1001 Frogs, Stealth Birthday, Travel Plans, 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.

7/18//26

 

Aloha Fellow Humans!

 

I reached couple of significant milestones this week -- one wanted, the other not so much.  First, I caught my 1000th coqui frog on Sunday night (plus #1001 just for good measure), a rather oddball achievement of which my inner macho-man is nevertheless rather proud.  One...Thousand...Coquis! Even though these

Stuff 'em?

are very small critters, 1000 of them would make a pretty big pile.  They also represent enough collective noise to rival the decibel level of a jumbo jet engine at full throttle.  To remind you, coquis are an invasive species that was accidentally introduced to Hawai'i from Puerto Rico in a shipment of nursery plants.  Without any natural predators, they quickly multiplied and spread.  Besides being noisy, they also prey on beneficial native insects, making coquis a serious environmental threat.  Contrary to the mistaken belief that many people have, they do NOT control mosquitos. Coquis can be killed by mild solutions of citric acid or by dustings of baking soda, but they must be thoroughly coated for these to work, a difficult task because they often hide in sheltered places between leaves of bushes or in leaf litter at the base of plants.  The surest way to kill them is the way I do it -- by hand catching them, putting them in a plastic bag, and tossing the bag in the freezer.  This method is also the most humane.  Over the years I've become quite good at hunting them, even with my recently reduced eyesight.  I use a headlamp at night, which helps me to locate them and to blind them long enough for the "Hand of Doom" to grab them.  I've developed a good sense of where they might be hiding, so that I can be successful even if they go quiet.  Anyway, do you think a good taxidermist could  mount these guys for my study wall?

 

The other milestone this week was the one I'd rather not have reached -- my xxnd [censored] birthday.  As you recall, I wrote recently about a couple of early presents; my new guitar case and my new AVR.  This week was my actual birthday.  I'm to the point where I really wanted to keep it low-key rather than make a big deal out it.  I view this as a celebration only in the sense that I'm still alive and doing fairly well compared to many in my age cohort.  Anyway, I planned the day to my liking with as little fanfare as I could.  Lunch was at a favorite dockside restaurant in our small-boat harbor.  Very picturesque, informal. fairly inexpensive, good relaxed service.  We shared a burger and a beer with fries and coleslaw.  How's that for fancy?  The afternoon was spent mostly in my "osmotic information transfer position" -- aka taking a nap with a book on my chest.  For dinner I barbecued a New York strip steak.  I imagine this sounds like I'm just another meat-and-potatoes guy, until I tell you the rest of the menu:  angel hair pasta with truffles and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, sauteed mushrooms, blanched fresh broccoli, mixed green salad with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  All, in all, a good birthday!  To top it off, Pele took pity on my dismal fireworks experience on the 4th of July and popped off  a present for my benefit.  At 8:30 a.m. the morning of my birthday lava fountaining began for the 51st episode in the current eruption and lasted until just before 5 p.m. hitting almost 1000 feet high at the peak. Thanks, Pele!

 

We're moving along with our travel plans for next Spring's trip to Portugal.  As you may recall, we've already booked a river cruise on the Duoro in the northern part of the country.  This will be June 8-15.  The cruise itself is much too short to make the trip worthwhile, so we've been working with a travel company based in Lisbon to make custom arrangements for another three weeks.  This outfit specializes in putting together u-drive itineraries, but they also do other forms of transportation.  We've opted to do a combination of trains, buses, and private drivers to get us between locations.  The company has suggested hotels and activities along the way, and we're now going back and forth to make the itinerary fit our travel style, past experience, preferences, and geezer challenges.  At the moment we plan to fly to Lisbon, stay a week, then take the train north to Porto, where we will do the cruise.  After that we will make our way south, staying several nights in towns along the way.  Some of these towns with be on the usual tourist track (like Coimbra and Tomar), but also places less visited, like Portalegre in the eastern side of the country.  We will end up on the southern coast and then take the train back to Lisbon for the trip home, for a total of about a month -- our usual.  We're making sure that we have a lot of time on our own to enjoy these places, but also to have some interesting  pre-arranged excursions and activities (like a private tour of megaliths in the central part of the country).  The mix of transportation modes should be interesting as well.  So afar the agent we've been working with (a young Portuguese woman in Lisbon) has been very good at interpreting our wishes. One very positive aspect of this company is their payment and cancellation policy, an important consideration since we are making these plans so far in advance.  They require a deposit, of course, but the final payment isn't due until a month before the trip, and we can get a full refund up until just 5 days in advance.  I'll keep you posted as this progresses. 

 

My final bit of news is that yesterday I went with Karen and her friend to Makalei.  I didn't attempt a full round but I wanted to test whether I could still hit the ball.  The answer is "sorta kinda."  In fact,  given that I haven't played for five months and that my vision has degraded since my last outing, I did surprisingly well -- three bogeys and a par!  I also enjoyed revisiting the course itself, which is one of my favorite scenic places on the island.

 

Ok, that's it.  I hope you are staying cool and dry, though that's somewhat difficult these days.  Btw, we're watching the wlldfires in Canada and Colorado with a feeling of deja vu -- it was two years ago that my birthday trip to the great outdoors turned into a perfect storm of health problems, heat, fire, and smoke.  I'm keeping my fingers cross that our trip next month isn't a repeat.  Take care, everyone.  Carpe Vitam!

Fireworks A Bust, Moving, Techno-Toys

[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.

7/11//26

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

It was a busy week here. Several good things happened, but a couple of negatives, too.  First, for a pyrotechnophile like me, the fireworks show on July 4th was a huge disappointment. As I mentioned last week, we didn't go down to the shoreline to watch the community fireworks this year.  Instead, we accepted an invitation from a neighbor to attend a get-together for socializing, hot dogs, and to watch the fireworks show from her lanai.  The socializing and the hot dogs were great, but the fireworks viewing was a major bummer.  A huge Monkey Pod tree a few streets down-slope was perfectly positioned to block all but the very highest explosions.  Not only that, we were so far away you could barely hear them.  Nosiree, I want to be close enough to be awed by the size of the fireballs and to feel the booms in my chest.  Next year I'll opt for less socializing and more sensory overload.  I did enjoy watching a YouTube recording of the D.C. fireworks, but it wasn't the same as seeing them in person.

 

On a more positive note, on July 5th we celebrated our 25th anniversary of the the day we moved to Hawai'i, arriving around 9 p.m.  Our realtor had left a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator, and

Yikes!

that's how we celebrated this year, too. The move was an exciting but daunting moment for us, to say the least.  Obviously it worked out pretty well, but we weren't at all certain of a positive outcome at the time.  We were leaving behind close friends, a paid-for house, a familiar, supportive community, and a very predictable life-trajectory. We were instead launching ourselves into an unfamiliar environment where we knew almost nobody, had a new mortgage that looked to us like the national debt, and where the future was an adventure into the unknown.  It was, however, one of those periods in our lives when we felt intensely energized and open to new challenges and experiences, something I don't think we would have encountered the same degree had we stayed in Ohio.  Cheers!

 

On Tuesday I finally had my Subaru's a.c. checked out.  Sure enough, more problems.  Here's the official written diagnosis:  "...found obvious refrigerant leak coming from evaporator cooling pipe connector near vehicle firewall.  Also found low pressure hose from compressor to evaporator has sign of leak on hose crimping."  Parts are ordered and are covered under warranty, but this will mean more waiting until the parts come in and I can get an appointment to have them installed.  To remind you, this car is just a little over two years old and has only 6700 miles on it. Other than the a.c. I do like the car very much, but it's a bit irritating to be wasting this much time on a problem that really shouldn't be happening.

 

On Wednesday I switched our internet service back to Spectrum from our Hawaiian Tel fiber optic service that we've had for the last couple of years.  I was quite happy with the fiber service, but Spectrum made me an offer I couldn't refuse:  internet at more than twice the current speed for half the cost, guaranteed for two years and a third year at an increased price that is still less that what we are paying now.  As you may recall, when we switched to fiber I installed a special network cable (CAT6) that runs from the garage wall where the fiber and coaxial cables enter the house to my router inside the house.  This setup made it very fast and easy to make the switch -- it simply involved unplugging that cable from the fiber "modem" and plugging it into the new (free) coaxial modem.  Done.  This means that going back to fiber would be even easier, because the fiber "modem" (actually called an ONT) is already installed.  The special deal I received is the result of the current intense competition between the two internet providers in our area, which definitely is benefiting the customers. Anyway, the new service is going great right now, and I can use the savings to help pay for the increased health care premiums I was just informed I'll be paying next year (!).  

 

Another technotoy I have enjoyed this week is my new AVR.  The Costco shipping was very fast, and I now have the new unit just about installed.  I still have to tweek the speaker settings a bit, and solve a small glitch in the Blue Tooth connection to my tablet and phone so that I can stream music.  Otherwise everything seems to be working fine again.  I really enjoy setting up things like this -- it forces me to solve problems, use some physical dexterity and coordination, and learn something new.

 

I'll just mention in passing some Geezer Gazette news --I don't want spoil the mostly good vibes so far. I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday, had a shot as expected, and my test results confirmed my subjective impression that there has been no improvement from my Valeda treatments.  Oh well, it was worth a try. 

 

Ok, that's all for the week.  Hang in there.  Ponder the possible relevance to our times of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Emperor's New Clothes."  Carpe Vitam!

Sizzling 4th, Window Film, Birthday Presents

[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.

7/4//26

 

Aloha All! 

 

Happy HOT 4th of July!  And a special one, at that -- the 250th.  There hasn't been as much hoopla here as elsewhere.  Still, the town will set off fireworks tonight over Kailua Bay, and we're hoping the show might be a bit longer than usual.  This year we won't be going down to the shoreline to see them.  Instead, we are going to a pot-luck dinner at a neighbor's house and watching the fireworks from the lanai.  I'll miss being up close, but at least we won't have to contend with the traffic and the crowds.  

 

One of the frustrating waiting periods I wrote about last week is now over.  On Wednesday our window film was replaced!  The guy did a great job, and fortunately the old stuff came off easily.  We were worried that it might crumble and make a huge mess. The new film is the same darkness as the old, so it looks about the same, but we can definitely see that it is clearer.  The best part is that it didn't cost us a cent -- 3M honored the warranty totally.  Not only that, the warranty is still in effect so that if the new film fails in any way they will replace it again.  When we had the film installed 23 years ago we thought it was a bit pricey.  Given that it lasted fine for two decades and that we now have a brand new application, I'd say it was a good deal.  I have to hand it to 3M.

 

Something that hasn't had nearly the same longevity is our AV receiver, which crapped out this week after about 5 years.  This unit is at the heart of our sound system for our t.v. and also for playing music which we stream from Pandora. Many electronic devices designed for indoor use don't fare well here.  The salty air, coupled with a dose of acidic vog from the volcano, takes a toll on appliances, metal fixtures, and printed circuits.  Of course, having a house that is open to the outside air 24/7/12 contributes to the problem.  Anyway, the receiver is long since out of warranty, and repairing it is impractical.  So, just in time for my birthday, I get a new techno-toy!!  I ordered a new receiver from Costco online and it should be delivered late next week.  The price was pretty good, but the best part about going through Costco is that if there is something wrong, I can return it to the local store for a refund.  Costco also extends the warranty automatically.  Ahh, nothing like the smell of new electronics for my birthday!

 

Another early birthday present arrived Thursday by UPS.  This is Karen's present to me, though I picked it out and ordered it.  It's a new guitar case!  I know you're underwhelmed, but consider that the old one

Happy Birdthday!

came with the guitar she gave me 55 (!) years ago.  The case wasn't very high quality to begin with, and after all these years it's no wonder it is barely in one piece.  The guitar is better quality than the case, and the sound it can make far exceeds my playing ability.  I have become very attached to it, playing almost every afternoon while I sip my beer before dinner.  I could buy a new one but it would be like turning my back on an old friend.  Nope, I intend to keep it and give it the home it deserves -- a nice cushy case. Happy birthday, guitar!

 

In other news, the volcano spit up again, just hours after I wrote last week.  It's 50th fountaining episode was a pretty good one, lasting seven hours and hitting a maximum height of 1000 feet.  All signs point to a 51st episode soon, probably next week.  Too bad it didn't happen today to supplement the fireworks around the country!

 

Ok, that's it from here.  Stay cool, and again, have a fun and safe 4th of July.  Carpe Vitam!

Waiting Games, 50 Fountains of Fire

[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.

6/27/26

 

Aloha Everybody! 

 

Have you ever had one other those times in your life when everything seems to be moving in slow motion or stuck on hold?  That is pretty much the story of this week.  Hurry up and wait.  And wait. And Wait.

 

First of all, it took two un-returned phone calls and two physical visits to the Subaru Service Department to get an appointment to have the a.c. checked.  Each time I called I got the usual recording saying the agents were busy with other customers and to leave a message with your phone number and someone would call as soon as possible.  I waited an entire day after each call and never got a response.  Finally I stopped by in person to make the appointments but found nobody at the service desk.  I waited about 10 minutes then found someone in another department who assured me the service clerk would be back soon.  So I waited some more.  Nothing.  After 15 minutes I left.  What kind of business doesn't call back customers and then has nobody on staff to handle customers face-to-face?  If the agent knew they were going to be gone for 1/2 hour or more, wouldn't it be courteous to leave a note on the desk? I went back the next day at an earlier time and managed to find someone who made the appointment for me.  Now I wait until the appointment day two weeks from now.  If this was the mainland I'd just go to another dealer for this warranty work, but.....there isn't one here on the island.  Complaining to Subaru Central probably wouldn't help -- there isn't anyone else they can give the dealership to, so if they want to sell cars they'll put up with this kind of thing.

 

Speaking of warranties. we are still waiting to hear back from the local 3M dealer about replacing the

Waiting...

window film in our living room. We had this installed years ago as a way to combat the afternoon heat and UV.  It did help, but over the years the film has started to chip off and has become hazy.  The warranty that came with the film was quite explicit:  full cost of removing and replacing film that failed, no time limit.  We have the original invoice and warranty, both signed by the company who did the installation.  They are no longer in business, but it doesn't matter.  The warranty says it should be honored by any authorized dealer. Slam dunk, right?  Wrong.  Since the job was so long ago the dealer didn't enter the warranty in 3M's digital data base. We have had to send copies of our documentation to 3M and wait for them to approve the replacement.  We started this almost 3 weeks ago.  More waiting.

 

Other waiting games include the status of my eye treatment with Valeda, my heart monitor results, and trimming more of our trees.  It's been 1.5 weeks since my last Valeda session, and nothing seems to have changed yet.  I finished my 2-week heart monitoring stint on Tuesday and sent off the recording device.  I have to wait about three weeks for my appointment to go over the results with my cardiologist.  Finally, our tree trimming company is 3-6 weeks out in their scheduling, about the typical delay here.  Bottom line: if patience is a virtue, living in Hawai'i can definitely make you a saint!

 

In more positive news, Karen played golf this week and did pretty well despite not playing since last October.  I opted not to endure the frustration of not being able to see the ball, but next time I may go anyway, just to experience the course at Makalei, one of my favorite places on the island.  Also positive, or at least noteworthy, is that the 50th fountaining episode in Kileaua's 1.5 year eruption is about to start any minute, according to the volcanologists.  It's been bubbling and spurting for the past several days, the usual precursory signs.  Like I said, any minute now.  Just wait for it..... 

 

Ok.  That's it for this week.  Be kind, be good, be well.  Carpe Vitam.  

Mayo No Go, Pig Problems, A.C. Woes

[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.

6/20/26

 

Aloha Everyone! 

 

I hope your early summer is going ok.  I know there has been some nice weather on the mainland, but also some of the usual nasty stuff, too, like tornadoes, floods, and fires. No tornadoes here, and really not much to complain about weather-wise, other than we've had a bit of VOG from our volcano eruptions, and it seems to be clouding up earlier in the day than usual.  The afternoon clouds aren't really a bad thing, though, because they make for easier napping......

  

I'm sorry to say that my news this week is unfortunately mostly bad.  First up in the Geezer Gazette, my attempt to get an evaluation at Mayo Clinic for my eye problems has failed, and I'm getting a bit frustrated.  The problem turned out to be insurance-related, like it was with the Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.  Everything seemed to be going ok with Mayo, though I had to re-fax the referral form and letter.  I called on Tuesday and a very helpful and knowledgeable representative was starting to schedule a vist when she noticed that my insurance was a Medicare Advantage plan from Aetna.  Dead stop.  Nope, as of January 1st Mayo is no longer accepting patients with that insurance.  This may sound like the same story as with Stein at UCLA.  However, when the Mayo person explained the problem, I realized it had it exactly reversed:  It isn't that my insurance won't cover the evaluation, it's that Mayo (and Stein) simply won't deal with the Aetna Advantage plan at all.  I learned that Medicare Advantage plans re-negotiate contracts regularly with providers. These contracts deal with things like reimbursement levels, timeliness of reimbursement, and criteria for denial of coverage and appeal procedures.  It seems that a number of large providers, like Mayo, Stein, and others, are opting out of participating with Advantage Plans because it is simply too costly for them.  Note, in my particular case it isn't a matter of Mayo doctors being in-network versus out-of-network, nor that I needed pre-approval for getting services from Mayo.  Rather, the lack of a contract means no coverage, period.  Welcome to health care in America, where none of the thousands of people with my insurance plan can obtain treatment at someplace like the Mayo Clinic which provides some of the best medical services in the world.  So I'm now looking into my options.  Of course, I could try to find yet another place to get my evaluation, and hope that I can get in before they too cancel their contract.  I could also try to change insurance plans.  But my current plan is through my retirement system, and changing would likely lead to much higher premiums and less coverage, including if I went with straight Medicare.  Finally, I could pay out of pocket, an alternative nipped in the bud by the representatives at both Stein and Mayo, who said no way.  Geez, what a waste of time. I'll let you know if anything changes.

 

Now to a more down to earth problem. Our neighborhood is currently coping with a couple of feral pigs who have been routing in people's gardens and causing a fair amount of damage.  We've had trouble with pigs starting before we moved here, when we got calls from our gardener informing us that pigs had again dug up our irrigation system.  One of the very first house projects when we arrived was to build a fence to keep them out.  It works -- sort of.  Sometimes a few adventurous marauders circumvent the fence by coming down our driveway, roto-tilling as they go.  It's Open-Season on pigs year-round here, but hunting is with traps, knives, and arrows since shooting guns in residential areas (favorite hangouts of hungry pigs) would probably not be a good idea.  Pigs, like nearly all other mammals, aren't native to Hawai'i.  The first pigs were brought to the islands by the Polynesians who settled here about a thousand years ago.  These pigs were a small, domesticated variety that stayed pretty close to home.  However, in the 1800's Europeans imported and released wild boars for sport and for food.

Where's Dinner?

 What could go wrong, right? Well, these piggies are big, smart, and nasty in disposition.  They also have no natural predators here to keep their numbers in check, lots of good food, and no deadly winter weather.  I think you get the picture -- swine heaven.  The two currently posing a problem are probably brothers from the same litter, and are hitting their prime.  They are huge, bold and if they smell food, like ripe fruit or an abundance of garden grubs, they are very determined to reach it.  Our neighbor two doors down has a fruit tree that is now bearing and has become a real magnet for the brothers, to the extent that they cross the un-fenced part of our lot, cross our immediate neighbor's lot, and then make their way to the area around the target tree. Despite their size they can be very quiet and agile, making them hard to detect until it's too late.  We have a driveway alarm to alert us if they come that way, but their current trail to our neighbor's tree is not monitored.  I really can't complain --- in Ohio I had to deal with deer, rabbits, raccoons, woodchucks, skunks, squirrels, and possums.  Here it's only pigs and tiny frogs. Oh, and an occasional garden rat.

 

My final problem this week is that my car a.c. seems to be going weak again.  Recall that this is my 2-year old Subaru Outback, which started having a.c. issues just a couple of months after I bought it.  Eventually the dealer replaced the entire guts of the a.c. unit, and that seemed to take care of the problem.  Until now, about a year later.  I'm hoping this is still a warranty issue, particularly since the problem started early and is well-documented by the dealer.  Still, it means making service appointment(s) and going through the hassle of taking the car in for it to be fixed.  Grrrr.

 

I'll end on a more positive note.  Yesterday marked the anniversary of the day we closed on our Oxford house 25 years ago.  This was quite a relief at the time, because we had been owners of two houses simultaneously for a few months after sealing the deal on our house here.  There was a bit of a cash flow problem that was relieved when the check for the Oxford house was deposited.  No champagne for this anniversary, but we toasted with a nice glass of wine.

 

Ok, sorry to have been such a bummer this week.  Hang in there, and remember, no matter how often a certain someone claims otherwise, down is not up, wrong is not right, cruel is not kind, lies are not facts, and ignorance is not knowledge.  Carpe Vitam. 

Horse Parade, Heart Monitor, 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.

6/13/26

 

Aloha Fellow Time Travelers! 

 

On Thursday we celebrated King  Kamehameha Day, a state holiday honoring the first king of

Hawai'i who unified the islands and established the Kingdom of Hawai'i.  One of the hallmarks of the yearly festivities are floral parades, the biggest of which is on Oahu, but there are also smaller versions, including one in Hilo and one in Kailua on our island. Kamehameha was born around 1750 at a spot on the northwest coast of our island -- the exact year is uncertain. He was about 20 years old when Captain Cook arrived and Kamehameha was much impressed by the firepower Cook brought with him, which he adopted in his conquest of rival territories.  The floral parade here in Kona was last Saturday. Of the annual parades I like this one the best for three reasons:  (1) it is along our picturesque shoreline in town, passing by the historic winter royal palace, (2) it is intensely Hawaiian, with groups of colorful horseback

riders representing each of the major islands, and (3) it is short, lasting only about one hour. My favorite feature by far is the horses wearing floral leis, a unique sight. Of course, in Kamehameha's days Hawaiians had never seen a horse. They aren't native to the islands and weren't introduced until 1803, 7 years before the final unification of the islands. Their centrality in the Kamehameha celebration might therefore be a bit of a stretch, but most parades aren't really hallmarks of historical accuracy. On the other hand, it is quite true that horses have figured prominently in modern Hawaiian culture since their introduction, particularly in their role as mounts for our Hawaiian cowboys called Paniolo. The parade was great fun, well-attended by locals and tourists alike.

 

Just a couple of quick updates in Geezer Gazette news.  First, I'm still waiting to hear something from Mayo Clinic.  It's been about 1 1/2 weeks since I faxed the consultation request form. I'll wait until Monday and then try to contact them.  Second, on Tuesday I had my heart monitor pasted on for a two-week recording session. I'll have to wait until July to find out the results. Finally, I have three more Valeda treatments next week and then I'm finished for several months.  No noticeable changes yet.  All this is the health equivalent of watching paint dry.

 

On a more cheery note, we've made more travel plans.  Just to remind you, we are all set for our Alaskan cruise and visit to Colorado in August.  But we've now looking ahead to next year -- advanced planning is necessary these days because of the uptick in the numbers of people traveling.  We have chosen to return to Portugal next spring. We were there 35 years ago for several weeks, traveling on our own by car.  This time we're going to do it a bit differently by booking a river cruise on the Douro River.  Yes, that makes the fifth cruise in the last few years, noteworthy for someone who disavowed that type of travel in the past.  I admit to the inconsistency.  Chalk it up to geezerdom. Anyway, we have booked a week-long  trip next June with the same  company (AmaWaterways) that did our recent Colombia cruise.  The plan is to supplement that with another 2-3 weeks of private travel in Portugal which we will arrange with a local company -- in other words, another "tour for the two of us."  Nothing definite on that yet, but reading through the guidebooks and online suggested itineraries is getting me excited about the trip.  I'll keep you posted on our progress,

 

That's about it for this week.  I'll leave you with this thought exercise:  Do you think someone with a trillion dollars can resist becoming a powerful oligarch whose values are misaligned with our own? Tale care. Summer's here.  Carpe Vitam.

Paw Prints, Anniversaries, Mayo Maybe

[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.

6/6/26

 

Aloha Folks! 

 

June already!  Hard to believe that just a few months ago we were freezing, up to our keesters in snow, slipping on icy streets, etc.  Oh, wait, that's not here.....nor has it been for the past 25 years after we moved to Hawai'i.  July 5th will be the anniversary of the day we spent our first night in our new Hawaiian home.  Speaking of anniversaries, this past week we celebrated two others:  the last day of teaching and the first day of retirement for both of us.  That was May 31 and June 1, 2000.  Every year we mark the occasion with a bottle of champagne, half one day and half the next.  It's a chance to reflect on our good fortune for the past 2 1/2 decades in terms of being able to live in such an awesomely unique place, to learn about new cultures, new plants, new geology, and also to have the many global travel experiences that retirement has provided. We have no doubt that retirement has been a richly fulfilling period in our lives.  Cheers!

 

Last Saturday, as we were leaving for our beach breakfast picnic, sun hit the windshield and revealed

the unmistakable evidence that a felis catus had recently investigated the car.  There were paw prints on the windshield (and later we found them on the hood) showing the cat's path up one side and down the other, with four slide marks on the down side, each ending in a perfect paw print, likely left when the cat jumped rather than continue to slide ignominiously.  I was far from being annoyed by this.  For one thing the car needed washing anyway, and for another I love cats and felt honored to have been deemed worthy of such consideration.  We must have left the side door of the garage open the day before, and a neighborhood cat sought refuge from an afternoon shower.  Attracted by the possibility of a high perch where it could take a snooze, it may have hopped up for a look but was disturbed by one of us getting something from the garage, or perhaps the location just didn't meet its snooze-spot standards. At any rate it decided to go elsewhere. We used to have cat companions when we lived on the mainland and intended to bring our last one with us when we moved here.  However, she died shortly before the move and we decided to not seek another one because we felt it would be unfair to leave it during our extended retirement travels.  As a substitute for permanent cat companionship, I have tried to befriend the neighborhood cats we encounter on our daily walks.  Cats are wisely wary of human beings, of course, so it is very difficult to gain their trust.  There are a few, though, who will interact with me and even allow me to pet them.  This is always a highlight of both the walk and my entire day.  For more of my feline fawning, see Cats: Unifiers Of The World.

 

The Geezer Gazette news this week is all about eyeballs. I completed my first three Valeda treatments on my left eye. The procedure is simple and painless.  You look into a machine and a bright yellow light flashes rapidly for about a minute.  Then you close your eyes and a bright red light shines for another minute or so.  This is repeated once more.  I asked about why the first light was flashing rather than being a constant light hitting the retina.  Apparently research has found that the retina cells respond more to intermittent stimulation.  The red light also stimulates the retina even through the closed eyelid, but at a much lower level.  Anyway, the worst part of the whole procedure is having to take the eye chart test each time, something I find very frustrating. I'll have 6 moire treatments, 3 in each of the next two weeks.  It won't be for at least another month before effects are detectable, if they occur at all, because the retina physiology changes slowly.  Remember, nothing can bring back the cells that I've already lost, but the goal here is to make the rest more healthy, along with the retina tissue itself.  Patience, Grasshopper.

 

On Tuesday I saw my retina doctor and had a shot it my left eye.  I also got a letter from him referring me to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  Recall that last week my health insurance company dropped coverage of the Stein Clinic at UCLA, so I was in the market for another center to do my neuro ophthalmology evaluation.  I decided to see if I can get in at the Mayo Clinic because, well, it's the Mayo Clinic.  If anyone can figure out what is going on, they can.  Their list of ophthalmology doctors goes on for pages, and many are leaders in their field.  Besides, Mayo is renowned for a multidisciplinary team approach to diagnosis and care, something I heartily endorse.  I faxed the referral letter and Mayo's referral/consultation request form and now it's a matter of waiting for something to happen.  Again, patience, Grasshopper.

 

Ok, that's it for this week. Be good to each other -- the world certainly needs more of that.  Carpe Vitam.

Quake Damage, Volcano Bio, Eye Stymie

[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.

5/30/26

 

Aloha Guys! 

 

A nice, quiet week here. However, I know it won't last -- the volcano is predicted to erupt any moment, and next week I will spend 4 out of 7 days in a doctor's office (my regular visit to my retina guy plus three Valeda treatments at the same eye clinic -- the staff and I are getting to be close buddies.  Fortunately the clinic is just a few blocks from our house. The Valeda treatments won't be given by my retina doctor but by two optometrists in the same clinic, which I think is reasonable considering the simplicity of the procedure.

 

The damage assessments from last week's 6.0 earthquake are in -- 5 houses down south near the

Home Sweet Home

epicenter were declared destroyed and some structural damage was reported to about 140 other structures.  The houses that were destroyed were all built using the "post and pier" method and were on a hillside.  A vulnerable combination, obviously. Elsewhere, including in our area, there was very minor damage, mostly stuff falling off shelves and out of cabinets -- more of a mess than true damage.  By the way, I was partially wrong last week in describing the nature of earthquakes here.  I was correct in saying that ours aren't caused by tectonic plates colliding or moving apart, but I was incorrect in attributing this particular quake to the island settling under its own weight.  The geologists' assessment was that this one was due to the tectonic plate under the island bending suddenly under the island's weight  -- sort of like a floor board creaking under a heavy footstep.  Interesting, eh?

 

In keeping with the geological theme, an interesting article appeared in our local paper this week about the history of Kilauea's eruptions. There have been several recent instances of recurring fountaining -- 1959, 1969-'70, and 1983-'86.  The current one, which began in December of 2024, just broke the record for the most episodes, 48 with the 49th imminent. The previous record was 47 during the 1983-'86 eruption at a side vent named Pu'u O'o (pronounceable with lots of practice). Compared to Pu'u O'o, the current pace of the episodes has been much quicker, with an average pause between events of just 10 days compared to nearly a month for Pu'u O'o. The real speed demon, however, was a brief eruption in 1959 in the summit crater of Kileaua Iki, with 17 spurts in just two days.  As spectacular and accessible as this was, not many people got to see it because it was over so fast.  Likewise, not many people saw the fountaining at Pu'u O'o -- the vent was remote and difficult to reach.  Our current eruption is by far the biggest crowd-pleaser because its frequent, regular and predictable episodes have been very easy for visitors to view. Keep it up. Pele!!

 

My final news of the week is a Geezer Gazette item that I think reflects badly on U.S. healthcare.  I called the Stein Eye Institute yesterday just to check if they had received my doctor's referral.  The very cordial and competent person I spoke with found some of the documents we faxed, but not the letter yet.  In passing, the representative asked if my insurance was Aetna Medicare. Affirmative. He then informed me that as of May 28 the institute is no longer a provider covered by Aetna!  WTF! Apparently Stein and Aetna couldn't reach an agreement regarding reimbursement levels. The represeentative said that this has left a lot of their regular patients in the lurch, and they have to now find another provider. For me, this means the only way I could get my neuro-opthamolgy evaluation at Stein is by paying for it myself.  I can't just fall back on Medicare itself because Medicare has transferred all processing to Aetna.  By the way, the Aetna Medicare coverage is provided (at a premium) by my teachers' retirement system -- switching to any other insurance would be way more expensive.  So there it is.  In the U.S. healthcare is available to those who can afford it and only in limited ways, if at all, to others.  Bottom line:  I'm now searching for another neuo-opthamology clinic, and this time I have to make sure they take my insurance.

 

I'll close on that happy note.  Enjoy what's left of Spring.  Now more than ever, Carpe Vitam!

Earthquake, World in Kona, Miami "Veyes," Car Mini-Woe

[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.

5/23/26

 

Aloha Everybody! 

 

Wow!  Karen and I were watching t.v. last night when about 9:30 the house started to shake violently.  I've felt earthquakes here before, and at first this one seemed about the same intensity, but then it got really honking.  Something in the kitchen crashed and the wall-mounted t.v. was flapping. It wasn't long objectively, but it seemed to go on and on.  Bottom line: a 6.0 earthquake happened, centered about 25 miles south of us.  We checked all around the house and are relieved to say that we could find very little damage.  The crash I heard was one small bowl that had fallen from an open shelf.  I think we were very fortunate -- I don't know yet about damage closer to the epicenter. We have quite a few earthquakes in Hawai'i, none of them caused by the action of tectonic plates, like in the northwest U.S..  Ours result from either magma moving around below us, or from a sudden settling of the island under its own weight.  This was the second type.   Since it just happened last night we'll get more information in the next few days.  I'll let you know next week what the reports are.

 

This week the world came to Kona.  The World cruise ship, that is.  This is no ordinary ship.  For one thing it wasn't repositioning to its summer commercial routes like other ships I've mentioned lately.  Rather, the World follows a year-long itinerary that takes it...well, all over the world.  We've seen it in Bordeaux, France, and it has visited Kona once before. The route varies from year to year and is

Ultimate Cruising

determined by the passengers themselves, who own their cabins and the ship itself.  It was built in 2002 with space and luxury in mind.  There are only about 160 "cabins' (apartments or condos, really). They range in price from $2-15 million, with a yearly additional fee in the 6 figures.  In short, the owners have mega-bucks. The concept is apparently catching on because there are five more ships planned, and one other ship started cruising in 2025.  The owners can live permanently on board, of course, or they can come and go depending on the ship's location and the desirability of the destinations.  They aren't allowed to rent their units, and only family and vetted friends can stay when the owners are absent.  This cuts down on unwanted riffraff. The World stayed here for three days, an unprecedented length of time for a large ship. Strangely, I never got an invitation from one of the residents to go on board.........

 

Last week I forgot to mention a car problem that I triumphantly solved. When Karen was leaving for a meeting and tried to start her Miata she got the dreaded sound of the engine not quite turning over.  Fortunately this happened while she and the car were still in the garage so the inconvenience was minimal.  She took our other car to the meeting while I valiantly drew on my vast store of machine knowledge and diagnosed the problem as a nearly dead battery.  A look at the install date etched on the battery confirmed my suspicion -- just a few days short of four years -- about all you can expect from car batteries these days.  Over the Miata's 23 year life it has gone through about 5 or 6 batteries-- I'm not real sure of the exact number.  This usually happens, as in this case, with no warning, which makes a good argument for preemptive maintenance.  Anyway, I called around to see if any parts stores had a replacement -- not a slam dunk for a car that is 23 years old in a small, isolated island community..  The first place had just run out of that particular model and it would be 2 weeks before more arrived.  Fortunately I found one at NAPA.  I took the old battery with me when I picked up the new one to avoid the "core deposit" and I had the new one installed before the end of the day.  Yup, that solved the problem! As with a lot of my projects, I could have hired someone to do it.  But I still like the mental and physical challenge of solving problems if I can.  Of course, the scale and scope of those problems is getting smaller and smaller.......

 

There are a couple of quick Geezer Gazette items this week.  First, I managed to get an appointment with the eye clinic in Miami for an evaluation and consultation, but not without a frustrating amount of hassle.  The forms that I faxed apparently disappeared into cyberspace. No one I spoke to on the phone had any record of them.  Even getting through to someone on the phone was a hassle, Each time I called the number listed for the eye clinic I was transferred to a general scheduling number and someone who had no idea about eye problems.  Anyway, I made an appointment for the first available slot -- October 26th (!).  I may cancel this if I can find someplace more agreeable.  I'm now thinking of the Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.  I quickly got through on the phone to a compassionate and competent person in the Institute itself.  The first step is to fax a letter of referral directly to the clinic requesting a neuro-ophthalmology consultation, then they should contact me to schedule something. Hopefully this will go better but I'm not holding my breath.  The other piece of geezer news is that I will begin treatments with the newly approved Valeda procedure on June 1st. This is a bit of a "Hail Mary" play for me.  The procedure uses repeated exposure of the retina to certain wavelengths of light (3 treatments per week for 3 weeks). It is non-invasive and only takes about 10 minutes per session.  My eye clinic obtained one of the machines and is beginning to offer treatments. The reason it is a bit of a long shot for me is that so far it has only been shown to be effective for people with dry macular degeneration. I don't have have that problem, but the underlying logic of the treatment seems plausibly beneficial in my case.  Since there are no known bad effects, I figure why not?  I'm desperate enough to give it a try. I'll keep you posted.

Ok, that's it for now. Oh by the way, I've come across a way to reduce your angst in these troubled political times.  Keep repeating the following mantra over and over until your brain is fully anesthetized:  "Oligarchy is Good, Facism is Fine, Oligarchy is Good, Facism is Fine, Oligarchy is Good, Facism is Fine, Oligarchy is Good, Facism is Fi........."   And as always, Carpe Vitam.

Birthday "Bash," Silver Screen Prada, Easy Breathing

[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.

5/16/26

 

Aloha Everyone! 

 

Life lurches on here.  On Monday we celebrated Karen's **nd [censored] birthday with dinner at the Fairmont

Birthday Bonus

Orchid Resort up north.  The restaurant was an upscale place with the disarming name "Brown's Beach House." This was hardly a taco shack on the shore.  It's open air, of course, and beautifully situated on the bay that fronts the hotel.  We timed our arrival so that we could enjoy the sunset over the ocean framed by palm trees and tiki torches.  The weather was ideal.  The meal was top notch.  We shared two appetizers and a main dish, all fish oriented, and all delicious and well-presented. I had advised the restaurant that it was Karen's birthday, so we also got a complimentary dessert.  Great evening!

 

Karen wanted to see a movie as part of her Birthday celebration, so on Tuesday we went to a matinee screening of The Devil Wears Prada 2.  I was a bit skeptical of this, both because of the subject matter (high fashion) and because followup films with big stars tend to be disappointments in my opinion.  We both wound up enjoying it very much.  One of the stars is Meryl Streep, whose performance is one of many in her career that establish her as one of the best actors of our generation.  She's a chameleon who can play any character with ease and naturalness to the point that it is hard to imagine anyone else in the same role.  Wow!  I recommend the movie highly.

 

In addition to the dinner and movie, I gave Karen a very romantic gift --- a hand vacuum cleaner to replace one that crapped out.  What a guy, right?!

 

Not much Geezer Gazette news this week. I haven't heard from the eye clinic in Miami yet.  I''ll give them until Monday and then call to see what's up.  I've now been using my Keurig inhaler for about 2 weeks. and I think it may be helping a bit with my emphysema issues.  The effect is subtle, though, and my blood oxygen level, which was pretty high to begin with hasn't increased noticeably.  I do, however, think I breath easier and with less effort than before, which should be putting less pressure on my heart.  So far I don't notice any significant side effects, which is definitely a good thing.  The drug info says that it can take 4 weeks or more to reach maximum effectiveness, so I'll keep going as long as there aren't any problems.

 

Ok.  That's it for now.  As always, aloha and Carpe Vitam. 

46 and Counting, Medical Travel, Big Whack

[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.

5/926

 

Aloha Gangl!

 

A fairly busy week here.  Our good weather has continued, to the delight of locals and tourists alike.  Kileaua's 46th (!) fountaining episode came and went after about 9 hours of spitting.  It was a pretty puny event compared to others, with just one of the two vents shooting up lava and only to about 800 feet.  However, the wind direction again sent tephra onto viewing areas and the park had to be temporarily closed, so the show could only be witnessed online. Two cruise ships (neither had any cases of Hantavirus, thankfully) visited besides our usual weekly ship.  They were repositioning to their northern summer bases, a common springtime sight here.  One even stayed for two nights, which was unusual.

 

On Tuesday I saw my retina doc for a shot in my right eye this time.  I also got him to refer me to a mainland clinic for a thorough neuro-opthamology workup.  My objective is to see if anyone can tell me why my vision is continuing to decline despite regular treatment.  I've chosen a place called Bascom-Springer Institute, reportedly the top-ranked center in the country for ophthalmology. The only downside is that it is in Miami -- as in Florida -- and it will probably require spending several days for all the tests and consultations.  I'm not sure yet when this will be.  I had my clinic here fax the referral to Bascom-Springer on Wednesday.  The next step is for them to contact me to set up an appointment.  It's possible this might be before our August trip, but I don't want it to interfere and I may put it off until October or November.  We'll see.  

 

The big house news this week was that the tree service we contracted to trim back our neighbor's

Before

trees to the property line and to clean up branches from the big storm in February came yesterday and did a major whack-back.  I really admire their skill and strength in doing what they did.  The trees aren't easily accessible and they couldn't use any fancy equipment, plus the branches had to be dragged a long distance over loose volcanic rock to where they could be dumped.  Although in the past I've done a bit of this myself, it is way beyond me now, and I'm happy to pay someone to do it.  Tree trimming here is a very good business because it is never-ending.  Like everything else, trees grow vigorously and continuously, and unless you regularly prune them, they will soon be sending branches into your living room. One of the

After

lessons I learned from managing an apple orchard is that the worst thing you can do is wait until a tree is a problem and then cut it way, way, back.  This stimulates it to send out new branches to try to balance the root system.  This "vegetative" growth is weak and prone to disease and insect damage.  Regular light pruning doesn't do this -- the tree puts its energy into flower, seed, and fruit production instead.

 

Ok friends.  Be good, be wise, behave.  Carpe Vitam. 

Backflips, Geezer-Aids, Keurig for Lungs

[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.

5/2/26

 

Aloha All!

 

I mentioned last week that we had tickets to a Sunday afternoon performce in Waimea by an acrobat

Huh?!

troupe from Australia named Humans 2.0. It was absolutely terrific. It was sort of like Circue du Soleil, but without as much hardware. Instead, it was a combination of modern dance and choreography with the human body doing incredible things.  Strength, agility, balance, grace, and artistic sensibility were on full display.  The staging was simple lighting, costumes, and music used to great effect.  Bottom line:  if you ever have a chance to see them perform, do it.

 

Weather here has been sunnier and drier than for the last month or so.  Pool is up to 88d even without covering it at night.  We've enjoyed doing our daily pool workouts most days this week.  This is usually right before lunch, followed by a nap.  Speaking of workouts, we finally managed to get back to Planet Fitness this week for the first time in almost two months. It was a pretty puny session, but we figured it was a good idea to ease back into it.  Our muscles agreed, judging from the soreness the next couple of days.

 

There's a fair amount of Geezer Gazette news this week, much of it good for a change.  First, a couple of "geezer-aids" that I ordered online were delivered, and both have helped me cope with my vision problems.  The first was a pair of magnifying glasses that are often used in craft projects.  The frames have interchangeable lenses that go all the way up the 5x.  They also have a built-in light that has helped greatly with my dimming problem.  They only cost about $25, a real bargain considering how much easier they have made my daily activities.  The second aid was a pair of sunglasses that fit over my regular glasses and have a yellow/brown tint rather than the grey tint I've been using.  The problem with the old ones was that that they cut out so much light that I lost the edges of things. I was to the point of not using them even in bright light because they made things worse, not better.  The new ones do dim things somewhat, but they also sharpen the contrast so I can see the edges of objects much more clearly.  Again, an inexpensive simple chabge that has made things "way mo' betta'." Altogether both geezer-aids cost less than 50 bucks and didn't require any physicians or medical appointments. The other bit of geezer news comes from my routine visit on Tuesday with my internist. I asked if I could switch to a different blood thinner to see if it would lessen my side-effects of bruising and bleeding.  At first he agreed, but then showed his worth by recalling that the new blood thinner medication could interact with the residual heart-rhythm control drug still in my system.  The interaction in this case leads to even greater bruising and bleeding, possibly a serious problem.  Whew! No thanks.  The other outcome from the visit is that I'm trying an inhaler to see if it might help with my emphysema.  The interesting (to me, anyway) aspect of this is that the inhaler is like a Keurig for the lungs.  Each dose is in a pill-like capsule that you insert and then pierce.  The drug is in the form of very fine powder instead of a mist.  Cool, eh?

 

Ok, that's enough for this week.  I hope you all are doing well and having a good Spring. Don't let you-know-who puree your brain. Carpe vitam! 

Plethora of Plumeria, Piano Magic, 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.

3/25/26

 

Aloha Ohana!

 

We don't have big changes of seasons in Hawai'i.  Some people who move here from the mainland 

Gotta Love It

miss this.  Not me. That's not to say everything is perfectly constant.  For example, there are several signs that it's time to say it's "Spring."  One sign is that the Plumeria trees, which lose their leaves during the "Winter," begin to bloom again while the branches are still bare. This produces what I call "snowball bloom," though some of the trees have blossoms that are shades of red and yellow. It is a spectacular, fragrant treat when we do our morning walks in the neighborhood.  Branches that overhang the street are fair game for collecting blossoms for small flower arrangements that we deploy in our house.

 

Another sign is the exodus of our winter visitors from the North West -- Humpback Whales and Snowbirds.  The whales go back to their summer home waters off Alaska, and the snowbirds migrate back to various home destinations along the west coast, with a few returning to the Midwest and East. This makes the next few months a sweet spot for living in Hawai'i -- the lull between summer and winter tourist seasons, when we enjoy less traffic and better stocked shelves in the grocery stores.

 

Besides enjoying "Spring" this week, we also went to a performance by Jim Brickman, a fabulous piantist/vocalist who is one of our favorites. He was touring the islands and our theater in Waimea booked him for a couple of shows last Sunday.  A real treat.  Tomorrow the same theater is presenting a traveling circus troupe from Australia called Human 2.0 that is kind of like a mini-Cirque du Soleil.  Waimea is a 40-mile drive from home, and normally we don't like to do that at night.  However. both of these are/were during the afternoon, so we jumped at the chance to attend.

We are now returning to our travel plans for late summer.  You may recall that we booked an Alaskan cruise in August on a small ship (80 passenger) operated by the same company that does the Mississippi River cruise that we enjoyed last year.  Now we're booking airline tickets, hotels, etc. We've decided to extend this trip by flying to Denver at the end of the cruise and taking the scenic train from there to Glenwood Springs, about a 5-hour trip through the Rockies.  Glenwood Springs is an historic hot springs resort town that should be fun to visit.  And of course, I'm a real train fan, particularly one that goes through mountains.  We'll spend some time before and after the train trip in Denver to see friends and relatives. 

 

Not much to report in Geezer Gazette news.  I saw my retina doc on Tuesday -- same old same old.  Yesterday I saw my cardiologist for the first time since he referred me for an ablation.  All good at the moment.  My ECG was, in his words, "about as normal as it gets." The plan is to wait until June, 5 months out from the ablation, and then do a 2-week monitoring session with a paste-on device that measures heart activity 24/7 and produces a very detailed report, much more thorough than my FitBit can do.  If that looks good, then I might be able to stop my blood-thinner medication.  That would be very welcome.  Even though I'm on a very low dose, my forearms look like the hide of a pinto horse and I bleed if I touch my skin with a feather. 

 

Ok folks.  It seems like we're living at a time when insanity, narcissism  and sociopathy are running amok, but surely there will be a day of reckoning, right?  Take care.  Carpe Vitam.

Return Home, Good Trip

[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.

3/14/26

 

Aloha Everybody!

 

We got home last Sunday after a lonnggg journey from Colombia of about 26 hours.  We left Cartegena about 8:30 p.m., so add another 10-12 hours to the total hours of being awake (ish). We flew first to Bogata, then to Houston, then Denver, then non-stop to Kona. Not exactly carbon-frugal routing, but we were at the mercy of airline scheduling. We had a fairly tight connection in Houston.  This was a concern because that is where we had to deal with Immigration and TSA screening. Zipped right through, thankfully. No delays at all.

 

It was a good trip, despite some geezer challenges.  Panama was a very interesting place.  Every major imperialist country in the 16th - 18th centuries wanted control of the shortcut between the

Quetzal

Atantic and Pacific that the isthmus provided.  Spain was most successful at this, but not without being repeatedly attacked by other powers, mainly the British.  British pirates and privateers often attacked Spanish coastal cities, particularly those that were staging points for shipping exploited loot back to Spain and therefore offered a rich prize to any successful attacker.  We spent several days in three different locations, including a town in the highlands of western Panama called Boquete.  It was here that we did some outstanding bird watching, thanks in large part to our private guide.  She was an excellent bird-spotter, very knowledgeable and was very facile at quickly setting up a spotting scope and attaching her cell-phone to the eyepiece so that on the screen we could see the target clearly, despite visual challenges.

 

The river cruise in Colombia was enjoyable, but not as much as our Mississippi trip last year.  The Colombia operation is just a year-old, and still has some kinks in the itinerary and activities that need to be worked out.  One of the best parts was interacting with local people, for whom our visits were as interesting to them as they were to us.  The ship was small, holding just 60 passengers max.  The

Cruise Booze

majority of our cruise mates were Canadian, and there were  a few Australians and Europeans as well.  They were all very congenial and had interesting histories, including one Canadian man who was an expat Indian whose family had been living for years in Uganda before Idi Amin expelled them. They arrived in Canada penniless with only the clothes on their backs.  Despite the setback and immense challenges, he eventually founded a very successful computer company that was recently bought out for megabucks.  Literally rags to riches.

 

While we were gone the abundant rain produced a garden jungle that we have been whacking back this week, but it will take some time. I've also have to do some cleanup from the big storm that we had right before we left. This will involve hiring someone to cut up some fallen tree limbs and haul them away. There just wasn't time to do this properly, plus tree trimmers were overwhelmed.  It should be easier now. 

 

In Geezer Gazette news, I had my 2-month video consultation with my ablation surgeon (actually, her PA).  So far so good.  The side effects from my anti-arrhythmic drug have abated somewhat, and I feel much more energetic and I have more stamina.  My Fitbit has recorded only a couple of brief Afib episodes.  The video conference confirmed, though, that it is ambiguous as to whether this is due to the ablation or to the residual effect of the drug, which I stopped taking just a month ago.  The next few months will tell -- I just have to wait and see.  The PA repeated what my surgeon told me before the procedure, that an ablation isn't a cure for Afib, despite what most people believe.  Rather, the goal is to reduce the "load" or frequency and duration of episodes without the use of drugs.  I'll take it.

 

Coming up next week will be a round of encounters with the medical establishment -- appointments with my dentist, retina specialist, internist, and cardiologist.  Maybe I should have scheduled a visit to my dermatologist just to do a complete round. Sheesh!

 

Ok, that's enough for now.  Take care and enjoy your Spring.  Carpe Vitam!  

Ash Fall, A Kona Low, Med Woes, On The Road Again

[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.

3/14/26

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

Petulant Pele reminded us this week that she has the power to mess things up for us.  Episode 43

Note Tephra Cloud

occurred on Tuesday, starting at about 9:30 and ending early evening after about 9 hours. This wasn't the biggest eruption but it was one of the most problematic. Would-be viewers were stymied because the park was closed for much of the time due to tephra fall (volcanic ash and rocks) at the observation sites and even in nearby communities.  This dangerous situation was caused by something called a "Kona Low" (see below) that made the winds blow the ash and hunks of lava in an unusual direction.  Here's the official description by the volcanologists:  "This eruption was comparable in size to episodes 41 and 42, but due to light winds produced tephra fallout similar to but not as great as episode 41.  The plume sent tephra falling within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the north rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and into adjacent communities.  The heaviest tephra fall was recorded at Uēkahuna overlook (about 4-7 inches of accumulation) where 2-inch tephra began falling at around 10:20 a.m. HST and Kīlauea Military Camp (about 2 inches of accumulation) where 4-5 inch tephra fell starting at about 10:20 a.m. HST.  The Volcano Golf Course community was hardest hit with a blanket of tephra with pieces up to several inches in diameter." 

Start Shoveling

Imagine what this would due to your car -- or your head, for that matter. Of course the visuals of this made for great spots in the national news, giving the false impression that the whole island was blowing up. All this activity occurred over 90 miles from our house and posed no danger to us. Still, it made things difficult for people trying to reach the other side of our island because he tephra fall even closed the  highway near the volcano for a time.  This was very problematic, because there is only one road that circles the island so that the closest spot to get from one side to the other from the closed section was over 100 miles away.  The whole thing illustrates human vulnerability to nature's whims.

 

Sticking with the nature theme. this week I also learned and new meteorological term -- "Kona Low."  This is a condition in which a a low pressure area occurs on the leeward side  (i.e., Kona) of the islands either to the northwest (this one) or southwest, bringing winds along our coast.  The more normal pattern is for trade winds from the northeast to hit the windward side.  The positive effect for us is that leeward winds clear out our vog and keep it from accumulating along our coast.  However, this Kona Low was accompanied by a humongous rain system that has resulted in several days of cloudy and rainy weather, including some serious flooding on the northern islands.  We didn't have it as bad as other places, bu we've had an unprecedented string of cloudy days with near constant light rain and some very strong blustery winds that so far haven't done serious damage but have deposited a lot of junk in our pool.  This is expected to continue today, tomorrow, and even into Monday.  Sheesh!   Again, nature is ultimately in control, a lesson that is commonly driven home on the mainland, but holds here as well.

 

A couple of items in the Geezer Gazette are worth mentioning.  Late last week the side effects of the temporary anti-arrhythmic medication I've been taking got very severe.  My heart rate dropped into the 30's and low 40's and I felt like warmed over death: fatigue, muscle weakness, dizzy. I made a unilateral decision to cut way back on my routine heart rate medication and to stop the anti-arrhythmic stuff altogether (about a week early from the surgeon's prescription).  I contacted the surgeon's office and gave them my self-monitoring data and described my subjective symptoms.  A couple of days later I got a call from the surgeon's assistant with the recommendation that I cut way back on my routine heart rate medication and to stop the anti-arrhythmic stuff altogether -- in other words, my unilateral decision was vindicated.  It's now been about a week since these adjustments and I feel a tense better, but the anti-arrhythmic medication is very long lasting, so it will take more time before the side effects lift significantly.  I'm hoping that I can still do some of the more strenuous things we had planned for the trip, but I may have to tone them down.  We leave mid-week so feeling great may be a bit of a stretch.  I think I can still do the trip, though, and I'm really looking forward to being on the road again....

 

Ok, that's it for the week.  This will be my last missive until we return in April, so I leave you with this thought:  when the kernel of truth is removed from propaganda, only lies are left.

 

Carpe Vitam! 

Coqui Hormones, 3-Weeks Post Zap

[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.

3/7/26

 

Aloha Fellow Time Travelers!

 

Time to update you on my battle with one of my primo critter adversaries.

 

The Target

I've now caught 895 Coqui frogs. Nearly all of them were on our property, but I've also captured some from other house lots and gardens in the neighborhood.  Unfortunately they are prolific breeders and have no natural predators in Hawai'i (except humans like me), so they defy total eradication.  Ill probably hit 1000 sometime this year. I'm currently battling several that have moved into our front garden, so I'm likely to hit 900 soon.

 

Coquis are beloved in their home territory of Puerto Rico, where they're considered an informal mascot.  Here they are considered an invasive species and they do significant damage to our ecology, besides being loud and obnoxious (the call of just one Coqui can reach 95 decibels.).  One problem is that the lack of predators in Hawai'i has created densities that are 2-3 times greater than in Puerto Rico.  I wonder if Coquis would be so fondly regarded there if the numbers were as great as ours. 

 

Female on Left

Anyway, over the years I've become something of a "Coqui Whisperer," so I know their strengths and weaknesses.  One weakness is that they are ruled by their hormones, much like many humans. This leads them to behave in risky and self-defeating ways that allow "the Hand of Doom" to descend fatally upon them.  If conditions are right (a bit of rain and warm temperatures at night) the males' hormones kick in and theyMUST repeatedly call out their location to attract females.  That sound helps me to locate them as well, and that is a large part of catching them.  The males establish a broadcasting station early in the evening and they stick to it all night, even returning if they're disturbed by a marauding human.  Catching them while they're "singing" isn't a slam-dunk, however. Their call is so loud and narrowly focused that sound bounces off the nearby foliage and can seem like it's coming from one spot when it's really not.  Knowing their preferred types of locations for calling stations makes my job of grabbing them much easier.  I wear a headlight while hunting, and if I spot one I try to blind it and grab from behind. This must be quick, however, because they are very fast. There are other tricks that I've learned over the years, but I won't bore you with them.

 

So my battle goes on in this endless war.  The reward is a quieter evening and less ecological damage.  Plus a macho feeling of a successful hunt -- another example of being ruled by hormones I suppose.....

 

In Geezer Gazette news, Thursday marked my 3-week ablation anniversary.  I wish I could report that I feel great, much better than before.  But I can't because although I've only had a few short Abib episodes, I'm having some hefty side effects from the anti-arrhythmia drug that my surgeon prescribed.  Ironically, the effects are almost the same as I felt when I was in constant Afib.  In short, at the moment I've just exchanged one cause of feeling whacked for another.  The hopeful thing is that I only have to take this medication for another five days, and after that maybe I'll improve.

 

We've begun our prep for our trip despite the health issues.  Of course, another concern is that our "Peace" President will decide to take over either Panama, Colombia, or both.  Killed by friendly fire is not the way I want to die.....

 

That's it for this week.  Carpe Vitam!