{"id":89379,"date":"2025-06-25T21:55:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T04:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=89379"},"modified":"2025-06-28T17:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T00:07:08","slug":"wednesday-we-are-halfway-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=89379","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, We Are Halfway There!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-89380\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507-650x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507-650x575.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507-150x133.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507-768x679.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507-100x88.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pix-1507.jpg 875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our alarm clock failed, but the backup was working just fine.\u00a0 At 5:30 am, Scout, our backup system, jumped up and headed to the backyard.\u00a0 I heard him going down the hallway and followed him promptly.\u00a0 I opened the screen door, and he was out like a duck on a June bug.\u00a0 I used my new shoes this morning.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t think orthopedic shoes would help, but I stand corrected.<\/p>\n<p>Upon examining the wall clock, it was determined that it was Wednesday, which meant it was time to go to the gym.\u00a0 I jumped back in bed and feigned a terrible pain so I could not go to the gym today.\u00a0 \u00a0Mary, being smart, brought in a cup of coffee, and my nose, which had caused my pain-ridden body to mend instantaneously, I rose to grab that luscious brew (I forgot to yell in agony).\u00a0 She caught me.\u00a0 We had to go!<\/p>\n<p>We went; we saw; we cried!\u00a0 We both walked out slowly so as not to attract attention.<\/p>\n<p>We got a text from Joe and the boys; they were in Washington, DC, as evidenced by the Washington Monument in the background.\u00a0 They were headed to Colleen&#8217;s house for a few days while Joe went to a conference.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89388\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89388\" class=\"wp-image-89388 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-002.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89388\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rain gear in the summer; must be the East Coast!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After we returned home, Mary prepared an excellent breakfast of bacon and eggs, accompanied by a salad.\u00a0 We worked around the house until 3:00 pm when Mary had an appointment about three miles from home.\u00a0 \u00a0Since her back was still killing her, I drove her to the appointment and picked her up an hour and a half later.<\/p>\n<p>After picking her up, she started talking about dinner, and I interrupted to suggest Yang Ming as an alternative.\u00a0 She did NOT need to be standing up cooking with a bad back.<\/p>\n<p>I reminded Mary,\u00a0 &#8220;You dim sum, you lose some.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Yang Ming has been around for years, offering excellent food and fantastic service.\u00a0 It is where we get our Christmas Day dinner from every year.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89398\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89398\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-89398\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-010-650x912.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"912\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-010-650x912.webp 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-010-107x150.webp 107w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-010-100x140.webp 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-010.webp 727w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It is located a mile from our home.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We, as usual, went wild and had enough food to feed a small army, and enjoyed her Egg Foo Young and Buddha&#8217;s Delight, which is a selection of vegetables.\u00a0 \u00a0I ordered Vegetable Fried Rice and a couple of appetizers, including Paper-Wrapped Chicken and Cream Cheese Wontons.<\/p>\n<div class=\"didYouKnow\">\n<p>Egg Foo Young is a Chinese-American dish, similar to an omelet, that typically includes eggs, bean sprouts, and other vegetables, often accompanied by meat or seafood.\u00a0 It&#8217;s believed to have originated from a Cantonese dish called fu yung egg slices.\u00a0 The name &#8220;foo young&#8221; may translate to &#8220;blooming flowers&#8221; in Cantonese, possibly referring to the way the egg puffs up when fried.<\/p>\n<p>Wontons, a type of Chinese dumpling, are known for their thin wrappers and diverse fillings, often enjoyed in soup. The name &#8220;wonton&#8221; is said to come from the Cantonese word &#8220;y\u00fan t?n,&#8221; meaning &#8220;swallowing a cloud,&#8221; which refers to their appearance when floating in broth.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s some trivia about Paper Wrapped Chicken: Singaporean Invention: Although a classic Cantonese dish, Paper Wrapped Chicken, also known as &#8220;chee pow kai&#8221; in Cantonese, was invented in Singapore in 1953 by an eatery called Union Farm.\u00a0 Unique Cooking Method: This dish utilizes a unique cooking method that combines the benefits of both steaming and deep-frying.\u00a0 The paper wrapping keeps the chicken incredibly moist and succulent, while the deep-frying process helps to caramelize the marinade on the outside, creating a delicious brown exterior.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dinner was fantastic, and we brought Pork Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour sauce home for Jeff.\u00a0 We visited Jeff for a while before heading home; it was getting dark!<\/p>\n<p>Mary didn&#8217;t know it, but I had turned on the pool heater the previous day.\u00a0 The water temperature was 92 degrees, which is perfect for an evening swim.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89390\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89390\" class=\"wp-image-89390 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-004.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89390\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alexa is wired up to the outside lights, so we tell her to turn on the gazebo lights; no getting out of the pool needed.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It was wonderful just floating around in the warm water.\u00a0 The yellow duck lights up and gives us the temperature.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89391\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89391\" class=\"wp-image-89391 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-005.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89391\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mermaid, run for your life.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Scout is supposed to like water, but he will not even get close to a pool.\u00a0 We bought him his own play pool three years ago, and we had to lift him into the water.\u00a0 He immediately jumped out.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89392\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89392\" class=\"wp-image-89392 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-006.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">He walked around the pool to ensure we were okay.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The fire pit was already warm when we got out, and we enjoyed a glass of wine while drying off.\u00a0 The lava rocks get hot and make the surroundings quite warm, even on windy days.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89393\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89393\" class=\"wp-image-89393 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-007.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89393\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Life is good!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>From our vantage point, we could see the entire pool and about half of the backyard.\u00a0 \u00a0While drying off, we toasted to being in love.\u00a0 Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.<\/p>\n<p>We also made some phone calls about our little party on the 4th of July.\u00a0 We have approximately 12-24 people coming over for the party, which is between 1 pm and 5 pm on the 4th.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89394\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89394\" class=\"wp-image-89394 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-008.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89394\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It was a romantic evening.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>When we went inside, we were exhausted and bypassed the TV room, going straight to bed.\u00a0 No one had to rock us to sleep.\u00a0 It was lights out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-89395\" src=\"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-009-650x893.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-009-650x893.jpg 650w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-009-109x150.jpg 109w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-009-100x137.jpg 100w, https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/wp-content\/dailydiary\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-24-009.jpg 699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our alarm clock failed, but the backup was working just fine.\u00a0 At 5:30 am, Scout, our backup system, jumped up and headed to the backyard.\u00a0 I heard him going down the hallway and followed him promptly.\u00a0 I opened the screen &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=89379\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227,250,184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dining-out","category-gym","category-just-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89379"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89406,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89379\/revisions\/89406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}