New blogging pal Jan of DJan-ity had a recent post about phatics. A phatic is “small talk” such as “How are you?” even though you don’t really want to know but ask it as a way to start a conversation. Indeed, if someone were to ask me how I was, they wouldn’t really be interested in a detailed answer. BUT, because this is my blog, I want to answer that question and readers can read, or not, and I wouldn’t be the wiser (unless you leave a comment).

Prior to Covid, I felt stressed by being too busy, I was feeling feeble, sluggish, unhealthy, unable to concentrate and getting terribly forgetful.

And then there was Covid

At first, the Covid shut down in Hawaii seemed daunting and terribly boring. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do. For the first time in years decades, my calendar was blank because everything was cancelled. Thankfully we had enough toilet paper and hand sanitizer because of my daughter’s easy recipe. I started making masks and used up all my elastic, then ordered more from Amazon which took months to arrive. On the few ventures out to get food or supplies, the traffic was so light and parking so plentiful, it was a joy to be on the road again. Honolulu almost felt like a ghost town.

Exercise

TaiChi classes were no longer held, but by chance I found DJan-ity’s (yep, the same one with the phatic word) post about flowers on her porch, in which she mentioned Five Tibetan Rites that she does on a daily basis. Very intrigued, I began to twirl, hook, arch, table, and dog (my descriptions). There was something about those exercises that seemed like the answer and so I struggled through them until they are now a very easy and fast start to every morning. I don’t do the recommended 21, which would be torturous and long, imo. I have settled into a wimpy 3 that works for me. My arm strength is so much better and I can do sit ups and push ups because of these exercises.

Brain Food

I was really getting worried about brain fog and began taking a supplement from Green Valley Natural Solutions called Brain Vitality Plus. It has ingredients that are different from products I have taken before and by golly I now can perform bookkeeping tasks that were getting difficult and I don’t have brain fog anymore. I am still forgetful by nature but have much better short term memory recall now, such as when I would walk into a room and forget why I walked there.

Hair Growth

At the beginning of 2020 I began to occasionally enjoy some CBD sleep gummies from Charlotte’s Web because they tasted so good. I noticed that new baby hairs on my receding hairline were growing so began having 1 before bedtime every night. Now my hairline looks full like it used to. Then, about 2 months ago, at the urging of Yasumi Gojo of Healing Seitai, I started eating cloves of black garlic that her husband makes in an old rice cooker. Prior to, my salt and pepper hair was getting whiter and all those new baby hairs were growing in white, but now my hairs are turning black! I am now in the process of making my own black garlic and will share the method with you in a future post. Sidenote: Do NOT buy the bottled black garlic from Costco. It is made in China. Pal Wandaful did some research on it and warned me about it.

Strength

In the summer, I began to weed and weed and weed our yard. It was overgrown with undesirable plants, as well as being unlevel and wild. At the same time, I started taking BioAstin from Costco made with Hawaiian Astaxanthin. It acts as a natural sunscreen but I began taking it because it was made in Hawaii and supposedly good for a lot of things. Here is a health article about it. What I noticed right away was that I could continue to work in the yard everyday without a break. Before, after a hard day of weeding, using a pick and moving rocks, I would be in such pain the next day that it took me days to recover. Not anymore! I feel like Superwoman now. And I am still weeding and weeding and weeding.

Fasting

I read and re-read Dr. Stephen Gundry’s “Plant Paradox” book. It might have been where I first heard about Hawaiian Astaxanthin. I also learned about the benefits of intermittent fasting. I now fast every Monday. After Sunday dinner and my night snack, I don’t eat anything solid until Monday dinner. I have coffee in the morning along with yogurt and almonds (nuts are okay during fasting) and only water or tea during the day. I do get hungry but tell myself that I just have to wait for dinner. It is rather easy to do a one day fast and I am now at my ideal weight and feel healthier. I will do a post about Dr. Gundry’s book. It is a game changer and a life saver.

Looks

My hair is so long now because I haven’t gone to Mai’s Beauty Salon for over a year. I just pull it back into a ponytail. I know I look older, but I don’t mind anymore. I don’t dress up anymore. I don’t wear fancy earrings either because it gets in the way of my masks. If I go out in boro clothes, I feel fine because I am hidden behind my hat and mask. It is rather fun to be incognito. One of the advantages of wearing a mask out everywhere I go is that I don’t have to worry about sun damage to my face. I sometimes wear a mask when I am weeding for that reason. I look like a plantation worker with big hat, mask, long sleeve shirt, gloves,long pants and boots. And I love it!

Time

I also love having the luxury of days of not having to do anything. Sometimes I totally waste the day, sometimes I work so hard and accomplish so much I have to pat myself on the back. Covid has been the biggest disruptor to the most lives in the most unpredictable way. It is as if a whole year has disappeared, and time has been reset. I like being older and feel that the changes that I have made in the “missing” year are really great for me.

How am I?

So if you were to ask me how I am, I would say, “Good, thank you” but I would really mean “I have more hair, I have more time, I am stronger, my garden is looking better and better, and I am not worried about Alzheimers anymore!” And then I would ask you, “How are you?” (comments are most welcome!)

My sister-in-law, Jo Ann Fukao, passed away in October after losing the battle with cancer – that had returned after 3 remissions.

I remember when my brother met her on a blind date. Like Apollonia and Michael Corleone in the Godfather, it was colpo di fulmine for them – when love strikes someone like lightening, so powerful and intense it can’t be denied.  Not only was she extremely beautiful on the outside, she was even more beautiful on the inside.

Our kids called her Aunty Hugalani because she had the best hugs, every single time.

When she blew her nose (quite often), she honked so loud that babies would get startled and everyone would turn to look to find the source.  And then she would laugh.  Delightful peals of laughter that made everyone also laugh.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, a Celebration of Life video has been put together with guidance from her former church pastor.  Even if you don’t go to church or believe in God, if you knew her, she has risen from being an angel on earth to being an angel in the heavens.  She lived and breathed joy, peace, and love every day of her life.

This is just a temporary post – Aunty wants to be an affiliate marketer for the Charlotte’s Web products – a post will be forthcoming one of these days.  But, to prove that I am me, I need to have the words “pepperjam verification” on my home page.

So that is why this post is named such.

S0rry if that is confusing.  It is confusing to me, too.