Bounty vs. Brawny

When we went to the store last month I insisted on getting Brawny paper towels because I thought that was the stronger one. Come on! Doesn't Brawny make you think of something strong? And then there's that muscular lumberjack on the front. Doesn't that speak strength? Doesn't Bounty just make you think of more? (As in, you need more...)

Art, however, felt he knew best. "Trust me," he said. "You're going to find out I'm right."

Well, I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday.

I read some place that I should use paper towels instead of sponges that are breeding grounds for germs. Paper towels are better because you use it and throw away the germs.

I used the Brawny yesterday and nearly complained that the paper towel he bought was horrible because it just fell apart while I was cleaning and had to use several more to finish the job. When I cleaned the 2nd bathroom, I used the Bounty (It does say One Sheet Keeps Cleaning.)and ONE sheet really did last throughout the cleaning.

When I realized that it really was the Bounty that was stronger, I did admit to Art that he was right.

What do you think he said?

Altogether now...."I....."

Do What I Say, Not What I Did...

When Tiffany was married about 8 years ago, I told her that I thought her gown revealed a bit too much. I wasn't aware that wedding gowns had changed so much.

"In my time," I said. (I'll bet I waggled my finger.) "We covered everything because a bride's gown should be modest. The neckline went almost to the neck and and the sleeves went down to the wrist."

This could be why she chose her gown without my help.


Well I've been scanning photos from the early 70's and was surprised to find a photo of myself wearing a dress that looks rather ummmm...short.

And here's a photo of Art and myself at our wedding rehearsal. How did I ever bend? What if the wind blew?


I know I've told Tif that her neckline is too low or her hem is too short in her young years...well, actually she's still young. She just smiled at me and did her own thing anyway. I imagine she'd be rolling her eyes if she saw these photos.

Wait... at least my arms are covered.

Are The Aphids Gone or Regrouping?

Is it possible that we've actually won our skirmish against the aphids? Mind you, we've had to resort to chemical warfare. Sorry about that. We put down this ant poison trap near our mystery plant. I also sprayed the plant with a mild dilution of Bronner's Magic Soap.

POSTSCRIPT: My aunt says the plant is a Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) Everybody seems to have them in pots in Hawaii.


Today, there were two flowers blooming and no sign of ants or aphids. Granted it's only been about 4 days, but those bugs are usually back within a couple of days.


I checked all the leaves and couldn't find any of those sneaky, persistent, insect extremists.


We'd also put one of those ant poison things by our red ginger plants that were constantly attacked and over-run by ants that kept sucking the life out of the poor, innocent, young flowers.


Well, no sign of ants and the flowers are looking pretty healthy and happy now.

I know this was only one battle. We haven't won the war, but I'm willing to settle for a little peace.

Tomoe Ame Candy

We asked our daughter what she wanted us to send her from Hawaii and she said she tried some Japanese Tomoe Ame candy in San Francisco and would love to have some.

Now that was a surprise!

My grandmother used to buy that for me all the time when I was a child. Hmmmm... That could account for my many cavities.

My brother and I loved it (when we were young) because it's a sort of chewy, fruity flavored gelatin like candy with a rice paper covering that you could eat. It was fun to pretend you were eating paper and have it melt on your tongue.

You could buy it for 5 cents back then. What a shock to see it was now $1.78 (for the same box), but I swear the box is smaller. Sheesh! (Postscript: I just saw a whole tub of this on sale at Costco for quite a bit cheaper if you're willing to buy a WHOLE tub of it.)

My all-time favorite candy when I was a kid used to be LOOK bars. It was a nougat bar covered in dark chocolate. I LOVED it! That was 5 cents, too. I loved it, that is, until I found some worms in a bar I bought from a little store in the country.

What was your favorite candy?

The Recession Must be Over or Having Fun at the Annual Senior Fair

We took mom to the Senior Fair at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu yesterday to get her flu shot. We already got ours for free at the Tripler Army Medical Center earlier in the week.


I'm glad there was somebody to guide us to the proper location.


Once Mom got her flu shot, she also got her blood pressure checked. Not too bad. I didn't bother since I don't have a problem with blood pressure. If it were a glucose, triglyceride, bone, etc., etc. check, I'd have been sitting there, too.


There were booths upon booths of different kinds of services and products geared to seniors. There were lots of different cures for aches and pains (Mom bought some Salonpas plaster), solar panels (I was surprised at that.), Senior home care, assisted living, cleaning products, etc.

I got pretty sucked up into ALMOST buying this super duper mop, but Art dragged me away reminding me of another product I bought once some 25 years ago that was a real dud. (Art just reminded me that it was twice before that I got suckered.)


The place was not crowded when we arrived early in the morning, but within the hour, it was PACKED! Thank goodness Art wore his red baseball t-shirt with the #1 on the back.


The crowd was a little tiring for mom so we told her she could sit and watch the show that was going on.


When I came back to pick her up a short time later, I thought she might have been bored because it was just a whole bunch of ladies doing Japanese dances. However, she said she loved it and had a great time. I think she might even have wanted to see a little more, but she was getting hungry.


We met up with Art who had a whole bunch of FREE re-usable bags full of FREE goodies and pamphlets.


I think my favorite thing was the FREE solar pedometer. I also liked the FREE magnifier which Art won for mom. Then there were the FREE bug swatter shaped like a foot, FREE food package clips, FREE hand exerciser shaped like an ear, etc.

I'm such a sucker for FREE!

Last year, the economy seemed worse because there were very, very few FREEBIES. This year, there was a lot. I'm thinking this is a good indicator that the recession is over! Yae! (Art wants me to correct my post to say MAY be over.)

Mailbox Medley

We need a new mailbox! As you can see, our mailbox is an embarrassment. However, we can't seem to decide on what kind of mailbox to replace it with. You all know how hard it is for us to make a decision.


Remember what I said about rust in Hawaii? Illinois with its extreme temperatures never rusted our mailbox there.



We walked around the neighborhood to check out what sort of mailbox everybody else had.















We have no idea why this mailbox was in a bucket.


















Some of the mailbox stands were even more interesting than the mailbox itself.


This mailbox stand was made of gears and cogs.















Then there were the mailboxes with big bushes around it.


Perhaps this barbed wire creation was to ward away potential mail thieves.



We found this surfboard mailbox stand very appropriate for Hawaii.

Once we're done choosing our windows, we'll have to decide on a nice, sturdy mailbox.

Congressional Gold Medal for the 100th/442nd!

I was so happy to see this article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser this morning after just having posted about this topic yesterday.

"Congress has approved the award of its highest civilian honor, the Gold Medal, to Japanese-American veterans for their patriotic and valorous service with the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service during World War II.

The office of U.S. Rep Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the House approved the Congressional Gold Medal award by voice vote yesterday.

At a time when many of their fellow Americans questioned their loyalty to the United States, these Japanese-American soldiers enlisted and put their lives on the line to defend our freedom overseas while fighting against fear and discrimination at home," Hirono said on the House floor.

Hirono noted that the 442nd "Go for Broke" combat team became the most decorated in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component unit, the 100th Battalion, earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion."

In addition, about 6,000 nisei linguists that comprised the Military Intelligence Service "made vital contributions to our wartime success by conducting critical classified intelligence operations," Hirono said. "Only in recent years has their invaluable service come to light, and it is long past due for honoring and acknowledging their critical role during the war."

More than one-third of the linguists hailed from Hawaii.

The Senate approved the Gold Medal legislation in August. The recognition is on its way to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Ted Tsukiyama, 89, was part of a group of 25 MIS linguists who were sent to the China-Burma-India theater.

"To be Japanese (American) in those days, it was a very rough time," Tsukiyama said yesterday. The nisei soldiers were "called upon to show their loyalty, and they did," he said.

"I think it demonstrates that if you are an American, you don't have to be blond, blue-eyed and come from Northern European descent," Tsukiyama added. "To be American is like President (Franklin) Roosevelt said: It's a matter of mind and heart and not a matter of race or ancestry."

The nisei ranks are dwindling rapidly. Linguist Kazuo Yamane died April 28 in Honolulu at the age of 93.

Tsukiyama said of the Congressional Gold Medal approval now, "History takes a long time to unravel, I guess."

"What about all the other guys that did a lot for their country?" he added. "Everyone in World War II had a greater impact on their country because we were attacked."

The Continental Congress awarded the first Gold Medals to George Washington and John Paul Jones in 1776.

Other recipients have included the Tuskegee Airmen, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Navajo code talkers, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Nelson Mandela.

The Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom and Presidential Citizens Medal are the highest civilian awards in the U.S."



My one uncle was a linguist for three years and two others served in the 442nd, one bringing home a purple heart. I'm so proud for all of them.

I found the photo on the left at the Hawaii Forgiveness Project website.

Qigong and Tai Chi

Ed, Art's old Air Force buddy invited us to join him for Qigong and Tai Chi exercises and a luncheon buffet in a Mililani park. We didn't participate in doing the exercises because they are far more advanced in their learning than we are. However, we really enjoyed watching them go through the peaceful sequences.


It was so beautiful to watch them all moving in unison.


Their Qigong/Tai Chi teacher is 83 year old Master Fong (front of photo). Loved and respected by all his students, he passes on his knowledge for free.

Watching his grace, strength and dexterity, we see that Master Fong himself is a testament to the benefits of this ancient Chinese exercise.

The luncheon buffet from Tanioka's was fantastic! Sushi, sweet pork, corned beef hash, fish paddies, salad... yummm... I'm embarrassed to admit that I was so anxious to dive into the food that I didn't take any photos of it.


What a surprise to see Daryl who was perfecting his photography expertise when we left Hawaii 35 years ago, now working as a professional photographer. He and another friend took our wedding photos when Art and I were married.

I was hesitant to go and meet him again after such a long time. I wasn't sure he'd remember me. He did! His wife did too even though we'd only met her a couple of times at best 35 years ago. He also told me that he's seen my brother since they are both in related professions.


It really is nice to be back in Hawaii (despite the aphids, termites, rust, etc.).

We added our name to Mr. Fong's long waiting list for another beginner class.

442 Live With Honor, Die With Dignity

I know two of my father's brothers served in the 442nd Regiment during WWII. I know my mother's sister's husband was a translator for the U.S. Army. I know my mother's best friend's husband and his brother were in the 100th battalion. The husband came home, his brother died in Italy. It seems every Japanese-American knows somebody who served or died in the 100th/442nd. I remember our jeweler in Chicago telling us that he was part of the 442nd who was sent to rescue The Lost (Texas) Battalion.

From the Go For Broke National Education Center website:
"During the six days the 442nd fought to rescue the Lost Battalion, 54 men were killed and many, many more were wounded and sent to hospitals. During the entire Vosges Campaign, 34 days of almost non-stop combat - liberating Bruyeres and Biffontaine, rescuing the 211 Texans, and nine more days of driving the Germans through the forest - the 442nd’s total casualties were 216 men dead and more than 856 wounded."

Senator Daniel Inouye was in the 442nd and lost his arm in Europe. To listen to him talk of his experiences is gut wrenching.

From Wikipedia:
"The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service, in the entire history of the U.S. Military. The 4,000 men who initially came in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, ultimately earning 9,486 Purple Hearts and an unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations. Its 100th battalion is the most decorated for its size in the history of the U.S. Army, 21 of its members having been awarded Medals of Honor. Members of the 442nd received 18,143 awards..."

My mother was wanting to see this movie, 442 Live With Honor, Die With Dignity that is playing at the Ward Theater in Honolulu so we took her on Monday. We were surprised to find the theater completely full.

We knew about the prejudice suffered by Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor as well as the Internment camps and how it devastated American citizens of Japanese descent. Yes, I knew many people served in the 100th/442nd, but I didn't know the full story. This film made me realize just how much we owed to these "Go For Broke" soldiers who suffered what they did not just because they were Americans, but because they had to prove that they were with their lives. African-Americans have had to suffer the same trial throughout America's past.

I wish the history of what happened could be a lesson to future generations so that we don't repeat that injustice, but people do forget... and prejudice needs very little encouragement to grow.

Many of the Japanese-Americans of that time don't like talking about what happened. There was so much shame and hatred flung at them. The soldiers didn't like talking about their experiences because killing was abhorrent to them and they'd been through hell and didn't want to burden anyone with their pain.

I'm glad they created this film. This story needed to be told because we're seeing that same sort of prejudice happen all over again with the Muslim community. I just hope this isn't a kind of American history that is doomed to repeat itself.

Bugging the Heck Out of Me!

We planted the red blossom Ixora plant at the front of our house about a year or so ago because it was supposed to be a hardy plant for the tropics. It worked well for a while until the ants and aphids found it and attacked. We tried everything from soapy water to trying to clean off the leaves whenever we saw the bugs but it was a losing battle.

We decided to pull it out and try the plant on the left instead. I hope it does OK out of the pot.

I'm all for letting nature have her way to a point, but this is ridiculous! All the new Ixora leaves were covered with aphids brought by the ants to milk.


I didn't realize there were this many aphids until I took this close-up shot.


Even the flowers are covered with aphids. Many of the blooms just wither away.


The rest of the plant is covered with a black and white ash like substance.


I have no idea what this new plant is called because my aunt gave it to us. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Does anybody have advice on how to get rid of aphids and ants?

Hawaii 5-0

Did you watch the Hawaii 5-0 premier?

I wasn't sure I'd like it since I grew up with the original Hawaii 5-0. My brother and I used to love watching the show to see if we'd recognize any of the places. We'd laugh when they'd say McGarrett was at a certain place and we knew he was on the other side of the island. Jack Lord would often be seen driving somewhere, but we knew he was headed the wrong way.

I remember my mother telling me how she stood behind a very tall man at the bank and everyone started whispering that he was Jack Lord. She was awed by how handsome he was.

The funniest thing was seeing Jack Lord always wearing a suit with dress shoes. Sheesh! The only time I saw guys in a suit was at a funeral, a prom or a wedding.

I wanted to see the remake because of Daniel Dae Kim who I loved watching in Lost. He always spoke with a Korean accent in Lost so I figured he'd try the local accent for this Hawaii 5-0 remake. Nope. He sounds like a haole (Caucasian person, usually from the mainland) even though he's supposed to be local. Steve McGarrett is supposed to have grown up in Hawaii but he talks like a haole, too. Then again, Keahi Tucker (our haole news anchor) is also local and sounds as mainlandish as any other Midwestern newscaster so I guess it could be believable.

It was interesting to see a woman governor. I guess she's supposed to be like our current governor, Linda Lingle. I wonder if they'll change that since we will have a guy for the next governor.

I like the interaction between the characters, Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams. I think it's more interesting than the original because I always thought they made "Dan-O" look like such a mild subservient underling of McGarrett. McGarrett was also very stiff and formal...rather unapproachable and god-like.

The current McGarrett is just as smart, but fallible. I like that. I also like that Danny Williams is treated more as an equal along with Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua.

Overall, I think there is a lot to like. Hawaii looks good. The writing is good. The acting is pretty good. The action is fun.

I think I'll watch again next week.

Rusting Away in Hawaii

We bought these steel doors at Home Depot because we were tired of termites eating our wooden screen doors. You can just imagine our exasperation when these painted steel doors started to rust. It hasn't even been a year since Art installed them! When we mentioned this problem at the Builders Home Show, the presenters all nodded knowingly.

"This is Hawaii," they said. "It's the salt air."

Art was figuring he'd have to scrub the rust off with a steel brush, hope he got it all, prime and then paint it.

Then he talked to his brother-in-law, Kent in California and he suggested a type of spray that would combine with the rust and turn it solid, leaving it a black color. Then you'd just paint over it. Kent said it worked like a charm two years ago, but he couldn't remember the name of the product.

We went to Home Depot and looked for something like this, but couldn't find it. We started talking to another fellow in the aisle who happened to be looking for a similar thing. The good thing is he knew what it was called. EXTEND!

Home Depot didn't have it, but we found it at Lowes. Yahoo!

Art will try using it today if it doesn't rain again. We're going to have to cover the areas that aren't rusted because if the spray gets on unrusted parts, the directions say the solution could cause those areas to rust.

We also bought some Lithium grease spray that window people told us we should spray over metal parts to keep it from rusting. Then there's a silicon spray to keep your sliding windows rolling like silk.

Rust and termites, the bane of Hawaii!

Microfiber Swiffer Sheets

Last year my daughter, Tiffany bought me a bunch of inexpensive thin microfiber cloths that I could use with my Swiffer Sweeper. I was skeptical at first, but soon discovered that they work really well on our laminate flooring. I've always felt that disposable Swiffer paper sheets are awfully expensive and add to our landfill.

Tif bought the microfiber sheets cut to size for Swiffers at an Asian market in Illinois. I can't find them in Hawaii even though it's a Japanese product. I couldn't read the Japanese directions so I showed them to my mother. Mom said I wasn't supposed to put them in the washer or dryer, but needed to hand wash and dry them on the line. Tif said she's been sticking them in her washer and dryer with no problem. I don't understand why there should be a problem since I've seen other microfiber cloths that say you can put them in the washer and dryer.

Whatever the case, I just bat the dust off them against something outside the house, pull off the hair it's collected and wash them. It's been working great so far. Whenever they wear out, I'll just buy more microfiber material and cut them to size.

Meanwhile, Tif is keeping her eyes open so I can have even more backup cloths. I wonder why some company hasn't manufactured them for the U.S.

Looking Out at Windows

We were waiting for another window sales representative this morning when the phone rang. It was Keola, who we were expecting. Apparently he's come down with a horrible cold or flu and wanted to reschedule. Absolutely! We haven't gotten our flu shot yet.

Since he wasn't coming, Art said we should go down to Home Depot and price some vinyl windows there. That decision done, I started reading the comics.

Pearls Before Swine caught my eye.



We've gotten estimates for vinyl windows from two companies so far. The Company #1 fellow quoted $4,340.00 for Jeld Wen. Company #2 quoted nearly $8,000.00 for Anlin. The next windows we're looking at is called Makai.

Company #1 didn't have a sample of the windows, and didn't seem to know much about windows. He also gave some incorrect information which had us raising our eyebrows.

Company #2 was very knowledgeable and is a company of long standing. They also don't subcontract their labor. He said Company #3 does.

We're off to Home Depot now to check out their windows and hmmmm... maybe Lowes? That's our life for this week. We need to get this decision done quickly because we want to take advantage of the 30% off/up to $1,500. federal energy tax credit that expires this year.

Additional things to remember about getting the federal energy tax credits:

Requirements
U factor <=0.30
SHGC <=0.30

Tax Credit does NOT include installation costs.

SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient)
measures how well a window blocks heat from sunlight. The lower the SHGC, the lower the heat gain through a window. SHGC ranges from 0 to 1.

U-Factor
measures how well a window, door, or skylight prevents heat from escaping. It is similar to the R value for insulation. The lower the number, the more efficient the window. Ratings usually range from 0.20 to 1.20.

His and Her Movies

We're watching The Green Zone tonight starring Matt Damon. It's a war type movie. I put it on my Netflix queue for Art and I can see he's really riveted to it. Me? War movies turn me off although I like Matt Damon.


We watched The Young Victoria last night and Art was a real sport about it. He found it interesting to see how the young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England lived, ruled and loved. I loved the sumptuous costumes, the palaces, the love story. I believe he enjoyed seeing the political machinations of the time.

I'd better go now and pay attention to his movie. Maybe if I pay attention to it I can find something to hold my interest. I just hope there's not too much blood and violence.

I had fun watching Kung Fu Panda the night before.

Seen any good movies lately?