Typical Morning

Thursday: (07/19) Thursdays are always interesting. They usually start as it did today with tea in the back yard. Check. Our days is generally planned during tea. Check. Today the first item was a dash down to Walmart, before the crowds arrive, to get a replacement paper shredder. Our existing shredder gave it's life in service so a replacement was needed. We stopped for a quick look at the construction of the mall next door. It was difficult not to stay longer watching. Then we resumed our backyard morning with leftovers for breakfast. I had hash browned potatoes, a half English muffin and a wiener. Lou had leftover spaghetti squash with shrimp sauce. This morning is overcast and rather cool. Thursdays are different mainly because the gardener pays us a visit so we cleanup and put things away off the lawn and when the gardener is gone the yard looks it's best for the week. Lunch was chili rellenos (chilis from our garden) for lunch with tomales. The afternoon had clear skies but never got warm. I washed the three cars and the RV. They all were quite dirty possibly because of the rock dilivery and all the dust within. We had portobello mushroom and cheese sandwiches for dinner with avocado smoothies (another type of green slime) for desert.

Friday: (07/20) I had donuts for breakfast. Lou and Dawn had red slime for breakfast. This time they had beets and sweet potatoes in them both of which I don't like. We went over to Costco to get a few things and had lunch there. In the afternoon I climbed on the RV roof and replaced the Fantastic Vent fan assembly. The hardest, and messyest part of that is cleaning up all the old caulk. We now have a nice new fan.  Macaroni and cheese with fried zuchini and squash for dinner.

Saturday: (07/21) Breakfast at Ann's Cafe in downtown Menlo Park. Ernie and I had a pork chop and eggs, Lou and Dawn shared a feta and spinach omelet. There was a street art faire (Connoisseurs' Marketplace) closing the main street there in front of the restaurant so after breakfast Ernie and I took a look around the show. Lou and Dawn went off to a rumage sale in Redwood City and garage sales along the way. I walked toward home via the Allied Artist's Guild, Stanford Mall, and downown Palo Alto before catching a bus home. I recently got a Clipper Card that is good for fares on all the bay area transit systems. I haven't used it yet and, though I tried to use it on the bus, I still haven't used it. The reader on the bus wasn't working so the ride was free. I really wanted to test it out but a free ride is a free ride. I was home about noon. Hamburgers on homemade bread for lunch. Roasted chicken with zuchini salad and potato salad  for dinner.

Sunday: (07/22) Fresh peach blintzes with sausage for breakfast. Our neighbor across the street had a chair in front of her house with a free sign on it. It was in perfect condition so we called aur friend Courtney and she accepted it. Tinkering at home today along with a visit to some garage sales and a visit to our neighborhood Fry's Electronics.  Popcorn for lunch. Leftovers for dinner, macaroni and cheese, zuchini salad and potato salad.

Monday: (07/23) Green slime for breakfast. Lou and I went down to the San Jose house to meet the carpet installers. The tenants have been there for almost 20 years and the carpet was installed just before they moved in. It wasn't in terrible shape, just bad shape so it was time to renew. The problem is worsened when the place is occupied so there was a lot of work that the tenant had to do moving their stuff out for the day. Neither their back nor mine could move the big furniture items so the installers had to do that.


The instsllers did a very good job, arrived before 9am and were on their way just after 3pm. KFC chicken and corn meals for lunch. We went to dinner at our friends the Shaws. Wonderful grilled steak with grilled vegetables and rice. Watermelon for desert.

Tuesday: (07/24) I headed off to San Jose when I finally got my act together. I stopped for a late breakfast at La Victoria burrito restaurant in downtown San Jose. I had a punch list of repairs at the San Jose house. Toilet constantly running, Door latches needing repair. Bathroon exhaust fan crudded up and needing cleaning. And then there was an unpleasant new problem. Some rats in the basement. I checked and repaired all the vent screens and other access points and set bate for them.I also set a bate box by the probable attraction, the compost bin the tenant started. That's why I like letting the city turn our compostables into compost and then just getting it from them when needed. We can get two pickup trucks full each year. Leftover baked macaroni for dinner.

Wednesday: (07/25) Green slime for breakfast. Chili's soup and salad lunches. Their loaded baked potato and cheese soup is very good. Homemade bread with sausage gravy for dinner. The gravy was made gluten free with tapioca flour and was rather sticky. Hopefully some type of other flour will work out. Ernie and I were busy making a ramp for Wolfie to use to enter his trailer. The poor doggie can barely move around any more due to his arthritus.

Thursday: (07/26) I fixed a real breakfast this morning, sausage, eggs and home fried potatoes. Ernie and I worked on Wolfie's ramp much of the day. Leftovers for lunch, roast chicken with zichini salad and steamed vegetables. Coconut tilapia fish with rice and steamed vegetables for dinner. In the evening Lou and i went to a workshop on estate planning. One of our tasks is to step out of the 95% of people who don't have wills and get our shit together by setting up a trust.