Wow, I had no idea!

The first rule of perennial cruisers is flaunt it. I'm not referring to couture but something way more outlandish. Cruisers seem to think the rest of us ordinary people care how much time they've spent on the high seas.

Case in point. There was a private, elaborate champagne reception during our first week aboard celebrating a couple's cruising milestone. They were celebrating their 14,000 day cruising! WHAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I'm afraid so. I would have thought they owned the cruise ship by now, but no. They did get their laundry done for free though.

Throughout the cruise we had random people ask us how many cruises we'd been on. When I said this was our first they choked on their breakfast, lunch or dinner. The standard comment was, "You're so brave." "Really, I'd say. We pretty much enjoy everything we do. So there is no reason to think otherwise."

So for the remainder of the cruise people were trying to impress us. But why should we have felt anything more than pity for the woman who said, "At the end of this cruise we'll have been aboard 300 days. I hate being home."Or the woman who'd been on this exact cruise four times. Or the couple who never got off the ship.

Our life is rich; woven of many fabrics. While the cruise was fantastic, I don't see ourselves turning our sole purpose in life over to Holland America, Princess, Norwegian, Windstar, Carnival or any other cruise ship line.

At least not yet.

Timing is everything....

How many times have you heard this old adage? Probably a zillion. Never has this statement been more true than on October 29th.
     Our travel agent arranged for everyone to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale two days before the cruise ship was scheduled to depart. You know, just in case a flight is canceled (not that this ever happens).
     So we arrived on October 28th. The next day we loaded onto a bus and headed out for an air boat ride. We weren't on the road very long before traffic became snarled. Great! As we crept along, traffic came to a standstill parallel to the airport. Someone yelled, "Look, there's smoke coming from that plane on the runway!" Now, if I was the superstitious type I'd turn around and take the 1st plane back home. Pronto! But.....I'm not.
     According to the newspaper the next day a Dynamic Airways plane's engine burst into flames during taxing for takeoff. Apparently there was a fuel leak. Unfortunately, 15 people were injured while evacuating down the emergency chutes. Yikes
     As I said, timing is everything.


    
     

What can I say, I was enchanted...

We have several friends who have taken cruises recently and they all rave about a particular travel agency that specializes in cruises. The owner sends out emails every week with a "special" cruise package highlighted. I signed up for said emails late in the summer but seldom read them.
     Then in September I opened one. I'm pretty sure my Fairy Godmother took aim at that minute and zapped me. Each time I reread the list of cities the cruise would visit, I was overcome with a feeling of enchantment. I didn't breath a word of this to anyone.
     Finally after a couple of weeks of pondering I realized the "enchantment" factor had not abated so I printed the email and sheepishly handed the list to my husband. It took all of 30 seconds for him to utter, "Sounds great. Let's do it." OK
     Next I had to find a house/dog sitter. Did I mention the cruise was 50 days? There is no way I'd board Tucker dog for that long. But where would I find someone responsible that liked Tucker dog and Tucker dog liked back? Hmmm.....
     Monday morning I was at physical therapy and mentioned my dilemma to my therapist. She chimed in, "I bet my daughter would do it". Are you kidding? No she wasn't. I just about flew home with the news but still didn't call and make a reservation. A couple of days later we met the would be house/dog sitter. She was terrific! The next morning I called the travel agency to see if there was room available and to my delight she said, "Yes".
   Three weeks later, our bags packed, we boarded a plane for Ft. Lauderdale.
    

A drum roll please

On our second day towing our trailer westward we decided it needed a name. This was a big deal for us as we don't name inanimate objects. But what to call it? Hmmmm. We tossed some ideas out there but nothing fit. So we pondered it.

Suddenly I shouted, "I've got it! We should name it after the coolest named town we drove through going East.....Belle Fourche, South Dakota." Not only is it the coolest named town but its also the location of our best lunch. The Stadium Sports Grill proclaims to be the "Home of the World Famous Rancher Tips". We can't vouch for the world famous part but we can tell you they were delicious!

We've shortened her name to Belle. It's kinda catchy don't you think.

Finally we meet

After 5 grueling days driving East we finally pulled into Cheyenne Camping Center in Walcott, Iowa. Whew.  While our SUV was taken into the shop to install the electric brakes, load leveler and sway bar we spent what seemed like days going over every little detail of our new toy.

Eventually we made our way out front to be greet our first travel trailer. Hooray, no more sleeping on the ground!

We got Tucker dog comfy, climbed in and headed West.

.

Marching on and on and......

As we pushed our way eastward toward Wolcott, Iowa weather was an ever present companion. I'm not talking about rainbows and lollipop; though that would have been nice. Nope, I'm talking about to hail, high wind and a continuous deluge of rain. Oh yeah, let's not forget the blinding lightening. At times we thought we were driving through a disaster movie set. This wasn't something that happened once or twice. It happened DAILY. We were hoping Moses would drop from the sky and clear a path for us. But no.

You've Gotta Luv Wyoming

I seem to be fairly successful at keeping to posted speed limits. Though I admit I feel like a rebel when I drive on roads with a posted speed of 70 mph. Imagine my shock when I saw the posted speed limit of 80 mph when we were driving through Wyoming. 

Without giving it a second thought I floored it. I shot past rebel straight to speed demon status. YEEHA!!!

Our trip East continues

I did a double-take when I saw an honest-to-goodness cowboy standing in line at the Costco in Sheridan, Wyoming. How did I know he was an honest-to-goodness cowboy? Because he was wearing spurs! I have to admit......I looked around the parking lot for his horse.

My husband had a travel detour in mind that I wasn't privy to until we were mucho miles from home. He said he wanted to see Devils Tower. Apparently my blank stare aptly conveyed my lack of familiarity with said tower. He said, “You know from Close Encounters of the Third Kind?” Again, a blank stare. I'll fess up; I never saw the award winning movie. But I have now seen the tower.

OK, now what?

The end of April my husband purchased a travel trailer. The only conundrum was that we had to go to Iowa to pick the little bugger up.

The original plan was for my husband and Tucker dog to drive to Wolcott, Iowa. I would fly out and drive back with the crew. That way I would only be gone from my Mom (who was in failing health) a few days. That all changed with my Mom's death. So on Sunday, May 31st we took off on a marathon drive half way across the country.

The first night we made our way to Wallace, Idaho. We had three choices of places to stay. We chose The Brooks Hotel. Despite the sign saying "no pets
allowed" they had one room for people traveling with dogs.

When we checked in we were told the building was locked up when the woman working the front desk went home. So we were given two keys; one for our room and the other for the backdoor. So far so good. We went outback to bring Tucker dog in and guess what? The key didn't unlock the door.

Soooo around the building the weary travelers hiked. It turned out the proprietor's Mother was the woman behind the front desk. When I mentioned the key didn't unlock the backdoor Mom muttered, "He's been making his own keys. Here's a key to a different room. I know this one works." So now we had a key to the dog room and room 304.

Only in small town America!

Happy Birthday my darling son

        Jonathan Owens Daus

June 1, 1981 - December 10, 2005

Waiting for death

I spend Tuesdays and Fridays with my 94 year old Mom. Our visits have grown shorter; she spends much of her time sleeping. I make her meals, do chores and run errands. When she feels strong enough I take her with me while I do her shopping. Gone are the days when she would go in the store with me or we'd go to a restaurant for lunch.

Last year Mom went through cancer surgery and multiple rounds of radiation. Add to that multiple spinal compression fractures. She has grown so short her rib cage sits atop her pelvic bone. She is always in pain. She has gone deaf and has difficulty swallowing.

I was fortunate to spend Mother's Day with my Mom because when I arrived Tuesday morning she was unresponsive. Her hospice nurse was due shortly so I just stood in the dark by her bed watching her breath; her chest movement was almost imperceptible.

When Angela, her hospice angel arrived, the air charged. Suddenly everything became clinical. The bedroom light went on. An aid arrived to help move her onto a waterproof pad and put a fresh sheet under her. They tenderly bathed her. At their request I found a short-sleeved shirt and cut it up the back so they could piece it around her. The next thing I knew the light went out and they were gone. Now, it was just the two of us.

Angel Angela gave me detailed instructions on when and how much morphine to administer. Several hours later Mom grew agitated and said “I hurt” over and over. I called hospice. They advised me to administer a mild sedative. An hour passed and she was restful.

I stayed with her all night. I held her hand, tenderly stroked her face and spoke gently to her. I noticed a change before the sun rose. She no longer grasped my hand. As I sat there fear gripped me momentarily. And still I sat there.

 

I told my Mom many times over the last 18 months that I was honored to be on the journey with her. At 7 in the morning I watched her take her final breath. She had reached the end of her journey.

Expensive stitches

What does a convalescing husband do when one of his paws are out of commission? Well, he goes online and purchases a travel trailer.

Now, in all fairness we've talked about getting a camper for a couple of years. We love to take road trips and tent camp along the way BUT the older we get the less adventuresome it is to schlep our camping gear around.

We've set up our tent in the dark and broken down our gear in the driving rain. We've woken up to find the temperature has dipped to 31 degrees. And my all time favorite experience was when my husband packed the tent by not the poles! So you can see a trailer seems in order.

Oh, did I mention we have to go to IOWA to pick it up?

A great way to start the morning

Everyone should start their day with a hearty laugh or at least a giggle. Thanks to a resident squirrel I had more than my fair share this morning.

As I was fixing a cup of tea I noticed said squirrel climb onto the face of our bear carving. I thought perhaps they were visiting; maybe striking up a friendship. Or maybe the squirrel was just confused.

I'll go with the latter.
 

I have a proposition for you

So began a recent text from our 12 year old (going on 35) granddaughter. Hmmmm. What in the world does she want? I was trying to keep an open-mind while a little voice (thankfully I don't hear THOSE all that often) was whispering....remember she's a tweener.

I thought I'd crafted a generic response to any "proposition" she could throw my way. Wrong. I was not prepared for, "I found a purple viola on Amazon. Can I buy it?" WHAT?! She has a loaner from school but apparently wanted to purchase her own instrument. What 12 year old wants to do that?

I opened a bank account for her when she was 6 years old and we've been tossing money in there that she's earned. She has withdrawn small amounts over the years but never did I imagine she'd want to use her money to buy a musical instrument.

I told her we'd think about ordering it. Her final statement on the subject? "Gram, remember it's purple." Enough said.


.

Apparently it's contagious

Our neighbor has a greenhouse which he uses for everything except plants though he graciously allows us to start our seedlings in it. Yesterday we walked over to water our plants and heard a shout of "hello" coming from inside his garage, which he uses for everything except cars.

He came out and immediately inquired about my husband's bandaged digit. While injured husband told him about our trip to the ER I noticed a square of gauze on the back of our neighbor's hand. Apparently he had just experienced the same phenomenon (aka stupid move) which caused my husband's injury. He obviously didn't make a trip to the ER though. How did I know this? Because the gauze was held in place with a piece of ELECTRICAL TAPE!

Oh, did I mention he's a retired orthopedic surgeon?

They say everything comes in threes

That was certainly the case in our house over the last couple of days. Monday dawned dry and sort of warm. I'm pretty sure I could hear my flower bed calling my name. So I whipped out my gardening gloves, spading fork and went to work. 

As mid-afternoon approached I headed toward the house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tucker dog stretched out in a sliver of sun munching on something. On closer inspection that something was rat poison!!! (if you live near water rats are a part of life) He had dug a huge hole under the woodpile the reach the stuff.

Construction Bruce stopped his current project and loaded Tucker dog into our SUV. Off to the vets. Meanwhile I grabbed my smartphone (I love this thing) and looked up the active ingredient. Before he even got to the vet's I had sent a text with the info. I'm happy to report Tucker dog is fine. Apparently he would have had to consume a huge amount of the stuff for it to cause damage. Lesson learned. What a way to end the day.

Tuesday I drove home exhausted after putting in 9 hours at my Mom's. I had oral surgery scheduled for early Wednesday; the first part of the process toward a dental implant. Great, just what I need....more titanium in my body. Of well. All went well by I was still exhausted.

About two hours after we got home I heard construction Bruce call my name. I didn't have a good feeling about this because he was using his table saw. I rushed down the steps and found him leaning against the wall holding his abdomen with a bloody hand. Needless to say I laid him down on the floor so I could ascertain the extend of his injuries. He had a nasty abrasion across his abdomen but it was the left hand that definitely needed medical treatment. I grabbed an icepack and loaded HIM into the SUV and took off for the emergency room. A couple of hours and 14 stitches later we were home.

Boy, I'm counting on the rest of the week being uneventful.

I won, I won....

Sort of. Our ATC (artist trading card) group sets themes for each month's cards. Sometimes I have a flood of ideas; other times not-so-much. This month's card definitely fell in the latter category.

The theme "eggs" just didn't conjure any ideas. After spending 2 weeks pacing and thinking (to be honest there were probably a few profanities muttered along the way) I threw my hands up and admitted defeat. Step two in the search for a solution involved asking Mr. Creativity.

Yup, that's right. I asked my husband. His idea was a bit out there but at least he HAD one. Idea in hand I ran up to my studio and within a couple of hours had a prototype.

What came first: the chicken or the egg

So do you know what it says? 

Then it was on the our "challenge" ATC, as if "eggs" wasn't enough of one. This card's theme was "April fool". Again I had zip, zero, nada. You get the drift.

I hit the jackpot....my husband AND our granddaughter Chloe tossed ideas around. When the winning idea was announced I headed back to the sweat shop. This time there was no prototype. The meeting was in 24 hours.

Think of the theme "April Fool". Can you figure this one out? No? Neither could anyone else which is why I was given the "most obscure" ATC award. Hey, I'll take it

     Ape-reel-fool

A Moment of Introspection

Unfortunately it's been way more than a moment. I have been beating myself up for hours.

I am known for having endless patience. Very little ruffles my feathers. But yesterday I felt my patience literally drain away.

The weekend caregiver called in sick and the agency couldn't fill the slots. That left the task to me. After spending all day Friday with her I rose early Saturday morning so I could be at her home when she woke up.

The day was a series of commands; sometimes conveyed pleasantly, sometimes not. I put in 6 hours. Sunday was a repeat.

By Monday I was exhausted. Tuesday morning no caregiver so back I went. I usually spend Tuesday with my Mom but the day doesn't typically start so early. I recognized from the get-go that I was still tired so I knew the day would be a challenge. What I didn't realize was the enormity of the challenge.

There are days when her memory fails her. Tuesday was one of those days. I smiled and answered her questions like she'd asked them for the first time...not the third or fourth. There were requests and commands. It was mid-afternoon when I realized I was exhausted and my patience were waning.

Of course I was never impatient with my Mom but it was the first time I was thankful for her hearing loss because I muttered to myself many times. Seven hours later I was wrapped in the husband's loving embrace and in that moment all was right in the world.

Let It Go....

While you read this you might want to sing the theme song from the Disney hit movie Frozen. Though I have to admit singing wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I opened our freezer to get out a couple of ice cubes. Ok, I admit it, it was the second. First I shouted for my husband.

Everything in our freezer was covered (perhaps buried is a more fitting description) under a mountain of ice! We dragged our ice chest up from the basement and went to work. When we closed the drawer (it's a French door style) while we washed the components, we noticed it didn't close tightly on the left side. Hmmm. Not seeing any reason for this my husband made a b-line for his workshop. Let's see, what tool will he come back with?  While I pondered that question he came back with his 5' level. And guess what? It was level. Dang. So back together it went.

While loading all the items back in we talked about our next step. Call a repair technician. (What? I'm pretty sure you don't call them repairmen anymore). When we finally closed the drawer my husband said, "That's weird. The drawer closes perfectly now." Really?

Well, that was one way to get help cleaning the freezer out.

Off with his ears!

Do you know the protocol for eating chocolate bunnies? No, me neither. So I  consulted an expert in all things chocolate. My husband.....our resident chocoholic. Apparently nibbling is discouraged. You should chomp the ears off with authority.

I have his daughter Molly to thank for the example. We certainly know where she learned the proper etiquette to nosh her chocolate bunny don't we. I wonder if its hereditary?

 

Bull's Eye

Clever husband decided to build a new cabinet for our back porch. Hurray. The plan was to build a box, hang it on the wall, add a couple of doors and presto you have a cabinet!

All was well until he got the box built. Did I mention you could hide a gorilla in this thing. Oh yeah, it's HEAVY too. How were we going to move said humongous box onto the back porch and into position on the wall? Hmmm

Clever husband sheepishly asked if I could pick up giganta box with him, maneuver it through the backdoor and up on the brackets. Sure, I think. As we were moving it into place I leaned on the washing machine control panel. No big deal EXCEPT the lights didn't come on. On closer inspection we realized there was no power. Great.

Out came the reciprocating saw (you've got to love this tool). After cutting 3 holes in the wall in search of the electrical wires clever husband (who didn't feel all that clever at this point) realized he had to access the electrical from outside. Of course it was raining.

Three days and half an inch of rain later he pulled 4 panels of the sidings off the house, gingerly folded back the tar paper and whipped out the handy dandy reciprocal saw again. This time he cut a significant hole in the sheathing. When he opened the wall he exclaimed, "I really nailed that sucker!" Yes, yes you did.

Easter Parade

bunnies on parade

Well, my husband just put the finishing touches on his Easter masterpieces. He has been making these little critters for as long as I've known him. That would be 22 years. He spends countless hours melting, pouring, then chilling the chocolate until it releases from the mold. Quite an undertaking. He uses a very cool antique metal mold.

 

As our family has grown so has the number in his herd (really that's what you call a group of rabbits). Now he makes a veritable rabbit army! Oh, my contribution you ask.....the ribbon.

antique mold

 

 

Its been a while

It didn't take long to get sucked backed into my caretaking duties. The cruise seems so long ago. Much of my time is no longer my own. While I'm caring for my Mom out of love, if I'm completely honest with myself, there is a component of obligation. I'm the only sibling that lives locally and I'm the only female.

Since my Mom lost her hearing she is dependent on me. She calls me her translator. I'm her window to the world. Sure she has a team of part-time caregivers but it's not the same. I find it difficult to think of her spending her final time on this earth by herself. We need  someone with us as we walk our final journey and this time that someone is me.

Interesting lesson

I learned a valuable lesson on the cruise....my creativity is stuck in neutral when I "combat" scrap. Imagine a room filled with 90 women (that alone might scare some of you) all talking at once. I heard every conversation as though they were all talking to me simultaneously.  Ahhhh! So I opted to spend my time reading in the sun. Bummer, huh?

Island of Bonaire

 

Now that I'm home, when I can grab a bit of time, I mosey into my studio (aka sweatshop). When my energy is zero I sit quietly and leap through my favorite magazines (HGTV, Somerset Memories). But when the creative bug bites I crank up C & W music, grab some paper and create.

Home Sweet Home



Ready, set, go!

Last Sunday night I returned home following a 7-day cruise with my best friend Anna (aka Craft Diva Extraordinaire). We embarked on this craft adventure with 90 other scrapbookers from across the U.S. From the get-go it was apparent we were going to laugh non-stop. We tend to make everything we do an adventure. Add riding a zipline and snorkeling in the azure blue Caribbean in the mix and hold on to your hat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where have you been?

This little critter has been gracing our deck for over 20 years. We put him in the basement during the winter to protect him from the inclement weather. But last summer when we went to fetch him he was nowhere to be found. We hunted everywhere!

Fast forward 18 months. When I pulled into the driveway yesterday there he was at his post on the deck. He gave me some cockamamie story about a trip to Australia. Apparently he headed South last winter to enjoy the warmer climate and stayed for awhile exploring the outback. But he decided to return since they're moving into fall. Really?

What's going on

Here it is the 2nd of February, the dead of winter, but our daffodil's say it's spring!

Today is a typical February day; short on color, long on rain. The landscape is a palette of grey. The languid fog kisses the water leaving a grey sheen. These are the days that drive non-natives mad. I find it strangely restorative.

 

So while the daffodils prepare to burst onto the scene I think I'll pour another cup of tea and watch the birds dancing in the rain. 

Home from prison

Yup, you read it right. Tucker dog was boarded at the Washington Correction Center for Women. They do a magnificent job boarding dogs. We can always count on Tucker dog getting lots of exercise and affection during his stay. Regardless, I always worry about him. This was his longest stay at the facility so I knew he'd miss his people. Only I didn't know how much.

Poor Tucker dog

My husband picked up Tucker dog while I attended to my Mom. I asked how he was and his response was "fine". Really? Does he look fine to you?

The votes are in

Our granddaughter, my husband and I voted for the funniest thing to happen on our Hawaiian vacation. The vote was unanimous! We all voted for New Year's Eve morning when my husband accidentally shaved off his beard. What?!

 

Since my husband's beard is relatively new it was the first time he's flown with his beard trimmer. So when he trimmed his beard for the first time in Hawaii (standing outside on our deck) he noticed there was an awful lot of beard hair on his shirt. When he stepped in front of the mirror to check it out he was shocked to find his beard had migrated from his face to his shirt!

 

When my granddaughter and I returned from the pool he told us what happened. We just about fell over with laughter. Next time you can bet he'll check the setting before he powers up his trimmer up.

 

 

It's who you know...

...or who you meet. One afternoon when we were at the pool a local guy offered us a restaurant recommendation. He said it had great food and is a good value. Those are not two words you  hear in the same sentence on the Big Island.  He went on to say "it's in a hotel right up the road".

 

On our last day on the island we decided to venture "right up the road" for dinner. We'd forgotten the name of the hotel but my husband was certain he'd seen it on one of our adventures. So off we went. Sure enough 10 miles later he drove right to it. Unfortunately, we didn't see anything that looked like a restaurant. No sign, no nothing.

 

While we pondered what to do we noticed a guy walking towards us. We asked if he knew anything about a restaurant in a hotel. Not only did he know what we were looking for but told us he'd take us right to it. On our way to the restaurant he turned and said, "All the guide books recommend the pork chops".

 

I'm pretty sure we walked through a time warp when we entered the dining room.. The room would definitely be described as no-frills. It was a large wooden paneled room filled with miscellaneous tables. I think the table next to ours belonged the my grandmother. The menu was on a black, ridged felt board that you push little white letters into. We did a double take when we looked at it. Nothing on the menu was over $15! We of course ordered the pork chops. Our granddaughter ordered a BLT hold the T. When we ordered no sides were mentioned.

 

Next we were served a communal bowl of rice, a small dish of sautéed bean sprout and a small bowl of we're not sure what. Our granddaughter described it as clear worms (and I'm pretty sure she followed that with EW!) We noticed other diners mixed everything together in their bowls. We followed suit. I'd describe it as interesting.

 

Our server brought out our plates covered with

two pork chops smothered in onions. I  seldom eat one full pork chop but I'll gladly stand and admit I ate both! They were the best pork chops we've ever had!

 

The Manago Hotel opened in 1917 and is still owned and operated by the family. If you're ever in Captain Cook, Hawaii stop by. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you're there for dinner make sure to order pork chops. They are definitely worth $11.50.

 

 

 

 

We're back in the saddle again

Since our last snorkeling experience was a dud we brushed off our band aids and headed for Kahalu'u Beach Park. Our granddaughter took off as soon as she hit the water. She was mesmerized by all the fish she saw. Suddenly it was like she was born wearing fins. She turned from one direction to another trying to see every fish in the water. As she swam about I could hear her singing the theme song from Disney's The Littliest Mermaid. I didn't know whether to marvel more at her ability to sing with a snorkel in her mouth or that I recognized what she was singing. Either way it was a great adventure under the sea.

Whose idea was this anyway

We set off on a snorkeling trip to Kealakekua Bay home of the Captain Cook Memorial.  After a slow slog across lava rocks (I felt like a tightrope walker, but much less graceful) we plunged into the surf. We swam for half an hour with out seeing so much as a sardine so we changed course and headed to the other side of the bay. Here we found a coral reef with a handful of fish. After swimming for 90 minutes we decided there were too few fish for the effort and pulled the plug. This is where things got interesting or terrifying, depending on your perspective.

The surf had become rough....actually that's an understatement. It looked more like a series of tidal waves. My husband focused his energy on helping our granddaughter navigate her way out but she became paralyzed with fear. After she reached land he couldn't get her to move away from the water's edge so the surf kept washing over her. After what seemed like a lifetime she was finally able to scamper up the rocks. Whew. Next it was my turn. I was also getting hammered by the surf and couldn't get my feet under me. Finally I was able to back my way up the rocks. After my husband sacrificed his new mask to the "what the hell was I thinking" god he escaped the pounding surf.

While we came out of this experience with bumps and bruises we also came away with a story we'll tell for a longtime to come.

Big news from the Big Island

We are in Kona, Hawaii enjoying the balmy weather. At home they are enjoying (or not) the end of an arctic blast. Daytime temperatures have moved from the low 30's to the low 50's. So where did the arctic blast go you ask? You guessed it.....Hawaii.

While our daytime temperatures top out in the low 80's the big time news here is our nighttime temperatures. They are dipping down to the upper 50's! Its the lead story on the news. People have scooped up all the space heaters on the island, they're wearing insulated underwear and piling every blanket they can find on their beds. 

Meanwhile us non-natives open our windows at night to enjoy the cool evening air.