Car Surgery, Eyes On Hold, Golfishness

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.]

7/26/25

 

Aloha Folks!

 

In earlier missives I've noted that it takes patience to live in paradise.  Everything takes longer and is more difficult to accomplish than on the mainland.  This is partly due to the mellow, laid-back attitude of those of us who live here. Another is that there is a shortage of goods and service providers compared to the mainland, leading to delays in obtaining everything from root canals to auto parts.  My wife's 2003 Mazda

Yikes!

Miata developed a transmission problem that required parts that had to be ordered because they weren't available here. We patiently awaited their arrival for weeks because they had to be shipped (literally "shipped") from foreign suppliers. My guess is that a mechanic on the mainland could have obtained them in just days.  Anyway, they finally arrived and the car went in for surgery early Wednesday morning.  This is a major repair that requires removing the transmission and disassembling it to get to the problem. It took 1 1/2 days and a bank loan to finally retrieve the car on Thursday.  Despite its age, Karen loves the car and won't part with it, no matter what the cost, so it was definitely worth it.

 

In other news, I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday and there was no sign of significant edema in either  eye. Good report, except for the possibility that it might flare up soon -- scheduling a follow-up too far out might miss nipping the problem in the bud.  Treating either eye now isn't advisable, because administering the shots too close together can actually cause worse problems.  So I'll return in two weeks for another exam. As you might guess, I have just about memorized the eye chart, making assessments of my acuity pretty much worthless for deciding when an injection is called for.  The only test that is really informative is a laser scan of my retina called an OTC (Optical Coherence Tomography). It produces a detailed image of the retina that can be viewed in layers and on edge, like a CT scan. In my case it shows precisely how much edema there is and where it is.  Since it is objective rather that subjective like the eye chart test, it is much more diagnostic for the need for an injection.  And it is quick, painless, and has no ill effects. The eye chart test is painless, but it is slow and frustrating.

 

Yesterday Karen and I got back to Makalei, after a couple of weeks off.  We were joined this time by our frequent golf buddy, who just returned from a family reunion on the mainland.  The weather was very

good, with several periods of sunshine and no rain.  We even saw some mother peacocks with babies in

Peacock Paradise

tow, 4 in all.  I again did mostly chip shots and putting, but upped the number of them and even tried a couple of more distant shots.  It went pretty well.  I'm trying to gently exercise my abdominal muscles since they  haven't been used much for almost 6 weeks.  On the last hole of the day I decided to go all out, including a tee shot that was surprisingly and pleasingly very good -- in fact, I wound up getting a PAR for the hole!! Next week I may try to play at least some of the holes for real (well, Kona-a-Lago real).

 

Ok, that's about it for this week.  Off to farmers' market and then a beach breakfast.  Stay cool if you can, and consider that showing compassion and kindness doesn't necessarily mean that you condone someone's behavior.  Carpe Vitam!

Mo' Betta Birthday!

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.]

7/19/25

 

Aloha Everybody!

 

The biggest news of the week here is that Tuesday was my xx-st [content censored] birthday.  I am pleased to report that it was, as we say here,"way mo' betta" than a year ago.  On my last birthday you may recall that I was rudely reminded that the human body has an expiration date, and that Nature doesn't really care what your plans may be. We were in Canada at the beginning of a bucket-list trip to spend time in the beautiful Canadian Rockies.  The plan was to fly to Vancouver for a few days, then take the overnight train to Jasper and from there make our way to Banff, enjoying the dramatic scenery and idyllic countryside as we traveled by car. From Banff we were going to fly to the contrasting Arches National Park in Utah, a starkly different area of natural wonders.  However, my birthday celebration was quickly muted by (a) getting Covid, (b) having a sudden downturn in my vision, (c) experiencing an allergic reaction to something unknown that made my tongue swell up and my feet and hands itch like crazy, (d) becoming dehydrated to the point of passing out at the beginning of our first hike, (e) winding up in the Jasper ER and being diagnosed with persistent Atrial Fibrillation, (f) arriving in the Canadian Rockies during an episode of wildfires that filled the air with smoke, closed off some scenic areas, and destroyed a big part of Jasper the day after we left.  We shortened our trip and flew home, where I quickly became involved with more physicians and medical tests in a couple of months that I had encountered in my entire life to that point.

 

This year was far more pleasant.  Most of my medical issues have either stabilized (heart, eyes), or are moving in a positive direction (hernia surgery).  Last week I was treated to two early and unplanned birthday presents -- shows featuring lava fountains and Formula 1 cars.  On Tuesday I wanted to keep things simple and low-key, and it worked out great.  The birthday card Karen gave me captured my goals

Birthday Dreaming

beautifully -- the cover featured a bear snoozing contentedly in a tree, the epitome of taking it easy. For my lunch restaurant I chose one of my favorite guilty-pleasure places -- Taco Bell (!).  The rest of the day featured a dip in the pool and a couple of naps.  Dinner was at home because I really didn't want the hassle of going to one of our several high-end places in Kona.  The menu was a combo of my favorites:  a rare steak that I cooked to perfection on my grill, al dente angel hair pasta with truffle oil (purchaaed during our last trip to Europe) topped with lots of freshly ground Parmesan cheese, a side of buttered peas, and a mixed salad that included greens from our garden sprinkled with bits of Gorgonzola cheese.  No fancy wine, but instead one of my favorite beers, an Imperial Pale Ale that paired perfectly with the pasta.  I was a very happy birthday boy!  On Wednesday evening our neighbors treated us to dinner at Ola Brew Pub here in town, which has another of my favorite beers, a hazy Ipa called "Mo' Hazy."  This is a low-key, informal place that fit my birthday preferences perfectly.

 

To top things off, Karen gave me the perfect geezer birthday present -- a FitBit Charge 6 wrist band. This high-tech marvel monitors my heart rate, heart rhythm including Afib, exercise level, stress level, sleep quality, temperature variation, breathing rate, toenail growth, halitosis level, hair loss, dental hygiene, etc, etc., etc.  Now I can really be obsessed with health issues! Think of the ammunition I'll have during those geezer-guy get-togethers.....

 

In other news, our crappy weather has continued for yet another week.  We're on track to have a fourth consecutive month in which our p.v. system doesn't cover our usage.  This is unprecedented and getting really, really, old.  Despite the cloudiness, our pool temperature has stayed in the acceptable range, though some days we have to go in during the rain.  I've not read any clear explanation of what might be causing this pattern, nor how much longer it might last.  I just hope it's not the new normal. And of course I can still console myself with the fact that the weather in many other parts of the world is much worse right now.

 

Carpe Vitam. Enjoy your summer.  As things heat up, I find myself yearning for the good old days when "ICE" was just something we put in drinks to make them cold... 

Lava Geyser, Fast Cars, Back in The Pool!

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.]

7/12/25

 

Aloha Everyone! 

 

Well, this week was very enjoyable.  One reason is that I got to see Kilauea Volcano spewing lava 1500

Got Any Marshmallows?

feet in the air. Over the  past 35+ years we've seen it oozing like molten brownie batter, flowing like a waterfall over a cliff, and shooting like a fire hose into the sea, but we've never had the chance to see it fountaining.  Usually this behavior occurs at the beginning of an eruption, then quickly transitions to a longer gushing phase.  But this eruption, which began December 23, has acted almost like Old Faithful Geyser, waking up about once per week and shooting lava 1k feet high or more for about 8-10 hours, then going quiet again. On Wednesday morning we learned the latest episode, #28, had begun just a couple of  hours earlier, at about 4:30 a.m. By 7:30 we were on the road and reached Volcanoes National Park about 10:30. It's about 90 miles south on a two-lane road that is curvy more than half of the way, and we stopped for a bathroom break and a malasada at Punalu'u Bakery.. Despite all the cars flooding into the area we managed to find a place to park not far from the summit crater rim and we quickly hiked to the first overlook point.  Yup, it was still going strong and shooting up as high as 1500 feet.  AWESOME!! We kept walking along the rim until we got to the closest point allowed -- about 1 mile away from the plume. The sound was incredible, like a dozen freight trains.  The weather was perfect for viewing this natural wonder -- clear and fairly warm as opposed to the more usual misty and cold conditions at the summit.  Also, the wind was carrying the noxious SO2 fumes away from the viewing area, as well as the fine strands of volcanic glass called Pele's Hair.  These strands are very light, and when airborne can be a real breathing hazard. On the ground all around we could see strands that had been deposited from earlier episodes. Some of these were quite long, 6-8 inches, because they had not yet been broken by the elements into smaller pieces.  We stayed for a couple of hours, then had a picnic lunch and drove back home.  We learned later that the fountaining abruptly shut off shortly after we left, about 1:20 p.m.  Our timing was perfect!

 

The other fun thing this week was that on Monday we went to a matinee showing of F1, about Formula 1 racing. As you know, one of my many quirks is my fascination with fast cars.  These are the fastest in the world, and the movie depicted what it would be like to race them with heart-pumping realism.  You may recall that several years ago Karen gave me a birthday present that was the best I could have ever asked for -- driving a Ferrari and a Lamborghini around a special track in Las Vegas.  I described this experience in a blog,  How 600 Horsepower Helped Me Try For A Darwin Award .  The cars I drove are actually for sale, and could be driven on the street, if you're rich enough.  On the other hand, Formula 1 cars are very special, and could never be driven anywhere except a race course.  The "formula" refers to a set of restrictions and regulations that forces the designers and engineers to be innovative and creative in how they coax maximum performance from the cars.  The restrictions also place great importance on skills of the drivers and their support teams, which was the focus of the film.  The filming of the racing scenes was first rate, and I needed several tissues to catch the drool the photography and editing produced.  Needless to say, I was very glad to have seen this on a big theater screen with full bone-rattling sound.

 

In more mundane news, I resumed a couple of activities I had paused because of my surgery.  I got back to our pool this week, and I even went to the gym for a very light workout. On Thursday I again accompanied Karen for a round of golf at Makalei.  No tee shots or long approach shots, but I did a few more chip shots and putts than last time.  Karen did very well, getting a par and a bogey. The weather was better this time, and we even had some periods of sun.  I'm now about 3 1/2 weeks out from my surgery and although I feel really pretty good, I'm trying not to overdo it.  At 4 weeks my surgeon says the inner tissue strength is about 70%, increasing to 90% by 6 weeks.  So far, so good.

 

OK, that's enough for now. Stay cool, enjoy your summer.  Carpe Vitam. 

Tummy Tacks, Dirty Cello, Super Caddy, Boom!

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.]

7/5/25

 

Aloha Everybody!  Happy Fourth of July!

 

This was a pretty good week. We attended a fun concert, saw some fireworks, got to the golf course, had a couple of good solar production days, and I had only one medical appointment. 

 

The medical event was my 2-week post-op follow-up with my surgeon on Tuesday.  All good news. I seem to be healing nicely, both inside and outside, and my pain has all but disappeared. In fact, my surgeon cautioned me that with laparoscopic surgery the lack of pain can tempt me to do too much too soon.  The inner tissue strength doesn't get back to near 100% until after about 6-weeks.  However,  I'm cleared to get back in our pool as soon as one incision heals over a bit more -- maybe another week -- and most other low-exertion activities are ok.  I got some interesting information during the surgeon's recounting of the procedure. In particular, he said that to hold the reinforcing mesh patches in place and to close the internal incisions, he used....tacks. It turns out I have very few internal stitches

Tacks Enlarged in Photo

, but I do have about 15 tacks!  Well, this really fascinated me, and I had a lot of questions, including how did he hammer them in?  I learned that these are not like household tacks, but more like short, squat, screws. They're put in place using a nifty tool that shoots them like a staple gun with a long tube, spinning them as they go.  They burrow in, anchoring themselves and securing the target tissues (or mesh).  Mine are absorbed over about 6 months, by which time the tissues will have bonded to each other or to the implanted mesh.  Pretty cool, right?  So the parts list for my surgery included 3 pieces of plastic mesh, a small amount of thread, 15 tacks, and 5 globs of glue.  Naturally, I asked for a souvenir tack to go with my souvenir photo, a request the surgeon admitted no one had ever asked before.

 

The concert in Waimea that we went to last Saturday was very good.  The name of the band is Dirty Cello. They are a small group from northern California that plays a range of styles but mostly a kind of rock blue grass.  The founders and permanent members are a husband-wife team with her as lead vocalist and cello player, and him on backup guitar.  They were accompanied by two other musicians, a drummer and a bass player. For such a small group they really put out the sound.  The cello-playing was first rate and quite interesting to watch.  The cello was raised and secured to a stand that let her play and move around rather than sitting.  She was classically trained but this was far from classical cello! Her singing was terrific. Bottom line -- a very fun evening.

 

On Thursday we went to Makalei.  Karen played and I drove the cart. I also gave her sagely caddy advice about which club to use and where to aim, which she promptly and wisely ignored.  I did drop a ball on several of the greens and practiced putting, but I didn't do any approach shots. Karen had to load and unload the bag of clubs because it was well beyond the limit of my lifting restriction.  We didn't have any rain for the first few holes, but then we had off-and-on showers and drizzle.  We kept going, though, and finished our usual 16 holes.  The course is very green and gorgeous, but the ground is saturated, making cart-driving a bit of a challenge on the steeper portions.

 

Last night we drove down to watch the community fireworks over Kailua Bay. It was a tasty treat for a fireworks junkie like me, though it only lasted about 10 minutes. It's a small community, after all.  

 

Ok, that's it for this week.  Hope you are staying cool. Try to stay focused on what you know is real and what is good. And as always, Carpe Vitam!

Murder, Opioids, Eyeballs, & Teeth

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.]

6/28/25

 

Aloha All!

 

Wow, it looks like you mainlanders are having summer a little early this year -- scorching temperatures,

Above line is electric we had to buy

violent storms, fires, floods, etc.  Fortunately the NWS forecast predicts some relief for you over the weekend.  Our crappy weather has continued for yet another week, and is predicted to keep going into the foreseeable future.  This is undoubtedly the longest stretch of bad weather we've had since we moved here 25 years ago.  For the third month in a row our PV system couldn't generate enough energy to cover our electric usage, and the pool solar heating has barely kept the water temperature in the geezer-tolerable zone.  The best thing about the cloudiness is that it makes nice napping weather.

 

On a happier note, last Saturday we went to our local community theater's production of "Murder on the Orient Express."  It was great fun.  I've read and seen versions of Agatha Christie's famous mystery many times, of course, but enough time has passed that I forgot a lot of the details.  The local actors were quite good and the staging was very clever in its depiction of the train. Tonight we're going to another local presentation, this one at the theater up north in Waimea.  It's a performance by a touring mainland musical group called  "Dirty Cello."  We've never heard them before, but the name promises a fun time. I'll let you know next week.

 

 The Geezer Gazette news this week is more about my hernia surgery recovery, and about medical manipulations of other parts of my body.  I was premature in touting the low level of pain following my operation a week ago Wednesday.  I thought the nerve blocks had worn off when I wrote last time, but they were longer lasting than I thought.  When the deadened nerves fully woke up, they let me know they weren't happy -- big time.  I finally tried the opioid pain killer my surgeon had prescribed (Hydrocordone-acetaminophen).  It dulled the pain but after 2 days it also drove my blood pressure so low I nearly passed out if I stood or even just sat up.  I stopped taking it, figuring I'd just power through the pain, and my bp recovered quickly.  I was pleasantly surprised that the pain had subsided on its own and I didn't even need over the counter pain killer.  In general, I've been surprised and fascinated by how fast my improvement has been.  At the moment I'm very sore, but not much more so than after a rigorous workout at the gym.  The small incisions seem to be healing nicely, except for the one at my navel which has required some antibiotic ointment.  I see my surgeon next week, and I will be interested in his assessment of my overall progress.

 

On Tuesday I had a double-header, first with my Ophthalmologist and then with me Endodontist. As expected and needed, my retina doc gave me another eyeball injection, this time in my right. This has become so routine that it is pretty much a non-event.  Later that day I finally had a root canal -- my first real treatment of the tooth I broke on May 1.  I laughed when it was all done and the assistant advised me to (a) be careful to chew mostly with the other side of my mouth, and (b) be sure to see my dentist for a real restoration because my filling was only good for 30 days.  With slurred speech I informed her that I had been careful since May 1, and that I'd be lucky to get an appointment with my dentist within 30 days -- it had taken longer than that to see the Endodontist  She seemed chagrined, but could only mumble "sorry about that."  I was shocked when I called the dentist office and was told I could have an appointment on Friday, only 3 days out!!  This is the first of at least two sessions to finally get this thing fixed. So, for my third doctor visit of the week I got to lay flat with my mouth open for two hours while the dentist drilled, chiselled and built up my broken stub to hold the crown, now on order.  Next appointment, on July 29th to put in the actual crown, a total of about 2.5 months since my first dentist visit after the break occurred.  Patience, grasshopper...... I should note that the care I'm getting seems first rate, but it is obvious we need more physicians to speed up the delivery of that care.

 

Ok, on that snarky note I'll sign off for this week.  Keep cool, physically and mentally.  CarpeVitam. 

Surviving Surgery: Warning, Contains TMI!

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.]

6/21/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

Well, I made it through my surgery ok. I've now joined the other 800,000 people who have this type of hernia repair each year.  It wasn't pleasant, but the medical professionals who were involved made it the least unpleasant as possible.  I'm very grateful to them for being very personable, professional, efficient, and skilled at their jobs.

 

I may have over-thought this just a teense, something I am prone to do in general, so I was pretty anxious.  My experience with hospitals is limited to a few trips to the ER, visiting friends and family, and one overnight stay many years ago.  My surgeon felt that having it done in a hospital instead of a clinic was advisable because of my age and past history of heart and breathing issues. Geezerhood strikes again.

 

I was scheduled for 11 am on Wednesday, with a check-in time of 9:30. I checked in on time, but the surgery was delayed until about 12:00 because some emergency cases tied up the surgical suites.  I was getting very hungry and thirsty, and more anxious than ever. However, once the process started, it went very quickly.  I talked to the surgeon and the anesthesiologist,  got into the lovely hospital garb, then was wheeled into the operating room and hooked up to all the monitors. The anesthesiologist warned me that he was running some antibiotic through the i.v. and it might sting, and then the anesthesia would begin.  The last thing I remember was him saying to think of a pleasant dream.  No counting backward or slowly fading out, I went into another dimension immediately. The next thing I remember was a voice far, far away calling my name -- the nurse waking me up.  "All done, everything went fine."  All the embarrassing and unpleasant stuff happened while I was out -- shaving, inserting tubes in various orfices, and of course the slicing and dicing itself.  I came back to life fairly quickly and without too much brain fog (something I had feared) and then I was required to pee before they would let me go.  I was given liquids through the i.v., so it wasn't long before this was kind of urgent (they had removed the catheter while I was unconscious).  Mission accomplished, the surgeon came in the recovery stall and explained how it went, complete with souvenir photos of inside of my abdomen! This was a surprise and very interesting.  In a laparoscopic procedure several small incisions are made in the target area and in one of them a catheter  with a light and camera is inserted so the surgeon can see to work (sort of a "Geezer Go-Pro").  You are also blown up like a balloon with CO2 to make room for the surgeon to work.  Wow  Anyway, my surgeon not only fixed the two hernias I knew about, he also fixed one that was starting to form, and on the outside he removed a benign cyst that my dermatologist had assessed earlier.  A four-for-one visit!

 

Recovery has been another adventure altogether.  Karen drove me home about 2:30, where I had a bowl of ramen noodles and then had a long nap.  There was no pain at all for the first 24 hours because while I was visiting Alpha Centari the anesthesiologist gave me two long-lasting "nerve blocks" (note, not an epidural) that involved locating and deadening a nerve in my lower waist area and another in my groin. The blocks worked well, and all I've needed so far is acetaminophen, even though I have a prescription for some heavy-duty opioid pain killer if I need it. When the blocks started to wear off, in about 36 hours, I mainly felt some discomfort and bloating at ground zero. Today I've had more pain as the nerve-block drugs continue to dissipate, but overall.I'm amazed and very pleased, given what that area went through.

 

Modern Medicine

For the next six weeks I have to be careful not to lift anything heavy or do anything (like golf) that might put too much stress and pull out my internal stitches.  By the way, the procedure used stitches to close the holes where the hernias were, and to install reinforcing mesh patches over them. The small incisions on the outside were closed with.....glue .  I've heard of surgical glue before, but now I am the proud recipient of the stuff.  It's waterproof, so I can shower right away, but since it can't be soaked the pool is off limits for awhile.

 

Ok, I'm sure that's more than you really wanted to know about this.  There are even more details, but I've overshared enough for this week.  Take care and enjoy whatever good things you can find. They are still there, behind the political smoke and fog.  Carpe Vitam.

Hoof Leis, Irrigation Irritation, Golf(!!)

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.]

6/14/25

 

Aloha Folks!

 

Last Saturday after our beach breakfast picnic we went to the annual King Kamehameha Parade.  This is

one of our favorite events because it is uniquely local.  Kamehameha, who was born on our island, unified the numerous separate kingdoms across the islands and began the modern era of Hawai'i.  He did this through brilliant military strategy, ruthless cunning, good old trickery, and his willingness to adopt the recently introduced weaponry of the Europeans.  After unification he turned out to be a very good oeacetime leader, ushering in what many consider the golden era in Hawaiian history.  The parade features the usual community marching groups and floats, but also groups of horseback riders representing each of the major islands.  The colorful costumes of the riders are beautiful, but for us the real stars are the

horses, who are decked out with their own neck and forehead leis.  One group of horses even had ankle leis made from a special local flower called the Crown Flower.  Great fun, and the horses seem to enjoy it, too!

 

My house repair project this week involved fixing a couple of leaks in the irrigation system.  Because of all the rain we've been getting, I've had it shut off for the last couple of weeks. but it is only a matter of time when I'll have to turn it back on, so this was a good time to get it working right.  This project also involved squatting and straining, so I wanted to get it done before my surgery next week. My system is a low-flow set of emitters that are fed by a flexible tube that runs from the valve controller to various garden areas.  When we bought the house I expanded the system that was already here, a fun project that involved learning a lot of new skills.  The leaks I had to fix were in the older section of the system, in tubing that had been buried a few inches.  This meant I had to dig out the dirt to reach the tubing, sacrificing a few plants in the process.  I was afraid that the leaks might be from disintegrated sections of the old tubing, requiring cutting back to sound portions and replacing the bad part with new tubing.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the leaks were much simpler to fix.  One was a hole where one of the emitters  had been attached to the tube, probably broken off by our gardener.  This was easily fixed by inserting something called a "goof plug" into the hole to seal it.  If necessary, I can replace it with a new emitter later. The other leak was at the very end of one of the tubes where the tubing had been crimped by the original installers and the crimped tube had finally disintegrated. Another easy fix by cutting off the end back to good tubing and then putting on a proper end piece.  I love projects like this that aren't as difficult as I had feared.  Unfortunately, as most do-it-your-selfers know, it is usually the reverse -- something you expected would be trivially easy turns out to be a major undertaking.

 

Also in the pleasant news department was that I was able to play golf on Thursday without getting soaked! Karen and I went to Makalei and our usual golf friend joined us.  None of us had played for at least a couple of months and the first couple of holes weren't pretty.  Then we started doing better, at least at moments.  I've now decided that the score on a hole isn't as important as the number of good shots I make.  Anything greater than "1" is enough to keep me going.  And overall I did pretty good -- three bogeys and a par.  However, I have to admit that three of those required invoking various Kona-A-Lago Rules, like if the ball circles the rim of the cup 180 degrees or more, it counts as going in, and an automatic do-over is allowed if an approach shot doesn't go at least 30 feet.  Anyway, we played our usual 16 holes before pooping out, and we didn't encounter any rain, even though the course was soaked from heavy showers nearly every day the previous week.  The wet grass made cart-driving a little treacherous at times.  Our friend did a beautiful slow-motion 360 degree spin as she tried to navigate one steep hillside section. I did a brief sideways slide in the same location.

 

The Geezer Gazette  is pretty quiet this week. I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday, and got an injection.  I expected this because my vision had gone south, especially over the previous week.  He suggested treating the "good" eye first, since it has a chance of improving the most, and then I will return in 2 weeks for a shot in the other eye.  This will be on the same day as my root canal.  Sheesh. The effects of this drug are surprisingly and pleasantly quick -- my "good" eye has improved noticeably since Tuesday.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  On Wednesday I have my surgery.  I'll try to get a missive done about this experience if I can.  Take care. Keep your passport handy.  Carpe Vitam. 

Tooth Saved, Almost Golf, Pre-Op Pre-Bleeding

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.]

6/7/25

 

Aloha Everybody!

 

Geez, June already. I see that things have warmed up a tad on the mainland -- Ohio was hitting near 90d a few days ago.  We're still getting a lot of rainy and cloudy weather, and it is getting very, very old.  An example of how we are suffering tragically is that I haven't been able to play golf since we returned from our mainland trip. Each time we've had a day free it has rained by late morning, a deal-breaker for a fair-weather golfer like me.  Finally, on Wednesday this week Karen and I decided to go to the Makalei driving/putting range and at least hit some balls. It was cloudy but dry when we got there about 10:30, but by noon it started to rain as we were getting to the bottom of our bucket of balls.  I ran to the shelter of the golf-cart but Karen just kept whacking.  Like I said, I'm a fair-weather golfer. We consoled ourselves with a burger and a beer at one of our favorite restaurants that overlooks the small boat harbor, a very picturesque spot. We'll watch the forecast and try to get in at least part of a round next week. I sure would like to play before my hernia repair recovery puts golf off limits for 4-6 weeks.

 

That leads to the Geezer Gazette news for the week.  On Tuesday I finally got in to see an endodontist about my broken tooth (it's now six weeks since I broke it).  Of course, I had to fill out the new patient forms which ask for medical history, insurance, promise to pay anything not covered, etc., etc.  I was particularly amused by the question on the medical history which asked "Are you under the care of a physician? If so, for what condition?" The answer space was tiny, evidence that no one ever looks at this form.  I was tempted to write "Dr. Zook, leprosy & scurvy" to test my assertion.  Instead, I put the name of my internist and listed just Afib and Emphysema.  Both true, but hardly a thorough answer.  Which physician, exactly?  My internist, my cardiologist, my ophthalmologist, my dermatologist, my dentist?  Which condition?  My Afib, my hypertension, my retina vein occlusions, my glaucoma, my osteopenia,  my cancerous skin lesions, etc., etc.?  When I returned the form I tried to joke with the 20-something receptionist that they needed a longer form if they were going to ask that question of someone my age.  She gave me a blank, somewhat puzzled look.

 

Anyway, after yet another x-ray of the tooth, the endodontist examined me and confidently informed me that I had broken a tooth. I countered this startling news by saying I would really like to save the tooth, if possible.  He did some more examining of my tooth and the x-ray, had me do a full jaw CT scan

The Plan

(fortunately on the spot) and concluded that it might be possible to do a procedure where the nerve is removed and a metal post is cemented into the vacated channel that would provide a support for restoring the missing part of the tooth. I agreed.  The plan is that he will remove the nerve and put in a temporary filling where it was located.  I will then go back to my dentist, who will drill out the temporary material and insert the post and ultimately restore the tooth, hopefully sometime before I die of old age.  Great.  The next step was to schedule my return to the endodontist for the nerve removal.  I was pleased that the first available slot was only two weeks out -- unfortunately, though,  it was on the same day as my hernia surgery!  I joked with the receptionist that maybe my surgeon and the endodontist could team up and do both at once.  I got the same blank, puzzled look as before.  I took the next available slot after that, which will be the following week, a bit close to my surgery perhaps, but I'm motivated to get both of these things done!

 

If I sound somewhat snarky it's because I think this process has been ludicrously inefficient, has involved unnecessary costs in terms of time and money,  and has exposed me to unnecessary, duplicitous x-rays.  Why couldn't my dentist have forwarded the initial x-ray to the endodontist along with my relevant history and then the two of them conferred on the best course of treatment?  I could have then scheduled just one visit to the endodontist who would have done the root canal (perhaps contingent on his in-person examination), and sent me back to the dentist for the restoration work. As reasonable as this sounds, it would have required coordination and sharing of information, two things that are sorely lacking in our medical system and that contribute to our country having the most expensive health care system in the world. Grrrrrrr.

 

I also had some of my blood sucked this week as part of my hernia pre-op preparations.  I can understand why it would be important for the surgeon and the hospital to have a recent blood analysis in case a patient has some unusual issues that might require special handling.  However, here again there is duplication, because I had just had blood work done in April for my internist and my cardiologist -- same tests on factors that don't change quickly.  However,  the hospital requires the tests to have been performed within a month of surgery, so the April results were considered too old.  Fortunately I was able to get this done quickly and conveniently, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

That's about it for the week.  Off to market and our usual beach breakfast picnic.  Take care. Stay away from the medical establishment if you can.  Carpe vitam. 

Stress Tests, More Bird Sitting, Retirement Anniversary

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.]

5/31/25

 

Aloha Everyone!  

 

I'll start with some positive news. Today is the 25th anniversary of the last day of teaching for both Karen and me, and tomorrow will be our first day of retirement anniversary.  Amazing it has been so long.  Neither of us regrets a minute of retirement, which has allowed us to have so many enriching and enjoyable experiences.

 

I continued my bird sitting duties this week because my neighbor had even more complications with his ablation procedure.  Recall that this was supposed to be a simple, routine operation done on an out-patient

Ultimate Techno-Toy

basis.  All seemed to go well and he and his wife were preparing to return to Kona when his heart suddenly started beating very fast. They quickly returned to the hospital's ER, where his heart stopped altogether.  They jump-started him, admitted him to the hospital, put in a temporary pace-maker and then in a few days a permanent one to keep his heart from stopping again.  His high heart rate was controlled by heavy-duty drugs that can restore a normal rate and rhythm.  So far so good,  He was ready to be discharged a week ago today.  However, they did one final test to make sure the pacemaker was working ok. This is called a stress test, and compares your normal heart function to what happens when you exercise or do something that puts a burden on your heart.  The results suggested massive blockage in one or more arteries, with a survival rate of 1-2 years!  The treatment for this is usually to install stents in the arteries or even open heart surgery to fix the problem.  The stent procedure involves running a catheter with a camera on it into the heart and directly examining the blood vessels. This is called an "angiogram" in medical jargon, the definitive test for determining blockage.  He had to wait in the hospital for 3 days until this could be scheduled. It showed....Nothing.  No blockage at all.  No stents needed, no open heart surgery.  No dropping dead in the next two years.  In short, the stress test result was a false positive, which apparently is not that uncommon.  Indeed, another friend of mine who lives here had a clean angiogram last week after a stress test had suggested blockage.  Anyway, my neighbor finally escaped from the hospital on Wednesday and is now back home after a 10-day stay.

 

Having two friends within a week who experienced nasty outcomes from a stress test got me a wee bit uptight about my own test, which happened on Thursday.  Being the wimp that I am, I was getting very worried that this would lead to a round of unpleasant tests that might delay my hernia surgery. Now that I've decided to go through with it, I want to get it done!  I was greatly relieved when my ticker passed with flying colors!! No problems at all. The test was done on a treadmill with me wired up to a very fancy ECG machine which also tracked my blood pressure.  The goal was to get my heart rate up to about 85% of my age-adjusted maximum, which for me is 120 bpm. This didn't take very long to achieve, thanks in part to my emphysema.  My cardiologist didn't spot anything problematic, much to my delight. Yippee! I celebrated with a quick dip in the pool, lunch, and a nice deep nap. 

 

That's all the Geezer Gazette news this week, but of course there will be more next time.  Carpe Vita.

Bird Sitting, Cold Recovery, Hurry Up and Wait

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.]

5/24/25

 

Aloha Ohana!  

I'm finally on the down side of my cold symptoms, just a nagging cough that brings up goo-balls from my chest, and I still don't have much energy. The cloudy wet weather we've still having has been very conducive to naps because it gives me a great excuse to snooze since I can't work outside.  This past week we got about 2 inches of rain in almost daily installments.  By covering the pool at night we've managed to keep the water temperature in the low 80's, so the few times we've been able to take a dip between rain showers haven't been too bad.

 

One focus of my week was taking care of our neighbor's two exotic birds, a rose cockatoo and an African grey parrot.  The neighbors went to Oahu for a couple of days.so he could have an ablation procedure to

Cockatoo

treat his Afib.  Bird-sitting is pretty easy compared to dogs.  There's no walking and poop bags involved, for instance.  It was just a matter of giving them special food a couple of times a day and cleaning up the bottoms of their cages.  We've known the birds for years and they seem to know us, too.  Both are in their 30's,  raised by our neighbors.  Both are very friendly, but they have very different personalities.  The cockatoo doesn't talk but loves to dance.  The African grey is very talkative, and tends to be a real show-off.  Anyway, my duty was extended to most of the week when my neighbor had complications and wound up having to have a pacemaker installed yesterday. In addition, the African grey became ill and my neighbor's wife flew home then returned to Oahu with the bird to get treatment from a special bird veterinarian there. BTW, flying with a bird is not a simple matter.  Most airlines no longer allow them in the cabin, and only a limited number of cargo hold slots are available.  Also, the bird has to be inspected and cleared by USDA.  If all goes well the neighbors and the bird will return late this afternoon.  Talk about a stressful week for them!

 

In stark contrast to my neighbors' whirlwind week, I'm in a "hurry up and wait" mode with several pending issues.  For one thing, we're waiting on parts to fix the transmission in Karen's 22 year-old Miata.  The problem has been diagnosed and the mechanic is standing by to do the work as soon as the parts arrive, ordered two weeks ago.  Also, I'm still waiting to see an endontist about my broken tooth. That should happen week after next. And Im waiting to take the stress test my cardiologist wants in order to clear me for hernia surgery in June. It's not uncommon here to have to wait for a resolution to some problem, of course.  But I seldom have this many important  things hanging at once.  Patience, Grasshopper....time is but an illusion.

 

Ok, off to market and a beach breakfast picnic.Take care, enjoy your Spring.  

Beach Birthday, Nursing a Cold, Cancelled Stress Test

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.]

5/17/25

 

Aloha Guys!  

This wasn't exactly a pleasant week here.  For one thing, the weather has been downright sucky -- grey, cool, and rainy. Since we returned it has been this way, and the locals are grumbling -- at the most we might get a day or two of this kind of weather, but this is way beyond the  norm.  My PV system is taking an extended snooze and even the hot water solar has needed a supplemental boost several times to give us warm enough water for showers.  One positive result is that I've been putting our garden irrigation on hold most of the week because we have been getting more than adequate rain.  Of course the plants love this weather, including the weeds, but conditions for working in the garden have been wet and muddy most days.  

Another thing detracting from our usual pleasant conditions is that I've been nursing a cold all week. I had

Nastius Culpritis

a slight cough last Sunday but I was able to ignore it.  By Tuesday, however, I was feeling downright crappy.  I haven't had a cold in years and I forgot how uncomfortable one can make you feel -- achy, drippy, lethargic, and toward the end a nice chest congestion that settles in for a few days.  BTW, I know this is a cold and not Covid from the negative results of 4 self-tests.  Actually, the two times I've had Covid the symptoms weren't as bad and didn't last as long as this. Maybe my cold virus antibodies haven't been activated in such a long time that they were asleep on the job.  My system is loaded with Covid antibodies from all my vaccinations and they headed off the virus early and more completely. Also, it is likely I have a  cold and not flu because I don't have a fever. But it doesn't really matter -- crappy is crappy.  Of course, my stress test had to be rescheduled from Thursday to two weeks out, May 29. This should still be in plenty of time to get my clearance for my hernia surgery in June.  My life is increasingly and depressingly revolving around scheduling medical procedures.  Damn!

 

In more pleasant news we celebrated Karen's birthday on Sunday with a low key picnic dinner of Thai takeout on the beach just north of town.  My cold hadn't fully developed yet, so it was an enjoyable outing.  Karen told me she didn't want anything from my usual go-to categories of gifts, so I had to get creative -- a new serrated sickle for gardening (her old one was very dull) and a deluxe personalized sharpening of her favorite pair of hand pruners.  Romantic, right?!!

 

A final piece of Geezer Gazette news is also pleasant -- I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday and didn't need a shot.  Very little edema in either eye, low pressures, new lenses are staying in place.  My acuity is stable (not great, but workable) and my new glasses seem to be helping a smidge.  I'll take it.  Next appointment is in a month, and by then I may need shots, but for right now there is no need.  Yippee!

 

The 22nd episode in Kilauea's lava fountain show started early yesterday morning and ended 10 hours later.  This was a good one, though short, with lava spouting up to 1000 feet for a brief time before backing down to 500 feet.  Like the previous 21 episodes, this one has ended, but the volcano is probably recharging for the next one.  No one knows how long this unusual pattern will go on, but so for it has been pulsing like this since December 23.

 

Ok, that's it for this week.  Remember, morality, ethics, and integrity aren't mythical qualities, though many prominent people seem not to have them...... 

Carpe Vitam.

 

 

Waterfalls, Roulette Wheels, 800 Frogs, & A Broken Tooth

 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.]

5/10/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

We returned from the mainland last Saturday evening, after flying from Las Vegas to San Francisco and

then Kona.  Overall, it was a very good trip.  Recall that we began in Yosemite for 5 nights. We really enjoyed  our time there. It is a uniquely dramatic and beautiful place.  Our lodge was very close to Yosemite Falls, and we could see them from our room. At this time of year all of the park's many waterfalls were in full "gush mode," which made for some very picturesque hikes. The weather cooperated and every day was sunny.  I survived the temperatures (50's -60's) pretty well though at night it got down way below my comfort level.  The chaos we feared we might encounter because of our Oligarch-in-Chief's rampages didn't materialize.  The first couple of days were crowded, but that was over Easter Weekend and included an admission-free day.  After that we didn't have any problems.  High season this summer might be a different story, however.  

From Yosemite we went north to Calavaras County (as in Mark Twain's story about jumping frog contests).  Highlights included getting a close-up look at a classic steam locomotive that has

been used in many Western movies and t.v. episodes, like Gunsmoke, Back to the Future, and Little House on the Prairie. I'm very enamored with steam engines and so this was a real treat.  Unfortunately the weather turned against us and it was wet and cold for a few days, including the day we took a 2-hour walk through Calavaras Big Trees State Park, where we got up close and personal with many Giant Sequoias, some of which were nearly 2 thousand years old.  The temperature when we started was 37d and there was frozen white stuff on the ground.  I was pretty frozen myself by the end.  One tree in this park is a sad tribute to human ignorance, greed, and hubris.  It was discovered by Augustus Dowd in 1852, and was the biggest tree he had ever seen --300 feet tall, 25 feet in diameter and 1200 years old.  So he did what any red-blooded nature lover in those days would do --- he cut it down and made the stump into a novelty dance floor! Had this magnificent tree not encountered Homo Sapiens Idioticus it would now be the largest Sequoia in the grove, according to arborists.  Of course, the grove itself wouldn't still be standing if  the people of California, acting through their state government, hadn't prevented its loss to logging and other commercial interests.

 

From hugging trees and watching waterfalls we flew to Las Vegas, the de-evolution capital of the world.  We stayed four days and enjoyed a couple of shows and a couple of excellent dinners, including one by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck that featured great food and a view of the Bellagio fountains.  We also gambled a bit, though our tightwad tendencies made this very low stakes and we neither won nor lost very much.  One thing I did lose, though, was part of a tooth while having a light meal at Caesar's Palace. The irony is that although I didn't lose much gambling I may wind up paying big bucks because my dental insurance is very limited in covering this kind of thing.  On Tuesday afternoon I got an assessment by my dentist, and he recommended putting on a crown.  This will take at least a couple of more visits, plus

arranging first for a root canal at a different dental facility.  What a hassle. We noticed several significant changes in Las Vegas since we were there eight years ago.  For one thing, it is much more expensive.  Rooms, meals, and minimum bets are all higher than we remember.  Covid killed the cheap buffets, of course, and few have come back.  The new resorts are grander and bigger than ever before and some of our old favorites, like the Mirage, are being re-branded and refurbished.  The Mirage is now the Hard Rock, complete with a huge guitar being built in front -- not as classy as we remember the Mirage being, but definitely more iconic. Oh, and the de-evolution machines are now bigger and brighter, with wrap around screens and stereo sound, programmed with even more hypnotic and stupefying sound effects.  Four days in Vegas was fun but about all we could handle.

 

There is a fair amount of Geezer Gazette news this week, besides my unexpected visit to the dentist.  Monday I saw my Optometrist for a check on my prescription.  Both eyes have changed enough that I've ordered new glasses that may get me to 20/30 using both eyes. That's good news indeed. Tuesday morning I consulted with a surgeon about my hernia.  He verified the problem, acknowledged my issues of age, Afib, medications, etc., and recommends a laparoscopic procedure to do both sides at once.  The surgery is scheduled for June 18, but first I have to get clearance from my cardiologist, who wants me to do a stress test, which will happen next week.  I really like this surgeon.  Although he seems to be about 13 years old, he also seems knowledgeable, competent, and personable  This helps a lot with my wimpiness about getting sliced and diced.  

 

Finally, I caught my 800th coqui frog this week!  The honor went to a big female who was about to have a hot date with a male who was calling loudly below our bedroom lanai.  I hand-caught the female, but the male had backed into a deep hole in the house foundation and I had to spritz him with citric acid. I'm not sure if I got enough on him to put an end to his singing career because he shot out of the hole and disappeared.  Anyway, the female is now a coqui-cicle in the freezer.

 

Ok, that's my report for the week.  Hang in there.  Roller coaster rides do come to an end eventually. Carpe Vitam!

Club Hernia, Valve Re-Repair, Taxes, Gooey Golf

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.]

4/11/25

 

Aloha All!

 

I'm not sure the recent mainland weather qualifies as "April Showers."  Geesh.  Tornadoes, flooding, snow storms.  Some Spring you guys seem to be having. The crazy weather, though, is right in line with the equally crazy political, social, and economic turmoil.  It's times like these I'm glad to be right where I am -- 2000 miles from the mayhem. Oops.  I forgot that we're venturing to the mainland next week.  Wish us luck. Maybe I should update my will, renew my supply of tranquilizers, and buy some noise-canceling earphones?

 

Well, I'll get right to the Geezer Gazette news.  On Monday I saw my regular doctor for my usual 6-month check up. My blood and pee test results were fine -- low cholesterol, B-12 ok, low sodium. etc.  My emphysema is worse, but not by very much. However, it looks like I will soon be joining another not-so-exclusive geezer association:  the Hernia Repair Club. I've had the most common form of hernia (inguinal) since I was a teenager, but it has never caused me any problems or discomfort. Doctors who have examined me have duly noted its existence but  have advised me that surgery wasn't necessary, an assessment that I happily agreed with because I am a wimp when in comes to people slicing me open with sharp knives. So far, except for having my tonsils out and my cataracts removed, I've never had an operation of any kind. However, my hernia has been getting bigger over the past couple of years, and although it still doesn't hurt at all, I may soon need a sling to carry it around.  Besides, since sooner or later I will have to have this taken care of, I figure I'll be able to recover quicker now because I'm in better shape than I will be at any time in the future.  My internist has referred me to a surgeon for a consult which is the first step.  In the meantime, I naturally I did some research about hernias and hernia surgery and discovered some interesting tidbits, like the incidence of the common inguinal form is about 25% in men, but only 2% in women. The rate in men is about the same for Afib as it is for Hernias, making both of them common topics for guy geezer get-together sessions, along with discussions about enlarged prostates, something that 80% of men over 70 have.  Almost one million hernia repair surgeries are performed each year, which means most surgeons get a lot of practice at this, which is probably a good thing.  I also learned that by far the most common form of hernia isn't what I thought it was -- it's something called a Hiatal Hernia, and 50% of people over 50 develop one. In this type of hernia part of the stomach slides up along the esophagus through a hole in your chest diaphragm. Most of the time Hiatal Hernias don't require surgery, but they are a frequent cause of acid reflux, a common geezer complaint. Fun facts, eh?

 

My project I mentioned last week to replace a faulty irrigation valve went ok until I tested it and discovered a slow leak in one of my connections.  The joints I had glued together were fine, but I one of the fittings that screws into the body of the valve hadn't been tightened enough.  The leak was so small that I could have just left it as is, but that would have driven me crazy, knowing that it wasn't quite right. The solution, fortunately, was pretty quick and easy.  I just cut out the valve, wrenched the fittings more tightly, and glued the assembly back into place.  No drips or oozing at all this time, and the controller opens and closes the valve as it should.  And I feel way mo' betta.

 

I filed my income taxes last week.  No refund for me this time, I'm proud to say.  Instead, we owed a fair amount more this year, not because of higher tax rates but rather because the stock market did much better, unlike the tanking occurring at the moment under our current "leadership."   Even with the additional amount we owe, our effective tax rate is nearly the same as it has been for the past 15 years, despite changes of administrations and chest-thumping claims of lowering taxes.  I filed electronically as I usually do because that way I know for sure the return has been filed on time and accepted.  I also set up our quarterly estimated tax payments to be paid automatically online so that if we happen to be traveling I don't have to worry about it. 

 

Yesterday Karen and I played golf with our usual partner, who  joined us part way through the

Jackson, Course Dragon

round.  Even though it threatened rain, we wanted to go ahead because this was the last time we could play until after our return from our trip.  There were some sprinkles and short spells of fog, but we escaped anything heavy. Karen and I both played lousy for the first few holes, a performance we blamed on the thick air and generally gooey conditions due to previous rains. However, we did much better on holes lower down the course, where it was drier.  I got two bogeys and a par, as did Karen. We saw lots of Nenes and Peacocks, but no chicks yet.  We also were treated to a rare sighting of Jackson, the Course Dragon. All in all it was a very good outing.

 

That's it for this week, and you probably won't hear from me again until after we return.  Take care and remember that facts and truth really do exist, no matter how hard someone denies them. 

Carpe Vitam!

 

Missed Anniversary, Rejoining Afib Club, Barbers, Valves & Lava

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.]

4/5/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

I completely forgot to mention last week that I had an important anniversary on the day we got rained out at golf -- that day marked 31 years (!) since I quit smoking. Quitting was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I had been trying for years, managing at times to get down to just a few cigarettes a day, but I could never go 24 hours without smoking. I was finally forced to go 24 hours by a sudden bout of pericarditis, a condition that landed me in the intensive care ward overnight. Pericarditis is not caused  by smoking and it often doesn't recur, as in my case.  But the hospital stay gave me the opportunity to finally break my addiction.  My physician prescribed nicotine patches and an anti-panic medication that turned out to be key to quitting.  Anyway, after 31 years my chances of lung cancer have been greatly reduced, but the legacy of emphysema is still with me and will continue to progress. Kind of a "good news-bad news" thing....

In Geezer Gazette news, I have now been reinstated in the not-so-exclusive Afib Club.  From December 6 until March 12 I didn't record a single Afib incident, but in the last three weeks I've recorded 9 episodes, mostly brief.  As disappointing as this is, I wasn't very surprised, given that most people who returned to a normal rhythm after being treated with either drugs (me) or shock have Afib again within a year.  One thing for sure is that my decision to continue taking a blood thinner a was a wise one.  Afib can lead to blood clots that produce strokes, a very nasty outcome.  During my episodes -- recently as well as last summer -- I really don't feel all that bad, and may not even notice that I'm in Afib, which means I shouldn't rely on my experience as a guide to taking a blood thinner. I saw my cardiologist yesterday on a routine, pre-scheduled visit.  He was unconcerned about the return to Afib and said that as long as I don't experience severe symptoms or have a prolonged elevated heart rate, there is no need to change anything at all.  I'll continue with the blood thinner and with my heart rate medication, and of course I'll still check my rhythm.  But other than that I don't need to worry about it.  Gladly, I should add -- I have enough things to keep me worried.

One of the irritating aspects of getting older is that you find yourself outlasting more and more of the people you've come to rely on, like barbers, doctors. gardeners, handymen, mechanics.  This week I learned that my barber of 20+ years has to travel to the mainland to care for her ailing father, and also that the shop she has been using has been closed, leaving her without a place to work.  For many guys this wouldn't be a big deal, they'd just switch to a new barber.  However, I've struggled for most of my life with barbers who can't seem to handle my somewhat difficult hair (see my blog, Haircuts From Hell).  About twenty years ago I stumbled onto one that consistently is able to keep me looking at least semi-decent, including adapting to the challenges of thinning and receding that have accompanied geezerhood.  At the moment I'm not sure how this will work out, since I really needed a cut before our upcoming trip.  I dread the thought of going to someone new, but I may have to anyway.  I'll let you new how this very serious crisis plays out.

My house project this week involves replacing a valve in our irrigation system. I installed this nearly 25 years ago as part of my expansion of our low-volume automatic watering system.  I have about 7 of these valves that control water going to different zones.  They're connected to an electronic timer that programs the length of time and frequency of watering for each zone.  It sends a signal to each valve at the appointed time to open and then close the valve.  The one that I have to replace will open ok but it won't respond to the signal to close, so that the water keeps running.  Often this can be fixed by replacing a part called a solenoid on the valve, but I tried that and it didn't work. So I've brushed up on my skills for working with pvc pipe, and I will cut out the old valve and glue in a new one this weekend. I know, I could have hired somebody to do this for me, but where's the fun in that?  I figure that every time I get a chance to use a muscle or a brain cell I should take it to ward off that guy with the scythe.

Pele's 16th fountaining episode came and went this week. It was definitely a "sweet sixteen" event, reaching heights of over 700 feet.  Like the other 15 episodes, this one didn't last long and it has now completely shut off again.  I'd drive the 180 mile round trip to take a look, but I would likely be there during a pause.  Also, I should emphasize again that the closeup  photos are spectacular, but the nearest observation point is about 1.5 miles away.  This would be ok for a lava hound like me, but anyone expecting a huge all-encompassing eruption would likely be disappointed.

Finally, Karen and I played golf this week, and it was an interesting round.  I did much better than the week before, with a couple of bogeys and some truly amazing shots.  Karen and I agree, though, that our scores didn't reflect our performances.  For the first several holes, Karen outplayed me by far, yet our scores were very close.  Then I started doing better and we both were happy with how we were doing, but the scores didn't seem to match our happiness.  We also may have witnessed a golfing case of quantum entanglement, parallel universes, or a rip in the space-time continuum.  Karen uses bright yellow balls.  Other people do too, but most of us use white. On two occasions Karen whacked a ball into oblivion and we chalked it off as lost.  She shot again and the second time her ball went to the other side of the fairway, nicely hit.  When we approached we found two yellow balls next to each other! This happened twice during our round. Hmmm.

Ok, that's it for the week. Enjoy spring as best you can.  Dodge those tornadoes! 

Water Wing Golf, Security Light, A.C. Fix (?)

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.]

3/29/25

 

Aloha All!

 

Can you believe it? April is creeping up on us and April Fools' Day will be here next week.  Hmmm. Come to think about it,  every day is starting to feel like April Fools' Day.... Anyway, life lurches along, and here are some of the highlights of my week.

 

On Tuesday Karen and I played golf with our friend but it didn't go well.  After about 7 or 8 holes it started to rain. 

A Swimming Hole?

We seldom have encountered full-out downpours on the course, and a shower can often be avoided by skipping to a hole lower on the course.  Not this time.  We tried to keep going in the spirit of the tough-as-nails Scottish originators of the game, but we finally gave up and headed for the warmth and dryness of the car.  By the time we quit, the greens had turned to ponds, a great excuse for putting badly. We still had our lunch with us, so we drove down to the beach for a picnic. 

My house project this week was to replace a faulty security light, a simple task that of course wound up being a much bigger deal than it should have been.  We installed a couple of these on the outside of the house several years ago after we were robbed while we were away on a trip. The theory is that ne'r-do-wells trying to break in at night might be deterred by having a glaring light suddenly shining on them.  The light is motion activated by a sensor that detects infrared sources, like human beings, cats, and the occasional feral pig.  Occasionally the sensors go bad, which is what happened in this case.  The light would sometimes come on when it was supposed to, but often it wouldn't.  I went to the big box hardware store where I had originally bought the lights and got what looked like an exact replacement.  Same brand, same model, same style. Everything seemed like all I would have to do is unscrew the old light and connect the wires (power off, of course) to the new fixture.  Nope.  In the intervening years the company had changed the design slightly and it took an exasperatingly long time to figure out why the new light wouldn't attach to the old outlet box.  I finally realized the problem and got the job done, but it was a lesson in why you shouldn't take things for granted.  The new light works fine, and I didn't electrocute myself nor fall off the ladder! 

On Thursday morning I finally got my new Outback in to have the a.c. fixed.  Recall that just a couple of months after I bought the car last year the a.c. stopped putting out cold air.  The dealership service department is so understaffed that it took almost two months to have the problem looked at.  They recharged the system and it worked fine -- for another couple of months.  Same deal. I had to wait almost two months to get them to try to fix it again. That was in January.  The decision was that the evaporator core, the heart of the system, needed to be replaced. They once again recharged the refrigerant and it has been working so-so since then.  The next available appointment was this past Thursday, another two month wait. It took all day Thursday and a good part of Friday to get the job done.  It seems to be working ok at the moment, but being the skeptic that I am, I made a follow-up appointment for early June.  That way, if the problem returns I won't have to wait a long time to get it worked on again.  Geez I wish things would be less of an unnecessary hassle!

 

Finally, I should say we are going ahead with our plans to visit Yosemite National Park, despite the efforts of our newly appointed Oligarch-in-Chief to mess things up.  We've decided that this may be our last chance to see this uniquely beautiful place, and we're determined to make the most of it.  We have reservations in the park itself for 5 nights, plus reservations in the surrounding area for another five nights, before we fly to Las Vegas for four nights.  The Vegas experience will be an interesting and perhaps lethal contrast.  We have tickets to a couple of shows and reservations at a couple of nice restaurants. Should be fun.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  It's hard these days, but keep trying to find your Zen place.... Carpe Vitam .

 

Flamenco Dancing, Air Plants, Beach Birthday Party

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.]

3/22/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

By my current standards this was a busy week -- concerts, medical appointments, birthday parties, golf, gym & pool workouts, making travel arrangements, etc.  "Busy" doesn't mean interesting, however. I'll try to condense this so you don't doze  off.

 

On Sunday we attended a concert at the Kahilu Theater in Waimea. It has been a long time since we did this because lately the programs haven't piqued our interest enough to warrant the 40-mile drive there

Flamenco Vivo

and back. Also, most of the events are held at night, making the drive somewhat daunting. This performance was an afternoon matinee, however, and it was by a renowned dance company from the mainland called Flamenco Vivo based in New York and Durham, N.C.  They were terrific.  It was Flamenco, of course, but choreographed and performed in novel ways -- sort of like Modern Ballet compared to Classical. Afterward we had an early dinner with our friends visiting from Wisconsin whose daughter teaches at a private school in Waimea. All in all it was a great afternoon and well worth the trip.

 

On Tuesday I saw my retina doctor.  Same story as always, so I won't repeat it.

 

Happy Birthday!

Wednesday evening we went to a surprise birthday party for a friend of Karen's who is a member of the same women's organization that Karen belongs to.  It was held at a beach pavilion and had the typical Hawaiian elements:  lots of tasty pot luck food, a lei for the guest of honor, and Hawaiian music with Hula dancing.  It was a beautiful sunset that day, a perfect Hawaiian birthday present. Needless to say, we enjoyed it very much, partly because it reminded us of why we like living in this unique place.

 

It was also a physically active week (interspersed with naps, of course).  In addition to our daily morning walks we also managed to work out in our pool most days.  With more sun and steeper sun angle the water temperature has gotten up to a downright comfy level.  We went to PF on Monday, and played golf on Thursday.  Our golf buddy joined us on this round, the first time since last June. All of us did pretty well, though my performance didn't come close to last week's -- I only got two bogeys and no pars.  Still, all three of us had some very good shots, the weather was nice, and we saw about 20 Nenes and even one white turkey mixed in with the peacocks.  There was more pig damage to the course than last week, and we encountered one of the culprits as it crossed one of the fairways, a huge guy that would make a luau feast for many, many people.

 

I'll close with two more uniquely Hawaiian tidbits.  First, the volcano went through its 14th (!) spit-up since Christmas. This one lasted 28 hours and occurred in the same spot as all the others.

Hawaiian Daffodil

 It included a 7- hour period of fountaining that reached heights of 600 feet.  The second tidbit is about gardening. There are many unique plants that people here use in their outdoor landscaping. One is called an Air Plant.  These come in many varieties, and as the name implies, they don't need soil or water to live.  They grow very slowly and require absolutely no care at all, qualities I regard very highly, given the 24/7/12 growing season here. Some are very colorful at this time of year, and we have a few growing on the lava rock wall near our front door.  I've included a photo of one for your enjoyment. 

 

Ok that's it.  There's more but I don't want to overwhelm you -- that's probably being handled quite nicely these days by news stories about the country's political mayhem.  Here's something you might try that works for me. Close your eyes, click your heels, and repeat over and over: "There's no place like home,  there's no place like home, there's no place like home."