Working In The Office! Then We Dance!

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2025 by Paul
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Rain Rain Rain!

Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2025 by Paul

We sat around watching the rain and worked in the office.

Mary decided to make another pumpkin pie, so I joined in the fun!

History And Oorigins

The first pumpkin pies weren’t pies at all, but baked pumpkins filled with spices and apples.

Early pumpkin pies were baked in hot ashes and were more like a pudding, not a flaky pastry crust.

The British introduced pumpkin pie to the American colonies in the mid-1500s.

The first recipe that resembles a modern pumpkin pie appeared in a 1796 American cookbook.

It became a Thanksgiving staple by the 18th century, with some towns even delaying the holiday if they couldn’t get enough molasses for the pie.

First, we washed and halved the pumpkin, scraping out the “guys” but keeping the seeds.  We then bake the halves at 350 degrees for an hour, which softens the pumpkin’s flesh.

Baked for an hour!

Once cooked and cooled down, the tough skin must be peeled away!  We both did the peeling activity.

Why did the pumpkin pie go to a dentist? Because it needed a filling.

The skin must be peeled off.

The skin comes off fairly easily with a pairing knife.

Pealing was easy!

Then the magic; Mary adds heavy cream plus a secret number of spices, including eye of newt and bat wings.

Adding the magic ingredients

It goes into the oven for a solid hour.  We use a crust shield to keep the crust from burning.

Robin and Bob came over at 4:45 pm, and we had a bottle of champagne to celebrate, and then it was off to the Orange County Mining Company, located about a mile from our home.

We had a delightful meal overlooking the city of Orange and Tustin.  I could spot the 55 and 22 freeways.  We could also see LAX airplanes landing.

We returned home and attacked the pumpkin pie; Bob was a happy camper!

Bob’s birthdat is Monday so we celebrated today!

Everyone was tired, so we visited until 8:00 pm and then split up.  Mary and I crashed soon after.

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The End (Of The Week) Is Near!

Posted on Friday, November 14, 2025 by Paul

Rain will begin momentarily!

Wednesday:

We were up early and went directly to the gym, where the staff took special care of me, working on my legs and upper torso. They commented that I am getting better with each visit. The fact that I am 183 pounds, down from 205 six weeks ago, probably helps!

After the workout, we went to the Original Pancake House and split an omelet; their portions are generous, to say the least.

Arriving home, we decided to take down the Thanksgiving decorations from their yearly hiding place in the garage attic. I volunteered to go up the fold-down ladder, but the good doctor informed me, in NO uncertain manner, that I was NOT allowed on the ladder.

A disorganized attic. Loft, or crawl space, above the residential garage.

Mary went up and brought the boxes to the edge of the ladder. I took the dangerous spot anyway and stood underneath the opening, catching the boxes as she lowered them. Seven large plastic containers later, we were ready to roll into the family room.

The girls were coming to clean at 4:00 pm, and we had to depart for the theater at 4:30 pm, so we got ready to go. Tonight we saw “The Heartsellers”. We took Sydney and Dr. Bill with us and had dinner at The Silver Trumpet before the play.

We ate lightly to stay awake during the performance.

The cheese and charcuterie board was perfect with one glass of wine.

The play is summarized as follows: Two immigrants, one Filipino and one Korean, meet by chance in a supermarket on Thanksgiving in 1973. Longing for connection, Luna invites Jane to her apartment. While their medical-resident husbands work through the night, the women bond over life in America, the families they left behind, and the art of cooking a frozen turkey. Set eight years after the Hart-Celler Act overhauled U.S. immigration policy, this heartwarming comedy was called “a laugh-aloud love letter to friendship” by Broadway World.

We crashed upon arriving home; it was a wonderful day.

Thursday:

Today is Girls’ Night Out, and we did not disappoint. We met up with the regulars and enjoyed an excellent meal. Due to my lack of appetite and desire to stay under 185 pounds, I enjoyed half a pizza and an Arnold Palmer drink. Mary went for the salad and some of my pizza.

After arriving home, we both took naps, and I won the contest. I slept for two glorious hours. If anything kept me awake at night, it would be worrying that there wouldn’t be enough time to have a nap the next day.

Robin came over after work and made up for the hamburger debacle she and Mary had last week. She pranced in the door carrying three hot burgers from In-N-Out, complete with two bags of perfectly cooked fries.

I thought I had died and gone to heaven!!

After dinner, we went to the TV Room and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie entitled “This Time Each Year”. Robin headed for bed around 8:30 pm, as she had to work the next day. We stayed up and watched “Back To The Future Part III.” It had been a long time since we’d seen it.

It was still funny and entertaining after 34 years.

We hit the sack around 11:00 pm, and we opened the bedroom window so we could hear the rain start.

Friday:

We had grand plans to visit H&H Nursery, but alas, the storm clouds rolled in and we tossed that idea. We did go to Old Ranch and had lunch with Charlotte.   We had a delightful lunch before heading home in the rain.

Beautiful women surrounded me!!

Once home, we lit the fireplace, got on our jammies, and took it easy watching the rain come down.

We watched three Hallmark Christmas movies before crashing for the night.

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The Beginning Of The Week Was Busy; Veteran’s Day

Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 by Paul

Monday:

I took the horns by the bull, slipping into my black ninja costume and following Mary to the gym!  We explained my delicate condition, so my trainer significantly adjusted the regular grueling workout.

We went to the market before going out to lunch and sent in our order for Thanksgiving dinner.  We killed two stones with one bird!

Mary made a REAL homemade pumpkin pie, and it was the best I have ever tasted.  She started with a small “pie” or “sugar” pumpkin because they have a sweeter, less stringy, and more flavorful flesh than larger carving pumpkins.  It was a lot of work, but the results were fantastic.  It did not have the consistency of the pureed pies one gets at a restaurant or in the market.

Absolutely amazing!

I was pooped out, so we stayed inside and watched TV until 0’dark-thirty.

Tuesday:

It was a day to celebrate our armed forces, Veterans’ Day.   Mary got dressed in her uniform, which dates back to the mid-1970s.  She looked pretty good!

The International Boys Choir entertained us, and they were pretty good at singing patriotic songs.

The songs sometimes brought us to tears.

Bob and Mary were dressed in their uniforms; Mary decided fatigues would be more comfortable than a dress uniform.

Looking good, guys!

Just beginning to recover from the operation, I dressed in warm clothes, and I was very proud of my wife (or should I call her Captain Wife?)

The program was excellent, and the hall was full of veterans and their guests.

Bob could not resist a “photobomb” event.

The world is not safe.  The US Military has surrounded me.

On the way home, we got a Vicky-gram.

We just landed at Orange County and it’s about 830 but for me it’s about midnight or after so the car service will pick us up. Take us to Jim‘s house and then Jim‘s gonna drive me home and then I’m going to sleep for seven days just to let my brain rest. I need a vacation for my vacation. Lol.
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The Weekend Has Passed!

Posted on Sunday, November 9, 2025 by Paul

We made our choice, too bad turkey!

Friday, we stayed home most of the day, only going to one doctor, a new record!  We wanted to go to Marie Calendar’s and place our order for Thanksgiving.   Mary had a great suggestion: have lunch and then order.  Alas, timing did NOT work out, but we have a prepared plan for the future.

Lunch was excellent, but I overate!

What’s the problem with eating too much pumpkin pie this time of year?” “You’ll get autumn-y ache.

Friday evening, we stayed inside, bundled up, and watched action movies.   Go, Arnold, Clint, Bruce, and the rest of the gang.   Mary is working on her needlepoint and plans to finish it in the next few days.

Saturday, we worked around the house after Mary returned from her early morning PT appointment.   We got the patio looking pretty good, and on warm afternoons, we can sit out there and listen to Amazon Music.

We had planned to go to the Elks and listen to Jerome Dean, but alas, I was just too tired, so we stayed home.

Sunday, we got the low-down on the Rockettes from Miss Vicky, who is in New York.

Vicky in Times Square after the show!

Vicky’s post show comments:

Yes, the show was at 1:00 today & right now it’s about 9:15, and it was probably the most wonderful show I’ve ever seen. We had the best seats, one level up so that we could see the entire stage & it was just magical. Ever since I was about 10 years old, I’ve always wanted to see them here. Finally, and you guys & Jim have spoiled me.

It sounds weird to be over 70 and being spoiled.

When we came out, it was raining & we were caught without an umbrella or anything, but we were only two blocks away, so instead of taking a taxi, we decided to make a run for it. It was funny.

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Another “Outing”; Getting Back To “Normal”

Posted on Thursday, November 6, 2025 by Paul

Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Today marks four and a half weeks after being taken to the ER.  Two weeks in the hospital and two and a half weeks home.   I am feeling better each day and getting my strength back.  After three surgeries in a span of a month, I’m doing good for an 80-year-old fart.

Today we went to ‘Girls Night Out’  at the Elks, and I survived quite well.

We then went to the vascular surgeon who did the operation.  The results of the test were positive, everything is open, and blood is flowing like it should.

Mary needed some serious R&R after taking care of me for the past five weeks.  Colleen notified Robin and Mary of a local crafts fair.  After some yelling and screaming, Robin came by and kidnapped Mary, and off they went.

While they were out and about, I got a snapshot; Mary has a new friend!

Mary has a friend!

Thank you, Robin, for getting Mary out of the house; she needed a diversion.  Robin and some friends from work did some serious Christmas shopping.

Great fun; new friends!

While they were having fun, I slaved in the office, continuing my quest for a clean room from which to do business!  I dumped my tax infor back from 2017-2021, straightened up the file cabinets, reordered our two boxes of cards, organizing them into holidays and events, and continued to collect power cords.

 

 

 

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Happy Halloween 2025

Posted on Friday, October 31, 2025 by Paul

We were ready to receive little monsters having a large mixing bowl full of treats, but as of 10 pm, we had a total of eight kids!

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The Tradition Continues

Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2025 by Paul

For a quarter of a century, we always had pumpkin carving parties, and even before the digital camera, we did the same.  This year, post-operation, I was in no condition to visit with a lot of people.

Bob and Robin came to the rescue.  They came over for two hours, and we prepared four beautiful pumpkins using plastic eyes, noses, and teeth.  We topped them off with accessories of glitter, fuzzy things, pipe cleaners, etc.

The results were amazing:

Go Girl!

They both had “big hair”

Freightening, the pumpkin also!

I have it my best shot but as you can see, I was not on top of my carving game!

I did the best I could.

The finished product was pretty good!

Masterpieces!

Thanks again to Robin and Bob for making Halloween come back to life.

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Lost Three Weeks!

Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 by Paul

Tuesday morning late, I was sliced open like a watermelon, leaving a 14″ slice down my tummy. The doctor removed about twelve inches of dead intestines and sewed me back up when I began a two-week stay in the hospital to recover.  It was the two worst weeks in my life as I was in pain, and I could only eat ice chips and water.

For a reason still unknown to me, I was blessed with having my beautiful wife with me every second of the next two weeks.  She slept in the room, made sure the doctors and nurses did their job.  She was my advocate.

I woke up one night and looked up; oh my!  I had nine IV’s stuck in my arm.  The iV stand was next to me fr two weeks.

One needed a roadmap to figure it all out!

The staff at St. Joseph’s was outstanding; they were always friendly and helpful

 

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Sirens Wailing, Horns Honking, Mary Was Taking Me To The ER

Posted on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 by Paul

Dr. Mary took control and got me inside the ER post-haste, browbeating the staff into submission; I am glad she was in my corner!

A “tied up bowel” refers to a bowel obstruction, most commonly caused by a twist in the intestine called volvulus, from scar tissue called adhesions. It can also be caused by other factors, like hernias or tumors. Symptoms include severe cramping, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and the inability to pass gas or have a bowel movement. This is a medical emergency requiring immediate attention.

I was moved to the ICU, where they spent a day giving me pain meds and meds that would thicken up my blood (I was on blood thinners for my ticker).

My memory is beginning to fade!

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