James turned 85, and he invited us to his birthday party at Old Ranch for dinner with family and friends.
With a few open hours, we packed away Thanksgiving, relabeled the boxes correctly, and stored them in the garage until we either see Joe or our gardener, who will put them back up in the attic for another year.
We stopped short of bringing in Christmas, that can wait a day!
We got ready to depart for Seal Beach with an ETA of 5:00 pm; we were right on time!
James made a little speech and then pointed me out, laughing at how he could not keep up with my busy “social calendar”.
I told the story of the time James got 85 after nineteen holes, and we were sitting by the fire. When Robert came out with the drinks, we pointed to James and said, “85 today”. Poor old Robert began singing Happy Birthday…. this was fifteen years ago!
Introduction of the family!
We had great seats!
I was losing steam after two hours.
James versus the candle!
James won!
I was pooping out around 8:00 pm so we departed early; our friends understood. Mary napped om the way home but after three Arnold Palmers, I was awake and ready to take on the world.
An Arnold Palmer drink is a nonalcoholic mix of iced tea and lemonade, named after the legendary golfer. The drink originated when Palmer’s wife, Winnie, made it for him, and a woman at a golf course overheard him ordering it and asked for “an Arnold Palmer drink” for herself. The original proportions were about two-thirds iced tea to one-third lemonade, though variations exist
The parking lot had an eerie look as the ground fog had formed, and with the driving range lighting made for a Halloweenish look!
Ground fog is a type of fog, also known as radiation fog, that forms close to the ground. It is a result of the ground cooling significantly overnight, causing the air immediately above it to cool to its dew point and condense into tiny water droplets. This type of fog typically forms on clear, calm nights, particularly during the fall and winter
The ground fog was thick on our way to the car.
We made it back home in about 17 minutes since there was little traffic. We were too tired to watch TV, so we talked a while and then hit the sack; I needed my beauty sleep! Mary met a bunch of people I had known via years of playing gold with James, and like a trooper, she introduced herself and ended up having conversations with almost everyone. Mary is an amazing person, and I am proud to be with her!
I made a decision; I am NOT the arm candy, she it!
We did!!! The bathroom scale has been banned from showing itself for several weeks!
Two weeks ago, we got a call from Becky (Mary’s youngest daughter), who invited us to a post-Thanksgiving lunch with her and her brother (including their families). We thought this was wonderful!!
We were up early and got ready to go to the “Irvine Spectrum,” which is a large outdoor shopping mall.
The Irvine Spectrum Center is a lifestyle center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California, United States. The center features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a Ferris wheel, and a Regal Cinemas 21-screen movie theater. Built over a 10-year period, the first phase of the center opened in 1995, and the second phase followed in 1998. The third phase was completed in 2002. The fourth and fifth phases were built and completed between 2005 and 2006.
What we forgot was that it was “Black Friday” and the place was jammed. There were police and security everywhere, and signs saying “Parking Lot Full.” We drove around for twenty minutes and decided to go to the parking garage and drive to the third floor, where there were a few potential openings.
Out of the car, we were ready for a short walk to the restaurant, Javier’s. Did I say short walk?? We should have brought water, a box of MREs, a small tent, and an elephant gun!
The photo was taken from space.
We couldn’t quite read the space map, so we went to a kiosk and downloaded directions to our phones. We are off with the first stop being the elevators. So we can adjust our lungs to the altitude difference, we stopped at the second floor and finally at the first floor.
We followed the red brick road and slithered oodles of people standing in lines to go into stores.
We followed the directions.
About 1/3rd of the way there, we ran into the Christmas Tree. The base of the tree looked to us like a good place to set up camp for the day and continue our journey tomorrow. However, the invite said 11:00 am on Friday, so we trekked on past the tree and into the narrow corridors, hopefully leading to Javier’s.
Oh my! It looked small from the satellite photo.
About four hours later, I startled Mary by yelling, “Javier’s Ho!” in my deep sailor voice. Yes, we arrived! Having not eaten for days, I was ready to say hello and get down to the gastronomic delights promised in the menu.
The kids were already there. They called the police and un-reported us as missing.
We got down to serious conversations immediately (immediately after getting our first round of drinks)!
We got to Javier’s about ten minutes late. Dan and Becky were entertaining the kids.
We had a great time visiting and catching up. I tried to get a photo of the boys (Adam and Ethan), but alas, they were both being “tickle bugs” and were busy eliciting uproarious laughter from the adults.
David and Kate were ready for some hours d’oeuvers.
Since it was the season, I polished off another three margaritas. We jabbered for quite a while before heading to the door.
When the police showed up, we told them, “We Were Framed!”
Paul, Ethan, Mary, Becky, Kate, Adam, David, and Dan.
We really enjoyed visiting with family!
Merry Christmas, all.
Mary waited for all the pictures to be taken.
On the way home, I was fading fast, so a nice Security person came and helped Mary get me seated to rest. They decided to drive us to the car when they heard we were four miles from the parking lot.
The journey to Javier’s was the longest I had attempted since the operation.
They then called for a car, and the driver took us right to the vehicle, thus saving us days, perhaps weeks, of foot travel. Being smart, on the way to Javier’s, I dropped popcorn so we could find our way back. Alas, the popcorn was gone thanks to the Santa Ana winds.
To end the visit, I attempted to open the door for Mary and missed a step, going down face-first on the concrete with a clatter like a reindeer on the roof. People from neighboring cars rushed to my aid, thinking I was “out of it – drunk”. No such luck, I am still not totally stable on my feet since the operation.
After a few minutes of total humiliation and studying the patterns in the concrete, we managed to get me into the car. People are so nice when you are in trouble OR they wanted our parking space??
I drove home without incident!
Before going to bed, we went to TCM and decided to watch Goldie Hawn in “Swingshift”. Summary: During the Second World War, a navy wife helps the war effort by taking a job in the local aircraft factory, where she meets a man declared unfit for military service who sweeps her off her feet. When her husband returns on furlough, things become very complicated.
We crashed around 10:30 pm, and tomorrow is another day!
I woke up and immediately screamed, “Activate: Feast Mode!” on my way to the kitchen to find my favorite knife and fork! Mary almost fell out of bed, but when she saw it was only 6:00 am, she went back to bed (she is a smart girl!). She did mumble something about “put a sock in it!”
Soon thereafter, we were both awake and sipping on our wake-up juice, often referred to as coffee, that black elixir that comes from the coffee bean.
Did You Know? Coffee is thought to date back to 800 A.D., when 9th-century goat herders discovered it. The herders noticed their goats eating the plant, and afterwards they seemed to be ‘dancing’. Fascinated by the results, the goat herder tried them himself and discovered that it made him excitable too.
Despite it being called a ‘bean’, coffee is actually a fruit. The ‘beans’ grow on a bush and are found in the centre of a coffee cherry.
Joe (our son) and Charlie (our 18-year-old grandson) came over to give us the traditional Thanksgiving Day hand and to move the Christmas boxes from the attic into the garage. Grandpa is NOT allowed in the attic anymore! Now we can start Christmas decorating on Saturday morning.
A new survey found that 80 percent of men claim they help cook Thanksgiving dinner. Which makes sense when you hear them consider saying ‘that smells good’ to be helping.
Dianne taught how to make real whipped cream. No more whipped cream from an aerosol can! The lights dimmed as Dianne added more vanilla to the ever-growing bowl of whipped cream!
With remarkable aplomb, the master created her calorie-encrusted elixir right in front of our eyes.
The mixer’s whir could be heard from blocks away as Dianne pressed the speed button to the maximum setting. We were visited by the local Firehouse and two sets of Orange’s finest – they let us off the hook!
The disappearing act begins!!
Remember: An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.
Experts filled plates, meticulously selected turkey and ham slices, and the mashed potatoes disappeared quickly.
The attack on the meal has begun in earnest!
We were happy to have Bill and Sandee Cpss join the gang today. We made sure Fast Eddie and Crazy Greg kept them entertained.
Mary and I received gifts from our kids, Robn and Bob! Mary and I shall put the gifts to proper use as soon as possible. I was not able to help much this time due to the slow recovery, but my amazing wife stepped in, flying around the kitchen, making sure everything was ok and that our guests had everything they needed.
After everyone had departed, we watched TV, and Mary put herself into “Clean Up Mode!”
When things quieted down, I made a new drink. The Thankstini: A fun and delicious new novelty drink I invented. Cranberry juice, potato vodka, and a bouillon cube. Tastes just like a turkey dinner.
We finally hit the hay around 11:00 pm after an entertaining and fascinating day with family and friends.
Before I went to sleep, I remembered what Johnny Carson once said: “Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.”
Into the mouth of danger I marched, knowing full well my poor little body would be subjected to untold agony, and I began with two one-pound dumbbells and graduated to 120-pound leg presses. They know my condition, so I was allowed time to rest between sets.
Antony Michell is our fearless leader (and owner) of the facility, and he makes sure we stay on a strict schedule (he owns several bullwhips and a junkyard dog). When he says ‘up,’ we always ask how high, then ask for permission to come down!
a.k.a “The Boss.”
We escaped with our lives (barely) and headed to the safety of Ralph’s Market so the trainers couldn’t find us. I am so slim now (10 pounds) that I hid behind a display of pogo sticks, and they missed me. Mary pranced down the aisle, singing Christmas tunes and wiggling to the music; the trainers were afraid to interrupt her. The trainers departed, and we were safe.
We went home, had a small bite to eat, and then zoomed to Beach Blvd and PCH to get our ears lowered!
After the makeover, I sneaked into the car so the ladies would not chase me. I would have put a bag over my head, but I had to drive home.
We did a fifteen-minute pit stop before heading to Marie Calendars for tomorrow’s vittles. We returned with two large boxes and two large bags of goodies. Oops, we also have a selection of fresh pies.
The parking lot was full, and a large 18-wheeler was distributing the goodies to everyone.
Once home, the staging/scheduling begins. With dinner at noon, we backed off according to Marie’s instructions. The turkey and ham go into the oven 1t 9:15 am. We put them in their pans and racks and wrapped them in aluminum today. We placed them into the outside refrigerator, so tomorrow they will go directly into the 325-degree oven.
We set the tables for twelve family and friends (and of course, we counted the silverware). We did one last walk around before going to bed.
Joe is coming over early in the morning to “take down Christmas,” meaning moving the 30 boxes of decorations from the garage attic to the garage floor, because on the 28th, we change the house decor from Thanksgiving to Christmas!
We switched on TCM and watched an old comedy with Jack Oakie called “Little Men,” based on a novel by Louisa May Alcott (yes, the author who wrote “Little Women”).
Summary: In the 1940 film Little Men, Jo March Bhaer and her husband run the Plumfield School for boys, which faces foreclosure unless they can raise $5,000. To get the money, they entrust their savings to Major Burdle, a con man and the foster father of a new student named Dan, who has been sent to the school by the Major to secure an education for him. When Burdle loses the money, he and his crook associate, Willie the Fox, try to save the school by devising a plan that leads to Burdle’s arrest, so Jo can collect a $5,000 reward poster for Willie, thereby saving Plumfield.
Loads of fun!
As soon as the movie was over, we were off to bed, for tomorrow is the big day!
I can hardly wait to get my hands on the carcass! It’s homemade turkey soup for several days. We bought two complete dinners for ten, one turkey and one ham! Since we have eleven coming, we will have Thanksgiving dinner for several days!
Did You Know? Turkeys are intelligent, social birds native to the Americas known for their distinctive calls and nearly 360-degree field of vision. They can be fast, short-distance flyers, live up to 10 years, and communicate through a variety of calls and by changing the color of their heads and necks to reflect their emotions. There are two species: the wild turkey and the ocellated turkey, and domesticated turkeys were initially bred by indigenous peoples in Mexico as early as 800 BCE.
We began to worry about seeing the doctor again, even though today was a good day.
Mary graphically explained the process to me!
Mary took off in a flash with the Silver Fox, leaving a trail of dust and a magnificent display of sparks.
While Mary was gone, I had a burst of energy. I even did a load of wash, made the bed, restocked the bathroom with paper goods, put away the kitchen table tools, and did a lot of other small chores while Mary was relaxing at the watercolor class.
Upon her return, I put on my dark glasses and prepared myself for Mary’s next work of art to be unveiled.
p.s. I added the “Merry Christmas” at the bottom!
We stayed home the rest of the day and puttered between movies. Mary put the final touches on her needlepoint work.
We watched Jussaic World: New Beginnings, which is a sequel to the original. “Jurassic World New Beginning” refers to the 2025 movie Jurassic World: Rebirth, a standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion. The film centers on a team that travels to an isolated island research facility to extract genetic material from three colossal dinosaurs for a medical breakthrough, only to find themselves stranded alongside a civilian family.
Yes, we jumped out of our seats a couple of times. The movie was done at 11:15 pm, and so were we!
Sixty long minutes, stretched and pulled from all directions, left me exhausted. That goodness, the staff at PEAK PERFORMANCE in Orange are such professionals. They know which buttons to push and which buttons to leave alone. My mid-section is still fragile and will be for another month.
After the gym, we walked to Ralph’s Market and filled the basket with essentials. Mary had a list, and I used my eyeballs; when I see something I want, I toss it into the basket, and Mary does not see it until the checkout stand. I am sneaky that way!
In the afternoon, I walked around the garden before going to the doctor. My weight loss and constant tummy pain were getting to me. Mary worked her magic and got a 2:00 pm appointment. The doctor said to eat more calories, eat six times a day, and don’t drink with a meal, wait 30 minutes.
We decided to get a CT scan and wait two weeks. If things have not improved, we will return to the surgeon who did the work.
Returning home, we watched a couple of movies. Our favorite tonight was Christmas Above the Clouds. Christmas Above the Clouds is a 2025 Hallmark movie starring Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes, premiering on November 8, 2025. It’s a modern adaptation of A Christmas Carol, with Krakow playing a workaholic CEO who meets her ex (Hynes) on a Christmas Eve flight to Australia. During the flight, she is visited by three spirits who show her the past, present, and future.
We finally hit the sack around 11:00 pm. It was a good day!
My recovery is much slower than I thought! We rested all day Sunday, doing miscellaneous chores around the house. Mary kept busy getting everything ready for Thanksgiving; she is tireless. I was not feeling too well.
Mary made meals all day since I am supposed to eat six times a day, and since I am 179.6 pounds, I need to eat.
We woke up to grey skies and cool temperatures. After making coffee, we hit the office to get the Christmas event coordinated. So far, and we are NOT complete yet. We are still filling in the blanks with Christmas events.
It was a sad day because we had to say bye to Jeff, our neighbor, who is moving into a 24-hour care facility. His pulmonary disease has been getting worse. He is moving to a location about a mile from his daughter, about 20 minutes from our home. We will make visits as often as we can.
It was a strange feeling; I felt hungry and wanted a hamburger. Mary suggested the Elks since she can get soup and a glass of vino, and I can get the hamburger (Dox Special) with a Diet Coke. We watched part of the Oregon/USC game and called Joe to see how his household was doing. Joe went to USC while Amuy went to Oregon.
We took a nap afterwards since our tummies were full and finished off the day with two movies from TCM, Irma La Douce and Cactus Flower.
We jumped out of bed and hit the showers, as today is another gym day. We need to get the muscles working and chase those pesky calories away. I have attained 182 pounds as of this morning, and all my old clothes now fit; no longer do I have to “stuff myself” into my tux, and the cumberbun no longer slips down around my knees!
The owner of the gym, Antony, took care of me today. I mentioned that my lower back and shoulders were giving me fits. He applied his mighty fists to the appropriate spots and an hour later, I walked out of the fitness center upright and whistling a tune (the tune was Old Man River).
We popped by the market, but I left my phone (and the electronic list) at home as we got the essentials: eggs, Arnold Palmer juice, and milk! The situation will require an additional trip to the market tomorrow.
Ralph’s market redecorated for the holiday with a theme of “Turky-ish Market”. Oh my, what did we buy?
After returning home, we stayed close and watched the rainstorms come and go. An hour of sun followed by an hour of heavy rain; it was a real show!
For an unknown reason, I was feeling puny today, perhaps leftovers from the last two days of activity.
Mary fixed a nice dinner, and we discussed the telephone call from Bonnie, which involved some unexpected news.
Tonight we did something different! Instead of the TV, we went ot he family room and read our books. We spent two hours engrossed in our books, which was very restful and calming. Clive Cussler, along with Dirk Pitt, was taking on the bad guys. My mind comes alive and sees images of what they write about. I got cold when the heroes jumped into the ice water, and I lurched forward when the bad guys aimed the machine guns in our direction (Clive, Dirk, and me).
We hit the sack around 9:30 pm and had a full night’s sleep.
The sun was hot, and the birds were flying backwards to see where they had been! It looked like it hadn’t rained in a month. We messed around in the office and then got ready to go to the weekly Girls Night Out at the Elks.
We brought out the talking and dancing turkey
In case you wondered, the turkey is in the center, between us!
After two hours of laughing and giggling, we came out, and the day had gone grey! The clouds disappeared. The rain was threatening us, but no rain yet.
We stopped by CVS pharmacy, which was closed, and then filled the gas tank with GoGo juice. Finally arriving home, Mary went to the kitchen, and I took a short nap. These outings take a lot of energy, something I have little of these days!
At 3:00, our insurance agent popped by to finalize the transfer of my health insurance to another UHC policy. The one I had must have been too good, so the company did not renew it. The new one takes effect 1/1/2026.
We had such a great lunch that I was not hungry at dinner time; that’s a great way to keep me at or under 185 pounds!
We got the headcount for Thanksgiving at ten, but alas, we bought enough food for 25, thinking Joe and Zachary would be joining us. Now we need plenty of plastic and aluminum wrap to send food home with our guests!
James turned 85, and he invited us to his birthday party at Old Ranch for dinner with family and friends.
