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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.

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.

Words of (every) Day

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I subscribe to the Sacred Science team because I am an alternative healing believer. However, I don’t always pay attention or do what I really should be doing (i.e. eating my veggies) but I do like the wisdoms that Nick Polizzi shares each day. I think I did post one of his “words” before, but this time, he shared 3 of them. I really liked it. I hope you do, too! Here it is:

Hi Aunty,

Mother Teresa once said, “Be happy in the moment; that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

It isn’t always easy to live that way though. Our minds often lurch here and there, and sometimes they don’t feel like our friends.

If left unchecked, my own inner critic can turn on me. Does that ever happen to you?

Yet there are times when the beauty of a sunset stops me in my tracks or simply looking at someone I love fills my heart with a gratitude that just leaves me speechless. In those moments, my higher self sits at the helm and the stories in my mind stop mattering whatsoever.

This is the essence of mindfulness.

Mahatma Gandhi once said,

“A man is a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

Science backs this up. According to a recent study by Massachusetts General Hospital, consistent mindfulness literally changes the neurons in your brain.

So if you practice mindfulness in moments of anxiety or depression – and you take positive actions such as listing 5 great things you have going for you – your brain will transform your experience on a chemical level.

Then you become the author of your own life story.

But it takes practice to be mindful. And it takes a willingness to set aside our little stories and quibbles with life – no small thing!

This nondenominational Serenity Prayer (which is usually attributed to American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr) is a wonderful touchstone for exactly this purpose:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference

We are souls in physical bodies, stuck in linear time – so we cannot change the past. But the future is your oyster, and it’s up to you to walk in the direction of your highest self…

Stay curious,

Nick Polizzi
Host of Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
& Founder of The Sacred Science

Free Covid tests again!

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I had Covid once. It was very mild – sore muscles, achy body but it just lasted for a day.

There is so much that is unknown about it that I test if I have a cough or anything that might be related to Covid. I had several home tests that were given away for free by the Federal government – and they were expired but possibly still good enough to show positive results.

I heard that we can get free Covid tests again – though they might be expired. So, I went to https://special.usps.com/testkits , put in my name, email, address and will soon be getting 4 free tests again, mailed after September 30.

September 30! Oh my, it will soon be October. Time sure did fly this year! And this has been a doozy of a year.