July 4, 2003

  • This pic is of Peaches, the kitty I've previously mentioned who had pneumonia for months. Lately, it had gotten very bad... enough so that I barely could get her to cough the phlegm up at all, by thumping on her chest. Yesterday, I was outside talking to a neighbor & noticed her sitting near the road, by my rock steps, breathing hard. I wondered then if she was contemplating suicide, tired of being ill.


    (Sorry about the image quality... this is from a pencam that definitely had problems.) Later, when walking through the yard while showing that neighbor some of the tasks I'd like him to do for me for yard work, he noticed her near my puppy, looking dead. I looked to see her still breathing, but she didn't look good at all, with glassy eyes. I picked her up & took her to my porch & began thumping her chest & stroking her, trying to get her to breathe better. Apparently, my puppy (now 7 months), who'd been trying hard to get to any of my kitties to play with like a toy, did get ahold of her when she was trying to come back to the house. She seems to have played with her like she does her stuffed toys, slinging them around. Peaches was muddy in places. I don't know if what my puppy did actually hurt Peaches more internally, but there were no bite marks on the cat, nor did she appear to have any broken bones.

     

    What I did for Peaches did revive her enough so that she was able to sit up & did walk around some. I brought her inside to the feeding area, so she could drink water & eat if she felt up to it. She later left that area, coming into the livingroom & laying down on the floor. I picked her up & worked on helping clear her lungs again, but she wasn't able to move the phlegm out even with my help, so I lay her in a box & placed a towel over her to keep her warm. I now knew she had given up & wouldn't make it through the night. When I got up this morning, she was lying beside the front door... death the winner. Sleep well, Peaches!

     

    My puppy was punished, severely, just in the way I had punished another dog who tried to get at my chickens. My method may seem unjust, but the animal knows why, since the punishment used the creature they were trying to hurt, even unintentionally. She also did without supper last night & is still getting my 'cold shoulder' today. She is learning that what she did was unacceptable to me, whom she so much wants to please. I hit her with a stream of water from my water hose whenever I catch her trying to get at any of my other animals. She MUST learn that they are NOT toys for her to play with! I've given her several old stuffed toys, found in my yard when I bought the house. She is also allowed to play with sticks & old, broken plastic plant pots & a few things I've bought for her. Living things are not to be her toys!

     

    ==================================

     

    On to other things...

    Tomorrow, Hawaii Classic Cars is hosting a car hobbiest-type car show in Hilo. When my son & I were in Hilo yesterday for his latest check-up, we stopped at Liliokalani Gardens (linked image not mine) so I could eat my lunch in peace, in the cool shade. My son ate most of his on the way there from McD's. I heard the rumble of a souped-up car approaching & glanced back to see a couple red classic cars cruise behind mine, to park nearby. After getting permission from the owner of one, I shot pictures of it. He was even kind enough to open the hood to show me the engine I had heard. This is it below:

     


    It is a '93 Cobra engine, tricked up. I was amazed that such a large engine could fit into this little car!:


     

    This car's a 1956 Ford Thunderbird, with the landau hard top & convertible soft top. This is the ONE Ford model I wouldn't mind having & could have bought in Texas in the mid-70s for $4k, restored, had I had that kind of money!

     


    This is a 'newer' version of what once had been a 2-seater sports car. This one is an early 60s model T-Bird, 5-seater sports coupe. I found this car in the Naniloa Hotel parking lot on Banyan Drive... our 'hotel row,' where many of these car enthusiasts are staying.

     


    The next car is one many of the older generation can appreciate. Of all that I've seen of this particular make/model, this one has to be the nicest one ever! I didn't speak to the owner, nor find in my brief look, what exactly it is, but I presume it's about a 1928 Ford. Please enlighten me if I'm incorrect.


    Sports car enthusiasts can't get this next one wrong. It's a '63 Corvette Stingray. One of my supervisors while in the Navy said she had one. She missed it terribly & said it was the only Corvette worthwhile of having.


    Here's a shot from the back, showing off the Stingray styling. The owner is the gentleman in the white Tee shirt.


    The next vehicle is a true antique. I believe it's a Model T Ford pickup truck. As you can tell, it's not fully restored yet, as are the others I've displayed here. I intentionally show this one because this one is a WORKING antique! I believe the owner lives in my subdivision & uses this truck, rather than letting it sit in a garage until time to show off for one of these events. I could have taken a shot of the stuff he's hauling in the bed, but didn't.


    The car in the next image is the same age as I am, but in MUCH better shape! It's a '55 Chevy Belaire Coupe. Note that it even has the old sunvisor attached to the top of the windshield! Love this car! The owner brought it over from Oahu just for this event, at a roundtrip cost of $242 shipping. That's a real car enthusiast for you!


    Here's the same car from the front. Gorgeous!



    Another old Chevy, here's a 1956 model. Most people don't know how to find the gas tank access on them. The trick is that it is behind the taillight (left, if I remember correctly from the days I managed a gas station & had one come in regularly)!


    For one a tad newer, here's a 1957 Chevy. Red was a popular color for Chevy enthusiasts back then. Note the fake scoop on the hood. It's a newspaper box for the Maui News. Do you suppose he once was a motor route carrier for that paper, on Maui?  I once had a boyfriend who had 2 of these old Chevys... a black & white '57 like this one & a red '56 convertible one. I admonished him when he sold them both!

     


    How about this older Chevy parked next door? Love that paintjob, reminiscent of the 50s & "American Graffiti" movie.

     


    And another flaming coupe, a '34 (by the license plate):


    Here's a line of real oldies but goodies...



    Last, but not least, is one that is being offered up for sale. My photo doesn't do it justice. It's a beautiful copper color, which didn't turn out in my shot. The asking price is $35k:


    Here's the phone number to get ahold of the owner, if you're interested in buying this one. But be quick, because it may not be available for long. The area code here is 808, which I noticed he didn't add to his sign. Yes, I did get his permission to post his car & number here on my blog!


    There are a total of 300 cars expected to be displayed tomorrow along Hilo's Bayfront. Among them are 100 from other islands & 60 from the Mainland! The first one I displayed here is from California. The owner's been here for 2 weeks already. I assume he has homesteads in California & on this island. I guess some people can afford that. At least 50 of those from the Mainland come from California. Hmmm... what's so special about Hilo, & this island, that brings people here every year, even to bringing these special cars?

     

    I have more pictures of some other cars, but this is getting picture-heavy. I'm hoping to get into Hilo tomorrow to get pics of a few more of these gorgeous cars. Maybe I'll find something really special? I didn't find the type of car that I had as my first... a '68 Pontiac Firebird covertible. Shucks!

     

    I have tickets to a VFW steak-fry for tomorrow. I'm dragging my son with me, no matter what he thinks! He can sit on the grass if nothing else. Later, hopefully, we'll go to Hilo for the fireworks display off Coconut Island (next to Liliokalani Gardens). I know if we do get there, I'll be cruising through the classic cars again.

June 28, 2003


  • The surgery went ok. I didn't get to speak to the surgeon afterwards, because he was back in surgery with another patient, so I don't know exactly what he had to do or if there were any complications. We had been told before the surgery by the male nurse (the same one I had for both my surgical biopsy & mastectomy there) that it could take an hour & a half to two hours. It appears to have taken the full two hours. The funny thing is that my son wanted a more definitive figure of how long it would take when the doc stopped by just before the surgery. With that doc, it's hard to tell if his 'feathers got ruffled' or that he was actually joking... he doesn't smile much. He gave a rather curt response, saying he'd already been told how long, then said we wouldn't want him to rush. I replied that he should take as long as he needs to do it right.

     

    I didn't want to leave while my son was in surgery, but there were things I needed to do while in town & my son said he didn't want to hang in town while I did what I needed to. I got back just 15 minutes after he came out of surgery, so I timed it ok, although I had wanted to be back at the hour & a half mark.

     

    I took care of dropping off my paperwork to get my property deed stuff, leaving a note for the realtor, since he wasn't in, sliding it under his door. I also went by the County building to get a temporary disabled parking permit, which I already had my oncologist fill out last week. I wouldn't bother with one, but my feet, legs, knees & back have been quite painful lately. I can't stand for long & walking on hard surfaces makes my feet especially achy. This has been going on for about 3 weeks now & not getting any better. I don't know what's going on that's causing it. I've been on the waiting list to see a VA rheumatologist for months now. She only comes to this island every other month & so currently can't see other patients. My record states that this request went in last December, but I'm sure it was the time I saw the regular VA doc before that. Once I get to see her, perhaps I can get the temporary disabled parking permit turned into a permanent one. The interesting thing about when I went to the permit office is that the woman who helped me get it works with a woman who has fibromyalgia, like me, & understands how bad things can get for us at times. She couldn't figure out why my doc only gave me 6 months, As it stands, I could have gotten a temporary one just for my son!
     

    I also meant to take care of renewing my car insurance & adding the Jeep I recently bought onto it. Unfortunately, they don't open until 10 AM, so that'll have to wait for now. Another thing on my agenda was getting cat food from Wal-Mart, but they didn't get the type in I feed my kitties. They had been out yesterday & the associate who worked in that department yesterday said they'd have some this morning. It never showed up. I can only feed my kitties certain brands & types of cat food, or some of them get diarrhea. Since Wal-Mart didn't get the type in they can eat, I had to stop in Pahoa town on the way back for another brand (Nutra-Nugget) they can eat. These contain reasonable levels of taurine, a necessary enzyme for good health in carnivorous animals (including humans!). The other Wal-Mart brand cat food doesn't list it in either the nutrients or the ingredients, even though that cat food is more expensive! Minimally, kitties should receive 0.0125% taurine levels in their food. The Special Kitty Original flavor has that amount. The Gourmet flavor does not.

     

    I later found out that a barge on its way to Hilo had some difficulties & got stuck out at sea. The perishables onboard are being donated to the Food Bank, because of the time delay, causing the stuff to be too old to sell as fresh. This will help the Food Bank tremendously, since they had been so low on commodities since the shipping strike last year along with the poor economy.
     

    When I got there & they let me into recovery, he was awake & trembling from being cold. So much so that his teeth were chattering uncontrollably. They were covering him with a couple thermal blankets & a special 'blanket' that is inflated with heated air. What an interesting invention! At Tripler, as well as Hilo Medical Center's ER, they use blankets warmed in a special oven. My son spent an hour in Recovery, with the nurse constantly checking his bios & recording them, as well as monitoring his IV drip rate. Carl complained of a sudden headache & the nurse put a shot of the same narcotic they use during surgery for the pain. Before removing the IV when the recovery hour was up, she gave him a different narcotic through the IV port.

     

    With my new parking permit, I was parked right next to the entrance, with direct access on the passenger side. It was a simple matter for him to get into the Jeep once the last nurse (there had been 2 during his recovery) wheeled him out in a wheelchair. When the day before, we went for his crutches training, I was surprised to learn that he's tall enough that he can turn around & sit on the seat without having to step up on something. I'm not tall enough (damn short legs!).

     

    Another stop on the way home was the pharmacy for the antibiotics & pain medicine my son will need to take for awhile. We got home by 2:30, five & a half hours after his surgery commenced. He napped during most of the ride & had napping most of the time at home the rest of that day. He wasn't very hungry so didn't eat any supper. We did go through MacDonald's drive-through for 2 double cheeseburgers for him & a grilled chicken large combo for me.







    The following day, we had to go back to Hilo for his follow-up after surgery appointment. The doc removed the 'air cast' that was on the outside, filled with cold water to reduce the swelling & the semi-rigid brace that my son had more complaints about than anything else. He grumbled that the brace was causing most of his pain. The doc unwrapped the bandages, removed the tape over the surgical wounds & poked a bit at them. The wounds looked great! There was very little blood stains on the bandages, which looked like they had been there from when the bandages were applied. There was swelling, but not as much as I expected.

     

    While replacing the bandages, the doc told us that he is to use the brace while walking & at night, while sleeping. The 'air cast' is to be used for 20 minutes on, 20 off. My son was very relieved that he isn't having to wear either one all the time. I asked about how much of the hamstring tendons he removed & he said, "All of them, about 23 centimeters." This, I couldn't quite understand. I thought he'd remove part of them, enough to use for the cruciate ligaments, then reconnect them, since they can stretch out. He said that "they will re-grow, scar up." I said sort of like a fingertip re-growing if not stitched closed & he said, "No, we're not lizards." I'm confused. I know how important the hamstrings are for bending the leg. Or at least I thought I did. It seems like my son will never have 100% use of that leg again.

     

    He's scheduled to see the doc next on Tuesday. He told my son he wants him to be able to bend his knee 90 degrees by then. He's going to take X-rays then as well, to make sure everything is lining up properly, I assume. We also learned from the nurses that the doc is going to show us pictures from the surgery. Good! I had mentioned to my son that if they did a video of the surgery, I wanted to see it. He couldn't understand why, saying that'd be gross, so I told him I'm nosey & besides have been watching many different types of surgeries on Discovery Health.

     

    This doc is a Fellow with the University of Hawaii, Hilo, teaching athletic orthopaedic surgery & is also the surgeon for the University's athletes. His mom was also a surgeon (now retired, though still alive at 90!), the first female surgeon in the State of Hawaii, if I'm not mistaken, so he has a good background. I have to keep telling myself that, knowing his background, he has to be doing what's right & best for my son.

     

    We went to Wal-Mart, where they did have one bag left of the kitty food I get, so I got it. I also picked up some local-type crafting items. I'm going to make a Hawaiian seed lei for myself. I also got some suede leather pieces, a punch kit & suede lacing to make a couple items like a cigarette case with lighter pocket, a coin purse & a little pouch for my partials (false teeth), since I tend to take them out alot & have already lost my permanent ones & am now using the temporary ones the dentist made up himself for me.

     

    While at W-M, I also stopped in the insurance office, located inside W-M. I finally got my Jeep insured. The Toyota is still being covered by the State welfare insurance through the end of July, so I'll transfer it onto my Jeep's policy at that time. Next, my son wanted to go to Border's Books & Music because he wanted a magazine he couldn't find elsewhere. I almost wish I hadn't gone in because I found a few PC magazines with special software, some complete, some trial versions, that looked worth checking out. One of the magazines I picked up is the official WindowsXP one, with full version software CD. Not cheap, at $14, but perhaps the software will be worth it. I just wish the CD contained the Plus themes that I miss so badly that I used on Win98SE, including my gecko & mouse cursors. In checking online for the Plus themes for XP, I learned they have to be bought, whereas with 98SE, they were on the Windows CD, but had to be installed.







    Yesterday & today, we've mostly been home. My son's been playing video games but sneaking onto my computer to go online for game guides info on particular gaming things when I go outside for a bit. I've been doing a bit of weeding & pruning in my yard for a change, since I've gone back to taking the one anti-depressant with the 'side-effect' of repelling mosquitos. I can't work for long out there, though, because my back, legs, knees & feet get to aching bad in a short time. I've not been taking any anti-inflammatory/pain medication (like ibuprophen) on a regular basis anymore, so figure that's why I'm dealing with pain again so much. I only take one once in awhile, when it becomes bad & I think about & bother digging one out.







    Yesterday evening, I cooked stew beef cubes in a large skillet pan, along with plenty of vegetables. Being one who hates fat in meat, as well as the tough tendons, I couldn't be happy with just cutting the cubes smaller... I had to cut out all the non-meat stuff. Unfortunately, that meant my prep time extended from just a few minutes to almost an hour, on my feet, making me ache miserably. That included the time cutting up the veggies.

     

    My concoction was good, seasoned with many herbs & spices as well as shoyu, which were added to the meat right in the beginning. Sometimes, if I think about what I'm going to cook ahead of time, I'll make a marinade out of the seasonings, letting the meat marinade for at least 4 hours & up to a day, in the refrigerator. I added soy flour toward the end of the cooking to thicken the broth.

     

    Cooking time for my one skillet meal is long (about 2 hours), because I cook at a low temperature so the meat is thoroughly cooked & then tender. The veggies are added once the meat is almost thoroughly cooked (after an hour), with 2 medium-sized red potatoes added first, about 1" cubed. Once the potatoes were almost done (about a half hour later), I threw in the other veggies, which included 4 full leaves of bok choi (Chinese cabbage); 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4" thick rounds; 2 celery stalks, including the leaves they leave on, also about 1/4" thick & a full broccoli bunch, cut fairly small. I then add about a half cup of water to help steam the veggies. If I have them, I also add mushrooms, sometimes canned, sometimes fresh. The other veggies were all fresh. I know for a fact that the broccoli I buy is non-spray, because I have found small 'inch worms' within the florets occasionally in the past.

     

    I serve the meat & veggies over plain white rice, although one could serve fancy rice or brown rice. The items for the meal totaled up to about $10 & was enough to make 4 good-sized meals. Since there are only 2 of us, the leftovers get eaten for lunch or supper the next day.

June 25, 2003

  • I had another blog started about a week ago. It's still in process. There's alot been going on lately in my life, keeping me running around & worn out. I still plan on posting it, but thought I'd better at least post something in the meantime.

     

    I've mentioned that my son is going for surgery on his left knee. They're replacing his anterior cruciate ligament, harvesting 2 hamstring tendons from the back of that knee. The surgery is in the morning... EARLY!!! We're going to have to get up about 5:15 to be able to make it there at the time they demand. I'm not a morning person, so this will be difficult, to put it mildly. I wish it were scheduled a bit later, but it looks like my son is the first surgical patient for the day. We're also coming from a long distance for this... about 25 miles one way.

     

    Please keep my son in your thoughts during this. As good as the statistics are with surgeries nowadays, there are still chances of things going wrong. I'm trying to stay positive that his surgery will go as well as all of mine have, with no reactions to anesthesia, no complications during the surgery & no nausea during recovery.

     

    Also, please add my sister's father-in-law to your prayer/thoughts too. I've just learned that he's had a recurrence of cancer (originally kidney, with him being Type-2 diabetic) & has metastasized. He's not doing well, not eating & screwing up his sugar levels, so having to go to the emergency room often. It sounds like he won't last very much longer & will soon join his wife, who died about 5 years ago.

June 13, 2003

  • And the truth will be covered up!

     

    I recently accepted information emails for an activism organization that focuses on making change in our government to benefit the masses. This organization is called ActForChange. I receive email alerts for things that they sponsor to send to our government's representatives, calling for change, enlightenment, etc, in the forms of emails & petitions. One such recent one had to do with the recent tax reform bill, which withheld the $400 child tax credit from working families earning between $10,000 and $26,000 per year...the families who REALLY need the financial help.

     

    It is my theory that the reason these families were left out of this is that statistically, they don't vote, so giving them extra money wouldn't help the candidates in the next major election. Those they did include for the credit do tend to go to the polls at election time, so this was thought to be a good way to manipulate the voting public into retaining current government officials in the next election. Their excuse for not including these poor families is that they 'don't pay income tax.' To that, I say BULLSHIT, since our government withholds money from their paychecks every month, which the Federal government then earns interest income on. In other words, the Federal government is making money off the poor's withholdings, but not giving anything appreciable back for it.

     

    Well, there has been an amendment to that bill in the Senate, including these families for the child tax credit of $400 per child. BRAVO, Senators! However, the bill is still before the House, which shows signs of not approving that amendment. Please let your Representatives know that you would like that amendment to be passed through the House as part of the Tax Reform bill. Your voice DOES count!

     

    Currently, this activism organization is circulating a petition, asking the Senate to set up a committee to dig into the truth regarding the information of Iraqi 'Weapons of Mass Destruction,' which our Administration used as its platform for a preemptive strike against Iraq, committing thousands of our troops & billions of US Taxpayer dollars for what may have been a blatant lie. To date, there have STILL not been any WMD found within the borders of Iraq. It is believed that the information was either trumped up, fabricated or overblown & that it was intentional on the part of the Administration.

     

    Whether you believe this may be the case or not, it would better serve our Nation to have the exact information released to the general public, rather than kept sealed behind the doors of the specially assigned Senate Intelligence Committee, as is in current process. Please add your name to the petition, which they hope to acquire 50,000 signatures on & currently have over 11,000. Let's make the Administration accountable for its words & actions, as they should be, since they work for US !!!

     

    Their service is free & doesn't hang a recipient out to dry with endless spam if you choose to receive their email alerts. I hope you chose to enlighten yourself to the workings of your government, "... of the People, by the People, and for the People." They should be working for the good of the Nation, & now the world, not just themselves.

     

    In other subject matter, my community has finally been blessed by cooling, cleansing & nurturing rains! After weeks of blistering sunlight that has been killing the green, turning lush tropical plants into washed-out pale greens or even to yellows, rusts & browns & causing people to run out of their catchment water supplies, the rain has been falling in considerable levels most of Thursday! It started with Wednesday morning, but stopped in the afternoon, turning mostly cloudy, muggy & hot, leaving the ground still dusty & the plants wilted.

     

    Thursday's rains have produced enough moisture to restore what hasn't yet died. It's also cleaned the air of the volcanic gases that have been inundating us with the winds from the South, Southeast. These gases have resulted in flareups of chronic bronchitis, asthma & sinus trouble for many, especially my kitties, one of whom has chronic pneumonia. Hopefully, with the air clearing of pollutants, she'll start to do better. I still don't know how she survives with the pneumonia.

     

    Today, I awoke to partly cloudy skies, with excellent Trade breezes. No more rain today, but the clouds & breezes have been keeping me cool. There are occasional periods of sunshine, brightening up the region, but I'd be happy if it stayed cloudy. I've always enjoyed the rains, that's why I chose to move back to the Big Island's East side, which receives an average of 250 inches per year away from the ocean (which only gets about half that!).

     

    Summer is here, & it's obvious that my teenager will be making plans that keep him away from home as much as possible. As an example, he's spending the weekend with a friend in Kamuela (Waimea District) when the friend is on his weekend with his dad in visitation. That's a long way from here, being close to the Hilton Waikaloa Village, with its dolphin encounters. He plans to skate in Kamuela, where there may be a new skate park that supposedly recently opened. They're also renting movies as well as watching some of my son's skate videos he took along. There's no telling what all else they'll get into.

     

    So, this means a weekend all alone for me. As far as I've come from my fears related to my home invasion back in 1986, when the house is empty except for me, those fears return. I just about panic every time one of my dogs bark. If I hear a loud 'bang,' which can be gunshots, I sit here almost paralyzed, not knowing what to do, whether I should call the police & seem like an 'hysterical woman' or let it slide. Other weird sounds really have me in a tether. See... I KNOW my house isn't safe to an intruder. It would cost a fortune to make it secure & there is much more needed to be done to this house before going to the expense of security stuff. The house is just an unfinished shell. When it comes to the issues of my security, I just leave it up to the Supreme Being, silently pleading to be kept safe. I don't even have close neighbors who would hear me scream if I needed help.

     

    Non-locals don't realize how far away things can be on this island, which is large enough to accommodate ALL the other Hawaiian Islands & Rhode Island (state) with still room to spare! Hilo, the largest 'city' (no city charter) on this side of the island is 20 miles away from where I live. Kona is about 100, driving the better roads, with Kamuela about 55 miles from here on the way to Kona. These aren't Interstate-type highways either, with possible speeds of 65 mph. Most speed limits are between 45 & 55 mph, with 30 mph through each community (& there are lots of them!), so it does take awhile to get where you're going. There are also many things along one's travels that can side-track the traveller, causing delays. It's never a good idea to be in a hurry to go anywhere here! It's so vast & contains so much area that is undeveloped (thank you, Lord!) that individuals can easily get lost from society, & do! Privacy is plentiful here as well, which many residents take advantage of, including me.

     

    I will manage being alone this weekend. I'll go to the VFW tonight & the monthly DAV meeting with lunch afterwards tomorrow at the Nani Mau Gardens. I will also be doing some shopping & will do some things for my 'new' car, like checking into the spray-on bed liner stuff to coat the roof, since it has corrosion from a leaky after-market sunroof. I'm also going to have step rungs put on, making it easier to get into the vehicle, especially since my son will be having knee surgery in less than 2 weeks. He seems to think he'll have no problems getting in since he currently doesn't, but I know better! Even with the rung, he'll still have difficulty, since it's his left knee that will have surgery & he has to get in the passenger side, so will have to swing the injured leg in. Not fun! I also need to get a lube & oil change as well as find a decent used tire for my spare, since this one has a bad cut in the sidewall. The car is also missing one seat belt buckle, so I'll hit the junkyard for that. Busy day!

     

    Also tomorrow, while in Hilo, I'll be taking care of the paperwork that will give me a mortgaged deed to my property, allowing me the Homestead Property Tax Exemption, which will save me alot of money. It will also give me a vote in the community association & entitles me to run for a board position! I'd definitely like to see some changes made in the way the community is run, back to how we were getting it when I worked in the office. Currently, we're lucky to see the mowers on the private roads once in 2 months, yet we are paying for them to be maintained on a regular schedule! The subdivision looks like shit, compared with how it did while I was employed there (not necessarily saying I was responsible for that... just that we had an excellent maintenance crew who really cared about their community, but either quit or were fired by the current board president, one-by-one!). We definitely need people on the board who truly care about this community.

June 10, 2003


  • This blog was written a few days ago. I unfortunately copied it into the xTools browser over the top of another blog that I had posted & was editing. When I posted the new work, it wiped out my then current blog. Leave it to me to find a new way to lose hours of work in cyber space!   I was hoping that one of the 2 people who commented on it while I was editing it still had a copy of the original blog in their cache & would send it to me so that I could repost it. So far, no luck. So the reference to jacckkoiz's comment won't make sense. The comment's still there, only that I placed the blog private, leaving it otherwise intact awaiting a possible restoration of the original one. You see, I deleted my cache just before posting the other over the top in my editing process. Oh, well.

     

    jacckkoiz commented on my new decor on my last blog. The 'funny' thing about that, since it's been like that for a few days now, is that one subject I had intended to write on for that last blog was how I made the background. She said it looks kinda like paisley, which was very popular when she & I were quite young. I even had a few dresses in paisley patterns & had a book cover or 2 that were paisley.

     

    Although the background design isn't actually paisley, it does have that 'busy' appearance that paisley has. When I created it, I adored the colors & patterns that turned up in it. The neatest part about the design is what it originally started out as.

     

    I used a picture I snitched from MSNBC of the latest war in Iraq. I think it was one of the explosion hits on one of the palaces. I used Paint Shop Pro v7 to manipulate the image into something 180 degrees out of its start. Instead of the horror of war, the picture has become something beautiful (to me, at least).

     

    I have several other saved pretty manipulations of that pic. Same basic colors, but different shapes. I don't recall the specific steps I took in creating this image, but I did use several filters under Effects/Geometric Effects like Ripple, Warp, Twirl, etc., then Artistic Effects/Foil, then Reflection Effects/Kaleidoscope. Here's the same starting image, quickly manipulated using my last settings & doubled with the Kaleidoscope.

     


     

    After getting the base pretty, I'd duplicate the image window, cut the image, then copy/paste a resized (smaller) image onto that blank, so that it would be four copies of the same image, mirrored or flipped to fit together in a seamless larger image:

     


     

    In the case of the above images, I didn't have to mirror or flip, since they matched up okay. But had I varied the filters to the point where the effects weren't centered, I'd have had to. I created this image in only a few minutes!

     

    It feels great to take something signifying a tragic event & change it into something of beauty. It's sort of like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes of destruction to me. I only wish that I could truly turn such horror around, wiping out that terrible deed & replacing it with beauty instead.

     

    Here's the same image, with a few additional manipulations, off-centering the pattern:


    And quadrupled with mirroring & flipping:



    Here's what the unquadrupled, unmirrored & unflipped image would look like as a background:



    Not quite so pretty, huh?


    As you can see, you can come up with a virtually unlimited array of images to choose from for a background! I work with large sized images, so what I use for my background is usually about 350 pixels wide (the size of the original digital photo image, in this case). When starting out with a large original, manipulating the image will stay crisper. I also like to use a higher pixel per inch ratio along with a larger image pallet, so that less definition is lost when making various adjustments. This image didn't have the pixel/inch ratio I usually use, hence the graininess of the image. Sometimes, that can be moderately fixed by using the 'Effects/Blur/Soft' selection, then 'Effects/Sharpen/Sharpen or Sharpen More. You can use these filters several times on the same image to achieve more distinct results. I sometimes switch to another filter, then return to the original one for an additional tweak.


    If the image is too saturated with colors, making it difficult to read text, it is a simple matter to reduce the color saturation so that one can choose from a greater array of font colors. The reduced saturation image could look something like this:



    One rule of thumb for backgrounds... the busier they are (lots of patterning), the harder it is to find a text color that will show up adequately enough for anyone to read it without straining their eyes. When this happens, people often give up attempting to read it at all. That's why, in the case of my current background, I use a single-color background in the text area. In my older blogs, where I didn't add a background color to the text area, the text can be difficult to read.


    Maybe I'll be able to create a paisley one!

June 4, 2003



  • As of today, 04 June 2003, it has been 2 years since my original cancer biopsy/diagnosis. Two years of being cancer-free!


    In these two years, I've learned of others around me receiving cancer diagnoses. A few are gone, a few more are still battling the disease with conventional medical treatments, a few have had secondary cancers turn up & a few are turning to alternative treatments, such as I used.


    Am I blessed in that my cancer has not returned? Maybe. Is it my attitude about the disease in respect to the power of the mind in controlling illnesses that has kept the cancer from returning? Maybe. Perhaps it's the research I have done in regard to cancer that has made me stronger in "know[ing] thy enemy" that's helping? Could be. Could it be that I am avoiding conventional medical treatments (other than the surgeries) that's a factor? Probably, because of what I found in my research. What about my diet, limiting processed foods & consuming health-benefiting herbs? Most definitely, again because of my research.


    There's a woman, friend of a former co-worker of mine, who was diagnosed about the same time as I was with breast cancer. I don't know to what extent hers was, but I know she chose to remove both breasts, even though only one was cancerous. I also don't know what other treatments she received at the time. What I do know is that a few months ago, she was diagnosed with brain cancer... recently determined as inoperable. Since I have only learned what I have through the former co-worker & not through talking to the woman herself, I can only speculate as to the why.


    BUTT PRINTS IN THE SAND

    author unknown


    One night I had a wondrous dream,
    One set of footprints there was seen,
    The footprints of my precious Lord,
    But mine, were not along the shore.
    But then some stranger prints appeared,
    And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
    "Those prints are large and round and neat,"
    "But Lord, they are too big for feet."
    "My child," He said in somber tones,
    "For miles I carried you alone.
    I challenged you to walk in faith,
    But you refused and made me wait."
    "You disobeyed, you would not grow,
    The walk of faith, you would not know,
    So I got tired, I got fed up,
    And there I dropped you on your Butt."
    "Because in life, there comes a time,
    When one must fight, and one must climb,
    When one must rise and take a stand,
    Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

June 1, 2003





  •      I put on a black T-shirt yesterday morning when I was to take the kid to town. He was catching a ride with friends to go to the skate park in Hilo, which he hasn't done in ages. Hopefully, he won't do more damage to that bad knee while there. Update: He didn't.

         The point about the black T-shirt is that I put it on since it was cloudy & I wouldn't be bothered by the intense sunlight. Or so I had thought. As always, when I wear dark colors, especially black when it's cloudy, the clouds vanish, leaving me literally burning up! So was the case this morning. No sooner did I get in the house when I dumped that hot shirt for a cool Indian shift.

         On the way to Hilo & the doctor on Thursday, I caught sight of a pretty blue Jeep Cherokee parked on the side of the road in front of a home with a For Sale sign on it. I've been wanting a 4-wheel drive SUV since shortly after moving back to Hawaii. I had planned to buy a Subaru Forester with the money I had hoped to receive in back payment of an increase in my VA Disability rating, which I was denied. So, a new car was out of the picture, since it would cost nearly what the selling price of my house & carrying a note on it would mean very high insurance costs. Paying cash for a vehicle means I can have minimum coverage.

         I stopped to check the Cherokee out, meeting the owner. There were a few drawbacks with it which includes high mileage, holes (currently sealed with silicon) & no AC. The owner was planning to leave the island within a week & had already come down on his price. I sorta made a commitment to buy it, saying I'd be back around 6 PM with the cash.

         After the doctor appointment, driving back through town, I noticed a Toyota van in the used car dealer's lot where I had bought my Corolla last year. I decided to check it out, along with its price. But once I got in the lot, I noticed a Cherokee parked behind the van. I did a quick inspection of the Cherokee, noticing the bald right front tire, missing passenger side mirror, a few paint blemishes & dents & the console compartment lid that was missing all of its screws. I opened up the hood & noticed fine orange rust on the lower radiator hose, possibly due to overheating & overflow from the radiator cap. I then noticed that the upper radiator hose had been duct-taped. I pulled back the tape, but didn't find any cuts or breaks. But the hose was VERY easy to squeeze with my hand. It was obviously too weak to keep from collapsing with the radiator pressure & suction.

         When a mechanic came up with the key to start it up, I listened to the engine. It purred, not giving any indication of any engine problems. I had noticed that this one had AC, so I turned it on. It worked very well, but I didn't trust the sign of overheating. I pointed out the flimsy radiator hose & rust stains to the mechanic, who suggested I take it for a drive up the road to see if it would overheat. It takes more than just a mile or two for that kind of problem to show up though. He said that they had just gotten another one that hadn't been checked out yet & was parked in the back. It was older, an '89 model whereas the one in the front was a '94 (the blue one I had looked at on the way was a '93). He grabbed the key while I walked to the back to see it.

         This latest one was a dark blue when the one in the front was gold. It's paint was very dead & badly faded in some areas. Both had luggage bars on the roof & were more equipped than the first, also both having automatic transmissions versus the 5-speed of the first. I did my walk-around, finding worn front tires & the back tires with odd wear, indicating spring problems. One was ripple worn on the outside where the opposite one was worn on the inside tread. Its AC blew, but not cold, so needed recharging or worse. The driver's seat also tilted to the left as though there were no bolts on the right & the ones on the left were loose. Not good!

         I still wanted to get an idea of the price of those Cherokees so went in the office to talk to the lot owner. I wanted to get an idea what would be a reasonable price to pay for the first one I saw, knowing that although it had alot of miles on it, it had gone through some recent major fixes, like a new clutch, new hoses & wires & distributor cap/tune-up. I mentioned to the owner the problems I found with the two I had looked at. He told me that the gold one just returned from getting a new steering column/box, which explained the bald tire, which he would replace. The other's bad seat he had noticed himself. He dug into his computer & mentioned the asking prices for each, the gold one at $4295 & the midnight blue one at $3800. This gave me the answer of the value & offering price for the first one.

         The owner walked out with me to the gold Cherokee, looking at the rust stains & weak hose for himself. He then removed the check sheet from the passenger seat to see who had given it the once-over. He called that mechanic (one he recently hired) & started chewing him out, in front of me. Oops! His point was that a female customer had noticed what he had missed! I did let him know that I had been working on my own cars for over 20 years. I didn't tell him that I am a Virgo, who'd notice things most people don't, especially when I know what I'm looking at. I felt bad for the mechanic, but perhaps this will help him look more closely at what's in front of him. I had pointed out all of these problems I noticed with the mechanic who's been with them for some time now. They both need to look at these vehicles they get in to resell as if they were the ones who were going to buy them.

         Worse than the types of problems that have visible evidence are those one can't see, until it's too late. Nowadays, these are generally electronic problems... problems that can cause the car to die & be unable to restart when one is out in the middle of nowhere, opening one up to possible loss of life due to exposure to extreme weather conditions or being open to attack by someone with ill intentions. Definitely not good!!!!

         I stopped at my bank branch, which is located inside a grocery store. I told the teller that I wanted to withdraw a large amount of cash to buy a car. She told me that store branches have a $500 limit, but I could still augment that with cash from the ATM. But that still wouldn't be enough. She suggested that maybe he'd accept the cash & a check for the balance, but I didn't think so, since he had mentioned if I were to pay by check, he wanted to go to the bank with me to cash it. He had been burned previously, selling that same vehicle when the person wrote him a hot check. The police wouldn't help him get it back, saying he'd have to file a civil suit against the man to get his vehicle back. So he went after it himself & had to replace the title.

         I got what cash I could, running various ideas through my mind. When we got back to his house, he had put the Cherokee back out front. I asked if there had been any others to stop by. Although he said he was taking a nap when I pulled up, he said that he had moved it back about 5 & 4 people stopped by to look at it. I told him what happened with the bank & he said he'd accept a check for the difference. I told him about the 2 others I saw in Hilo & he asked how much they were going for. I told him I was thinking of offering him $3800 & he said "Sold!"

         He signed over the title, taking my cash & check. Because my son doesn't have a driver's license, the guy drove it to my house, with his partner following us to bring him home. After pulling it in my driveway, he pointed out a few things about it & told me a little about his current situation, since the plan to leave the island had changed. He & his business partner had a falling-out & he's taking him to court. He told me about his life-partner, who was waiting for him in the car (who I couldn't see through the window tinting), gave me a hug & kiss on the cheek, thanking me for buying the car, since he needed the money right then.

         The next morning, I took a drive out to his house after dropping my son at school, because I noticed that the registration & safety check paperwork weren't in the glovebox. Turns out that I interrupted him & his partner's love-making session. He came outside with just a towel wrapped around him. Oops! Shoulda called first!

         Anyway, I now have a nice 4 x 4 SUV to haul things I want to buy & go anywhere on the island I want to. The ironic thing is that it is the identical blue that my Toyota is! My son has already put a skateboarding sticker on it, to go with the community sticker I put on it.

         Another ironic thing is that I'm one who's not thrilled with buying American-made cars, yet Jeep is definitely American. I know this for a fact, since I worked on the Motorola assembly lines that made the electronic engine controls for Jeep & Chrysler, as well as occasionally on the one that built the ABS systems for them back in 1993. My position was 'Hot Test' for the EECs, so I know how well they perform. The numbers that failed were minimal. Those that did were fixed & sent through the test again.

         I had worked with that same supervisor another time I worked at Motorola, when we constantly changed models of radios for farm tractors, never staying with one more than 2 weeks at a stretch. I know how much care this woman had for the work her line produced & many of the women on that line worked with her even back then.

         On the other EEC line I worked on in 'Hot Test,' there wasn't the same care placed into the units. They had a high failure rate, returning from dealerships by the hundreds nearly every week. The cars these were going into? FORD Motor Company & its affiliates. The engineers were working on the next year's production model & these never did meet specs since they had a high failure rate. They even had to ship the good ones to Ford by chartered jet, because they were so far behind in getting them ready for production. I think they lost the contract with Ford & it ended up being a huge financial loss for Motorola that year. These were the early '95 year models, manufactured in the spring of '94, in separate runs by 'special' assemblers.

         I've owned one Ford & never will again, even though that one was a former Budget rental car & had seen 3 owners afterwards; in-laws of my sister & my sister herself. Within 2 months of my selling the car, the transmission went out in it. And that wasn't because I abused the car... I BABIED it! I also had tread separation on 3 of the 4 tires, with a bubble on one of those... all Firestone! The same tires as what was put on the car when it was brand new, manufactured to Ford's specifications! The same type of tire that was once known as the 7-2-1 series, later recalled in the late '70s. The same type as the ones recently recalled on the Ford Explorer. All they did was change its name & the tread pattern. The manufacturing process stayed virtually the same.

         I'll stop now, because I could write a book about the problems with American cars & other American products manufactured since 1970.

May 30, 2003

  •  
    It's been a strange few days. First, it's been too hot to be inside on the computer, so I'm behind in alot of what I wanted to do. It's too hot outside for me to expend much energy on those tasks either. I do not like being so hot I'm dripping sweat into my eyes. My heart starts pounding, my blood pressure goes up (yes, I CAN tell that it does, since I feel it in my head!) & it gets hard for me to breathe. Being in direct sunlight for more than a few minutes does that to me as well.

     

    It's awfully dry here, much like it was the first winter we lived in this house. Not a good sign. The meteorologists say we have a high pressure cell hanging over the entire state which shows no sign of moving soon. There's a low pressure cell hanging to the east, seemingly working as a block keeping the high pressure cell from moving away. Yesterday morning, we had a bit of a reprieve with some good clouds, helping to block the blazing sun, so it didn't get too bad until later in the day than previously. Unfortunately, when the clouds moved away, my son & I were in Hilo for his weekly visit to the orthopaedic surgeon & my car's AC on full blast couldn't cool my little car (too much glass) when not going very fast or far.

     

    I think the worst thing about the current weather we're having is that the breeze, what there is of it, comes from the south, southeast. This means it drags the vog with it. This is the smoke from the volcanic activity that's been going almost non-stop for nearly 20 years. There are chemicals in the vog that are horrible to those with asthma & even those who don't sometimes deal with coughing, congestion, runny nose & burning eyes. It's extended my cold, so that I'm still coughing up phlegm & sneezing occasionally.

     

    My kitties are suffering the worst of it. The littlest ones have gunky eyes & noses. Some of the older ones are coughing. One of my adult cats has chronic pneumonia. About the time she's about to recover from it, we get these south, southeast winds & she's back to barely being able to breathe. I end up having to thump her chest to help dislodge the phlegm so she can cough it up. It amazes me that she's been able to survive with this pneumonia! Her lookalike half-brother is the orange kitty at the top in my left module, who was very healthy, neutered, but hit by a car in front of my house. Come on, Trades!!!!

     

    The doc finally told my son what I tried to get him to understand about the surgery. He told him absolutely NO skateboarding for at least 4 months after the surgery, because he has to give the graft time to heal. Even though he told my son that he's ready for surgery now, that made my son rethink his plans. Since the surgeon will be away for part of the summer, it makes the plans a bit strained. He'll be away from mid-July to mid-August to conventions & vacation. He told him that the surgery isn't mandatory, but could mean further, uncorrectable damage to his knee, especially with the activities my son enjoys.

     

    My son chose to put surgery off until the end of June, so he will have some time to enjoy skateboarding for awhile. It's hard to have a kid lose his entire summer's dreams. But now that his knee is a bit stronger, I'm hoping to get him to help me out around here some, like using the weed-whacker & some with what I'm doing in my tropical garden. Hope is the key word with this, since my son hasn't been much on helping me in some time, rebelling at the one task I give him every day & balking at anything else I ask of him.

     

    On Wednesday, after picking my son up from school, I stayed outside where it was a bit cooler. When the temp cooled more, I got up the energy to trim dead & dying fronds off my hapuu (Hawaiian tree fern) as well as a few other plants in my garden area. Then I started in on the sarcopia, which I & my son had tackled about a year ago. Since we didn't remove the stumps, they're regrowing. I was able to push/break most of the new growth off the ones beside my garden. One required a bit more, so I took out my camp hatchet. The limb fell against the house (they're not heavy, so do little if any damage), wedged in the top of a hapuu.

     

    On my way down a little hill toward the fern, I stepped on an uneven spot, turning my ankle & falling forward. I put out my hands to catch myself, but since I was headed downhill, the inertia carried me on past my arms. I literally did a nose dive into the dirt/cinder, hearing crunching in my head. I rolled onto my side, sat up &, checked my face & my glasses, which now have a few nasty scratches on one lens. I got up, chopped the limb I felled & pulled it out of my fern, throwing it aside onto the pile of stuff from the last time. Obviously, that was the end of my yardwork for the day! I fully expected to experience symptoms of a concussion, but didn't. I don't know what crunched, since there isn't much pain on my face, other than from a few scratches on my nose. I know that there was alot of weight-force behind what my nose took, but somehow, I managed not to do any real damage! Not even a headache! Oh, but the next day, I felt odd pains in one shoulder, my ankle, my butt & lower back, probably from strain. The few scratches on my nose didn't bleed much & their scabs are already falling off.

     

    My son said I probably didn't hurt myself very badly, because I wasn't experiencing much pain. I reminded him that I deal with pain every day, because of the fibromyalgia. I still wonder what went 'crunch' in my head.

     

    Today is the TRADITIONALLY celebrated Memorial Day. Please take a few minutes in silent remembrance of our fallen military & Veterans.

     



    ‘'LIES, LIES, LIES’
         "No chemical or biological weapons have been found in Iraq despite repeated assertions by Blair and Bush before the March 20 invasion that the threat posed by Saddam's stocks warranted a war to eliminate them.

        '“The time has come when the British government needs to concede that we did not go to war because Saddam was a threat to our national interests,” Cook wrote in The Independent newspaper.
           “We went to war for reasons of U.S. foreign policy and Republican domestic politics.”

     

    Too bad the truth is coming out to the general public too late to save those killed in that 'war.' It's also too bad that the general public is so gullible as to believe our elected officials in their self-profitting goals. Where were these officials who are now questioning the Coalition's actions when they could have done something to stop the lies & prevent the tragedy?

May 27, 2003


  • My son was returning my camera he borrowed awhile back. When, before he handed it to me, I saw a flash & heard an "Oops," I turned & scowled his direction. The result is below, which I found when I uploaded my recent images from my camera to my computer. I forgot he took this! Good thing I had just put my hand to my face as he took the shot. I believe he meant to take the pic (but not with my hand there)!



    Yesterday, Hilo set a few records temperatures. It had a new low temp for the city, the low for the state & the high for the state for that date. We started off with 60 for the low in the morning, 87 for the high. Today is turning out to be the same way, with it so chilly here this morning that my kitties were either piled on me or together in a small box. I saw four faces in a box about 8" wide by 11" long by 7" deep. Most were kittens about 4 months old, but there was at least one adult cat in there!

     

    I forgot to check the temp before taking my son to school this morning, but checking it now (12:45 PM), it's 87 inside & 90 outside, the outdoors temp sensor bulb about 3 feet below the roof. Still at least an hour or two before it begins to cool down again! So if you wonder why I haven't come by lately, the house is too hot, even with a fan, to sit here without pouring sweat, so I go outside in my garden where it's cooler (fighting mosquitos!). I'm non-productive with the temp so high, so nothing gets done inside or out. *Sigh* I hate hot! I really don't feel well with the temp as high as it is... no energy & guick to tire with the least amount of exertion. No wonder I left Texas!

    *Note: I don't do metric numbers, so everything I mention is in Standard, unless I say otherwise!

May 26, 2003



  •  

    Memorial Day... What does it stand for?

     

    For most, the answer to that would primarily be a 3-day weekend. A weekend full of fun, picnics, beer, music, family & friends. It also means special sales to attract customers in pursuit of the Almighty Dollar. But what does it really mean? Why was it set aside as a special day, recognized as an official holiday by our Federal government?

     

    From the US Memorial Day Organization website, I found this tidbit of history (title below is linked):



    Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act, P.L. 90 - 363, in 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

     

    Here in Hawaii, as a child, many of us sewed lei to be distributed on the graves of Veterans in all the Islands Veterans cemeteries. From each island, one child's lei would be specially selected to be placed on the Punch Bowl Cemetery's version of the Tomb of the Unknown. It was such a great honor! We all understood how important these people were to our country, although in a child's way. The lei were symbols of our respect & for what these men & women did for us all.

     

    So take a few minutes of silent honor & respect in your day of picnicking & shopping this celebrated date for this year of May 26. Say a few prayers or however you express your honor. And when the actual date set aside comes this Friday, the 30th, again set aside a few minutes in silent remembrance, as I most certainly will.

Pikake

Archives

Recent Comments

Categories