Sunday Be Here!

Robin stayed with us overnight so we could visit Irene together today.  We spent the morning messing around the house until it was time to head to Old Ranch at 11:00 am.

We called Colleen on the bat phone and spent an hour catching up with all the activities here and there.

Mary helped me in the garden for a few minutes, but I think I’ll pass on asking her again!

We called Vicky and decided to meet at Old Ranch for brunch before going to Irene’s home.  We were introduced to a new drink called penicillin.

Enter: the Penicillin cocktail.  Created in 2005 by bartender Sam Ross at Milk & Honey in New York, the cocktail’s name is a cheeky reference to the soothing, medicinal qualities of the standout ingredient — a ginger-infused honey syrup.

Key Ingredients in a Penicillin Cocktail

Honey ginger syrup.  Honey simple syrup infused with fresh ginger is the signature ingredient.

Lemon.  Fresh lemon juice lends a bright, tart flavor.

Blended Scotch whisky.  No need to break the bank on a bottle; Famous Grouse, Monkey Shoulder, and Dewars are all good options in the $20 to $30 range.

Islay single malt Scotch.  A little bit of the peaty Scotch added at the end gives so much smoky flavor.  Please don’t overdo it!

Oh My!!!  This could cure anything!

At 1:00 pm, we departed for Irene’s, just a few miles away.  We spent a whole hour visiting because we knew others would be coming to see her afterward.  She is in pain but in good spirits.  Her amazing daughter came down from Oregon and will be staying with her until the end.

Maria said it was OK to let people know what was going on, so when we got home, we called Bob and Donna, who are in Europe.  Since Irene has only a short time to live and Bob and Donna were going to be away for a month, we didn’t want them to return without having said their goodbyes.  I also called Mike Andersen.

Irene has been a good friend to all of us, and especially me, over the past fifteen years or so.

From eleven floors up, she had a terrific view of the Long Beach area and its amazing sunsets..

We returned home via Old Ranch, where I got another shot of penicillin, and the ladies enjoyed a glass of wine.

When we arrived home, Robin took flight for Corona to an empty house.  Bob was up north on a gig, and Nick was still in Texas.  We sat and watched TV for an hour before crashing.

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Off To The OC Fair (Our 28th Year!)

It’s time for the OC Fair, and Robin joined us for the day!  We arrived 15 minutes ahead of gate opening and parked within 50 feet of the orange gate!  The girls posed right before we went inside.

We were in the first 50 to go inside this morning.

First stop was cinnamon buns and iced coddee, a long-standing tradition.

Now we are ready to explore!

Off to Centineal Farms to see the piggies and the gardens!

We paused every once in a while to catch our breath.

We got hungry, which, at the fair, means Mary attacks the turkey legs.  It looked like a great white shark had just attacked a defenseless little seal… There was mashing of teeth and flesh strewn all over the place.  Robin and I moved to the following table!

Chomp, chew, grunch, grind, masticate, munch, nibble, snap, and swallow!

We went through the crafts building and looked at the amazing things people do!

“I need one of these… what is it??”

We headed out around 4:30 pm after putting on 2.5 miles and 6,000 steps.

It was a great day with Robin, Mary, and me!

We came home, had a small dinner, and then watched “Mary Me” before heading for the sack!  It was a good day!

Someone was tired!!

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The Week Is Almost Done!

Mary was dressed and ready to kill!

5:15 am, the alarm goes off, and we jump out of bed to start the day.  Mary has a PT appointment in Orange at 7:30 am, but it takes time to get ready and look good.

Mary wore her red high heels and even brought flowers to the appointment.

While she did her thing, I rested in the car and read using my Kindle Paperwhite.  Clive Cussler is a great way to get the day started!

Mary did have an idea for breakfast, but then we remembered it’s Elks at noon, so the creativity was saved for another day!

MAtu becomes way too creative!

I had a secret rendezvous with my girlfriend Iris, who was in rare form today.  She is looking forward to New Year’s Eve when she turns 99 years young!

I had lunch with my girlfriend Iris!

Well, it was NOT that secret since Mary took the picture.    Mary is still recovering from having a cold, so we did not stay too long today.  She needed to go home, return to a horizontal position, and take her meds.

Just us!

Mary slept for several hours.  When she woke up, I fixed some sliced peaches, and we headed to the TV Room, where we watched Lethal Weapon and its last episode.

The TV series “Lethal Weapon” was canceled by Fox after three seasons, primarily due to behind-the-scenes drama and declining ratings.  The show faced significant issues with its stars, including Clayne Crawford’s firing after season 2 and Damon Wayans’s subsequent departure after the first 13 episodes of season 3.

Mary did her needlepoint, and she is almost finished with her latest effort!  She can watch TV and needlepoint at the same time, although I do hear an occasional OUCH!!!

She needlepoints as well as watercolors… she is fantastic!!

We got a late-night delivery from Amazon around 9:30 pm.  It was two Echo Show units, one for each of the grandkids to take on their adventures: Theo going to Northern California, and Nick going to Texas.

We will provide them with a list of the families who already have these units!

We got a late-night text that Irene is finally home and has arranged for professional care.  Maria will be staying with her, and we will be visiting her on Saturday morning.

We crashed at 10:00 pm as we needed to rest up for the OC Fair tomorrow with Robin!

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Another Day Of R&R Was Required!

Mary woke me up at 7:00 am and said she decided to cancel the workout session as she was not up to it this morning.  I agreed, rolled over, and slept another hour.  Last night she brought in my CPAP machine and I slept like a baby all night long.

CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, uses a ventilator to apply positive air pressure to your airway using a nose mask, helping keep your airway open so you can breathe better.  The mask might take some getting used to, but it’s designed to let you sleep without worrying about disruptions to your breathing pattern.

The results from the various blood tests are starting to arrive, and so far, everything looks good.  The kidney ultrasound results were as expected, no problems.

I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming stay in the hospital.  Last time I stayed in overnight, I drove the nurses’ buggy!

He he he he!

We stayed at home all day except for the two trips to Scout’s hairdresser!  He got into something sticky, so we had him washed; he likes his hairdresser!

Domilita and her crew came to clean house from 3:00 pm to 4:45 pm; we are now spotless again!

We were supposed to go dancing at 7:30 pm but we waived it off so we could continue getting better!

In the afternoon, we rested and watched the last few episodes of Lethal Weapon.  The series is now over, but we would have enjoyed more.

The “Lethal Weapon” TV series was canceled after three seasons due to a combination of factors, including on-set drama, declining ratings, and the departure of its two lead actors.  The show was plagued by reports of conflicts between the two lead actors, Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans, which led to Crawford’s firing after season two.  While the show was renewed for a third season with Seann William Scott replacing Crawford, Wayans also announced his departure, contributing to the show’s cancellation.

We crashed at 10:00 pm.

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More Tests…. When Will I Pass One With Flying Colors?

This morning, we were off for another blood test, but this time we had three orders from three different doctors.  Sounds easy, huh?  Well, Qwest can only draw one test at a time.  Since all the doctors ordered a CBC Panel, only one doctor receives the data, and we need to arrange for the data to be shared with the other doctors.  It took us almost twenty minutes to get the mess straightened out.

We had a 10 am appointment and finally departed the place at 11:00 am!  What a mess!  The actual drawing of the blood took all of five minutes!  I was frustrated as I studied for the blood test for two days ahead of time.

Mary was still not totally up to speed, so we decided to go to The Original Pancake House on Chapman in Orange for breakfast/lunch.

Our arrival time was perfect!

We ordered a veggie omelet, but we could only finish half of it.  So, what is for dinner tonight?  The Pancake House does a fantastic job; it’s our “go-to” place for breakfast!

This omelette is enough for four people!

After returning home, Mary packed up her car with the art supplies and headed to the Senior Citizens Center in Tustin for another artistic session.

About 45 minutes later, I departed for the St. Joseph’s Pavilion to get an ultrasound of my kidneys and bladder.  The test went quickly, and I returned home before Mary!!

Mary showed her latest work, and it reminded me of Mexico or somewhere in the Southwest US.

The lady has talent!!

After she got home, we wandered upstairs into “the loft,” where Mary paints and I watch TV.   I put her to work putting the finishing touches on several paintings before we headed to the TV room to watch several episodes of Lethal Weapon!

The Loft is working well.  Mary has her art area, and I have a roll-around 40″ TV plus access to the internet; life is good.   I brought up a bottle of the finest Charles Scwabb (Two-Buck-Chuck)  Chardonnay we had, plus two plastic glasses; we don’t like carrying glass up and down the stairs.

Hard at work!!

I wandered over to Jeff’s as he asked if I would bring on his latest Amazon deliveries.  I visited for about twenty minutes; Mary stayed home, not wanting to give Jeff her cold.

We again returned to the TV room, and Mary did needlepoint while we watched Lethal Weapon.   Mary told me her latest work goes in the kitchen!

By 9:30 pm, they were in bed!

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Doctor Doctor!

 Sometimes I feel like I am single-handedly keeping the medical profession afloat!  Today it is like Dr. Pepper, 10 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm!  WARNING, do not turn 80…skip 80 and go from seventy-nine to eighty-one!

Mary was feeling much better but not quite 100% this morning.  While I offered to go to the doctor’s appointments by myself, she thought that was a terrible idea!   She is a trooper, and I think she loves me too!

We called Colleen before we departed, and she was babysitting two of our great-grandchildren.  We saw them running around in the video call.  We sent her our latest solution so she can get some rest during the day!

We had an idea for Colleen!

We got ready for appointment number uno, a visit to the nephrologist (yes, I had to look it up!).

Did You Know? A kidney doctor is called a nephrologist.  They specialize in diagnosing and treating diseases and conditions that affect the kidneys.  Nephrologists have extensive training in kidney function, kidney disorders, and kidney transplantation.

  
My kidney efficiency numbers seemed out of whack, but I have been taking several new meds, and the Afib makes the heart inefficient, so we are hoping it is that simple.

After plating twenty questions, she said I am probably suffering from low numbers because of AFib and a change in meds.  We are going to get some tests and come back to see her on August 20th.

Between doctors, we went to Benji’s Deli and shared some chicken noodle soup and a pastrami sandwich.  I overindulged and had a piece of apple pie.

We shared one of these huge sandwiches!

Because of Mary’s cold, we also took some medicine!

Doctor number two was the cardiologist.  Dr. Ty Cobb is located adjacent to this morning’s doctors, which is why we didn’t go all the way home!

Dr. Cobb looked at the data and said I was ready for the upcoming operation on the carotid artery, and they would try to do the ablation before we set sail for the Caribbean.

Did You Know?  Atrial fibrillation (AFib) ablation is a procedure used to treat an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) by creating scar tissue in the heart to block abnormal electrical signals.  This aims to restore a normal heart rhythm.  The procedure typically involves inserting catheters, thin tubes with electrodes, into a blood vessel and guiding them to the heart.  These electrodes then deliver energy (either heat or cold) to the targeted heart tissue, creating the scar tissue.

  
Now it was time to return home for real!  We took the freeway, and lo and behold, it was wide open.  We were home in less than ten minutes!

Mary changed into jammies and hit the sack; it was a long day for her, and she was not feeling well.

I worked in the office for a couple of hours.

Around six, she started to stir, so we headed to the TV room to watch Lethal Weapon.  One of the characters was replaced due to his behavior on the set.  That was too bad for him, but the new guy is also funny and an ex-special forces guy.  We will have more gunshots shortly.

We finally crashed at 11:00 pm.

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Stayed Home; Stayed Quiet; Got Better!

Today, Dr. Mary was again not up to par, so she did nothing except rest.  I, on the other hand, was at her beck and call, serving up pills, elixirs, small meals, homemade remedies including dried possum tongue, and finally having watermelon for dinner.

I put on seventeen miles going back and forth to the kitchen!

After a mid-morning shower and a new set of jammies, we headed to the TV room where we spent the day watching Lethal Weapon.

I managed to go out for a few minutes to get some new COVID test kits, and Mary’s test result came back negative.  While on the prowle, I brought Mary home a cheese and bean burrito to devour while I did in some tacos from Del Taco!

Yummy and easy cleanup!!

Finally, around 10:00 pm, we crashed.  Mary went to the master bedroom, and I went to the HeShed to keep from getting her germs.

As we headed to bed, Mary said that it was now running on six cylinders of her eight cylinders instead of idling on two and backfiring!

Tomorrow she will be at 90% and life, as we know it, will start again!

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Taking A Sick Day!

Poof, just like that!

Mary woke up with a cold this morning, so I brought in toast, coffee, apple sauce, and a fresh peach from Harry & David.  I knew she was not feeling well!   Keeping the Energizer Bunny horizontal on such a beautiful day requires extreme effort!  The doctor needs a doctor, so I plan to borrow her stethoscope and walk around in my green sweats with the rectal thermometer showing!  (OMG, did I say that?)

Happy anniversary to Joe and Amy, celebrating twenty years of marriage.  They are a fantastic couple whose company we genuinely enjoy.  They were off to Disneyland, where my romantic son proposed to Amy.  The apple does NOT fall far from the tree!

We love you guys!!

I decided that we were NOT going to visit Irene today, as dragging in germs into her environment would not be good.  We called her instead.    We got a picture from Maria, her daughter.  Irene is doing better, enjoying a Krispy Kreme donut —the Greek answer to Jewish Penicillin!

Krispy Kreme; better than medications any day!!

We stayed inside most of the day, but did manage to bring Jeff two peaches from Harry & David.  Mary is a long-term customer of Harry & David, and they offered her a special package of Oregon peaches and cherries, so we shared it with Jeff.  The peaches were perfect!!

Harry and David, LLC (Harry and David) is an American-based premium food and gift producer and retailer.  The company sells its products through direct mail, online, corporate gifting, and in its flagship location in Medford, Oregon, and operates the brands Harry & David, Wolferman’s, and Vital Choice.  Harry & David was founded in 1910 by Samuel Rosenberg as Bear Creek Orchards in Medford, Oregon, as a premium fruit company.

Harry and David, LLC (Harry and David) circa 1920s

I got ready to go to the Elks while Mary stayed in bed with her cold.  Robin, Bob, and Nick picked me up, providing excellent transportation!  Tonight was a luau at the Elks.  I would have stayed home, but I lost track of who I had invited and wanted to make sure everyone had a seat.  Our table of ten grew to a table of thirteen!!

A luau is a traditional Hawaiian feast that often includes food, music, and hula dancing.  The word “luau” originally referred to the young taro leaves used in some dishes, but the term eventually came to encompass the entire feast.  Luaus are a celebration of Hawaiian culture and a way to share food and entertainment with family and friends.

Jim and Vicky were already there when we arrived, along with Gail and Danika.  We arrived, found our table, and got instructions to head for the parrots.  We went back to the front door and got our pictures taken with the guests of the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Bird and family!

1.  What do you get when you cross a parrot with a centipede?  A walkie-talkie!

2.  What do you get if you cross a parrot with a pigeon?  Voice mail.

Looking good!

Bob seems to attract the birds; he was covered in feathers!  How many bird brains do you see?

Bob has newfound friends!

Using our secret parrot language translation device, we heard the plan!

The plot almost works!

Why am I getting the Evil Eye?   I was NOT going to kiss him without getting feathers in my mouth!  He must have found out how the maneuver is accomplished and decided, “No Way, Jose!” When you see me, ask how it is done, and you will know why he is watching me.

How did he know?

I was joined by Robin, Bob, and Nick this evening as Mary was “down for the count”.   When I showed up without Mary, everyone got worried and sent Mary their thoughts for a quick recovery.   I needed to check on the guests and seating to make sure everything was OK!

One leaves the nest and three take his place!

Nick was trying to communicate with the bird in Texan, but there was a definite communication gap!

Did you hear about the geometry teacher who left his parrot’s cage open?  Polygon.

Say something there, “Ya’ll,” or I will practice my BBQ skills on you!

What do you get when you cross a parrot and a lion?  I don’t know, but if it wants a cracker, you better give it one!

Dinner was served, and it was traditional Hawaiian fare!  Donna was a bit suspicious!

With trained chefs, they can make SPAM look like anything!

There were interesting comments from the folks having dinner!

Our resident food critic

What does poi taste like?  Poi has a unique taste and texture that can be somewhat difficult to describe.  It is made from the cooked and pounded root of the taro plant, which gives it a slightly sweet and earthy flavor.  The texture is smooth and creamy, similar to a thick pudding or mashed potatoes.

 

We had a thirty-minute performance of dances of the South Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.   Hips were flying in all directions.  They called for volunteers and I sat on my hands!  I was afraid my tummy would come up and slap me in the face, plus at my age, pieces may fall off if I shake too hard!

I decided I was not ready for prime time!

Now the serious dancing gets underway!  Ronnie spotted me and started the evening off with the “Liles Hokey Pokey”.  I was able to get almost forty people up from their tables and form a large circle.  All eyes were on me, so I did the special Hokey Pokey (that means I didn’t fall once).

Jim and I threw in a little Neil Diamond just for fun!!

Sandee and Bill took to the floor after the Hokey Pokey and showed us all how ballroom dancing is supposed to be done!

Sandee and Bill go all out this evening!

We stayed until about 9:00 pm, as I wanted to get home, see my bride, and make sure she was OK.  Bob got us home in no time, and they came in for a couple of minutes to pick up some stuff they left earlier.

Mary was fine but a little hungry, so I fed her some tomato basil soup.   We had several cans of “comfort soups” in the pantry.

The result was yummy for the tummy!

As I was preparing for bed, I went to get some water from the garage.  When I put my hand into the water container, I found Jeff’s house key.  It had dropped out of Mary’s hand while she was working with the small garage trash can.   This find was another mystery solved!

Hiding in plain sight!

We crashed, but tonight, I slept in Robin’s Nest to stay away from Mary’s cold.  We both knocked off to sleep around 10:30 pm.

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Friday Has Returned, So Long Week!

The day began calmly, inviting us to work in the yard, but alas, the gym called us to Villa Park.

It was a beautiful day!!

We moved gym day to Friday since we were otherwise occupied on Wednesday.   The gym activities were pretty normal except when the stationary bike came off the stand and I zoomed through the door and into the parking lot at 46 miles per hour, and I was without lights or a horn!

Go Girl!!  Kick up those heels!

We went directly home, and I inspected the back fence, where I suspected a varmint was coming in at night and having a feast in our garden.   I found evidence of some ground-dwelling herbivore.  We believe it to be a Ground Squirrel.  I pointed the burrow out to Carlos and he placed a 1/4″ square wire mesh over the hole and filled it in with dirt… tomorrow, we shall see what happens!

The varmint had a hole in the ground!

Feeling a little frisky, I gave Mary a card, but alas, the spelling is becoming hard to read!

Oops

After our gardener departed, we walked outside and then back inside immediately.  We set the thermostat at 74 degrees and just enjoyed each other’s company!

We got a sad call from Maria, Irene’s daughter, and apparently, Irene has an advanced case of bladder cancer.  The cancer is “high-grade”.  Some types of bladder cancer, particularly those that are muscle-invasive or have high-grade cells, tend to grow and spread more quickly.  However, bladder cancer is also known for its high recurrence rate, even after treatment.

An action plan will be formulated over the weekend, and then Irene will have to decide the next steps.  We are praying for her recovery with all our hearts!

Get well soon!  We all love you!!

Late in the afternoon, we went harvesting and Mary prepared a wonderful salad for dinner.

We went picking for dinner.

We washed everything and scrubbed everything twice.  Then it took almost an hour for Mary to slice, dice, and otherwise cut up the goodies.

The lettuce was outstanding.  Fresh-cut lettuce is so crispy!

Salad time.

While I was picking, I also picked some grapes and some cantaloupe!  Life on the farm is wonderful!

Grapes for dessert!

During dinner, we began watching the series called Lethal Weapon, a take-off on the original movie.  It was so entertaining that we sat until almost 10:00 watching episodes 1-10.  Mary did her needlepoint activity, and we both laughed at the characters.

The Lethal Weapon television series, inspired by the movie franchise, follows the partnership of LAPD detectives Martin Riggs, a suicidal former Navy SEAL, and Roger Murtaugh, a family-oriented veteran detective.  The show explores their contrasting personalities as they solve crimes and navigate personal issues, with Riggs’ recklessness and Murtaugh’s cautiousness creating a dynamic that is both humorous and action-packed.

We watched the entire first season!

By 10:00 pm, we were both TV’ed out and headed to bed.  The outside temperature was finally in the high 60s, so we turned on the whole-house fan and crashed.

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Oh My! Liar Liar, Pants On Fire!!

I was shocked by the numbers revealed: 195.3 pounds!  Oh my, I need to skip more meals.  Skipping meals is a no-no, so I will order a hockey puck (hamburger patty sans everything) for lunch with iced tea!

With Mary’s help, we unwrapped the second portable umbrella stand, filled it with wet sand, and then added water.  The stand weighs about 100#, so that the umbrella will stay up in a mild breeze.  We now have a red and green umbrella, just in time for Christmas, which is just 140 days away!

No blowing over now!!

Mary went in to take her morning shower, and I, with my newfound weight loss, invaded the refrigerator to see if I could make it lighter also.  Amid my search, I got caught!  The fridge has an alarm if the door has been open too long; it went off!  I tried to explain my actions, but the explanation was NOT accepted.

After a severe chastisement, I decided to nibble at one of the cookies Vicky dropped by last night.   I nibbled carefully because Mary was walking back to the shower via the hallway, and I didn’t want her to hear the crunching sounds; that would be a dead giveaway!

We headed south to the Elks Lodge, only a sixteen-minute drive without traffic.   Today’s forecast was to be HOT!!   The weatherman did NOT disappoint.  As we pulled up in front of the lodge, the bronze elk was drinking out of a hose!  It was 100º and I was already into my third water bottle.

The inside was a cool 72º, making for a pleasant lunchtime get-together.   Greg joined us today, and he is always a joy, full of stories to share.

“Twice upon a time…..”

When the specials were announced by Karen, I immediately thought of Vicky, known locally as The Oyster Lady!

As Vicky always says,  “What do oysters do when they’re scared?  They clam up.”

Karen also made it clear they only had two pieces of the double fudge chocolate strawberry tootie-fruttie cake remaining.  Iri and my arm went up so fast, the arms nearly detached from our shoulders.

I ordered three dozen, and Iris and I finished them off, sounding much like a high-powered vacuum cleaner in a gravel factory!  Slurp, burp, they disappeared magically.

Someone is a happy Iris!!

Each plate ended up empty within ten seconds of arrival.  I suggested to Mary we take the shells home and make a patio decoration; my idea went nowhere, not even home!

Sad to see you go so fast!

We arrived home soon thereafter, as I had a great desire to cling to a rock!  Mary went shopping, but I heard about it when she came home!

Then we had a great idea: “Let’s go to McDonald’s and surprise Jeff with his favorite dinner, Big Mac, fries, and a strawberry shake”.  We did so and got a Big Mac for ourselves.  We had dinner at Jeff’s tonight, keeping him company for a while.

It was nearly 8:00 pm as we returned home for the final time.  The heat was still intense; it was 84 on the patio, so we decided to stay in the air conditioning and read.

As I headed for bed, I rechecked my weight, and I managed to be 196.5, so my plan of an austere day of dining failed!

We were in bed by 9:00 pm, and both of us had our Kindle Paperwhites working.  I am 68% finished with Clive Cussler’s story about Reunion Island and the bug army.  I dozed off peacefully.

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