I stayed in…Tom went out with his family…Reaching out to old friends…

A few chickens were walking around a restaurant in Ribeira Brava, Madeira, Portugal, while we dined.

Yesterday, as the day progressed, I decided I didn’t want to go to Billy’s Bar & Grill to meet up with Tom’s siblings. It wasn’t specifically that I wasn’t feeling well. It was a matter of simply not feeling like going out and possibly being up very late. Tom offered to stay with me, but I encouraged him to go. He left at about 2:45 to arrive by the planned 3:30.

After Billy’s, where they ate popcorn and had drinks and dinner, they all decided to go to Mary and Eugene’s home to play cards. I would have enjoyed playing cards, but as it turned out, Tom didn’t return to the hotel until around 2:00 am, making me realize I’d never been able to stay up that late. His family usually stays up very late when they get together.

While Tom was gone, I had a light dinner of Greek yogurt and raspberries and scoured through our streaming services, looking for something to stream. I must have started 20 movies and stopped them after ten minutes when the concepts were unappealing. I don’t like superheroes or fantasy movies. Most of the movie themes were preposterous, and I prefer a film with some reality to hold my attention. Finally, I went to bed and watched videos on YouTube.

At this point in my life, I feel a need to wrap up my evening by 11:00 pm and be asleep by midnight. As an early riser, getting to bed at 2:00 am would leave me exhausted during the day, especially in my weakened condition. I am doing everything I can to stay as healthy as possible while waiting for the August appointments at the Cleveland Clinic…good food, adequate sleep, exercise, and low stress.

When he returned at 2:00 am, I was wide awake. There was thunder and lightning all evening, and I’d been concerned about him returning safely late at night with all the crazy drivers on the road. When I heard him entering the room, I was relieved and happy to hear his voice. We chatted a bit, and then it took a while to get to sleep.

I’d anticipated we’d sleep later, but we were up early and headed to breakfast in the hotel by 8:30, showered, and dressed for the day.

Tonight, we’re going out to dinner with railroad friends Mary Kay and Frank, whom we haven’t seen since Tom’s retirement party at the end of October 2012. They’ve been reading our posts and saw we will be in Minnesota for some time. It will be wonderful to see them.

Planning dinner with Mary Kay and Franks reminds us that it’s important for us to reach out to old friends. Often, old friends assume we are so busy with family that we don’t have time to spend with friends. But that’s not the case. Our kids and grandkids have busy lives, and we see them when it works well for them. We don’t expect them to change their schedules and routines for us, especially this time when we’ll be here for so long.

Yesterday, I was able to do the exercise bike for 12 minutes. Hopefully, today, I can do it for 13 minutes or more. My heart rate makes me stop biking, not that I’m tired or my legs give out.

Tonight, we’re going to the Cheesecake Factory in Edina, about ten minutes from here. Much of their food is very high carb, but I can have any of a few “skinnylicious” salads. Tom can always find something he likes at that restaurant.

Have a fantastic weekend, and be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 18, 2014:

Our new home, a photo taken by Gina, for highlighting the house advertised on what is now called VRBO, which formerly was HomeAway. For more photos, please click here.

Correction in yesterday’s post about Medicare, Plan G for foreign travel…

This restaurant, Luna Rossa, is about a one-minute walk once we get down one flight of stairs.

I made an error in yesterday’s comprehensive post about supplement Plan G, which I chose as an adjunct to Plan B enrollment. My insurance agent, Janet Mueller, at jmueller@teameip.com, noted the need to make a correction, which I’ve done on the post and noted today. See below for details:

  • Maximum annual $50,000, with $250 deductible, which pays 80%, on emergency medical services for foreign travel outside the US. Air and ground ambulance are covered. Here is a link with information on ambulance and air ambulance services for Plan G.
  • Tom sure loves bread.

Now that the Medicare information is posted and hopefully clear for those interested, we’re moving on to other topics, such as our first evening out to dinner last night in The Village, one flight down an outside stairway from the hallway on our floor.

We had a lovely time in the restaurant. We went to the Italian restaurant Luna Rossa, a one-minute walk once we got downstairs to the ground level. We’d thought of going to the Mexican restaurant but, at the last minute, decided against it when I’d planned to make beef enchiladas on Monday.

Tom’s delicious lasagne.

Only a few items on the Mexican restaurant’s menu appealed to Tom with some modifications. Most Mexican restaurants serve Spanish rice and refried beans with each entree, neither of which Tom will eat. Taking those two items away from a plate may leave little to eat. As a result, he only likes taco salad with beef, not chicken. Of course, he could ask for meat instead of chicken, but he doesn’t care to ask for special adjustments when he orders off a menu.

On the other hand, I’m always asking for special adjustments for my orders to ensure they are gluten-free, starch-free, and sugar-free. I always tell Tom, “We’re the customer paying the bill. It’s ok to ask for changes, especially if we’re willing to pay for upgrades that may increase the price.”

My mussels and clams in a tasty broth.

Oh well, we each do it our way. He’s a picky eater due to his taste buds, and I am picky only to ensure I don’t eat anything that isn’t suitable for my way of eating. If I didn’t eat this way, I pretty much like everything.

Once seated at Luna Rossa without reservation on a Saturday night, we felt at ease at the table for four with a crisp white tablecloth and lovely table setting. The service was fast and friendly, primarily by older Italian gentlemen with experience. More servers were in the restaurant than customers, but about half of the tables were occupied, which surprised us.

I can always find something to eat in Italian restaurants even when most of the dishes contain pasta, none of which I’ll order. Tom had the delicious lasagne, a good-sized portion, made to perfection. I ordered the mussels and clam in a delightful broth that I finished with a spoon. We each ordered one drink, a brandy and Sprite for Tom and a lovely Merlot for me.

The restaurant was surprisingly busy. We didn’t expect the eateries in The Village to be busy.

The wine glass was huge, and there couldn’t have been more than four ounces of wine in it, typical for somewhat fancier dining establishments. But the drinks and food were plenty for us. Tom enjoyed the basket of bread, which only came with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, neither of which he’d eat. He started eating the dry, unbuttered bread but didn’t ask for butter. When the waiter passed, we asked for butter, and Tom dug into the bread.

Our dinner bill was $98, including tax and tip. We could have easily had two nights’ dinners at Jabula for this amount, including drinks, tax, and tip. At these prices, we’ll only eat out once a week.

The short walk back to our place was refreshing in the cool air at only 40F. As I write here this morning, it’s only 46F, typical for the winter cool desert temps. I love this cool weather in Las Vegas, especially when it’s sweltering in the summer months.

I’m off to take the bedding to dry in the laundry room using the handy laundry app on my phone. As mentioned, we have a washer in our unit but no dryer. We dry everything else on the portable laundry rack we purchased at Amazon.

Today will be a football day. Last night, we watched an exciting game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. No spoilers here if you haven’t watched it.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, January 14, 2014:

Baby warthog is sleeping in our yard, while mom and three other babies munched on vegetation. For more, please click here.