We started in the garden right after our morning coffee, when the day still felt soft and manageable. But that dry wind had other plans—so we jumped in early, determined to get every vegetable in the ground and tucked under mulch before everything dried out.
I started first, and soon Mary followed me out, and we tag-teamed the beds. I turn the soil, Mary plants the babies, I follow up with mulch, repeat until we are too tired to move.
My smile keeps the bugs away!
We start wit one year old bales of straw which has been sitting on the ground behind the garden absorbing the water and hopefully forcing whatever seeds are inside to germinate and croak!
Why straw works well
Moisture retention: It shades the soil and slows evaporation.
Weed suppression: A 2–4 inch layer helps block weed germination.
Soil improvement: It breaks down over time, adding organic matter.
Temperature buffering: Keeps roots cooler in heat and reduces soil crusting.
We start with bales of straw!
After each plant is in the ground, we follow it up with careful mulching.
3-4 inches deep around each plant.
It takes a lot of tools to maintain the garden, so we have our garden workbench adjacent to the garden! The brown cover rolls over everything at night and during inclement weather!
The garden workbench is a busy place!
By 1:30 pm, we were officially pooped out. Mary dug the weeds out of the large bed so we can plant corn, watermelons, and cantaloupes within the next few weeks. Watermelons and cantaloupes take between 70 and 100 days to produce their fruit depending upon the variety.
At 2:00 p.m., we headed inside and started getting ready for tonight’s festivities at the Elks Lodge—because nothing says “party time” like sprinting to glam up for a building named after a large, judgmental deer.
We got ready for an unforgettable St. Patrick’s Day celebration, where the luck of the Irish is sure to be on our side! We plan to dive into a delicious buffet featuring corned beef & cabbage, shepherd’s pie, and Jameson chicken. We will quench our thirst with a selection of drinks, including Guinness stout, Harp lager, Smithwick’s red ale, and fine Irish whiskeys. We expect there to be lively Irish thistle dancers and we will dance the night away to the energetic tunes of the band Sideways.
It was supposed to be a gardening day, but Mother Nature showed up with 30 mph winds and a bad attitude. Between the dirt trying to exfoliate our faces and Mary’s contact lenses threatening to turn into potato chips, we voted to stay indoors (at least for the morning).
We went to make our coffee, and Mary returned in almost uncontainable exasperation, yelling, “Duck, duck, duck.” I, of course, being the most dutiful husband, fell to the floor and crawled under the table. Mary asked what I was doing, and I said, “You said DUCK!”
Well, she meant the animal, not the action.
Then we walked into the kitchen and—no joke—Donald and Daisy Duck were out there like they owned the place, waddling across the yard and lining up for their morning bath like it was a five-star spa and we were the unpaid staff.
Immediately, I assumed my manly home-protection mode and ran out the door, my jammies blowing in the wind, flapping my arms, and yelling child-friendly obscenities at the two trespassers.
I brought a towel just in case any of us fell into the pool, ducks included!
Little did I know my pajama bottoms trap-door* was open, and if the ducks saw that, it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment! PITA might go after us!
* Sometimes known as the Butt Flap, the Rear Access Hatch, the Emergency Exit, the Moonroof, the Backdoor Portal, the Blast Door, the Cheek Peek, the Buns Bypass, the Flap of No Return, or the Midnight Maintenance Panel.
The filthy beasts retreated instantly after spotting the madman in the jammies coming after them!
Then the computer burped out a message from Miss Vicky, our elementary school teacher, asking if we want to go to Benjie’s for breakfast. I almost broke two fingers answering “YES, WHEN?” She gave us 90 minutes to get ready, so we went into scramble mode and decided to wear our St. Patrick’s Day matching shirts!
We went to Benjie’s and had a most marvelous brunch, sharing the latest gossip about our friends and foes. It was a delightful way to begin the day! Vicky is our beacon of sanity in this chaotic world.
We had to get back home because a painter was coming by the house to get a check (for Mary’s rental) and to develop an estimate for our home. We did NOT have time to start in the garden because we had a 1:00 pm appointment with our podiatrist, Dr. Bill, who would take care of my ingrown toenail!
After the appointment, we opted to visit the American Legion because it was so cold and windy at home.
It was in the mid-70s and ZERO wind on the bay!
Mother Nature called me, so I left Mary with the simple task of ordering our favorite Turkey Club sandwich. I returned, and our wine was there, and Mary said she had placed the order.
Enjoying life.
We were peacefully sipping our wine when—like a plot twist in a soap opera—the waiter swooped by holding a BLT.
A BLT? What?? A BLT???
Now, Mary doesn’t eat bacon, which means her “BLT” immediately became a very elegant LT. Basically, a salad that forgot it was supposed to be a salad and landed between two pieces of rye bread. Meanwhile, I gobbled up my half of what was supposed to be a turkey sandwich plus two extra strips of bacon, because I’m a problem-solver.
Naturally, I asked, “So what happened to the turkey sandwich?”Mary gave me a SEG (ask me if you’re curious).
Translation: she goofed—major faux pas. Full boo-boo.? mistake so big it should’ve come with its own apology card.
Just us!
I forgave her, but I will make sure I order myself or provide her with written instructions!
Yes, indeed!
Mary nibbled on her LT, I decimated my BLT, and we had our wine while singing songs about the sea!
The bay was so calm, it looked like a lake, nary a ripple!
The scene was quite relaxing.
OK, time to get to work. We got home at 3:30 pm and instantly teleported to the backyard to begin planting our latest vegetable acquisitions!
I was in my gardening costume, and Mary asked me to kick the bucket (over to her). I thought long and hard about her request and decided to carry the can over carefully!
The weather was basically showing off—mid-70s and not a whisper of wind. We planted like absolute champions right up until the sun clocked out and darkness came in like,” Alright, that’s enough productivity for today.”
A handsome dude, for sure.
We decided not to do the swim spa tonight and to attempt to finish off “Suits”. We didn’t make it, but we are just two episodes from the end.
We got EXCELLENT news during our nightly call to Robin. Her plans to go with Bob during is gig did not work out; timing issues, so that she will be joining us at the Elks afterall! YEAH!!
Tonight will be wonderful, but we’re losing Bob. The nice thing is that Michle and Franklyn will be joining us again!
The wearing of the green!
We finally surrendered at 10:00 pm—waved the white flag, accepted defeat, and crawled into bed like it was a witness protection program. Thirty seconds later we were sawing logs.
We love the weather! One week it is in the 80s, the next in the high 60s, and the following week back to the 80s! What is going on? Must be that pesky “Global Warming”!
While we were enjoying our coffee and protein drink, Mary kicked off her bi-monthly tradition: The Great Pill Sorting.
The process is highly technical and broken into three phases:
Mary assumes the role of Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, calmly selecting pills and precision-dropping them into the tiny compartments, as if she’s playing geriatric Tetris.
I become the on-call warehouse intern, sprinting back and forth down the hallway to our state-of-the-art Medication Storage Facility (also known as “that cabinet”) to retrieve whatever we’re mysteriously out of—despite owning enough bottles to stock a small yacht.
Finally, I contact CVS on our exclusive VIP hotline (because we are obviously their favorite customers) and order whatever Mary announces, like I’m taking requests at a very slow, very expensive drive-thru.
It’s a smooth operation: Mary organizes, I cardio, and CVS updates our customer profile to “frequent flyer.”
Sorting the pills!
We had our coffee, then went out to the garden to do what can only be described as “light gardening” that somehow turned into a full-scale landscaping documentary.
The patio is actually looking really good—so good, in fact, we officially uncovered the swing for the Spring/Summer season, which is basically the homeowner version of taking the convertible out of storage.
Then I inspected the patio drip-line sprinklers like a man defusing a bomb made of plastic tubing and questionable decisions. After a few adjustments and replacements (and only minor negotiations with the parts that wouldn’t cooperate), the system is back online.
Bottom line: the patio is thriving, the swing is ready for action, and all the babies are finally getting the moisture they deserve—unlike us, who are now headed to the Elks Lodge for “Girls Night Out,” aka the part of the day where we stop watering plants and start hydrating ourselves.
Today we were a very small but mighty crew—only five of us: Bill, Bob, George, and us. Which immediately raises the question: where on earth is Iris? We’re going to call and make sure she’s okay, because her absence was definitely noticed.
Also, the parking lot was NOT okay. The lodge had two events going on at the same time, and parking turned into an expedition—we ended up in the “north 40,” hiking in like we were arriving at a county fair.
Honestly, though, that’s the kind of problem we’re happy to have. Those rentals keep the lights on and the bills paid, and it makes sense—this is a genuinely nice facility, and unlike some places, when they host an event, they don’t serve “rubber chicken.”
Line dancing keeps us young!
Our weekly conversations tend to drift anywhere from the mundane to the completely ridiculous, and today I decided to lob a little “tech history” into the middle of this elderly group:
“Does anyone remember what WYSIWYG means?”
Nothing. Total silence. If crickets had been present, they would’ve felt awkward.
I got one confidently wrong answer from Bob. Bill squinted at the letters and admitted he recognized them, but couldn’t remember what they stood for. Mary was too young to be expected to know, and George just gave me his classic,” Huh?”
And then—just when I was feeling smug—I realized I couldn’t place it right away either. Once it finally surfaced (“What You See Is What You Get”), I had to admit the truth:
Apparently, I’m part of the group after all.
Thank you, Google, for enlightening us old farts and informing the kid (Mary)!
We finally departed the Elks and went home to “rest,” but we had to stop at the cleaners and retrieve our cowboy uniforms since tonight is “Line Dancing Night”.
Mary took a nap, and I battened down the hatches for the expected windstorm coming our way!
At 4:00 pm, the Alexa alarm went off—much to Mary’s dismay—because apparently, Alexa has appointed herself Chief of “Time to Leave” Operations.
That was my 60-minute warning to get cleaned up and ready to go, which meant I launched into a full-speed transformation from “yard creature” to “civilized human.” I jumped in the shower and rinsed off the impressive collection of dirt I’d accumulated while working outside. I’m pretty sure half of it was actual soil, and the other half was just stubbornness.
A few minutes later, I was ready to roll—fully dressed and topped off with my ten-gallon Stetson… which fits rather loosely. So while I looked like I was heading out to wrangle cattle, the hat was more like,” Wheee!” and it tried to leave my head at every sudden movement. If you see a cowboy chasing his own hat down the driveway, that was me: rugged, mysterious, and slightly out of breath.
We got there about 30 minutes before the dancing began, so we ordered dinner. The girls had the salad bar while I consumed massive quantities!
Dianne gets warmed up!
We observed Dianne’s boots and began to worry as we thought we saw some smoke emanating from the soles!
Gettin’ hot!!
After pouring a glass of water on her boots, Dianne and Mary both went out to learn a new line dance. Toes were tapping, and bodies were moving. I stayed at the table holding down the fort. We had great fun!
Taking lessons.
We departed around 8:30 pm, as the dance floor had become a danger zone for amateur line dancers. Hips were flying, boots were kicking, and the dust was so thick it was hard to see.
We ended up watching “Suits” in the TV/Living Room, but alas, I hit the La-Z-Boy and immediately began checking for light leaks out like a light!
A little soft Irish tune while you peruse today’s Daily Diary entry. Sit back and enjoy.
We’re up and ready to take on the day!! Since it’s Wednesday, our standing session with Peak Performance is at 8:30 am. First stop: the stationary bike—pedal, pedal, pedal… until it turns into an emergency “widdle break.” Then it’s off to the various torture machines, where we pay good money to be politely bullied by equipment designed by people who clearly love to see pain.
My back was hurting, so I offered to be taken to the mat and walked on by the small 250-pound torture expert without cleats today. After 40 minutes flat of my tummy only seeing my toes momentarily as they passed by my head, my back pain began to go away!
At 10:00 am, the pain subsided as we left the building and ran to the parking lot for the Silver Fox’s safety! It is a smart car because, as we entered and closed the door, it automatically locked us in and started up, placing the gearshift in the “P” position for panic. We zoomed out of the lot with tires screeching and rubber burning. We saw the tormentors chasing us in the rear-view mirror! They had pitchforks in their hands, and some carried torches!
Mary asked why I was driving so fast.
When we got home, we immediately went to the back patio and finished it off so it would be presentable to our guests who were scheduled to arrive at 4:00 pm. We knew they would both enjoy the garden tour!
We have flowers!
Everything is looking good, and we are ready to enjoy an afternoon tea on the patio, complete with Alexa playing our favorite tunes.
The mulch is in and looking good.
The red mulch makes the flowers stand out. The mulch keeps the roots from overheating from the Sun’s rays. Red mulch is usually made from shredded or chipped wood (often pine, cedar, fir, or recycled pallets/wood waste) that’s been dyed red.
Common decorative red bark ingredients/process:
• Base material: ground-up tree bark, wood chips, sawmill scraps, or recycled clean lumber
• Coloring: a water-based dye or iron-oxide pigment (iron oxide is essentially a “rust” pigment), sometimes with a binder to help it stick
• Sometimes: minor additives for dust control or color fastness
In a few weeks, they will be huge!
The hydrangeas are going to enter their “oversized, dramatic summer era,” so we’ll be keeping them politely humbled with a little strategic snipping as needed.
The name Hydrangea comes from Greek: hydor (water) + angeion (vessel), often explained as “water vessel,” referring to the plant’s high water needs and/or its seed capsules.
We love the color scheme!
The patio swing is now uncovered and ready for guests to enjoy the afternoon view. We put the swing on rollers so we can reposition it as needed.
Ready for Springtime on the patio!
Domi and the crew rolled in at 12:30 pm, and we immediately did what responsible adults do: went to BEVMO, then also Total Wine & More—because one store couldn’t possibly handle our weird requests.
Two stores later, and we have the ingredients. It looked like a police lineup, so I informed Mary that the problem was with #3
We stocked up for the legendary “Hershey Chocolate Martini,” which is totally clear, with the only evidence of chocolate being the Hershey’s Kiss in the glass! The recipe is simple:
• 2 oz vanilla vodka
• 2 oz chocolate vodka
• 2 oz clear crème de cacao
Dump the ingredients into a shaker, add a bunch of crushed ice, and shake like you just saw a ghost. Pour the elixir into a martini glass, drop in a Hershey’s Kiss, then step back and get ready—because this drink doesn’t get made so much as it gets even. It’s like drinking a chocolate bar but clear and cold!
We know you are curious how “chocolate vodka” can be clear, so…
Chocolate vodka stays clear by capturing the chocolate flavor without leaving behind the dark-colored solids (cocoa particles) that make things brown and cloudy. Producers typically do one (or a combination) of these three methods:
1 Use aroma/flavor extracts instead of cocoa, where they add natural/artificial chocolate flavor compounds (often based on vanillin/cocoa aromatics) that are nearly colorless. Since there’s little to no cocoa solid material, the vodka stays clear.
2 Distill the chocolate flavor by macerating cacao nibs/cocoa in neutral spirit, then redistill. Distillation carries over volatile aroma molecules (smell/flavor) but leaves behind most pigments and solids, so the distillate comes out clear.
3 Filter/clarify after infusion by removing color and haze using fine filtration (e.g., cellulose pads, activated carbon) and/or fining/clarifying agents. This can reduce both color and cloudiness, though heavy chocolate notes are harder to keep if you remove too much.
Why it works: the brown color in chocolate mostly comes from non-volatile pigments and suspended solids, which don’t carry over during distillation and can be removed by aggressive filtration. The chocolate aroma comes from compounds that can be captured without the color.
The clock is ticking, we got cleaned up, did a last-minute check on everything, and Carol and James arrived. This was their first meeting, as we thought they might hit it off and enjoy each other’s company!
This is Paul shooting at Mary!
We toured the garden and made the introductions before jumping in The Silver Fox and making our way to dinner at the Silver Trumpet. We enjoyed a delightful meal and got to know one another. The food was perfect as we shared a cheese board, I had Lamb Lollipops, Mary did their Lentil Soup, James attacked the Caesar Salad, and Carol went for the Salmon. Tummies are full, so it was time to go.
The menu was quite varied, and the plates were beautifully presented.
At 6:45 pm, we walked to Southcoast Repertory, which was perfect timing, as we sat down and got settled in, the play began.
We saw “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee was first presented on Broadway on October 13, 1962.
The play’s title comes from the Disney song ” Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” from Three Little Pigs. It is commonly interpreted as meaning: “Who’s afraid of living without illusions?” In other words, who’s afraid of facing reality rather than comforting self-deception—one of the play’s central themes.
Summary: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee about one long, alcohol-fueled night in which a middle-aged couple, George and Martha, invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, back to their house after a university party. As the night drags on, George and Martha’s vicious, flirtatious “games” escalate—humiliations, revelations, and shifting alliances that pull Nick and Honey into their marital warfare.
Through relentless arguments and mind games, the play exposes the lies each person uses to cope: George and Martha’s bitterness over disappointment and failure, Nick’s ambition and opportunism, and Honey’s fragility and avoidance. The evening builds toward the collapse of key illusions—especially the couple’s central shared fiction—ending with a bleak kind of honesty as George and Martha face what’s left when their defenses are stripped away.
South Coast Repertory renamed its “Main Stage” to the “Segerstrom Stage” to recognize (and honor) the Segerstrom family’s longstanding philanthropic support of SCR and of the Orange County arts community more broadly. It’ss essentially a naming-rights gift/recognition: the theatre already had two primary performance spaces (“Main Stage” and “Julian J. Levitt Theatre”), and “Main Stage” was a generic label—renaming it formalized the Segerstroms’ major role in helping sustain and grow the company.
Always a smile!!
We had NO idea the play was three hours long (because the play was based on “real-time” rather than hours or days)! We were thankful for the two intermissions!
The ladies are ready for the play to begin!
All had fun! While the play was performed quite well, we all decided something a little more light-hearted was more to our preference!
James and Carol
We walked back to the restaurant, and James retrieved his salad from the staff. We headed home, which was 16 minutes/11 miles. James got a kick out of the decorations, and the house was lit up all in green and orange for the upcoming holiday!
Today, we launched a full-scale assault on the backyard patio at 8:00 am—coffee in hand, optimism at unsafe levels. We decided to turn the beds next to the patio into dedicated flower zones and relocate the herbs into the rotary/vertical planters. That way, we get a prettier view and keep the herbs right where they belong: near the kitchen, ready for duty whenever dinner needs a little rescuing.
We started by placing the new flowers in the spots where they will be planted, making sure those that can’t stand the afternoon heat are in a shaded location.
Everyone has a new home!
We even moved the potted rosebush from its location near the planter to the kitchen wall!
We made sure that everyone had a drip line nearby!
I stashed some cages and bags of soil on the right side of the house and discovered the loquat tree was getting ready to be picked!
• Name origin: “Loquat” comes from Cantonese, meaning something like “rush/reed orange,” reflecting its citrus-like fruit.
• Not a true “plum”: It’s often called Japanese plum, but it isn’t a plum at all—loquat is in the rose family (Rosaceae), related to apples and pears.
• Scientific name: Eriobotrya japonica. The genus name roughly means “woolly bunch,” referring to the fuzzy flower clusters.
• Winter bloomer: Unlike many fruit trees, loquat typically flowers in fall to winter and ripens fruit in spring.
• Fragrant flowers: The small white blossoms are strongly sweet-scented, often noticeable before you even see them.
• Pollination: Many varieties are self-fertile, but cross-pollination can increase fruit set and size.
• Bird magnet: Birds love ripe loquats—netting is a common strategy if you want to harvest any yourself.
• Cold sensitivity: Mature trees can handle brief chills, but flowers and young fruit are easily damaged by frost, which is why yields vary year to year in marginal climates.
• Evergreen leaves: Loquat has big, leathery evergreen leaves with a slightly fuzzy underside—very ornamental even when not fruiting.
• Seed fact: The seeds are large and glossy brown; traditionally, they’ve been used to make liqueurs in some regions. (Butdon’tt eat the seeds.)
• Notable caution: Seeds and leaves contain cyanogenic compounds (can release cyanide if improperly prepared). The fruit flesh is the part commonly eaten.
• Flavor profile: Depending on cultivar, the taste ranges from apricot-peach to citrus with mild floral notes.
Picking will require a tall ladder, so I will have to send Mary on an errand while I climb it!
A few are down low, and I took advantage of their position. Today, I snuck on them as I passed by!
The light green ones are about two weeks away!
It’s Tuesday, and that means Mary disappears for a few hours to go to her watercolor class. She departed the patio at 10:30 am to get cleaned up and get ready to leave at 12:30 pm. I kept working in an attempt to be done when she returned, but alas, there was a hiccup in the plans!
I was a busy bee when the phone rang! Guess who? Mary had everything she needed but her paints! They were on the stairway to the loft. I got ready to go, grabbed the paints, and headed to the Tustin Senior Citizens Center as fast as I could in the van. I delivered her paints only two minutes after the class started!
Returning home, I went back to work!
What a mess I had on my hands!
Mary joined me for a bit, then headed inside to whip up a dangerously good stir-fry that should honestly require a permit. I guzzled a glass of wine, watched a little TV, and then went back outside for a few last-minute activities—also known as “wandering around pretending I’m still productive.
After dinner, Mary showed me her masterpiece. She did NOT have time to paint some seagulls, so that will come a little later. I suggested she paint an Archaeopteryx or perhaps a pterodactyl, but my idea was quickly nixed!
Someone was rightly proud of her work!
The painting was one of her best to date. The lighthouse is located in Northern California.
I, of course, framed it!
We watched two episodes of Suits, which is nearing the end, so naturally, we’re emotionally preparing by watching even more. Around 9:30 pm, I turned off the TV, woke Mary up (she was doing that impressive “asleep but still technically watching” thing), and we headed to bed because we were both completely wiped.
The minute I turned off the lights, my eyes popped open, and I could not sleep!
We waltzed into the kitchen as our coffee was brewing!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Monday has arrived, and we are ready to take our weekly punishment! We climbed into the Silver Fox, whispered our final goodbyes to the garage, hit the door button like it was a self-destruct switch, and drove off to meet our fate: certain annihilation at the hands of our personal trainers.
Upon arrival, I was promptly claimed by Mary’s usual trainer—a diminutive woman with muscles of steel and a cauliflower ear. She seemed to believe the word”stop” was just a helpful suggestion, meaning “twist it a little more.”
Meanwhile, there were screams of anguish coming from the “Arm Press,” sometimes known as “The Rack,” “The Cringe Crank,” or “The Gasp Clamp.”
I immediately looked over at Mary and began helping her count; I am very helpful that way!
After the torture session at Peak Performance, we went to the market and got some essentials. We had to get home at 11:00 am because our friendly neighborhood masseuse was coming to work on both of us.
He was right on time, so I went first—and honestly, he worked miracles on my shoulder. After an hour, I felt loose, aligned, and ready to take on the world.
Then he finished with me, and I went out to the patio to “take it easy”… by straightening everything up and immediately turning the soil in the planters like I hadn’t just booked an appointment specifically because my shoulder was mad at me.
Mary went next, and after an hour, she said this was the best she had felt in quite a while. Life is good! I kept working in the patio, and Mary made a wonderful lunch of weenies and sauerkraut, plus some small toasted cheese-and-bacon sandwiches (she is SO creative).
I had much to do, including repairing some of the drip lines. Thanks to my ample supply of dripline parts I keep in the He Shed, I was able to get the job done in a flash.
Playing with fire… the dripline connections must be heated and then put on whatever fitting necessary!
It was in the high 70s, and under the patio cover, it was basically a sauna, so I figured it was the perfect time to practice for WGND, which is coming up in May.
Little did I know Mary—who used to work for Candid Camera back in the day—was watching… and apparently I was giving her and opportunity to capture some vintage footage for free.
I was innocent; I was admiring my work, and I heard the camera go “CRICK” (we have a Japanese camera). I was captured for eternity in a compromising position.
Hey, it was finally cool!
I had the planter all prepped by 3:00 pm, so we headed to Home Depot… where we calmly, responsibly, and completely accidentally spent a small fortune on flowers.
We decided the two beds by the patio deserved to live their best, most dramatic, “Better Homes & Gardens” lives, and we’d relegate the herbs to the vertical towers—because nothing says “culinary excellence” like being stored right next to the kitchen. We were off to the store, horns sounding and speed limits be darned!
We filled the back of the van with flowers and two bags of red bark for the finishing touches. By the time we left, the van looked like we were either starting a garden… or making a very festive getaway.
Returning home, we unloaded the goodies and placed them where they would be in their future home. When the sun comes up, I will be dinning like a little gopher. May did advise me on how to do the planting; Paul, remember, “The roots go down!”
We then dived into the swim spa and soaked for 45 minutes; it had been a very productive day!!! We watched some “Suits”. Being multitaskers, Mary did needlepoint and I read the laast chapter of my book!
Alexa announced we’d hit a glorious 83°F today—basically Mother Nature’s way of saying, “Get outside and plant, you lazy humans.”
So our first mission was to unload the Grey Ghost (which sounds like a haunted battleship, but is actually just our vehicle full of plant children). Then we carefully transferred the babies to the garden and parked each one under its future cage—like assigning tiny green inmates to their own little tomato jail cells.
OK, everybody is ready! Everyone is in position, and off we go!
You could almost hear them yelling, “Plant me first!!”
We set up a production line and went to work!
Mary digs the hole using the power rotary drill.
Mary put in some fertilizer.
Paul takes the name tags and ties them to the cages
Paul plants the tomato babies while Mary plants the peppers
Paul installs straw mulch underneath the plants
Stand back and admire our work!
Placing straw mulch is a tedious job—especially when you must bend over like you’re trying to apologize to the soil. So we fixed that problem!
Enter the porta-bench: my new favorite piece of gardening equipment and, honestly, my back saver.
Now I grab a straw from the back of the garden, haul a big bunch over to the planting area, park myself on the bench like royalty, and stuff mulch around the base of the plants—no back-breaking, no groaning sound effects, and only minimal complaining.
One handful at a time!
Sometimes I need to dig the hole a little bigger or deeper, depending on the plant selected. Notice that Mary keeps herself well hydrated (although I’d rather have wine, which could result in the loss of plant life).
Dig baby, dig.
Mary was minding her own business when she suddenly screamed, “HELP!”
Turns out her preferred mode of transportation—yes, the broom—had a catastrophic malfunction.
The engine compartment backfired like it was auditioning for an action movie, and the bristles launched out in every direction, spraying the ground like a Chia Pet explosion.
Fortunately, Mary was only a few feet off the ground, so it was less “tragic aerial disaster” and more “unexpected low-altitude parking mishap.”
She checked herself, and all was OK, her broom, however, needs some serious repair.
We must get this repaired by Halloween. Until then, I permitted her to use my shop-vacuum!
We worked from 8:00 am until almost 1:30 pm and completed two beds.
We watered everything down, making sure the roots were covered with soil!
Then, at 1:45 pm, we jumped in The Grey Ghost and headed to Lakewood and the H&H Nursery, where $175 worth of new veggies (and some flowers) awaited us.
We wandered around checking out the veggies, roses, and ground cover.
Back home, we carried four flats of new babies to the garden and placed them in their new spots; tomorrow they will get planted, if the creek(s) don’t rise and the good Lord’s willing.
It’s 4:00 pm, and time to hit the hot tub.
Sunset was rolling in, so we donned our “vintage-wrinkled” swimsuits and slipped into the glorious 96-degree H2O. Oh my—every muscle had an opinion, and then immediately changed it to ahhh. Naturally, we toasted the day’s success with a tiny glass of vino.
We were up early, caffeinated, and trying to convince our brains that yes—today is a big deal. Because today is Tomatomania.
We’re rolling in with Miss Robin, Chef Bob, and Dianne (a.k.a. the Tomato Task Force). After we bravely choose our future vine-covered roommates, we’re celebrating our excellent decision-making with lunch at The Farmhouse.
While getting ready to go, I got a reminder that it was eight years ago today that I visited my dear aunt Kaye for the last time. She was an amazing woman whom I dearly loved, but was failing and was just moved to a care facility in Stockton, California. We went up to see her several times, but when COVID hit, we were not allowed to go into the facility. She passed during the opening months of COVID due to old age. I have stories about her that I often share with friends.
RIP Aunt Kaye Hale 1919-2019
Cruising to Costa Mesa in The Grey Ghost (our van that haunts the fast lane at a firm 62 mph), we were all chatting and swapping stories like we were on a very low-budget podcast.
Then I, for reasons that can only be explained by overconfidence and seatbelts, casually dropped the question, “So you want to hear my recent fantasy!”
The van got so quiet, I’m pretty sure the air conditioning stopped to listen.
We rolled in right at 1:00 pm and, as if by divine intervention, were assigned a handicap spot right next to the door. Between my back, Robin’s knee, and Mary’s foot, we weren’t looking for “nearby parking” so much as a medically necessary docking station.
We grabbed two carts and entered the fray! We were after 18 plants, and we carefully selected 60% big tomatoes and 40% cherry or cherry-like tomatoes. We are getting better at this every year. Mary and I wore our “Tomatomania T-Shirts,” and the artist who designed them came over to introduce himself.
“Ookie ookie, I have a good one!!” Ookie ???
The girls were on a mission to find the perfect plants—inspecting, judging, and generally acting like members of the Botanical Supreme Court. And just when we thought we were done, they spotted some gorgeous peppers and said, “Yep, these are coming home with us,” and into the cart they went.
Making our selections!
As we wandered through a jungle of tomato plants, we were decked out head-to-toe in the official Tomatomania uniforms—looking like a highly trained produce task force. Mary even had a Tomatomania hat… which somehow made her look both in charge and one step away from being recruited by “The Big Tomato”.
We were iin our Tomatomania uniforms!
We walked around and visited the flowers, but we will likely end up at Home Depot, as the prices are about 50% less (for flowers).
Members of the Supreme Court of the Tomato Patch!
Around 3:00 pm, we headed to The Farmhouse, where we had reservations for lunch. While sitting in the “foyer”, we slugged down a glass of vino and chatted with one another. At the appropriate time, we were escorted to our table beneath the famous gazebo.
The original 1955 Disneyland bandstand/gazebo was designed for Town Square but was moved multiple times—to near the Castle, then Magnolia Park in Adventureland—because it obstructed views, before being removed in 1962. It was famously spared destruction and relocated to Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.
In its original locations at Roger’s Gardens.
The city of Anaheim planned to throw it away around 1975, but Roger’s Gardens rescued it, where it still stands today.
We did NOT need the heater today!!!
The menu is quite eclectic, and the presentations are amazing.
A dictionary would have been helpful!
There is food underneath the greenery!
We ordered a cauliflower steak to share, as Dianne had not heard of such a thing!
They’re called cauliflower steaks because the shape and general appearance are rather, well, steak-like. The name is also an indicator of which cooking methods to try—any way you might cook a steak can be used for cauliflower steaks, too. You see, cauliflower is a pretty hearty vegetable.
Delicious!!
Dianne had a difficult time deciding, but finally decided a sandwich would be just fine!
The Farmhouse mission is to support local artisanal and boutique producers who are conscious of what goes into their products and how they are produced. From farmers and fishermen to wine and spirits makers, our food is created through the careful sourcing of only the best ingredients. Our simple, flavorful, and creative dishes are not only inspired by the ingredients themselves, but also by the network of friends who supply us with the quality ingredients that Farmhouse is known for.
I was so good we didn’t even get offered a fry!!
It was about time to go home with our tummies full and the Grey Ghost loaded with plantables!
Bye Bye!
Not Yet!!!! Behind door three was a cheesecake dessert, oh my! It was almost too pretty to eat!
You could almost hear the dessert sing, “I am pretty, I am pretty.”
Bob also had a good-looking dessert. Mary and I gained three pounds just looking at it!
All four of them are good-looking!
Bob drove home while I jogged beside the van—strictly to keep my weight under 190. I was doing great… right up until he cranked it up to a blistering 2 miles an hour.
Dianne headed home, and Bob and Robin hung around a little longer to “conversate” (because apparently we’re also making up words tonight).
We watched some “Suits” before crashing around 11:00 pm.
We calculated it, and we have 65 days until we celebrate WNGD. We are getting prepared as the days get longer and the time is about to change! We love WNGD!
Since we had some time before the outside temperature warmed up, Mary finished the leprechaun picture. Finishing off means outlining details in a black pen to make them stand out. Check out the shamrocks, his eyes and beard, and beer mug. She also added gold paint to the buckles (hat and shoes).
Before
After!
On our way to the front yard, a UPS driver swooped in with a few packages—one was a “thank you” gift from Colleen! Mary, who proudly collects frogs, is thrilled. It’s a lifestyle, and I am one of the collectibles, but I refuse to have her paint me green, and I do NOT eat flies. These new little ribbit-roommates will be moving into the kitchen, where they’ll sit on display and silently judge everyone’s snack choices.
Thanks, Colleen! We hope she will be sending a fresh supply of New Hampshire flies once a week!
Ribbit ribbit!!
We did some transplanting, so our newly replanted flower is currently in full-on drama mode—totally wilted and acting like we ruined its whole life. But by morning, it should forgive us and be back to normal.
Mid-day nap in the warm sun!
We have decided to put flowers in the patio flower beds to add color and use the rotary stands for the herbs. We love the rotary and stacked vertical gardens because we can water the entire system using GreenStalk’s patented watering system by simply filling the top water reservoir to the 5-tier mark to water all the tiers below.
We have two of these vertical gardens; one for edible flowers and one for herbs (but strawberries seem to creep in every year)
We worked until almost 12:30 pm and then declared victory due to the 92-degree heat wave in February. We accomplished:
Weeding the large vegetable bed and readying it for rototilling.
Cleaning out one of the many grow boxes and replanting it with korabi
Putting up the last of the tomato cages and readying for labeling the new plants
Cleaning out the bug zappers (using compressed air)
Resetting the bug zapper timers
Turning the soil for planting sweet peas tomorrow!
Of course, Mary always has an observation (or two).
At 4:00 pm, we geared up for a big evening: first, seeing if Precious can pass her smog test—because nothing says “glamorous night out” like begging your car to breathe responsibly—then off to the Elks for dinner and dancing.
She passed with flying clouds of smoke!
We departed the smog testing station at 4:30 pm and headed to the Lodge, leaving a trail of smoke like a Navy ship generating a smoke screen. As we cruised down the freeway, we could hear people in cars behind us coughing and choking, but eventually the smoke stopped, and Precious was back to her normal self.
Tonight was not just any dinner; it was steak-and-lobster night.
We departed the smog station in a cloud of smoke, sending a secret message to all of our indian friends. The message was, “Sorry, the blanket caught on fire!”
Dinner was good, but we played it safe—Mary had a salad, and I treated myself to a vegetarian flatbread. Ronnie was supposed to start at 6:00 pm, but he got tied up “working the tables,” so we left at 6:45 pm. We were both tired and needed to get ready for tomorrow!
We came home early, watched “Suits,” and crashed around 10:15 pm; tomorrow is a BIG day!
We did NOT need the heater today!!!
