Now It's the Hearing?!?

I'm sorry, but this is another post about caregiving and what we also need to watch for in ourselves. 

For some time now we've been noticing mom's lack of focus. If we're talking to her and she's not looking at us, it looks as though her dementia is causing her to not hear us.

When she's turned away from us and we say something to her, she might just walk away. 

Watching TV was no longer fun for her. But then, when I turned the TV on to a Japanese program she could be interested in, she asked that I turn the volume on really high.

That's when I wondered.... could it actually be her hearing that is deteriorating? Is this possible? I thought her primary care and geriatric care doctors had looked into her ears so I figured it must be OK.

However, I decided to make an appointment with an audiologist at Moanalua's Kaiser Hospital. The audiologist looked into her left ear and then her right ear. He said the left ear was completely blocked with old hardened ear wax. The right was not quite as bad but was also not good. He would not be able to check her hearing with all that blockage.

He kindly found a date next month where we could have her ears cleaned and then go back to him and have her hearing checked.

The audiologist also instructed us to be sure to get the earwax removal kit that listed Carbamide Peroxide on it and to start cleaning her ears twice a day for 4 days prior to the appointment.

I'm wondering what will happen when her ears are cleared. 

I'm glad I won't have to raise my voice anymore. The neighbors must be wondering why I'm shouting so much these days.

I've read that hearing is very important for the elderly. I just saw this on the Johns Hopkins website:

Hearing loss and the brain

If you have hearing loss, you have a greater chance of developing dementia, according to a 2020 Lancet commission report that lists hearing loss as one of the top risk factors for dementia.

Brain strain and social isolation

Hearing loss can make the brain work harder, forcing it to strain to hear and fill in the gaps. That comes at the expense of other thinking and memory systems. Another possibility: Hearing loss causes the aging brain to shrink more quickly. A third possibility is that hearing loss leads people to be less socially engaged, which is hugely important to remaining intellectually stimulated. If you can't hear very well, you may not go out as much, so the brain is less engaged and active.

Ohhh gosh....

 Well, we'll see what we find out next month after all the ear cleaning and audiology check-up.

Sigh...

POSTSCRIPT 1: We made an appointment to have Art's ears cleaned and I decided I'd have them check my ears too. This was a wake up call.

POSTSCRIPT 2: Since mom's ears are extra bad, I wrote to the Kaiser audiologist if I should just start using the Debrox a little now. He called me the next day and said I should just do the drops 4 days before and not overdo it. I really appreciated his kind phone call and will abide by his advice. I guess we'll see what they discover about her hearing in about 2 weeks.

A Care Home for Mom?

Art has often joked that we are running a care home. And to an extent, I guess we are. Our lives now revolve around mom's care. We had to modify the bathrooms in her living area to make it safer for her. Our lives are governed by those free times afforded us when she is at her day care from 7:30 when the Handi-Van picks her up until 3:00 on weekdays. 

Last Friday was Juneteenth so it was a holiday and mom was home from her day care which she absolutely loves going to. Art suggested doing something special with her (even though she will forget it all once it's over).

I was washing some garlic chives (nira) which I'd promised our Buddhist priest that I would bring for him. He is from Japan and loves this herb, like mom. 

Meanwhile, Art decided to pluck mom's eyebrows. She draws her eyebrows rather far above her actual brow so there's a lot of hair under it which can be seen. She's asked me to give her a razor to shave it. No way! 

Then she asked ME to shave it. No! That is way too spooky! I said I would pluck it, but she refused saying it would hurt. Well... while I was in the kitchen Art just told her to sit and he plucked it all. 

I walked in and caught this sight. She never flinched or showed that it hurt and was very happy to have it done by him. 😏

Once that was done, we stopped at our Buddhist temple where I dropped off the garlic chives for our priest. He happily spent time talking in Japanese to mom which she really enjoyed. There are so few people who she can speak to in Japanese now.

Once we left the temple, Art drove us to Don Don Donki in Kapolei where he planned to have us pick up some bentos for lunch.

Mom saw the unagi (freshwater eel) that she's always loved but said we shouldn't buy it for her because it was too expensive. It was about $15.00.

We knew that once she was done eating it, she would forget she had enjoyed it. She lives in the moment. But what the heck, we got it for her. 

Art and I just shared a chicken and salmon bento which... ummm... wasn't great. Ah well. 

And yes she loved every bite. We kept half for the following day so she could enjoy it again.

Once she had her nap, I gave her a hair cut which she was happy about and then helped her with her bath. 

I'm thinking back to my younger days when I was still dating. Once mom met Art he was the son-in-law she wanted. She said she didn't want to jinx things by stating her preference. But when I called to tell her that I'd accepted Art's proposal, she was over the moon. 

At our wedding, one of my aunts asked where I'd found Art because she wanted one like him for her daughter. 

And yes, mom is grateful for Art everyday and she still thanks him for the delicious food he prepares for her, all the places he takes her and all the little/big things he does for her. Even with her dementia, she doesn't forget. 

A Treasure for My Brother

I have been slowly cleaning out some things from mom's closet and dresser that she no longer has any use for. There were Japanese wooden trays that I donated to the Buddhist temple for their rummage sale. There were clothes she no longer uses or fits in which I also donated. 

When I checked her drawer I found a lot of things like decades old plastic shower caps and very old brooches (I thought this jewelry was spelled broaches but I guess I was wrong) she worse.

When my brother was over to take mom for a walk, I asked him if there was anything he might like to keep since I was trying to clear out her drawers.

He said there was just one thing that he would dearly like to have. "Her sewing marker."

Seriously? Wow! I would never have guessed that! I remember that marker. Mom once worked as a seamstress before she began work at the Hawaii Times Ltd. Japanese language newspaper.

Her antique sewing machine has not been used in decades.

I do remember her sitting in front of it and pressing up and down on that treadle pedal. I remember people coming over to be fitted with the clothes she sewed.

I remember playing on it when my 3 year old brother, Dennis stuck his hand under the needle. That was the only time my mom swatted my bottom. (It wasn't my fault. 😢)

"It's a whalebone marker," said Dennis. “It's perfect for folding creases on paper when making paper airplanes or any art project.” Dennis inherited all the art talent in the family which he passed down to his sons.

Soooo... we went to mom's singer machine which she no longer touches anymore. I knew just what he was talking about because I also used it when I learned how to sew in grade school (probably 6th grade or so). 

And there it was! Dennis held it like it was some precious golden sword. He was thrilled! Wow! I would have told him to take it years ago if I knew how special it was to him.

I looked it up online and found this.

There's not a lot of things mom kept because she was one for throwing things away or giving them away when not needed. She did not like clutter. And now, because of her dementia, I have to simplify her surroundings as much as I can.

I know how happy she would feel if she could remember the joy of her son having her sewing marker.

POSTSCRIPT:

I showed mom a photo on my phone of my brother holding the marker. I told her how happy Dennis was to get her sewing marker.

She asked, "What is that?" 

F'ELON and FELON?

My daughter was driving through Chicago with our granddaughter and came across this sight. Tiffany told KC to take a photo and send it to grandma (that's me).

It's a Tesla with a rather unusual sticker near its bumper.

I've seen newer Teslas that have that big T removed.

The TESLA "T" logo is now pretty hard to see on the newer Teslas.

This is from AI Overview:

Yes, Tesla’s sales have been declining. The company reported a second consecutive year of falling annual vehicle deliveries, dropping from 1.79 million in 2024 to 1.63 million in 2025, which also resulted in the company losing its title as the world's top-selling EV maker to China's BYD. 

The downward trajectory and sales slump have continued through 2026, driven by a few primary factors: 

• End of Tax Credits: The removal of the $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit caused a significant hit to domestic demand. 
• Increased Competition: Tesla is facing intense competition and market share erosion from heavily established and emerging EV manufacturers across the U.S., Europe, and China
  .
   
Brand Sentiment: Customer polling and analysts suggest that consumer polarization regarding CEO Elon Musk has negatively impacted brand perception and purchase consideration.

So there you have it, I guess. 

I looked on line and saw a LOT of stickers along the same theme. 

Thank you, Tif and KC for a fun blog post.

No More Pennies?

Our daughter had stopped at the DSW footwear discount store and saw this sign on the counter.

Wow! Really? You can't use your pennies anymore? 

I'm sorry the sign is blurry because this photo was texted to me. 

It says: Due to the discontinuation of the penny, we may have to round the change you receive to the nearest $.05 or $.10.

The sign also says that if you use a credit card the payment won't be impacted.

(I'm assuming this means you can still use your pennies to pay them.)

Well... Art loves to look for change on the ground when he goes for his runs/walks.

He adds them all up and gives it to charity.

Well.... I'm seeing quite a few pennies there.

So I looked this penny thing up on line.

I got this from Govmint. 
https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/can-you-still-pay-with-pennies?srsltid=AfmBOoq9diXIqAx9vJvF9N-Xx7gxT_RKdOU6uxT3YrX_yqcySwQq3AR2#:~:text=Yes%2C%20you%20can%20still%20make,the%20supply%20to%20dry%20up.

Yes, you can still make purchases with pennies. As of the end of 2025, the U.S. Mint officially stopped producing pennies for circulation. While they are still "legal tender" in a technical sense, the government is effectively allowing the supply to dry up. Most banks have stopped ordering new rolls, and many businesses are already rounding their cash totals to the nearest five cents.

If you have a jar of pennies at home, you do not need to panic. You can still use them to buy things, but you might run into some "private policy" issues. Since there is no federal law that forces a private business to accept physical cash (or specific denominations), a store can legally refuse your bag of 400 pennies if it decides it is too much of a hassle to count, but that has always been the case. 

So there you have it.

Wow!

By the way, in Japan the smallest coin is the 1 yen coin.

It is worth a fraction of a US penny. And yes, it's still in circulation. We had a bunch of them and ended up sending them to my cousin in Tokyo. 😁

Following Dad's Running Steps?

Art has always been a runner. Me? Absolutely not. Absolutely absolutely not! Why run when I can walk. And yes, my brother and I walked a lot when we were kids. I used to tell my kids we walked to school 5 miles uphill both ways in Hawaii. They would scoff and ask, "Was it snowing too?" (And no it wasn't quite 5 miles. Maybe a mile... maybe 2?😄) 

Art however, was always into sports and was an avid tennis player and then runner.

Our children, Tiffany and Keola soon followed in their father's footsteps becoming the team breast strokers in high school. Jon eventually joined the water polo team and was a co-captain. And then he became a cross country runner.

In Middle School, Keola told Art that he was going to be one of the runners representing his school in a track meet. Art was worried that Keola might need some practice and instruction so he took him out to a nearby track field.

Ummm.... imagine his surprise when 12 year old Keola actually ran faster than he did.

And then wonder of wonders Keola won that middle school 800 meter run.

And then there was that time in 2006 when Tiffany had signed up for the Y-Me 5 K Race (National Breast Cancer Association) in Chicago. Unfortunately, Tif was in her first trimester with our granddaughter-to-be and didn't feel perfect. Keola was visiting at the time so just for fun, he took his sister's bib and ran for her. Uummm... Imagine their shock when her name came out as one of the early women finishers.

In 2009, Art did the Honolulu Marathon and then the Half Marathon several times. Tiffany and her family even came from Chicago to support him doing the Marathon.

Eventually Tiffany decided she would start running more too. In 2011, she did the St. Paddy's Day Half Marathon in Chicago.

And then Keola came to Hawaii in 2012 to run with his dad in the Honolulu Half Marathon. I say with, but apparently that was only up to a point before he took off. 😆

Tif was really into running in 2013. She joined her brother running the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Washington, D.C. where Keola was living at the time.

She also ran in the Chicago Half Marathon.

The following year, Tif was in D.C. again doing the Nike Women's Half Marathon. Eventually her knees started to bother her so she usually just walks. At least that's what she tells me although I think it's just that she's too busy at her job right now.

Keola on the other hand decided to try running a marathon in Africa. I was concerned because his knees started to hurt while training for it. 

I tried to dissuade him from running it, but Art and Tiffany somehow understood his need to Just Do It. And so he did. And he finished it with Tif and Art giving him loads of advice on what to do for his sore knees (which he inherited from me) once he was done.

Sigh... I hope this is it. I'm happy for him... relieved...

But I hope he decides now to just walk like his mother.

Nah... I doubt it.

POSTSCRIPT: Would you believe he completed the Marathon in under 5 hours? What the heck? He did this limping the last quarter of the 26.2 mile distance. Arrrghh! 😣 I know my hair is turning whiter and whiter.

Black Tomato?

When we lived in Illinois, we grew tomatoes, zucchinis, beans, lettuce, etc. in our small garden patch and they did quite well actually.

Here's a photo from decades ago of our daughter, Tif and a friend in front of our garden patch in Illinois.

Well... just wanted to show you that we're not total incompetents as gardeners.

So we decided to plant some tomatoes again here in our Hawaii garden. We went to Home Depot and they didn't have any tomatoes. We went to City Mill and they only had one variety. It was called an Akoya tomato and it was supposed to have black tomatoes.

Seriously? Black? OK since that was our only choice, we decided to try it.

The Akoya is only supposed to grow about 18" tall, but we decided to use our tomato cage just in case. The plant was looking pretty good and yes, the fruit was looking pretty black.

But then...

When I looked closely, I saw trails of leaf miners.

Doggone it!!!

And you know what? I've seen those moths around. I just didn't know they came from tomato leaf miners.

Ah well...

What can I grow in Hawaii that won't be eaten by bugs?

Garlic chives?

They have been doing very well in my garden. Very, very, very well actually.

We use some of it for any kind of soup, but sheesh! That's a lot of garlic chives (nira ニラ in Japanese).

It's a good thing I have a relative who loves it and even our Buddhist priest. So I guess we'll have a LOT to share.

POSTSCRIPT 1: (2026-06-10)

I was starting to feel a little better so I went to water our little garden and to check on those Akoya tomatoes. 

Wow! I saw that one of the tomatoes was almost totally red so I called Art to look. He found one that had fallen the ground that was totally red so decided to also pick one that was reddish black and then one that was mostly black. These tomatoes are a little bigger than cherry tomatoes, but we haven't tasted them yet. I thought the black tomatoes were the ripe ones, but nope. They turn from green to black to red.

POSTSCRIPT 2: (2026-06-11)

OK, we had the tomatoes in our salad and uuummmm... it tasted like tomatoes. I'm not a judge of taste but Art still has very sensitive taste buds and said they taste like regular tomatoes. Ah well...

The Impact of War

Now that the Strait of Hormuz is blockaded, a lot of countries have been impacted.

This is what I got from Google:

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water adjacent to Iran and Oman, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. While it is a shared body of water between Iran and Oman, Iran functionally exercises a greater amount of control over it.Mar 18, 2026

Unfortunately, it’s not just the U.S. that is suffering from the higher gas prices for our vehicles due to the Hormuz blockade. 

It was surprising that Japan, although it does have an oil reserve for now, do rely on importing oil from other countries. I saw this online from the Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-05-13/some-japanese-snack-packages-are-turning-black-and-white-as-iran-war-depletes-ink-supply

Apparently it’s impacting Japan's supply of plastics and inks which are derived from oil.

What a surprise that Calbee had to change the packaging for their potato chips from color to black and white. 

I guess everything the US does when it wages a war impacts a lot of other countries also in ways we don’t even know.

Still Fighting this Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus

I CAN'T believe I'm into my 4th week of this stupid Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus. It's a lousy cold. That's what I tested positive for at Tripler Army Hospital.

I looked this up on Google AI Overview and got this:

Human rhinoviruses and enteroviruses are closely related, highly contagious RNA viruses that belong to the same viral family (Picornaviridae). While rhinoviruses primarily cause mild, upper respiratory illnesses (the common cold), enteroviruses can trigger respiratory symptoms as well as more severe, systemic diseases like meningitis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and myocarditis.

I am 99.9% positive I got this from mom who probably got it at her daycare. Somehow, she recovered from it in a week with all the treatment she got from Kaiser as well as her medications.

Since Art is the last one standing in the house and needs to be kept standing, we've done a lot of precautions. I sit at the opposite side of the kitchen table during meals. I moved into the guest bedroom and we use separate bathrooms. I'm just really hoping he doesn't get this.

I then got this from Art's cousin:

"Hi Kay and Art,

Hope you're feeling better.

I had that lingering mild upper respiratory infection that lasted for over a month. The mucus wouldn't go away for a long time! I heard other people had that also."

I'm also hearing of other friends and relatives suffering from this so it must be going around. I did read it was highly contagious.

One of the problems was getting a good night's sleep so Art recommended NyQuil PM. However, we found this liquid generic version at the commissary and I decided to try it. I took the full 30 mL dose that first night and it knocked me out so completely which spooked me. Therefore, I've taken only a half dose each night this past week which works really well. I'm just worried I'll get addicted to it. 

I am getting better. I haven't been sick like this in such a long, long time. I'm getting stronger though I tire easily. However, the cough is still there occasionally which is very annoying. 

How have you all been? Have you had this kind of cold before?

Yes, He is Our Son

I wrote before about the night our son was born.

 https://travelerswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/born-on-way-up.html

Art has said before that it will always be one of his favorite memories. 

It was very late at night and we didn't quite make it perfectly on time to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in our little Volkswagen beetle. Contractions started around 10:00 PM. When we called the hospital, they said we had plenty of time and should drive up. 

When we arrived at the hospital at rather break neck speed, the people at the desk gave Art a wheelchair and told him to take me up to 8th floor. He told them it was an emergency, but maybe he was too calm...

Whatever the case, Keola was born in the elevator on the way up with only Art to deliver him.  We were told that our son was the first boy born at the hospital in 2 weeks! 

When a corpsman (medical assistant) brought Keola to us one day, we asked what his blood type was. We were told it was completely different from either Art or me. 

"What?!?" I said. "Is that even possible?" 

The corpsman said, "No." 

Hunh? 

OK... He was the only Asian boy born there at the time, the only boy in the ward. He's ours.

However, when we took Keola to an outside pediatrician who we really loved (and was recommended by Art's social worker cousin), Dr. Cibul rolled his eyes and said, "Of course, it's possible!"

I was talking about this with our daughter who didn't even know our granddaughter's blood type until KC donated her blood in college. I can't believe anyone wouldn't know their own blood type. Don't all pediatricians check for that? Or at birth?

Anyway, Tif sent me this chart to show how KC fell in line properly matching her parent's blood type.

And then when I mentioned how weird it was that his blood type wasn't the same as either Art or me, Keola sent this.

Ohhhhh Kkkkkk.... Of course Keola works in the medical field so he would send me something like this. Puhleeease... 🙄

Did he really think I would understand this?

Well... anyway... rest assured. Both our kids belong to us. 

Lost Medicare Card

No... sigh... I'm still not 100% over this blasted cold, but definitely getting there. 

However, I did have something quick that I wanted to share with you.

Several weeks ago, Art found someone's Medicare card outside our door. It was the craziest thing. It must have just flown there with all the winds we'd been having.

I looked up his name online and emailed the offices where he might have been affiliated telling them about the card. I also asked neighbors if they knew someone by that name. I got one reply and then never heard back. I stuck the card on our fridge waiting for someone to contact me or ... gosh... I don't know.

I eventually asked what to do on ChapGPT and it said I should contact Medicare, so I did.

You can actually just chat with someone anytime of the day. I'm wondering if this was just an AI chat.

Whatever the case, this is what she told me.

So I asked what to do with the card if it just flew by our door and she said I should just destroy it.

So that's what I did.

I figured this person is able to just contact Medicare and get a new card.

ChatGPT Explains MAGA to Me

Just for fun, I decided to ask ChatGPT how MAGA people can possibly support a braggart like Trump for president. I've asked ALEXA before and she goes dead and doesn't say anything.

But ChatGPT is brave and actually explained it carefully.

This is what it said:

“People support politicians for many different reasons, and traits that some voters see as flaws can be viewed differently by others.

For supporters of Donald Trump, some common reasons include:

They agree with his policy positions on issues such as immigration, taxes, trade, or regulation.

They see his self-confidence and frequent self-promotion as signs of strength, assertiveness, or leadership rather than bragging.

They believe he challenges political institutions and norms that they distrust.

They focus more on outcomes they attribute to his administration than on his personal style.

Some view his rhetoric as entertaining, authentic, or preferable to the communication style of traditional politicians.

 

On the other hand, many critics argue that his tendency to boast, exaggerate accomplishments, or focus attention on himself is a significant negative trait and raises concerns about character and leadership.

Whether someone sees Trump as a confident leader or a braggart often depends on which qualities they value most in a political candidate and how they weigh personality against policy and results.”

It's really nagged at me how anybody I know could possibly think he was good for this country. I guess I understand better now. It doesn't mean I think it's OK... but I understand better why.

Making Me Sicker

I'm into my 3rd week with this miserable cold but I'm starting to gradually... so very gradually feel better. This lifted my spirits. Was the country coming to its senses?

But then, yesterday morning I got more sickening news. OK, I've been trying my best to not rant about political news. I really am. But forgive me for this one.

I think everyone has heard about what was supposed to be a "Great American State Fair which was supposed to be a series of concerts, exhibits and tributes to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence." (Entertainment News)

Well... apparently a whole bunch of the artists have bowed out because they discovered it was going to be some kind of Trump political type rally.

In what has become typical fashion, Trump wrote this on his Truth Social website.

It absolutely boggles your mind. And he still retains a lot of his followers. I'm not up on all the latest acronyms. I had to look up The GOAT. It apparently stands for Greatest of All Time.

He's also put his face on limited edition passports to commemorate the US 250th anniversary. Thank goodness we don't have to renew our passports this year.

And now...

Seriously?

Seriously? 😠

I also heard they're putting out a special edition $250 bill with Trump's face on it. I think this one is better.