November 23, 2025

Kansas City, MO

Sunday morning. 07:00 and it is still dark outside. My phone says that sunrise is at 07:10. That must be when the sun first peaks over the horizon, but it won’t be sunny by then. Much like yesterday it is 5C (40F) according to my phone. Here in the apartment, it is nice and warm.

Ok, the sunrise has taken place. I can now see outside. It looks a little foggy. I suspect that will burn off quickly. The haze burned off early as expected. Mary got up at about 08:00. I went over to Rochelle and IV’s and pick up the Jeep and brought it to the apartment to pick up Mary and the finished tomato sauce.

After a bit I went to Home Depot to see if I could find a replacement for the lights outside. There are four. One at the top of each of the four posts on the handrails out front of the house, and one on top of a pole next to the walkway into the house. While at Home Depot I looked for some flowers to plant in the four planters on the front porch.

The garden department at Home Depot was filled with nothing but Christmas Trees. There were no flowers. There were poinsettias inside. Finding lights was very difficult and took about forty-five minutes. There is no help here, and once I found someone his response was try Isle 43.  

Eventually I found the post lights in a box on the floor in isle 41. They aren’t the same as the ones currently there. They are all black where the existing ones are copper colored. It may work. The lamp for on top of the post was more difficult. Finally, I found one that might work, but again it is all black. The existing one is white on a white pole.

On the way out I decided to wait to hear from Rochelle on the lighting choices before committing to purchase. So, I messaged her photos. But I did buy eight poinsettias for the four pots. When I got them to the house and unloaded them, one had fallen over and broken off the roots. I started planting them and quickly realized that each pot would require three plants. So, I planted two pots and went back to Home Depot for seven more poinsettias.

Rochelle texted back the lights will probably work. On this trip to Home Depot I bought the lights and seven more poinsettias. Back home I unloaded the car and proceeded to plant the last of the poinsettias. They look very nice and will probably last until the first freeze. Hopefully they make it to Thanksgiving.

Rochelle, IV, Oliver and V got home about 15:00. Mary and went to the store and got the meat for meatballs and the sauce. We also got a chicken to make broth and sausages for the sauce. Mary then went home and with the help of the boy finished up the sauce.

I attempted to put together the light for post only to find out that it was apparently a return item and all of the screws were missing. Later I took back all the lights to Home Depot and gave up on the project.

Dinner was about 18:00 with everyone in attendance including the Smiths. Spaghetti, garlic bread and salad were the courses. Four or five quarts of spaghetti sauce with meat balls and sausages disappeared very quickly. “Nonna’s” spaghetti sauce always seems to go quickly.

It was sort of a relaxing day. Grace went to church with her roommate for the family. Nonna finished up the broth for tomorrow’s risotto dinner. We took the trolly home, played a game of cards, and called it a night.

Buonanotte e ciao,

Enrico e Maria