Bradley University St. Patrick's Day Reunion Party

I'm half asleep right now after the Bradley University (Peoria, Illinois) Reunion at our house last night. No, I didn't have any green beer. In fact, the most potent thing that was consumed was caffeinated coffee. We served corned beef and cabbage, grilled veggies and flan. Everybody else brought, sushi, garlic chicken, chicken veggie noodle dish, 2 kinds of salad and teriyaki venison that one of the alumni actually hunted and prepared. It was much more tasty than I expected. There was also a 5 layer lemon crunch cake that was out of this world.

Here's the Bradley guys who haven't seen each other in about 40 years.

The wives got to chat together in the kitchen. I had such fun meeting and getting to know them. We shared parenting war stories.

The guys had a blast recalling memories of leaving Hawaii so many years ago for the mysterious, exciting Mainland. Everyone stayed until well after 11:00 and we went to bed after midnight. I feel like I have a hang-over this morning, but we all had such a great time.


I love Hawaii parties. It's generally pot luck and very casual. I never have to ask anyone to remove their shoes and everyone pitches in to help. At the end of the party everybody takes home food for the next day's meal. We still have a ton of food left over so we're inviting my brother and sister-in-law for dinner tonight.



HOWEVER: Would you believe I found a pair of night stands on Craigslist (before I went to bed last night) so we're going to look at it today to see if we might be able to use them next to our new-old bed. We'll see...

POSTSCRIPT: Well... We went to see the night stands but didn't buy them. They just weren't of very good quality. Oh shucks! Back to the drawing board.

We're All Irish Today!

We're having a St. Patrick's Day Party today! We used to always celebrate St. Patrick's Day with our favorite Irishman, Murphy in Illinois. We do have our favorite Irish people here in Hawaii (my sister-in-law and nephews who are half Irish) but they're not feeling well right now.

Art's old buddies from Bradley University located him on-line and asked if they could all get together. A whole bunch of them will be coming over tonight for a St. Patrick's Day pot luck party. We will be providing the corned beef and everybody else will be bringing their favorite pot luck goodie. I've got the green laid out and I start simmering the corned beef in a couple of hours. Art hasn't seen these guys since college! This will be a lot of fun. I wonder if I'll find out anything new about him.



BED Update:



OK... we've got the stripping, the cleaning, the polishing and the lacquering done. However... and there's always a however, we found that the side rails were bowed down. There isn't enough support. You guessed it! Back to Home Depot for plumbing supplies for Art's innovative idea of using pipes and pipe flanges to create additional supports for the bed. We also got more wooden slats since it only came with three.



I have to say Art can be awfully ingenious. The supports looked like they belonged to the bed and really fixed the bowing.



We put the mattress and box spring on and found that the bed was pretty high. We'd need bed skirts. But guess what? Finding an 18 inch high bed skirt is pretty darn impossible unless you've already found that pot of gold.

I checked Overstock.com and found a nice bed skirt for a reasonable price and would have jumped up and down with joy except that when I tried to order it, it said (except Alaska and Hawaii). Arrrrghhhhh!

So I had them send it to my daughter in Chicago who will stick it in a flat rate box and mail it to us. Poor Tif, she's had to do this several times now. When I told her today, she chuckled and said, "Aha... another effort to save money, eh?"

I promised to make it up to her.



This is NOT the Finished Bed photo. When I get that bed skirt on, I'll post a really, really FINISHED Bed photo. We're almost there!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everybody!

%#@*! Weather Forecasts!!! Arrrrghhhhhh!

As I watched the bed frame we worked on so hard start to show little orange rust dust yesterday, I decided it might be a good idea to check the weather map on line. It showed the weather clearing in the late afternoon and then be clear after that. I checked the forecast for today and it showed rain all day.

So we brought the bed outside onto our carport, sanded off the rust dust and started to spray lacquer on it. That's when it started to rain again! What the ....? We had to cover the bed. (When I read the can of lacquer spray later in the evening it said to spray at 50% humidity. Deep and heavy sigh...)



I'm looking outside my window and this is what I see this bright and sunny Sunday morning!



I looked at the bed just now and I see orange dust under the lacquer spray. Arrrrghhhhh! I need to crawl under the blankets again!

Elbow Grease on the Bed

In the light of day (yesterday) we saw that the bed frame we bought actually had quite a bit of rust on it. We needed to clean it before using the bed frame which entailed more than I counted on.
1. There was some kind of sealer on the metal so we needed to strip it off before we could work on the rust. (Off to Home Depot to purchase: stripper, gloves, rust remover, sand paper, steel wool, lacquer)

2. Started the stripping. Oh oh... not enough paint thinner to clean off the stripper? (Back to Home Depot to pick up mineral spirits)

3. We stripped the sealer off the bed. Oh Oh... it took off paint from the little metal flowers. Nuts! I didn't know they were painted black. (Back to Home Depot to buy black Rustoleum paint) What do you know? We already had enough mineral spirits in the tool shed. We didn't have to go back that second time. Oopsie!

4. Applied the rust remover and started scrubbing and scrubbing with steel wool and a cloth sand paper.

5. Painted the metal flower designs and the rails. There was quite a bit of discussion about how we would get that streaked black color on the flowers. Art finally said there were too many chefs in the kitchen so he worked on something else. I decided to make a black paint wash with the mineral spirits. Worked out OK if I do say so myself. Art agreed.

6. Polished the brass.



7. We put the bed together to find out what places we missed.



8. Got called in to dinner by our chef (Mom). We debated not eating dinner and working on finishing and lacquering our hard work.
The paint can did say to allow 24 hours before painting. Is that the same for washes?

But what if it rains? Everything will rust again.

"Dinner," Mom called out. "stir fried broccoli, sweet kabocha squash, tofu paddies, nishime (Art's favorite dish).

We opted to work on the bed the following morning.


Next Day:
We got up to a torrential downpour. Rain as far as we could see. I asked my brother how soon the metal could rust. He said, "Within the hour..."

It does seem to be rusting before my eyes, not that I see any actual indication of it YET but I'm feeling a bit paranoid here after all that work we did.

9. We've just seen that the middle part of the bed sags a little so Art will have to construct some kind of support for that.

10. One positive note: I discovered that the brass balls could unscrew so I changed the two dented brass balls at the foot board for the headboard and faced the dent to the back. Voila! All fixed.

I just have to keep baseball bats away from 2 year old K.C. this summer when she visits us.

We're keeping our fingers crossed for sunny weather tomorrow.

Another Craigslist Buy!

We've had our mattress and box spring sitting on the floor ever since we bought it last year because we just couldn't find a bed frame we liked and well...... have you seen how expensive bedroom furniture is? So... of course, I've been on the hunt in Craigslist.



I was looking for maple or maybe oak but then I saw a metal and brass bed that grabbed my attention. Kristi was asking $500 for it but I offered $300. She e-mailed asking whether we would go to $350 but I said I'd like to stay at $300 because I was really looking for maple with 2 matching nightstands. (In fact I missed out on a maple bed frame for $125 over the weekend. Sigh...) I told her she should just put me on a bid list and she could wait and see if she might find another buyer who would offer more. I thought that would be fairer. Well, she wrote back that I could have it for $250! That was a surprise.

We went to look at it yesterday evening and liked it although it had rust spots and there was a little dent in one of the brass balls at the top. Whatever the case we loved meeting Kristi and her partner. That was the best part. I can't believe I actually hugged the both of them before we left. I gave her $300 in an envelope. This is a photo of just the foot board.


This morning I got another e-mail from Kristi saying we'd agreed to $250 and that she wanted to send me $50 back or she'd send me $50 worth of cleaning supplies. I can't tell you how touched I was. She had lost her mom two years ago and her partner had lost her dad about the same time. In just a short time time I feel like we'd gotten to know each other. Kristi is from Ohio so we had the Midwest in common. I have such a nice feeling about this bed just because of the provenance behind it but now, I do actually have a lot of work to do. I'll have to strip it, clean the rust off and lacquer it. I think it'll be worth it.

These Boots Were Made for Line Dancing?

My leather pumps with its little heels were feeling pretty tight for line dancing and the leather was actually cracking. How can that be? Could it be it's pleather? Anyway, it's not been the best and was starting to hurt my feet.

Our line dancing teacher brings boots to class that she finds at the Salvation Army and other thrift shops. I was really not wanting to buy a pair of second hand, used, sweated in shoes that somebody else gave up. The teacher even said she sold it to another of her students and that person returned it to her so she was going to sell it to anybody for $8.00. It was 2 sizes too big but what the heck, I decided to go ahead and buy it. I'll be wearing thick socks anyway and maybe I can get one of those shoe inserts...

I've looked for boots or flat shoes in Hawaii and I just can't find anything I like much less something less that $75.00. Also, we were told that you shouldn't have rubber outsoles because it will hurt your ankle as you try to do your steps. Well, they don't seem to make shoes these days without a rubber outsole.

Ah well... we'll see how this works. My son is also encouraging me to do yoga. I think that would be nice. Even better, I don't need shoes for that!

Hello there!

I just read an article by Joe Kita in the Reader's Digest that my uncle gave me. It was titled "What If You Said Hello to Everyone in Your Path for a Month?" I just found that article on the web and have attached a link to the title.

The article listed the benefits of saying hello to people. It also mentioned that "smiling has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure, boost immunity, and even release natural painkillers (endorphins), each of which lowers stress, boosts happiness, and improves health."


I told Art about this and when we went out for our walk yesterday, I made a conscious effort to stop and say, "Hello" to everybody I saw on our walk. It was really wonderful! Everyone was happy to be greeted and we even got invited to go to a Buddhist temple which we may very well go and try out.

The nicest thing of all was when we got home, Art and I both felt exhilarated and happy. I believe people are open to kindness and friendliness if you just take that first little smiling step and say, "Hello."

Just Walking Around

We went for a walk yesterday and saw a bunch of birds that we didn't recognize. There were several we weren't even able to get a shot of because they flew away too quickly. We thought we saw a canary because it was all yellow. I didn't think we had canaries in Hawaii.


I thought this was a sparrow but the neck was all wrong.




This bird also looked like a sparrow but it had that splash of red which was very pretty.


This is some kind of lizard that we see everywhere sunning themselves on the rock walls. I never used to see them when I was growing up here, but they seem to have found a secure home in Hawaii.

This is usually not a good thing. Foreign flora and fauna have been let loose in the islands and changed the ecological balance. Too many indigenous animals and plants have been made extinct by people letting their animals loose. We don't have a true winter. Animals don't die, they multiply.

Aha! You see! There is something good about snow, ice and freezing winters.

Electricity: More Recession Savings Tips

A few days ago, I read an article in the newspaper (that I can't find anymore) about being careful how we use electricity. It talked about not plugging in a power bar into another bar and being careful not to overload your circuits. It also said many things keep using energy even when they're not in use, particularly those things that have a transformer on them.

That's when that little light bulb over our heads went on!

Electricity is terribly expensive here in Hawaii. That's TERRIBLE as in Tons of Money! A friend of mine had a $400.00 bill last year for one month of electricity.

We almost made our son-in-law sleep outside rather than use our air conditioner when they were here in Hawaii last year and we hadn't installed doors to the bedrooms yet. OK, I'm exaggerating but not by much.

Anyway, this is a long introduction as to why we had to evaluate how we were using electricity. In just my office, here's a list of the things that need electricity:
Computer CPU, computer monitor, Hawaiiantel DSL, wireless router, color printer, black and white laser printer, scanner, computer speakers, external drive, desk lamp, pencil sharpener, cellphone charger, Palm charger, paper shredder, sewing machine, mirror.


We organized our needs and put all the things that should be on a surge protector together. We stuck the things (plugs with transformers) that should be turned off together onto a power bar with a turn off switch. We spread out our plugs onto the different outlets so we could evenly distribute their use. And yes, we unplugged the power bar that was plugged into another power bar. Who did that anyway?

Voila! My plugs are organized!

Even more savings: My Eddie Bauer jeans are only a year old and have developed holes where the back pockets are attached at the top. Well, I have used my trusty Bernina and darned them! You can hardly tell where I mended them. I've also used the stretch stitching to fix two of my knit blouses! Woohoo!

Recession Haircuts

It's Haircut Day today! First, I cut my mother's hair under our covered patio. That was quick since her hair has thinned out a bit.

Then it was Art's turn on my stool. He didn't necessarily enjoy my taking a photo of him but for the sake of my blog, acquiesced. Suuuuch a nice guy! He may have decided to reduce my tip at that point, however.

This is the BEFORE picture. He's got a lot of thick, coarse and curly hair that gets rather unruly when it's too long. It took me quite a bit longer to get done with his head.

The wind started blowing and rain started falling but I kept right at it until I was done even though I got hair sticking all over my clothes.

Here's the AFTER shot.



After finishing his head I went to the bathroom where I have a tri-fold mirror and cut my own hair. I wonder how much money I saved. Do you think it's enough for a dinner out? OK...Lunch?

Poi Mochi

This evening, we had just locked the doors and closed all the windows downstairs when we heard running feet and a hand at the door. We were all rather shocked wondering what kind of burglar would be trying to get in. OK... so I'm being a bit melodramatic here.

I unlocked the door and peered outside.

It was my brother! Good gracious! Dennis thrust a little box out at me and said, "These are really, really good. You have to try it." And then... like a magical Menehune (Hawaiian version of a leprechaun) he was gone.

I opened the box and found these little fried balls of poi (paste made from the taro plant) mochi (glutinous rice). I know. I know. It sounds pretty bad but I knew just looking at those little suckers that it was going to be scrumptious!

I know. I know. Bad for me.

My mom looked at them, eyes gleaming. Art had that knowing grin that told me he was going to make me exercise a bit more tomorrow (unless it rains). The outside was crunchy and warm and when you bit into these donut hole sized pieces of heaven you got a sweet, soft and sticky paste that just made you smile.

Yuuuuummmmmm....

I know. I know. Only low carb veggies for me tomorrow.

Upstairs Battle

The house renovation continues!

Art is working on putting down the Wilsonart wood laminates on the steps now.



My mom just couldn't stand having "untidy, dirty looking bare stairs which she couldn't mop for two years so while we were in Illinois, she got my brother to paint the steps. At the time we thought it was awfully nice of him to do this for her so she wouldn't have to look at unfinished wood. (Yes, yes, now you know. She is a bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to cleanliness.)
However...
Art just discovered that the Wilsonart steps have to be glued onto the BARE wood! Sigh...
One step forward, two steps back! We've had to find the best way to remove the paint. We didn't want to use a stripper so Art ended up getting a couple of different kinds of grinders to remove the paint so that the glue could adhere to the wood surface.


He's just finished gluing down 4 steps and we're liking the looks of it. (Not to worry. The screw holes will be patched and painted later.)


Four down, 18 more steps to go!

It Ain't Pretty But...

Here it is! My FIRST sewing project on my NEW Bernina! (Ummm... It's the one on the right.)

I decided it was time to try out my new sewing machine. I left my other Bernina with my daughter in Illinois because she didn't have one (she is a very creative crafter) and should have one.

After much agonizing, I finally decided to buy another non-fancy (not computerized) Bernina 1008. They call it the "workhorse." The saleslady tried to get me to buy the fancier one but I stayed simple. Still, this is an improvement on my first machine. It can do a few more stitches and they've moved the thread cutter. I'm having to figure some stuff out by myself. Like... Where the heck am I supposed to put all the doohickeys (from the plastic bag) in the accessory box? Why didn't they draw me a picture in the Instruction Manual? When I went for my lesson, the teacher didn't know either. Sheesh! She said the machine was so simple I didn't really need another lesson on it. Uh hunh... riiight....

I've broken my first needle on this new machine, too. The material I chose for the washing machine and dryer feels tough like canvas. My needle couldn't hack it. I don't even know what kind of cloth it is anymore. When I finished the cover for the washer and put it on, I was surprised at the difference in color. The Hawaiian sun had bleached the material on the dryer (left).

I took the measurements and made the dryer cover in Illinois for my mom 4 years ago. It ended up being a bit tight but it did fit. This time, I took measurements and kept fitting it on the washer so I'd be sure it would fit easily. I guess that's why it's good to have fittings on the actual body.

I'm so pleased with myself. I know it isn't anything attractive but it's quite practical. My mom just can't stand to have her machines get dirty and the plastic covers tear to shreds within weeks.

Now I've got some left over material so I think I might make a cover for my printer. Hmmm... what else needs a cover around here?

Mali Midwives

A couple of days ago I was forwarded the following message by a good friend of mine who is a professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University. She knew we'd be interested in this because Craig Tower was the ex-Peace Corps volunteer we talked to before our son, Jon went off to Mali to do his 27 months of volunteer work there. It does my heart good to know there are people like Craig and his wife Nicole who did their Peace Corps commitment and then went back to continue their aid work.

Hi,
You might be interested in an interview I participated in with my wife Nicole Warren on WBEZ's (PBS) Worldview program regarding a project that we have launched called Mali Midwives, which some of you already know about. The purpose of the project is to facilitate continuing education for rural auxiliary midwives in Mali, where we both conduct research. The ultimate goal is to help strengthen health care delivery to rural areas of Mali and, in particular, to help reduce maternal mortality which kills about 1 in 15 Malian women.

The interview was this morning and it first aired at noon today (2/26/09). It will rebroadcast tonight at 9 pm on 91.5 FM and it can be found streaming on the web at http://www.wbez.org/content.aspx?audioID=32386. Our marketing at this point consists of a page on Facebook, a video slideshow on YouTube, and a fundraising page on ChipIn. I can provide more info if you're interested.
Best,
Craig

In the interview, Nicole mentioned the book Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway which I'd read a couple of years ago about a midwife in Mali. It is absolutely incredible. This is a program where a woman in a village who is literate (there aren't all that many) is hired and given between 12 - 18 months of obstetric training. She then returns to her village to help the women in her area. Often, she is delivering 40 babies a month and giving pre-natal care all the while still being required to care for her own family. They have no days off and some times aren't paid for months. Still, their greatest pain and frustration is not knowing enough to save the lives of many of the mothers and babies in their care. Craig and his wife are embarking on providing some additional training for these women. Nicole is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Loyola, a certified nurse-midwife, has her master's in public health, and her PhD in nursing and therefore highly qualified to lead a program to aid these dedicated Midwives.



We e-mailed Craig and told him we wanted to send a donation toward the cause and received the following e-mail back.

Hello Kay and Art,
Thank you very much for your encouragement; we were quite nervous but I think it turned out well. It was a great opportunity for us! I didn't mention it in the interview but I actually have not been able to bring myself to read Monique and the Mango Rains. I have read parts, and it hits very very close to home, because I knew Monique personally and Kris evokes the area and people so beautifully.
We also forgot to mention that while we don't have 501(c)3 status, donations are tax-deductible because we have a registered non-profit as "fiscal sponsor." It's important because checks should be made out to "The Village Project" with "Mali Midwives" in the memo line. The address would be:

Mali Midwives
c/o Nicole Warren
1355 W. Hood Ave. #3E
Chicago, IL 60660

Thanks again, and I hope you're both well, and Jon too.
Craig

I'll be sending out my check tomorrow and I'm feeling darn good about it. I have felt a connection to Mali since Jon lived in Koro Bada, a remote village near Koutiala. Art visited him and enjoyed meeting the friendly, caring people of his village. Jon's Malian teacher friend, Sadio actually ended up coming to my classroom in Illinois to tell my class and several others about his country. Sadio gave many of the students at our school the gift of knowledge about the world outside a suburb of Chicago. I love knowing that Craig and Nicole are working to give something more back.

Happy 1 Year Blogging Anniversary! (1st Blogaversary)

I started blogging on a Leap Year Day, February 29th 2008! It all began when Dina of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo e-mailed to tell me I should try blogging and that she would hold my hand through it. I'd tried before but couldn't get past choosing a title for the blog. I finally decided to just settle on Musings because it was non committal and I didn't have anything against it. The idea of Dina in Jerusalem holding my hand and guiding me through the process across the Atlantic in Illinois was such a wonder! We had e-mails darting back and forth until I could stand on my own.

Now blogging has become an important part of my life! Thank you, mahalo, toda, arigato, Merci, gracias, etc. everyone for being part of my life. What a wonderful feeling to be connected to all of you! I never feel alone. I always feel like the world is at my fingertips. Isn't it all amazing?

Help! I Need Travel Advice for Seattle and British Columbia

We're planning to take a trip to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and Seattle in late April to early May.


(Photo from Wikipedia)
My daughter went to the Butchart Gardens several years ago and told us that we absolutely needed to go and see it. She also said her favorite place to be in Seattle was Pike's Market.

We plan to rent a car at Seattle's airport and drive to Canada. We would then drop the car off after our tour of British Columbia and take public transportation in Seattle. We plan to be in British Columbia for 8 days and 4 days in Seattle. Does this sound feasible?

Any advice you can give us such as places to see and eat, scheduling, transportation, etc. would be helpful. We do have our Frommer's that we're starting to look at but if anybody has first hand knowledge, it would be so much more fun.

Line Dancing?

I can't believe I'm going line dancing! My friend, Joanne convinced my other childhood buddy, Diane and me to try line dancing. She insisted it would be good exercise and fun.

I remember a party with all my teacher colleagues in Illinois where many of them got up to do a line dance. They tried to get me up with them, but the thought of looking like a klutz in front of everybody was too terrifying. Still, I envied the fun they seemed to be having.

Well, I just had my third lesson last night. Our teacher is 72 years old and full of energy so I imagine the dancing must be doing something good. She mentioned that line dancing is good for therapy and Alzheimers. That's good. That's very good because I have a feeling doing crossword puzzles alone is not going to do the job.

Well... I have this problem of a wandering mind. I'll be concentrating on the steps and do almost fine and then my mind starts thinking my body can handle it alone and would just go off by itself on some other thought. This is when I totally go out of whack and throw myself off as well as anybody looking at me. I've already warned everybody not to look at me in case I cause a pile up.

On the plus side, it's getting a little easier. On the other hand I realize that I have this problem with a brain that has trouble staying focused.

I now know that I can't look for a job in a chorus line. Then again, if I'm back in Illinois and everybody gets up to dance, who knows? Maybe I'll join them...
Maybe...

Wine is Bad?

Did you all hear about the latest study on alcohol? Here's an article in the Irish Times. The Honolulu Advertiser and all the TV news stations are saying even one glass of wine a day could be harmful.

"A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle age British women--the largest ever to examine alcohol and cancer in women--found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer or any other type of alcoholic drink per day significantly increases their risk of a variety of cancers."

Well gosh! My mom and I have been enjoying just one glass of wine a day with dinner. No more. Sigh...

Back to green tea...

The Way We Are (The Sequel)

This photo was taken by our very good friend, professional photographer, Dave Au.


Art and I are in the back. Our children Tiffany and Jonathan are seated. Their significant others are beside them.

There were several questions that were asked in the previous post so I thought I would answer them today.

What happened to Jeff and Susie?
Sadly, Susie returned to Madison, Wisconsin and after a few letters we never heard from her again. I know her family owned a Chinese restaurant in Madison. Whenever Art and I drove through Madison, we would wonder.

Jeff is still unmarried and we hear from him time to time.

Art's proposal?
His proposal was rather unexpected for both of us. We were together one evening and he said, "I think we should get married." I said,"OK."
He thought about it and asked for clarification, "So, are we getting married?"
I think I said something stupendously earthshaking like, "OK."
The following day I called my mom from work and told her I was getting married. She listened and said, "OK." I was surprised at how calmly she took it.

When I got home, the phone was ringing. It was my mother throwing questions at me without taking a breath. "Did you say you were getting married? WHO are you marrying? When are you getting married? Where is Art right now?"

I couldn't tell her that he was on a date with another girl he was dating at the time. As I said, it was all rather unexpected.

Where did we get married? Was it a large wedding?
We were married at the Nuuanu Soto Mission Temple. My grandfather was a zen priest and had ties to this temple. Our guest list was about 225 people. We had one of the most economical weddings of all my friends. The reception was held in the basement of the temple and food was catered in. We did have a band. A friend of ours took the photos. We sewed our own attendants gowns. My gown came from JC Pennys which I then loaned to my Maid of Honor for her wedding. The table decorations of bamboo vases and anthiriums were cut from their forests and greenhouses and flown in with relatives and friends from the Big Island.

What next?
Art convinced me to get my Masters in Education (just in case we moved from the islands). My mother was thrilled that I married a "local boy" because she was convinced that we would make our home on Oahu. Ironically, we moved to Chicago in less than two years while my brother married an Irish American and stayed in the islands.

Art separated from the Air Force (His next assignment would have been Greenland.) and went back to school to get a Master of Science in Public Health.

And then?
Art got a job with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago and I stayed home to raise first Tiffany and three years later, Jon until I went back to work teaching 1st grade at a public school.

My first impression of Chicago was how cold and bleak it looked. We'd arrived in late fall. I worried about prejudice from all the stories I heard. I worried about gangsters in every corner. One of the first people I saw as we entered Chicago was a fellow standing on the corner holding a violin case. I remember raising my eyebrows at that. Could a machine gun fit in there?

Art reassured me that people are people no matter where you go. There are always kind people and people with problems. He was right and we had a very happy home in Illinois for 34 years. It wasn't easy to leave the mainland but now we're back in Hawaii and building a life here which is another adventure we have embarked on.

The Way We Were

Caryn of Hollow Thoughts asked how Art and I met. Art has totally forgotten many of the details. I, on the other hand, wrote it down in my journal.

I was finishing up my degree in education at the University of Hawaii and had two summer roommates from Wisconsin staying with my buddy, Gail and me in our apartment. Suzie was a stunning young woman shorter than all of us but with bosoms that were probably larger than all of ours combined. Suzie got a part time job at a Waikiki bar and was constantly bringing home guys she'd met. Oh yes, on top of being rather "stacked" she was pretty and very nice. She used to complain that having a large chest was really a curse. We smiled and tried to sympathize.

Some time in late July, Suzie was at Waikiki beach swimming when her bikini top got loose. Well, there was a lot to hold up so I imagine her bikini top was not quite up to the job. Art happened to be at the beach with two of his buddies just taking in the rays. He says he NEVER saw a thing, but suddenly, his ever gallant friend, Jeff was sprinting toward the water to give Suzie a helping hand. I mean... locate that missing garment piece.

Jeff fell in love with Suzie but she eventually wanted to break it off because she fully intended to return to Madison where she happened to have a boyfriend. Of course...

I'm thinking Jeff was quite clever in bringing Art to our apartment to meet me hoping that Art would possibly like to go out with me so that he could tag along and perhaps see Suzie also. Suzie eventually returned to Wisconsin at summer's end anyway.

Meanwhile Art and I went out a few times. He was a captain in the Air Force working on a Top Secret spy satellite thing that he couldn't tell me about. And he never did until a book came out revealing the entire thing. Anyway, this was the Vietnam era when my dating an officer with a SHORT haircut wasn't exactly the most fashionable thing to do.

Jeff told me that Art had said he wasn't really interested in any sort of commitment at the time. Jeff reassured him that he had nothing to worry about since I was seeing somebody else also. Which I was. Later, a worried Jeff warned me that Art was seeing a couple of other women so I shouldn't get too serious about him either. Poor guy... I think he felt responsible.

It was too late. In January, Art and I were already engaged and married the following year. Jeff was his best man.

What did I see in Art? For one thing he had a car. Just kidding. I really admired the fact that he was so smart. I hated math and he loved it, being an engineer. The most important thing for me was that he was truly kind, loving, fearless and responsible. OK... so he was cute, too.

What did he see in me? He says he found somebody who would do his letter writing for him.

I don't know what it was. I don't think there were fireworks or a grand passion. It just felt right. The fire in our relationship was something that would build up from solid embers in the experiences of our shared adventures together.

Whatever it was... it worked and has worked for 36 years.