My 18th Blogaversary!

I started my blog on a leap year on February 29th, 2008. 

I almost forgot to write a post about it. When I checked my blog posts, I saw that I forgot to note last year that it was my 17th year. That just shows my forgetfulness as the years go by.

I'm not ready to post anything about our trip to Hokkaido last month. I'm still thawing out from the freezing cold and trying to organize photos, etc. 

I should be back to my blog in a couple of weeks. 🤞

Crisis After Crisis Before a Trip

OK... This is the 3rd and last time I'll break my blog hiatus... 😳... mainly because I'm probably on the flight as you read this.

We've often had a crisis pop up just before we go on a trip. There was that time we were leaving on a trip to Japan and mom hurt her knee two days before. We had to get a wheelchair for her and she had a wonderful time. 

Then there was that trip a few years ago when Art and I were leaving on another trip. My brother was on his way to our house to take us to the airport. Mom fell on the sidewalk while sweeping leaves. Art and I were getting ready and neighbors brought her in with a bloody head. Dennis took her to the emergency room while our friend, Dave took us to the airport. Dennis kept us informed on what was happening as we waited at the airport. Thankfully, everything was OK and we were able to get on the flight.

So here we were preparing for this Hokkaido trip and I got that subconjunctival hemorrhage in my left eye last Friday. Happily, our optometrist squeezed me in to make sure everything would be OK to travel.

And THEN!  Arrrghhh! We had a crisis with that new Maytag impeller washer we bought from Costco! Arrghhh! We've never had an impeller washer before.

Would you believe mom's blouse got stuck under the impeller? No, the washer was not even full. The clothes were not stuffed in there. However, the blouse somehow was lodged. Art looked online and discovered that it had happened to other people who owned impeller washers and found instructions on what to do.

OK... That's fine and dandy.

Art was able to remove that center cap.

But then there was that bolt under it holding the impeller down.

I forgot to take a photo of that bolt so I had to get this online.

Well.... poor Art had the darndest time finding a socket wrench to put down into that long tube to try to unscrew that bolt.

And when he finally got the right tool, that bolt would NOT budge. 

Arrghhh...

So with all else failed... Art just figured the blouse would have to be sacrificed and he pulled it out slowly from between the impeller and drum, grateful that there wasn't a button holding it in.

Incredibly, the blouse did not tear.

But what if this happens again? This is so irritating. 

We didn't have time now to worry about getting a Costco repair person out here so we decided to wait until we returned from our trip.

OK... what else could go wrong?

POSTSCRIPT:  After I wrote this post I decided to call Costco Technical Support anyway. A repair person will be coming to loosen the bolt the day after we return from our trip. 😊

Breaking My Hiatus a 2nd Time

Sigh...

I know I said I was taking a Blog Hiatus, but I just had to record this.

We were out walking with friends last Friday and Art told me later that he noticed redness on the inside of my eye.

After coming home and having lunch he mentioned again that I needed to look at my left eye.

I looked in the mirror and saw some redness, BUT when I pulled down my lower lid, I was shocked to see what looked like a lot of blood.

I called my optometrist's office and they insisted I come in. I told them it's probably harmless and I could email them a photo, but no... they wanted me to come in. Dr. Tanaka did a whole bunch of tests and said it was a hemorrhage. He asked if I'd coughed a lot, carried something heavy, was irritated by the volcanic vog covering the islands, etc. No, I hadn't.

When I texted my daughter a photo of my eye, she texted back a photo of her eye from a while ago. Apparently she gets them too.

When I checked my blog, I saw that I'd written about this in 2020! 

https://travelerswife.blogspot.com/2020/03/bloody-eye.html

I couldn't remember when this had happened before when Dr. Tanaka asked me. I should have checked my blog. It's a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

And this is why I'm recording this now. It's really a record for me. I'll have to tell him when I go in for my next appointment.

And my red eye? Dr. Tanaka says it will probably take a couple of weeks to go away. I'll just tell everybody on our Hokkaido tour that they don't have to worry. It's not catching. 😊

POSTSCRIPT: Art was telling his sister yesterday about my eye and she knew all about this condition. She said she gets them too! I didn't realize it was so common. Have you ever had this? Is this a female thing because Art, my brother and brother-in-law have never had this.

Being a Fan of Josh Groban

OK, I know I already announced last week that I would be on a blog hiatus because I'm leaving soon for Hokkaido.  However, I just had to mention this.

A lot of my friends know I've always loved Josh Groban's voice ever since I heard his music for the first time. That's got to be more than 20 years ago.

I wrote this blog post in 2012. This is a clip from it:

"Well... for some strange, incomprehensible reason my kids are not enamored of Josh.  Why is that?

Keola and his Sarah lived in Washington, D.C. many years ago, and Sarah worked for a bookstore.  She was offered free tickets to a Josh Groban concert.

Keola called to tell me they would go juuuust because they knew how much I liked him.  Keola said he'd tell me all about it.  When the call came, Keola said they lasted only until the half time intermission and that the audience was filled with middle aged women.

Puhleeeeze.....

A few days later he sent me a couple of pencils advertising the Josh Groban's concert. (I got this photo off of the Internet.)

My son was having fun with me.

A while later, my son-in-law, Ed received tickets for a Bears football game from his company. The Bears were playing against San Francisco.  My daughter, Tiffany said this was a BIG deal.  We were down front in the center of Soldier field  in Chicago." 

So yup. 

I texted this photo to Keola who loves sports along with Art and the rest of the family. And yes, he knows I'm not a big sports fan and that I was teasing him. And no, I didn't leave at half time.

So... here's the reason I'm having to write this post. 

Would you believe that the day after I leave for Hokkaido, Josh Groban is performing in Hawaii for the first time to kick off his World Tour in a one-night-only show right here in Honolulu?

Hmmm... I wonder where those pencils are. Hmmmm...

OK, I'm back on my hiatus.

Blog Hiatus

Blog buddies know that (unlike Art) I get very stressed before a trip. I do. Sigh...

We'll be leaving soon for the Winter Festival in Hokkaido. It was a moment of weakness when other travelers (including my cousin) in April of last year mentioned enjoying the trip and the incredible ice sculptures they saw in that northernmost island of Japan. So we signed up for it. These are photos my cousin texted me. He's done this trip 3 times!

Without a doubt, it's good for us to get a break from caring for my mom whose memory seems to be fading by the day. People have told us we're very lucky that she is in such good shape at 96 and so happy. Mom is always grateful for everyone caring for her. 

But still... we need this time away. I could not be handling everything without Art. Truly. And he really needs to travel because that's always been one of his favorite things to do. That's the reason my blog address is https://travelerswife.blogspot.com/

Mom's worsening condition is making it more and more difficult for me to visit other bloggers or even to keep my blog posting on schedule. And yet, I need to maintain my writing to try to keep my brain operating. I'm getting awfully scary forgetful.

I am also very lucky that I have a brother who will drop everything to come and help. He'll be staying with mom to care for her and keep her company.

Therefore... I'm taking this hiatus now and will let you know how the trip went when I get back. Stay well everybody and stay warm. 

Oh gosh... what more to pack? Gloves, scarves, snow cleats, jackets, thermal underwear, medications, ACK! 

A Rare Monarch Sighting

I went out to water the garden and saw a flash of orange on the carport support pillar. When I got closer, I saw that it was a monarch butterfly.

I've mentioned before that when my brother and I were children we saw monarchs all the time. All the crown flower bushes were covered with holes, caterpillar poop and monarch chrysalis. We even took some home just to see the transformation and then watching them fly off.

But now...all the crown flower bushes these days are pristine and there's not a caterpillar in sight. It's sad.

And yet, here was a monarch. 

Maybe it had just come out of the chrysalis and was resting. I was really happy to see it and took photos from every angle. It didn't move, but I saw it fly away much later. 

I just found this on AI:

Seeing a monarch butterfly often symbolizes transformation, rebirth, and hope, representing life's journey, change, and spiritual growth, while in many cultures, it's seen as a messenger from deceased loved ones or a sign of endurance and new beginnings. 

I've lost so many dear friends in the last couple of years. I like to think that they might have come to tell me not to stress about our upcoming trip and to enjoy the time I have. 

Hawaiian Humor

I've seen this sign several times on our way into Honolulu and could never get a good photo of it. I finally did last week.

I first saw it when we were going into Waikiki with our daughter and family while they were visiting from Chicago earlier this month.

The sign is Hawaiian pidgin.

It says, "NO BE A STINKAH,

USE ONE BLINKAH"

Translation: "Don't be a stinker. Use your blinker."

It's a good thing to remember because Art does get aggravated when people cut into our lane often without signaling their intention. 

I thought I'd heard some time ago that Hawaii had some of the worst drivers in the nation. Uuummm....

And then I found this on AI:

As of January 2026, Hawaii is ranked as the worst state in the nation for overall driving, according to a WalletHub study that considered factors like cost, safety, and traffic. The state frequently tops lists for bad driver behavior, including high rates of speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence, though state officials note recent safety and infrastructure improvements. 

Key 2025–2026 Rankings and Data:

• Overall Driver Quality: Ranked #1 worst in the nation for 2024–2025 due to poor behaviors like improper lane changes, running red lights, and speeding.
• State Driving Conditions: Ranked 50th (dead last) in the 2026 WalletHub study, which cited high gas prices, heavy congestion, and poor road quality.
• Specific Behaviors: Hawaii ranked 1st for drunk driving, 4th for speeding, and 4th for texting while driving, according to a report from The Law Office of R. Patrick McPherson.
• Traffic & Infrastructure: While rated poorly, Hawaii Department of Transportation officials stated the state's ranking in this specific category improved from 43rd in 2022 to 39th in 2026, notes Hawaii News Now. 

Despite the poor ranking for behavior, Hawaii often ranks better (top 10 to 15) in terms of actual traffic fatalities and major crashes compared to other states. 

Good grief! How embarrassing! Let's hope that 2026 will find Hawaii drivers showing less stink behavior and more good kine driving on the roads. 

Granddaughter's Secret

Art and I are planning for our trip to Hokkaido to see various snow and ice festivals. We haven't experienced freezing temperatures much since we left Chicago in 2008. We're older now and I hope the cold doesn't bother me too much.

Our temperature here in Hawaii was about 64 degrees F this morning and I put on a fleece jacket.

In planning for this trip to Hokkaido, I was looking in my scarf, glove and hat drawer and saw this little slip of paper.

Our daughter, Tiffany and family left over a week ago so I've looked through this drawer since then to see what we have.

I never saw that note.

Granddaughter KC started leaving us notes since 2018 when she was 12 years old.

There were 9 notes to find all over the place in 2018.

We found 16 notes in 2019.

KC outdid that number in 2022 with 18 notes.

They were being careful near mom especially because of the COVID pandemic.

Since their visit was so short this time, I see that she must have left just 8 notes. KC is 19 years old now and it's nostalgic to see the growth and fun in her notes.

I was surprised that their last visit to Hawaii was 4 years ago. We've been with them every year either in Chicago or meeting them in Japan so I didn't realize it had been such a long time. They did use this visit to enjoy shave ice, malasadas, andagi, udon, beef jun, etc. etc. etc.

Problem now is that since KC is much older, she's also gotten smarter... sneakier? 😄 Ever since I found that note, I haven't been able to find the other 7.

But don't worry. I'll find them like I did the others.

I think.

The Curse of the Centipede

I was telling my brother about our cousin, Lorna's awful centipede attacks. I was shocked to hear she'd been bitten 5 times.

I've never been bitten/stung by a centipede. Actually, when I looked at a close-up photo we took of the centipede, I couldn't figure out if they bite or sting. I found this on Wikipedia:

A centipede bite is an injury resulting from the action of a centipede's forcipules, stinger-like appendages that pierce the skin and inject venom into the wound. Such a wound is not strictly speaking a bite, as the forcipules are a modified first pair of legs rather than true mouthparts. Clinically, the wound is viewed as a cutaneous condition characterized by paired hemorrhagic marks that form a chevron shape caused by the paired forcipules.

The centipede's venom causes pain and swelling in the area of the bite, and may cause other reactions throughout the body. The majority of bites are not life-threatening to humans and present the greatest risk to children and those who develop allergic reactions.

Anyway, Dennis had an even more awful (for him definitely) story to tell me. 

I worked at the pineapple cannery when I was in High School. It was extremely exhausting work and we carry it as a badge of honor for having done it.

However, there were no centipedes in the cannery that I could see.

Dennis, on the other hand toiled in the sugar cane fields. I have no idea why he chose the cane fields to the cannery. (This is a picsart generated photo.)

One day, as he walked through the fields he felt something crawling up his pant leg. It crawled up one pant leg and luckily went past the part that's very important to guys and then decided to sting him there. 

My brother is very allergic to bee and other insect venom like my mom. His leg swelled to an alarming degree and he had to be taken to the hospital.

"Wouldn't you know….” he said.  "They sent in a young intern to check me out? And it was a woman!!!”

I guess she must have administered something like an epinephrine because he survived that mishap. 

I imagine this must be why he made a career out of working in a sterile police photo lab where he would be far removed from any other stings or bites.

I don't remember ever getting a really bad reaction to bites or stings, but my daughter is just like her uncle and grandmother. I guess they have my mom to blame for this possibly genetic predisposition. Luckily, Tiffany also works in an office away from centipedes or bees or whatever. Oops! But they do have mosquitoes in Illinois. 😕

POSTSCRIPT: I asked my brother why he chose to work in the fields. He said that cannery workers were being offered $1.75 an hour but sugar plantation workers could get $2.25. He's 3 years younger than me. I don't remember being paid $1.75 a hour to work in the cannery. It was MUCH less. �?

Monster Arthropod

I was seeing mom off on the Handi-Van taking her to the day care which she absolutely loves. The drivers are all so very caring, making sure her belt is secured and that she's comfortable.

Art was in the carport and decided to come and wave goodbye to mom along with me. Mom always loves to have us see her off. We often chuckle that it's like seeing our child off to school. Well... except our children walked to school every morning when we lived in Illinois. 

Anyway... as the Handi-Van took off, Art looked down and saw this HUGE centipede! It has to be the biggest one I've seen in a long, long time.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "I need to take a photo of this for my blog. Could you put your hand there to show how big it is?"

Uuuummm... This was the closest to this monster arthropod as Art was willing to put his hand.

He's very kind to help me find ideas for my blog.

I sent photos of this to my friends here and Illinois as well as my favorite Kauai cousins.

This was the conversation by text I had with my cousins, Lorna and Holly.

Lorna: Ugh! I absolutely hate them. I've been bitten about 5 times already, and those bites burn!!! Even small ones' bites hurt just as much.

Holly: Holy cow! That is one healthy looking centipede! At least it wasn't IN the car! 😬

Lorna: And the first time I was bitten, it hurt so much I drank a lot of vodka hoping it would dull the pain. Nope. Then, a couple of days later, I noticed a red line moving up my leg. It was infected (the doctor said centipedes eat things like roaches, which is a good thing, but yuck), so that's probably why it got infected. Had to get a shot (you know where) of antibiotics.

Me: 😄

Holly: You should have poured the vodka on the bite. 😂

Lorna: Didn't think of that. It could have killed some of the bacteria though. Or maybe I should have had a second shot of vodka.

Like I said before, they are my favorite Kauai cousins and are the most fun ever!

And I just had to give you an even better close up view of this big guy.

My friend, Diane asked if Art had killed it. I told her that Art had sent the huge fellow down the drain in the street.

And Diane replied, "What? We had a centipede come out of the toilet a long time ago!" 😯

Oops!