Thomas Square Dog Day

Since returning to Hawaii, Art has been able to re-establish contact with a lot of his classmates from Honokaa which is on the Big Island. In fact, several of his friends live right in our neighborhood and they go out to lunch or breakfast coffee regularly.

One of his closest childhood friends was Delphine. (Delphine is the one on the right. Notice Art does not have a mustache?) It was fun for me to learn that Delphine's brother is Poncie Ponce who used to act on Hawaiian Eye. I wonder how many people would remember that TV show. However, over the 40 years they were apart, Art and Del lost contact with each other. I think we've only seen Del once when we bumped into him at the airport about 20 years ago.

Well, Art discovered that Del actually lives close by, too. In fact, he now lives in my old hometown. Del called the night before and invited us to see a Dog Show at Thomas Square in Honolulu.


I can't remember ever being to a dog show before. I know we've watched the National Dog Show once or twice on Thanksgiving. I think it was Thanksgiving.


Thomas Square has a huge banyan tree.


I've never seen so many Golden Retrievers in one place before. They had brought over a judge for the show from the mainland.


All the dogs were put through their paces. To be honest I couldn't tell them apart. They all looked beautiful.

I did learn something interesting that I didn't know before. Dogs sweat through their paws. The handlers were all misting their dog's paws and I couldn't figure out why. They said it was one of the ways to keep their dogs cool and comfortable.


Meeting again for the second time after 40 years of living their own lives in different parts of the country, there was a LOT to catch up on. They each had happy as well as sad news to tell each other.


Del and his wife's dog received the Select ribbon (I'm not sure what that means).

We could see that competing in dog shows is very serious. They had a tent with lots of equipment to help their dogs show off his best qualities. Del says he might be handling a dog soon, too.

Hmmmm... we'll have to go and see that.

Remembering Egypt

In November, 2007 Art found a tour in Egypt that he found intriguing. It was called Imaginative Tours. When we first met our guide in Cairo at the start of our trip I was a little disappointed because he was actually British, not Egyptian. He turned out to be the best tour guide we've ever had. He knew the history, knew a lot of the local people, spoke some of the language, was outrageous at times, always responsible and full of fun.


I've been watching the news about the revolution in Egypt. It's sad to see people getting hurt and killed. I'm excited for them, but nervous because the collapse of the Egyptian government could cause a great deal of instability in the region giving the religious extremists a crack from which to crawl through and cause havoc and devastation.

I remember Cairo as a bustling city, clouded by smog with drivers who didn't think road rules or traffic lights needed to be followed.


Imaginative Tours is not a comfort tour. You carry your own bags and have to be relatively fit to walk up and down stairs at the train stations while carrying your suitcase. But it was fun! We even got to climb into King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings and saw his mummy.


We got to see all those antiquities we'd read and seen photos of in history books. I couldn't believe how well preserved the hieroglyphics and carvings were.


We rode a felucca (sailboat) on the Nile River and climbed up a sandy hill in the Sahara Desert. That was pretty darn awesome!



We visited a Nubian school on Sohail Island and listened to a presentation. Many of us gave donations to the school.


We were told that children were required to say something like, "President Mubarak is great," before they started the day. I guess the young minds were being conditioned to revere President Mubarak. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Egypt is such a beautiful country. We met a lot of very brilliant, ever friendly Egyptians and tasted their delicious food. I hope they are safe and that their country will survive this turmoil to give them a better life.

Forwarded Mail

Normally, I really don't like forwarded mail and try not to forward anything unless it's really, really (I mean really) funny or awesome. To everyone who has gotten something forwarded from me... yes, I really did think it was fabulous and worthy. If you didn't think so too, oooooops! Sorry about that! (I also followed all the rules about forwarded mail that I did write about in a previous post.)

Well, I just got the following from a friend and thought I should forwarded this just for fun in case you haven't seen it a million times already.

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:


Men Are Just Happier People --
What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
(Although I cleaned, painted and organized OUR garage.)

Wedding plans take care of themselves. (And what about most of the thank you letters?)

Chocolate is just another snack.
(This is very true with Art. Wait a minute... Tiffany doesn't even care for chocolate. I think it's just genetic. Strange.)

You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
(Actually, this is so true!)

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
(I've never had that problem, mind you.)

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
(What tanks? I don't get it. Oops! The comments are showing me that people think I don't know what a tank is. I just don't understand what's so important for you to know about tanks. Art was in the Air Force. I'll bet he doesn't know much about tanks. I think I'll go ask him.)

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
(My daughter has complained about that when I mention something nice that my son has done.)

If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough..
(Excuse me, you should see how many pairs of running shoes Art has!)

You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes..
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
(Actually this is true for me, too.)

You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life. (Let's not mention the new Kindle I ordered.)

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
(Unfortunately! I'm still trying to get Art to shave his off for the past 30 years or so.)

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
(Since guys can use the Internet to do their shopping now, they don't even have to leave home to do it.)

No wonder men are happier.

Mosquito Romance

I almost wrote Mosquito Sex, but thought I might get spammed by cyber nuts.


Every time I get to my computer in the morning and look out these days, I see this cloud of (what I thought were gnats) mosquitoes. They're very hard to photograph because they're so tiny and they move around so much. We do have a lot of mosquitoes in Hawaii, especially during the rainy season, but I've never seen these tiny guys (and gals).


I was wondering why I'd been getting bites every so often when I haven't heard them buzzing in my ear. The big ones buzz. Out of curiosity, Art used a magnifying glass to look at what we thought were gnats and discovered that they were teeny tiny mosquitoes. Arrrrghhh! I hate mosquitoes and these can come through the screen.


Ooops! Close your eyes. I didn't realize I'd caught a pair in the throes of passion here. You didn't think I was a voyeur, did you?


Here's a whole bunch I found on my desk!

Arrrghhhhhh!!!!

POSTSCRIPT: I'm noticing that people are thinking the mosquitoes are having a carnal time in the air. I'll bet they could but this pair was actually clinging to my glass window pane.

Back in the Classroom Saddle Again

I was invited again to read to a class of 2nd graders out in Kapolei. Despite the fact that I have taught for 20+ years, I was strangely a little nervous about being back in the teaching saddle again.

However, once I sat on the little chair and looked out at the beautiful faces, it came back.

I brought a paintbrush and a painting I did many years ago of the plantation town I lived in. That plantation town was burned to the ground, plowed over and has some stores and a spanking new subdivision over it now. However, looking at the painting reminds me of that peaceful place. I asked the children what they would paint if they had a paintbrush. They had wonderful ideas from their family, their home, a dolphin, their bike to their school. That was my introduction to Ma Lien and the Magic Brush. I was happy to see their rapt attention.


The next story I chose for them was Bembelman's Bakery. I brought some donut holes and asked them what they would put in their donuts or bread if they could do the baking. One of the first things they said was sugar. Then their imaginations took hold and they offered "apples, bananas, orange juice, chocolates, cinnamon, etc."

When I was finished reading the story, I had to smile when a child asked, "When you read that he smacked his lips, did he hit his mouth like this?"

I showed him what it meant to smack your lips and explained that it meant he thought the bread was yummy. Then we all acted out how we'd show that we loved what we were eating. I asked what sound they'd make if they were given something delicious.

A child raised her hand and said, "Thank you."

I loved it!

Kristin is their teacher and the daughter of my dear childhood friend. She has done an excellent job with her class.


After the Read-a-Loud, we were treated to some delicious refreshments in the school library and given these huge umbrellas as thank you gifts.

I'm looking at the orchid lei they gave us and thinking, "What a wonderful feeling." Thank you, Kristin!

Daily Deals?

My nephew told me about Groupon a few months ago. I did sign up for it, but haven't seen any discounts that I would like to buy yet.

When Tif and Ed were here last month they bought discount tickets for jet skiing. Although they got a good deal on the jet ski experience, they were gouged on the shuttle to the boat area.

Last week, Tif told me about livingsocial.com/. She said I should sign up for it and get the $20.00 off of an Amazon purchase by paying $10.00 to Livingsocial.com. She warned me to do it quickly because the "deals" don't last long.

I did it last Wednesday. I see that the Amazon deal is completely sold out now. I'll be applying that "coupon" toward my... ta daaahhhhh... Kindle.

Other than that, I haven't wanted to buy any of the discounts to restaurants, spas, horseback riding, etc. Sounds like a nice concept though. I'll see what the future brings.

POSTSCRIPT: Aaaaaackkkkkkkk! I did it! I ordered the Kindle!!!! Aaaaackkkk!

The Ugliest Mailbox in the Neighborhood!

My mother would cringe every time she looked at our mailbox.

It wasn't that we didn't want to replace it. We just couldn't find a mailbox we liked.


It occurred to me that until we find the PERFECT mailbox, we could just use the Loctite Extend to cover the rust and paint it with the left-over white paint I had from fixing the screen door.


The Extend changed the color of the rust and seemed to just dissolve and smooth it out.


You have to leave some of the rust on so that the spray has something to work with.


I covered the house number with painter's tape and then primed and painted the mailbox.

I painted the flag red next.

We also bought new numbers to replace the faded older ones.

Ron of Hotel Waikiki just told me I didn't have to prime. Arrrghhhh! He's right! The Loctite Extend acts as a primer. Ah well... looks like we added an unnecessary extra step.


Now I'm wondering if I (or maybe my brother... if I can convince him to do it) should paint a snail on this side of the mailbox. I wonder if the neighbors would get the joke. (snail mail?)

Postscript: I was telling our fire fighter neighbor about the Extend this afternoon and he said the department uses Extend by the gallons. A small can is not enough to keep everything in shape. He says it does work well. We were very happy to hear that.

Looks like replacing the mailbox goes down to the bottom of the To-Do list.

Postscript 2: Mom just looked at the box, grinned and said, "Now we have the nicest mailbox on the street."

Rust!

Over a year ago, we discovered that termites had made a home in our front wooden screen door. Therefore, Art decided to get a metal door like all the neighbors. Termites can eat all kinds of things but they break their teeth on metal.

The problem, we soon discovered was that all metal things RUST in Hawaii! How come I never paid attention to this when I was growing up in Hawaii? Why don't things rust much in the Midwest? We've been told it's the salt in the Hawaiian air.

Only then did we notice that the neighbors' metal doors were also rusting, but they could live with it.

Not Art.


He talked to his brother-in-law who told him about Loctite Extend. He said he used it on his metal table and it sealed the rust in. After many years it was still in good condition.

We searched for it all over Home Depot and couldn't find it before we found somebody else looking for the same thing who also gave his testimonial for its effectiveness. He told us we should go to LOWES and sure enough, there it was!
POSTSCRIPT: We were at Home Depot today and saw the Loctite Extend in the paint department.


The directions on the can warn you to avoid getting the spray on unrusted parts because it could cause rust, too. Hunh?

We taped and newspaper wrapped the parts that might get hit by overspray. The clear spray turned the rust brownish black.


Then I sprayed it with a can of Rustoleum primer and a topcoat of Rustoleum white paint. It really looks great. Brand new!


Here's Art putting the knobs back on. Now then... what else is rusted?

Aha! The mailbox! We still haven't found a mailbox we like and mom has hinted more than once that our mailbox is the ugliest in the neighborhood. Therefore, I'm going to try the Loctite cure on it tomorrow. It's just a temporary fix until we can find a mailbox we really like.

Then again, you KNOW how long it takes us to make a decision!

Nook Owners?

I had really decided to go ahead and get the Kindle because it is supposed to be the more highly rated e-reader. I've read a million arguments about the Nook vs. Kindle. I've been to the Free Kindle site link. However, what I am seeing is that the books available free are not the books by current popular authors I'd be interested in.

You can also download books free from the Project Guttenberg site for the Kindle because they are now public domain (expired copyrights). Another blogger sent me a blog called Free ebooks and Tips but it pretty much sent me back to that Amazon free book site which don't offer a whole lot... or maybe I don't know how to look which is very, very possible.

You can borrow more current books by popular authors free on the Overdrive system available through the Honolulu Library (or other Public Libraries) on the Nook or Sony eReader for three weeks.

So here I am sitting, about to click on the Amazon button to buy the Kindle because it is supposed to be the best machine around. However, my finger just can't seem to make that final push just because Kindle wants you to buy their books and won't allow you to borrow from the public library.

Therefore, I'd like to know if there are any Nook owners out there (I know there were three of four of you on my earlier post) who still totally love (or are OK with or have a gripe about) their eReaders because it sounds like it's the Kindle owners who are passionate about their machines.

POSTSCRIPT: Art says he can't stand my indecision any longer. Therefore he says we should go with my Decision #47 which was to get the Kindle now, get the next generation Nook... or maybe an iPad (which can read the Overdrive) for him later. Waaait... a ... minute... Since when did I ever mention the ipad? Hunh?

Peacock Pests

The bludgeoning death of a peacock has been in the news lately.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow)
By Minna Sugimoto

A Makaha woman charged with animal cruelty for beating a peacock to death suffered a setback in court Thursday. A judge ruled peacocks living in Makaha Valley are covered under Hawaii's animal cruelty law, and rejected dismissing the case against her.
Peacocks roam freely in Makaha Valley, squawk and leave droppings. So should they be considered vermin or pests, which are excluded from Hawaii's animal cruelty law?
(I did change this text a little to take out the woman's name.)

I love birds, most of them. I love the pretty birds that don't sit on our solar panels, poop on our car, eat the buds off the orchids and fruit trees, and are indigenous to Hawaii.

Unfortunately a lot of plants, animals and bird life have been brought over as pets to Hawaii, and let loose when their owners tired of them. They multiplied, competed with native wildlife and often times caused their extinction. This is why we have wallabies and peacocks in Hawaii.

My mother's chief adversary is this red butted bulbul. No, that's not its real name. This bird and the mynah are constantly watching my mother, waiting for her back to be turned and eating her favorite flower buds. They often sit of the roof and laugh at her. That's what she tells me anyway, so I have to believe her.

So here's this peacock who was driving this 70 year old woman crazy and not allowing her to sleep (and leaving yuckky poop all over the place). She finally lost it and killed it with a bat.

Hunters are often hired to kill pigs that overrun an area and kill vegetation. I've heard peacocks. They're very loud! Louder than the mynahs. If somebody killed a mynah or a bulbul, would they be tried, put in the news, possibly fined $2,000.00 and put in jail for a year? Is it just because the peacock is a big, pretty bird? Is the value of the bird or animal in its size and beauty?

I'm sorry. I love birds, but I really think this case is pretty ridiculous. I can see her getting a fine, but to be put through this kind of shame and trauma?

POSTSCRIPT: I've just heard that she was acquitted yesterday.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Uh oh... I've just run dry of things to write about and the only thing I've done recently is cut my hair. It's pretty much the shortest I've ever done. Art walked in the bathroom, looked at my head, looked at the hair strewn floor and opened his eyes wide. All he said was, "Whoa."

So I thought I'd reminisce about the hairstyles I've worn throughout my life.


Here I am with my mother in 1949. I was about four months old having been born two months premature. I wore my hair very short back then.


In 1955, my mother was giving me my hair cuts. They were in what was called the chawan (bowl) style because it looked like somebody just stuck a bowl on your head and cut around it. She cut my brother, Dennis' hair too.


In 1969, I was a college student cutting my own hair and shoulder length was easy to do. I had my first perm as a teenager but I refuse to show you those photos.


My hair was probably longest when I met Art. We were married in 1973.


Once Tiffany was born, long hair was a bother so I cut them off again.


I returned to teaching in the 80s and wobbled between the shorter shoulder length...


and shorter.


So here I am now, back to the hairstyle I was born with.

POSTSCRIPT:


I just thought of something funny. In a turn-about, I'm now cutting my mother's hair, not to mention Art's.

Solar Madness

Our 16 solar panels are producing energy, albeit haltingly since we've had so many cloudy days recently. It is the rainy season in Hawaii. Still, we saw a marked difference in the size of our last electric bill. The panels produce the least amount of energy in the winter. We're expecting even more energy production in the summer with the longer days.

Art is about as excited about the panels as I've seen him when he's gotten a new car every 10-15 years. He's going out two or three times a day to check the HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) meter and then he's checking the on-line motoring system that we have free for a year. The on-line site tells us how much energy each panel is producing, how much energy we produce in a day, week, month, lifetime.


This chart tells us how much of our carbon footprint we are reducing and how much energy we have offset so far since we've installed the panels. We have so far offset the use of 2,452 light bulbs and 809 computers for one day. Not bad.

Funny thing though, Art is even more conscious of how much energy we are using. He's encouraging us to wait for a sunny day to do the laundry, turn off the lights and computer when they're not in use, reduce baking, try not to use the air conditioner, etc. I wanted to become an energy hog once we had the panels up. Sigh... I guess that's not going to happen yet. We'll have to wait until we've had the panels for a year (hopefully, the long, sunny summer days will add a lot more energy to our annual solar bank account) to see how much of a hog I can be.

And by the way: I just heard in the news that people are complaining that the CFL bulbs are burning out faster than the 7 years it promises to last. I thought we were the only ones with defective bulbs. Ours died out in a year or less! It's crazy! They said it dies faster if you turn your lights on and off a lot.

Household Hint: Touch-Up Paint

Here's one thing I've done that I'm really thankful for. When we renovated our house and started painting all the rooms, I decided to keep little airtight jars of paints for each room. My only regret is that I didn't just go ahead and paint all the rooms the same color. Even the two bathrooms are a different shade of white. Ah well!


When the furniture delivery people came, they put a scratch on the gray handrail. I think they were surprised when I said, "Don't worry about it." I just got out my jar and used a Q-tip to dab paint on it. Another crew also put a ding in one of the bluish-white wall corners. No problem. I just put on a little plaster and got out the Q-tip again.

If I had to go into the tool shed every time there's a scratch to find the right color and bring it back upstairs to do the painting, I'd probably never get around to it. Since this paint sample box is in my closet, I can take it out easily to do any fixes around the house.

Don't you love it when you do something right sometimes?`