Hi Ho Hi Ho It’s Off To Work She Goes!

Posted on Friday, August 20, 2021 by Paul

Dr.’s are saying not to worry about the bird flu because it’s tweetable.

It’s been a week since Mary came down with the crud, and today, she went in for the afternoon.  While she was not 100%, she thought it good to make an appearance.

At 7:00 AM, we did our coffee thing on the patio.  School is now in session, but the rugrats do not get there until about 8:00 AM, so it is quiet.

Calm and quiet over Casa Valencia’s southern forty acres!

While Mary rested to get ready to go to work, I pulled out some old veggies and planted new eggplants, beans, lettuce, and other goodies.  I even sat on the southern patio at the other end of the pool and cleaned up the flowering plants, plus ran a drip line into the “hidden ferns.”

We enjoyed some Special K cereal, and then she was off in a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver.”  Precious rumbled off with the tailpipes shooting back flames, reminding me of the car in “Grease.”

Do You Remember? Perhaps the most threatening car ever committed to film, ‘Hell’s Chariot’ was the property of Scorpions leader Dennis “Craterface” Stewart – until Danny beat him at Thunder Road and won the papers to the 1949 Mercury Series 9CM. With original Firestone tires, Touch-O-Matic overdrive, and that glossy paint job, the car is literally flames. And that’s to say nothing of the razor-sharp hub-cap spears that did so much damage to White Lightning.

We need to put flames on Precious!

Fun fact: this was one of two versions of Hell’s Chariot that Eddie Paul created for Grease. The other ’49 Mercury used for stunts was originally a hardtop and underwent Paul’s huge customization job. After Grease, Hell’s Chariot appeared in the films Used Cars in 1980 and Streets of Fire in 1984.

I jumped in The Silver Fox and went to BB&B to get some sheets for Robin’s Nest.  While we know we have sheets somewhere, they are in a box, likely in the She Shed.  While I was there, I got some other goodies, including an electric egg-bite machine, pictures to follow.  I could not resist!  I was informed later that BB&B is off-limits to me unless accompanied by an adult!

I went to Home Depot to get supplies to add some electric outlets to Mary’s bathroom in the afternoon. It had two outlets, and Mary has a least six plug-in devices; hairdryer, nail dryer, curling iron, eyebrow curler, toenail dryer, and other strange devices that look much like torture tools that would be found in the dungeon of a castle!

The southern yard now has a collection of succulents adorning the pathway, and I got the flag-light mounted in a weatherproof box which I am moving about the yard to make sure it is in the correct spot before it gets fastened to the facia board.

Mary got home about 5:00 PM, and we decided to go to the Elks for the “Dancing With The Stars” night.  It was a lot of fun, even though many of our friends stayed away because of the recent COVID outburst.  We had a good dinner, and then we actually danced a couple of dances.

We arrived back at Casa Valencia about 8:30 PM and hit the swim spa for about an hour before crashing.  The moon was amazing over the south forty, and the weather was perfect/ Good night all, I hope your day was wonderful!

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A Wonderful Day To Be Alive!

Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2021 by Paul

When Mozart was alive, he was composing. Now that he’s dead, He’s decomposing!

Although she thought she was at 70% when we did our morning coffee ritual on the patio, Mary was still recovering.  After that, I hit the pavement running and went through a list of things I had accumulated. Poppy’s “To-Do” list!

I ran across a picture of my middle children from the wedding.  My oldest is still at work, but she will drop by this evening and visit for a while; we love Robin!!

Youngest Colleen and Middle Child Joseph; a pair to draw too!

By 9:00 AM the kids were all in their classrooms and it is not issue with them being in school.  It is quieter than my old home; occasional kid noises by no continuing freeway sounds.

I cleaned out three veggie boxes where the veggies have either died or gone to seed.  Then I moved a storage container from the side yard to the back so Joe’s boys would have a place to store their pool toys! I took out the hefty trash cans.  After that, I turned to the soil by the eastern fence, getting ready to plant succulents there; Mary likes the little cacti’s.  Finally, I took the first pass at organing the “He Shed,” and I had success; I can walk inside now and see the “stuff” on the shelves!

We went to Girls Night Out at the Santa Ana Elks, but except for George, we were alone.  Between COVID scares and the Z’s getting ready for their one-month trip, everyone was gone.  We had a great time anyway.

We stopped at the outdoor furniture and fireplace store and shopped.  We will have one of their design consultants stop by and assist us in selecting a fireplace set and an outdoor fireplace, and perhaps a BBQ system.

Testing out the chairs!

After the shopping spree, we went to the local saloon and met Dianne Girl, and the three of us had our pedicure.  YES, kiddies, Papa Paul fell found to sleep, and it took two of the little Vietnamese girls to arrange my feet so they could work on them. Diane and Mary had a good laugh along with the girls.

Feet’s don fail me now!

Robin came by around 5:00 PM, and we did a job on a bottle of margaritas.  We sat on the patio and solved the problems of the world.  Lisa C. called, and we will be visiting them this weekend to see Pete’s folks who flew in yesterday.

By 8:00 PM, Mary was crashed, and I went outside the christened the new swim spa.  I sat in there for nearly an hour at 94 degrees with the jets on.  When I came in the house, I was done…cooked…baked….dead to the world.  I slept like a baby until 5:30 AM.

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A Mid-Week Success Day, Yeah!

Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 by Paul

I broke a mirror the other day. That’s 7 years of bad luck. My lawyer thinks he can get me 5.

Six AM and time to rise and shine, well, at least rise.  We did our morning ritual and headed to the patio with our trusty watchdog, Scout, and two cups of coffee.  BTW, Scout really likes the watch I put on his right leg!  It makes a noise like a cat on the hour. We organized the day, which is always fun to do!

Our plumbers showed up right in time at 7:30 Am and began attacking the front flower bed with a vengeance.  Today, he had two jobs replacing a castiron cleanout in the front yard with two-way ABS and then placing an eight-foot epoxy pipe replacement where there was some cast iron in the remodel.

The dig begins!

It took him about 90 minutes to get to the source of the problem.

Holy hole, thank goodness the dirt was relatively soft!

He had to get the area cleared so the new plumbing could be installed.

Well, on the bright side, it will not have to rototill the flower bed for a while!

Almost to the bottom, then the new pipes get installed. Now we will have drain access going to the street as well as back into the house. Goodby problems!

The new rises are starting to show!

Now comes the serious problem; we had to call the city inspector.  I was expected some old bearded fart with overall and a sharp pencil.  Luck was with us today, and we had a beautiful inspector who carefully walked around and gave the “OK.”  On that note, the hole was filled, tamped down with an electric temper, and the flower put back as they had never been touched.

Yes, Joe’s handiwork with the flag was saved; the flag was still standing verticle, pointing to the sky!

The Chief Inspector arrives on the scene!

I asked myself, “Why me?” but being old, experienced, and wiley (not to mention UGLY), I had planned for these types of things and put a big bag of money into the “Oh Crap” account for such eventualities.

There is a LOT of truth to this sign!

At 11:15 AM, we took off to Costa Mesa and met with Dr. Dan, and he and Mary discussed some business while we dined at Greenleaf.  The conversation went well, and we departed for homemaking a short stop at Michaels to pick up a picture we had framed.  In addition to her other talents, Mary is quite an artist.

The old frame kist did not fit the new house!

My bride of three weeks was still not up to par, so I told her to hit the sack.  She rested for another few hours, and I puttered around the house, planning to go into the garage attic tomorrow morning if the cool weather holds another day!

The guys finished up the backyard repairs, and I got to see my new sewer line courtesy of their TV system.  They apparently like Dr. Mary and me because they put in the epoxy all the way to the street with no additional charges; we got a new sewer, yeah!!

Then I heard the dinner bell meaning, roughly translated, “FEED ME” I was terrified. What can I make that I know she likes.   I could feel the thoughts terminating from the bedroom.

Command decision time; flatbread!

I know she like tacos, and I could tell her the flatbread was a taco before I tripped and fell on it.  A clever story is needed!  Well, I scavenged the frig and found mozzarella, fresh asparagus, and kalamata olives.  Then to the garden for fresh tomatoes and basil, I am ready to battle with the oven!

I decided to add a couple of small stuffed peppers to the mix to fill up the plate!  I must say, it looked pretty good.  I whistled down the hall and yelled, “Over the teeth and through the gums, look out tonsils, here it comes,” which was long for “dinner’s on!”

Colleen suggested a new frame, a good choice!

Mary was quite complimentary about my cooking, saying, “It doesn’t taste half as bad as it looks” and other such platitudes.  I did have a glass of wine poured, so she knew it wasn’t breakfast!

My first try at flatbread!

After dinner, I gave her some fresh blackberries with Bailey’s Chocolate Liqueur for dessert.  Mary pranced off down the hallway towards her nest, skipping and singing, “He’s my man!”  Dang, a great ending to an amazing day!

After cleaning up dinner, Scout The Wonder Dog and I stayed in the family room for a while, watching the new galaxy/star machine display the wonders of the universe on our very own ceiling.  At 8:30 PM, I trundled off to bed, leaving Scout sitting in the family room with the doors open so he could go on patrol whenever he wanted to.

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Maybe Today?

Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 by Paul

I finally managed to get rid of that nasty electrical charge I’ve been carrying. I’m ex-static!”

The flag pole foundation is dry and time to raise the colors but where are the colors.  I  looked for 20 minutes and then found them in the place I put them so I could find them.  Do NOT ask!  Up they went and Mary was so tickled to see her US Army flying in the breeze!

Long may they wave and may the “leadership ” get fired and bring back people you love our country and embrace the flag! SOON!

We spent some time just staring at the flag and looking at our flower beds.  We clove our new home.

Beauty can be simple!

This morning, I am an electrician.  Yes, sirree; Mary Zoomed, and I zoomed to Home Depot to get wiring for the last twenty feet.  I worked hard, but the four #6 wires went through the pipes slicker than snot, to my amazement!

Mary asked me if I could do the job or did I need help.  I immediately put on my Albert Einstein look and replied, “Who, me?’

Now dat dere is a work of art… modern art recently ran over by an eighteen-wheeler!

I remember Al’s quotes like, “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

By noon, I was done, and the swim spa was on and heating. Yeah, for Super Paul, I did it without shorting myself (or the neighborhood) out!!

Poor baby, he is terrified!

I am more dangerous than an ordinary “engineer”; I am an “engineer with power tools”.

I am one!

In the afternoon, I went out to do some errands and decided to get a “real toilet plunger” because my bathroom was stopped up AGAIN!  After fighting it for an hour, I called the local roto-rooter, and they tried to no avail!

He suggested a “sewer-jetter” tool and a mere $1800.  I said, “Go for it” because it has to be done.

A sewer jetter is composed of a controlled high-pressure water source such as a pressure washer or reciprocating displacement pump, a flexible high-pressure line (called a jetter hose which connects the high-pressure engine to the mini-reel) of up to hundreds of meters (several hundred feet) in length, the Mini-Reel (a hose reel which can be taken a distance from the engine) and a nozzle that uses hydraulic force to pull the line into the sewer drains, clean the sides of pipes, and flush out residue. High-pressure sewer jetters can be mounted on trolleys, inside vans, or on trailers. The power of a sewer jetter ranges from 1,000 psi (68 atm) to 5,000 psi (340 atm). Sewer jetter nozzles come in different sizes and applications; a bullet-type nozzle with a streamlined profile can clear a hole for the larger root-cutting nozzle. Root-cutter nozzles are designed to cut roots with a spinning nozzle that shoots a jet stream horizontally inside the pipe. High-pressure sewer jetters with root-cutting nozzles can clear a hole through the center of a root-infested sewer line and, with its rear-facing jet streams, cut the roots and clean the pipe walls flushing the root debris through the sewer line. The sewer jetter has been labeled a technological advancement of the plumber’s snake (also known as an electric eel) drain clearing method.

That machine cleaned the blockage, but then we decided to watch TV.  We ran a camera inside the drain.  It was a poopy show, no, not really.  Having been on the sewer board of Los Al, I knew what I was seeing, and sure enough, the house had two segments of CAST IRON pipe between the back of the house and the front.  After fifty years, you can imagine the condition of the pipe.

I got the bad news, and for a mere $10,000, they will replace those segments using the latest technology, which means no jackhammers are required.  I was not in shock because I had planned for $50,000 to fix “brokes” after all, it was an older house.  On the bright side, I will have a root dree totally plastic sewer system complete with dual-direction cleanouts in two locations.  Such a deal!

I made tomato soup for the Doc and she was feeling better.  We sat outside on the patio until it got dark and then crashed.  I got up about midnight and wanted to make sure my flag light was still on, it was.

Simply beautiful!

We need you back Dr. King!

 

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Today, The Swim Spa Got Power! Heat Is On, Wine Is Cold!

Posted on Monday, August 16, 2021 by Paul

I decided this morning that I would feature some of my favorite songs on Mondays for the next several months—just a change of pattern for this blog/diary. Nat King Cole was an amazing man, and I enjoy him and his music almost every day!

Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. He recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Cole also acted in films and on television and performed on Broadway. Wikipedia
Born: March 17, 1919, Montgomery, AL
Died: February 15, 1965, Santa Monica, CA

In my next life, I am coming back as a dog!  When I entered the kitchen, Scout, The Wonder Dog, was on this thrown surveying his domain.  I am sure he was looking out for elephants.

Mary stayed home today, and I get to be the nurse helping the doc get better!  Do you think I am having fun with this scenario? You bet!  I told Mary, “Don’t mess with me—I get paid to poke people with very sharp objects.”  Do not worry; it gets worse!

Ray showed up about 8:30 AM, and we had a cup of coffee before he got bust with the spa wiring activities.  Mary and I had breakfast and enjoyed a cup of coffee before she hit the shower and got all gussied up!  She said she felt a lot better today but still not near 100%.

First things first, the Christmas Tree needed to be decorated with hearts!  Mary assumed the position and pointed to where she wanted the 4,987 decorations placed; to within 0,001 inches, she demanded!

Her finger looks short in the picture, but it is NOT!

A was holding on to dear life at the top of the twelve-foot ladder, reaching out almost five feet to place the hearts in the tree. It was scary, I asked for a safety belt, but alas, there were none to be found. After an hour in the blistering heat and 6.987 trips up and down the 20-foot ladder, my work was done, and I was allowed a glass of water and a dry Ritz cracker!.

The ballroom nears completion!

I ordered orange lights for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and they will arrive tomorrow.  We decorate the tree for every holiday.  The room actually looks pretty good, and the stereo system, courtesy of Alexa, is up and running.  All the lights are LIFX, meaning I can control them with 64,000 color variations and run them from 0% (off) to 100% from my phone!

Click the image for the full-sized pano-shot of the room!

RAy thought the job would be done at 1:00 PM bit if anything could go wrong, it did.  More to come!

Mary was tired of being tired and attempted stuffed peppers; she did pretty well but started to run out of gas, so I pitched in, and together, we made wonderful stuffed peppers.

Slice and dice; our tomatoes and onions, and peppers directly from the garden!

She was getting tired of standing, so I went to my shop and brought back my shop chair.  It is adjustable in height and back support; great for working on things; we decided peppers are things so, why not!

Mary was going stir-crazy but comfortably now!

We had the peppers after they cooked for 30 minutes in the oven with cheese; they were out-of-this-world delicious.

After lunch, Mary hit the sack and stayed there the rest of the day.  I piddled around all day organizing the office and the garage; both are looking better.

Ray, our electrician, on the other hand, was having an awful day; he finally departed at 9:00 PM and still had work to do.  Tomorrow I will attempt to finish everything off so we can fire up the spa and not have to dump the water again!  Maybe a call for Super Joe in the offing!

I took a shower at 10:00 PM and crawled into bed, turning off the TV.  Mary was out cold’ I hope she is doing better tomorrow.

I listened to the news for a minute and heard the moron in chief ramble about how his disaster was everyone else’s fault. The man needs two more arms so he would have enough fingers to point blame!   It made me so mad I turned off the news.

So very sad; not a flaming clue!

Done seating; blood pressure now reduced; hitting the save!

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Ah! Perhaps A Quiet Sunday?

Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2021 by Paul

No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut.

I was up at 4:00 AM with the danged cough that will not go away!  Finally, I went into the office, which is quite large, and did some file organizing, straightened up my desktop, and made plans to move some files around! I try to remember, “To every bird, his own nest is beautiful.”

By 6:00 AM, I was decluttered; unfortunately, that did not last very long!.

While passing the time, I looked up my old home address, and it sold on August 10th.  It looks a little sterile, but I am sure the new owners will personalize it.

It was 2,000 SF with two bathrooms and three bedrooms on a 7,00 square foot lot; Now we have 3800 SF with five bedrooms and four baths, and a 17,000 square foot lot! We are golden!

Mary was awake about 6:30 AM, so I suggested we sit on the patio, listen to a little Dolly Pardon, and have our coffee.  We did that, and when the sun came up around 7:00 AM, we “hit the spa” and sat in the 94-degree heat, sipping coffee and talking.  We never run of things to talk and laugh about.

I decided to fix breakfast because I had a large ribeye steak in the frig, and we had some great eggs ready to cook.  I told Mary to go rest while I slaved over the BBQ.  I fired up the BBQ and got the hot plate ready for the eggs.  I set the table inside this morning to be different.

This was the first time I had really cooked in the kitchen, so I turned on the burner, placed a grille over it, and waited a few minutes.  To cook the eggs, I added butter. Well, the butter turned brown, and smoke was everywhere. I think I had the heat up too high; give me a break; it was a new kitchen top burner.

Yup! A little too high!!

In the background, I heard smart sensors scream, “WARNING WARNING Madman at the kitchen stove, my sensors are about to trip, standby for a deafening noise”  Instantly, I turned on the stovetop exhaust.

Mary can down the long hallway in a panic because her alarm was predicting dire consequences.  Needless to say, we survived and had a delightful steak and eggs for breakfast!

Except for the smoke event, breakfast was super!

We watched a movie as Mary just needed some downtime.  I missed a call on the phone, but when I dialed back, it was Joe saying, “Dad, open your garage door in two minutes.”  The little bugger came over with cement in hand, and he set the new flagpole right in the ground.  We will hoist it tomorrow evening, and I will set up a temporary nightlight.  It is 25′ tall so that it will be seen from the main streets around the house.  I am proud to fly my countries flag.

Thank You, Son! I will fly the flags high! YES, it is telescopic and goes up 25 feet! I should mention, Joe is eleven feet tall!

Joe departed right after putting up the flagpole, and I watched a little TV with Mary.  She was still not doing great.  I went to to the market and got her tomato basil soup and some other goodies.  I also did a load of wash which was no big thing.

We almost killed our hibiscus.  I transplanted him into a new pot; a good thing!  The rock I put at the bottom of the pot to allow for drainage was too flat, so water did NOT drain out.  Mary discovered that a few days later when she noticed standing water in the pot.  I rolled it over, such my finger in the hole, and water came pouring out; he did NOT get any water for a week.  Now he gets 10 minutes of drip line every morning.  It is looking good!

Hibiscus buds and flowers are edible, with a lemony taste, and are rich in vitamin C. They can be used in chutneys, soups, salads, curries, jams and jellies. Dried, they are also used in herbal tea.

 

New growth everywhere; he is saved!

I introduced Mary to a series, Grace & Frankie.  She binge-watched the entire first season.  We crashed early and she actually called in and canceled her Monday appointments; she is not feeling well.

While I do not like Fonda, I will admit the show is funny; deals with a lot of topics and is well written!

She was continuing to watch Grace & Frankie.  I went to the patio and watched the moon progress across the sky!

Love our patio and the view; so peaceful and quiet!

We were dead to the world before 9:00 PM; hopefully, today’s rest will work wonders for us.

As I laid in bed I thought to myself how incredibly lucky I have been to have such amazing women in my life.  The Good Lord must be watching out for me.

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We Crashed And Burned; Burned Out That Is!

Posted on Saturday, August 14, 2021 by Paul

Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.

Mary was still knocked out when I got up, so I know she was feeling horrible.  We watched a good movie called “Catch Me If You Can.”  I made us some toast, and we finally waddled out to the patio and had our morning coffee around 9:30 AM.

Mary got up, took a shower, and felt ready to sit back down and recover more!  We have a load of fun having fun, and that means being together!

She laid in the family room and read most of the day; the breeze was refreshing, and it only got warm about 5:00 PM.

Scout was confused because, usually, by 8:00 AM, we have put in 90 minutes of hard work, not today!  I reminded Mary, “A healthy sleep not only makes your life longer but also shortens the workday.”  The sore throat is a pain, but it could be worse!  What if I were a giraffe?

Hey… it could always be worse!!

We did not leave home except for my little excursion to ACE Hardware and, later on, the burger joint (In-N-Out) for dinner.   We crashed at 7:00 PM after a brief jump into the small spa.  We were happy to be home all day today, but we missed dancing with Donna and Bob and the gang!  Tomorrow will be a better day!

Mary always has the respect of her patients or class!

Oh, twenty years and two weeks!

Just us!

I think my camera went into overdrive, so I finally stopped; besides, the film was fogging over!  We were enjoying a glass of wine just before sitting in the spa.

STOP!

ATTENTION VICKY!  You can come over any afternoon and watch your grandson swim, and you are only a few feet away basking in the shade in the 94-degree hot tub.  The umbrella and a pool boy (me) waiting on you, hand and foot (sorry, I do NOT wear speedos; it scares Scout)!

VICKY! You can come over a visit us and sit in the 94-degree hot tub!

We mentioned that the house came with a storage shed that we thought would handle everything. I decided another shed was needed as I saw the garage filling up the floor to ceiling with our stuff.  The first shed was called the “He Shed.”

I had mine!

Of course, there is now a “The She Shed.”  Notice carefully that hers is on a concrete foundation so it would not sink into the soil should there be made soft by a hard rainy season!

She had hers!

Our garden, considering it is made of a lot of 50-gallon buckets, is doing amazingly well.  Thanks to my late son, Mitchell, who taught me a lot about gardening, I have become a good vegetable gardener.  We have had fresh beans, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and all sorts of crops from these tiny barrels.  Wait until winter when the real garden goes in!  Actually, I perfected my vegetable garden beds through a process of trowel and error.

I did ask Mary, “What do you call a tree from another planet?” My masterful response to her puzzle look was, ” A extra-tree-restrial.”

Looking at the tomatoes, I see flatbread in our future!

Our tomatoes are going bonkers, and we have fresh tomatoes every night!


The sun is setting; time to head to the pool spa!  No one is around; the neighbors are quiet, the school is empty, time to skinny dipping.  This saves money on laundry soap! Unfortunately, in my case, it is called “chunky dunking”!

Now we hit the hot tub and a quick couple of laps in the pool!

After getting out of the pool and sitting on the patio at 7:30 PM, we decided to hit the sack. Scout, The Wonder Dog, was so sound asleep we did not even hear us!  Great guard dog!  I am having him fitted for hearing aids next week!

Scout’s new trick is called “Dead Dog.”

All he had to do was to move ten feet, but NO, he was adamant.  Mary crashed at 7:45 PM, and I not 8:45 PM after I finally awoke the little bugger up.  Time for a cup of cold water, I think!  I figured out why he crashed; his daddy brought him two In-N-Out “doggier burgers”!

“Daddy, I want to stay outside where it is cool!

It was a restful day, and frankly, we needed that.  We were so sorry to miss this evening’s dancing, but alas, we have to watch out for our health, especially now that I am married to an M.D.

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Mary Goes To Work And I Have The Run Of The House!

Posted on Friday, August 13, 2021 by Paul

If I give my heart a pen and paper, I am sure it will draw me a map leading to you.

We were up bright and early as it is a workday, and Mary must work to keep me in the lifestyle to which I have to be in order to become accustomed, or something like that!

She was not feeling her best, I could tell.  She went off anyway and was expected home about 5:00 PM.

Meanwhile, I hit the “Paul’s To-Do List,” and today we had put in under-the-bathroom wash basic shelves,  hand the hall motion sensor night light, saw up the wooden bookcase, take out the big trashcans, figure out how to keep our feathered friends from decorating our new mailbox, and other such items.

I heard noises from the garage, and it was my wonderful son, Joe. He came over and installed two attic fans. One in the house attic and one in the garage attic.  The one in the garage cooled down the entire garage as long as you closed the garage doors.

It lowered the temperature in the attic by twenty degrees or more! Wow!

I set the fans on automatic, and I could also control them from my iPhone!  While he was here, he dug the hole for the flagpole, and I will go to home depot and get the gravel and concrete tomorrow morning and finish the job.

Zachary (Grandson), Joseph (Son), and Mr. Handsome (Me)… Yes, I was on my tippy toes, so I would not feel like a dwarf!

Mary called in and said her afternoon was canceled, so she took off to the hospital next door (Huntington Beach Community) and got the quick COVID test.  She came in negative, so we guess Colleen got it at the airport or on the flight home; we have the dreaded summer cold.

Joe was still here when Mary showed up, but she hit the sack and was comatose until 8:00 PM. I fixed her dinner and gave her the meds she required.  By 9:30 PM, we were both dead to the world.

I did get up around midnight and found the battery-operated overhead hall light with motion sensing works great.  It had just the right amount of light to keep me from stumbling through the house and not enough to blind me.

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Girls Night Out; Yeah!

Posted on Thursday, August 12, 2021 by Paul

I knew the local flasher was due to retire. But he’s decided to stick it out for another year.

We did some easy chores around the house as I am recovering from “the great blood pressure” incident.  All is normal this morning, but I admit I had to run to the gentlemen’s lounge every half hour this morning after over-achieving on the hydration front.

We headed to the Elks for Girls Night Out and had a delightful meal; the food there is as good as any five-star restaurant I had seen.  The ol’ folks joined us again, making for a special lunch. Hal is funny and sharp as a tack! Jeannie is such a card!

At the end of the meal, I asked the executive chef to come out, and the whole place broke out into applause for the great food.  The maitre-de was so happy we did that we all got a free dessert1

Iris and Will joined us this afternoon!

On the way home, I stopped at the market and got some last-minute things for dinner. It was extra warm in the market, so I decided fewer clothes was a good thing; how embarassing1

When I went to the market, I did not know what to say!

I decided not to tell Mary about my little escapade, but she did wonder why I was escorted out of the market by two armed guards!

Then came the phone call we always dread; something wrong with a child or loved one! Our daughter, Colleen, who has been with us for the past two weeks, was in the hospital with COVID-19.  We were a little worried because neither of us had been feeling 100%.  Mary had patients tomorrow, so she plans to get a COVID screening ASAP.

We called Bill Capps and did a wave-off for this evening.  We do NOT want to spread it if we have it, so we are staying close to home.

Celebrating two weeks as man and wife, I am still giddy!

We hit the sack and attempted to watch a movie, but that did not work!  Night night. We were both under the weather.

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What Was That??

Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 by Paul

An oxygen atom runs into his old friend, the hydrogen atom, on the street one day. “How you doing?” asks the oxygen atom. “Not well, actually,” the hydrogen atom replies. “I lost an electron.” The oxygen atom looks alarmed. “Are you sure?” it asks. “Yeah,” the hydrogen atom sighs. “I’m positive.”

Bam!  2:30 AM there was a loud sound and I thought the sprinklers had come on; it was pouring water. Rain, lightning and thunder all at once.  I jumped up and raced for the Alexa device I had outside for Mary to listen to when cleaning the spa.  Then I spotted other things that should be inside or under the patio cover.  The sky lights up, and I saw multiple flashes over the city.  The one at 2:37 AM was over Catalina, as evidenced by my trusty iPhone lightning tracker software.

I could see lightning 35 miles away!

Back to bed, I went and finally got up around 7:00 AM to really start the day.  Mary had not heard a thing; she worked hard yesterday.

We had coffee and made up the To-Do List for the day; dang, it is a long one! We started errands with Michael’s, then Staples, then Home Depot, lunch at Rockwell’s, and finally Ralph’s Market.

When we returned, I crashed for a bit, and Mary awaited Becca to show up with the kids to go swimming,

Laura and her kids joined the fun; Laura has been Becca’s friend for many years!

I was so tired I could barely move, but I went out and got a propane cylinder to practice cooking steaks before tomorrow evening.  I told Mary, that I saw a moose on the way to Home Depot this afternoon. Mary said. “How do you know he was on his way to Home Depot?”

When I got back, Mary insisted I take my blood pressure, because I was so tired.  The blood pressure was very low.  We called my cardiologist, and he said, “Stay calm and drink plenty of water, eat salt, drink some coffee, and it will return to normal; you are dehydrated”.  I am wondering if I took two of my heart and blood pressure meds today instead of one?

Mary showed me a new way to take blood pressure measurements!

Things got back to near normal by 8:30 PM, and I did not have to run to Long Bech Memorial!  We crashed with two bottles of water next to my bed. Tomorrow, 64 oz of water, and I will pull back on the throttle a bit.  We have been working almost 24×7 getting the house the way we want it!

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Tuesday; We Were Hard At Work!

Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 by Paul

Cleaning mirrors is a job I could really see myself doing.

No one here but us chickens!  We woke up to an empty house; we miss Colleen already!  Mary had her Zoom meeting, and it was over early, so we had plenty of time to take The Silver Fox to the spa for his 15,000-mile checkup.

He was so happy to go to the spa he raced back and told Scout, “See who is prettier now?!”

We had to be back home at 10:00 AM because the spa movers were due.  They showed up at 10:30 AM and moved the spa with the greatest ease even though it weighs 2,200 pounds dry!

Amazing how easy it is when you have the right tools!

180 degrees, and all is well!

We put the LARGE spa umbrella over it, and Mary went to work taking the spa to the spa.  Rubba-dub-dub sounds terminated from the spa for the next two hours; it never looked so good!  While Mary was cleaning the spa, I worked on the garage so we can get in and out easily!

I installed another overhead rack, and the ice chests and other items we use a lot could stay in the garage but be out of the way!  Ths involved rehanging our bicycles; yes, we have bikes, and no, they do NOT have training wheels on them!

Our handyman was here today also and did things I could have done had I the time.  For example, he put a bar over the dryer to hang the clothes up and not on the cabinet handles, painted the address indicators white so they would stand out against the brown facia board, and installed some baseboards, which the plumber left undone!  Tom is quite handy, immaculate, and trustworthy.

He can do almost anything we ask! He will be on our short call list!

When I finished my efforts in the garage, I came to the backyard and helped Mary with the outside of the spa.  We ran out of spa cover spray, so off to Amazon, I went.  Amazon will deliver two bottles will be delivered tomorrow; better than driving to Home Depot!

With these, we can finish the spa!

Around 5:00 PM, we were both tired and hit the pool, enjoying the 86 degree temperature.  Becca called, and the family is coming over at 2:30 PM tomorrow to swim; perfect because I will fire up the BBQ and do steaks.  I hope to post the following sign after the dinner party!

Maybe Yes; Maybe No! We will see!

I can hardly wait to tell the boys, “What do you get if you cross a snake and a lego set?
A boa constructor.”  Also, “Where do polar bears vote? The North Poll.” All I ever hear back is a groan and the words, “Grandpa!”

The steak BBQ was pre-planned because we are having a little dinner party Thursday evening with the Capps and Jan Mongel.  I have not BBQ’ed a real steak in years, so I needed practice.

Mary said to go “all-out,” so I got our combination BBQ grille and wine cooler!

We finished dinner and tried to call Colleen, but Mark answered, which was fine; Colleen returned safely but was dead tired!

We watched Two And A Half Men and then crashed at 8:30 PM, exhausted from a busy day!  Tomorrow will be even busier, prepping for the dinner party!

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Stay A While Longer….. Pleeeeease!

Posted on Monday, August 9, 2021 by Paul

With the rise of self-driving vehicles, it’s only a matter of time before we get a country song where a guy’s truck leaves him too.

All good things must come to an end, and today a good thing is leaving us for a couple of months; yes, Colleen is returning to Eastern America, New Hampshire. She was so much help these past two weeks!

She was supposed to get a sushi dinner from her brother, but the last Arco Gas Station in the area was closed so, no sushi today. However, Joe did send me a video for Colleen.

And to assist Colleen when she goes for sushi…

Mary had to work, so Colleen and I drove to Mary’s office and picked her up for lunch.  When in Huntington Beach, go to the beach; we did. We tried our favorite restaurant, and it was closed, so we went downstairs to Sally’s.

Lovin’ my lady!

With a little bit of magic, we improved the picture!

Colleen and Mary were joined at the hip for the last two weeks.  It was lovely to see them together and Robin just adding to the enjoyment when she joined them. They were at times a bit puzzling to me?

Meanwhile back at the beach our tummies were full and we had to get going as Mary needed to return to work and we had errands to perform.

We walked up the ramp towards our car to head home.

Using a little camera magic along with the Focus Software, they became “standouts.”

Processed with Focos

We took Mary back to work in Huntington Beach, and Colleen and I headed to Casa Valencia to finish packing and get her ready to go to the airport.  Her flight was 5:30 PM, so a 4:00 PM arrival at the airport was perfect.

I did some shopping in Los Alamitos.  Staples has my special storage boxes, and Bed Bath & Beyond has our under-the-cabinet shelves so we can finish off the bathrooms.

Since we were so close to Los Alamitos, I planned to pick up Vicky at 5:00 PM and take her to dinner at the Fish Company.  Mary drove from her office to the Fish Company, and we all met there at 5:30 PM. While waiting for Mary, we wondered, “Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?”

For the past three decades, Vicky has been my dear friend and neighbor, so having dinner with her was special!  We had also invited Ed, but he was up to his tushy in grandchildren, so he stayed home in La Mirada.

…and what do you use for bait?

The three of us yacked for quite a while.  On a sad note, Sandy Schroeder passed yesterday of a massive heart attack; she was going to turn 80 this next week and had just moved into a Leisure World complex in Laguna Niegel.  Last night, we had an empty seat at our table and wondered who it was for; it was to have been Sandy’s seat.  Live life to the fullest because you never know!

Bob Carlson, Ed Roberts, and Vicky

I paid for dinner, and we left together. I remembered my wallet is like an onion. When I open it, it makes me cry. Mary was in the hot rod we call Precious and me in The Silver Fox.  I dropped off Vicky and scooted down the 22 to home.  We arrived at Casa Valencia together.

I was taken back by the stand-out front of our house. Apparently, Colleen and Scout had a plan!

Scout, The Wonder Dog, was soliciting belly rubs!

We had a glass of vino on the patio, discussed the day )something we always do before retiring) and decided we would NOT swim tonight; we were just too tired.  However, when I poured the wine, I wondered if you’re not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb in the refrigerator?

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Sunday, A Day Of Rest…. NOT!!

Posted on Sunday, August 8, 2021 by Paul

Although I understand that all days are equal with 24 hours each, most of us agree that Friday is the longest day of the week and Sunday the shortest!

We popped up bright and early and hit the patio with a full cup of coffee, ready to take on the day!  Well, we looked at the calendar and were ready to go back to bed!  We worked a bit around the house and then got ready for the first part of the day; Bernie’s 100th.  A dear friend and amazing dancer, we had to celebrate with him.  Luckily the party was in Long Beach between 1:00 PM AND 3:00 PM.

When we arrived, Bernie was dancing with his lady friend, Donnis; the crowd was applauding.  We met up with eight couples we knew, and only one of them knew we tied the knot.  They were very happy for us.

The man is a machine!!!

The band was terrific and played a little bit of everything!

Going strong all afternoon!

We visited with Irene and Vicky, who were in attendance. After the party, we picked up a large box of pictures from Vicky.  The new owners of my old house found them in the attic.  Colleen is going to go through them tomorrow and divvy them out to the family.  My memories are in my head and will always be there and in better color!

We headed home just in time to go to the next birthday party for Mary Capps, turning 80.  I thought it was informal; after all, it was at the Elks; well, upon arriving, Colleen and Mary were in perfect attire, and I was in a Hawaiian shirt with the guys all wearing suits.   I took off like a scalded cat, racing home to change.  I went, changed, and returned in 40 minutes flat!

Mary and Bill opened the dance activities with a waltz.  We held back, but it took a lot of self-control!

Sorry Mark, but Colleen has an all-male fan club out here on the coast.  The fans are admittedly a bit out of date, but they enjoy her company and were alternating giving her dance lessons.

I love dancing with Dr. Mary because she can follow my leads, no matter where they go!  Our first dance was in 2004 at the Starlighter’s Dance Club!  We saw the invitation!

We danced and danced until we could not dance anymore!

I no longer have birthday parties. It’s embarrassing! The last party was a combination birthday party and an antique auction!  Three people bid on me!

I had the first bite of the birthday cake and said, “Doctor Mary, I get heartburn every time I eat birthday cake.”  Doctor Mary replied, “Next time, take off the candles.”

Lookin’ good!

Colleen had a great time dancing with the guys, including little ol’ me.  Since Colleen was driving, we had one more glass of wine than normal, so we could crash when we got home.  It was a great evening!

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We Be Off And Running All Day!

Posted on Saturday, August 7, 2021 by Paul

We have enough youth. How about a Fountain of Smart?

Collen, Mary, and I got up and worked around the house for a while.  There is always something to do around here.  I had my landscaper add some driplines to the backyard, and he did an amazing job!  Mary and I checked everything out, and it was perfect!

“Don’t step on it; it’s part of the drip system!”

We planned to go to Annie’s this morning, so we got cleaned up and headed to banning. We visited for quite a while and visited so much; we didn’t even take a picture! Duh!

Robin came over and visited with Colleen, and they spent the day together.

We returned home about 4:00 PM after a long time on the freeway; I hate the 91 Freeway! By the time we got home, we were tired from driving, and they were tired from shopping, so we went to the new Mexican Seafood restaurant, Malta,  for dinner.  Did you hear about the new Mexican restaurant? It’s the taco the town!

The service was not so great, but we will give them another chance since they are just starting up.  The food and the presentations were amazing!

The food was delicious!

Colleen drove home since I had two margaritas; we crashed after sitting around at the kitchen table for a while cracking jokes.  I love it when the sisters get together, and adding Mary to the mix makes for a lot of belly-laughs.

Giggling uncontrollably!

I do remember Colleen saying, “Worrying works! More than 90 percent of the things I worry about never happen.”

Then Robin fired off with, “The easiest time to add insult to injury is when you’re signing somebody’s cast.”

Then Mary, not to be outdone, added to the hilarity by saying, “You don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. You need a parachute to go skydiving twice.”

Not to be left in the dust, I described the scene I saw yesterday with the three old guys!

“Huh??”

By 11:00 PM, we crashed.  Sunday is another full day!

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It’s Friday; The Week Is Gone!

Posted on Friday, August 6, 2021 by Paul

If time is money, then are ATMs time machines?

Mary went to work, and the girls decided it was going to be a Temecula Day.  I called Bob Z, and the four of us were gone for the day!

The first stop was lunch; we walked the beautiful grounds.

A stroll through the grounds.

I ordered the scallops and stuffed squash blossoms.  They were quite tasty, a good appetizer.  I ended up with their burger, which was outstanding.  We sat and dined and talked for 45 minutes, great fun!

Robin ordered cereal for lunch and then asked the waiter, “What wine goes with Captain Crunch? ”  We were so embarrassed!

Appetizers are served!

Colleen and I traded funnies keeping Robin and Rob in stitches most of the meal! My daughter and I only drink wine on days that end with a “y.”

Dad and Daughter!

These two were n slouches when it came to one-liners and tossing barbs back and forth! Bob remembered, “A meal without wine is called breakfast.”

Robin and Bob!

We then headed to Sout Coast Winery, where we tasted and enjoyed the air conditioning.  It was in the high 80s, maybe low 90s most of the afternoon!

Entering South Coast Winery

Bob and I stayed away from the bar where the girls were.  It was a “Girls Gone Wild” moment!

Doh!

We then went to Europa, sampled the nectar, and finished the day at Long Shadow Ranch because Robin wanted a Blue Boot liqueur!  I reminded everyone, “In dog wine, I’ve only had two glasses. ”

Funny day!

After Mary got home, we decided cooking was not on the cards, so we called Patty’s Place and got reservat3ions at 7:15 PM.  We got our favorite seats and enjoyed a leisurely dinner.  Even though I only had two glasses of vino, Colleen offered to drive home, and I let her.  Mary and I cavorted in the back seat, probably embarrassing the girls’ plenty.

Colleen and Mary really hit it off!

I was reminded by the girls…

Yep indeed!

The three girls get along so well; I love family and especially where everyone is happy.  I wish our third daughter could be here, but Michele was busy this evening.

Dining at Patty’s

We headed home, swung open the doors, and sat on the patio for a while.  Mary got a little chilly, so I found a blankie for her to wrap up in.

Night night!

We all crashed about 9:30 PM with Robin staying in the guest room and Colleen staying in The Robin’s Nest.  This weekend is going to be busy!!

I leave you with a thought for the evening.

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We Did It; The House Is 90% Complete!

Posted on Thursday, August 5, 2021 by Paul

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.

Due to friends and family and a load of work, our journey beginning May 28th has almost come to an end; we have a home (without piles of boxes).  It was a great day!

We got up early, had coffee on the patio, and began the last few hours of work.  I worked outside taking the five-gallon paint cans and putting the leftovers into one-gallon cans, and labeling them.  The walkway was watered and made ready for cacti.

Mary went after the last few boxes and then spent time changing her address.  Colleen did another Goodwill run where she is getting to be well known!

We love the office; plenty big for all our machines and we have two desks plus a view of the backyard!

Scout, The Wonder Dog, said he wanted to be pretty too, so we took him to the doggie salon at 11:00 AM on our way o “Girls Night Out” at the Elks.  Colleen was going to go, but the person she was going to visit canceled, and she stayed home and helped Joe get ready for the pool party!

The swordfish was outstanding!

The regulars were there, although we missed Mike today.

Bob, Gail, and Bill.

The food at the Elks is as good as any restaurant in OC!!

The Prime Rib Lady loved the lunch!

We headed home a little early to pick up pretty boy Scout and visit with Joe and Amy and Charlies’s friends, who are all swimming at our place.

Charlie is fourteen and a great kid!

I was so tired that I laid down and slept for nearly three hours.  Mary supervised the installation of some of the window treatments while I was out.  Colleen went to a crafts fair nearby.  After getting up, I decided dinner meant going out.  All of us were too pooped to cook!

We drove two miles away to the OC Mining Company and chowed down on steak, sharing mushrooms and cheesy bread.

View from our table at the Mining Company

After getting home, I called our neighbor, Jeff, and asked to borrow any remaining room in his trashcans.  Well, he brought them over, and we talked for a while.  We filled his up; we filled our next-door neighbors up, and I am looking for one more before the trashman cometh in the morning.

Jeff and I are the same age; feels good to talk to someone my age, we understand each other!

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It’s Our One Week Anniversary!

Posted on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 by Paul

A man inserted an ‘ad’ in the classifieds: ‘Wife wanted’. The next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: ‘You can have mine.’

Did we make progress or what today?  The fearsome threesome attacked the house with a vengeance.  By 2:00 PM, when the cleaning people came in, they thought they were in the wrong house.

I continued working in the garage while Dr. Mary and Colleen attacked the ballroom.  I was frankly flabbergasted when I saw it. Wow!  We can have 3-5 couples swing-dancing up here easily.

The ballroom is ready for a dance!!

Click the pano shot to see the entire room at once.  We will start decorating it with a 50s motif later this year!

The panoramic shot is interesting! (Click the picture to see the full size panorama)

From the window, we can see Scout The Wonder Dog’s domain; notice, not a single elephant can be found.  He does a great job keeping them away!

The pool will be in use this afternoon!

Colleen did errands for us getting special pictures framed like Mary’s graduating class from medical school.  She is now well known at Goodwill as we keep loading the van with stuff to donate.

We expected the spa folks, but alas, they disappointed us!  We got cleaned up around 5:30 PM because we had a Starlighter’s board meeting at Donna and Bob’s.  Colleen stayed and awaited the arrival of the spa folks, but they were np-shows.

Donna supervises the meeting!

Fearless Leader keeps us moving along!

We did a Del Taco run on the way home, and we all ate the meal on the patio. We noticed that Colleen found an extension cord and fired up the LED lights I put on the gazebo earlier.  It was quite romantic.  Mary, Colleen,  and I went out and sat there for a while before crashing!

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The Day Starteth Early; Mary Had To Zoom!

Posted on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 by Paul

Mary proposes a new rule: zoom meetings can not last longer than the laptop battery or her bladder.

Zoom! Mary was off and sitting at 7:15 PM with the “Professionals With Integrity” group.  By 8:30 AM, Mary was done zooming, and we joined forces to hit the garage running.  The garage was so full, we could not even get out the double side, but magic occurred.

We tried te easy way but had no takers!

The picture below was when the garage was half-full before the 18-wheeler brought another load from Bluebonnet!

Before, it was floor to ceiling and wall to wall! In all the boxes were 26 boxes of books.  I found the bookshelves on Amazon, and they were pretty substantial.  Four shelves later, we have a library.

Amazon said, “IRONCK Bookshelf Double Wide 6-Tier 76″ H, Open Large Bookcase, Industrial Style Shelves, Wood and Metal Bookshelves for Home Office, Easy Assembly”  Well, after four of them, I got pretty good at assembly.

We bought and filled up four bookshelves, two in the office and two in the exercise room! (BYW, the books serve as a great background for the Zoom meeting)

We worked all day and finally at 5:45 PM we stopped and went to the new Mexican Seafood place; the food was good, but the service was sloooooow.  Robin was having a craving for Mexican food.

We returned to the crime scene, and with the help of Colleen and Robin, we moved the old wooden bookshelves to the side of the house and cleared a path for Precious and The Silver Fox to go indoors.

I had to get on the ladder to change a lightbulb in the garage this afternoon.  You could say it was the high light of my day.

Perfect, Juan, our car wash guy, is coming Thursday to give the babies a bath;  all three cars will look brand new!

I was putting my car in the garage and asked my Mary to spot me and let me know when I hit the wall. I heard a bang. Then she said, “8:45 PM!”

“Precious” and “The Silver Fox” had their first conjugal visit! Their engines roaring all night long!

The four of us admired the progress we had made and were very happy.  We are so happy that Colleen took us up on our invite to stay another week; she has been a joy to have around.   Robin and Colleen make fantastic sisters.  They had Mary and me in stitches all evening long, me laughing so hard I was crying alligator tears.

They suggested we go to Temecula and taste the vino on Friday while Mary works.  I gotta think about that; can my tunny stand four hours of howling laughter?

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Monday; I Am Tired Of Being Tired!

Posted on Monday, August 2, 2021 by Paul

I bought a vacuum cleaner six months ago, and so far, all it’s been doing is gathering dust.

Well, when all is going well, look out!  I put water in the hot tub this morning, and Marry noticed the interior stairs were not in the proper location!  Crap!  We had to call and have the movers reorient the tub 180 degrees.

We worked in the yard for a while. I bought some additional herbs and new green beans.  Mary uses garnish in her cooking, and I, therefore, made two new garnish boxes with different types of parsley in them!

Mary watered, and I planted; we worked for almost an hour!

Tim, our handyman, worked around the house for several hours.  He is doing things I could do, BUT I have things to do he can’t do, so!

Mary and Colleen were collaborating, and when I returned, Mary had curled Colleen’s hair. They were playing “hair salon,” I think.  I am so happy that the kids have grown fond of her; I am indeed a lucky man!  I told Colleen, “I knew I was going bald when it was taking longer and longer to wash my face.”

Eek!!!

We worked in the house, attempting to put the final touches on everything.  We still have hours of work ahead of us, maybe a week.

I drained the spa, and we called the spa folks; they are returning Wednesday to rotate the tub 180 degrees.  By Friday, we ought to be able to go into the spa!

We got the office back in shape, and we are down the three boxes in the house yet to unpack!

We got cleaned up, ready to go to the Garden Grove Elks but decided to stop by Dianne and David’s for a quick tour.  We told Colleen about it, but she was not sure what to expect.  Her eyes bugged out as we walk through the home.

The upstairs was a wonderland of memories!

Even the garage was full with the Clampett’s real car on display!

Jed asked us to “Come in and sit a spell”!

We finally made it to the Elks, where we were supposed to dance, but alas, we had to improvise.  They had the 9 Carat Gold in the ballroom, but the ballroom was set up for Bingo!  We found ways to dance anyway!

Bob did the honors. He is quite a cut-up! I told Bob, “Most stressful thing about being a dragon: trying to blow out the candles on your birthday cake.”

Bob cuts the cheese, cheesecake, that is!

We have wonderful friends, and we like to celebrate their birthdays at least twice a year or more.

Our birthday people, Donna, Vic, and Irene!

Then we sang, making all the dogs in the neighborhood bark, the cats shriek, and tiny children run to their mommies!  It was a horrible sound akin to a demolition derby!

Singing happy birthday!

We danced for a while but decided we were tired, so we had two more stops.  Rockwell’s came first, where Mary and I shared a soup and sandwich combo, and Colleen dived into a salad.

Rockwell’s just before closing time!

She is a pretty girl, inside and out!  We are proud of her and her wonderful family!

Colleen got her tummy full before crashing!

But wait, there’s more!  We called up Jan M. and went to her house for a teeny tiny nightcap, a half glass of wine.  We talked for thirty minutes and then headed to Casa Valencia to crash!

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Where Has The Time Gone; It Is Now August!

Posted on Sunday, August 1, 2021 by Paul

Mary: “Which book has helped you the most in your life?”
Colleen: “My father’s checkbook!”

It’s Sunday and just another work day around Casa Valencia.  We up with the roosters this fine AM and started in the yard doing some planting.  We replaced some zucchini and beans and added more parsley and other herbs.  Mary dead-headed the roses, and the yard was looking pretty good!

Colleen and Mary worked in the house, and we laughed when we decided Colleen will get a lot of phone calls asking, “Now where can we find ______”  or “Do you remember where the ______ is located.”  Colleen has assisted Mary in putting away all sorts of stuff.

We asked Colleen to reorganized the laundry room, and when Mary saw it, she was amazed.  Mary said, “It is exactly like I would have done it!”

Zack and family came by as he is going to hang some of our many TVs.

Lilly hits the pool first!

Miss Mary and Lilly go for a swim!  They really enjoyed the dip!

Into the water with you!

Just floating along with the breeze!

Mary floating.

Scout finds many friends!  He is the cutest baby and loves everyone!

Scout has a friend!

Becca had to work all day as she had three papers due by midnight this evening. She is in the home stretch and will have her degree and begin student teaching by the end of the year.  We are very proud of her!

Becca is hard at work!

Mary asked me to go into the pool, and I normally do NOT swim, but I did it today! You know, it was very relaxing, and the water was well into the 80s.

The evidence arrived; I do NOT melt in the pool!

We had lunch and talked for quite a while.  It is great to have a family to be with.

Lunch be served.

We got cleaned up, and then we three headed for Joe’s to celebrate Charlie’s 14th birthday; wow!  After the party, we headed home, and instead of crashing, like usual, we watched a movie from 1990 called Total Recall. Plagued by vivid and distressing visions of colonized Mars, the ordinary construction worker, Douglas Quaid, nurtures an unquenchable desire to travel to the unknown and distant red planet. To decipher his recurring nightmares, Quaid enlists the help of the memory-implant company, Rekall Inc., to purchase a cheap alternative: the recollection of the ideal virtual vacation. Instead, the procedure backfires, and what Quaid used to perceive as “reality” is no more. Now, someone has put a target on his back, and the bullets start flying. The answers that Quaid is seeking are on Mars; however, what is real, and what is a dream? Are Quaid and his family prepared for the total recall?

At 10:30 PM, we crashed!

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