Another week gone bay

The time passes so fast I almost can not keep up with the writing.

The week started with Aariel and Ryan moving back into there house and being very happy about it.

Patricia and I went over to help with the unpacking and hung out for a while.

It's great to be back home again (does a John Denver song come to mind?)

On Friday we celebrated William's birthday with a party and as always had great food and lots of fun.  The entertainment for the evening was the Hugo, which we very much enjoyed.

Natalie takes the best pictures; they move me every time.

Check out Natalie's Chicken Blog; it uplifts me on a daily basis.

Patricia having great conversation with Guillaume, an intern from Belgium

Everyone is having a great time.

And William is trying to blow out the trick candles. 

Saturday morning we went for breakfast at the Saint Tropez cafe down in the village with Michal and Kelly.  Then there was another dinner to be had; we had the Meredith's visiting from Austin, Texas.  After a short visit at our place, we went to have dinner at Ashley and Peter's place.

Great evening and compliments to the chef's

Today is a day of blogging, and Patricia is getting ready for our taxes, a yearly reoccurring pain in the zorch.

  

Don't tell me

This is as bad as it gets here in Southern California - most of the time.  On Saturday we had a great day, and as you can see, nice canopies for shade,

This is what it is supposed to look like.

and on Tuesday morning after a wind/rain storm, this is what it looked like.

We made one out of the two in the end, so it was not a total disaster.

Never thought this is happening

Sunday morning it was time to drive north to Huntington Beach (half way to LA).  Aariel invited us to help her with a yard sale, prior to their moving back to their house in Oceanside this week.

This is what one does when one moves, I guess.

After we had been there for a while, she said that this was not the only reason she wanted to see us, then she announced that she and Ryan are having a next generation, (not sure what that generation will be called), and Patricia and I will be Oma and Opa.  I needed a break after that announcement.

Fortunately, I have a few month to get used to the ideas.

Back in the swing of things

Once again, we had a great party on Saturday, but first I had to get out of the hospital. Here is a picture of my roommate leaving two days before me.

This is my roommate at leaving

I was discharged at 2:10pm, just after the party had started, so when we got home, some friends were already there having a good time.  I had asked the doctor if I could drink alcohol, and he said yes, a glass of red is fine. So I did:>)

Max serving shaved ice, and his Mom and Dad looking on.

As always there were lots of neighbors and friends hanging out, having a great time, catching up and meeting new people.

There is something to see, but what?

The children had a great time playing and making friends, and at some point in the afternoon, the gave a dance performance to banjo playing by Eli. We were also treated to an inspirational speech by 12-year-old Miguel who talked about taking action regarding global warming - specifically to replant trees to renew our Eco system.

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Later as the sun went down, we hung out around the fire-pit and later went inside and sat around the fire in Michal's living room and ate a delicious minestrone soup that Natalie had made.

Great party, and we are happy to be home again, even though we are not sure where home will be in the near future.

Get me out of here

Patricia and I spend another weekend at Anza, having a great time, except my left leg was hurting a bit and looked swollen, so we did the next best thing and asked Guido and Annette what it could mean.
The reply was a possible thrombosis (blood clot) and to put the leg up, put some ice on it and stay that way for a while, which suited me just fine; I did need an excuse not to work, physically, anyway.
He also mentioned that I should have it looked at by a doctor when we got back down the mountain.

Wednesday, we decided that since I don't have a personal doctor yet, I should go to the ER in Encinitas at the Scripps Hospital near where we live to have it looked at; so here I am.

Luckily we've averted anything dangerous - which I understand can happen- I have a blood clot in my left leg and some small ones in my lungs, but nothing that can not be fixed by thinning my blood, and as Patricia found in the literature, losing some of my excess weight.

I do have a problem, because on Saturday we have a party in the Biergarten, and I want to be there, so I may have to do a runner if they won't let me out by then.

It's been a few decades since I was last in a Hospital and lots has changed; the first thing I noticed was all the electronics they have; just think what would happen if the electricity ever failed ( I know they have generators); they would have a problem moving a bed, let alone doing anything else.

The one thing that is still there are the nurses giving you a smile and comfort when sitting or lying there waiting to get out of here.