Blog Hiatus

It's time for another blog hiatus for me. I'm just not able to keep up with my blog and complete the projects we have piling up around us.

I will return once our lives return to an easier pace.

Until then, stay happy and healthy!

Night Blooming Cereus

Art likes to go for a brisk walk before the hot Hawaiian sun rises over the Koolau Mountain range.

One morning he sent these photos via text message of some Night Blooming Cereus on a neighbor's fence. I was not quite awake yet when he sent it but found it after I got out of bed.

I was amazed and considered going with him next time to see it.

Naaah...

Life

Someone sent this to me a long time ago and it really struck a chord so I kept it to remind me that if things look its worst, it has to be better tomorrow.

My mother has had quite a few horrible, tragic times in her life that she thought she might not be able to survive. She did and tells me adversity can strengthen you. She tells us often how happy she is and keeps looking over the albums or our trips together.

She survived. She's grateful. And she's happy.

I hope I can learn from her example. I hope.

Waxing Stubborn Zippers

I bought a new Travelon wallet at the Senior Fair that has a protective RFID shield in it.

I didn't particularly like the embroidery on it, but I liked the fact that it was small, thin, and had a coin purse and room for some credit cards and bills. It was perfect for travel.

What I wasn't entirely thrilled with was the zipper. I thought it might wear out as it slid over the corners.

Then I remembered that Myrtle had sent me a helpful hint a while back to make stubborn zippers glide more easily over the teeth. What I couldn't remember was what I should apply. I looked it up on line and it said wax or soap. Hmmmm... wax? Ahhh... candles! I got a  candle and ran it over the teeth. Voila! It worked! The zipper glides beautifully now.

And then... while I was writing this, I found Myrtle's Helpful Hint.

Wax paper!

And yup! Wax works!

Whoopie!

Dinner At Orchid Thai

We go out with our friends Cal and Kay, Cal and Myra once every couple of months. We met them at tai chi a few years ago and quickly discovered we really enjoyed each other's company. We always laugh that there are two Kays and two Calvins. Now we just have to find another Myra and another Art.

We take turns choosing the restaurant. This time it was Orchid Thai in Waimalu because Cal saw a wonderful review of the eatery in the newspaper.

A lot of us ordered the pho which was lovely. Art and I also shared a summer roll and I had a Thai ice tea.

The servers were attentive and very friendly. We were there for several hours and had a fabulous time. We laughed about the fact that we all had a new grandson within months of each other this year and shared adorable photos.

It was all great, but you know what? More than the food, it was truly the company that made the  meal so very wonderful!

Fun Senior Fair

Art and I always make it a point to take mom to the Senior Fair at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu to get her flu shot and check out the senior booths for ideas.

My cousin, Arnold had some time to join us this year.

We were there at the 8:30 opening time and there was already a long line of seniors waiting.

I was amazed at the super friendliness of all the technicians at the Kaiser Hospital section of the center.

Mom got her flu shot pretty painlessly and then they offered to take her blood pressure.

It was very, very high which alarmed the nurse. She did it again and it was still high so she said she would be notifying mom's doctor.

Mom has the "white coat hypertension". Her blood pressure goes up when she sees doctors and nurses.

Arnold and Art are both veterans and were delighted to find a booth dedicated to informing veterans of their options. Art is actually retired military so he knew most of it, but Arnold was not aware of many of his options.

I learned more about Smart911.com.  This is a site that is available in Hawaii where we can provide a lot of important information to 911 ahead of time in case we ever have to call them. You can provide blood type, a photo of your house, photos of  yourself, medical information, whatever you think is important to first responders who come to rescue you. I've already signed up.

Then there was a booth on hurricane preparedness and lots of things to do with your health. It was so much fun to run into Taryn Lum, the Hearing Specialist from Sam's Club where we'd gotten our hearing tested for free earlier. And she recognized us!

We also got happy hugs from friends we'd been on a tour with and Michael who was our tour guide to Hokkaido last year.

Oh yes! It was loads of fun and we'll be back again next year.

Could This Be the Year???

The Cubbies have won the Central Division and are on their way to earning the right to represent the National League in the World Series.

In the movie Back to the Future #2, 2015 is the year that the Cubs were supposed to win the World Series. Wouldn't it be something if they did? Art has pointed out to me that the movie also said the Cubs would play off against Miami who is actually also part of the National League right now. Miami would have to be in the American League for the Cubs to play against them to win the World Series as they did in the movie.

Ah well...

We can only dream.

This could still be THE year.

Dirty Dishwasher Filter? Who Knew?

Art was resting and surfing the web for fun when he spied something about cleaning your dishwasher. The inside of our 8 year old Bosch dishwasher seemed shiny enough. We didn't think there would be a problem. The website mentioned a bad smell being indicative of a dirty filter. They also stated that newer dishwashers came with a filter that should be cleaned.

What? What filter?

He took out the bottom dish rack and removed the filter cover and then the filter. What a shock!

The filter was 75% clogged with rock hard water deposits. Arrrghhh! And the water pooled at the bottom did smell.

Art tried scrubbing it with soap, water and a toothbrush which couldn't remove the calcium deposits so we soaked it in vinegar and water which loosened it enough to clean. I used a spoon to scrape some of the deposits off which was much more effective.

Do you clean out your dishwasher filter?

Art just read that you're supposed to clean your dishwasher once a month by pouring a cup of vinegar into your dishwasher and running it through a full cycle while empty.

I guess we'll be doing this from now on.

 And here it is with the filter reinstalled.

Ummm... I just found the instruction manual for the dishwasher. It DOES say that the filter is supposed to be self cleaning, but we should check it "occasionally" for debris. It doesn't mention anything about hard water deposits though.

And wait... It also says to remove the spray arm and check to make sure that's not clogged too.

Sigh...

Brazen Breakfast Bird

We'd gone to the Navy Exchange for an early morning breakfast after I'd gotten my fasting blood test over with at Tripler Hospital.

While Art left to go to the bathroom, this bird suddenly hopped onto the back of Art's chair.

That really startled me. He then jumped onto the table and got too close to my food so I shooed him away with my hand.

He jumped a few inches away and hopped back again.

Shooing with my hand wouldn't work. I had to use the plastic cover to push him away.

I didn't want to feed him because I thought that would just cause a problem for future diners who chose to eat on the patio.

When Art returned, the sparrow changed seats and sat next to me.

Totally unafraid of either Art or me he hopped closer and closer while Art started taking photos with my iPhone.

And then... suddenly the sparrow jumped over and actually got hold of my half eaten hash brown and tried to fly away with it.

You often hear the saying that the early bird catches the worm, but really... isn't this ridiculous?

Getting Through an Implant

We have come to realize that as we grow older, things happen.  There was a crack in Art's bottom molar and the dentist said he should get an implant because without the bottom molar, the upper tooth  might move if it doesn't have the bottom with which to make contact.

It was a multi step process. The first part was attaching the post to his jaw bone. We were a little nervous about this, but the oral surgeon was great and Art says he didn't feel much pain at all.

The funny part came later.

He was told to keep an ice pack over his face for 48 hours. It got a bit tiresome to hold the ice pack on his face so I thought it would be a good idea to tie it on.

After the 48 hours, he's supposed to put a warm pack on it.

After a week, the stitches will be removed and he has to go to the dentist who will create a tooth to attach to the post.

I am not looking forward to the day when I would have to deal with this sort of procedure.

I'm sure he'll be as kind to me as I have been to him. I wasn't laughing too hard when I tied the ice pack on.

Bringing the Past Into Light

I was going through some photos I had scanned a while ago of all our family photos and came across a few precious ones that were so dark that you couldn't make them out. I still scanned them because unlike this digital age where we have thousands of photos of our grandchildren, we have too few of our children when they were little some decades ago before desktop computers, digital cameras and Photoshop.

I found myself tearing when Photoshop revealed my little Tiffany when she was about two years old. It made me want to carry her again.

Sigh...

I know I can't bring back the past, but I'm glad I can once again look at a little more of it.

TMI?

One of my favorite nephews posted this on his Facebook page and I couldn't resist posting it here as well.

I have found that coffee can be a diuretic, but ummmm....  the other end? OK, is this Too Much Information?

I found this article in the Huffington Post which explains it also.

Alright... alright... TMI.

Tiger Treasure

Art's parents had this ceramic tiger at their house for as long as I'd known them. Art can't remember how they received it and doesn't know why he's always kept it. It was probably a memory from his childhood that he wanted to keep.

To be honest, it is NOT my favorite piece. It's not in perfect condition. You can see the chip on the ear. There's also a bit of glazing that fell off on the inner thigh.

You can imagine my shock when Art decided to find out more about this tiger.

This is the description I saw on ebay.

"Oscar Morten is known for his animal sculpture's which he creating under the brand "Mortens Studio "  between 1931 and the 1950's along with his co-founder Gunnar Thelin.

The animal figures are noted for their realistic look.  The Mortens figurines are of solid plaster type material combining metal reinforcement  for their sturdiness. The glaze is a high gloss baked on finish and most are marked with a decal or stamp on the underside of the figure "Copyright by the Mortens Studio". Some also have a paper label with some bearing "Royal Design".  Due to the materials used it is hard to find a figure that does not have some chips however crazing is a normal occurrence."

The tiger does have that decal on the underside which says Copyright by the Mortens Studio. I saw another similar tiger for $185. They look like they're in mint condition though.

It doesn't matter how much it might cost. I still don't care for it.

On the other hand, Art likes it so it will keep it's prime location on the dresser next to the candy jars from his parents' restaurant/sweet shop.

I have a feeling it's one heirloom the kids might not haggle over.

Comparing Photo Prints

I've been pretty happy with my Costco prints, but my last batch left me disappointed. I wondered if it was my computer or monitor going awry so I had some reprinted at Sam's Club to test it out. This is what I found:

I scanned the photos with the Costco always on top and the Sam's Club photo below.

The Costco is dull and darker than the Sam's Club which has a higher contrast.

Here I preferred the Sam's Club photo because the Costco photo on top was fuzzier and darker. I wouldn't be as upset about it except that I was going to use these photos for my greeting cards.

Neither one made me happy. The photo seemed so much prettier on my computer monitor.

I liked the Sam's Club better below even though the whites are actually somewhat washed out.

Sam's Club came out ahead here too because the Costco photos seemed to have a gray tint to them.

Someone said I should take the photos back to Costco because they will reprint them.

We'll see.

POSTSCRIPT: 
I did take the photos to Costco and she reprinted the ones that were too dark. She also told me that Sam's Club uses a different kind of printer so Costco photos will never turn out as bright as Sam's Club. When she reprinted the photos for me some improved quite a bit, but a few were too light. Sigh...

Not Always Cheaper At Amazon

Sadly, my Logitech ergonomic wireless keyboard died after some heavy use. Still... it's not often a keyboard dies so I did dither about buying the same keyboard to replace it.

Then I saw that it had gone on sale at Amazon for $57.92 down from $79.00.  I ordered it with free shipping.

Of course, as does often happen with me, I saw it on sale at Best Buy two days later.

But look! It says the regular price is $57.99! What the heck? Even taking into account Hawaii's 4% tax, it would be less and I'd get it much sooner. The Amazon keyboard was going to take 2 weeks to have delivered.

Luckily, this time the cancellation went through right away so we got our keyboard at Best Buy.

Phew!

And Don't Forget the Shave Ice

Anybody who reads my blog knows we do love shave ice. We never were able to find true Hawaiian type shave ice on the mainland. Snow cones are more granular or crushed ice. The ice for shave ice is shaved from a block of ice.

Should you come to Hawaii, be sure to ask for shave ice, not shaved ice. Then again, if you go to the Big Island, they call it ice shave. What the heck? That's what Art called it for the longest time since he was born and raised on the Big Island.

Like saimin, everybody in Hawaii has their favorite place for shave ice. We love the kiosk called Mountain Magic at Waikele Outlet Mall. Yelp gives it top marks also. We've also liked Shimazu Store and Waiola where this photo was taken.

I got this information from Wikipedia which I didn't know even though I've seen shave ice all over Japan.

"Shave ice traces its history to Japan, where it is known as kakigori and dates back to the Heian Period. "Shave ice enjoyed world-wide popularity after Japanese plantation workers immigrated to the Hawaiian islands and took their traditional dessert with them, creating shave ice from large blocks of ice and using Japanese swords which were family heirlooms."

I think this is pretty cool. Can you just picture those laborers after an exhausting day in the pineapple or sugar cane fields coming home and using their swords to shave ice?

Whatever the case, it's one of the first treats our family asks for when they arrive from the mainland. Our favorite is lychee and melona without ice cream, condensed milk, li hing, or whatever. We're purists. What do you think you might like?

Boiled Peanuts

 Boiled peanuts are very popular in Hawaii. Art's parents made and sold them at their restaurant many decades ago. Art's mom taught me how to make them so that Art could have his favorite snack.

I tried making them on the mainland and brought them in for teacher friends to try in school. They weren't exactly excited about it, except for the few who happened to be from the south. During the civil war they were called goober peas.

In Hawaii, they say boiled peanuts probably came from China where they cooked it with salt and star anise as well. The Chinese were one of the earliest groups to arrive in Hawaii to work in the sugar plantation fields.

Some people also wonder if Southern soldiers during WWII may have brought boiled peanuts to Hawaii. I don't think so because Art's parents were selling those boiled peanuts for long time.

Whatever the case, I make them, but without the star anise. Art is a purist when it comes to boiled peanuts. It's a better snack than cookies or chips, don't you think? Have you ever tried boiled peanuts? How do you like your peanuts prepared?

Hawaiian Saimin

Saimin is my favorite comfort food. I shouldn't have it too often since I'm pre-diabetic, but mom, Art and I both love it!

When we moved to Chicago in 1973 we couldn't find it anywhere. I thought it was Chinese and asked for it in Chinatown. They didn't know what I was talking about.

The closest thing to saimin that I could get in Chicago was packaged or restaurant ramen which is Japanese. It was OK. Well, actually we now know that packaged ramen isn't really good for you. Tsk! too late for us.

I got the explanation for the name saimin from Honolulu Magazine:

"...a contraction of the Chinese words “sai” meaning “thin” and “mein” meaning “noodle”—dates back to the early days of Hawaii’s sugar and pineapple plantation era, when immigrant laborers cooked noodles with whatever they had on hand..."

 They apparently started selling saimin at Hawaii's restaurants around the 1930s.

I got this additional information from Wikipedia:

"Saimin is a noodle soup dish developed in China and improved by different immigrant groups in Hawaii. Inspired by Japanese ramen, Chinese mein, and Filipino pancit, saimin was improved during Hawaii's plantation era. It is a soup dish of soft wheat egg noodles served in hot dashi garnished with green onions, Kamaboko, char siu, sliced Spam, linguica, and nori may be added, among other additions. "

 Everybody has their favorite restaurant for saimin. We've got three and we're more than willing to sample others. If you ever get to Hawaii, do try some and see what you think.