Defrosting a Mini-Fridge

After a few years of curbing my wanting to put a mini fridge upstairs (which he thought was unnecessary) Art relented last November and we bought it at Home Depot.

I was quite pleased with it. It's warm upstairs in our bedroom and office. I can now keep a jug of cold water in it along with sugar-free peppermint patties and snacks. 😁

However, eventually I was noticing it turning on to cool more often. When I looked in, there was a thick sheet of ice coating the back of the fridge. Apparently, Hawaii's humidity was causing the problem. 

I looked online and it said that the fridge needed to be defrosted or it could eventually be damaged and not work properly.

I turned it off, pulled the plug and left the door open. 

Art was going to use a hair dryer like we used to do with our very big freezer in Illinois, but the fellow on YouTube said you should absolutely not do this. Really? Oops! Granted that Illinois freezer is still going strong after almost 40 years according to my daughter.

Within a couple of hours, the thick sheet of frosted iced could be pried off easily.  That was very satisfying. 

And you know what? 

There's a huge difference. I now have to turn the cooling dial to between the 3 and 4 and it's perfect. I was having to go to #6 before and it was still a little too warm. The highest number is 7.

OK... So it looks like we'll have to defrost the mini-fridge 2-3 times a year.

But the nice thing is that Art did not complain or say, "I told you so."

Stella, the Sleepy Bat

A month or two ago, my daughter, Tiffany in Chicago sent this photo of something attached near her front door.

I had no idea what it could be. From the small photo she texted me, it looked like a brown blob.

Fungus? I thought.

Art enlarged it and immediately said, "A bat?"

OK, in my defense, I've fixed the photo so you can see it better. Also, I wasn't wearing my glasses. 😕

Tiffany named the bat, Stella.

It's a children's book I once had on my bookshelf called, Stellaluna by Janell Cannon.

Here's a YouTube about the baby bat who is adopted by a bird family and has to learn their ways.

Could you tell it was a bat from that photo? If not here's a close up.

My son immediately texted from across the ocean, "Do not touch or get close to the bat. It could have rabies. Stay AWAY!"

Art texted, "Get away! Don't get close to take any more photos!"

It stayed at Tif's front doorway for about a week or more and didn't move.

We started to get attached to it. Then we started thinking that Stella might have died and was stuck there. How the heck was she holding on to that smooth surface anyway? This is what happens when you give names to wild animals. You start to care, rabies or no rabies.

I told Tif she needed call the city wildlife control or whoever, to come and take it away.

I assumed she did and forgot about this because we were going on our trip, etc.

And then I remembered recently and asked her about it.

"I thought I told you guys," Tif said. "We had animal control come. Using a long claw, they pried Stella loose and she came out of hibernation. The guy then picked her up and moved her to a bush in the backyard. We couldn't find her later. Fingers crossed Stella is thriving in the backyard."

"What?!? They put her in YOUR backyard?"

Tiffany said her husband has seen other bats in the area and was glad they're probably keeping the mosquito population down.

I'm glad too.

But bats? Really? In the 35+ years we lived in Illinois, we have NEVER seen a bat. Never. 

Well, I hope Stella is OK and eating to her hearts content. And I hope she learns that spring is a time to come out of hibernation.

Cleaning My Sneakers the Easy Way

Whenever I get back from a trip, I like to wash my sneakers. This time, I really wanted to wash my shoes because I'd walked in rain and mud on a couple of days.

I first considered throwing it in the washer and changed my mind. I just washed it in a bucket of soapy water and it worked just fine. So now how to dry it which is more of the problem.

There have been times that Art has used a hotel hair dryer to dry his shoes. Instructions on the web warned against this since it's not good for the glue holding the shoes together or the rubber.

I just found a Nike website called The Manual which gave some clear directions on cleaning your (all kinds of) shoes.

As for my sneakers, it said to just air dry it. 

Well, that could take forever and even allow mold or something to grow here in humid Hawaii.

I found another website that said to stuff the shoes with newsprint.

And by golly, it really works. I stuffed it with newsprint paper and put it where it would get some shaded sun and a good breeze.

It did the trick. My shoes are definitely clean and ready for our next trip.

Doggone It!

I wrote the last time about our problem with the burnt out extension cord and being grateful that the microwave and toaster oven were not goners. 

Well... the following evening, Art was warming up some vegetables and the microwave just stopped. So he restarted it. And it stopped again. This was goofy. He did it one more time and suddenly there was a LOT of smoke coming from the microwave. The microwave oven was now plugged into the outlet (without an extension cord) so we thought everything was OK. 

Nope.

It was now totally, completely, forever broken.

We've gotten so dependent on having a microwave that I immediately searched the web and decided on a LG microwave oven from Best  Buy.

Art read the directions carefully so we wouldn't run into any problems again. According to the LG instruction book, it said that the microwave should have its own dedicated outlet. 

Art stared at the counter space and decided to move the toaster oven to the other side of the stove so it could have its own outlet.

Nope. He moved it again. Mom's radio/tape player is now next to the microwave and Alexa will have to wait for directions from the other side of the room.

I hope he's satisfied now.

The GE Profile was bought in 2009. I hope this LG will last at least as long as that. 🤞

Uh oh... I'm waiting for mom to ask me where her tape player is.

Oops! Almost Frying the Microwave and Toaster Oven

We were preparing dinner the other night in the microwave and toaster oven.

And then I heard a fizzle. 

The microwave had stopped working. I had this vision of having to now buy a new microwave and toaster oven. 

Art checked the electrical breaker but nothing was tripped. 

Oh nooo.... We have to buy a new toaster oven, a new microwave oven AND hire an electrician because obviously, something was wrong with the electrical wiring behind the walls. I'm racking up the cost in my head. 

Arrrghhhh!

Art pulled out the toaster oven and then saw the blackened extension cord. Luckily the GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) wall outlet had tripped. 

Uh oh...

I must have used this wrong cord to plug in the two appliances when we bought them. 😳

Oops!

That was maybe 15 years ago.

OK, after resetting the GFCI outlet we plugged both appliances into the wall.  

Phew! 

Everything is working again. 

We didn't have to buy a new microwave or toaster oven. We didn't have to hire an electrician.

And I learned a valuable lesson. 😅

Mothers Day Scrub Daddy

My daughter likes to send me different things to try. This Mothers Day was no different. She sent me a Scrub Daddy.

Ummm... I wasn't sure what to think when she sent me this scrubbing sponge. She does know that I'm the one who washes the dishes. Art does most of the cooking. (His parents did own a restaurant on the Big Island.) Actually, he's good at washing dishes too, but he was willing to relegate that fun chore to me.

At first I thought the sponge was a bit cumbersome to hold.

I've liked using this Korean dishwashing cloth because it dries quickly.

However, that sponge kept staring and daring me to try it out. 

I started using it and discovered it really does soften in warm water. You can also put spoons in the mouth for a convenient cleansing. I stick straws and chopsticks in the eyes for washing too. And by golly, it's even good for scrubbing!

I then put it next to the window to thoroughly dry it.

Tiffany says ever since they got it, my teenage granddaughter loves washing dishes.

You've got to admit it makes dishwashing a lot more fun. 😃

Vertigo AGAIN!

We were watching TV on Sunday evening when I started to have a slightly off-kilter feeling. But I thought it would pass. I hoped it would pass. I wondered if I’d contracted COVID like several other people I know. 

However, when I got up to take a bath before going to bed, I got swamped with a totally awful vertigo. Art suggested I do the Epley Maneuver which was taught me at the Tripler ER when I last had my vertigo incident in 2021.

I did the maneuver. And on my second try, felt even worse and ended up vomiting. Arrgghhh…. I haven’t vomited in decades. Luckily, Art had the presence of mind to grab a waste basket in time. 

This can’t be happening now. We’re leaving for Japan in a few days. My brother is coming to stay with mom while we’re joining our children and grandchildren in Tokyo for a couple of weeks. We haven’t seen our son and family in more than 2 years because of COVID and their international move. (I’ve written and scheduled blog posts ahead of time to go up while we’re gone.)

Interestingly, I checked my blog to see when was the last time I had vertigo and ended up at Tripler. I’d written about it, and it was very helpful. I’d had the vertigo attack on October 17th 2021. It was a couple of weeks after our annual flu shot. I mentioned that I’d had a weird sensation of my ears being plugged after the flu shot.

I had my COVID booster on May 5th this year and have been experiencing that clogged ear effect now for several weeks. And now I’ve got extreme vertigo, much worse than before. Could they be connected?

Going to Tripler ER this afternoon.

POSTSCRIPT:

OK, we arrived at the Tripler Hospital ER at around 12:15 PM. OMG! It was super crowded! A nurse told me later that Mondays are the worst days to go to the ER. Sigh...

I was finally called in to see the doctor at around 3:00 PM and was immediately given meclizine. I'd been told by two other check-in nurses that I'd probably be given that. I'd already texted friends and a cousin about where I was. Two of them told me that it's what they were also given when they'd had a case of vertigo. So, OK, I took the pill.

At 4:00 a fellow came in who was probably an Intern. He did several tests to see how much of the vertigo still remained. I must tell you... he was probably the handsomest, cutest doctor you'd ever see. (Art did agree with me, by the way) Oh, and he was very nice too, and good at what he was doing. 

A young, obviously pregnant doctor came in next... also very attractive. She did the same tests he did. I told him, he'd learned very well. 😁 She also did the Epley maneuver with me and explained how the side that made me most nauseous is the side to do first because the crystals in the ear are most out of kilter there. She was an awesome ER doctor. I'd heard her treating other patients throughout the afternoon and her kindness and professional care never faltered. I can't imagine doing what she was doing while pregnant.

I was then given blood tests to make sure everything was OK and an EKG. 

They said I was dehydrated. Must be since we'd been sitting in the ER since noon and it was now past 5:00.

They then gave me a liter of fluids by IV. 

Couldn't they just let me go and drink a lot of water at home?

Nope.

This is why we weren't able to leave until 6:40. 

Those IV drips are not fast.

Ah well... I have meclizine tablets they gave me for the next 10 days. 

Apparently vertigo will probably clear up in 2-4 weeks. Hopefully sooner. 🤞

POSTSCRIPT 2:

Yes, I did mention to the doctors about my plugged ears. They weren't super surprised that I had that sensation after the vaccinations but I don't think they related it to the vertigo. Whatever the case, they checked my ears and said it was not plugged up and clean. 😁

POSTSCRIPT 3:

My regular doctor called the following day and I mentioned the plugged ears feeling after my flu and COVID vaccinations. He says it's not all that uncommon and he even had one patient who went almost deaf for about a month after a vaccination. 

I asked if it was possible that my vertigo was related to that plugged ear thing and he said it's quite possible.

So there it is.

Fingers crossed it doesn't happen again for a long, long while.   

POSTSCRIPT 4

Just wanted to be sure to add my ears cleared up both times and my ears got plugged only those two times after the vaccinations. You should definitely get your vaccinations!

One Little Flower

We were out for our morning walk on a cloudy morning. Nobody else was around. There were worries in the back of my mind.

Suddenly something caught my eye.

It was a bit of golden yellow fighting its way out of a rock wall. I stopped, turned to look and it made me smile.

Art saw me turn and smile.

"You should take a photo of it," he said.

I did.

And he did too.

Isn't it funny how sometimes, it doesn't take much to lift your spirits? 

POSTSCRIPT:

And then...

A few days later, I saw this.

Yes, I know it's a weed growing where it shouldn't but I'm smiling right now just looking at the photo.

Mom's Incredible Healing Powers

I wrote a post in March about a horrible injury on mom's arm that was healing gradually.

It was pretty scary. I cleaned it but couldn't get that skin to pull down.

By March it was healing quite well.

When we returned from our cruise in April, I checked her arm again and was amazed.

I couldn't find the spot that was injured at first. If it weren't for that little keloid, I would not have been able to see where it was.

Unfortunately, I do not heal as she does. It takes my injuries far longer to heal and always leaves me with a scar to remember it by.

Could it be the natto she eats that I won't touch? 

Could this be a reason for her longevity?

Luggage Returned... Phew!

It was now Monday, April 17th. We'd seen the night before on the Apple app that Art's luggage had moved from Frankfurt to San Francisco. That was promising. 

But when we looked again on Monday morning, the luggage was now in Moanalua Valley here on Oahu and had not moved all night. When Art called the Honolulu Airport, they said his luggage was still at the airport, not Moanalua Valley.

Hmmm...😟

Now this was concerning.

Eventually, Art got a phone call from the United delivery person who said he'd picked up the luggage the night before at the airport and just brought it home to bring to us the next day.

So I guess there was nothing to worry about. Perhaps the AirTags gave us more information than we needed to know?

Nah...

With our traveling track record, I still like knowing where our luggage, carry-on, backpack, etc. are.

And so ends our travel saga until next time. 😀

San Francisco to Hawaii? What ELSE Can Go Wrong?

It was now Sunday, April 16th and still no luggage. Art had informed the San Francisco United Luggage Claim that his suitcase was still at Frankfurt. They told him he shouldn't worry because he could buy new things up to $2,000 that United would cover. 🙄 Hmmm... Really? I wonder.

However....

There was that lovely included breakfast that raised our spirits. It gave us all the calories we needed to make up for the night before.

We caught the short shuttle ride at 8:45 AM to the airport where we met our travel buddies.

And then the travel agony began again.

There were... yup... again... mechanical difficulties with the United plane. It was something to do with the plane's anti-lock braking system.

Our 11:10 flight was delayed... a lot.

Sigh...

It's a good thing we had a huge breakfast.

Eventually, they gave up trying to fix that plane and moved us to another gate.

But no... that plane was not good either so they moved us to yet another gate and another plane.

We eventually left at 4:41 PM San Francisco time and arrived at 6:32 PM Hawaii Time. It was a 5 hour flight. Art had watched them load my luggage on the plane before we took off.

We were supposed to arrive at 1:49 PM Hawaii Time originally.

On the plus side, many people had left that original flight so we had our row to ourselves. 😄 We kept our masks on anyway.

Once in Hawaii, Art went to the United Luggage Claim. He showed them that the Apple AirTag proved his luggage was STILL in Frankfurt.

Why do we have so much trouble with our luggage?

But it's OK, my brother cheerfully picked us up at the curb and brought us home. 

When we were at the San Francisco Airport, we passed by this display and a smiling fellow asked if we would like him to take our photo. We took his photo too.

Have you guessed where our next trip will be?

Bergen to San Francisco, What Could Go Wrong?

It was time to go home. We would be flying to Frankfurt, Germany where we were supposed to catch a flight to San Francisco.

We'd met many travelers who had been on multiple cruises during the year. However, we were all ready to go home.

Our luggage had all been picked up during the night and stored in the buses.

We had our last breakfast together at 6:00 and were taken to the airport at 7:00. They needed to clean the ship for the next passengers.

Norway has looong tunnels through their mountains.

We arrived at the Bergen Airport at around 8:00.... and waited and waited and waited.

We even took photos of the fun bathroom sign because... well... what else was there to do?

They finally let us check in around noon.

However, when I checked in, the fellow said he could only give me my ticket to Frankfurt, but not to San Francisco.

What?

"No problem," he said. "They will give you ticket in Frankfurt to San Francisco."

Hmmmm...

OK, so we boarded our short flight to Frankfurt and it was fine.

At Frankfurt Airport, we saw this statue which we thought was an actual person at first. But no, this time it WAS Albert Einstein and not Edvard Grieg.

And yes, they did print my ticket to San Francisco in Frankfurt. Why they couldn't do it in Bergen, I have no idea.

It took 11 hours to get to San Francisco Airport from Frankfurt and guess what? My luggage (see the big K?) was there, BUT not Art's. We waited and waited and waited for it to show up before going to the Luggage Claim area. 

Oh sheesh! Not again! Art recalled that they had mismatched our ticket names on the luggage. When Art checked his iPhone to see where his luggage Apple AirTag was, we saw that it was still in Frankfurt! 

Our travel buddies had their luggage and were off to their hotel. They had opted to go to a different hotel than ours. We wanted a closer one with the included breakfast. We like hotels with included meals that are reasonably priced.

Very tired, we caught the shuttle to our nearby Best Western Hotel. It's an older hotel but quite nice.

We did not want to bother with dinner and just ate some granola bars and went to sleep. 

This is always the worst part of travel.

Sigh....

Back in Bergen

We were very briefly in Bergen last year at the start of our cruise in May, 2022. We looked forward to seeing what we missed due to that flight malfunction fiasco.

Our free tour of Bergen began at 8:30 in the morning after our quick breakfast. Our travel buddies had decided to go to Mt. Ulriken on their own. You can either hike it or take a tram to the top.

Our included bus tour took us to the Bryggen Hanseatic Quarter. Bryggen is a historic harbor district and one of Europe's oldest port cities. It was established as a trade center by the 12th century.

We visited Nykirken Church which was built in the 1700s. Edvard Grieg was baptized in this church. I remember his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Hall of the Mountain King. 

When I saw this statue, I thought immediately of Albert Einstein. But no... It was Edvard Grieg. 😁

At this point, along with other tour members, we asked to be let off the bus so we could enjoy walking along the port and seeing places on our own. We could see our ship in the distance so we knew we could walk back.

 We met very friendly workers in the area.

When we saw this funicular station we thought it was Mt. Ulriken (which actually turned out to be much farther away).

Whatever the case, we decided to ride up Mt. Floyen which was a lot of fun.

The view was amazing and we could see our Viking ship in the distance. It was a lovely way to end our adventure.

Our dinner that night would be our last on the ship and yes, I did take three scoops of gelato this time.

I make no apologies. I loved every bite. It was a sweet way to end the evening before we set out our luggage for our travel day in the morning.