A Look Back at Valentines Day

Valentines Day 2021 was not a banner day for romance. It started with leaks that Art finally took seriously. There were leaks in the kitchen AND bathroom. Art had been ignoring them for several weeks, but on Valentines Day it finally became imperative that we do something. 

"Let me get a plumber's name," I said.

"Wait. I'll look at it first," he said.

You'll note that he is wearing red just to let people know he knows what day it is.

He turned off the water and replaced the washer for the kitchen hot water faucet which he determined was the culprit. The dripping continued. He then went to the hardware stores to buy water turn off valves, washers and something called a stem cartridge. He tried to unscrew this and that and in all that mayhem gouged out the base of his thumb...

and managed to bruise his other arm as well.

After a great deal of effort which was taking the entire day, he discovered that the flexible water line to the turn off valve was not properly tightened.  He saw that the new washer was deformed.

He replaced the washer and voila!

The leak stopped. Yay!

The bathroom sink faucet? Well... he couldn't fix that one so he just turned off the sink’s hot water valve and the leaking stopped. We don't really need hot water there in Hawaii anyway.

OK... It wasn't a lovey dovey day for sure, but at the end of the day, it sure felt good.

And yes, he did cut a leaf off the aloe plant and apply it to his wound and yes, it healed nicely.

Is It Really Bamboo?

I recently bought a nightgown that was supposed to be good for warm weather. I always get hot when I sleep. I liked the idea that it was also supposed to be made of bamboo. Doesn't that sound sustainable and environmental?

The descriptions touted:

"Bamboo viscose is highly absorbent it drinks in moisture faster than other materials. It keeps your skin dry on hot days or while sleep

It is also highly breathable, so it lets air pass through it freely, regulate your body temperature, make sure you will be comfy regardless if the climate is hot or cold."

I bought it from Amazon and was very pleased when I got it. It really is quite comfortable and felt good for sleeping. I wash it in cold water and hang to dry. I did learn later that it has to be handled carefully because it's not durable. Still, I liked it so much that I bought another one.

I was looking at the tag the other day and wondered what viscose was. Bamboo viscose? I looked online and learned it's actually rayon.

What a shock when I read the following on the good on you website:

"The wood pulp that viscose is made from is manufactured by treating it with chemicals, which is then filtered and spun into a fine thread. This is a highly polluting process and releases many toxic chemicals into the air and waterways surrounding production plants. Carbon disulphide, one of the chemicals used, is another toxic ingredient which has been linked to higher levels of coronary heart disease, birth defects, skin conditions, and cancer, not just in textile workers, but also in those who live near viscose factories. What’s more, dissolving-pulp wastes approximately 70% of the tree and is a chemically intensive manufacturing process."

Doggone it! I guess I'll stick to cotton.

Wearing Worn Out Clothes

A few weeks ago, mom asked me for thread since I'd borrowed (consigned for emergency use) all her old threads when I was sewing masks with a limited supply last spring. 

She showed me what she wanted to repair and I was appalled. My daughter and I have bought her lots of blouses through the years. They seem to disappear in her closet and only worn when going to the doctor, shopping or visiting friends and relatives.

This is only one side of her closet. Believe me. She has lots of clothing.

When I looked at the blouse she wanted to repair I told her that it was much too worn out and should be thrown away. I'm not even talking about her worn out underwear which we have also bought lots of. Her drawer is stuffed. 

I finally told her that if she ends up suddenly having to go to the hospital, everybody will think we're not caring for her properly. That got her thinking, so that she's now wearing many of the nicer blouses we've purchased for her. Tiffany will be happy to hear that too.

However, mom still wanted me to fix her trusty ol' blouse so I did... all the while shaking my head.

I had to secure the collar and sew the sleeve together.

Sigh...

And then, the other day Art asked me to fix his shorts.

The bottom hem had come apart and he wanted me to reattach it. Then I noticed that the sides were also fraying apart because it had just worn too thin.

"Why?!?" I asked him. "You have lots of other shorts."

He insisted he liked the feel of this pair and that it was the perfect size. He doesn't have to wear a belt and it's just comfortable.

Sigh...

So I did. And I told him I was going to write a blog post about it. "Fair is fair," he said. 

"However, you'll need to include the fact that you're also wearing patched blouses everyday that have holes in them."

Oops!

Banning Dr. Seuss?

I just saw that FOX News is saying President Biden has taken Dr. Seuss out of 'Read Across America.'

I found this on Snopes on what this hullabaloo is about.

"March 2 is the birthday of children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel, widely known as Dr. Seuss. In celebration of the “Green Eggs and Ham” author and his contributions to children’s literacy, the date has long been tied to “Read Across America Day,” a National Education Association (NEA) day dedicated to encouraging children to read.

That started to change in recent years when the NEA began pushing for the day to focus more on diverse children's book authors, and also with discussion of racist depictions of characters in some of Dr. Seuss' works.

In 2021, on what would be the author's 117th birthday, those circumstances-- along with false claims that a school district in Virginia banned Dr. Seuss books and a brewing  conservative backlash over "cancel culture" -- came together in a digital Big Bang of internet outrage, with some claiming Dr. Seuss had been "canceled by the woke left."

My son has been against Dr. Seuss for quite a while since he learned about the propaganda that Theodor Seuss Geisel drew during WWII where so many Japanese Americans were imprisoned cruelly in Internment Camps just because they were of Japanese descent.

I have seen his problematic drawings in some of his books.

And no, I didn't like this depiction of Asians or writing that "all wear their eyes at a slant." I say Asians because their costumes are more Chinese while their footwear is Japanese.

And this drawing of Africans was also not something you wanted influencing children. 

I had these books in my classroom and on my bookshelf. I guess I just ignored those stereotypes though I didn't like them at all.

President Biden unlike his predecessors has chosen merely not to mention Dr. Seuss' name with Read Across America. Frankly, it's OK with me. He didn't ban Dr. Seuss.

I think it's a good idea to address the problem of why these drawings are hurtful and wrong. I wouldn't be for banning all his books. There are so many that are truly wonderful for children. So I guess I'm saying, "Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater."

Happy Girls Day!

Mom's sister in Sendai, Japan sent us a very elaborate New Years card this year. 

The two white mounds on the card represents mochi (rice) patties. This is the sort of decorations that are placed on home altars during the new year.

There was even a sticker at the bottom that you were supposed to uncover to find your fortune for the new year. Needless to say, it foretold a very excellent year ahead for us. I certainly hope 2021 is a great year!

I've always had a special fondness for my Auntie Atsuko who is mom's youngest sister. 

I'd met her, my mother's parents and rest of the family for the first time when I traveled to Japan and stayed at my grandfather's temple for three weeks in 1970. It was part of a very reasonably priced college trip where 3 weeks were covered as part of an Art and Architecture course. You were on your own for the other 3 weeks. I'd planned to spend them with friends who were also on the trip until mom said I was to stay all three weeks in Sendai with relatives I'd never met before speaking a language that I was not totally comfortable with.

It turned out to be one of the most important times of my life and connected me to a family history I was only dimly attuned to. It was during this time that I became especially close to my grandmother and aunt. I was going through a rocky relationship with someone at the time and my aunt was the one who advised and consoled me.

When Art and I brought our children to Japan to meet my mother's family many years later, my aunt took me aside and said, "You have truly chosen wisely." That made me smile because Art couldn't speak or understand more than a few Japanese words, but she knew. In fact, I know she likes him a lot because she's given him some special things like my grandfather's old traditional house coat and some Japanese prints she knew he likes.

Today is Girls Day or Hinamatsuri in Japan. The 3rd day of the 3rd month is Girls Day. The 5th day of the 5th month is Boys Day or Tango no Sekku. May 5th is now celebrated as Children's Day encompassing both boys and girls.

However, I guess many Japanese people must still celebrate them separately as well since my aunt sent this card a couple of weeks ago.

We were absolutely amazed at how elaborate this card was.

It even came with directions on how to display it.

My aunt also enclosed a hanging display of colorful cutout pieces. Mom was so astonished and delighted that she asked us to send this to her granddaughter and great granddaughter in Illinois. She wanted KC to experience and understand a little of the Japanese cultural side of her heritage.

I am remembering a photo I saw of myself at my first Girls Day in Hawaii.

Yup. That's me. I was rather astonished at all the Girls Day dolls that are displayed here. I just asked mom how I managed to get all those dolls since I know they are NOT cheap. She says my paternal grandmother we lived with had purchased them all for me. I know she loved both me and my brother until her sad passing and was a rather adventurous, amazing woman. But that would be a topic for another story.

One thing makes me smile in this photo. Do you notice the American flags? I think my grandmother was celebrating the Japanese tradition she'd grown up with but was stating her allegiance to the country to which she now belonged.

I am blessed with my rather fabulous families from both countries.

Helping

I'm very proud of my daughter and son. I really am. They've always tried to help people whenever they can. Keola was in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2001. 

He also volunteered for several weeks to rebuild houses and schools with an agency called All Hands and Hearts in Tacloban, Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan hit the islands in 2013. Keola says it's an excellent organization and it was a good feeling to help along with other volunteers. 

He’s been a firefighter, a transcriber for the deaf and is now an epidemiologist.

Our daughter, Tiffany recently sent me a photo while having her blood drawn.

This was her 3rd time during the pandemic. 

I was concerned the first time she volunteered to donate blood to the bank last year.

"Is it safe?" I asked. "Should you be exposing yourself like this to the virus?" Illinois' COVID numbers were not/are not great at all.

Tif insisted that the donation site was a large area. Everyone was masked and people were spaced far apart. Apparently, many universities where blood drives are often held didn't have in-class sessions. Many people were also afraid to go out to donate blood. Tiffany started doing this when her doctor friend told her how she'd just donated her blood at the hospital.

Tif says one benefit she gets a couple months after the donation is a COVID Antibody Test result. 

I'm happy to know she has tested negative the other two times she donated her blood.

Tif has also been helping elderly neighbors by driving them to and from doctors' appointments, bringing food and treats, shoveling snow and of course, sewing masks for everyone.

When they were little, we wondered what kind of adults Tif and Keola would grow up to be.

I must admit. We're quite pleased.

13th Blogaversary

Would you believe my blog is 13 years old? I began posting on Friday, February 29, 2008 which was a Leap Year. Darn! This year (if it was a Leap Year), the 29th of February would have been today. Last year was a Leap Year, but it fell on a Saturday so I didn't post on my actual blogaversary. February 29, 2024 will fall on a Thursday so I can celebrate on my actual blogaversary date. 😁

I confess I'm having difficulty coming up with things to write about since we're not going out to have any adventures.

I've written 3550 posts and loved all the people I've met through my blog. I have been grateful for all the advice and friendship I've received from all of you and sad to have lost some dear blogger friends through the years. The memory of their kindness stays with me though and has enriched my life.

Thank you, everyone for keeping me company throughout this pandemic and making me feel connected by your friendship.  

A Merry-Go-Round of a Near Catastrophe

Wednesday was a rather stressful day.

It all began with me wondering this past Tuesday evening if mom had gotten the blood pressure medication I ordered online on February 10th for her from Kaiser. They usually arrive from California in about 3 days. I asked Art if he'd brought it in the mail recently. He hadn't. I asked mom if she'd gotten it herself. Nope. She hadn't taken it in. What the heck!

I called Kaiser in Hawaii and they said there was a delay. Holy Smokes! It's been 2 weeks! The helpful Kaiser pharmacist said she'd put in an order at the Kaiser clinic here in Hawaii so we could pick it up Wednesday morning. Mom had gone without her blood pressure medication for FOUR days. This is rather dangerous for her.

So on Wednesday morning we went to pick up the medication. That was easy. 

Well... very close by is Costco so Art and I decided to pick up a few things.

 We happened to see a package of Traditional Umami Dashi (flavoring bags) produced in Japan that blogger Honolulu Aunty had mentioned seeing there and supposed to be very good. It was only $6.97 for 35 of those flavoring bags. The Furidashi tea bag-like flavoring packets we bought in Japan cost $15 for 50 tea-bags. Here in Hawaii, they used to be sold for twice that. Mom uses it to make several of her Japanese dishes.

Therefore, we HAD to get it.

We brought it home, opened it and showed mom how it looked almost identical to the  Furidashi she was used to that we bought in Japan and she could use it the same way.

That afternoon, I went down to start dinner and mom was preparing the miso soup using the new Costco Umami Dashi.

She said she was very disappointed in it. She said it was just salty and tasted bad. I told her we could just add more water to it. Then I saw something alarming.

There on the table was the desiccant packet that she had opened. When I looked at the pot of miso soup on the stove, I saw desiccant powder coating the underside of the cover.

Good gosh! 

"Have you been drinking this to taste?" I asked. 

"Just some sips..." she answered.

I quickly looked it up online and saw that it was probably calcium chloride. I never saw this desiccant package when I opened the bag in the morning. It can be poisonous. 

Mom's eyesight is not very good, so she missed the warning to NOT consume it.

She was shocked and said, "I could have poisoned you both."

I asked her how she was feeling. She said she was OK.

I told her to check her blood pressure. Sure enough...it was sky high. I told her to immediately take a blood pressure pill.

We threw out the miso soup and we kept watch over mom that evening. She was fine and there were no ill effects so she must not have had enough to cause a problem, but it was a shock for us all.

So thank goodness we got her blood pressure pills which caused us to buy the Umami Dashi which caused the problem for which it was a good thing we had the blood pressure pills.

Sheesh!

POSTSCRIPT:

Mom did make some miso soup tonight and it was delicious so Costco’s dashi is very good indeed.

From FOX to ?

Throughout Trump's presidency, we annoyingly noticed that the TV station at the Navy Exchange store eating area was always tuned to FOX news. Always. During the election, a letter to the Star Advertiser editor questioned why the military department store would always have this very one-sided Trump channel airing.

I actually looked up the Navy Exchange website to find a place to complain about this and found that New York Times had already written about it. I see that the article saying the retailer was suggesting all their stores have their large screen TVs tuned only to sports was written in April of 2019. I can vouch for the fact that this did not happen in Hawaii. The Navy Exchange here continued to air FOX news until the inauguration. I'm happy to say Tripler Army Medical Center only airs cooking and home renovation type shows on their communal TVs (as far as I know).

We went to the commissary/NEX recently and just saw a commercial. It wasn't a news channel.

It wasn't sports either.

I shall keep looking.

If you think about it and the worry that there were indications quite a few members of the military were swayed to the Trump conspiracy, I hope the retailer has seen the light and put on sports. Granted, I'm not a sports fan, but it's better than FOX.

Puppy Poop Problem

Next to our sidewalk outside our house is a space filled with pretty ground cover. (Notice that mom works on it every morning to keep it trimmed and healthy.) On the day our refrigerator was to be delivered Art had to park our car on the street.

When he stepped into the ground cover he thought he felt something squishy. He assumed it was just soft dirt and got into our car, but then smelled something. 

Yup. It was poop. Poor Art had to clean his shoes and the car mat.

Mom has complained before when she's encountered it and Art has dutifully removed the offensive doggie byproduct. This time, he didn't check first. We've also seen it out in the open in our driveway and lawn.

Well.... stepping in it was enough incentive so we put up a sign to ask people to be responsible. Many of our neighbors have dogs and they are considerate. I think this was probably somebody walking their dog.

I'm recalling when we moved to our Chicago neighborhood during the winter and seeing the wonderful snow. It looked so clean and pretty.

However, when spring came we were shocked to see the sidewalk FULL of preserved dog poop! Eventually, our homeowner group did begin to strongly ask pet owners to pick up after their dogs.

I'm happy to say as the years went by, it worked and we weren't greeted by spring poop anymore.

I hope our sign works. But just in case, I'm going to be extra careful where I step.

POSTSCRIPT:

OH MY GOSH! One of my favorite cousins just sent me a picture of what she has posted on her front yard. I LOVE THIS! I understand she's had to provide people with plastic bags so they can pick up their dog's mess before they leave (if she can catch them, that is).

This does bring to mind one incident in Illinois where my friend, Jim got so upset with another neighbor who kept letting her dog out to poop wherever he wanted to that Jim went over and asked her to come and pick up the dog's diarrhea. She did and soon after gave her dog away.

Saving Wildlife

My dear friend, Myra texted this photo to our chat group of tai chi friends about a bird she rescued from a bucket of water.

She and her son swaddled the bird with a towel to dry out its feathers and left it in the outside sink overnight. 

The following morning they discovered that the bird had flown away.

We had to smile at the happy ending to their wildlife rescue.

It reminded Art of the time he and the kids decided to rescue a baby squirrel when we lived in Chicago.

Art, Tiffany and Keola had gone to the park and saw some children huddled over a baby squirrel that seemed to be ill. Our kids were still in elementary school then. 

They brought the squirrel home and put him in a cage with some water to hopefully let it recuperate undisturbed before they could let it out again. They set the squirrel in our family room. I was a little dubious about this. When I checked on the squirrel later, I saw that there were teeny tiny black dots in the water dish. And lots of teeny black dots hopping out of the cage. 

Apparently, the squirrel had died which was very sad and the fleas were leaving its body as it cooled. Needless to say, we were all hopping around then to control the situation and had to fumigate the house. We discovered the following day that both kids and Art had flea bites on their body. Not me.

It was a lesson to be learned. We never brought wildlife into the house after that very itchy episode. I see that Myra and her family were more careful than we were.

When to Brush Your Teeth If You Drink Coffee

Art always brushes his teeth when he gets up in the morning before he eats breakfast. I figured it's better to brush your teeth after you eat to get rid of food debris. I always have a mocha with breakfast and Art has black coffee every other day. 

I'd noticed during our lock down that my teeth were getting more stained. Therefore the article clarifying if you should brush your teeth before or after drinking your coffee caught my eye. I then looked up more articles and darn! Art was right. You're supposed to brush your teeth before you drink coffee.

I found this on Delta Dental's website:

"But if you’re planning to eat or drink something acidic — such as grapefruit, pineapple, orange juice or even coffee — it’s better to brush before breakfast.

That’s because acid attacks your teeth after you eat, weakening your tooth enamel. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes for saliva to remineralize and restore the enamel to its previous state. Brushing too soon can damage your teeth while your enamel is temporarily weakened. Instead of brushing after breakfast, consider swishing with water to help wash away acids."

Darn! I can't find where I saw it but I also read somewhere that if you don't brush away the plaque that forms on your teeth at night (before breakfast), coffee with adhere to it making staining easier.

So I guess this means I have to start my morning routine differently. I just hope I can remember.

POSTSCRIPT: Doggone it! I've been goofing up and now brushing my teeth twice, before and after I eat breakfast. Art purposely puts my toothbrush out on my sink in the morning to make sure I remember to brush my teeth before going to breakfast. However, when I'm done with breakfast, I'm on automatic control and brush my teeth again. Arrrghhh! 😖

Best Buy Fridge Repair

Best Buy scheduled repair guys very quickly to fix the little uneven refrigerator door problem. They don't remove that protective plastic covering because they try to limit touching anything during the pandemic.

One thing I love about Hawaii is that service people always remove their shoes before entering anyone's home. It's just understood.

The guys assured us that it was going to be an easy fix. And it was. I think it only took about 15 minutes. He loosened or tightened the door hinge and leveled the doors. He then unscrewed and matched the uneven door handles. 

I noticed that one of the guys' mask kept falling off his nose so I gave them both a black mask I'd made.

A couple days later, my eagle eye brother stopped by and admired our new fridge. However, he noticed right away that the handles now matched but the space between the freezer door and the refrigerator door was wider at the top than the bottom. Sliiiightly... Ah well... Not everything in life can be totally perfect.

He told us that my sister-in-law absolutely loves having that ice dispenser so they can't get a fridge like ours. The thing is, when we stopped replacing that ice maker, I got used to making our own ice. It took me a few days to remember to open the door to get more ice from the container I set up, but I'm OK with it now.

The other nice thing is that once Art disconnected the water tubing leading to the freezer, we actually had more space in the back so that the fridge could be pushed further toward the wall which made it even better. It's extremely difficult to get a counter depth fridge and more expensive.

I'm also remembering that when we lived on the mainland, there was a leak in the fridge water line so water got under our maple floors and warped it. This is why we opted for tile in our kitchen this time. Anyway, now we don't have to worry about fridge leaks or breaking ice makers. 

I just want the darn appliance to keep things cold. I wonder how long it will last. 😬

Washing Lettuce My Way

 A few years ago I remember a tai chi friend telling me that she was going to go shopping for lettuce which she would wash all at once and store in her refrigerator for the week. I wondered if it would last that long.

I often buy green leaf lettuce and even if it's a little wilted, will perk up beautifully if I slice a sliver off the bottom stem and dunk it in water for about 15 minutes.

I got lazy a while back and started buying already washed salad from Sam's Club. The salad usually lasts about three days before seeing signs of spoilage. But then there was that incident where I found that wasp at the bottom of the salad. It must have been sitting there for 3 days in the fridge and was still alive.

Since then, I've gone back to buying green leaf lettuce for salads. I first break off the leaves and dunk them in water for about 20 minutes or longer.

After soaking I rinse them in a little running water and stick them in my salad spinner.

Once I've gotten the lettuce dry, I pack them in these Ziploc containers. They usually last between 5-7 days. I like doing it this way because I can use the leaves for sandwiches or salads.

The funny thing is, if I can't wash the lettuce right away I take off the wire band from the lettuce bunch, put the stem side on a slightly damp half sheet of paper towel, stick it back in the plastic bag and store it in the fridge.

I always find this red stain where the stem was cut. There's nothing red on the lettuce, so it must be some kind of reaction.

I wonder why.

All the half sheets I use are dried and Art uses them later to clean the glass top on the stove and whatever else needs cleaning.

Also.... I find that green leaf lettuce lasts much longer than red leaf lettuce.

I'll bet I could cut my carbs by a lot if I just eat lettuce wraps for lunch. It's a thought.

Defiance at the Farmer's Market

We recently went to the Open (Farmers) Market. The sun comes up later these days so we have to bring a flashlight. There are several officials at each market who have marked off spacing in the line at each booth. Masks and social distancing are carefully monitored, probably because there are mostly vulnerable senior citizens at this very early morning time.

Last week, we were paying for our papayas and bananas when a woman walked up cutting in front of everybody and NOT wearing a mask. She must have been new because we didn't recognize her at all. She stood very close to the people who were trying to look for their produce.

This was the first time we've seen anyone not wear a mask at the Open Market. Everyone is always respectful of each other. The officials must have just missed seeing her. As we were leaving, I told the official about her and they immediately rushed over to correct the situation.

When we went to the Open Market this week, we mentioned it to our favorite farmer. He told us it was terrible. He'd asked her to wear a mask and get into line. She went into a rant about how terrible the Mayor was when she'd actually voted for him. She felt it was wrong to demand that she wear a mask or wait in such a long line, etc. etc. etc.

We sympathized with our farmer friend who said we would be surprised at how often they've encountered this during their days at other locations. Our town is really very, very good about following COVID safety rules from what we've seen at all our grocery outings. We thought this was an anomaly. Our farmer bemoaned the fact that we do have that percentage of people who are incredibly selfish thinking only of their "rights."

So yes, we have them in Hawaii too. Sigh...

New Refrigerator Delivered!

Our new Whirlpool refrigerator was delivered a couple weeks ago. The fridge it replaced was also a Whirlpool that died after about 14 years. We were hoping to get a different brand, but had certain requirements that only another Whirlpool offered. It needed to be as close to counter depth as possible and we didn't want another ice maker/water dispenser since our other ice maker died twice. The only place that had the fridge was Best Buy.

Since the fridge brands were the same, we decided to keep some shelving just in case they might fit.

And nope. We would find that the wire freezer shelves would not fit.

There was a hope for the door fridge shelves though.

We were holding our breath that the new Whirlpool would not stick out too much.

Sigh of relief... It stuck out about the same as the old fridge.

The delivery guys worked very carefully. They wore masks and tried to avoid touching anything. He only peeled off the plastic wrap a little so the handle could be attached.

We're pleased. We could use one of the door shelves on the new fridge and I used the other one to hold ice in the freezer since we no longer have an ice maker. A couple of ice trays were provided with the new fridge, but I added more. I saved a veggie bin from the old fridge to hold all our blue ice which we use for our coolers when we go grocery shopping.

The delivery guys said we had 15 days to see if we were pleased with the product. If we wanted anything corrected, we could call them to have a technician come to fix it. If it couldn't be fixed, they'd deliver another refrigerator. That was nice to know.

OK... I know you might think I'm anal, but the door handle was just a big off. One is a little higher than the other so Art called the store.

Yup. A technician is coming. I wonder if it's something that can be corrected. 

And how am I liking life with no ice maker?

Well... 

I liked having that ice dispenser even though I had to fill it manually, BUT I know it's something I can get used to. 

Let's hope nothing else breaks down.

Another Earworm

Every so often there will be a song I hear that just keeps playing over and over in my brain for several days. This time it started with Doug's ApacheDug's Teepee blog. He listed many of his favorite songs, which got me thinking.

One of the first songs that came to me was Someone to Watch Over Me from Mr. Holland's Opus. It's sung by Jean Louisa Kelly.  She is supposed to be a talented singer/student who is attached to music teacher, Mr. Holland. 

I really enjoyed the movie, but there was something about her voice and the way she sang it that grabbed me. The song was written by George Gershwin in 1926 and has been sung by many excellent singers, but there was something about how Jean Louisa Kelly sang it that just grabbed me and became an earworm.

Oh brother... now I'm thinking of more songs that grabbed and stayed with me. This one became a favorite when my son was playing Little League baseball. Granted he was really good at it and was actually a pitcher. Me? I'm not a sports fan. I was just into it watching my son out on the field.

This is Peter, Paul and Mary singing Right Field. It's about a little boy who becomes a hero for his team even out in right field. I remember McDonalds used the song in a commercial a long time ago.

And one of my all time favorites was by Perry Como. I loved it so much that my daughter and son-in-law played it at their wedding for us.

"And I Love You So" was written and recorded by Don McLean for his 1970 album, Tapestry. Perry Como recorded the song in 1973.

OK. That's it for now.

Maybe if I think of all three songs, none of them will be strong enough to become another earworm.

Mom Healing Her Wounds Naturally

Mom walked in the other day from trimming bushes and told us she'd lost her balance a bit and got scratched by the bushes on her wrist. I told her we could disinfect it with hydrogen peroxide, but she said she had her own method of just washing it normally and applying the liquid from her aloe plants.

I know that aloe liquid is great on burns. We kept a pot of aloe growing in Illinois just in case we burned ourselves.

Here in Hawaii, mom keeps a LOT of aloe growing in the garden.

We've used the aloe on the kids when they came to Hawaii and got sunburned. It really does help with sunburns.

I wasn't so sure it was the best thing for cuts though.

That same day she gouged her skin on the bushes, she also ripped the skin on her arm coming in the door. It turned my stomach to look at it.

I was worried about that and showed her the hydrogen peroxide.

Did she listen to me?

Nope.

She used soap and water and... you guessed it, liberal applications of aloe.

I kept close watch on her injury and you know what? It did heal rather nicely.

And did she say, "I told you so?"

Of course.

I'm still not totally sold on this, but we'll keep that aloe patch in the garden multiplying anyway.

Just in case.

POSTSCRIPT 1:

And here's a photo from February 9, 2021. It's been about 2 weeks.

POSTSCRIPT 2:

Would you believe my sister-in-law recently took a nasty fall skinning her knee and hands? My brother and nephew cleaned the wounds out with alcohol which must have hurt like the dickens. 

This reminded me of the times we've had minor repairs or surgeries at Tripler Army Medical Center. The doctors always told us not to clean the stitches or wounds with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide which yeeeesss.... mom refused to do opting for water and a little soap instead with lots of aloe applications.

So I just looked it up and found this on Web MD.

Can you just imagine mom saying, "I told you so?"

Mom's 2nd and My 1st

Mom got her 2nd Pfizer shot at Kaiser on Monday. Again, she said she couldn't even feel the needle going in and it was all a breeze. 

She had a bit of an achy arm on Tuesday, but that was all.

I went in for my 1st Pfizer shot at Tripler on Tuesday. 

It wasn't quite as easy to find because they told me it was on the 3rd floor lanai. Where the heck was the 3rd floor lanai? I'd never been there.

Well, after asking medical personnel at the back entrance of the hospital, we were able to locate the area. I didn't even know about that lanai area.

I filled out the papers at Station #1 and then proceeded to Station #2 where a doctor was seated to answer questions. 

He told me to call my regular doctor to set up the 2nd shot. That was a surprise. A friend of mine who goes to the VA got the appointment for his 2nd shot at the time he received his 1st shot, just like Art and mom. 

We then had to wait a while because they'd run out of Pfizer syringes. Our nurse told us that they defrost just a few at a time depending on how many people were waiting. The syringes were brought down in a blue cooler bag and stored in a portable cooling unit.

OK, it's not like I didn't feel the needle, but it was just a prick and I did feel the vaccine flowing into my muscle. My nurse was so very friendly that it made waiting a pleasure.

I then had to sign out and wait 15 minutes before leaving.

The weird thing is I contacted my doctor like they said and the office told me it was too soon to schedule an appointment for 3 weeks away. But why? Art and our friend were given their 2nd shot appointments right away.

I was told to check into the Tripler website. Would you believe NONE of the CONTACT US websites work?

Arrrghhhhh!

Well... we shall see what happens next. Aggravation!

POSTSCRIPT 1:

After some frustration, I phoned the Tripler Hotline (talked to a live person) and was told I should come in at the same time on the date they assigned me. She told me they were getting a lot of calls about the same thing. I suggested they notify the doctors' offices and those administering the shots. And then I messaged my doctor's office and told them the same thing. Anyway... main thing... all set... I hope. 🤞

POSTSCRIPT 2: 

Would you believe I got another call from another doctor saying the HOTLINE got it wrong? That's NOT how it works. And he's not sure how it works yet. However, he got me another time anyway. I hate to say this, but I think it's a matter of the squeaky wheel.