January 7
We had a mostly good time in Washington for the last few days of 2025, and the first two days of 2026. Jennifer and Will's dogs are very sweet, but not well behaved, so they don't come when they are called but they weren't hard to take care of. The worst part was having to go downstairs in the middle of the night to let them our. We had fun with Craig and Jackie. They fed us very well. Chili, pasta fagioli, steak, just to name a few. We played Hand and Foot, Five Crowns and mostly, Skyjo. That was such a fun way to spend the rainy days. We took Skye over to their house for the afternoons and early evenings and she did well with Kala. They play together very well.
We went to In and Out Burger for my first Double double. Very good! We now have a new place to go.
For our last dinner, we got Chinese food. I thought it was better than any Chinese food we get here, except for PF Chang.
The trip home was fine, except that, when we got to the gate, they announced that there were high winds in Reno, and that if the plane couldn't land, we would have to return to Portland! They didn't think that was going to happen, but they had to tell us about the possibility. We left the gate about a half hour late, and took off about 45 minutes late, but we got to Reno just a few minutes later than the scheduled time. Bob and Patty picked us up. We got home around 8 PM, unpacked and went to pick up the most delicious pizza at Pizza Plus.
January 6, I went back to Chair Yoga. It was so cool to be greeted by some Judy, Heather, Lynn and a couple of others. They said they had missed me. That night, we went to Nick and Kathie's to play partners Skyjo. There was nobody else there, so it was very relaxed.
This morning, (January 7) the four of us went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It was their first time there, and they were favorable impressed. After that, we took them on a little tour of some of the places we like to go in Reno - Oxbow, Idlewild, Bartley Ranch and looking at some of the nice houses.
Next Saturday, January 10, we are going to Lon and Bird's house for pupus and drinks. Kathie and Nick will be there, too.
January 28
We had a good time at Lon and Bird's. She served some light pupus and we talked for a few hours
Susie's birthday was on the 14th, and she invited us to join the family at Los Compadres for dinner that night. We hadn't seen Nick or Chris or their families for several months, so it was fun seeing all of them. Susie took a cake that she got at Safeway.
We played Whist on January 16. There were 56 people there and it was quite noisy. There were lots of prizes but we didn’t win anything. Maybe next year.
We had a lot of fun. At the end of the evening, we talked with Bob and Mykel, who I met a while ago at chair yoga. They wanted to get together sometime. We decided to have them over to play Whist at our house, as a foursome instead of having to change partners after every hand. They came over January 17 so they got to play with Nala and Simba. . We all had a very good time. We plan to get together again. At chair yoga, yesterday, Mykel told me that they want to take us out to dinner at our favorite restaurant! We will have to do some thinking.
Yesterday, I went to get a pedicure with Kathie, Judy and Lynn at the Milan Institute. Our appointment was at 10:30, and we didn't leave there until 12:45. We talked a lot and had a very good time. We went to the Lakeside Bar and Grill for lunch. I had a club sandwich on Parmesan sour dough bread. It was perfect. Everyone enjoyed their food. I plan to go there one day with Bill. While I was gone, Bill made some chocolate chip cookies.
For the social that is coming up in two days, we are planning to use the frozen peaches from our tree. I don't know what we will make, yet.
January 30
March 26
We’re fan-diddly-tastic, as Bill would say.
Joline, went to the ER in an ambulance a couple of days ago with severe chest pains. After extensive testing, X—ray, MRI, etc. they couldn’t find anything wrong. The doctor said she is constipated. There is a large build-up of poop in her. Unfortunately, this is a family trait. I remember my dad having terrible straining when he went to the bathroom as he got older. My sister and I have lived on MiraLax for many years. I suggested that she increase her dosage a bit, until she can get in to see her gastroenterologist in three weeks. Now I can truly say that she is full of shit.
Tomorrow is the Social. The theme is Spring so we’re making ham and cheese roll ups. They seem more springy than a casserole.
Our yard is looking pretty good. I mowed for the first time on Sunday, and the lawn looks like a park, unless you get close enough to see the weeds. My excuse is that the bees like the dandelion flowers.
Bill may or may not be a murderer. He is going to play a riverboat gambler in the annual play in August, at the Villa. Rehearsals have already started. Old people need a lot of time to learn their parts. Nobody will know who the killer is until the first performance - even the actors. Only the man who wrote the play knows. The attendees are not supposed to divulge the culprit to those going to the second and third performances. I heard there have been some leaks over the years, but we have never been told before we saw the play. I’m going to send real invitations to the kids and to two friends. The first performance will be only for non-residents of Toscana. Bill’s girlfriend is Rose, the saloon owner. She is played by Toni.
Kathie and I have been walking on non-yoga days; trying to go a mile or more.
We have Elvis Pawsley, Curtis and Julie’s dog. He is still a puppy, so he has so much energy, but he is a good boy. They spent their vacation in Jamaica.
April 8
The Social was fun. We sat with Bob and Patty. The food was plentiful and we enjoyed what we got.
On April 2, we went to see our new “doctor,” Denise. We like her. She is easy to talk to. We took care of Bear for the day. He is cute and old, so he can’t hear. He has separation problems, so we’re working with his mom, Heidi, on a solution for when he stays with us in a couple of weeks.
Ava and Oliver came over on the 3rd and stayed until the 6th. They are no trouble.
On Saturday, I went to Junkee’s with Patty to take some clothes and purses she wanted them to buy. They only took one purse and one scarf for a payout of $3.00.
Nobody invited us over for Easter, so we had ham sandwiches on the torpedo rolls from Trader Joe's that are so good. We watched a movie. Monday, bought tickets to go to Chris Costa on April 20 to dance the night away. That night we went to the Villa for a talk about healthy bones. It was interesting and informative.
Yesterday, we went to the DMV to renew my license. Then we drove to Gold Ranch for a lotto ticket. After that was grocery shopping and the bank. We were out for four hours. Very tiring. We hung a few of the new solar motion lights. We think that will be good for when dogs are out at night, so we can see them.
Today, I cleaned the sunroom carpet and the living room rug using Kathie and Nick's carpet shampooer. We’re going to head to the pool in a few minutes. We’ve been going almost every day.
Tomorrow is the AARP Scam Jam at the McKinley Arts Center. We’ll be serving the lunch like we did last year.
On Saturday, we’ll have the Easter/Spring Brunch at the Villa. I found a recipe for a breakfast casserole that uses ramen instead of potatoes. I thought it would be a good way to use up some ramen. I thought we should try it to make sure it’s good so we had that for dinner on Monday. It was just okay. Tasted fine, but the texture was weird. So, I’ll make it with hash browns.
Next Tuesday, we’ll get Kahlua for four days. Heidi is going to bring Bear over and leave him for an hour to see how he does as far as missing her with another dog here.
On April 15, we’ll work at Strike Out Bowling. That is always a fun event. April 15, 16, and 17, we’ll be taking care of Dummy, again. Maybe we’ll meet him this time.
April 13
The Spring Brunch was very nice. There were lots of egg based casseroles, mostly with sausage, but there was one with bacon and we made one with ham. There were only a few sweet ones, one of which was a sort of French toast with pecans and pecan syrup. We enjoyed our meals and we talked with lots of people. We sat with Bob, Patty, Al, Jeanie, Kathie, Nick, Dee and Chuck.
Kathie and Nick came over Saturday night for pasta casserole and cards. They only stayed until 8 so we had some time to relax before bed.
Sunday, we swam with Bob and Patty for almost an hour.
May 1
This is a busy month.
We enjoyed the prison tour. The docent was very knowledgeable and funny, so he made it interesting for everyone. Kathie and Nick rode with us and Patty and Bob met us there. Bill and I went out to the Sparks Coffee Shop before picking Kathie and Nick up.
After the tour, we went to Tony’s for dinner. Kathy and Rommie went, too. Good meal and we always have so much to talk about.
I went to Fizical Therapy to see what can be done to help with my balance. The therapist gave me lots of tests and concluded that my balance problem is due to an inner ear thing. She wanted me to go for therapy three times a week, but our copay is $40.00 and I don’t want to pay that, so I made one follow up appointment which I plan to cancel. She gave me an exercise to do to help me to improve my balance.
We’ve had Bear with us since April 14. He has severe separation anxiety, so his mom, Heidi, took him to the doctor to get him tranquilizers. He still barked for four hours when we went to Carson City. Having the doggie camera is quite a help to us, so we can monitor what goes on when we're out. He has gotten used to us, so he doesn’t run around barking, howling, and looking for Heidi all day like he did the first few days, so we haven’t had to give him a pill for several days. He does really well when we have another dog here so he was pretty calm when we had Ava and Oliver here for a few days. Danny is going to come over today, so we’re going to leave them alone tomorrow while we go to the AARP Green Spring Jamboree tomorrow, without giving Bear a pill.
I was happy that Bailey called for my birthday and we talked for. Long time. She still doesn’t know where she will be going or when.
Bill and I both had our teeth cleaned in the last week so we’re all set for nine months. No cavities!
Dave and Sue came over last night for Skyjo and Sequence. It was a fun evening.
I’m having a few friends over next Wednesday to help them learn how to sign up for events on the AARP website. We finally watched The Devil Wears Prada so we are looking forward to number 2 on May 12. So far Judy, Lynn, Kathie, Dawn and Mykel will be here. I’m going to serve banana or zucchini bread.
We have four AARP events to work in the next eight days. The one tomorrow and a senior center on the 6th and 7th, as well as an advocacy training on the 8th.
The movie will be on May 12 and Grumpy Old Men is on the 13th. That is a singing group at Reno Town Mall.
We’ve been invited to go to Second Saturday at Kathie and Nicks house on May 9. I’ve put aside a few recipes that sound good for our hor dourves.
May 10
The Green Spring Jamboree was kind of a bust as far as AARP's booth was concerned. We only had a couple of people stop by and they only wanted swag. At the end, a drunk, homeless man came over to us and started talking. He couldn't control his spit, so I kept backing up a little bit. After a couple of minutes, he started getting loud, and swearing. Donna, Bill, and I were the only ones there. I left and went to get Tom, from the Drachulich Foundation, who was running the jamboree. He zipped over there and tried to calm the man down, but he started cussing even more. I was ready to call the police, but Tom was able to make him leave. He told us we could pack up and leave early, because several other booths were closing.
May 10
We had three AARP events last week, all at different senior centers. The center on 9th Street in Reno has been redone so it's very nice and large. OUr meeting had quite a good turnout. Senator Jackie Rosen came to visit and meet with everyone, which I think was a success. She is very gracious.
May 25
It has been a pretty uneventful month. Movies For Grownups was on May . We saw The Devil Wears Prada 2. We enjoyed it very much much. Patty, Dawn, Mykel, Judy, and Lynn held a row for the AARP volunteers. But three people moved the signs and sat in the seats. I confronted two of them, telling them they needed to move. They weren’t happy, because there were no more seats. I told hem I was sorry, but that’s why we tell people to get there early. They left the theater mad. Too bad.
Oreo and Sugarplum were here for three days. They were very good, and we got a $70.00 tip. Bryanna called on Saturday, We had a nice long talk. She is having fun at her job in San Bernardino. She wants a dog, but she might be able to have a cat. Is hard because she has to move around a lot.
Book Club was last Tuesday. Everyone liked My Friends, which I read last year.
Nala and Simba are here now. They are easy to take care of, and good, except for eating tissues. We are able to leave them home without making them be closed in their kennels.
Micky and Maxine had a scare. Micky passed out on Tuesday and went to 5he hospital in an ambulance. Luckily, we saw the fire truck and ambulance so went over to help. We took Maxine to the hospital and stayed with her until Faith got there. He ad a pacemaker put in and we brought him home on Friday. He is doing well but Maxine is dealing with some confusion and depression.
We went to Mykel and Bob’s for dinner along with Kathie and Nick. He made chicken enchiladas . They were very good. I made cherry crisp for dessert.
Saturday, Kathie and Nick ad us over with Karla, Gail and Mark. We played Skyjo. Fun evening.
Yesterday Gary called to ask us to go out to dinner. They picked us up in the Tesla. Nice ride. Tony and Anais joined us at Applebees. We had a fun night and, Gary and Tony split the check. Cool!
We leave for Petaluma on Sunday, May 31! Finally, the cruise is only seven days away.
May 29
We are packed and ready to go. The weather is supposed to be in the 60s and 70s in Alaska, so I'm not taking very many cool clothes. The ship is usually pretty cool, too.
Yesterday, after yoga, I went to learn to play Euchre. It is a lot like Whist. The people who play are quite nice. I am planning to go again after we come home from the cruise, and I hope Bill will want to go, too.
Tonight is the Social. We are taking a watermelon.
The Social was fun. We talked with lots of people.
We are ready for the cruise. That will be a seperate blog. When I get back,I'll resume this one.
June 15
The cruise was wonderful. We are so happy that we were able to spend so much time with the kids. Now back to real life.
Bill hasn't been able to hear in his left ear for a few weeks. He has an appointment on Wednesday to get a referral for a specialist. We hope there is something that can be done.
Today is Garden Club. I had it on the calendar for next week, but as I was going through my emails,I found that I had it on the wrong day.
Nick was in a serious accident while we were on the cruise. He totaled the car and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance, but he didn't have any major injuries. After that, they came over to work in the backyard. They did a beautiful job cutting back some of the wild growth. They also blew the patio and moved some of the decorations around so it looks very fresh.
The day we returned from the cruise, last Friday, we went to the annual BBQ at the Villa. Instead of hamburgers and hot dogs, they had it catered, and the food was very nice. I wasn't thrilled with the pulled pork because there was a lot of fat, but what I ate was delicious. For dessert there was cake, which everyone thought was a nice change from ice cream bars.
Judy and Myke both gave us ladybugs. I hope they will stay here and get rid of all the garden pests.
June 16
Bill saw Dr. Lamerson and Dr.Coz and everything looks good. Also, he went to see Denise about going to an ENT because he wasn't able to hear from his left ear. She had her nurse clean it out, and that did the trick!
June 17
Bill rehearsed for the play in August. He said Al told him that he needs to project more, so we've worked on that a couple of times.
June 19 We went to Dave and Sue's house for games and dessert.
June 22 We went to Judy's house for a Euchre lesson. I think we've got the hang of it, Oliver and Ava came were for a few hours so they got to meet Lemon and Hawk. Oliver wasn't interested and Ava did fine.
June 25 Bob invited us to go to a wine bar with them, but they canceled so we think we will be doing that soon.
June 26 Social. Pretty much the same old thing. Fun and there was plenty of food,
June 27 Bill and I took the garden tour, but only went to seven of the houses. We didn't need to take the time to go to houses we had been to before. We had Bear coming at noon, so we wanted to be sure to be home. We had a meet and greet at 1:00 PM with Tater Tot and Waffles. They are Corgis and they seem to be good dogs. We will have them with us in August,
June 28 We had Echo, Penny, and Winston for the night. They were good. All are pugs, so they had to sleep in the living room because pugs snore. Kahlua came over to stay with us for 10 days after the other dogs left. It was good timing.
June 39 Bear spent the afternoon. Heidi has been volunteering at the Assistance League, so we are making some welcome money.
June 30 Bear for the day.
July 6
We went to the pool a lot the last two weeks. The temperature took a little dip over the weekend, but it's back up in the 80s.
On the fourth, we went to sit along the walking path near Vicenza for the fireworks at 8 PM with Patty. Bob wasn't feeling well, so he didn't go. After about 20 minutes, Mark, who lives in the house next to the path, popped his head up and invited us to join him, his wife, Kim, and two friends to watch from their backyard. We were hesitant, but he was very welcoming, and said they would enjoy having us. Even Bear. So, we went in with our chairs and cookies. They put appetizers out for us, and cookies and they offered us wine or cocktails. That was such a kind thing to do. Kim and I recognized each other from Garden Club.
We chatted and enjoyed watching fireworks from all over the valley.
Yesterday, I started painting the benches that Patty and Bob got for us from Joe. I think they are going to look nice in the yard, one in front and one in back, I think.
Today, MIckey went to the hospital again. He had passed out after taking a shower. Todd was able to be reached so he came home and took Maxine to the hospital.
Bob came over yesterday to try to fix one of our sprinklers, which wasn't working right. He finished it today. I went out to mow the lawn this morning, and I stopped the lawn mower for a minute to pick up some poopie. The lawn mower wouldn't start! I looked at a uTube video to try to find the trouble, but that was no help. I checked with Lowes and found that we bought in in June of 2023 so it is still under warranty, but we don't have the receipt. Lowes can't give me a duplicate because we returned the one we bought through Amazon, to Lowes, so it looks like we returned the one from Lowes. What a mess. I left a message for Keven Sloan, a handyman in the area, to see if he works on lawn mowers. When he came out, he wanted to take it apart but I said to wait to see what Craftsman would do for us (nothing.)
THE BIG NEW
Tony wrote a book. Using Uncle Denis notes, photos, letters, and other materials, Tony wrote a family history of the O'Sullivans. It is quite interesting and well written. He is working another book. We think it is on the same sort of subject, but we don't know much.
MORE BIG NEWS
We are going to Ireland next February with Tony and Anais, and Maybe Scott and Jenn!! What a trip that will be. From February 12 until March 1. We are going to see and learn so much. He invited Kathy and Rommie to go, but they decided not to.
July 10
Bill saw Dr. Danaready this morning. He is stage 3 kidney failure but his number on the high end, which is good. His potassium is on the high side of normal so we will watch that.
Last night we went to the Midtown Wine Bar with Bob and Patty. There were a few Toscana people there, including Kathy, who we met a few years ago at a party with Debbie Tucker Moreman. Kathy lives on Turin Court. The music was good but awfully loud. We didn’t love being there but we had nice time with them. We just aren’t into going to bars.
Craig Harrison came over today to look at our lawn mower. He didn’t know what was wrong because he has never worked on that kind of mower. Bill was fiddling around with it and it suddenly started! It was the red button that I have to push b3fore pulling back on the starting lever. It was a little bit stuck, so it wasn’t being pushed in all the way. We are very relieved. We didn’t want to have to pay to get it repaired or get a new mower.
We played Euchre yesterday and we had a good time. I didn’t even have to speak to Tom, who is a curmudgeon.
Kathie, Nick, Al, and Genie are coming over for dinner tonight. Homemade pizza, salad and apple pie. We’ll play some sort of game after.
Bailey left for Saudi Arabia a few days ago. We are praying that she will be safe.
July 14
July 12, we worked at the AARP Pop Up game at the Lavender and Honey Festival. They had set up an axe throwing booth. It was hot and crowded. We had to walk a long way from the parking area, even though we were able to get a handicapped spot. We don't want to do any more pop ups. We would rather give out information and talk with people.
Dinner last Friday was delicious-I do make a great pizza. The apple pie was a hit, too. We played Five Crowns. Nick and Kathie had had a couple of drinks before coming over, and Nick had a drink when he got here. He was a bit tipsy before dinner, but then he got really bad. He wasn't totally coherent, and he wasn't able to play his hand. We all felt uncomfortable. Jeanie suggested we stop playing and have dessert, so we could break it up early. I was pretty mad at Nick, and I was mad at Bill, too, because I had asked him to tell Nick that we were out of Crown, way before his last drink, but when Nick asked for a refill, Bill got him one.
They left about 8:30. We were very surprised when Nick came over at noon on Saturday, to apologize for his behavior. He didn't remember anything after getting to our house. Also, his face and parts of his body were swollen. He said he is not going to drink again. I appreciated that he did that. I do hope he keeps his word.
Saturday was the Ice Cream Social and it was really fun. There were several tables set up, all with a different game. The ice cream scoops were quite generous, and we could have seconds if we wanted. There were toppings of crushed chocolate cookies, butterfingers, cherries, nuts, whipped cream and some kind of candy. I think everyone had a great time. Quite a few people played bocce, corn hole and axe throwing. Bill and I played Yahtzee with two people, and then with Patty. Patty and I played Jenga with Barbara. After that, we went to the pool for almost two hours. It was so refreshing.
That was really fun!
Al gave me a small part in the play so I will be able to be there when the kids attend. I will be Esmerelda, a bar maid. I am planning to buy a longish white apron.
On Sunday, we worked at the Lavender Festival in the AARP booth. We had people answer a couple of questions and then they and/or their kids could throw four "axes" at a target. It was a popular booth. We got hot and exhausted. We went home after it, and spend an hour in the pool.
Tony came over yesterday and gave us a copy of our itinerary for Ireland. He is now writing a novel about the reunification of Ireland and a second history of the family.
I have been concerned about some of the yard stuff, the sprinklers wouldn't turn off and the trees need attention. I thought the trees were going to be a few thousand dollars but Jessee said he can clean them up for just a couple of hours of labor. It will probable only be a few hundred. Noe came over for the sprinklers and he said there was probably something stuck in the line keeping it from turning off. He fixed it for only $45.00. I feel like we saved a fortune!
Susie and Kurt came over for pizza and salad and they brought the pizza from Mountain Mikes. It was very good. We played Five Crowns and had shredded wheat cookies for dessert. Ivy came with them, but we had some rain and lightening with audible thunder, so she was scared,. She is a very good girl, though.
August 16
A whole month since I added to this. It has been a busy month.
July 21, we went to Cascades to play cards with Tina and two of her friends, Shirley and Judy.We also met her special friend, Jerry. He seems to be very nice.
July 25 We went to Patty and Dan's for dinner with Patty and Bob.They served steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and salad.. They also served extra strong peach margaritas. I had a small one, and I felt it a lot. Dan gave me a second one but I didn't even taste it. After dinner, while sitting on the patio, I passed out. They called 911. They did an EKG which showed a bundle branch blockage. So embarrassing. We wet home right after that. When we got home, my BP was 92/54. I made a appointment with Denise.
July 27, Bill had a chest, abdomen and pelvis CT. Everything looked good. That night we went to Bartley Ranch with Cathy Lai to se Rhinestone Cowgirls.We took a picnic dinner,which we had to eat in the car because there were hundreds of wasps at the picnic area. We had a great time.
July 30, he had a bone density test, which also turned out well. Patty's 70th birthday surprise party at Los Trojes was fun. There were about 18 people there, and she was really surprised. Bob did a great job.
August 3 David Hayes performed for us. Almost everyone gave him rave reviews. It was a lot of fun. I wrote the text for the Buzz but it didn't get published. I was not happy about that, because it was really good.
August 6, I saw Denise. She told me to stop taking one of my blood pressure meds and she suggested I go to a cardiologist about the blockage. Dr. Vlad has moved to Salt Lake City, and our insurance no longer covers Renown so I found a cardiologist at Northern Nevada. I will be seen in October. Bill had an appointment with Dr. Vlad for next February, so I canceled that, and he has a new appointment with the new cardiologist in December.
August 10
We went to Cascades, to play cards with Tina, Shirley and Judy, again. We had a fun game, and they invited us to stay for lunch. A man we hadn't met before, joined us at lunch. Bob. We have so many Bobs in our friend list.
Three fires raged out of control, beginning in early August. Cascades began evacuating the night of August 10, so Tina brought Danny to us. We had gone out to dinner at a senior community in south Reno, with Bob and Patty, so we told Tina to take him in to our house through the garage, and then she went to check in to Circus Circus. She was there for three nights. We had two huge storms on Wednesday and Thursday. Danny is scared of storms,so he freaked out. We weren't home on Wednesday, during the storm. There was major lightning, including one strike right next to Mary Manson's house, that fried all of her appliances. When we got home from the pool (indoor pool, that is,) Danny had peed on the bathroom floor. He was shivering and panting so much. Luckily, the evacuation was over so Tina and Jerry came to get him.
August 12 The last Lazy 5 Concert of the season was supposed to be tonight, but it was canceled because of the fires. We are hoping they will reschedule it for next Wednesday. The group is Escalade, and they are supposed to be really great.
August 13 - Thursday, our TV died while we were watching our morning shows. Tony came over and took Bill to Costco to buy a new TV. They got a 65 inch Samsung, for about $600.00. brought it home, and set it up. They they discovered that it was a Hospitality TV, which meant that no apps could be added, so we couldn't add Prime or Paramount. They went back, exchanged it for an LG, for twice the price and set that one up. After Tony left, we discovered that we couldn't access Direct TV except through the app. That meant that we couldn't set up recordings or delete anything. Cathie and Merle came over to try to help, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. We called Direct TV help line, and the technician was able to tell us what the problem was. So we are all set up.
Thursday night was the first performance of Murder On the Delta King. The kids and Susie came to see it. It went well and we all had a great time. They came to our house after the play to celebrate Bill's birthday early, because they will be camping on his birthday.
The first performance of the play for the community was well received by everyone. There was a cooking problem in the kitchen, though. The rolls weren't done when it was time to serve dinner, and the lasagne was just out of the oven. Heather and I helped plate the fruit and rolls, and I carried the trays out to give them to the servers.
August 15
We had Euchre at our house with Judy and Sue. I made apple scones which turned out to be very good. The last performance went well. I guess our theatrical careers are over. We had such fun.
August 25
Text from Bailey in Saudi Arabia.
August 25
Hi! I love and miss you guys bunches.
I’ve been keeping up with all the fires, I’m glad the bug fire didn’t get any closer to our house or Tony’s.
I saw you guys went to the concert, super fun! I’m glad you guys were able to go see that.
I am super sad about Zo, I just hope I get to be home in time to say good bye to him. As long as he’s not in pain, I’m happy, which for now he still doesn’t really know he’s sick I don’t think.
Not sure how much longer I’ll be here, but I am having a good time. It’s super hot here, usually high of 110-115 but I switched to night shift so I’m not battling the sun anymore which is grand.
I get to work out on shift everyday so I still get to prepare for the police academy for when I get home!
Hopefully see you guys soon. ❤️❤️
On August 19, Beatte and John brought Jake, a boxer, over for a meet and greet. They are quite nice and Jake is very well behaved. He will be here from Sept 6 to Sept 26. That's$1200 towards our Ireland trip.
We went to the last concert at the Lazy 5 with Judy, Dawn, Bob and Patty. The group was Escalade, and they were excellent. They played a lot of Motown type music, and we enjoyed all of it.
On Thursday, the 20th, we drove up to Bend to meet Jackie and Craig for the ABBA benefit concert. We stopped for breakfast in Susanville, at the Lumberjack Cafe. We enjoyed it, but Tony said he got food poisoning there a while back.
Our hotel was fine, but there was no meeting place to play games, so we were disappointed in that. The breakfast area is only open from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM. It is unused for the rest of the day. They have a patio area, but it is in the sun until evening.
Tony called us shortly after we checked in to tell us to meet at his hotel, a Marriott. We found that they had a nice appetizer board set up for them, so we wished we had gotten there a little bit sooner. I had a cracker with a smear of delicious blue cheese. We met Gary's cousin, Jaymee, sho is a ball of energy, sort of like he is. We liked her instantly.
We went to Timbers, a restaurant that was walking distance for most of them, but we drove, as it was a rather lumpy dirt road that they had to take to get there. We met Steve, a member of the band. He and Craig had a lot in common because of music, so they had a good time. We liked him, too. He sat at our end of the table and was very friendly. Bill had a turkey wrap, and I had a BLT and onion rings. Gary bought dinner, so we were very happy about that.
After dinner, we went to our hotel to sit on the patio, as the sun went down. We played their new game, 25 Words Or Less. It was fun. We're trying to decide if we want to buy it to play with our friends.
Friday morning, we went to breakfast at 7 and then sat in the lobby, which has one couch, to wait for Craig and Jackie to appear. We didn't know what they wanted to do with the morning. Craig went to breakfast at about 8 and Jackie slept in because they hadn't slept well. He said they were going to hang out in their room for a while, so we went off to explore Bend a little bit. We found a downtown area that reminded us of Petaluma. It was already 80 degrees, so we walked around for a while on the shady side of the street.
We had just gotten to the Old Mill District at about 11;30, when they called to see if we wanted to meet for lunch, so we went to pick them up and take them to Applebees, which is across the street from the Marriott. We had a good meal, and they went to the Marriott to play cards in their breakfast room, which is open all day.
We played for a couple of hours. Tony joined us to visit for a while, and they they went to the bar to get started with set up. We went back to our hotel to rest for a little while.
At 6, we drove to General Duffy's Bar. There was already a crowd waiting to get in, and the parking was very limited, so I made a u turn and was going to let Craig and Jackie out across the street from the entrance. But, as I turned, I discovered that there was a parking spot right at the corner! So, we got a great spot.
We walked past the crowd, and up to a security guard. I told him that we were with the band, and that Gary was holding our tickets. He clearly didn't believe me. Four old people that didn't look at all like they were with the band. He said, "I'll be checking on this." as he let us go in. We found Tony, who was running around helping. He told us to sit at Jaymee's table until we could find out where we were supposed to be. After a little while, he said that he was told we could sit anywhere that didn't have a reserved sign. OUr table was about 30 feet from the stage, so we had wonderful seats. They had good pop music playing very loud while we waited for the show to start at 8:30. We had cocktails and pizza. Tony sat with us off and on all evening.
The performance was spectacular! Craig and Jackie had a great time, and, of course, so did we. It was a wonderful evening.
Jackie got such a kick out of Tony
It was a cinch getting to the car after the concert, since we were so close. We got back to the hotel at around 11:00. We said goodbye, because we were planning to leave super early and they didn't need to leave until later.
We left at 7, after getting coffee and a little bit to eat. The drive home was good, and uneventful, until we got almost to Hallelujah Junction, when we spotted a fire ahead. It had just started about an hour before we got to Peavine, and there were first responders line up along Virginia so it looked like they were expecting it to get bad, It grew to 15,000 acres in two days. 32 houses were destroyed and a few people were hurt.
Tony and the band went up to Seattle for a private concert. He said it went well. After set up, some of them went to rest in the media room.
There were only about 150 people at the concert, all of them dripping in wealth.
The next day, he was going to drive to Klamath Falls and spend the night before coming home on Monday. But, because of the fire closing 395, and knowing that Monday would be a traffic mess on I80, he decided to drive all the way home. He left Seattle at 4 AM and got home at about 11:30. He had a very long day.
September 5
The Hawk Fire was finally completely contained and I believe it is out.
Saturday, August 29, NIck, Kathie, Bob, Patty, Judy and Sandy came over for games. We played a new one that we had bought at the Assistance League, and we had a blast. Bob had a beer and Bill had a glass of wine, so everyone had fun. We served cashews, mixed nuts, and cookies. Sandy brought watermelon. Patty brought popcorn. Judy made cute little snack packs with goldfish and M & M's. Kathie and Nick brought a carrot cake and ice cream for one last celebration of Bill's 77th birthday.
We had a great time at the last Chris Costa concert on August 31. We sat with Bob and Patty and Sue and Dave Lanagan. The music was so good and we danced a lot. I think he said he'll be back in six weeks.
September 7
Today is Labor Day. We are going to Micky and Maxine's for dinner. Todd and Alec will be there, too. I made an apple pie and this afternoon, I'll make a macaroni salad. They are serving hamburgers.
Judy wasn't able to go to yoga last Thursday, so I made a sign for her.
We have Jake, a boxer, for 20 days, starting yesterday. John and Beate found us on Rover, because Sugarland, the boarding facility that they had lined up, had to evacuate from the recent fires. John knew they might not be ready for boarding after such an upheaval, so he contacted us. We had a good meet and greet and we decided to take Jake as a private client. That saved us $240 because that's what Rover would have taken. John still paid Sugarland the amount it would have cost, as a donation, because he thinks they do such good work. Last week, the owner of Sugarland, Robyn, called me and asked if I would take one of their regular clients who needs boarding at a time when they are full. We felt an instant raporte. I talked to the dog dad, who is bringing his dog over in a few days for a M and G. This might be a very good thing for us, having a reputable business recommend us to their clients.
Tomorrow we will be working at the Senior Fest, as usual. We only have to do a two hour shift. Lynn will be volunteering there for her first job. I think she will enjoy it.
Jackie and Craig are supposed to go to Maui tomorrow. There are three storms in the area, so the trip might not go as planned.I know she is counting on seeing their friend, Richard, who is in poor health.
Sept 9
Craig and Jackie flew to Maui yesterday. There was a hurricane in Kauai yesterday. I’m not sure if Maui was affected at all. I hope not. They went to visit Richard, Sandy’s husband because he hasn’t been well.
We worked at the Senior Fest yesterday. It was so noisy, with so many booths to visit and hundreds of people in the mall at the same time. The lunch wasn’t at all as good as it has been in previous years. It was a small, dry turkey and cheese sandwich and a bag of chips. I don’t think we’ll sign up to work at it next year.
September 23
We have been busy this month, but we really haven't done much. AARP has had three events at which we have worked. One was at the 9th Street Senior Center. It featured an interesting talk on Scams and it was catered by Mimi's. There was so much food, that they invited people from the hallway to join us for the talk and free brunch. The room filled up fast. The food was good, French toast, eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, croissanwiches, and fruit. The last one was at UNR. It was outside in the late afternoon/evening, and it got pretty chilly, so we left early. There was free Mexican food, but it wasn't very appetizing, so we stopped at Los Trojes for a plate of Flautas to share for dinner.
We have had a sweet boxer staying with us, named Jake since Sept 6. He will be here until the 26th. Bear is also here. He is a good dog. too, but he doesn't want anything to do with other dogs. He takes medication before every meal, and it is hard to get him to take it. We are supposed to get Oreo and Sugarplum on Friday, so Bear is going to go stay with Kathie and NIck for a couple of days. I have his medicines bagged by meal to make it a little bit easier for Kathie. We are also taking care of Dummy for a few days. We finally met him, when he came out of hiding and he even let us pet him. He is a pretty cat.
The annual Potato Bash is coming on Friday night. We really enjoyed it the last couple of years, so we're looking forward to it.
We're going to have am AARP Strike Out Fraud bowling night on October 14 and Riley asked me to be in charge. I hope I can do a good job
October 8
Rommie has been removing the rocks from our front yard for a few weeks. This week, he and Kathy have made a lot of progress on the transformation. These are all before pics.
Here are some shots of the work in progress.
October 10
I got a text from Joline this morning. She still doesn't feel like talking on the phone, but she wanted us to know that she is doing a little bit better. Cyndi is still there taking care of her. I sent her text on to the kids to update them. I sent her a long text telling her about my cardiologist visit.
Last night was the Potato Bash.
LIke the others, it was a lot of fun. we sat with Heather and Art, Vinnie and Helen, Joan, and a new residents Pete and his wife. I was disappointed that there was no pulled pork this time, but there were plenty of toppings and sides for all.
Heather told me her idea regarding the Halloween Social. The cast members from the play could all wear their costumes. I love the idea so Bill and I are in. Lynn said that she and Matt already have their costumes picked out so they don't want to do it. We just have to ask the rest of the cast. It will be okay if not all of us participate.The Great Potato Massacre was lots of fun. There was a lot of chatter and laughter.
October 13
We got our Covid shots yesterday, and neither of us had any reaction, even sore arms. So, we're as protected as possible, from getting sick next winter.
October 16
Our Strike Out Fraud night at Coconut Bowl was not a great success, but it was fun. Only 14 people registered and most of them were volunteers. James and Melissa, who we met at the Senior Fair several years ago, were there as well as four or five other people. I bowled three games, making several strikes, but, of course, I can never get two in a row. Bill didn’t feel like bowling. There were 11 large pizzas, four orders of wings, salad and French fries. Everyone was able to take home doggie boxes if they wanted to.
Rommie and Kathy worked really hard last week, and the yard is almost finished. We are very happy with the way it looks. All they need to do is put out a little bit more of the paving stones, and build the decorative wall.
October 19
Our San Francisco Trip
We had a good weekend at the Bendzick’s house. Jay came over for dinner Saturday evening. Kirsten was out of town. We went to Doran Beach Sunday, for a picnic and we went to a few shops in Occidental. Monique bought me a sensory item, kind of like Silly Putty or Play Doh, and she gave me a gift of a kind of squeeze ball, only it’s square.
Joline isn’t doing well. She is in hospice at Cyndi’s house. I decided to go see her when I found out how bad she is, but I knew she didn’t want that, so I called to tell her. I left a message about wanting to go there. She called this morning. We had a good, long talk, and we laughed a lot. She really doesn’t want me to go. I do understand, but I wish I could see her before she dies.
On the way to San Francisco, we stopped at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for a guided tour of the facility. They rescue wild animals, releasing them back into the wild whenever possible.
The Marine Mammal Center was a bit of a disappointment because the only animals were saw were a couple of sea lions from several yards away. It was interesting to find out what they do there, though, and the docent knew her material very well. We went to Rodeo Beach, not down to the water, but from the road, we could see beautiful breakers. Our entry into the city was beautiful as there was no fog and the traffic moved smoothly.
We’re settled in our motel which is not too bad. It is on a quiet corner one block off Lombard Street on Buchanan.
We walked to a deli at Van Ness and Lombard to get a turkey sandwich for dinner. It was very good. For dessert, we ate the bon-bons that Monique had left on our pillows on our first night. We are reading in bed until it’s time for the evening news. It’s very quiet here so we expect to have a peaceful night.
October 20
We slept pretty well considering that the bed is awfully hard. Bill’s hips and legs became very sore. The motel’s buffet breakfast is a joke. Packaged pastry by Svenhardts, four kinds of cereal, gallon bottles of 1% milk, and white bread for toast. There isn’t even any fruit, and the coffee is terrible. There is only a counter for people to stand to eat breakfast, so we took some pastries to our room. At least we have a table and two chairs.
The weather was perfect today, so we drove to Beach and Taylor, very close to the big Ferris wheel, finding a parking spot right away. Having the disabled parking placard means we can park all day for free. That’s definitely a plus. First we walked around the area, stopping to look for a sweatshirt for Patty,who had requested one. We took the Hop On Hop Off bus for a tour of the city.
We rode the whole route in the morning, taking a break to walk around Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ghirardelli Square area. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Boudin’s, tomato soup in a sour dough bowl. Super yummy!
Then we got on the bus for another ride around the city. We took a couple of pictures at the Vista Point and along the way. We thought about getting off at one of the stops, but we were on the last bus of the day, so we would have had to find another way back to the car.
We bought the two day pass, so tomorrow we plan to hop off at Haight Ashbury, and Chinatown. Maybe a few more.
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| These houses rent for $6,000.00 |
We had a fun time visiting with fellow passengers and seeing all the interesting sights. We love architecture, so most of our pics are of buildings. When we got to the last stop at 5:30, we drove to find the Ferry Building, because we want to stop by when they open in the morning to buy tickets for the ferry to Sausalito. Then we went to Bay Breeze Scoops to get some gelato, which we agreed would be a perfect way to end the day.
October 21
Bill wasn’t feeling great this morning. His hips and legs are so thin that, when lying on a hard mattress, which is what we have in the motel, they hurt. So we changed our plan. Instead of getting on the bus after our 8:00 breakfast at IHOP, we drove around the city, stopping whenever we found something we wanted to see. Our car seats are much more comfortable that the metal bus seats.
We tried to find Inn San Francisco, on Van Ness, which is where we stayed several times when Bill was being treated at California Pacific Medical Center. We think we found it but we aren’t sure, and, apparently, it isn’t a Bed and Breakfast any longer. That’s too bad, because it was such a beautiful Victorian house with more than 20 unique rooms.
We went to Ocean Beach on the west side for a stroll on the boardwalk. Then we meandered through Golden Gate Park, stopping at a few places. The Queen Wilhelmina Garden was closed but we were able to get a shot of the windmill there. We drove along Haight Street, where we had gone on the bus, but we didn’t see anything we wanted to stop for.
I was getting tired of driving so at 1:00, we found the main public library in the Civic Center district. There is a huge park across the street from the library, where we quickly found a parking spot. The library is six stories tall with so many exhibits throughout, that it’s like a huge, spread out museum. After exploring all six floors, we found a quiet place to relax and read for a little while.
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| Crazy restroom rules |
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| San Francisco map from 1854 |
We were going to go back to the area near Pier 39 for dinner but while we were still at the library, I looked for restaurants near us and I found one called Local Eats. The menu looked good, so we walked a few blocks in light rain to where it was supposed to be. I should have called first because it wasn’t there. We found Jay’s Grill on the way back to the car so we stopped and split a cheeseburger and fries. It was a fast food place in that you have to order your food at the counter, so the atmosphere was non existent but the burger was good.
After dinner, we made our way back to the car and drove through Chinatown. We thought about stopping but after driving in circles for a while, we couldn’t find a parking so we continued on to Fisherman’s Wharf. We walked through Pier 39 again, looking for something sweet to take back to our room for dessert. We ended up at Boudin’s where we picked up two caramel brownies. We got back to the motel at 7:00 and ate brownies in bed. Decadent and delicious.
October 22
I didn’t find out until we were home, that Cyndi found that Joline had died sometime during the night. This is her last text to me. I’m glad I was able to talk to her last Sunday.
Hi Billie and Bill I know I have been remiss in contacting you but honestly, I just don’t have it in me to make phone calls and contact people. First of all the first thing out of their mouth is how are you feeling? And the truth is I’m not feeling so good. I’m just struggling from day to day. I have been blessed with very good health up until now and I guess I’m being a big baby, but I’m a big miserable baby. Think I’d get real lonesome because I can’t have visitors because my immune system is so crazy compromised but I’m not lonesome. I just kinda curl up in my little cocoon. I got your telephone message. I really would like to hear how you are and what the problem was with your your heart and you’re passing out and all that stuff is that all fixed? I’m just reaching out to tell you I do love you and I’m sorry if you feel ignored I don’t mean to do that. Please give my love to the kids and Bill too.
This was my response —
We absolutely didn’t feel ignored! So you don’t owe us an apology. We remember how weak Bill was at one (or three, or five) points. He still gets that way at times. Being so sick, especially, cancer, really takes an awful lot out of a person. Cyndi has updated us and we’re so glad she is able to be there to take care of you. We’re glad you’re, at least, feeling like texting and we’re happy to wait to talk to you when you feel like talking. As long as we know you are somewhat better. We do wonder about your terrible sore so let us know how that’s doing when you are able to.
My cardiologist said my Bundle Branch Blockage in the left side of my heart is due to simple aging. That hurts! Me, aging? He has no idea why I pass out, yet, but he agrees that removing one of my blood pressure medications was a good thing to do. He also wondered why my former doctor had me take two different ones. He wants to insert a small heart monitor which can stay in for a couple of years. So, I might set off the alarm at airports. Of course, my insurance has denied the procedure, so that won’t happen soon. They want more information about why I need it. Dumb, huh? It’s not like I asked for a heart monitor just for fun.
And I haven’t had any episodes since July, so that’s good.
We’re going to Petaluma for two days next weekend and then spending five days in San Francisco, all by ourselves. Bill only has hazy memories of the time we spent there in 2010 to 2014. And most of those weren’t good ones. So we’re going to do the tourist thing - ride cable cars, go to Golden Gate Park and the zoo, and walk on the beach.
There kids are all doing fine. Rommie and Kathy are re-landscaping our front yard and that’s exciting. Tony and Anais will be leaving in about two weeks for their trip to Greece. Jenn has decided that she misses Texas! We have no idea what will happen with that because Scott may be leaving his job at BASF, and there have only been in their newly built house for about a year.
We love you and are very happy that you’ve had some improvement.
I hope you didn’t try to read this all at one time, because it’s long enough to wear out even the most hearty person.
❤️ 😀 🙏
We were going to stay here until Saturday, but Bill is just too uncomfortable, so we’re going to head home today. There will be rain but the snow in the mountains should be light. If we have to, we could find a place to stay for the night, hoping that it has a comfortable bed.
I got up at 6, took a shower, and read in bed until Bill woke up. Normally, when we’re traveling, we like to get going early, but in this case, we knew the commuter traffic would be heavy, so we hung around until 9. We ate grapes that Monique gave us Monday morning, and a banana that we bought yesterday.
We drove to the Wave Organ, which we discovered a few years ago. It had rained, so the walk over the rocks was a little bit precarious. There wasn’t much sound, but we know that the sound depends on the movement of the water. I took a couple of videos, one of which captured a little sample of the sound.
I want to show it to Cathy and Merle, who are musicians. Our next destination was California Pacific Medical Center. Bill didn’t remember very much about that time but as we drove on the streets that we used to drive on, searching for parking, he remembered a lot.
The drive from the hospital was as crazy as we remembered. The closer we got to the freeway, the worse the traffic got. GPS was telling me to turn the wrong way onto one-way streets. We waited through four lights to turn right, when there were only four cars in front of us. At last, we were on the freeway, and on our way home.
Something is very wrong! It rained all the way from SF to Sacramento but the traffic was light and moving well all the way. It only took two hours once we figured out how to get on the freeway. We have never experienced that before. Bill made me stop at the Old Sketty Factory for sustenance before hitting the mountains.
The rest of the drive was perfect, with light traffic all the way home, so stoppages and no crazy drivers.
October 26
August 24
From Bryanna —— Thanks for updating me you guys are so adventurous I’m jealous!!
It has been hot I am looking forward to getting back up there for cooler weather.
I should be headed home in hopefully two weeks!! And I’ll be back for at least 4 weeks or maybe through December still TDB. Either way can’t wait to get back and see you guys.
Love and miss you
Bailey and Kathy made it home today. So came with him because he seems to be feeling good.
Some of the texts from Bailey
August 25
Hi! I love and miss you guys bunches.
I’ve been keeping up with all the fires, I’m glad the bug fire didn’t get any closer to our house or Tony’s.
I saw you guys went to the concert, super fun! I’m glad you guys were able to go see that.
I am super sad about Zo, I just hope I get to be home in time to say good bye to him. As long as he’s not in pain, I’m happy, which for now he still doesn’t really know he’s sick I don’t think.
Not sure how much longer I’ll be here, but I am having a good time. It’s super hot here, usually high of 110-115 but I switched to night shift so I’m not battling the sun anymore which is grand.
I get to work out on shift everyday so I still get to prepare for the police academy for when I get home!
Hopefully see you guys soon. ❤️❤️
October 23
I’m so so sorry to hear about Aunt Joline.
I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you.
I love you bunches and I will see you soon ❤️❤️
I said ——. Thank you! Yes, it’s hard but she was very faithful and she was at peace with everything. Knowing that makes it easier. We’re really looking forward to having you home. ❤️
She said —- That absolutely makes it easier! It’s nice that she was at peace and hopefully “ready” in a sense. Hopefully she’s reunited with Bill now!
I am hoping to be back Tuesday so once I’m settled in I’ll text you guys so I can come over and visit
We’re glad she’s home.
I received a gift today from Monique and Brian.
October 29
Bailey came over for a long visit
October 30
The Sock Hop at the Villa only had about 30 people, so when we got there, I thought it wasn't going to be very much fun, but it was really a blast. Chris sang mostly 50s songs and we danced to all of the slow ones. I danced to a few faster songs.
Tony and Anais are a week and a couple of days into their trip to Greece. He has sent some gorgeous pictures. They started the cruise portion of the trip and he was pleasantly surprised to find that the featured entertainment was Mediterranean Metal. He likes all kinds of music, though, so I’m sure he would have been happy with whatever music there is.
We have had Ava and Oliver with us since Saturday. They are good dogs and no trouble at all.
