Paul & Mary's Daily Diary

Paul has a job for today!

We rolled out of bed at 7:00 am, ready to tackle the day, but first, let’s say our emails were in bigger need of a clean-up than a toddler’s playroom. I was so groggy this morning that I had to check how long I’d been alive. Spoiler alert: I’m older than dirt, which is saying something since dirt doesn’t come with a warranty and doesn’t require coffee.

While sifting through the DAILY DIARY, I stumbled upon a picture of the giant crane from May 2021 that heroically transported Mary’s Swim Spa from her place to ours. That beast had a max reach of 135 feet and almost caused a family-wide heart attack as it grazed our roof by half an inch. No real bending was involved, thank goodness!  The “bending” was caused by the wide angle lense. We were half-expecting to find a new “home feature” in our living room, courtesy of a 6000-pound swim spa crashing through the roof.

Ouch, the swim spa is heavy!

Just when we thought our excitement for the day was maxed out, we heard a commotion at the front door. It was a delivery of beautiful flowers from Vicky, thanking us for something we had done but had already forgotten—classic us! We promptly took a picture of the flowers and sent them back, probably confusing her even more.

Thank you, Vicky!

We got back to work, but shortly after, Mary mysteriously vanished. Suddenly, our Alexa chirped, “Come And Get It!” I sashayed down the hallway (aka stumbled like a newborn deer) and was met with the aroma of breakfast that would make even a five-star chef jealous. Mary whipped up soup, banana nut muffins, homemade egg bites, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Honestly, who needs a brunch reservation when breakfast is THIS good?

As the song says, “Who could ask for anything more?”

Breakfast is served.

After we devoured the spread like hungry bears emerging from hibernation, we threw on our work clothes and headed outside. Mary tackled the rose bushes like a floral ninja on a mission while I donned my best turkey-wrangling skills to install our pet turkey in the yard. Yep, our turkey gobbles and lights up at night! It’s like a holiday extravaganza in our yard—passersby shower us with compliments, likely just trying to figure out what kind of weirdos live here. It’s our *unique* taste, obviously.

Thanksgiving decorations are being installed everywhere.

Later, as Mary continued her rose battle on the back patio, I embarked on my own grand adventure: reorganizing the garage and shed—an endeavor that should have come with a survival guide. I replaced several old patio furniture covers with ridiculously striking new ones. Meanwhile, Mary planted a tiny army of pansies in the vertical gardens and trimmed roses, proving she has a green thumb—not to mention the stamina of a marathon runner!

We then took a joyride to visit Jan for a bit. Our pleasant visit turned into a mini wine tasting as we polished off a bottle — cheers to making responsible adult decisions! Jan mentioned she might join us at the Elks on Thursday for the gossip, not the food.

Mary then whipped up a sauce for pierogi night that was nothing short of magical. This topping was perfection when added to the cheese pierogi. To up the ethnic ante, she also prepared a batch of red cabbage. Dinner was served, and I know garlic was in that topping—because I chopped it. The rest was a top-secret blend of wizardry that made the meal unforgettable. We even took a batch over to Jeff so he wouldn’t have to make his dinner.

Dinner is served.

I know garlic was in the topping because I cut it up, but Mary had several other exciting ingredients, making this a memorable dinner.

Within an hour, we got a message from Jeff:

Pierogi topping.

Returning home, we plopped down in the TV Room, turned on the 80” TV, and got comfy in the theater-style lounges. Mary got into her needlepoint, and I took charge of the remote, settling on not one but two shoot-em-up movies—because that’s the authentic cinematic experience!

The first one was *Rio Lobo*: John Wayne’s gloriously rugged Western, where he defends his honor and office against outlaws. Holy goats, it was shot in Mexico! I half-wondered if our backyard could look that picturesque (spoiler: it can’t).

The first movie was “Rio Lobo:” or Wolf River.

Rio Lobo is a 1970 American Western film directed and produced by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, from a screenplay by Burton Wohl and Leigh Brackett. The film was shot in Cuernavaca in the Mexican state of Morelos and Tucson, Arizona. The musical score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It was the third Howard Hawks film to explore the theme of a town sheriff defending his office against belligerent local outlaws: the others were Rio Bravo (1959) and El Dorado (1966), both starring John Wayne. Rio Lobo was the last film Hawks made.

Then came *The Big Sky*, another classic. It’s a Howard Hawks film where adventurers face off against the great unknown. The ending deviates from the book, probably because nobody wanted to cry into their popcorn—a wise choice! Is Kirk Douglas in a Western? Count me in!

Then we watched “The Big Sky.”

The Big Sky is a 1952 American Western film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and written by Dudley Nichols, based on the novel of the same name by A.B. Guthrie Jr. The film does not have the same tragic ending as the book. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Dewey Martin, Elizabeth Threatt, and Arthur Hunnicutt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Though not considered among Hawks’s significant achievements by most critics, the film was chosen by Jonathan Rosenbaum for his alternative list of the Top 100 American Films.

At 9:30 pm, we declared victory and went to bed, as we had to face the gym tomorrow!

Who would have thought a day of emails and pictures of giant swim spas hanging up in the air would be an epic adventure filled with flowers, foodie exploits, and a movie marathon worthy of a standing ovation? If only every day could be this wacky!