Friday, January 11 through Friday, January 25: New Truck, Death of a Brother, Life Happens

On Friday, I drove to my chiropractic appointment in Flagstaff. I have been thinking of buying a new truck, so before heading home, I stopped at the Planet Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep dealership. I walked into an open door and met Skyler Nissl. He asked if he could help me. I told him that I was looking at some Dodge vehicles to pull my 32 foot travel trailer. Skyler, refreshingly, took out a pad of paper and began taking notes. He confirmed that the Dodge SUV was not hefty enough for the task. He suggested a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. The model that had the leather seats (yes!) was a Laramie.

I test drove a black one in stock. I told Skyler that I was a member of Costco and wanted to use their car buying service. He was familiar with their program and said he could match the price. Suddenly, I was being lured in! Skyler showed me a package that included over $10,000 of rebates and savings. My son Rick told me that with his two Ram trucks, he bought them at $10,000 - 12,000 below sticker price. I called Tom and discussed pulling the plug and buying a new truck. Skyler responded to some of Tom's questions and emailed some information to him.

I told Skyler that I wanted a light interior and a light exterior. He found a Silver crew cab at a sister dealership in Bullhead City --- with a light brown/tan interior. Done! Skyler was going to personally drive to Bullhead City to pick up the truck that evening. They would work on some of the prep work on Saturday, finish on Monday, and I could pick it up in the afternoon. Delightful!

Saturday night, we had some snow. It continued all night, but only left a little over 3 inches. Since starting my Keto diet on January 2, I have lost the nagging five pounds that made my clothes fit so uncomfortably. Part of the diet is to cut out my wine consumption. Alcohol is not recommended, but if I must imbibe, it should be clear. Can you say Vodka? Over the weekend, Tom made me several dirty martinis with blue cheese stuffed green olives 😊😊😊

Tom thought that a good diversion in the wintry weather was a good jigsaw puzzle. I showed him where I housed my jigsaw puzzles, and he selected one that I have done once before. But, it is a cute one. So, half of my dining room table is filled with puzzle fun!

Tom helped find the flat pieces to frame the puzzle, but it has been my own "labor of love" ever since.

On Monday, I had a ninety minute massage with Natanya. Tom saw her for the first time the following week. I moved my Natanya appointment to an earlier one, as it was time to pick up my new truck in Flagstaff. Skyler spent about 40 minutes going over the truck features. And, I was off! By the time we got home, the sun was down. So, Tom snapped a photo of me and my new truck in the garage.

Originally, I was going to trade in my 2003 GMC Sierra truck for $3,000. It has over 339,000 miles on the odometer! But, it is a diesel and has a longer life span. Tom's son, Jon, asked if he could buy it instead. Where he lives in Williams does not have city water. The water needs to be hauled in by private company or by a truck with a plastic water tank. Jon decided that the $3,000 investment in my truck was a good one. So, my truck now resides on Jon's property.

The Tuesday Highland Meadows Ladies breakfast was cancelled because the weather forecast was for snow. But, the snow never came. Instead, we had several days of rain. The temperature was too warm for snow.

Several of my projects this week was to organize my new truck. I ordered a bed cover on Monday --- with installation on Friday. I shopped Amazon for a 4Knines cargo cover, to protect the back seat leather from the three dogs.

I also ordered two WeatherTech front seat floor mats in a Cocoa brown color.

On Wednesday, we stopped by Jon's home in Williams. Since Jon is in Tennessee, Tom has been dropping by his home to check on everything. The roads in Jon's neighborhood are not paved. Since Tom's car was muddy, I asked Tom if we could drop by Bearizona. I wanted a Bearizona bumper sticker for my new truck. It also seemed like a good day to drive through the park. It was just after 2:00 p.m. and the animals were being fed and active.

Hello, Mr. Wolf!

It was also time to post on Instagram and Facebook a photo of me with my new truck. Done!

Thursday morning, I drove Tom to Flagstaff. He was having a throat procedure that required anesthesia. After that, he is not allowed to drive for 24 hours.

At about 1:00 p.m., the center called me and said that Tom was ready to be discharged. So, I headed to the Patient Discharge. Tom's doctor came in and reviewed the results of the procedure. All looked good, and biopsy results next week.

Tom was very hungry, so we went to Hiro's Sushi for lunch. I had sashimi and seaweed salad. Tom had a large Bento box.

We got back home around 3:00 p.m. It was 3:35 p.m. when my brother Peter called. Peter told me that my brother John was dead. Oh, my gosh! John was only 56. Tears poured out as Peter told me what transpired that day. A friend of Johns called the police because she was not able to reach him for day. They found him dead in his Marina del Rey apartment. I was numb and heartbroken. I couldn't stop crying. Peter and my sister Wendy were heading to his apartment to meet with the police and coroner. My other sister Carrie was driving up from South Orange County. How could this be?

This is John's Facebook profile photo. The last entry in his timeline was mine on January 2: Christmas 2018 with all six Shelton siblings.

Later that night, Wendy contacted me. The coroner estimated that John had been dead for 12 hours. They took his body to a local mortuary. Wendy and Peter had a Friday morning meeting at the mortuary. Several of John's friends shared that John had complained of a flu bug. We have a family history of heart disease, too. It was agreed by all to have an autopsy performed on John. Because of the suddenness of his death, we wanted answers.

Friday was a difficult day. I called my sister Carrie and my sister Kim. I had an early morning appointment with my new GP medical professional, Daniel Knight. I needed a mammogram referral and four new prescription renewals. Tom and I drove to Flagstaff in separate cars. I was leaving my truck at ACE Automotive --- to have my truck bed cover installed.

I also had an appointment to have my annual optometry exam. While Tom and I were waiting to get a call that my truck was ready for pick-up, Tom took his truck to Jiffy Lube for an oil change.

Saturday morning, I woke up early. I decided it was time to post about my brother John's passing. I first went to his Facebook profile. I found a beautiful poem.

I used a beautiful photo that my sister Carrie took in November.

After posting John William Shelton (1962-2019) with poem and photo on his Facebook page, I waited an hour and then posted the same on Instagram and my Facebook page.

All weekend, I was numb thinking about John. One of my high school friends called. She saw the Instagram post about John. I, of course, started crying. Laurie lived one house away from us in San Marino. We all grew up together.

The cargo liner for my truck arrived from Amazon. It is perfect. It covers most of the back seat area and the dog beds and camouflage quilt fit well. The dogs will be so comfortable!

I had a facial appointment in Flagstaff with Sue Kelly. Prior to that appointment, I stopped by the Planet Dodge Chrysler dealership. My sales person, Skyler, was going to show me how I can listen to my Rush Limbaugh app in my car. I wrote down the "workaround" and left it in the truck.

My brother Peter and my sister Kim went to John's Marina del Rey apartment. Earlier in the week, my other sisters, Wendy and Carrie, cleaned out most of the apartment. It needed to be ready for rental. Peter and Kim saw something amazing as they walked to the Venice pier. Peter captured a photo.

It was a cross-shaped sun. All five siblings think it was a sign from John. He loves us and he is fine.

Tom and I had a card playing date with Libby and Gus Beatty. This time, it was at our home. So, I had to complete the jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table. Fortunately, I was far enough along that I met the challenge.

We had a nice evening with Libby and Gus. Tom taught the three of us the card game of euchre. I had heard of this game through Bill and Pat Wheeler. It is primarily a mid-west card game.

Thursday, December 27 through Thursday, January 10: Malibu, Italians, and the New Year

Francesco and Thomas were scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at 6:50 pm Thursday night. So, I contacted Ellen Burson to see if she was going to be at her Malibu home earlier in the day. Ellen has been wanting me to visit, and I knew that Mark and the dogs were still in Southern California. Ellen said "come on over!" So, I left downtown LA around 9:00 a.m. It is a one hour drive to Malibu. Ellen and Mark live in a high-end modular home park. Their home was originally a trailer, but it had been upgraded before they bought it four years ago.

Ellen and I took a walk to the beach and hike Point Dume. The day was beautiful for a long neighborhood walk.

In November, Ellen had to be evacuated from her Malibu home because of the Woolsey Fire. I had no idea how close the fire came to their home. It spread down a canyon to the beach. Three homes --- only 200-300 feet away --- were totaled.

Mark arrived home about a half hour before I had to leave. So, I was able to get a quick photo of the two of them --- in front of their Christmas tree.

I decided to drive back to downtown LA using Kanan Dume Road. This area was hard hit by the Woolsey fire. I drove through blackened hills and burnt home sites.

When I arrived back at the Jonathan Town Club, I took a shower and readied myself to go to LAX. Francesco and Thomas had a Brittish Airways flight that was running 30 minutes late. LAX completed a remodel since I last was there. Francesco's and Thomas' plane landed, but it look over two hours for them to get through customs. It was a great reunion!

By the time we left LAX, the traffic had thinned. Thomas had not slept on the flight, so he crashed in their hotel room. Francesco and I had a simple meal in the dining room at the Standard Hotel.

Friday, was Hollywood and the two Getty Museums. So, I picked Francesco and Thomas up at 9:00 a.m.

First stop, the Hollywood sign.

Then, we went to Hollywood and Vine to stroll the "Walk of Fame" and visit Grauman's Chinese Theater. Since Francesco and Thomas are from Italy, we could not miss this imprint!

After Hollywood, we drove to the Getty Museum in West Los Angeles. We had lunch in the cafeteria and headed for the viewpoint. It was a magnificently clear day.

Ellen Burson had coached me on what to see. She had been there several days before. It is always nice to see some of the famous European artists like Vincent Van Gogh.

After the European artists, we walked through to other exhibits. There is always time for a photo opportunity.

At about 2:00 pm, it was time to head to the Getty Villa in Malibu. We had 3:00 p.m. tickets. I thought that I had been to the Getty Villa years ago. But, I did not recognize anything! So, maybe it was somewhere else. Anyway, we were able to catch a 3:30 p.m. Docent Architecture Tour.

We did view some of the gallery pieces, like the Lansdowne Hercules.

J. P. Getty knew that people would fatigue from viewing all of the art pieces in any museum. So, he put a lot of effort in the outdoor gardens --- a nice mental diversion.

We spent over an hour and a half at the Getty Villa. The sun would be setting a little after 5:00 p.m. So, I drove Francesco and Thomas to the Jonathan Beach Club for the ocean and a happy hour. First stop, the ocean. This was the first time Thomas saw the Pacific Ocean. He was amazed at how calm it was.

Francesco and Thomas loved the lifeguard stations. It reminded Thomas of the television series, Baywatch.

We had adult beverages and some appetizers at the club. It was very nice! The three of us had a long day. And, tomorrow was Universal Studios Hollywood. So, I dropped Francesco and Thomas off at their hotel and we all had a casual evening.

The Red Line Metro from downtown takes you directly to the Universal Studios Metro Station in North Hollywood. So, Francesco, Thomas, and I walked two blocks to the metro. It took only 23 minutes to get to the Universal Studios Metro Station.

Barbara Coad and Sara Edwards both told me to purchase the Express Passes for Universal Studios. It is a "get in front of the line" pass that costs 2 1/2 times the price of the regular admission. But, on a Saturday --- during the holidays --- it was worth every penny! We were able to go on the seven top rides in four hours. The Harry Potter ride had a 240 minute waiting time --- four hours for just ONE ride!

The studio tour by bus had some familiar features, and many new features. It took about 45 minutes. It was fun to see that Jaws still lives on the studio lot :-)

There was an amazing reunion on one of the down escalators at Universal. As the three of us were heading down to the lower section of the park, Francesco ran into two fellows from Milan --- one of whom went to medical school with Francesco!

It that amazing or what!

We left Universal Studios and headed back to downtown Los Angeles by metro. We had several hours to rest and relax in our respective hotels before going out for our next activity --- dinner on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I made dinner reservations at the Sir Winston's Restaurant for 7:00 p.m. We arrived about 40 minutes early, walked around the ship, and had a round of cocktails before dinner. For dinner, Francesco and I had Chateaubriand for two.

Thomas had the Beef Wellington. All were prepared bloody rare. All were delicious! After dinner, we headed back to the truck. It was an uneventful drive back to downtown Los Angeles.

The next morning was my last day with Francesco and Thomas. I also had to pack up my room and take all of my belongings to the truck. I started early, as my sister, Wendy, was going to be dropped off at the Jonathan Club at 10:00 a.m. She most recently saw Francesco in Piza --- October, 2015.

Wendy, Barbara, Richard, and I took a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. We met up with Francesco and his parents for a day in Piza. Wendy and I picked up the boys at their hotel. They were ready and packed as well.

The first part of the day was to cruise Beverly Hills. Can you say Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills Hotel, magnificent mansions? We then drove to Venice Beach. Sara Edwards told me about a good restaurant, the Rose Restaurant. We had a wonderful brunch there.

After our meal, we walked two blocks to the beach. We walked a few blocks on the strand, before heading back to the truck. We even passed the condominium apartment building where Wendy's brother-in-law, Kam, lived for many years.

Next visit, Pasadena. Francesco wanted to show Thomas where Richard and I lived when Francesco lived with us in 2002. The San Rafael hills home --- in the hillside canyon --- is hard to see from the road. We dropped Wendy off at her nearby home. I then took Francesco and Thomas to Union Station. They had a 3:00 p.m. train to San Diego.

After dropping them off, I drove back to Williams. I got home about 10:00 p.m. Tom was waiting up for me. I am glad that I drove the whole way home, as Tom and I woke up to 3 inches of new snow of New Year's Eve!

Fortunately, the next day was New Year's Day. And it was a bright and sunny day.

New Year's Day was casual. We had dinner at home and enjoyed a bottle of champagne that Terry and Peter, my sister-in-law and brother, gave us for Christmas.

Awkwardly, we took a selfie toast!

On Tuesday, January 2, Tom and I headed to Flagstaff. We picked up the dogs at Cinder Hills Kennel and then, Tom had a doctor's appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Mackin. Later in the day, Libby Beatty and I attended the monthly meeting of SAVE-Meant to Rescue. It was our first meeting. This organization is focused on building a Williams rescue for dogs and cats.

It is time for me to lose some weight. I have gained eight pounds in the past eight months. I feel so uncomfortable in my clothes. In the past, I have used the South Beach Diet. I decided to do something different. The Keto diet --- low carbs, high fat, no sugar, no flour --- was the new direction. I bought a cook book on Amazon.

Thursday, it was time to get back into pickleball. So, Tom and I played from 10:00 a.m. to noon. I had not played since before I left for California and the Christmas holidays. I caught a cold with a cough in California. So, I began chomping on throat lozenges and taking Dayquil several times a day.

Friday afternoon, Tom and I went over to Libby and Gus Beatty's home to play cards. They introduced us to several games. One was Shaghai Rummy. We had a fun time!

We had more snow on Saturday. It was still snowing when I took the dogs out for their first walk.

It was time to put the dog coats in the laundry room. Winter is here!

Sunday was more pickleball. While the Rodeo Barn is not a perfect venue, it is still nice to play the game and enjoy the company.

The Highland Meadows ladies got together for breakfast on Tuesday. It was Pine Country Restaurant this time. Good food!

On Wednesday, Kelsey had an appointment at the Williams Veterinary Clinic. She has a growth on her eyelid that needs to be surgically removed. Since she was going to be given anesthesia, it was suggested to have her teeth cleaned too. That same day, Tom had to take his bipap machine to Flagstaff to be adjusted. I needed to pick-up a new jet for my spa. So, I went with him.

The new jet was ready for my pick-up. It is a little darker in color, but not a problem.

Poor Kelsey. She had to have several teeth pulled.

Tom's 92 year old mother is having some health issues. Mary O'Dell lives in an assisted living facility in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area. She has taken some recent falls --- and she is having some memory failings. Tom and I are trying to keep our calendar fairly clean --- just in case we need to head back east.

I need to have my Brighton wallet fixed. The middle zipper slider broke off. I looked in Flagstaff to see if there were any replacement zipper sliders. No luck. So, I decided to use the internet to find a repair service.

I found Leather Spa in New York City. So, I mailed the unit there.

My Italians, Francesco and Thomas, continued their USA trip. They went to Death Valley National Park while in Las Vegas.

They finished in San Francisco. A must --- Alcatraz Island!