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Showing posts from October, 2025

Cooke's Coffee, Shopping with Sue and Writing

It's so funny! Ann said she would NEVER buy me more coffee because I have "too much," which maybe she's right... Lucille said I drink too much coffee, and Ann agreed. They think I should have maybe two cups and call it a day. I drink a pot, and if I thought I could get away with it, I'd make another pot for good measure. So, Ann went to Canada and New York for a total of eleven days, and everyone kept asking her if she had tried this amazing Cooke's Coffee. It was so amazing that she had to pick up a bag of coffee for me and a 2nd for Steven, but on her way back through customs, they checked only the dark roast bag. Sue was teasing and said, "So if you find anything in your bag of coffee, it's courtesy of Ann."  Poor Ann.  But nope. There is nothing but coffee in the bag. I know customs is probably looking to make sure it was sealed, but does anyone remember the toys at the bottom of cereal boxes? That's what I sort of thought when Sue and An...

Huge Puzzle Trade, Haunted Hayride LA and Writing

I went to this huge puzzle exchange. I dragged Ann and Sue to do it, which I'm so glad I was able to. They both have strengths in areas I'm very weak in.  Ann did so much talking. She actually talked up my YouTube puzzle channel to anyone who would listen. (She's pushing that I get business cards and T-shirts with our logo). Sue is much more organized than I am. She stayed with the puzzles and wrote down the lot numbers for the people trading with us. I only brought 20 puzzles to trade. Out of those 20, we brought 7 of our stock back. So how did I end up with 45+ puzzles to bring home?  I blame Ann. She said people were just telling her to take what she wanted. I was really surprised because the very first trade I went to, people were guarding their *treasure* like dragons. This trade group down by Magic Mountain was so laid back, and people really were telling us to take what we wanted. I told them to come and take our puzzles too, but very few people did. That's how w...

Yes Man, Strangers to Friends and Writing

Much like the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey, sometimes I like to just see what opportunities await if I just say "Yes."  That said, I was walking Mozart in an unfamiliar place, and this man asked me to come inside. Now. I'm not a quick thinker, but something inside of me said, "Okay, let's see." So I followed him inside.  Let's call him Mr. P, and he was probably my mother's age. He was one of eleven children!  I had the most wonderful conversation with him. He was giddy like a little school boy because he had just gotten married. It sounds a little complicated, but everything in life is.  This was his mother's house, who recently passed away. He was giving her stuff away, and I guess a woman dressed like she hadn't showered in weeks with a little mutty-looking dog was the person to put his trust into. However, there was nothing I could fit into my apartment, which is sad because I would love to have a piece of his memory in my ho...

Jaws 50th Anniversary, Scrapbooking and Writing

So many exciting things are coming up this month!  Sue is back from her adventure, and we went out for lunch. That was so much fun. We had a chance to catch up over strawberry margaritas. She has such a busy schedule with yoga and guitar lessons. She volunteers and also tutors on the side.  I went to the airport to pick up Ann. It feels like I was just there at the Burbank Airport.... maybe because I was. We dropped her off at the commune, and I stayed while they fed Ann. There was a little wine left over after book club (not my club, but the commune's club), so I poured a little to taste. Sue said she had no desire to finish the wine, so she told me to take the bottle home. That was incredibly nice of her. There is a Jaws 50th Anniversary party in the park. We're thinking about doing that.  I also need to drive down to the puzzle exchange location to make sure I know where to find it. It's in the same direction as Magic Mountain. I like that area. Emory and Sue both thin...

Grand Junction, Durango, Silverton, Colorado Springs, Denver

 The vacation continued because the posts can get way too long: Grand Junction was so fun. There was a lot to do, so we did some sightseeing. Nothing too crazy, but we did check out a winery, and then our hotel had a live band, so we went for a quick snack, which consisted of chips and salsa, along with more drinks.  Durango was our next stop. We had a ghost tour that met downtown, which was within walking distance from our hotel, but we didn't want to walk because we were both so exhausted. So there was a spot that is now a toy shop, but it used to be the morgue. They would prop the bodies along the walls outside to thaw so they could stick them into caskets. We took pictures, but we didn't go into the toy shop. We also saw the hanging tree. We went to a salon for drinks.... yes, we did this more than I thought we would, but we met the hotel manager, and he said he would give us a tour if we came back the next day. We got on the Silverton to Durango train. That was so much fu...