Fridays Comes From Norse Goddess Of Love, Marriage, And Fertility

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2025 by Paul

We worked around the house, with Mary going through her jewelry boxes. I put away the generator and cleaned up the garage/workbench! Things are looking pretty good. Our landscaper rainproofed the backyard, as we are expecting on Saturday!

Our car wash feller arrived, and we now have two brand-new cars. They look showroom-new, so it will surely rain this weekend! Precious has already gone undercover; she does not want to risk a leak in the garage or splatter when the Silver Fox pulls in!

Next week, we are going to Old Ranch and go back to golf, but mention that we will play once a week, only in the late afternoons, and probably only nine holes, so make us a deal!

We plan to make an offer they cannot refuse!

Mary went through her many jewelry drawers for the rest of the afternoon. I worked in the garage, putting away power cables, restoring the generator to its proper place, topping off the jerry cans of gasoline, and putting tools in their correct locations. I am almost able to find anything now!

My Pulmonologist   (Pulmonology, pneumology, or pneumonology) is a medical specialty that deals with respiratory tract diseases. It is also known as respirology, respiratory medicine, or chest medicine in some countries and areas. Pulmonology is considered a branch of internal medicine related to intensive care medicine. Pulmonology often involves managing patients who need life support and mechanical ventilation.)  he came through with flying colors. Since he was a study founder, he got the insurance company to fund my new meds, hopefully keeping me from having bronchitis again.

The prescription costs $100,000/year without insurance, but I paid less than $100!!! YEAH!!! If it works, I will have no more bronchitis.

The cars are back inside where they belong, as the generator and cables are put away!  I even filled his tummy with gasoline when I went out for lunch (we decided to keep working, so In-N-Out was needed) to avoid having to stop and fix lunch!

The Silver Fox was happy to be inside where it was warm (and next to Precious)

Precious was NOT wearing her fur as it was NOT that cold today for tonight.  I can hardly wait for her to honk, which means, “Daddy, get out of bed and bring me my fur!”

Precious was shivering under her covers!

I have three projects underway to make it spotless. Project 1: Put up some pictures on the wall; Project 2: Replace the LED recessed light in the hallway; and Project 3: Go to the locksmith, open the gun safe, and transfer the 45s and ammo to the new gun safe so we can get to it quickly! (The old gun safe lost its keys, and its battery died!)

The workbench was looking pretty good!

Across from the main workbench are the air compressor, drill press, and many more tools!

The took boxes are now labeled and stuffed to the gills!

All my hand power tools are 18V Makitas, so I wanted to have a supply of batteries.  I have about 15 power tools, from saber saws to small air compressors, 3/4″ impact drills, rotary saws, and many more.  I am equipped to fix anything; all I need is time!

I finally got four more 18V Makita rechargeable batteries; no worrying if I have enough now!

We got ready for dinner at Vittorio’s Italian Bistro, Bill Capps’s favorite hangout. After losing Mary a few months back, he wanted some adult company this evening, so we went to show support for a great guy!!

Great food and atmosphere!! Our favorite piano player was here this evening, tickling the ivories!

I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs because Scout wanted them, and I had to comply.  Mary had the Veal Piccata.  Two other couples, people we had previously met, came along this evening, and they showed up even though Bill warned them I would be present!

My favorite dish!!!

I put some spaghetti on his food, and he gobbles it instantly.

Scout will be dining on this for several days! Little does he know I took one meatball before we packaged it up!

We stopped at Aces on the way home and had a glass of wine.

Someone was sleepy on the way home!

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Thursday Was A Good Day!

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2025 by Paul

Mary and I were moving before 7:00 am and feeling pretty good.  My nose has stopped running, and Mary’s back seemed OK after tripping over the dog again!

We spent the morning in the office tackling a mountain of mail and bills—because nothing says “exciting day” like sorting through envelopes! It was like a boring episode of a reality show titled “The Life of Office Supplies.” But hey, we powered through because the real fun was waiting at the Elks! There’s nothing like trading the thrill of checking statements for the thrill of… well, trying not to start a conga line during lunch accidentally!

We had to find a target to pick on, and today, it was Bill who wanted an egg sandwich, but he said. “They are so messy”.  We helped with suggestions such as: 1) ask for the egg to be fried hard, and 2) ask for Rooster Eggs.    We are always helping Bill!

Teaching Bill how to eat an egg sandwich was fun!

We separated from the Elks after much giggling at 1:00 pm. We were happy that Dianne joined us today and saw what “Girls Night Out” is all about. We hope she continues to join us every week; she would be a welcome addition!

We went home via the dry cleaners and Walgreens.

The wind was whistling, but the weatherman said Friday would be still, and we may get rain on Sunday.

At 3:30 pm, we departed for Benji’s for a surprise party for Ed Roberts, who turns 81 today/  Mary and I went a little early and went to the bar in the back of the restaurant to await Ed’s arrival.   Mary’s new hairstyle, courtesy of the 30 mph winds, is called “Explosion In A Hay Stack.”

What I want to know is how she can be so pretty after walking through a windstorm, and when I do that, I have to chase my toupe two blocks down the street.

We hid in the bar which was out of the wind!

I got the signal: Ed had arrived and was NOT expecting to see us!

Mary gave me the signal. Ed, it is here!

Dang, he is as old as dirt!

When he saw all of us he said, “Holy guacamole!” and “Did I just win the lottery without buying a ticket?”  He was surprised!

We all sat in an expanded booth, and Ed opened his gifts. He was most attracted to the wine. He received several great presents and seemed very happy!

Surprise!!

At the end of the meal, I suggested the men have a “Man’s Dessert,” which means a Root Beer float!! (I can’t spell sas-pa-rella)

The root beer float, also known as the “Black Cow,” was invented in 1893 by Frank J. Wisner, the owner of Cripple Creek Brewing Company in Colorado. Wisner was inspired to create the drink after seeing the snowy peaks of Cow Mountain, which reminded him of ice cream floating in soda. National Root Beer Float Day is celebrated on August 6th. A reverse root beer float is made with root beer ice cream and vanilla soda.

Ed attacked the root beer with a gusto not seen in years!

Your bathroom scale will tell you what you are doing now in the morning!!

Thank you, Bob Z, for taking the picture with “The Good Camera”!

The gang’s all here! We have left-to-right, Jim, Vicky, Mary, Paul, Will, Iria, Our Birthday Boy Ed, and Berry.

Our excellent waitress took a shot and did well capturing everyone!  We had a swell time, leaving wonderful memories.   We remembered that on this day, a few years ago in 1848,  Carpenter James Wilson Marshall found nuggets of gold in California’s American River near the site of a sawmill he was building for John Sutter, ushering in a gold rush.

Root Beer float, it’s a guy thing!

My pastrami sandwich was too big for me, so half of it came home to Jeff, our neighbor.  The half-sandwich looked lonely, so we added soup  and a root beer float to the “care package!”

Oh my… Half is going to Jeff!

I have no idea why we went to bed at 8:00 pm, but it probably had to do with our tummies being full and the house being cool.  By 8:30 pm, we were sound asleep.  Scout wanted out at 11:45 pm, so I went to the patio with him.  After that, I slept solidly until almost 6:30 am.

Good night, Ed, and Happy Birthday!

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We Are On The Move!

Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 by Paul

The gym was ready, with the front door looking like its mouth was open and teeth showing.  We felt like lambs being led to the wolves!  We got beat up for almost 60 minutes AFTER riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes earlier.  I plan NOT to go to the next session; instead, I will hit myself on the back for an hour using a meat tenderizer!

We wobbled back to the car, plopped ourselves in the front seat, and, with a great burst of energy, told The Silver Fox to take us home.  We zoomed home, a whole 1.1  miles away from the gym!

Home is where the work starts!  We cleaned, organized, and prepared the house for Domilita and the crew who will arrive around 2:00 pm.

At 1:00 p.m., our friendly technician, Len, stopped by to install Windows 11 on Mary’s brand new computer. She was running on Windows 2, and when she attempted to install the latest OS, the machine said…

So Mary now has a new Windows Eleven-powered PC, complete with a 27″ monitor,  and all the bells and whistles!  Now, all we have to do is retrain her!  Oh my!!

So neat and organized, I did NOT recognize it.

Len left around 5:00 p.m., and we cooked another steak with mushrooms; we are getting this down to a science!  Today we split the steak and that was plenty for both of us.

We’re diving into bed early tonight because tomorrow is another action-packed Thursday! You know, the kind where we tackle the daunting tasks of laundry, going to lunch, going to a birthday party, and trying to remember if we locked the front door! It’s basically an Olympic sport at this point!

As we sent to bed, we got an email from good old SCE saying “we may turn off your power at anytime because of high winds”.  All we can say is, GREAT!

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I Feel Much Better Already!

Posted on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 by Paul

We love our mushrooms!

It was lovely to wake up with headlines revealing that Trump is keeping his promises!  We love to see the fur fly and the leftist get tossed out on their ears!  Bring back common sense!

We worked around the house until it was time to attend the art class at 1:00 pm.  This will be Mary’s second class of the second session, so I am excited to see what she will be doing.   She bounced out of the class like a second grader waving her artwork, and I was taken aback because this assignment was NOT easy!

The teacher slowly but surely moves the students toward making human faces.

Hello Mr. Giraffe!

We stopped at CVS on the way home to pick up some meds and then went VFR to the house were we relaxed most of the afternoon.  My nose was leaking like a small river! It was not a cold but a pesky allergy, something I never had until I turned 80.

We decided to do a nice sit-down dinner of marinated steaks and some mushrooms.

I added several “secret ingredients to the mushrooms,” including a drop of Italian dressing!

While I prepared the steaks, Mary picked peas in the garden and fixed them up as vegetables.  Nothing is better than fresh veggies right from the garden! Unless, of course, you count the sheer joy of discovering a tomato that’s been sunbathing a little too long and has turned into a squishy, salsa-ready surprise!  It’s like nature’s way of saying, “Surprise! You’re having a salad explosion for dinner!”

I love our flat pan with the grooves at the bottom, which leave the steaks marked perfectly!

Did we say steak??

We had a wonderful dinner and watched a little TV before crashing.  We even watched the news, which we normally do not do when Biteme was “president”; it was too sad to watch all the stupidity that went on!

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An Amazing Day; A Breath Of Fresh Air!

Posted on Monday, January 20, 2025 by Paul

We are off and running!

We listened to the inauguration activities from early in the morning until we departed.  After these past four reckless years of sleepy Joe and his clowns, his speech almost brought me to tears.  Common sense comes back!  There are ONLY two genders!  People will NOT be let into the country willy-nilly.  The silly DEI crap will finally go away!

We got ready to go around 3:30 pm to the Long Beach Republican Club’s inaugural ball help at the Grand in Long Beach!

I will drink to that!!!

We got there about 45 minutes early but were welcomed by the board members.  We had a drink and awaiting the party to start!  We had a reserved table courtesy of Dianne and it was a perfect location!

The ball was opened with patriotic music; we all sang!

Mary and Dianne were doing a solo!

Looking good!

This was our theme song tonight!

We walked around and got pictures with our new president.

Mr. President, we have to additional cabinet suggestions for you!

We met several new people at our table and had excellent conversations.  When the music began, MAry and I started dancing.  We had the floor to ourselves.  Larry Fresch and his band made beautiful music.

We were dressed for the occasion!

We loved the backdrop.  HAPPY DAYS are indeed here again!

They have several places to have your picture taken to celebrate our new president.

We had a nice dinner and decided to head for home around 9:00 pm.

Mr. President, it is a pleasure to meet you!

It was a glorious affair and everybody was so excited and happy!  We crashed early.

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It’s Cold!! At 9:30 AM It Was 49 Degrees Outside! Brrrrrrrrr!

Posted on Sunday, January 19, 2025 by Paul

We did not wake up until a little past 7:00 am.  We heard the roosters giggling because they were up first!

In the afternoon, we did some chores around the house, and I fixed a big steak for brunch because we are dancing tonight at the Starlighters.

It was 4:30 p.m., and we were ready to go! We arrived at 5:00 p.m. to help set up; we are on the board of directors and have duties ahead of each dance!

The theme was “Putting On The Ritz,” and we definitely put it on this evening.  We expected 104 people and at final cont, we had 102 members and guests this evening.  The Elks put on quite a show!!

We rocked the room!

We are ready to dance!!

Our favorite aunt (or Mom) was with us this evening. Irene is a magnificent lady; we all enjoy her, especially Scout!!  Irene, Vicky, and Jim make all the centerpieces.

Irene

The centerpieces always follow the theme; this time, it was a 1920 automobile with champagne glasses all lit up! These little gems take hours to assemble and set off the table nicely!

The club’s board of directors [pictures were on display, but I noticed Mary and my picture were from 2018 the Christmas Play in 2018, two years before our first “date.”

We all work hard to make the dances nice for everyone!

Bob and Donna are special friends! You know, the kind of friends who share everything—except their snacks. Bob claims he’s on a “see-food” diet: he sees food and eats it, while Donna proudly sticks to her “nothing outrageous” diet, meaning she only eats outrageously good food. They once tried a cooking class together, but let’s say the fire department wasn’t thrilled about their “flambé” technique! Now they stick to microwaving leftovers and calling it gourmet.

They brighten up the room, especially as they glide across the dance floor with such aplomb.

Dancing wizards!

Of course, Vicky and Jim were there. Vicky picked the theme, and Vicky and the crew worked hard to make it nice for everyone. We had a five-piece live band this evening, and they were terrific.

Jim and Vicky had the table in the rear so they could watch everything.

Mary and I took pictures and posted them on the Starlighters Website for everyone to see (Click the link!).

Just us!

We headed home around 10:00 p.m. to visit our baby, who was outside, keeping the elephants at bay!

 

 

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Sad-A-Day Done Arrived!

Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2025 by Paul

Breakfast Is Served!

The world keeps spinning, doesn’t it? Today was no exception! We were up and cleaning before the sun was fully awake—by 7:00 am, we were on it. It’s just another busy day, but who doesn’t love a little chaos?

Dru was joining us for “Orientation Day” at the Elks, so we prepared ourselves for that big event at noon. Mary and Dru headed off to the meeting while I drank two Hot Toddies—hey, someone has to ensure the house is safe from boredom! After our so-called “meeting,” we had some lunch, which was homeward-bound.

In the afternoon, Mary worked in her closet while I napped.  4:00 pm and we are on the road again, back to the Elks for an 85th birthday party!  Larry Collier was celebrating this evening.

We dined and danced and watched the video of Larry growing up in Downey, California!!

We rocked the room!

Dinner, dancing, and a nostalgic video of Larry growing up—we were living our best lives! And let me tell you, we rocked that room with some impressive moves. Our table was filled with The Z’s, the Kuhns, and another lovely Starlighter couple, making it quite a lively gathering.

Just us! (I get surgery next week for the facial spots)

Just a heads up, I’ve got surgery next week for those pesky facial spots, so I was soaking up the fun tonight. We wrapped up the evening around 9:30 pm, exhausted but happy, knowing we’ve got Starlighters to look forward to tomorrow!

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Work Work Work Work Work! Phooey!

Posted on Friday, January 17, 2025 by Paul

That’s all we did!  Nothing romantic just worked.  In the afternoon, I got my beard fixed and went grocery shopping.   I was shocked at the prices!

Mary made a nice dinner, and we went back to work!

We crashed at 9:30 pm after watching a couple of movies WHILE WE WORKED.

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Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2025 by Paul

Today, we have two items on the agenda: Girl’s Night Out and dinner with the Linds. The remaining portion of the day will be spent continuing cleaning activities. Today’s targets are Robin’s Nest Closet and Mary’s Closet.

We talked a lot about our garden. Soon, we will have to trim the grapes, clean up the winter garden, turn the soil, and prepare to plant the Summer Garden in March.

We may try a couple of these in one of our large barrels.

We went to the Elks and arrived at about 11:45 am.  Gail Peterson joined us along with Sydney and her dad, so we had a large table of noise makers today!   Iris, who is 98 years young, was in great shape today and filled the room with giggles.

As we left, we couldn’t help but notice the romantic setting for Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, thinking we’re stuck on a ship with Jon and Sarah, who somehow think a margarita-fueled karaoke session is the perfect way to celebrate love.

Nothing says romance like hearing Jon attempt “Endless Love” while Sarah tries to drown him out with “Despacito.” At least the ocean will be our witness when we throw our terrible singing overboard as an offering to the love gods!

Getting Ready!

Back home, we relaxed, cleaned, and organized. I spent some time getting our website ready for the gardening activities.

As we departed for dinner at the Linds, I captured our romantically themed house with pink and red lights around the front yard!

We love the Govee lights; we never have to climb a ladder again!

It took 40 minutes to drive from Orange to La Habra, and our timing was perfect! As we drove up, Becca and Lilly were getting home, so we decided to caravan to dinner.

El Cholo was one of LA’s first Mexican restaurants and is now over 100 years old, being founded in 1923.

When I was going to USC, I would go to El Cholo with my fraternity brothers whenever I could!

I had the” Chile Con Carne” (1923), which features tender beef, traditional chile sauce, tortillas, and guacamole.  1923 signifies that it has been on the menu for 100 years!

The dinosaur king enjoyed his books!

We shared the latest gossip with Zach and Becca, getting the lowdown on work, sports, family, etc.

He has grown up to be quite the family man; his father would be very proud, as are we!

We had a super dinner and got to visit with Lilly and Remi.  As we departed, I snapped a bye-bye shot of us going to the parking lot.

Nice looking family!!

We were cruising down the road when I felt a sneeze creeping up on me. Just as I was about to grab a tissue, the car hit a bump, which turned into a full-on runny nose attack! The dark made it harder for me to navigate the tissues, so I ended up looking like a cartoon character!

Mary went to bed and read while I worked on the website. By 10:00 p.m., we were out like lights!

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Today Is Hump Day – We Are On The Move!!

Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 by Paul

7:00 am came early today, and we needed all the rest we could get.  First, head to the gym to get loosened up and stretch these tired old muscles.

After the workout, we went to CVS, got some meds, and then we headed home!

Returning home, Mary got ready for this afternoon’s adventures, including visiting the dentist at 1:00 p.m., seeing part of Charlie’s soccer game at 3:30 p.m., and dinner with Kyle and Robin at Patty’s Place at 5:00 p.m. Oh my!

I had a few minutes to update our gardening website at http://lilesnet.com/gardening/index.htm.  It needed to be refreshed and updated to account for the move to Orange from Rossmoor.  I also included how we built the new garden!

The picture below was “opening day”!

Opening Day! We drank the champagne instead of breaking the bottle over the sign!

While Mary was getting ready, I thought I would write a quick letter to Joe since he was so nice during the windstorm:

Dear Son,

I’m writing slowly because I know you can’t read fast.

We don’t live where we did when you left. Mary read in the paper that most accidents happen within twenty miles of home, so we moved.

I can’t give you the address because the last family to live here removed the numbers from the house so they wouldn’t have to change their address.

We got a new washing machine. I put four shirts in the first day, pulled the chain, and haven’t seen them since.

It only rained twice this week—three days the first time and four days the second time.

About the coat you wanted me to send, Mary said it would be too heavy to mail with the buttons, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.

Your sister had a baby this morning. I haven’t found out whether it’s a boy or a girl, so I don’t know if you’re an aunt or an uncle.

Your Nephew Connor fell into the whiskey vat. Some men tried to get him out, but he fought them off playfully, so he drowned. We cremated him, and he burned for three days.

Three of your friends went off the bridge in a pickup truck. One was driving, and the other two were in the back. The driver got out, rolled down the window, and swam to safety. The other two drowned because they couldn’t get the tailgate down.

There’s not much more to tell this time. If you don’t get this letter, let me know, and I’ll send another one.

Love, Dad

About six months ago, we had a 1:30 p.m. appointment with the tooth surgeon to uncover two inserts in my mouth.

We kibitz around all the time!

Dr. Gragga is a great guy and pretty much painless!  Now that I am in position, the camera is shut off, and he jumps on my chest with vise grips, a 5-pound sledgehammer, and an assortment of chisels!

We were called out for a special medical situation, so we did not leave the office until almost 4:00 p.m. when we texted Joe and Charlie to let them know we would miss the game!

OUCH!!

Once I stopped screaming at the top of my lungs and put drops in my eyes due to the incessant crying, we left for Los Alamitos to visit our jewelry store and pick up a ring for Mary.

We then went to Patty’s Place, arriving there at 5:00 pm, a little early, but we sat at our booth, and Nick, the owner, came by and chatted with us for quite a while.

Patty’s always has fresh flowers.

Since arriving early, we had a glass of vino (I had a “purple gin”) and ordered some hard-boiled eggs. We did what we usually do, laughing and giggling the whole time.

Robin joined us around 5:15 pm, and we coordinated future activities with her.

Kyle came in about 5:10 pm and joined us for dinner!

We spent almost three hours visiting and retrieving memories of days gone by. It was good to see Kyle, as he is a sharp young man. Oh my, he told us he would turn 50 in a few months! I can remember him at Boring, still wearing short pants!

Patty’s is known in the local area for outstanding meats and fish; they did it again last night! Mary had the rack of lamb while Kyle and I did a giant sea bass.  Roobin had a salad.

Mary had a little lamb!

A chip shot for the road, and we’d be off—assuming we don’t get sidetracked by a squirrel convention or an impromptu dance-off with some pigeons. You never know what adventures await when you’re trying to leave!

We pointed The Silver Fox towards home, and off we went.

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