Leland Ma

Leland MA...I'm still trucking along here in sunny and hot Cerritos, Ca. Family is doing terrific!

My 5 grandkids keep us on our toes at all time. My oldest will be a teenager in 2 years; she's 11 but acts 18! Boy how time flies! They live in No Cal (Castro Valley) and since the stay at home order we haven't visit them for awhile; but thanks to Zoom we are able to see their cute smiling faces. Wishing this pandemic be over soon. Looking forward to kiss them and give them a big bear hug! My poor wife and I are mostly house arrest during this pandemic. We're babysitting our youngest grandkid, 3 yrs. old, at home. He is fun and keeps us busy at times. I started to golf again this past 3 weeks; yes stupid us during this heat waves! Two weeks ago we played in Los Serranos and it was a mild 102! We managed to plough through thanks to beer, beer, and more beers! I'm lousy at the game but enjoy the beer and the camaraderie! Each of us put in $10 and winner takes all. Even with my high handicap I'm still unable to collect the pot. We golf different course each week. But last October I played in St Andrews, Scotland. it was a treat of a life time! But my favorite course still remains The Challenge in Lanai, Hawaii, very scenic and beautiful! Susan and I love to travel. We planned a trip last April to Greece but canceled because of COVID. Our most memorable vacation was in Europe. We flew into Munich, Germany and rented a car; yes I drool for the speed in the Autobon. I still crave for the pork knuckles, apple strudels, white asparagus, and of course the BEER GARTENS! A funny story, while in Fussen ( home of the Neuschwanstein Castle), we dined at a authentic German Hoffbrau. Our waitress, donned in this traditional German attire, was Chinese. She lives in Fussen over 10 years and speaks German fluently. It was entertaining hearing her speaking German. After Germany we continued to Croatia, visited Split, and Dubrovic, where Games of Thrones were filmed. There were still remnants of the civil war, a very sad part of their history. Then onward to Prague, Czech, Susan's favorite city, yes she's a party girl! The scenery and food were amazing! We toured a nuclear bunker and I asked the guide how do they choose the occupants if a threat exits? He just shrugged and smiled. It was in Prague that we savored our first Michellin Star Restaurant. The wine pairings with the food were second to none; what a treat!! I am grateful for these wonders in life because of my Savon 401K. Without it I most likely have trips to Long Beach or Knott Berry Farm. Life at Savon was Brutal! I worked very very hard. With the late Russ Coon's mentoring and support, I survived. I had a great crew at 3045 Downey, a staff of 31 at one point. We maintained an average of 6000 scripts per week. One Monday after Thanksgiving we filled a whopping 1679 scripts in one day! A record for the store and my career! Even to this day my pharmacy friends couldn't believe me. Well I couldn't believe it myself in retrospect. How crazy was that!? Anyhow the friends I've made are priceless. Call me a fool but I had enjoyed my career with Savon. Then came CVS, wow what a bitter pill to swallow!!