{"id":69146,"date":"2023-05-08T04:35:24","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T11:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=69146"},"modified":"2023-05-09T08:49:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T15:49:19","slug":"monday-monday-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=69146","title":{"rendered":"Monday Monday!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Memories: Sad, But That Is Life<\/strong> I was born on Comey Avenue in Los Angeles in 1944, and we had many neighborhood friends.\u00a0 Depicted below are Diane Perkins and Olivia Gillick, and yours truly on a Sunday morning about to go to church.<\/p>\n

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Diane, Olivia, and me circa 1952?<\/p><\/div>\n

In the 10th grade, after getting home, my other sat me down and explained that Pete, Diane’s brother, was killed when a bus ran him over on the way home from school.\u00a0 Pete took the same route we did but got out about two hours earlier.\u00a0 While attempting o cross the street, the bicycle somehow went off the curb and landed in front of an oncoming bus, and he passed instantly.<\/p>\n

Someone at the gas station on the corner knew Pete’s mother and called her, so she saw what had happened a few minutes afterward.\u00a0 After that, Diane was never the same, and she dropped out of school.\u00a0 She stayed inside her home, and the last I heard of her was living in Playa Del Ray off\u00a0 Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Olivia was three years younger than Diane and me and went to a Catholic School.\u00a0 We briefly saw her after high school, but she went to Harvard and was silent for many years.\u00a0 Her mother, Marion (who I liked), passed in 1992, and I got a call from Olivia, and we asked her to join us on Thanksgiving that year.\u00a0 Since then, we have talked once a year or so.<\/p>\n

Last week, I got a call from her adopted son (she was never married), and apparently, she had Alzheimer’s disease very bad and was in a care facility in Santa Monica.<\/p>\n

It’s funny when one looks back almost eighty years to see how lives have changed.\u00a0 I am blessed and look forward to my future years with Dr. Mary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It’s Monday morning, and that means PT!\u00a0 We did a quick promenade through the garden making mental notes of what is needed at OC Frmer’s Supply, our first post-PT stop!\u00a0 After that, we will stop at the post office for Mother’s Day cards, Ralph’s for milk, and CVS for my meds.<\/p>\n

During our meandering in the garden, we spotted an SBBP!\u00a0 In aerospace,\u00a0 SBBP is a Small Black Bell Pepper, which will grow and either be tossed in a salad or be stuffed.<\/p>\n

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The plant is called am “Indogo Bell Pepper.”<\/p><\/div>\n

We continued our journey and loaded up on goodies from OC Farmers Supply.\u00a0 We had a new tomato, 24 yellow corn plants, and several other miscellaneous items.\u00a0 By then, it was 11:00 am, and we had to go home and meet with the fence\/gate contractor.<\/p>\n

He was right on time, and we spent about an hour with him, and in about a month, we ought to have a white fence along the top of the front brick wall.\u00a0 The gate will allow Mr. Scout to go into the front yard when we are out there instead of having to stare at us through the security screen.<\/p>\n

We had lunch, and Mary made a fantastic burrito using her chili.\u00a0 It was terrific, plus it had a surprise in it1<\/p>\n

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In the car we go and off to the market!\u00a0 I needed additional supplies of beer; the non-alcoholic beer disappears quickly these days!<\/p>\n

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In the checkout line<\/p><\/div>\n

As we checked out, I attempted another in-line picture, and the guy behind us dropped a photobomb.\u00a0 We all laughed.\u00a0 We have friendly neighbors!<\/p>\n

Someone stacking shelves in aisle eight dropped a packet of alphabet spaghetti on the floor.\u00a0 That could have spelled disaster.<\/p>\n

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I Remember During COVID:<\/strong>\u00a0 It was about 7:45 am,\u00a0 I was in a long line at a grocery store that opens at 8:00 am for senior citizens only.<\/p>\n

A young man came from the parking lot and tried to cut in at the front of the line, but an old lady beat him back into the parking lot with her cane.<\/p>\n

He returned and tried to cut in again, but an old man punched him in the gut, then kicked him to the ground and rolled him away.<\/p>\n

As he approached the line for the third time, he said, “Look, if you don’t let me unlock the door, you’re never going to get in there!”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His kids thought that was funny!<\/p><\/div>\n

When we returned home, I carried in the bags and put away the beer.\u00a0 Mary headed to the kitchen to make dinner, and I went VFR to the garden to plant the new corn.\u00a0 The corn is 4 x 7, meaning we have 28 plants now underway.\u00a0 \u00a0If all goes well, it should be about a month after the white corn.<\/p>\n

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We may have to assist in the pollination since it is only four rows wide, but Mary is a doctor and understands these things!<\/p><\/div>\n

We had a visitor from Chuck’s event planning organization as we are planning a birthday and anniversary party on the 29th of July.\u00a0 Colleen will be out here, and we will recreate a smaller version of “Dancing Under The Stars” on Colleen’s birthday and our second anniversary!\u00a0 He now have the dance floor, lighting, bar, and band locations established for the party.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Mary is cooking in the kitchen, and I am slicing and dicing.\u00a0 Finally, we are going to use the Fava Beans!<\/p>\n

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The scallions and garlic from our garden get heated up!<\/p><\/div>\n

The Fava beans will be added to the cheese ravioli while hot.<\/p>\n

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The Fava Beans taste mild and are loaded with good things for us.<\/p><\/div>\n

I was summoned to Master Chef and assigned to get scallions for the meal.\u00a0 Out to the garden, I galloped with my broomstick pony between my legs and my trusty dog at my side.\u00a0 Scout pointed out the scallions and sniffed each one pointing out the best!<\/p>\n

Did You Know?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nGreen onions and scallions are the same thing!\u00a0 They are either harvested very young from the regular bulb-forming onions we are familiar with, or they can come from other varieties that never form bulbs.\u00a0 Scallions are long, with a white stem end that does not bulge out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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We let the scallions say goodbye to each other before we plucked four beauties from the ground.<\/p><\/div>\n

Now that Mary has a built-in sous-chef, she loves to cook.\u00a0 I love to eat; a match made in heaven!\u00a0 I do the prepping and cleanup; Mary does the magic.<\/p>\n

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Did You Know What “Sous Chef” Means?\u00a0 <\/strong>The word “sous” is French for “under,” and “chef” originally translates as “chief” \u2013 so a sous chef is second-in-command to the executive chef or chef de cuisine.\u00a0 Large hotels, convention centers, and high-volume restaurants will have many sous chefs working a line. In contrast, smaller restaurants usually have one kitchen lead and one sou chef operating between that lead and the rest of the staff.<\/p>\n

The brigade de cuisine is a hierarchical system that Georges Auguste Escoffier originally invented, and it involves collaboration between many moving parts.\u00a0 The sous chef de cuisine is essentially the second most important job in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The ingredients are about ready!<\/p><\/div>\n

In about 45 days, we will replace these store-bought tomatoes with those from our garden!\u00a0 The ones from Albertsons were pretty good.<\/p>\n

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The red color was perfect for the ravioli!<\/p><\/div>\n

Mary shipped up (excuse the pun) a Ricotta Cheese topping.<\/p>\n

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Did You Know?\u00a0 <\/strong>Ricotta cheese has been around for centuries and is believed to have originated in central Italy sometime in the 13th century.\u00a0 Back then, it was made from leftover whey, a byproduct of the cheesemaking process that is high in protein and calcium.\u00a0 These days, ricotta cheese is made from A2 cow’s milk.<\/p>\n

It is also full of protein but has much less fat than other cheeses\u2014a true superfood, and Ricotta has been a staple for generations of Italian cooks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Ricotta sauce is carefully added to the ravioli and then topped with the onion\/tomato mixture.<\/p><\/div>\n

The results were terrific.\u00a0 After the initial plate was complete, I heard this sound which went something like “Oink Oink.” I was up and refilled my plate.\u00a0 Low on calories and high in protein, and even higher in taste, it’s a new favorite.<\/p>\n

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Amazing!<\/p><\/div>\n

We watched two movies.\u00a0 The first was “Vanquish.” Summary:\u00a0 A retired cop forces a former drug courier to do his bidding by holding her daughter hostage.\u00a0 Armed with guns, guts, and a motorcycle, she must now take out a series of violent gangsters — or never see her child again.\"\"\u00a0 We then watched a movie entitled “12 Strong” Summary: 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9\/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.\u00a0 The True Story of the Army’s Special Forces “Green Berets,” who within weeks responded to the 9-11 attack.\u00a0 With the help of the 160th SOAR(A), Green Berets took over the country and allowed other Special Forces and the rest of the conventional military to begin the more publicly visible war.<\/p>\n