{"id":98726,"date":"2026-08-14T08:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=98726"},"modified":"2026-08-16T08:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:13:11","slug":"friday-has-arrive-and-we-are-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=98726","title":{"rendered":"Friday Has Arrive And We Are Ready!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"<\/figure><\/p>\nEstimated reading time: 6 minutes<\/p>\n

We rose before the sun, heroic and slightly confused. We marched to the office, where we gulped the coffee with a dramatic wheeze. \u201cPerfect,\u201d Mary said, sipping bravery. <\/span><\/p>\n

Paul opened the email inbox and discovered 147 emails, each apparently urgent since yesterday. We began replying, deleting, and pretending to understand spreadsheets. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then Grace, the cat, arrived for quality control. She sat on Paul\u2019s keyboard, sent \u201cmmmmmmmm\u201d to Bob Z, and approved three bills with her tail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Mary offered her a treat, and with great aplomb, Grace gobbled it down!<\/p><\/div>\n

Mary laughed so hard she snorted coffee. I declared Grace promoted to Chief Meowperations Officer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We finished our coffee, then got dressed and headed to the doctor’s office, where I had ultrasounds of both the left and right carotid arteries.\u00a0 Right to make sure the operation is still good and the left to see more about the inner carotid blockage.\u00a0 We will know more next week when we return for the reading!<\/p>\n

When we got home, Joe was already on his way over to relocate our flagpole from outside the wall\u2014where it had been living its best life in the bushes and mud\u2014to inside the wall on the concrete patio. Brilliant idea!<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I can raise and lower the flags without wrestling shrubbery, sinking into the garden, or looking like I lost a fight with Mother Nature. Progress!<\/span><\/p>\n

So the work commenced with Charlie providing assistance.\u00a0 I moved the patio chair into the shade and supervised!<\/p>\n

\"\"

We (Joe) drilled through about four inches of concrete.<\/p><\/div>\n

While Joe worked, I sang to him\u00a0from the musical <\/span>Show Boat<\/span>.\u00a0 With the drill running, I sang at the top of my lungs, <\/span>“Tote that barge, lift that bale, drill me a hole, or land in jail!”\u00a0 I am sure Jerome Kern<\/span> and <\/span>Oscar Hammerstein II were rolling over in their graves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Hearing protection was required, not because of the sound, but because of the choice of words about the hardness of the concrete AND my singing.<\/p><\/div>\n

All was going smoothly until we tried to put the plastic sleeve on the flagpole and discovered it was 1.5 inches too small. Apparently, our flagpole sleeve has been hitting the gym. Dang!<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe called the flagpole people and arranged for a properly sized sleeve to be sent ASAP. Until then, the pole will be resting dramatically on the front patio, contemplating its future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe and Charlie went home disgusted, Mary continued her nap, and I cleaned the workbench and worked on the Daily Diary!!\u00a0 BTW, we did get several calls from neighbors asking me to stop singing!<\/p>\n

Later, I was in the garage and attempted to rename the Amazon device called Flagpole.\u00a0 To my amazement, I discovered the electronic plug was malfunctioning, and the flagpole light had been stuck on for a long time.\u00a0 I ordered replacement parts that will be installed in the system tomorrow.\u00a0 Now I can have the flagpole light come on at sunset and off at sunrise.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Four for $25! The prices have dropped!!<\/p><\/div>\n

At 5:30 pm, we were ready for dinner and headed to Vitorio’s in Huntington Beach.\u00a0 Tonight, Ken (the regular piano player) planned to have a trio, and he did, but to our surprise, we knew the drummer and bass player!\u00a0 We have danced to their music for years and years!<\/p>\n

The girls were tickled!\u00a0 What could be better than live music from old friends and a menu filled with delectable Italian dishes!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Good friends are wonderful to have!<\/p><\/div>\n

We had three singers this evening, and they all had great voices.\u00a0 We attempted to get our singer, Jim, up, but he decided not to make them look bad!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kenon on the piano, Frank on bass, and Shelly on drums!<\/p><\/div>\n

Vicky got a load of pictures, and she even captured Mary and me when we got up to dance!!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Vicky loves her new iPhone, and she’s now teaching us tricks she uses!<\/p><\/div>\n

The music was so good we had no choice but to dance. The room was packed, though, so we switched to our signature \u201cminimum-movement\u201d style\u2014tiny steps, polite elbows, and the occasional strategic shuffle toward the wall for safety.<\/span><\/p>\n