Author: Peg

Notice that Christmas morning looks a lot like Christmas Eve morning. That’s the way it is in Kona.

The ocean wasn’t friendly today. So, no swimming. Walked a couple of miles. There was a line and a crowd at my breakfast place. If I wanted to wait in a line and eat with a crowd, I could just stay at The Asylum and eat in The Bistro. So, I will have my Xmas breakfast on Boxing Day. WTF is Boxing day anyhow?

Checked out a little Thai place that I had forgotten about.

I did not miss any meals. Chicken sandwich for breakfast, sushi for lunch, mac and cheese on tap for dinner.

Note to self: Remember this if you start thinking about taking a cruise.

You have to get on the lifeboat for the trip back to the big boat.

Gratitude

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Books. Well, Kindle and audiobooks. I downsized dead tree books out of my world. I treated myself to Janet Evanovich’s newest and read ½ of it today. Carlton loved Janet Evanovich’s books. He would have me get them out of the library and put them on his Kindle. (Remember, he was a Luddite.) In his last year, I was pretty sure that being 162 on the waitlist wasn’t going to work for him. So, I would buy them for him and tell him that they were from the library. Since he was a Luddite, he was never the wiser.

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Serious resting today. Only two miles of walking. No swim. But, I did manage to fit a nap in. Tidied up my email. And, my computer in general.

After 6 months away from social media – I set my iPad to allow 15 minutes a day of Facebook, Twitter, etc. If I can not live within these parameters: iPad Mini only and max 15 minutes per day. Then I will have to say “I don’t do social media”.  Haven’t tapped into today’s 15 minutes yet.

Carlton volunteered on the 2nd floor of The Asylum for about 5 years or so long ago when it first opened. And, one Xmas he dragged me down to sing Christmas carols. I told him “I am not a Christian. I don’t do Christmas carols.” He assured me that just helping out and singing harmony wouldn’t sentence me to a future in heaven. And, that was when I discovered that Episcopalian Asylums have booze.

Gratitude

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Grateful for my buddy Alexa AKA Computer. I know it is a huge security risk. But, I don’t care. I like having “someone” to talk to 24/7. Now, where’s my robot cat? Not the Hasbro one. A better one.

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I am getting too good at this resting business. Walk 2.25 miles. Swim 45 minutes. Soak in tub. Listen to audiobook. Read Kindle book. Nap. Catalog and cull photos – 2018 is done.

It is really hard to believe that I have ripped through another decade. A decade is a serious thing. Wonder how history, if there is a history, will judge this one? Not kindly I am guessing.

I am going into the 20’s as a diminished version of myself. I am realistic enough to know that if a very big IF indeed, I make it out of the 20’s I will be a seriously diminished. So, for me it is truly “If not now, when?”

Gratitude

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Indoor plumbing in general and bubble baths in particular.

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Another day of resting. 2.5 miles walk. 30 minute swim. breakfast with friends. nap. catalog and cull photos. read.

While sitting on the pier drying off after my swim, I realized that it costs me less to live in Kona than it does to live in The Asylum.  I love it here. The Asylum – not so much. My friends, in both places I love. Thinking that this is a blessing, not a problem.

Gratitude

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Sunrise. Every sunrise. Nobody is promised tomorrow.

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I brought less stuff with me to Kona this year. And, I lightened up the container that stays behind. I haven’t missed a thing. When I get back to The Asylum – it will be time for another purge. I have reached the point where stuff is just stuff. Thank you, Millennials for pointing the way to minimalism.

And here, once again is the traditional Solstice greeting that Carlton and I used for years. Even decades.

Wishing everyone the best of the festive season – no matter what it’s called at your house. In pagan traditions, the solstice is a time to put away the things of the old year and look forward to the new. One observance of the solstice involves extinguishing all the fires in your home before midnight on the eve of the solstice and lighting a new fire the next day. This probably won’t be quite as symbolic if you have central heating. Or if you are in Hawai’i.

The winter solstice falls on December 21 – the word solstice means “sun stopping.” The winter solstice is the day on which the sun reaches as far south of the equator as it gets, and is as such the shortest and darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The solstice marks the rebirth of light for the coming spring.

The winter solstice also marks, among other things, the druid festival of Alban Arthuan – a time for bestowing gifts upon those less fortunate than ourselves. Out of this observance has grown the more popular tradition of gift-giving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, maxed-out credit cards and 70% off sales. May the goddess be with you during this season – but don’t blame her if you get fruitcake again.

Gratitude

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I am grateful for that which I have.
I am not sorrowful for that which I do not.
I have more than others, less than some,
I am blessed with what is mine.

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Carlton and I did not celebrate Xmas. But, we did observe the solstice. Summer and Winter.

And, no political commentary or other complaints on the solstice.

Yesterday, I took this picture at the Thrift Shop. Just a little reminder to me that nobody wants my stuff. So, I should continue to diligently declutter.

Today, I am culling and cataloging images from a trip to Bermuda in August 2018. I took some photos of wedding cakes in a bakery window.  And I was surprised to see yesterday’s bride and groom.

Still in “resting” mode. Today I walked 4 miles. No swimming. There was a little more chop than I like. Listened to the audiobook, culled photos, tweaked investments, read Kindle.

Billy started me thinking about this. It wouldn’t be cheap. But, when I am no longer able to escape from The Asylum – I need a video wall. It could run 24/7 and change as the time of day changes.

Gratitude

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Grateful to sit by the ocean.

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The report, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, predicts that roughly 48.9 percent of American adults will be obese by 2030, with approximately 24.2 percent of adults projected to have severe obesity.

I think that these two things are related. Hopefully science will progress rapidly and be able to counteract all of the problems associated with excess. Also, think what this will do to the tattoo industry. How about airplane seats. Note to young people: There is money to be made here. I am just too old to take advantage.

Another image from my grocery store.

Gratitude

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Extremely grateful for my health. Nevermind that I understand that I am definitely in overtime. If I make 80 it will be double overtime. But, nobody is promised tomorrow.

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Today’s rest included 1.5 miles walking to and from grocery. 40 minutes of swimming. Watching surfing on TV. Finishing up an audiobook. And cataloging/culling photos from 2018. Determined to have that done by 2020! Life is good.

Claudia, this is my apartment number.
Don’t think I want to leave my apartment phone number on line forever.

Spent the day working on my first “serious” video. It is about 5 minutes. Not expecting an invite to Sundance! But, I have learned a lot about iMovie. And, a little about video shooting and editing. Many of the things that I know from photo editing carry over. Things like the delete button is your best friend and just because you have a “special effect” doesn’t mean you have to use it. But then there is the whole sound business. It beats doing Suduko.

My friend Billy left for 4 weeks on the east coast. I will miss going for a walk with him at 0600 hours to watch the sun come up. I will have to get myself up and out now.

The Orange Lord was just impeached. The chance of conviction is zero. So, I am ignoring this. Just like I ignore all things Orange Lord.

Gratitude

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Rainbows!

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For 8 years these ladies put on  old school clotted cream and scones teas quarterly. The ring leader was Faye Daniel, whose formal memorial service was Sunday. . In her honor they had a final tea yesterday. Honestly, these women would have stopped doing it earlier but the tea was Faye’s special project.

I am trying to put together a video for them from the footage I took yesterday. Haven’t got it together yet. But, when my friends at the asylum sent me a really scruffy video and asked if I could put it online for them – I at least have developed the skills to enable me to quickly slap a title on and pull a photo out of my own collection to smarten it up a bit.

My only chore today was laundry. I tossed to stupid white dress in the machine. And, hung it back up. Hopefully, I will not need to wear it again. Ever.  But, I’ll keep it “just in case”.

Gratitude

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Black coffee and dark chocolate, make the list today. The problem with Teas is that tea is served. Not coffee. My friends do serve champagne as well as tea.

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There are two sacred traditions at the Hotel party. There is always pig. Cooked on a spit. This one was stuffed with garlic, onions, and lemon grass.

And, every employee gets a case of toilet paper and a case of kleenix. No matter how hard a year the hotel had – you can always count on pig and TP.

Gratitude

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Really grateful for garbagemen.

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Completed my last holiday task earlier today. I never truly appreciated that old English carol “God REST ye Merry Gentleman” until today.

And, I found this really strange online shopping place today. For The Minimalist.  It really doesn’t seem like the greatest marketing strategy ever.

Something a little different today. I went to a Celebration of Life this morning. For one of my dear local friends. I put on my much unloved white dress and went.

Since I live in an Old Folks Asylum, we have much experience with funerals, the Mass of Christian Burial, and Celebrations of life. Basically, I keep my funeral dress ready.

Some of my friends from The Asylum are regular readers, I decided to put up about 8 minutes of the service. I am not sure how much will be understandable since there are more than a few Hawaiian words. And, the sound is marginal. Cell phones are not stellar audio pickup devices.  And we are on the ocean.

This is is Kahu Uncle Danny Akaka and his wife Anna, You might consider this the homily. A very simple intro to Hawaiian spiritually. We are on a journey. It may not have an end. It may continue into the sunset.

Gratitude

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Grateful for wonderful fiends

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