Sunday, May 8, 2022

Sunday, May 8, 2022

     I slept exceptionally well. The first time I checked the time, it was 5 am. I often have that wide-awake feeling earlier, 11 pm, 1, 2, or 3 am. I can usually fall back to sleep when I see how much time I have left to the night. It is unusual for me to remain in that deep sleep state for that long. Having the kids here helps soothe me. 

    I was up and on my morning walk with Elsa by 5:30. I saw little wispy white clouds through a break in the dark ones. This sunshine wasn’t going to last long.  

     The vine growing on top of the chain-link fence had flowers on it. I had to get to it before it bore fruit to produce more such vines. I hadn’t been up to climbing over the other plants to get to it. Today I was. I had to cut back branches on the six-foot shrub that pushed up against the fence and blocked my access to the vine. I only had a small clipper, which was sharp enough to cut through the thick branches. It took me a few minutes to find the main vine. It should have been obvious. It was as thick as my pinky finger. I clipped it and got out of there. Usually, when I went to the fence, I took my walking stick to ensure balance. I felt well enough today to have left it behind without a thought. I had my phone with me if I needed to call for help, but I made it back to the paved driveway surface without a hitch. 

   I knocked on Damon’s door around 7 am to tell him the sun was up. Yesterday, he said he would be anxious to get to the beach if there was sun. He came out to inquire and acknowledge there was sun but didn’t look enthusiastic. He said the forecast predicted it would be bad again in the afternoon. When I checked, it said mixed sun and clouds during the day and rain at night. That would be good. Then we could get to the beach and enjoy it, but it was not good enough. Damon talked about leaving on Monday for Maui and sunshine rather than Wednesday. I kept my mouth shut and prayed for the best.

   I heard Damon on the phone with what sounded like a woman. I couldn’t imagine who. Was it the woman from the animal shelter who volunteered to care for the rescue cat while they were gone? Their poor cat was older, unwanted, and up for being put down. She’s a strange cat. She never came out of her crate when she was in the shelter. Now, she never comes out of a room. She also doesn’t play with people. She was found as an abandoned kitten and was never schooled by her mom on how to behave.

  As I did one of my short walks, a pink trailer truck approached. Pink! I saw the business sign as it passed. Fearless Towing. Pink + fearless. Boy, it’s a different world from my youth.

   Judy called to check on me. While I enjoyed Damon’s visit, I told her I was sad to think of them leaving sooner than planned to chase the sun in Maui. Plus, Cylin said once August saw Maui, he’d never want to come back to the Big Island. That didn’t feel too good, either. I told Judy that Cylin had been exposed to Covid. A friend of hers who she had been around got it. Judy is an anti-vaxxer. She asked, “What’s the point of getting the vaccine if you get sick? Isn’t it supposed to prevent you from getting it in the first place?” No. It’s supposed to prevent you from getting the worst case possible. Judy got it early on before the vaccine was even available. She had a mild case, a bad cold, basically. She sat with her husband and sister, watching television, sneezing, and coughing, and dumping used tissues on the coffee table. Neither of them got it. Judy had Covid. She was post-tested, and she had long-term effects. She couldn’t smell or taste anything for six months. She was also compromised. She had just completed a round of chemo. Judy and her family live under a lucky star, that’s for sure.

     The bagels Damon ordered from NYC that were supposed to arrive on Friday still hadn’t arrived. Yvette had to go out to Safeway to buy some. They weren’t as good as the NY bagels, but they did the job. Damon had bought top-of-the-line smoked salmon from Safeway, cream cheese, tomatoes, and capers. I usually eat half a bagel and Lox for dinner. I had two halves with all the trimmings this morning. 

    Scott stopped by to help move the futon frame, which was now stuck in the study doorway, half in and half out. He brought his tools and unscrewed the parts; that made the move easy. They asked me where it should go, back in the study or the library. They figured it was better off in the library; I could always borrow Peter and Mei’s Costco futon. I asked them to put the futon in the nook created by two of the bookshelves. They said no, it would be better in the middle of the room where they had put the mattress. Okay. 

     The Damons needed to get out for a hike. They decided to take one up on Kaloko. I thought they were heading to the Cloud Forest, which Yvette told me is close to the top of the l mountain. She said driving up there puts a strain on your car. No, they were going to something lower down. I could go along but do as much of the trail as I could at my pace and walk back with them on their return. Yvette said, No. The trail was covered with leaves that would be wet from the constant rain we’d been having. Since the only shoes I could get on were Crocs, the hike would be inappropriate for me to take it on. I stayed home, napped, and worked on the updates.

   When the Damons returned from their hike, they reported quite an adventure. The trail was as rugged as the Appalachian Trail. They had to make their way over rocks and roots. The trail is a loop. You have three choices. They only found out they had a choice when they ran into someone on the far end of the biggest one. Cylin said they completed over 12,000 steps. They came home with shoes caked with mud. They had a great time. It will be a story. No, they didn’t want to go to the beach too.

    Damon announced they were staying here with me instead of leaving for Maui on Monday. Their original plan was to leave on Wednesday after arriving on Friday. Damon can’t do a solid week. Then the weather here was sucky. He needed sunshine. The first plan was to extend his stay and spend some time on Oahu or Maui, where there would be sunshine. Seeing his distress, I proposed he leave immediately and return. I didn’t want him to feel he had to stay out of obligation if he hated being here. They changed their plan to stay because their nearly nineteen-year-old son said this was a planned visitation more than a vacation. The vacation was a benefit. Thank you, August. I was greatly relieved. As far as I’m concerned, they could stay several weeks. That’s what his mom and stepdad do when they visit. I love it. As I typed, I heard him moving around the kitchen with Yvette while I sat in the other room. I love the sound of others that I feel connected to. How lucky am I to have them.

    Cylin asked me if it would be okay to hang a curtain over the library glass door; August wanted a sense of privacy. Sure. Then Damon proposed moving the futon into the alcove. Sounded good to me. Cylin and Damon shifted it over. Cylin climbed onto the queen-sized bed to make it. August was thrilled. He loved his bed now. I felt about it the way he did. In the alcove, the bed felt sheltered. We had a happy August. I was a happy grandma.

   Cylin showed me a short video of the hike. She came across a small pig rooting in the dirt. There was no sign of a mom around. She had the wisdom not to get too close. She told me her mom only said something negative about the pig. Danger! Cylin said her mom was jealous she was having a good time with us. Interesting. I feel jealous when they are with her. Cylin’s mom rejected all of Damon’s family at the wedding. We’ve heard different excuses: too much family on her side to incorporate more, we were all too educated, and Damon’s parents were divorced and with new partners. In addition, all of Damon’s parents and steps are friends. Many people find that weird.

   Her mom’s reaction made me think of my reaction when Damon visits his mom in NJ. I am almost as happy about it as if he was visiting me, and she is as happy when he is visiting me. I prefer feeling that way to being hurt because I’m not getting all the attention. I find I only feel jealous when the other person is that way. That’s because they want to exclude me. That feels terrible.

   Damon had a trip planned for Safeway to pick up a few things. I went with him wanting to spend every moment with him I could. He said I could wait in the car; He would just run in and be right out. An hour later, we left Safeway. As we headed for the door, he realized he had forgotten two items on his list. He ran back to get them while I put the groceries we had already bought in the car. He did indeed come out a few moments later. 

   Then we had to go to KFC to get August a spicy chicken sandwich. When we pulled up, there were ten cars before us. Damon called August to ask if he really wanted it or could do without it. He said no worries. Auugust was completing some extra work for extra credit for a course. Damon said he wanted the sandwich to reward August for his good work. We waited and waited. We finally got it and headed home. Damon delivered the sandwich to the starving, pencil-thin August, while I started unloading the car. 

   Tonight, we had dinner at home for Mother’s Day. Yvette and Josh joined us.     

 Sunday, May 8, 2022

 

    I slept exceptionally well. The first time I checked the time, it was 5 am. I often have that wide-awake feeling earlier, 11 pm, 1, 2, or 3 am. I can usually fall back to sleep when I see how much time I have left to the night. It is unusual for me to remain in that deep sleep state for that long. Having the kids here helps soothe me. 

    I was up and on my morning walk with Elsa by 5:30. I saw little wispy white clouds through a break in the dark ones. This sunshine wasn’t going to last long.  

     The vine growing on top of the chain-link fence had flowers on it. I had to get to it before it bore fruit to produce more such vines. I hadn’t been up to climbing over the other plants to get to it. Today I was. I had to cut back branches on the six-foot shrub that pushed up against the fence and blocked my access to the vine. I only had a small clipper, which was sharp enough to cut through the thick branches. It took me a few minutes to find the main vine. It should have been obvious. It was as thick as my pinky finger. I clipped it and got out of there. Usually, when I went to the fence, I took my walking stick to ensure balance. I felt well enough today to have left it behind without a thought. I had my phone with me if I needed to call for help, but I made it back to the paved driveway surface without a hitch. 

   I knocked on Damon’s door around 7 am to tell him the sun was up. Yesterday, he said he would be anxious to get to the beach if there was sun. He came out to inquire and acknowledge there was sun but didn’t look enthusiastic. He said the forecast predicted it would be bad again in the afternoon. When I checked, it said mixed sun and clouds during the day and rain at night. That would be good. Then we could get to the beach and enjoy it, but it was not good enough. Damon talked about leaving on Monday for Maui and sunshine rather than Wednesday. I kept my mouth shut and prayed for the best.

   I heard Damon on the phone with what sounded like a woman. I couldn’t imagine who. Was it the woman from the animal shelter who volunteered to care for the rescue cat while they were gone? Their poor cat was older, unwanted, and up for being put down. She’s a strange cat. She never came out of her crate when she was in the shelter. Now, she never comes out of a room. She also doesn’t play with people. She was found as an abandoned kitten and was never schooled by her mom on how to behave.

  As I did one of my short walks, a pink trailer truck approached. Pink! I saw the business sign as it passed. Fearless Towing. Pink + fearless. Boy, it’s a different world from my youth.

   Judy called to check on me. While I enjoyed Damon’s visit, I told her I was sad to think of them leaving sooner than planned to chase the sun in Maui. Plus, Cylin said once August saw Maui, he’d never want to come back to the Big Island. That didn’t feel too good, either. I told Judy that Cylin had been exposed to Covid. A friend of hers who she had been around got it. Judy is an anti-vaxxer. She asked, “What’s the point of getting the vaccine if you get sick? Isn’t it supposed to prevent you from getting it in the first place?” No. It’s supposed to prevent you from getting the worst case possible. Judy got it early on before the vaccine was even available. She had a mild case, a bad cold, basically. She sat with her husband and sister, watching television, sneezing, and coughing, and dumping used tissues on the coffee table. Neither of them got it. Judy had Covid. She was post-tested, and she had long-term effects. She couldn’t smell or taste anything for six months. She was also compromised. She had just completed a round of chemo. Judy and her family live under a lucky star, that’s for sure.

     The bagels Damon ordered from NYC that were supposed to arrive on Friday still hadn’t arrived. Yvette had to go out to Safeway to buy some. They weren’t as good as the NY bagels, but they did the job. Damon had bought top-of-the-line smoked salmon from Safeway, cream cheese, tomatoes, and capers. I usually eat half a bagel and Lox for dinner. I had two halves with all the trimmings this morning. 

    Scott stopped by to help move the futon frame, which was now stuck in the study doorway, half in and half out. He brought his tools and unscrewed the parts; that made the move easy. They asked me where it should go, back in the study or the library. They figured it was better off in the library; I could always borrow Peter and Mei’s Costco futon. I asked them to put the futon in the nook created by two of the bookshelves. They said no, it would be better in the middle of the room where they had put the mattress. Okay. 

     The Damons needed to get out for a hike. They decided to take one up on Kaloko. I thought they were heading to the Cloud Forest, which Yvette told me is close to the top of the l mountain. She said driving up there puts a strain on your car. No, they were going to something lower down. I could go along but do as much of the trail as I could at my pace and walk back with them on their return. Yvette said, No. The trail was covered with leaves that would be wet from the constant rain we’d been having. Since the only shoes I could get on were Crocs, the hike would be inappropriate for me to take it on. I stayed home, napped, and worked on the updates.

   When the Damons returned from their hike, they reported quite an adventure. The trail was as rugged as the Appalachian Trail. They had to make their way over rocks and roots. The trail is a loop. You have three choices. They only found out they had a choice when they ran into someone on the far end of the biggest one. Cylin said they completed over 12,000 steps. They came home with shoes caked with mud. They had a great time. It will be a story. No, they didn’t want to go to the beach too.

    Damon announced they were staying here with me instead of leaving for Maui on Monday. Their original plan was to leave on Wednesday after arriving on Friday. Damon can’t do a solid week. Then the weather here was sucky. He needed sunshine. The first plan was to extend his stay and spend some time on Oahu or Maui, where there would be sunshine. Seeing his distress, I proposed he leave immediately and return. I didn’t want him to feel he had to stay out of obligation if he hated being here. They changed their plan to stay because their nearly nineteen-year-old son said this was a planned visitation more than a vacation. The vacation was a benefit. Thank you, August. I was greatly relieved. As far as I’m concerned, they could stay several weeks. That’s what his mom and stepdad do when they visit. I love it. As I typed, I heard him moving around the kitchen with Yvette while I sat in the other room. I love the sound of others that I feel connected to. How lucky am I to have them.

    Cylin asked me if it would be okay to hang a curtain over the library glass door; August wanted a sense of privacy. Sure. Then Damon proposed moving the futon into the alcove. Sounded good to me. Cylin and Damon shifted it over. Cylin climbed onto the queen-sized bed to make it. August was thrilled. He loved his bed now. I felt about it the way he did. In the alcove, the bed felt sheltered. We had a happy August. I was a happy grandma.

   Cylin showed me a short video of the hike. She came across a small pig rooting in the dirt. There was no sign of a mom around. She had the wisdom not to get too close. She told me her mom only said something negative about the pig. Danger! Cylin said her mom was jealous she was having a good time with us. Interesting. I feel jealous when they are with her. Cylin’s mom rejected all of Damon’s family at the wedding. We’ve heard different excuses: too much family on her side to incorporate more, we were all too educated, and Damon’s parents were divorced and with new partners. In addition, all of Damon’s parents and steps are friends. Many people find that weird.

   Her mom’s reaction made me think of my reaction when Damon visits his mom in NJ. I am almost as happy about it as if he was visiting me, and she is as happy when he is visiting me. I prefer feeling that way to being hurt because I’m not getting all the attention. I find I only feel jealous when the other person is that way. That’s because they want to exclude me. That feels terrible.

   Damon had a trip planned for Safeway to pick up a few things. I went with him wanting to spend every moment with him I could. He said I could wait in the car; He would just run in and be right out. An hour later, we left Safeway. As we headed for the door, he realized he had forgotten two items on his list. He ran back to get them while I put the groceries we had already bought in the car. He did indeed come out a few moments later. 

   Then we had to go to KFC to get August a spicy chicken sandwich. When we pulled up, there were ten cars before us. Damon called August to ask if he really wanted it or could do without it. He said no worries. Auugust was completing some extra work for extra credit for a course. Damon said he wanted the sandwich to reward August for his good work. We waited and waited. We finally got it and headed home. Damon delivered the sandwich to the starving, pencil-thin August, while I started unloading the car. 

   Tonight, we had dinner at home for Mother’s Day. Yvette and Josh joined us.