Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
“We do not have to rely on memories to recapture the spirit of those we have loved and lost – they live within our souls in some perfect sanctuary which even death cannot destroy.” – Nan Witcomb
For many years, we would travel to see lights at Christmas, and often with the Duda’s, we would see The Mission Inn. Sometime during our visit, we would ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Sue and Robin always enjoyed the heart decorated wrought-iron pumpkin. We would watch all the people going in and out of the many shops, and we would attempt to count the 4,000,000 lights that adorned the Mission Inn.
Cold brisk nights with hot chocolate and, of course, a nice glass of wine made it a special event. What made it special for me is seeing Sue’s eyes sparkle and seeing her ear-to-ear smile when she saw the beautiful decorations. She made Christmas very special for a lot of people and especially me.
Sue loved Christmas time!
Dang, it was a busy day! I slept in a little late as I could not sleep and at 3:00 AM I was watching TV. Finally, I awoke at 8:00 AM and awaited the arrival of a contractor for the redesign of the hallway/guest bathroom.
Meanwhile, the Bat Phone began to have conniptions making noises that could shake the leaves off the trees. I answered, thinking it was probably a bill collector, but it was my granddaughter Jackie. She wanted to thank me for the baby shower gift. We talked for quite a while, and I got to visit her cat. She is two months from giving me my fifth great-grandchild, yea!
Jackie called on the Bat Phone.
The contractor arrived at 10:45 AM, and we talked for quite a while. He is coming over tomorrow to finalize the deal, and he will be starting soon! I am having the bathtub/hyrdo-message unit taken out and a larger shower put in that same area. He will tear down everything to the studs, and I will do the electrical. I’ve wanted to do this for years, and now I will get it done.
After he departed, I went to the swimming pool store and arranged to have someone come over next week as I plan to replace the pool pump with a variable speed unit. The hourly usage of electricity is shown below, and as you can see, the power usage jumps at noon through 5:00 PM. The culprit is the pool pump!
The bad-actor just sits there and uses my power, but I will show him! Will the new pump/motor fit into the box of spaghetti?
Thank goodness SCE has the graphs online so that the usage can be seen easily. The lower RPM of the variable speed pump significantly alters the power consumption, as high as 50-75%.
The new pump will reduce the rectangle by almost 75%, which equates to $60-70/month!
Returning home from the pool supply store, it was time for lunch, and I prepared Black Bean and Poblano Flautas plus some Mexican/Spanish Rice. With a small glass of wine, I was set for the rest of the day!
So very good! I made enough for two meals!
Did You Know? A taquito, tacos dorados, rolled taco, or flauta is a Mexican food dish that typically consists of a small rolled-up tortilla that contains filling, including beef, cheese, or chicken (today I used a vegetarian mixture). The filled tortilla is then crisp-fried or deep-fried. The dish is often topped with condiments such as sour cream and guacamole.
Flautas being fried. 3-4 minutes on a side until golden brown.
Pico de gallo, also called salsa Fresca or salsa cruda is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It is traditionally made from chopped tomato, onion, Serrano peppers, with salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro. It is a magnificent addition to the dish.
So good with sour cream and Pico Degiao.
My housekeeper brought me some Spanish Rice, which I added into the meal, and it was also delicious!
Lunch is served!
By the time I ate, and everything was cleaned up, I barely had time to freshen up and head to the golf course. Miss Charlotte and I had a golf-date (OK, it was NOT a “date,” just a figure of speech). We enjoy each other’s company plus I get the added benefit of a super instructor!
As I was going out the door, I decided to call Colleen, and I got her latest pictures of Disneyland East. It is coming along nicely.
Disneyland East is nearing completion.
Charlotte and I had a 4:00 PM tee-time, which was perfect. The course was not busy, and the animals were out for the pre-bedtime strolls. Sharlotte, like Sue, just loved the baby duckies, and they seemed to be everywhere.
The ducks visit us on the 9th hole.
Miss Charlotte, a responsible person, brought premium duck food for the babies. We DO NOT feed them bread as that causes their death due to angel-wing.
Did You Know? Angel Wing is a condition that affects mostly waterfowl, caused by a nutritional deficiency in vitamins and minerals combined with a high level of carbohydrates and sugars. … It causes the carpal joint (or wrist) on the wing to grow awkwardly, leaving the wing unable to sit flush at the bird’s side.
Eating bread, crackers or other similar foods can cause ducks and geese to develop a condition called “angel wing,” The lack of adequate nutrition during growth causes a bird’s wings to unnaturally twist outward instead of lying flat. … Human foods other than bread, crackers, and similar grains do not cause angel wing.
Miss Charlotte feeds the babies the “good stuff.”
Speaking of babies, the rascally-wabbits were also out in full force today. Where is Elmer Fudd when we need him?
Elmer would solve the problem quickly!
The rabbits are cute, but their sure destroy the plants quickly with their voracious appetites.
The rabbits are out in full force today.
I departed Old Ranch and headed to Patty’s Place as I got an invite from Chuck the Bartender. The place was jumping, so I just stayed for my Empress 1908 gin martini.
At first glance, you might think it’s a blue-tinted bottle that gives this Canadian gin an indigo hue. In reality, the addition of butterfly pea blossoms late in the distilling process lends Empress 1908 Gin its intriguing violet tone.
I love the taste and color!
The pea blossoms are also used for making tea, but the color is the most fantastic part of the plant.
Now we are talking blue. You can but the tea online at Amazon!
I could just pour it and look at it because of its beauty but, I don’t!
One drink and it was time to skedaddle home. As I drove towards home, the ocean was preparing to cool us down with the afternoon clouds of ocean air. We could see the layer forming as we played the last several holes at Old Ranch.
The marine layer has formed and is slowly coming inland.
As I turned onto Seal Beach Boulevard, I estimated we would get the layer in about ninety minutes, and I was pretty close. Sure enough, the marine laid was inland and the next morning it did not clean out until almost 1:00 PM.
Did You Know? A marine layer is an air mass that develops over the surface of a large body of water such as the ocean or large lake in the presence of a temperature inversion. The inversion itself is usually initiated by the cooling effect of the water on the surface layer of an otherwise warm air mass.
As it cools, the surface air becomes denser than the warmer air above it and thus becomes trapped below it. The layer may thicken through turbulence generated within the developing marine layer itself. It may also thicken if the warmer air above it is lifted by an approaching area of low pressure.
The layer will also gradually increase its humidity by evaporation of the ocean or lake surface, as well as by the effect of cooling itself. Fog will form within a marine layer where the humidity is high enough and cooling sufficient to produce condensation. Stratus and stratocumulus will also form at the top of a marine layer in the presence of the same conditions there.
In the case of coastal California, the offshore marine layer is typically propelled inland by a pressure gradient which develops as a result of intense heating inland, blanketing coastal communities in cooler air which, if saturated, also contains fog.
The evening marine layer is coming in right on schedule.
Returning home again, I slipped into my jammies, which I only wear behind closed curtains, made a cup of coffee, and watched TV for a while.
I called Lee and we chatted for a while and I then I talked to my insurance man as I want to increase my umbrella policy.
The phone rang, and it was Zachary inviting me to his home tomorrow evening. Dang, that was so nice because a) I get a great dinner and b) I get to visit the grand-varmints!
My granddaughter and my great-grandchildren. Cuter than a bug’s ear!
Speaking about kids, I am getting excited about Saturday night and visiting Joe, Amy, and the kids at movie night. I have decided to go to Costco and get a big bag or bags of popcorn to bring! We are going to see “Call Of The Wild.” If it works about, I will attempt to bring an old cartoon from the 1950s, the kind we would watch before the movie begins!
Joe and Amy are hosting another yard movie, and I am so ready to go! We went to Panda Inn quite often as it was half-way between La Mirana and Seal Beach.
By 10:30 PM, I was done. After all, golf took almost two hours and nearly three miles of walking. Besides, tomorrow is another busy day!
