New Year's Eve in Guam

Chris got up just before 8 to call the wildlife park to get on the list for the cave tour. But they told him there was only one tour today and it was at 9. Chris woke me to ask if I wanted to try to get there at 9. But I figured with a 30-40 minute drive, I would not have time to adequately prepare. So we decided to do another falls today. We had breakfast and read e-mail.
I looked up reviews for Talafofo Falls Park. One reviewer said to bring a bathing suit so we put ours on under our clothes. We were warned about a small grove containing statues in questionable positions. Love Land.
Chris set the tablet to guide us to Talafofo falls. A woman's voice told us which way to turn. But Chris wanted to go another way. After a while, she gave up. But inexplicably, in the middle of a small town, she came back to life and guided us the rest of the way. We arrived in a parking lot outside what looked like a small amusement park. Chris bought tickets. The lady charged him $12@ but the sign said $20. We walked into a pavilion and took a pic of the mural showing the hiding place that Yokoi made for himself. He lived there 28 years after the USA took the island back from the Japanese. Then we walked out the other side and saw the bumper car ride, but it was not in motion.

Turning right, we entered Love Land. A reviewer had called it artistic, but some of it was downright pornographic. Then we came to the haunted house. We skipped that and proceeded past the shooting range to the tower. Chris climbed all the way up, but I was saving my leg strength for later. From the tower, we were going to walk to the falls, but the road was marked “No Trespassing”, so we had to wait in line to take the cable car. There were two at a time and they only left when two returned from the falls.
At the other end, we were very close to the falls. It was actually a set and we were in the middle. We walked down to the lowest part and across in front. Then we crossed a swaying foot bridge to get to the museum. But the museum was a winding corridor lined with murals showing the history of the island. We also walked the winding path to Yokoi's hiding place. The pictures there were explained in Japanese only. But you could see the entrance and how close it was to the river. It was very close to the tower. Walking would have been much faster. We also wandered about the gift shop. But the widely varied selection of clothing there gave it the feel of a thrift shop. I did not see anything I wanted.
So we walked to the upper part of the falls. There was a sign that said “No Swimming”. But we found a shady rock to sit on and I dangled my feet in the water. It was bliss. At least until I felt something brush my foot. Instantly my feet were out of the water. I looked down to see a spiny creature scuttling away. I put my foot back in and he came back. I tried to take it's picture. Chris came over to look and said it was a prawn. I guess my feet are prawn bait. I found another place to sit and eventually another prawn found me. Again we tried to take pics. Then we went back to catch the tram to the entrance.

There were a pair of deer behind a fence and we walked over there to see them, then we left the park. I had brought our last half of coconut. I scraped it out to feed us as Chris drove. We decided to avoid traffic and drive around the southern tip of the island.
We passed a small beach park and decided to visit. There was no sand, only rocks but it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. From every angle, in every direction, no matter where you stood, it was gorgeous. It wasn't possible to take a bad picture. Even straight down, you could see the rocks and fish through the clear water. I walked through the water to a small island ('though probably not at low tide). Chris took off his shoes and followed. If I hadn't had my Xero shoes on, I don't think I could have walked on the rocks. I found a shady place to stand in the water. Chris brought a towel and I folded it to cover the sharp rocks (coral) so I could sit. Every now and then I swam out into the cove, but was afraid of getting too much sun. An Asian couple were tossing bits of Vienna sausage into the water to feed the fish. We stayed there for hours, enjoying the view and the water. It was almost 3 when we left.
We drove on around. We stopped at a park memorializing an old Spanish fort. The bones of the fort were still there. On from there, we passed a fruit stand. Another lady pulled up just as we did and she honked her horn until somebody came out. He was so nice and friendly. He was charging $5 for a big clump of small bananas and the green oranges were 3 for $1. I only had $5, but he gave me bananas and oranges anyway. And his last papaya. It wasn't ripe, but he said if we came back in a day or two, he would have one. On the road again, we passed several cemeteries. They were so colorful, that we stopped to take pics. I wondered if their people were buried above ground.

Eventually we made it back to the hotel. Chris gathered up the laundry and headed to the laundromat while I took a nap. When I woke up, he put the pork in the oven to re-heat and made lentils and Brussels sprouts. He said it was hard to do without the proper kitchen utensils. I ate my supper, then read e-mail. I watched a BBC expose on poorly made surgical instruments coming from Pakistan. We folded laundry. I put mine away and washed the dishes. I read e-mail for awhile. We thought we heard fireworks. I rushed to get dressed and ran outside, but it was a false alarm. I went back to my e-mail. I downloaded 120 pics from Chris' camera. Then I e-mailed 14 from my phone to my gmail account. I used the pictures to remind me of what we did today. Then we watched one episode of The Finder. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to wait for fireworks.

Rocky roads

We did not get up early as we had planned. But we did get up on time, Korea time. Locally, it was late. All our devices charged over night. I did my exercises, and ate my oatmeal with coconut water. I followed that with a hardboiled egg while I checked e-mail. Then I took a shower, and got dressed. I wore pants and a t-shirt to cover up the sunburn. I took a moment to clean up so the maid would not have clutter to work around. I also grabbed half a coconut and a knife and we went to the car. As we rode, I pried off chunks to eat.
Chris drove us to the Navy base. We went to a place known as Spanish Steps, following verbal directions of a man at the Wednesday night festival. It was past Gab Gab beach. What we found was named the Historical Trail. We parked by the side of the road and headed into the brush. I was worried about getting ticks. The trail opened up briefly into a landing strip. Then we went through heavy grasses and finally to the forest/jungle. There we were walking on broken coral stones. The footing was uneven and shaky. I wondered what we would do if one of us twisted an ankle.

On and on we went. And then, we came upon a downed plane. A Chance-Voight F4U Corsair from WW2. We walked around it, taking pictures. Then we headed back. Chris found lizards all along the way and I slapped at mosquitoes. Leaving the forest, I ripped off a piece of a papaya leaf and ate it. Its good for parasites so I hoped it would help with ticks, if there were any. When we got back in the car, we headed to MWR. But we had to stop and ask directions. And then when we found the building, we had trouble finding the front door to get in. Chris used the restroom while I found some brochures for local activities. From there, we went to Tarzan Falls. I pried the last of the coconut to feed us both. As promised, we found cars parked along the road and so we parked there, too. Then we followed a trail leading into the woods. There were only a few rocks, but lots of clay and some of it was wet. That made the steep parts slippery. The footing wasn't much better than before. But the path was mostly wide so we had lots of light. The sign said 1.4 miles, so I guess that is what we did. People leaving the falls told us to cross the stream to find the path to the bottom. So when we got there, we climbed on the rocks to take pics of the top, then crossed over and climbed down hill to reach the bottom.

We hopped from rock to rock to cross back so we could see the whole falls. A group of girls was right behind us, so we let them pass. I sat on a rock and put my feet in the running water. It was so wonderful! I could have sat there all day, but I was afraid of more sun burn. So I moved to a rock in the shade. Chris laid down on a nearby rock. Again, I could have stayed all day, but Chris noticed gray clouds forming. So we got up and climbed our way back up. I was winded with all the uphill climbing, but did not want to get stranded in a mudslide. But it never did rain. We passed people on their way and they were not the least bit worried about rain. In fact, they told us to find the pools and jump in. But when we got back to the car, Chris did not want to do that in case we went to the wrong place. Anyway, we stopped in at the Payless for drinks. I got an aloe drink to put on my back later. I also got a roasting pan and chopped nuts. Then we headed to town. We were looking for the Ben Franklin store. What we found was the former store and a sign saying where they moved to. But we did not know the place. However, when we pulled in I had seen a sign for a quilt shop. So we walked over and found it in a strip mall. The lady was sitting at the back sewing on binding. We talked for awhile, then I looked at fabrics and chose two. I got a yard of each. We bid her goodbye, and headed out. But not too far away, we found the Guam museum. We rode around looking for the way into the parking lot. It was a big place and the courtyard was impressive. The entrance fee was $3. The part with exhibits was small and mostly about the museum itself and the people who donated time, items, or land. The section with items and pictures did not explain much. It was underwhelming. When we were done, we asked if there was anything upstairs. We were told that exhibits were being prepared and it would be ready in March. We walked up just to see the outdoor view. But by the names of the exhibition halls, it was going to be very informative. We took pics then came down. We got in the car and drove to another parking lot. From there we went to a shop I saw with Superfood Acai on it. That turned out to be a fruit and bagel place. I couldn't tell what all they had, but I got a fruit smoothie with acai, banana and blueberries. We walked through town as I drank it. We found a Spanish bridge over a former river. It looked a little out of place without water.

Then we went to the Mermaid Tavern and Grill. Someone had recommended it for its brewery. Chris ordered the beer sampler. They put 8 little glasses of beer in front of him with a piece of paper showing what they were. We figured out later that the beers were out of order. The first one which smelled so floral was the passionfruit wheat. The oatmeal stout tasted like coffee to me. I smelled and tasted each one, but Chris drank them. We ordered meals, too. I got the gyro platter with lamb, and Chris got the spicy meatloaf with mashed potatoes. I gave him my pita bread and most of my hummus. I like hummus but it did not go with the lamb. After our meal, we stopped on the way back to walk on the beach. Daylight was waning, but it was nice to walk through the sand and look at the cute little pieces of coral washing up. And then the rain hit. So we got in the car and drove back to the hotel. We brought everything in. Chris played on his laptop. I put two small bananas, an egg and chopped nuts in a pan. I mixed it with my hand and added enough oatmeal to make a dough. Then I formed it into a dozen cookies and placed them in the roasting pan. While they baked, we watched an episode of The Finder. After they finished baking, we kept watching more episodes. At 11 local time, we stopped so I could write up my blog. Then I searched for Spanish Steps and found out it was supposed to end in a cave or a beach. So we had not found it after all. Chris checked me for ticks but did not find any. I typed up my post, but then found I hadn't e-mailed myself the pics from my camera. I e-mailed a selection of the huge amount to my Gmail account. Then I had to wait for the e-mails to show up. I posted to my blog and went to bed.

River Adventure

We meant to get up early, but that did not happen. I did not sleep that well due to nightsweats. I guess diet really does make a difference. I drank a cup of lemon water and checked e-mail. We took a shower and got dressed. We headed to Hamamoto's fruit farm. We used the tablet and the map together to make sure we were on the right road. But Chris saw the sign before the tablet told me. We drove on a long driveway and parked by a structure. We wandered in front of the gift shop until a man called out to a woman. She took us inside and asked a few questions. We had just missed the tour but she said we could walk through. Then she wrote up a receipt for two tickets to walk through and to have a fruit tasting platter afterward. She gave us a map and we walked the path. We saw many unusual plants. Some were houseplants gone wild! After walking through the farm, she indicated that we should investigate the open area structure. As we did that, someone prepared a drink platter, consisting of tiny sour oranges that we could squeeze into a glass, and two pitchers of sugar water. But I asked for regular water to go with my sour orange juice. IT was good and refreshing. Then she brought out the platter. She showed us which ones were sour and which were sweet. So we started with the sourest one- bilimbi. I had to pair it with the pineapple to eat it. We ate all the fruit on the platter. Chris put the seeds in a little baggie I had in my purse. Then we walked around, enjoying the view and taking pics. We went to the gift shop because I wanted to buy some of their honey, having seen the hives. But they were out, having sold to hotels and the airport. All they had left were pieces of honeycomb for $32 each. I passed on that. Outside, one of the men was cutting bamboo to make a grouping for luck to share with his neighbors for New Year's. I asked if we could have some of the leftovers and he said yes. I pulled a grocery bag from my purse and we took two pieces. The lady came out and handed us more.

We thanked her and headed back to the main road. Again, pairing the tablet (which showed us where we were at each moment) with the map, we looked for the river cruise. What we found was called The Adventure River Cruise. We signed up for the 1:30 cruise. We were early so we walked across the street to the beach on the other side. The sand was dark brown and rocky. After a few minutes we climbed up to the shore and back to the cruise site. We stood and talked with other waiting passengers. Then we boarded. The cruising part was short actually. We went downriver and stopped at a place where natives were building an outrigger canoe. But when we went ashore, it was our guide that did all the talking and demonstrating. We saw a few things in the encampment area, then a shallow cave. He mentioned that the nut of the poison fish tree made a good but strong soap. A walk through the woods brought us to a covered picnic area. There was a table with items woven from coconut palm leaves. He explained how each one was used. He was very funny. He had us play Rock, Paper, Scissors in various combinations until he had handed out all the woven items.

Then he showed us how they made fire. But it didn't work very well. He said it should take 10 seconds, but he rubbed the stick for a long time, as did one of the passengers and his co-worker. Mostly he made smoke. But in the end, the stick stayed smoking even after he quit rubbing. He pushed the smoldering part onto some coconut husk and it started to smolder. As he talked, the smoke turned to fire and he tossed it in the river. Then we went to see the water buffalo. I swear it was the same one as last night, so I did not ride it. A man was leading it by a nose ring. The kids played with a puppy on a leash nearby and our guide showed us two crabs in a terrarium. Then we got back on the catamaran. We went down one tributary and hovered while he through out bread to attract fish or crabs. Then we turned around and went down another tributary. We did not go far because a recent storm had made us likely to get stuck. He tossed out bread to attract catfish. And he laid down and reached out to catch fish with his hands, but it did not work. Then we motored back to the dock. We all thanked him and went to our cars. On the way down, we had passed a sign for a German restaurant so we looked for it. And we found it. The interior was not impressive, but the prices were reasonable. And the clientele were international. Koreans, German, Americans and Hawaiians. We ordered, then talked while the order was cooked. Chris got half a chicken with German potato salad and pickled red cabbage. I got beef in sauce with red cabbage and spatzle. When we left there, we went across the island and up the main drive. We were looking for Kmart. It was supposed to be the highest grossing Kmart in the world. I think we got stuck in rush hour traffic because it took so long. But we did find it. I looked for black shorts. With the black ones were blue ones. I chose one of each and brown pants in two sizes. I tried them on in the dressing room. The black shorts were too small even though they were marked large. The blue ones were marked large and they fit, but the material was almost see thru. And the pants were not flattering in the least. So I took it all back. I found a black pair that really were size large and a blue pair made out of better fabric. Then, as we stood in line, I saw the lady ahead of us buy lots of Christmas sale stuff. So we went over to that side and picked up a box of lights. Then I thought of aloe. But though we searched high and low, there was no aloe without other 'stuff' in it. We bought Vitamin E oil instead. Then we stood in a long line to pay. It was dark when we got out, and drove home. I plugged in my camera and tablet to recharge. The little extra battery to charge the phone, would not work on the tablet. And I had forgotten to bring the cord for the phone, so both devices were very low. As they charged, I e-mailed almost 100 pictures from my phone to my laptop 5 at a time. It was slow going. Then, I had to download them from Gmail to my downloads file, and move them over to the vacation file. But there were problems. Not everything downloaded, or got e-mailed, or whatever. So I began deleting from my phone what made it to the vacation file. Then what wasn't deleted got e-mailed again. I spent hours doing this. Eventually all the pics were moved into place. But I had taken one video and the e-mail pop-up said it was too big to send. It got late and we had intended to go to bed early so we could get an early start tomorrow.

Day at the beach

I washed my feet before I went to bed. I was startled when a roach fell on me. I did not know what it was and jumped out of bed. Chris found it on the floor, dazed. He got rid of it. I noticed more hot flashes than in Korea, but that I was able to go back to sleep sooner. I heard Reveille and went back to sleep. I got up at 8:30 local time, before Chris. I drank lemon water, and did my exercises. Chris got up to drink coffee and read e-mail. I checked e-mail and made oatmeal and kefir. I also ate an egg and took my supplements. The pics I had e-mailed from my phone finally came through. I could not open them in Yahoo because they were zipped and a pop-up told me I had to buy Winzip to unzip them. But Chris could get them in Gmail and they did not need to be unzipped. So I forwarded them to my Gmail account and downloaded them to my December file. We had some personal time, and then I washed up and put on my bathing suit. Chris took a shower. I jotted notes for my blog. When he was dressed, we headed to Gap Gap beach. I followed a paper map along with the tablet to guide Chris. We found a picnic area and put down our stuff. We walked through the vegetation to the sand and then into the water. It was only slightly cooler than the air. The bottom was mostly sandy but there were rocks and large clumps of seaweed. I did not notice any crabs or mobile creatures. I did not stay out too long because I didn't want to get burned.

At the picnic area, I found what looked like a box-shaped coconut. I peeled the husk off. There was a four-lobed nut inside, with the consistency of a brazil nut. I wanted to eat it, but decided I should find out what it is first in case they ask at the emergency room. Ha! I swam some more and read a book sitting on the beach. We sat in the shade for awhile. I spied a papaya tree, but fruit was unripe and too high up. Chris found one on the ground, partly rotten. I peeled the rest with his knife, but it did not taste good. We went to a building on post to meet two men he knows are here. It was the wrong one, but we met the CO of the base and his secretary. They gave us ideas on what to do on vacation, said green papaya is usually eaten pickled, and we can use the commissary because our Ids say OCONUS. We went back to the hotel room, changed and had lunch (leftovers from last night). Then we drove down the street to the NavFac building. The two people Chris wanted to meet were not in the office, but he found a buddy from some course he took in Washington DC. He spoke to the man for awhile, then we left and headed to Chamorro Village. Wednesday night is their big night.

All kinds of vendors set up stands, mostly food and trinkets, some clothing and artwork. I got a water buffalo ride. They had green coconuts with straws for $5 each or get coconut sashimi (coconut mixed with soy sauce and wasabi). I skipped that. The squid sounded interesting, but the barbecued squid line was too long. I bought two tops from a Korean lady at her trinket store. I found out that very few things are actually make here in Guam. Most of the stuff comes from Thailand or China. I also bought bananas, and soap. We had interesting conversations and advice: tour a fruit ranch. Finally we headed back to the car. One place was selling intact coconut meat without the shell. I bought one and was going to save it for home, but Chris and the vendor talked so long that I put the straw in it and drank all the juice. When we got home, I cut it in half and ate the meat. Delicious. I e-mailed all the pics on my phone to my gmail account, 5 at a time. I searched long and hard for images of the nut I found. It turned out to be a fish poison tree (barringtonia asiatica). I'm glad I didn't eat it. Chris noted the redness of my skin. I rubbed some coconut oil on it. Then we watched two episodes of Xena. Chris went to bed and I followed after I finished my blog.

The coconut lesson

After posting to my blog last night, I went to bed, but the room was not dark enough. The lights on the door of the fridge shown into the bedroom so I had to shut the door. Then the lights in back of the TV seemed brighter, so I turned off the power strip. Finally I had to throw a large towel over the nightstand to cover up the alarm and phone display. The pillow was too fluffy, but I told myself I could find something else tomorrow. I went to sleep.
My American phone, which has been turned off since I left Huntsville over a year ago, came to life in the middle of the night and sounded my old wake-up alarm. Coming out of a dead sleep, I did not know what it was. I pawed frantically in the dark until I came across Chris' backpack, then went through it by touch until I found the offending device and shut it off. Eventually I went back to sleep.
My Korean phone alarm went off at 6:30 or earlier. Really, is there no end to this? But it was in a different room and I knew it would shut down after a minute, and it did. I might have gone back to sleep.
At 7, Reveille was played through the speakers on base. I felt like I was in the army. But Chris stayed asleep, so I tried, too. But I needed to be in motion. I got out of bed and unpacked my suitcase and carry-on. The drawers were really low and it hurt my back so I had to lay on the floor for awhile. Chris hard-boiled some eggs. I ate the tomato and handful of nuts I had packed in Korea and meant to eat before we landed in Guam. I made oatmeal with kefir, and added my supplements for the day. I checked e-mail. We talked about what to do today, and Chris suggested the game and wildlife preserve.
On our way to the game and wildlife preserve, we stopped at a war memorial to take pictures. The sun was bright and the air smelled so good. The view was excellent, but hard to capture. Then we proceeded with our original plan. Kinda went the long way around, too. I had to check the tablet to see where we were. We parked and went inside the building. We saw painted panoramas with text about the environment. A very nice gentleman explained how the birdsong is so much less than it used to be because the birds were hunted and their nesting areas are dying. The coconut palms are killed off by large beetles. He showed us a map of trails we could hike and where to find the safe part of the beach. I asked about where to get coconuts and he said just to pick some up, they were lying around. It started raining. He said the locals were used to it and no one cared if they got wet. So we walked down a short path and found an entrance to cave-like structures. As we were taking pics in the rain, the man came along and showed us around, explained about coconut crabs, and banyan tree roots. He found a noni fruit and let me eat it. It was not as bad as he said. Then we picked some coconuts off the ground. He showed us how to husk them with a rock and with a sharpened stick. Then he tapped it all around the middle and it cracked open. He did one and I tried the next, husking and cracking. Chris started eating one of the halves. The man mentioned putting an uncracked one in the oven and said the shell would come off with the meat intact. I wanted to try that so we picked up another coconut; this time a sprouted one so I could see the sponge that forms inside. Finally we said goodbye and promised to return since there was so much we did not see, but the park was closing. On the way back, we decided to go to a restaurant named Shirley's because it was recommended. I got the chicken tocino with eggplant omelet. Chris got the chorizo with eggs and hash browns. It was very good but I could not finish all of mine, so we got it to go. Then we walked around a nearby mall, first the outside, then the inside. At one store I bought a brown headband. I chose the largest one, but the stretch still made it tight. From there, we came home. I ate half a coconut while looking for a banana oatmeal cookie recipe. Just bananas and oatmeal. I wanted to bake some here for the trip home.
Since my computer no longer recognizes my phone, I could not download the pics I took. So I tried to e-mail them from the phone to the laptop. But they just sat in queue. Later, we watched three episodes of Xena. I typed up my blog and got ready for bed.
* This is a pic I took with the tablet. The tablet pics are not good because I could not see what was on the screen when I snapped the pic. *

Almost Heaven

Chris' alarm went off at 4am. I missed it but heard him get up, so I got up, too. He made himself breakfast, but I could not eat. I packed a few last minute things. I repacked my suitcase to settle well. I got dressed in clothes I had laid out on Saturday. I packed my last tomato and the nuts that soaked overnight. I also took my seed crackers and container of chocolate. The taxi came early and Chris took the luggage out. I put on my shoes and followed him. It was cold but not bitterly so. Chris and the driver filled out some paperwork, and then we were on our way. As he drove, Chris asked him if he had a good Christmas and the man mentioned that a lot of drinking was involved. But he did not smell of alcohol and drove well, though there were very few cars on the road at 5am. I stared out the window for an hour and then we arrived at the airport. Chris had been there before and knew where to go. I was confused by all the signs. We checked in at Jinair. Once our luggage was on its way, I stopped by the bathroom and then we headed for the departure gate. I was called to a back room where a man kept saying “Remove battery”. I did not understand and told him so. He brought me to a table where I could see my checked suitcase. Then I knew. I reached in and pulled out the cylinder that recharges my phone. He said “Handcarry”. So I put it in my purse. Then I followed Chris through Immigration to gate 8. As we sat there, I ate the seed crackers. Then I bought a bottle of water at a nearby stand. I drank it, hoping to run it through before we boarded the plane. Over an hour later, boarding was called. I rushed to the restroom one last time, but there was a long line, so I went back to Chris. Ironically, he got called aside for a random security check. I stood and waited while he and his carry-ons were searched. Then we boarded the plane. We had a middle and a window seat. I used the restroom on the plane, then sat at the window. I had noticed a number of aisle seats empty, as was ours. I put my anti-pressure ear plugs in for the ascent. After the plane took off, Chris moved to the aisle seat. Almost immediately, a small meal was served: triangular kimbap, yogurt and a rice-filled pocket. I gave Chris the yogurt and ate the other two. The triangular kimbap was wrapped so that the plastic kept the rice from the seaweed, but when unwrapped properly, the plastic slid out. I hoped I hadn't eaten any plastic with my first two bites. I had also brought three hard boiled eggs. When the customs forms were handed out, Chris did not want to declare that we had eggs, so I ate two and he ate the third one. I tried to sleep on the plane but it was difficult. I took off my socks and shoes, trading them for airline socks. When the descent started, I put my earplugs back in. But they did not work on the way down. My eardrums hurt a lot. I tapped and tried to distract myself; which became easy when I saw the sun-covered hills and blue water of Guam. The plane landed and we waited just a little bit to deplane. Then we walked as fast as I could, through the hallways, to Customs. There were machines that we inserted our passports into. A lady helped me make all the right choices to process my passport. Then we went to Baggage Claim to pick up our suitcases. I thought everything would be inspected, but once we were through the doors, we were at the car rental place, no questions asked. Chris had the paperwork for the car and we were led through the parking lot to a black Nissan. The air was warm and humid. And it felt like paradise! The man told us that the doors locked individually, and a few other things. Chris asked about a GPS and he told us that at $7.50 a day it was too much. We climbed in the car and took off. I tried to read the map we were given but the road signs were a little misleading. On the other hand, we had nowhere to be, so we took our time. We found our way eventually to the Navy Base. They had a huge Nex and Commissary but we did not have the privilege of shopping there because Guam is part of the U.S. After a few wrong turns, we found the Navy lodging office. Chris talked to the ladies behind the desk at length. They gave us room keys and maps. The place we were staying was on another part of the island. We took a few wrong turns getting there, too. But it was a nice place. We parked and went to our room. It was cold! We put our stuff down. I went outside to take pics but did not have my phone with me so I went back to the room. We connected the tablet to the wi-fi to get a map, so we could see where we were. Chris asked the maid for the nearest grocery store and she explained where it was. She also told him that there would be fireworks for New Years! Chris went to the front desk to greet those ladies. They recommended a restaurant in town. Then we headed out toward the grocery store, but again missed it a few times. We tried little stores we saw, but they did not have fresh foods. I could see papaya trees with ripe fruit everywhere. At one place we asked, and she recommended a farmer's market on Tuesdays for papayas and said to ask anyone who had a coconut tree if we could pick their coconuts. Riiiight. Then we found the Pay-less. This was a real grocery store. We bought a papaya and pork ribs and sprouts etc. We went back to the car. The driver's side had the only key hole, so each time we approached the car, Chris had to unlock his door with the key and then reach over to the passenger side to unlock my door from the inside. Who designed this system? We took our food home. Chris put the ribs in the oven. Then we drove down the main street to the west until we found a beach park. We parked and went to the water's edge. I took off my shoes and walked in, in spite of the very rocky beach. Chris took some pics of me. The water was so clear, and warm. Did I mention paradise? Eventually, I came out. Chris dried off my feet with a towel and put my footwear back on. We went back to the lodge where the pork was almost done. I worked on a Sudoku puzzle. Chris also cooked some lentils. Then we ate the pork, lentils and sprouts. I dozed on the couch. Then I sat up and got on my laptop to check e-mail. Chris sat beside me and we watched two episodes of Xena. He played his game while I wrote up my blog. What a great day! I bought Chris a t-shirt for Christmas and he bought me a 10 day vacation in paradise. What a great husband!

We Wish Yi a Merry Christmas

Since we got to bed so late, we slept in. Chris was already up when I got up. Then we opened presents under the tree. I got two big Sudoku books from Cecily. Chris got a pair of jeans from her, and a Navy t-shirt from me. He really liked the t-shirt but said he thought we agreed not to buy each other Christmas presents. I said fine, give it back and you can have it for your birthday. He kept it.
I drank a quart of lemon water while checking e-mail. I ate some ham and seed crackers. Chris wouldn't let me take nuts to Guam, claiming they were an agricultural product. So I asked him if I could take some seed crackers. And he said it was a gray area and he didn't recommend it. I put a few more things in the suitcase. I packed a CD-player because it was easier than trying to get it on my new laptop which has no CD unit. Kurt called me on Skype. He and Dad and Faye had just gotten back from their Christmas Eve service. They were waiting for Patrick to come so Kurt and Faye could drive around looking at Christmas light displays. They waited a long time so we had quite a chat. Faye and Dad asked me to write the family Annual letter and mail it out. In my spare time. Patrick spoke with me a little bit but then they had to go or they would miss the lights. When the call was over, I made and ate breakfast. I put the unripe tomatoes in a bowl and took them next door. I ran around alternately eating what would go bad and packing last minute items. I bagged the items in the suitcase, I dusted the floors while Chris went to work. But he came home before I finished. He moved the coffee table so I could sweep the rug. I also swept the rug in the bedroom. I cleaned the kitchen counters. I took Amber's plate out to the street so I could give it to her as she drove by. Then Chris walked to the chapel for the Catholic service. I took a pic of the paper ornament on the tree. I cropped it and wrote Merry Christmas on the photo. Then I posted it to Facebook hoping it would make up for all the Christmas cards I didn't get around to sending. After I posted it, I got the idea to put Admiral Yi next to my tree and take his photo, with the caption “We wish Yi a Merry Christmas.” Not certain it would be in good taste in this country, I did not post it to Facebook. Chris came home from the service, but later went back to work to use the computer. I did some tapping. I tried to load the Jackie Lawson advent calendar software on the new laptop, but it wouldn't take. So I tried the old laptop and it wouldn't work either, so then I went to the desktop. Its the oldest computer we have, but it worked. I spent far too long opening the ornament for each day and looking at the video segment or playing the game that was revealed. Chris came home. We watched two episodes of Xena and got ready for bed.
* Admiral Yi by the tree *

Christmas Eve

I woke up in the middle of the night, sometime between 4 and 4:30. I had a hard time going back to sleep, but evidently I did, because I did not hear Chris get up. He was playing his game when I came out to the living room. I drank a quart of water while checking e-mail. I practiced my trombone briefly. We ran the dishwasher, and then did the laundry. I saw Michele was on skype so I called her. We had a nice chat and she sent me a link to a game she thought I would like called Lyne. I wished I had time to play games. I listened to an audio while doing the Sudoku puzzles for next week. Then I walked around the house with my packing list. I pulled everything out of my market bag and selected the most needed items. I put them in the most secure handbag I own. I made up 10 days worth of supplements for the trip. I made and ate breakfast. I charged my extra phone battery. I packed my toiletry case with everything I could think of. I pulled cords from my old laptop case and weeded out the ones I didn't need for the trip. I selected essential oils for the trip.
Chris put music on my tablet. I put sticky notes on my music so I would know where to start so I wouldn't have to turn pages. I practiced again. I cleaned my comb. I heated up the last of the bone broth and drank it. I put the laundry away and picked out warm clothing for the trip to Guam and cool clothing for once we get there.
I took a shower and got dressed in red and green. The headband I made Wednesday was blue with snowflakes on it. It would not go with what I was wearing. So I got some red, white and green fabric, cut a strip off and trimmed it down to 26 inches. I ironed a 14 inch piece of stabilizer to center part. I folded it in half and sewed up the side. THEN, I had to turn it inside out. That was really hard with the stiffener in it. Once I got it turned, I folded the short edges in and inserted elastic. I stitched where the end of the elastic was to hold it. Then I put the other end of elastic inside the other end of the headband. I had to pin it several times and try it on to get the tightness just right. Then I stitched that end down as well. I put it on and admired it. Then I changed into a black skirt. I packed up my trombone and stand. Chris carried them to the car while I carried the music. He drove us to the chapel and found a parking space there. We went inside. No one was there but the chaplain, turning on the heat. At 6:35 the pianist came. The guitarist called to say he was late (I think). So I practiced two songs with the piano. Then I sat with Chris to relax while the pianist played songs from the hymn book. The chaplain's family came, and Russ. I was hoping for more. I think another family came before the service started. Someone said there was a crowd at the front gate, trying to get in for the service, but there was no roster for signing them in. Anyway, the chaplain started the service. It was a series of readings from the Bible, followed by Christmas hymns. Even though the pianist was right there, he sang acapella. Chris did some of the readings. After the service, more people showed up. Finally the little chapel was at least half full. The chaplain called for a 5 minute break before the caroling. I breathed through my trombone to warm it up. But the break went on for half an hour. I think there were cookies in the other room. Then when he called for volunteers for caroling, I got up with Ms. Kim and we played Sleigh Ride. I am not sure many people sang, but it went well. Then a man got up and Ms. Kim played while he sang O Holy Night. That went well, too. Another lady sang Silent Night in Dutch after we sang it in English. Then I got up again, and played Do You Hear What I Hear with Chang. It went well even though we did not get a chance to practice it again. Then we sang Here Comes Santa Claus. And Santa did show up. He invited the kids to come up and have their pictures taken with him. By this time song sheets had been copied and passed out. The chaplain announced Santa Claus is Coming to Town. He started it acapella, but since Ms. Kim and I had practiced it, we scrambled to play along. We only got the second verse. Then Santa had to go fly around the world. We sang another song and then I signaled Janelle. We got up together to play Frosty the Snowman. The crowd sang along. In fact they sang one more verse than we had planned so we played that part again. After we sat down, there was a long lull. Then Janelle's father got up and he played while she sang My Favorite Things and we sang along. The words were not in the song sheets, but people with smart phones googled the words. Then he played a song from The Grinch which I did not know. There was another lull. Dr. Chu called out a hymn number and Chris got up to lead it with her, but she wouldn't get up. But Russ did and they did great. Acapella. Poor Ms. Kim. I knew she wanted them to ask her to play. A few other people either got up or called out numbers. Chris had us sing Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee. I think there was another song, and then we sang “We wish you a Merry Christmas” to end the caroling. People milled about. I packed up my trombone. I hugged Ms. Kim and thanked her. I shook hands with Chang and thanked him. I found Janelle and hugged and thanked her. The Catholics were coming in for their service. Chris said I could drive home while he attended the service. So I did, freezing in the dark. When I got into the house, I realized I had left my handbag in the car, so I had to run back out. I checked my phone, and there was a message from Chang asking if the music was for tomorrow. I hadn't seen the message but it had all worked out. I changed my clothes, then sat down to write up my blog and listen to the concert band version of Sleigh Ride. I tried to play along with it but the key must have been different. I listened to several renditions but none matched my music. Then Chris came home from chapel. We watched two episodes of Xena. Then he called Michele on skype and we got to talk to Al, Cecily and Marie. But they all bowed out and left us with Michele. It was after midnight so we did not talk long. And then we went to bed.
* Chris helps to lead the singing. *

Almost packing

I was awake from being cold when Chris got up. I pulled the blankets over me, but soon was too hot. I adjusted the covers to suit. I heard Chris leave. Soon after, I got up. I drank my quart of water. I read and deleted e-mail. I did my exercises. I got dressed, then set up for my skype call. I placed the monitor on top of the printer and moved the cam in front. At 10 I called my tapping buddy and the call dropped. It was just as well since nature called. She called me back and I answered as soon as I could. We had a very good session. Hopefully life-changing. After the call, I made and ate breakfast. Chris came home for lunch. There was no mail since the post office is closed for four days. I looked for my packing list in every suitcase, carry-on, etc. No luck. I searched each computer using the term 'list' and lots came up, but not the list I was looking for. Finally I tried 'packinglist' and there it was, on the desktop. If the search engine could find the list in listen, why not the list in packinglist?
I practiced my trombone briefly. Then I packed it up and headed to Janelle's house. We played the song together several times and it went well, so I packed up and went home. Chris had gone back to work. I went outside to cut down all the dead tomato stalks. But some of them looked dead, but had green leaves at the very and with small tomatoes hanging on. They were in quite a tangle so it was hard to differentiate all-dead from mostly-dead. And in the process, I picked an handful of tomatoes that weren't quite ripe. I put them on the window sill. I changed the font of my packing list to orange so it would print. I reviewed the list, updating it as things came to mind. I sent a copy to each laptop and printed it out. I played around with a photo in my kaleidoscope software. I sent it to the person who took the photo. I listened to an audio. I looked into the windows 10 sound problem again. There were no fixes that I could implement, so I submitted a query to the maker of my laptop. Chris came home an hour early. We talked about the problem. He said he turned down the volume on Skype and it helped. So he loaded Skype on my new laptop and turned down the volume. I called him to see if the sound was better but the echo made it hard to tell. So then I called the echo/sound test service. It sounded better. I was happy because that meant my next skype call could be on the new laptop instead of the desktop which involves sitting the monitor on top of the printer so I'm not sitting in the dark visually. Chris made himself supper. I wondered what to pack for Guam next week. I did three Sudoku puzzles to catch up. I listened to an audio on digestion. I came across an article on making ghee. I wanted to do a price comparison. But the recipe said to use 2 lbs of butter to make 2 quarts of ghee. That just didn't sound right. The picture showed way more than 4 sticks of butter in the crock pot. Anyway, I looked up another recipe that said 16 oz of butter will make app. 12 oz o ghee. For the butter and ghee we buy, that is almost half price. After reading a few more e-mails, we watched episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. Then it was time to blog and go to bed.
* I got hardy tomato plants *

Tying up loose ends

I woke up early, thinking it was the middle of the night. But later when Chris checked the time, it was 7am so probably not before 6. I drank a quart of water, and read e-mail. I put on some Christmas music while I tied up loose ends, refolded fabric, and put away stuff from class. I hung a fabric panel on the wall. Brittany called to ask if the new head of CYP could use one of our sewing machines to make stockings. I said yes. After taking a shower, I put some chocolates in a gift bag. I made a batch of hummus. I wrote a note to my mother-in-law. Then I walked out to the Foot Shop. The desk clerk met me outside. He said he had tried to call me because of a power outage. He asked if I could come back at 4. I said ok. So then I walked into the market to find a rest room. Then I went around the corner to the Chinese massage place. My favorite person was not there. They said come back tomorrow but I had other things to do tomorrow. The lady there typed “ When can come?” in her phone translator. I told her 'next year'. I walked to a bench and sat, thinking about how best to spend the next two hours. I decided that the more walking I did, the better the massage would feel. So I walked back to base. As I was crossing behind the laundromat, Kayle called to me. She and Victoria were delivering bags of cookies their mother made. They gave me one and were on their way. When I got home, I plugged my phone into the desktop to transfer some music, but the desktop would not recognize my phone. So I plugged it into the new laptop, which doesn't have a CD drive. I looked through my old files to see if there were any music files an hour long. I did not find any, but some were 40 to 50 minutes long. Then I checked the battery and saw that my phone was only at 40%. I did not know if that was enough to play for 50 minutes. I jotted notes for my blog as my phone charged. I put one of Kayle's cookies in the gift bag with the chocolates. The phone only got to 44%. I unplugged it and headed back into town. While I was walking, I plugged the extra battery into the phone. When I got to the shop, it was at 69%. The man at the desk said in recompense for changing my scheduled time, I would receive an hour full body massage in addition to the foot massage I asked for. Whoo-hoo! Twist my arm! I gave him the gift bag with chocolate and a cookie. I got changed and took my phone with me to the foot soak. I cued up the music and relaxed while it played. The lady from last week came to dry my feet and we went to a room with two beds. I put my phone on the other bed and laid face down on the first one. At first I worried about the phone battery lasting long enough. Then I decided that if the music stopped, it would be no worse than previous sessions with no music. And at one point the music did stop, or rather ended. But a few minutes later the next piece started. It was so nice and I think the masseuse enjoyed it too. While I was lying face down, the phone rang. I would have ignored it, but the lady handed it to me. Kelly had a question for me. And then I went back to bliss. I rolled over for a foot massage. All too soon it was over. I thanked her and changed back into my clothes. I paid at the front desk and wished him a merry Christmas. I would have liked to follow the massage with an easy stroll home, but the temperature had dropped, so I walked as quickly as I could. I arrived home not long before Chris. I checked e-mail and sent Kelly a note. Chris fried up the two eggplants I picked earlier in the day. Then he fried up some onions. Both were very good. I had some bean soup, and some sweet potato casserole with lemon juice. I cleared some e-mail and then practiced my trombone. Then we watched multiple episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. I typed up my blog and we went to bed.
* This is the panel I hung on the wall *

Last sewing day of the year

I woke up several times during the night, but then overslept, getting up at 9:45. The recyclables that I stayed up late packaging, were still in the foyer and it was too late to put them out. I drank a quart of lemon water while deleting e-mail. I ate some seed crackers and then got dressed. I searched for some cotton batting for Maria. Nothing was big enough so I had to piece it together. I put my craft materials in a bag. Then I walked in a light rain to the Housing building. No one was there. I turned on the lights and heat and started getting out tables. Then other ladies came and helped get out machines and supplies. Some brought their kids, who ran around screaming. Dynee put a backing on her table mat, and Chong mostly finished her folded star ball, then helped Dynee sew the opening shut. Then Dynee started a Christmas one. Lacey brought her featherweight: it was a hit with the class. Chantal brought her sister who started a paper kusodama ball. When 1 o'clock came, several people were still working. I told them they could stay but I had to go do stuff. But I did not get out of there until 1:30. Kelly had texted me a pic of her white chocolate cookies. I asked if she needed baking sheets and she said yes. I went home and found three. Her girls came over to get them and I gave them the rice candy and coffee sticks as well. Then I made and ate breakfast. I cut another piece of anti-scorch fabric for Maria since the one at Housing wasn't big enough. But the first one I cut was 20” square so I had to cut again to get 20 by 25. I folded them up for class. I sent powerpoint slides of Sleigh Ride to the chaplain. I took a strip of blue snowflake fabric and fused a strip of heavy stabilizer down the middle. I folded over the edges and stitched them down. Then I sewed a piece of elastic to both ends to make a headband to hold my hair in place. But the hair at the back of my head is shorter than the rest and the elastic showed. So I cut a little more fabric to cover the elastic. It was a rush job but I figured no one really cares. It was wet out so I called Mrs. Kim to see if she needed a ride and she said she was already walking to the chapel. I packed up my trombone and jumped in the car. I picked her up on the way. When we got to the chapel, there was no parking, so I parked at the FFTC. We walked to the chapel and saw that there was a large group of Korean high school students. They seemed to be on their way out so we set up and started to play, but then they filed into the sanctuary for a photo shoot. So we sat by, waiting until they were finished. After that, we practiced two songs, Sleigh Ride and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Then we talked about caroling on Christmas Eve and she said she would like to play for that. Then we went our separate ways. I went home to have supper. The chaplain had responded to my e-mail saying that he could not post to the community page but giving me the announcement. So I posted it. I ate some sweet potato casserole. I thought it needed something, so I tried lemon juice and it was good, but maybe cranberry was a better way to go. I could not find my fanny pack with my phone in it. I ran out to the car but did not see it. Then I walked to class. The light were already on in Housing. I was worried that someone left them on, but the building was open and three ladies were already there. Dynee showed me her finished table mat. She then started an ornament. I helped Maria work on the iron caddy she was making for her husband. Lacey was working on her own project and Evelin finished up her bordered table cloth. Then they helped pack up. I put aside the Christmas stuff to go home with me. After they left, I swept the floor, turned off the lights and heat, and locked the building. It was raining harder. I walked home. Chris was there. He had bought a bottle of Jack Daniels for someone at the office. He wanted help wrapping it. So I suggested a fabric bag and pulled out some burgundy velvet, also offering him a Christmas print. But he had the idea of wrapping it in a t-shirt. He came up with two, but one had never been worn. I figured out how to wrap it such that the emblem on the shirt was centered on the bottle. Then I tied it around the neck. He liked that, so we were ready to watch TV. We went through several episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. Then he looked up several of the characters. I typed up my blog, finishing after he went to bed.

Getting the little things done

I got up soon after my alarm went off at 7:30. Chris was long gone. I drank my quart of water and replenished the water jugs from the shower filter. I put on an audio and did my exercises. I also swept and picked up stuff lying around, and did some dusting. The audio was a presentation by John Gray, who is now in his 60's. I made breakfast and did yesterday's puzzle. I took a shower. I practiced for a few minutes until it was time to leave. Carrying yoga blocks in my bag, I walked to the bus stop. In 5 to 10 minutes the bus arrived and I was on my way to the acupuncturist. It was such a nice day that I stayed on the bus an extra stop so I could walk back. Still, I was early and they took me right away. I enjoyed the leg massage. I stretched my hip flexors until the doctor arrived. He had me sit in all four directions and felt my chi in each one. I don't know if there was a disturbance in the force, but he stuck needles in the back of my neck briefly, then had me lay down for the usual leg, stomach and neck points. I really felt something from the one in my calf. He asked questions about constipation, which I don't have. He told me to wait after the needles were taken out. So, when the nurse removed them, I stayed. She peeked in on me several times, as if she did not know I was supposed to stay. Later he came back and felt my chi again. He said next time he would give me a list of what I should be eating. He said no dairy or ginseng. Also, he asked about the seed cracker I gave him last week. He was not in favor of the spices. I paid him and made an appointment for January. Then I walked to the bus stop and waited. I rode the bus to the stop near the base, then went to the corner market and bought sprouts. I walked home, noting it was almost 2pm. Chelsea had texted that she would be home after 2, so I had a bite to eat, then took her gift over. But no one answered the door. I could see her car across the street so I thought I had the wrong house. I went home. Dynee asked me to ride with her to the antique store, so I did. She picked up something big. I told the man that the vase I bought last time did not get packed in the box. We looked around the store but did not see it. He kept telling me to check at home. Then we drove back to base. Dynee said her washer left spots on her whites. So we looked into cleaning the central core. Then I went home. Kelly sent her daughter to get some tubs to put cookie dough in. I grabbed some from the hutch, but was horrified to see that they were dirty. I guess we never washed them after unpacking them. I found another set before Kayle arrived. After she left with the other set, I put Christmas music on the desktop and turned it up. I put hot soapy water in the tub and washed it, plus a few other things in the kitchen. Chelsea came to pick up her gift. Dynee came over to buy some lip balm. I had two left so I gave them to her. I also gave her the reed diffuser that I made for her. She said she had been looking for something to make her closet smell better. I cleaned up in the cutting room. I flattened some boxes for recycling tomorrow. I glued the ornament from yesterday where the tape wasn't holding. I put bean soup in the toaster oven. Chris came home from work. I wrapped his gift and put it under the tree. Kelly had said she was going to buy herself a kitchen center like mine. I looked online to see what they cost now, but I guess Oster doesn't make that anymore. I read e-mail and ate the soup. I posted to the community page about the class tomorrow. I practiced again. Then we watched The Tudors on Netflix. I had trouble understanding what was going on, but Chris seemed to like it. Then he went back to his game and I cleared more e-mail before writing up my blog so I could go to bed.
* These fields near the doctor's office are growing. How do they survive the cold nights? *

Dirty Santa strikes again - but I got the wrapping paper

I woke up with a hot flash. I heard the fog horns in the distance. Chris got ready for work. I got up when he left. Sometimes sleeping is easier during the day, so I went out to the livingroom, donned earphones and listened to a BWE CD, hoping to sleep. No. I drank and swished and did my exercises. I boiled water for coffee. I tapped and listened to an interview on brain health. He recommended eating grains. After the coffee, I started cleaning but Chris came home. We talked. I contacted Amber about the party tonight. I noticed Chris had brought home packages, so I put the festive one under the tree and opened the Swanson boxes. I realized I hadn't taken any supplements lately because I had run out and not had time to make up more. After Chris went back to work, I started a batch of rolls. I forgot that I had an open can of coconut milk in the fridge and I opened another one. Grr. I tried the giant snowflake with origami paper and it turned out cute. I ordered ghee from Swansons. I got dressed and went to Housing to get my origami paper back and to check on supplies for a project Maria wanted to do. When I got home, I made the dough into rolls and started a loaf of bread for Chris. I made and ate breakfast. I baked the rolls, then rubbed half of them with butter. They looked really good with cranberries sticking out all over. I left them to cool. I selected some red and white fabrics to make stuffed ornaments. I used the cup from the Magic Bullet to draw circles. I cut around them and sewed on the line. But I was running out of time. I moved the sweet potato mash into a baking dish. I crumbled the topping over it. I covered it with plastic wrap. I threw the craft supplies into a bag, and put the rolls into a bag, grabbed the other rolls and the bread wreath. I put needle, thread and scissors in a baggie. I figured while the casserole heated up at the chapel, I could be practicing. So I grabbed my trombone, too. I put it all in the car, managing to keep it all dry with my umbrella. I prayed that there would be a parking space at the chapel. It did not seem possible since there are only 2 and I saw people driving down the hill ahead of me. But when I got there, there was a space. I parked there and carried my stuff in in several trips. Amber put my casserole in the oven. I put my trombone, coat and bag in the sanctuary. I reparked the car at the FFTC so others could use the space. Then I sat in the foyer and finished the ornaments: I turned them right side out, filled them with these dried red berries that I got at the market thinking they were goji berries, and sewed them shut. I wanted to practice, but there were too many people, so I pretended to practice as I sewed. Anna sat down to help me and I gave her the ornament that I mistakenly sewed shut before I stuffed it. She had just opened a hole in it when the admiral's wife arrived. Then she had to go. The admiral's wife brought a present for Chelsea but Chelsea wasn't there so it was given to me to give to Chelsea. I was almost finished with the last ornament when Anna came to get me and sat me with the group in the other room. We waited for a few more people to arrive, then Amber said a quick prayer. Diamond jumped in line for food and was a little taken aback when no one joined her. So I got up and made ushering movements until the ladies rose up to join her. My contributions were two kinds of rolls and sweet potato casserole. I took some of the casserole and it wasn't very good. Someone said it might be the Korean sweet potatoes, which are whitish inside and more starchy. I ate my plate of food, listening to the other ladies at my table converse. Kelly really liked my cranberry rolls and asked me to make her some for Christmas. Then I realized that the bread wreath wasn't out. So I found it in the kitchen and brought it out. But everyone had already filled their plates at that point. At 7 Amber asked for the tables to be cleared to start the dirty santa game. Some ladies were not done eating. But the plates went away and they brought small tables of gifts inside. Amber had us pick numbers from a jar. Mine was 3. I was contemplating the strategy of picking my own gift, thus avoiding disappointment for myself and another. But person 1 chose it, probably because it was the nicest wrapped gift. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, obviously enjoying it, so there went my strategy. When it was my turn, I chose a wrapped gift. Stealing isn't my style. It was a box of face masks from a Korean beauty shop. I hoped someone would steal it but no one did. Surprisingly, someone did steal the scarf from person 1. That made me feel good, but person 1 was disappointed. At the end of the game, the giver of the face masks took it back and gave me the gift she opened: a matching potholder, towel and dish cloth. She felt badly for me and then I felt badly for her. Great game, huh? Out of 22 gifts, only 3 were stolen. And then the party broke up. I told Kelly she could have the leftover cranberry rolls because I wasn't baking any more before Christmas. She took them all but then someone else showed up looking for a few extra and she shared. I hung behind, finishing the last ornament, waiting for a parking space so I could bring my car around. I had three loads to carry out. I gathered together my foods and the plate of cucumbers and tomatoes that Amber brought. I also got the used wrapping paper. Score! I took a load out to my car and drove it back to the chapel. Anna brought out the rest as she and Amber locked up and walked to her car. I drove home and brought one load in with me, then went back for the other two. I had Dynee's bread basket but decided not to return it until I washed the red liner. Chris helped me put the food away, then asked me how the party went. I had to admit that it went better than I expected, but that I felt like crying and did not know why. He suggested that I was just tired from being so busy and worrying. Probably right. We talked for some time. Then we heard the skype sound. Faye called me and we had a nice chat. Then I went to my new laptop to type up my blog post before going to bed.

Sweet potato day

Chris got up before I did, in fact I did not hear him go to church. I expected to see him sitting at his computer when I got up. But it was almost 10. So I washed up and got dressed. I put on a black skirt, white top, and long sleeved red shirt. I only got to drink a little water before Chris came home to get me. He drove me to the chapel where there were two parking spaces. We did not have to use the hazard blinkers:) I went in and sat in my usual spot. Chang came up and asked to practice with me after church. So I called Chris and asked him to bring my trombone and music stand. During the time when the choir usually sang, a Korean man and woman sang a duet. He looked like an average Korean, but when he sang, he sounded like Pavarotti. They were both marvelous. The service was about the fourth advent candle, the one of peace. He asked who needed peace and someone answered 'the oppressed'. But I think the oppressors need peace, then they wouldn't feel the need to control everyone. After church, Chris came in with my trombone. But Chang was still playing guitar for the kids in Sunday School. I talked to Chantal and Suzanne. Then the kids got out and I went in with my trombone. He and I worked out how to play Do You Hear What I Hear as a duet. He played first, I did the echo and then we played together. It worked well, especially considering the language barrier. Then I packed up and put my trombone in the car. Chris and I walked to the commissary. We spent more time talking to Kim than shopping. We came home with the groceries and put them away. I made and ate breakfast. Then we drove to the FFTC to watch a movie: Fantastic Beasts and where to find them. It was pretty good. Then we came back home. I looked for into on how to avoid the Dirty Santa games, but all I could find were alternate rule sets. The comments indicated that people who love the game think people who don't are scrooges. One person took flack for posting that the gift money would be better spent at a homeless shelter. I have to agree. After that, I looked at sweet potato casserole recipes. I made a list of ingredients culled from numerous recipes. I printed out one for a sweet potato souffle. I made a salad, then peeled sweet potatoes between bites. I put them in a big pot to boil. I finished my salad. I soaked cut up dates in coconut water, then pureed them with the Magic Bullet. I assembled ingredients for the topping. I picked the potatoes out of the water and put them in a dish. The recipe said I could mash the potatoes with an immersion blender. Well, sort of, but the hand masher worked better. The recipe called for 3 cups, so I took three out and put the rest in a jar. I added some of the other ingredients. I left out the eggs and substituted dates for honey. Actually the date/water mixture was a lot like apple butter. I used the immersion blender to stir in the spices. But the three cups looked paltry in the dish, so I added two more. Then I chopped the oats into flour with the other blade of the Magic Bullet. I put in the butter and cinnamon too. It did a good job with that, but for the nuts I had to mix by hand. I did not want the nuts chopped into powder. I took out the ham and ate some, wondering how I was going to fit more food in the fridge. Chris moved some things around. I put that mixture into the fridge, as well as the date/water mixture. Chris put the sweet potato mix away. The leftover potatoes went in a jar. I washed for a long time to clear up the utensils I used. I was surprised to see that the brand new metal cup measures were not hot water safe. The markings smeared off in the dishwater. ????! It seemed like the whole potato process took way longer and was way messier than it should have been. Finally Chris pulled up Netflix and we watched multiple episodes of Third Rock from the Sun. Then he went to bed and I stayed up to write up the day.
* These are the sticky window clings that I talked about yesterday. *

Caroling in the cold

I turned the bedroom temperature down from 21 to 20 Celcius. You wouldn't think it would make much of a difference. Well, instead of having hot flashes, I was cold all night. And Chris kept rolling in the opposite direction, taking the covers with him. I did not sleep well. So in the morning, he crept out of bed to let me sleep in. But I wasn't asleep. So I got up. I drank a quart of lemon water while reading e-mail. I listened to a interview with a man who survived cancer while doing my exercises and putting up window clings. They were stickier than I expected, and I wondered if they were going to be hard to peel off later. I sent messages to Myra and Faye. I looked up a recipe for cardamom bread. I found one that had to be reworked for bread machine usage. I proofed the yeast as it said, in milk with cardamom. That did not sound right to me and the yeast would not rise. I threw it in the bread machine with the other ingredients and put the machine on the dough cycle. I made and ate breakfast. I printed 6 more copies of the song sheet. I packed up my trombone and stand. I walked to Janelle's house. We practiced together. She played well. I chatted with her parents. She gave me a large piece of hicama. I came home and put it in the fridge. The bread dough had risen quite a bit. I rolled it into 4 ropes and braided them into a wreath shape. While it was rising, I played Christmas music on my laptop. I read e-mail, and read about Dirty Santa alternatives. Chris did laundry. I spread a mixture of yolk and coconut cream on the bread wreath, sprinkled slivered almonds on it, then baked it. I practiced some more. I looked for my sugarless sweet potato recipe on all the computers, and could not find it. I found a box to house the scarf that I bought for the dirty santa game. But there was not time to wrap it. Chris and I took a shower, and then it was time for caroling. I was kind of in a bad mood because I was getting somewhere with my to-do list and did not want to stop and lose momentum. But I had promised, so I collected my 6 copies of the song sheet and walked down to the chapel. Three ladies were standing there, reading a song sheet and looking for recordings of the music online. One lady had a blue tooth speaker that she could send the songs from her phone. They found links for each of the songs on the sheet. We sang some of them to the music. The lyrics did not always quite fit, but it was nice to have the music play while we sang. Anna came and then we hit the road. We walked all through lower housing, knocking on doors and singing to whoever seemed to be home. Some people did not open their doors. Some did, some offered us a donation (which we did not accept), and at one place, a young boy offered us a bowl of gluten-free oreos. Then Anna had to go to a dinner with her husband so she asked us to sing at her house before they had to leave. Anna gave us a ride to the last door of upper housing. Mandy joined us. We sang for Anna's family and for Janelle's family. Then we hit families on the way down that were home. When we got to Carolyn's house, we were done. And it was dark and freezing. I went home to have a bowl of bean soup. I wrapped the cooled bread wreath and put it in the fridge. I read e-mail for a bit, then we watched a movie with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Then we watched 3 or 4 episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. We wanted to watch Big Bang Theory, but Netflix only had those on DVD. I continued my search on how to avoid Dirty Santa games. I don't like being required to spend money on a gift that has a high chance of going to someone who doesn't want it. But I still did not find any strategies for avoiding it or the disappointment that comes with seeing someone else not want the gift I brought. I wondered if the game was invented by the retail establishment to sell more gifts. Then I noticed it was almost midnight, so I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Anna took this pic. The blue tooth speaker is on the step, just out of sight. *

Clue: Chris in the livingroom with Admiral Yi statue

I got up about 8, but sequestered myself on the couch with a quilt, waiting for my morning cortisol to kick in. Then I drank a quart of lemon water. I noticed that the plastic had blown off my tomatoes, so I put it back on and used a quilt frame clamp to secure it. I realized that it might be too late. I took the box off of the eggplant and it looked fine. I read e-mail and got dressed. I was counting down til my skype call with my tapping buddy when my sister called me to get my Christmas list. I hated to have to hang up with her, but the call came through as we were speaking. My buddy and I tried all three computers, then settled on the desktop. I had to move the monitor so I wouldn't look like I was highlighted in the dark. We tapped for an hour. After that call, I called my sister back. It was hard to make out what she was saying because of the Windows 10 sound problem. Why doesn't Microsoft send an update for that? Faye and I talked for some time. Chris came home for lunch while we were talking. After the call, he had some talking to do. I put dough ingredients in the bread machine. I made and ate breakfast. When the dough was risen, I formed it into rolls and put them on a cookie sheet. While they rose, I read e-mail. Amber contacted me, asked if I could bring the songs sheets to the party tonight. My understanding was that Carolyn was going to do it. But I did not mind. I set to work copying lyrics from the internet to a document. It was difficult making two columns. I figured there was probably a better word processor program for such things. But I was able to get 3 or 4 songs per page. Before I was finished, the shoemaker called me to say Chris' shoes were ready. It wasn't long before the party so I suggested I could pick them up tomorrow, but that did not please him so I agreed to come today. I called Chris and he said he would leave work in half an hour. I threw the rolls in the oven and baked them. I got another phone call and heard the timer ring while I was talking. The call got dropped just in time for me to pull the rolls out and start rubbing them with butter. Then she called back. We finished our conversation. I worked on the songsheet. I had to turn the text blue so it would print. Then Chris came home. I changed clothes and he drove me into town. He parked and waited while I quickly collected Chris' shoes and paid the man. Since his wife had taken my order, I wondered how the man knew which shoes I had come for. Anyway, I jumped in the car and Chris found his way back to base. I started printing copies of the songsheet. I put on a sparkly top and a red scarf. I got 4 double sided copies and decided it was a good start. Chris wanted to be at the party by 5 so we scrambled to get there. I did not even have time for a shower. But we were the first and the staff was not quite ready. We went to the bar and sat talking. People drifted in. I talked to Lacey until it was announced that we should all go into the main room and find a seat. Chris had found a table with Scott, Danielle, Ross and Ross' parents who just got in last night. After a bit, people were invited by tables to get in the food line. Most of the food offered was on my so-so list. My plate was not full when I went back to the table. The conversation continued until the MC announced prize drawings. They called ticket numbers to come get an ornament from the tree. Each ornament had a number which corresponded to a gift. Chris' number (1) got picked and he went up to pick an ornament and get the gift. I was a little surprised that he did not decline. But instead of a gift certificate or a nice electronic gift, he unwrapped a statue of Admiral Yi. I figured if anyone could appreciate such a gift, it was him. I thought he needed a turtle ship to go with it. Maybe I could make a stuffed one for his Christmas present? Someone else got the turtle ship, and several others got statues. The party broke up before 9, but we sat around talking with Anna and Terry. Anna really wanted lots of people to come caroling tomorrow. She said she knew of software which makes two columns. Where was she when I was struggling to make the song lists? Finally we put on our coats and went to the foyer. But Chris was still talking. The other people left, so we got to go home, too. Chris asked if I would hold Admiral Yi while he drove. I asked if that was what we were calling it now. Back at the house, I contacted Amber about posting about caroling and she asked if I would do it. So I did. Kurt e-mailed me too. I typed up my blog post for the day, hoping I hadn't missed anything. I practiced (finally) and probably went to bed.
* This is a reference to the game of Clue, just in case I go missing, you will know what happened to me *

Good day for a massage or two

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I got up at 8:30. I drank my quart of lemon water while reading e-mail. I got messages from Myra and Suyapa. I collected some filtered water from the shower. I ironed the rest of my fabrics from the market. I ate some seed cracker. I checked my to-do list. I worked today's puzzle. I downloaded powerpoint pages for the lyrics to Sleigh Ride. I saw Amber post an FRG meeting for this evening. I put on an audio and did my exercises. Then I took off my nightgown to drybrush my skin. That is when Chris came home for lunch. Upon seeing me, he declared today the best day ever. Then he made himself lunch and I made and ate breakfast. I took a shower and dressed warmly. I put two pairs of Chris' shoes in bags. I got ready, then walked out into town. I went past the Chinese massage place in order to get to the shoemaker's stand. She was talking to a customer, but the lady soon moved aside so I could hand over the shoes. Fortunately she could see that the heels were worn down unevenly. She wrote down my phone number, then went back to her conversation. I walked to the Foot Shop, arriving exactly on time. I changed, then soaked my feet. A lady came to dry my feet. The clerk told me that Mrs. Wong was sick so Mrs. Su would give me my massage. He spoke to her, presumably telling her to be gentle. And she was very good. After I changed back, and paid, he asked who I would like next time. And did I think Mrs. Su was better? Yes. I had 15 minutes to kill, so I walked to McDonalds to use their bathroom. They did not have their own, but there was one in the hallway between them and Paris Baguette. Then I went to the junk store to look for a party gift and for something to heat my garden at night. The only thing I found that used American electricity was a dual-voltage curling iron. Too much heat! Then I had to run to the Chinese massage place. I got the same back and shoulder massage there. He used a lot more pressure, but it did not last as long. Then I went back to the market. I was enjoying my scarf in the cold, so I looked for another one to be my party gift. I had only paid 10,000 won and that was the limit for the gift. So I went looking, but the nice one I found was 15000. She was willing to come down to 12,000 and I wanted to be done with the whole party gift thing, so I bought it. As I passed the everything store, I saw they had Christmas stuff. I hoped to find lights, but only with Korean plugs. But they did have Christmas cards so I bought a few. Then I went to Daiso. They did not have lights, but I got a few small ornaments for the tree and some snowflake window clings. On my way back, I passed a phone shop. I was able to find a short cord for charging my phone from a battery pack. Whoo-hoo! Then I walked quickly back to base. I just made it to the chapel in time for the FRG meeting. I was a little nervous about being chairperson, but as it turned out, the president led the meeting herself. The vice-president offered to take notes but she declined. They talked about caroling and decided to do it this Saturday because of so many things going on. I piped up about lyric sheets. Dynee agreed. I would have helped make them, but the pres and VP insisted on handling it themselves. They also talked about having a drawing for Valentines Day. Either by guessing how many hearts are in a jar, or at random, allowing people to enter by submitting suggestions: a brilliant idea by our next door neighbor. The pres announced our new treasurer. I wondered if the new lady knew the history of the FRG treasury. Then Amber asked for volunteers to be secretary. Anna suggested me, but Amber told her I was the chairman. Somehow, I don't think she knows what that is. She ended the meeting and people milled about or left. I talked to her and then Dynee and Ryan gave me a ride home from the FRG meeting. Dynee said she had some lights out in the shed and would drop them off. I went inside and smelled the bean soup cooking. The beans were soft, so I ladled some into a bowl. Then Dynee knocked, with two boxes of lights in her hand. I thanked her and took them. I plugged each string in to see how warm they got. One string was candy canes and the other were really big bulbs on sticks. I went around the front of the house with a flashlight, looking for an outdoor outlet. But the only one was around the side wall. I found an extension cord in the shed and ran it to the tomato plants covered in plastic. I put Dynee's lights under the plastic in hopes of keeping the tomatoes alive. I texted back and forth with Myra. I mixed up essential oils with vodka and water to fill the oil diffuser I made for Dynee. I realized my version of Sleigh Ride was missing the part about Farmer Gray. I was unable to pick it out on the keyboard, so I looked up images of music on Bing trying to find the notes.
We watched two episodes of Xena Warrior Princess. I spent half an hour re-creating my day for this blog post and wondering what pic would suffice.

* This is the scarf I bought for the gift exchange. *