Deepest Respect March 31, 2009

Japan ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki was in Honolulu last week. Among the various official appearances in his visit to Hawaii was to pay respect on behalf of his country by presenting a wreath at Punchbowl or the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. You can read more at this Honolulu Advertiser article link. What I find striking about this photo of the event is the deep bow being performed by Ambassador Fujisaki. He is offering the utmost gesture of supreme respect. It is quite touching in evoking the solemnity of this moment and causes one to pause in reflection of the history of America’s interaction with Japan and the change we have all experienced. The world and our relations with other countries and other people is ever liquid. What bothers me about this photo is that the fellow standing next to Ambassador Fujisaki, Gene Castagnetti the director of Punchbowl is wearing his sunglasses. Unless they are prescription sunglasses or he is visually impared or has extremely sensitive eyes…dude, show some class. Remove the shades. Be aware that most of the planet except for some celeberty loving parts of this country are wary of people who conceal their eyes. Not good protocol. Back to International Relations 101 for you Mr. Director of Punchbowl. photo by Richard Ambo

Happy Homows March 24, 2009

Homows are what we call home owners, of which we are…as of last week. Official Home Owners. We paid off our mortgage!!!  The details of the experience will come at a later date because the agony is over and now it is a time for celebration not complaints.  My husband had started a fire in the hibachi and we needed something official to burn. Hmmm how about the NOTE? I searched through my files and found our copies of a refinance completed over 10 years ago. We danced the ‘Dance of Joy’, clinked our chilled martini glasses and proceeded to burn every page in our hefty house folder. Happy Homows are we. Yaaayy hooray!!

Goooooooaall March 17, 2009

Goal x 2. My usual position on the soccer field is as a sweeper, the last defender before the goalie. My team got something in their collective noggins, apparently too many head balls, and moved me up front to play as a forward. A hand ball in the box with no volunteers to take the penalty kick and with urging from our usual sure-thing PK takers, resulted in my defacto situation, facing the goalie one on one for the penalty kick. I felt some serene confidence however, and agreed to try my foot as it were to tie the game 1-1. High and hard the ball soared over the 5′11″ keeper’s outstretched fingertips and punched into the top left corner of the net. Well placed, I must admit…this is no time for modesty. Less than 10 minutes later I received a lovely through pass from my teamate L. an undefatigable, skillfull, cloud touch controlled forward/mid-fielder. I took control of the ball with a couple of light touches and shot low around an aggressive fullback and a stunned goalie. The ball skimmed low to the inside of the right upright pole about 2′ off the ground. Poofh! into the net!!!! Goooooooooaalllll #2.  The winning goal. I don’t think I have scored for about 10 years. Today, I scored 2. Because my team had the confidence  to mix things up a little, put players in different positions, give me a try up front, I was able to score. We are an adaptable team.  We are able to adjust and play in various positions on the field. We are supportive of one another. We are winners this week. Way to go, Ladies.

Boxer Rebellion March 10, 2009

Or…No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Today I got bit by a dog. An un-neutered spittle-flying, snarling, snapping, lunging boxer. My Dalmation is making quite a ruckus, which is so unlike her, which causes me to look outside and observe 4 boxers racing up and down our fence line but in our next door neighbor’s yard. They also are barking their fool heads off. They are apparently escapees having the time of their lives but can’t decide if they want to pal with my dog or chomp her because she’s cuter than they are. As I slip out my gate to distract them to the end of my driveway, one of the females scoots under a 3″(no kidding) gap under the fence wire and attacks my dog who goes flying nimbly away. Somehow, I manage to get the intruder out the gate only to be met by the rest of the horde racing up my driveway to join in the fracas. I open my gate just a hair and intruder female slips past to join  in her family growl fest. Hurriedly grabbing a leash and collar I bolt down the driveway myself  and somehow collar the pup and miraculously(read foolishly) distract the pack enough to follow me as I start to jog toward their home. The young lady from next door flags down the passing mail lady who verifies the address of the wayward woofies, but I am already flying down the street. As we reach their property, we spy an open gate and I shush them back in and as I grab the iron bar to close the gate the male boxer turns territorial and attacks my hand. The frickah wen bite me. I shakily manage to secure the gate with a sorry excuse for a weathered bungee and my neighbor and I return to my home to find the remaining bitch trying to force her body through a hole in my wooden gate to menace my dog. Stupidly(read stoopidly) I jury rig the leash and peacefully lead the remaining dog home. Long story short…The male has tasted my sweet flesh and wants me. I mean WANTS me!!!!! We can’t get the female in because the male is hurtling his solid 90lb blood incensed, territorial crazed, snarling, clawing, spittle -foam-flying, sharp yellow toothed, pea brain boxer body at a little gate precariously held shut now with my looped nylon leash and me one and a half feet, count them 18″ away. We are frightened. After several attempts at distracting big boy, I successfully open the gate just a sliver and she schootches through before another heart palpatating rush of dog fur and hellish fury from the male. What was I thinking? We are still shook as we walk home and tend to my bloodied hand.

Mardi Gras February 27, 2009

Vibrantly blushing with a peaking young bud, this is a photo of my Mardi Gras…Mardi Gras rose that is. This lovely Jackson & Perkins tag says Mardi Gras (Jaci Rain). I don’t know much about roses except that they have been blooming the past few months filling my garden and house with their flowers and fragrances. I am successfully fighting my own War on Ugliness. Appropriately, these roses bloomed this past Fat Tuesday…Mardi Gras.

Valentine’s Day part II February 24, 2009

Despite the economic worries, sales at the Lei Shop were thankfully brisk. In Hawaii we give beautiful and special lei in addition or instead of the de rigueur rose arrangement or flower bouquets. We were not slammed but business was a happy steady flow. So it was a pleasant event to come home to a special Valentine’s dinner prepared by my husband. The menu; Blackened Ahi prepared with two different dry rubs- a curry/cumin and a predominantly chili/paprika concoction. Steamed artichoke with a ramekin each of lime-butter and mayonaise for dipping completed this artfully plated dish. We popped the cork to a Veuve Cliquot and kept it well chilled in a stylish Jeff Lee ceramic bowl, our favorite substitute for a wine bucket. For dessert James baked this pan of brownie with a cute little powdered sugar heart ahhhhwww. Simple. Elegant. Appreciated. Mahalo muchly! mmmmmmmwwahhhhhh.

Valentine’s Day part I February 20, 2009

Valentine’s came a little early. We had a number of errands to do in town on Thursday and decided to make it a day in ‘the Big Guava’–kind of like those folks who go in to ‘the City’ to spend a day shopping, dining, museuming and the like in the major metropolis’ like San Francisco or New York. Aside from welcome relief from my chiropractor our next big appointment of the day was to meet with Mr. Mori as my husband was submitting his retirement papers!!!!!!!! Yay! Hooray! Mr. Mori turns out to be a 6′3″ sandy haired Italian not the short Japanese guy we pictured. And you know, I listened to a message on the answering machine that he left the other day…and he stills sounds like your typical Japanese civil servant despite the fact that I know that not to be true. We did business, we shopped (wine at the Kaimuki Tamura’s then the polar opposite-tea at Lupicia in Ala Moana.) We then got a jump on Valentine’s Day by dining at Stage. A celebration was in order. Retirement and Valentine’s Day. My husband also presented me with the lovliest of lei, a 3 strand pikake and chose for himself a plumeria both from my favorite Lei Shop– Po’ohala Lei and Flowers. The dining experience at Stage was a treat. Delicious and  Asian inovative. The service genuine and attentive. Dessert-yummynum. We started with shared crispy fried Calamari and spinach Caesar Salad then hormone free New Zealand King Salmon and organic free range Lamb Chops for the entrees. A delighful  palate cleanser of homemade ice cream with a zing of chili pepper was a prelude to a sumptuously oozing bitersweet chocolate Soufle and a surprise retirement dessert from the kitchen. I am not a restaurant food critic so please check out the menu for the details. We had a delightful meal there and a day for celebration in the ‘Big Guava.’

Breakfast in Paradise February 10, 2009

Not every day starts as deliciously as this. But it should. And it could, if you are lucky enough like me to live in Hawaii. A neighbor grew this papaya and a friend was handing out starfruit. Dollop a couple of healthy helpings of yogurt to a cut lengthwise and seeded papaya-I like plain yogurt with as much fat as they make, slice the starfruit width-wise(they make the lovliest of edible pretty things). For more pretty and nummy I added mint from my garden. Grab the same spoon that you ladled the yogurt with and dig in. Savor briefly, sigh how “lucky you live Hawaii”, then eat it up–yum!

February 2009 Resolution February 4, 2009

non klutter kitty

Office romance. Nooooo, not that kind. I need to love my office again. It may not be  love per se, but I need to enjoy spending time and working in there again. How about just moving around in there again. Boxes-some with my giveaway items I may add-haphazzardly tilted, papers untidily grouped-ok I just completed my taxes(I am sooo proud of myself pat-pat), shelves with stuff, desktop with stuff, drawers filled with more stuff for office stuff, booksbooksbooks, all sorts of ephemera perilously growing with a life of its own I can only surmise since I don’t know who or why anyone would put THAT in my office…and then just leave it there! Walk over it, squeeze past it, pile it higher. No more.

The attack on the office dis-organization has begun. For the month of February, and I believe it will take all month, I am going to clean my office one drawer or shelf  or tray a day. My office courtship commences.

upon entering-ick

the organized view-ugh

non klutter kitty

                                                                                         

Clutter Control-Week 4 February 3, 2009

02/02

Heading into the final days of my January Resolution to recycle or toss 3 items every day proved slightly more difficult. I had already relieved myself of 79 things although the unofficial count was about a dozen more. I had to search and dig and root around through possessions and the back of closets and drawers rarely navigated. Saturday night at 11p found me rummaging for the final 3 extraneous former treasures to rid myself of. Yay, hooray, the deed was done and I had donated or purged over 100 items that had taken up space in my little bungalow.

My very deh duh astute observations are as follows; pfuffh! 100 little possessions of what? Their absence not in the least noticable, removing 3 a day made the task manageable and limiting myself to only 3 items daily resulted in what I can only describe as my eagerness in the physical act of finding articles to relinquish.

All this tossing and trashing and recycling and relinquishing happened only inside my house. I never got to the garage or my ’sewing shed’ both in desperate need of chaos control, and I limited myself to mine or ours-I kept my purging little paws off my husband’s stuff(note that his belongings are stuff as opposed to mine which are heirloom treasures).

This was such an overwhelmingly successful resolution that I am continuing this January experiment into February -with just a tiny bit of tweaking. So, I will continue to recycle or remove a minimum of 1 item every day. Of course I have the primary February resolution cooking, but I will update on that later.