Being Poor

Gigi wrote in her comment yesterday:

"It puzzles me when you say your parents were poor when you were a child. Yet, your mom lives in a nice house in a good neighborhood, now. How did that happen?"

Thank you, Gigi for giving me my post idea for today.

It really is because of my mother. Although she grew up in a very comfortable home, the war years, full of death, starvation and worry shaped the rest of her life.


I spent the first five years of my life in an isolated rented plantation home in the middle of a sugar cane field in Kunia (deep country). I have no idea where our closest neighbors were. I have some nice memories of that time chasing geckos, grabbing fresh water eels in the ditch, playing in a lot of dirt.


However, that home was too far from school so we moved to another rented plantation home (Camp 57) where I could catch a school bus. (This is me in front of that house.)

All the while, my mother saved every penny she could get and lived as frugally as was possible. She learned to sew and made all our clothes (including my underwear). Then she began sewing for others. It was not easy for her since she came from a rather privileged background so she reinvented herself.

She had someone read the English words in picture books to her and she transcribed it into Japanese phonetic letters so she could read some books in English to us.


Eventually she felt that house was still too far in the country so when another house closer to school opened up, my mother grabbed the opportunity. This photo is of my mother and brother in front of that third house. Once Dennis and I were old enough, she found a job at a newspaper company. She can still find mistakes that other editors miss in Japanese language papers.

We never ate out at restaurants. She still sewed all our clothes and even my father's work shirts. Every car was driven to the ground. We never traveled anywhere. As I said, there were few toys. She knew where all the sales were. She still does. I recall my homework desk, chair, globe and a lot of other things came from Gold Bond stamps that she saved. We didn't have a lot of books, but my mother bought us a set of Encyclopedias which my brother and I read every night under our bed covers.

My mother put their money into Money Markets and conservative bank CDs where it grew.


(This is my brother with his wife holding Tiffany at the back of that house.)

Then the opportunity arrived to buy a home. The plantation was planning to burn down all their rental housing so they built homes elsewhere and gave the workers a chance to buy the new homes for a very reasonable price.

My mother finally withdrew their money and bought their first home.

Then the neighborhood began to change. The neighbors had about a dozen cars some how squeezed into their small yard and street front. Art and I actually stood there once and counted. Their other neighbor conducted loud church service and were constantly trying to convert my parents.

Therefore, about 10 years ago, she took the equity from that home, added to it with even more of her savings and bought this present home.

And now, after building a second floor on it, Art and I will be buying it from her this coming week. She has loved passing on all the utility bills to us each month and just enjoying her house without worrying about maintaining it.

After all those years of scrimping and saving, she has a granddaughter who keeps sending her presents, grandsons that come to see her, family all around, food on the table, her own TV, tons of books, Art and I taking her traveling every year, her son always watching out for her. She says she can hardly believe how happy she is, how lucky she is.

I think she's made her own luck.

Why I Count My Pennies

We were poor when I was growing up. I just didn't know it because we were all poor in the sugar plantation camps. My mother sewed my clothes until I could do it myself.

In high school, my friend, Diane told me about a great summer job at the Dole Pineapple Cannery. You could make a little over a dollar an hour. She and I were trimmers and we discovered what grueling work it was.

You had to mostly stand or rarely sit on metal chairs in a HOT cannery full of the cacophony of machinery and the constant reeking smell of pineapples. It was not pleasant. Pineapples are acidic so getting pineapple burns on your arms were common. We wore gloves with lotion and powder to protect ourselves as best as we could.

It wasn't all that uncommon to see a stretcher go by carrying one of the trimmers who had fainted.


I took these photos in 1983 when we visited Hawaii. The cannery has since closed. I was showing Tif and Jon where their mommy worked for THREE summers and decided college was my next step.

I remember sitting at the trimming table holding my knife, sweat dripping down my forehead as I looked up at the slow moving clock every so many minutes to see how much money I'd made. Each minute was a little less than 2 cents. At the height of the pineapple season, we worked twelve hours. When I left for work, it was dark. When I returned, it was dark. We each had two aprons. I paid my brother, Dennis 25 cents to wash it for me every night.


This is the Ginaca machine that cored and partially skinned the pineapple. A trimmer was trained to cut out the eyes and skin that the machine missed. We also had to catch all the sour (rotten) pineapples to be discarded.

It's amazing how good we got with wielding that sharp pineapple knife.


This is where the pineapples were canned. You could be a trimmer or a packer. The packer's job was to grade the pineapples that came out of the machine that sliced the fruit that the trimmers cleaned.


To this day, when I smell or taste a fresh pineapple, I'll get a sheen of sweat on my forehead. It could be the dead of winter in Chicago or in a chilly, air conditioned room. My forehead is still somehow conditioned to sweat when it smells fresh pineapple.

That cannery job also nudged me forcefully into going to the university and finding a job where I wouldn't have to hold a knife in the suffocating heat.

Granted, I still had to stay on my feet as a teacher and put in long hours. However, I didn't have to smell pineapples and I loved my job.

Cabbage Patch Craziness

I'm scanning photos from all our family albums again. I'm in the 1980's now with about 15 more years to go and saw this photo. It brought back a LOT of memories.

I remember all the mothers going nuts trying to find a Cabbage Patch doll for their little girls. The dolls came with a little adoption paper, a special name and a hefty price tag. (About $50.00, I think it was.)

I thought they were rather homely dolls, but it didn't matter. Every little girl had to have one!

Then out of the blue, a friend called and said there were three dolls at K-Mart and did I want her to buy one for Tif? It even had dark brown hair instead of blond.

I could not believe it! Tif's birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks and suddenly here was this doll. The hardest thing was keeping it a secret.

I have a poor memory, but I remember this moment as clear as if it happened yesterday.

We shouted out to Tif on her birthday telling her to come to the kitchen. Her steps could be heard padding down the stairs. Art, Jon and I held our breath as she turned the corner and saw us waiting for her with her presents.

At first Tiffany smiled happily and then she saw the wrapped box. She knew the possibility of what a box of that shape could hold. She seemed to hold her breath as well and came over to open it. When she saw the doll, tears welled up in her eyes and then overflowed.

I don't think I've ever seen her that happy over a gift since.


Tiffany even wanted our holiday photo to include the doll that year. Do you remember loving any toy that much as a child? I'm afraid we couldn't afford many toys when I was little. We made our own toys out of sticks and whatever was lying around.

OK... never mind... my kids know I'll start talking about walking barefoot, miles and miles to school in the blinding Hawaiian snow, etc.

The Mustache

I just read Gigi's blog about how her husband shaved his mustache off for her before they were married.

When Art and I were married, he did not have a mustache.


In 1978, we were in Hawaii and were aware that we might be enlarging our family.

Art had to return to Chicago to go back to work and I stayed a few weeks longer to be with family and friends.


When I returned, Art had sprouted this growth under his nose.
"How long do you plan to keep that?" I asked.
"I don't know," he told me.
Several years later I asked him again.
"Until I retire," he said.
After he retired, I asked again.
"I don't know," he repeated.


The funny thing I've noticed is that my two friends in Hawaii (who live closest to us) have husbands with mustaches, too. I wonder how they (my friends, that is) like it.

I guess Art wasn't thrilled when I cut my hair real short.

When I took another trip without him back to Hawaii (a few years after the mustache trip), he had the beginnings of a beard. I made him shave it off and I don't think I ever took another trip by myself again.

Java Sparrow

I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn't think of anything to post today. I've been trying to see how long I can go trying to post something everyday. It's been a challenge. I was going to post about our weather which was rather weird yesterday, but Art said, "boooorrrring." (Kindly, mind you.) I thought that blanket of dark clouds slowly covering our part of the island was interesting. For all that covering, I was able to walk between the raindrops that fell. It did rain last night... but never mind...

Anyway when I opened our front door to get the morning newspaper, this Java Sparrow was sitting there.


That was rather strange because they are very quick birds and should have flown away as soon as I opened the door.

While I stood there, the bird took a hop and fell over onto its back and stayed there like a turtle unable to right itself. I called Art and my mother and we watched helplessly wondering what we should do.

After finally wiggling to its feet again it tried to find something to eat, but there's nothing there (Remember how I got rid of the ants?) so I got some bread and tossed it over.


When I tossed the bread crumbs, it startled the bird enough that it flew over to the Desert Rose plant.


It then stayed there for the longest time and let me know that it would wait until I got my camera. It let me come as close as about three feet away from him. I snapped a bunch of photos and when I was done, flew off as though it was perfectly fine.

What a strange morning.

Okeedokee, I'm done for Friday! Have a great weekend, everybody!

Now then, what I shall I write about tomorrow? Sigh.......

Bounty vs. Brawny

When we went to the store last month I insisted on getting Brawny paper towels because I thought that was the stronger one. Come on! Doesn't Brawny make you think of something strong? And then there's that muscular lumberjack on the front. Doesn't that speak strength? Doesn't Bounty just make you think of more? (As in, you need more...)

Art, however, felt he knew best. "Trust me," he said. "You're going to find out I'm right."

Well, I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday.

I read some place that I should use paper towels instead of sponges that are breeding grounds for germs. Paper towels are better because you use it and throw away the germs.

I used the Brawny yesterday and nearly complained that the paper towel he bought was horrible because it just fell apart while I was cleaning and had to use several more to finish the job. When I cleaned the 2nd bathroom, I used the Bounty (It does say One Sheet Keeps Cleaning.)and ONE sheet really did last throughout the cleaning.

When I realized that it really was the Bounty that was stronger, I did admit to Art that he was right.

What do you think he said?

Altogether now...."I....."

Do What I Say, Not What I Did...

When Tiffany was married about 8 years ago, I told her that I thought her gown revealed a bit too much. I wasn't aware that wedding gowns had changed so much.

"In my time," I said. (I'll bet I waggled my finger.) "We covered everything because a bride's gown should be modest. The neckline went almost to the neck and and the sleeves went down to the wrist."

This could be why she chose her gown without my help.


Well I've been scanning photos from the early 70's and was surprised to find a photo of myself wearing a dress that looks rather ummmm...short.

And here's a photo of Art and myself at our wedding rehearsal. How did I ever bend? What if the wind blew?


I know I've told Tif that her neckline is too low or her hem is too short in her young years...well, actually she's still young. She just smiled at me and did her own thing anyway. I imagine she'd be rolling her eyes if she saw these photos.

Wait... at least my arms are covered.

Are The Aphids Gone or Regrouping?

Is it possible that we've actually won our skirmish against the aphids? Mind you, we've had to resort to chemical warfare. Sorry about that. We put down this ant poison trap near our mystery plant. I also sprayed the plant with a mild dilution of Bronner's Magic Soap.

POSTSCRIPT: My aunt says the plant is a Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) Everybody seems to have them in pots in Hawaii.


Today, there were two flowers blooming and no sign of ants or aphids. Granted it's only been about 4 days, but those bugs are usually back within a couple of days.


I checked all the leaves and couldn't find any of those sneaky, persistent, insect extremists.


We'd also put one of those ant poison things by our red ginger plants that were constantly attacked and over-run by ants that kept sucking the life out of the poor, innocent, young flowers.


Well, no sign of ants and the flowers are looking pretty healthy and happy now.

I know this was only one battle. We haven't won the war, but I'm willing to settle for a little peace.

Tomoe Ame Candy

We asked our daughter what she wanted us to send her from Hawaii and she said she tried some Japanese Tomoe Ame candy in San Francisco and would love to have some.

Now that was a surprise!

My grandmother used to buy that for me all the time when I was a child. Hmmmm... That could account for my many cavities.

My brother and I loved it (when we were young) because it's a sort of chewy, fruity flavored gelatin like candy with a rice paper covering that you could eat. It was fun to pretend you were eating paper and have it melt on your tongue.

You could buy it for 5 cents back then. What a shock to see it was now $1.78 (for the same box), but I swear the box is smaller. Sheesh! (Postscript: I just saw a whole tub of this on sale at Costco for quite a bit cheaper if you're willing to buy a WHOLE tub of it.)

My all-time favorite candy when I was a kid used to be LOOK bars. It was a nougat bar covered in dark chocolate. I LOVED it! That was 5 cents, too. I loved it, that is, until I found some worms in a bar I bought from a little store in the country.

What was your favorite candy?

The Recession Must be Over or Having Fun at the Annual Senior Fair

We took mom to the Senior Fair at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu yesterday to get her flu shot. We already got ours for free at the Tripler Army Medical Center earlier in the week.


I'm glad there was somebody to guide us to the proper location.


Once Mom got her flu shot, she also got her blood pressure checked. Not too bad. I didn't bother since I don't have a problem with blood pressure. If it were a glucose, triglyceride, bone, etc., etc. check, I'd have been sitting there, too.


There were booths upon booths of different kinds of services and products geared to seniors. There were lots of different cures for aches and pains (Mom bought some Salonpas plaster), solar panels (I was surprised at that.), Senior home care, assisted living, cleaning products, etc.

I got pretty sucked up into ALMOST buying this super duper mop, but Art dragged me away reminding me of another product I bought once some 25 years ago that was a real dud. (Art just reminded me that it was twice before that I got suckered.)


The place was not crowded when we arrived early in the morning, but within the hour, it was PACKED! Thank goodness Art wore his red baseball t-shirt with the #1 on the back.


The crowd was a little tiring for mom so we told her she could sit and watch the show that was going on.


When I came back to pick her up a short time later, I thought she might have been bored because it was just a whole bunch of ladies doing Japanese dances. However, she said she loved it and had a great time. I think she might even have wanted to see a little more, but she was getting hungry.


We met up with Art who had a whole bunch of FREE re-usable bags full of FREE goodies and pamphlets.


I think my favorite thing was the FREE solar pedometer. I also liked the FREE magnifier which Art won for mom. Then there were the FREE bug swatter shaped like a foot, FREE food package clips, FREE hand exerciser shaped like an ear, etc.

I'm such a sucker for FREE!

Last year, the economy seemed worse because there were very, very few FREEBIES. This year, there was a lot. I'm thinking this is a good indicator that the recession is over! Yae! (Art wants me to correct my post to say MAY be over.)

Mailbox Medley

We need a new mailbox! As you can see, our mailbox is an embarrassment. However, we can't seem to decide on what kind of mailbox to replace it with. You all know how hard it is for us to make a decision.


Remember what I said about rust in Hawaii? Illinois with its extreme temperatures never rusted our mailbox there.



We walked around the neighborhood to check out what sort of mailbox everybody else had.















We have no idea why this mailbox was in a bucket.


















Some of the mailbox stands were even more interesting than the mailbox itself.


This mailbox stand was made of gears and cogs.















Then there were the mailboxes with big bushes around it.


Perhaps this barbed wire creation was to ward away potential mail thieves.



We found this surfboard mailbox stand very appropriate for Hawaii.

Once we're done choosing our windows, we'll have to decide on a nice, sturdy mailbox.

Congressional Gold Medal for the 100th/442nd!

I was so happy to see this article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser this morning after just having posted about this topic yesterday.

"Congress has approved the award of its highest civilian honor, the Gold Medal, to Japanese-American veterans for their patriotic and valorous service with the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service during World War II.

The office of U.S. Rep Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the House approved the Congressional Gold Medal award by voice vote yesterday.

At a time when many of their fellow Americans questioned their loyalty to the United States, these Japanese-American soldiers enlisted and put their lives on the line to defend our freedom overseas while fighting against fear and discrimination at home," Hirono said on the House floor.

Hirono noted that the 442nd "Go for Broke" combat team became the most decorated in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component unit, the 100th Battalion, earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion."

In addition, about 6,000 nisei linguists that comprised the Military Intelligence Service "made vital contributions to our wartime success by conducting critical classified intelligence operations," Hirono said. "Only in recent years has their invaluable service come to light, and it is long past due for honoring and acknowledging their critical role during the war."

More than one-third of the linguists hailed from Hawaii.

The Senate approved the Gold Medal legislation in August. The recognition is on its way to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Ted Tsukiyama, 89, was part of a group of 25 MIS linguists who were sent to the China-Burma-India theater.

"To be Japanese (American) in those days, it was a very rough time," Tsukiyama said yesterday. The nisei soldiers were "called upon to show their loyalty, and they did," he said.

"I think it demonstrates that if you are an American, you don't have to be blond, blue-eyed and come from Northern European descent," Tsukiyama added. "To be American is like President (Franklin) Roosevelt said: It's a matter of mind and heart and not a matter of race or ancestry."

The nisei ranks are dwindling rapidly. Linguist Kazuo Yamane died April 28 in Honolulu at the age of 93.

Tsukiyama said of the Congressional Gold Medal approval now, "History takes a long time to unravel, I guess."

"What about all the other guys that did a lot for their country?" he added. "Everyone in World War II had a greater impact on their country because we were attacked."

The Continental Congress awarded the first Gold Medals to George Washington and John Paul Jones in 1776.

Other recipients have included the Tuskegee Airmen, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Navajo code talkers, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Nelson Mandela.

The Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom and Presidential Citizens Medal are the highest civilian awards in the U.S."



My one uncle was a linguist for three years and two others served in the 442nd, one bringing home a purple heart. I'm so proud for all of them.

I found the photo on the left at the Hawaii Forgiveness Project website.