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

 Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

5/10/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

4/11/25

 

Aloha All!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Jackson, Course Dragon

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

 

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

Carpe Vitam!

 

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

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

4/5/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

3/29/25

 

Aloha All!

 

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

 

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

A Swimming Hole?

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

Flamenco Dancing, Air Plants, Beach Birthday Party

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

3/22/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

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

 

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

Flamenco Vivo

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

 

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

 

Happy Birthday!

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

 

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

 

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

Hawaiian Daffodil

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

 

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

New Glasses, Bogey Boogie, Skin Exam

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.]

3/15/25

 

Aloha!

 

I see on my weather app that it has been in the 70's this week in the Midwest!  Wow, talk about  a spring thaw!  Back in the days when we owned our apple orchard in Ohio, I got nervous if we had an early spring warm up. If the trees were in full bloom when a cold snap hit, a frost could wipe out most if not all of the year's crop. Our roller-coaster spring weather in Ohio made this a real possibility.  We didn't breathe easy until after the frost-free date, which these days us in late April, but back 30 years ago it was mid-May.

 

My Geezer Gazette news this week is mixed.  On Monday I saw my optometrist and got a new prescription for glasses. My current uncorrected acuity tested fairly good (well, compared to my

Good Luck!

previous tests),  20/60 in my worst eye and 20/40+2 in my best eye.  However, a comparison of my eyesight with and without the new correction prescription showed just a little difference.  In other words, my vision can't be totally corrected with lenses that just refocus the light.  I'm sure this must be hard to understand for those of you who wear glasses with good results. But my problem is something far deeper, and as the optometrist verified yet again, it's not due to refraction errors, cataracts. glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal edema. or any obvious problem with my optic nerve. I will certainly order the new glasses, though, because they will help a smidge, and these days I'll take every smidge I can get. You'll be glad to know I'm also going to shut up about my problem until I have something definite to report. 

 

The other piece of Gazette news is actually good.  I had my 6-month skin exam on Thursday and my skin passed with flying colors (except of course for the sags, bags, wrinkles, bruises, and age spots). Usually I  have to have several pre-cancerous thingies frozen with liquid nitrogen, the legacy of growing up in Colorado and poo-pooing sunscreen. But this time my dermatologist couldn't find anything to zap, and believe me she looked hard everywhere. I'm still on a 6-month schedule because of my past history, but I'm ok with that.

 

Staying with the good news, Karen and I played golf on Wednesday and we both did great, with very little fantasizing or applying Kon-a-Lago rules. In fact, it was one of my best rounds ever. I got a total of five bogeys and one par!  I don't have any explanation for this stellar performance, and I doubt if I can keep it going, but the moment was very sweet. Before you ask, let me remind you that we don't keep a total score because we often don't play all 18 holes. However, we do keep track of strokes on each hole so that we can compare this round with previous ones. My eyesight is good enough to see the ball as I hit it, but then I have to rely on Karen to spot where it goes. On long shots I can usually feel when I connect well, and there is also a certain sound that goes along with a good whack.  Both the feeling and the sound are very satisfying. We saw quite a few peacocks but not as many Nenes as we usually do. This might just be because they are now nesting out of sight. We'll look for them again next time.

 

Ok, enjoy the warmth.  And remember that honesty, integrity, and compassion are still admirable qualities, despite their absence in prominent people. And reality, truth, and facts really do matter.  Take care.

 

Look & See, 77" Techno-Toy, Pool Pump Meltdown

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.]

3/8/25

 

Aloha, Fellow Life Travelers!

 

Two of my newsy notes this week have to do with vision, so I suppoise they qualify as Geezer Gazette items.

 

First, Karen's visit to her optometrist resulted in a new prescription that will get her to 20/25 in one eye, and 20/30 in the other.  This is good news, though before cataract surgery she had even better

Choices, Choices

eyesight and didn't require glasses except for reading. It is true that she has less trouble with fuzzy lights at night, but she isn't sure that the small improvement is really worth it.  At least with her new prescription she will be able to function well, including being my extra pair of eyes.  Both of us are cautionary tales regarding cataract surgery, though it is still true that 90% of the time people have improved vision afterward, often experiencing a dramatic improvement. But...Not...Always.  

The second bit of news this week is that my Costco online order for a new t.v. was delivered (shipping took a total of 4 weeks).  This 77" bad boy is a full 12" bigger than our old one, a geezer godsend.  It arrived late Wednesday afternoon and I spent Thursday reading the instructions and prepping it to hang on the wall.  We wrestled it up onto the wall bracket Thursday afternoon.  I then spent time tweaking it to get it to talk nice to my audio-visual receiver. My AVR handles all the input from our Roku, our DVR, and the Bluetooth media apps on our tablets and phones.  It was working fine for that night's t.v. viewing.  Definitely better!  By the way, my approach to Smart TVs is considered odd by many people, because the first thing I do when I hook them up is lobotomize them by not letting them connect to the internet. Instead, I set them to accept input only from my AVR.  I don't do this because I'm ignorant of the technological power of Smart TVs. Rather it's because I am fully aware of what they can do, and for this reason I regard these devices as potentially posing huge privacy and security risks.  The convenience, access, and control they offer are certainly appealing and for many people these features far outweigh the potential downsides of giving a t.v information about your viewing habits, search preferences, biometric patterns, links to other devices and your usage patterns of them (as in, "Siri, turn on the oven at 5 pm, start the dishwasher at 3am, open the garage door in 10 minutes"), etc.  It is far easier for me to control and limit the surveillance activities of my AVR, including shutting it off entirely from the internet except for specific functions that I choose.  Anyway, I'm very happy with the new tv's display performance.  I'm also pleased with myself for the successful installation, given current physical challenges.

 

The last bit of news this week is about one of those home-ownership headaches.  For about a week I've noticed our pool circulation hasn't been quite what it should be. Then one morning early in the week I discovered that the pool pump failed to start at its scheduled time.  Without the pump running the system doesn't filter the water nor send it through our solar panels. I did some troubleshooting of my own to rule out something simple, like a tripped circuit breaker or a timer malfunction. Nope.  I called my pool guy and asked him to stop by and take a look.  His assessment was that it might be a bad capacitor that pump motors like these need to get up to speed when they are first turned on.  It took him a couple of days to locate a new one, which was not easy given the age of the motor.  This type is being phased out by newer energy-efficient designs, a great idea that is irrelevant in my case because our pv system generates more that enough electricity to run my current pump. Anyway, it didn't help.  Still dead. It was looking more and more like I'd have to buy a new motor.  However, nobody on the island sells a direct replacement, so I'd have to have one shipped from the mainland, a lengthy and expensive proposition.  Of course, I could buy one of the available energy-efficient motors available locally, but this would require re-engineering the whole system.  Shees....  My pool guy, to his credit, kept troubleshooting and eventually spotted a problem in the timer connections that are inside the control box.  One of the circuits hadn't been properly grounded when the timer was installed.  Over time the lack of grounding caused one of the terminals to actually melt, cutting the power to the motor in half!  This might account for the slower circulation and eventually the lower power wasn't enough to start the motor at all.  These control boxes are common and easy to find locally, so we were able to test this possibility pretty quickly and inexpensively.  Voila! As of late yesterday afternoon we're functioning again so that today we should get some heating from the solar panels as well as having the water filtered.   Ah, home ownership.

That's the news for this week.  Stay warm, stay healthy.  Stay centered.