Hump Day And We Are Off And Running!

Posted on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 by Paul

Did You Know? The fatty deposits on a camel’s back are called humps. Camels use their humps to store fat, which they can convert to energy when food is scarce. The size of a camel’s hump can indicate its health, with a more prominent hump generally indicating a healthier camel. When a camel uses the fat in its hump, it will droop and look deflated, but it will return to normal with proper food and rest.

I looked at the “Best Of Christmas 2023” on our website, and it was nostalgic!

6:30 am, and we are in the office pounding away on the keyboards, sending signals worldwide!  We had our coffee and morning laughs before getting ready to go to the hair parlor.  We did NOT tell Scout. Otherwise, he would follow us all morning, wanting to get pretty.

Scout stayed in the hallway, ensuring we left with him! We tippy-toed out the door!

At 9:00 am, we were whizzing on our way in the “Little Saint Nick”!  Precious needed to go outside and recharge her batteries! Precious didn’t know there was a song about her!  Thank you, Beach Boys!!

Just a little bobsled, we call the old Saint Nick
But she’ll walk a toboggan with a four speed stick
She’s candy apple red with a ski for a wheel
And when Santa hits the gas, man, just watch her peel

It’s the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)
It’s the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

Run run reindeer
Run run reindeer (whoa)
Run run reindeer
Run run reindeer (he don’t miss no one)

And haulin’ through the snow at a frightening speed
With a half a dozen deer with Rudy to lead
He’s got to wear his goggles ’cause the snow really flies
And he’s cruisin’ every path with a little surprise

We whizzed down to Huntington Beach to meet with our beautician (when she saw me, she reminded us that she was NOT a magician!).  We had a few minutes to go next door and had a quick breakfast. Mary did an omelet, and I, unfortunately, did TWO bagels.

At the corner of Stop and Don’t Stop were the usual statues of HB kids getting ready to go to the beach, but this time, they had their Santa hats on!  Mary persuaded me to leave the shop and walk two blocks to get a photo of them.

The HB surfers were dressed for the season!

While inside the parlor, deciding whether or not to have my beard trimmed, I ran across an old Hollywood site with photos from years ago! This photo is almost 100 years old! It shows the Marx Brothers looking quite dapper out of costume and makeup. Chicago, 1930.

From left: Zeppo, Groucho, Chico, and Harpo.

We departed the saloon all prettied up and headed to see Dr Bill, our friend and podiatrist!  I had an ingrown toenail that was giving me fits.  He took care of it, and I can walk again!

While leaving the saloon, we got a text from Robin, who was at the airport on her way to spend the weekend with an old friend in Phoenix.  December 5th is her birthday, and we will miss celebrating it with her and Bob (and Nick), but we will do it as soon as she returns.

Pre-flight calming liquid!!

From there, we went home to pick up Scout for his doctor’s appointment.  He has had a terrible allergy problem and was scratching himself all over.   He got a shot, and we changed his diet substantially. I hope that helps!   The doctor gave him a thorough exam and was surprised at how well he was doing at the ripe age of fifteen!!

“I am warning you… One more shot, and I shall bite you!”

When we got home, it was almost dark, so we decided to take a vote! Should we work around the house or relax? The ballots were cast, and the result was decisive: 2-0 for RELAXING.

We watched a so-so Christmas movie called “Nextdoor for Christmas.”  It was funny, but not in the “A” category! I then watched “Armor” alone while Mary checked for light leaks in her eyelids.

Scout and I stayed up another thirty minutes and followed Mary to bed!  It’s been a long day!

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The Decorating Continues Before And After The Dentist!

Posted on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 by Paul

When our eyes opened, a little tape recorder began to play. It said, “Should you accept this assignment, we need you to finish decorating your house before the authorities condemn it.  This message will self-destruct in three seconds!”

Then, POOF, the recorder went up in smoke!  Finish today? Are they crazy? That’s a Mission Impossible!

As we had a 10:40 am dentist appointment, we got ready to go early and decorated until the last minute.  At 10:00 am, the Silver Fox was making tracks down the 55 to the 405 to Huntington Beach.  Mama, in her kerchief, and I, in my nightcap, sat down in the dentist’s chair for a long winter nap.  Then we found out they ran out of Nitrous Oxide!

We had no Dr. Annie today, she was at her doctor’s appointment so we got our toofers cleaned and then saw Dr. Nagel, Senior, her father.

Dr. Annie works with her father and uncle in the dentist’s office.

By 12:15, we were done and on our way to Mary’s painting class.   We did NOT have breakfast or lunch, and no time to stop and grab anything before dropping Mary off at the Tustin Community Center for Wayward Watercolor Artists.

As she threw her big red bag over her shoulders, I drove off  suggesting she ask the instructor to do the lesson today  about Christmas!

Being single-minded, I went right home and went to work finishing decorating.  I attacked the bar area, which was a jumble of stuff.  I arranged everything so they could be seen and out of the way of things we needed to use, like the Bat Phone (otherwise known as Alexa)!

The bar area is complete!

I did the “Shell Case,” where I carefully placed and arranged my mother’s 60-year-old wine bottle collection, which she made up to be the Wise Men using paper mache and white glue. The product was then carefully painted by Mom.

The picture on the right hand side is a fall watercolor by that famed artist directly from Paris, Mary, la nouvelle aquarelliste incroyablement talentueuse.

The Wisemen are on display!

The phone rang, and Mary said she would be done in 20 minutes.  I threw open the sashes and onto the newly fallen snow; the Silver Fox and his 300 tiny reindeer sped down the street, leaving reindeer poop along the way (so we could find our way back!).

As I pulled up, Mary was walking out with her new masterpiece.  I framed it with my Framit software,

She has only two more classes in this session, and the teacher suggested she try oil painting.   (I offered her my collection of WD-40 cans but the offer was refused?) I suggested she do another watercolor and an oil class; she enjoys it so much!

We returned home, at which time Mary attacked the kitchen with an enthusiasm I had not seen since the last time we went twenty hours without food!   She recreated Thanksgiving dinner, and we enjoyed a glass of wine.  We had everything from Thursday’s meal, and I had time to savor Robin’s cranberries.

No dilly-dallying tonight—we stormed the house like a pack of caffeinated raccoons!

You can see the results of our activities on our website.

Simply Mary!

We even hung the wall decorations. My mother created the piece below in the 1960s by gluing “junk jewelry” into a red velvet-covered picture frame. Over the years, we have added or replaced some of the jewelry because it sometimes falls off.  The picture is like me, things keep falling off due to age.

We put up Mom’s “Junk Jewelry” Christmas Tree.

We did not have to add the picture below as it is always in the entranceway, a reminder of how blessed we are to be together and enjoying the twilight of our lives.

Indeed it is!

All the trees are now up and operational; they have new batteries!  Walking through the house at night is scary because trees and mooses start playing by themselves.

By the end of the evening, everyone was smiling even Mr. Ugly!!

We watched a movie called “A Christmas Karen.”  Summary: Karen is an entitled middle-aged woman whose demanding nature has alienated her neighbors and family. After several incidents displaying her privilege and prejudice, Karen receives an intervention from some unconventional spirits.

It was funny and quite entertaining.

Sleeping Beauty did NOT make it through the movie as she was on the go since 7:00 am this morning without stop!  At 9:30 pm, I turned off the TV and got her vertical (no easy task) and headed her towards the bedroom.  She was giggling and laughing the whole time reminding me of the squirrel scene from the Family Vacation movie.

Scout and I patrolled the backyard making sure there were no elephants hiding in the bushes!

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Now We Get To Work!

Posted on Monday, December 2, 2024 by Paul

We were working bright and early!

Honestly, we did NOT have a glass of wine until 9:00 am (It was 5:00 pm somewhere, right?).  We began unpacking the boxes and marveling at things we had never seen.  Well, maybe when we packed it away last year, but that was a year ago!

As the day wore on, more and more boxes were unpacked, and their contents began to take over the house like an enthusiastic family of squirrels on caffeine.

One minute, it was a standard living room, and the next, it looked like a yard sale exploded—half the couch was now buried under a pile of mismatched Santas, and the kitchen had somehow become a shrine to every goofy decoration you never knew you needed but now can’t live without.

If this keeps up, I’m expecting a sitcom to be filmed in our hallway any minute now!

Fewer and fewer boxes remain inside.

The phrase “Isn’t this cute?” was repeated many times as we made discoveries, and after our fourth Christmas together, it is hard to remember whose decorations came from where!  That’s a good thing!

“Where does this go??”

At 7:30 p.m., we stopped and watched two Christmas movies. The first one was a Hallmark movie, which was outstanding, as expected.

Then I was allowed to choose and went for “Christmas Vacation: with Chevy Chase.  Summary: As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and children as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.

There were parts of the movie that were a little on the raunchy side but what else would you expect from National Lampoon!

I learned something I was not aware of, Chevy Chase’s aunt provided the voices in several movies.

I didn’t know that!!

Sleeping Beauty went sound asleep so after the movie was over I gave her a kiss and sent her to bed wile Scout and I visited the backyard to make sure we had no elephant sin the garden!

Someone was pooped out by 8:00 pm!

Goodnight house, we will clean you up tomorrow!!!  I sounded like the Ghost Of Christmas Future.

On our way to bed we estimated we were 70% done.

After working all day, we crashed and burned with our eyes slamming shut on their way to the pillow!!

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Campus Jax Here We Come!

Posted on Sunday, December 1, 2024 by Paul

Today, we got ready to start decorating by moving thirty-two boxes from the garage into the family room.  We failed and only got about half moved!

This will prepare us for the real decorating beginning Monday morning.

For the remainder of the day, we  remained in the office until it was time to go to Campus Jax and hear Michael Bubbles, Vicky’s favorite singer!    Mary finished off deleting her emails from 2010-2020.

Jax was sold out, but Vicky got tickets early,ets early and we had the best table in the house!

We had a lovely meal and time to visit our friends before the show began.

Everyone at the table are our dancing friends from years gone by!

The show was great, with a lot of Christmas music bringing back memories from yeagoe by!

We were within a few feet of him and the ten-piece band.

We even got a short video to share!

Please take a look at more of our pictures on our website.

The music made your feet want to tap the tune, and we saw many people singing along with Anthony asbelted out the classics!  I felt a little old when he mentioned there were “classics” and they were brand new when I was a kid!!

We were decorated for the evening!

We headed home after a brief stop at Aces.  It was a super evening!

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Out With The Old; In With The New!

Posted on Saturday, November 30, 2024 by Paul

We got to work early, collecting all the remaining fall and Thanksgiving decor and putting it into one spot for packing!  Soon, the 28 cases of Christmas will arrive, and we will be decorating like mad, hoping to be done by the 3rd.

Every day during the Christmas season is now filled with activities!  Today, Vicky and Jim invited us to a holiday Carpenters Tribute in Downey, and we will dine at Los Compadres in Norwalk.  Viva Food!!

Delicious authentic Mexican meals!

The food was so authentic that I took one bite, and suddenly, my taste buds were doing the salsa, and I was spouting off in fluent Spanish.

By the end of the meal, I was confidently ordering in Spanish!  (OK, I pointed to my selections).  Who knew a burrito could turn me into a multilingual foodie?

Listen to me…. “El come oh to the el table!”  Pretty good, huh?

There goes my diet!  It looks innocent but behind that exterior is a fire NOT easy to put out!!

As my tongue returned to normal after being subjected to a fiery delight! I managed a smile thinking all the while, “where are the fire extinguishers?”

We were ready to celebrate!

We were so busy talking that I forgot to take pictures of our plates EXCEPT for dessert!

Dessert anyone? The dessert disappeared in a matter of seconds!

We drove about four miles to Downey and the Downey Theater, a 760-seat facility that was quite nice, I half expected the seats to start serving popcorn and critiquing the show!

The Downey Theater is now 55 years old.

You can come and see more of our adventure on our website. We even have a couple of videos and some history lessons included.

A trip back in time chocked full of Christmas magic!

The impersonator, Sally Olsen, looked identical to Karen Carpenter. When Sally sang, a video of Karen Carpenter appeared on the silver screen. They even wore the same clothes. The show was truly remarkable. The performances were exceptional, and the attention to detail in the production was impressive. It created an immersive experience that captivated the audience from start to finish.

Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer who was most popular in the 70s. She is known as the singer of the group the Carpenters. Karen had anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder of extreme weight loss dieting. This was a little-known illness at the time.  It isn’t easy to believe she has been gone 40 years!

The show was quite impressive.

We took a photo-op at the three in the lobby.

That’s us!

Let us hear a Ho-Ho-Ho from both of you!!!

Mr and Mrs Claus.

Having dear friends with whom to enjoy the holidays is a beautiful feeling.

Indeed

 

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Christmas Season Has Started1

Posted on Friday, November 29, 2024 by Paul

Now, we become quick-change artists!

We woke at “0-dark thirty”, turned off the turkey carcass pot, and waited until it cooled before deboning the remains.  Then, we chopped up onions, carrots, garlic, and potatoes, added them to the pot, and started heating everything again!

After 45 minutes of simmering, we finally took it off the oven, excited to see if we’d created a culinary masterpiece or an elaborate science experiment. Now, we’re letting it cool—mainly because we’re too scared to taste it right away. If it’s too hot to handle, it’s probably too weird to eat!

We finished off the turkey carcass soup!

Meanwhile, we got ready for lunch with Dan and Becky.  We selected Javier’s in Crystal Cove, an upscale Mexican Restaurant with outstanding service and delicious selections!  Their food presentations ar exceptional.

Lunch at Javier’s in Newport Crystal Cove

The kids were in great spirits and will return home tomorrow. We had a couple of hours to share all the activities we have all been up to.

We were happy to see them!

The girls were so happy to see each other that they nearly staged a musical number right there in the restaurant. Mary started spinning in circles around our table and declared, “I missed you so much, I could hug a cactus!” Becky chimed in, “Well, I’d rather hug you! Just promise you won’t make me do the Macarena again!” They both burst out laughing, causing a nearby patron to stare at them like they were the weirdest humans alive.

My of my!

After getting home, we changed and got ready for our annual trek to Brea for dinner and then to the Curtis Theater to see “The Alley Cats.”    We had dinner at the Cedar Creek Inn.  You can see the whole event on our website.

Everyone was early; we wanted to begin Christmas early.

Just us in our “Out On The Town” costumes! I mean, who knew to be Christmas superheroes  we only needed Christmas sweater and a Christmas jacket.  IWe had on our Santa hats and were just minutes away from saving the world?

Our outfits scream “fashion statement,”  and we are ready to go into hyper-drive for the net thirty days!

There was a gaggle of us!

The twelve of us enjoyed our meal and we were happy than Bill Capps joined in all the frivolity!

Our tummies are now full to the top!!

The show was terrific; we laughed, giggled, and applauded all night long!  Each year, there is something different!

The show kept us on the edge of our seats.

From a few years ago:

At the end of the show, we were flying high!

As you can see, we all had a wonderful time!!

Dianne, Mary, and I headed home without a speck of traffic.

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Posted on Thursday, November 28, 2024 by Paul

Please share the day with us on the Liles Family Website.

We were up bright and early, preparing for friends and family to arrive and partake in a Thanksgiving feast.

Joe and the boys, Alex and Charlie, were the first to arrive, as they had other plans for the afternoon. They helped the older man remove Christmas from the attic. The three removed everything in about ten minutes—it would have taken me a week!

Liles surrounds Mary’!

Everyone began arriving at noon, with Greg bringing up the tail (he stopped for some supplies we asked for, so he was excused).

 

We had two turkeys, enough for sixteen people, but we only had ten this year (the Liles and Linds had other plans).

Time to wrap, so I got out my industrial-strength foil, which made wrapping a breeze!

Mary wondered why I had bought this massive roll of aluminum foil; now she knows!

The birds were ready, and it was time to carve.  Mary and I make a great team, slicing and dicing without losing a finger.  It is good to have a doctor in the house!

Should we be playing with knives?

The lineup begins!  We had enough food for a small army, and everything was beautiful.  The stuffing was amazingly moist, and the turkey was super.

Connor joined us this year by himself, and he was a great help!!

Mary tells stories and then guides the folks to the line where they fill up on goodies!

Mary tells about the olden days when she had to go out into the forest and hunt down the turkey!

We needed entertainment, so I suggested we all do the Hokey Pokey.   Mary finally got up and joined us, but Sydney and I began putting our right arm out and then in and then turning around or something like that!

Sydney and Paul provide the entertainment!

Get ready… CAUTION CAUTION:  Not for the faint of heart!!!

I read in a cooking magazine last week that these two brands came in #1 and #2, so I bought both, and there was a difference.  Sydney’s whipping cream had more calories, fats, and sugar!

We had a whipped cream taste test going on!

We had a wonderful dinner and dessert and then headed to the front yard to say goodbye to everyone.

Good night, Sun!

When we returned to the house, the doorbell rang —it was “Fast Eddie” and Dianne! What a wonderful surprise!  We shared a glass of wine and some stories of years gone by.

Fast Eddie enjoyed the tour of the house and garden!

Throughout the day, I remembered Thanksgivings from seventy years ago at the little house in Paramount, California.  Sometimes, I long for a simpler life (as long as Mary accompanies me on the adventure)!

I hope you all had a great day!!

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T-1 Again! This Time It Is For Turkey Day!

Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 by Paul

I am so glad to be here and celebrating the 79th Thanksgiving!

6:00 am and the alarm sounds off, scaring me to death as two English blokes yammer back and forth about turning off the alarm.   Why 6:00 am when I should be getting my beauty rest?  I had forgotten we were going for a clandestine meeting with our secret chef, codename “Calendar.”

The top-secret instructions required us to come in a grey car, so we took The Silver Fox.  There was no repainting required.  We had an 8:00 am rendezvous time behind a large building on Katella Boulevard.  The further instructions said to watch for a large 18-wheeler truck and bring the receipt to the officer in charge.  Scout offered to go as he likes being “undercover.”

The Spies!

We made it to the rendezvous, and Mary did her quick extraction and went to the designated meeting place.  I remained in the car for a quick getaway should that be needed; besides, I can’t lift anything over 10 pounds! I tried once, and my muscles went on strike. Now they send me angry texts: “We’re not lifting that — we didn’t sign up for this kind of abuse!” At this rate, I’ll have to hire a team of ants or invest in a really strong balloon!

On our way home, I saw a clever YouTube Video!!!  I had to giggle a bit.

We arrived home, cleaned out the outside fridge, made a timeline for tomorrow’s cooking activities, and set up the bowls for the warming activities.  After four years, we are getting organized!  Robin, Bob, and Irene will be here to help so everything will be OK!

2022: Oh my…… another feast is being prepared for family and friends!

We went to Michael’s in the late afternoon to get some picture frames for Mary’s latest watercolors. On the way home, we stopped at Jan Mongels’ to wish her a happy birthday. We brought a small cake, some cherry vanilla ice cream, and a boggle of wine, which we finished. She was happy to see us, but she still has the problem of not going outside—it has been over three years!

We had a small dinner of eggplant and watermelon when we got home. Then, we went to the TV room and watched two Christmas movies: “Enchanting Christmas” and “Holly and Hot Chocolate.”

Enchanted Christmas, released in 2024, is about a father’s ice sculpture of a princess that magically comes to life and causes unexpected disruptions in the lives of those she meets.

We immediately watched “Holly And Hot Chocolate”.  Summary:    After a food critic crashes her car into a billboard near Boston, she gets stuck in the suburbs and falls in love with a truck driver, while her toxic boyfriend in Boston needs the supplies she was driving to give him.

 

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Today We Find Out!

Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 by Paul

We went to bed around 8:00 pm last night after visiting with Irene and making several calls on the Bat Phone.  Connor and Jon called to wish me well.

I could not sleep for some reason, so it is 3:40 am, and I am finishing off yesterday’s Daily Diary!

Alexa sounded off at 4:00 am, and I headed to the shower and used the preoperative soap that kills the germs!  Mary and Irene also were also stirring.  We were in the car, pulling out at 5:00 am sharp and arriving at the hospital lobby at 5:20 am.

Irene and Mary entered the prep room with me and got me ready.  I had to wear a backless gown, the cutest little socks, and NO undies!  I of course faced away from Irene but I heard her giggle to herself somthing like, “Cute buns!”  I should have charged for the peep show!

Irene was with us the entire time and she admired by medical uniform.  Even the shirt was matching thanks to Mary who always dresses me nicely.

I was taken into the pre-op room, hooked up with tubes, and changed into the hospital gown!  They “prepped me” by shaving certain areas of my magnificent body, which, will go unspecified; I thanked them for providing warm blankets!  The girls were freezing.

She kept us company; Irene is fantastic!

I had my doctor with me, who explained everything that was happening!  I even took their suggested valium and Benadryl pills; I was a good patient.

Mary prepares to send me off.

Saying goodbye when the movers came to get me, and off we went to the operating room, which seemed to be 10 miles away!  Yes, I was wearing my crown indicating that I took the pills and dranks the water!   With my head cover, I looked like a very ugly Unicorn!

The nurse asked me if I knew what they were going to do; I answered, “Yes, a head transplant!”

I was surprised  I was NOT knocked out (they could have if I were wiggly).  I heard the doctor talking and saw the X-ray machine moving at different angles above my heart area as he explored all the arteries!

I asked what they found and if I would need a stent. I was amazed when the doctor said, “All is clear!”  I was ready for him to say, “Oh My, we can’t stent you, so we will have to open you up!”

The test I underwent last week revealed ai had at least two blockages.  I found out that during a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, the original blocked artery is not removed. Instead, a surgeon grafts a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body to reroute blood around the blockage.

I have old and new arteries after the bypass surgery eight years ago!

At the end of the procedure, he announced that the arteries added to bypass the plugged ones were clear as a bell, and I was pronounced: “He is healthy but old!”

The doctor went to tell Mary, Vicky, and Irene, and they were ecstatic.  Vicky took Irene to our house so she could go home and get some rest.

Back in the room, I was a tad groggy and was surrounded by four people who I could not make out because of the bright lights behind them.  I was telling the three “nurses” about how I med MAry when two of them had to leave the room, leaving one person behind.

I continued my story when Mary said, “Paul, do you know who this person is?”  I, of course, said, “I had no idea!”  Mary then announced that our son, Joe, was in the room.  I stretched my neck and squinted my eyes, and sure enough, our wonderful son was right there in his old man’s room.  I was almost brought to tears!

We are so lucky to have Joe and his family in our lives!

I had to stay on my back until noon because of the holes in the groin area, which needed to begin healing.  I was released into my doctor’s custody/recognizance at noon, and we went home.

We headed home with Dr. Mary at the wheel. I was strapped into the trunk, surrounded by pads, a fire extinguisher, and three first-aid kits; I was taking no chances.

Dr. Mary and her male nurse, Scout, cared for me all afternoon.  Every time I started to get up, Scout would growl and get the doctor.

At 6:00 pm, we walked over and visited with Jeff for our evening wine and neighborhood gossip session.

Since we were up at 4:00 am, we hit the sack at 8:00 pm!  There goes our circadian rhythm!

Scout stayed close to us all night long pretending to be asleep!!

We watched a goofy science-fiction movie before calling it quits!

Goodnight to all of you who called, texted, cards, letters, smoke signals, and emailed during this time. It is warm to know that so many prayers are being said and that so many of you care about this old buzzard. God bless You All. Special thanks to Irene, Vicky, and Joe for watching out for Mary, my excellent partner in life!

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T-1 And Counting!

Posted on Monday, November 25, 2024 by Paul

Today, my oldest biological daughter turns 56!  (Thanks to Colleen for reminding me; otherwise, it will be another Monday!) It’s hard to believe she’s officially a “classic.” I haven’t seen her in years (and I have NO idea why; she just got mad one day and, poof, disappeared), but I hope she’s enjoying her life, probably contemplating how to take on the world while trying to remember where she left her glasses. Here’s to her having more fun today than a cat on a Roomba!

I am blessed with my other kids: Robin, Joe, Colleen, and Michele. They are all parents (or grandparents) now, and watching them take on the world is fun.

It’s T-1 for my angiogram, and all is well except for my sore muscles from the gymnastic exercises I was forced to perform.  Standing on my single index finger and doing upside-down scissors with my legs tied to 100-pound weights was a little much.

It wasn’t clear which arteries were blocked, but two were blocked by roughly 70%.  We hope they can reach the blockage without having to “open me up” like last time!

It looks like the LA Freeway map!!

At 10:00 am, we managed to escape and fled for the safety of Ralph’s Market, where we dodged the workout people by acting like normal humans doing their grocery shopping. We departed Ralph’s with eight bags full of goodies and three twelve-packs of soft drinks.  With one eye looking forward, one eye looking back, and one eye making sure the bags did not fall, I crept across the parking lot and deposited everything in the trunk of The Silver Fox.

We hurried down like a pair of hoods, barely able to see over the dashboard.

We gunned the engine, and with a mighty roar, the six cylinders, the battery, the wind-up spring, the squirrel cage, and the rockets came to life, spitting us out of the parking lot at breakneck speeds—well, breakneck for a herd of turtles! If the car had any more enthusiasm, it would have tried to grow wings and take off! I think we left a few bewildered pigeons in our dust, wondering if they needed a flight plan or just a good laugh!

At 11:00 am sharp, our masseuse arrived to mess with my body even more!  I told him that I was going to the hospital in the morning, and he asked if I was going to get a head transplant.  I know I am ugly, but that wasn’t nice!  To get even with him, we invited him to Thanksgiving dinner.

Careful of your eyes! I fell asleep almost instantly.

In the afternoon, we cleaned up Irene’s room as she is coming over tonight to go to the hospital with us in the morning and keep Mary company.   I found my two shotguns,  a large box of Sue’s jewelry and scarves, two pairs of Patton-leather shoes, and some other shoes in the box, which were too long!!  I also removed three old computers and two TVs; people can now use the guest closet!!

Later in the afternoon, Mary went to the loft to work on a roasted turkey.  I played with my new laptop and listened to Mantovani on our studio Alexa.  Life is good!

Mary is working on her latest creation!

It got dark, and it was time for dinner. Before tomorrow’s procedure, I had to stop eating by 11:00 p.m., so I decided to be a little early. We did it right! I prepared two onion-and-mushroom-smothered steaks while Mary prepared a small salad and a sweet potato!

The New York’s were on sale at Ralph’s, so I grabbed a couple for dinner.

The package jumped into my shopping cart yesterday!

I slathered them with Worcestershire and A-1 and let them marinate with salt and pepper for an hour. Then, I set the heat high to seal them, lowered the heat, and let them cook for about 4 minutes per side! I love my steak pan!

Oh boy, where is the splatter guard?

I cut up an entire onion and a handful of mushrooms and simmered them in a sauce for about ten minutes until they were soft and almost indistinguishable.

They are beginning to sizzle.

Meanwhile Mademoiselle Marionnette was fixing salad from our garden and supervising the finishing touches on a beautiful sweet potato!  I taught Mary a new trick about sweet potatoes: freeze them before cooking them!

Did You Happen To Know? Freezing a sweet potato before cooking it can result in a softer, fluffier, and sweeter potato:

Texture: The water inside the potato crystallizes without breaking the skin, which results in a soft and fluffy texture. The trapped steam also separates the skin from the flesh.

Flavor: The sugars in the potato bump up, and the cellular structure breaks down, resulting in a more concentrated and refined flavor.

Caramelization: The sugars caramelize as the potato roasts, but the skin protects them from burning.

Cooking: Roasting a frozen sweet potato from a lower initial temperature gives the starches time to convert into sugars.

We did not have time to roast them, so we nuked them in the microwave for almost eight minutes since they were at -1 degrees Fahrenheit when we started.

Mama works on the salad.

My job was easy. I prepared the steaks without getting oil everywhere using splatter guards, which worked well.

Papa whips the snakes into shape!

What to see the final result?  Too bad!  It smelled so good, and we were so hungry that the results disappeared before I could grab a camera.  We did have some steak left over, so that will go into a salad later in the week!

Irene came in at about 6:00 pm, and we talked to her. While she was there, we called Colleen, Dianne, and a few others before hitting the sack!  We must be up and moving at 4:00 am because I have check-in at St. Joseph Hospital at 6:30 am!

“St. Joseph Hospital is a values-based Catholic health care provider with a tradition of and commitment to excellence, based on the vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. The hospital’s strong belief in the intrinsic dignity of each person commits it to be a just employer to its 3,800 employees, to provide health care for the whole person – body, mind, and spirit; and to collaborate with the 1,000-member medical staff and other health care providers to increase access to quality health care.”

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