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
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.
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.
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| Just Gurgling |
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| 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.
5 comments:
I understand your concern about your eyesight, particularly because I have been following your blog for a long time. You’ve kept us apprised of the ups and downs. What gives me hope is that you seem to be getting excellent care. Didn’t Forrest Gump say that life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get. So you got the eye problems and that sucks. Don’t give up hope!
Best of luck with the eye issue. I had a visit to urgent care to have some errant eye lashes pulled (of all things). The practitioner was only able to get one of them. Amazing how irritating these things are. Went on vacation and came hoe to seem the ophthalmologist and he plucked the lot out and put me on the Goldberg list (some guy who removes that bad little patch of skin so they quit growing like that). Who knew the random hair deal would turn up (pun) like that?
Yosemite was great, tho a little smokey and so were Kings Canyon and Sequoia, tho a little smokey too. Had our first true range anxiety in Kings Canyon when our EV looked like it might run out of electrons on the way out. It didn't! Many more down hill miles going back to the charger! Yay!
Actually, it's the excellent care that has be frustrated. My eye docs are all first rate and very experienced, yet they don't know what my problem is, only what it isn't. But you're right, in the end we just have to accept life as it comes. I'm very fortunate in many respects, and I should appreciate that.
Interesting problem with your eyelashes -- good luck with the cure.\
BTW, what do you do on the road if your EV really does run out of electrons? Does AAA come to the rescue with a quick charge?
I do hope you can get new glasses to help alleviate the vision issues. Captain Obvious says: “Sight makes such a difference in your daily experience and quality of life.”
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