Tuesday, A Time To Relax!

Posted on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 by Paul

We checked the calendar and, to our shock, the only thing on it is Mary’s painting class — apparently, even our schedule needs a break.

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On The Go!

Posted on Monday, April 27, 2026 by Paul

We were up and going early because we had to be at Amy’s doctor’s office in Newport Beach for an eye checkup.  We went down via the backroads and had it in less than an hour.  We were about 15 minutes early, and Amy and her Mom were already in the waiting room.

While they were doing their thing, I stayed in the car until Mother Nature decided to stop hinting and start yelling, so I marched into the office and practically pleaded for the sacred key to the comfort station.  When I came back, Amy had finished her appointment, and we all crammed into the tiny elevator together like a very confused can of sardines.  Then we said our goodbyes and headed back toward home, each of us a little more dignified than a bathroom emergency deserves.

Mary and I could NOT pass up the pastry shop on the ground level called Wild Strawberry Cafe.  We each selected a pastry and got a latte to drink on our way home.

The Wild Strawberry Cafe!

Going home was really a series of errands, including dropping off Mary’s fancy bathrobe to be repaired, a visit to Michaels Art Supply, and finally a quick stop at CVS.

Home was warm and cozy as I left the heater on since today’s high was supposed to be 68 degrees.

After a brief respite, we again departed to pick up said bathrobe (which was NOT ready), so we stopped by the Polka Deli to get some necessary supplies: rye bread, sour cherries, and sauerkraut.

Everything is imported from Poland!

Back home, we put away the groceries and decided what to do for the rest of the day.  Then it hit me, we need a 48-oz margarita, which means Rodrigo’s Mexican Restaurant on Katella.

The Fraser Family opened their first Mexican food restaurant, Don Jose Mexican Restaurant, in Orange, California, on July 7, 1972.  The food was simple, fresh, and authentic, made by expert cooks from Jalisco, Mexico.

It all began with the founders, Roderick and Patricia Fraser.  Rod, a World War II veteran pilot from Oregon, and Patricia, a local girl from Orange, married in 1944 and joined the post-war boom.  Restaurants became the main family business in the late 1960s.  With the help of their oldest son, Rick, locations opened throughout Orange County and the Inland Empire.

In 2017, the family chose to bring all the Don Jose restaurants under their new existing brand, Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill.  Its name is a tribute to their late father, Rod.  Rodrigo takes pride in its employees, many of whom have worked their way up to top management positions.

Our employees are the heart of Rodrigo’s and part of our extended family.

Wonderful food and fantastic service!

Of course, when I think of Rodrigo’s, my mind (or what is left of it) immediately goes to the Adios Amigos!

Two people delivered the drink, and it blocked my view of m’lady, so I raised the camera!

Nummy nummy, good for the tummy!

Yes, we did eat!  Mary bravely chose the Chicken Enchiladas, while I went full commitment and ordered the Chili Colorado burrito — basically a delicious, portable food crisis.

Oh My! What did I do???

We can’t figure it out, but we enjoy each other’s company all day, from the first coffee to the last tea and everything in between.

Enjoying life.

Earlier in the day, I hooked up a small box called the Oticon TV Adapter 3.0, which is the primary device for streaming TV audio directly to Oticon hearing aids and is available on Amazon.  It supports digital stereo and Dolby Digital, allowing for personalized volume Control via the Oticon Companion app.   We get much better audio than the speakers, and we can individually control the volume via our phones.

We watched two episodes of Lost In Space.  The Netflix Lost in Space reboot (2018–2021) is a three-season series that reimagines the 1960s classic with a modern, dramatic, and visual-effects-heavy approach.  Following the Robinson family’s fight to survive on an alien planet and their journey to Alpha Centauri, the series concluded its third season on December 1, 2021.

We finally cashed at 10:00 pm.

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The Answer Was “Rain”

Posted on Sunday, April 26, 2026 by Paul

I tried, but someone beat me to it!!

At 2:00 am, the rain began, and it poured hard for quite a while.  By morning, when we got up, the rain had passed, and we had bright blue skies filled with cotton-candy clouds.

We had our coffee and watched the news, then Mary launched into her daily wrestling match with the computer.  At the same time, I cleaned the kitchen, folded clothes, and generally pitty-pattered around the house hunting for chores like a bored housekeeping detective.

We got a call from Amy, and her vision took a dramatic turn for the worse, so we went to the ER at Hoge Hospital in Newport Beach.  After checking, she got some meds and was sent home.  We stopped to have a bite to eat before going our separate ways.

Amy called, Mary texted the optometrist, and we will see her at 8:30 am.

We watched TV, and I crashed,

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Rain or No Rain, That Is The Question!

Posted on Saturday, April 25, 2026 by Paul

It’s 8:00 am on Saturday, we’re up, caffeinated, and pretending we’re the kind of people who get a lot done before noon.  So far, the garden is scheduled to eat most of the day, and then we’ll reward ourselves by heading to Seal Beach for dinner with friends at Patty’s Place.  A very balanced plan: one part productive, one part delicious, and one part” we’ll probably need a nap after this.”

Summary Of The Day: We went to the yard around 10:00 am and worked solidly until 3:00 pm, giving us enough time to rest, clean up, and drive to Seal Beach to meet Fast Eddie and Dianne at Patty’s Place.

While gardening, I had a lot of time to think about life and how very happy I am to have Dr. Mary in my life.  We checked out the list together, and except for #3, we are doing well.  #3 is in question only because of my incessant teasing, so I guess we do #3 also!

Then I think about my almost 82 years on this planet, how my Mom and Dad must have felt as they aged!   Dad passed away at 64 and Mom at 84.  It is sobering

What did we do today, you might ask?  Mary took on her roses and gave them a proper haircut, turning them into a beautiful arrangement and making the whole house smell wonderful.  I, meanwhile, wrestled with the lighting and drinking-faucet systems—because apparently my hobby is talking to wires and plumbing and hoping they listen.

The Sun charges these during the day, and at night, the yard is magically lit up free of charge.

The cucumbers are flowering, so they’re really coming on strong—apparently they’ve got big salad ambitions.  Mary makes a mean Tzatziki Cucumber Salad, which is just cucumbers saying, “I came to impress.”

I think some cucumber salad is on its way!

Through her supernatural powers and trickery using an off-concealed magic wand, she transforms the lowly cucumber into magic.

Yummy!!!!!

I had to take three pictures because the lenses kept fogging up.  The iPhone was complaining about having to take pictures of UGLY!

After working all day I was abominable, cantankerous, crotchety, disfigured, disgusting, ghastly, grotesque, gruesome, inelegant, odious, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, uglified, unappealing, unbeautiful, unhandsome, uninviting, unpretty, not to mention unsightly.

Oh my, my wrinkles have wrinkles!

I scared the scarecrow!

The corn is starting to form, and the silk—the “girl part,” all dressed up and waving in the breeze—is just standing there waiting for the “boy part” to show up so the whole family can finally get together and make kernels.

Here are a few corn sex trivia facts — in a harmless, botanical sense:

• Corn plants are monoecious: they have separate male and female flowers on the same plant.
• The tassel at the top is the male part; it produces pollen.
• The ear is the female part; each silk is connected to one potential kernel.
• Each silk must receive pollen to form a kernel, so one ear can have hundreds of silks.
• Corn is wind-pollinated, not insect-pollinated.
• If pollen doesn’t reach a silk in time, that kernel won’t develop.

Hello girls!  The boys are happy you are out and about!

Enough about the corn’s sex life, it is making me corny!

Around 3:00 pm, we ceased working and went inside to get gussied up.   We are going to Patty’s Place tonight!  Yeah!

We had a wonderful evening.

After driving home, we decided to crash!

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Fix It Day!

Posted on Saturday, April 25, 2026 by Paul

Mary was up and ready to go!

First things first, I checked the iPhone and voliá, a message from Dianne.  She picked her first set of roses despite the wrascally wabbit.

The oldest living rose is well over 1,200 years old.  It grows on the wall of the Cathedral of Hildesheim in Germany, and its presence is documented since A.D. 815.  According to legend, the rosebush symbolizes the prosperity of the city of Hildesheim; as long as it flourishes, Hildesheim will not decline. In 1945, Allied bombers destroyed the cathedral, yet the bush survived. Its roots remained intact beneath the debris, and soon the bush was growing strong again.

Beautiful!

The weather was so unpredictable that it snowed this morning.  After a careful look, we found it had only snowed on our cars.  Then it hit me: our car wash guy had been here.

Rubba-dub-dub, Precious is in the tub!

The poor Silver Fox looked like he had been plowing a field before Mr. Soap came and made him sparkle like a dime in a goat’s butt.  José checked the car for my missing wallet to no avail.

Rubba-dub-dub, the Fox is in the tub!!

While that was going on, I went to the exercise area downstairs, replaced the controller chip on the new board with the one from the old PC board, and voilà, success.   I have not replaced chips on a circuit board in 40 years, and with my arthritis, it was a challenge, but I accomplished it.  We now have a brand new machine.

It is ready to go upstairs and join the other gym equipment.

Then I realized Mary doesn’t need the equipment — she can suit up and terrorize the neighborhood like a one-woman fitness event.

We stayed around the house the rest of the day, watched some TV, and crashed around 10:00 pm.

 

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Today We Visit The Elks!

Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2026 by Paul

Today was delightfully uneventful as we headed off to the Elks for Girls’ Night Out and met up with the regulars.  George, as always, ordered his signature dish: a hockey puck.  Honestly, we all need to develop this level of self-control—though I’m not sure the kitchen should be studying him as a role model.  We wrapped things up with our usual and, naturally, a glass of wine.

Girls’ Night Out!

After lunch, we stopped by our new tailor to pick up some clothes.  He did a magnificent job on taking my size XXXL down to something I could wear (so it would not look like I was smuggling a puptent).

Yes indeed!

Around 4:00 pm, we got dolled up for dinner with our workout buddies—because nothing says “athletic” like immediately replacing calories.  We headed to Jeff’s in Orange, a glorious little “hole in the wall” with food so good it should be illegal and service so excellent it made us question all our past restaurant choices.

Ready to go.

Jeff’s is hidden behind what used to be Der Weinerschnitzel on Tuston Blvd.  The restaurant is small and slightly noisy but the meal makes up for that.

Reservations are always needed.

After dinner, we went home and crashed.  It’s been a slow day,y which tired us out, go figure?

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It’s Ouchday… We Started Peak Performance

Posted on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 by Paul

What is Ouchday, you ask?  It’s the day—or days—we head to the gym for a little thing called a “workout.” I prefer to call it a sweat session, muscle mayhem, cardio catastrophe, or a full-blown pain parade.

Today, I drew the wildcard: Antony.  He’s the chief pain giver, and as the owner, he makes sure the staff distributes the suffering evenly and efficiently.  No one escapes Ouchday unbruised, unbothered, or un-sore.

At the sound of the gong, indicating it was 10:00 am,  I bolted out of Anthony’s office with three teeth loose, my toupe on backward, and both shoes on the wrong feet!  Antony did ask a final question!

Once my eyes started to focus, I pointed the Silver Fox toward home, where I resumed my ongoing feud with” The Bird.” This feathered little menace keeps building nests all around the house, and I keep playing the role of reluctant demolition crew.

He picked a corner that was nearly impossible to reach, and when I finally tried to evict him, the tiny varmint came screeching straight at me like he owned the place.  I answered with my trusty Red Ryder BB-Gun and sent his tail feathers into retirement.

He was still flying, so later this afternoon we’ll have another round and see who blinks first.

After our coffee, we walked through the garden making our list of chores.  The roses have gone completely feral.

They thrive in the 1.5 cu ft fiberglass lantern, and the wheels make them easy to move around.

We are eating our own artichokes, and they appear to have moved from the oll-around planter to the bed without any trouble.

Here are a few artichoke trivia facts:

  • An artichoke is actually the flower bud of a thistle plant.
  • The part people eat is mostly the immature flower head, especially the fleshy bases of the bracts and the heart.
  • Artichokes are rich in fiber and antioxidants.
  • The ancient Greeks and Romans cultivated them.
  • The “choke” is the fuzzy center, which becomes the flower if the bud matures.
  • California grows the majority of artichokes in the U.S.
  • There’s a town called Castroville, California, known as the “Artichoke Center of the World.”

Reaching for the sky!

My amazing partner in crime joined the expedition, making mental notes about what will be in the next meal from the garden.

I kept seeing spots before my eyes.

The berries are coming along nicely.   They love living in their own bed because they thrive on acidity, so we fertilize them with berry food to keep the pH low.

Just a few more weeks, and we will be walking and picking for a month!

The orange tree is getting ready to ripen.  Although I have been eating the pre-ripe oranges for almost a month, I like them sour.

The tree is loaded, and on Saturdays, our neighbor’s gardener comes.  I go next door and pick off the other side.

I am being hailed as it is time to go to the hair salon, where we both get fixed up.

At noon, we headed off to Huntington Beach for a visit to the hair salon.  We got there a little early, so we wandered next door to the Black Trumpet for a glass of wine and an appetizer—because apparently we believe in arriving for grooming well-fed and mildly buzzed   The barkeep and manager, Mary, spotted us right away and made sure everything came out quickly, which was perfect, since a thread was already holding together our patience after driving on the freeway.

We got a text from the kids, they will be at the house before 7:00 pm!

Two weeks sailing and seeing the United Kingdom, they are ready to some home.

We again walked in the garden, our favorite pastime!

The color seems magical.

The reds are so red they probably light up at night!

The vining food we started using is working.

Right on time, Bob and Robin come through the front door.  We actually walked them through the veggie garden using a flashlight.  We opened some champagne and celebrated their being back.

The resident champagne bottle opener at work.

The kids headed home in their car (which they left with us), and we headed to the TV room with our mineral water bottles in hand.  We watched a series for about two hours and headed to bed.

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We Are Off And Running!

Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 by Paul

Need I say more?

I was feeling pretty good this morning and strutted around the house, looking for things to add to my “to-do” list.  After 81 years, I am getting this “strutting” down to a science with my dark glasses, jeans jacket, and walking shorts.  Mary even gave me a “wolf whistle” from the back of the house.

We had a tiny window to work in the garden, and we grabbed it as if it owed us money.  While Mary picked the goodies, I was busy hoisting the cantaloupe runners off the ground and onto some heavy metal stands.  That should keep them out of reach of the local varmints, who apparently enjoy cantaloupe almost as much as we do.

Fixing the cantelopes.

It’s hard to see, but the cantaloupe plants are now locked up in heavy steel cages—clearly living out their melon prison era.  They’ll keep growing, vining, and churning out juicy little escape attempts all summer long.

No ground varnmits will get them now!

We did a quick walk-around and found oodles of tomatoes sprouting everywhere.  The one below is really showing off and producing nicely.   We also finished trimming the bottoms of the tomato plants so the leaves wouldn’t be kissing the ground and sending out open invitations to every pest in the neighborhood.

Tomatoes everywhere.

Here are some quick Roma tomato trivia facts:

• Roma tomatoes are also called plum tomatoes because of their oval, oblong shape.
• They’re meaty and low in water, which makes them great for sauces, pastes, and canning.
• Roma tomatoes were developed for their thick flesh and fewer seeds than many slicing tomatoes.
• They’re often used in Italian cooking, especially for tomato sauce and marinara.
• Despite the name, “Roma” doesn’t necessarily mean they originated in Rome—it’s more of a variety name.
• Roma tomatoes are usually less juicy but more flavorful when cooked.

At noon, Mary headed to her painting class, and I stayed home packing the van with cages to keep pesky rabbits from Dianne’s new rose garden.  Mary was gone about three hours, and while she was out, I worked on the garage, making it easier to get in and out of the car, plus I drilled holes in the bottom of our new 1.5 cubic foot resin planters.

Mary showed her latest work of art but expressed a desire to add a butterfly to the painting before pronouncing it finished.

I helped!

Mary went painting today.

Via magic, I gave her some ideas.  I went to PNGTREE.COM, found the transparent background butterfly, and applied it to her framed image.  This will help her decide where to put the REAL butterfly and what color it will be!

Ain’t software amazing?

After Mary got home, she packed up some goodies from our garden for Dianne, and we headed to Mount Reidy in Santa Ana.  The house is way up high overlooking Tustin/Santa Ana, with a clear view of Catalina and downtown LA.

The critters do not seem to care about the view, only the feast in the back yard!

Critters eat rose stems mostly because they’re:

• Tender and easy to chew: New rose canes are soft, especially in spring.
• A source of food or moisture: Some animals eat the juicy inner tissues for nutrients and water.
• A good way to wear down teeth: Rabbits, rodents, and similar animals need to gnaw to keep their teeth from overgrowing.
• Accessible when other food is scarce: In winter or dry periods, rose stems may become an easy target.
• Attractive to browsing animals: Deer and rabbits often sample whatever is available and palatable.

But we came to the rescue, as they will not get through the steel mesh!  If they break through this, I have an ELECTRIC FENCE, and that will a) keep them away, and b) provide for rabbit dinner!  Shocking!!

Dianne had varmints.

Try eating the rose now, you wasticating wabbit!  One more bite and we will call Elmer Fudd!

Mr. Fudd to the rescue!!

We hope the cages work.

After protecting the roses, Dianne took us to dinner at Ruby’s in Tustin.  We hadn’t done Ruby’s in years, and it was, to say the least, overwhelming.  I’d forgotten how massive the burgers were — and the amount of fries could’ve sunk a battleship!

Ruby’s Diner is an American restaurant chain that began in California in the late 1980s.  It was founded in 1982 by Doug Cavanaugh, who opened the first location in Newport Beach as a tribute to the classic diners of the 1940s and 1950s. The restaurant became known for its retro style, burgers, milkshakes, and family-friendly atmosphere. Over time, Ruby’s expanded to multiple locations, especially in California and other parts of the U.S.

Oh my, we should have invited the neighbors!

They had wine at Ruby’s, which was a lifesaver!  Needless to say, Dianne took a lot of this fine meal home and will chow down on it tomorrow.

Chomp slurp, chomp slurp, repeat!

During dinner, we got a text from Robin saying she and Bob were visiting the Finches at their house in London.  Jan and Brian still look the same, so we put Robin and Bob on an important mission: make sure they know they absolutely have to come to the States for a visit and stay with — no pressure — just a friendly, completely non-negotiable invitation from across the pond.

Bob and Robin finally met up with our dear British friends, Brian and Jan.

At the local country club!

Brian is still actively painting!

We got home and knocked out a few errands around the house, basically prepping like we were starring in a dramatic weather documentary—so if the rains came, we’d be ready for action!  By 10:00 pm we realied Mother Nature was just toying with us (and the weatherman).

It was supposed to rain, but it was only blustery.

We got a text, and the kids will be home tomorrow around 7:00 pm!

We watched some TV and finally hit the sack around 10:30 pm.

Good night, all!

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Oh No! This Is My 4,206th Monday On This Planet!

Posted on Monday, April 20, 2026 by Paul

Oh No!  It’s that dreaded Monday, meaning we must head to the gym for our bi-weekly bout with almost certain death.  The workout!  After a shower, I suited up in my Ninji black workout uniform and headed to the car.  My trusty sidekick, Mary The Magnificent, is also clad in her workout uniform, ready to face severe punishment.

On our way out the door, I glanced at Mary’s coffee cup collection and remembered why I am so pleased with her controlling her urges to procure coffee cups.  Our house could have looked like this if she had lost her self-discipline.

Did You Know?  At the very end of an unpaved country road stands a cozy home, completely covered in coffee mugs.  The owners, Avery and Doris Sisk, created their quirky attraction almost by accident.  It started over 15 years ago with a box-lot of 15 mugs picked up at a flea market.  It seemed like a good décor decision at the time, so they hung them up.More and more have been added over the years, and now, at least 20,000 mugs later, Avery and Doris have created a destination.  Their cabin in the woods is dripping in cups and mugs of all kinds, the gates and fencing too.  The Sisks are both artists and collectors, and they are welcoming and happy to show off their home.

If you catch them on the porch, you’ll likely be invited inside to see their other collections of dolls and police memorabilia, too, but it’s the cups and mugs that draw people in.  Most have been collected by the Sisks themselves, but some have been added by the tourists who stop, something the Sisks encouraged.  If you can find an empty nail, you’re welcome to leave one too.

We departed for the gym, a 1.1-mile trip down terror lane.  I drove slowly to the stall, but alas, we arrived right on time.  The trainers’ glistening teeth were at the front door, mouths dripping with anticipation of seeing our painful looks and blood-curdling screams.

We first mounted the stationary bicycles and peddled for dear life, thinking maybe, just maybe, if the trainers saw we did five miles in 30 minutes, they would go easy on us.   Our plan did NOT succeed as we were snapped off the bikes properly at 9:00 am and thrown to the floor with a resounding “SPLAT”!  For the next hour, our skeletons were stress tested and held together only by some connecting tissue.

The clock struck 10:00 am, and the trainers returned to their cages until the next victims arrived.

Mary and I stumbled into the market.  After filling the cart with stuff, Mary began walking to the bagel house while I checked out and loaded the car trunk.  I drove over to the bagel store known as the Coffee Grove!  We had to put on the calories we just lost!

We love supporting small businesses.

Now, we had to get down to serious business.  We admired our work in the front flower bed, and the new soil additive is obvious to the casual eye.  With this new soil and the fertilizer we added, we should see magnificent growth in the next month!

Thank you, Bumper Crop!!

Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are cherished ornamental trees native to Japan, Korea, and China, featuring over 1,000 cultivars developed since the 1700s.  Known for their delicate, palmate leaves and stunning, year-round color changes, these small, slow-growing trees typically reach 6 to 30 feet, making them perfect for containers, gardens, and bonsai.

The maple trees are coming along slowly.

We adjusted the drip lines to ensure everyone had sufficient water.

Mary loves her sign.

On to the back yard, where Mr. Zucchini greeted us.  Zucchini is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie summer squash (technically a fruit) that is 95% water, contains more potassium than a banana, and can grow to over 8 feet long.  Originating in Italy, this fast-growing, versatile veggie is highly adaptable in the kitchen, with edible flowers and a high fiber content.

Our first zucchini will be in a meal, so, on and yes, I am really a fruit, botanically speaking!!

The melon patch is doing well, but we have to get them off the ground and into metal cages to keep any pests from enjoying them before we do!  We will carefully trim them back and support the fruit on a wire trellis until they ripen.

Cantaloupe is a nutrient-packed, 90% water-filled, trailing vine fruit, technically related to cucumbers and pumpkins.  Primarily grown in California, Arizona, and Texas, they are popular for their high vitamin A and C content, which supports eye and skin health.

See the baby cantaloupe?

The peas are almost ready to be picked.  As you can see, thanks to the Sun,  some of the insides have yet to mature.

The peas will also be in a salad soon, or perhaps in an astir-fry.

Yes, we do have flowers, especially around the backyard patio.

Springtime makes Mother Nature show off.

The glads are beginning to bloom, and within a few weeks, we will have purple all over the property.

We have gladiolas planted all over the property.

It’s 1:00 pm, and time for our daily pilgrimage to the doctor.  We hardly ever miss an appointment anymore —I’m pretty sure we’re personally keeping at least 50% of the medical profession employed.

Today, my toes were the main event, since both big toenails had decided to go rogue and grow inward.  Dr. Bill was ready for action with his trusty toolkit, and between poking, prodding, slicing, and dicing, he managed to restore peace, order, and comfort to the kingdom of my feet.

Since we were in Newport Beach and it was mid-afternoon, we headed to the American Legion for a sensible turkey sandwich and a glass of wine.  Naturally, we both abandoned all discipline, went completely off the reservation, and ordered burgers instead.

We used to take time to synchronize our activities for the next few days, meaning Mary brought out the book of knowledge.

“Where is my burger?”

It was a beautiful day!

The American Legion is just three miles from Dr. Bill.

We saw a strange boat just north of the Legion; it was a dredge.  It was removing sand and dirt from the bottom of the bay and placing them on a barge that would be taken to various locations for dumping.  We looked up the dredging website and found out that the USACE began dredging the Federal Channels in early December 2025.

USACE conducts annual bathymetric (depth) surveys to determine the amount of sediment that has accumulated in the Federal Channels and to assess the overall need for maintenance dredging.  The goal of the project is to dredge the channels to their federally authorized depths.  Approximately 900,000 cubic yards of material will be dredged over about 10 months.

The City has been an active partner with USACE and has contributed to planning and design efforts, as well as funding a significant portion of the project through a cost-sharing agreement with the federal government.  The County will also be contributing funds for the portion of the project within County tidelands.

Recent sediment sampling conducted between 2018 and 2024 was used to define sediment characteristics, enabling evaluation of disposal options.  This sampling effort determined that most of the material was suitable for disposal at the federally permitted open-ocean location referred to as “LA-3”.

Dredging in the Main Channel and channel offshoots will expose sediment that has been determined to be unsuitable for open-ocean disposal and therefore requires an alternate disposal location.

To that end, the Lower Newport Bay dredging project will repurpose the unsuitable dredged sediment for the Port of Long Beach’s Pier G Slip Fill project, providing a unique and regionally beneficial solution.  The material will be encapsulated within an existing slip to create additional storage for shipping containers.

We had to stop and see the dredge in action.

That’s one big mouthful!!

One bite takes a lot of sand out of the bay!

Returning home, we watched a “bang bang shoort ’em up” action movie and managed to stay up until past 11:00 pm!

I thought about the day and how much I enjoy being with Dr. Mary, and I ran across an interesting list!

It’s the truth!

Good night everyone, tomorrow is another day!!

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We Be Recovered!

Posted on Sunday, April 19, 2026 by Paul

We were up at 8:00 am, fueled by coffee and questionable optimism, and headed back out to the front yard.  Mary battled her roses with the precision of a seasoned horticulturalist.  At the same time, I heroically buried about half a bag of soil conditioner in the bed under the living room window—proof that nothing says “productive morning” like dirt, coffee, and moderate back strain.

After the great dig, we cleaned up, and I used Miracle-Grow on all the beds plus the in-yard elm trees.

In a few days, we expect a burst of Spring color as the gladiolas are about to bloom!

Miracle-Gro is a popular brand of plant food and gardening products.  It was originally developed in the 1940s and became widely marketed for home gardening.  The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company owns the brand.

After a short rest, Mary went back to conquering the indoor chores like a domestic ninja.  At the same time,e I returned outside to begin the cactus garden refurb—because apparently one of us chose dusting, and the other chose to be slowly scratched to death by cactus spines.

The garden is about 80 feet long and quite narrow, located between our house and the fence.

Many of the cactus plants are growing unruly, and some are tall enough to have fallen over on the sidewalk, making transit difficult.  I plan that in the late afternoon, when the house provides the necessary shade, we will dig in some acid-based compost, dig up and separate the individual plants, and provide supports to those vertical fellows who like to lie down on the job.

This task requires our heavy-duty gloves!

I got a good start, but then I had to go inside and rest, for the old ticker began to act up.

We had a super dinner with an assortment of goodies.  Mary warmed up the dolmas our trainer gave us at the gym.  Dolma is a family of stuffed dishes from Ottoman cuisine, featuring vegetables or leaves (such as grapes or cabbage) filled with a mixture of rice, minced meat, herbs, and spices, then simmered or braised.  Variations are found across the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central Asia, with fillings and wrappers differing by region.  Still, the core concept of stuffing ingredients like peppers, zucchini, or grape leaves remains consistent.

Yummy!!  We need the recipe!

We finished off some home-made coleslaw, and Mary whipped up one of her favorites, tzatziki.  Tzatziki is a cool, creamy Greek yogurt-based sauce or dip made with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and herbs like dill or mint, often with lemon juice or vinegar.  It’s a staple of Mediterranean cuisine, served as a meze (appetizer) with pita bread and vegetables, or as a refreshing topping for grilled meats like souvlaki and gyros, falafel, and fish.  The key to a good tzatziki is draining the cucumber well to prevent a watery sauce.

So good!!!

I found myself feeling so fortunate to have a partner who can create meals worthy of a five-star kitchen and still happily get her hands dirty in the garden, all while wearing that warm, constant smile of hers—except, of course, during tax season or when she’s at war with the computer.

We watched the 2026 action thriller Shelter, starring Jason Statham, which features a former British government assassin hiding in a lighthouse off the Scottish coast.  The plot centers on him protecting a young girl from his former agency when he is discovered, forcing him back into action.

By 9:30 pm, we were heading for bed, hoping for a good night’s sleep that would return us to normal and ready us to continue the cactus garden.

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