Pele Pops a Present, Pigging Out With Santa

[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.]

12/27/25

Ho, Ho, Holoha!

 

I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas!  Ours was livened up by a present from Pele -- at about 8:30

p.m.Tuesday night the 39th episode of fountaining began, a real treat for any visitors staying near the volcano.  It only lasted about 6 hours, but it was quite vigorous, shooting lava as high as 1400 feet from one vent and shorter distances from two others that are close by. This happened on December 23, exactly one year from the first episode.  The volcanologists' prediction was for the episode to begin sometime from the 23rd to the 27th, and they clearly nailed it. All indications are that

the episodic pattern will continue, with #40 coming in a couple of weeks.  It would be a great way to end this year if #40 occurred a bit early and joined the fireworks on New Year's Eve!  I find the whole thing fascinating.

 

Our Christmas was very nice, centering more around food than gifts.  Early in the week we shared a prime rib dinner at our house with some very close friends.  They used to live in Ohio but now are in Wisconsin.  They wisely escape the winters there and spend a few months here each year visiting their daughter, who is a teacher at a highly regarded private school in Waimea. By the way, we cooked the prime rib using a somewhat unusual method that we've employed several times with great success.  We baked it in a hot oven for just 25 minutes, then turned off the oven and left it for exactly 2 hours.  Perfect!  On Christmas Day we went to a pot-luck dinner at a neighbor's house, getting together with about 20 other people.  We've done this the last few years, and we really enjoy the congenial atmosphere and good food. Her house has a beautiful open lanai that overlooks the bay, a perfect setting for a Kona Christmas dinner.

 

As I said, gifts weren't the focus this year, but I was pleased with mine from Karen -- a couple of

gift cards for Taco Bell (!), a new shop vacuum cleaner, and a sweatshirt with a personally very appropriate logo on the front that says, "Yes, I'm Cold!"  As I've mentioned before, I've become so acclimated to our warm weather here that anything less than 70d is chilly for me -- my eyes start to water and my nose drips constantly.  This sweatshirt will come in handy on our frosty 64d mornings and when we travel to destinations with less agreeable climates in their cooler seasons.

 

I have just one bit of Geezer Gazette news this week.  Yesterday I saw my retina specialist. My right eye didn't need a shot, and my left has improved a couple of lines in acuity.  The improvement was largely due to the injection last time, and maybe just a smidge from the YAG procedure that punched a hole in the capsule holding my new lens. Yesterday the doctor did the YAG laser treatment on my right eye, so now I've been completely YAGed.  I wish I could say it made a miraculous difference, but there has been barely a discernible improvement in either eye.  However, I can now rule out cloudiness of the tissue over my new lenses as a cause of my continuing downturn.  I guess that's good news?

 

Ok, that's it.  The season of brotherly love and good will toward all is now over, and we can get back to the vitriol, incivility, and exploitation that seem to be the main qualities of the U.S. under our current "leadership."  I'd love to be more positive about the coming year, but I'm having a tough time finding a reason for optimism. The best approach is perhaps to stay committed to your own values, and don't fall into the trap of extremism.

 

Keep warm and fuzzy.  Don't forget to feed the reindeer!