Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day to our celebrating family, friends and readers!

Last night, we heard the sounds of bagpipes while putting dinner together. We ran out to the veranda to see what was happening in the Village.  Much to our delight, there was a flurry of activity in the Village.

We dropped what we were doing, put on our shoes and jackets, and headed out. The Irish music emanated from the Pub, one flight down from our floor, and wafted from other bars and restaurants in the area.

We didn’t take photos. The bars and restaurants were too busy to even enter for a few photos amid the loud activities. But it was fun to hear and see the celebrations. If it continues tonight, we will go downstairs again to see if we can take a few photos or a video to share in tomorrow’s post.

Tom is 100% Irish but rarely celebrated to any degree. Most often, he has no interest in sitting in a crowded bar with loud drinkers carrying on. Also, he doesn’t care for crowds if he can avoid them.

Before too long, we wandered back to our condo to finish making dinner, followed by a lovely meal and a relaxing evening. We couldn’t have been more content. The evening flew by quickly, and then it was time for bed. I was hoping for a good night’s sleep.

A few days ago, I wrote about trying to improve my sleep. I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. I had been awake for two to three hours during the night. To compensate, I’d awaken too late in the day and repeat the same process over and over again.

Promising myself to change this undesirable pattern, I decided to get up and out of bed earlier each day since I needed to be more tired when I went to bed. So far, so good. I still have trouble falling asleep but have not been awake for so long during the night.

I am a little tired from this change, but hopefully, I will soon be able to fall asleep before 1:00 am. I am only getting about 6½ hours a night, not quite enough to feel well rested but enough to not feel awful during the day. We shall see how it goes.

I am optimistic that this issue will be resolved by the time we leave here in about two weeks. I continue to work out daily and perform my usual tasks around the house.

We just finished watching CBS Sunday Morning, and at 12:30, we will start streaming the Las Vegas Golden Knights game. I’ve already prepared tonight’s chicken salad dinner with a large green salad and hung two loads of laundry on the drying rack.

I only need to walk in the corridor one more time to complete the two miles. When I return, I will do the BetterMe exercises, and then I can relax for the remainder of the day.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 17, 2014:

Colorful dresses are also offered in the souk in Marrakesh, Morocco. For more photos, please click here.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate….

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Today is a memorable holiday, primarily celebrated by people of Irish descent, including the following:

“Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat.”

Although Tom is Irish, I am not, and he doesn’t make much of a fuss about this particular holiday. In our old lives, if it fell on a day that Tom was off work, I would make the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner which we both enjoyed. Most people would boil the corned beef in water with the vegetables.

I preferred to roast the meat, like a pot roast, covered and slow-cooked in the oven for several hours, along with the vegetables in the pan, cooking in the tasty juices. We found this method much more delicious than the typical “New England Boiled Dinner,” a favorite of some Americans. On occasion, to maintain the Irish tradition, I’d make Irish soda bread, but Tom wasn’t a big fan of the dense bread.

Gosh, my mouth is watering writing about this. At the time, I was still eating carbs (it’s been 12 years since I went keto) and loved the heavy bread, especially when some recipes called for raisins added to the dough. Tom doesn’t eat raisins in anything. I do miss each bread of any type, although I make keto bread which in no way compares to the “real deal.”

Many people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day did so in a bar, possibly drinking green-dyed beer. I’d never developed such a tradition since today is also my eldest son Richard’s birthday.

Today will be a delightful usual Friday for us when around 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., we’ll arrive at Jabula for yet another Friday evening filled with fun and merriment with Dawn, Leon, David, and countless other locals and holidaymakers who stop by for their enjoyment as well. Tom hasn’t been to Jabula in two weeks, but I was there last weekend, as mentioned, on Friday and Saturday nights. Our friend Sindee drove me both ways, both days. We had a great time together.

This morning we went to the local meat market and loaded up on various types of meat to last us for the next ten days or more. We bought mince, short ribs, lamb neck, chicken breasts, prawns, and bacon. After having that fantastic meal at Louise and Danie’s on Monday and, for the first time, eating lamb neck, I was anxious to buy one of them to cook. Tom doesn’t eat lamb, so he’ll have pork when I make it.

On Sunday, I plan to make two stir-fry dishes, one with prawns and veggies for me and the other a beef and broccoli dish Tom loves topped with salty peanuts and served over a bed of white rice. I will make large enough batches to last for at least two nights’ dinners, as I often do, to keep cooking time to a minimum on hot, humid days.

Right now, we’re beginning to feel the weather changing. It’s not a huge difference, but we’re finding it to be slightly cooler some days with a little less humidity. Today’s dew point is in the 60s, not the 70s, which is way more comfortable.

It’s so wonderful to have Tom back with me. We’re still feeling the magical glow of being back together again. Based on how we are, this feeling will last indefinitely.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 17, 2022:

Due to a WiFi issue of some sort of WiFi issue, I cannot load the year-ago photo today. For the post, please click here.

More to see, new and old…The wonder of it all never disappoints…Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate…HB RL!!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments

Plumeria growing on a sparse tree.  Spring is in the air.

Recently, Julie and I have visited many locations I’d already seen with Tom. Kauai is not a huge island, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised when I’ve been equally ecstatic to see these points of interest yet another time. 

We arrived in Kapaa town around noon. After stopping at the local health food store to restock almond flour, the cashier explained that this resort across the street was definitely worthy of a visit and bite to eat. She was right in her assessment. The resort has great reviews on TripAdvisor.
The entrance to the resort was totally empty when we entered, although we saw guests by the pool, in the restaurant, and walking on the paths.

Never bored for a moment, my eyes peruse the same beaches, same scenes, and same popular spots with a renewed curiosity as to what I may have missed last time. And of course, we’ve discovered new spots as shown in today’s photos.

The beach at the resort is easy to access and pristine.

On each occasion, something new was to be discovered, to be photographed, with a totally different perspective. It’s funny how excited we can become showing someone we love, something we love. Over these past days, soon to end, we’ve seen a lot.

The resort’s grounds include easy walking paths parallel to the shoreline.

On Friday night, a mere three days from today, Julie returns to Los Angeles to an entirely different world, a world to which I no longer connect, nor have I for 50 years. 

Seating provided at the beach for resort guests.

I grew up in Long Beach, California, which is as far removed from my reality as anyplace I can imagine. The traffic, the people, the cost of living (Julie says not unlike here in Hawaii) is something I can’t imagine we’d ever want in our lives again.

The food in the Oasis restaurant at the resort was delicious according to Julie. Her lunch of fish taco was prepared perfectly and fresh. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one item on the menu that worked for me and I wasn’t hungry enough to ask for special modifications. I ordered an iced tea and was content to be with my sister as we looked out at the sea.

Looking back at the rush hour traffic, the long lines, the crowds, we now realize that living in any big city in the US or, outside the US, is not a life for us after living this simple life in the world in more remote locations, always anticipating a move to yet another exciting location.

A Kolea bird, common along the shoreline.

We can only work at good health and hope and pray that it will provide us with the opportunity to continue on in our travels for many years to come. We accept that not worrying about it is our best option, in actuality our only option.  Worry only creates bad health, not improves it. We both choose not to worry. 

More walking paths in the Waipouli  Beach Resort and Spa.

Sure, from time to time we suffer from maladies which even my diligent way of eating, which greatly reduces inflammation, cannot defer. We each have a few age-related issues that at any point could immobilize us. 

The pool’s waterfall.

With our healthy way of eating, staying active, walking a lot, exercising (me, only), and maintaining an upbeat attitude, we hope we can hold off the ravages of bad health commensurate with old age for a few years, extending the quality of life well into our 80s, 90s and more. God willing (or your choice of a higher power, or not).

A portion of the pool with a waterfall. 

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and a part of the world celebrates this day with merriment and celebration. Today is also eldest son’s birthday and that has always superseded St. Patrick’s Day in my mind on this particular date.  Happy birthday, Richard! We’re thinking of you with love and good wishes.

Beautiful beaches never disappoint.

Please bear with us over the next many days, in that we’re sharing new photos of places we may have shared in the past, considering the new eyes that beheld them with a renewed degree of excitement and awe.

Even on cloudy days, one will always find beachgoers, hoping for a bit of sunshine.  Often, the clouds clear, if only for a short while.

The world is an amazing place. We find that wherever we may be, there is always a treasure to behold right before us, whether big or small, scary, or gentle for which, we are always eternally grateful.

Have a safe playful day!

                                              Photo from one year ago today, March 17, 2014:

It was one year ago today, that we decided to stay put. The intestinal virus I’d acquired from the salad in the first few days in March upon arriving in Marrakech had gotten the best of me. It was time to begin taking the Cipro which I tried to avoid for weeks.  Getting weaker by the day, I began taking the antibiotic which began working in less than a few hours. For details from this date, please click here.