Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. *** It’s been a long time since I went to the beach. The last time was in November 2012, when David and I snorkeled at Hanauma Bay. Now, I have such a hard time walking (even with a stroller), so the beach is out of the question. I am not in good health. There are so many things wrong with me. My most urgent issue right now is high blood pressure, probably due to the stress of being David’s caregiver. My BP hits 170/100. So, Dr. Ricalde has taken me off Telmisartan and has prescribed Hydralazine. Let’s see if it works. I can’t take Amlodipine (causes leg swelling) a ..read more

David had his first shower since coming home a month ago. He no longer takes sponge baths in bed. This is what the bathroom looked like after his first shower: It was quite miraculous. I cannot believe how the occupational therapist managed to solve the problems inherent in giving this big man a shower. Believe it or not, numerous rehearsals had to be accomplished before the actual shower took place. First, the wheels of the walker had to be turned inward in order to squeeze through the tight doorway. David had to approach the shower bench, then turn the walker to the right, sit, swing his le ..read more

One of our biggest fears is being incapacitated at home and unable to open the door for the paramedics. Yes, we are in our seventies and not in good health, so we do worry about such things. We decided to order a Kwikset door lock with lighted keypad from Amazon. It cost $120. Lisa was in town recently, so she installed it for us, using 4 AA batteries. (Sorry for the blurry photo): Voila! This is the door lock on the inside: And here it is on the outside: We press the lock icon on the keypad to lock the door, and we press the passcode to unlock it. To see it at night, we press the check mar ..read more

David and I have different tastes when it comes to movies. Recently, he watched “Poor Things,” which won an Oscar and Golden Globe award this year. It’s a raunchy porn film, in my opinion. The female lead (Emma Stone) is a nymphomaniac, who engages in wild sex with a guy she is not engaged or married to. The sex scenes in this movie are so graphic that they leave nothing to the imagination. To me, it’s disgusting. But, David loved it. The whole premise of the story is crazy, i.e., a goat’s brain can be surgically implanted in a human, and when the human awakens, he immediately behaves like a ..read more

Hotels along Waikiki Beach on Oahu, Hawaii. (National Geographic) *** I am truly an early bird. I go to bed at 8 pm and wake up at 1 or 2 am. Yes, that’s only 5-6 hours of sleep, but I function okay. I try not to nap during the day, as it makes me groggy. I like this sleep cycle, because I relish the peace and quiet of the early morning, when David and the neighbors are all fast asleep. This is when I collect my thoughts and give thanks for having such a beautiful place to live, a brand new car to drive, and enough money to live on. I am so blessed! You can’t believe how grateful I am to have ..read more

David is improving daily, but very slowly. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to dine in a restaurant any time soon. He would need a wheelchair, which would be difficult for me to haul out of the car. So, how can we enjoy restaurant food, when we tire of Gigi’s cooking, without having to drive to a restaurant? Door Dash is the answer. Have you heard of it? I added the app to my iPhone and was offered a 40% discount off my first order and 30% off subsequent orders (up to $7 each) for the next 30 days. So, I decided to order Chinese food. The subtotal for 4 dishes was $54. Plus a service ..read more

My friend Suzanne was my high school and college classmate. She majored in Psychology at the University of Hawaii and received her Master’s of Education from the University of Oregon. She is now married with 2 children and 2 grandchildren. After retiring from the federal government, she took art lessons from an artist, who taught her how to use the palette knife. She used the knife when she painted her landscapes. Now that she focuses solely on abstracts, she uses brushes, markers, trowels, and rarely the knife. Her abstracts now employ mixed media such as acrylic, water soluble paint, ink, cr ..read more

The nurse (Kelsey) examines David twice a week. He has a yeast infection on his torso as well as 2 sore toes, which tend to bleed. She recommended a medication to Dr. Loui, David’s PCP, who then sent in his prescription to the pharmacy. *** So far, David has had 3 sponge baths since coming home on March 18. The bathing aide (Julie) is excellent. She takes an hour to bathe David in his bed, using David’s own body wash and shampoo. The sheets don’t get wet, as there are water proof pads on top. I also provide 2 towels and 2 wash cloths as well as 2 dish pans and a TV tray. Julie applies medicati ..read more

David’s parents, Glenn and Bessie. *** As mentioned earlier, Maria gave David an Ancestry DNA Test as a belated Christmas gift. The results arrived recently. David’s DNA: 47% England 40% Scotland 10% Ireland 3% Sweden and Denmark *** David was shocked to learn that he has only 10% Irish blood. He assumed that his father was more Irish than Scottish, as his father’s family immigrated to Canada from Ireland. Apparently, his Scottish ancestors settled in Ireland and mated a few times with the Irish. Who knows? David’s mother was English with trace amounts of Swedish and Danish. She was more refi ..read more

I am David’s personal secretary and servant. Such a lucky man, really. Therapists, a nurse and a bathing aide have been calling me to set up appointments. I am very busy emptying his urinals, refilling his portable bidet, water bottles and cannister, changing his clothes, washing his laundry, cooking and cleaning. Oh, the chores are endless. Very difficult with my crippling poly arthralgia. *** Meanwhile, I manage to find pockets of time for myself. I relish the time I spend in front of the computer and the TV. Since David monopolizes the TVs in the living room and his bedroom, I was forced to ..read more