Hanging In There

Our Stubborn  Boy

It's 9:00 and Rami, Evie, and I are all up — Rami since 7:00, me since 8:00, and Evie around 8:30. Typical. It's overcast and 70°, with some rain forecast on an otherwise mostly cloudy day.

Yesterday was another day of coughing fits whenever I tried to lie down. Sitting up straight usually kept them at bay. Thank goodness Evie was around to help Rami and me with meals — breakfast, lunch, whatever was needed. Neither of us has much energy. All I want to do is lie down, but I can't because of the cough. Who would have thought lying down was a luxury? We got through the morning, and I spent a good part of the day in the bedroom, propped up against a pillow, with my buddy Tin Tin, keeping my distance from Rami. I managed a shower — something I've done every day, because it helps me feel a little more human.

A Good Part Of My Day

Evie made us scrambled eggs on toast for lunch, and it was the first meal that actually tasted good in a couple of days. My appetite has been nearly nonexistent. The daily drama, as usual, revolved around Kaia, who loves being outside and resists coming in at all costs. Whenever the lawn crew shows up — or yesterday, the movers to pick up crates — we have to chase her down, clip on her leash, and drag her inside. She also has a habit of barking at nothing in particular, which sends us outside to scold her. Such is the afternoon entertainment.

I managed to nap on and off, which gave Evie a chance to decompress with a shower of her own. Beth got home around 4:00, and Evie was already prepping dinner — pork tenderloins marinated in an Asian sauce. The two of them had wine and caught up on Beth's day while I sat out on the front porch, just enjoying a quiet stretch of fresh air.

We ate around 6:45 — pork with rice and broccolini, a welcome change. Afterward, we watched another episode of Friends & Neighbors and Top Chef before everyone turned in. I stayed up for a great playoff game between Charlotte and Miami, which Charlotte won in overtime. Then I finished The Capture — though, unfortunately, the second season isn't on Prime.

Cloudy With A High In The Low 80s

Two Years Ago

It's just Rami and me at 8:40 as we wait for Evie to rise and take care of us two sad sacks. I still feel terrible — coughing, tired, and struggling to sleep. Last night at 3:00, Beth must have heard me coughing because she brought in a humidifier and a hot lemon-and-honey drink, both good for a cough. What a daughter.

Yesterday was not much of a day. Evie spent it looking after Rami and me — fetching drinks, making breakfast and lunch, things like that. I spent a good part of the day in bed, I was so tired. We let the dogs out at some point and then had trouble getting them back inside. I don't have much of an appetite, despite Evie's efforts to get me to eat. I showered and felt a little better, then tried to nap after lunch — but we ended up going back to Urgent Care because I felt so bad. I liked the doctor. He took his time and reluctantly prescribed antibiotics just in case, along with Benadryl and lots of liquids, but mostly I'll just have to wait it out.

Dinner was pizza, and we watched Jon Hamm in the second season of Your Friends & Neighbors. Everyone went to bed around 9:00, but I stayed up and watched another episode of The Capture.

Monday, Monday

Rami And Tin Tin

It's 8:35, and Beth's at school, Evie's still sleeping — Rami and I are the only ones up. I woke feeling terrible, still coughing and battling a headache, though I'm hoping the Tylenol will kick in soon.  I don't have the energy to be helpful.

Sunday's on-and-off rain made it a perfect day to settle in with the Masters. Beth was busy early, putting away things that had been in storage and helping Rami set up his den. Over coffee, we put together a grocery list, thinking ahead to dinners for the week. By 10:30, the blog was finished, and Evie and Beth headed off to Central Market, leaving Rami and me at home with the dogs. We spent a good half hour in the garage assembling a rack for storing plastic boxes — and by the time we wrapped up, Beth and Evie were already back and putting away groceries.

Kaia Avoiding The Rain

I had a bowl of Trader Joe's chicken soup for lunch and tried to nap, but the coughing wouldn't let me rest. Eventually, I gave up and joined Rami in the living room to watch the Masters. It turned out to be a dramatic finish — McIlroy had fallen two strokes behind before steadying himself and pulling off a one-stroke win. While we watched, Beth and Evie put together dinner: pasta with sausage, butternut squash, and sage, which was delicious. In the evening, we watched the final episode of Drops of God, and by 9:00 everyone was ready for bed — except me. I stayed up to watch The Capture on Prime. All in all, it wasn't an easy day.

Rainy Sunday

It's 8:46, and we're all up, making a list of dinners for the week before heading to Central Market shortly. Outside, it's overcast and wet — likely rainy for most of the day — a humid 68º with a high of 80º.

Saturday was not much fun. I continued with what feels like an incessant cough. No fever, but tired enough that we decided I should go to Urgent Care, just to rule out anything contagious. Evie and I left around 10:30, waited twenty minutes, and then saw the doctor, who didn't offer much beyond a possible cold or allergies. He prescribed a nasal spray and a cough suppressant and sent me on my way — neither has made much difference. While we waited for the prescriptions, we sat at the bar of a nearby Mexican restaurant, sipping Cokes and enjoying some excellent guacamole. Around 10:30, a couple of Beth's gardeners stopped by, helped move several paintings up to the attic, and hauled away some trash. They were a big help, and the garage is starting to look less cluttered.

When we got back, we had a slice of pizza for lunch and took it easy for most of the afternoon. I napped and felt somewhat better afterward. Beth spent much of the afternoon rearranging things around the house, with Evie pitching in. For dinner, we decided on takeout from an El Salvadoran restaurant Beth loves called La Pasadita 2 — about fifteen minutes away. 

La  Pasadita 2

We ordered an array of dishes I'd never heard of, the standout being pupusas, masa stuffed with pork. For dessert, we had sweet corn tamales. We finished the evening watching two episodes of Drop of God, with the finale tonight.  As on other nights, the gals turned in around 8:30, and Rami and I watched the Masters until 10:00 before calling it a night.

Overcast And 66º

Walking Kaia

It's later than usual as I start this — 8:35 — probably because I slept in until 7:45. I had a miserable night, coughing on and off, which made it hard to sleep. I'm fairly certain it's allergy-related, but if it persists, I may go to an urgent care.

Friday was a busy day for Beth, though not so much for Evie and me. I was up early, just Beth and I, much like this morning, waiting for the two sleepyheads to get up. We don't turn the TV on until the evening, so the news comes via newspapers or the occasional podcast. Once Evie was up, I finished the blog and had her read it before publishing. Since Mitchell was gone, we didn't accomplish much beyond small things — organizing and sorting through a box of cords, moving paintings around. Around 10:30, I took the boys for a long walk down to the lake and along its shores, hoping to tire them out.

Tin Tin

Lunch was the leftover eggplant pasta, and I took a nap at 1:00, tired again from a morning of doing very little. Beth and Rami left at 2:00 for a 2:30 doctor's appointment, leaving us in charge of the dogs — a tall order. They were gone for a couple of hours, having waited quite a while to see the doctor. While they were out, Evie began prepping dinner: shrimp, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and asparagus over rice. I sat out on the front porch for the first time, read my book, and met a couple of neighbors walking their grandchildren. It was nice to meet them.

Wine Label

Around 5:00, Beth and I went through Rami's wine cellar and opened a ten-year-old cab, which was quite good — though neither of us is a wine connoisseur. If it's red, I'll usually enjoy it. Around 6:30, we devoured dinner; no leftovers for lunch tomorrow, alas. We watched two episodes of The Pitt before Evie went to bed around 8:30 and Beth at 9:00. Rami and I stayed up to watch Rory McIlroy birdie the last four holes to take a six-stroke lead at the Masters.

"After 14 years inside of Fox News, I'm exposing what viewers refuse to see. How the Network morphed from news to a propaganda machine designed to cheerlead wars, worship Trump, and feed you manufactured rage instead of facts." Megan Kelly

TGIF

Aloha Mitchell

It's 7:48 a.m. I woke at 7:00, Beth at 6:00, and Rami and Evie are still sleeping. Mitch flew back to Santa Monica last night, and we will surely miss him. Beth is taking the day off from school, and we'll spend the day continuing to set up the house. We made great progress yesterday — or more specifically, Mitchell did. I've been suffering from allergies the past few days, complete with a nagging cough, so I've started taking loratadine again.

Thursday turned out to be another beautiful day weather-wise, with a high of around 80°. I was convinced it was Wednesday until Evie set me straight around 10:30. When I got up at 7:30, Rami and Mitch were already up and working, and Beth was at school. I had my coffee with Evie, read the newspapers online, and wrote the blog, publishing it by 9:30. Mitch was putting in a half day of work, and since Evie needed a few things for dinner, I drove to Albertsons around 10:30 to pick them up. Rami was having a productive day and spent most of the morning working in his study.

I was home before noon and decided to have lunch, finishing off the spaghetti and ground beef from earlier in the week. Around 1:00, I lay down for another nap — I was still unusually tired, with no pep, as my Dad used to say. From about 2:00 to 4:00, the three of us tackled the garage: Rami delegating, and Mitch and I doing the heavy lifting. We assembled two seven-foot storage racks, which took a solid hour, but by 4:30, we had made a real dent in getting things organized.

Meanwhile, Evie was busy putting together a wonderful Turkish dinner: Tas Kebab, roasted cauliflower, and a salad. I took the dogs for a walk to the lake and returned just in time for happy hour. I opened a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with the Tas Kebab, and we sat down to dinner around 6:30, followed by another cooking show.

At 7:16, Mitchell headed to the airport via Uber — too soon, alas. Around 8:30, Evie went up to bed while Rami, Beth, and I caught some of the Masters. They turned in around 9:30, and I watched a bit of basketball until 10:00.

 THE LORD'S PRAYER: MARK TWAIN

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it — for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen. THE LORD'S PRAYER: MARK TWAIN

Another Fine Day In Texas

Our Great Grandsons, Rhys And Tommy

It's 8:30, Beth is at school, and Mitch, Rami, and I are the only ones up. It looks like another partly cloudy day, with a high near 80°.

Tuesday was another day of helping unpack when we could, but mostly relaxing, taking the dogs for a walk, things like that. I was up at 7:30 along with Mitch and Ramiro. Both of them worked on and off most of the day, so I was free to do whatever and help when needed. Evie made pancakes for everyone around 9:00, and Rami, Mitch, and I devoured them. Yum! I had a list for a shopping run at Albertsons and was ready to go, but the dogs were so insistent that I took them for a walk down to the lake and back first. I then stopped at a coffee shop just beyond Beth's street, and drove another mile to Albertsons, the closest grocery store, and picked up a few things for Thursday and Friday's dinner. It was not very crowded, so I was in and back home by 11:45.

Tin Tin And Kaia

Lunch was a toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich, and then I read for a while before taking a nice nap. I am reading Emily, Alone, a book set in Chautauqua, so it's fun because it mentions many spots I'm familiar with, such as Hogan's Hut or the Lighthouse Grocery Store's rotisserie chicken. Evie read it a long time ago, but I never got around to it. I fell asleep with my buddy, Tin Tin, for company and woke feeling more energetic. The guys were working on their computers, so Evie and I relaxed a bit, cleaned up the kitchen, and helped Rami pack some of his glass Christmas ornaments into a large box, ready for storage. Then, because the dogs kept following me around, I took them for a walk around the neighborhood.

A Coot Floating By

When I got back, Beth was home from school and showering, and Evie was prepping dinner — eggplant pasta along with some sweet Italian sausages. We sat around sipping wine and talking about what still needs to be done before dinner at 7:00. Everything was great, especially the eggplant pasta. We watched another episode of Drops of God, but by 8:30, Beth and Evie were ready for bed. I stayed up with Mitch and Rami until 10:00, watching some basketball, then went to bed.

Political commentator Ben Rhodes summed up the situation: “In the best-case scenario, Trump struck a deal to reopen a Strait that was open before the pointless war he started, with [Iran] demonstrating its control over the Strait and potentially extracting fees plus sanctions relief. Thousands of innocents—including hundreds of children—dead in Lebanon and Iran for no reason. U.S. troops killed and wounded. U.S. embassies and bases in the Middle East badly damaged. U.S. standing in the world obliterated. U.S. munitions badly depleted. Hundreds of billions spent. Prices up everywhere. More global economic fallout to come. Putin strengthened and enriched. Just a catastrophic situation even in the best of circumstances. A profoundly shameful episode in American history no matter what happens next.”