Not Quiiiiite 50 (or the 60 they forecasted) Foot Waves...

We got up at 5:30 this morning and got ourselves ready for our Killer Wave adventure. When I opened my eyes, I seriously considered going back to sleep. Then I thought of my son, Jon who would be wanting to see what the Eddie Aikau Invitational would be like not to mention waves that big. Poor guy is landlocked in New Mexico.

Here's what I got from the Eddie Aikau website (link is above) for whom the Invitational is now named:

"Eddie's Legacy

By the mid-'70s, Eddie's passion for big wave riding was not his only driving force. The Hawaiian cultural renaissance was in full swing and Aikau was feeling the pull to dig deeper into the roots of his Hawaiian heritage. Following his win of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational at Sunset Beach in the winter of 1977, his focus shifted to the Hokule'a.

A traditional double-hull voyaging canoe that was the symbol of Hawaiian pride, the Hokule'a represented the cultural connection that Hawaiians were seeking at the time. Eddie was selected to be part of the crew who would sail Hokule'a by traditional celestial navigation from Hawaii to Tahiti in March of 1978. It was to be a 30-day, 2,500 mile voyage across the Pacific, following the ancient route of Polynesian migration.

The Hokule'a set sail on the stormy afternoon of March 16, 1978, in strong winds that were whipping up heavy seas. Not far into the journey, Hokule'a developed a leak in one of her hulls, later capsizing during the night in the Moloka'i Channel. After weathering the night, and with the physical state of crewmembers deteriorating, Aikau insisted upon paddling for the Hawaiian island of Lana'i, estimated to be some 19 miles away. It would be the final rescue attempt of his life. While the crew aboard Hokule'a were later spotted by a passing plane and rescued, Aikau was never seen again. He was two months shy of his 32nd birthday."

We hurridly got dressed and were out the door in 25 minutes remembering to pack sun screen that we didn't use because we never saw the sun.

As we passed through Wahiawa on the way to the North Shore, we saw bumper to bumper traffic. "You don't think they're all headed to Waimea, do you?" I asked Art. He was really trying to not say, "I told you so."

There were no parking spaces close to Waimea Bay where the Surfing Invitational is held so we had to walk at least 10 miles away from where we were parked. OK... fine, Art says it was only a little over a mile.


When we got there we saw that there was already a crowd overlooking the bay. I had to hold my camera over the crowd. There was also a constant drizzle. My camera kept getting wet.

Through the salt water mist and ocean spray we could see spectators on the other side of the bay.

The Invitational platforms and tents had been set up with the expectation that the event would go on because of the promise of consistent big waves. The Invitational takes place only if there are consistent 20+foot waves.


I could see surfers out on their surfboards waiting for the perfect wave.


Photography was extremely difficult and hazardous for our cameras because of the salt water mist.

Still, we managed to catch a few shots of the very brave surfers. I gave Jon a call in New Mexico and described the scene for him, not forgetting to let him know that aside from suffering to give birth to him, I was also braving the rain and surf for him. Yes, yes, he was most appreciative. This is what a mother does for her son. Ummmm.... yes, the father, too.


Art said every time we clicked off a shot we could hear a million shots clicking off next to us from these high powered cameras. I think their photos turned out a smidge better than ours.
After standing in the drizzle for at least a couple of hours, the skies seemed to clear a tiny bit.

The swells were pretty big. My estimate was that they were near 30 feet high. This proves you should never believe anything I say about surfing. The wave sets had very long intervals to wait through.

News and Coast Guard helicopters kept watch. We heard emergency vehicle sirens but we don't know why they came.

We were glad we came early because this is the scene we saw on the 20 mile walk back to our car. My lower back actually HURT a whole lot (this is for Jon) from standing for nearly 3 hours waiting for the next set of waves.

We grabbed a breakfast at (dare I say it?) McDonalds and headed out to Mokuleia Beach to see if they had 50 foot waves. Nope, none there either.


When we got back home Art immediately started washing the salt off the car. We learned then that the Invitational had been postponed due to the heavy salt mist and fog blanketing the area and smaller than expected wave heights. They said the wave heights were about 18 feet. Really? If those waves were 18 feet, can you imagine what 60 would have been like?

Well, they're saying tomorrow could bring 50 foot waves. Would we be crazy enough to go out there again? Would we? Do you think we're crazy?

We'll see.

Historic Wave Heights Tomorrow?

I just read in the Honolulu Advertiser yesterday that there's going to be historic 60 foot (How come they say foot instead of feet?) wave heights on the North Shore tomorrow. I'm curious. Yes, I know curiosity killed the cat.

I asked Art if we could go to the North Shore tomorrow since I've never seen a wave even 20 feet high. Can you imagine what a 60 foot wave height would be like? Maybe it's because we've just seen the movie 2010, but I'd like to see it. Art says he's already seen some when he was in the Air Force and stationed up high on Kaena Point. However, I haven't. No, I wouldn't be so stupid as to stand on the beach. I can't swim for one thing. But 60 feet? And historic? I know my son would love for me to see that.

Only one problem. Traffic. They said the traffic will be madness. What if we left at 5:30 AM? Maybe nobody will be up then? I haven't convinced Art yet. We'll see.

I mean... 60 feet? Historic? Doesn't it sound amazing?

H1N1 Vaccine for KC

My granddaughter has finally gotten vaccinated against the H1N1 and I am so relieved. Tif went for a vaccination about a month ago but when she mentioned that KC has some hives the night before, they asked her to call KC's pediatrician. When Tif called the pediatrician, the nurse there asked her to bring KC into the office. When she got to the office none of the nurses admitted to telling her to bring KC in. The doctor merely advised Benedryl. So that was a very expensive doctor's visit for nothing and she lost her opportunity to get KC's first shot.

Tif tried to get KC inoculated a couple more times and wasn't able to get in. It was very frustrating. Finally she went to our town's community center where Art and I used to get our seasonal flu shots. The line was stretched very far and long. This is north of Chicago, not Hawaii and Tif says it was very cold.


Here's KC bundled against the cold with the stroller top down to protect her from the wind. It was a lot colder to stand in line than it was a month ago, but the main thing is she got her first shot... not that she enjoyed the experience until she got her cookie.

Tif says in Illinois they are targeting the children and those under 25 years old group first. I think that's what she said. They say that anybody over 64 seems to be more resistant to H1N1. Well... I guess Art is safer.

I'm not seeing any vaccines being given out here for anyone other than school children.

Every time I go out and somebody coughs or sneezes, it makes me nervous. I've also got my hand sanitizer with me at all times. Me, paranoid? Naaah....

Shoreline Memorials in Hawaii

I read an article about shoreline memorials in the Honolulu Advertiser a while ago.

"A long-held state policy to ignore grave markers cemented to the rocks along the shoreline of the Wai'anae Coast isn't sitting well in Hawai'i Kai."

This photo is from the Honolulu Advertiser website.

As far as I'm concerned, this is inappropriate. The shoreline in Hawaii is quite limited and is enjoyed by everyone. Apparently there are hundreds of these memorials cemented in the rocks. Isn't it being somewhat self centered for people to cement these grave markers into areas that are supposed to be enjoyed by everyone? I'm very sorry to say this but isn't this a form of graffiti?

I really wish people would just let nature be. Allow everyone to enjoy it uncluttered and unchanged as much as possible. Please.

Wisdom From My Mother

It's done! Art just finished my office closet and we're so proud of ourselves.  It seemed like such a difficult project when we first started and a learning process but it's been worth it.

Here's Art adding the frame for the closet doors.

The doors were fitted onto the closet front.

Then Art hammered in the moulding.

We really liked the look of the moulding.

I couldn't wait to put my supplies onto all the shelves. I do love to organize.

The last step was to install the door pulls.

I was mentioning to mom at dinner last night about all the work we did for the two closets that nobody would see.  It's taken us almost a month from start to finish with little details we struggled with that even we would not see.

She seemed startled by my thoughts and said, "Does it matter?  If you both did it together and you're proud of it, that is the important thing.  You know how hard you worked.  You can feel satisfied with what you learned and what you accomplished.  This project was something special for yourselves and no one else.  You can look at it everyday and feel good about your hard work.  You did it for yourselves, not for anybody else's praise."  (I don't think I can quite translate her words perfectly but this is the gist of it.)

I suppose you're never too old to still be taught by your mother.

Aside from wisdom, I think I may have caught some of that bug of hers.  I've been feeling very sluggish and will need to crash again tonight.  Very frustrating.  I don't care how bad I get, I refuse to take the same medication as hers.  She's still going and going and going....

And I don't mean the Energizer Bunny although she's beginning to move around everywhere again.

Christmas Traditions

Tilly, the laughing housewife from England asked me to write a post about American Christmas traditions. There are so many different customs in the U.S. that it's hard to know where to begin. I'll be expecting your help with this.

We set up either an artificial or harvested evergreen tree in our home and decorate it with anything from lights, tinsel, ornaments of every kind and whatever crosses your fancy. As you can see I've already set up my tree much earlier than most people do. The Christmas tree seems almost secular since mom used to set one up despite the fact that we are Buddhists. Presents are put under the tree to be opened on Christmas morning, December 25th, the birthday of Jesus Christ. There's some debate as to whether this is the actual date but that's OK. We celebrated Thanksgiving 3 days late, after all.

There are all kinds of holiday parties in December until the 25th and we tend to overeat. We also bake and eat a whole lot of Christmas cookies.

I'm going to let Dina of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo explain Hanukkah on her blog. I've already blogged about my mortification when 4 year old, Jon blew out the menorah candles at her house many moons ago after the prayer. It didn't occur to him that the prayer had nothing about happy birthdays in it.

There's also the mistletoe custom where if you stand under it you get kissed.

There's caroling where groups go out to sing Christmas carols. It's not done much in Hawaii. Maybe you need snow.

There's Santa Claus or St. Nicholas who is supposed to come down the chimney and leave children presents on Christmas Eve if they've been good. My kids always got presents anyway. (I'm just kidding, Tif and Jon.)

OK... your turn to add to this list.

So Much Work for Something Nobody Will See

I forgot to take photos of our Master Bedroom closet before Art started working on the shelves. (Just in case anybody is wondering, one white laundry basket is for lights, the other for darks. The blue is for everyday stuff that I let my mom wash. We won't give her clothes that would look funny with a U at the bottom from hanging on the clothes line. I could do a whole post on mom and her laundry obsession routine.)

It was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be. We bought 2 higher grade 4' X 8' plywood sheets thinking at the time that it would be nice to have the shelves show off its natural color.

It was then I realized that I would need to sand, varnish, sand, varnish, sand and varnish again each shelf, top and bottom. I also had to repaint the interior of the closet since it got dinged as the shelves were being fitted. It was easier to do the sealing of the shelves than the kitchen door since I could use a water based polyurethane. I also had to use an iron to seal the front of the plywood with a wood veneer strip.


However, I love the shelves now that it's done... in the master bedroom. It feels smoooooth and lovely touching the shelves and I almost don't want to put anything on it... almost.


Art is now concentrating on this little closet in my office and it's requiring a WHOLE lot more effort. The opening is non-standard so it required quite a bit of hunting around to find doors that would work. We found them at Home Depot as part of a build your own cabinet project. It'll be much prettier than the shower curtain I was using to cover the hole.


Then it took a lot of measuring, fitting, remeasuring, refitting, and redoing the calculations before we could get started again.


We did a test run to see if the shelves would fit.


Then I had to repaint the whole closet and the supports that Art hammered in because the walls had gotten dinged up just like the other closet during all the "test runs."


Then I had to sand down the edges of the plywood sheets.


We bought these veneer strips to cover the front edge of the shelving.


I had Art demonstrate how I used the iron to glue on the strips while he followed with a block of wood to firm it in.


Then came the sanding and varnishing and sanding and varnishing....


The moulding for the closet had to be painted white. Ummm... Art just groaned that I painted over all his markings on the moulding. Oopsie! Maybe I'll go offer to make him a smoothie.

You know... once it's all done, nobody is going to see all this hard work. Maybe I should keep all the closet doors open?

Uh oh! I'm hearing more groans coming from the closet. I'll post a photo eventually when it's all done.

Our Happy Saturday Thanksgiving

We had our Thanksgiving celebration today because my sister-in-law and niece were both working on Thursday. We felt being together was more important than when we celebrated the actual holiday.


We did brine the almost 16 pound turkey yesterday and had it dry overnight in the fridge.


I started the stuffing this morning while Art prepared the pumpkin pie.


Art's mom was the master pie maker in Honokaa so it's only right that her son should carry on the tradition.


It just amazes me that he can create the crust so effortlessly. I get my crust at the supermarket ready made.


The finished product was beautiful.


I decided to go ahead and make that broccoli casserole that my daughter, Tif loves so much. It made me feel like she was there with us. She never liked turkey, even as a little kid. My son, Jon on the other hand ate everything and was never fussy about his food.


The table was set and ready!


My sister-in-law brought her special mashed potatoes and upheld the pride of her Irish ancestry. She also brought scrumptious yams with a marshmallow topping. Yummm... My niece brought grilled veggies. Everything was fabulous!


We had to take a family photo, of course. Mom is suffering from the effects of the antibiotic, Augmentin (runny tummy) and is still not 100% better. She's frustrated but hopefully, she'll be herself in the next few days. She did manage to mop the floors when I was napping and couldn't stop her which might be an added indication that she's on the mend.


The best part of all is my brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece cleaned up everything! They even put away our fold-away banquet table. We had next to nothing to do after everybody left which is why I'm able to post tonight. Niiiice...
Seriously!

Now on to the next holiday rush.

Are You Serious?

We love remembering how Art's dad used to say, "You shuah (sure)?" as an exclamation of surprise. It made us smile every time he'd say it.

In California we noticed that Art's sister and brother-in-law often say, "Is that right?" It all came together when we had guests from San Francisco and they said, "Is that right?" also.

In Illinois I think we say, "Really?" or "Are you serious?" or "Oh yeah? or "No Kidding?" or "No way..." (That's my son-in-law).

I've also heard "You don't say" somewhere but I don't remember where.

In Hawaii I've heard, "No joke?" or "Fo real?"

I just find this so fascinating. What do you say in your part of the country?

Choosing Between Two Newspapers

I got a call AGAIN from the Star Bulletin newspaper. This time they were offering me a year's worth of Monday to Sunday newspapers delivered for $50.00. We already subscribe to the Honolulu Advertiser. However, we met a Star Bulletin editor and reporter at Gigi's Blog party so I thought we'd better give it a try since they are really, really struggling to not go under.

We got our first paper on Wednesday morning. Right off the bat, Art found something humorous. One of the front page titles for the Advertiser read: Teachers balk at furlough plan. The Star Bulletin's read: Teachers Willing to return for furlough days.

And here's what else I noticed without reading much (anything).

The Star Bulletin has a larger crossword puzzle so I don't have to strain my eyes to write in the little squares. However, the crossword clues are hard (more challenging)and they only have one. The Advertiser has two crosswords. One is for the non Mensa people like me. I could almost do it with a pen. The other is for really, really smart people. There are days that I can't get one single clue. Sigh... now you know.

The Star Bulletin is more like a big newsprint magazine in format and its smaller size. There are no sections like the Advertiser. It would be easier to read on a train if we had a train in Hawaii.

They have different comics.

The Advertiser has a LOT more advertisements. Hmmmm.... Is that why it's called the Advertiser?

Well, that's all I have for opinions on that. When my mother is feeling 100%, perhaps I'll have more time to actually read an article.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

I read this article last week in the Honolulu Advertiser about brining your turkey. I've brined before so I think I'll brine again on Black Friday night. Art isn't totally sold on brining yet. He's not really positive it makes THAT much difference. I do. Maybe I didn't do it well the last time but I'm not giving up yet.

I have a 16 pound turkey. I paid $3.97 for it. No kidding! How you cook your turkey in the U.S. is serious business. Some people deep fry their turkey in oil. I've even heard of doing your turkey in an outdoor grill. Some locals take their turkey to a Hawaiian imu (underground oven). Not me. Roasting a turkey in the kitchen oven is challenging enough.

I just read that you should prepare your stuffing separately and not put it in your turkey because it isn't as safe to do so. Hmmm... I didn't know that. We'll make some gravy which is always tricky for me. I'm the worst gravy maker. Sigh...

I'll also prepare cranberries. Yup! Right from the can.

Art will bake the pumpkin pie. He does it every year. His mother happened to be the best pie baker on the Big Island and sold her pies at their shop in Honokaa. I'm glad she taught him a thing or three.

That's the menu so far. We'll see what else we come up with. We used to always have a broccoli casserole because that's what my daughter insisted we have every year. Since she's in Illinois right now, I'm not sure we'll be having that. But then again, who knows? My brother's family will be bringing some broiled veggies and the potatoes and yams.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!! We'll be having ham today since our real Thanksgiving will be on Saturday. What are you having?

Feeling Better, Maybe?

We took mom to the doctor yesterday. She started the morning dragging and frustrated that she wasn't getting better and was ready to see the doctor. She normally does NOT like to go to the doctors. Dogs and vets? That's mom and hospitals.

There was very little waiting at Kaiser clinic and we were taken right in. They took mom's vitals. Her blood pressure seemed OK. She'd lost 2 pounds (probably from her lack of appetite) and her temperature was almost normal. Her doctor came right in and checked her lungs which were clear, her kidneys, her neck, her head (because she had a head ache and was dizzy), her ears and then sat down and stared at her. He thought perhaps she might have an infection in her sinuses and prescribed Amoxicillin with Potassium Clavulanate.

"Ummm... I'm sorry, doctor but I've had that antibiotic before and it was horrible. I had awful cramping and diarrhea and had to stop taking it," I told him. I bet he loves patients who come in with daughters like me.

"Well," he smiled, "This is the medication that usually works for this kind of case and just because it affected you that way, doesn't mean it'll be the same for your mom."

"And the pills are huge, right?"

"Yes... a bit." I swear he wanted to laugh.

"But what if she does get the diarrhea and cramping and sore bottom and the rest? Can she stop even though you're supposed to take the whole dose?"

"Yes, if it's severe and you can make another appointment so we can decide what to do next," he reassured me.

When I went downstairs to the pharmacy, I questioned the pharmacist about the antibiotic also and he said I should get some probiotics and yogurt to help coat her stomach.

"Don't worry," I told mom as we walked to the car. "You're going to be just fine. Maybe you won't get the diarrhea and cramping and stuff. We have to get you better."

We dropped mom off at home and then went shopping. We bought a TON of probiotics drinkable yogurt, Activia and containers of yogurt.

When we got home there was mom smiling and trying to help us put groceries away. "Mom, you need to rest," I was quite firm.

"No need," she persisted. "I already mopped the floors while you were gone." Then she had a huge bowl of chicken soup for lunch which surprised us.

She had more soup for dinner and ate the spaghetti that Art made and the salad that I prepared. She chatted away cheerfully telling us how gigantic the antibiotic pills were and how much better she was already feeling without taking any pills.

We agreed that she didn't have to take the pills if she continues to improve.

THAT was yesterday.

This morning she got up and wasn't feeling perfect so she decided to take the antibiotics because she wanted to be in perfectly tip top shape for Saturday's belated Thanksgiving celebration with the family.

She must be feeling a bit better though. I was watering her plants for her and I could swear I felt her eyes boring into my back from her bedroom window. As I was hanging up the laundry, she scared me half to death by suddenly calling out from the family room window, "Are you sure that's where you want to hang the sheets because it's going to touch the tomato plants?" I was making plans to prepare dinner and she firmly said, "I'm going to cook some kabocha tomorrow."

She says she feels bad in the morning but is better in the afternoon. I just hope her system is able to handle the antibiotics better than I did. I'm glad she's getting better because it's hard to find time to blog when I have to take on all the chores plus the painting and varnishing I've been doing today. I know... I know...
I'm spoiled.

Thank you everybody for your kind messages and prayers. They certainly must have done the trick... at least I hope so.

Hidden Angel

Looking at the tree this morning, I spotted this little angel and was awash in memories.

When we moved into our little community in Illinois (This is before I met Peggy) I was quite adrift. I've written before about our consternation on hearing that our little "village" had a history of prejudice. Imagine our surprise when the neighbors across the street greeted us with open arms. The husband was a retired colonel. When Art reached the equivalent rank with the Public Health Service, he enjoyed reminding Art that he was still a "Bird" colonel.

His wife was an angel. She watched over us and tried to include us in everything so that we would feel at home. She was like a surrogate grandmother to Tiffany and came to watch over her the night Jon was born. When Jon was a toddler she wanted so much to hold him but he was very shy about being carried by anybody outside of our family unit. Try as she might, he would pull away and cling to my legs.

Then she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was devastating. I watched the once strong and proud colonel become a shell of his former self. He asked me to help him clean the house to make it perfect for her when she returned from one of her hospital stays.

One evening, we went over and saw her lying down on the sofa, propped with pillows, her face pained but smiling. We chatted and reassured her that we would always be across the street to help in any way we could. As we turned to take our leave, not yet two year old Jon suddenly pulled away from me and wrapped his arms around her neck in a tight, long hug. Shocked at first, her face warmed with happiness. The pain seemed to lift when she said, "I can die in peace now." The rest of us stood watching with our mouths open in surprise.

When she died, the colonel was lost and he soon followed the woman he could not live without. When the family sold the home, they gave us quite a few things to remember them by. One of the packages held these little angels and we hung them on our tree every year since.

As the years passed, Jon thought it was humorous when I would occasionally forget to pack away some holiday decoration and would have to go up into the attic sometime in spring to put it away. He decided to tease me by hiding these angels in the house some place where I would find it later in the year. Seeing an angel would remind me that Jon was always with me no matter where in the world he decided to explore.

We found one angel hanging on the handle of our antique coffee grinder on top of our china cabinet when we were getting ready to move to Hawaii last year in late summer.

When we drove through New Mexico on the way to Hawaii, we dropped off these angels for Jon. I thought we gave him all of them.

But no... I guess not, because here they are on the tree again and it's not just the angel's face I see but all the angels they represent.

Mom Says, "Thank You!"

Thank you for all your well wishes everybody!!! I did pass on your sweet get well messages to her and you should have seen her beam to know that people far away from Hawaii were wishing she would get better. That really perked her spirits up.

Tif and Jon both called to ask how their grandma was and how long I was planning to wait before I called the doctor. Since there was no fever, no respiratory problems, no pain... I thought the doctor's office would say I should just let her rest and make sure she took a lot of fluids. I've heard that message a lot of times.

However, when Tiffany suggested I place a call anyway, I did. I was surprised when the Advice Nurse at Kaiser said to bring her to the Emergency room right away. That surprised me. I explained again that she did not have severe symptoms. The nurse said she didn't like the fact that mom was not eating much and that she was not getting better since her tiredness began on Thursday. I didn't want to bring her into the emergency room where there could be all manner of swine flu or a perhaps a long wait. The nurse agreed and scheduled an appointment for mom to see her regular doctor tomorrow.

I'll feel better once he checks her out and can tell me if there is anything we should be concerned about.

Thanks again, everybody. Good night.

Under the Weather

Mom has not been feeling well since yesterday. She's usually up by 5:00 AM and is having breakfast, watching her Japanese news, getting ready to do laundry and water her precious plants. Then she's wandering around the outside of the house trimming each bush, fertilizing and I swear she's talking to every one of them. She insists on doing some laundry each day and nothing I say will convince her to do otherwise. She washes all the dish cloths, napkins and bath towels everyday and hangs them out in the sun. Then she'll dust and vacuum and sweep and clean her bathroom or kitchen or whatever. She has an early lunch break, takes a nap and is then preparing dinner. Yes, we're spoiled.

I wanted to take over many of those chores when we moved here but she was adamant that she needed to do it, that she enjoyed it. In fact, when I tried to do something, she would watch over me and hint that she would do it another way. So we've fallen into a pattern that works nicely for us.

But now she's not well. Since yesterday she's not been able to water her plants or cook and is spending a lot of time in bed. It's really unnerving. I'm just not used to her being lethargic and subdued. When I talk to her, her voice is gentle and nostalgic. She says she's having vivid dreams of her grandsons as little boys when they used to visit her, of her father, of her friends that have passed on.

When I walked into the kitchen this morning, Art was feeling her forehead and watching over her. He's very concerned. There's nothing serious at all... no fever... no pain... no coughing or congestion. But it's just worrying.

I made a HUGE pot of chicken soup that she really enjoyed and is having for lunch and dinner. I also made some jello with fruit for tomorrow to try to whet her appetite. It was Art's idea. He knows I'm always telling her not to get jello at buffets since it's nothing super special but to save room for the really fun stuff. However, he knows she likes jello.

I know she'll be just fine in a couple of days. I'm forcing her to rest despite the fact that she's itching to get outside. I see Art's worried eyes follow mom at times and he asks me to check on her every so often. He's been joking with her to coax her to lift her spirits. You have to love a husband who is so gentle, loving, and solicitous of his mother-in-law. I do.

Early Christmas Tree

It just goes to show you that I don't remember what we packed in our boxes when we shipped them to Hawaii after all. I guess I had more ornaments than I remembered and I see why. I couldn't bear to part with a single ornament that my own children or students gave me through the years. I'd written the names on the ornaments of the child who presented me with the beautiful holiday gift.



As we set the tree up and placed each ornament, it brought back countless memories of sweet and loving faces through the years. There are also ornaments that my children made out of paper and ribbon with the year they made it. I'm going to ask Tif to have KC make one too.

Well, now that's done I can concentrate on Thanksgiving on Saturday.

Early Christmas, Late Thanksgiving

The Navy was hosting a Super Garage Sale yesterday at Richardson Field near Pearl Harbor and I could not resist going. We gave away, donated or sold most of our holiday decorations last year before we moved to Hawaii so this was an opportunity to buy some economically. Besides, it's being green by reusing things people don't want.



It was a beautiful day and I couldn't wait to start looking. The field was jam packed with bargain hunters.

I was not disappointed. These ornaments looked brand new and I got them all for $3.50. It was funny because the colorful box of bulbs was tagged at $1.50. I was about to pay for it and the woman smiled at me and said it was supposed to be a dollar. What could I do? I bought two boxes.

Because my sister-in-law and niece are both going to have to work on Thanksgiving, we decided to have Thanksgiving later on Saturday. After all, it's not the day that's important, it's the family you're thankful to be spending it with.

Now that I've got my ornaments, I told Art I'd like to put up the tree a tad earlier than usual....like today? Being a very nice and flexible husband, he said, "Sure."

Pidgin is Not a Bird

Last night I went to a wake for my friend, Helen's 95 year old mother. It was a beautiful Catholic funeral. Helen is Filipino American. Because of their Spanish heritage many Filipinos are Catholic.

The funerals in Hawaii are quite different from the mainland. Since this was a wake I assumed it would be like the mainland where you go to sit with and comfort the bereaved, and after a time leave. However, this wake was just like a local funeral where there was a service and then refreshments afterward. The refreshments were a fabulous all out buffet dinner. I was sorry we had dinner before we went. Ah well, we had a 2nd dinner anyway.

It was great seeing Helen again as well as several other high school friends. We were able to reminisce and laugh about everything. At one point someone we met this evening asked where we were from. When I told her we came back to Hawaii after 35 years away in the Midwest she said, "I could tell when I heard you speak that you weren't from here." That shook me up a little. I know my accent is more standard after being away from Hawaii for such a long time but is it that obvious? I told her I could speak pidgin. I just need time. Well, I've had over a year now to get back into the groove but it's still not back yet although Tif and Jon will laugh sometimes when I'm speaking to them on the phone. If you speak a forced pidgin English, I believe locals can tell. Therefore, I have to let it come back on its own.

What is pidgin?

Here is the definition for pidgin from Wikipedia:

"Pidgin (or Hawaiʻi Creole) originated as a form of communication used between English speaking residents and non-English speaking immigrants in Hawaiʻi. It supplanted the pidgin Hawaiian used on the plantations and elsewhere in Hawaiʻi. It has been influenced by many languages, including Portuguese, Hawaiian, and Cantonese. As people of other language backgrounds were brought in to work on the plantations, such as Japanese, Filipinos, and Koreans, Pidgin acquired words from these languages. Japanese loanwords in Hawaiʻi lists some of those words originally from Japanese. It has also been influenced to a lesser degree by Spanish spoken by Mexican and Puerto Rican settlers in Hawaiʻi."

The thing is, pidgin and standard English can define who you are. People form an opinion of you as soon as you open your mouth here in the islands. They'll know if you're local kamaaina and an insider or a malihini outsider. Does this remind you of Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady?

So how come I no can talk pidgin yet? I don't know. You just wait and I going talk pidgin mo bettah latah.

Thinking Green With Michelle

Michelle of Rambling Woods--Taking the Road Less Traveled has given out Green Thinker Awards. She asks everyone to pass on the message to think green.

"All I ask is that one post be devoted to how you try to take care of the planet by living green and being more environmentally conscious. Do you recycle, eat more local foods, avoid plastic bags to name a few. Grab the award and link back to Rambling Woods."

Do we recycle? Definitely! Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass, newspapers, office paper all go into our recycle bin.

Do we eat more local foods? We do go to the farmers markets every week and try to get locally grown food when we can.

Avoid plastic bags? I did a post about my ecobags that I carry with me all the time. It reduces the amount of plastic bags I would collect. When I do receive plastic bags, I save them to be reused.

We also reduce the amount of water we use by turning off the water when we soap ourselves during our showers. We turn the water back on to rinse ourselves off.

We use CFL bulbs, ceiling fans most of the time instead of air conditioners and have installed a lot of insulation in our walls and ceilings to keep the house cooler. We recently bought a Prius! I nearly forgot that one.

Thinking green is especially easy since Art worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We still have more things we can do, and we will eventually. I hope everybody else does, too.

Please accept this award and tell us how you think green also.

The End of the World

We took my aunt, uncle and mom to see 2012 this afternoon. They wanted to see it since they figured it didn't have much crucial dialogue for them to be confused by. The local movie reviewers also mentioned how you would see what happens to the state of Hawaii. Yes, we do get creamed. I realize now that we really don't have our house high enough up the hill to avoid a cataclysmic tsunami. I'm also not sure I'm feeling safe about going to Yellowstone Park after all.

I am not one for disaster movies. As a matter of fact, I don't like them. I'm not big into special effects. But by golly, this movie does take you for a ride! How in the world did they do all that computer graphics? Good grief! I realized I was holding my breath with each wave and wanted to press the gas pedal several times during the scenes of them trying to escape. I would have to say this really is the mother of all disaster movies so far.

I think I'm tired from the tension of watching it. I'm going to take a rest now before I put on those aforementioned boots to go to my line dancing lesson tonight.

These Boots Were Made for Line Dancing

I was out at the Waikele Outlet Mall yesterday because Art needed to buy some energy type gels for his running.

Anyway, while there I thought I'd check out the Factory Brand Shoes Outlet to see if they had some athletic shoes that I've been looking for. I bought a pair a while ago and discovered that when I walked downhill especially, my toe would bang against the front of my shoe. It was rather annoying. My daughter had been warning me that I should buy a larger size for jogging. Since I don't jog, I didn't think it would bother me. Still, I really love these shoes otherwise so I'd like to buy a larger size. Art is always wanting me to exercise so he'll insist I buy 100 shoes if it'll get me outside walking.

Well, I didn't find the athletic shoes I wanted but I found something else. I decided to check out boots for my friend, Diane who needs a better pair of boots for line dancing. She's a size 6. I can fit into a 6.5 or 7. You have NO idea just how difficult it is to find a boot that is FLAT with a smooth leather outsole. However, there it was in the clearance section calling me! Hallelujah! Flat. Smooth, leather, non rubber outsole. Size 7! I'll be spinning forever in these. It fit me perfectly. I hunted and hunted for another pair in Diane's size but there weren't any. If there were, it would have capped our outing perfectly. I'll have to keep looking for another pair for Diane but I'm so excited about mine. It was marked at $89.00, down to $50.00 with a 25% off tag. I left the store paying $39.27 which included the tax! Oh happy days!

This is all fine and dandy but knowing my penchant for breaking and spraining my ankles and feet I can't wear these boots anywhere else because the bottoms are so slippery.

All this brings me to wondering WHO the heck buys boots in Hawaii anyway? I never see anybody wearing them (except at line dancing). It's too hot! So why are they selling them everywhere? Strange...

Thanksgiving Traditions

When we moved to Illinois some 35 years ago I was pretty lonely for a while until we were adopted into other families. Although we missed our family in Hawaii, our lives became rich with friends who invited us to become part of theirs.

One couple was our neighbors, Peggy and Jim whose family is full of Irish friendliness, wit, warmth and always... laughter. Jim's family in particular was brimming with boyhood stories that boggled our imagination. I believe he had 7 brothers. Use your imagination. Peggy and I even delivered our youngest babies 8 days apart.

Then they left for California. I tried to smile through their move but my heart broke.

Then Caroline and Bill moved in with their children. They are both professors at the university but their extended families live in Arizona and Boston. We adopted each other. Our Thanksgivings and Christmases were celebrated in each other's homes. We took turns for Thanksgiving. We alternated who would cook the turkey, stuffing and gravy and who would do the rest. This worked out wonderfully because if you hosted, you just took care of the turkey, stuffing and gravy and didn't have to worry about the rest of the fixings. Caroline and Bill often invited visiting profs from other countries to the dinners. We enjoyed the exchange of ideas and learning. This family tradition continued for nearly two decades.

I now love celebrating our holidays with my brother's family here in Hawaii, and I know I'm being perverse by longing for those friends who kept our holidays warm and bustling for those 34 years we were away, but I can't seem to help it. I miss all the holiday parties at the neighbors and with our friends. I miss the snow. Wait. Did I say that? Did I really say that? Well I do. Not the cold, just the glistening snow on our evergreens. I miss the fall farmers markets full of apples and fall fruits. I miss the fiery colors of leaves scattering their last hurrah to the wind.

I miss my daughter, son in law and granddaughter in Illinois.

Then again, I don't miss frigid January or February in the Midwest. I'm reminded of that when we go for our evening walks in shorts and t-shirts. I'm going to end this post just because I don't know where I'm going with it. I guess I'm just reflecting on our past and our future as we near the end of the year.

Cuppa Coffee Critics

My daughter says my son-in-law, Ed is a coffee snob...um... I mean connoisseur. He likes only a couple of different kinds of Kona coffee. One brand he likes is Lion 100% Kona. I can't remember what the other brand is and I don't think he remembers either since Lion is the only one we bring him. He made that decision after we once brought 6-7 different brands for him to try. Ed is also a regular Starbucks customer that Art feels is rarely fresh because he orders decaf which has usually been sitting too long and has a burnt flavor... not that he's particular, mind you.

This summer, Art admitted to serving Ed a mixture of different coffees and he didn't seem to notice. I'm thinking that if Ed did notice, he just didn't say so.

For our family get-togethers, Art serves a mixture of Dunkin' Donuts coffee with 100% Kona. When my aunts were here the last time they said Art's coffees were always fabulous. Art says he thinks the Dunkin' Donuts coffee is very good and he does like his coffee... BLACK. I like mine as mocha (1/3 chocolate milk) so he says my opinion doesn't count. (He meant it's not as accurate.)

One of my cousins swears by Costco Kona coffee which Art says is OK. I find it all so humorous.

Why not try my mocha? Then you don't have to worry about what kind of coffee brand to buy. Then again, you do want real chocolate milk. I wouldn't want to get skim or soy. I'd like at least 1% and you need a bit of crushed ice and....

Bowing to Critics

When I first saw this photo on Yahoo news, my first impression was how proud I was of President Obama to greet the emperor and empress in such a kind and respectful gesture of friendship. Then I saw that the article was titled Outcry Over Obama's Bow.
Here's what I read.

"WASHINGTON (AFP) – News photos of President Barack Obama bowing to Japan's emperor have incensed critics here, who said the US leader should stand tall when representing America overseas.

Obama on Monday was in China, having wrapped up the Japan leg of his Asia trip two days earlier. But Washington's punditocracy was still weighing whether or not the US president had disgraced his country two days earlier by having taken a deep bow at the waist while meeting Japan's Emperor Akihito."

The president greeted the emperor and empress as is custom there. Conservatives felt he should have just shaken hands as Cheney did. Do you really want our president copying Cheney? I guess we want the president to be respectful of other countries' customs but not too respectful. After all, we don't want to tarnish our image of being all powerful, do we?

I'm really tired.

I'm going to go take a nap.

It Must Be Fall in Hawaii

This is it! It must be fall. I actually changed out of my shorts and tank top to long jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt. Granted I could change back in another hour but for this morning, by golly, it's just a teeny tiny bit cool.

I love it!

I am not one for heat and humidity. It's one of the reasons why my son-in-law says he can never live in Hawaii. Ah well... Don't ask me why he can come here and lie in the sunshine in the summer. I wish they could come and live in Hawaii but well paying jobs here are very scarce.

Art is out doing his Marathon training run right now and it's raining off and on. He's been gone an awful long time this morning. He was gone before I awoke and I had my breakfast a long time ago. Since I can't get myself to even do my walking exercise consistently, it amazes me that he loves to exercise, almost needs it or he's crawling up the walls.

Good grief! He left around 5:30 AM and it's 10:22 now. Where the heck is he?


Hmmmm... since we're going to a pot luck at our friends' home tonight, I'd better take a little walk on my Nordic Track. I'll have to wipe the dust off of it first though. Maybe it'll keep me from worrying.


For a wonderful laugh, click on over to Sylvia From Over the Hill. This is one joke I just had to encourage you to see to lighten your day.

Postscript
11:02 AM: I was just getting to the point of calling the police but opted instead to call my son, Jon in New Mexico. He agreed that it was rather long for his dad to be out but thought Art might be walking or standing under a tree somewhere because of the rain.

I told Jon every time the dogs across the street bark I think it's Art but it's not. "And there those dogs go again," I grumbled.

A white cap came bobbing up over the fence line. It was Art. He's back and I've made his smoothie for him. Sheesh!