Good Bye, Doreen!

Today was the service for cousin Doreen; she passed on Easter Sunday. It was a short & sweet service at the graveside. Good thing, too; it was drizzling. Fortunately it was not coming down  in buckets like it was at the house and during the first half of my drive to the cemetery.

During my drive to the cemetery.

The service was followed by lunch at Jade Garden. Since I did not order, I so not know what the dishes were called; I just know some of the things that were in them. We were seated at a table with a couple with 2 young boys. The boys didn't like anything green but loved carbs; Curtis & I are doing low carbs but lots of vegetables. Perfect! I brought the rice and noodle dishes home for the roommates.

Salad.

Egg drop soup.

Bitter melon with black beans.

Char siu with buns.

Shrimp.

Duck with a barley stuffing.

Steamed fish.

At the end of the luncheon, Fran gave everyone a gift package. The items signified things about her mother, Doreen. The bulk of it was a package of somen, Doreen was an excellent cook! She liked owls; she had a collection of owl-themed things at their home. And she always wore a kerchief over her hair.

I had enough time in the morning to do my morning walk. Luckily for me it was dry, although I was noticing the shift in the wind that the forecasters said would bring the wet weather. And it was blowing pretty good, too.

Eight minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Fifteen minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

Ominous clouds moving towards the right, normally they would go towards the left.

When I come up the hill & see the hāpuʻu instead of the invasive fern, it makes me happy.

I even had enough time to clean up a couple shelves of the refrigerator. I cleaned the 2 shelves we have been using for leftovers. They were gross! Here are photos of the main shelf for the leftovers. S'mores helped out by cleaning something that spilled on the door.

The very messy refrigerator shelf.

I don't remember this coil being so large.

Clean shelf!

Next I need to work on cleaning out the vegetable drawer.

Things are back in place.

S'mores helping with the clean-up.

After we got back, The Roommate Who Likes To Wash Dishes helped me pick jabong to take to Abdul at Kokua Market. We picked 12 for Kokua and 4 for the neighbors.

In between picking jabong & delivering them, I made another batch of low-carb chocolate macadamia biscotti. I also made a batch of brownies for the roommates while the oven was hot.

Biscotti, pre-baking.

The brownies.

Then I decided to clean out the old cabinet that the phone used to sit on. I found a lot of old stuff in there. Besides phone books, Xander's old cat meds, and various small screws and tools, I also found a variety of dead electronics.

Dying smoke alarm; the note imprinted on the case says replace by 2008.

I gave this to Mom & Dad around 2009.

The old answering machine is in this box.

We had been wondering why S'mores kept peeing and pooping outside of the Cat Genie. Today I discovered why. Apparently she has bad aim! I saw her just as she was finishing up; her butt was hanging out over the edge of the Cat Genie! She should get better as she gets older, in the meanwhile if any of us see her off the mark we will position her properly.

Well, at least she got one piece in where it should be.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Mary!

I Saw the Cockatoo!

During my cool down stretches this morning I heard the Rose-ringed Parakeets making a lot of noise from somewhere behind me. When I turned towards the direction of the commotion I immediately saw a large white bird sitting in the top of a tree; the Rose-ringeds were mobbing it, trying to drive it away. The tree was in the ravine behind Michael & Spike's house. Because of the distance, this is the best photo I could get of the White Cockatoo. I really need to invest in those binoculars that have a camera built in to them.


The rest of my morning walk and cool down was not as exciting. I only saw Kavita towards the end of my walk and Ken during my cool down stretches. I did see the Shy Cat; it's getting less shy about me coming by.

Seven minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Eleven minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

Shy Cat is more relaxed when it sees me now.

I also checked out some of the plants on my route. The Norfolk Island Pine "cones" are getting larger. And I took a more artsy, less restoration-oriented photo of the hāpuʻu.



Dad was in bed eating breakfast when I arrived. Over the next hour or so he ate all of his fried egg sandwich, all of his banana, and almost all of his papaya. I found out from LPN Chivas that they would count this as 100% because they only count the main dish of the meal. Dad also drank 120 ml each of apple juice and water. He's doing very well with his eating.

During the mid-morning walk I saw the Shy Cat again! It was out stalking something in the grass. As I was on my way up Lurline I ran in to Mike; Wilts was not with him  so I walked with him. I found he's been living on Maunalani for almost 50 years! And his wife takes care of the feral cats that I am seeing around his house. I had a very nice visit with him.

Shy Cat thinks I am annoying!

During my cool down stretches I forgot to bring my binoculars so I was glad I did not see any white blobs in the distance! I did confirm that the tree I saw the cockatoo in this morning is the one in the ravine behind Michael & Spike's house. I also saw the sprayer on when we passed the hāpuʻu; I am happy about that!

Lunch today was Pork fried rice, Pacific vegetable mix, Tossed salad, Fresh strawberries, and Egg drop soup; a somewhat keto-unfriendly meal. I only ate half of the fried rice; I will need to keep a meat bar in my backpack for emergencies like this. Dad ate all of his 1/2 peanut butter & banana sandwich and half of his strawberries. He drank 120 ml of apple juice and 120 ml of water. He gave LPN Chivas a difficult time with taking his mid-day medications; we tried 3 times and he still refused; we'll try again tomorrow.


I skipped the afternoon walk since Dad was very much awake when it was time for me to be leaving for the walk. Instead I waited for him to fall asleep, then I went to visit with Mrs. Iseri & Mrs. Tanaka; I had little gifts for them from Big Island Candies. I try to find a small item in a little bag or nicely decorated box that they can hang on to after all the cookies are eaten.

Dinner tonight was Sesame ginger fish, Brown rice, Spinach with garlic butter, Unfrosted banana cake, and Italian wedding soup. The rice was not brown, but I would have skipped it anyway because I had the pork fried rice at lunch. Dad ate all of his 1/2 tuna sandwich and all of dessert. He drank 120 ml each of apple juice and water.


Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Aunty Judy, Mary Ellen, & Mary D.!

Another Royal Flush!

Curtis texted just after lunch. He hit another Royal Flush! That's 2 in 2 days.


I got soaked this morning. My walk started out dry, not even a sprinkle until I got near the park. Then it was on and off sprinkles. As I was on my way up Lurline it opened up; I took cover under the same mango tree I sheltered under last December when it poured. Other than that it was uneventful. I didn't see any regulars on the walk; the rain probably kept people indoors. During my cool down stretches I only saw Caroline & Olive.

Eight minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Eleven minutes after sunrise on Sierra; its blurry because the phone is in a bag to keep dry.

The phone is still in the bag; that house is the one seen in the December 2018 photo.

Dad was eating breakfast in bed. He was fixated on the meal slip that says what he is given to eat. There was no coffee so I got him a cup. He ate half of his fried egg sandwich, all of the banana, and half of the papaya. He drank 60 ml of apple juice, 60 ml of black coffee, but no water.

Although it sprinkled a little, my mid-morning walk was much drier than my early morning walk. I saw LaVie in the distance with Tazzie & Kila. And I saw a White-tailed Tropicbird! It went by too fast for me to get a photo but the long white tail is very distinctive.


I also stopped to check out the young avocados. About a month ago they were about the size of small olives. They're bigger now, about the size of ping pong balls.


I also checked out the lei they made with the pakalana yesterday. They also made other lei. They draped some of them on the bust of Ethelwyn Castle who donated the property & buildings to create Maunalani.

The pakalana is mixed with the bougainvillea.

Lunch today was Beef stew, Steamed rice, Garden salad, Tapioca pudding, and Cream of broccoli soup. Dad ate all of his 1/2 peanut butter & banana sandwich and half of the dessert. He drank 120 ml of apple juice and 120 ml of water. I did not give him my dessert since he is heavier than they want him to be.


I skipped the afternoon walk; I had talked to Abdul at Kokua Market yesterday about giving them some jabong to sell. I took one to him today; he tried it. He said as far as yellow jabong goes its not that bitter; he said he would take a dozen to see how they do. I will drop them off on Saturday.

I saw Cat #4, the Laid Back Cat, again this morning. Still being laid back.


Luna was being anything but laid back this evening. She spotted a Red-vented Bulbul at the water dish in the cat run and stalked it. Then she tried to pounce on it through the screen door! I think she is going to enjoy being able to get out in to the cat run.



Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Bobbye!

Dad Has a Very Good Day

When I got to Dad's room he was already in his wheelchair and eating breakfast in the dining room; he was sitting with Mr. Shinagawa, Mr. Miyahira, and Mrs. Yoshimura. He ate half of his fried egg sandwich, all of his banana, and half of his papaya. It was raining during breakfast.

You can usually see the airport from here.

After breakfast he wanted to go upstairs. He sat through all the activities in the Castle Living Room starting with exercises. While he was there I went to pick pakalana for Kiʻini, she did a lei making demonstration later in the afternoon.

CNA Eena leads the residents in exercises.

On our way out to the lanai for lunch, CNA Jessa took a little detour to get Dad's weight. His official weight for May is 145.6 pounds so he is staying relatively stable. In January he was 141.3, in February he went up to 145 so we decreased his supplements to 1 per meal; he had been doing 2 per meal before that. In March he went down to 142 but that was okay since they want his weight to be between 130 and 140. In April he went back up to 145; we stopped all Boost supplements since he has been eating more solid food. The small weight gain might be due to him eating even more solid food. We'll keep an eye on his weight to see what happens over the next month.

CNA Jessa pushes Dad on to the scale.

Dad checks out the weight, the wheelchair weight will be subtracted from it.

Out on the lanai waiting for lunch.

Lunch today was Pork tofu, Steamed rice, Peas and carrots, Green salad, Coconut macaroon, and Vegetable soup. Dad ate all of his peanut butter & banana sandwich, his dessert and half of mine! He drank all 120 ml of apple juice and about 60ml of water.



Dad stayed in the wheelchair for about 5&1/2 hours today. I think part of that was because I fell asleep when we were out on the lanai so he didn't want to wake me up to take him back inside. I think if we keep him awake more we can manage his weight gain. CNA Jessa suggested offering coffee in the morning so he stays awake more and can be more active. She'll start that tomorrow.

The walk this morning was a little damp. It started out dry but began to spritz as I was coming around the circle. It did that on and off for the rest of my walk but dried up during my cool down stretches. During my walk I saw LaVie at the bus stop again and Romeo & Karpo by their house. As I was wrapping up I saw Ona & Rio headed down the hill; she leaves later today. During my cool down stretches I saw Ken & his dogs and the Dog Pack; LaVie also walked by. And I heard the White Cockatoo calling again; it sounded like it was down by Michael & Spike's house.

Five minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Fourteen minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

I stopped to check on the hapuʻu; I had noticed that Kelly had trimmed off the old, brown fronds. I reset one of the spray heads. All the ferns are looking good. (He did not trim the palapalai; I'll have to do my job and take care of that.)


I also found a bunch of mushrooms popping up after the rains that have been occurring. I'm not sure what they are.

Mushrooms in the lawn.

Since they have no volva they might be agarics.

Young mushroom.

Another species of young mushroom.

It's got a conical cap.

During breakfast I got a call from Fern from the local Terminix office; that was fast! She went through all their records and could find nothing showing that there was an appointment for any type of inspection on the 18th or a reschedule for the 29th. She found the same as I did online - the next scheduled appointment is in May. She told me exactly when it would be, that there is an interior portion, and that it would be Kimo doing the inspection; he's been here before. We can't figure out what was going on with that call on the 18th. One thing I forgot to mention about yesterday's phone call; while on the call I saw 2 Manu-o-Ku playing in the thermals above Maunalani!

Just after breakfast, Curtis texted me a photo of the hand he was dealt in the video poker game he was playing. He got a Royal Flush! I had given him $20 to play with, he said I would get a cut of the winnings from that hand. Lori & Jenny also gave him some money to play; they're also getting a cut.


After lunch Mr. Yamada returned from his doctor's appointment with his daughter Shirley. Her husband Guy was going to come up and give her mother a ride home then come back up again to pick her up after she finished feeding her father. I offered her a ride since I have to go to the dentist and was leaving at 3; Guy's office is near where I needed to go. We had a great time.

I dropped Shirley off near Dr. Ching's office where she could meet up with Guy. Dr. Ching said my bone graft looked like it was healing nicely. The pocket that was the reason for the bone graft was healing nicely and had pockets no more than 3 mm deep; I have had up to 9 mm deep pockets in this area apparently due to a defect created when my wisdom tooth grew sideways and pushed against the side of tooth #18.

Looking down the hall from the waiting room.

Today I saw Mrs. Akiyama, Mrs. Chong, Mrs. Kusunoki, and Uncle Tony; I also found out that Mr. Ikeda had passed. There are 2 more residents that I need to track down to see if they are still with here. There was another ambulance this morning; they left with a resident from the 3rd floor who I am not familiar with.


Popokilani is so mellow! She slept at the front door as RN Ryan ran through the doors this morning. And she was also ignoring me when I walked up until I stopped and reached down to pet her.


When I left the dentist I went to Kokua Market to see what they are carrying now. They have been successful in raising money to pay off their creditors and are now restocking items. I picked up some basic things like eggs and unsweetened soymilk. But I did find kiawe flour that I had been looking for; it is a gluten free flour that I will pick up when David is coming to visit and experiment with it when he is here. I also talked with Abdul in the produce department and offered to give them our jabong if they wanted it. I will give him one to try to see if he thinks it will sell.


I also stopped at Foodland to pick up bags of salad; Kokua doesn't have those. This time I picked up the bags without the dressing and toppings; I decided that is the best way for me to minimize carbs in my salad. While there I checked out the Oreo section; DT had brought home a bag of Carrot Cake Oreo that I was totally unfamiliar with. But I was never a fan of Oreos and never went looking for the original ones so I never saw the others. There are a lot of different varieties of Oreos, but you probably already knew that. I don't know, may be if I had a TV I would have learned about them? Curtis says I have missed a lot of popular culture since I spent so much time without a TV (about 37 years).

There weren't any original Oreos here.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Fred & Shoji! And Hauʻoli lā Hoʻomanao #8 to Noel & Cheryl! Today would have been Xander's 17th birthday.