Wednesday And Some Eyebrow-Raising Info From Management

I did a fair amount yesterday: a color wash in the morning, then a lot of food prep before I kept my 3:15 eye doctor appointment; also tested to see if the TV worked. I know the Firestick doesn't, but the cable has also been going out sporadically. I couldn't get a damn thing for awhile, and I called some TV repair places, which I may or may not use. However, later, I fooled around with it and turned off a red button and suddenly, it worked. I'm not so sure it'll continue, though, and I couldn't tell you what all I did. It's annoying and I guess there are a few things on Netflix I'd like to see--and I'm paying for it--but overall, I don't miss it as long as I have the laptop.

As for food prep, I scrubbed and rough-chopped my two pounds of carrots, dressed them with olive oil and Italian seasoning, and popped them in the oven. I then chopped my three pounds of tomatoes, but  realizing I was out of onions, put them aside. Busied myself otherwise until the Lyft guy, courtesy of SCAN, picked me up and took me to Miramar eye docs.

That went fine, although Dr. B. neglected to tell me what to put on the eye that's a little red. (I know he can't be as old as I am, but he gives that impression). I can probably find something; if not, I'll call the office back. He did say the macular degeneration is stable and gave me an prescription for new  glasses. I also have an checkup appointment with Dr. Trotter in September. 

I cancelled the Lyft home, as I want to keep up my exercise. Walked the half-mile or so to the stop, then bused home, getting onions on the way. Chopped six of them (one a fine dice), combined them with the tomatoes and garlic, and added oil and seasoning. I actually forgot the vinegar I usually put on, so added it later. Put in the leftover fresh string beans, too, and had a vegan meal for dinner. 

I ate late and was just finishing about 7:00, when Suzannae called. We had gotten a letter the other day from management pointing out that on page 46 on the new lease, there's a directive covering patios and balconies. In the usual in-your-face attorney language, it specifies that in their outdoor areas, residents  can't display too many potted plants, can't store sporting equipment, can't fornicate there (oh, wait--they didn't add that, so I guess it's okay), and so on. I guess the bottom line is, you'll be evicted if your geraniums are the wrong color. Suzanne, being brought up in the guilt-is-my-middle-name tradition, takes it very seriously, but I barely glanced at the letter and certainly didn't read the whole lease. I doubt if people will be hauled out of their homes because the geraniums aren't blooming, but will take a look outside to see if I should be worried about my upcoming homelessness.  

Ha-ha! I just opened the front door to look for the paper (once again, I didn't get one) and found copies of several pages of the lease to the effect that window signs are prohibited, as well as all the crapola about the patio. I removed my signs:

To be honest, I'm surprised I wasn't chastised about these before, as I've displayed them in my bedroom path-facing window for a year or more. Guess I'll bet around to the patio sooner or later. 

Tuesday

I woke up with what I think is an eye infection: red, slightly sore, but not too worrying. Called Miramar and since it's in the same complex as HEAR, where I was going yesterday, I asked if I could come in just to get advice on how to treat. Oh, no, no, no, heaven forfend anybody can get an unscheduled consultation, even if the eye was spinning around and sending out sparks . However, the staff person said I could come in today at 3:15. I then realized I have a regular appointment on March 29, so could I combine them? Wonder of wonders, she allowed that, so that's good, especially since I'm sure I need a new prescription.

Courtesy of my SCAN insurance, I had reserved Uber to get to the audiologist. The guy was late getting here, so I was late for my 1:00 appointment, but had to wait only about twenty minutes. Luckily, I didn't need a new hearing test, as I had had the first HEAR just a few months ago. I was told what I'm getting is the top of the line and costs $6000; however, SCAN will pay all but $1600 and I'm fine with that. 

I left there and walked the few blocks to The Market and bought apples, carrots, and tomatoes (I had my cart with me), then walked to the transit center (a mile and a bit), and bused home. I had had a sparse lunch, so made myself a snack of leftover roasted cauliflower. I then washed, cored, and seasoned my six apples and roasted them together in the oven. I'll be having one for the next six nights.

I got some bills paid and filing done, then went to checked my email. There was a message from Sunrise Bay management, telling me my tenant has had a trailer in the driveway for several weeks and this is in violation of the rules; if it's not removed within thirty days, my tenant will be evicted. Considering that is only a few days before they're scheduled to leave anyway (the the first week of April), I'm not terribly concerned. However, I forwarded the notice to Susan and I'm sure she'll take care of it.     

Monday

Cloudy, cool, and it even rained, so it was an unpleasant day, right? Wrong, it was great! Went to the Boatyard Pub at Ventura Harbor for fish tacos and talked and talked and talked, openly and with no subterfuge to one of the few people I can do that with. I was out for four hours, then went home to try to bring my TV back--in some form, anyway, but with no luck.

Diane emailed that she had lost her key on the way home and had to pay $150 to a locksmith to have another made. I was absolutely stunned. She lives in an apartment house; management must have duplicate keys for all units. That's probably a law, but also, it makes no sense that they wouldn't. What if there's an emergency or if the place needs to be entered when residents aren't home? If something needs to be done at my place when I'll be out, management calls to ask permission to enter. They certainly don't have to ask me to be there. 

Julie called to ask for Rosa's phone number. She had met her at one of the BCNN groups, and thought she'd see her when the group met next. Now she's not able to go and she didn't want Rosa to think she's blow her off. Good--I told her how much I like Rosa and I think we three will sit together at the monthly meeting next Wednesday. 

Going to the audiologist today--again--and hope to finally resolve this hearing aid thing before too long. 

Sunday

Washed sheets, remade, did crossword. left early for lunch with Diane. Stopped into the library first and bought two books. We met up and settled down to one of our good long talk sessions. I brought an odd lunch: I discovered I had no bread and didn't feel like stopping to get some, so I heated  up some meatballs and tomato sauce and packed them along with hard cheese and crackers, plus, of course, a can of IPA. The combination turned out to be pretty good, actually. 

We talked over our usual range of topics--spiritualism, abortion, out Catholic childhoods (similar in some ways, vastly different in others), and the annoyances of getting older. Diane wants to go to the Comic Potential matinee and I agreed to go then, too. I'm already going on the tenth with someone else, so will attend twice. We parted about 2:30 and I bused to the mall and Target. Got two grapefruits, cauliflower, and a few other items. 

Didn't get home until after 4:00 and as I passed Vickie's, she came out. She wanted to give me a slim pipe to use to disallow my sliding glass door to the patio to open, but I already have one. She came in for a bit and we had our usual "good friends" chat. After Vickie left, I immediately prepared my  cauliflower (with mayo, parm, and garlic salt), and roasted it in the oven. I wasn't very hungry, so just had about some of that for dinner. 

I'm out of the tumeric with ginger I usually buy, so contacted Greg to see if he had some in stock. He does, in a number of varieties, and I'll consider one of them.  

Saturday

I was horrified to receive a call at 7:00 AM from Gayle Butcher, of Soaring Spirits, telling me that our mutual friend, Anne Lazara, has died. But how could that be? Anne was a practicing neonatal nurse, only about 55, and as far as I knew, healthy and active. Gayle said Anne had complained of a persistent headache, her son took her to the emergency room, she was admitted, and died shortly thereafter. Here's Anne, who also ran a program at the hospital:

Gayle will keep me informed with more information and funeral plans.

😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔

I wasn't looking forward with much enthusiasm to the affair yesterday at the Universalist Unitarian church, but I had told Stella I'd go and didn't want to renage. As it turned out, though, I enjoyed it immensely. Here's the program:

Stella was late picking me up--while I waited, I call Jeanne Painter to see how her wrist was. Good, she said, and she gets the cast off today.  I was surprised when she told me it was 75 degrees where she was--until I realized that was Florida, not Jersey.

Stella and I drove to the church meeting hall and I perked up when I saw there was a wine table--who would've thunk it?--and we sat down with a friend of hers and some neighbors, including a guy named Roger. After we sat down and started talking, I found he was an avid pickleball player. I told him I have family connections and he knows one of them.

The food, for a buffet-type spread, was standard, but really good--various types of lasagna, including vegan, both green and fruit salad, rolls, veggies, and other sides. Dessert was all homemade--cakes, cookies, and so on--along with coffee, tea, fruit juice, and so on, which I skipped favor of prosciutto. 

The program was interesting, with some of the city council speaking, as well as program volunteers from the church. I spoke to one and complained mildly about the bike riders on Main Street--forget the homeless, this is important stuff!--but we mostly joked around. There was a silent auction and talks from those helped by the program.   

Got home at 3:00 and did some filing and other paperwork, then just this and that.  The Firestick still isn't working, so I can't get Netflix. All that comes on is cable and only some kind of Smart TV with a crime show. Guess I'll have to pursue it further. 

Lunch at the library with Diane today.

Friday

Home: 2.6 off for 122.2; T.O.P.S.: 2.4 for a weight of 122.9. That's below my favored range of 125 to 130 and it's making me nervous. I feel fine, but have been--by my lights--overeating, so what gives?

Forgot to mention yesterday that agent Kim sent six pages of info--resume, credit report, and so on--introducing me to a woman who wants to see my house. She looks pretty good, so I gave permission. 

Continued cleaning up and clearing out, natch, including the bottom of my long closet in the kitchen. I still have to turn my attention to under the sinks and under my bed.

Cleaned the counters in the kitchen and did some other housework. Prepared and baked three nice apples, as I like to eat one as a snack in the evening.

Yandoo Communications called and a nice woman tried to work me through retrieving Netflix, Amazon, and other channels, but it didn't work. I got the impression because I have a Firestick, I'll have to call them, too.  However, she did get me back on cable and weirdly enough, as long as I can watch something for an 45 or so before I go to bed, I'm okay with it. 

I was so pleased to get a Facetime call from Dee, the woman who bought my childhood home at 15 North Rosborough and with whom I've been friends now for years. She moved to upstate Pennsylvania years ago and, unfortunately, is seriously ill with a heart condition. She called me from the hospital and the topic of hospice has been advanced. Darn, I with it wasn't so. 

Went over to Hallmark in the shopping center and bought a pretty little "onesie" for Lora's newborn granddaughter and a card. Will give it to her at T.O.P.S. on Friday (she didn't attend yesterday). 

Stella's picking me up for the U.U. benefit silent auction today and Diane and I made a date for "lunch at the library" tomorrow. I'm considering a harbor cruise with the BCNN group next month; I'll see if Julie might want to go with me. 

Thursday

For the first time in what seemed like forever, I bused to my old haunts in town. Cruised the shops, bought a blouse (old-fashioned word, "blouse"--I think everybody says "tops" nowadays). Anyway, it was a beautiful, sunny and warm day, so I took my lunch and ate at my old spot across from the mission:

Home, I had started in a few chores when Stella called about 3:45. She was at the condo she owns in east Ventura, checking it over, as it's about to be re-rented. Asked if I wanted to have dinner--or whatever you might term having a meal at that hour. Stella herself has a somewhat unconventional eating routine--actual, no routine. When she gets up, she has coffee and a banana, then often doesn't have what she terms "breakfast" until noon or 1:00. Yesterday, she hadn't had anything since the banana and coffee, so this was a combination, I guess.

I immediately agreed, although I wasn't very hungry. She picked me up and we went to Two Trees. It was still Happy Hour there, so I got a ceviche and an IPA--very good and just enough. We had a good time talking and firmed up our plans for tomorrow: She'll pick me up at 11:45 for the benefit lunch for the homeless at the U.U. church.

Darn, now I have to find a T.V. person. When I turned it on Wednesday night, it said "no signal" and has been the same ever since. Called Yandoo and they don't have a clue, either--in other words, it's not on their end. The electronic world is just conspiring against me, I'm afraid. 

Wednesday

Got a lot done again, including taking a mountain of stuff to GoodWill, driving over to Oxnard for this and that, taking a pile of papers to UPS to shred, and clearing out my long kitchen cabinet.  Spent a fair amount of time researching L-shaped desks, which I want to get for my bedroom. Now there's masking tape representing its dimensions, but I'm still not sure which model I want. Went over to Von's for a fair amount of provisions, but a disaster happened when I sat down to fill in this blog. 

The problem is, I don't remember how it happened, nor do I remember how I got back in. Here's what I know is the basic problem: I started this blog more than twenty-years ago and at that time, my email address was paem@comcast.com. Years later, I switched servers and used rosemarymolloy7@gmail.com. 

That's still open or active or whatever they call it, but I now use only rosemarybmolloy@gmail.com. Somehow, the blog still has the one with "7" on it, which is why I don't get comments sent to my major address. I've tried, but I've never been able to switch.

Now, as is obvious, I'm back in but I just don't know how and I'm afraid this will happen again. I'll keep trying to figure it out--the help area is, unfortunately, no help at all. Another electronic annoyance: My television is telling me I have no signal. I may have tried to figure something out about the DVD player--which doesn't play, or whatever. That isn't as much a disaster as losing this little baby--my laptop--but I'd still like to view something once in a while. Will see if I can fix, if not, try to get a repair person.

Ellen called at 6:00 on her way home yesterday and we had a good talk. When I hear people complain about teachers, I wish they'd appreciate the dedicated ones.  

Tuesday

Pretty busy, but interesting, day. I met my new friend, Susan, with her six-month-old granddaughter, at 10:15 at Starbucks. Wouldn't you know, I was halfway there (it's in the Von't shopping center across the street, but on the other side, so I have traverse the complex) and I was halfway there when it started to rain. Naturally, I hadn't brought an umbrella, so got wet, but at least it wasn't cold. 

At first, I thought Susan was a kooky type, but once we started talking, I liked her. She started a non-fiction book club where she lives in  L.A. and the topics are not kindergarten level. She and her group  read and discuss studies on climate change--the serious kind, i.e., how it happens, not the use-your-toilet-paper-twice crapola--as well as finance; the political leanings of various historical figures, and so on. She told me about the difficult time her daughter had in giving birth to the baby, Eliot (but it's a girl) and other family matters. I asked if she was religious and was charmed by her answer: "Oh, I take a little of this and a little of that--Buddhism, Christianity, Astrology--you name it." We talked for about a half hour, then baby got restless and we said goodbye. She won't be back for several weeks, she'll get in touch, and we'll arrange to meet for dinner.

Other than that, I did more cleaning up and clearing out. I hope to get to the GoodWill today, also to get my skirt hemmed and a few other items done. Decided to cancel Amazon Prime, which is now $140.00 annually and so far, my orders don't even total that much a year. That could change, of course, in which case, I'll re-up.   

I was puzzled when I got at my door a Boka Power Brush (toothbrush). I didn't remember ordering it and really don't need it. Called the company and found that my new dentist, Zak, had sent it, I guess as a kind of welcoming gift--another benefit of SCAN supplemental. 

Stella called to remind me about the benefit lunch for the homeless on Saturday and I said I'd go. Contacted Diane to ask her, but she declined, as it's at the U.U. (Unitarian Universalist Church) which she used to attend, but left after some kind of dispute. We'll meet for lunch another day soon.  

Julie called to say she wasn't going to the BCNN Happy Hour today. She's taking Lora to a talk by an autism expert, as Lora's son seems to have that problem (and that's the least of them). She asked if I wanted to go, but I have plans. Also, Julie has been having visits from this guy:

It seems he comes to her doorstep most days and lets her pet him. She was worried he'd be set upon by dogs or whatever, so got him into her cat cage and took him to a pet shelter. Why "Bagel Bunny"? Because she's been putting out what she called "a buffet" for him and he skipped the veggies to eat parts of a bagel. 

A bump on the road to hearing aids: Finally--what I should have done in the first place--I called SCAN to see if they cover some of the cost. They do, but not at Costco. They do with HEARX, which is where I went several months ago, was tested, gasped at the cost, and turned to Costco. Now I have an appointment next week at HEARX and we'll see what happens from there. I'm going to call Costco and see if I can get the membership fee back, as I doubt if I'll use it for much else.

Damn, I was afraid of this: I was all happy about my good sleeping lately and last night, it ended. Awoke at midnight for the usual, then t-ed and t-ed before finally getting a few hours, but awoke again at 4:00. This is a direct result, I'm sure, of not getting my few miles in and I probably won't today. Will try to fit in a nap. 

Monday

It rained steadily all day and I had scheduled an office visit with the P.A. at Primary Medical P.A. Thought I'd try to change it to Zoom, Facetime, or phone; called and was able to do that. I just had a few questions about my medications and medical record. I talked to Natalie for maybe twenty minutes and got it all resolved.  

Found a small box at my door, which contained an BOKA electric toothbrush. What? Did I order it? I'm sure not, but I contacted the company and will get an email or something back.

I called my long-time friend, Nancy Phelps, and we had a good talk. She's okay, although she dislocated her shoulder a few weeks ago; is recovering. .

Other than that, I did a lot. Continuing to clear up and clean out, I went through all my DVDs--I have roughly a hundred--kept some and put the others in a donate box. I continued to go through all my accumulation in the bedroom and have a lot put aside to be tossed or donated. The flowers I was given over the last week or so are on their last legs, but still pretty, so I combined them and will keep them a little longer:

I just started Vincent Bugliosi's book, Divinity Of Doubt: The God Question, in which he represents the agnostic point of view. He goes chapter and verse for 400 pages to emphasize his major points. He doesn't deny there is a god and he doesn't deny there isn't a god; he just hasn't a clue. Damn, I could written it myself. 

I had signed up for the monthly Soaring Spirits dinner, but texted Vera that even if the rain stopped (it didn't ) I knew the sidewalks would have seas of mud, so I wouldn't attend. Wouldn't you know, that sweetie offered to pick me up (she takes me home regularly), which she did. Eight of us attended and  had good, open talk, and an excellent time. Home at 7:30--it was still dripping--and after some so-so Netflix on the tragic deaths of movie stars, I settled down for the night. 

I'm almost afraid to mention this, but I will: Lately, I've been sleeping well. I invariably get up once for the usual, but then sleep through until 4:30 or 5:00, my preferred wake-up time. 

Sunday

After the usual Sunday stuff, I started in on the bookcase right after breakfast. Here's the first, tentative, and subject-to-change attempt:

I was fired up, so moved to the bedroom, which entailed an incredible of moving around, both switching places for things and removing items altogether. At one point, this was what I was dealing with:

I usually can judge the time through the day, or get very close to it, but I was amazed when--finally finished with the bulk of what I had planned for yesterday--I looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:00 pm! I was so absorbed in my tasks, I didn't realize I had spent the whole day on them. Anyway, that's the start if what I plan to do and I have these two left over:

The bookcase is one of two I had in my room; the other one I was able to get in my closet and transferred my Dionne Quintuplet books to it. The metal thingy was in the closet before. with all kinds of crapola on it--I think I'll see if anyone in the family might want them.

My out-of-town friend, Susan Roberts, is now in town and texted me, asking to meet for coffee at Starbucks across the way. I accepted and will see her at 10 am tomorrow. 

James sent the memorial service flyer for his brother, Benny, which Vickie and I will attend. I got a kick out of the "dressy casual attire" directive, but it kinds, sorta makes sense--in a way.

Saturday

Preparing for my company, I first made the ice cream. It's amazing how simple it is--just whip a pint of heavy cream, fold it into sweetened condensed mile and vanilla, add flavorings (although it's good as just plain vanilla, too), then put it in a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze. Then prepared the main dish: chicken breast rubbed with a combination of spices and slow-cooked for several hours.  After that, I made corn bread, which is just corn meal, flour, egg, milk, flour, and baking soda. I've been having plant-based "milk" on my oatmeal and I was delighted that it worked fine. With baby potatoes and string beans, it made a good meal. 

When I finished, I was surprised to see it wasn't even 10 am. I then straightened up a little and considered different arrangements to make use of my new bookcase. I can't wait to transfer books from the two medium bookcases in my bedroom and I'm going to make use of one of them. The other I'll probably first put on Ventura Buy and Sell and if it doesn't, I'll donate it. 

I was please when James C., the brother of my former neighbor, Benny, called to invite Vickie and me about the memorial service for Bennyon on March 16. The ashes will be scattered in Ventura Harbor, then lunch will follow. Do I want to go? Absolutely--I'm very much interested. When my guests got here, I asked Vickie and she does, too, so we're both looking forward to it.

My little dinner party was a great success. We sat and chatted with appetizers first--Jack cheese, crackers, and shelled pistachios--and Jim read his Maria Callas essay,  Of course, that went over very big and I was glad he had suggested it. The chicken I served really is about the best and most tender I've ever had--and so simple to make. Both Suzanne and Vickie asked for the recipe (Jim? HA!)  Maybe because all three tend toward frozen, canned, and readymade, they raved over the meal. (Oh, Mimi, quit pretending you make everything you put in your mouth from you-know-what.)

We sat talking after dinner until almost eight, then S. and V. left. Jim and I moved over to the couch and talked for another hour. I was glad he seemed more animated; I think he loosened up a bit by reading his essay. He finally left about 9:30, I cleaned up, then went to bed without my TV hour. I wish I had thought to take a selfie, but other than that, all went well.

Friday

It turned out to be an excellent day. I won't go into detail, but in succession, these items were accomplished: 1. the documents for the real estate agent were (electronically) signed and sent; 2. the new food/mail scale was set up; 3. the big new bookcase was assembled, installed in the hallway, and I love, love, love it!  A lot of other minutia went on, but the crowning glory was that 4. I got a new keyboard and can type with ease again! 

Oh, and the other thing: I got tested for a hearing aid. This took several hours of course, then I was fitted, walked around with it, was fitted with another and I'll choose between the two within a few week. The day was topped off by a soak in the hot tub, which was heavenly. 

Now, I have to prepare for my dinner guests, since I still have to make the meal--chicken rubbed with spices and slow cooked, string beans, baby potatoes, corn bread, and ice cream. Although this is in honor of Suzanne's birthday, which was a few weeks age, I decided against a cake. Also have to clean up from what went on yesterday, but no prob.  

Thursday

Still having a devil of a time typing, but hope I'll be out of the problem later today. 

I washed the bath and hall rugs and cleaned the hard floors. Suzanne came over and we talked for a half hour or so. Went to Von's for this and that.

Watched a Zoom program from Alzheimer's Bright Focus, featuring a neurologist from Arizona which, for obvious reasons, was absorbing.

Got the mail and was thrilled to find this:

That's my friend, Lora, on the cover! She's a successful travel agent--has her own company--and is a member of my T,O,P,S. group, I called her as soon as I got it and she was so pleased. I'm going to see if she and Julie want to go to the show Jeff's in next month,

Ellen called on her way home from school and we had a good chat, Suzanne stopped in again to show me something and now I just can't continue, Hope to be back on a even keel tomorrow!

Wednesday

Bused to Target at the mall for coffee and a bunch of other stuff. Lorraine called and we talked. One of these days we'll meet for lunch, although frankly, she can be a little tiresome. Other than that, I did household chores and continued to attend to the call/file/whittle down list. Ho-hum and I just can't persevere without the independent keyboard, which I should get tomorrow. In the meantime, here's my Mom, who was born on February 14, 1902, and almost named "Valentina Figenshu":

💖💖💖💖💖

Tuesday

Good grief, I'm getting to be a recluse! I stayed in all day, getting a lot of boring chores done. Finally  cleared up a lot, but it's find it so tedious to type on this attached keyboard. I'm constantly pressing the wrong key and erasing or going to some other page. I'm just going to fill in aftee I get the new keyboard on Friday.

Brother Larry called and we had a good talk. He;s 92 and probably  won;t go to Frank's funeral, but it's possible.

To illustrate my lowly state, I did something I haven't done in years: I watched television DURING THE DAY for two hours! Saw the Scott Peterson (guilty as sin, no question about that) case and Frank Sinatra in Palm Springs--ho hum.

Got these  Valentine cards from the Tokyo trio and my two best friends:

I just can't continue now==more tomorrow

Monday

Keyboard down again; won't type. Must get new one, and will on Friday.  Ordered bookcase, but spent an hour on phone. I did clean up a few other items.

Rosa picked me up out at 1;00 and we went to Lure for lunch. Talked and talked on every topic under the sun, then strolled down Main for a bit. I skipped the sand dabs (which I found out is actually flounder) in favor of the rockfish, which was very good, too. Didn't get home until 4:30.

Suzanne is back from San  Diego, where she and her brother, Glenn, celebrated their birthdays, his 64th, her 76th. I met Glenn when he visited several years ago; he's an a "concierge" general practitioner in Encinitas, near San Diego, and an enthusiastic surfer:

>

I thought the legend on the birthday cake was very cute:

(Soppe is, of course, their last name--it's German.)

For the first time in a while, I spent a restless night. I was able to stay in bed until 4:30, about my usual time to get up, then discovered I had forgotten turn the heat off. No wonder I tossed and turned. No scheduled activities for the next few days and I welcome the hiatus.

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

Pat's niece, Amy, posted this picture of her Uncle Pat, acting as godfather to her in 1960. I never saw it before and was thrilled to get it. He was 29 and we were two years married:

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

Monday

Did the usual Sunday morning stuff, then jumped in the shower and dressed. When I went out to get the bus, I was delighted to see--rather, to feel--that the weather had reversed itself. Chilly for days, it had turned wonderfully warm and sunny, to 70 or close to it. Bussed to town and met Stella after her usual  twelve o'clock mass at the mission. We lunched at Immigrant Son, an Italian place and one we both really like. Stella invited me to a charity affair for the homeless and I'll look into it:

Had a good, long, talkative lunch--the place closes at 3:00 and that's when we had to leave--then I walked Stella back to her car and took the bus home. When I got there, I found this at my door:

It was accompanied by a note from my two best friends saying the bouquet is in memory of Frank, my dear brother and their uncle. I called to thank them and after that, I was able to cry a little, which was a relief. 

Lunch with Rosa today--she'll pick me  up--then I have three days off. I'm actually looking forward to a a hiatus from activity so I can catch up before the hearing aid thing on Friday and hosting the little dinner party on Saturday.

Saturday And Pat

Happy day--it looks as if the keyboard has fixed itself. I tried it one last time and it worked. Not sure if this good news will continue, but for now, I'll take it.

Besides doing a white wash, cleaning the bathroom, and dry-mopping the hard floors, I got a lot in my procrastination file (it's bulging!) done. That included sending the kiddies Valentine cards, packing the fancy glasses I'm donating to GoodWill and calling Jeanne Dollard Painter to tell her of Frank's death. Also chopped and julienned my two sweet peppers and two huge onions, and stored them in the freezer for later stir-frys. I called Diane and we discussed Poor Things and other topics. Stella called and we made a date for lunch today at Immigrant Son. 

Oops, I think I forgot to mention in an earlier post (because of difficulty typing) that on Wednesday, my tenants in Little Egg emailed me to tell me she and Cliff had bought a house in Florida and would be moving the first week in April. I knew they were planning, but am sorry to see them go--they're wonderful tenants. I've secured agent Kim Wojcik, whom I've had before, to handle it and she's already sent me paperwork. 

Mike Facetimed me and we had a good chat. He'll be here in April for business in Cupertino and I'll see him then. Violet went to Laos for a week with Girl Scouts to help with charity work for the poor. Vivian has gotten a internship with Crow Soil Ecology & Biogeochemistry Lab in Hawaii in Hawaii. She's a botany major, so that will be helpful--she'll get paid for it, too!

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

He would have been 93 today.

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Friday

 Home: 124,8 so down .02; T.O.P.S.: 125,3, so down .02. It was an okay meeting, if a little draggy. Earlier, I called Muckie and told her of Frank's death. She told me of their backgromarkmund together. Walked to the msarket for a few things and walked back. 

OkY, I just can't do this--will have to fill in when keyboard fixed

Wednesday And Thursday

Wednesday: This is going to be very short because have to use the attached keyboard and it's so difficult for me. Walked to Von's for Valentine cards, then to the P.O. to send them. Showered, dressed, then Noreen picked me up at 1:45.  We had lunch at Blaze Pizza, then  to Poor Things which, as mentioned before, is pure porn.  Didn't home until almost 9:00.

Thursday (yesterday): Spent most of the time trying to fix this damn thing with no luck. Thought I's bus to the mall, but it was so damn cold and windy, I turned back.

Rosa called and we had a long talk; will meet for lunch on Monday. Lynne asked me to do docent duty in April and I said I'd let her know.

Made slow-cooked chicken breast for dinner--very good.

Now I can;t stand trying to type on this damn thing anymore!

Tuesday

It was a good day, even though it dripped a bit. I called the Access Van for today's excursion with Noreen and they'll pick me up and take me home. Good thing, as there's supposed to be yet more sporadic rain today. 

Suzanne's birthday is coming up next week and I texted her to say I'd like to have her and Vickie over for dinner. We three discussed dates and settled on the seventeenth. Of course, if Frank's funeral is scheduled for then or anything else major for any of us comes up, we'll postpone. It's been quite a while since I've had "real" company (I don't count Jim) and it will be fun deciding on a menu, cooking, and serving it up.

Lunch here, then it was off to Aldi and Office Max, which are right next door to each other. Aldi's a supermarket, but didn't have what we wanted. At Office Max, we looked at the L-shaped desk I'm contemplating once I settle on what I went in the bedroom. Hmm, it looked a little bigger than I thought it was. I might buy it, but I want to look elsewhere, too.

From there, we drove the few miles to grocery outlet where I bought three pounds of beautiful, big red apples, cod right (frozen, but that's okay), as well as what I call "pretend milk" because it's plant-based. I've been using it on my cereal, but now like it better than Mama Cow milk. 

When I got home, I prepared six of the gorgeous apples--cored, dressed with Stevia and cinnamon and popped them in the oven for an hour. Had one during my TV watching (8:00 to 9:00) and it was delish.

Monday

Rain, rain, rain and I'm sick of being inside. Looking forward to meeting Noreen for lunch and Poor Things at the Regency tomorrow; will call the Access Van to get there and back.

I spent an incredible portion of the day handling yet more phone calls, arrangements, bills paid, and so on. I also called SCAN Transportation to cancel seeing the P.A. with my questions about meds today. I suggested we do it on Facetime or something or even via email. However, she wants me to come in, so we postponed to February 19; I set up the transportation for then, too. Aside from that, I got some pesky other things done, such as adding to my '04 calendar family and friend birthdays and so on. Must call the Access Van for tomorrow when I meet Noreen for lunch and the movie.

Patrick and Mike contacted me to see if I had floated away yet--it seems the worldwide press is, as usual, making the recent weather into an inescapable agent of disaster. 

Got a text message with phone number from someone named Susan Roberts, saying she'd be visiting here next week and would like to get together. I thought it was a scam until I remembered the woman I had met a few months ago, walking with her infant granddaughter.  who lives in--Nevada? North Carolina? Upper Gipip? I admired the baby, whom she babysits periodically and we chatted and decided we'd meet when she gets back. I called her, we had a nice chat, and will meet for lunch after she gets in.  

Talked to Ellen and they're all okay out there in Ojai-Land. Roads are semi-flooted, but not impassable where they have to drive. 

My nieces posted beautiful tributes to their Dad on Facebook and nephew Patrick posted pictures of his Mom and Dad. I love this one--it's so them before all the changes started: 

And decades earlier, here's Frankie, the shrimp second from left on the HSHS basketball team:

He was self-conscious about his height and had a late growth spurt. When he graduated from Villanova, he had caught up and was finally, I think, about five ten. For our family, that was practically giant-sized.

Sunday

I was glad to have slept well and didn't get up until 5:00. Took my weekly pill, stripped the bed, washed and remade, did the crossword (a good one), and otherwise busied my self. I did a few more things I've been neglecting (story of my life!) and was interested to see the wet stuff coming down outside. It started about 10:00 am and good grief, went on all day. 

Left: Next to the foliage used to be a slight separation area between the grass and the building; now it's a veritable over-flowing stream.

Left: From my kitchen window. Next to the gate isn't a stream--more like a river.

Noreen and I had planned to go to Poor Things today, but looking out at the deluge, I called and we arranged to postpone to next Wednesday when and will go to the Regency, closer to me.  We'll meet for lunch at noon, attend the movie at 3:50, and I'll get the Access Van home Speaking of vans, I need to call today for the Uber van to take me to Primary Medical tomorrow when I meet with Natalie, the P.A., to go over my meds. 

Spent time on a pleasant task: roasting my signature (doesn't that sound grandiose?) tomato/onion/garlic/oil/vinegar/Italian seasoning dish. 

Suzanne called to see if my patio was flooded--not at all and the plant area is absorbing well. She had had a bible study scheduled at the church, but they did it on Zoom. I told her about Frank and she offered her condolences, then I called Vickie; she did the same and we had a good talk. 

 (See the following entry, also.)

The News On Sunday

💞💞💞💞💞An Addendum to the Previous Entry💞💞💞💞💞

My niece, Carolyn, called to tell me that my brother, Frank, died on Saturday night. His daughter, Noreen, with whom I was in touch later, thought she had texted me, but hadn't. I can understand that--she has a lot on her hands. Funeral plans are not yet finalized, but should be soon. I called my daughters and emailed my sons with the news; also, called my only surviving brother, Larry.  

In addition, I called my cousin, Sally, in San Diego. She and Frank were two weeks apart in age and, in truth, her mother, my Aunt Marie, my mother's only sister, is the reason I'm now writing this in Ventura, California. How so? Because she and her husband, Howard, moved to the state after living in Bryn Mawr, PA,; they had a restaurant called "The Ship's Bell" and ran it for several years. Later, Aunt Marie's only biological child (she had a stepson) also settled there. She married young and when and her husband had three children under four, he was killed in an accident. At that point, Frank had graduated from Villanova and, attracted by the west coast, actually lived with Sally and her children until she married again. Frank stayed in California where he met and married Marybeth and had four children. My Mike visited them and decided California was for him, too. He went for a year to Rider College, where I worked, before transferring to UCSB, where he met Paula. They moved in together after graduation and my daughter, Ellen, visited after graduating from Rider. She was also pulled in by the lore of the state and after working at Computer Sciences Corp for several years, packed up her possessions (including her cat) and drove across country to settle there. Years later, my husband, Pat, died and a few years after that, I made the decision to follow suit. I wonder who's waiting in the wings ready to come here, too.  

Frank would have loved this picture:

💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Saturday

Walked the mile plus to Telephone Road, then bused to the Urbane Cafe to meet Diane for lunch. We both had the delicious salmon bowl, plus, of course, our usual talk marathon. I conveyed the news about my dear brother, Frank, then we veered into other topics, including immortality, my new Ralph Lauren coat, and the worsening problems around the world. I gave D. two lemons and some of these: 

I tried them only once and it's hard to tell if they work or not. I go through cycles of good sleep/bad sleep and luckily, have been in the "good" realm lately. I'll check later with Diane.

After we parted, Diane's bus going in one direction, mine in the other, I sat at the stop waiting for mine, got impatient, so walked for a bit. Got to the Target shopping center and hopped the bus from there. Stopped at Von's on the way home for tomatoes and pretzels. As I hadn't slept well the night before, I napped from 5:00 to 6:00.

Mike Messaged me at 7:00 while I was having dinner. It was Sunday for him and he was driving to leave something off at his office. He showed me the complex of three very large and modern office buildings.  

The big news around here is rain. The deluge is supposed to start today and continue on heavily until at least Wednesday. Whether all the brouhaha is justified is the question. However, Noreen and I had made the movie date for Poor Things for tomorrow and we may or may not be able to keep it. 

Friday

Astoundingly, I was again the biggest loser at T.O.P.S., going down to 125.8 for a 1.4 pound loss.  (Home, I was an even 125 for 2 pounds off.) Now I'm at the bottom of my comfort zone (125 to 130), which is--yes, indeedy--a comfortable place for me to be. As for the meeting, it was much more a therapy session than anything else, once Bev suggested we talk about how we handle stress; her husband is contemplating serious surgery and she has her hands full. We shared our ways to cope as well as we could and it was interesting. Sharon brought a big bag of lemons from her tree and I took some home to use and share. leader Lennie asked me to come up with the eight different "inspirational" adages and sayings for the weeks in March. No prob and if I can't come up with some that aren't too horribly insipid, I'll make them up myself. 😜

As usual on Fridays, I didn't sit down to breakfast until 10:30, a full three hours later than my norm.  After that and a cryptogram session, I went to Von's for tartar sauce and citrus. I had toyed with the idea of walking to The Market, but it was so chilly and windy, I nixed that. Lunch at almost 3:00.

Noreen called to say she's be willing to skip her regular Scrabble and/or pinochle day in order to see Poor Things. We decided on Monday at Century 10 in town, with lunch first at the Immigrant Son restaurant, right next door.  

My upstairs neighbor, Mike, rang my bell and gave to two big, beautiful avocados. I offered him some of Sharon's lemons, but he had already harvested from his own tree upstate where he has a house. Will give some to Suzanne and Vickie, and take some today for Diane.

We're supposed to have heavy rain, starting tomorrow and continuing for several days. I already have Uber picking me up for Primary Medical on Tuesday, but think I'll call to have them take me home, too. I'm writing this at 6:00 pm on Friday night and just took this from my kitchen window. Looks ominous--is it a portent of things to come?

                                  

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

Things to come: My niece texted me at 7:00 last night to tell me my brother, Frank, who turned 89 last month, is on his deathbed. He has been in a memory care facility for several years and suffered a stroke last week. It's strange that I feel so little--icily calm, maybe. He may be gone as I write this at 3:00 am. The bell's been tolling for the Byrne family, that's a cinch, and I wish I wouldn't keep hearing it. Later: went back to bed and slept  maybe two more hours. Got up a few minutes ago, not as much as usual, but that still totals about six and I feel okay. 

Thursday

 Another day spent inside! It rained a fair amount--tapered off about noon, but it was wet and chilly, so I didn't want to head out. Besides, I had plenty to do, what with yet more paper/Internet work, phone calls, and catching up on various other chores. One of them was responding to a letter from CVS Caremark that a certain prescription wasn't eligible to be refilled. What fresh Hell was this?*  It advised me to call SCAN; did so, and found out SCAN has Express Script, not CVS. No prob, I just haven't bothered to read the SCAN info. 

It took an age for me to find a good recipe for cabbage fritters, finally did and, after modifying the recipe a bit, completed it. They're not the prettiest thing in the world, but they taste yum:

Technically, I guess they're hor d'oeuvres, but I want to eat them as simply a vegetable dish, so I'll dress them with tartar sauce. I used a whole (large) head of cabbage, so it made planty and I stowed the rest in the freezer for later: 

Lorraine called to ask me what character I played in Steel Magnolias. She had just come across my card, which I gave her when I first met her several years ago. She loves the movie--has seen it five times--and wanted to know all about the LETO production. It was fun reliving that time. And here we are, the cast of Steel Magnolias sixteen years ago. Yours truly, aka Claree, second from left:

 

Damn, my printer isn't printing and I can't understand why. When I try to print from the screen, it makes a noise and the paper is taken in and goes out as usual, but there's no printing on the paper. I tried it by copying a document directly and that worked fine. I suspect the connection is off, but I think I've checked themall and they seem to be okay, so I'm not sure what to do. Guess I'll have to call somebody.

💅💅💅💅💅💅--Nail Polish!

Somehow, I seem to be fixated on Nails D'Elegance--maybe because my tooties look so good. Anyway, I forgot to add their pretty Valentine display the other day, so here it is:

* Dorothy Parker, of course.