Author: Peg

Went out early this morning looking for the promised life-threatening waves. Didn’t find any. But got some good cardio work in. And, had a nice peaceful sit waiting watching the ocean.

Thinking about next winter. Should I be thinking that far ahead? Nobody is promised tomorrow.

I like this place better than the last place. It’s just a much better-maintained building. And I can see the ocean. The other place is cheaper. Closer to grocery stores. And the ocean is just across the street.

Walked up a different set of stairs on my way back from my walk and spied another resident cat. Or maybe it just slipped inside to enjoy a nice nap.

Today I went with MaryEllen to her regular Saturday Market. Xmas greens were very popular. 

The creator of dog biscuits and human cookies needed a break. Left his dog in charge. BTW – his dog cookies cost more than his human cookies. He says people will pay more for dog biscuits than for people cookies. 

And of course, we went to brunch. If there is a master plan for the universe, I hope it includes brunch!

Back at the Western Old Bat’s Cave, the manager wanted to come by a give me some fruit – actually, I figure he wanted to be sure I hadn’t destroyed the joint. So, I told him, sure. But no tangerines. 

Nice guy. 

One more from yesterday’s visit to Pearl’s Feed Store. 

Saturday evening mass is underway. They broke out the Christmas songs.

And, four weeks from today, I’ll be back at the Asylum. Eight weeks from today, heading out on the Vision of the Seas once again. 

That means four weeks or Asylum food. Or not. 

Oh, tomorrow’s adventure is supposed to include life-threatening surf. 

And notice: Pearl’s Feed Store stocks one of RFK Jr’s favorite medicines — ivermectin. I never actually saw any. But for $31 you get ten 550-pound pour-on doses. Haven’t a clue what you’re supposed to pour it on.

Plus other interesting livestock drugs. RFK Jr probably likes those too.

But there was more than just fun at the feed store.

First, there was the beach.
I never knew that sitting in a folding chair on the beach was fun. I was always in the water. This is a whole new lifestyle.

Conditions were not ideal for novices today. The lifeguards were doing their best to keep the visitors on dry land. Surfing, however, was excellent.

(Let’s criticize Peg’s photography. Too much blue. Peg too lazy to fix)

And. Stop at the Farm Market. I got bananas. 

Next, there was brunch.

Most of the best food in Hawai’i involves paper plates!

Then a stop at the grocery and the hardware store. 

Pearl’s Feed Store was the last stop.

And while all this was going on, Monique got rid of a freezer on Craigslist. 

Back at the West Old Bat’s Cave before noon. 

Black Friday Meditation.

A jacket with 22 pockets. Can you imagine little old lady me trying to get through passport control with 22 places to “safely” store my passport?

If you ever see me wearing a jacket with 22 pockets, please stage an intervention. Preferably, before TSA has to.

Great Thanksgiving Morning. Started with a walk. I watch this guy paddle in from some distance. He landed the board, so the dog just got his feet damp while getting back to the pier.  

Great Thanksgiving Afternoon. Billy comes down, collects me, and takes me to dinner.

MaryEllen is on the gravy. Billy is carving the pork roast. 

Bella was into trying to snag tidbits. Her dog dinner was delayed by the human dinner. 

Monique decided Bella required Red and Green, or as Billy called them, Port and Starboard eyebrows. I felt like asking her to paint mine. They have been white forever.

Can not leave Pearl out of the party. Never mind that she bit MaryEllen last week. 

Good Thanksgiving Night. 

Bad photographer! I got picture of the peeps. No car in the background, but didn’t back up enough to get the entire sign. 

Totally splendid lazy day today. With the bonus of an excellent nap. A fine way to prep for another day of feasting tomorrow. Life is very gentle for me today in the 808.

Unfortunately, Madam Pele shut down the show a little before midnight yesterday. The fountains were hitting 1,400 feet — that takes a lot of lava. Maybe next time.

Tomorrow I’ll be busy, so let’s start the gratitude day early. No, it’s never too early to be grateful.

Gratitude

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For Carlton, who shared my life and still haunts my heart. For a body that mostly works — creaks, groans, but still gets me around. For being born at a time when women stopped being property and started being people. For every one of my tech-based careers, which kept me fed, curious, and amused. And most of all, for the astonishing group of friends who’ve stuck with me into my eighth decade. At this age, friends are like money in the bank. And I am really grateful for indoor plumbing!

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Mostly, I keep this blog for me. It started 25 years ago as a way to communicate with distant friends. But I pay for the server space and keep it up for me. (Sometimes I wish I could print it all out and bind it up in books. But no, it’s better this way, and when I am gone the blog will be too.)

On November 29, 2014 Carlton had been dead about 8 weeks and I wrote this:

You know Carlton, the idea of moving out of Northern Virginia is starting to wander around my brain. Or getting a studio unit at the old ladies asylum – so – I’ll have more travel money. Except for a nice comfy reading chair, I have everything spacewise that I need right here in this hotel room. But, we knew that all along. Where would I move? Honolulu, Portland, Seattle, Key Largo, Paris, Pago Pago?? Do I have to actually live anywhere?

Funny, it sorta turned out that way. I didn’t actually rent a studio at the Asylum. I got the smallest one-bedroom and turned it into a studio. And outfitted it with a fine second-hand comfy chair.  And I am truly enjoying the spare travel money. 

Did some stair work on this morning’s cardio walk.

A ship, Holland America’s Zaandam, floated up to one of the cruise ship anchor points this morning. Normally, Norwegian’s Pride of America is there on Wednesday. This is the first different ship I’ve seen this winter. It arrived during Zoom yoga, during down dog, to be precise.

Sort of doing a midway reset today. This is Day 30, and there are maybe 30 more to go. Nobody is promised tomorrow.

So what does one do on Day 30 of 60?
Clean the kitchen.
Wash some clothes.
Recheck all the moving parts for the last nine days of the trip.
And consult with ChatGPT, a.k.a. Robot, about how to get back to the Asylum from Dulles at some indeterminate hour on Christmas night. Nothing very strenuous.

Found a hotel ad in my email spam folder today:

Does that sound like me? At all? No wonder Google declared it spam.

More important, just got an email from Falls Church saying the volcano started again. And it has.

If everything lines up right — just maybe… 

Spotted on my morning cardio trek. You never know when you are going to need a kitchen sink.

While on my trek, Billy calls and asks if I want to go to Kahaluu Bay.
But of course.

Long ago, I surfed here. As recently as 2 years ago, I snorkeled here.

No regrets.
I had a splendid time watching surfers catch gentle rolling waves.
I tracked Billy and Monique as they made their circuit around the bay.
I silently cursed visitors for not properly watching their small kids.
And I wondered why people are still renting those ridiculous full-face masks.
(Although I was pleased to see fewer of them.)
Such a crabby old bat!

A stop at the supermarket yields lunch plus groceries.
We eat in the shade. Life is good.
Well, except…

But, no harm done. My pants will be dry by tomorrow.
And, since I am only good for about 6 hours of activity per day, tomorrow is more than soon enough for clean, dry pants. 

Billy wore a t-shirt, “Die with memories – not dreams.”
Honest, I am trying. 

Ok, people — it’s time for a leisure day.
Nothing needs to be done. There are no goals, no objectives.
Just don’t kill anyone. Including yourself.

I took a very leisurely walk. Twenty-six minutes to cover a mile.
My watch will not be warning me about “overtraining” tomorrow.

As I headed out, I came upon a nice brown lizard.

Coming up on my last 3 weeks in Kona.
Damn.

I should be grateful for having 6 weeks in Kona. But that’s not happening right now. Right now it’s: damn. Six weeks isn’t enough.

But that’s why I’m taking a crazy adventure from Dec 17 to Dec 25.
Have I lost my mind?
Most likely.

Thanksgiving #1. All the food was fantastic! The guests ranged from over 80 to 22. The youngest person had to leave early because she had to go to work. Can you imagine that? Work. What a concept.

Time to play with Photoshop.

Ready to do it all over again on Thursday.

 

Do 81-year-old women need cardio? 

Gratitude

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Damn grateful that I can still do cardio.

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While I’m wondering about things… I have tinnitus. Have for years. And no matter what the clickbait ads insist, there is nothing to be done about it. You just live with it.

I have lots of time out here in the middle of the Pacific, and the other day I read an article about tinnitus in ferrets. I am not making this up. Read it.

What I want to know is: how on earth can anyone tell if a ferret has tinnitus? You can’t even tell if I have tinnitus — you just have to take my word for it.

The ti plant isn’t native; it’s a “canoe plant,” brought by the original Polynesians. Non-medicinal uses include roof thatching, wrapping food, serving food, fishing lures on hukilau nets, and you can weave it into sandals, hula skirts, lei, and rain capes.

I had a friend whose entire property was planted in ti. 

Well, that’s enough from me for today. Back to major relaxation.

 

Weather is in a cloudy period. And, it’s reported that we had our first snow of the season yesterday. I didn’t see it. And, if it happened, it didn’t stick around.

But, a cloudy day was a good time to make my annual pilgrimage to the Chocolate Shop. At 9 AM it had a few folks sipping coffee and me shopping, which means, miraculously, they’re still in business.

Since they grow their own cacao, they’ve dodged the tariff insanity. 

The outright cruelty and total stupidity of the current regime continue to stagger me. I could rant longer, but the MacBook battery is running down to single digits.

Time to stop complaining, plug in, and consider whether this old machine needs a new battery — or maybe I do.

The Rainbow Shower Tree  — Honolulu’s Pride Tree — honors two lesbian couples from the last century. Nice story. But not much shade. 

Village business is really in the tank. This not-so-good snack shop is trying every gimmick in the book. When visitors stop coming, the mediocre places go under first — but even the good ones are wobbling.

After I finished lunch, the cleanup crew arrived. I should put some honey out. They like sweets.