It was five years ago today that Tom was checking out the views from one of the two houses we rented in Pahoa, Big Island, Hawaii. Only days later our family began to arrive for the holiday. For more, please click here.

Today, I am in a bit of a rush. I have to leave the house at 10:45 am to drive to Las Vegas to see Susan and to join her for lunch in her new assisted living facility located 45 minutes from here.


I’ll stay a few hours and then stop at Smith’s Market on the way back to Richard‘s home for a few items for tonight’s dinner and then rush back to begin preparing dinner. Richard only eats chicken so as his mom, I try to be inventive and produce another good chicken recipe.


As for the coughs…Tom is in the worst of it now while I am slowly beginning to turn the corner. If it weren’t for Nyquil Cough, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. Both of us have fits of coughing at all hours but especially during the night. For some reason, everything seems worse at night.


We’d hoped to go to a movie with Richard while here but there’s no way we would be able to get through a two-hour period without hacking and disturbing everyone. We’ll see how it goes. We’re leaving in eight days.


Why this cough has lasted so long has baffled us. It started slowly on the cruise over a month ago. Tom had a bit of a tickle in his throat and I had a small pointless cough. I spent one night’s dinner in the cabin when I was feeling dizzy and out of sorts not knowing what was wrong.


But, the dizzyness was the beginning of this dreadful virus when only the next day the cough exacerbated. Also, one of the symptoms we have both experienced has been a feeling of utter exhaustion. 


I am past that stage right now but Tom has been going through it over the past two weeks, worsening the past three days. Please, let this be over soon so we can return to our usual enthusiastic selves, especially now that we know we can move forward with travel plans.


Speaking of which…we booked our flights to India on British Airways at a great price as follows (for both of us):

Total price: USD $1675.16
Trip Protection:      117.26

Unfortunately, no new photos to share but check out last year’s photo below! It still makes us laugh! Be well. Be happy. _________________________________________ Photo from one year ago today, December 2, 2018:

Little decided to check out the inside of the house.  I was in the kitchen chopping vegetables when he entered and looked up to see this! We both couldn’t stop laughing. I yelled out, “Little, is that you?” (I knew it was him). He shook his head a bit like he often did when I spoke to him. He climbed up six very slippery tile steps to get to me, difficult in those “high heeled shoes.” For more photos, please click here.

Richard was a Vegas Golden Knight’s superfan when he painted this mural on a wall in his backyard pool area. We’re looking forward to attending a game with him on December 8th.

Yesterday, I baked seven pumpkin pies. When Tom and Richard enjoyed their miniature pumpkin pies topped with whipped cream while out to dinner on Thanksgiving night, I decided I needed to bake a few pies. 

Two of the pies are low carb, and the remainder is traditional. I made an extra for my sister Susan which I’ll bring when I visit her tomorrow at lunchtime. Richard often has a low-carb way of eating, but when he saw how different the low-carb pies looked, he decided on the regular pie instead. 

I guess I’ll have to figure out how to eat two pies over the next several days. I’ll likely freeze one, and we’ll take it to Arizona when we make the drive on or about December 10th or 11th.To make all these pies and dinner for the next several nights yesterday morning, I grocery shop by myself for the first time in over nine months. I was a bit slow-moving in Smith’s Market in Henderson due to another bad night’s sleep with both of us coughing, but I managed to get it done.

Years ago, while visiting Richard, I’d signed up for the Smith’s rewards card. I’d disposed of the card long ago, but I was able to remember my old phone number, which worked in place of actually having the plastic card in my possession. 

As a result, when I was checking out after spending $300 on groceries, I saved over $34 from recalling the old phone number. Wow! That was a thrill. I purchased all the ingredients for the seven pies, two glass pie pans which we’ll take with us (Richard doesn’t bake pies), lots of Keurig coffee pods (so we don’t deplete Richard’s entire supply), and enough food for four or five dinners.

Last night we had carry-out from Cheesecake Factory. I was too pooped to make dinner after making all the pies. Carryout was perfect. Today, I’m making dinner, enough to last for two nights but made fresh daily.

Today, I’m making boneless skinless chicken breasts stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic butter, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese wrapped in hickory-smoked bacon. On the side; cauliflower mash, steamed asparagus, jasmine rice, and homemade coleslaw.

After we devoured our Cheesecake Factory dinners, we began watching a movie that had recently been released on Netflix, “The Irishman,” which is over three hours long. Of course, I fell asleep on the comfy sofa, ultimately dozing off and on during the movie.

About an hour into the movie, we took a break for pumpkin pie. Each of us could choose a pie of our own without having to share. This is a great way to savor a pie at one’s own pace without worrying about sharing it with others. We’ve often done it this way with my former passion for baking, which has diminished since we’ve been traveling over the years.

By 11:00 pm, the movie ended, and we were off to bed, each chugging the little plastic cupful of Nyquil Cough, hoping we wouldn’t disturb each other’s sleep. It was a useless expectation. We each awakened many times from our own and each other’s coughing. Tom is where I was two weeks ago, and I still have a long way to go to be free of this virus. 

In case you haven’t noticed, I have been posting photos taken with my phone. This is something I’d been adamantly opposed to for a long time, preferring to use a camera. Now, with this new phone, I am amazed by the quality of the photos, as seen in the above photo.

This doesn’t mean we won’t keep using a camera. One of our two cameras “died” while in my carry-on bag on Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Minneapolis, Minnesota. How? I don’t know. Now, we’re left with one camera and will use it for most sightseeing. For now, it sure is fun using my new phone.

When I take photos with the phone, they are automatically on my laptop through Google within seconds. This saves me so much time. Having these many features is astounding to us, having been so far removed from the most current digital equipment for so long.

Our phones work like Amazon’s Alexa. We can ask anything at all by voice and get an instantaneous response within seconds. This is quite fun for me, but Tom doesn’t seem as interested in using voice commands.

That’s it for today, folks. We hope each of you has a peaceful and restful day as well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 1, 2018:

This is our boy Wildebeest Willie, who stops by most afternoons for pellets and several naps.  He waits for other wildlife to appear then gets up to join in on the pellet frenzy. He isn’t interested in carrots, celery tops, apples, or pears.  He responds enthusiastically to his name and most likely responds to terms other residents have given him. Smart guy, that Willie! For more, please click here.

Chase, Susan’s adorable Yorkie.

Yesterday afternoon, I drove to Summerlin, Nevada, to see my sister Susan, who moved into an assisted living facility on November 1st. This move was long overdue when she required quite a bit of help in her day-to-day activities. I hope she’ll be able to manage there when she no longer has as much support staff as she had in her apartment.

My sister has been bedridden for approximately 14 years, from what I recall. She suffers from numerous health conditions, including COPD and pain syndrome, which requires constant oxygen, many medications, and frequent doctor visits.

Seafood salad.

Her spirits are good and always have been. She’s accepted her limitations with dignity and grace. As my older sister by four years, she’s always been an inspiration to me. How dare I ever complain when I am up and around traveling the world while she lingers in a bed around the clock?

But, as we know, everything is relative. When we suffer, regardless of the cause, thinking of the suffering of others doesn’t necessarily bring us comfort. It may for a few moments when we contemplate the suffering of others but rarely does it make us become pillars of strength and resiliency. It’s the nature of the human spirit.

Fried chicken.

As I sat there with her for three hours, hacking and coughing, she was more concerned for me than for herself. I dismissed the annoying cough as a mere inconvenience that eventually would go away. 

And it will. This morning I noticed a slight improvement. On the other hand, Tom is in the throes of the worst of it, behind me by about two weeks. Hopefully, soon with his robust constitution, he’ll be on the mend. It’s unlike him to become ill.

Chicken Piccata.

I will return to see my sister on Monday, joining her for lunch at the facility. They allow visitors to have meals with residents for a $9 fee. I noticed they had a salad on Monday that will work for me. The food is irrelevant. It’s the interaction that bespeaks it all. I will be able to dine with her.

When I returned to the house, we drove to New York, New York Hotel and Casino and walked through the casino to the Venetian Hotel to a restaurant Richard suggested, The Grand Lux Cafe.

Guess who ordered the beef pot roast with mashed potatoes?

The offerings were primarily American fare which Tom prefers the most, and we all had an excellent meal. Once again, I had salad, seafood salad, but that is always the easy go-to for me.
Today will be low-key. Soon, I am going to Smith’s Market to buy some groceries. Today, I am making pumpkin pies, both regular and low carb, which we all missed over the Thanksgiving period. It will be wonderful to have a slice of low-carb pie topped with natural whipped cream.

Most likely tonight, we’ll dine out, and then tomorrow, I’ll do some cooking for a few days. Richard only eats chicken, so it will surely be a “chicken fest” while attempting to make a few favorite chicken recipes. I haven’t cooked a meal in almost a month.

May you have a spectacular weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, November 30, 2018:

Bushbuck baby, maybe dad and mom often stop at the bottom of the steps for their pellets.  For more, please click here.

Five years ago, we’d seen photos of this car, a 1959 Cadillac convertible (woody) hanging from the ceiling at Hard Rock Café in Lahaina. On our return drive from Kaanapali Beach, we stopped to take a few photos of our own, as shown. For more photos, please click here.

This may sound awful to say as proud American citizens, but we’re are disappointed with the service at airports in the US. Questions go unanswered, the staff appears disinterested in traveler’s needs, and we discovered somewhat of a blase attitude of many airport employees.

Of course, there are many exceptions but these past two flights, one from Fort Lauderdale to Minnesota and yesterday’s flight from Minnesota to Nevada, left us wondering if the average worker is dissatisfied with their job.

No, I won’t get into all the potential reasons why we may have experienced these inconsistencies. Nonetheless, we were grateful to arrive safely on somewhat of an uneventful flight, barring some turbulence as we approached Las Vegas, where it was raining.

It is cool here, but we don’t mind. It’s certainly not as cold as it was in Minnesota. Today’s high is expected to be 45F (7.2C), cool enough to require we dress warmly. The sun is shining today after a few days of rain.

It was wonderful to see my son Richard after two years and four months. Once we arrived at his home, we dropped off our luggage, piled into his Escalade, and headed right back out the door to go to Thanksgiving dinner. 

The restaurant he selected located across the road at Green Valley Ranch was perfect. Tom and Richard ordered the traditional Thanksgiving dinner while I had a Cobb salad. The turkey dinner had too many items I couldn’t eat, and the salad was filling and satisfying. 

As I’d mentioned, Tom’s cough has exacerbated, and last night after returning after dinner, he went directly to bed. I am still coughing but am now convinced it’s a virus, not a bacterial infection, and there is nothing we can do to make it go away. Not antibiotics, not steroids…just time.

This gives me pause when considering upcoming cruises. What can we do to prevent catching the dreaded cruise cough? I can only surmise that avoiding the buffet, restrooms, and elevators when we can maybe the only way to ramp up our avoidance of catching these awful bugs.

We’d hoped that today we would go to the DMV to renew our driver’s licenses. We’ve heard stories of people waiting all day to be called for their renewal. We have no interest in waiting in a queue for hours. Richard suggested we wait until next Tuesday when it won’t be as busy. 

Soon, I’ll take off to visit my sister Susan at her new home in Las Vegas, a beautiful assisted living facility, about 30 minutes from here. I can hardly wait to see her.

Tonight, we’ll all head out for dinner at a favorite spot of Richard‘s on the strip. Many new hotels and restaurants have been built in the past few years. We’ll enjoy having an opportunity to see the new properties and dine at one of the restaurants.

At the moment, I’m seated in his comfy living room with a great cup of Dunkin’ Donuts Decaf Keurig coffee. At some point today or tomorrow, I’ll grocery shop to make a meal in the next few days. We’ve been eating out almost every day (except for a few fabulous dinners Karen made) since we arrived in the US on November 8th.

A home-cooked meal may be just what the doctor ordered. Settling in here in this low-key environment is also on the list of healing properties, a little more leisurely pace than we had in Minnesota.

We wish our friends in the US a fruitful “Black Friday.” the big sale after Thanksgiving each year. We prefer not to partake in the festivities! We hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a fabulous meal with quality time spent with family and friends.

Many species visited our garden in the early mornings;  kudus, bushbucks, warthogs, helmeted guineafowl, and duikers. What a great start to the day! For more photos, please click here.