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.  

SATURDAY

Washed, dressed, and went downstairs for lunch with Kathie and Keith. I left halfway through, as the Access Van picked me up at 12:30. Hobie, the driver, had two more stops to make, so I got to the Veritas by 2:00.

Reheasal went okay, although I still have a little problem with memorization and knowing when to say what to whom, but hey, I'll get it by showtime--if not, I'll improvise. We rehearsed until about 4:00, then Ellen picked me up and drove me home, getting in when it was almost dinnertime. I rushed upstairs and changed, then got to the dining room in plenty of time.  Didn't see Katie or Keith, so sat with Barbara, Trudie, Carl, Carol, and Stan and enjoyed it.

The Access Van will pick me up in a few hours, then take me to Ellen's for lunch, then she'll get me to the Veritas by the one o'clock call. Tentative plans are for El, Greg, and I to go to dinner after.

FRIDAY

 I texted Mary Ann and called Sharon to tell them I wasn't going to T.O.P.S.  I had my two appointments at 2:00 and 3:00 and thought I'd bus to the mall to buy a skillet for my cabbage/onion dish. However, I just didn't feel like it after such a poor sleep, so I didn't.

Had lunch with Kathie, Keith, and Bee, then prepared for my appointments in the salon upstairs. Elika took me at 2:00 and I chose the same lavender polish as last time--I just like it. Caitlin then did my hair--wash, a cut, and blow dry and it really looks good. I had a great time with both of them. Didn't get home until after 4:00.   

Dinner with Kathie, LaVerne, Dyan, Denise, and Bee, so we added chairs to the ends of the table for four and it worked out fine. We had a discussion about Jehovah Witnesses; it seems that one of the residents--Paula--is one and left the dining room when we sang "Happy Birthday" to Keith. Hmm...I jut looked it up and discovered that they believe birthday and other holiday celebrations are of pagan origin, so evil.  

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An historic note:

This is a picture of Abraham Lincoln's funeral cortege in Philadelphia on April 24, 1865 and the crowds that gathered to see it. I knew a woman who had been there. She lived in Philadelphia, taught piano lessions, and spent summers in Ventnor. She went to our church, St. James, and my mother knew her. She had been stricken with polio as a child and hadn't walked since. At he age of three, seated on her father's shoulders, she was taken to see the cortege. When she was in Ventnor, Miss (can't recall her name) needed someone to push her wheelchair and take her for walks on the boardwalk. At the age of ten, I was hired to do so and was paid a quarter an hour.  

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