Scanning Memories of England

For the past week or more my days and nights have been consumed again with scanning our family photos.  It's a tedious, rather tiring job, but it needs to be done.  I've got most of the everyday at-home type family photos done.  I'm now working on travel photos and gosh do we have a lot!  Luckily, I have them pretty organized and labeled in albums so it's a do-able task.

I just finished England.

In 1990, Art came home from work in Chicago and said, "How do you feel about going to England?"

"Ummm... Sure," I said laughing.  I figured he was joking.  We'd never traveled overseas as a family before.  I'd only had one previous overseas college trip to Japan in 1970. 

Blenheim Palace

A couple of days later, he came home and said he'd bought the tickets.  He said the prices were so amazingly reasonable that he couldn't pass it up.  I  think it was something like $350. for a round trip ticket to Heathrow.  I couldn't believe this was happening.  It absolutely floored me.

On March 31st, we were on our way.  I remember sitting at O'Hare Airport still in shock about what we were doing.

A call came out that they had overbooked and if anybody would like to give up their seats, they would be giving vouchers for the cost of our tickets.

We went right up and volunteered to go on another flight.

However, they didn't need us so they called us up again.  They said that because our seats had been given away, they would be putting us in Business Class.  Art told them we were booked for Coach and asked if the Business Class would be as good.

The agent laughed and said, "Trust me, sir. You'll love it."

We did.

Bath

Everything went well except that the kids' suitcases did not arrive with us.  We couldn't wait a day for them because we needed to be on our way to Oxfordshire and Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born.

After very little sleep, Art had to get into our rental car and drive on the other side of the street and learn about Round-Abouts.

At Blenheim Palace we got to try clotted cream on scones for afternoon tea.  It was quite lovely!

The following day, we were in Bath.  After reading all of Jane Austen's novels,  it was such a thrill to actually be in Bath!

Then we were on our way to Bath.  We passed by this burning car which really freaked us out.  We could hear the emergency vehicles coming.  It exploded just as we went by and we could feel the heat. 

Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle in Wales was awesome.  I wondered how they ever kept warm in those stone rooms.

We enjoyed Wales and saw a lot there.

The  kids were having to wear our clothes and I have a feeling they weren't exactly thrilled.

Paddington Station

Art felt great to drive into London and return the car.  I'll bet his blood pressure was high from all that stressful driving.

Paddington Station was fun for the kids.

In London, we got to see Starlight Express and Cats.  We were right up front for Starlight Express so having the stars roller skate within touching distance really kept you alert.

However, Jon fell asleep before the second act of Cats.  I had to wake him up so he could hear Memories.

I was so excited to see a real life Bobby that I asked one of them if I could have them take a photo with Jon.  The officer was very kind, but poor Jon was mortified.

Big Ben

And then there was Big Ben.  It was big.

The kids' suitcases were delivered to us in London so they could be dressed in their teen-type gear for the last three days of the trip.

Queen Elizabeth in red

While we were outside Westminster Abbey a procession of cars arrived.  Someone in the crowd told us it was Queen Elizabeth.  I sure wish I had my long lens digital camera then.  The photo is blurry, but the queen stood out in red.  Prince Philip was with her too. He stood about looking at the crowds before following her in.

We went to the Tower of London, Harrods, Buckingham Palace, the British Museum and a myriad other must-see places.  I have a feeling what the kids remembered most about the trip was the FULL English Breakfast. 

For a first trip abroad, it was wonderful to be in an English speaking country, and hearing the different accents was fun.  We would love to go back again someday.

Ahhh... Memories...

OK... Back to my scanning.  Rome is next.

Kadomatsu Burning

OK...

We bought the kadomatsu for the new year and we knew we couldn't save it for next year.  It's supposed to be burned 8 days after the new year (I think).

But how?  Mom said the temple used to collect them for burning, but she hadn't heard anything this year. 

We asked her what they did in Japan.  She said she couldn't remember.

Greeeat...

I know there are other temples on Oahu that collect them, but we were too lazy to go all the way into Honolulu to turn it in.

So... of course we decided to do it ourselves.  Open burning is against the law in Hawaii so we decided to do the job on the grill.  No, we're not pyromaniacs.  Our son used to be a firefighter.  I wonder what he'll think when he sees this post.

Once  the fire got going, we called mom to have a look.  She wasn't too excited.  I think she thought we were being a little silly.  I don't think she heartily approved of us burning the kadomatsu to free the spirits of the new year on our grill.

Hey... fire is fire.

At first we thought the bamboo might not burn easily because it was green.  Despite the color, it was pretty dry and soon the flames were shooting pretty high. 

We had a water hose close by.

A half hour later, the kadomatsu was burned to ashes and the new year was on its way.

And we managed to do it all before sundown!

Preventing Food Poisoning With Your Dishwasher

I saw this on Yahoo about preventing food poisoning by cleaning everything in your dishwasher.  During the drying cycle, the temperature in your dishwasher reaches 170 degrees and that is supposed to be enough to sterilize whatever you put in it.

There is a certain someone I love who uses their dishwasher as a dish rack and rarely turns it on.

I am posting this as a hint that this person should use the dishwasher to help a certain someone not get an upset stomach so often.

I've purposely bought Corelle and other dishwasher safe everyday kitchenware so that I can throw it into the dishwasher.  I also throw in our sponges, cutting boards and dish washing pads, not to mention sink screens.  I don't turn the dishwasher on every night.  I usually save up for two or three days and then wash them all together.

So now then, Sweetie... I hope you'll listen to somebody who loves you and use that darn dishwasher.  I'll buy you a much better, cheaper dish rack the next time we visit.

Breast Feeding in Public

A while back there was a big deal about Breast Feeding in a  Texas Target store.  Someone tried to breast feed their baby in the women's clothing department and she was asked to go into a fitting room to finish nursing her infant.

This prompted a nationwide support demonstration with other mothers going into Target to nurse their babies.  It is lawful in Texas to nurse babies in public which is a good thing.

I don't know how I feel about this situation.

Tiffany and Jonathan 1979

I nursed both my children for 9-10 months.  It was a very rewarding, wonderful experience and I really felt I was doing what was best for Tif and Jon.  I was sad when Jon decided too early to drink from a cup instead like his older sister.

I don't remember finding it a horrible hardship to find a private place to nurse them in public.  There were nursing stations at Disneyland.  There were bathrooms, fitting rooms, the car.  Somehow I managed.  I don't remember feeling a terrible need to do it in public in front of everybody.  I understand some people are a little uncomfortable with it.

My daughter had something called a hooter hider.  That worked very well for her. 

I wish everybody could feel it is a very natural, very beautiful thing to be encouraged and welcomed.  However, it's not always the case.

So I don't know...

What do you think?

I Know Who I'm Voting For President in 2012

President Obama (Wikipedia)

Surprise!  Surprise!  I was matched with local island guy, Barack Obama (not to mention Chicago transplant like me).  I'm relieved since that's who I was planning to vote for.

My good friend, Jean forwarded me this link to a USA Today Candidate Match Game.  (Click on this purple link.)  I found it very interesting and worth doing.

I was curious to see which candidate matched my thinking the most concerning topics such as Afghanistan, climate change, defense spending, Medicare, social security, etc.

Newt Gingrich (Wikipedia)

What surprised... shocked me was that my second choice was...... good grief!  Newt!  How can that be?

He's the last person I would vote for and yet, his stands are supposed to match many of the issues that are important to me.

Jon Huntsman (Wikipedia)

Jon Hunstman is supposed to be my third choice.  I don't mind him.   I think.  I like how he said he was more "spiritual rather than religious."  He seems to have a more global view of religion, even celebrating Diwali with his adopted child from India.  He also supported civil unions and was appointed by President Obama to be the Ambassador to China. 

But Newt?  Puh leeease!

39 Years of Marriage

Hawaii, January 6, 1973

I nearly forgot it was our anniversary again.  Art tends to forget too.  We don't usually do anything much.

Illinois, November, 1981

Hawaii 1994 (Photo taken by my brother, Dennis)

Perhaps we take each other for granted.  I know he will always be there for me and he expects the same of me.  We are usually like brother and sister or best friends, and always laughing lovers.  There can never be secrets because he knows what every lift of an eyebrow or sag of my shoulders means.  I know by the look in his eyes, what he's feeling or wanting.

When we were first married, I used to marvel at people who were married for ten years and wondered what their secret was.

Egypt,  November, 2007

I can hardly believe that we've been together for nearly four decades.  We've certainly faced challenges and managed to deal with them. 

It's been 39 years of adventure, laughter, encouragement, laughter, companionship, laughter and always love even though we almost never say the words.

We know.

Relieved

I put it out of my mind for a whole month.

I'd gotten that call from Tripler Army Hospital a month ago saying I needed a recheck on my mammogram because it showed a lump that was suspicious.

I already have a scar on my right breast from the extraction of a benign lump they removed 35 years ago.  Now it was my left breast.

I just didn't want to deal with this during the holidays so I put off the recheck.  The technician reassured me that a few weeks wouldn't make a difference.

This morning, on the way to the hospital, my stomach was queasy and I felt light headed.  Suddenly, I had to face the fact that I was being checked for possible cancer.  I've already had both thyroids removed because of cancer.

The Tripler technician doing the mammogram was apologetic about the pain she'd be causing me.  She said she had to take quite a few more images of different SQUASHED angles.  Ouch!  Thank goodness she was quick and kind.

Then I had to sit and wait in the ultrasound room.

The doctor came in about 20 minutes later.  He said that the recheck images showed no lumps.  Apparently, I still have fibrous tissues for nursing a baby.  What a thought!  Anyway, when the tissues cross over each other they sometimes look like lumps.  Eventually, he said the tissues would turn to fat when I got even older.  Maybe the mammograms will be less uncomfortable then.

When we left the hospital, the day looked much brighter than when we went in... even with the vog hanging over the islands.

What a relief!  I feel like a wet noodle now.  I think I need a nap.

Don't Buy This!

I am so irritated!

We bought these 2.5 gallon Nestle water jugs before for our hurricane preparedness supply.

It leaked in our closet and got under our laminated flooring and warped it.

We were at the Navy Commissary and Art insisted it was more cost effective and took up less space if we got this again.  He felt the other container was just a fluke and perhaps had been mishandled.  Uh hunh......

Well... if that's the case, I insisted we buy a very large plastic storage container to hold the jugs along with our other hurricane food supplies.

This morning, Art said we were running out of charcoal and wondered if we might have stored some in the hurricane supply area.  I opened the plastic storage container to find all the food coated with mold.  YUUUUCK!  Granted the food was in plastic bags or styrofoam containers, but did I want to trust it?  Nope!  All the ramen noodles and beef jerky went straight to the garbage.

TWO of the Nestle water jugs had tiny holes in them.  They had leaked and created a mold universe.

Did I say, "I told you so?"

I leave it to you to guess. 

Understanding the New iBaby in Our Family

We did a quantum leap in cellphones when our son-in-law ordered our new iPhone for us a month ago.  Prior to this one, we could only talk on our cellphones.  We couldn't ask it where we were.  We couldn't ask it where we could find the cheapest item we were planning to buy.  We couldn't ask it where the nearest bathroom was.  We couldn't ask it what we should do with our life.

So we had the iPhone, but staring at it just didn't seem to do anything.  Siri the cellphone fairy still didn't particularly understand what I needed.  I think she likes talking to Art better.   She's even been known to tell me she's too busy to help me.

We are signed up for an iPhone class at the Apple Store, but they are so booked that I have no idea when we'll actually be able to attend a class.

Dave is married to my kindergarten to college classmate and lifelong friend, Diane.  I'm so glad she married him because he's our iPhone Go-To Guy.   He's also the fellow who's taken all our family photos and is a super duper, amazing professional photographer.  If you ever see a spectacular family photo on this blog, it's his.

 Dave and Diane had us over so he could help us become friends with this iPhone mystery.  He helped us install Apps, explained how to use iTunes, showed us how to take photos, and clean up open files that were eating the battery life in the background and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Phew!

However... now that we're home alone with this machine marvel baby and working with it, we have more questions and quandaries.  There's still so much to learn about living with this new member of our family. 


Sheesh!  It's a good thing Dave lives just down the street... and oh yes, Diane too.

A Happy Start to 2012

I'm pretty satisfied that we welcomed 2012 as well as we could.

Preparing the mochi

Art's childhood classmate, Morris brought over homemade mochi paddies for us a couple of days ago so we had it for breakfast to start the year off with the traditional new year Japanese food.  Mom warned us not to eat too much since each paddy is the equivalent of a bowl of rice.  Think of the glucose!  Yikes!

Art boiled the mochi while I browned the kinako (soy bean powder) and added the sugar.  I know.  I know!  But it's just for today.

Kinako mochi

Mom had to eat carefully.  She did almost have a piece of the mochi stick to her throat. She says she now understands why each year in Japan some elderly person chokes on mochi. 

My brother, Dennis

Then we got right to work on our New Year luncheon with my brother, Dennis, sister-in-law, Nancy and nephew, Cody.  Mom made nishime (Japanese stew), hasu (lotus root), rice and namasu (pickled cucumbers).  Art and I prepared teriyaki chicken and beef sticks with zucchini, red peppers, and sweet onions.  I also tossed together a huge green salad.

Dennis and Nancy brought over two huge plates of sushi and a  plate of delicious deviled eggs.

We made enough for everybody to have left overs.

Actually, the custom is to not cook anything on New Years Day.  We broke that rule although mom prepared the nishime yesterday.

Art's plate

Some of us also had umeshu which is a Japanese liqueur made with plums.  Art felt it was far too sweet. Mom would have had another glass if we didn't limit it.  I had one little glass and needed to lean on the wall a couple of times.

Mom?  Didn't faze her one bit.  Dennis was fine with two.  He must take after her.

Then they went home and we all took a nap.

Me, Barry, Cody and Mom

My nephew, Barry could not come for lunch because he had to work.  I insisted he come for dinner to eat left-overs.  Handsome Barry has been working at two jobs and going to school.  Cody (the tall cutie) has been missing his brother so he came back to have dinner with us.

During dinner, my cousin, Walt stopped by to pick up the lemons I had picked for him.  He surprised us with a huge platter of somen salad.  Wow!  That's our lunch and dinner for tomorrow!

Mom watching her Red and White show

After everybody left, mom was happily glued to the TV watching a 5 hour Japanese competition called Kohaku Uta Gassen  (Red and White Song Battle).  The most popular musical artists are divided into two groups, male and female.  They then compete to prove if the women or men are better.  Mom watches this every year and really LOVES it. 


Looks like 2012 is off to a great start! 

Happy New Year!

Last night, the fireworks were pretty loud as usual and there were still quite a few neighbors with illegal fireworks going full blast.

There is a new Hawaii fireworks law in effect, FINALLY!  I saw this on the Honolulu News and Opinion website:

A $25 fireworks permit, available from the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) and at Satellite City Halls, allows residents 18 and older to set off up to 5,000 firecrackers. (The permit must be displayed where firecrackers are used.) Possession and use of fountains, sprinklers, aerial fireworks and other consumer fireworks are illegal. Firecrackers may only be used on holidays, including New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, Fourth of July and other cultural events approved by the HFD on a case-by-case basis.

It was still loud though and the smoke was terrible.  People with asthma have a terrible time coping with the air pollution.   Animals have a hard time with the loud explosions.  There are always stories of accidents involving children.

I'm glad the state has finally done something about this. This is a good way to start the new year.

The economy seems to be looking up.  They say there will be many more jobs in 2012. Our family has enough to eat and shelter over our heads.  There are challenges ahead for everyone in the family, but we're glad we can support each other.  I want to thank you all for being such an important part of my life.

Everyone in our family wishes you and yours a most wonderful, happy and HEALTHY New Year!!!