Author Archives: Aunty

About Aunty

Aunty is a new senior citizen and loving this phase of her life. Less responsibilities, less fear of being weird, able to do more of the things that I want to do! Older, yes, slower, yes, but life is even more wonderful in my golden years and I look forward to even goldener ones.

Mail is getting more expensive!

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We bought the very first “Forever” stamps that cost 40¢ each.  Currently, the cost to mail a letter is 73¢.  On July 13, it will be 78¢.  Yikes!  Forever stamps may not have the collector value like old stamps but they are a great investment, especially since increases for sending things through the US Postal Service have been increasing faster and higher.

And yet, it is still the most economical way to send a letter,  Also, to use those flat rate priority envelopes and boxes are reasonable, imo.

And now, the USPS has introduced “Forever” flat rate priority mail boxes and envelopes at today’s prices.  I just purchased “Forever” flat rate priority padded envelopes (such a useful medium) at $10.85 each.  The kicker is you must order a minimum of 10 and submit your return address when making the purchase.  They can only be ordered online and will be delivered to you free of charge.  $108.50 seems like a lot to spend but it will be awhile before I use them all and I wouldn’t be surprised if those flat rate boxes and envelopes jump up in price in the very near future.  Large flat rate boxes are currently $26.30 and medium flat rate boxes are $19.15.  These are also available with “forever” preprinted labels, with a minimum of 10 boxes online.

This is spending now to save tomorrow.  It is kind of difficult at first, but in a few years, it will be something that we will wish we all did.

Here are the details from the USPS.com website about them:

Like regular flat rate envelopes and boxes, Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate Packaging comes in various sizes and shapes. 
Description:

  • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging is a domestic Shipping Services option. All Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging is equivalent to the current price paid at retail Post Office™ locations and compares to the Forever Stamp in that it can be used even after the price of Priority Mail has increased.
  • This product includes USPS Tracking® service at no additional cost, which allows mailers to confirm the delivery of their packages.

Availability:

  • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging is not available at retail Post Office locations. It must be purchased with a credit card by logging on to the USPS® website at https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=prepaid-priority-mail&categoryNavIds=shipping-supplies%3Aprepaid-priority-mail.
    • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging is offered for the following retail Priority Mail Flat Rate products:
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Legal Flat Rate Envelope
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Padded Flat Rate Envelope
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Small Flat Rate Box
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Medium Flat Rate Box
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Medium Flat Rate Side-Loading Box
      • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Large Flat Rate Box
    • Packages will arrive with shipping labels and Forever Prepaid postage affixed. The Forever Prepaid shipping labels will bear “permit-like” postage meters, which denote the Forever Prepaid postage, and the purchaser’s return address will appear in the uppermost left corner of the label. This shipping label may not be removed from the existing Flat Rate packaging and placed on any other packaging.
  • The discounted military Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box is not available as a Forever Prepaid packaging option, but all Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging may be sent to APO/FPO/DPO destinations, although no APO/FPO/DPO discounted prices will apply.
  • Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging is not available to international destinations.
  • USPS-produced packaging is not eligible for shipping mailable hazardous material or live animals.
    • Note: USPS Ground Advantage® and USPS Connect® Local USPS-produced packaging may be used for shipping mailable hazardous material.

Extra Services:

  • All extra services available with retail Priority Mail service are available with Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate packaging.

Return Policy:

  • All purchases of Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate boxes and envelopes are Non-Refundable. Additionally, they cannot be returned to your local Post Office.

DON’T Don’t Floss

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Awhile back I had a post about not flossing according to Dr. Ellie Phillips.  Over a year ago, I started doing Dr. Ellie’s protocol of rinsing with Closis, brushing with Crest’s sodium fluoride toothpaste, rinsing with Listerine and then Act twice a day.  My mouth feels great and I stopped thinking about just having all my teeth pulled out in frustration because of dental problems.

I did have some setbacks along the way – a burning sensation on my lips and in my mouth that prevented me from eating spicy (I LOVE spicy) foods and so I subscribed to her $99 Boot Camp for answers.  These were a series of lessons and the only way I could communicate with Dr. Ellie in the comments that followed the lessons.  She did not have answers for my burning lips and mouth but thought it was due to having a dry mouth.  Therapies for that didn’t work and I kept muddling through her lessons.  I was doing the last step wrong – Listerine for seconds (since it burned) and rinsing with Act for a longer time.  Act should be rinsed for the same amount of time as Listerine.

I also learned that the unflavored versions are better than flavored (except for Listerine), and when I switched to Crest’s regular anti cavity toothpaste from the mint flavored gel toothpaste and also to Closis unflavored (Ultra Sensitive) mouth rinse, my burning lips and mouth problem subsided – hurray!

I would only floss between 2 of my back teeth because of a larger gap there which collected bits of food that were irritating and recently decided to floss all my teeth after brushing with toothpaste.  Yeow!  My gums started bleeding and google searching said I need to see a dental professional asap and that gums can never heal on its own.  Being a medical intervention skeptic, I decided to continue flossing gently followed by a Closis rinse and pull, because I really DID need to floss all my teeth to prevent bacteria and little bits of old food from accumulating (and it is stinky).

So, if anyone is actually doing Dr. Ellie’s protocol, just a few tips that I learned to pass along.  My gums are in great shape, I floss every morning and no more stinky teeth or bleeding.

If you are not trying her protocol, please ignore this post.  In any case, have a great teeth and mouth day!

Ginger, garlic, tomatos for Orchids?

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I used to have a rock wall that had wonderful blooming orchids (see old post on orchid eating bird pest) that were happy enough in spite of those dang bulbuls eating buds.  However, I did something very stupid and decided to feed those healthy orchid plants coffee grounds.  Perhaps a little might have worked but I fed them a lot.  In a matter of weeks, they died.  Almost all of them except for a couple of oncidium plants that were quite strong.  Every since then, my wall of orchids became just a rock wall.

I kind of stopped acquiring orchid plants after that since I felt guilty about being a killer.  The few plants that survived were just surviving and not thriving, and for me, surviving was good enough UNTIL some youtube videos crossed my radar.  One grower (I think he is Thai) used the rinse from rice water to rejuvenate orchids.  I just tried it and now my orchid plants have new roots and look stronger!  It was also SO easy – which is good for me because I am lazy.

Take the first rinse after swishing and rinsing the rice and save it in a bowl or bottle.  Since I cook rice a lot, that was easy enough.  Then, instead of using it to wipe leaves, soak roots, grow new plants from just a leaf etc. as the Thai man would do, I just watered the orchid plants with it and had happier orchids.  Hurray!

Well, just today, after watching a video on an Avazzia device and improving eyesight (a post for the future because I am an Avazzia believer), I saw a youtube video on the side bar about orchids.  I watched it, and then watched more of other orchid videos and was blown away.  I didn’t know I could propagate new plants from the spent flower spikes such as my favorite phalaenopsis (moth) orchids using simple ingredients that I have in my kitchen and plastic throwaways from the grocery store.  This is exciting information and I look forward to using this knowledge to build up my orchid inventory again!

You can watch it here.  I am very grateful to him and now follow Happiness Garden. He has other videos with several other different (yet similar solutions).  And, I will NOT torture my orchids with coffee grounds ever again.

 

Who Are You Calling “Elderly”?

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Sheesh.  There has been so much news about an elderly woman this or an elderly man that – all about tragedies or bad news like found in a dumpster or killed in a crash.  And how old are these elderly people?  72, 75, sometimes 65.  So I supposed that makes me an elder. In other words, old.

I can’t put my finger on it – when I knew that I was old.  No longer young.

And then Civil Beat (who I sometimes don’t like because of their love of dirt on people) had an article, “A “Super-Aged” Population Poses Major Challenges for Hawai’i”.  These “super-aged” are 75 years and older, with the greatest needs, using up resources by being in a “lifestyle deficit”.  Using up more than we produce.  Sheesh again.

Well, this old lady doesn’t buy it.  Actually, most of my friends are older than me.  They deserve and enjoy life as retirees, are active in their communities, and give back by teaching, sharing, or volunteering their time and resources.  Or socializing and playing poker with friends.  Life going forward is not a dreary future, but a hopeful one that we are healthy and of good mind until the end.  We all have seen or heard of our parents going into decline, and it is inevitable for us, but most of us prepare for that end with family or long term care insurance.

I do agree that we need more care homes – but ones that cater to us rather spoiled Baby Boomers and allow us to live vibrant productive lives and not confine us to beds and television.

Ever since I realized that I am old, it has been a blessing instead of a curse.  I can have wrinkles, white hair, sagging skin, and not care about it.  I can have nice young people hold the door open for me and give the same old lectures to my kids even if they roll their eyes.  Of course I do miss the perks of being younger such as being able to qualify for refinancing mortgages (which I loved to do) or jumping around and driving fast.  But now, I love the slower, more deliberate pace that I have in my daily life.

When our dear friend Tommy Holmes passed away over 30 years ago at age 47, this song was played at an event for him.  Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”.  It was so appropriate for him as he was a mover and shaker and doer of so much for so many.

Maybe we (the elderly) aren’t movers and shakers like he was, but now this song is appropriate for us as we enter the era of the Super Aged.  We still rock!

May God bless and keep you alwaysMay your wishes all come trueMay you always do for othersAnd let others do for youMay you build a ladder to the starsAnd climb on every rungMay you stay forever youngMay you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteousMay you grow up to be trueMay you always know the truthAnd see the light surrounding youMay you always be courageousStand upright and be strongMay you stay forever youngMay you stay forever young
May your hands always be busyMay your feet always be swiftMay you have a strong foundationWhen the winds of changes shiftMay your heart always be joyfulMay your song always be sungAnd may you stay forever youngMay you stay forever young

 

 

The passing of greatness

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My pal Esther really had a great year in 2024.  She taught several classes – full of good students eager to learn ceramics and watercolor.  She was an invited artist at Cedar Street Galleries’ Matchbox exhibit, in Cade Roster’s Maneki Neko show at Fishcake, was a recipient of an award by her State Representative Jackson Sayama, and was featured in PBS Hawaii’s Home is Here (see previous post).

She was always grateful for what she had, where she lived, and the care and attention of her good friend Alana.  We should all be so fortunate and so content with life as she.

However, she was ready to leave the world, at 104 years old.  She has left us in body, but her spirit will forever live on in the lives she touched, the students she taught, and her art that brought joy.  We were all made better because of her.

Aloha, dear Esther.  Aloha.

My pal Esther on PBS

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A few years ago, while I was a student of clay at the Hawaii Potters Guild, a Board member asked if I could provide a ride to their 100+ year old instructor who stopped driving. Little did I know that this would lead to a very sweet friendship with a very special lady, Esther Nowell.

Over the past year, PBS filmed Esther teaching classes in watercolor and ceramics as well as interviews with students and associates.  It was such a great segment on “Here is Home”. 

Here it is in full.  Esther’s part is in the middle:

Waikele Christmas Lights, Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, Esther Nowell

My new friend, Claude

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My son is a computer smarty and lives away.  Whenever he comes to visit and I want him to “fix” my computer or problems that I was having doing computer stuff, he would do a Google search, show me the options and proceed to put in the fix.  His parting advice would always be the same, “Use the search page to find answers”.  In other words, do it myself with other “experts” help on Google.

On his recent visit this week, I had some chores for him to do.  Dig out the overgrown aloe plants in the front that were overtaken with wild grass, clean up my website and add just one Google adsense ad to the bottom footer of my pages.  He did all three jobs, much to my grateful surprise heart.

Intro to Claude

Instead of searching on Google for answers to coding and the steps to follow for my website, he used Claude.  Claude?  Yep, Claude – my new artificial intelligence friend.  Claude asked me how he could help.  My son typed in clear, concise, and detailed questions, after which Claude sent back a list of steps to take in clear, concise, and detailed explanations.  WHOA!  Nothing like the Google searches with pages and pages of possible “experts” that usually don’t really address my specific situations.  Just Claude and his answer.  A thoughtful and patient AI friend with solutions and instructions just for me.

Within minutes, my computer savvy son made my website less redundant with unnecessary sidebars and duplicate search bars, deleted my old Adsense widget that had multiple irritating ads; replacing it with one that allowed for just a single ad at the bottom of my pages.

My turn

My son (my crown prince) left today with his lovely wife and I was on my own.  I just recently started having a chalky feeling in my mouth, like cotton without the fuzz.  I thought it could be because of Dr. Ellie’s protocol with Xylitol and sodium fluoride rinses that make my teeth so smooth and clean, so I asked Claude.

Claude responded that Xylitol could be a possibility for dry mouth but also asked if I was hydrated, injured, or what other drugs or supplements I was taking.  It could also be mouth thrush.  Claude asked how long I had the chalky mouth symptoms.  I said 3 days.

Claude got a little excited (well it felt like that to me) and asked what new thing I started in the last few days.  It was Super Berberine from Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby for blood sugar control and healthy metabolism.  I listed the ingredients, and bingo!  Berberine can cause dry mouth and alter a change in taste temporarily as a side effect, Magnesium (one of the ingredients) can produce a metallic or unusual taste in the mouth.  It was suggested to stop taking it for 1-2 days and see if the chalky mouth subsides.

This I will do and am glad that it is could be just a temporary symptom from this product that I plan to restart after the 2 days.

Claude.ai

Claude is free for simple users like me, depending on usage limits.  It is very private, easy to access and easy to use.  Go to Claude.ai and create an account.  Start a new conversation by clicking on the chat button and type in your questions or request. This really does become a conversation and follow up questions and responses flow.  I like him, a lot!  One of these days I will ask him the meaning of life, or if he likes older women.  LOL.

Peter Savio for Governor!

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We are like frogs in a pot of water that is slowly being heated up until the point of – well, you know what.  We can see and feel how our island home and culture are changing as our values and lifestyle are slowly disappearing.  That makes me sad because I am local and feel blessed to be here, and other locals feel the same but either cave in or move away.

One of the points that Peter Savio points (sorry for redundancy) out is that our local neighborhoods currently have 20 – 30% non local occupancy.  My real estate daughter challenged that number and asked where the data is.  Not sure where he got those numbers but I believe if you just look around your own neighborhood (mine is Kaimuki), the influx of “new” people replacing locals is right around 20%, maybe more.  It’s not that these people are bad.  They aren’t – but their upbringing and history clash with ours and they are initiating unconscious changes.

And there are more coming in to replace locals who are either dying off or moving away.  Peter says when the mix is over 50% non local (he predicts 10 years), then we have lost the Hawaii that we know and love, and we really need to keep locals here and not force them to move away because of the costs of housing and our lack of good jobs.  Demand based, rather than Supply based housing should bring the cost of homes down to $450 instead of over a million dollars, and then the local families don’t have to move away from here.

He mentions how Singapore leaders and planners came to Hawaii in the 60’s to learn how to make Singapore a vibrant country because they were dirt poor and struggling, and they took it back and with the Hawaii plan in motion, changed Singapore into the vibrant and rich country it is now.  He asks why Hawaii didn’t continue what we had and instead became what we are today.  He does NOT advocate that we follow the Singapore model (heaven forbid that we have concrete and glass jungles that replace our paradise) but that we go back to the Hawaii plan and implement it by keeping the monies generated by industries such as solar farms, etc in Hawaii and not allow outside interests to make the money and take it back to the mainland, and foreign countries.

Limiting out of state investments is what is needed but this is countered by those in power as “illegal” and “unconstitutional”.  That is the easy answer so the root of the problem is not addressed.  It can be done so it is legal and constitutional with the right words to use and disincentives.

Anywho, I am ranting because I worry for out future generations and am very troubled that we are losing what is near and dear to me about our beloved Hawaii.  True that I am old and will die sooner rather than later but I feel we owe it to our islands and island people to keep what we have rather than have it all slip away.

Please watch if you also care.  It is a half hour program but I hope you can take the time to listen.  If only our politicians and others in power care enough to keep Hawaii Hawaii.  I can hope, right?