Sam Cropper taking down our Christmas lights


Boxes to Sue.
Home from meeting and check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Sam here to help put up new flag and to take down Christmas lights. I to office and work for awhile. Call Jimmy George and we talk for some time. Beth brings by groceries for tonight's dinner. TV: Robin Hood of Texas with Gene Autry. Fix lunch and eat while viewing. Beth calls. Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail. Take pills; feed girls. Open mail for Beth. Talk to Tom Snow. Sweep floors; clean up side yard. Start boiling water for Beth. Start to watch O'Reilly; Beth home. Unload her car and she begins to cook Italian dinner she planned. We eat - good dinner. After, clean up kitchen. To office and she works while I write here. Bed early. Later ~

Misty - on watch

Took Tommy Snow to meeting this morning; George Guyer took him to breakfast and then home.
I home from meeting and check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Start writing here. Drive to Beth place of employment and pick up Met, the photographer, and drive him to airport. Drop him there. Drive home - check e-mail. Watched Gene Autry in Rovin' Tumbleweeds. Made some lunch and ate while viewing. Talk to Beth. She was prepped for radiation this morning - starts on the 4th. I down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail; take pills; feed girls; open mail for Beth. Beth got some UPS deliveries plus mail from her employers' company. Call her to let her know. Work at computer for awhile. Start watch O'Reilly then Beth comes home - she to bank - then she's home for good. Bring in a bunch of her things and finally sit and talk. I fix dinner and we eat. She does a wash or two; I get ready for bed. I in bed before her. She in - Later ~

Filming Rio Diablo at Alamo Village, TX

Writing credit for Rio Diablo

Home from meeting - check e-mail and news sites with girls, crackers and cheese. Work at computer for awhile. No Rush 24/7 video-cam. Read some more news sites. TV: Watch some more recorded shows. Make some lunch and continue to watch Joel McCrea in Colorado Territory. Make some lunch and eat while viewing. Call Beth and talk. Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail. Take pills; open mail for Beth. Snooze in front of TV for awhile. Up and call Tom Snow to set time I pick him up in morning. Watch some news and wait for O'Reilly. Beth home and unloads. I cook then we eat. Both into office to do some work. Shannon calls. We watch CSI: Miami re-run we recorded last night. She showers. Later ~

From Tumbling Tumbleweeds - 1935


Home from meeting and check e-mail and news sites with girls, crackers and cheese. Putz at computer for awhile. Jerry and his partner by to dig and cut drain in side-yard porch cement. I continue on computer in office. To TV and watch recording of Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935) with Gene and Smiley. Talk to Beth. Lunch with TV. Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail. Pills. Feed girls; open mail for Beth. Sweep floors. Cleaned side-yard earlier. Work at computer. Watch beginning of O'Reilly. Beth home; I fix dinner and we eat and talk. To office for awhile. Take out trash. She showers. Later ~

Good friend, the late Frank Q. Dobbs, with his camera

Sleep in day. Beth up early and off to Hall. I up later - 5:50 - shower and dress. Eat breakfast. read paper and do dishes. Trim beard. Beth home. We talk. Both to office where I make her calendars and she Xeroxes more. Both putz around house until I make lunch and we eat. She works in garage dumping old files; I down for nap with girls. I up and she's already fed girls. We talk in kitchen. She reads some paper - then we off to Palm Springs Airport to pick up Met - a photographer who will be taking pictures of her boss's property. Pick up pizza and to her place of employment where we eat and Beth shows Met the grounds. We home and read some more paper. Change pockets into new jeans. Later ~

Gene Autry's Melody Ranch - Republic Pictures' back lot with Studio City houses in background

Cold.
Grocery shopping after meeting. Home and unload - take stuff inside and put it away. Check e-mail and news sites with girls, crackers and cheese. Beth home and we talk. Read and putz around until we take off for Sam's Club to shop for Hall. She drops me after and I fix lunch and some TV. She home. I down for nap. Up and write here. join Beth in kitchen and we talk. Out to get mail; open mail for Beth; pill; she already fed girls. Call Tommy Snow. She makes a few calls. I make dinner - tamales. Eat together then to TV and watch Isn't She Great?, with Bette Midler. Get ready and both to bed. Later ~

Our friend, Tommy Snow, during dialysis. Took him to Christmas Dinner today

Christmas Day ~
Norman brought Tommy Snow to meeting. Home from meeting. Check e-mail and news sites with girls, crackers and cheese. Call Jimmy George and talk awhile. Work in office. Beth home from running Joe. We open presents and make some cross-country phone calls. Take off for Palm Springs and pick up Tommy at his retirement home; we take him to Pacifica, a restaurant owned by a friend of ours. Have a very good lunch; drive back to Palm Springs and drop Tommy. Home; and I down for late nap. Beth to her place of employment to run an feed Joe the dog. I up after hour's sleep. Sit in kitchen Beth while we call more friends and relatives all over. I into office and work for awhile. Back to kitchen and re-join Beth. Neither of us require dinner. Watch CSI: Vegas rerun that we recorded last night. Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night - Later ~

Christmas Eve Day Leather Plus Employee Christmas Party




Leave meeting early for blood draw - prograff. To Office Depot and pick up stuff for Beth. To car washed and get Dodge washed for first time. Nader's to gas up; then home. Check e-mail and news sites with girls and bacon burrito. Try call Jimmy George. Do some things around house. At 1:00 head over to Beth's place of employment to get her and we to small employee Christmas Party at Leather Plus. Finally I'm home and down for nap after feeding girls and bringing in mail - took pills, too. Up and get ready. Open mail for Beth. Talk to Tommy Snow. Try Jimmy George again - no answer. Turn on Fox for O'Reilly and they're having an evening of Christmas entertainment. Beth home and we both watch; while I cook (chips and dip). Into office at 7:30; work a little and write here. Merry Christmas, Folks!

Merry Christmas from the Lodge Family

Windy.
Haircut at Sherry's after meeting. Home and check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Work at computer for awhile. Pick up tree and flower pots that the wind blew over. Bought some small, convex mirrors for my side mirrors - will mount them later on today. Talk to Beth. She had her follow-up Mammogram today and all looked well. Pick things up around house. TV - watch the ending of the Randall Platt TV movie; then run the beginning which I missed. Have lunch while viewing. Down for nap with girls. Up and it's windy again. Re-set tree and flowers again when I bring in mail. Take pills; feed girls; open mail for Beth. Talk to Tom Snow for a little bit. Work in office. Clean up side yard; sweep inside. Watch some O'Reilly with Lara hosting. Beth home and unload - wind up again. Inside, I start cooking then we eat. She washes her hair. Then we watch a recording of CSI: Miami (a re-run). Later ~

Speaking at WWA 2009 Convention last June - Kirk Ellis to my left

Kirk Ellis, yours truly, and Andy Fenady wait while Johnny Boggs tells another dull story

Grocery shopping after meeting to bring our stores up to date. Home and check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Tile guys here and they start removing old tile. I meet Beth at nail place - she gets hands and feet done; I just feet. She off to Sam's Club; I home. Tile guys are still at it; I fix lunch and eat in office with girls. Beth by for a few seconds then leaves. I down for nap in bedroom with girls. Tile guys cleaning up bathroom. I feed girls and open Fed-Ex and UPS that came while I slept - the tile guys signed for one of them. Tile guys help me put some stuff in the shed then they are off. Into office and check mail. Open mail for Beth; take my pills; feed girls. Turn on Christmas lights inside and out. Clean side yard. Pull some books I want to give away. Start watching O'Reilly; Beth home from work. Help her carry in some things. Start cooking dinner - soup. We eat. After to office and we both work on our separate projects. Later ~

Several views of Beth's Christmas Party



Beth's all female Christmas party today.
Sleep in day. Beth up and off to Hall. I up at 5:40 - shower, dress, breakfast, paper, and trim beard. Beth home. Start with more chores to get ready for her party. Brenda and Michelle here to help out - all three are hostessing this event. I into office to begin my hibernation - when people (20 or more) begin to arrive the girls join me. Watch the extras on the new Kingdom of the Spiders tape (they sent me three of them.) There is an interview with me as one of the special features. Beth bring me lunch - girls escape only once. When party is over, I out with girls and down for my belted nap. Up and girls have already been fed by Beth. Place is cleaned up. We drive to her place of employment to feed Joe the dog; then home. Have some party left-overs for dinner. Both tired. She off to shower; I write here. Later ~

At The Autry

Little shopping today as Beth needs space in fridge. Brenda here cleaning when I get home. She helps me get some stuff out for Beth. I into office after she has finished. Beth home as Edie doesn't need her today. She dives into preparation for her party; then she's off to Carol Castro's all women party. I watch TV - a Canadian TV Movie based on a book by Randall Platt. Brenda leaves. I fix lunch and eat. Down for nap with girls. Up and get going. Bring in mail; take some pills; feed girls; open mail for Beth. So far, I've received ten or so DVDs to judge and none of them is worth watching. Beth back from party. We discuss a few things; then we to her place of employment and she runs dog (Joe). Home and I cook - we eat. More chores related to tomorrow. TV: Jeniffer Hudson Christmas Special recorded a few days ago. Get ready for bed. I work at computer. Later ~

An author's life can be a lonely life

Home from meeting and check e-mail with cheese and crackers with girls at my side. Work some at computer; listen to Rush. Send some e-mails. Bug guy here and sprays. Do some chores around house. Read a little. Drive down to Chipolte's and pick up two veggie burritos. I home and have 1/2 if mine for lunch while watching Jack Slade with Mark Stevens and Dorothy Malone. Down for nap with girls and phone for Beth. Awakened by phone but it's not Beth so let it go to messages. Up and out to get mail. Back inside I take my noon pills; feed the girls; and open mail for Beth. Call Beth and she can't reach Dr. at Loma Linda or Stone. Both gone home for the weekend. Work in office for awhile. Talk to Tommy Snow. Start to watch O'Reilly as she pulls in. Help her unload and to find something in shed. We have Chipolte's burritos for dinner; then we watch recording of CSI: Vegas from last night. She has some last minute stuff to do - I bed 8:00. Later ~

Jane Adams; Fuzzy Knight; Kirby Grant

Home after meeting to check on e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Shower door people will be here this afternoon so I down for nap 9:00. Up 11:00. Messages saying installers were ready to do it earlier but I was asleep. Call Beth - they will be here 1:00. Do some chores. Watch Bad Day at Black Rock recorded from TMC. Shower door guys here and some tile got marred taking old door off. Call Beth - decide to call tile guy and he over in the next hour. He'll try to get new tile tomorrow and re-tile over weekend. Tom Snow calls - is on way home from doctor's appointment. Clean up side yard; get white chairs out of green shed. Work on this writing. Watch O'Reilly. Start cook dinner. Stop cooking and call her - she'll be right home. She finally home and we eat. Both to office and work. Later ~

Taken by me on Poloroid - The Fugitive at Iverson Ranch

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news site with girls, crackers, and cheese. Work on Christmas List some more.To kitchen and open pill box to get iron pills out. Tom and Steve, our window washers here to do whole house. Talk to Tommy while he works. They leave. Finish iron pills. Do a few more chores. TV: Gunsmoke: To the last man. Have lunch while viewing. Down for nap with girls. Up and out to get mail. Take noon pills; open mail for Bethie. Into office and work some more. Turn on outside lights an inside trees. Clean up side yard. Talk to Tommy. Talk to Jimmy George. Watch some O'Reilly. Beth home and we talk. Make dinner and we eat. Then it's NCIS recorded last night - Ralph guest stars. Both into office to finish up. Later ~ ~

Insert Road - Iverson's Ranch - Chatsworth Hills, CA

Garden of the Gods - Iverson's Ranch - Chatsworth, CA

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Take girls to groomer. Make deposit at bank for Beth. Home and dive into printing Christmas Card labels. Talk to Beth. Work some more at computer. Marchelle calls in two-hours to tell me girls are done. Wow! I go and pick them up. Once home I make some muffins and honey and turn on a documentary about Film Editors. Down for nap after with girls. Up and bring in mail; take pills; open mail for Bethie. To office. Work on a few things. Clean up side yard. Sweep floors. Move Beth's car si she can pull mine in. Call Tommy Snow. Bethie home an transfer our stuff to our own cars. Move her's into garage. Start dinner. She works on rest of Christmas cards until they are done. I into office. Beth does a couple more chores. Then we watch recording of yesterday's CSI: Miami. Later ~

Merry Christmas to all!

Home after meeting. Check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Off to Sam's Club by 10:00. Pick up Christmas Cards and envelopes. Call Beth - her phone wasn't connected but now it is. Home and have lunch with Prairie Outlaws, starring Eddie Dean, Roscoe Ates and Al LaRue (not playing Lash). Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail; pills; Feed girls;open mail for Beth. Into office and work on Christmas Card Address List. Call Jimmy George in Mississippi. Beth home and we drive down to AT&T to learn how to fix ear-piece connection. Home and I make dinner. We eat. After, we both to office and work on getting cards ready to mail. Later ~

2009 Christmas card pic

Sleep in day. Beth up and off to Hall. I up 5:30 - shower, dress, eat and trim beard. Eat breakfast and read paper with begging girls. Brenda here to start cleaning. Beth home and after a few chores, we take off for Loma Linda for my blood draw; which should show if the treatments I've been taking in the past two weeks have helped my numbers to go up. Blood draw, then stop for fish tacos - eat in car because of cold. Drive home; get there at noon. I down for nap with girls. Up and work on transferring pic to CD Disk. No luck. Then Beth and I take off to phone shop to get her cell phone working; then to her pace of employment to feed Joe the dog; then on to Sam's Club to order cards and shop. Call in for pizza. Drive to Poppa Dan's and pick up pizza; then home where she washes her hair before we eat. After dinner we both to office to work. Later ~

20-year old messenger, Columbia Pictures - 1963

Grocery shopping after meeting; home, unload and put away. Check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Beth is working today as her employers' are packing and leaving. I work at computer in office. Call Tommy Snow - he's feeling better and told me so. Turn on Western Channel around 11:00 and watch an old Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson PRC Western. No lunch. Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail - take afternoon pills - feed girls - and open mail for Beth. Later on Beth calls to say she'd like me to go to the airport and help her pick up a car. She comes by here and picks me up and we to Bermuda Dunes Airport to get car. Drop car at her place of employment - she feeds their German Shepherd then we home. Fix some soup for dinner with a small salad. Then we watch Julie & Julia on pay channel. Both get ready and to bed a little after 9:00. Later ~

Awaiting Christmas at the Lodge Abode


Temp is 99.3 when normal for me is 96.8 - still feel punky, so decide to stay home from meeting. Get everything done for Beth then back to bed. She up at usual time and off to meeting. I up 8:00 - feeling better. Took some Tylenol earlier and temperature has dropped. Have some toast and honey for breakfast. Back to computer and turn on Rush. Listen and check news sites. Talk to Beth a few times. Some of a Steeling Hayden western on Western Channel - then down for nap at 12:30. Up at 2:00 - check e-mail. Out and bring in mail. Pills and open mail for Beth. Fed-Ex here with three heavy boxes of dog food for her employers. Call her about dog food and check that also arrived. She drives over and runs to bank with check. She back and boxes are moved from entryway to driveway. Luis arrives and helps her load boxes then she's off. I sweep house. Work at computer. Later on I watch first half of O'Reilly. Into office and work some more. Beth home with Orange Chicken - we eat. Then we watch recording of last night's CSI: Vegas. Later ~

Crystal and Misty - Our Girls

Feel kind of punky today.
Gas up on way home after meeting then check e-mail and news sites with girls, cheese and crackers. Putzing around on computer when Beth calls - her ear-piece isn't connected to her cell phone. I drive over to her place of employment and somehow fix the problem. Drive back home. Dozing off so into bed in clothes and sleep for several hours with girls. Up and work at computer. Sharon Siletto calls. Bring in mail; take pills; feed girls; open mail for Beth. Call Tommy Snow. Continue work at computer. Beth home - front porch lights are out and there's a notice attached with a small chain on our fuse box from Edison telling us that we are not allowed to remove it. She calls Steve Grippi (sold us the solar unit); he comes over and solves the problem. I cook; we eat. Both to office and work. Later ~

With Kathy Garver on Family Affair set - 1968

Bill White picks me up at 6:00 a.m. and we off to Loma Linda hospital for my last treatment. We arrive an hour early so we to cafeteria and have some breakfast. Up to infusion lab and sit for a short time: Bill stays with me for now. I am eventually hooked up and IV is started. Read some; Bill reads. He leaves before noon to beat crowd to cafeteria. He's back and stays with me - in the chair beside me - until it's all over sometime before 4:00 p.m. He drives me home and we arrive a little after 5:00. Beth meets us at door. Bye to Bill. Beth and I to office where I check e-mail. Then I to kitchen and start soup. She makes salads and we eat. After, we watch NCIS recording from last night. I to room to write here and she takes a shower. Later ~

At Loma Linda yesterday before being hooked up. Joel took photo

Left arm pain really bad all night. No rain.
Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites with girls. Putz at computer and talk to Beth. I have small snack, then I down for nap early (10:00 a.m.). Up at noon. Get ready and drive to Eisenhower and meet Beth at Dr. Karl's office. Ask him about my arm; hen he checks out Beth. He didn't think my arm was serious enough to worry about. Home and check computer. Talk to Tommy Snow. Bring in mail. Take my pills. Feed girls. Open mail for Beth. Sweep some,clean up side yard. Play with girls. Beth home. I fix an early dinner and we eat. Then we watch CSI: Miami. Both to office. Later ~

With Kenny Rogers on Rio Diablo Alamo Village set - 1992

First Big RAIN of season.
Joel picks me up at 5:30 a.m. and we off to Loma Linda. Sprinkles and some rain along way. Arrive and after finding a parking pace, we up to the 8th floor infusion center where I wait for nearly two hours because they didn't have my medications from the pharmacy picked up or ready. Joel goes down to cafeteria and has something to eat. I am finally connected around 9:00. Sit in chair (couple of bathroom visits, until 3:00 p.m. - Joel ran some errands and stopped by the cemetery to visit his parents' graves. Joel spends some time with me then goes to his truck for a nap. Eventually, I am done. After waiting to be taken off IV, I'm outta' there. Call Joel from lobby and he's there in two minutes. I jump in and we drive back home in rain. Home (thank God) where we say goodbye to Joel then have dinner. After - both to office where she works on some bills while I write here. Later ~

Getting ready for Christmas at The Lodge's

Really cold again.
Sleep in day. Beth off to Hall. I up 5:30; shower and dress; breakfast; trim beard. Beth home and she works around house while I help a little. Tommy calls. We put track together for train set. Have a quick, lite lunch. Then we are off to Palm Springs and the Follies. 3:30-hour show - out by 4:30. Order pizza from car and it's ready by the time we get to Palm Desert. Pick up pizza and home. Have pizza for dinner and girls get pizza bones (crusts). Put cars on train track (took some time) and run train. Tried to get pics of girls with train - no luck. Both to office. Later ~

With Sebastian Cabot and Brian Keith on Family Affair set - 1968

First really cold day.
Grocery shopping after meeting. Home and unload; put away. Brenda is here cleaning. Sam is painting the new walls. I back to Palm Desert for my haircut with Sherry. Home. Beth arrives home. We make some lunch and eat; then take off in separate cars and meet at nail place where she gets pedicure and manicure while I get pedicure. She off to shop for mission at Sam's Club with Brenda. I drive home. Once there, I get ready and go down for a nap with girls. Up two hours later. Bring in mail' take my pills; open mail for Beth; feed girls. Make some tuna salad for my diet. Let the girls have the tuna water - they love it - you'd think they were cats, for chrissake. Beth home and checks out mail. I make dinner and we eat. We open train set and find it's too big to go around our tree so I'll take it back tomorrow and try to get a smaller one. Both into office and work. Later ~

Beth hard at work

Bill White follows me home from meeting where we gather ourselves and talk off for Loma Linda. There in just over an hour. Check into infusion center while Bill goes to cafeteria for early lunch. The hook me up and I start second treatment. Bill comes back and sits with me for the remaining time. Unhooked and off; get his car and drive back home - arrive around 2:00; bid Bill thank you and goodbye. Into house and put away stuff. Check computer and call Beth. Down for nap with girls while guys install gates in backyard. Beth home and after some work I cook and we eat. Then we watch last night's recording of CSI: Vegas - a rerun. Write here; she showers; then: Later ~

This us actually Wednesday - Thurs is under Wednesday

Beth's brother, Bruce, and his bride, Sharon, at the alter


To meeting then to Loma Linda for my first treatment to help my kidney to function better. In the Infusion Center on 8th Floor for around four hours. Beth sits beside me. Then we drove over to the San Bernadino City Offices where Beth's Brother Bruce and Sharon, his bride, for married in a civil ceremony. After that we to dinner at TGI Fridays with the newlyweds and Kelly, Bruce's daughter. Drive home - get ready for bed then... Later ~ruce n

This us actually for Thursday

Joel Peters, in front of Leather Plus - the store he runs

Home from meeting; check e-mail and news sites. Guys still working in yard. I spend time on computer. Call Tom Snow and we talk for awhile. Listen to and watch Rush. Leave for Indio at 10:45. Arrive Joel's shop by a quarter after. We talk for a few minutes; then I drive to Chinese place for monthly Conservative Round Table. Home by 2:00 - call Beth. Then it's down for nap late with girls. Beth wakes me up at 4:30. Up and dress. Work at computer. Jerry our handyman by to talk with Beth. I start dinner. He leaves and we eat. After, we watch recording of NCIS I made on Tuesday. She shower and... Later ~

Gene Autry filming his TV Show

Home from meeting - Sam and workers already here - check e-mail and news sites with popcorn and girls. Talk to Beth. Work at computer for awhile; then drive to Eisenhower for an appointment with Dr. Karl re my recent surgery. On to Beth's place of employment and load up wedding present for her Brother, Bruce, and his bride, Sharon. Sam has pulled all the Christmas stuff out of the shed and is now putting up lights for us. Home and TV: Gene Autry in Indian Territory. Down for nap with girls. Up and bring in mail. Workers still here pouring cement. Take pills; then open mail for Beth and feed girls. Into office and work at computer. Check some e-mail and answer some. Jimmy George calls from Mississippi. Beth by to pick up her Hall check then she to bank. I make dinner. She back and works with Christmas stuff on porch. We eat dinner. She washes her hair; then we watch CSI: Miami. Both get ready. Later ~