Ships, Shots, & Eye Drops

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.]

10/4/25

Aloha Ohana!

 

This is the time of year that cruise ships reposition from their northern itineraries (like Alaska) to their winter southern routes (like Tahiti).  Many of them stop in Hawai'i on their way, or do a few mainland-to-Hawai'i runs before they concentrate on southern cruising.  This year has been unusually busy for our little port, and this past week we were visited by half a dozen ships in addition to our weekly Wednesday visit by our permanently based around-the-islands ship. We also had the unusual situation of having two ships anchor on the same day -- probably a real strain on our small pier facilities  Also unusual was that twice a ship stayed overnight -- they usual take off around 5-6 pm. I'm sure this has made the town merchants, restaurant owners, and tour operators very pleased.  Between the thousands of ship passengers and the Ironman people, business along the waterfront must be booming.  I'm guessing about this, though, because we try to stay clear of that area during this time.

 

In other local news, episode 34 of the ongoing eruption of Kilauea came and went in just 6  hours on Wednesday.  Fountaining started about 1 am, reached as high as 1300 feet, and shut off around 7 am. Since most of this vigorous episode was at night, when the lava is very bright, some of the dramatic photos and video undoubtedly made national news.  Let me once again remind you that as spectacular as this looks, it is just a tiny spot in the corner of the much larger summit crater.  Photos can be very deceiving. The island is NOT being inundated with lava.

 

We played golf on Wednesday and all three of us did well -- though the scores didn't reflect the quality of some of our shots.  If my putting was better I could shave at least 2 shots off my total per hole.  I' sure I'm the only golfer who has ever said that.....

 

Speaking of shots,  on Monday Karen and I got our annual flu vaccinations. Not much of a reaction this time, though for a couple of hours that night my arm was sore and I had a mild fever and joint aches which were gone by morning.  Interestingly though, on Tuesday morning I had blood drawn for my routine checkups with my internist and cardiologist next week, and the lab results showed definite signs of my immune system's reaction to the vaccine (note -- I can access the results online ahead of seeing my physicians).  My assessment is that my blood work looks good, including a screening test for prostate cancer, and another that looks at a marker for plaque buildup in blood vessels..  I'll see if my doctors agree. I also had a shot in my left eye yesterday to head off any edema buildup while we're traveling.  As yucky as this sounds, it is pretty much a non-event for me at this point. Two shots and a needle stick to draw blood --  I'm turning into a geezer pin cushion.....

 

Still speaking of eyes, I'm really irritated with my insurance company about their coverage of the drops that I use each day to control my eye pressures.  Keeping the pressures low is important for preventing vision loss from Glaucoma.  I'm going to run out of my current prescription about halfway through our trip, so I tried to get it refilled this week.  Nope -- the insurance company won't cover a refill until shortly before the prescription is scheduled to run out, even in my case where the patient is traveling.  Grrrrr.  I talked about this with my retina doctor yesterday and he gave me a written version of the prescription to take with me.  After the refill-jump-through-the-hoop date I'll try to find a pharmacy that will fill it quickly.  What a hassle.

 

Ok, this may be the last missive for awhile.  I'll catch up when we return.  Take care, and carpe vitam. 

 

T-Shirts for Triathletes, New Glasses, Self-Healing House?

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.]

9/27/25

Aloha Fellow Time Travelers!

 

Fall?  Really?  I guess so -- the Halloween decorations in Lowe's and Costco, which were on display a month ago, have now been joined by Christmas stuff.  Christmas in September! Actually, maybe having an extended season of good will, charity, and humility might be a good idea this year.....

 

Early in the week Karen and I participated in an "Only in Kona" activity -- serving as volunteers to help

Hard at Work

with preparations for the upcoming annual Ironman Triathlon World Championships.  This will occur on October 11, a few days after we have departed for our trip to sail down the Mississippi, so we will miss the actual race.  However, most athletes will have arrived in town the week before, and we'll be seeing them everywhere.  They are very easy to spot, standing out rather obviously from our typical tourists -- zero body fat and physiques like inverted triangles.This year the competition is only women, about 1500 or more of them, with 60 qualifying professionals. Our job, along with other volunteers from Karen's women's club and their spouses, was to fold athlete t-shirts and stuff them into bags. These shirts are only for the finishers of the race, which these days is nearly all of those who participate. It took our group about three hours to get the job done, so it wasn't really very onerous.  Karen and I rewarded ourselves with a slice of pizza, a salad, and a beer at Kona Brew Pub.

 

In Geezer Gazette news, I visited my optometrist on Wednesday and got a new prescription for glasses. The exam showed definite changes since my last prescription in May.  That one was about 3 months after my cataract surgery.  Since then both eyes show a bit more astigmatism, and both need additional magnification for distance vision, particularly more for my left (good) eye. A new pair of glasses have been ordered, and hopefully they will arrive before we leave. However, the optometrist showed me a preview of what I can expect, and it really doesn't seem that much different.  Sigh.  On the close-up problem, we worked hard trying to come up with a prescription that would help me see small detail, but nothing seem to help more than what I have right now.  I'll return for another visit to assess this when we get back from our trip. 

 

We did another workout at PF this week, and yesterday we played golf again, this time with our golf buddy. The workout was less painful, which means our muscles have resigned themselves to the effort.  Golf was enjoyable but my game was pretty lousy after a good start.  Still, there were enough moments of competence to make it fun.

 

 In the Department of House Maintenance Puzzles, I may have observed a case of temporary self-healing in one of our solar-powered ceiling exhaust fans.  We have two of these that we installed shortly after we moved in as a way to reduce daytime heat inside the house.  As you may recall, our construction is different than mainland houses in a number of ways.  We have no insulation in the walls or ceiling, something that works in our climate but would be unheard of on the mainland.  In fact, our ceiling is the underside of the roof -- there is no dropped ceiling, just open beams and planking.  Heat can build up near our ceiling just like in your attic, and these fans draw the hot air up and blow it outside.  Being solar, they crank faster when the sun is strongest, a very positive feature.  One of ours stopped working about a month ago and it was on my to-do list to have my handyman go up on the roof and remove the unit so we could test it.  But the other day it started working again -- kinda sorta.  Today it's immobile again.  The worst kind of problem is one that is intermittent, so I'll have to wait to see what happens for awhile.  I'm hoping that a gecko got tangled up in the mechanism and is slowly decaying so that eventually the self-healing will be permanent.

 

Ok, off to the market and then to the beach for breakfast.  Carpe Vitam! 

Muscles, Eyes, Skin, and Lava Episode 33

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.]

9/20/25

Aloha Everyone!

 

This was a very physical week -- by my standards, anyway.  Karen and I returned to Planet Fitness and also played golf, neither of which we had done for over a month because of our trip to the Northwest. Even though we tried to ease back in to them, both activities resulted in same experience -- being pooped and having very stiff muscles.  The golf actually went pretty well at times -- I got two pars and a bogey. Karen got a par on one of the same holes that I did -- a dual achievement.  Unfortunately I couldn't keep up that level of performance, and on several holes I was absolutely lousy.  Part of the problem was that if I had a good shot that went a long distance, we couldn't find the damn ball, a frustrating result of a recent downturn in my vision caused partially by my retinal edema.  I had an injection on Tuesday, but the medication really hadn't kicked in yet by the time we played golf on Thursday. I have to say that of all my current health problems, the one that concerns me most is my eyesight. Hopefully a new pair of glasses will help somewhat, and I have an appointment next week with my optometrist.

 

In other geezer news, yesterday I had my 6-month checkup with my dermatologist.  It went pretty well, but I do have a thingy on my neck that might be a basal cell carcinoma, a very treatable form of cancer. I'll go back in November to have this spot checked again, along with some other suspicious areas.  Isn't this fun?

 

My final bit of news is that Kilauea acted up again this week, Episode 33 in this ongoing eruptive period

Just Gurgling

that began last December.  The volcano had been quiet since Sept, 2, but according to the scientific measurements, it was building up pressure for another fountaining event.  The prediction was that it would start sometime between 9/17 and 9/22.  Sure enough, on the 17th it started spitting up new lava for brief periods of what is called "dome fountaining" -- low gushes that would come and go for short periods.  Then a continuous fountain began early Friday morning, reaching 800 feet before settling back to about 300 feet high. 

Main Event

Around noon, after just nine hours, it was all over, but current measurements suggest another episode will occur after a period of recharging.  Also, the volcano spits out more than just lava.  S02, the gas that is the main component of Vog, also gets ejected in huge quantities.  During this latest episode it was measured at 50 thousand tons of gas per day.  Once this gets around the tip of the island and up along our coast, we get a period of increased pollution, which is what we are experiencing right now.  This probably won't last long, though -- maybe a few days.  Don't breathe and you'll be just fine.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  Have pleasant dreams of our fading liberal democracy -- it may yet come again. In the meantime, Carpe Vitam. 

Smoky Trip, Sunny Week, Maintenance Catch-Up

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.]

9/13/25

Aloha Everybody!

 

We got back from our quick mainland trip last Saturday evening. Overall it was a good trip, though our

What do you see?

drive through the Cascade Mountains turned out to be more of  a drive through the "Smokies." Smoke from wildfires in the area dulled the view of the countryside, particularly the day we drove through North Cascade National Park on our way back to Seattle.  A recent fire in the area reduced visibility even to the point that driving was a challenge at times.  Normally that route is supposed to be beautiful, but we'll have to rely on the guide book photos to verify that.  In addition, the six days we spent in Rainier Park and on the Cascade loop coincided with a hot and sunny spell that produced 100+ degree days. We had to limit our outdoor activities to either before noon or after 6 pm.  Despite the heat, the night time temps dropped to the low 50's, well below my Hawaiian comfort level. Note, that makes for a daily swing of nearly 50 degrees!  If all this sounds like our experience last summer in the Canadian Rockies, it was indeed very similar -- minus the passing out and visit to the ER, of course.

 

Chihuli Glass

    I don't want to sound too negative, however, because there were also some very enjoyable aspects of the trip as well.  Seattle was great, as were our quick visits with our friends in Portland.  We found Seattle to be a very enjoyable place (good weather there, by the way).  It was easy to get around, and very inexpensive with our Golden Geezer bus passes.  We stayed in a comfortable historic hotel in Pioneer Square called The Arctic Club, near another historic building, Smith Tower, built in 1914.  Smith was the Smith in Smith-Corona, and for decades his building was the tallest skyscraper outside of New York. Our anniversary dinner was at a nice French restaurant tin the famous Pike Place Market overlooking Eliot Bay  We also went to three museums that were a "hoot" -- not a term I usually use to describe a museum. One was a museum dedicated to the work of renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. He personally curated the pieces

Trust me, it's ok

that are shown here, and they are absolutely stunning.  A second museum was one that just recently opened, The Museum of Illusions.  There are several of these around the country, including one very fittingly located in Las Vegas.  As the name implies, both classic and novel illusions are very effectively and informatively presented, and many of them are interactive and large-scale.  We enjoyed this place very much.  The last museum was the Boeing Museum of Flight.  This huge facility not only has an amazing collection of real planes, there are two simulators that allow you to try your hand at the controls. One involved trying to land the Space Shuttle, which I crashed three times in a row.  The other was a jet fighter simulator that would actually turn upside down if you wanted to (or weren't skillful with the controls).  I quickly discovered that being Top Gun is very hard -- I didn't crash, but I wasn't able to shoot anything down either.  

 

Back home, this past week has been peaceful and uneventful.  Several days have been clear the whole day, with the result that our PV system is well ahead of the game for the first time in months.  The pool temperature has risen to the high 80's, which feels very comfy.  My projects around the house have mainly focused on fixing things that I've been putting off.  For example, I spent several hours one day repairing our outside garden lighting system to get a couple of lights working again.  I also got caught up on cutting back a clump of bamboo that quickly gets out of hand if you don't routinely keep it under control. With my recent health issues preventing my from whacking it back, it had done just that.  

 

Ok, that's my news for this week.  Hang in there and keep a tight grip on what you know is true and good. Carpe Vitam! 

Golf Mishap, Fixing A Robot, Fighting Fires

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.]

816/25

 

Aloha!

 

I hope you are all enjoying your summer, despite the upsetting domestic and international news these days, as well as the crazy weather in many parts of the world. We have had somewhat drier conditions here, but it still has been cloudy a lot of the time.  We're on our way to our fifth month in a row that our pv production has been in the hole. At least the warmer nights have kept our pool comfy.

 

We played golf on Wednesday for the last time before we return from our mainland trip.  It was a pretty good round, despite an embarrassing and slightly bloody mishap on the 2nd hole.  I was doing very well

Skid Marks

up to that point, and I was close to the green in fewer shots that usual.  As we do often at Makalei, I had driven the cart to a place that made for a shorter walk after finishing the hole. This tends to speed things up because the other player(s) can be chipping and putting while I reposition the cart. Unfortunately this meant I had to walk down an embankment to get to my ball, and on the way I slipped on a patch of dirt, fell backward on my ass (the embarrassing part) and skinned my right arm that I used to break my fall (the bloody part). This was partly a result of my delusional still-20-something brain telling my geezer body that it could function like it used to, and my body saying "Oh yeah?"  Anyway, I staunched the flow of blood with tissues and bravely

My First Wedgie

finished the hole.  Back at the cart we washed off the wound with bottled water, dried it as best we could with a paper towel, and slathered on some alcohol hand cleaner to disinfect it temporarily.  I kept going for the rest of the day and did quite well (by my standards), finishing with 4 bogeys.  At home I thoroughly washed my wounds, soaked them with vinegar, then coated them with antibiotic ointment.  So far so good -- no sign of infection -- but the scabs shout "geezer-guy walkin' here!"

 

On a more positive note. my home maintenance project this week was successfully fixing a problem with  our pool robot.  This little guy is a marvel of engineering.  It runs entirely off our vacuum return line, no electricity or electronic parts at all. Water and debris are sucked through an opening in the bottom of the robot, travel through a hose to a port in the side of the pool, and from there to the filtration system.  The robot travels all over the bottom and sides of the pool, driven entirely by hydraulic action.  The water flowing through it turns a turbine that powers "feet" on each side, and a mysterious gear box deep in its innards randomly varies which foot gets more power, causing it to turn left and right.  It is also

Rodney The Robot

engineered so that every part of the robot can be replaced easily, and I've learned how to do this over the years.  About a month ago the robot started favoring left turns, which results in inefficient coverage because it twists its tube into a knot. There are a few reasons for this problem, but I narrowed it down to the need to replace several parts inside. I ordered them online and this week I took the robot apart, installed the new parts, and voila, back to normal.  Total cost about $50, labor free (well, a good beer that afternoon was perfect payment).

 

We've finished making our travel plans for our trip to the Northwest, and we're in prep mode around the house.  Since this is just a two week trip, we don't have to be as thorough as we normally are when we're gone a month or more. We're getting kind of excited -- this is our first trip since last spring when we went to Yosemite and Las Vegas.  One potential wrinkle in our plans, though, is that there have been a number of wildfires in the area we are visiting.  We're hoping this won't lead to a repeat of last summer, when fires and smoke in Canada made for very unpleasant conditions. We've learned over the years, though, that plans and reality don't always coincide, and more often than not a mismatch leads to positive experiences, not negative ones. In fact, on-the-fly problem solving is one of the aspects of independent travel that we value highly.

 

Ok, that's it for this week.  I'll check in again when we return.  Carpe Vitam 

Testing My Tacks, Making Travel Plans

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.]

8/9/25

 

Aloha All!

 

This week I got back to physical activities that have been restricted during my recovery from surgery.  On Sunday I did a complete workout at the gym, though with very light weight settings on the machines.  My routine makes use of about a dozen of these self-torture devices, each of which targets a different set of muscles.  I also usually use a pair of free weights to do a quick shoulder muscle exercise.  I didn't hear or feel any tummy tacks popping loose, but by Tuesday my muscles were really  sore and stiff.  Obviously they objected to getting back to work after a nice lazy 6-week vacation.  I also resumed my usual gardening and house maintenance chores, like catch-up pruning, pushing our trash bin to the top of our driveway for weekly collection, using my heavy backpack blower to clean dust and debris from our walkways, lanais and pool area, and hauling my garden sprayer around with a couple of loads of weed-killer.  I also did some outdoor repainting of one of our lanai railings. Another test came on Thursday, when  Karen and I played golf.  I whacked my way through a full (for us) round and had some pretty decent shots, winding up with three bogies.  There has been less rain on the course during the last week, so the drier grass helped the ball roll farther. Thankfully the extra distance cut down the number of fairway shots, each of which required a full swing and really tested those tacks.  They seemed to hold ok, but by the end I was really pooped and glad to get home for my afternoon dip in the pool followed by a rather deep "nap."  After all of this week's effort and resulting soreness, my conclusion is that it is easy to let a geezer-body get out of shape and very difficult to get it back in.....

 

With all our health uncertainties we haven't made many travel plans.  We have our Mississippi river boat trip coming up in October, but other than that we haven't made any commitments.  This is unusual for us -- normally by this time we have a good idea of the trips we want to make next year and even have made some preliminary arrangements.  Besides the health issues which make exotic travel

Seattle

daunting right now, even relatively easy foreign travel doesn't seem attractive at the moment, due to international political conflicts, local attitudes toward tourists, weather extremes,  and our country's self-imposed pariah status. Nevertheless, our wanderlust has gotten the better of us and we've decided to take a quick 2-week trip to the Pacific Northwest at the end of this month.  We're going to focus on Seattle, the Cascade Mountains, and perhaps zip down to Portland to visit a couple of friends who live there.  We've been to Seattle before, but it was a long time ago and a very brief visit.  Our current plan is to spend several nights in Seattle, then rent a car and drive the Cascade Loop, a circular route that is supposed to be very picturesque.  We will do this leisurely, with multi-night stops in a couple of places along the way.  If the weather cooperates it should be just what the travel-doc ordered.

 

Episode 30 of Kilauea's eruption came and went this week.  It was another bubbler rather than one with high fountains like the one we saw.  Driving all the way down to see it would have been rather disappointing, and we are glad we timed our visit as well as we did.  The fountaining may return, but for now the show is relatively subdued.  The various monitoring devices indicate another episode of some kind is coming, we'll just have to wait to see what it produces.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  Off to market and beach breakfast.  Be well and be good -- we could use more of both qualities in the world right now.  Carpe Vitam.

A Tsunami, My Royal Tooth, A Birdie !

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.]

8/2/25

 

Aloha Kakou!

 

There were several items of interest that occurred here this week.  First, as you undoubtedly heard, we were threatened by a tsunami on Tuesday, the result of an 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia.  Though this was huge and locally quite damaging, by the time the tsunami traveled 2k miles to reach us, it was pretty pooped out by the journey -- much like our jet-lagged, sleepy-eyed tourists. A typical tsunami travels about as fast as a passenger jet (about 500 mph), and we had plenty of warning that something was coming.  However, we didn't know for sure how big the tsunami was until it passed a network of monitoring buoys to our west.  Bottom line is that we had virtually no damage.  However, the 

LOUD

state was taking no chances and shortly after the earthquake we started hearing sirens along the shore accompanied by warnings pushed to everyone's cell phones. I received my first one as I was at the dentist paying for my long-awaited crown to fix my broken tooth.  I'd say the warning system worked very well here -- I can't imagine very many people not being aware of what was going on.  However, when an evacuation order was given things didn't go so great.  Due to poor urban planning and haphazard development, there are very few roads that lead away from our tourist-laden shoreline. I've mentioned this before in the context of the devastating wildfires on Maui a few years ago.  Our roads weren't quite as jammed as they were on Oahu, photos of which you may have seen on the news, but it would have been faster to have just walked inland a short distance.  The state also ordered large ships to leave harbor to avoid having them cause huge damage if the tsunami shoved them around.  Also, it is much safer to be in a ship away from shore, because there the tsunami "pulse" is just a rise in the ocean level and often barely noticeable in open water.  There were two cruise ships visiting the island of Hawai'i that day, one in our harbor and one over in Hilo.  The order to leave port came when a number of passengers were on excursions and they couldn't get back before the ships had to leave.  The stranded passengers weren't just left to fend for themselves, though, and were well taken care of by the cruise companies, rejoining the ships the next day. However, a few people demonstrated what seems to me a stunning degree of self-absorption by complaining on social media that their ship should have waited for them.  Let's see -- risk the lives or injuries of hundreds versus inconveniencing some who could easily get out of harm's way.  Really?

 

As I hinted above, on Tuesday my broken tooth became royalty -- it now wears a bright new crown!  The final session in the dentist's chair went very quickly compared to the one where the tooth was prepped and a mold for the new crown was made.  The final piece fit perfectly and it didn't take long to glue it into place.  I haven't had any problems with it, other than my tongue is bored without something to continually explore.  The whole restoration process took almost three months.  I broke the tooth on May 1 and it was finally fixed on July 29.  Patience, Grasshopper.

 

My final bit of news is that I passed my 6-weeks-from-surgery point this week, and that means I can now abuse my body with abandon.  Well, maybe not, but it does mean I can get back to activities that were restricted while my innards healed.  Like golf.  On Wednesday I played at Makalei with Karen and our golf buddy.  Since my muscles haven't really done much work for 1.5 months, I decided to ease back into the game by just playing about half the holes and sitting out the rest.  It went very well, including my tee shots which require a fair amount of effort and stretching. I even got a birdie, my first-ever.  Granted, it was on a short par-three hole, and I had to invoke the Kona-a-Lago rule of "If it hits the pin, it's in," but  still.......  By the end I was pretty pooped, and my body was telling me "enough!"  The last couple of days I've felt a bit stiff and sore, but mainly in my muscles, not in the area of the surgery.  Obviously it will take some time and effort to get back into shape, but I'm pleased with the progress so far.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  Take care and keep to the middle course. It's saner in the center. Carpe Vitam.

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.