T-2

Posted on Monday, December 30, 2024 by Paul

It is coming ready for not!!

Relapse time, the cough came back… phooey on this!  Now, I will have to cancel the hand surgery AGAIN until the cough is gone and I am off meds.

I was up with Scout several times last night; he is getting old.  At 5:00 am, I decided to stay up and breathe steam and drink a hot toddy; it worked because, by 7:30 am, I was feeling ok.

YouTube has some additional Amos and Andy shows, so I watched “The Rare Coin” to see what the Kingfish would do now. These guys rival Laurel and Hardy, Martin and Lewis, Cheech and Chong, and Abbott  and Costello for being funny!

Big decisions, I shall NOT be a wuss and I will go to the gym just to get loosened up so we were  on our way by 8:15 am giving us 30 minutes on the upright bicycles.  Indeed we made it to the gym but about 40 minutes into the routine, I gave up and sat down and proceeded to cough sounding like the I needed an oxygen tent with all the wheezing, blowing, panting, puffing, snorting, suspiration, and coughing going on.  Three people entering the gym offered to call 911.

Illustration of Old man weightlifting

We dropped by home for a few minutes after the gym to get some things we needed before heading to the hair parlor.  We stopped and Mary got a blood-oxygen measuring device as she was afraid with all the coughing my levels could be low.  Nope, I was a solid 97% oxygenated and 55% accoholnated, a good combination.

We arrived at noon at the hair parlor and proceeded to get beautiful for tomorrow night.  With Mary it is easy, a touch here and a ship there and she is radiant..  Me on the other hand, Tammy puts on dark glasses, sharpens her tin snips, and then says a small prayer to the Saint of the Ugly that he won’t take me when she is done.

When she asked how I wanted it cut, I told her to decide.  She immediately went into her top drawer and withdrew a bag of small  dried  bones  and sprinkled them on the floor.  After examining them and saying a few incantations, she was ready to begin.

After the hair-doo in Huntington Beach we decided it was time to eat so we went to the American Legion in Newport which was only six miles away.

We had a hot toddy and a nice lunch visiting with some of the people already there. It was great to catch up and enjoy some good food together. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, which made the day even more enjoyable.

Just us!

It was a beautiful day!

With a little help from AI…

Lunch was leisurely!

From the Legion, we headed to Tustin to pick up Mary’s new gown for tomorrow evening and she was met with a surprise; it was NOT ready.  After a few short words, it was agreed we would come back in an hour.   In the meantime we went to the bank to get some money and stop by the house to visit Scout.

Back to the alterations shop we went and success, the dress is now ready (shortened) for my 5’3″  babydoll!

We decided to celebrate and went to Aces for a Hot Toddy.  2024 was still handing out disappointments, they had no honey so we had one glass of wine and went home.

We visited our neighbor Jeff for a while before returning home to crash! Tomorrow is going to be a big day!!

We crashed!

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Off We Go! In A Cloud Of Dust!!

Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2024 by Paul

Scout decided to drive today! Og Dear!!

We were off to see Bonnie*, and when I mentioned the car, Scout jumped in and back out of Mary’s car. She calls her car Precious!  He got a little worried when I showed him the map and asked to have it translated into Australian Shepherd.    We failed to find a translation, so he decided to take on the job of protecting the backyard from elephants, which he is good at!!

* Bonnie is Mary’s college roommate’s daughter.  Mary’s daughter, Becky, is named after Bonnie’s mother!  (You will be tested on this later!)

Precious is excited about her run up the coast today!

The 2018 Lexus LS 500h is a luxury hybrid sedan with a 366-hp powertrain and a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. Its combined fuel economy is 26 mpg. The Lexus LS can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds when chosen as a V6 hybrid or 5.0 seconds as a turbocharged V6. Its top speed is 250km/h (155 mph).

We will NOT be testing these features today; we may never see the speed limit with Captain Safety at the wheel! Mary can’t reach the gas pedal when she sits like a lady on the passenger seat with her seatbelt tight, and I do NOT allow her to take umbrellas or other items with long handles on trips!

When Mary drives, I lie in the trunk, fastened to the floor by a five-point racing car harness and covered with three layers of fireproof blankets. I also have three first-aid kits, two MREs, and a miniature version of “The Jaws of Life” readily available. She can hear me since I use the backseat-to-trunk sliding door for selective screaming and backseat driving.

This morning, I felt better than in the past two weeks.  The Prednisone was a needed roborant for his infection.  We stopped at the local coffee shop, got some egg bites and a latte, and set about our ninety-minute drive on a foggy Sunday morning.

THe top of the Sepulveda Pass is now the 2/3 mark for our trip and we went from fog to bright sunshine!

We aimed to arrive at Bonnie’s house around 11:00 am—just in time to catch them in their natural habitat before they become fully caffeinated and start plotting world domination!

We visited for a while and then made amazing Shish Kabobs using fresh bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms with terrific hunks of steak.  The kids got to make their own, which was quite a mix of things.

The kids help us put on the feedbag!

Almost ready for the oven!  You could smell them across the room; they were absolutely delicious.

  • Why did the kebab go to therapy? It had too many beefs.
  • Did you hear about the kebab restaurant on the moon? I heard the food was good but it had no atmosphere.
  • I asked for a kebab with everything on it. They gave me a stick with a mini fridge, a TV, and a sofa.

The assembly line is going strong! Yes, the garlic was also put on the sticks after it softened up in the oven!

Yum yum; good for the tum!

Everyone helps!  Shish kebab is an English rendering of Turkish: shis (sword or skewer) and kebap (roasted meat dish) that dates from around the beginning of the 20th century.

We made a batch this time!

Ladies, you are looking good! Bonnie is Mary’s college roomates daughter and they are very close!

Bonnie and Mary

We visited for a while and then went to Diane’s Camarillo home to meet Megan and Steven.   After visiting in their home, we decided to go to The Lure for a late afternoon lunch!

Lure Fish House is a family-owned restaurant featuring the freshest sustainable seafood from trusted sources.

Mary with her grandchildren, Steven and Megan!  Everyone was recalling their college days just getting Megan ready for the start of her adventure in six months.

Mary with the grandkids!

The whole family, including Diane, had a great time dining, telling stories, and listening to Steven’s adventures at Texas A&M, where he is a sophomore in Engineering.

Did You Know? Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. Since 2021, Texas A&M has enrolled the largest student body in the United States and is the only university in Texas to hold simultaneous designations as a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution. It is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” and a member of the Association of American Universities.

Everyone was here…

Diane will soon be an empty nester. Megan will depart for Hawaii in the summer to attend the University of Hawaii in Honolulu on a gymnastics scholarship and major in mathematics.

The Guilland family at home before school begins again!

We enjoyed hearing the kids being so excited about going to school and their plans for the future.  We never said, “Been there, done that!”  It’s great to listen to the kids and then remember back when we crossed our campuses always on  the lookout for dinosaurs creeping around the rocks.!

Just us!

Just us (and a little AI to help)  still in the Christmas spirit!

Season’s dreaming.

We zipped back toward home just after the sun had set, and it took about 90 minutes.  Mother Nature, being as powerful as she is, requested a session, so we stopped at Old Ranch in Seal Beach just in time to make her happy.  While there, we had a Hot Toddy and visit with Juan, the Maître d’* before going home.

*Maître d’ is short for maître d’hôtel, which comes from French and literally means “master of the house.

p.s. We asked Precious if she was happy and got a resounding yes with only a minor comment about the driver NOT opening up to her full potential!    (I made it to 80 mph once going down hill into LA).

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Saturday And We Are Coming Back On-Line; Power Restored; Cough 80% Gone

Posted on Saturday, December 28, 2024 by Paul

It’s on its way (like it or not!)

We were up bright and late.  It was last 7:40 when we got up.  Being the perfect husband, I got up first, turned up the heat, turned on the bathroom heater, started the coffee maker, and sent Scout out to do his business!

Scout only got up once last night, at 4:00 am, after he saw the “Dog For Sale” sign in the front yard.  He has been re-adopted.

We decided NOT to attack Christmas until after the New Year, so we are in planning mode, which is short for waiting!!

Around 3:00 pm, we began getting ready for tonight’s foray into the dance world at the Elks with Bob & Donna, plus Vicky & Jim.  Dj Ronnie will start the evening, and we will dine and dance until we are too pooped to pop!

Much to my dismay, I found out my old boss at Rockwell passed on recently.  We were supposed to visit each other this summer, but medical situations between us did not allow for the visit.  Ed was one of my mentors and as the Chief Engineer on Apollo and Space Shuttle, we was terrific.

He always had me doing “special operations,” like sending me to Canada for several months to solve an antenna development problem on the Apollo Lunar Sounder and then to Corning Glass Works to oversee problems with manufacturing alumino-silicate thermal glass on Apollo.

In 1975, he moved me to run the Avionics Development Lab under Sy Rubenstein, another of my mentors, who was very special and extremely intelligent. After three years, Ed and Sy sent me to the classified world and away from spaceships. Years later, I returned to work for Sy when he was President of the Space Station Division, where I met Sue in 1985.

Ed and Sy were absolutely fantastic bosses and engineers. I owe much of my success to their leadership and involvement in my work at Rockwell and Boing.

One of a kind, a real man!

We were off to the Elks at 5:00 pm for a 5:30 pm arrival time.  I plan to be careful this evening as my cough is improving, and I do NOT want to have a setback!  I was thinking about dinner and have come to a profound conclusion:

We met Vicky, Jim, Donna, and Bob on Saturday for a delightful tamale dinner and ballroom dancing with DJ Ronnie.

The sun was setting as we left our home, which meant it was 4:35 p.m. We zipped down the 55 in The Silver Fox, who was still wearing his Reindeer outfit. We pulled into the Lodge parking lot at 4:56 p.m., just in time.

You could almost hear the water sizzle!

We arrived first, so we ordered a hot toddy to start the evening. The toddy seems to help with the cough by coating the throat with honey and cutting the phlegm with hot water, lemon, and whiskey.

Vicky and Jim burst in like they were late for a surprise party—only to find out the only surprise was tamale night! As the four of us sat down for dinner, Jim accidentally knocked over the salt shaker, declaring it a “sacred ritual” to ward off flavorless food.

Meanwhile, Vicky was trying to decipher the Elks attempt at making tamales, which looked suspiciously like a science experiment gone wrong. Who knew dinner could double as a comedy show?

We knew B&D would be late as she was working around the house so we ordered.  I should have kn own something when Vicky ordered Fish & Chips.

We told stories and organized New Year’s Eve!

Ronnies was DJing, so we danced to great hits from the 1940s through the 1960s for almost two hours. We ChaCha’ed, waltzed, and did a lot of old-fashioned swing with some new steps!

Mary is a fantastic dancer—so amazing that when she steps on the dance floor, even the floor starts doing the Macarena in fear of being outshined!

She could follow my lead and make me look good, but my leads are more like a hilarious game: “Follow the clown!” I saw people pointing at us and thought, “Oh dear, my zipper is down.” On the way to our table, several folks commented on how “cute” a couple we were and how nice we looked together dancing. At the next dance, I will bring some of Mary’s business cards and attempt to get their eyes adjusted!

We do have fun!

Shen Mary looks at me like that, my life lights up and the there are fireworks!!!

It happens every time!!

We went directly home after dropping off a dessert of Peach and Boysenberry cobbler to our friend Jeff, the neighbor.

We watched some TV in bed but soon fell asleep as tomorrow is busy!

 

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It’s Friday, Time To Relight The Engines!

Posted on Friday, December 27, 2024 by Paul

Bad news: Scout has been fired!  He managed to come to the side of the bed three times last night and want out.  First, to get some “outside water” at 10:00 pm, he again announced his presence for a #1 & #2 session at 2:00 am and the coup de resistance, a 4:00 am visit to the “outside water” again!

Each time, I managed to get back in bed and get “warm” as the house was 60 degrees!  Finally, at 7:30 am, he again made his presence known with a short, mild “BARK,” I knew this would be his morning visit to the patio and do his elephant check!!

Scout has his daddy trained because instead of coming back into the house each time, he stands at the door (knowing I might be in my birthday suit) and awaits the sound of the “treat bowl” being rattled, my hand going into the bowl, and my hand coming out with “a treat.”

Then, with the spring of a caffeinated grasshopper, he bounces back inside, only to trip over the doormat like it’s a ninja and land face-first in his treat. Now, he’s not just getting a snack; he’s auditioning for the next big slapstick comedy!

We went to the gum, although I took it easy. I wanted to eliminate my cough, which comes when I get heated up, so I told my trainer to take it easy! What does the word “easy” mean to you?

She then had me do squats, leg presses, lunges, deadlifts, leg extensions, leg curls, push-ups, pull-downs, bent-over rows, shoulder presses, shoulder shrugs, tricep extensions, bicep curls, and crunches.

My calves, quadriceps, hamstring, gluteus, lower back lats, trapezius, abdominals, pectorals, deltoids, triceps, biceps, and forearms were dealt with in an extreme manner.  After thinking about it, I am sure some of these items only exist in the female body!

We escaped with our lives at 10:00 am, just in time to take revenge by buying two bagels with cream cheese.  We drove by the gym and waved our bagels high in the air; phooey on you!!

Nienner Nienner Nienner !!

We made it home in just enough time to clean the house before the house cleaners came!  That means putting up the Christmas plates and unloading/loading the dishwasher.

While they were here, we escaped to Mary’s Loft, where she could paint, and I could watch YouTube technology movies.

We just piddled around the rest of the day!

One question always asked of parents is , “Do YOU know where your kids are???”  Well…. we know where are son and grandson are!!  Desert rats!

Zack & Joe!

The rest of the evening we worked on the upcoming events calendar which is getting fuller every day!  Oh my, we have season tickets to the Segerstrom theater as well as South Coast Repertory Theater plus we are getting ready for a Valentine’s Day Cruise and our dance clubs and the Elks are already buzzing with activity.  add to the the gym workouts and painting classes, eek!

We watched some movies and I got the website ready for the New Years Eve activities.  We crashed around 9:30 pm.  We are looking forward to tomorrow as we are going dancing with Bob and Donna at the Elks to the music of Ronnie the DJ.

 

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Zip Nada Nothing!

Posted on Thursday, December 26, 2024 by Paul

Saying goodbye to Christmas!

We did nothing today except visit with Diane for lunch and pitter-patter around the house.  We didn’t even do “Girls Night Out” because I needed to eliminate this nagging cough!

We watched a couple of movies and crashed at 9:30 pm.  Perhaps tomorrow will be a more productive day!

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Christmas 2024 Has Arrived

Posted on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 by Paul

Deliveries made; time to celebrate!

I was up early, not because I wanted to see Santa but because I was having a coughing attack!  Mary brought my hot tea, and I pushed my nose into Vick’s vaporizer for a couple of hours and popped pills like a junkie.  Mary went back to bed for a couple of hours.  I cannot figure it out; I feel fine, with no temperature but a nagging cough that does not want to stop!

All afternoon, we just piddled around getting ready for our guests, who arrived around 3:00 pm.

The festivities began at 3:00 p.m. with the arrival of Joe, Amy, and their families. Soon, the house was filled with revelers sharing stories, laughing, and giggling.

Joe and Amy were the first to arrive.

The “Rent-A-Food Detectors” assumed their position facing the kitchen. When their noses start twitching, please do not stand in front of them; you could get run over.

Awaiting food!

Greg came in, and Scout welcomed him to the foray!  Scout and Greg get along just fine—mostly because Scout thinks Greg’s snacks are the only reason he ever shows up. Greg, on the other hand, is convinced that Scout is secretly training him for some sort of Olympic event involving frisbee and running away from squirrels!

Greg and Scout swap stories.

We were dressed and decorated for the day; everything was ready!

Justy us!

Bob and Donna strolled in, and Bob was bubbling with excitement. “I have a surprise for us!” he exclaimed. We all leaned in, thinking it might be a puppy or a vacation, but then he pulled out… a large paper sack!  What could it be?   He said no more until later!

Donna and Mary are great friends!

Stories were swapped, and the kitchen was bustling with activity! It was so busy that even the pots and pans started debating who cooked the best meal. The Heneral Tao Chicken was threatening to tie up the Low Mein in a pasta showdown, while the vegetables were protesting for equal sautéing rights.

In the midst of it all, the blender was trying to make a smoothie but couldn’t stop laughing at the paper wrapped chicken’s  attempts to tell a joke!  We could be heard several blocks away!

Stories are shared!

The Chinese dinner popped out of the oven so hot, it practically said “Ni Hao” with a sizzle! I barely had time to grab my oven mitt before it started steaming like it was ready for a spa day. I half expected it to burst into a dance and serve itself! Who knew dinner could be such a dramatic debut?

The feedbag is on!

The food alarms went off at the same time!  Look out, teens heading for the food!  We have never seen them move so fast!

Duh!

Daddy Joe filled his plate, and everyone was quiet.  All you could hear was the loose dentures from the old folks chomping away at dinner.

“Who, me??”

Have you ever seen in the movies where the buzzards circled the dead animal? This is what it looked like!  They only get to go around three times before having to sit down.

The vultures swarm the island.

Dinner was perfect, and Vicky brought ham, which was devoured faster than you can say “Pentagon planning meeting!” I swear the ham vanished like it was on a secret mission. We didn’t even get a chance to discuss how it was cooked before the plate was empty. Next time, Vicky needs to bring a decoy ham just to keep us distracted!

Dinner time!

It was time for the movie to begin, and walking down the hall was a… I do not know how to explain it.  Needless to say, continue if you are NOT faint of heart and have not digested your food.  **”YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! But don’t worry, the consequences are just a huge pile of laundry and a lifetime supply of awkward moments!”**

Ralphie’s jammies from his elderly aunt were stretched, and Bob decided to wear them to watch the movie “A Christmas Movie.”

Oh no!!!

We all giggled, and some had to leave the room to regain their composure!

This will go down in the annals of the Starlighters.

8″ by 10″ glossy reproductions will be available soon! (We have to find a printer that dies R-rated photos!)

It’s time for a video call to Colleen, where she is about to hit the hay!  We all shared greetings.

Saying hello to Colleen

Time for Ralphie to get his BB gun, so Mary sent me to the He-Shed to get mine!

Aiming!

Vicky decided Rudolph’s nose was not bright enough, but a bottle of champagne would be better!

Rudolph will now be replaced!

What a wonderful day with family and friends!

Great Friends!

After everyone departed, we went to the TV Room to watch “A Christas Story II” but after a day of celebrating, we didn’t make it past the first half-hour.

Time to saddle up and head for home!

Visit Christmas Day on our website.

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Christmas Eve And All Is Well!

Posted on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 by Paul

Getting ready for the trip tonight!

See the whole day!

The Lodge was decked out like a Christmas tree on steroids, and the Tom & Jerry station was ready to go! It was so prepared that even the cartoon characters were worried they’d get a ticket for being too animated. I half expected a mouse to pop out and start making cocktails while a cat DJ spun some tunes!

But for Elks, Tom & Jerry meant Eggnog! Egan wrote a book and subsequent play called Life in London, in which the main characters are named Tom and Jerry. He is believed to have introduced the cocktail to promote his book and play.

We arrived at 11:59, and the Tom & Jerry’s were ready!

Bob was there right before us.

Bob Z. and Bill Capps joined us.

Someone said we bring color to the party! I guess that makes us the human versions of a piñata—full of surprises, a bit messy, and best enjoyed when people start swinging by!

We were standouts.

These sweatshirts, over a quarter-century old, were given to Sue and me by her sister, Diane. It’s a tradition, and we wear them proudly.

Quick, to the sleigh, and away we go!

Mary gets the appetizer tree ready for our guests!

The greenery is right from the backyard!

The master chef arrived but needed his helmet before he could begin cooking.

Master Chef Bob put on his official cooking uniform!

Robin thought she knew when she saw the box label!

Upon opening, the Duda’s were excited as they are Disney people!

She knew every character on display!

Robin made a drink called “The Grinch.” I have no idea what it contained, but it was good!

Yummy!

Nick joined us for dinner and brought some chips and guacamole from his work.  They were excellent.  Bob’s sausages and unique toppings were amazing.  I never knew the onions and butter would taste so good.

We sat around for an hour, just telling stories about long ago when we were kids and had to hide from the dinosaurs.

Mary could get a job at Christmastime setting up the Feuerzangenbowle, a traditional German alcoholic drink in which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine.

It must be positioned perfectly.

What is the number for 911???

Flames could be seen for miles around!

We visited at the dinner table for another hour swapping stories of Christmases long long ago! We remembered stores “dressing their windows” for Christmas and waiting for Santa to arrive.  Being the eldest, I remembered the most.

Some people remember walking to the Christmas tree lot with their dad, negotiating for the best price, and adding a track and train around the tree.

As I went to bed, I thought of Christmas in 1953, when Mom, Dad, and I would attend the annual Christmas Party at Ralph Lebowitz’s home (yes, he was Jewish!).

We would drive to his home up on the hills overlooking Culver City, and his managers from the ten dime stores would be there telling stories.  I would always look forward to opening gifts, and I remember two items over the years that gave me pleasure:

  • A light green sweater from Saks Fifth Avenue – I wore that until the 1970s when it became threadbare!  It was a classic and made the girls swoon!
  • The American Flyer Train Station with an audio system that announced the train arrivals and departures.  It was on my train set until we moved to Santa Monica in 1962.

Ralph, his wife Caroline, and their daughter Paula were terrific people. I hope Paula and I can get together this year for dinner and to swap stories. She was three years ahead of me at Hamilton High School!

These memories are so vivid I can see them in color and still identify the names of many people who attended yearly.

I also remember that at 9:00 pm mom and I would go home and dad would stay and someone would drive him home, he loved his High Balls!  Dad drank Jim Beam highballs made with Jim Beam White bourbon, soda water, and a lemon wedge garnish.

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On The Road Again!!!

Posted on Monday, December 23, 2024 by Paul

We are off and running!!

Monday should be optional.  We got up, and there it was, the alarm clock grinning like a fully-toothed alligator just waiting to explode to alert it is 6:00 am.  Alert us?  I can tell what time it is by how wide my eyes open!

We hit the gym with vigor and departed like steamed towels.  But we were on a mission to go to the vampire artists; we had to get our blood drawn.  I suggested we drop a can of red paint and draw that; my suggestion was NOT accepted.  I had to face the needle.  Paul was brave, nary a whimper as that size four needle (roughly 3/4″ in diameter) was plunged into my arm while next door, shrieks of pain came from Mary as they used a size 36 on her.  They could have given a mosquito a shot with her needle, and he would not feel it.

OK, blood work done, and fasting is over; let’s hit the feedbag.  Benji’s was right down the street, and my mouth was watering already!

Brunch at Benji’s

I had a half-pastrami with house salad and macaroni salad as a side.

More than enough for a small army!

It looked small, but I could only bite into it without wearing it!

Oh my!!

We then went to the dress store so Mary could have her New Year’s gown hemmed. While she was in the shop, I got busy with my new AI App!

Santa is here.

This is what I looked like after seeing the brunch bill!

Oh my, PAul got the brunch bill!

We had to see Dr. Bill as I had an ingrown toenail, and since we had a few extra minutes, we stopped at the beach, and I ran out into the surf in my Santa costume.

We stopped by the ocean on our way to Dr. Bill’s!

After seeing Dr. Bill, we went home and prepared for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve activities.  We went shopping and repaired our liquor cabinet.  By the time we got home, I was dragging!

At the end of the day, I was draggin’.

We visited Jeff and brought him some homemade cookies. Honestly, he was more excited about the cookies than seeing us! I mean, who could blame him? They were so good that I almost had to wrestle him for the last one. I half expected him to greet us at the door with a “Cookies? My favorite friends!” Next time,  we might need a cookie bouncer to keep him from hoarding them all!  After watching the movie Die Hard”, we trudged off to bed.  I took Scout out for his even patrol of the garden.

Scout is a good boy, and he will sleep through the night!

Good night, all!

Before lights out, I checked the list one more time!

 

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We Be Recuperating!

Posted on Sunday, December 22, 2024 by Paul

We’ve been battling a cold, and today, it decided to come back with a dramatic entrance—complete with a fog machine and a theme song! I half-expect it to ask for a standing ovation next!

We stayed at home except for a quick visit to the pharmacy to pick up some meds in the afternoon.

We worked around the house getting ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and watched several Christmas movies.  Overall, we did nothing!

Mary received an electric cup warmer from Bonnie, which is perfect because many times in the morning, we get busy and end up with cold coffee.

While recovering, I played around with some “AI” image enhancers on the iMac, and they seem to work fine.

We crawled into bed after the last Christmas movie ended at 9:00 pm, hoping for a better tomorrow. Little did we know, tomorrow was a buffet of fun that included the gym first (because who needs sleep when you can lift ridiculous weights?), two blood tests (can’t wait to see if I’m more human than a vampire), and a visit to the foot doctor — all packed into a jam-packed morning schedule! Who needs caffeine when you’ve got a to-do list that sounds like the worst game show ever?

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This Blog Is Now 29 Years Old!! Happy Winter!

Posted on Saturday, December 21, 2024 by Paul

Writing the Daily Diary is how we remember our past activities!

Winter begins in Earth’s northern hemisphere at 1:20 a.m., PST, on December 21.  The December/winter solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its minimum declination (-23.5 degrees). This is when the northern hemisphere of Earth is tilted as far away from the Sun as possible during the year.  Mary loves it when I talk dirty!!

Mary asked me why I spend thirty minutes a day on the Daily Diary, but now she knows after asking questions like, “Who was here last Christmas Eve?” or “Who joined us at Easter two years ago?” etc.

As of this morning, we had 5,825 entries dating back to 1995! Mary and I have become esemplastic. She reads every post and provides me with suggestions. Being so bright, she often improves the content and ensures it is “G-rated.”

We are still ready for the season and now it is officially here!

We had no plans today (oh my!!) so we decided to go to Macy’s in Cerritos to get a unique dress for Dr. Mary. But first, we needed to eat, so we selected Old Ranch, which was perfect. We had a Hot Toddy and dined on Mexican food, which gave us the energy to go shopping!

Mary strolled over to visit Lampson, the club’s mascot who hangs out in the entranceway like he owns the place! If you’re going to be a quirky-looking lamp, you might as well be the best-dressed fixture on the block! When Mary arrived, she joked, “Lampson, are you still just shining your light on the competition?” He flickered in response, probably trying to come up with a witty comeback that was just, well… a bit dim!

Breakfast at the club!

We fought the traffic to get into the shopping center; oh my, what a mess. We are glad we were healthy as we parked in the “South 40” and walked to the store. We went upstairs, where the dressy dresses were found, and searched for the item she saw earlier in the week at Macy’s in Newport (they did not have the right size).

It was a beautiful forest green, and when she came out of the dressing room to show me, I tried to go back inside with her!  I kept my wits and stayed outside.

It reminded me of the song Frosty The Snowman…

There must have been some magic in
That beautiful silk dress she found
For when she placed it on her herself
She began to dance around

We left for home around 1:00 p.m. and received a Christmas Eve update from Robin: the Pierogi lamp is now green! We have supplies for all our visitors.

On Christmas Eve, we will have the Dudas (Bob, Robin, and Nick), Connor (our grandson), Dianne and Fast Eddie, Bob and Donna Z, Jan Mongell, Dr. Hermann, and, hopefully, Jeff Smith.

Since Jan Mongel is so close, we will pick her up just before 5:00 pm!

Jan and Donna enjoying the holidays at Casa Valencia!

Master Chef Bob Duda will create his masterpiece pierogies, accompanied by special sausages (made from Aardvark and Duck-Billed Platypie, the plural for platypus), salad, and other goodies to make the evening memorable!

We will have Feuerzangenbowle (“Fire Tongs Punch”) going all evening!

Getting ready for Christmas Eve

We arrived home just before 2:30 p.m., and it was nap time. It took us less than half a second to fall asleep!

After getting up, we walked in the garden, and the iPhone rattled awake with an incoming from our Grandson, Conner!  He is a good and polite young man (28 years old).  He found a video of Papa chasing his pet dinosaur.

We watched Christmas movies the rest of the day, including “Christmas in Tennessee” and “Christmas In Mississippi.”

By 9:00 p.m., after Mary had prepared some homemade turkey soup, we decided to crash. Scout the Wonderdog did NOT want to go tinkle, so I fully expected him to wake me up later. He did, and at 11:15 p.m., he and I took a walk in the backyard.

The snowmen were having a party in the back yard!

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