Author: Peg

 hau’oli makahiki hou

For the last 17 years or so, this has been my blog New Year’s Eve Post. And, that really is how Carlton “celebrated” New Year’s Eve. A real party animal that man!

But, I should talk. Today, a little yoga, a little walk, nice swim, soak in the tub, read. And, dinner will be leftovers. Or, I might go out for a burger. If I don’t put in my earplugs, the firecrackers will wake me up so I can greet 2019 for my lanai in my nightie!

Also, thought about my going home adventure. No reservations made yet. Having some reservations about how cold it will be. I have a friend who doesn’t “Eat food that hurts” meaning she doesn’t do Sriracha. Well, I don’t do weather that hurts. That is why I come to Hawai’i. And any temperature that includes the word MINUS will surely hurt this old bat. 

And for those who were none too happy with 2018 – it could have been worse.

• 65,000,000 BC – that was most likely the worst. Your giant asteroid that wiped out 75% of life on the planet including every single dinosaur. That had to be Worst. Year. Ever.
• 1348 – The Plague in Europe. 1/3 of the population dies. This one gets my vote.
• 1492 – That wasn’t a very good year for the existing population of the Americas.
• 1837 – The Panic (financial) of 1837. This was a US thing. And, I know it would get Carlton’s vote for worst year ever. 

That was my list from last two years. See no reason to change it.

2018 was another good year for me. I love my life at The Asylum.  The Australian Adventure Before Alzeheimers was huge fun. Well, there is that whole stock market thing – I’ll do a damage assessment tomorrow. 

For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes. – Dag Hammarskjöld

Carlton didn’t do Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Birthdays etc. But, he did remember anniversaries. And, December 30 is the day that he considered our anniversary. 40 years ago.

Funny how in the four years since he died I have been able to put together a nice new life. And, I thank Carlton for that. He made sure that I was “self-supporting through my own contributions” in every way. And, he insisted that I move to The Asylum. The Asylum is a wonderful safe harbor that I can return to and be welcomed and cared for. 

A pair of ornate butterflyfish from today’s swim. Oh, and Carlton, I did swim over to your part of the bay – and there was a large-ish barracuda cruising around.

Hang on tight, 751 days until January 20, 2021.

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

It rained a little last night and has been cloudy all day. And, in Kona that is about as good as the weather can be. I do feel a little sorry for our visitors. But, it is lovely, cool (78°) and breezy. 

Think I have the Aurora Adventure Before Alzeheimers sorted out.

• Feb 24 or 25 Fly from Kona to Fairbanks.
• Figure out what to do once in Fairbanks
• Mar 1 Train from Fairbanks to Anchorage
• Mar4 Fly from Anchorage to Seattle
• Mar 4 Train it from Seattle to DC.
• Mar 7 Metro and bus back to the Asylum.

Nevermind that according to Alexa at this instant it is 0° in Fairbank and -16° is the forecast low. Oh and did I mention that I have zero winter clothes. But I don’t have any at the Asylum either.  Fairbanks has an REI, and a couple of thrift shops. 

Hey, I am not getting any younger. If not now, when???

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

 

I had about talked myself out of braving the frigid far north for the chance to maybe see the northern lights. But then, this morning – I checked a “northern lights cam” a little north of Fairbanks. 

That was pretty special. Maybe worth frostbite. Maybe.

On the other hand,  these elusive saddleback butterflies are pretty special too. And, I have a chance of seeing them. While I am all toasty warm. Well, at least not frost covered.

 . . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

This picture is for you Trude. There is sand, grass and a couple of benches –  so sit a while. 

Found my legs feeling happy enough to make it up to Honls this morning. In year’s past I made it at least that far 5 days a week. Not so this year. But, my new regimen of ibuprofen – to hell with potential cardio/GI issues – along with judicious yoga – no more trying to keep up with the kids and swimming… Well, this program seems to be doing some good. I am no longer Googling motorized wheelchairs. Or wondering if I am going to have to get a car.

Now isn’t that a strange thing for an old person to be worried about: being forced to get a car!

Made two purchases today. I got some swim goggles that actually fit me – hence they work. I took them for a little test swim today. And, I found a swimsuit at the thrift shop that still had original tags for $1.50. It is ugly as sin. But, it will always be under a wetsuit or rash guard. And, it covers up all the parts that must be covered. So, it is great.

I will try to force myself to swim in the chlorinated indoor Asylum pool. If the choice is between swimming 30 minutes a day or not being able to walk – it should be a no-brainer. 

Well, it is almost dinner time and I hear my Xmas feast of grilled cheese and Guinness calling me. 

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

Nice day today. I didn’t do anything. That would be par for our village. 

1. Old Airport Beach – Billy and I watch 4 whales swimming north and 3 surfers getting some sweet rides.
2. Take a couple of laps around Makaeo.
3. Target run.
4. Back home – turkey sandwich for breakfast.
5. Read some.
6. Go down to the Pier to watch the boat traffic and dolphins.
7. Back home – do some yoga.
8. Baked potato for lunch.
9. Read some.
10. Bubble bath.
11. Nap some.
12. Drink coffee and update blog.
13. And, then I will drink more coffee and make dinner, then read, the lights out.

No swimming for me today. There was too much boat traffic.  And general craziness. When I was processing my photos – taken with 300mm lens – I noticed this girl:

Totally ignoring the boats, swimmers, and dolphins all around while texting or something. 

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

Numba 3 day of Christmas my Tutu gave to me: 3 Dried Squid. Which sets Tutu back $36!

And, I swam over to check on Carlton. 

Everything is going fine for me here in the middle of the Pacific. 

Unexpected pleasure finding friends when I went to breakfast.

Expected displeasure when I confirmed that Quinn’s Almost By the Sea is  indeed closed – so no grilled cheese sandwich and beer for my Christmas Day feast.

Feast Plan B – Picked up some nice fresh yellowfin tuna and I will slice that up, cut up an avocado, set out the wasabi and shoyu.  Open my own beer. Hard to beat that! (Not to worry Carol – if I feed you – I will cook the fish.)

(something is wrong this year ahi aka yellowfin tuna was only $14 a pound today. I was expecting it to be $20+ not complaining just an observation)

As a photographer, I love this audio of the “photo shoot”.

Note that the image is 1/250 @ f11. 

We did not see this image on that Christmas Eve long long ago. It had to return to earth. And go off to be developed and printed.

But we did huddle around our TVs and radios and heard:

In the spirit of that Christmas Eve, once again, no politics until Dec 26. Or is just remembering this time (which was not all that great – Vietnam comes to mind) is not just remembering this time a political act. 

Fiat Lux.

A very lazy day for me today. Well, except for my jackrabbit brain bouncing all over the place trying to figure out an Aurora Adventure Before Alzheimer’s.  I did find a train that goes from Anchorage to Fairbanks a couple of days a month – even in winter. And, you know how much I like trains.

A problem arose this morning. I need a Secret Santa uni-sex gift $30-$50 by 3PM tomorrow.  No. Not. Happening. But, origami to the rescue.

And, I put it in a recycled box.

Along with a recycled bow and a couple of origami “ballons” – instant Secret Santa. Everybody likes money. Even people that have lots of it. I may even pop in a couple of pieces of dark chocolate.

I am not sure how Rudolph feels about using a real deer skull attached to a truck grill for a Christmas decoration. No problem Keeping Kona Country!

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

I really miss Carlton, who would point out that the Republic survived The Know-Nothing Party, Civil War, Warren G Harding, Father Coughlin, Joe McCarthy, a host of other self-inflicted problems. So, we will survive the current president.

But, I am not so sure. It feels to me that some vital underpinning of the Republic gave way earlier this week. 

Normally I am with the rest of the world and the week starts with Monday. But, I am so glad for this week to be over that for this week only I join the Americans and Sunday is the start of a new week. Next week has Christmas in it, so, we might make it through one more week before total meltdown. 

But enough of this negativity. I cooked myself a great dinner. Yellowfin tuna with pineapple and a little salsa and sour cream, rice, and papaya. Plus a frou-frou yogurt for dessert. 

A big fat red starfish is hanging out in my snorkeling zone. These are usually in deeper water. I am thinking that maybe a diver picked it up and moved it. Or maybe it just moved. 

This starfish is about the size of a dinner plate. Very Festive.

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

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.

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.

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. 

Choices. A week ago I decided to take my chances with heart attacks and GI bleeds in exchange for less leg pain and more sleep. A friend suggested going gluten free. Well, I’ll not dismiss this without a test drive. But, not during the holiday eating season! Not to mention beer. 

For the last week, I have been using ibuprofen and turmeric.  My legs are better. Well, they feel better. There is a difference. For the coming week, I will try cutting the ibuprofen in half. 

And I have been tweaking my exercise routine. I fear that I will have to add swimming to my daily routine back at The Asylum. We have an old, highly chlorinated indoor pool. I dislike indoor pools. But, I’ll just have to deal with it. 

 A man called “Mad Dog” felt compelled to resign as SecDef. The government is headed for a shutdown. The market has tanked. Party like it is 1929.

PS. It is really one of the strangest day’s in the history of the republic. 

. . . 

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Menchen,  Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.