What is Charm Anyway?

Art and I were having a conversation about what makes people appear charming.  What is charm anyway?  We thought about people we are drawn to.  I guess our definition of charm is that special something that makes you want to spend time with someone.

We came up with a few ideas.

First and foremost is that perception certain people give of being interested in you.  They ask questions and show an appreciation for what you're willing to share about yourself.  Then they share of themselves as well.

It's not how physically attractive a person is.  Charm makes everybody beautiful.

Vivacity.  I think a charming person shows enthusiasm, energy, life.

Charming people smile warmly and meet your eyes.

Another part of charm is an interest in a lot of subjects that they are happy to share.

I believe a little touch is something that makes a friendly connection.  I put an emphasis here on little because not all cultures would appreciate it. As a teacher (in the U.S.), I made myself remember to shake a parent's hand or give a friendly touch at conferences or meetings.

Our charming Tiffany

I admit I'm very biased in this, but I think my daughter is very charming.  She is always trying to do nice things for people.  Her face lights up when she talks to anyone and she is quick to convey an interest in their well-being.  She listens intently to what is being shared and responds with caring.

What do you think charm is?

What Does WD40 Really Do?

A good friend of mine sent me a Forwarded E-mail purporting that WD40 would do a number of things including taking stains off of stainless steel sinks, removing lipstick stains, cleaning leather dashboards, etc.   These uses proved to be false.

I have this rather unsightly safety bar in our bathtub wall that's been annoying me for a while.  It was supposed to be stainless steel. We bought the safety bar at Home Depot and it doesn't even get much water splashed on it.

I sprayed WD40 on it and even scrubbed it for quite a while.  It didn't do much of anything.

This shower dial in our guest bathroom has also annoyed me forever with its water stains.  So I decided to spray it too.

You know... It did work for a while.  The water stains disappeared, but I think it's only because of the petroleum in WD40. 

Still, a light coating of oil does make it better to look at.

The Forwarded E-mail said the big surprise is that WD40's main ingredient is fish oil.

I decided I'd better check with SNOPES.

Fish oil is not the main ingredient.  However, though it doesn't do some of the things it is purported to do by that e-mail, it does do a number of other things according to the WD40 manufacturer.

It protects silver from tarnishing.
Removes road tar and grime from cars.
Loosens stubborn zippers.
Untangles jewelry chains.
Keeps scissors working smoothly.
Keeps terra cotta/ceramic garden pots from oxidizing.
Spraying umbrella stems makes it open and close easier.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony because they hate the smell.  (I wish I could spray it on my roof.)
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Removes bugs from car grills and bumpers.
Keeps saws and tools rust free.
Removes black scuff marks from kitchen floors.
Lubricates electric fans.
ETC.

So now that I've got the can out, I'm looking at the door hinges.  I've also sprayed my silver jewelry.  Now the pigeons won't land on me.  Then again, will I be able to stand the smell too?

My Trader Joes Weakness

One of my dear friends came back from Vegas and brought us a box of these Dark Chocolate Edamames.

It's really candy when you get right down to it. However, I've justified eating it by saying it's dark chocolate.  Isn't dark chocolate good for you?  It's edamame which is soybeans and it's got 7 grams of that soy protein.  Then again, is it GMO soybeans?

It wouldn't be bad if I could stick to just eating a few beans, but there's something about that little crispy crunch in the middle of the dark wonderful chocolate that makes me lose all will power.

Oh well, at the rate I'm going I'll be finished with this carton in no time.  It's a good thing we don't have Trader Joes in Hawaii.

GMO Papayas

I don't know what to believe about GMOs anymore.  GMOs are Genetically Modified Organisms.

In the 1980s a ringspot virus was threatening to devastate the papaya industry in Hawaii.  The University of Hawaii developed a new genetically modified papaya that would be resistant to that virus.

I attended a class at Kapiolani Hospital and the speaker was against GMO products.  We were careful about avoiding GMO papayas for awhile, but then gradually forgot about it.

Recently, I've heard more advisories from friends about GMO papayas and looked up which varieties are GMOs.  However, they say 75% of the Hawaiian papaya crop are GMOs.  Japan is now OK with importing GMO papayas but Europe is not.

One of the NON-GMO papayas I've heard about is the Kapoho Solo.  However, they tell me that sometimes there's cross pollination, so what do you do?

There might be a sticker number on the papaya showing how the papaya was grown:

• Conventionally grown: Four numbers, for example — “1034″
• Organically grown: Five numbers, starting with the number 9 — “90123″
• Genetically Modified: Five numbers, starting with the number 8 — “80123″

We eat a third of a papaya every morning because we thought it was good for us.  We also drink soy milk which come from soybeans that could be genetically modified too. Then there's corn...

Arrrghhhh!

POSTSCRIPT:  I just talked to the owner of Honda Tofu where we buy our tofu every week.  He told us that all tofu made in Hawaii are from NON-GMO soybeans.

Pretty Glass

I confess that I used to have this little fascination with shiny things... crystal, diamonds, cubic zirconium, glass, glitter. I collected glass and crystal vases, cups, etc. when I was younger.  When we moved to Hawaii, much of it was sold, donated or given away.

Recently, my aunt's friend was downsizing and my mother was drawn to a set of glass plates.  She was convinced my nephew's wife would love it.  As it turned out, she didn't want them.  Neither did anyone else.  I told mom I didn't want them because we already have too many dishes that we don't use.  As you know I'm now into practical dishes like Corelle or Corningware.

I brought them to our Tai chi class and no one wanted them until finally somebody offered to take them if nobody else wanted them.

I had a set of beautiful china at one time that I ended up leaving with our daughter, Tiffany.  They're tucked away somewhere and unused.  I'm thinking beautiful china that you can't put in the dishwasher is becoming a thing of the past... just like these glass pieces.

Broccoli Salad Memories

Isn't it funny how certain recipes will bring to mind the beautiful person who shared it with you?

Mrs. H and Jonathan

Mrs. H was introduced to us about 30 years ago by Dina of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo.  Mrs. H had once been Dina's teacher and they became family to each other.  Our children loved going to Mrs. H's woods.  Mrs. H had planted thousands of daffodil bulbs in her woods and she invited us to go and pick them in the springtime.  Mrs. H loved sharing nature and all she knew about it with her friends and neighbors.  Mrs. H died last year and will be sorely missed.

A couple of days ago I made the broccoli salad that she brought to one of our dinner parties in Illinois.  Everybody loved it.  I remember when I first tasted it and asked if she would teach me how to make it.

"Oh... but it's very difficult," she said with twinkles in her eyes.

Here is the recipe:

Broccoli Salad

From: Mrs. H

3 bunches of broccoli (raw and sliced)

1/4  cup red onion  (diced)  I leave this out.

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup water chestnuts (sliced)  I don't usually use this either.  The stems of the broccoli are similar to the water chestnuts so I just use that.

Sauce:

1 cup light mayonnaise   I use either light or regular.

1 Tablespoon sweet and low   or just plain ol’ sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar

Now whenever I make this recipe, I see those twinkles in Mrs. H's eyes and it makes me smile.

Moving Furniture for Mom

Mom's old koa furniture had springs that were sprung and fabric that was deteriorating.  I managed to sell it through Craigslist and we took mom out furniture hunting.

After sitting on sofas in storeroom after storeroom, mom decided this one was pretty comfortable so we bought the set using the money from the koa furniture sale and then some.

After some time, she did not like it.  She said it was actually too fluffy, the seat was too high, the back was too far and it made her slouch and her neck hurt and... 

"It's for tall people," she insisted.

We bought her a stool to put under her feet but she still didn't like it much.  I finally asked her if she wanted to trade it for the sofa set we have in the living room.

I thought this sofa and loveseat were a different color but discovered it was probably the nap and the sunlight.

Mom jumped at my suggestion and couldn't wait until my brother came to help move the furniture from her family room to the living room.

Unfortunately, the sofa and loveseat are really heavy, huge and could barely get through the doorway.

After a lot of measuring doorways and removing the legs on the sofa, we managed it.

Mom was so excited.  She could hardly wait to put the dark brown bed sheet I bought to cover and protect her "new" sofa and loveseat. 

The living room is a bit more crowded now with the oversized sofa and loveseat, but that's OK.  Now I don't have to feel bad every time I sit on the other fabric sofa and cause the sheets to wrinkle which drives mom nuts.  On the other hand, if guests come with a rivet on their back pants pocket which could scratch the leather, mom just might... just might make them sit on a chair instead. 

Naming Our Children

I've heard that countries including Germany, Denmark and Iceland have official rules about what a child can be named.  There was an article in the paper about a 15-year-old Icelandic girl who was granted the right to legally use the name Blaer that her mother had given her.

The Reykjavik District Court ruled that she could use it even though the Icelandic authorities said it was not a proper girl's name.  Up until now, the girl was listed as just "Girl".

Apparently names in Iceland have to conform to grammar and pronunciation rules.  You can't be named Carol or Carla because there's no "C" in the Icelandic alphabet. Iceland is spelled Ísland by the Icelandic people.

Jonathan and Tiffany

After naming our daughter, Tiffany, it was fun to see all the different ways people had chosen to spell it.  Among many variations, I've seen Tifany, Tiffani, Tifani.  You'd think my son, Jonathan's name would be standard until I had a student named Johnathon. 

After moving back to Hawaii, I've seen long, long, long names for babies in the newspapers. I understand the most popular names in the U.S. for 2012 was Aiden for a boy and Sophia for a girl. I have no idea what I'd name the kids if I had them today.  I remember wishing I'd used the name Jessica in 1977.  Do you have a favorite name you'd choose now if you could do it over?

Watercress Nostalgia

When I was growing up, mom says watercress was very cheap and that's why we often ate it.  I remember her stir frying it with bacon, a little soy sauce and I don't know what else.  She doesn't remember either, but my brother and I loved it.

Watercress is best bought at the farmers market in Hawaii.  It seems fresher than what we see at the regular market.  Our Hawaiian watercress looks like a different variety than what we got on the mainland.

Mom and I eat it by dabbing the leafy stalks into a plate of mayo and soy sauce.  Art eats it plain.  I used to chop off and discard the stems, but Art insisted they would be great to eat alone.  I didn't believe him.  However, when we had sandwiches the other day I ate the stems with him and it was wonderful!  It was better and healthier than eating chips.  Really.  It was surprising delicious.  It added just a touch of crunch and spicy flavor to the sandwich.  Yum!

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day a little early like we always do to avoid the crowds.

My daughter, Tiffany couldn't figure out what her grandmother would like to have for Mother's Day so she commissioned us to take Grandma to Sears to buy the blouses that she loves.  I confess I teased mom about only liking this one style but then remembered that I do have a secret number of those Target C9 V-neck t-shirts that I love in every color.

After settling on these two blouses we were off to Roy's in Ko'Olina.

I'd won a $25 gift certificate to Roy's restaurant at my 45th high school reunion last year.  I was looking forward to using it.  Roy's is right next to a gorgeous golf course.

 

Mom enjoyed having a very peaceful luncheon overlooking a pond of ducks and black swans.

Yes, it was very good.  We were so full that we had no room left for dessert.

To all of you who are moms or love moms or had a  mom, Happy Mother's Day!!!