Ash Fall, A Kona Low, Med Woes, On The Road Again

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.

3/14/26

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

Petulant Pele reminded us this week that she has the power to mess things up for us.  Episode 43

Note Tephra Cloud

occurred on Tuesday, starting at about 9:30 and ending early evening after about 9 hours. This wasn't the biggest eruption but it was one of the most problematic. Would-be viewers were stymied because the park was closed for much of the time due to tephra fall (volcanic ash and rocks) at the observation sites and even in nearby communities.  This dangerous situation was caused by something called a "Kona Low" (see below) that made the winds blow the ash and hunks of lava in an unusual direction.  Here's the official description by the volcanologists:  "This eruption was comparable in size to episodes 41 and 42, but due to light winds produced tephra fallout similar to but not as great as episode 41.  The plume sent tephra falling within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the north rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and into adjacent communities.  The heaviest tephra fall was recorded at Uēkahuna overlook (about 4-7 inches of accumulation) where 2-inch tephra began falling at around 10:20 a.m. HST and Kīlauea Military Camp (about 2 inches of accumulation) where 4-5 inch tephra fell starting at about 10:20 a.m. HST.  The Volcano Golf Course community was hardest hit with a blanket of tephra with pieces up to several inches in diameter." 

Start Shoveling

Imagine what this would due to your car -- or your head, for that matter. Of course the visuals of this made for great spots in the national news, giving the false impression that the whole island was blowing up. All this activity occurred over 90 miles from our house and posed no danger to us. Still, it made things difficult for people trying to reach the other side of our island because he tephra fall even closed the  highway near the volcano for a time.  This was very problematic, because there is only one road that circles the island so that the closest spot to get from one side to the other from the closed section was over 100 miles away.  The whole thing illustrates human vulnerability to nature's whims.

 

Sticking with the nature theme. this week I also learned and new meteorological term -- "Kona Low."  This is a condition in which a a low pressure area occurs on the leeward side  (i.e., Kona) of the islands either to the northwest (this one) or southwest, bringing winds along our coast.  The more normal pattern is for trade winds from the northeast to hit the windward side.  The positive effect for us is that leeward winds clear out our vog and keep it from accumulating along our coast.  However, this Kona Low was accompanied by a humongous rain system that has resulted in several days of cloudy and rainy weather, including some serious flooding on the northern islands.  We didn't have it as bad as other places, bu we've had an unprecedented string of cloudy days with near constant light rain and some very strong blustery winds that so far haven't done serious damage but have deposited a lot of junk in our pool.  This is expected to continue today, tomorrow, and even into Monday.  Sheesh!   Again, nature is ultimately in control, a lesson that is commonly driven home on the mainland, but holds here as well.

 

A couple of items in the Geezer Gazette are worth mentioning.  Late last week the side effects of the temporary anti-arrhythmic medication I've been taking got very severe.  My heart rate dropped into the 30's and low 40's and I felt like warmed over death: fatigue, muscle weakness, dizzy. I made a unilateral decision to cut way back on my routine heart rate medication and to stop the anti-arrhythmic stuff altogether (about a week early from the surgeon's prescription).  I contacted the surgeon's office and gave them my self-monitoring data and described my subjective symptoms.  A couple of days later I got a call from the surgeon's assistant with the recommendation that I cut way back on my routine heart rate medication and to stop the anti-arrhythmic stuff altogether -- in other words, my unilateral decision was vindicated.  It's now been about a week since these adjustments and I feel a tense better, but the anti-arrhythmic medication is very long lasting, so it will take more time before the side effects lift significantly.  I'm hoping that I can still do some of the more strenuous things we had planned for the trip, but I may have to tone them down.  We leave mid-week so feeling great may be a bit of a stretch.  I think I can still do the trip, though, and I'm really looking forward to being on the road again....

 

Ok, that's it for the week.  This will be my last missive until we return in April, so I leave you with this thought:  when the kernel of truth is removed from propaganda, only lies are left.

 

Carpe Vitam! 

Coqui Hormones, 3-Weeks Post Zap

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.

3/7/26

 

Aloha Fellow Time Travelers!

 

Time to update you on my battle with one of my primo critter adversaries.

 

The Target

I've now caught 895 Coqui frogs. Nearly all of them were on our property, but I've also captured some from other house lots and gardens in the neighborhood.  Unfortunately they are prolific breeders and have no natural predators in Hawai'i (except humans like me), so they defy total eradication.  Ill probably hit 1000 sometime this year. I'm currently battling several that have moved into our front garden, so I'm likely to hit 900 soon.

 

Coquis are beloved in their home territory of Puerto Rico, where they're considered an informal mascot.  Here they are considered an invasive species and they do significant damage to our ecology, besides being loud and obnoxious (the call of just one Coqui can reach 95 decibels.).  One problem is that the lack of predators in Hawai'i has created densities that are 2-3 times greater than in Puerto Rico.  I wonder if Coquis would be so fondly regarded there if the numbers were as great as ours. 

 

Female on Left

Anyway, over the years I've become something of a "Coqui Whisperer," so I know their strengths and weaknesses.  One weakness is that they are ruled by their hormones, much like many humans. This leads them to behave in risky and self-defeating ways that allow "the Hand of Doom" to descend fatally upon them.  If conditions are right (a bit of rain and warm temperatures at night) the males' hormones kick in and theyMUST repeatedly call out their location to attract females.  That sound helps me to locate them as well, and that is a large part of catching them.  The males establish a broadcasting station early in the evening and they stick to it all night, even returning if they're disturbed by a marauding human.  Catching them while they're "singing" isn't a slam-dunk, however. Their call is so loud and narrowly focused that sound bounces off the nearby foliage and can seem like it's coming from one spot when it's really not.  Knowing their preferred types of locations for calling stations makes my job of grabbing them much easier.  I wear a headlight while hunting, and if I spot one I try to blind it and grab from behind. This must be quick, however, because they are very fast. There are other tricks that I've learned over the years, but I won't bore you with them.

 

So my battle goes on in this endless war.  The reward is a quieter evening and less ecological damage.  Plus a macho feeling of a successful hunt -- another example of being ruled by hormones I suppose.....

 

In Geezer Gazette news, Thursday marked my 3-week ablation anniversary.  I wish I could report that I feel great, much better than before.  But I can't because although I've only had a few short Abib episodes, I'm having some hefty side effects from the anti-arrhythmia drug that my surgeon prescribed.  Ironically, the effects are almost the same as I felt when I was in constant Afib.  In short, at the moment I've just exchanged one cause of feeling whacked for another.  The hopeful thing is that I only have to take this medication for another five days, and after that maybe I'll improve.

 

We've begun our prep for our trip despite the health issues.  Of course, another concern is that our "Peace" President will decide to take over either Panama, Colombia, or both.  Killed by friendly fire is not the way I want to die.....

 

That's it for this week.  Carpe Vitam! 

A Quiet Week of Healing

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

2/28/26

 

Aloha Guys! 

 

I know February is a short month with only 28 days, but this one seemed to disappear in an eye blink. However, for some of you on the mainland it must have seemed to take forever as you coped with a very severe winter.  I'm sure Spring will come eventually, and not a minute too soon.  We've finally been getting some sunny days, so my pv system is doing well at the moment, and the pool temp is up to 84d, just in time for me to be able to go in after my two-week restriction.  It felt very nice.  

 

I won't burden you with much Geezer Gazette news this week -- I suspect you will appreciate that after last time's oversharing.  It was a very quiet week here, which I spent mostly recovering from my heart's shock therapy two-plus weeks ago.  I'm pleased to say it's going much better.  Hopefully I'll be in decent shape by the time we leave on our trip in a few weeks.. On Monday I saw my regular doctor to have my ER stitch removed.  That went very smoothly.  I then asked him about my breathing issue and he surprised me by diagnosing it as a problem of fluid buildup after the procedure.  I took a heavy-duty diuretic that day and I quickly began breathing much more easily.  Who'd have thought! Yesterday I saw my retina doctor and it went ok, except that I had to report that my ablation hasn't improved my eyesight so far.  I've only been in normal rhythm for 10 days, so there's still a chance it will help.  With luck that will be my last interaction with the medical establishment until we return in April.  I'm definitely ready for a break.

 

We're into cruise ship repositioning time, and this week there were ships in our harbor almost every

day. This makes the merchants along the waterfront in town very happy, I'm sure.  These are ships returning from southern waters to start their Northwest itineraries in the spring and summer. Of course, we still have our weekly visit by the Hawai'i boat, Pride of America. It does a 7-day cruise that starts and ends in Honolulu.  It's a good way to get acquainted with the major islands, but you really need longer on at least one of them to appreciate the culture, history, and geology of this unique place.

 

Pele is taking a snooze until mid-March. The current projection is for another session of spouting between March 6-16. This will be the 43rd episode since December of '24.  A truly remarkable phenomenon.   

 

Ok, that's enough for this week.  Stay well and happy. Carpe Vitam.

Heart Still Ticking Kinda Sorta

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

2/21/26

 

Aloha Ohana! 

 

[Warning:  Oversharing Ahead] 

 

I told Karen that my Valentine's Day gift this year would be getting home alive after my 2/12 heart ablation

Not Yet

procedure on Oahu.  I delivered on my promise, though not in the most romantic way.  The procedure was Thursday morning a week ago and technically went very well.  According to the procedure notes that I received online, my "shock doc" successfully ablated several areas in the upper two chambers of my heart.  I learned several things from the surgeon's notes that surprised me.  First, I was out for a little over an hour, but the procedure itself took only 40 minutes.  In past years when this was a new treatment an ablation used to take two hours or even more.  Second, this wasn't just a few zaps with the ablator (aka "pulsed field catheter") -- she used a total of 66!  My poor ticker must have looked like a smoldering cinder.  Third, the ablation doesn't just involve one catheter and one vein -- it took several catheters and both femoral veins in my legs.  Despite the mistreatment, my heart came out of the procedure not only still ticking, but also in normal rhythm, something I hadn't seen since early December.  Unfortunately this only lasted a couple of days and was probably due to the fact that as soon as they put me to sleep, they used the paddles to shock my heart into normal rhythm. I guess this was to make guiding the catheters easier and more accurate, or maybe to give my heart a rest after the procedure. As I've mentioned before, ablations are effective because they create scar tissue that doesn't conduct the chaotic electrical signals very well.  It takes a month or two for the scar tissue to develop fully, and during this time afib often recurs, though hopefully less and less often and for shorter periods. I just have to wait and see if this is true in my case.

 

There were a couple of complications that made this more difficult and definitely less romantic.  The first required returning to the hospital's ER Thursday night.  After an ablation the usual process is to lie flat on your back for several hours to make sure the small incisions where the catheters were inserted into your left and right leg veins start to heal. The nurses in the recovery area were very nice, even bringing me my cell phone and providing a tuna salad sandwich while I waited, At last they pronounced me ready to roll and I was discharged late afternoon (total time in the hospital = 9 hours).  So far so good.  When we got back to our hotel room, however, one of the incisions started to bleed and wouldn't stop, even after following the instructions of the surgeon when I called her.  After a few hours of this, we finally decided I needed professional help and we went to the ER about 9 pm.  The ER doc tried a fancy solution involving glue, mesh, and foam.  Didn't work. He finally solved the problem the good old fashioned way -- a stitch, some clotting salve, and a compression bandage.  We got back to our room about 2:30 am, after about 4.5 hours in the ER. 

 

The second problem wasn't as acute but still very problematic.  The next day I had a lot of difficulty breathing, and this got steadily worse on Saturday (the day we got home) and Sunday.  Something must have really irritated my lungs during my marathon in the hospital and the ER.  It might have been the anesthesia intubation, but I didn't have any problem last summer when I was knocked out the same way and same length of time for my hernia surgery.  Whatever it was, the symptoms for several days were akin to having a cracked rib and at the same time having a reaction to a vaccination -- out of breath. achy joints and muscles, and a little feverish. Thankfully this started to go away by Monday, but it has taken most of the week to get back to almost normal breathing.  Also encouraging is that since Thursday (one full week out from Zap Day) I've been having episodes of normal sinus rhythm. So overall, I guess I'm moving in the right direction.  I'll keep you posted.

 

There isn't much non-Geezer Gazette news this week because I've been following my shock doc's instructions to "take it easy."  I've been following the Olympics, of course, including the riveting Curling controversy.  Also, Pele gave everybody a Sunday Valentine's present of episode 42

Coffee Blooms

fountaining, which lasted about 10 hours and shot lava as high as 1300 feet. Oh yes, and this week many of our Kona Coffee trees have been blooming -- an impressive sight in a large orchard.  Coffee is related to the gardenia, and the flowers of both are white.  Unlike the gardenia, however, coffee flowers don't have much fragrance.  We make due, however, with the many other fragrant bushes and trees that are always in bloom.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  Stay warm and stay the moral course. Some of us still know what that is.

Thrombus? Fish in the Pool, Bird Meds

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

2/7/26

 

Aloha Guys! 

 

Our guests from Ohio left on Tuesday to spend a week on Oahu before returning home.  We had a good time, did some local sight-seeing, and had lots of good conversation.  They had mostly dry weather for the couple of days they spent on the Hilo side of the island.  This was fortunate, because the windward side of Hawai'i averages 130 inches of rain per year, whereas our side averages about 40 or less, depending on your exact location. The overall trip for them was well-timed to escape the cold and snowy mainland conditions.  They won't return to weather as bad as when they left, but they'll likely encounter a 40-degree drop in daytime highs.  As you know, this is well below my wimp threshold.

 

There's some important Geezer Gazette news this week. On Monday I had blood drawn to look for problems that might complicate next week's ablation procedure.  A few things were slightly out of normal range, but my kidney function was ok, an important indicator of whether my system can clear the medications and drugs that will be administered.  Of course, the test of how long it takes for my blood to clot was higher than the normal range, which shows my blood thinner is definitely working. My interpretation of the actual value was that it wasn't something that was a major problem for the ablation, but the surgeon would certainly want to know about it.  On Wednesday we drove up to the hospital in Waimea for my special heart CT.  We went up there because the scan required specific readings that the CT services in Kona can't do. The focus was on the dimensions and conditions of the chambers, veins, arteries, and valves, all of which were ok.  The very important part of the scan is looking for the presence of any blood clots (fancy word = "thrombus") that might be jarred loose during the ablation, leading to a stroke. If there were any clots, I suspect this would have stopped everything in its tracks until they could be dissolved by medications.  Anyway, I got a clean result so everything is on track for next Thursday at 7 am on Oahu. A positive feature of the trip to Waimea was that we had lunch with more Ohio friends -- the couple who visit their daughter each winter, who teaches at a private school in Waimea.

 

Speaking of Oahu and heart ablations (!), my neighbor was there this week for his second zap (not that uncommon) and I took care of his parrots while he and his wife were gone.  He makes this pretty easy by preparing their special diet foods in advance, so it's mainly a matter of changing their cage liners and giving them fresh food and water.  However, one of the birds needs special medication which makes it a bit more challenging. I mixed the liquid medication with a special fruit puree which the bird really likes, then spoon fed it to her.  Fortunately she falls for it every time and seems to enjoy the attention.  Good thing, because this is an African Grey Parrot with a beak that could easily take off my finger if it had cause to do so.  

 

The ablationist for my neighbor's procedure is the same one I will have.  This is good, except that both of his ablations had some complications, which I sure hope I can avoid,  I really don't want to come out of this worse than when I went in, which so far is what has happened in his case. I'm eager to get it done but a teense anxious. Wish me luck.  By the way, next week's blog may be delayed until after I return.

 

Finally, in the "these-people-are-definitely-losing-it" department, my wife and I have discovered a

Swim Buddy

new use for our swimming pool -- food defroster.  The other night we decided to have salmon for dinner, which we had previously frozen.  This decision came pretty close to dinner time, so we wanted to defrost the package quickly.  Microwave ovens can do this, of course, but if you're not careful you can easily overdo it and start cooking the fish.  My wife came up with the brilliant idea of tossing the (sealed) package into the pool for a while.  Worked like a charm!

 

Ok, that's it for this week.  As I mentioned above, I may skip next week's missive or possibly make it a day late.  I'll see.  In the meantime, here's a homework assignment. Identify the author of the following quote. Hint: although it sounds recent, it isn't: “Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively... it must present only that aspect of the truth which is favorable to its own side.”

 

Carpe Vitam. 

Raining Lava, Whale Watching, Hosting Guests

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

1/31/26

 

Aloha Folks! 

 

Well, Pele really popped off last Saturday after I posted Snow Crash.  Starting a little past 11 a.m. and lasting until about 7:30 p.m., lava fountains shot up to almost 1600 feet from two close vents.  Just

Asbestos Umbrella?

before dark this was very spectacular.  At 7:30 the show ended abruptly, as usual.  The height of the fountains, coupled with fairly calm winds, created a unique situation for the area around the volcano.  Tephra (small rocks) and even a few globs of football-size cooled lava rained down on the viewing areas and even as far as nearby Volcano Village.  They had to evacuate some areas inside the park because it was getting a bit dangerous (fortunately there are several live-stream web cams positioned around the volcano rim so the action was still available to watch). Along our coast the vog has been pretty bad for the past few days, and it is particularly high right now at the summit of Kilauea, so getting close might be still be hazardous.  The current analysis from the volcanologists is that the lava reservoir below the caldera is recharging rapidly, suggesting another episode is very likely in the next couple of weeks.  Pretty neat, eh?

 

Our guests from Ohio arrived Tuesday evening, just missing the show.  They managed to escape the mainland despite the travel snafus caused by mountains of snow and bitterly cold temperatures.  Needless to say, they aren't minding our somewhat cloudy and voggy 80 degree weather!  They have been here before, though it has been quite a few years ago.  We've kept it low-key, enjoying a couple of picnics and some general site-seeing.  One picnic was down south at the very picturesque "Place of Refuge," an important historic Hawai'ian religious center.  This is very near Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook wore out his welcome and was fatally whacked by warriors protecting the king when Cook tried to take the king hostage.  Another picnic was north, at a beach park where we were treated to the antics of some whales as we watched from the picnic area. This coastline is where we usually see humpbacks who have migrated down from Alaska and Canada for the winter (don't tell ICE, but I don't think they're documented).  Our friends are currently on the Hilo side of the island for a few days.  They'll then spend some time on Oahu before returning the to the Ohio deep freeze.

No news for the Geezer Gazette this week (!), but next time I'll regale you with an account of my heart CT scan and the results.

 

Take care.  Don't strain too much on clearing that snow! 

Miata Mystery, CT Snafu, North to Alaska

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

1/24/26

 

Aloha Friends! 

 

Just like humans, as cars get older they become less reliable and prone to mysterious ailments.  Karen's Miata, which is 23 years old, is becoming a good example of this. Recently we needed to run a bunch of errands and decided to take the Miata, which is a lot of fun to drive and is more gas efficient for short trips.  The engine started just fine and then promptly died.  And refused to start again.  The symptom was straightforward -- the engine would crank but not fire at all. We were thankful that we hadn't yet backed out of the garage, rather than have this happen in the middle of an intersection somewhere, so all we had to do at that moment was switch to our other car.  Later in the day I did what any red-blooded know-nothing mechanic would do -- I opened the hood and looked in, then tried to start it again. Same problem.  I called our mechanic and made a service appointment,  the soonest available being a week away, this past Tuesday.  I then arranged for a tow truck to come early that morning.  On Tuesday, as I was preparing for the tow truck to arrive I tried to start the car one more time -- vrooommmm!!! WTH?!  I did this several more times, and it started fine every time.  I quickly canceled the tow truck and drove the car to our mechanic, who understandably said that unless the car had "thrown a code" (i.e. its computer detected a problem and displayed it on the instrument panel as well as storing it in its memory) there wasn't much he could do since it was running fine at the moment.  Note, this is the worst kind of problem to work on, because there's no clue to follow and no defect to detect.  Bottom line -- the car has worked fine since this episode, but just like my geezer body, you know it's going to give out on you sometime, probably when it is least convenient and most unwanted......

 

Speaking of geezers, there are just a couple of quick items in the Geezer Gazette this week.  I got my pre-op heart ct scan scheduled, but only after I called twice.  The first time I got a phone message saying to leave your information and they we would get back to you in 3-5 days.  A week later I still hadn't heard anything, so I called again. This time I got a live human who quickly got things set up.  I have a feeling I would still be waiting if I hadn't taken the initiative.  The second item is that I visited my retina doctor yesterday and, as expected, had another shot. Yawn........I told him about my upcoming ablation and he was very confident it would help with my dimming and indistinct image problem. I just hope the benefits of this procedure aren't being over-hyped.

 

Where's the Gold?

We have now made plans for our fall travel.  This should be easy and cushy, with only an hour time change -- an Alaskan Cruise.  It will also coincide with our 59th (!) wedding anniversary. We've wanted to visit Alaska for years but something always prevented us from doing so. In the early days had considered either a road trip or traveling by ferry or freighter.  The large cruise ship experience that is so popular really didn't interest us, and it still doesn't.  We've booked an 11-night cruise on a small ship (170 passengers) operated by the same company that runs the Mississippi cruise we did last year and liked so well.  We're now looking into ways to extend this, since it is too short by our standards. I'll let you know what we come up with.  Any suggestions?

 

Ok, that's it.  We're looking forward to a visit next week by a couple of friends from Ohio who are escaping from the rather brisk and bleak weather there right now.  They have been here several times before, but it's always fun to share our island life.  Take care, stay warm, don't slip on the ICE.