Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover
Sue suggested I go orange picking this bright morning and I did…into my bag I hurled 20 brand new citrus fruits…as I recall we had 8 regular oranges, 8 blood oranges, two grapefruit, and two lemons…the perfect recipe for a pungent addition to breakfast!
Old Slide Time! Below is yours truly in the early 1950’s in front of our home on Comey Avenue is LA. The “step-van” was what Dad drove to and from home. It was likely a 1953 model. It was the delivery truck for the dime store chain of Ralph’s 5-10-25 Cent Stores. Dad used it and that made our 53′ Pontiac available for Mom to drive.
The dime store chain was fairly small so one truck was OK. Damn I remember going through Laurel Canyon in that truck with “Mad-Man Liles” (my dad) at the wheel careening down the canyon fully loaded with goods destined for the Van Nuys store. It was a manual transmission and I was always amazed at Dad’s footwork and his double-clutching technique was honed to symphatic proportions!
At Christmas time, we would make runs from the warehouse to the various stores almost every evening bring items they needed or had run out of during the day. Dad sat in the driver’s seat and we virtually flew through Los Angeles but those days are gone now…todays it is traffic traffic traffic!
I would set on top of the engine compartment, without a safety belt I might add, hanging on for dear life wondering why my bum was so warm! During the winter it was a good place to sit! This is the truck my Dad tried to use to remove a tree front our front yard and ended up pulling the rear bumper right off the truck!
To the market and the post office we go! We did the Topper’s Newsletters and they needed to get into the mail ASAP so a quick stop at the local Post Office was in order. We have been members of Toppers for over 30 years…great dance club!
Then to Ralph’s for a breakneck visit to get supplies…tookies were on the list so the trip was vital. While there, I spotted some magnificent looking asparagus so naturally, they “fell” into my basket. After arriving home, my bride will take them to the oven and make a simple but delicious side dish we add to almost everything…cut up and put into scrambled eggs comes to mind!
How To Cook Asparagus:
1 – Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2 – Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. ..
3 – Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.
After putting away the vittles, I began the final cleanup of the south side yard meaning washing down and putting up tools plus deep watering of the trees. The nectarine tree is going wild and the apple tree is peppered with new apples! The figs are just starting to wake up after a long winters nap. The avocado tree it yet to be decided on what it wants to do…if it does not produce fruit this year, it goes bye bye and a lemon tree goes in it’s place!
Did You Know? Nectarines, like peaches, probably originated in China over 2,000 years ago and were cultivated in ancient Persia, Greece and Rome. … The word ‘nectarine’ means sweet as nectar, and this is very likely the obvious origin of the name.
We did our power-lunch early as I had a root canal consultation to go to at noon. I fixed up some bacon, ham and eggs while Sue finished off her Taco Surf goodies from yesterday. The ol’ bathroom scales won’t like it but my tastebuds were going crazy!
Did You Know? Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS or OMFS) specializes in treating many diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral (mouth) and maxillofacial (jaws and face) region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty. In countries such as the UK and most of Europe, it is recognized as both a specialty of medicine and as such a medical degree or both a degree in medicine and dentistry is compulsory. In almost every other region including the United States, Canada, (all of North America, Central America, and South America), Australia, New Zealand, India, and all Asian countries, as well as all of Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway) OMS is a recognized specialty of dentistry.
After the consultation, I returned home via CVS pharmacy and started work on the front yard. Vicky came over and got a lot of lemons and oranges thank goodness! I worked until about 5:00 PM at which time we headed to the ol’ watering hole in Seal Beach/Long Beach. Meeting up with Irene for a discussion of todays topics…oh, did I mention we giggle and laugh a lot?
After 30 years we have so much fun together…finishing off each other sentences…thinking the same thoughts and loving the same things…pretty magic it is!
I did the Cioppino (fish soup) this evening as it is always different and tonight it was loaded with muscles! A refreshing Gin & Tonic, good food, magnificent bride, and good friends…what else does one need in life?
We jumped into the Silver Rocket and aimed it toward our domicile so we could partake of the creature comforts…TV, red wine…and reasonable entertainment. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Gilmore Girls! We also did a little Blue Bloods. I tried to watch Madam Secretary but turned it off as they are produced by the lefties and this week “Climate Change” was their silly liberal agenda…too bad as it was a good program before the crazies go to it…oh well, no longer on my watching list!
We crashed about 11:30 PM as tomorrow is a busy day!
