{"id":66713,"date":"2023-01-16T09:31:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=66713"},"modified":"2023-01-17T11:50:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T18:50:00","slug":"story-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=66713","title":{"rendered":"Story Time; Don’t Talk Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Memories: Don’t Talk Back<\/strong>: I was blessed by loving parents who I adored, but alas, as I became a teenager, I started “rebelling” only so lightly.\u00a0 One morning, mom, dad, and I were working in the backyard, and mom asked me a question.\u00a0 I back-talked her, and dad overheard what I said (I don’t even remember what I said now!).\u00a0 He told me in no uncertain terms that my response was unacceptable.\u00a0 He pointed to our lemon tree and said, “go hear of a “switch.” A switch I knew was a long piece of branch.<\/p>\n

Some parents decide to make cutting a switch an additional form of punishment for a child by requiring the disobedient child to cut their switch; that was my dad, so he must have had some previous knowledge of the process; no, I never asked!<\/p>\n

I returned with the switch, and he said: “bend over.” He whacked my butt with that switch, which stung, but that was not the real problem.\u00a0 On the second wack, his watch, given to him by the company for twenty-five years of service, slid down his arm, over his hand, and proceeded to merrily go bouncing down the concrete walk directly into a block wall.\u00a0 Big Oops!<\/p>\n

Stuck in my mind to this day is mom saying, “I love you, son, now run for your life!!\u00a0 Come back in an hour!”.\u00a0 I shot out of that backyard like a rocket ship, even though I knew dad could not run.\u00a0 There were scorch marks on the concrete where my tennis shoes dug in as I twisted and turned to avoid the cars parked in the driveway.<\/p>\n

I returned about an hour later and checked in with mom; she said it was safe and that only the crystal on the watch had been damaged.\u00a0 Another great lesson, I do NOT talk back to ANYONE!<\/p>\n

Mom and dad were the greatest!<\/p>\n

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Circa 1945!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mary, Colleen, and I were up by 6:30 AM, had our coffee, and checked in on Scout, The Wonder Dog.\u00a0 Coffee is a must, and I love it when the coffee kicks in and I realize what an adorable badass I will be today.\u00a0 Or, as Mary says, “All things are possible with coffee and mascara.”<\/p>\n

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So very true!<\/p><\/div>\n

We made plans for today, which included meeting with the refrigerator repair man and the decorator, having a Persian lunch, and doing our toenails!<\/p>\n

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So, our new LG refrigerator has been making noise for a month, and finally, we got someone to look at the problem.\u00a0 He listened and decided it was the back housing of the frig that had come too close to the condenser fan, so he moved the frig away from the wall, said some incantations, found a small hammer, and let fly.\u00a0 The sound disappeared!\u00a0 It was magic.\u00a0 $90 for the visit and the “repair,” and we are back to a soundless frig!<\/p>\n

Next, our decorator and a long-time friend came over with some samples.\u00a0 I should have begun to worry when she showed up with a guide dog and a cane.<\/p>\n

We are having the benches in the upstairs ballroom covered with hard foam seats so people can sit there comfortably.\u00a0 She also brought sample materials for a “dust ruffle” under the bed.\u00a0 \u00a0Is it supposed to a) hide the dust or b) keep it from accumulating?\u00a0 Something to ponder.<\/p>\n

She also suggested changes to our living and dining room couches; we plan to go shopping while Colleen is here!<\/p>\n

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We decided to take Colleen for Persian food, and she was a little skeptical after our last suggestion of Indian food.\u00a0 We went to Dayra in South Coast Plaza, where Colleen dined on a Chicken Shish Kebab\u00a0 (Thick chunks of charbroiled chicken breast marinated in our special sauce with bell peppers, onions, and tomato.).<\/p>\n

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A classy joint!\u00a0 Mary made me put away my toothpick and mentioned there was no spittoon!<\/p><\/div>\n

I had the regular Shish Kebab (charbroiled juicy large chunks of filet mignon marinated, skewered with onions, tomatoes, and green peppers.)<\/p>\n

Mary was the smart one and had Ash Reshteh (Persian soup: fresh vegetables, noodles, pinto beans, Kashk (whey) flavored with saut\u00e9ed garlic and mint) with some Tabauli (Chopped parsley, onions, and tomato).<\/p>\n

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The kabob was excellent, especially the onions!\u00a0 Is Shish kebab<\/i>\u00a0an English rendering of\u00a0Turkish:? I?\u00a0 <\/i>(sword or skewer) and\u00a0kebap<\/i> (roasted meat dish), which dates from around the beginning of the 20th century.<\/p><\/div>\n

We enjoyed our visit, and Colleen was no longer afraid of Persian food.\u00a0 The three of us enjoyed each other’s company; a delightful lunch it was.\u00a0 The people in the restaurant are Iranian and love our country, and we see several\u00a0 “Free Iran” stickers everywhere.<\/p>\n

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A glass of vino to wash down lunch, and we were ready for toes!<\/p><\/div>\n

It was 1:45 PM, and Mary made the call!\u00a0 At 2:15 PM, we needed to be in Orange to get our pedicure; yes, Paul joined the ladies for the monthly pedicure!\u00a0 We jumped in the Silver Fox, and away with us, we went.\u00a0 As I always say, “If you’re in control, you’re not going fast enough.”<\/p>\n

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Chop, slice, dice, rub, tickle, wash, rinse… We now have beautiful toes!<\/p><\/div>\n

We returned home and were getting ready for tonight’s dinner when Jan called and wanted us to meet her youngest son and family!\u00a0 She wanted to show them how close we were, so we dropped everything and rushed over.<\/p>\n

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Jan with the family!\u00a0 Looking good!<\/p><\/div>\n

Jan wanted a picture of her support group!<\/p>\n

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Just us!<\/p><\/div>\n

We only stayed a few minutes and then headed home to dinner, where fondue was on the menu!\u00a0 Mary did the bread; I chopped up the cheese, and Colleen set the table; it was a family affair!<\/p>\n

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They calls me “The Slicer” (I grates also!)<\/p><\/div>\n

Did You Know?<\/strong>\u00a0 Fondue is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot (caquelon or fondue pot) over a portable stove (r\u00e9chaud) heated with a candle or spirit lamp and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks.\u00a0 It was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische K\u00e4seunion) in the 1930s and was popularized in North America in the 1960s.<\/div>\n
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This was our first time, and it was fine!<\/p><\/div>\n

We dunked bread plus apples and things from the garden.\u00a0 The cauliflower was my favorite (because it held more cheese).<\/p>\n

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We all chowed down!<\/p><\/div>\n

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I fooled everyone, I had mine on already!<\/p><\/div>\n

After these three “shorts,” we decided to go to the local community college and take classes in how to eat fondue!\u00a0 CAUTION: The following is NOT recommended for the squeamish!<\/p>\n