Yes indeed! I rolled over, looked at the wall clock, and it said 6:30 am, but then I looked outside, and it was dark, with the time reading “it’s 0’dark-thirty”. What to do was the question! I flipped a coin and finally got up,p leaving her nibs sound asleep.
I crept into the office using my most stealthy move and started working on yesterday’s Daily Diary… but apparently my brain didn’t get the memo. The older I get, the harder it is to remember what we actually did yesterday—at this point, I’m one cup of coffee away from writing, “Day: occurred. Events: yes.” Growing old is not for the faint of heart!
While Mary was getting ready for the Elks, I went to the backyard and planted a flat of corn; sixteen went into the ground. It took about 90 minutes to dig the trough, drill the holes, fertilize, and plant these suckers.
I had all my necessary tools with me!
The garden is about 90% planted, and if we can find spaghetti squash and some watermelons, we will declare ourselves done!
Dig baby dig!
At the Elks, I could NOT resist but to put green food coloring into Bill’s vodka!
We made plans with Bob to take him to the doctor on Monday morning—he’s having a small procedure, which apparently comes with a “no driving” rule, so we’ve been hired as his post-op chauffeur… paid entirely in gratitude and awkward small talk.
Is he having second thoughts?
On the way into the lodge, Mary spotted a “Get Well Bear” that was made by the Emblems (the ladies auxiliary of the Elks). Mary smiled, so I knew I had to get it, and I did, surprising her after lunch!
Cuddling the new addition to our family!
We went home, and Mary took a nap while I did the glamorous work of dragging the trash cans to the front yard—because nothing says “romance” like curbside logistics.
At 3:00 pm, Alexa went off, and it was go-time. Mary geared up for Disney Jazz at Campus Jax. Naturally, she put on the full mouse costume, and I threw on my”Grumpy” car service shirt—because every magical evening needs one person committed to the vibes and one person committed to being mildly annoyed about it.
We were absolutely in the mood. Magical! Musica! We had Robin and Bob with us, making for an amazing evening.
Watch out for the mouse! Hide your cheese!
You can watch the show below!
They jazzed up all the Disney classics, and the sound was pretty good; we actually sang along to some of the songs!
It was nice to see musicians/performers dressed up for a change!
Bob was attempting to figure out what the drummer was doing!
“Beats me!”
The girls were having fun all evening long!
“Give me a hand!”
We rested outside after the show, allowing those in a hurry to clear the parking lot.
“Minnie would never do that!!”
One Ginnes beer and we went crazy!
Clowning around!
After the show, we waited! Bob found the missing placard!
We watched the people exiting the lot going 60 mph; we stayed behind!
Robin and Bob headed home, and we headed to The Tartan Room in Orange to bravely “finish off the evening” the only responsible way: one glass of wine and a couple of Gillis beers.
We even met one of the entertainers—now we’ve got plans to catch his performance next Wednesday night… because apparently we’re the kind of people who make midweek nightlife commitments like we don’t have jobs, laundry, or a couch that misses us. We are FREE!
We got up, and it was dark out; the time change struck again! We had our morning coffee and pamplemousse* before suiting up for the next 100 minutes of our bi-weekly agony. From the house to the gym is a mere ten minutes of unbriadled anticipation.
* Grapefruit is called pamplemousse in French because the word originates from the Dutch pompelmoes, a combination of pompel (fat/swollen) and moes (lemon/citrus), essentially meaning “fat lemon” or “big lemon,” describing the fruit’s large size compared to a lemon. This name reflects its history as a cross between the pomelo (the pamplemousse in French) and the sweet orange.
Through the door and into Peak Performance, we pranced for a mid-week jaw-rattling, bone-crushing vacation in the Land of Torture. I honestly thought someone brought breakfast and was demolishing a bowl of Rice Krispies—turns out it was just my skeleton snap-crackle-popping its way between machines like it was there for band practice.
You can do it!
After the workout and applying a lot of horse liniment* to each other, we stopped by the bagel house, but they were sold out. Instead, we made a”Colleen Approved” Dunkin’ run and left with two lattes, an egg bite, and a cream cheese–filled plain bagel.
* Horse liniments, such as Absorbine Veterinary Liniment Gel, are commonly used by humans for temporary relief of muscle pain, arthritis, and joint stiffness due to their strong, “icy-hot” sensation. While popular for being effective and inexpensive, these products are formulated for horses, are not FDA-approved for human use, and can cause allergic reactions in some users.
Then it was off to home to make sure the house was clean before the house cleaners arrived, scheduled at 11:30 am.
Just before they showed up (courtesy of our many security cameras), we dived into the car and headed to Huntington Beach for our monthly hairdo session. We arrived early, so we wandered next door to the Black Trumpet and “killed time” the classy way: a glass of wine and two “small” plates of their finest lunchtime appetizers. Mary went to work on the veal meatballs, while I bravely attacked a pile of shrimp drowning in a luscious Italian sauce—because heroes don’t wear capes; they bring bread for the extra sauce. Calories be damned! We are fearless.
Veal meatballs are typically made from ground veal (young calf), often mixed with breadcrumbs, egg, milk/ricotta, herbs, and Parmesan for tenderness. Because veal is lean and mild, recipes often add pork or beef (or extra fat like pancetta) to keep the meatballs juicy.
Come on in!!
Since the salon was right next door, we told Tammie to text when she was ready—and of course, her message popped up the moment we finished brunch. Mary headed next door first, and I stayed behind to enjoy one more glass of vino. I thought that might help kill the pain when I get my haircut.
After my vico, I wandered next door to see how the magic was doing! Like magic, I can now see her face since the bangs were shortened.
Wow! What a beauty!
I can remember well that, thirty years ago today, our grandson #3 was born in Whittier. It was a good day, and all the grandparents were there, celebrating. Here we are 30 years later!
Connor lives about an hour south of us and works in real estate financing.
Connor, Aunt Colleen, and one of our recent parties!
We are lucky to have him kinda near by, so we get to see him whenever we have family get-togethers. His mother is estranged from the family, and that is a good thing. His brother and family live in La Habra, and we see them regularly.
A few hairs earlier!
After the haircut and trip home, we stopped by Ralph’s Market and gathered the ingredients for the Saturday St. Patrick’s Day party at our house. Twenty pounds of corned beef later, we departed the market with the wheels on the shopping cart creaking under the strain!
I’m having daydreams about night things in the middle of the afternoon – Great name for a song!!
After stashing the groceries away, we did a garden perimeter check—basically the plant version of tucking everyone into bed—making sure everything was watered up, because we’ve got 90-degree days coming and my vegetables do not handle heat like emotionally stable adults.
At first I thought it was a green bat swooping down to raid the garden then I figured out it was Mary ion ther semi-St Patraick’s day outfit!
We were both pooped out and decided that a soak in the hot tub would be a good move, so I opened the cover, dropped in some “stinky-stuff”, and belly-floppped in from the roof of the house, making a small tsunami.
I looked up the word “tsunami” on Wikipedia. I was surprised at the definition: “A tsunami is a large wave normally triggered by large earthquakes that occur near or under the ocean, volcanic eruptions, submarine landslides, Paul jumping into a body of water, or onshore landslides in which large volumes of debris fall into the water.”
After the water had settled down, we did enjoy a small glass of wine!
We get plenty of time to talk and catch up. At the same time, the warm H?O and those water jets power-wash away the lingering aches from today’s adventures—basically turning us from “brave explorers” back into “functioning humans.”
We wish this were true!!
We called Robin and Colleen and gave them the full play-by-play. Everyone’s doing great! Then we tried (again) to watch the last episode of Suits, but the hot swim spa hit us like a tranquilizer dart. Next thing we knew, we’d time-traveled to 10:30 pm and had to wake up to go to bed.
We were up before 7:00 am, with Mary already in full mission mode—fixing breakfast and getting herself ready for her trip to watercolor class (because apparently, sleep is optional when art is involved).
Meanwhile, I spent a couple of hours replanting two hibiscus plants into larger containers. Nothing says”good morning” like wrestling roots before coffee.
I’m blessed to have a VERY smart bride who came up with the genius idea of swapping pots. I did the heavy lifting; she thought—classic teamwork.
Bonus: the two original smaller pots are being moved to the front entrance way, so now our porch will look like we planned it all on purpose.
At 12; 15 pm, Mary took off like a scalded hound for the Tustin Senior Citizens Center.
While she was gone, I puttered around the house doing things like resetting all the clocks, taking clothes off the roll-around rack and putting them away, doing a load of wash, and cleaning up the front yard/patio.
The Mother-In-Law’s Tongue does not need much water, so I did not connect it to the drip line. A few drops once a week will be just fine!
We love “The Mother-In-Law’s Tongue” plant!
Mary found this sign in Laguna and fell in love with it; I wonder why??? The plants are now trimmed back, and one pot is ready for some colorful flowers.
Mary loves her sign!
This hibiscus has been transplanted three times and somehow is still thriving—clearly it enjoys moving more than I do. It was leaning hard in the last pot, so during today’s transplant, I finally sat it up straight. Consider it less “repotting” and more “plant chiropractic.”
The hibiscus plants are very happy in their new homes; fresh soil and new fertilizer!
Mary pulled in at 3:10 pm with her newest artwork in hand, plus some mods to her lighthouse (boats and birds)
Watercolor is older than you think: Early watercolor-like techniques show up in ancient Egypt, and watercolor became a major European art form during the Renaissance (often for studies and maps).
The teacher was absent today, so the class worked on whatever they wanted. Mary’s first effort was to finalize the lighthouse by adding birds.
Then Mary worked on a present for Donna! Donna loves roosters, so she will get a colorful rooster to have around the house!
Only roosters (male chickens) crow; hens can make a lot of the same calls, but typically don’t do the full crow.
Mary returned home at 3:10 pm, and we got ready to go to the Seagerstrom Theater this evening to see “Six”.
Dru joined us at 4:30 p,m and we departed for the Silver Trumpet, bringing along all the ingredients needed for a Hershey’s Chocolate Martini!
AJ joined us for dinner. She has been sitting next to us for a long time, and we have invited her to visit.
SIX is a pop-concert-style musical about the six wives of King Henry VIII. Each queen takes the mic to tell her side of the story—how she lived, what happened to her, and how history has defined her—then they”compete” (in a playful, battle-of-the-band way) over who had it worst. By the end, the show flips the premise into something more empowering: the queens reclaim their identities beyond Henry and rewrite their narratives together.
Key vibe: modern pop songs, comedy, fast-paced storytelling, contemporary language, and lots of references to today’s celebrity culture.
We crashed upon arriving home. It has been a long day!
It has to be a nuthouse, because we’re officially going nuts. We’re retired… yet we’re still up at 6:00 am, as if we must report for duty and somehow there’s still “just a little work” to do all day long. Retirement is a scam if I’ve ever seen one. Yep, we must be nuts.
We were up and running at 6:30 am or 7:30 am; we were not sure because of last night’s time change! Finally, after consulting the computer, we found out the correct time and had to get ready to go to the gym (commonly known as “the torture chamber”).
We walked into Peak Performance and were immediately herded onto the stationary bikes, where we pedaled for almost 45 minutes. We kept thinking,” Why does this feel extra brutal today?” Then we noticed the rubber belt running from the wheel to a tiny generator.
Turns out the faster we pedaled, the brighter the gym lights seemed to get. We may ask for a discount. The lights were on because we were basically human hamsters paying dues to keep the building running. We may change our last name to Edison!!
We made up an excuse to leave 10 minutes early because I had to get a blood test at 10:10 am. I was worried because I forgot to study beforehand.
Off to the ” 800 Building” on Tuston Blvd, where I was poked and prodded until they found a vein with sufficient blood flow to fill the two-gallon jug. After the blood letting, I wondered why I was so pale (or was it pale?).
The blood letting was on the first floor!
We were going to go out for breakfast, but our favorite spot was closed—rude. So we pivoted like mature, adaptable adults… and ended up at Orange County Farmers Supply on a thrilling quest for corn, spaghetti squash, broccoli, and cabbage.
Orange County Farm Supply is a locally owned family business that supplies a wide range of products, including soil amendments, organic fertilizers, seeds, mulches, compost, potting soils, garden supplements, and a wide variety of garden tools and bedding plants.
Originally established in 1948, Orange County Farm Supply was purchased by John Roy in 1962. Since that time, it has continuously been owned and operated by the Roy family. When the Farm Supply began, it truly was a farm supply, selling agricultural products such as fertilizers and chemicals, farm equipment, and seed and fencing to all the local farmers.
Over the years, they have transitioned to what the local economy is interested in, and even though farmers are still shopping with them, their customers are mainly homeowners and garden enthusiasts. Additionally, they have many commercial accounts, ranging from Disneyland and the Orange County school districts to condominium complexes and office buildings.
Nothing says “fun Monday morning” like aggressively shopping for vegetables we have to stash in the trunk of The Silver Fox.
Decisions, decisions, decisions!
After making our selection and stuffing The Silver Fox with veggies, we headed home! Thirty-two corn plants will soon be in the ground and growing tall to produce wonderful summer corn. This year, we are mixing yellow and white corn.
After unloading our goodies, we had breakfast. I fixed two big steaks, and Mary prepared twice-baked potatoes and an amazing salad! Now we have the energy to attack the yard, and this time we are after the front patio area! We had several items on our agenda:
Move two Hibiscus plants next to the fence (they needed more Sun)
Trim the Spider Plant (it has done well)
Plant four bulbs along the western wall
Plant some of the remaining Mother-In-Law Tongues
Transplant the Cana from the bed to the wall
Fill up the five pots to the top and put in flowers
Replant the rotary planter
Adjust the drip lines accordingly.
This small set of tasks took us the entire afternoon, and we are still not done.
I disassembled the planter and turned the soil; Mary planted the missing spots.
We had plenty of extra time thanks to the time change… and still somehow ran out of energy. So we updated our”to-do” list (aka moved everything to “tomorrow”), then headed to the swim spa to soothe our aching muscles and pretend this was the plan all along.
We added a few things to the “to-do” list as we completed this afternoon’s cleanup!
We enjoyed the hot tub/swim spa, which we keep at 96 degrees year-round (so we can jump in at a moment’s notice). We even talked about making a small salad for dinner, but by the time we were out and into our jammies, we’d forgotten about dinner and slept through the end of “Suits” again!
We were in bed by 9:00 pm.
We sailed off into the night dreaming of today’s work and tomorrow’s plans.
We started in the garden right after our morning coffee, when the day still felt soft and manageable. But that dry wind had other plans—so we jumped in early, determined to get every vegetable in the ground and tucked under mulch before everything dried out.
I started first, and soon Mary followed me out, and we tag-teamed the beds. I turn the soil, Mary plants the babies, I follow up with mulch, repeat until we are too tired to move.
My smile keeps the bugs away!
We start with one-year-old bales of straw that have been sitting on the ground behind the garden, absorbing water and hopefully forcing whatever seeds are inside to germinate and croak!
Why straw works well:
Moisture retention: It shades the soil and slows evaporation.
Weed suppression: A 2–4 inch layer helps block weed germination.
Soil improvement: It breaks down over time, adding organic matter.
Temperature buffering: Keeps roots cooler in heat and reduces soil crusting.
We start with bales of straw!
After each plant is in the ground, we follow it up with careful mulching.
3-4 inches deep around each plant.
It takes a lot of tools to maintain the garden, so we have a garden workbench adjacent to it! The brown cover rolls over everything at night and during inclement weather!
The garden workbench is a busy place!
By 1:30 pm, we were officially pooped out. Mary dug the weeds out of the large bed so we can plant corn, watermelons, and cantaloupes within the next few weeks. Watermelons and cantaloupes take between 70 and 100 days to produce fruit, depending on the variety.
At 2:00 pm, we headed inside and started getting ready for tonight’s festivities at the Elks Lodge—because nothing says “party-time” like sprinting to glam up for a building named after a large, judgmental deer.
We got ready for an unforgettable St. Patrick’scelebration, where the luck of the Irish is sure to be on our side! We plan to dive into a delicious buffet featuring corned beef & cabbage, shepherd’s pies, and Jameson chicken. We will quench our thirst with a selection of drinks, including Guinness stout, Harp lager, Smithwick’s ale, and fine Irish whiskeys. We expect lively Irish thistle dancers, and we will dance the night away to the band Sideways’ energetic tunes.
Did You Know? – Green beer is mostly an American invention tied to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States, not a traditional Irish practice.
Earliest known origin.
The first widely cited, documented instance is 1914 in New York City, credited to Dr. Thomas H. Curtin (also spelled Curtin/Curtrin in some retellings), a physician and Irish? American social figure.
At a St. Patrick’s Day event at the Schnerer Club (a social club), he reportedly added a blue dye to beer. Because beer is yellow, blue + yellow = green, producing “green beer.”
In the early 20th century, St. Patrick’s Day in many American cities (Chicago, New York, Boston, etc.) grew into big public parades and bar-centered festivities.
Novelty foods and drinks—green beer, later green bagels/cupcakes, etc.—fit the theme and were easy for bars to sell.
By mid-century, green beer had become a familiar St. Patrick’s Day gimmick across the U.S. and Canada.
Nothing like using a blender to add in the grass clippings!
Michele and Franklyn joined us this evening, making for more fun!
They do look like water glasses, right?
Everyone had beer, but being the clever person I am, I ordered green wine!
I was asked about my choice of sinw several times!
The entertainment was a group of girls who enjoyed performing Irish folk dancing. They were quite amazing!
Hang on, they are about ready to perform!
Arms straight down and moving about the stage/floor at breakneck speeds. It was a wonderful performance!
They got a fantastic round of applause!
Michele and Franklyn were a load of fun this evening, mixing right in with the group.
Love the shades of green!
We may have had another beer or two—strictly for hydration.
After the second beer, I dared to go to the dance floor!
At least, Mary had them snap my “good side”. I was self-twirling” at the rate of 16 revolutions per minute, and sequins were flying everywhere!
After being asked to leave the dance floor, we went back to our table.
Needless to say, Robin took The Silver Fo home and deposited us safely at Casa Valencia!
It was supposed to be a gardening day, but Mother Nature showed up with 30 mph winds and a bad attitude. Between the dirt trying to exfoliate our faces and Mary’s contact lenses threatening to turn into potato chips, we voted to stay indoors (at least for the morning).
We went to make our coffee, and Mary returned in almost uncontainable exasperation, yelling, “Duck, duck, duck.” I, of course, being the most dutiful husband, fell to the floor and crawled under the table. Mary asked what I was doing, and I said, “You said DUCK!”
Well, she meant the animal, not the action.
Then we walked into the kitchen and—no joke—Donald and Daisy Duck were out there like they owned the place, waddling across the yard and lining up for their morning bath like it was a five-star spa and we were the unpaid staff.
Immediately, I assumed my manly home-protection mode and ran out the door, my jammies blowing in the wind, flapping my arms, and yelling child-friendly obscenities at the two trespassers.
I brought a towel just in case any of us fell into the pool, ducks included!
Little did I know my pajama bottoms trap-door* was open, and if the ducks saw that, it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment! PITA might go after us!
* Sometimes known as the Butt Flap, the Rear Access Hatch, the Emergency Exit, the Moonroof, the Backdoor Portal, the Blast Door, the Cheek Peek, the Buns Bypass, the Flap of No Return, or the Midnight Maintenance Panel.
The filthy beasts retreated instantly after spotting the madman in the jammies coming after them!
Then the computer burped out a message from Miss Vicky, our elementary school teacher, asking if we want to go to Benjie’s for breakfast. I almost broke two fingers answering “YES, WHEN?” She gave us 90 minutes to get ready, so we went into scramble mode and decided to wear our St. Patrick’s Day matching shirts!
We went to Benjie’s and had a most marvelous brunch, sharing the latest gossip about our friends and foes. It was a delightful way to begin the day! Vicky is our beacon of sanity in this chaotic world.
We had to get back home because a painter was coming by the house to get a check (for Mary’s rental) and to develop an estimate for our home. We did NOT have time to start in the garden because we had a 1:00 pm appointment with our podiatrist, Dr. Bill, who would take care of my ingrown toenail!
After the appointment, we opted to visit the American Legion because it was so cold and windy at home.
It was in the mid-70s and ZERO wind on the bay!
Mother Nature called me, so I left Mary with the simple task of ordering our favorite Turkey Club sandwich. I returned, and our wine was there, and Mary said she had placed the order.
Enjoying life.
We were peacefully sipping our wine when—like a plot twist in a soap opera—the waiter swooped by holding a BLT.
A BLT? What?? A BLT???
Now, Mary doesn’t eat bacon, which means her “BLT” immediately became a very elegant LT. Basically, a salad that forgot it was supposed to be a salad and landed between two pieces of rye bread. Meanwhile, I gobbled up my half of what was supposed to be a turkey sandwich plus two extra strips of bacon, because I’m a problem-solver.
Naturally, I asked, “So what happened to the turkey sandwich?”Mary gave me a SEG (ask me if you’re curious).
Translation: she goofed—major faux pas. Full boo-boo.? mistake so big it should’ve come with its own apology card.
Just us!
I forgave her, but I will make sure I order myself or provide her with written instructions!
Yes, indeed!
Mary nibbled on her LT, I decimated my BLT, and we had our wine while singing songs about the sea!
The bay was so calm, it looked like a lake, nary a ripple!
The scene was quite relaxing.
OK, time to get to work. We got home at 3:30 pm and instantly teleported to the backyard to begin planting our latest vegetable acquisitions!
I was in my gardening costume, and Mary asked me to kick the bucket (over to her). I thought long and hard about her request and decided to carry the can over carefully!
The weather was basically showing off—mid-70s and not a whisper of wind. We planted like absolute champions right up until the sun clocked out and darkness came in like,” Alright, that’s enough productivity for today.”
A handsome dude, for sure.
We decided not to do the swim spa tonight and to attempt to finish off “Suits”. We didn’t make it, but we are just two episodes from the end.
We got EXCELLENT news during our nightly call to Robin. Her plans to go with Bob during is gig did not work out; timing issues, so that she will be joining us at the Elks afterall! YEAH!!
Tonight will be wonderful, but we’re losing Bob. The nice thing is that Michle and Franklyn will be joining us again!
The wearing of the green!
We finally surrendered at 10:00 pm—waved the white flag, accepted defeat, and crawled into bed like it was a witness protection program. Thirty seconds later we were sawing logs.
We love the weather! One week it is in the 80s, the next in the high 60s, and the following week back to the 80s! What is going on? Must be that pesky “Global Warming”!
While we were enjoying our coffee and protein drink, Mary kicked off her bi-monthly tradition: The Great Pill Sorting.
The process is highly technical and broken into three phases:
Mary assumes the role of Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, calmly selecting pills and precision-dropping them into the tiny compartments, as if she’s playing geriatric Tetris.
I become the on-call warehouse intern, sprinting back and forth down the hallway to our state-of-the-art Medication Storage Facility (also known as “that cabinet”) to retrieve whatever we’re mysteriously out of—despite owning enough bottles to stock a small yacht.
Finally, I contact CVS on our exclusive VIP hotline (because we are obviously their favorite customers) and order whatever Mary announces, like I’m taking requests at a very slow, very expensive drive-thru.
It’s a smooth operation: Mary organizes, I cardio, and CVS updates our customer profile to “frequent flyer.”
Sorting the pills!
We had our coffee, then went out to the garden to do what can only be described as “light gardening” that somehow turned into a full-scale landscaping documentary.
The patio is actually looking really good—so good, in fact, we officially uncovered the swing for the Spring/Summer season, which is basically the homeowner version of taking the convertible out of storage.
Then I inspected the patio drip-line sprinklers like a man defusing a bomb made of plastic tubing and questionable decisions. After a few adjustments and replacements (and only minor negotiations with the parts that wouldn’t cooperate), the system is back online.
Bottom line: the patio is thriving, the swing is ready for action, and all the babies are finally getting the moisture they deserve—unlike us, who are now headed to the Elks Lodge for “Girls Night Out,” aka the part of the day where we stop watering plants and start hydrating ourselves.
Today we were a very small but mighty crew—only five of us: Bill, Bob, George, and us. Which immediately raises the question: where on earth is Iris? We’re going to call and make sure she’s okay, because her absence was definitely noticed.
Also, the parking lot was NOT okay. The lodge had two events going on at the same time, and parking turned into an expedition—we ended up in the “north 40,” hiking in like we were arriving at a county fair.
Honestly, though, that’s the kind of problem we’re happy to have. Those rentals keep the lights on and the bills paid, and it makes sense—this is a genuinely nice facility, and unlike some places, when they host an event, they don’t serve “rubber chicken.”
Line dancing keeps us young!
Our weekly conversations tend to drift anywhere from the mundane to the completely ridiculous, and today I decided to lob a little “tech history” into the middle of this elderly group:
“Does anyone remember what WYSIWYG means?”
Nothing. Total silence. If crickets had been present, they would’ve felt awkward.
I got one confidently wrong answer from Bob. Bill squinted at the letters and admitted he recognized them, but couldn’t remember what they stood for. Mary was too young to be expected to know, and George just gave me his classic,” Huh?”
And then—just when I was feeling smug—I realized I couldn’t place it right away either. Once it finally surfaced (“What You See Is What You Get”), I had to admit the truth:
Apparently, I’m part of the group after all.
Thank you, Google, for enlightening us old farts and informing the kid (Mary)!
We finally departed the Elks and went home to “rest,” but we had to stop at the cleaners and retrieve our cowboy uniforms since tonight is “Line Dancing Night”.
Mary took a nap, and I battened down the hatches for the expected windstorm coming our way!
At 4:00 pm, the Alexa alarm went off—much to Mary’s dismay—because apparently, Alexa has appointed herself Chief of “Time to Leave” Operations.
That was my 60-minute warning to get cleaned up and ready to go, which meant I launched into a full-speed transformation from “yard creature” to “civilized human.” I jumped in the shower and rinsed off the impressive collection of dirt I’d accumulated while working outside. I’m pretty sure half of it was actual soil, and the other half was just stubbornness.
A few minutes later, I was ready to roll—fully dressed and topped off with my ten-gallon Stetson… which fits rather loosely. So while I looked like I was heading out to wrangle cattle, the hat was more like,” Wheee!” and it tried to leave my head at every sudden movement. If you see a cowboy chasing his own hat down the driveway, that was me: rugged, mysterious, and slightly out of breath.
We got there about 30 minutes before the dancing began, so we ordered dinner. The girls had the salad bar while I consumed massive quantities!
Dianne gets warmed up!
We observed Dianne’s boots and began to worry as we thought we saw some smoke emanating from the soles!
Gettin’ hot!!
After pouring a glass of water on her boots, Dianne and Mary both went out to learn a new line dance. Toes were tapping, and bodies were moving. I stayed at the table holding down the fort. We had great fun!
Taking lessons.
We departed around 8:30 pm, as the dance floor had become a danger zone for amateur line dancers. Hips were flying, boots were kicking, and the dust was so thick it was hard to see.
We ended up watching “Suits” in the TV/Living Room, but alas, I hit the La-Z-Boy and immediately began checking for light leaks out like a light!
A little soft Irish tune while you peruse today’s Daily Diary entry. Sit back and enjoy.
We’re up and ready to take on the day!! Since it’s Wednesday, our standing session with Peak Performance is at 8:30 am. First stop: the stationary bike—pedal, pedal, pedal… until it turns into an emergency “widdle break.” Then it’s off to the various torture machines, where we pay good money to be politely bullied by equipment designed by people who clearly love to see pain.
My back was hurting, so I offered to be taken to the mat and walked on by the small 250-pound torture expert without cleats today. After 40 minutes flat of my tummy only seeing my toes momentarily as they passed by my head, my back pain began to go away!
At 10:00 am, the pain subsided as we left the building and ran to the parking lot for the Silver Fox’s safety! It is a smart car because, as we entered and closed the door, it automatically locked us in and started up, placing the gearshift in the “P” position for panic. We zoomed out of the lot with tires screeching and rubber burning. We saw the tormentors chasing us in the rear-view mirror! They had pitchforks in their hands, and some carried torches!
Mary asked why I was driving so fast.
When we got home, we immediately went to the back patio and finished it off so it would be presentable to our guests who were scheduled to arrive at 4:00 pm. We knew they would both enjoy the garden tour!
We have flowers!
Everything is looking good, and we are ready to enjoy an afternoon tea on the patio, complete with Alexa playing our favorite tunes.
The mulch is in and looking good.
The red mulch makes the flowers stand out. The mulch keeps the roots from overheating from the Sun’s rays. Red mulch is usually made from shredded or chipped wood (often pine, cedar, fir, or recycled pallets/wood waste) that’s been dyed red.
Common decorative red bark ingredients/process:
• Base material: ground-up tree bark, wood chips, sawmill scraps, or recycled clean lumber
• Coloring: a water-based dye or iron-oxide pigment (iron oxide is essentially a “rust” pigment), sometimes with a binder to help it stick
• Sometimes: minor additives for dust control or color fastness
In a few weeks, they will be huge!
The hydrangeas are going to enter their “oversized, dramatic summer era,” so we’ll be keeping them politely humbled with a little strategic snipping as needed.
The name Hydrangea comes from Greek: hydor (water) + angeion (vessel), often explained as “water vessel,” referring to the plant’s high water needs and/or its seed capsules.
We love the color scheme!
The patio swing is now uncovered and ready for guests to enjoy the afternoon view. We put the swing on rollers so we can reposition it as needed.
Ready for Springtime on the patio!
Domi and the crew rolled in at 12:30 pm, and we immediately did what responsible adults do: went to BEVMO, then also Total Wine & More—because one store couldn’t possibly handle our weird requests.
Two stores later, and we have the ingredients. It looked like a police lineup, so I informed Mary that the problem was with #3
We stocked up for the legendary “Hershey Chocolate Martini,” which is totally clear, with the only evidence of chocolate being the Hershey’s Kiss in the glass! The recipe is simple:
• 2 oz vanilla vodka
• 2 oz chocolate vodka
• 2 oz clear crème de cacao
Dump the ingredients into a shaker, add a bunch of crushed ice, and shake like you just saw a ghost. Pour the elixir into a martini glass, drop in a Hershey’s Kiss, then step back and get ready—because this drink doesn’t get made so much as it gets even. It’s like drinking a chocolate bar but clear and cold!
We know you are curious how “chocolate vodka” can be clear, so…
Chocolate vodka stays clear by capturing the chocolate flavor without leaving behind the dark-colored solids (cocoa particles) that make things brown and cloudy. Producers typically do one (or a combination) of these three methods:
1 Use aroma/flavor extracts instead of cocoa, where they add natural/artificial chocolate flavor compounds (often based on vanillin/cocoa aromatics) that are nearly colorless. Since there’s little to no cocoa solid material, the vodka stays clear.
2 Distill the chocolate flavor by macerating cacao nibs/cocoa in neutral spirit, then redistill. Distillation carries over volatile aroma molecules (smell/flavor) but leaves behind most pigments and solids, so the distillate comes out clear.
3 Filter/clarify after infusion by removing color and haze using fine filtration (e.g., cellulose pads, activated carbon) and/or fining/clarifying agents. This can reduce both color and cloudiness, though heavy chocolate notes are harder to keep if you remove too much.
Why it works: the brown color in chocolate mostly comes from non-volatile pigments and suspended solids, which don’t carry over during distillation and can be removed by aggressive filtration. The chocolate aroma comes from compounds that can be captured without the color.
The clock is ticking, we got cleaned up, did a last-minute check on everything, and Carol and James arrived. This was their first meeting, as we thought they might hit it off and enjoy each other’s company!
This is Paul shooting at Mary!
We toured the garden and made the introductions before jumping in The Silver Fox and making our way to dinner at the Silver Trumpet. We enjoyed a delightful meal and got to know one another. The food was perfect as we shared a cheese board, I had Lamb Lollipops, Mary did their Lentil Soup, James attacked the Caesar Salad, and Carol went for the Salmon. Tummies are full, so it was time to go.
The menu was quite varied, and the plates were beautifully presented.
At 6:45 pm, we walked to Southcoast Repertory, which was perfect timing, as we sat down and got settled in, the play began.
We saw “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee was first presented on Broadway on October 13, 1962.
The play’s title comes from the Disney song ” Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” from Three Little Pigs. It is commonly interpreted as meaning: “Who’s afraid of living without illusions?” In other words, who’s afraid of facing reality rather than comforting self-deception—one of the play’s central themes.
Summary: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee about one long, alcohol-fueled night in which a middle-aged couple, George and Martha, invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, back to their house after a university party. As the night drags on, George and Martha’s vicious, flirtatious “games” escalate—humiliations, revelations, and shifting alliances that pull Nick and Honey into their marital warfare.
Through relentless arguments and mind games, the play exposes the lies each person uses to cope: George and Martha’s bitterness over disappointment and failure, Nick’s ambition and opportunism, and Honey’s fragility and avoidance. The evening builds toward the collapse of key illusions—especially the couple’s central shared fiction—ending with a bleak kind of honesty as George and Martha face what’s left when their defenses are stripped away.
South Coast Repertory renamed its “Main Stage” to the “Segerstrom Stage” to recognize (and honor) the Segerstrom family’s longstanding philanthropic support of SCR and of the Orange County arts community more broadly. It’ss essentially a naming-rights gift/recognition: the theatre already had two primary performance spaces (“Main Stage” and “Julian J. Levitt Theatre”), and “Main Stage” was a generic label—renaming it formalized the Segerstroms’ major role in helping sustain and grow the company.
Always a smile!!
We had NO idea the play was three hours long (because the play was based on “real-time” rather than hours or days)! We were thankful for the two intermissions!
The ladies are ready for the play to begin!
All had fun! While the play was performed quite well, we all decided something a little more light-hearted was more to our preference!
James and Carol
We walked back to the restaurant, and James retrieved his salad from the staff. We headed home, which was 16 minutes/11 miles. James got a kick out of the decorations, and the house was lit up all in green and orange for the upcoming holiday!
Today, we launched a full-scale assault on the backyard patio at 8:00 am—coffee in hand, optimism at unsafe levels. We decided to turn the beds next to the patio into dedicated flower zones and relocate the herbs into the rotary/vertical planters. That way, we get a prettier view and keep the herbs right where they belong: near the kitchen, ready for duty whenever dinner needs a little rescuing.
We started by placing the new flowers in the spots where they will be planted, making sure those that can’t stand the afternoon heat are in a shaded location.
Everyone has a new home!
We even moved the potted rosebush from its location near the planter to the kitchen wall!
We made sure that everyone had a drip line nearby!
I stashed some cages and bags of soil on the right side of the house and discovered the loquat tree was getting ready to be picked!
• Name origin: “Loquat” comes from Cantonese, meaning something like “rush/reed orange,” reflecting its citrus-like fruit.
• Not a true “plum”: It’s often called Japanese plum, but it isn’t a plum at all—loquat is in the rose family (Rosaceae), related to apples and pears.
• Scientific name: Eriobotrya japonica. The genus name roughly means “woolly bunch,” referring to the fuzzy flower clusters.
• Winter bloomer: Unlike many fruit trees, loquat typically flowers in fall to winter and ripens fruit in spring.
• Fragrant flowers: The small white blossoms are strongly sweet-scented, often noticeable before you even see them.
• Pollination: Many varieties are self-fertile, but cross-pollination can increase fruit set and size.
• Bird magnet: Birds love ripe loquats—netting is a common strategy if you want to harvest any yourself.
• Cold sensitivity: Mature trees can handle brief chills, but flowers and young fruit are easily damaged by frost, which is why yields vary year to year in marginal climates.
• Evergreen leaves: Loquat has big, leathery evergreen leaves with a slightly fuzzy underside—very ornamental even when not fruiting.
• Seed fact: The seeds are large and glossy brown; traditionally, they’ve been used to make liqueurs in some regions. (Butdon’tt eat the seeds.)
• Notable caution: Seeds and leaves contain cyanogenic compounds (can release cyanide if improperly prepared). The fruit flesh is the part commonly eaten.
• Flavor profile: Depending on cultivar, the taste ranges from apricot-peach to citrus with mild floral notes.
Picking will require a tall ladder, so I will have to send Mary on an errand while I climb it!
A few are down low, and I took advantage of their position. Today, I snuck on them as I passed by!
The light green ones are about two weeks away!
It’s Tuesday, and that means Mary disappears for a few hours to go to her watercolor class. She departed the patio at 10:30 am to get cleaned up and get ready to leave at 12:30 pm. I kept working in an attempt to be done when she returned, but alas, there was a hiccup in the plans!
I was a busy bee when the phone rang! Guess who? Mary had everything she needed but her paints! They were on the stairway to the loft. I got ready to go, grabbed the paints, and headed to the Tustin Senior Citizens Center as fast as I could in the van. I delivered her paints only two minutes after the class started!
Returning home, I went back to work!
What a mess I had on my hands!
Mary joined me for a bit, then headed inside to whip up a dangerously good stir-fry that should honestly require a permit. I guzzled a glass of wine, watched a little TV, and then went back outside for a few last-minute activities—also known as “wandering around pretending I’m still productive.
After dinner, Mary showed me her masterpiece. She did NOT have time to paint some seagulls, so that will come a little later. I suggested she paint an Archaeopteryx or perhaps a pterodactyl, but my idea was quickly nixed!
Someone was rightly proud of her work!
The painting was one of her best to date. The lighthouse is located in Northern California.
I, of course, framed it!
We watched two episodes of Suits, which is nearing the end, so naturally, we’re emotionally preparing by watching even more. Around 9:30 pm, I turned off the TV, woke Mary up (she was doing that impressive “asleep but still technically watching” thing), and we headed to bed because we were both completely wiped.
The minute I turned off the lights, my eyes popped open, and I could not sleep!
