Sunday, May 7, 2023

Sunday, May 7, 2023

I slept well for about an hour. I went to bed late last night because I watched Wedding Date, made in 2005 with well-known actors. It was silly from any perspective. However, it was a movie that wouldn't disturb my sleep. I just got to bed late because I watched it to the end. I was in bed shortly before eleven and woke up around twelve-thirty. The rest of the night, I dozed.   I got some rest, but it was not the best. I got my in-bed exercises done before the 5:30 alarm went off. I did my morning routine with Elsa: hugging and kissing her, then checking for lesions. I've been ordering her out the doggie door before I give her a treat. She got one when she came back in. Twice, she hopped out, waited for me to throw the treat out, and hopped back in without peeing. When I gave her the treat, she turned around, jumped out the door, and peed. Go figure.

     Paulette called to ask if I would drive her home from church. Judy was staying for an event with her students. I planned to make a quick stop at Target before I went home. I told Paulette I would be in a hurry because I had to leave for Hilo around eleven.

      I was anxious throughout the Mass, worrying about the trip to Hilo with B to see his grandson in a play. Among other issues, I didn't travel a lot. I felt a need for the first time in my life this morning. Traveling and seeing something totally different from what I usually see would be nice. It was the first time I ever had this thought. I have never seen the value of traveling and looking at things. If I lived with a family for months, that would be different. I've never been one to take in landscapes. I like texture and detail. Seeing the details in my backyard has generally been quite satisfying, both literally and metaphorically.

      During Mass, I spent time praying for the family of a friend of mine. Her brother-in-law had committed suicide while the rest of the family was at the funeral of his wife's sister. The family was devastated. He had been sick with a deep depression. Before retirement, he had been a vital man and a prominent doctor. I sat deep in prayer. I don't know if that did anything for the family. But it helped me. I felt I could do something to help them.

I reconsidered going to Target before going home from church.   It might be a quick in and out, but it would still take time. I decided against it. Paulette decided to grab a coffee before we left. I got home shortly after eleven and called B to tell him I would be ready to go in a few minutes. He was on his way up. I put together my miso soup with wontons to go. I asked B to drive so I could eat and sleep. I usually take my late morning nap around this time.

     Driving across Saddle Road with B is a treat. He pointed out sights and animals that I wouldn't usually see. He knows that land well. He hunts in these mountains. He's lived here since he was an adolescent. He knows the history of the place. Saddle Road used to run through the military base. It was originally a dirt road. When we moved here, it was a Macadam road, one lane in each direction with no shoulder. It was dangerous. Now, it is a highway. The eastbound side is two lanes going toward Hilo for about a third of the way. It's two lanes on the westbound side coming from Hilo. There is a middle section with one lane in each direction, but these are nice wide lanes with wide shoulders.

     We made it to Hilo High School in plenty of time. The parking lot was empty. I pulled out my computer and did some writing. The doors would open at one-thirty. We were about the first in line to be let into the theater.

     The play was Moana Jr. It was a delight. The artwork was impressive, and some of the acting was, too. I could understand what most of them were saying or singing. B's grandson, Elijah, was surprisingly good. He is a quiet, reserved child around me—unexpressive at best—but he was dynamic in character. He is that way when he plays video games with others online. I could hear him scream in the middle of the night as he played with friends far away.

We learned he had a bad earache when we spoke to him after the play. It had started on Friday night before his first performance. He had done nothing. He had possibly not told his mother. He got it the same way he got his last earache, sticking in his earbuds right after showering. Hopefully, he won't do that again.

     I said something to B about taking him to urgent care. He had had the same thought. Urgent care would be less expensive than the emergency room. I checked for the nearest location. It closed at four-thirty; it was already shortly after four. We headed for the emergency room.

      B pulled up to the ER door. He and Elijah hopped out, and I parked the car. When I got to the waiting room, they were already inside being seen. When they came out, I learned the hospital had all his information—his name, his mother's name, and B's—his medical and insurance information. It would cost him nothing. It's a good thing we came here.

Our next stop was Long's to pick up the prescription. It was a little confusing. We thought the doctor had ordered an antibiotic. Instead, it was just ear drops. Antibiotics would be prescribed if the ear drops didn't work.   

     We had plans to go to Reuben's to pick up takeout before we headed home. As we approached, we learned it was closed on Sundays. Damn! I love their deluxe nachos. I dream about it. I have no idea why theirs is so good. What can go right or wrong with nachos? I was disappointed but would survive.

     We dropped Elijah off at home and headed back to Kona. I realized that B was driving around on the electric motor instead of the hybrid motor. My car is an electric/ hybrid combination. The problem is that once the electric car runs out, it doesn't work. It's not ideal for driving in the mountains. The steep inclines drain the electric even if you're driving in hybrid. Once the electric runs out, the car is dead. We had a fun drive ahead of us, going back to Kona. I took over the wheel.

We ran out of blue bars pretty quickly. That climb out of Hilo is steep. I had this problem before. I made it home by making U-turns on this major highway, going downhill on the shoulder, and doing ten mph to build the electric reserve. Then I turned around and went as far as I could on what I had.

B was freaking out the whole way. Making U-turns in the middle of a sixty-mph highway was not his cup of tea. One turn I made was tricky. Instead of pulling over to the shoulder and making the widest turn possible, I tried making the narrowest possible in deference to B's needs. It was too narrow. I need to back up and make a K-turn. Now that was hair-raising, even for me.  

B kept arguing that we would be going downhill in just a bit. I watched the bars disappear. I threatened to put him by the side of the road if he didn't get off my case. Not only did he not approve of my U-turn maneuvers (who could blame him), but he kept insisting the roads that looked like they were going downhill weren't; they were really going uphill. Indeed, we were still climbing, but the lava flow created ups and downs along the way. They may be small compared to the steep hills but still decline while climbing a mountain. I did what I wanted to. The declines weren't sharp, but they were enough to allow me to build up a bar.  

On the final steep decline, we built up fifteen miles on top of the essential four white ones. We made it home without a problem. I turned to B and said, "Don't tell me I never showed you a good time."  He laughed. He also said he got an education on electric cars. 

     There are benefits, but you have to learn to handle them. B told me he had considered buying an all-electric truck. It went two-hundred miles on a flat road. It did twenty-four miles on the same charge if you were hauling something big. He asked: what's the point of getting an all-electric truck? Its primary purpose is hauling stuff.    

      Did I eat dinner when I got home? I don't remember. I remember feeding poor Elsa, who had been alone all day. I had filled up on a snack mix that B brought along, nuts and M&Ms. It served its purpose.