{"id":84252,"date":"2024-11-10T09:07:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T16:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=84252"},"modified":"2024-11-12T09:12:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T16:12:27","slug":"no-more-diddly-squats-we","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=84252","title":{"rendered":"No More Diddly-Squats; We Worked All Day!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_84253\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84253\" class=\"size-full wp-image-84253\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1137.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1137.jpg 615w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1137-113x150.jpg 113w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84253\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul has a job for today!<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We rolled out of bed at 7:00 am, ready to tackle the day, but first, let\u2019s say our emails were in bigger need of a clean-up than a toddler\u2019s playroom. I was so groggy this morning that I had to check how long I&#8217;d been alive. Spoiler alert: I\u2019m older than dirt, which is saying something since dirt doesn\u2019t come with a warranty and doesn\u2019t require coffee.<\/p>\n<p>While sifting through the DAILY DIARY, I stumbled upon a picture of the giant crane from May 2021 that heroically transported Mary&#8217;s Swim Spa from her place to ours. That beast had a max reach of 135 feet and almost caused a family-wide heart attack as it grazed our roof by half an inch. No real bending was involved, thank goodness!\u00a0 The &#8220;bending&#8221; was caused by the wide angle lense. We were half-expecting to find a new \u201chome feature\u201d in our living room, courtesy of a 6000-pound swim spa crashing through the roof.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84257\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84257\" class=\"wp-image-84257 size-medium\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: #f1f1f1; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-002-650x273.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-002-650x273.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-002-150x63.jpg 150w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-002-768x323.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-002.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84257\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ouch, the swim spa is heavy!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just when we thought our excitement for the day was maxed out, we heard a commotion at the front door. It was a delivery of beautiful flowers from Vicky, thanking us for something we had done but had already forgotten\u2014classic us! We promptly took a picture of the flowers and sent them back, probably confusing her even more.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84258\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84258\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-84258\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-003-650x867.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"867\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-003-650x867.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-003-112x150.jpg 112w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-003-768x1025.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-003.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thank you, Vicky!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We got back to work, but shortly after, Mary mysteriously vanished. Suddenly, our Alexa chirped, \u201cCome And Get It!\u201d I sashayed down the hallway (aka stumbled like a newborn deer) and was met with the aroma of breakfast that would make even a five-star chef jealous. Mary whipped up soup, banana nut muffins, homemade egg bites, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Honestly, who needs a brunch reservation when breakfast is THIS good?<\/p>\n<p>As the song says, &#8220;Who could ask for anything more?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84259\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84259\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-84259\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-004-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-004-650x488.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-004-150x113.jpg 150w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-004-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-004.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Breakfast is served.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After we devoured the spread like hungry bears emerging from hibernation, we threw on our work clothes and headed outside. Mary tackled the rose bushes like a floral ninja on a mission while I donned my best turkey-wrangling skills to install our pet turkey in the yard. Yep, our turkey gobbles and lights up at night! It\u2019s like a holiday extravaganza in our yard\u2014passersby shower us with compliments, likely just trying to figure out what kind of weirdos live here. It\u2019s our *unique* taste, obviously.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84260\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84260\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-84260\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-005-650x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-005-650x536.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-005-150x124.jpg 150w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-005-768x633.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-005.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thanksgiving decorations are being installed everywhere.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Later, as Mary continued her rose battle on the back patio, I embarked on my own grand adventure: reorganizing the garage and shed\u2014an endeavor that should have come with a survival guide. I replaced several old patio furniture covers with ridiculously striking new ones. Meanwhile, Mary planted a tiny army of pansies in the vertical gardens and trimmed roses, proving she has a green thumb\u2014not to mention the stamina of a marathon runner!<\/p>\n<p>We then took a joyride to visit Jan for a bit. Our pleasant visit turned into a mini wine tasting as we polished off a bottle \u2014 cheers to making responsible adult decisions! Jan mentioned she might join us at the Elks on Thursday for the gossip, not the food.<\/p>\n<p>Mary then whipped up a sauce for pierogi night that was nothing short of magical. This topping was perfection when added to the cheese pierogi. To up the ethnic ante, she also prepared a batch of red cabbage. Dinner was served, and I know garlic was in that topping\u2014because I chopped it. The rest was a top-secret blend of wizardry that made the meal unforgettable. We even took a batch over to Jeff so he wouldn\u2019t have to make his dinner.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84261\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84261\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-84261\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-006-650x867.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"867\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-006-650x867.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-006-112x150.jpg 112w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-006-768x1025.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-006.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dinner is served.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I know garlic was in the topping because I cut it up, but Mary had several other exciting ingredients, making this a memorable dinner.<\/p>\n<p>Within an hour, we got a message from Jeff:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"frame aligncenter wp-image-84269 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1138.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"501\" height=\"139\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1138.jpg 501w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pix-1138-150x42.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84262\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84262\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-84262\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-007-650x867.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"867\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-007-650x867.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-007-112x150.jpg 112w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-007-768x1025.jpg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-007.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84262\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pierogi topping.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Returning home, we plopped down in the TV Room, turned on the 80\u201d TV, and got comfy in the theater-style lounges. Mary got into her needlepoint, and I took charge of the remote, settling on not one but two shoot-em-up movies\u2014because that\u2019s the authentic cinematic experience!<\/p>\n<p>The first one was *Rio Lobo*: John Wayne\u2019s gloriously rugged Western, where he defends his honor and office against outlaws. Holy goats, it was shot in Mexico! I half-wondered if our backyard could look that picturesque (spoiler: it can\u2019t).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84273\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84273\" class=\"wp-image-84273 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-008-650x918.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"918\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-008-650x918.jpg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-008-106x150.jpg 106w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-008.jpg 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The first movie was &#8220;Rio Lobo:&#8221; or Wolf River.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Rio Lobo is a 1970 American Western film directed and produced by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, from a screenplay by Burton Wohl and Leigh Brackett. The film was shot in Cuernavaca in the Mexican state of Morelos and Tucson, Arizona. The musical score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It was the third Howard Hawks film to explore the theme of a town sheriff defending his office against belligerent local outlaws: the others were Rio Bravo (1959) and El Dorado (1966), both starring John Wayne. Rio Lobo was the last film Hawks made.<\/p>\n<p>Then came *The Big Sky*, another classic. It\u2019s a Howard Hawks film where adventurers face off against the great unknown. The ending deviates from the book, probably because nobody wanted to cry into their popcorn\u2014a wise choice! Is Kirk Douglas in a Western? Count me in!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_84274\" style=\"width: 395px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84274\" class=\" wp-image-84274\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-009.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-009.jpg 256w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024-11-10-009-99x150.jpg 99w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-84274\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Then we watched &#8220;The Big Sky.&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Big Sky is a 1952 American Western film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and written by Dudley Nichols, based on the novel of the same name by A.B. Guthrie Jr. The film does not have the same tragic ending as the book. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Dewey Martin, Elizabeth Threatt, and Arthur Hunnicutt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Though not considered among Hawks&#8217;s significant achievements by most critics, the film was chosen by Jonathan Rosenbaum for his alternative list of the Top 100 American Films.<\/p>\n<p>At 9:30 pm, we declared victory and went to bed, as we had to face the gym tomorrow!<\/p>\n<p>Who would have thought a day of emails and pictures of giant swim spas hanging up in the air would be an epic adventure filled with flowers, foodie exploits, and a movie marathon worthy of a standing ovation? If only every day could be this wacky!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-84267\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/99c125a26f1af68ae3094865a651eca0-650x628.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/99c125a26f1af68ae3094865a651eca0-650x628.jpeg 650w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/99c125a26f1af68ae3094865a651eca0-150x145.jpeg 150w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/99c125a26f1af68ae3094865a651eca0-768x742.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2024\/11\/99c125a26f1af68ae3094865a651eca0.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We rolled out of bed at 7:00 am, ready to tackle the day, but first, let\u2019s say our emails were in bigger need of a clean-up than a toddler\u2019s playroom. I was so groggy this morning that I had to &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=84252\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[229,17,184,8,230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","category-friends","category-just-us","category-movies","category-working-around-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84252"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84311,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84252\/revisions\/84311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}