Touche

Hawaii.

Don’t you just hate it when someone goes on and on about how much better looking she is than you?  I mean, what gall, right?  That happened the other day.

She:  “I am so much older than you, but I look half my age.  Look at my figure.  I’m not fat like you.”

Me:  “Yeah, but nobody wants to marry you.”

She was so shocked, she shut up.

I sometimes wonder why some beautiful women have never married.  Maybe, they are just so beautiful they are intimidating and men shy away from them.

As homely as I was and still am, two men have wanted to marry me.  I chose David, and the rest is history.

Thank you, hubby, for 33 years of marital bliss.

This and that

I cleaned out my shelf containing many vases and decided to donate most of them to Goodwill.  These vases I am keeping.  Pretty, aren’t they?  Now, all I need is a bouquet of flowers from a florist shop.  I stopped bringing flowers and leaves from our yard into the house, because they are infested with ants.  Nuff said.

So many people we know are in the process of downsizing their house in order to move into an apartment.  Wow!  My friend has been holding garage sales to sell her stuff.  That must be exhausting.

David and I, on the other hand, have been UPSIZING our home.  Last year, we added a silk rug from India as well as a glass coffee table.  This year, we added three oil paintings to our walls. Next year, what?

As you know, we are going to cruise up and down the Seine River in France next year.  There will be stops along the way, and we plan to add two more days in Paris before returning to Hawaii.  I want to bring home some gifts that are uniquely French.  What do you suggest?  What is France famous for?

How about handkerchiefs for the men?  Every time they blow their nose, they will think of us in France.

Enjoying music

Hawaii.

As you know, David and I were classical musicians when we were single.  His instrument was the clarinet and mine was the violin.  We both studied music history and music theory in college, so it is with a knowledgeable mind that we appreciate classical music.

We have already paid for the opera season coming up and have recently paid for the Hawaii Symphony season, as well.  This is quite a commitment in terms of time.  However, after checking our calendar, I found no conflicting engagements.

So, there you are.  Most of our Sunday afternoons will be filled with music.  I look forward to seeing Sir James Galway play his flute and Sarah Chang perform on her violin.  The programming is excellent.  Who can say “no” to Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven?

Here is the link to the Hawaii Symphony website:

http://hawaiisymphonyorchestra.org/

Here is the link to the Hawaii Opera Theater website:

http://www.hawaiiopera.org/

I hope to see some of my Hawaii friends at the symphony concerts…and operas, too.  Be there!

Cyber bullies

Hawaii.

Recently, a 12 year old girl leapt to her death in Florida.  She killed herself because she was being taunted and bullied by her peers online.  Police are investigating and have vowed to bring the bullies to justice.

Doesn’t that type of news just break your heart?  Twelve years old.  She had her whole life ahead of her.  Why are people so mean to each other?  I just don’t understand it.

I am so glad that my WordPress blog has the delete feature.  If a comment angers or hurts me, I simply delete that comment and delete that person’s name from my blogroll.  No questions asked.  I delete and the matter is closed.  I have ended a number of online friendships that way.

It takes two to have a friendship.  It can’t be one sided.  To be my friend, you have to be friendly.  No snide, rude, or insulting remarks, please!

You won’t see me jumping to my death because of someone’s cyber bullying.  Delete, delete, delete.  Let’s all say a prayer for that poor 12 year old girl and her distraught family.

A win-win situation

Hawaii.

Isn’t this a pretty shade of green?  I love this picture.  However, as much as I like green, I wouldn’t dream of installing a green carpet.  David wants a green carpet for the entertainment area, but I told him green is such a cold color.  Somehow, we will have to reach a compromise.

I presently take medication that leads to weight gain.  My doctor told me to exercise to counteract the added pounds.

Besides studying hula, I try to do as much housework as possible.  For instance, yesterday I cleaned our two refrigerators, bending low to scrub the vegetable bins.  Then, I stretched my arms high to hang coffee cups on hooks in the cupboard.  I also emptied and loaded the dishwasher and dish rack.  After that, I swept and mopped the floors and scrubbed the walls and baseboards.  Finally, I swept the patio.

Doesn’t all of this housework equal a walk around the block?  I think it is a win-win situation, because the house gets clean while I get some exercise.  So, there!

New rice cooker

This is our new Panasonic rice cooker that David purchased at Don Quixote for $32.99.

As you can see, it is automatic and has simple controls.  No need to watch the rice cook.

Most families in Hawaii have a rice cooker, which comes in various sizes.  We bought the big one (11 cups of cooked rice), because we host large parties on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  But, the big size can also cook rice for just two people.   Very versatile.

All in all, the Panasonic rice cooker was a good buy.

Grandkids and a rice cooker

The grandkids and their parents came over yesterday to watch a parade later in the afternoon.  Here are some candid shots of them:

So sorry that Julia’s hair is a mess.  She is holding up hand puppets I made many years before she was even born.

This is a photo of Rylan and Maria.  David is at the computer, looking for a new rice cooker on Amazon, because when he washed the cover to the pot, he inadvertently scrubbed so hard the rubber thingy for the hole in the cover came off and we can’t find it.  So, he has to buy a brand new rice cooker.  Amazon stated that they will not ship it to Hawaii, so David will look for one at Walmart.

I asked the kids to sing a song for me, but they declined.  Shucks!  There was a time when I babysat Rylan that he would sing a lot of songs he learned from watching cartoons on television.  He just bubbled over with music.  Now that he attends preschool, he apparently has other interests.  He is proud he can spell his first and last name!

Isn’t it great to have grandkids?  And good luck to David with finding a cheap rice cooker that works.  Amazon charges $26 for the Sanyo model we have, but as I said, they won’t ship it to Hawaii.  Grrrrrr.  Isn’t that discrimination?  Poor Hawaii, way out in the Pacific Ocean.

Dawn or Dusk?

Hawaii.

Yesterday, I went to bed at 3:00 pm and woke up at 6:00 pm.  I’d had a three hour nap.  Seeing David in the family room, I wondered if it was breakfast time.  I could not get my bearings for some reason.  It was so weird not knowing if it was morning or evening.  Well, after a minute I realized it was time to cook supper.

Has that ever happened to you where you don’t know if it is dawn or dusk?

If it was dawn, I wondered if I had started the day without a new blog post.

If it was dusk, I wondered why I was only now waking up.

Hilarious!

Suddenly, I realized what it was like to be either Rip Van Winkle, who woke up after a hundred year nap, or Snow White, who woke up when her Prince Charming ended a witch’s curse with a tender kiss.

I hope it isn’t an early sign of dementia…

What’s your hobby?

Hawaii.

David and I had planned to visit the Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu today, but we decided that it might be better to wait for a cooler season to do so.  September is the hottest month in Hawaii and walking outdoors is very unpleasant.

Do you like to look at plants and gardens?  While I appreciate the work and imagination that go into creating a beautiful habitat for trees, shrubs, and flowers, I am unwilling to do the work.  Just digging a hole in our backyard is extremely difficult, as the ground is very hard.

I suppose we could hire our yardmen to make our landscape designs a reality.  But, we already pay them $100 a month for an hour’s work.  More landscaping would be expensive.

I am toying with the idea of having a container garden in our patio, instead.  Not many people see our backyard, but many do look at our patio when they sit in our living room.

David waters the Boston ferns and potted palms on a regular basis.  Would he like to water plants in the patio, too?  He might consider taking up gardening as a hobby.  Now that he is retired, he could read about fertilizers, types of potting soil, and ideal light conditions for various plants and really take an interest in growing things.

It sure beats watching television all day.

Me?  Culinary arts and blogging constitute my hobbies.  I’ll leave patio gardening to my husband.

What’s your hobby?

What are the odds?

David watches sports on television with headphones on.

Well, as you might have surmised, this post is about my husband, David.  And as you might have already known, David is an accountant by training.  He really does love to think about numbers.

For example, he has been telling me that we will NOT out-live our savings, assuming we live 20 more years.  If we die in 20 years, there will still be savings for the kids to inherit.

Why 20 years?  Well, if you check the Social Security website, you will note that only 1 in 4 people live to be 90, and only 1 in 10 people live to be 95.  My mother is very lucky to be alive at 97.

David said it is highly unlikely he will be the 1 in 4 people who live to be 90.  More than likely, he will die in his 80s. He is now 64, and I am 67.

Kind of depressing, huh?  Yes, we all want to live forever, but what are the odds?  Well, now, you know.