Carve That Punkin’

Posted on Sunday, October 27, 2024 by Paul

Lookout, pumpkins, here we come!!

We were up early to get ready for everyone to join us for the annual pumpkin carving activity.  Robin reminded us that this was her 34th year of partaking in the fun!  We started back in 1987.

Visit the website to see all the pictures!

We took the easy way out this time. We called the local pizza joint, which is outstanding.  The pizzas were delivered almost too hot to handle!

Did we say lunch??

Cleaning the insides with a scoop is so 1990s. We’ve gone battery-powered, adding a kitchen mixer blade to the Makita drill, and off we go. Seeds and pumpkin guts go everywhere, and they’re cleaned out in a flash!

Paul gets the heavy-duty pumpkin cleaner out.

After opening the pumpkins and cleaning out one or two, the control is passed to the newer generation, and our son Joe takes over. He is a master pumpkin cleaner, and he might even give up his day job!

Joe takes over when Paul poops out.

We had a lot of teens with us, and they were having a good time. Watch in amazement as we perform miracles, getting teenagers to work!

Charlie’s lady friends was teased by Grandpa.  While putting food on her plate, she reached for the decorative paper napkins, and I yelled across the table at her, “No!  No! Please do not use the expensive napkins!”  She had that “deer in the headlights” look and quickly tried to put the napkin back.  Everyone knew Grandpa was teasing but her.  I did feel bad afterward, but I will do it again on some unsuspecting person!

The teens go wild.

Mary did her pumpkin in about four minutes flat; she cheated!  Mr. Froggy always returns to the scene of the crime.

No wonder she did it so fast!

The intensity of the work underway was quite impressive. Pumpkin guts and seeds flew everywhere, and decorating tools, including battery-powered saws, were whizzing away. It sounded like a freeway construction site.

The Lind contingent adds to the fun!

Robin and Pete were concentrating on their works of art.

Pete and Robin are going to town on their works of art!

It was the kids versus the adults (we do not know which is which) at the table.

aisley gets into the swing of things.

Then, as if by magic, we were done, and the artists’ masterpieces were displayed.

The artists and their work!

We visited for another hour, and by 6:00 p.m., the house was again quiet as a graveyard—no pun intended.

Mary and I said goodbye and gave everyone additional pumpkins to decorate their homes. It was a wonderful family day!

Remember to see the website to see all the pictures!

Bye Bye!

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Tonight We Change! We Can Be Anything!

Posted on Saturday, October 26, 2024 by Paul

We are off to the Elks!

We worked around the house most of the day and then got prepared for tonight’s extravaganza at the Elks Lodge! Our group is made up of 25 wild and crazy old codgers who definitely know how to have a blast! Imagine a herd of mischievous grandpas on scooters, zipping around like they’re in the Indy 500—except it’s just to get to the dessert table. We might need a referee to keep the bingo games from turning into a full-blown wrestling match! Buckle up because this evening will be more fun than a cat bathing contest!

To ensure we were all together, we visited our neighbor Jeff and got the high sign. We can now proceed to the ball!

Visiting Jeff.

You can see all the photos on our website. 

Paul went into the sleigh while Mary preferred to take other transportation.

“Up, up, and away!!”

When we arrived, our table was ready for all 25 of us!  Dianne came as  Dorothy, the main character who travels the yellow brick road with Toto.

Dianne and Mary!

We needed our resident hippies, and Mike and Linda fulfilled that need! They looked like a psychedelic explosion in a paint factory!

Oh my, the hippies are here.

When our group gets together, mysteries often occur. We called Scotland Yard, and they recommended that Sherlock Homes join us! Donna came along instead of Dr. Watson.

Does anyone need a crime solved?

Then, we went back in time to see Michele and Franklyn play Fred and Wilma well. We were worried that Franklyn’s short outfit might make him cold.

Where are Pebbles and BamBam

With Wilma around, he could survive a zombie apocalypse—she could cook a five-course meal with just a can of beans and a rubber band!

Yolie was scary, and her green face was perfect! Mary helped her learn how to cackle, but it turned out more like a honking goose audition gone wrong. Every time she tried, the neighbors would peek out to see if an avian circus was in town! At this rate, she might just scare off all the trick-or-treaters next Halloween!

Hey Yolie!!

Mary #2 should have auditioned for a part in the latest Hocus Pocus movie.  Iris and Will wore their 1984 Olympics Valet uniforms.

Frightening.

Is there a doctor in the house?  Yup, two of them!!  We were delighted to have Dr. Bill join us, and we got a kick out of him doing the Monster Mash out on the dance floor.

Dr. Bill and Dorothy were kicking up a lot of dust!!

Mary went visiting to make sure all was well with the attendees.

Dr. Bill, Dr. Mary, and Dianne.

When I went to the lobby who was out there directing traffic but Ronnie dressed in his uniform.  Ronnie’s attire is usually bright and loud and is always associated with a flashy style that is flamboyant and extravagant. It usually comprises of bold colored fabric, fur, and oversized jewelry.  He looks like a million dollars, all counterfit!

Our friend Ronnie made sure they played the Monster Mash!

Mary and Robin joined me in the lobby to see Ronnie.

Trick or Treat!

We had a great evening with family and friends.  Remember to see all the photos on our website. 

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Lunch With Becky At The Farmhouse!

Posted on Friday, October 25, 2024 by Paul

Mama is cooking again!

Well, what a fine way to start the day! My hearing aids disappeared last night because they were not in the charger this morning. We looked everywhere for them, but alas, nothing!

We used the iPhone locator, and it told us they were in the kitchen/family room, so we looked high and low.  Everything was moved around like a game of furniture Tetris gone horribly wrong. I swear, our couch is now in a committed relationship with the fridge, and the chair is plotting a coup against the coffee table for hogging the remote!

Honestly, the dog was the only thing not on the move—he was treating the whole chaos like his personal amusement park.

He actually smiles!

We had one last place to look: the TRASH.  So, being a good troubleshooter, I placed the trash bags outside near the trash cans, approximately 150 feet and five walls away from the iPhone.  When I attempted to connect the iPhone to the hearing aids,  there was no signal, meaning they were in the trash.

Back inside came the trash, and Mary and I went through every piece.  Mary found them, but we had no idea how they got there or why I had taken them off in the kitchen instead of the bedroom near the charger!  It is a spooky mystery, for sure.

OK, time for lunch!

We went to The Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens to meet up with Becky and Dan, who were in town for a wedding.

We are at the Farmhouse.

We had a great seat overlooking the people shopping for their next backache. We then enjoyed a lovely lunch, complete with a cheese board and four glasses of wine!

Becky and Dan joined us at about 2:30 pm.

On our way out, we stopped for a photoshoot. You know, just casually pretending we aren’t totally awkward in front of the camera. Who doesn’t love capturing their best “deer in headlights” look?

We departed around 4:30 pm.

The valet asked if we wanted our picture taken together, and he did well! Notice that no feet or heads were cut off!

We had a wonderful lunch!

We chose a sunny spot, and it was bright! We told Dan to remove his shades and not squint. This is one picture out of 50 we took!

Dan and Becky depart the Farmhouse.

The valet tried again and did great, ensuring his shadow was not in the picture.

Good looking group!

When they departed, we went shopping for winter veggies.  We mainly were after lettuce for our salads and found all sorts of interesting varieties.

We went shopping.

While strolling through the garden, a lovely lady offered to take our picture; she liked our Halloween outfits.  Well done, but notice that we have no feet!!

We head home.

At home, we worked around the house.  Mary continued to watch “Lost” while I worked on repairing little odds and ends with my super glue.  The cooking bug bit her and she was off like a flash and started making hard-boiled eggs and applesauce.

Applesauce requires apples to be peeled which means we can try the dehydration function of the new air fryer.  We will see tomorrow morning how it worked.

We crashed around 10:00 pm and dreamed all night about the Elks Halloween Ball planned for tomorrow.

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/533816566270291

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We Are Off To The Elks!!

Posted on Thursday, October 24, 2024 by Paul

We went to the Lodge for a Girl’s Night Out session!

We worked in the office, trying to find the top of the pile of paper and paying bills—oh my! We made progress after a good cup of coffee and getting the old heart started. Mary’s stack is only 8″ high, and I did find the top of the desk along with Jimmy Hoffa!

Today, Scout The Wonder Dog gets to go to the groomers, which he enjoys because people come around and say, “Oh, what a pretty puppy!”  He knows he is fourteen, but he puts on a good front.

We arrived at the Elks Lodge at noon and double-checked our reservations for Saturday night.  We have twenty-five friends and family joining us.  We will miss Joe and Amy and the Lind family tomorrow night.  We understand their kid’s activities keep them entirely occupied, as it should be!

Sydney joined us today and she keeps everyone giggling. Will and George get to see the latest pictures.

We were pleased to have Sydney join us with her father.

We hardly ever get pictures of us as we do the picture taking but today all that changed! Bob Z snapped a couple of us smiling.  Paul is on the right, the one with the beard!

Hey, we are here!

Happy Ninety-Fifth birthday Papa!  Hal is Sydney’s father and he joins in all the time.  He and Iris know things!

We did surprise him and he blew out the candle with gusto!  This time, he kept his teeth in!

Dad is turning 95 next week so we surprised him early.

We departed the Elks around 2:00 pm as we wanted to visit with Sydney for a while.  We then headed to pick up Scout but he was NOT ready yet so we stopped at Aces Bar and Grill for some of their Jalapeno Poppers.

After thirty minutes, we went the groomers called Happy Tails.  Scout has gone to them for eight years now and they love him!  Did you ever see a dog so happy all the time!

Scout loves his groomer.

They pick him up and put him on the table as he is, like me, too old to jump!  The groomers are such nice people and we always recommend them to friends.

He actually smiles!

Dr. Mary checks him out and collects his special shampoo and meds.  He is our baby!  Now he will look pretty for the Pumpkin Carving Party on Sunday!  Scout is awaiting Halloween Eve where he gets to go to the door and be greeted by everyone who comes to see him!

Mama checks him over.

Scout said, “Whoa whoa whoa!  I am not leaving without my scarf!” The groomers always give their clients a scarf for the current holiday or season.

Scout gets is scarf for the season.

When we got home, the girls we talking about a surprise birthday party for someone.  Vicky brought us cookies from Rockwell’s, just what I need.

Vicky and Robin were at home when we got there!

We crashed as it was a long day and twice this week were were busy from morning until night. It caught up with us.

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Another Day In The Week

Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 by Paul

Step right this way!

It is Wednesday because my body hurts, which means we went to the gym!  My trainer tied me to a new machine that was connected to the back of an eighteen-wheeler, or it seemed so! The steel cable got tight, my body stretched six inches, and my cries of pain were heard clear over in Santa Monica. OUCH!!  No longer do they call me Shortie!

We rushed home after ordering our pizza for Sunday’s pumpkin carving extravaganza. I mean, you need pizza to carve Pumpkins.

I am excited about a recent purchase:  Mary’s art travel bag! I took my life in my hands and ordered it without her knowing, but it seemed Mary-like: happy, smiling, cheerful, and full of energy!

Mary can wheel it into class and paint away!  I can carry it to the loft when we return home, where her creative juices will continue to flow!

Little does she know!!

On the way home from the gym, we decided to go to the club for dinner as we needed to pay our “minimum.”

Since the house cleaning crew was here, we opted to go to the club (Old Ranch Country Club)  a little early and have a glass of wine.

What a relaxing view.

As we scurried in the front door, we were met by a plethora of Halloween decorations.  The poor horsey has to endure the decorations; we were sure he was mortified, but he must greet Old Ranchers.

Poor horsey, him got decorated.

Juan was serving us, and we asked if he had seen Charlotte since her trip to Denmark.  He looked up and out the window, and sure enough, Charlotte was coming from the 18th hole.  We texted and waived, and she came in to join us.  I thought about starting a little fire in the ice bucket to get her attention, but I was suggested to cease that activity.

Our golf friends.

After a glass of wine, we headed to Vicky’s, about two and a half miles away as the car flew.  We visited with her and brought her a Christmas present, an air fryer perfect for cooking small meals for Jim and her.

Then, at 5:30 p.m., we left for the ranch to continue the cavorting. The front desk was also decorated to the hilt, and Mary could not resist!

We will take a vote!

We had a wonderful dinner and got updated on each other’s trials and tribulations.  Vicky and Paul did the fantastic chili. Conversations ranged from the light-hearted to the profoundly serious.

Vicky’s serious look!

On our way out, we stopped at the front desk and asked the greeter to take a picture—but do not cut off our heads or legs! She apparently chose legs. I swear, I am going to make a business card that says, “For $10, I will teach you to take pictures of people!”

I would teach them NOT to cut off heads or feet, how to use the portrait mode, how to avoid poles sticking out of people’s heads, and NOT to take a pictures into the sun!  You know, the basics!!

After dinner, on our way home.

Meet Bones, Scout’s new friend.  With all the skeletons surrounding him, he was having a field day.

Scout’s new friend, Bones!

We drove home on a beautiful night. Mary napped, and I listened to The Grand Ole Opry on Willie’s Roadhouse XM radio! We got home around 9:30 p.m. and visited with Scout before going to bed.

That reminds me to use my wrinkle cream!

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Laid Back Tuesday!

Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 by Paul

Dr. Mary is going to paint today!  She is in her painting costume! I hope she doesn’t blend in with the walls and accidentally get painted over!

We were up and going at 7:00 am today because the portable alarm clock (the one with four feet and fur) decided to go off.  To turn the alarm off, we have to put the alarm outside.

Mary made coffee, and we did some office work before jumping in the shower.  We waited for our insurance man, Brian Payne, to drop by.  Brian is a long-time family friend assisting me in replacing my health insurance plan, which is folding at the end of the year.

Brain gave us some sage advice.

After Brian finally escaped, we geared up to chauffeur Mary to her top-secret watercolor class at the Tustin Senior Citizens Center. I suspect they’re creating masterpieces in there that are too scandalous for the general public!

Below is some exciting and useful information about watercolors in general:

1. Watercolors are made from ground pigments and held together with a gum binder that’s water-soluble, of course. The pigments used in watercolor paint can be either natural or synthetic.

2. Watercolor dries a lot lighter than when it is applied. In other words, the color you apply to the canvas won’t be the same color you’ll get once the paint has dried out. The final dried color is about two times lighter than the original color applied to the canvas.

3. Watercolors are safe and practically non-toxic. However, you should still avoid getting it on your hands.

4. Watercolor has been used for many millennia – cave paintings done in paleolithic Europe were done in watercolor. It gained a surge of popularity during the Renaissance when it became appreciated is a proper art medium.

5. Watercolors can be transparent or opaque. Transparent watercolors let the light into the canvas and reflect it back, creating a sort of glowing effect. Opaque watercolors, on the other hand, don’t let the light in as much and instead make it bounce off the pigment, which creates a sort of dull and weathered effect.

6. Watercolor paint comes in tubes or pans. With tubes, you just squirt the paint out and go from there. Pans are square blocks of paint in a plastic or metal box. Generally speaking, tube paints are much easier to mix; they’re also cheaper and are better for creating large washes. As a result, most artists prefer to use tube paints.

7. Fugitive watercolors fade very quickly. Most of the watercolor paints available now are non-fugitive, meaning the color won’t fade as quickly and will last much longer.

8. The same watercolor by different manufacturers may not look the same. If you want to use a particular color, buy your paints from a single manufacturer to ensure consistency.

9. As it is water-based, watercolor paint can be pretty unpredictable. When painting with watercolors, you must learn how to control the paint. Of course, you could let the paint do its own thing and incorporate this into your painting.

Painting number two is pretty impressive! Mary is exceptionally talented.

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.” Alberto Giacometti.

While Mary was being creative, I returned home and did a load of washing, reorganized my closet, put my many shirts back into order, and got the steaks ready for dinner!

After picking her up, we went by the post office to drop off some goodies for Mary’s grandkids and then to Michaels to get a brush and picture frames.  We are searching for a place to show Mary’s artwork; perhaps upstairs in her loft?

We went to Michael’s to get the current artwork framed.

By the time we got home, we were hungry.  Mary went to the garden and picked a mess of green beans.  She then did a side dish of zoodles.  I prepared two steaks for the air fryer.

Through trial and error and changing the setting several time, I learned to make perfect air-fried steaks. This evening, I used a lean top sirloin, and I recommend making sure your steaks are at least 1 inch thick. Thinner steaks cook too fast without getting a chance to brown. I put a little oil (not WD-40 or motor oil)  on the steaks to help them brown better. Adding a dry rub to leaner steaks like this sirloin or chops helps with overall color.

After 10 minutes at 400 degrees, they were perfect!

They came out perfect.

Our timing was perfect, the zoodles and greenbeans were also ready to go!

Did I say perfect??

Some drippings were at the bottom of the air fryer, but they cleaned up quickly.

Are we having fun yet?  Yes, we are!!

We visited Jeff for a while before coming home and crashing!  It’s been a busy day!

Look out, she is cooking again!

 

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Gloves Can Cause A Lot Of Problems!

Posted on Monday, October 21, 2024 by Paul

We enjoyed our morning coffee.

We buy different coffee flavors during the holidays, such as pumpkin spice. This morning, Mary selected an excellent flavor we both enjoyed. As we say, “May your coffee be strong and your Monday be short.”

The chronograph was approaching the bewitching hour, 8:15 am, when we had to go to the gym and discover new parts of our bodies which have yet to be bent to the will of our trainers.  We spend the first 30 minutes on the floor getting loosened up (otherwise known as reducing the snap-crackel-pop sounds).  After the floor exercises, we are steered carefully to machines with awful names such as “The Knee Bender,” “The Triceratops Stretcher,”  and “The Hammer.”

We escaped the gym, running to the car and departing in a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo-Silver!

We quickly stopped at home to get Mary’s car, which was scheduled at the Lexus dealer in Tustin, because the glove compartment would not open. Last week, the technicians said they needed two days to remove the glove compartment from the dash and repair it! Wait, you will love this story!

We both stopped to get gassed at the local 76 on the way!  Precious was empty, and The Silver Fox was half-empty.

We gassed up, precious!

The Silver Fox took six gallons of regular, while Precious took twelve gallons of premium.

We topped off The Silver Fox.

We are off to Lexus of Tustin. Mary explains the situation and returns to The Silver Fox. We wave goodbye to Precious as we wheel out of the dealership. We are heading to the market for milk when the iPhone goes ding-a-ling. The person on the other end is a Lexus technician, and he wants to talk to the ding-a-ling who just dropped off the car.

Mary answered, and the tech said, “It would not open because it was locked!”  We made a 180-degree turn from six blocks away and went back! Yes, Mary tried the key, and it worked as advertised.

Mary, I, and two other people from Lexus tried to open the glove box last week and decided the lock was bad. Today, a millennial tried the key, and the box popped open! We never locked the glove box, so we never considered unlocking it. It’s embarrassing!

We dropped Precious off at home and went to the market after all!

It’s Halloween, so we loaded up on the necessities of life, filling the back of the car to the hilt with goodies for our anticipated cooking activities.

We return from the market!

While Mary shopped, I pushed the three carts: one in front of me, one behind me, and one tied to a rope ten feet away.  By the time we reached the checkout stand, I needed a nap.

We went home again, and I was offered the opportunity to empty the trunk of everything edible.

We just went for milk.

Oh my, the poor fridge is busting at the seams, so tomorrow, we will thin out (meaning tossing out) all science projects older than a month!

Later on in the afternoon, we worked in the yard.  Mary planted some parsley, and I changed the batteries in the water timers.

To work again!

We are watching a series called “LOST”.  Summary:  Lost is an American science fiction adventure drama television series created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof that aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, with a total of 121 episodes over six seasons. It contains elements of supernatural fiction and follows the survivors of a commercial jet airliner flying between Sydney and Los Angeles after the plane crashes on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences, which provide additional insight into the involved characters.

We only have 80 more episodes to go!

Before bed, I trotted outside to see what lightning looked like. GOVEE offers hundreds of lighting options, and I bet that drives the neighbors nuts!

We hit the hay around 10:30 pm, and tomorrow’s agenda is as empty as my stomach during a diet – except for a riveting meeting with our insurance man to change my healthcare plan. It’s like the highlight of my social calendar, right up there with watching paint dry.

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Sunday And Time For Fun!

Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2024 by Paul

We were on the road again!

The morning was fantastic, and we could see 100 miles.  There was not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was forecasted to be 80 degrees.  We had a tiny breakfast and prepared to depart for the Elks at 11:30 am for their annual Christmas Boutique.

Amen!!

We drove leisurely to the Lodge, and the parking lot was packed! Oh My, this activity is becoming more popular every year.

We stumbled upon Robin and Bob, who must have used a time machine to beat us here!  We found Robin’s hair comb, which she had had for thirty years.  She left it at our place last Thursday, so we brought it today!

Checkout the details from the boutique in our webpage.

We met Robin and Bob at the Lodge!

We had a glass of wine before shopping just to loosen up!

I heard someone say, “The witch and the warlock are kissing again? They should get a broom!”

We are ready to go boutiquing!

Wall-to-wall people and booths (not booze!).  We went up and down each aisle examining the wares, some of which were quite clever!!

The house was packed!

The girls found matching scarves, and they came home with us, the girls, and the scarves.

The Bobbsey Twins

My job is bag carrier.  Notice the precise balance between bags and booze; it’s an acquired capability of which I am a grand master.

By the way, look at the shirt. It is a new acquisition from the OC Fair this summer—a High Seas Trading Company special!

I was left holding the bag!

When we stand together, it looks like someone’s paint pallette gone wild.  We are psychedelically challenged.  We did get a lot of comments from the passersby.

Correction! BAGS!

After an hour of serious shopping, we were tired and had to sit down and quench our thirst.  We have been sipping on this one glass of wine all afternoon long.

The kids are off to Disneyland for the rest of the afternoon, and we are going to Benji’s for lunch before they close.

We had a glass of vino before departing.

I told Mary, “Grab your broomstick so we can make a clean getaway.”

We left the lodge around 2:00 p.m. and headed to Benji’s in Tustin, a few miles away. We sat in the bar, and I took a selfie of us.

I have NO IDEA what Dr. Mary is doing because I was concentrating on getting the two of us in the frame.  She mumbled, “Ghouls just want to have fun”

This picture reminds me of Romeo and Ghouliet.

It is safer NOT to ask!!

I ordered a small pastrami sandwich, and they overachieved.  One-half of this puppy went to Jeff, our dear neighbor.  Mary had the chicken noodle soup with a matsaball, otherwise known as Jewish Penicillin!

Here are some fun facts about pastrami:

Origin: Pastrami originated in the Ottoman Empire as a jerky-like meat called pastirma. The name “pastrami” likely comes from the Romanian verb a p?stra, which means “to preserve” or “to keep”.

Immigration: Romanian immigrants brought the recipe to the United States in the late 19th century. They originally used goose breast, but switched to beef brisket because it was cheaper.

First pastrami sandwich: Sussman Volk, a Lithuanian immigrant and kosher butcher in New York, is credited with making the first pastrami sandwich in the United States in 1887.

Pastrami cuts: Pastrami is typically made from point brisket, which has more marbling and fat than the leaner flat brisket used for corned beef. Other cuts that can be used for pastrami include deckle, which is a lean shoulder cut, and navel, which is a juicier cut from the plate.

Pastrami color: Pastrami gets its distinctive pink color from being cured in a saltwater brine that includes spices. Red pastrami, also known as New England style pastrami, is rubbed with additional spices like coriander and paprika, and has a shorter cooking time.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day: January 14th is National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day.

Oh My!! Half went to Jeff (along with a Rootbeer Float)!

Upon returning home, we delivered lunch to Jeff and then napped until almost 6:00 p.m. We had to get up, or we would not have slept all night.

We watched “Diamonds Are Forever.”  Summary: Diamonds Are Forever is a 1971 spy film and the seventh film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth and final Eon film to star Sean Connery, who returned to the role as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, having declined to reprise the role in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).

The film is based on Ian Fleming’s 1956 novel of the same name and is the second of four James Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton. The story involves Bond impersonating a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a smuggling ring and soon uncovering a plot by his old enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, to use the diamonds to build a space-based laser weapon. Bond has to battle his enemy one last time to stop the smuggling and Blofeld’s plan to destroy Washington, D.C., and extort the world with nuclear supremacy.

 

Then we watched “You Only Live Twice”.  James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.

At 11:00 pm, we declared victory and went to bed!  It’s been a great day!!

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It is Saturday Here In Orange!

Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2024 by Paul

Our carriage awaits!

What a glorious morning! The sun is up,  the birds are flying backward to see where they have been,  and we are on the right side of the grass!!  We finally managed to peel ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am – fashionably late for us!

We made coffee and then meandered through the garden, making mental notes of what we should do next time we get a chance. We picked a mess of eggplants, which we will process on Sunday afternoon after the Elks Christmas Boutique.

We do not know how the eggplants go there as we never heard the chickens!

Eggplants also contain vitamin B6, potassium, and folate. Eggplants are related to potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. We call eggplants a vegetable, but they are considered a fruit. The state of New Jersey produces the most eggplants in the U.S.

The Eggplants are ready!

We finished our coffee and worked in the office before our massage!  The masseuse came about 11:00 am, and by 1:00 pm, we were both like wet noodles, relaxed and feeling good.

So, when you are feeling good, what do you want to do?  Mary eyed the kitchen and went to work with me, not far behind.  We made zoodles using our sprial doo-hickey machine!

Three turns of the crank, and we have zoodles!!

The term “zoodles” is a combination of the words “zucchini” and “noodles”. Other names for zoodles include zusketti and zuttuccine.  Zoodles are a nutritious, low-carb, and gluten-free alternative to pasta. They are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium and are low in calories.

Zoodles galore.

When finished, we add this to the zoodles and have a “pasta” dinner without the carbs!  Mary’s Sous Chef does the slicin’ and dicin’; I understand he is a handsome devil!

The stuffing is coming along.

NOTE:  We love working in the kitchen together and we make a well oiled team and by now we can also anticipate what is needed next.  Mary likes it when I clean up as we go so when we sit down to dinner, the kitchen is 90% returned to normal (I charge a little extra for this service!!).

We are saving the zoodles until Sunday, but Mary stuffed some squash with the filling, which was terrific tonight.  The squash was picked two days ago.  We love having our garden.

Dinner time!

It was so good that I even ate the squash’s peel. We cut the squash in half and put it face down in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water. Then, we microwaved it for seven minutes. It was soft, cooked, and ready to be stuffed.

How do squashes greet each other? Gourd to see you!

Beyond yummy!

After dinner, we meandered over to Jeff’s house and harassed him for a while. I changed the house lighting to “lightning,” which was pretty dramatic. I am waiting for the neighbors to complain. No other homes directly face our house, where we are situated on the block, so we are probably safe!

Mary grabbed her needlepoint, and we headed to the TV room to watch Dr. No.    Summary: In the film that launched the James Bond saga, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.

Although Dr. No was the first Bond book to be made into a film, it was the sixth in Fleming’s series, which began with Casino Royale.

We crashed at 11:00 pm after watching “You Only Live Twice” with James Bond.  Summary:  During the Cold War, American and Russian spacecrafts go missing, leaving each superpower believing the other is to blame. As the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war, British intelligence learns that one of the crafts has landed in the Sea of Japan. After faking his own death, secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to investigate. In Japan, he’s aided by Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba) and the beautiful Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi), who help him uncover a sinister global conspiracy.

Posted in Cooking, Just Us, Movies | Comments Off on It is Saturday Here In Orange!

Friday In Some Languages Means “On The Go!!”

Posted on Friday, October 18, 2024 by Paul

Hey, wait for me!!! As Mary says, ” Life’s a witch, and then you fly! “

The Alexa went off, and I damn near fell out of bed!  She said, “You have 45 minutes to get ready to take Precious to the doctor for her checkup!!”

Alexa was not talking about Mary; she was addressing Precious, the car that needed its 11,000-mile checkup. Apparently, even cars need some attention and care from the dealer!

We arrived at Tustin Lexus at 8:00 am and received a list of meds, including oil change, brake fluid change, rotating the tires, and other goodies.  These are NOT based on mileage but on time!  Precious was born in 2018.  The Silver Fox was born in 2020 and already has 50,000 miles on him!

When we got there, I made sure they knew that since it was near Halloween, we were just here for the boos.

We waited almost two and a half hours, but Mary was brilliant and had her needlepoint; I had my iPhone, which I used to reorganized pur security cameras and their associated floodlights.

They are located eight minutes from our home.

On the way home, the freeway was wide open, and we made it in nineteen minutes.  I looked down and saw the speedometer and was going FAST!  I told Mary, “I’m too old for this sheet!”

We had a small lunch, and then Mary went to a Zoom meeting as she is consulting with some doctors on a new medical device.  While that was happening. I spent an hour with my financial advisor.  Good news, we are up 13% for the year!!!

She is interacting with a Zoom group and providing some of her expertise on a new medical instrument.

After the Zoom, we went to Westminister to the Art Supply Warehouse, which has a Friday-Sun sale of 25% off all art supplies.  We got a shopping cart full of stuff, including watercolor paper, which is expensive!

Mary needed supplies!

On the way home, the freeway was wide open, and we made it in about 19 minutes!  I hauled the supplies up the stairs, which required seven trips.  Our pack dog, Scout, usually pressed into service for this type of work, was on his break!  BTW, his break is from 6:00 am until 10:30 pm!

Mary will have a great view from the Loft and get nice light from the Sun all day.

Her view from the Loft!

OK, we are ready to make millions.  I am thinking about putting her work on eBay.  If I put it in a $25 frame, I could sell them for perhaps  $10-20!  It’s pure profit.  Oops, I think my math is a little off.

She is ready to go!

It is 5:15 p.m., and The Silver Fox is revving his engine, ready for the excursion to the Santa Ana Elks down Highway 55. Backing out, I stepped on the electric gas peddle, and The Silver Fox let out a roar that terrified three aunts, two termites, and an earthworm.

The earthworm did not have a chance!!

We made it to the Elks just after Vicky and Jim arrived.   Our bottle of wine awaited us; we are creatures of habit.

At the Elks Lodge!

Dinner was terrific.  Mary had their Halibut, which was the size of a small car  (Pacific halibut are one of the largest flatfish—they can weigh up to about 500 pounds and grow to more than 8 feet long).  I opted for an Elk Burger, and we both dove into the beautiful salad bar.

Here’s looking at you, Babe! It was so fresh that Mary had to slap it three times.

Mary likes the Halibut since both eyes are on the same side.  Halibut are born with eyes on both sides of their head, but one eye migrates to the right side as they grow. This adaptation helps them blend into the ocean floor to avoid predators.

Tummies are full; it is time to dance!!

Ronnie thought he was a DJ, but for the first hour, the only thing dancing was the dust on his old records! We love Ronnie, and he plays waltzes just for us (and a few other old-timers).

Ronnie played a waltz for us.

Thumbs up, Paul made it through the dance without falling over!

We are creating a cloud of dust!

On the way home, we decided to stop at Aces, where Mary discovered she did not have her iPhone. So, in the middle of the night, in a blinding snowstorm with lightning flashing from all directions and thunder so loud that the fire engine siren could not be heard, I pointed The Silver Fox back to the Elks lodge.

I walked in, looked around, and nada, no iPhone.  We figured that someone would call us when they found it.

The Silver Fox returned to Orange despite the seven-foot-high snowbanks, downed power lines, and fallen trees. We shuffled into the house, and the lost iPhone was dead center on the bed just sitting there!

I said nothing; I just fell into bed, shaking my head.  The Silver Fox was in the garage drying out.  We crashed!  I went to sleep thinking about how to superglue Mary’s iPhone to her the next time we go out.

It was a night not fit for man nor beast!

Posted in Dancing, Elks, Friends | Comments Off on Friday In Some Languages Means “On The Go!!”