JOY OF LIFE

It's been a dismal week for the world.  Enough about wars and politics for today.  Ah, Friday, and I'll only report on the joy of life, more specifically, mine.

Well, actually, the first topic is a sad one, with good memories.  One of the icons of American Pop, Neil Sedaka, passed away.  He was a year older than me.  I recall his performing in Honolulu in 1976 (watch this 27 minute video) on New Year's Eve, and again 43 years later in 2019.  Wrote over 1000 songs, helping define the sounds of the 1960's with Breaking Up is Hard to Do and Calendar Girl.  He successfully transitioned into a super star with Laughter in the Rain, and saw songs like Love Will Keep Us Together covered by others.  According to Google AI:  resilient, melodic and iconic.  Here is a medley from 42 years ago.  Sedaka had a way for making you happy, which is the theme of today,

I've traveled the world on at least a dozen global adventures (yes, actually full trips circling Planet Earth), been  on numerous cruises and train trips, and seen everything I want to of our world.  While I do have three future itineraries pretty much bottled up into next spring, the best spot of all is 15 Craigside in Honolulu.  Thus, today, the joys of my life at home.

I'm downsizing.  Just this week I gave away all my fish and paraphernalia.  I can now better appreciate my external environment.  My fish tanks blocked this view.

That bottle of Suntory Yamazaki Japanese Whisky is a result of a celebration last night.  Drunk it all with the person who now has my fish.  

Next to go will be my cigars and humidor.  Anyone interested in a fair trade?  A bottle of sealed Yamazaki whisky for all that you see here, and more.  I also have some cigars in crystal.

In many ways, my emotions are mixed.  Nice not to feel so claustrophobic and responsible for those fish, for I need to arrange for someone to feed them when I'm away.  But the sadness that came when I realized that they were gone from my life, forever, was unexpected.  I've almost aways had fish and turtles with me.

However, I still have my lanai plants.

That calamansi tree to the right is a decade old, and I seasonably harvest around fifty fruits.  That giant green onion plant on the left is also around ten years old.  Note the dollar bill to gain a sense of the size.  Maybe monthly, I cut off a stalk, which is so huge that just one has enough to last me for a couple of weeks.

These anthuriums have also been around for many years, and are constantly in bloom.

Basil.

The plumeria tree is now resting, and supplies me with a couple of dozen flowers annually.

Finally, these African Blood Lilies look like they're dying.  Actually, the leaves will soon be all brown, and the bulbs will wait until the summer to bloom again.

These African Blood Lily plants of my wife Pearl are soon to hibernate.  They have been with me for more than forty years.  There is some golden history you can read from one of my postings that tells this memorable story.  While she passed away almost 17 years ago, this plant blooms annually just around the time of her birthday in July.  I recall the morning I returned home from the hospital after she had gone, and I wrote for The Huffington Post, Gratitude...Not Grief.  Below, I dedicated one my books to her on the back cover of SIMPLE SOLUTION Essays.

Otherwise, the joys of life go on at 15 Craigside, a couple of days ago we had a class on Okinawa Culture.

Kuba Awamori.  Of course, we tasted all the above and the Awamori below.

Then yesterday The Legacy.

About the food at 15 Craigside.  If you have lived my life in Hawaii, this is the exact home you would want for the rest of your life.  I've dined at 3-Star Michel restaurants, a host of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, all the top cruise ships.  First of all, those fancy restaurants are too expensive.  More so, after spending a couple weeks or a month on any cruise line, you get tired of what they serve.  I've come to realize that the cuisine I enjoy the most is right here at 15 Craigside.  For example, just this week, Sunday lunch of Mexican Tacos:

Sunday dinner, Miso Salmon, Monday Hot Roast Pork Opened Faced Sandwich / Shoyu Chicken, Tuesday Chili Hot Dog / Corned Beef and Cabbage, Wednesday Fish and Chips / Beef Curry, Thursday Chine Chicken Salad / Meatloaf, today Clams Linguine / fresh catch of the day (chazuke-style) and tomorrow, Misoyaki Chicken / Pork Ton Katsu.  Of course, there is a salad and soup bar always available plus desserts.  And if there is a dish you don't want, you can at any time have Ox-tail Soup, Saimin, etc.

I close with a double rainbow.  15 Craigside is surrounded by rainbows.

Keep in mind that the daylight savings time change this spring occurs early Sunday morning, or late tomorrow night.  Spring forward, or lose an hour of sleep.  All studies show that this will be bad for your health.  Only Hawaii and Arizona don't participate, unless you live in Navajo territory, then you also will.

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