Notes in the key of C

It’s the BIG SIX ONE.  Yes,  I’m seven years old today.  Ha! Ha!  Not really….. it’s actually sixty one years down the tubes today.Where did that last year go?  I feel like I’m being hurled through space and time with Medicare waiting on the horizon.   Should I feel a little older?  Well, I don’t!  I looked in the restroom mirror today, while we were at T.G.I. Fridays, I thought, ” I sure am looking more and more like my dad”.   He’s been gone for quite a few years now and I remembered that image of him in the picture on our mantel, sitting there with his rubber boots, shorts and ballcap tending his orchid plants at our house at Sunset Beach.

Not much has changed over the last year. If I moving a little slower, I haven’t noticed.  If I have a few more grey hairs on my head,  I couldn’t tell since I’ve been keeping my hair short and close to the scalp.   I have gained a few pounds over the year,  a situation I’m trying to reverse with a re-introduction of running into my fitness regimen.   On days like today, when the heat index hovering right around 115 degrees,  it’s nice to have a treadmill in the den.

I tried to get the day off tonight.  That’s right… my  hours are from 8 in the evening to around 6 in the morning.  So, when most people are thinking bedtime,  I’m headed down the road to work.   Doesn’t seem right to be working on my birthday,  but I have to keep the proper perspective on the situation;  the birthday happens only one day a year and the job?….well,  that’s every day of the year,  including the birthday.  There’s a difference in the way logic works differently between being young and turning sixty one.  You’re less impulsive and see the “bigger picture”,  if you know what I mean.

Anywayyyyyyyyy……….life IS good today on my special day.   God has granted me with good  health (a life free of any medications), a great home life (sixteen years and NOT counting), a job that many would “kill” to have,  two great Shih-Tzu’s, Ishi and Sophie and generally,  it’s ALL good.   So, what’s all this talk about aging gracefully?  Not for me.   Sixty one is just another number.

     There’s at least fifteen pairs of shoes in my closet, twelve suspended in rows on the inside of the closet door, like soldiers standing at attention, silently waiting to be called upon to serve. The others lay scattered  in the closet, lounging amidst wooden hangers, a bowling ball and a retired computer monitor.

     My latest acquisition is a new pair of  “Shape-ups”.  You’ve seen them….the top looks alot like your average running shoe but the soles, thicker on the back half, heavier, and curved from toe to heel.  “Get in shape without setting foot in a gym!” it says on the front of the box.    Haven’t I heard this before?  Take a pill.  Lose the weight.  Oh, yeah?   Manufacturer promises these shoes will promote weight loss, tone muscles, improve posture, tighten abdominal muscles and firm calf and buttock muscles.  All THAT in one pair of shoes?  I was skeptical.   But I took the plunge…because I’m a daredevil, a risk-taker and I live life on the edge.  Not really!  My curiousity got the best of me and I bought a pair.

      So,  after just a few days of wearing my Skechers Shape-ups,  I’ve come to a “pre-conclusion”.  Nothing replaces the benefits of going to the gym.  With my 61st birthday on the horizon and many years of working out behind me,  I can’t be convinced that a pair of shoes will replace the gym.    HOWEVER, I’m happy to admit that  I have nothing bad to report about the new shoes.  It’s too early to tell how many of the claims are true but when I first put them on,  walking was just a little strange.  But only for a minute and I think that this is where a slight adjustment in your posture and your stride becomes smoother and more natural.  The curvature of the soles seem to minimize the impact of each step on your knees and the rest of your body.   I can definitely tell that it’s making my calf muscles work harder,  haven’t noticed any abdominal improvement but my butt muscles are so tight,  I’m starting to squeak when I walk.  Not really!  But overall, the shoes fit and feel great and I am satisfied that they were a good investment in my fitness lifestyle.   So, between juicing daily,  eating wisely, working out regularly and the benefits of a good pair of  “shape-ups”,  I’m confident I’m continuing in the right direction.

Well, folks…..I did it!!  The last time I got my driver’s license renewed, I had no hair……..bald, down to the scalp. Since then it had grown until the ends dropped halfway down my back. It took a couple of years and quite a few bad-hair days to get from there to here and several times along the way, I considered getting a trim.  But it never happened!  Healthy hair is nice to have, naturally curly which seemed to draw the envy of some.  Is it not just like people to want wavy hair if yours is straight and straight hair if yours is curly. We want what we don’t have.  I’ll admit, there were times when I wished my hair was straight.  But,  I guess I won’t be spending any time thinking about THAT anymore because it’s ALL gone now. That’s right.  After all the shampoo, conditioner, brushing, putting up in a  ponytail (to keep it out of my face) and untangling after a ride on my Harley “Fatboy”,  I said to myself, “That’s IT, I’ve had enough.  No…..I didn’t go from real long to just a little trim, or a shorter, more conservative style.  I whacked it!  Down to the scalp…..see ya’…..goodbye.

But just like the last time,  I cut it all off and then a few minutes later, when I’m standing, looking at myself in the mirror, a lump rises in my throat and I think, “Whoa, why did I do THAT!” and “Maybe, just getting a trim would have been a better choice”.  That’s all behind me now.  Well, most of it.    But the reaction of others who have only seen me with long hair was everything that I had anticipated. Suprise, shock, disbelief…..it was pretty funny!  After the initial reaction and questions “Why?” most of the comments were favorable.  Some said I looked better, others “younger” with the only painful comment coming from my boss.  “What happened, did you have lice?” But I laughed it off.  She was kidding,……I think!

It’s minimal maintenance now……no shampoo, no conditioner, no brushing and no hair ties.  My hair grows so fast, too.  Why…..it’s already at least TWICE as long as it was when I scalped myself.  In less than a week,  I went from bowling ball stage, to course sandpaper stage, and now I’m moving into the “velcro” stage of growth.  Where did I put that bottle of shampoo, anyway? I may need it soon.

    Okay….this one has to be short and to the point.  I’ve asked those I knew who might have the answer and done internet searches with no sucess so now I’m throwing the question out to you……who took the time to stop here.  Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a copy of the Hawaii version of “Little Red Riding Hood”, more well known as (and forgive me if this isn’t exactly right) “Little Lei Puahi and the Wild Pua’a”.  Surely some of you out there have heard this tale and know where one might find a copy of it.  So,…..come on folks!  Can you help a brother out?  I know part of it but sure would like to know the rest of it so I can pass it on, retell the tale for the enjoyment of others.

  I should be sleeping right now but after working all night and coming home tired,  these fingers just can’t seem to resist banging on this keyboard and sharing these thoughts racing around in my mind as Big Tuesday looms on the horizon.  The name-calling, mudslinging, finger-pointing, flag-waving, reputation-smearing, candidate-endorsing,  poll-taking, obvious-winner predicting , he-said, she-said storytelling, big buck spending and informercial buying are coming to an end in less than a week.  And when the dust settles as people line up to cast their votes, one thing is perfectly clear.  NO ONE KNOWS for sure until the polls are closed and the votes are tabulated……. WHO THE WINNER WILL BE. 

 Will it be the “new kid on the block”, promising hope, new direction, an end to the same-0, same-0 of the last eight…………….or will it be the old man, war veteran and hero, seasoned, and admittedly a ”maverick” who is also promising changes and an end the way things have been handled by the current administration?  If you believe the reports of what the many different polls seem to indicate, then you’re apt to believe that one candidate is well ahead of the other.  You may also be inclined to believe that TV and radio are impartial, middle of the road and fair in their reporting of  the daily news.  How about the tooth fairy, and the likelihood of the “fat guy” in the red suit sliding down YOUR chimney in a couple of months?

“Politicians” and “honesty”………….if you’re someone who aspires to become the next mayor, governor, senator, congressman…….or President of these United States…..is it even possible to NOT tell people what you think  they want to HEAR, make promises you may not be able to keep, exaggerate your strengths, play down your weaknesses, convince them that you are the better choice not based how good you make yourself look and how bad you can make your opponent appear to be.  The choice is not as clear as somc may tell you it is.  And it’s NOT over until it IS over.

   So, know this……that we are not a nation of sheep, or fools and when the chips are down and the curtain is pulled close behind us in the voting booth,  in our quiet contemplation before we make our choice,  some of these thoughts and others, not mentioned here, may find their way to our place of reasoning and ask us……..

 1)  BASED SOLEY ON EXPERIENCE,  WHO IS MORE QUALIFIED AND MORE CAPABLE OF CHANGING OUR DIRECTION AND DELIVERING ON PROMISES OF A BETTER DAY FOR US ALL?

2)  WHO IS TELLING US MORE OF WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR AND AND NOT MUCH OF  WHAT WE NEED TO HEAR?

3) ALL POLL RESULTS ASIDE, LOOK AT THE NEWS AND ASK YOURSELF…..BASED ON  THE “LAST MINUTE” ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES LEADING TO NEXT TUESDAY,  WHICH CANDIDATE IS DOING AND SAYING WHAT REALLY MAY BE A REFLECTION OF CONCERNS , IF NOT DESPERATION (AT THIS STAGE) ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SWAY ENOUGH VOTES HIS WAY?

4) WHEN CONSIDERING THAT BOTH SIDES ALLEGEDLY HAVE CANDIDATES WHO ARE TOO INEXPERIENCED FOR THIS  “JOB”,  WILL WE CHOOSE THE SIDE WITH THE ONE WHO WILL BECOME THE NEXT PRESIDENT OR THE OTHER WHO, AS VICE PRESIDENT, COULD POSSIBLY FIND HERSELF IN A SITUATION OF HAVING TO  ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF  THE PRESIDENCY?

5) WILL YOU CHOOSE BASED ON PROMISES WITHOUT KNOWING  THE DETAILS ON HOW THOSE PROMISES WILL BE DELIVERED AND HOW MUCH IT WILL COST YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?

     THINK TWICE……..AND CHOOSE WISELY!!!!  I HAVE TO SLEEP ON THIS ONE!

 Okay…..I went over the  proverbial “hill” when I turned thirty a few, I mean…several,  I mean quite a few……ahh…ACTUALLY……decades (Owwwwww…..the thought hurts!) ago.  Decades ago?   Wow!  And I can remember that far back, where I was and what I was doing.  I had moved here to the heart of the “Bible Belt” from California to keep the “little lady” happy.  Her family lived here and she wanted to move back and be close to her mama and daddy.  So, being in “love”,  I turned down a pay raise and promotion and moved with her, away from family and friends to about the last place on earth that I expected to live.  Long story short?…..we’re history….and that’s all that needs to be said about that.  I’m still here…but she’s moved on…..greener pastures….or whatever’s out there in her world.

Anyhowwww…………the big B-day came and went.  Where did that last year go?  Veteran of Foreign Wars, Vietnam veteran, Disabled American veteran, member of AARP………I claim to be qualified and/or affiliated with all of them.  I get senior citizen discounts at a few  places, a free senior citizen magazine that shows up in my mailbox ever month but as the sun dips down toward the horizon of my “50′s”,  I’m not sure how to act…my age.

What am I supposed to do when 1) so many of the people I meet who appear to be much older than I am are in fact years younger.  

 There’s a little bit of “snow on the roof” (very little), not a wrinkle in sight), no “crow’s feet” around the eyes (sure signs of aging, I’m told) and if I’m feeling alot better than I should be as the big “SIX-O” looms in the distant horizon (I’m not there yet, thank you),  I must confess,  I feel pretty damn good!  

“You’re HOW OLD?”  That’s a common reaction I get when others find out how old I am.  I’m used to it by now and it no longer surprises me.  But I know that over and above the benefits of “good genes”,  natural things that my racial ancestry provide to delay visible signs of aging and a history of being fitness conscious to some degree for the last forty years, give or take the appearing and disappearing periods of laziness sprinkled in there, all have contributed to my current state of well-being that I am enjoying this day and anticipate enjoying in the days ahead.

Most mornings find me at the fitness center,  burning those calories on the elliptical machine and following up with weight training.  Long hikes,  miles of river rides on my bike and hours in the hot, summer sun (working in the yard) only seem to energize me more.  I’m not bragging.  I’m just glad to feel the wayI do.  So, how should I feel at this stage of my life and how should I act? What’s my limit?  Who knows?  I’m too busy feeling good about, well…….feeling good.  The mind and body are strong, the skin is tight and tanned, life is good, there is so much to be thankful for and nothing to complain about.  Maybe acting your age is more about attitude, living each day to the fullest and less about being focused on the years that have gone by.  At least, that’s MY story, and yes……again…..I’m sticking to it.

P.S…….wow! Has it been THAT long since I wrote anything!  Hmmm…….the creative juices continue to flow.  These fingers just need to find their way to this keyboard more often, I guess.

     I’ve alway found those William Shatner “Priceline” commercials to be mildly funny and somewhat entertaining but never had the opportunity to use Priceline until recently.  Everyone knows that Priceline allows you to bid for lower rates on travel, car rental, hotels, etc.  Well, I must say that my overall experience has been  a nice surprise.  Great places to stay at what most would consider very reasonably priced.   For a 50-dollar bid,  we spent nights at very fine hotels like Courtyard by Mariott and Garden Inns by Hilton. Very nice. Clean, well maintained, down comforters, flat screen Tv’s, wireless Internet service (complimentary) and all the trimmings.  Of course, the BEST, or should I say the WORST of what Priceline bidding produced came on the last night in town.  The initial bid was rejected so I had to bump it up another few bucks.  You know that when you bid for a room, you can choose the quality level by the number of “stars” a hotel is rated at but once you submit your bid, you do not get to choose which one you stay at.  It’s a crap shoot.  And for the second bid, plus tax and the other stuff they tack on to the rental rate to milk as many dollars as they can out of you,  we got the “Red Lion”.  Now I would be quick to say that surely not every hotel that bears the “Red Lion” name is in the same condition as this one.  But it’s location, at the end of the road in a eerily dark corner along business I-80 should have been a clue.  Beat up and rundown, with a major portion of the rooms blocked off with yellow caution tape should kinda give you an idea of this place.  Kinda scary.   Our room was all the way around the back in semi-darkness where several other weary travelers had been sentenced to spend the night.  Complimentary bottled “Water for the Soul” provided in the room tasted like it might have been drawn from the toilet bowl, the rooms had adjoining doors, (can you say “Bates Motel” or “Psycho”?) and the water pressure in the shower head was adequate only if you had a lot of time to kill in the shower.  Not much more than a trickle!  Two-and-a-half-stars-plus?  That’s a laugh. On a scale of one to five stars,  I give the Red Lion, Arden Way, Sacramento…….one star…….BUT…..and in fairness to the establishment I must add that they seemed to be in the middle of some major (and sorely needed) renovation.  When all of that is completed, it should look alot better.  See….I’m fair.

Priceline…….Bill?……..I’m a believer and I will be using your website again soon!

     Okay,  so it didn’t seem like we’d been airborne too long and I notice that we’re starting to lose altitude.  First sign? I can feel my ears popping as the plane makes it’s descent and I take a peek out the window.   I know we’re supposed to make one stop on the way to Sacramento and that’s in Ontario (no, not Canada) California and as the plane gets lower and lower in the sky,  I remembered that the last time I was on a plane making a stop in Ontario that we had to fly through a huge cloud of smog suspended over the city like a thick, brown blanket of lung cancer and you couldn’t actually tell you were going to land on anything solid until the plane was nearly on the ground.  But where was that infamous brown cloud?  You could actually see the highways and landscape dotted with homes and businesses.  And then the answer came when I heard the pilot say, ”Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Phoenix, ……..   What???? Phoenix?  What the ….?  THAT’S why the skies over “Ontario” looked so clear.  We had a stopover there (in Phoenix) to dump some off and pick some up before continuing on to California. Let’s get the record straight.  I like Phoenix.  I like Arizona and a ”few miles” due north of Phoenix is a little place called Sedona that’s more spectacular than mere words can express.   Take me home country road!!!!!   Oh, mama!!!  THAT is my retirement destination of choice,  second only to a little piece of real estate on or near the north shore of  a certain Pacific island location.

     Arizona…….someday……I’ll stray…….your way……to stay.  Beautiful country, dry heat ( I can take it) and lots of sunshine. But…….back to the plane trip!   It’s those multiple take-offs and landings  one has to make to reach one’s destination that seems to draw particular attention to how rough and bumpy those runways really are.  Check it out the next time you fly.  With my death grip on the armrests, I’m just waiting for one or more of those tires to blow up.   The phrase “smooth landing” certainly was not referring to any plane that I’ve been on.  One would think that when these runways are built they put in the potholes in random spots to keep the airline passengers, who are already stressing from the flight on the edge of their seats until the plane stops at the terminal.

So, anyway, it’s up and down, takeoff and land and finally destination…Sacramento, California.  We made it!!  Now I can finally relax……that is…….relax until I pick up the rental car tomorrow and have to drive in this California traffic, where everyone’s a race car driver, in a hurry or late getting wherever they’re going.  Got some Valium’s that you can spare?

     So, I tell myself, “What am I worried about anyway?”  As I prepare to board this plane to California, what are the chances of it NOT making and making an unexpected stop somewhere between here and there? What are the odds? 1,000,000 to 1?  1,000 to 1?  100 to 1? 50/50?  Nothing’s going to happen! We’ll take off and land right on schedule, right?  I’m concerned for no reason,  I keep telling myself.  Why worry? Flying is supposed to be safer than driving, isn’t it.  Besides,  those airline mechanics are highly qualified to maintain the airplanes.  But then, mistakes DO happen.  What if one of them, who just happen to work on one of the planes I’ll be on,  just happens to come to work drunk, hung over or on drugs?  What if he’s a disgruntled employee who wants to get even with his boss and takes it out on the plane by leaving a bolt or two loose or something like that?  I won’t ever know until it’s too late!  What if the pilot is drunk?   What if we get caught in a lightning storm halfway there?  I’m being paranoid!  I’m stressing over nothing.   Why worry?  Once we get in the air, that’s it!  No turning back!  It’s out of my hands.  So I’m just going to quit worrying about it and get on that plane.  But wait…….I don’t HAVE to get on the plane.  That’s  right!  If I just change my mind (and I can do that) then I won’t  have to worry at all about not making it and planes going down.  I can drive to California instead.

     I think that’s what I’ll do.  No problem there.  It’ll take a little longer to get there but I won’t have to worry about anything…..EXCEPT……..drunk drivers on the road……..bad weather causing part of my route to be temporarily shut down…….my car breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

Guess I’ll take my chances with the plane

      It’s all history now but in the aftermath of Ice Storm 2007,  the mountains of debris that wait in huge mountains along the streets and in front of just about every home in the neighborhood and around town are a daily reminder of just how devastating this silent storm really was.  I remember clearly waking up in the early hours to the sounds, first of cracking, then the ultimate crashing sounds as so many trees in our neighborhood, including the two huge elm trees in our front yard surrendered to the weight of the freezing rain that turned to ice and wreaked havoc throughout the night.  Too nervous to sleep,  I bundled up and took a walk around,  being careful as I passed beneath tree branches that reached out over the street.   Needless to say,  if I could have slept with one eye open the rest of the morning,  I would have.  Still, that probably wouldn’t have helped if  a huge branch from the next door neighbor’s sycamore tree had landed on our roof.  As luck would have it (if you can call it luck) nothing landed on the house, although our backyard fence took a hard hit.  There was not too much left worth looking at after the ice brought down most of both of  the front yard elms and left a huge pile of trash along the street and in our front yard.
To add inconvenience to “injury”,  a branch that fell across the power line blew a transformer three blocks away leaving our area homes without power instantly and for days that followed.   One never fully appreciates the electricity that we often take for granted until suddenly, it’s gone.   The temperature inside drops quickly and that our rarely used wall furnace was pressed into service.  The mad scramble to find firewood, dry and suitable for burning in the fireplace in the den,  reveals that there much left on the wood pile.   It’s kinda like being in shock to come home to and be in a house where the temperature, normally a comfortable sixty eight degrees is suddenly much closer to freezing, unless we’re close to the wall furnace or the fireplace is burning.  The fishes in my aquarium were probably wondering what the heck happened as the water got colder and colder until I could longer read it on the thermometer because it had dropped so low.  As each cold day went by,  I was helpless with that situation and surprised that although they were not moving around very much that they were even surviving in what now had to be ice cold water.   Unfortunately, after the first four or five days, they all surrendered to the cold and died.  We moved the mattress into the den where the  wall furnace and fireplace were just so we could be able to have some warmth and be able to sleep.  Bedtime came early, not long after the sun went down and there was nothing left to do but sleep.

Outside and within days after the first horrific wave of ice and the resulting damage,  the fleets of repair trucks rolled into town from other states,  called in to help expedite the repair process and restore power in the area.  Hundreds of thousands were in darkness.  It was a site for sore eyes to see so much help arrive.  Unfortunately,  organization was sadly lacking and more could have been accomplished in less time otherwise.   At least,  I must say that at times my frustration and anger about what followed threatened to get the best of me.   These huge trucks, often ten or more in convoys,  showing little regard for safety,  routinely pulled out into and blocked the flow of traffic,  ran red lights,  and exceeded the speed limit to a dangerous degree during much of the time they were here.  Not only that but too often I would observe parking lot staging areas around town packed with these trucks, for who knows how long,  their occupants either standing around or sitting inside and doing nothing.   Can I blame them?  Maybe not and maybe responsibility goes back to those who failed to adequately organize and dispatch these people to the neighborhoods in darkness.    It was frustrating indeed to see them parked right next to the blown transformer and downed power line in our “neck of the woods” and then drive by later to find them gone and the  problem not taken care of.  Too much staging, too much sitting and not enough work going on from my point of view.

Nine days…….nine long, cold days AND nights before the power at our home was finally restored.  During that time,  daylight found us out in our yard, just like most of the neighbors,  cutting, stacking, piling debris  and trying to restore some sense of order.   Today,  several weeks removed from Ice Storm 2007,  most of the mess has been picked up by the city and our supply of firewood will be sufficient for the winters that lie ahead.  The aquarium has been cleaned and a new community of fish have replaced the others who perished and they seem to be enjoying all the room that comes with a 55-gallon home.

All is well,  but we will always remember those days of darkness when the ice moved in and the power went out.  Someone once said, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” and I suppose there’s some truth in that.  The power is back on and we’re still here.