[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]
Aloha Everybody:
Geez, this week's mainland weather was downright scary -- floods in the northeast, killer heat in the south, drought in the west, tornadoes around Chicago, etc., etc. Earlier in the week I happened to look at the temperatures in the areas
we visited on our recent European trip and they were all in the mid- to
upper 90's! In short, our timing was very good because traveling there
now would be extremely uncomfortable. Here not so much of a problem. Yet. Not to be left out of the weather craziness, hurricane Calvin is heading our way and should come close to the islands around Tuesday or Wednesday, probably passing over the southern part of our island. Right now the forecast is that it will weaken to a tropical storm by the time it gets here, so I'm not too concerned at the moment.
Well, today is my XXth (censored) birthday. I'm not too thrilled, frankly. These yearly hallmarks don't carry quite the same upbeat significance they used to, but I guess they can be a stimulus to reflect on the richness of the past and the wonders of the present (including the wonder of still being here). It's been quite a ride, I must say. One part of that journey began 21 years ago last week, when we moved from Ohio to Hawai'i. The anniversary of the move was July 5th. We normally celebrate the day with a glass of champagne, but this year we forgot -- something we vow not to let happen next year.
The big house project this week was replacing the pads on our outdoor furniture. How's that for excitement?! We actually wanted to replace the frames, too, but we had difficulty finding something we like that was available here, and given the expense of ordering online we wanted to be certain of our choice. This has dragged on for over a year, and Karen finally had the idea to look online for just replacement pads. We had some picked out and were ready to order when we saw an ad for some locally that we liked and that were on sale. Perfect compromise! Of course, nothing is that simple. First we have to clean the old frames, not a terrifically hard job, but still one that has to be done after dragging the chairs out to the driveway. And naturally I noticed while cleaning that I need to repaint many of the bases of the chairs. I have decided to put that off and just do a couple of chairs at a time later rather than hold up the whole project. Anyway, we're about half done and the new pads look much better. Ta Da!
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| Peachicks in the Mist |
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| Double Hazard |
they haven't been up to the task lately. As do other kinds of local wildlife, the pigs find a golf course to be a buffet sent from heaven, so you can't blame them from trying to move in.
Ok that's it. Take care and I hope you have good weather next week. Oh, and I have to admit this blog may have been written by ChatGPT4.....or not. What do you think?
8 comments:
I noticed a big improvement! Hmm
My mom, Annette Andrus, kept her age a secret for many years. She said she was the same age as Jack Benny - 29. But once she was in her 80s she decided to proudly state her age, expecting people to reply, “that can’t be you don’t look any older than 60.” And since she did look much younger that was often the reply. And when we traveled to China & Africa with her it was often met with disbelief.
Happy Birthday, Richard! We will celebrate when you visit Ohio.
As I like to say for birthdays, “Be Happy!”
Birthdays are a mark of success! Made it through another year! Happy Birthday!
I am on the high school reunion planning committee for our 50th. At our first meeting, we went through the list of deceased students. Since then, 3 more have died and the event isn’t until October. So…
Mostly due to maturity and good financial planning, my life is better now than it has ever been. I shudder to think of what I would have missed had I died prematurely like so many of my cohorts.
And, for better or worse, I look my age but have way more energy than my parents and grandparents.
Simone -- it doesn't surprise me your mother's age was overestimated!
Coleen -- The death of people in my cohort is a constant sobering reminder of how thankful I should be, both for my past life and for my current one. I also agree that it sure seems like my life is better now in many respects than ever -- another reason not to squander what time there is left!
Simone -- oops, I think I misspoke. People were underestimating your mother's age -- she looked much younger than she really was!
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