![\"](\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/goodmorning\/gm-337.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nEstimated reading time: 5 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My morning routine has changed now! I get up, turn on Mary’s bathroom heater, check the house temperature, adjust the thermostat, open the back door, and return to the bedroom so Oreo can escape! Oreo goes down the hallway like lightning and shoots out the door like a 16-inch shell, leaving a battleship behind. With one little tinkle, she returns to me with a squeaky toy in her mouth. For 15 minutes, I stand out in the cold in a bathrobe, tossing toys onto the wet grass. Oreo didn’t even bother to take off her jammies<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-001-649x486.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHappy Birthday to Mom, who would have been 118 today! That is Colleen (on the right) and Mom together. I do not know the other person anymore. This image is circa 1988.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-003-650x488.png\")
Yes, it is Monday. Mary and I arrived at Peak Performance for their bi-weekly workout, armed with water bottles, optimism, and a suspiciously large bag of emergency snacks. The trainers greeted them with smiles usually reserved for people about to enter a haunted house. \u201cReady to suffer?\u201d Coach Antony asked, holding a clipboard ominously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They strapped Mary and me into medieval-looking exercise machines that resembled a cross between a catapult and an office chair designed by a wizard with poor boundaries. \u201cThese are ergonomic,\u201d Antony promised, tightening a strap. I glanced at Mary. \u201cIf this is ergonomic, I\u2019m a decorative throw pillow,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The workout began with squats. At rep three, I negotiated with his knees, which had formed a union and demanded better working conditions. Mary pedaled a bike while Antony shouted encouragement. \u201cImagine you\u2019re chasing a bus!\u201d Mary pedaled faster. \u201cI\u2019m imagining it\u2019s chasing me,\u201d she gasped, \u201cand it has teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/us-ai-016-650x520.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAfter twenty minutes, the trainers announced a \u201cfun finisher,\u201d involving ropes and lunges beside a machine labeled DO NOT PANIC. I pressed its button anyway. A bell rang, lights flashed, and it dispensed a tiny towel. \u201cIt knows my limits,\u201d he said. Antony raised an eyebrow. \u201cIt knows your laundry needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They finished sprawled across the mats, victorious but moving like very old furniture. Antony handed us the schedule for next week. I stared at it. \u201cBi-weekly means twice a week, right?\u201d Mary asked, suddenly alarmed. \u201cTwice a week is correct,\u201d Antony clarified. We sighed with relief as trainers cheerfully reset the machines for the 10:00 a.m. victims!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the “workout,” we went straight home to check on the baby, and Oreo was perfect; she didn’t get into anything!! I played with her for a while before going to the Tustin Lexus dealer for a checkup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mary stayed behind and walked the baby around the block! After returning from their walk, Mary drove to the dealer and picked me up in Precious, May’s Lexus LS500h.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-008.jpg\")
The Lexus Sales Manager happened to be there, and he offered Mary $85,000 on the spot to buy it. He said it would become a collector’s item since they discontinued it this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We didn’t know how long my car would take, so we decided to go to the American Legion on Balboa Island for lunch. We had our usual, a glass of wine each, and shared their ginormous turkey club on rye. I added a baked potato, ensuring I wouldn’t need dinner tonight!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-0010-650x650.webp\")
Paul, our usual waiter, was there, so he brought two glasses of chardonnay before we even ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FYI: The turkey club grew out of the broader club sandwich, an American sandwich that appeared in the late 19th century. Its exact birthplace is uncertain: a frequently repeated story credits the Saratoga Club House in Saratoga Springs, New York, in the 1890s, while other early references point to New York clubs and restaurants. So the Saratoga origin is popular, but not definitively established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early club sandwiches were commonly made with toasted bread, poultry\u2014often chicken\u2014bacon, lettuce, and tomato. They were often stacked in layers and cut into triangles, sometimes held together with toothpicks. Turkey became a familiar substitute for chicken, and \u201cturkey club\u201d came to mean the same classic combination with turkey, usually served with mayonnaise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As sliced turkey became easier to buy and diners spread across the United States in the 20th century, the turkey club became a standard menu item.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The day was magnificent, with a temperature of about 75 degrees and a slight breeze. The water seemed a little high, but that was expected given the storms brewing south of us.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-004-650x867.jpg\")
The flags were flying, and they were all brand new!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-006-650x488.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMary spotted another lad in a Halloween-themed shirt,rt so they compared notes.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-005-650x867.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe bay was fairly calm, with a few boats going back and forth enjoying the sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-26-007-650x488.jpg\")
No call from the Lexus dealer, so we went home to visit Miss Oreo, who we let stay in the house, not in her crate. The house was in perfect condition, but we saw that Oreo paced while we were gone, as shown by the security cameras going off continuously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 5:00 pm, I texted the dealer to keep the car and pick it up tomorrow; we didn’t want to drive in the 5:00 pm traffic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My morning routine has changed now! I get up, turn on Mary’s bathroom heater, check the house temperature, adjust the thermostat, open the back door, and return to the bedroom so Oreo can escape! Oreo goes down the hallway like … Continue reading