Mid-Week; Time To Get Ready!

Posted on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 by Paul

So very true!  “?

We were up and about at the crack of dawn, thanks to the rooster’s wake-up call.  Mary had an early gym appointment, and we needed to leave the house by 9:00 a.m. sharp to make it to the hairdressers by 10:00 a.m.  As expected, Mary took the longest to time, but it was worth it as she looked stunning.

On the other hand, Paul was quick with his grooming routine and finished flat in just three minutes.  He calls it a nip and tuck, but it hardly made any difference.  It’s difficult to fix ugly!

So true!!

We had a great time in Santa Ana!  We met up with friends Bill and Bob for a delicious lunch and swapping stories, always a treat.  While Mary opted for a lighter meal with soup and salad, you went for a classic burger with coleslaw on the side.  That’s a tasty choice!

As we departed, the Ambassador Of Goodwill, Ronnie, was coming in.  We chatted before I went to the car as the clouds looked threatening.

It is always fun to run into Ronnie!

After stopping by the Post Office on our way back home, Mary took on the task of ironing my shirts for our upcoming trip while I went around the house completing last-minute chores.  It rained off and on all afternoon.  As soon as it was  5:00 p.m., we had a glass of grape juice, fermented, that is.

It really was 5:00 p.m. somewhere!

The forecast is for a lot of rain, and I decided to walk the perimeter to make sure the hatches are battened down tight.  One of our thirteen security cameras caught me making the inspection tour.

I ran between the raindrops!

The Pilgrim kept his eyes on me the entire time.  Mr. P was quite talkative and told me something I did not know.

The Mayflower didn’t land in Plymouth first! The Mayflower first landed at the tip of Cape Cod, in what is now Provincetown. They had hoped to make it to the mouth of the Hudson River and find fertile farmland north of present-day New York City, but bad weather forced them to change their plans. They wanted to try for the Hudson River again, but winter set in and low supplies caused them to continue on across Cape Cod Bay to Plymouth.

also

Some of the Mayflower’s passengers had been to America before! Several of the Mayflower’s crew had made the passage before, on either fishing or exploration trips. One of them, Stephen Hopkins, tried to settle at Jamestown 10 years earlier. On his way to join the settlement, his ship wrecked off the coast of Bermuda. Hopkins eventually returned to England and joined the Mayflower as a member of the sympathetic group of supporters from London.

He is all wet!

We called Vicky Kuhn, Colleen, and our German friends Hans and Kerstin, who live in Arizona.

We also contacted Dianne to inform her that Mary had found her jewelry.  It was located in a secret spot, not the fake Scotch Guard cans.  We were relieved to hear the news that the jewelry was found.

Our inside Thanksgiving/Fall decorations are up!

Before going to bed, I did one more quick check of the yard, as it had been raining for several hours.

All was OK, and the Pilgrim was dry (we moved him under the awning)

Posted in Just Us | Comments Off on Mid-Week; Time To Get Ready!

Tuesday And We Have The Day Free!

Posted on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 by Paul

It’s a day free of errands, so we filled it up by doing odds and ends.  Mary packed for our upcoming trip.  She spent the morning on the phone making reservations for our Hawaiian adventure in two months.

Colleen spent the whole day with our four great-grandkids, so we didn’t call her.  We are sure she crashed early.

Colleen deserves a medal!

We had an appointment with the cable technician scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  It may seem ridiculous, but we’ve been paying for cable for a while now without even using it because the cable box was never connected to the TV.  We returned that box and got an XUMO device instead, which uses WiFi to connect to the internet and doesn’t require any cables.  I bought one for our rolling cart so Irene could easily watch her favorite TV channels.

We have two systems, one for the living/TV room and one for the roll-around.  Now Irene can get to the commercial channels with ease1

It also has a DVR capability!

We worked in the office for a while, and I reminded Mary that my hat was in poor shape.  She sent it to the manufacturer as it had a lifetime guarantee.  This picture tells most of the story.

I am returning my hat.

After the TV trauma (I was also fighting the battle of the passwords on our bedroom TV), we decided to sit back and read.  But something was wrong; we finally figured out what it was.

That is so very true.

I went to the market at dusk to buy critical necessities, including milk.  When I returned home, I found two turkeys in my front yard!

Two turkeys caught in the front yard!

We watched a movie entitled “All the Light We Cannot See.”  It was a four-part series Netflix special.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of Marie-Laure Leblanc (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl taking refuge with her father and reclusive uncle in St. Malo, France, and Werner (Louis Hofmann), a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime with an expertise in radio repair.  Together, they share a secret connection that will become a beacon of light that leads them through the harrowing backdrop of WWII.

We must wake up at 6:00 a.m. because Mary has a gym class at 7:00 a.m.  After that, we must head to Huntington Beach by 10:00 a.m. for a hair appointment.  Later, we plan to have lunch at the Elks and then return home to finish packing for our cruise.

Fortunately, Mary and I are “high-energy” people, as we leave many of our friends and family in the dust as we scoot off to our next adventure!

You paint my world with bright colors and bring meaning to my life.

Posted in Just Us, Working Around House | Comments Off on Tuesday And We Have The Day Free!

The Week Again Starts!

Posted on Monday, November 13, 2023 by Paul

Memories: Off To Europe With My Dad!  Mom did not want to travel, and Dad wanted to see the world as he never had a chance as a poor boy growing up in the South.  So when my uncle went to Europe, it was an excellent excuse to go.  Dad and I flew to New York and stayed a couple of days.  We boarded the SS Vulcania, an Italian passenger liner, and sailed for Italy.

The Vulcania was an old boat built in 1926.  It had a gross tonnage of 23,970, an overall length of 192.92 meters, and a breadth of 24.23 meters.  The ship had one funnel, two masts, twin screws, and could reach a maximum speed of 19 knots.  The Vulcania could accommodate 310 First Class, 460 Second Class, 310 Intermediate Class, and 700 Third Class passengers.

I vividly remember going outside at night to watch the fireworks.  However, I later discovered that heated sand was used to clean the stacks, as the factory used heavy oil for fuel.  To my dismay, the next day, I found that my nice white shirt was covered in burn holes from the embers.

We had a good voyage, and as I remember, the food was excellent.

In 1972, while off the coast of Cannes, the Vulcania hit a rock and was severely damaged.  The vessel was then towed to La Spezia and laid up.  Eventually, it was decided that the ship would be demolished, so it was towed to Barcelona on September 18th, 1973.  However, before it could be scrapped, a Taiwanese demolition company purchased the ship and arranged to tow it to Kaohsiung.  Unfortunately, the boat sank in the bay before reaching its destination.

Happy birthday Cassie! My granddaughter is 29 years old today! Where does the time go!

We called and left a message; she was out and about!

Mary had an early gym class, and I had to get the heart monitor removed.  So, we went our separate ways.  Since releasing the monitor was a quick procedure, I was done first, and I headed home.  Mary arrived about an hour later with some good news; she could be heard now!

We decided to go home first before driving to Money Bags in Laguna.  The drive to Laguna was uneventful, and we arrived at 10:50 a.m.

The bi-annual update on our investments took place today, and it looks like a six percent return on our holdings is expected, which is not bad.

We had planned to take Marshall out for lunch, but he canceled on us, so we decided to go to The Lumber Yard.  The restaurant has operated under various names since it was opened in 1913.

As it was in 1927.

100 years later:

Looks pretty good for her age!

I had the best seat in the house with a beautiful view!

Lunch at The Lumber Yard!

The cornbread was hot and hot!  The iron skillet kept it warm throughout the entire meal.  Cornbread is versatile!  It has as many names as it does recipe variations.  Among them: Johnny Cakes (a corn-based pancake made from thin batter fried on the stove in hot grease), Corn Pone (made from thick, mold-able dough–usually without eggs or milk–and baked over an open fire), and Hushpuppies (buttermilk based and deep-fried.

Cornbread with Jalapeno, yum!

We also tried the “mushroom fries,” which are battered and fried.  The portobello mushrooms were not greasy and tasted terrific.

Mushroom fries are delicious.

We noticed in the corner of the menu something called “Tins.”  The Lumber Yard had a separate menu of 36 different “tins.”  The finest seafood from around the world—packed in olive oil and served in the tin or jar…w/chips, parsley, house-made lavosh, romesco sauce, lemon, kosher salt, and capers.  They were pretty interesting, so I ordered some sardines.

The pickled veggies were terrific!

Today, I selected anchovies.  These tiny fish have tremendous health benefits: Rich in protein, omega-3s, and iron, canned anchovies are as nutritious as they are with flavor.

Straight from Portugal!

Mary inspected the box and gave me a thumbs down.

Brave, she held the box.

We had a delicious meal, but after the appetizers, we were full.  We got boxes and brought everything home.  Mary kept staring at the “flying pig,” so we captured it.

When pigs fly!

During our conversation, I showed Mary the RV we rented for our post-Christmas trip to the desert.

Mary got to see the motorhome I rented for Christmas.

We took a short nap after returning home and brought some key lime pie to our neighbor.

We arrived at the office at 6:00 p.m. and worked a few hours.  Mary had to change our Hawaii trip reservations while I paid some bills.

Life is fantastic when one is in love!

Posted in Dining Out, Doctor, Working Around House | Comments Off on The Week Again Starts!

Sunday Has Arrived And We Are Busy As Ever!

Posted on Sunday, November 12, 2023 by Paul

Thanksgiving is just thirteen days away!

Mary got a bug in her bonnet and decided to straighten up her closet.  It was probably a good idea because we heard a rumble from the back, and twenty miners came scampering out of the closet, yelling for “Big John.”

Wearing the pedometer was a good idea.  By 10:00 a.m., I had already walked 6.5 miles between my wife’s closet and various other rooms in the house.  We’re rearranging everything!

Mary was getting frustrated trying to find clothes in the closet.  I think she was having  hanger management issues.

Fibber’s opening the closet and everything falling out was a long-running joke on the radio program.  (It was no joke around here!)

I heard a loud crash and immediately rushed into the bedroom and Mary’s walk-in closet.  To my surprise, I found a pile of purses that had fallen from the top shelf, burying Mary up to her neck in leather purses.   Worried,   I applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately.  After digging for an hour, I freed her up so she could continue her search.

I set up a business many years ago selling the contents of closets for clients, but it didn’t work. Turns out I had no sense of shelf worth.

At 1:30 p.m., while Mary worked hard, I made roasted apples.  I cored the apples and then dropped butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the core; bake until soft!

Since we had extra apples, I also prepared southern fried apples which are apples peeled, sliced into 8ths, and then sauteed in butter and brown sugar!

Baked apples are delicious!

She was still working, so I brought lunch to her closet on a TV tray with half a glass of wine.  Her wardrobe is spacious enough to accommodate chairs and a tray.

She was a little upset because I did not have a white napkin folder and around by forearm.  Hey, I forgot!

Lunch is served!

I picked up her dishes after a while and stood patiently awaiting the tip.  I got the distinct impression that I had better return to the kitchen, or I might be standing there all day!

When we’re working around the house, Scout finds a spot where he can observe everything and listens attentively.  He also manages to get in our way from whatever direction we are coming.

What do you get when you cross a dog and a calculator?  A friend you can count on.

Scout has a perfect location to see everything going on.

Mary now has a new location for her uniform for any upcoming military events.  The Captain is in the building!

It was ready for Veterans Day.

She continued working in the closet until about 3:30 p.m. We showered and got ready to go to Campus Jax at 4:30 p.m.  Campus Jax is on Campus Drive, right across from the end of the John Wayne airport.

The attire is informal, and the food has a distinct Cajun-inspired fare and interesting cocktails.

The parking is excellent, and the food is always first-class.

A little Cajun humor from Marie and Boudreaux:

Boudreaux was dying:

Boudreaux was on his last dying breath. He was upstairs in the water bed and was about to slip out of this world, when he smelled it. The most wonderful smell. Brownies, baking in the oven downstairs.

He struggled out of the water bed. He could not stand up, so he crawled over the stairway and rolled down the stairs. He crawled into the kitchen and pulled himself up to the counter where the brownies were cooling on the rack. He took one and put it to his mouth. Awe that wonderful smell, that wonderful taste.

Marie walked up behind him and said, ” Shame on you Boudreaux. Those brownies are for after the funeral.”

Vicky, Ron, Yollie, and Irene were already there.  Betty and Ed showed up within a few minutes.  Vicky’s dentist and his wife.  I used to dance with his parents at the Topper’s Dance Club many moons ago.

Campus Jax is an excellent venue.

Tonight’s theme was French, with hit songs sung in French, Jewish, and Arabic.  The group was called Paris Chansons, with a celebration of French music with a global twist! We even danced to the catchy tunes!  The show was excellent!

Wonderful sounds this evening.

Mary did the salad, and I went for the burger as my weight is now below 195!  The burger was excellent!  We also had a steamed artichoke, and it was superb.

We enjoyed the performance.  J’aime ma femme de tout mon cœur !

We had VIP seating with attentive waitstaff and a hands-on owner who was making sure everything was going well.

We were in the VIP section.

After a long day, we made a quick stop at Aces for a glass of wine. While there, we unexpectedly ran into a probation officer who happened to be from our local area. Once we finished our drinks, we headed back home and went straight to bed since we have to wake up early tomorrow.

Vicky has reserved the table for Saturday, Nov 25 (Thanksgiving weekend ) for The Feeling Good Michael Bublé tribute at Campus Jax. The show is at 8 PM and the doors open at 6:30. The featured singer will have 11 piece orchestra.

Posted in Dining Out, Friends, Fun, Theater, Working Around House | Comments Off on Sunday Has Arrived And We Are Busy As Ever!

A Slooooow Day Indeed!

Posted on Saturday, November 11, 2023 by Paul

There is a message here!!

While watching war movies like “In Harm’s Way” and “Good Morning, Vietnam”, Mary cooked a delicious slow-cooker chicken recipe at home.

John Wayne saves the day!

Tomorrow we may cook this recipe:

Yesterday, we spent a relaxing day watching two Christmas movies from Hallmark. We didn’t do much, but we did manage to do some laundry, clean up the bathrooms, cook a little, and Mary even made some muffins for our kind neighbors who gave us a couch for our dear friend Vicky. It was a much-needed day of rest and rejuvenation!

We spoke to Robin, who shared some important details about our upcoming seven-day cruise. We discussed important things like selecting spa treatments and choosing which dining room to visit during our trip. Our journey will begin from San Diego, and we will visit Catalina and San Francisco for two days each before returning to Ensenada and finally coming back to San Diego.

A simple escape!

Since it is the holidays, we plan to be visited by three spirits!

We crashed at 7:00 p.m.  After a good cleaning of the CPAP device, I slept for four hours straight before getting up for a half-hour and finally returning to bed at midnight.

Posted in Cooking, Just Us, Movies, Working Around House | Comments Off on A Slooooow Day Indeed!

Deliveries Were Made!

Posted on Friday, November 10, 2023 by Paul

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and headed to Los Alamitos for the first time. I had an appointment with a dermatologist who took a biopsy. I am expected to receive the results by Sunday. After the appointment, I rushed back home and waited for my wonderful son Joe to arrive, which he did at 8:30 a.m. a.m.

While waiting, Mary suggested removing an extra chair upstairs and added it to the hauling list.

It should be illegal to look this good in the morning!

The green chair has been in the family since the 1950s and is a classic, but it would love a new home with Miss Vicky!  Joe horsed it down the stairs and into his truck for the trip to a new home.

Bye, old friend, you will have a happy home with Miss Vicky!

He arrived with enough hauling capacity to transport items equivalent to a small mansion!  The picture we sent of the couch made Joe think it was much bigger than it really was; the big trailer made the job a snap!

“Ready to roll, Pops!”

Mary oversaw the loading and secured the tie-downs to ensure the couch does not move during transport.

Loaded and ready under adult supervision.

We put the pillows/cushions in Joe’s truck and the back seat of the Silver Fox.  We are ready to roll!

Strapp i tin, it will be a bumpy ride!

Joe and I arrived at Vicky’s place around 9:00 a.m. to deliver the furniture.  The effort reminded me of the 1932 comedy short by Laurel and Hardy when they tried to deliver a piano!

Did You Know? The Music Box is a Laurel and Hardy short film comedy released in 1932. The steps are a public staircase that connects Vendome Street (at the base of the hill) with Descanso Drive (at the top of the hill), and are located at 923-925 North Vendome Street near the intersection of Del Monte Drive. A plaque commemorating the film was set into one of the lower steps.

Today, almost 90 years later!

Vicky was thrilled with her recent acquisitions. We chatted briefly before going our separate ways – Joe to the doctor and me to MY doctor!

When I got back home, Mary was still at the gym. So, I decided to do some decorating and then started putting together the Rubbermaid tall freestanding storage unit. Over the years, the roof and ceiling of the unit had become loose. But, thanks to YouTube and a mighty mallet, I was able to fix it and now it is standing tall again. It will also be useful to hold the six boxes of Halloween decorations until next year.

I was tired since I had been up since 5:00 a.m. so I took a short nap while MAry continued decorating.  We got ready to go to the Elks Lodge to dance to Lary Fresch this evening.

We had Dona, Bob, Leon, Marsha, Will, Iris, and us. The Capps had to opt out due to Mary’s leg bothering her; they were missed.

We dined and danced until about 9:30 p.m. and then headed home.  We crashed almost immediately; it’s been a long day!

I love my partner in life! She is the Cat’s meow and the dog’s bark!

Posted in Family, Working Around House | Comments Off on Deliveries Were Made!

To The Elks We Go!

Posted on Thursday, November 9, 2023 by Paul

Now we know why Scout is not invited to any birthday parties!

We woke up at our usual time and were walking around the house when suddenly, I heard a scream, “Paul, we have to be in Long Beach in 25 minutes!” We both were taken aback and realized we had forgotten about my stitches removal appointment at 10:00 a.m. in Long Beach.

At 9:35 a.m., we were in Orange and had to hurry up.  We got dressed and rushed to the car when we noticed the fuel gauge was low and signaling to refuel.  With only 10 miles left, we reached the doctor’s office just in time.  We radioed the engineer and had him set the speed to Warp-6.

We called the doctor’s office and blamed the traffic, but we did get there 15 minutes late!  It was a straightforward appointment; they were removing stitches from my latest cancer removal incision.  We could have done it ourselves, but a quick trip to Long Beach was OK.

From the doctor’s office, we headed to the Elks for the weekly “Girls Night Out” ritual!  We had a good-sized crowd today!  As we arrived, the banter was well underway, so we listened and joined in the fun!  I posed two comments to the group and received various reactions!

  • My IQ test results came back. They were negative.
  • What’s the difference between an outlaw and an in-law? Outlaws are wanted.

Stories were told!

There were several specials, but the good old spaghetti and meatballs (S&MB) sounded good; it indeed was!  Mary shared the garlic bread with me, and I downed the S&MB with precision only known to medical instruments!

Comfort food to the max!

Bill also had the S&MB plate, while Dr. Mary stayed with the chicken salad.  The food at the Elks Lodge remains outstanding.

Girls’ Night Out is in full swing.

Bob sat beside me, so the arrows and harpoons flew during the meal.  Bob is just the most fantastic guy who I admire!  There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.  Bob and Donna are definitely family!

Non and I can bafflegab for hours on end!

Bob, Iris, Will, and Linda!

Just little old us living life and enjoying each other’s company.

Dang, she is so cute!

She likes to hear the whistling sound when she blows in my ear.  When she does that, I tell her, “I love you like a fat kid loves cake!”

There she goes again, making those whistling sounds!

As we left for the Elks, Mary spotted a neighbor putting a couch out for a giveaway.  On our return, we checked out the couch and found it in excellent condition.  We took some photos and contacted Vicky.  Tomorrow morning, Joe will come over with a trailer, and we will take the couch to Vicky’s home to assist her in getting things organized after her children left.

We are giving it a new home!

Robin visited us on her way home at around 4:30 p.m.  We called Colleen and spent some time with her.  Robin brought some pomegranates, and I showed her how to remove the seeds without getting juice everywhere.  We had some sliced cantaloupe in the fridge, so we treated ourselves to a delicious dessert!  It was yummy.

We continued our December coordination activities, and have filled up every day!

Yummy yummy!!

Joe is coming in the morning with his trailer. We’ll take it to Los Alamitos and deliver the couch!

Posted in Elks, Friends | Comments Off on To The Elks We Go!

Mid Week Celebrations!

Posted on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 by Paul

I woke up early and dropped Mary off at the gym.  Then, I returned home to start decorating for Thanksgiving.  Vicky wanted to take photos of the Starlighters members in their uniforms for the upcoming Veteran’s Day-themed dance.

Mary found her uniform that she had worn when she was 27 years old, but unfortunately, the closet mites had attacked the material and shrunk it down by one or two sizes.  As an alternative, Mary suggested taking a picture of her as a doctor.  We had a poster of her on the wall in our hallway.  I carefully adjusted the lighting, and voila, Captain Côté was now immortalized in an 8×10 photo!

The young doctor at work!

When I picked her up from the gym, she had an “intimates store” she wanted to visit, so I stayed in the car.  After twenty minutes, the message came through via text: “Proceed to El Torito post-haste; I will meet you there!”  This could get interesting!

I drove the car to the restaurant six stores away, found our favorite table, and proceeded to have a pre-noon glass of wine!

Soon after, Mary showed up bringing in a bag of goodies!  We decided to have lunch since we would not be eating until 6:00 p.m.  She had their featured salad, and I had my favorite spinach enchilada.

“Nice Bull!”

The lunch was fantastic, and today, the enchiladas were served with the usual white sauce.  Mary said she would go to the car as I paid the bill.  I heard the bull and Mary laughing and giggling loudly; they were having a ball!  I wondered what was going on?

Mary, you are making the bull smile!

We talked to Vicky on our way home, and she was so bubbly and happy about her new lease on life that we invited her to dinner with us at Patty’s Place.

Since we were heading toward Old Ranch, we decided to stop and do some putting.  After thirty minutes, Charlette showed up, and we asked her to join us for dinner.  The day is getting better all the time!

Putting begins!  I cannot complete with either of them!

Mary was going great guns, sinking the balls with ease.   I on the other hand seemed to miss the cup by inches every time.

She aimed for the hole farthest away!

Mary and I hit a bunch of balls toward what we thought was the hole, but when we got there, we realized that what we thought was the hole was a leaf turned sideways, and the sun was behind it, casting a shadow that looked like a hole.

Oops, it was a leaf…We felt pretty silly!

But wait!  We did not stop there; Mary sank another dozen balls, showing her outstanding golfing skills.

Success!

I was dressed in my golfing (and drinking) attire and could get close MANY times but never put a ball in the cup directly.  The iPhone rang in the middle of my last putt, and it was Irene returning our call from earlier.  We invited her to dinner but Maria, her daughter, was with her so we invited them both.

Not too bad after five years!

A bevy of beauties surrounded me.  We laughed and giggled all evening and enjoyed a delightful Patty’s Place meal.  I did their Swordfish, which, as expected, was beautiful.  We polished off a boggle of wine, a gaggle of steaks, and a load of appetizers!  Fun was had by all!

My harem!

I was crowned “King For The Day” by Miss Vicky!  Vicky was my neighbor in Los Alamitos for three decades, and she has become a close friend of Mary and me now!  Men walked by the table all evening, asking themselves, “What does he have that I don’t?”  I did NOT tell them; it’s our secret!

They looked confused, maybe even puzzled!

I know the secret!

The crown was a perfect fit and thanks to the superglue, it did not fall off all evening long.

I was crowned!

While no one was looking, we snuck a kiss of two!  It was not unexpected as we are in love!

Any chance I get!

We departed Patty’s around 8:00 p.m. and headed home to retrieve Scout from the backyard, where we held court with the birds and lizards.

Posted in Dining Out, Friends | Comments Off on Mid Week Celebrations!

Tuesday And We Are Off To Another Doctor; Lunch With Miss Robin; Celebrate Veteran’s Day!!

Posted on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 by Paul

Joe’s Nightmare!

My internal alarm went off at 5:57 a.m., followed by a recording that said, “Get up and get moving.” I reluctantly got out of bed, but it took me a while to start moving.  I spent around forty minutes working on my Daily Diary before my wife woke up and entered the office with a big smile.

Starting the day with my bride’s kiss and good morning wishes ensures a terrific day ahead.

Into the kitchen, I went and went straight to the coffee maker.  I added some dry powder to our coffee and milk and turned on the blender.  The sound of the blender was as loud as the Saturn V rocket engine taking off for the moon.  The mixture exploded, spilling and splashing protein-laden coffee all over the kitchen island.

I got stuck in a blender once!  Pour me…

Mental note: Get a taller coffee cup or a smaller blender.  Perhaps a variable-speed blender will do?  Maybe I should have known about the blended since it was a kick-start device and used JP4 for fuel!

I ordered a new blender, but they sent me one that had clearly been used.  It seems like there was a mix-up at the store.

We shuffled in the backyard for a while, picking bell peppers and string beans.  Mary took her cart and did a round of the roses, making everything look great.

I suggested we go in the hot tub, but Mary reminded me of what happened last time; she is still giggling about the incident!

I did NOT think it was that funny!  She still calls me “Shorty”!

We went to the doctor, and of course, my coughing has improved, but I still cannot get Robotussin with Codine.  The damned drug addicts have made it impossible for law-abiding citizens to get medicine; this country is going to the dogs!

We had a doctor’s appointment and later met Robin for lunch in Seal Beach.  Even though she arrived before us and had to leave early, we enjoyed the short visit.  I had to put on my reading glasses to order as the menu was hard to read.

I had to do it!

Mary usually follows suit, but today, she stayed calm and professional!

Mary resisted!

We did some additional Christmastime coordination, and we are going to Sherman Gardens Night Of A Thousand Lights just after dinner at Rothchilds.  We also got the dates for our annual visit to the Mission Inn in Riverside.  We will also be going to the Elks Candy Cane Dinner/Dance, so the December Calendar has little space.

After enjoying a great meal, we headed home and relocated Mr. Fall to a more visible spot, where he sparked a lengthy conversation with passersby.  I saw a female scarecrow, and I said, hay girl.

Why don’t scarecrows eat?  They are already stuffed.

Mr. Fall came out of hiding.

As the evening approached, we made our way to the Lodge to celebrate Veteran’s Day.  The Lodge was beautifully decorated for the event, and we anticipated about 90 guests based on our earlier reservations.  However, we were pleasantly surprised that the main ballroom was packed with attendees!

Decorated for the evening

Bob weighs three pounds more than when he was in the service in the 1970s; disgusting!  He is, however, a handsome devil!

“America’s fighting men and women sacrifice much to ensure our great nation stays free.  We owe a debt of gratitude to the soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for this cause, as well as for those who are blessed enough to return from the battlefield unscathed.” – Allen Boyd.

Hello Sarge!

The All-American Boys Chorus was the entertainment this evening, and they were terrific.  The All-American Boys Chorus started as a small church choir in Orange County, California, in 1970 and has grown into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, internationally-touring, non-denominational chorus that fosters creativity and leadership development in over one hundred boys yearly.

The performers sang multiple songs and received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience!

They sounded great!

Each service was called to stand; the US Army and Marines were most represented.

Why do Navy pilots prefer to be called naval aviators?  Because they don’t want to be called ‘flying seamen.’

Standing ovation: Go, Army!

Bill looked pretty good this evening.  We all mumbled something about “shiver me timbers!” and “It’s a pirate’s life for me!”

What do they call cleaners in the Navy?  Scrubmarines.

Whew, we thought the Tee was coming off also!

Who says the Navy and Army do not get along?

Army Navy!

Check out her cap; she outranks us all.  Captain Mary is in command!

Mary is surrounded!

After the show, we wandered into the other lounge and had a glass of wine!  The Sarge followed us!

Handsome devil!

Dang, I love that girl!  She can be my CO anytime!

Just us!

We left the Elks Club around 9:30 p.m. and reached home within 15 minutes, thanks to the empty freeway.  We went to bed early as tomorrow is Wednesday, and Mary has her gym routine to follow while I complete my household chores, including preparing for Thanksgiving.

Posted in Doctor, Elks, Family, Friends, Just Us | Comments Off on Tuesday And We Are Off To Another Doctor; Lunch With Miss Robin; Celebrate Veteran’s Day!!

The Weekend Was Too Short; Oops, We Are Retired!

Posted on Monday, November 6, 2023 by Paul

Memories -The Alley: The alley behind our house was my world growing up.  Why, you say?  Well, starting at Venice Blvd and going toward Washington Blvd, we have:

  1. A little printshop where I would always stop after school and see what the printer had thrown out that day.  I was always set with colored paper, card stock, and sometimes some real treasures,
  2. The Flying-A glass station also provided me and the neighborhood kids treasures in the form of old tires and inner tubes, which we would use for all kinds of kid things,
  3. The cold storage facility was used by people to store/freeze food, and on many occasions, they would clean out the freezers and pile dry ice behind the store.  That’s where I learned NOT to touch dry ice.  We would haul it home and squirt the hose on it, making piles of “steam rise into the sky.”
  4. We actually had a large vacant lot on La Cienega Blvd where forts of various configurations would be constructed, large holes dug, and ramps for our bicycles to jump,
  5. The manufacturing facility was directly behind our house.  It was small, and they made ball-point pens, something new in the 1950s.  They would toss hundreds of the pens, and we would go through them and attempt to make them work; sometimes, a little heat would do the trick!  I never had to buy pens all through elementary and high school.
  6. The next stop after school was always the liquor store, where we would bring every Coke bottle we could find and trade them in for candy.  The lady who ran the store was named Maybelle.  Sometimes, my mom would send me to the store to get a carton of cigarettes, which cost $2.00 in those days.
  7. The next place was a furniture warehouse, and they provided us with the most enormous cardboard boxes you could imagine.  Sometimes, wooden crates would be set outside for the trash people, but we always got there first!
  8. The carpentry shop was next in line, and we had a never-ending wood supply from 4x4s to maple planks!  They even tossed out screws and nails.
  9. The plumbing shop was next, and it threw our pipes, vents, old heaters and air conditioners, and large cardboard boxes!

Today, all those places are gone.  Print shops have disappeared, Flying-A is no more, little woodshops are few and far between,  and everything else we get is made in China!

I was lucky to live in the 1950s!

Mary and I woke up early in the morning.  She had a gym appointment, and I had to see a cardiologist because I accidentally dislodged my heart monitor when I got out of the car and tripped over a broom in the garage, landing face-first against the tool cabinet.  I will be heading to St. Joseph’s area to have a new monitor installed and make sure that I don’t trip over anything this time.

No use walking in the garden as it is 95% gone right now, and we are just waiting to return from our next cruise to plant the winter garden!  Mary asked me this morning the following question, and I did not have an answer!

Mary always has good ideas!

Departing home, I went to the doctor’s office, and Mary went to the gym.  I was done in 90 minutes and back home at 10:30 a.m. with a brand-new device.  I told her that Mary beat me and it was elder abuse, but she laughed and said she knew better.  She did, however, ask me what I did wrong.  What’s with that?

When Mary returned home, she spent two hours calling various doctors and other organizations while I worked in the garage.  We got a package from Santa, the repair kit for our Roomba robotic floor cleaner.  I replaced the filters, rollers, and scrub brush, and now it operates just like new:

I have parts to keep it running for another two years!

We also got a cobweb duster; oh, the joy of being old and getting excited about cobweb dusters!  We use this on the front of the house as we tend to get cobwebs and clean them off every two months.

What do you call spiders that just got married?  Newly webs!

At 2:00 p.m., we headed out with our first stop, David and Dianne’s, where we dropped some beef stew and other goodies.  We visited with them for a while before departing for Newport Beach and a visit with Dr. Bill, our podiatrist.

We arrived early, so we stopped at Gracias Madre restaurant for a quick glass of wine.   We had to go back for dinner as the menu was quite interesting.

We got to Dr. Bill’s at 4:30 p.m. sharp, and within 15 minutes, my pain was gone!  I had an ingrown toenail that had been bothering me for a month, but Dr. Bill made short work of that persisting pain.  He showed me the culprit, and it looked long and sharp!

Dr. Bill has been a friend for fifteen years or more and has gone to Starlighter’s with Dr. Mary on several occasions.  We took him to dinner at his favorite local eatery, Green Leaf,  where we exchanged war stories for an hour or so.

Mary did her salad, and we men dug into a good old-fashioned burger with fries!

We were home at around 7:00 p.m., and it was dark, so we went to the living room and watched TV.  Using our Apple TV, we watched “Election.”  The plot revolves around a student body election and satirizes politics and high school life.

The film stars Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister, a popular high school social studies teacher, and a very young Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick, an overachieving student he dislikes.  When Tracy runs for student government president, Jim sabotages her candidacy by backing a rival candidate and tampering with the ballot count.  Does this sound familiar?

Robin called on the bat phone, and we began planning out December, a busy time of the year.

We crashed at 9:00 p.m.; it was a good day!  We spent another day just falling in love with Dr. Mary some more!

Posted in Doctor, Just Us, Working Around House | Comments Off on The Weekend Was Too Short; Oops, We Are Retired!