2026 Can We Just Skip Ahead To a Year With a Decent President?

 

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 1030, 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

The social is tonight. We decided to make a peach crumble, so we can use up the frozen [eaches. It turned out quite good, and I think it will be a hit tonight. 

Cash and Flo will be here in a few minutes, but only for an overnighter, 

Tomorrow, Noe will be here with his crew to clean our yard. I am very glad that we didn't have to do it.

Noe sent one man to do the clean up of the front and back yards. He did an excellent job. Bill gave him $20.00 and Noe collected $185. It was worth it to us to get it done. 

 

We went to Kathie and Nick's house on Saturday evening to play Whist. We taught Kathie to play and she enjoyed it, but after two hours, we switched to Skyjo. That is such a fun game to play, and we can talk and laugh while playing. We stayed until almost 10, so about five hours. 

We have been going to the house of a newer neighbor, Cy, who asked us to take care of her cat while she is on a trip. It is easy to do, and we haven't even met the cat. We have walked over a couple of times, which give us a bit of exercise. 

Walter called to offer us a prize from Whist, that the person who won it, didn’t want to use. It was a ticket to the performance group Magique, at the Nugget. We are going to go to the Matinee on March 1. The second ticket cost $45.00 because Walter gave us a code for 25% off. 

I've been walking to yoga and picking Kathie up on the way. I am glad to be getting a little bit more exercise on yoga days, and the weather has been good enough to walk, although it is still pretty cold at 9 in the morning. 

February 12

Bill was stepping over the little gate on Sunday, and he fell over it, landing hard on his left side. He was able to get up to lie on the bed but he was hurting a lot. He didn't think he needed to go to Urgent Care. He might have broken his big toe too, because it hurts a lot. Kathy brought over a new gaet today, that is really great. It had an opening part. She also took the other one home to repair it. 

We had Ava and Oliver with us for a few days, followed by Nala and Simba. They are all fun to have and they are good. At yoga today, we gave Molly the valentine card that most of us signed, along with a gift if truffles that Mykel contributed. 

We went to see Dr. Caz this morning. She and Kim are always so welcoming.Bill is continuing to do well with his hormone levels.

Tonight is the Valentine Party at the Villa. I made brownies in the mini muffin pans but they all oozed out of the cups, making a mess. I remade them in a regular pan. They are soooo good. 

We had a wonderful time at the Valentine’s Party. We sat with Bob& Patty, Nick & Kathie, and Al & Jeanie. The performer was really good. He sang lots of genres, but mostly Elvis. 

February 20

Anais and Tony left for Ireland on Feb 13. They got home last night. We are looking forward to the stories about their adventures. 

We had quite a lot of snow on Tuesday and Thursday but it is mostly melted. I missed yoga on Tuesday because I knew that Molly won’t drive in the snow, but Judy told me that they had yoga anyway. I also missed Book Club. Judy said there was a very lively discussion, so I wish I had gone, especially since I enjoyed the book. 

I picked Kathie up to go to yoga on Thursday, after deciding that we should go despite the snow. We stopped by to get Judy, who called just as Kathie was getting in the car. She had decided not to go. I told her that we were only going because she had told me that she was going. I said I would pick her up. We got to the Villa to find it almost deserted. The snow had started to get heavy, so we came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t have gone, after all. I dropped Kathie off and then Judy and I sat in her driveway talking for 20 minutes. I’ve come to realize that she and I agree on a lot of things, the situation with the government being a major one.  I invited Judy to go with us to Magique. She bought her ticket right away just in case they sell out. There are only three matinee performance and I think a lot of older people and people who work will prefer an afternoon show instead of one at 8:00 PM. 

We went to the gym yesterday. I want to try to go regularly. 

March 9

We all enjoyed Magique although it was extremely loud. Th illusions were amazing. Music, dancing and laser lights were about 70% of the hour and 40 minute show. We were given seats that were much better than the ones we paid for. The young man who seated us said that the show wasn’t sold out so there were plenty of seats. 

Kathy and Rommie went to Florida to pick up Bailey's things in late February. They stopped to see Bailey at the base in Oklahoma on the way to Peoria to see Bryanna. They both picked up a virus on the trip. When they left Bryanna, bringing Stanley with 5hem because Bryanna had bought a new car, they had to spend the night in Beaty because the road was closed due to an accident. Kathy got up during the night and passed out, hitting her head. She cut her chin, possibly broke her nose, got a black eye and a concussion. She said it was terrible driving home the next day because she was dizzy and couldn’t see very well. I wish she had called us. We could have driven down to drive her home. 

Monique and Brian came over last Friday and stayed until Sunday morning. Tony and Anais provided the accommodations. We played Skyjo and talked a lot. Saturday morning, they took us out to breakfast at Hometown Cafe in Lemmon Valley. Then the four of us went to walk at the arboretum. Saturday night, I made pasta casserole, salad and bread. Kathy and Rommie were going to stop by after dinner to visit because Kathy still wasn’t feeling great. Just as we were serving dinner, they showed up. Kathy said that Rommie didn’t want to miss out on the dinner. That made me feel very good. We all had a good time, except Tony was sad that I hadn’t made the usual apple pie. Mo and Brian only stayed unto 7:30, shortly after the kids left. It was a good visit.   

We did absolutely nothing on Sunday except read and recover from the  previous busy two days.

March 15

We had Joe Larrimore, a Villa resident, over to repair our laundry room door and clean our gutter. While he was there, we asked him to trim the trees just next to the sunroom. He did a great job. He thinks the peach tree will do better after having some branches removed.   

We had our last visit with Dr. McKenzie. Debbie and Denise are very unhappy. They are so sweet, and we will miss them. 

 

March 26

We’re fan-diddly-tastic, as Bill would say.  Sadly, we woke up to find out that he-whose-name-we-don’t-say in polite company isn’t dead, yet. 

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 say 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. E 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 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. 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. 

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. 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 say 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 seas. 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, Ay 16. 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 Mykep both gave us ladybugs. I hope they will stay here and get rid of all the darden pests. 

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