Rome and Lilly (with some contr$bution from the parents) got me this fabulous solar powered bird feeder with a motion detecting camera. Rome came over on Saturday to “help me” put it together. I’m so excited to catch my first bird!
Marsha and I went to the movies. We saw a ho-hummer Marty Supreme, ok story but soo much screaming.
After the movie we stopped off at Marija’s to celebrate Croatian New Year with a glass of slivovitz direct from ‘back home’ brought by Christopher who visited recently. Marija was less than thrilled by some of her gifts, a reminder as they represent what the kids are thinking.
Then we went back to Marsha’s hoping to watch Hamnet but it wasn’t streaming yet so we saw another ho-hummer that was so meh I don’t even remember it’s name.
And then we ate a ham dinner feast!
We went to Mitsuwa to pick up some tasty food to eat there if it was raining and to take to the park if it was dry. It was not dry, so we ate in and then went back to Lilly’s house to watch the first half of one of her shows that I had missed. It was a lovely afternoon. I was feeling quite well but for some other reason that I can’t guess, I took not one picture.
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After lunch at Maxine’s I joined Ken for a Happy Hour at his favorite Happy Hour place, the Yard House in Northridge. Since the wind was blowing like crazy and since I’ve been losing hair by the fist full, I got AI to put this hat on my head. You’re welcome!
Here’s the first Happy New Year of the season with Muriel, and Jo Ann and Alan who prepared a healthy, delicious dinner
and a healthy, delightful fruit salad for dessert…aiming for a healthy and happy 2026.
My across-the-street neighbors and more neighborhood friends. Thanks you guys!
I heard their sweet little voices at 6:02 AM “Good morning good morning Granny, it’s Christmas!”. I had gone to bed by about 9, was asleep by about 10, and didn’t at all mind getting up at 6. It was great, first coffee, Santa gifts, breakfast, under-the-tree tree gifts, games, some afternoon snacks, and then I went home.
Wait ’till you see what I got! It’s a bird feeder with a solar powered motion detecting camera! How fun is this going to be?!
Tony, Birdie, Rick, Eivor, Ingalill, Jim, Nancy, Daniel, Brian
Tony’s picture below, the lamb isn’t out yet.
Lill and Tony put on another massively festive early Christmas Eve feast. We of course watched Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul (Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas) but I wasn’t paying as much attention as usual because I was looking through Rick and Jim’s album of their recent trip to Scotland.
Sophie has lived here for a 5 month contract at UCLA Santa Monica and is now moving on to a contract in San Diego. We went over to Kanpai for our traditional Happy Hour Bon Voyage when our traveling nurses move on. Sophie is one of Olivia’s favorites and we will both miss her!
Earlier in the day Rome and I went to the Century City Mall where the parking lot was as crowded as it could possibly be but the mall itself wasn’t so bad and it was nice to see it so busy.
I had a third PET scan and the results were good news, better than the second one which was better than the first, all moving in a positive direction so happy happy joy joy. I did ask ‘does this mean I’m going to survive the Trump administration?’ and the doctor just wouldn’t commit, but I’m getting it by now, no one is going to commit about survivability in the long run. I have heard “We’re on a marathon, not a sprint” a -tedious- number of times.
Thankfully I feel good, ready I hope to go back to PT.
I’m not going to write again for a while about all these doctor’s appointments and regular testing etc. unless something changes – so for the time being no news will be good news.
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Me, Marsha, Ljubica, Alicia, Marija, Ann, Lourdes, Maxine, Becky
It’s our annual Holiday Extravaganza with thanks to Alicia for making it happen.
We eat, we drink, and make merry, we have Secret Santa and gifts abound, and a grand time is had by all.
Alicia=turkey, dressing, gravy; Maxine=appetizers; Lourdes=cranberry sauce; Ann=sweet potato casserole; Marsha=green beans; Becky=mashed potatoes; Marija=pies; Ljubicia=ice cream; Me=sparkling beverages
I came down to Long Beach to wish Alex Happy Birthday and sleep over on the boat, and also to visit Merlyn (No Falling!).
We enjoyed a very delicious Thai dinner at a nearby restaurant…
…and breakfast onboard.
Lilly and I had a lovely visit to my favorite park in the South Bay. Unfortunately they close at 4:30 and school lets out at 3:30 but we had a great time anyway, eating our sweet treat among the trees and then having a walk along the stream.
The bakery has been reopened a year ago and Angela and I had planned to have a look. Finally we were able to choose a date and lo, what happened, they decided to close 5 days later. So at least we did get to have our look although it did feel bare and lost, like a place that was going to close in 5 days. Many articles are still available on the internet.
Say you remember the delivery trucks and you are telling your age!
Today I visited a friend in a rehab hospital, then a friend recovering from a chemo treatment, and talked on the phone to a friend in the hospital, and another friend in a rehab hospital. The two folks in rehab got there because they Fell Down. NO FALLING!
Lilly taking the Crew Bow.
Lilly’s theater group at Redondo Union High School did a most impressive version of Women of Lockerbie. Lilly was on the lighting crew and in charge of the smoke/steam machine that puffed away throughout the show and did not set off the smoke alarm!
Angela’s selfie – Angela, Darryl, me, Windy, Rome, Rome’s roommate Bel.
One of Rome’s friends took these pictures. Check out those new glasses.
The above is one of Jo Ann’s photographs and reminds me of the dessert we all shared at lunch, at Meet in Paris (in Culver City).
First we went to Joanne Jaffe’s open house to admire her wonderful pottery. The portrait is off the internet.
Below, Muriel, Alan, Jo Ann, Mavis
I did tell the doctor, Hack Hack Hack, but she didn’t seem too concerned. Maybe I wasn’t urgent enough? We’ll see. I’m slightly better this morning so of course I’ve leapt to the obvious conclusion that all is well. I will be keeping myself out of your face until I can control this COUGH.
A few weeks before I left for Uzbekistan (October 2-October 23), so lets say beginning in mid-September I was coughing and thought it was seasonal allergies, then in Uzbekistan my cough got worse but the air quality was so bad and the humidity so low, more coughing and a tender nose followed. Once I got home the cough continued, yikes, such that I had a very slow November, a busy Thanksgiving Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat and then from Sunday for four days I didn’t leave the house. Today is December 8 and the light glows bright at the end of the tunnel. So that’s going on three months for heaven’s sake!
And I had better be perfectly fine in one week because I’ve got another PET scan scheduled and they won’t do it if you’re not basically ok, or rather, perfectly fine.
