SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

SATURDAY:  Went down to lunch with Kathie, LaVerne, and Bea, then as scheduled, Ellen picked me up at 1:30 and drove me to her place in Ojai. I had a little Margarita while she had lunch, then took a short nap. Greg came over for dinner and it was yummy: curry chili with veggies and beans. We ate on the side porch, a wonderfully serene place which I always liked. El cleaned up while Greg and I chatted, then we left for the fireworks at the high school:

                                                        

Back at El's, we said goodbye to Greg, then sat down for a satisfying--but as ever, cutthroat--of gin rummy; El won, but only by a very slim margin.   All rigtht, I have NO IDEA why the following is being underlined, but I can't seem to modifty it.Later, when I previewed the post, I got the underlining off, but now, it's printed in red. Okay, I just am not going to deal with it--it's still readable, anyway.

Didn't get to bed until after midnight--incrediby late for me--and slept like a stone. 

SUNDAY:

Up at 9:00--also very late for me, but I needed the sleep--and after a light breakfast, I packed up and we left for my place. I got in just before noon, so in time for lunch. Sat with Kathie, LaVerne, Pat, and someone I hadn't met before, Richard. The latter's lived her for four years, longer than most I know, had lost his wife last year. I liked him and we had some good talk.

Back upstairs, I found the skillet and lid I had ordered at my door, I'm happy to record. I'll ask Ellen to put the handle on and will try it out shortly. Also got a notice that my Temu ordered had been delivered--however, they sent a picture of it at the door of my former apartment in So-Fi. I called Suzanne, who lives next door and she retreived it and will drop it off today. It's wonderful to have good neighbors, past and present. 

Had dinner with new acquaintance Richard, then Keith and Pat joined us. I didn't feel like the pork loin entree, so had a turkey burger. 

I still don't know how to remove the underlining above and will just skip trying, as it's still readable, anyway. 

FRIDAY

Dismal news regarding my weight struggle: At home, I was up1.2 to 129.08 and the same up at T.O.P.S., putting me at the dreaded 140. Okay, I'm just going to have to buckle down and fly right. There were six of us at the meeting, including Maria, who hasn't been there for a time. 

Home at 10:15 or so. I had forgotten about balance class, so missed it and didn't go down until lunchtime. It was fish taco with sides and actually pretty good. I sat with Kathie, LaVerne, and Bea; didn't see Keith. After, I put in a load of wash, then did this and that on the laptop. 

Went down to happy hour at 3:00 and had a Margarita. We didn't have outside entertainers, but instead, a sing-along, which included, inevitably, pro-war propaaganda material, such as Over There and Comin' In On A Wing And Ae Prayer, and I'll Be Seeing You. As a pacifist, I sat silently until pianist Carol switched over to Patti Page and The Platters, then joined in with enthusiasm. Went from there to dinner with Barbara, Trudie--another non-stop talker--Carl, and Carol and Stan; I skipped the Greek gyro in favor of their good hot dogs. 

Picked up my mail and finally received the writings from my mother from Carolyn. Mom had written memoirs for each of her six children and it touched me greatly to read it. Carolyn also sent me a copy of my mother's memoir to and about Betty. I just couldn't bear to read that right away, but will today. I called Carolyn to thank her and will call again today to discuss. What's incredible is that she mailed both of them from Santa Barbara on June 2 and I got both yesterday, a month later. Jeez, I could have walked the thirty miles there and back and picked them up.

Stella called and we talked for twenty minutes or so. Her son, Joshua, who lives in Spain, will be visiting at the end of July and I hope to see him when he's here. 

Showered and washed my hair--wish I could style it the way Caitlin does--then settled down to watch a documentary on the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife by their son. Pretty horrible.

Ellen's going to pick me up today, take me to Ojai, and I'll stay overnight--that should be fun. 

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I forgot to add this picture from the cookout on Thursday. The duo sang the usual collection of "patriotic" songs:                                                            

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THURSDAY AND A COOKOUT

I was a little late for Bone Builders, but got there and it was a good session. It happened to be our instructor, Marilyn's birthday and I took a picture with her (on my right) and Elaine, one of the residents: 

Marilyn had made cupcakes and brought them, plus apple juice for her "students." I don't eat sweets, so I took mine home and brought it to dinner to give to whomever.

Attended the lunch barbeque and, as ever, it was very good. I chose a cheeseburger this time, served with homemade potato salad and fruit. I also accepted a Blue Moon ale with it. There was a duo singing the usual patriotic songs and here are some of the staff in their Americano finery:

Director of the whole shebang, Tiffany; it's hard to believe she has college-aged children.

Maintenance guy Joe, along with resident Barry, a non-stop talker.

Our activities director, Mindy, acting silly--she's a lot of fun. 

After lunch, I took a nap, then hauled out read a number my original scripts. I'm hoping the other members of our new acting group, Second Act Players, will want  to stage some. 

Dinner with Kathie, LaVerne, and Denise--I gave my cup cake to the latter, who has no weight problem. Back home after, I continued reading scripts and enjoyed it. 

Mary Ann, who usually takes me to T.O.P.S. on Fridays, is in Detroit, so I texted Cheryl to see if she'd pick me up. She will, but I'm not looking forward to getting weighed. I know I've gained, as I've been eating much too much and exercising much too litte. I must reform, but seem to be lacking in determination--or something. 

WEDNESDAY

Maintenance guy Joe came at 9:00 and quickly fixed my cabinet door. He noticed the ancestor pictures on my walls, including my great-grandfather in his Civil War uniform, and we had a nice talk. I then went down to balance class and managed, in chatting with Bee, to step backward and almost fall. I recovered myself, but alarmed the other residents in the room. 

I got a notice from Groendyke, my house insurance company, that it's up for renewal; I'll be sent a new contract, which I need to electronically sign, then return. Darn, I now find I'm out of printer paper. Ellen called and I asked her to bring me some. We also finalized our plans for the weekend: She'll pick me up after lunch on Saturday and I'll stay over at her place, then she'll bring me home on Sunday. It'll be before lunch, as she has plans with a friend for later.

Had lunch with Kathie and LaVerne, then prepared for dime Bingo, which started at 1:30.  Incredibly, I won four times--now my dime trove is replentshed and I'm set for the next rounds.

Got home and finally opened the burner I had sent for months ago. I had already shedded a cabbage and onion, now I added oil, butter, lemon juice, and garlic powder and cooked it up in the skillet Ellen lent me. I'm not sure everybody would like it, but I think it's yummy and will enjoy it for serveral days. 

Sat down for dinner with LaVerne, then I invited new resident Reggie to join us, as he was at the next table alone. Shortly, Keith sat down and we got to know the newcomer. Reggie is only 65 and his speech is somewhat difficult to understand. From what he told us, he had been badly hurt in several accidents which affected his speech and some movements. He seems a nice fellow, though, and I was glad to have met him. 

Outdoor barbeque is on the agenda for lunch today, and that should be good. 

TUESDAY

Before lunch, I took two loads to the laundry room, put them in the wash, then did a few chores on the laptop. Unfortunately, I had forgotten about Bone Builders at 10:15, and missed it. To compensate in a sense, I spents twenty minutes on the stationary bike.

Had lunch with Kathie, Keith, and LaVerne.  I brought Keith's book, Ghost Orchid* as Kathie wants to read it. I already have Keith's other Kellerman book, Heartbreak Hotel, which I started reading and after the first few pages, realized I had read before. That's okay, though, as I don't remember much about it and I'm enjoying it. 

Went to dime Bingo at 1:30--a marathon session of two hours--and won two, I'm happy to report. Of course, I won only a dollar ten each time, but a win is a win, right?

Dinner with Kathie, Keith, Laverne, and Denise and we had some good conversation. After, when I checked my email, I found a video of the show of last Sunday. It's more than an hour long and I cringe when I see myself--I look decrepit--but I guess I did okay. I sent it to my children, telling them they can see Mum at 5:13 (far left); 14:39 ("the Green Room"); 18:51 ("Heart's Desire"); 44:56 (I say "You are the best!"); and somewhere toward the end when the cast applauds the audience. I sent it to myself on Messanger and am putting it here, in case I ever want to see it again:

 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/WhctKLcFCqBTGPkFgPXsKDwNzkVwVGjtdhmwLjZmGJJpQcmxvpJhrzhNJcnxqBLdfftltQv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH2mQKVKZPE&authuser=1

No plans for today except that Joe Maintenance is coming to fix my cabinet door. I asked him to come after 9:00, as I don't like to rush in the morning.

* By Jonathan Kellerman, the only fiction writer whose books I read; I mostly stick to non-fiction. 

MONDAY

Slept okay, but felt a little draggy when I got up at 6:00. However, I revived, spent time on financial matters, and stripped my bed. Took the sheets to the laundry room, put them in, then went to balance class at 10:00. Retrived the wash, went down to lunch, and sat with LaVerne, then Keith sat with us, bringing a  friend named David; I think they met in the Navy. Anyway, David is a big talker and I enjoyed his patter. He' owns a house in Fillmore and is considering The Orchard; we'll see what happens there. 

Back up stairs, I didn't do anything productive aside from watering the tomatoes. Soon, it was time for dinner. I sat with Kathie, LaVerne, and Bee; Keith sat elsewhere. Dinner, egg salad on a croissant, was so-so, but the carrot/raisin salad was good.

Again, I slept well and got up with the alarm. I'm toying with the idea of busing to the mall--may or may not.

SUNDAY AND SHOWTIME

The Access Van got me to Ellen's in Ojai about noon and she gave me a chicken sandwich for lunch. We chatted a bit and she "heard me" on the script, then drove me to the Veritas for the 1:00 cast call. Most of our group were there and, luckily, Steve, Nelso, Bob, and I were able to rehearse several times before the show started at 2:00. I got a chance to snap only one picture and this isn't very representative, but it illustrates the somewhat primative conditions:

In the front row right is Jesse Somebody, the high school student who received the scholarship given in Carol's name and next to him his acting teacher. As for the rest of the audience, it was wonderfully responsive and appreciative. Several came up to me after with praise and appreciation for my verse and our short piece, which turned out to be wonderfully well done--I was a little worried about that. To top it off, champagne was served to the audience and I had a glass after the show. The whole day was terrific--what a relief.

Ellen picked me up after and we stopped into a gift shop before meeting Greg at Sea Fresh. They have great seafood, but I had a hankering for a cheeseburger and that's what I got. We had a good time, as ever, then we said goodbye to Greg and Ellen drove me home. She invited me to stay over at her place on Saturday, then we'll go somewhere for the fourth of July. Sounds good.

What a good day, thanks to the success of the show, perfect weather, and the sleepover next week, to which I'm looking forward.