Around the Place

I was unable to take advantage of a recent airfare from the US to Australia. It was $496 round trip but was only available from a few places on the mainland. It didn’t make sense to fly eastward 5 hours to get a flight going westward past Hawaii to Australia. It would have added over 10 hours plus layovers. Still, it was a great deal.

I continue to participate in Riviera.Fm and their shows, making a request here and there and joining in on the home jury on the “hit or Miss” show. This is a way for people to rate a song from decades ago as to whether it will be a hit or a miss today. http://www.riviera.fm/index.php/whos-on.html

I am trying to finish some back taxes and work on the farm.

I have a mainland trip scheduled soon to visit my mom and stop by my High School Reunion and Alumni Day.

For those following along, the Hokulea is a double-hulled outrigger with sails, navigating around the world using the stars. I hope that you got or will get a chance to see it. It is on the East Coast of America at the moment and headed towards New York. Then it is over towards Spain and back down to Panama and back to Hawaii. http://www.hokulea.com/

The neat thing is that I saw it here in Kealakekua Bay near my house years ago and now their voyage takes them within a few miles of where I will be staying. I think I’ll take them a few local favorites to share

I continue to work on my own farm which hit a stage of disrepair during my recovery from two operations. I am also helping a guy and his wife with their new farm. He used to work with me in Georgia.

Another family just moved here. They were featured on a TV show about leaving complicated life and living off the grid. This might involve catching rainwater, solar water heating, solar electric and so on. He will also be growing coffee and fruit among other things. http://www.fyi.tv/shows/unplugged-nation/season-1/episode-6

I have been on high blood pressure medicine for quite a while. The last medicine didn’t really bring it down fully as much as it made me tired. The doctor changed my med to a different one and sure enough, the pressure plummeted. So much so that after showing him the chart of average pressure, we cut the dosage in half. The reason? I was running 109/65 average. After reducing the pill size in half, the pressure remained very low. He said I could try stopping the medicine and that worked well for about a day and half where I averaged about 120/80. Then last night I woke up and checked the pressure and it was 156/86 and I decided to take a 1/2 tablet immediate. I am now back down in the 90’s. The next step is to go to a quarter of a dose. If that works, my current prescription may last longer than the medicine expiration date.

Years ago doctors were impressed that patients came in with actual readings taken at home and charts of the numbers. Now it is not uncommon. Also, my health plan allows me to email the doctor with questions so that I don’t take up valuable time in the office of (a plus for me) don’t have to pay a co-payment for simple things.

My friend and his wife, the ones who just bought here, are getting settled but still have to go back to the mainland to put the other house up for sale. They both have had a great experience with my health care option (Kaiser Permanente Hawaii). She had a very thorough exam and Q&A session and felt as though the doctor really cared about her treatment (compared to other doctors she has had) and the husband had a similar good exam and had some issued addressed in a better manner than on the mainland.

Unlike the mainland, you are more prone to see your doctor or other business acquaintances here outside their practice and maybe that makes it a closer-knit community of caring people.

While in the small waiting room at the local clinic, I saw three people I knew out of 8 people who came through. I have passed the Vet on the road and seen him in various stores. I saw my initial real estate guy in Costco with his wife. I saw a neighbor of mine over 100 miles from home at a store on the other side of the island.

It just seems like one big family here