovely time. It can also mean blissful pleasure, good wishes, kindness, gratitude, and friendship.

We give flowers to our family and friends.

At 5:00 p.m., we quit, as evidenced by moving all the trash cans to the street in preparation for the trash collector to visit. Without trash cans, work has to cease!

Mary went into hunter/gatherer mode and headed for the garden, returning with a collection of greens, which we cleaned and stir-fried.   UMMY!

  • Health benefits: Green foods are full of vitamins and minerals, including A, B, C, E, and K, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate.   They also contain chlorophyll, which is similar to human blood and can help fight infection.
  • Digestion: Greens are rich in fiber, which can help with digestion and elimination.
  • Energy: Greens are high in beta-carotene, which can help increase energy.
  • Low calories: Leafy green vegetables are low in calories, making them ideal for weight management.
  • Bones and teeth: Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli are packed with calcium and magnesium, which are essential for bone and tooth strength.
  • Blood clotting: Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, which is essential for healthy blood clotting

Dinner is served.

We watched Starman on TV, and by 10:00 pm, we were in bed reading.  Today has been another excellent gardening day!  Mary has the roses looking like a nursery!

Good night, Becky and Art. Thanks for thinking about us! We are thinking of you, too!

Toot-Toot!

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We Are Almost Recovered!

[wpcode id=”76760″] First things first!  We had our coffee, dressed in our gym costumes, and headed for the Wednesday workout.  Today was our second day at the gym, and we are starting to move again!

After the gym, we did our errands, and this morning, we had to go to the Orange Nursery on the other side of the Orange Traffic Circle.  We needed some plants for the garden.

“A vegetable garden doesn’t just feed your body.  It also feeds your soul” – Doug Green.

We went shopping.

The Silver Fox’s tummy was just big enough for our purchases.

Mary found some treasures.

As I unloaded the car, I heard our flags flapping in the breeze, so out came the camera.  Next Sunday, May 12th, is Mother’s Day.  We were just in time because this morning, we finally got Easter put away and moved upstairs into the ballroom.

Our flags are flying high.

The wheelbarrow was loaded and off for the 200-foot trip to the garden.

Mary went to the kitchen and fixed a great breakfast of bacon and eggs!  She takes fantastic care of me!

Then, we go to work!  Mary awaited my arrival in her gardening costume with her favorite gardening tool, THE AUGER.

Paul goes to work moving the newfound plants.

Our cleaning crew will be here at 1:00 pm, so we have time to work in the garden all afternoon.  Mary will plant new cantaloupes, peppers, and peas, so she has her trusty hand-held auger with fully charged batteries.

Gardeners know all the dirt.

Mary has her favorite tool, the auger!

Mary has gardening down to a science:  “The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat and some old clothes.  And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig.”

Mary and her auger make the garden sound like a dentist’s office!

We designed the garden to make life “easy,” so we threw everything on the concrete.  After a few hours in the hot sun, sweeping up and dropping in the can is easy.

We pull weeds/trim and drop them on the concrete; east to clean up!

Our neighbors seldom come home, and they encourage us to eat their oranges so they do not fall on the ground.  We have oranges all summer long.  Today, we picked about ten of them and munched on them all afternoon.

When we get thirsty, we go to the orange juice machine.

The sweetpeas are going wild.  We must climb a small ladder to reach the top of the bush!

It looks pretty good after 4 1/2 hours of working in the garden.

At 5:00 pm, we declared victory because neither of us could move another step!  We swept up the remains, and I washed everything down.  No water went to waste; it ran into the back garden, where the grapes and lemons thrived.

We love the spring garden!

The cabbage is going great; friends and family have already picked several heads!

We will see corned beef shortly.

In a few weeks, we will begin harvesting!

Mary gets creative as the veggies are brought into the kitchen!

Our favorite is table grapes.  We have six different kinds, and this is year two, so we will be eating table grapes all summer.

I’ve always been afraid of gardening.  But then I decided to grow a pear.

Our grapes are coming along nicely.

Celery anyone?  More importantly, cream cheese or peanut butter?  Our celery had gone bonkers this year.  We eat a lot of it, and it is still coming on string.

You know you’re a gardener when you’re happy to devote three months of your life growing tomatoes to save $1.27.

We need a peanut butter bush!

The second sweet pea is at the back of the watermelon/cantaloupe garden, and it also is overgrown.  We had to cut it back so we could walk around.

Mary’s sweet peas are magnificent.

This is NOT a joke.  We celebrate WNGD every year!

Did You Know?  The first annual World Naked Gardening Day occurred on September 10, 2005.  In 2007, the event date was moved to the first Saturday in May; as of 2018, the event still takes place on the first Saturday in May.  In 2018, however, the New Zealand Naturist Federation adopted the last weekend in October as World Naked Gardening Day; this date was deemed better suited to the climate of the Southern Hemisphere.  In Canada, the first Saturday in May can be pretty cool for naked gardening, so an alternative date for the first Saturday in June was suggested as Naked Canadian Gardening Day.

According to NBC’s Today, WNGD “has become an annual tradition celebrating weeding, planting flowers and trimming hedges in the buff.  While it’s linked to a movement of nudists who promote wholesome and unashamed acceptance of the human body, the day is meant to be funny, lighthearted, and non-political.

I put up warning signs in English, such as rabbit, crow, sparrow, and several other languages, so as not to frighten the local wildlife.

I am practicing for Saturday, Mary 5th, World Naked Gardening Day!

See you Saturday??

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We Are Beginning To Recover!

That’s My Girl!!!

[wpcode id=”76760″]We popped out of bed and headed to my tooth doctor, who needed to check on how the implants were going.  We made it with one minute to spare.   On the way there, Mary suggested we call Miss Vicky and have lunch with her.

All is looking good!

Vicky and Jim had just sat down to breakfast, but they wanted to see us, so we decided to meet at Old Ranch around 11:30 am.  They would watch us chow down and enjoy a beverage of their choice.

It felt like being home!

Vicky and Jim described their vacation in Europe.  We shared our vacation highlights with them.  We all laughed and giggled for an hour and a half.  It was beautiful to have outstanding friends, almost family!

We thought Vicky was Jewish; now we know she talks with her hands!

We get a kick out of Jim’s expressions.  Vicky was my neighbor for thirty-plus years, and if we don’t see her every few days, we get “Vicky Withdrawal Symptoms,” sometimes referred to as “VWS.”

Vicky describes the first-class airline flight to Europe.

After lunch, we went to El Monte to get Mary some new dance shoes.  This place has been in business for years, and all our folks go there to get their dance shoes.

We walked in and found millions of selections.

The camera would not take pictures of the ladies’ shoes, as they were so flashy that they blinded the lens. On the other hand, the little selection of men’s dance shoes was pretty good. I wanted to buy the five-inch heels, but Mary feared I would fall off.

Ah, many selections are available.

From the shoe store, we high-tailed it back to UCI in Orange as I had a 4:00 pm appointment with the cardiologist.  I was given an “A” on all the tests.  He does not want to see me for another six months!

We were happy with the news!!

I am still working on the vacation website!  We took over 1000 pictures and they have to be gone through, cropped, edited, and set to 900 px wide.

We stopped at Renada’s Italian Restaurant for dinner.  We were too tired to go home and cook, so we took it home to relax.  We ordered lasagne for our dear neighbor Jeff.  He was delighted, and that made us happy.

It is not quite like Lady and the Tramp, but it is close enough.

I understand he was requesting additional pasta since I speak fluent Australian Shephard.  He was smiling.

We dined outside and discovered that Scout was Italian.  When I opened my spaghetti and meatballs, he went wild!

We crashed around 9:00 pm.

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Getting The Garden In Shape

It’s good to be home; I get a break from the Daily Diary vacation memos.

We looked at the yard, and OMG, it needed some serious help!  It was in bad shape.

I, on the other hand, am in good shape; round is a shape, right?

Mary went into the Halloween closet and got her broom!  (See the apples?)

We did some trimming and picking, but we are still pretty tired from the trip!

The peas are doing quite well.

Our grapes were lying all over the ground, so I tied them up and trimmed the longer branches.

Professional look, right?

“Oh boy, we are going to have greens tonight!”

Paul is practicing for May 5th.  Do you know what that is?

Thank you, celery, for shielding me from the passers-by!

Mary fixed a magnificent dinner featuring greens from the garden.  It was a meal to die for.  We watched TV and crashed at about 9:00 pm.  We are still catching up from three weeks on the road.

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