A Mystery Fence

We've seen this on the street a few times and wondered what it's supposed to mean.

Why would anybody stick rolled up newspapers into a fence?

KC's Flower

My granddaughter, KC enjoys going on walks with her mom. She also likes to take photos of flowers. Now where would she have gotten that idea?

She recently sent this photo via text message and I just had to post it. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

Do you have any idea what kind of flower this is?

A Confederate Visitor in Hawaii?

We were driving along and was startled to see this big truck pass us by.

I've never seen a Confederate flag flying in Hawaii. I told Art to try getting closer so I could check out where the truck came from because I just couldn't believe it was a kamaaina (local person).

Sure enough.

It was two guys in a truck with a Florida license plate.

It didn't leave me with a good feeling.

What were they trying to tell us?

Checking Facts First

I've gotten a number of Forwarded E-mails that were Obama bashing, Muslim bashing, minority bashing, etc. that were written in a believable style meant to influence people into their way of negative thinking. The bad thing is that by being forwarded over and over again, many people will actually believe it. That is the danger.

I received this one a while ago from a couple of good friends. There were also accompanying misleading photos to lend credibility to the article.

It took me only seconds to run it past  Snopes to get this answer.

There were many variations to this theme that Snopes reported and they've been flowing through cyberspace for years which is why Donald Trump is probably gaining in the polls. People believe it.

I try to take the time to check the facts and send a correction to the entire group who received the emails, but I really don't have the time to check them all. I merely delete them, but it makes me feel guilty when I do.

What do you do?

POSTSCRIPT:
Here's another one I've seen a couple of times that went around. I'm glad someone did their due diligence and checked the information for accuracy on SNOPES so everyone would know it was "MOSTLY FALSE." Here is the link:  http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/whathappened.asp

In this case, I was happy to see that the person who sent the original email had forwarded the retraction after being told what is below was incorrect.

As a brief reminder for those who forgot or for many that didn't know.

Here is what happened, quietly, on January 1, 2015:

Medicare tax went from 1.45% to  2.35%
      
Top Income tax bracket went from 35% to  39.6%
     
Top Income  payroll tax went from 37.4% to 52.2%
      
Capital Gains tax went from 15% to 28%
     
Dividend tax went from 15% to 39.6%
      
Estate tax went from 0% to 55%                                     
    
A 3.5% Real Estate transaction tax was  added.            

Remember this fact:
      
These taxes were all passed solely with Democrat votes, Not a single Republican voted for these new taxes.

These taxes were all passed in the Affordable Care Act,  aka Obamacare.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it's dangerous too. It creates terrorists, misguides people and... heaven forbid! It could bring Donald Trump to the White House! You do know he is leading in the Republican polls. What the heck!

My Socks Drawer

As requested...

Here is my socks drawer...

Drum roll...

I'm sorry, but I don't have a Before photo so you have to use your imagination.  Just visualize that everything was thrown in with darks on one side and light colored socks on the other. It wasn't always easy to find what I needed. (Once I got started organizing, I was so excited that I forgot to take a photo.)

Lin of Letters From Lin mentioned using shoe boxes. When I'd looked online earlier, I found others had also discovered this great use for those shoe boxes that often get thrown away when you buy new shoes. I keep mine, always thinking I'll have a use for them. I was thrilled to finally find an excellent use for them.

This is Art's sock drawer. I can't make rhyme or reason out of his collection so I'll have to wait until he gets home. It gives you an idea of what mine used to look like, but mine was more so.

And would you believe he's got TWO socks drawers? He never throws anything out.

Sheesh!

Myrtle's Helpful Hints

Myrtle sent me more helpful hints that I thought would work nicely.

I just tried this idea out with my Post-It note and it really worked. It guess it's better to do it this way than hyperventilating by blowing on the keys like I do.

I don't wear boots in Hawaii but I'll bet my kids on the mainland might find this helpful.

I haven't tried this one out, but mom might like it for watering her plants every morning.

Art tried this out a few days ago and it really did work nicely. Now we just have to remember to do this instead of struggling like we usually do.

Postscript:
Ummmmm...

Art was demonstrating this to a bunch of my Zumba buddies and it just wouldn't work.  So I guess... sometimes it works and sometimes it just won't.

I've been using bread tags but I can see where paper clips would also work.

And that's it for now until Myrtle sends me more helpful ideas.

Thanks, Myrtle!

What Olga Taught Me About Underwear

Olga of Confessions of a Grandma wrote a post (Please take a peak at her post by clicking on this link.) about organizing your underwear drawer. I loved it so much I thought I'd try it on mine. What do you know?

Isn't it amazing? I thought I was neat before but I realized that I kept using the same underwear over and over. Now I can see them all at a glance. I also know that I have too many although my drawer seems to now beg for more.

I found this the best way to fold the underwear.

Well, once I got done with mine I decided to tackle Art's. I SHOULD have taken a BEFORE photo, but I was so excited that I forgot. His drawer was so full that it was difficult to close. I found almost a dozen that were so old that the elastic was no longer elastic. Needless to say he was surprised to see his now neat drawer.

I'm not done though. I think I can tweak it a bit more.

OK, here it is after the tweaking.

Hmmm... Olga did write about the socks drawer too...

Our Lucky Day!

The noise cancelling headphones that we bought from Costco a couple of years ago worked well enough. Not perfect, but for $39 we weren't expecting top of the line.

There was a switch you could turn on to drown out the sounds of the airplane when we were traveling.

Unfortunately, after about a year, one of them stopped working.

I wanted another headphone that I thought would block out sounds better in an airplane.

Art decided to do some research on the web about noise cancelling headphones and discovered that these Bose Quiet Comfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones (earbuds?) were supposed to be one of the best. I was dubious because it doesn't cover the ears. He was trying to explain to me how the advanced circuitry and manipulation of sound waves block out outside noise. Unh hunh... On top of that, they're much more compact for traveling.

OK... The bad part.  The price. It cost $299!!! Holy moley!

But then Amazon had it on sale for $249. Still crazy high, but we travel so much that we decided to just bite the bullet and get it. I took a deep breath and placed the order.

The next day we got a scratch card and flyer from the NEX (Navy Exchange store) and there was our Bose QC 20i going for $249 also! This is how the scratch card works. You gather your purchases, select your circle and whatever percent is shown after it's scratched is the discount you get. We've only ever gotten 5% off, but that would still give us a savings of $25.

What to do? What to do? I went onto the Amazon website and cancelled the order. Unfortunately, it was too late even though they had not shipped the earphones yet.

They said I could send the earphones back with a shipping label they would provide for about $7. OK. $25- $7 would still give me an $18 savings.

I sent the earphones back.

When we got to the NEX, we were surprised to discover that they were selling the headphones even cheaper as an unadvertised special for $229! I hope nobody in the store heard me squeal. I was so excited.

We got into line to pay and presented our scratch card.

Would you believe 15%???

We've never gotten 15% before!

We ended up paying $195.45 for each.

We then went to buy a graduation card and got our usual 5%.

Can you imagine how bad we would have felt if it were the other way around and we got only 5% for the earphones and 15% for a card?

I told Art we should just go home and take a nap and not do anything else because I was convinced we'd used up all our good luck for that day.

Phew!

Now I'm just hoping the earphones are as magical as the reviews say they are.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

POSTSCRIPT:
We've tested out the noise cancelling earphones and they are indeed wonderful. I can't wait to try them out in an airplane.

KC's Pineapple

Our granddaughter loves to garden with her grandpa when she's in Hawaii. Since the time she was two years old, she's helped him plant papaya and pineapple plants.

When the whole family arrived last year for Art's 70th birthday, KC helped him plant two pineapple crowns. Yesterday, Art saw a baby pineapple on one of the crowns. I wish we could bring it to Chicago for her when it matures.

Now that would be sweet indeed.

Sigh... Tall, But Not Fruiful

We were rather astonished at the growth of our Satsuma tangerine tree this spring.

We planted the baby Satsuma on March 13, 2013 and in just a little over two years it stretched itself so that it's now quite a bit taller than me.

This was the first time that little buds were seen.

We were ecstatic, overjoyed and thrilled to see quite a number of buds and flowers. After the flowers fell away, we could see the beginnings of teeny little fruits. However, too soon we saw the little fruits fall off... every one of them.

Sigh....

We are Chicago Cubs fans. We  always believe.... maybe next year.

POSTSCRIPT:

Adam of Neko Random commented, "Didn't Back to the Future II predict they would go to the world series in 2015?"

I looked it up because I do remember that Cubby prediction in Back to the Future II. Sure enough, I got this from the Futurepedia website:

"100 to 1 shot I tell ya. I wish I could go back to the beginning of the season, and bet some money on the Cubbies.                                                                       -- Terry to Marty McFly

The Chicago Cubs is an American baseball team. On October 21, 2015, they completed a five game sweep over a team from Miami to win the World Series."

Wow! So this is the year??? Wouldn't that be something! Woo hoo!

Good Deal at Land's End

I was intrigued by this offer from Land's End.

They are offering 20% off your order PLUS free shipping to the U.S. and Canada. This includes Hawaii. I'm always happy to see free shipping to Hawaii. (And this is 20% off of their sale prices too.)

Woohoo!

I ordered some short sleeve cotton pajamas which are so hard to find for Art, and more comfortable for Hawaii. And yes, I did get a couple of tank tops for me. I sure hope they fit OK. I don't normally like to order clothes online because I'm never sure how they'll fit, but this was on sale and too good for me to pass up.

I don't normally post on the weekends anymore, but since this offer is until the 20th, it won't wait until Monday. Here's the link:  http://www.landsend.com/?cm_mmc=usnews-_-usnews_071915_mns-_-top_promo-_-top_promo_homepage&emid=usnews_071915_mns&RRID=150719072210804014927525&YCID=4927525&id=49355440&applyPromo=0&promoState=YEAR20-_-VALID

"Receive 20% off your order! Plus‚ receive free shipping to US and Canada addresses on all merchandise online or by phone (excludes buy more and save pricing‚ gift cards‚ monogramming‚ embroidery‚ gift boxing‚ taxes‚ duties‚ Lands’ End Business Outfitters purchases and excluded items as marked). Discount will be applied at checkout. This offer has no cash value and is not redeemable for cash. 4-6 business day delivery to most addresses. Promotional savings may be deducted from returns. Offer valid through 11:59 p.m. Central‚ July 20‚ 2015."

 Anyway.... This is just in case you were interested.

Should You Pay to be Rescued?

Hawaii has had a real problem with people (lots of tourists) who ignore warnings to stay away from dangerous places and to not trespass on private property.

According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser newspaper, last December the island of Kauai's fire rescue teams had to airlift 62 hikers off the same North Shore trail when streams became impassable due to heavy rains. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) had closed the trail and even stationed a staffer to warn people away. It didn't work. Hikers went anyway.

We often hear on the evening news about tourists and locals as well who ignored warning signs and went hiking on dangerous trails from which they fell to their death or sustained serious injury.

The problem here is that these irresponsible people have been putting our rescue teams at risk. They are also costing many local governments here a lot of money.

So do you think people who ignored clearly marked signs and have to be rescued should pay for the trouble they've caused?

I, for one, do.

Hope For Chocoholics

Art found a newspaper article in the Star Advertiser last month which was reprinted from the Los Angeles Times and written by Melissa Healy. I was able to find the article online here:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-chocolate-heart-stroke-prevention-20150615-story.html

"More good news for chocoholics: New research has found that devoted consumers of chocolate -- including some who consume the equivalent of about two standard candy bars a day -- are 11% less likely than those who eat little to no chocolate to have heart attacks and strokes, and 25% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease."

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The article also said that people who ate the most chocolate had lower rates of heart attacks and strokes. They also had lower BMI indexes, lower systolic blood pressure and lower rates of diabetes. AND they also tended to exercise more.

Hmmmm.... really?

They exercise more? Could that also be a factor here?

And what about the sugar and fat?

I was figuring I'd just go buy more chocolate. Isn't there always a catch?

A Woman's Face on the $10 Bill

According to U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jacob Lewis, they are planning to put a woman's face on the $10 bill. This will happen in 2020 during the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment which gave women in the U.S. the right to vote.

I thought about this, but couldn't make up my mind. Helen Keller? She fought for the disabled and is very famous. Susan B. Anthony worked to give voting rights to women. Harriet Tubman was the heroine who saved many slaves with Underground Railroad. I like Eleanor Roosevelt a lot. There's also Sacagawea who was the Native American guide who helped Lewis and Clark.

Apparently you can learn more about this at TheNew10.Treasury.gov. Do you have a favorite? Who would you choose?

POSTSCRIPT:  Art pointed out that I really goofed in not mentioning that the person chosen cannot still be living. That puts a lot of women out of the running.

The Worst Sunblock Was My Favorite!

My wonderful cousin, Larry sent me a link to this website that warned me about the worst sunblocks on the market. What a shock to find my favorite brand on the list!

Here's the website:
http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/06/neutrogena-sunscreen-toxic-avoid/

I love Neutrogena because it doesn't feel sticky after application, not much anyway. We bought the NO-AD when the kids visited us this past summer. It was on sale so we bought two bottles. Aggravation!

Apparently it's not just that sunblocks don't really give you the protection it purports to claim, but that there are harmful chemicals and preservatives that go through your skin and into your blood stream.

EWG states 80 per cent of Neutrogena sunscreens contain oxybenzone, “a hormone-disrupting sunscreen filter” and 33 per cent contain retinyl palmitate, “a form of vitamin A linked to skin damage”.

I looked up EWG and got this from Wikipedia:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability.  EWG is a non-profit organization whose mission, according to their website, is "to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.^"

Here's their list of the 12 Worst Sunscreen Lotions:

• Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100
• Coppertone Sport High Performance Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100
• Coppertone Sport High Performance Sunscreen, SPF 75
• Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Stick, SPF 55
• Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 70+
• CVS Sport Sunstick Sunscreen, SPF 55
• CVS Sun Lotion Sunscreen, SPF 100
• CVS Sun Lotion Sunscreen, SPF 70
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Liquid Sunscreen, SPF 70
• NO-AD Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 60
• NO-AD Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 85
• Ocean Potion Protect & Nourish Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 70

There's also a long list of sunscreens that are acceptable. I've heard of Bullfrog and Burt's Bees so I guess I'll have to go shopping for those.

This is making me wonder if all the lotions and creams we put on our face and body are safe.  Didn't some TV dermatologist say we should only be using lotions that we could actually eat?

But then, do I really want to slather myself in olive oil? Do you?

POSTSCRIPT:
Kristi from Thoughts from Thicket House just commented that she found an article in the Huffington Post that refutes some of this. Here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-stir/sunscreen-ewg-sunscreen-r_b_589119.html
You'll need to read this to get a better understanding of this problem. I did check before I wrote this post a while ago to be scheduled to go up today, but didn't see this one from Huffington Post. Sigh... Now I don't know what to believe. Thank you so much, Kristi. This is why I love blogging. We all learn from each other... not to mention watch each other's back.

A Fun Project: Photocards!

We were sharing our Seattle/Vancouver photobook at a potluck dinner party when a dear friend, Velma insisted that I should try making greeting cards because she enjoyed our photos so much.

The idea grew on me so we stopped at Ben Franklin Crafts and looked for cardstock and envelopes. What a surprise to find that they already package notecards and envelopes just for that purpose. They cost $9.99 + tax.

I then had to select photos that might look good on a card and ordered them printed at Costcos. They turned out quite nice indeed. The next trick was to get the photos centered precisely on the front of the card.

I then wrote the location of the shot and my name at the bottom of the photo. Unfortunately I found that my handwriting has deteriorated from using the computer too much. Ah well...

Now here's the problem. The cards turned out so nicely that I'm having a hard time deciding which ones to part with. I know, I know. I can order more prints. However, for now... I just like looking at them. They bring back such lovely memories from several of our trips.

Cactus Flower

I meant to post these photos in June and totally forgot.

Auntie Grace gave this tiny cactus plant to mom several years ago which we planted in the garden and it didn't seem to like being transplanted.

It has looked ready to die for a couple of years now, but we just forgot about it.

Surprisingly, it started to grow... just a little at a time.

And then one morning, out of the blue when Auntie Grace's son, Arnold was coming over for dinner... something miraculous happened.

We brought Arnold out to show him the flower and he was as startled as we were.

It's so pretty... and huge!

And it's not done blooming.

There are several more buds, buds that we didn't even know were buds.

Auntie Grace had a vibrant, colorful personality. Her cactus flower reminds us of her spirit. We could almost feel her presence.

And I can see her smile.


To my wonderful readers:

 I would like to thank you for all the kind words of support and love that you showered me with on Wednesday. It's a little ironic that after the shock and hurt I felt in the morning, by the evening I felt even better than before I saw that hurtful comment because of your warm and healing friendship. Please know how grateful I am to have you all in my life.  You are the best!

Ugly Bonsai Contest

We belong to a bonsai club and they recently had an Ugly Bonsai contest. We have a bunch of ugly trees, but they are not in suitable containers.

I told these owners that frankly two of these trees were quite a bit prettier than most of ours.

The one on the left just needed a trimming, but the trunk itself was rather beautiful.

And the winner of the ugly bonsai contest?

I told Art that he should get ready for next year's Ugly Bonsai contest.

I know he could win!

He's not exactly sure that was a good thought.

Doubling the Bill for Salmon

Our daughter told us that the Copper River salmon at Costco is something they always look forward to in Illinois and had just bought some for their freezer.

We happened to be at Costco a week later and saw the wild caught Copper River salmon on sale. It was quite pricey. In fact, it was very pricey!

However, in a moment of weakness and because there were several people snapping up the fish, we decided to take the plunge and buy a large package with two slabs of salmon for $42.39 for some special occasion.

We were in a rush so Art used his credit card and signed it without checking.

Imagine our surprise when we got home and saw that the check-out person had scanned the salmon twice! Good grief!

Art called Costco and the person who answered said to bring the receipt in quickly on the following day. What Art forgot to do was ask who he had talked to.

When we went to the Returns desk, that was their first question. "Who did you speak to?"

We told them that all the salmon were different weights and prices so it was highly unlikely that we would bring back two salmon that cost the exact same price down to the penny.

They did refund the money, but what if it was something else? What if it was a giant package of toilet paper? How would you prove you didn't actually buy two of them?

Lesson learned! Do make sure you watch while your groceries are being rung up. Also, if you call any company, ask who you are speaking to and write it down.

OK.. will do... next time.

Fitness Fair at Okinawan Center

Our friend, Rodney invited us to attend the Fitness Fair at the Okinawan Center. Although it was a busy day, we decided to go very early and stay for an hour or so.

The Okinawan Center is a beautiful building and there was a line to go in.

We saw quite a number of people we knew there and had a great time.

It started off happily when we discovered that they were passing out free bags of lychee to the first people in line.

Oh happy days!

Once in the building, there were lots and lots of exhibits for senior care, health, fraud alerts, traffic safety, etc.

The best part was all the fun games and free gifts.

I also learned that jaywalking will net you a fine of $130! Whoa...

Another question they asked me was if we could cross the street at an intersection without a crosswalk.

I said no. Oops! The answer was yes.

We listened to a speaker from Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii.  He gave us information on available senior technology. The ATRC is a non profit organization that helps to assist in providing senior items like magnifying machines, wheelchairs, computers, etc.

We got home with lots to read, PLUS a lot of reusable bags, water, lychee, pads of paper, pens, reflective lights for walking at night, small flashlights, etc.

It was loads of fun and we were sorry we had to leave to go on to our next appointment.

One thing for sure, we were really, really ready for the plastic bag ban which was instituted in Hawaii beginning in July.

Feeling Hot

Art saw an interesting article in the Honolulu Star Advertiser yesterday. It was from the Associated Press. I found a New York Times article online about it so I can provide you with this link.

This is the part that sort of surprised me:

"...That was a reason for both pessimism and optimism, said Rush Holt, a former congressman who now heads the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He said "the trend in this country for ideology to replace evidence" makes him lose hope, but the views of younger Americans — generally in line with science — revive his spirits.

More than 70 percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward that party say Earth is warming because of humans, compared to 27 percent of their Republican counterparts. Likewise, 60 percent of people under 30 say climate change is real, compared to just 31 percent of people 65 and older...."

 You can read the rest of the article online.

I guess this article was especially interesting to me because it's been a darn sweltering week in Hawaii. The temperatures were in the 90s which is not the usual thing.

To all the tourists visiting Hawaii today... don't worry. The trade winds should be returning soon.

I hope.

Shutterfly vs. Costco

Christine of Christine's Blog kindly sent me a free Shutterfly book offer. It was for an 8" x 8" hardcover photobook (normally $19.99). Although I really wanted to try using Shutterfly so I could compare it to Costco, I couldn't figure out what kind of book I should make. The offer was for 20 pages.

I thought about it for quite a while and then things happened that got in the way of my using the offer. The book would be too small for our travel books, but what other kind of photo book could I make?

That's when I remembered my brother recently making 20 wedding photo pages for Tiffany's wedding album. It's true they've been married now for almost 13 years, but I thought my granddaughter would enjoy having the photos for her own. Dave Au and my brother, Dennis had gone all the way to Chicago to take the wedding photos for us.

Once I loaded the photos onto the Shutterfly website, I discovered that shipping to Chicago would cost $8.75. Shipping is free to the Costco warehouse.

I also found that if you wanted extra pages it would cost you $1.00 for each additional page beyond 20 pages at Shutterfly.

Costco doesn't have an 8" x 8". I always get the 11.75" x 8.25"which also starts at $19.99, but it costs $.78 for two extra pages. And it's a bigger book than Shutterfly's.

I did find Shutterfly pretty easy to use. It maybe easier to use than Costco. However, for the price I really have to stick to Costco's photobooks.

Tiffany took these photos with her iPhone and emailed them to me for this blog post.

I'm so grateful that Christine sent me the Shutterfly offer so that I could try it out. If she hadn't sent it to me, I wouldn't have made this wedding book for my granddaughter. Even with the $8.75 shipping fee, it was definitely a fabulous bargain! I was so pleased when KC called to say excitedly, "I really love it, Grandma!"

So from KC and me, "Mahalo Christine!"  (Hawaiian for Thank you!)

Love Locks Not Loved

The first time we saw Love Locks was at the Great Wall in China in 2013.

It was strange to see so many locks hanging on chains along the wall as we trudged up. It certainly wasn't pretty. When we asked our tour guide why these locks were hanging there, we were told it was to "lock in their love."

According to Wikipedia this is the history of Love Locks:

"The history of love padlocks dates back at least 100 years to a melancholic Serbian tale of WW I, with an attribution for the bridge Most Ljubavi(lit. the Bridge of Love) in the spa town of Vrnjacka Banja. A local schoolmistress named Nada, who was from Vrnjačka Banja, fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja. After they committed to each other Relja went to war in Greece where he fell in love with a local woman from Corfu. As a consequence, Relja and Nada broke off their engagement. Nada never recovered from that devastating blow, and after some time she died due to heartbreak from her unfortunate love. As young women from Vrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their own loves, they started writing down their names, with the names of their loved ones, on padlocks and affixing them to the railings of the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet."

I saw recently that Paris was having a problem with those love locks on the Ponts des Arts bridge. They had to remove 45 tons of locks so that it wouldn't damage the historical bridge. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Now the problem has come to Hawaii.

Apparently people are hiking on the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail and leaving locks on the fencing and throwing the keys into the sea which is harmful to the environment.

An accumulation of the locks deteriorates whatever it's locked on to. The locks have also been found on Diamond Head and the Halona Blowhole. They said over a thousand had to be removed last September.

I'm always amazed that people feel the need to leave graffiti, locks, trash, whatever... without thinking how it impacts the environment or other people.

I wish people would think first. Isn't there another way to show your love? How about planting a tree or garden in your own yard? You can add a plaque or statue declaring your love. Could you send a donation to a charity in both your names? Do you have any other ideas?

A Spider in Bloom

Ten years ago my classmate and dear friend, Karen gave my mother a magnificent spider orchid plant. After seven years, it finally bloomed again in July, 2012.  Since then, it appears to be blooming once a year.

This year, the orchid plant sent out two spikes full of these rather unusual looking flowers. Although I really don't like spiders as an insect (although technically it's not an insect because it doesn't have six legs), I have to admit the flower is quite exotic.

If I had my druthers though, I'd still rather have a pikake or ginger or plumeria or gardenia or something that doesn't remind me of a crawling arachnid.  However, don't tell mom I said that.