Once in awhile-now and again-this is us

We love our neighborhood and our neighbors that live here. It’s a nice bunch of people. but it is changing. In the last 3 years, 4 houses have sold and are occupied, one is going on sale and Kara’s just sold for $900,000.00. It wasn’t sold ‘as is’ as planned. They used a realtor who decided to do some work and stage it. That helped increase the asking price.

so it went from this: (an old photo, it had gotten much worse when we started)

to this:

to this:

The dynamics of the neighborhood are also changing. We haven’t had a lot of children on our block for quite awhile. We’ve got two cute girls next door, 7&8 who have been here since birth. Now, they have three new darling 3 year old girls, and a seven year old boy to play with. And there’s a baby girl on the way. We haven’t met the new occupants of Jessie’s house yet but they have kids too. Kara’s house will have two girls 10&? It’s going to be a lot nosier during summers now. But kids add something good to a neighborhood. Laughter for one.

Tracy and Tony, who were 7and 10 when we moved here in 1974, grew up with lots of kids their age on the block. They could safely walk themselves to and from school, what a blessing that was. When we moved here we were some of the youngest people, now we’re the oldest 😮 what happened? It’s been a good life here.

Staying home more allows me time to do more puzzles among other things.

🔽And this one

The one below is of the Mission Inn we went to last year. It was delightfully difficult.

You can see there were some same shape pieces that would fit almost exactly in the same place. When I started the puzzle I put one of the pieces on the wrong side. It perplexed me to no end why the other piece wouldn’t fit anywhere. That happened other places too, but I found the mistake quickly. This time I didn’t catch on until that wrong piece was the last one. So I had to look everywhere where it could fit.

I’ve also had time to embroider some bibs for Melody. So much fun. In my younger years it seems like I made pillowcases for everyone. I even stamped the design on fabric and sewed them together. You could buy the patterns. Good old Simplicity. I found these undone at a, where else, thrift store.

Melody looks so much like Hannah. We hope to meet her in June.

We bought the coach in 1992. We took a lot of short vacations in it while Jerry was working. We loved it. And when Jerry retired at 62, we wanted to take long trips, but that gets expensive. Reverse mortgages were just starting to get popular and it sounded like a plan to get the equity in the house then, and fund our desires to travel the USA. We had to wait 3years until I was 62 and then we did it. And we did it big, and we have no regrets. That money afforded us to travel in style. No adventure was out of reach.

But I guess we are semi retiring from those long, long, cross country trips. We’ve seen our bucket lists and then some. So home feels good now. I think Midas likes us home too.

Stay tuned

💗jilly

There is apple pie.

We left early to miss traffic. We took hwy 78 again but in a different direction. It was a ‘long and winding road’ toward Julian, famous for apple pie, our destination. Julian was very crowded so we drove on to Santa Ysabel where another outlet for The Julian Pie Company is located.

The scenery was again gorgeous. Frank was doing a good job driving carefully letting us all enjoy the snow.

It’s hard to take pictures out of a moving car.

It was so incredibly beautiful, so much that Linda and I just focused on that and not picture taking.

Until we saw this

Is that not phenomenal? Is it science or God entertaining us? Or both?
Frank stopped the car so Linda could take those shots.

stay tuned

💗jilly

It was a fun trip. Took lots of pictures. Linda did too and she said I could use them. Hers are the good ones.😁 I try to put the best ones in – to tell my story. It’s hard to keep it to a minimum though.
Before I get back to the desert, I want to share a few pictures of our first “GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER”.

I chose two of the ones Hannah sent. The two of a new mommy’s favorite time with their new baby. At least it was for me, if I remember correctly.

Sleeping – so sweet

and smiling – so cute

Adorable, isn’t she just the cutest baby? Hannah said she’s a good baby too. Thanks for the picture’s Hannah. Hannah was our first granddaughter. Can’t wait to hold Melody.

now for a few more pictures of Anza Borrego

the first thing we did was to find something to stick our fingers in

here is just a handful we found. You could spend a whole day finding them.

it wasn’t a super bloom but these pictures of Linda’s are pretty super!

We had a late lunch at a golf resort, went back to our casita, and took ‘showing our age’ naps.💤

After a very pleasant nap, we all decided to stay in for the night and enjoy hanging out. We had wine and lots of good things to snack on that Linda had brought.

Anza Borrego is a dark sky park, but there was too much cloud cover to see the stars that night. Bummer.

But we did see a rainbow on the drive home

stay tuned for that picture

💗jilly

p.s. today is the first day of spring. the header picture is of our cherry blossom tree

We all know how ‘much needed rain’ we have had this season. And when that happens – super blooms are going to happen, all over California.

So we planned a trip with Frank and linda to go see what was happening at Anza Borrego state park, only a couple of hours away. It’s not a national park as I always thought. The state governs it, not the federal government

The trip to the park was an adventure in itself. We traveled down highway 5 to Oceanside, where we had planned to eat at swamis, but everybody had the same idea on this beautiful sunday morning, getting out after all that rain. So we then headed East on highway 76 and 78 to the park. But first, getting hungry, we found the neatest restaurant in Bonsall, a speck of a town, but again a long wait. We were really hungry now, so we waited. The food was excellent, well worth the wait. Now it’s time to get to the park.

Back on the road we we’re we treated to an endless supply of beautiful scenery – snow covered mountains, green meadows, even a lake. The Palomar mountains were covered in snow.

Now we’re getting closer to the park and the landscape is changing

I love how the clouds make shadows

The next morning I woke up early, looked out the window and saw our private lap pool, that we didn’t use, with a beautiful sunrise starting.

so I went outside to take another picture and was treated to this

Frank went to the restaurant and got our free breakfast items while Linda made coffee for all of us and brought out more goodies. Again, fun conversation in our jammies. Then off to the visitor center.

It wasn’t a super bloom yet, a previous cold snap slowed it down. It was still beautiful being there, and no crowds yet either. We basically had it all to ourselves with great weather.

stay tuned for a few more pictures

💗jilly

We’ve added a new number to the past year, so now we say “have a happy new year” right? I don’t think I’ve ever been happy for a whole year. Most of a year, but not all. Something always happens that isn’t happy. So I think I’ll start saying “have some happy days in this new year”😉

We are still working on Kara’s house, but it’s about finished. Kara has had some ups and downs in her new apartment. Of course she would much rather be here, in her own house, so she is having a hard time graciously accepting her new life. Loss of control would be hard for anyone. Needing help to stand and walk is frustrating and no more driving is probably one of the worst losses for her.

We have worked hard getting the house cleared and ready to be sold as-is. Off and on for over four months now. You can see the dumpster is full here, it’s load weighed over a ton. that was really hard work

Kara was what is now called; a ‘hoarder’. So the house was a mess. I don’t want to disrespect her by showing what she felt comfortable living with. But the pictures emphasize the work we did to get it to this point. It’s a charming house now

Since starting the project in October, I haven’t even had time to do a new puzzle. 😳 I’ve missed posting on the blog too. I enjoy putting thoughts out there for your consideration and pictures for your enjoyment 😉

case in point; while searching through paperwork for important papers, trying not to snoop, I found Kara liked to clip out sayings, quotes, jokes, interesting facts, and lots and lots of recipes. Of course I’m guilty of that too. But I try to keep mine organized, I do try and succeed most of the time.

here’s a few

Kara probably had over a hundred cook books and magazine’s, and still cut out recipes. I happened to see this one and since I’m a sucker for good baked beans, I saved it. I’ve never used bacon and hamburger together

And then there’s this one

The sister of the couple that bought the house next door to Kara’s two years ago, is interested in buying Kara’s.
Totally as-is. No realtor involved. I hope that it goes through, good neighbors are not always easy to find. We don’t want any flippers on our block. We love our neighborhood

We have a new feature to our yard. as our gardener blows off this part of the yard

The seeds end up in the the parkway and all the rain we’ve had, has given us a wildflower patch

It probably won’t last long since we don’t water it on a regular basis, but we’re sure enjoying it now

in other news, “WE HAVE OR FIRST GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER”!!! “YAY”!!!

MELODY MAGDALENA LOPEZ. 8 lbs 9 oz, 20 inches long. We’re waiting for a picture I can post

so stay tuned for that

💗jilly

We had to put Christmas on hold so we could help our dear neighbor, Kara. She is moving to an assisted living apartment in Santa Rosa to be near her eldest daughter, Eva. She’s had some medical problems that have made it necessary not to live alone anymore. So Eva turned to us to help get her there by Christmas. It turned into a monumental task to rid her home of years of saved paperwork and years of collecting before we could decide what to take. And then had to find it. Eva, with a little help from us, Kara’s other daughter Lauretta, we got it done. Kara flew by medical transport Thursday night to her new place in time to be there for Christmas dinner. YAY, but we will miss you Kara.

So we haven’t had time to decorate, buy present’s, or send cards. We did take a break to visit the ‘Mission Inn’ in Riverside, known for its light display for the holidays. That did put some spirit back in our souls.

we had reservations to spend the night to really soak in the atmosphere. The inn has a long history~check it out

Frank and Linda joined us. It was so much fun and so festive.

The original owner collected bells~they are all over the property and the ring periodically, it was magic

ok, we can top that

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH EVERYONE

❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚

💗jilly

Our neighbor, Rosemary, recently shared some of her homemade sauerkraut wit us. It was so good I ate it all and Jerry didn’t get any. I don’t know if you all know that fermented foods, like sauerkraut, are very good for gut health. And I do have problems with that. It did help, but you have to eat it often, like every day.

The taste sparked a memory of when me and Jerry’s grandmother, Nanny, were canning sauerkraut. I was growing so much cabbage, she taught me what to do with it. Just like with all my tomatoes, we canned everything from stewed tomato’s to ketchup. Cucumber’s to pickles, strawberries to jam, and so on. I loved gardening and learned so much from her.

That’s Nanny on the right and Jerry’s aunt Lucille, Jerry’s mom sister, on the left, in Lucille’s kitchen. You could always find Nanny in the kitchen. She loved to cook. The recipe box was Lucille’s.

Rosemary’s sauerkraut had a very positive effect on my gut. So I felt I had to start making it again or pay her to make it for me. I was afraid to ask for that. So I got me a crock, listened to Rosemary, looked online and I was in business.

My first batch was a little salty, so I adjusted. This is my second batch. I started with two heads of cabbage

And this is what you get. There’s a head of cabbage in each jar. It’s still not as good as hers, but I do like it

Have a good day and stay tuned

💗jilly

We have been eating high on the hog for a few weeks now, and enjoyed every minute. But it’s time to cut that out and eat a little more sensibly now

We had soooo many incredibly delicious meals in Las Vegas. Thank you again Frank&Linda

Plus, Tony&Thuy treated us to a family style dinner at P.F.Changes after our boat ride to celebrate our anniversary. So many delicious choices, the lettuce wraps being my favorite. We brought home the many leftovers, enough tor another meal. Thank you Tony&Thuy

Our gift from Tony &Thuy. This is the an enlargement of the only picture we have of our wedding. Tony wanted to improve the original, but sadly it couldn’t be improved just enlarged. I love it just the way it is and the frame is beautiful and special.

Plus, Linda made us an incredibly delicious dinner on our actual anniversary, November 2nd, served alfresco on their beautiful backyard patio. Mike and Rosemary joined us to help celebrate 🎉 Again we had enough leftovers to make another meal. Thank you again Frank&Linda

Plus, While Tracy was here we ate at a lot of her favorite places. She misses some of the things she can’t get in North Dakota. She said you can’t get a decent bagel, or jack in the box taco’s, chipotle bowls, strawberry scone’s, InNOut burger, or the famous Costco $1.50 hot dog-drink combo.

It was so nice to have her home again. Thank you for coming to celebrate and spend time with us Tracy💗

Talking about food we just lost our absolute favorite pizza restaurant, Ecco’s. It was Tracy’s favorite also. She was looking forward to eating there while here, so we got in the car, drove there and parked. We headed towards the door and it was covered in paper. We were horribly surprised, it is closed permanently. Never read anything in the paper. After 45 years, I guess the pandemic probably did them in😢we’re going to miss those #77 special pizza’s.

And now it might be happening again to our favorite steak place to hangout.

This is an article in the Long Beach Post by Tim Grobaty.

and so, on Sunday, Tony and Thuy treated us to another dinner for Jerry’s 79th birthday in that very restaurant that could maybe be our last? It is a kitschy place, but we love it that way. Jerry says the steak and lobster is some of the best he’s ever had. I had the Liver and Onions, one of my favorites that most restaurants don’t serve anymore. And it was delicious! I had some leftovers to bring home too. Thanks again Tony&Thuy

kinda looks like a dive, doesn’t it?

getting back to normal now

first up making sauerkraut

stay tuned💗jilly

Thanks to everyone for gifts, cards, and well wishes for our anniversary. It has been a fun experience and celebration of our 60 years together.

Last Saturday, Tony treated us to another joyous celebration. On a Duffy boat. We cruised around Long Beach harbor, even getting up close to the Queen Mary. Tracy flew from North Dakota as her gift to us. Amy and Emily, with her boyfriend Nick, came also. With their schedules it’s a rare treat to have them both at the same time. Frank and Linda joined us, and Tony and Thuy piloted the boat.We had snacks, champagne, wine, and sparkling juice while enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. What fun we dad.

Linda was taking most of the pictures

⬆️This was a very interesting boat⬆️

You’re a star too Amy

We passed the Reef restaurant which is where we had dinner the day we got married. We’ve celebrated many anniversaries there over the years. It’s still in business, but they only host large groups now. Our little group didn’t qualify.

Thanks Tony and Thuy. It was grand!!!

And next we are going to P.F. Chang’s for dinner.

stay tuned

💗jilly

To make our trip even better, Linda and I had spa pedicures. Thuy’s brother owns a nail shop and we were treated to this special pedicure. You even get warm wax rubbed on your feet at one point. It was divine.
If you’ve never had one get out and get one. Even if your feet are ugly, as mine are, they don’t care.
You probably should leave a bigger tip if they are ugly though.

I mentioned before about the new restaurants in the hotel. I only got a picture of the Vanderpump. I loved the decor but we never ate there. It wasn’t open but Linda snuck in and I took her picture. It looks like it could be Lisa Vanderpump of ‘Real Housewives’ fame sitting there.

so, it’s back to the real world now. No more espresso martinis for breakfast, no more two meals a day at MonAmiGabi. No more Vegas shows to go to. No more sticking our fingers in noses.
But we have our good friends next door to reminisce about our wonderful trip and thank for our wonderful trip, for years to come.

thanks for following our adventures-I love that you tag along and leave me comments😁

The Duffy boat is next

💗jilly