happy new year 2021

I’m working on my list of 21 things for 2021. It’s not meant to be daunting and can be silly or serious, or both. It can have a theme like 21 things you want to do with your family this year, or books you want to read. You can list the smallest thing to something life changing. I keep my list in a notebook that I carry with me, which is one of my favorite things. I used to keep a formal organizer when they were popular but now I just use a blank book and insert my own tabs. Whenever I think of any idea, I jot it down. I’ve got sections for ideas, ongoing projects, notes, food, to do, and it’s my second brain (trust me, when you have PD, you need a second brain).

Exercise is always a part of my list. I’m doing 21 minutes of movement daily in 2021. Of course it can be more, but at least 21 minutes. I have a variety of exercise options from light stretching to intense, so that even on the days where I’m really wiped out, I have something I can still do.

Plan a trip is also on my list. Who knows if it will happen but I want to choose a place, research where to go, where and what to eat, things to do. I say that there are three parts to a trip. All of which are equally enjoyable, which are the planning, the doing, and the remembering. So I can at least enjoy the first part now.

I’ve got things to do around the house and in the garden as well. Things with my family, relationship building, all sorts of stuff. The one thing I make sure of that I have things on the list that are fun. It’s good to have a few things to help push you and grow, but it’s also just as important to have things like “enjoy an ice cream cone with Marc once a month at our favorite little shop, Wings Ice Cream”.

I never complete all of the goals, but that’s not the point. It’s really satisfying to see the things I did complete and gives me inspiration to be creative and make a new list the following year.

I wish you a very happy 2021. It’s been a challenging year, and no doubt there will be a ways to go this year, but there is much to be grateful for.

holidays with pd

Each year I go from refusing to think about the holidays because it’s too early, then pouf I’m scrambling because it’s a week away from Christmas. Not that I have any grand plans this year but I do want to do some seasonal things. Having PD may prohibit us from doing some things but there is still lots that we can do.

We put up our tree and a wreath, and put a few simple decorations like bowls filled with fairy lights and ornaments. Fairy lights are so charming, I want to leave them out all year long. I have a large rosemary plant that needs trimming so I’m making a few small herb wreaths. I wanted to try a hand at making a tropical garland but ran out of brain space and energy on decorating. Speaking of brain space and energy, yesterday I took a half hour nap and then slept for nine hours last night. Go figure. With PD it’s either I have a hard time sleeping or sleep like Rip Van Winkle.

For holiday baking I made my first fruitcake. I know I hear groans in the background but I love fruitcake in all of its variations including Panettone & Stollen. The one I made is a British style fruitcake and the two lovely loaves are luxuriating right now in brandy soaked cheesecloth. I have a fruitcake story that perpetuates the tale that all the fruitcakes are just the same ones being passed from person to person because no one wants to eat them.

One year we were in Mendoza Argentina at Christmas. The hotel we were staying at just opened, so we were one of only a few guests in the entire hotel. In our room was a welcome basket with assorted munchies and a fruitcake. In the afternoon, the maids came in and cleared out the basket and later that evening we went down to one of the hotel restaurants and they had a side table with holiday decorations with a fruitcake on it. The next morning we went to breakfast and there on the buffet, of course what did we see but fruitcake. It became a running joke of seeing our fruitcake everywhere we went in the hotel. We should have given it a name.

I’ve got a couple of holiday movies lined up to watch. I’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, and I love Jimmy Stewart so I’m looking forward to it. The other is a modern movie Love Actually. I know the whole premise of people all getting together for the holidays and fall in love has been badly done a million times, I like this one. What can I say, I love sappy movies during the holidays.

I’m sufficiently in the holiday spirit. We don’t put an emphasis on gifts at all during Christmas. It’s about the generosity of spirit, festive food, and reflecting on the year.

Hope you’re enjoying the holidays.

(image from my name is yeh)

giving thanks 2020

I saw a segment on a news show the other day and it was a parent asking his three kids what they are thankful for this year. They thought about it for a minute and then one of them said “I can’t really think of anything but I can think of what was hard this year”. It was honest and probably what many others feel in this very difficult time. Then the father put on a short video of people standing in line at a food bank. A journalist walked through the line and asked a few of them if they were thankful for anything this year and each one had many things they wanted to share. The video ended and it cut back to the kids. You could see a look on their face as thoughts started churning in their heads and they reconsidered their answer. It was a visual glass turning from half empty to half full.

This has been no doubt a terrible year for so many reasons and it’s exhausting. It seems like it’s been a year of pile on of one negative thing on top of the other. So this years Thanksgiving may be a more difficult one for many. But it has also for me, really put to the forefront of how lucky I am and all that I am thankful for. The people in my life are so loving and supportive and are there for me at every turn. Although I have Parkinson’s, I’m incredibly lucky that it’s a disease where I can still live a long and meaningful life. The pandemic has been like nothing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime but in reading about pandemics in the past, I’m thankful that it wasn’t worse. I have a home and lots of food and want for nothing, which many people don’t have.

Thanksgiving this year will be a small affair for us but I think the things that I’m thankful for this year are much more in number and intensity this year. I’m thankful to you for reading my blog. The collective energy of our PD community brings me absolute joy to know that there are others who share our journey together. If you’re spending thanksgiving with others, I hope you enjoy a delicious meal with all your holiday favorites. If you’re spending thanksgiving for one, do what we all really want to do, and have dessert first! Then with any room you may have left over eat something else. Trust me, you won’t regret it and secretly we’ll all be jealous that you did. I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

(image source: Zoe Bakes)

holiday gifts for parkies

If you’re looking for a gift for someone with Parkinson’s or looking for something for yourself, here are few helpful and gorgeous gifts. And don’t forget to order early as shipping might be spotty on some things this holiday season.

Kizik Slip On Shoes

Yes they are slip on shoes! Finally stylish shoes for people with Parkinson’s.

Lauren’s Hope Medical Bracelets

Super stylish medical bracelets and necklaces for both men and women. Talk about style and function.

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality

MJF’s newest book being released today.

Mezzaluna- Rocking Chopping Knife

Great for chopping veg and herbs and much easier than a knife.

mbarc 7 Day Weekly Pill Organizer

Modern look & made of premium aluminum and wood for at home or on the go.

Highwave Hotjo Mug

Ceramic mug with wide bottom keeps it steadier than a regular mug.

MZOO Sleep Mask

Made of memory foam and contoured eye pockets for comfort.

Hylaea Yoga Socks

Toeless sock help retain a barefoot sensation with silicone gel strips for anti-slip and stability.

Kindle E-Reader

E-readers are great if you have difficulty turning pages or keeping your book still.

fall is finally here

Last night Marc and I kicked off the weekend with a Lilikoi Lemon Drop cocktail. We have a tangle of lilikoi (passion fruit, the photo is the flower) growing on a fence and the fruit has a marvelous tropical tart and sweet flavor. There was a toast to the weather finally starting to cool down and the feeling that the holidays will be here soon. It will certainly be a subdued holiday season for all the obvious reasons but I’m hoping to carve out little bits of celebration here and there. In Hawaii, since the weather is virtually the same year round with just the most subtle change, we have to sort of make up the seasons by marking time with holidays and the foods we eat. 

Summertime is avocado and mango season. The fall and winter have lots of citrus. Back in the day, people used to plant trees and shrubs in their yards with edible fruit. So if you drive around the older neighborhoods you’ll see an abundance of avocado and mango trees, lemons and limes, pomegranate, bananas and Surinam cherries.

We also don’t have a winter wardrobe, so what I do instead is create one by changing the color palette. I put away my pinks and pastels and bring out my greys and black. I swap out a burgundy purse, bring out a few jackets that I hope I get the chance to wear a couple of times and light scarves to go with them. It’s fun to bring them out and see them again with fresh eyes.

On PD news, Michael J. Fox has a new book coming out next week called No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality. It’s a memoir that shares his more recent life and includes some candid challenges he has recently faced, after living with Parkinson’s for almost thirty years. I’m looking forward to reading it not only because I’ve enjoyed his previous books, but I don’t think I’ve read a PD book with a perspective that spans such a long time. His writing is both deeply personal but humorous at the same time which is helpful with such a heavy topic.

Thanks to those who have let me know about the new PD Advocacy group called the PD Avengers. Started by twelve people in the PD community that may be familiar faces to you, I just love their attitude and energy. Sign up on their site to become a PD Avenger and forward to a friend.

United to End Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s was discovered over 200 years ago. Since then humanity has put men on the moon, eradicated polio, changed HIV from a death sentence to a chronic illness, has mapped the human genome and discovered thousands of galaxies among the stars; and yet, has provided precious little beyond that one fifty-year-old drug for Parkinson’s. We are tired of it.

~~~

For my people whose official name I’m now calling PD Sweeties (I recently started asking PwP if their sweet tooth is increasing and the overwhelming response is yes!) here is the latest thing I baked. These Morning Glory Muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction were delicious. They are very flexible with substitutions, are just a little sweet but are definitely in the muffin category and not heading into cake territory. Chock full of apples, carrots, nuts, and raisins and great with tea in the afternoon.

It’s not the big things we do once in a great while, but the small things we enjoy everyday that count. Enjoy your weekend and as always I love to hear from you.

top 100 movies

In the last few years, I’ve started enjoying watching classic movies. I was never a movie person, so most of the movies I saw were the movies I took the kids to when they were growing up. But as I had more time, I noticed that I’d stumble across an old movie on TV and I loved the escapism into a time past. Aside from the movies themselves, it was fun to observe the décor, fashion, lifestyle, and culture of the time. Then I found a podcast called Unspooled, where the hosts watch the movies on the American Film Institutes Top 100 Films list. Each episode breaks down one movie in depth and I thought it would be a good way to choose new movies to watch. If you want to start with just one episode, listen to episode 116, where they go over the list and talk about what movies they would add or take away from the list. Here is the list and the titles in bold are the ones I’ve seen so far.

1. CITIZEN KANE - 1941

2. THE GODFATHER - 1972

3. CASABLANCA - 1942

4. RAGING BULL - 1980

5. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - 1952

6. GONE WITH THE WIND - 1939

7. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - 1962

8. SCHINDLER'S LIST - 1993

9. VERTIGO - 1958

10. THE WIZARD OF OZ - 1939

11. CITY LIGHTS - 1931

12. THE SEARCHERS - 1956

13. STAR WARS - 1977

14. PSYCHO- 1960

15. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - 1968

16. SUNSET BOULEVARD - 1950

17. THE GRADUATE - 1967

18. THE GENERAL - 1927

19. ON THE WATERFRONT - 1954

20. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - 1946

21. CHINATOWN - 1974

22. SOME LIKE IT HOT - 1959

23. THE GRAPES OF WRATH - 1940

24. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL - 1982

25. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - 1962

26. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON - 1939

27. HIGH NOON - 1952

28. ALL ABOUT EVE - 1950

29. DOUBLE INDEMNITY - 1944

30. APOCALYPSE NOW - 1979

31. THE MALTESE FALCON - 1941

32. THE GODFATHER PART II - 1974

33. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST - 1975

34. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - 1937

35. ANNIE HALL - 1977

36. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI - 1957

37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES - 1946

38. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE - 1948

39. DR. STRANGELOVE - 1964

40. THE SOUND OF MUSIC - 1965

41. KING KONG - 1933

42. BONNIE AND CLYDE - 1967

43. MIDNIGHT COWBOY - 1969

44. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY - 1940

45. SHANE - 1953

46. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - 1934

47. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - 1951

48. REAR WINDOW - 1954

49. INTOLERANCE - 1916

50. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING - 2001

51. WEST SIDE STORY - 1961

52. TAXI DRIVER - 1976

53. THE DEER HUNTER - 1978

54. M*A*S*H - 1970

55. NORTH BY NORTHWEST - 1959

56. JAWS - 1975

57. ROCKY - 1976

58. THE GOLD RUSH - 1925

59. NASHVILLE - 1975

60. DUCK SOUP - 1933

61. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS - 1941

62. AMERICAN GRAFFITI - 1973

63. CABARET - 1972

64. NETWORK - 1976

65. THE AFRICAN QUEEN - 1951

66. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - 1981

67. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? - 1966

68. UNFORGIVEN - 1992

69. TOOTSIE - 1982

70. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - 1971

71. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - 1998

72. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - 1994

73. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID - 1969

74. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - 1991

75. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT - 1967

76. FORREST GUMP - 1994

77. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN - 1976

78. MODERN TIMES - 1936

79. THE WILD BUNCH - 1969

80. THE APARTMENT - 1960

81. SPARTACUS - 1960

82. SUNRISE - 1927

83. TITANIC - 1997

84. EASY RIDER - 1969

85. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA - 1935

86. PLATOON - 1986

87. 12 ANGRY MEN - 1957

88. BRINGING UP BABY - 1938

89. THE SIXTH SENSE - 1999

90. SWING TIME - 1936

91. SOPHIE'S CHOICE - 1982

92. GOODFELLAS - 1990

93. THE FRENCH CONNECTION - 1971

94. PULP FICTION - 1994

95. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW - 1971

96. DO THE RIGHT THING - 1989

97. BLADE RUNNER - 1982

98. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY - 1942

99. TOY STORY - 1995

100. BEN-HUR - 1959

There’s so many good ones but a few of my favorites are Rear Window, All About Eve, & The Apartment. Grace Kelly in Rear Window and the set overlooking the apartment complex is fantastic. Bette Davis in All About Eve, whom I didn’t appreciate until a few years ago, is marvelous, and Jack Lemmon & Shirley McClaine in The Apartment is fun and sad at the same time.

The movies I’d like to see next are It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert and Bonnie & Clyde with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. II’ll watch a good war movie with Marc since that’s more of his thing than mine, but not so much if I’m choosing, so I’ll probably pass on most of them on the list. And I’m probably the last person not to have read or watched To Kill a Mockingbird, so that’s on the list to watch also. I found that if you want to go down a fantastic rabbit hole of different genres of must watch movies, just google “best movies of all time lists”. Being a lover of lists, it’s a fun way to structure my movie watching rather than just randomly watching shows. What are you favorite movies?

simplifying a few things

I was listening to a food podcast recently and the guest being interviewed said that “we are over fed but under nourished”. He was talking about food, but it got me thinking about how it’s also a good analogy for other areas in our lives right now. The idea that more, quicker, newer is always better has become the norm, so I thought of other simple ways in my life that I could figuratively “eat less, but get better nourishment”.

News – I can’t remember who said it, but they said that there are 7 billion people in the world, and we can’t and shouldn’t know what is going with all of them, all of the time, and what their opinions are on everything. The news cycle is non-stop and has morphed into the news/opinion cycle. What I’ve been trying lately is when I look at the headlines, I’m trying to read only news. Which is to say no pieces that are solely opinions & no articles just rehashing another articles. It’s not so easily parsed but trying to use some filter has cut down tremendously what I’m watching or reading and I’m getting a much better experience.

Websites – I have all of the sites that I follow, on an RSS feed and each day I scan through them and read the articles that interest me in more depth. I had a ridiculous 140 sites. The major themes were food, gardening, fashion, self improvement, reading, & lifestyle. But it got to the point where I was doing mostly scanning of headlines and less reading of things more in depth. Do I need to see 25 new recipes every day, or add 5 more books to my reading list? So, I went through the list and deleted many of them. I put the deleted sites in my bookmarks so I can still easily access them, but now it’s a quick scan and again I’m enjoying reading the actual articles. Scanning the headlines of news and sites are definitely were empty calories for me.

Social media – I read that the average person now spends 2 hours & 24 minutes per day on social media. This was an easy one for me. I’m not that into it to begin with, so making the change was simple. I did a Marie Kondo on the people that I followed by asking myself does this person or group that I follow bring me joy, and if not, why in the heck am I following them. Not that I need to agree with everything that they say but if it’s bringing me stress and grief, mute or delete them.

Online shopping – Otherwise known as death by a thousand cuts. I may not purchase expensive things online, but I’ll purchase little things here and there and over time they really add up. I have a few sites that I do most of my shopping on and one of them is Amazon. I went to my history and scrolled through all the things I’ve purchased in the last two years and I realized many of the things that I thought I needed at the time were really unnecessary. So I’m experimenting with ways to be more mindful about my purchases. The idea is to slow it down so I have several opportunities to rethink the purchase. I can only purchase things on Sunday. I put things on a list during the week and at the top of my list I have a few questions written down, that I need to ask myself about each item before I buy them. Is this something I really need or want to buy or is it an impulse buy? Can I just do without it for now? Is there something I already have that I could use instead? And so far it’s working. I’m going to keep tweaking it to see what else I can do.

Subscriptions – Like online shopping, these can creep up on you. Subscriptions can be anything from monthly software, music, food, toiletries, make up, gym memberships, audiobooks. Even clothes, razors, hair color, it seems anything can be a regular subscription. I went through my credit card statement and saw I had more than I thought did and there were several that I could eliminate.

Time Management – For many of us, the pandemic has given us too much time, but it also helped me reset my thinking on overbooking and how many of us ran at a break neck speed because it was sort of a badge of honor to be overly busy. Maybe that makes us feel wanted, important, needed. Maybe as things open up we can more judicious in what we let back into our lives and how we spend our time. Have a real conversation with someone, without thinking in the back of our mind what we have to do next. Being present. Valuing what we have in our lives. Have a good week and let me know if you have any tips that have been helpful to you. xo

what day is it?

Just kidding, I know what day of the week it is, but many days I have to look at my calendar to see what the date is, they are all blurring in lumps of the month! Last week I had my first telemedicine appointment with my Neurologist. I don’t have a lot of changes since my last appointment so it was more of a maintenance appointment, but it was interesting to see how it differs from an in person appointment. As with other online meetups there is a less of a connection and conversation is always a little stilted because you can’t pick up the natural cues from each other. But overall, it’s another good option to have and one of the positive things from this pandemic is that the telemedicine field is fast forwarding at a much quicker pace than it would have otherwise, and hopefully that translates into more medical access for more people.

Ever since I read the book Breath, I’ve been doing a few different breathing exercises which I’m really enjoying. I do a fast paced set in the morning before my workout or a slow set in the evening to help me relax. I’m also trying a little self experiment on my sense of smell. I read that loss of smell can happen after getting a virus or other illness but in most cases it will return naturally or could be trained to return. Although I’ve read nothing saying that the training could help PwP who have a diminished sense of smell, I thought why not give it a try. I found this site that shows you how to take a blind smell test. Then for the next 3-4 months practice smelling different scents, and then take the test again at the end of the 4 months.

I did the initial test with vanilla, coffee, lemon, rosemary, shoe polish, toothpaste, & mustard. I got 5 out of 7 correct but what I noticed was that it was difficult. All of these items have very distinct smells so I thought it would be easy. And on many of them I had to think about it and sort of pick apart the different notes, in order to get it correct. I thought the rosemary was the shoe polish! Let’s see how I do in a few months.

If you like reading and traveling, you might enjoy a podcast and website called Strong Sense of Place. Each episode features a place and share some fun facts about what makes it interesting and then recommend five books. It’s a little virtual vacation.

I have a couple of book recommendations this week. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson is a good one if you like the classic old school mystery genre. The main character owns a book store, and wrote a blog post about the eight books he thinks have the perfect murder set up. Years later, he is visited by an FBI agent saying that there are some things happening that are related to his blog post. That’s all I’ll say so I don’t give away too much but part of the enjoyment of this book is that you’ll want to look up the eight books on his list.

The other book is Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. I’m still reading it and really enjoying it. It’s a memoir about a therapist, who needs a therapist, and honestly describes our shared human challenges with great humor. It’s a top non fiction book for 2019 on many book lists for a reason, it’s terrific.

Lastly, I know this is my millionth berry recipe but I can’t help it. This Summer Berry Crisp (picture source) recipe from 101 Cookbooks is delicious. It’s got a little twist on ingredients and is super easy.

 Let me know what’s going on with you. I hope you have a good week. xo

summer lovin

Well we are in the height of summer and it’s hot, and even though we can’t do all the normal things we’re used to, there are fortunately simple things we can do to experience the feeling of summer. This year is blending into one long slog so I’m trying to still mark each season with small moments.

Sitting by the beach in the late afternoon, just when people are packing up to home, and enjoy the stillness of the day.

A red ripe tomato, sliced thick, sprinkled with salt, put between two pillowy slices of white bread slathered with mayo. Heaven.

Taking a blanket to the park, under the shade with some snacks and a good book, and read for hours.

Nibbling fresh watermelon, berries, and whatever fresh fruit you can get your hands on, all day long.

Being outside anywhere in the golden hour.

Taking your morning coffee and camera for a stroll early in the morning and take some photos.

The smell of a BBQ.

Your favorite blended iced coffee.

A cool morning shower.

Playing my summer music playlist.

All the beautiful produce at the farmers market.

A cold glass of rose with ice cubes.

Visiting your favorite ice cream or in my case frozen yogurt store.

Watching the sunset, anywhere you can.

Taking a nap.

Do you have any ideas for things we can enjoy this summer? Hope your week is going well. xo

a birthday, a book, and a popsicle

Yesterday we waited out a potential hurricane that was headed our way. Hawaiians are well versed in the preparation of hurricanes and tsunamis each year. We stockpile food and water, check in with family & friends and make sure they’re prepared, and then wait it out in our homes glued to news channels. Sound familiar? To add to it, it was my birthday and Marc & my anniversary. Thank goodness Hurricane Douglas decided to change course but it was quite a strange day. Today the sun is out, it’s a gorgeous day and things can go back to normal strange.

I’m reading a really interesting book called Breath by James Nestor. You’d think there is nothing new to learn about breathing but there is so much fascinating information in this book about how we breathe, can drastically effect our physical & mental health. The difference between nose and mouth breathing was mind blowing and apparently many cultures going back a long way, have known and written about it. Since PwP can have extra health issues, it made me think about how we can benefit from this information. I highly recommend it and if you want to hear some information before you get the book there are two podcasts that interview the author, Joe Rogan Podcast and The Upgrade by Lifehacker.

I’ve been making popsicles for dessert nonstop. They couldn’t be easier to make and there is no cooking. These are the popsicle molds that I use and there are a ton of recipes on the internet. My favorite flavors right now are coffee latte, strawberries & mint, & blueberry yogurt.

Have a good week. Do some exercise, eat something healthy, and be sure to laugh out loud today. xo

happy but subdued 4th of july

Summer is here and it seems everything in the natural world is exploding with color and growth. Long days and lots of sunshine gives us more opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. The weather in Hawaii is similar all year long, so it can be difficult to discern the seasons. So we pay close attention to the small temperature differences, the plants, the length of days, and I like to plan a few things small things that I can attach to each season. This summer will be subdued because of the pandemic but can still be enjoyable. I want to master a new go to grilling recipe, have a picnic every other weekend, and read the remaining three Louise Penny books.

The Hilo Beauty is a Plumeria that sits at the front of my house. The color is a gorgeous blood red and over the years, many people stop and knock on our door, asking if they can have a cutting for their garden. Hopefully there are lots of happy Plumeria trees in the neighborhood.

Looking forward to watching Hamilton on Disney+ this weekend. We were fortunate to be able to see the play live in New York with the original cast and it was so energetic and moving.

If you’re on Instagram, you must follow Lisa Murphey. She is a fellow Parkie that lives on Kauai, and is a marvel. Her commitment to exercise is motivational and daily pics of her beautiful surroundings is lovely to see.

I hope you enjoy your weekend. xo

our first celebration since the quarantine

The quarantine is slowly being lifted here in Hawaii. Groups of up to ten can get together, restaurants are open for dining in, and most stores are allowed to open. This weekend we had such a nice family get together. My son Bronson is visiting and finished his two-week quarantine for all people are arriving in town, and my mom had her 81st birthday. Tons of delicious food, laughter, and lots of yakking. There is a lot to talk about in this world today and it was nice to have something positive to celebrate.

The quarantine has made me appreciate my home life and relationships more. The rhythm of cooking and eating together, reaching out more often to check in on one another, and with so many intense things going on in the world, taking more time to really hear what others are saying. It’s been profound and something that I will try and continue.

Just listened to two good audio books. The first is The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. It starts with a twenty-five-year-old murder/suicide of three people and charts three generations of their family and the entanglements that tie them together. It cuts back and forth with narration from the different characters, and since the audio book has several narrators, it makes it very interesting to listen to. The other is The Tenant by Katrine Engberg. Also a murder mystery set in Copenhagen and is the first in a four book series. I noticed how much I was enjoying the narrators voice and how much it adds to the book, so I did a search for other books they’ve narrated and put a few on my TBR.

I have a new brownie recipe that I’m adding to my list which already includes cocoa brownies, tahini swirl brownies, & supernatural brownies. The new one is peanut butter swirl brownies. Made a double batch in a 9x13 pan for this weekends get together and it was fabulous.

Watched a few interesting shows on TV. As usual they couldn’t be more different from each other. The movie Bombshell is about the lawsuit and firing of Roger Ailes at the Fox Network. Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie are such good actors that I’ll watch anything they are in. The other is the ESPN series 30 for 30 which is a series of sports documentaries. The last two were about the life of Bruce Lee and Lance Armstrong. Even if you are not a sports fan, they’re well done and interesting.

I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you to those who have emailed me to say hello. The best part of this blog are the connections that I’ve made with you. xo

weekend wrap up

Happy Memorial Day. It’s a gorgeous day and I’ve got a few things planned. I’ll visit Punchbowl Cemetery where my dad is buried. On Memorial Day it’s an incredible site with the flags and leis decked out honoring veterans. I’m doing some yoga, baking some banana bread, and Marc is making his famous chocolate souffle for dessert. It’s the one thing he makes and if you can only make one thing, chocolate souffle should be it.

My dreams are getting much more vivid. Last night I had a long nightmare which eventually woke me up and when I went back to sleep, the dream continued on! How bizarre. I know it’s a common symptom of PD but I wonder if it gets progressively more intense. I do notice that on those nights that I have them, I wake up later. Does that happen to you? I hope you enjoy your week. Here are a few things to eat, read, and watch.

Netflix has two new movies that I enjoyed this week. The Lovebirds is a romantic comedy with Kumail Nanjiyani and Issa Rae. It’s not heavy lifting but a cute movie about a couple who accidentally ends up at the scene of a crime and are afraid that they will be blamed, so they try and find evidence to exonerate them. Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler is the complete opposite. It’s an unrelenting look at the life of a guy who sells jewelry in New York and has a severe gambling problem. It’s one twist after the next and very intense. You’ll either love it or hate it but I enjoyed it. If you watched The Great British Bake Off, you may remember Nadiya Hussain. She has a new cooking series called Nadiya’s Time to Eat and it’s delightful to watch all the tips and hacks she has for making things easier in the kitchen. I love her personality and her colorful kitchen.

For podcasts, A Way with Words is fantastic. People call in with words and sayings and the hosts, who are incredibly knowledgeable, talk about the history and meaning of them. You learn a little culture, history, and new words. Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat is a four-part series of cooking during the quarantine. She has the best laugh. If you’re looking for some deep and inspiring talk, you’ll want to listen to Unlocking Us with Brene Brown. I’m a big fan of anything she writes and hearing her conversations always makes me feel good when I’m done.

I’m reading Five Finger Discount by Helene Sapinski. A memoir set in Jersey City, Helene describes with affection her family which included swindlers, bookies, embezzlers, and mobster-wannabes. Another memoir I just finished and enjoyed was Notes from a Young Black Chef from Kwame Onwuachi.

And I can’t forget my favorite part of the day is when I’m eating. In Hawaii we eat butter mochi which is an addictive sticky and chewy dessert. For dinner I made this super easy and delicous Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Greek Salad. I read a good comment that you can freeze the chicken in the marinade and just pull it out and bake. As Ina says “how simple is that”. xo

aloha friday

I didn’t do too well this week with exercise, so I’ll get back on track this weekend. If I don’t do it in the morning, I find many excuses in the afternoon and my energy is lower as the day goes on. I know it’s been drilled into you probably a million times about the additional importance of exercise for people w/parkinson’s but it bears repeating. Aside from potentially slowing down the disease, your body is stronger, more flexible, it relieves pain, helps with digestion & constipation, relieves depression & anxiety, and you always feel good after you do it. It’s a gorgeous day today and the parks just reopened only for exercising so off I go this morning for a long walk.

I found a couple of new shows to watch. Manor House on Amazon is a British reality series about a group of people living on an estate as if it were in the Edwardian era. You have the wealthy family living upstairs and the downstairs help. It’s a fascinating glimpse into what day to day life was like in that era. Upload is a cute new comedy series. After Nathan’s untimely death he is able to choose his afterlife.

Well here are few things I’ve been eating this week. Grain bowls are easy and delicious, but Melissa Clark has a great tip. The basic formula is grains, toppings, sauces & flavorings. For the veg toppings she slices them on the thinnest setting on a mandolin. What it does is create a different crisp than a dice and delicate texture that I’m loving. Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, celery, radishes, fennel all work beautifully.

I made a batch of Everything Bagel seasoning from Cookie + Kate. It’s a good one and I’ve sprinkled it on toast, tuna sandwiches, and roasted sweet potato fries. This Turkey & Lentil Chili is a regular of mine. It’s just Marc and I so I freeze half of it and I’m always happy to pull it out of the freezer for an easy meal. I also see the beginning of strawberry season so I picked up a basket and made my favorite Strawberry Cake. Oh boy do I love this cake.

I’m reading The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. It’s a twisty mystery and I just started it but really enjoying it so far. I’m also reading If I Understood You, Would I have This Look on My Face? by Alan Alda. It’s his journey about learning how to communicate better with others. I like his earnestness and simplicity.

I hope you’re doing well. I know it’s a long haul but we are resilient and still have lots to contribute in our little worlds. Reach out to someone today (that someone could be me:) and say hello. Have a wonderful weekend.

rinse & repeat

Good morning. I hope your week is going well. Yesterday I did my rounds of calling and checking in with friends and family. They all involve what we ate, what we watched, and what we read. Rinse & repeat. I’ve got lots of kale in the garden so we’ve been looking for new ways to incorporate them into meals. Today was the most unusual one with a peanut butter & greens sandwich from Lukas Volker’s new cookbook called Start Simple. I know it sounds strange but it was delicious.

I did an online yoga class and gave myself a pedicure. With my tremor, I end up getting the nail polish on my toes as well as my nails, but I find that once it’s dry, it comes off my skin easily so don’t worry about trying to do it perfectly. I let it dry and after I took my evening shower, it rubbed right off.

We’ve been watching After Life on Netflix. It stars Ricky Gervais as a husband who lost his wife to cancer and his efforts to grieve and create a new life without her. It is sad, but also has humor and is very heart warming. Unorthodox is another good one to check out.

Today is a beautiful day so I’ll be potting up a new calamansi lime tree. I’ve run out of room in my garden for any trees so I’ll plant it in a large container and see how it does there. I have a meyer lemon and lime tree and use them almost every day that they are fruiting, so I thought it would be interesting to give this new variety a try. They are tiny fruits and from what I’ve read they are a cross between a lime and a kumquat. It’s wonderful seeing all the home gardening that has been going on lately. Even the smallest thing like regrowing scallions from cuttings in a cup of water is rewarding.

We still have a ways to go but it looks like there are little bits of light at the end of the tunnel, with cities trying to plan ways for resuming some activities. Hang in there and be well.

P.S. - The FDA approved a new medication for Parkinson’s ONGENTYS (opicapone) for off periods.

monday at home, again

asparagus and egg salad w/walnuts and mint

OK I’ve been eating way too much sugar and white flour the last month and I need to slow my roll a little. So for the next few weeks, guess what, I’m going to try and reduce my sugar and white flour and eat more whole grains. So take that, frozen brownies in the freezer! For lunch today I made Deb Perelman’s asparagus and egg salad w/walnuts and mint on a delicious old world rye loaf I scored from a local bakery called Breadshop. You go to their website and choose a day and time that’s available and it let’s you know what type of bread they’ll have. You order and pay for your bread online and at the appointed hour you pull into their parking lot and someone brings your loaf to the car. It’s the most complicated loaf of bread I’ve ever eaten but it’s local and delicious, and I hope they are doing enough business to keep things going.

Yesterday I painted a wood bench that sits on my lanai. It was an old bench that was being thrown away so hubby and I brought it home and ripped out the old seat cushions. I have a hodge podge of outdoor furniture or as I like to call it, assembled over time, and paint them all the same pale garden green, which makes them more cohesive.

The weather is beautiful today so I’ll definitely be in the garden. The orchids are so lovely and colorful, and the lilikoi or passion fruit vines have also taken over my fence and starting to flower. The vines can go crazy and over take everything but I love the sweet tart fruit so I let them ramble over the summer and then cut them back in fall. The little surinam cherries are very tart and I make a firm cherry paste that is delicious served with cheese and bread.

The weather is starting to get warmer so I thought this would be a good time to go through my wardrobe and swap out jackets and the like for cooler summer pieces. The last few summers I have been enjoying linen. It’s cool and the modern linen is not stiff like it used to be. It’s just starting to pop up online in a few of my favorite online stores like JCrew, Everlane, & Boden. I’m also on the search for a summer dress. It’s difficult to find one that has the right scale because I’m short so I end up looking frumpy or like a child. The search continues.

I’ve been listening to an excellent bookish podcast called Diving In. The hosts Louise and Virginia are from Australia and life long friends who love books. They’re descriptions and banter are delightful and it’s such a pleasure to listen to. I recently listened to an episode about Nancy Mitford and her eccentric family that was interesting so I’m now reading The Sisters, The Saga of the Mitford Sisters and next reading Nancy’s novel The Pursuit of Love.

I hope your week will be a good one. Stay safe and stay in. xo Kai

slow living is the norm

Who knew there could be such a thing in our lifetime that would stop the entire world in it’s tracks. Everything and everyone has had to slow down, stay in, and find a new normal, and amidst the changes there is a response that I have been surprised to hear. I’ve noticed that a number of people that I have spoken to, who are elderly, have a health issue, or some similar situation are taking the current challenges very well, considering.

The fact that they are the most at risk, I thought they would be the ones having the most difficulty dealing with it. But in reality they’ve already had to make adjustments in their life where they are not able to leave their home as much, have had to find ways to keep connected to the world, and new ways to work from home. One person told me that she guiltily felt a little better because instead of feeling like everyone around her was whizzing by, everyone has had to slow down to her pace, which made her feel more normal. Not that she is happy about a pandemic, but her honesty made me think about that more.

Our current situation is taking it to an extreme but some of the challenges we are facing in terms of the social distancing are things that people with chronic health conditions deal with every day and here is a time where our experiences can help others who may be having a more difficult time of it. Maybe it’s our turn as those with PD to reach out and talk to our friends, neighbors, family and let them know it too will be OK. Be the sounding board and provide support for those who are having a more challenging day. “The storm will pass and the sun will shine again.” Be well. xo- Kai

and the beat goes on

I heard this interesting thing the other day about how because everyone is posting their perfect quarantine routines on social media, it’s giving people FOMO about how they are spending their days. That’s when an old school blog can be helpful. You can enjoy people sharing their experiences both good and not so good, but not feeling that it has to be summed up in the wittiest paragraph or the perfect picture. It can feel a bit more long form and more like a shared experience. And since it seems we’ve got more time on our hands I’ve been enjoying many of them.

What I have been loving on Instagram is people live streaming. Since everyone is stuck at home, many of my favorite people are doing impromptu cooking segments, sharing their hobbies, even their walks to the grocery store. I love the stream of consciousness without the edited perfection. And some people are funny! Who knew quarantine could bring out the comic in all of us. Our family has a text chain with 10 of us and each day someone jumps on with some silly joke, updated information, or whatever they feel like. It’s a great way to blow off steam.

Is it me or does all of this madness make me want to eat more, especially sweets? I made a batch of these brownies and put them in the freezer. If you’ve never had a brownie out of the freezer, you don’t know what your missing. I’m sure the quarantine diets are being written right now so they’re ready when we turn the corner from this and we’ve all gained 20 pounds. Hopefully it will include things to make with all the stocked up panic buying food on our shelves. Well, cocktail hour is approaching so I’ve got to run. We’re staying with a classic gin & tonic tonight. How are you doing right now? Be well.

keeping busy

I’m trying to keep a routine and keep busy with projects around the house. My morning routine of reading, writing, and thinking has been very helpful in keeping things in perspective. Everyone has a different level of stress right now but here are a few things that have been helpful to me so far. I read the news updates just a couple times a day. I’ve also been trying not to read any news that are just opinion pieces. I’m looking for actual information and I also don’t need to hear it repeated over and over, and this one change has reduced the amount of actual news to read tremendously.

I’ve also been keeping up with my favorite blogs and sites and people are really making an effort to find creative ways to stay positive, find joy, and help others during this difficult time. It’s inspirational how people, companies, and communities are coming together to help each other. People are coming up with creative ways to keep connected like having virtual lunches and happy hours and phone trees to call elderly people who don’t use technology well.

My cooking routine this past couple of weeks has been the opposing forces of trying to eat all of the food lurking in the bottom of my freezer but yet I keep making double batches of new food to put in the freezer to eat later. The food sites are exploding with creative meal making while we are social distancing and I’ve saved enough enough cookie recipes to last a lifetime.

If you need a laugh here are a few funny posts. Enjoy the rest of your day.

aloha friday

Well, it’s been quite a few weeks for everyone. It seems many of us will be staying close to home for a bit. Let’s check in with others who may need help with getting their daily needs or a friendly voice to talk to, practice things that reduce our stress, and hey maybe we will finally start doing all those things around the house that we’ve been putting off. Here are a few idea of things to do. Have a cozy week.

~ Exercise at home - These are all free and have a great selection of classes from as short as 5 minutes to an hour. Yoga with Adriene is the best online yoga I’ve tried. On Fitness Blender you put in the type of exercise, duration, and difficulty, and it gives you the classes that fit your parameters. You can save the ones you like to your favorites. Super clean format and straight forward workouts. Take a walk, no instructions needed.

~ Over haul clean out of your closet- Spring is around the corner so this is the perfect time to clear out your winter clothes. The Anna Edit is a darling gal from the UK and Style at a Certain Age is a daily fashion blog. I honestly don’t know how these ladies do an outfit of the day, everyday and look great. I could do the un-outfit of the day I suppose.

While we are clearing out our closet, Audrey Coyne has some good tips on how to layer jewelry which is a fun trend. What a great way to change up a look and use pieces that you’ve not worn in a while.

~ Speaking of clearing out, some of the grocery store shelves seem to getting low so I was thinking about how much food I should stock up on. What I’m going to try and do instead is cook out what I already have. There is a lot of strange stuff in my freezer and pantry and this is time to use it. That may mean some very creative and interesting meals over the next couple of weeks….

~ Reading - How about starting a book series? Book Riot and Off the Shelf are great places to start if you need ideas from different genres. I’m reading The Nature of the Beast which is in the Louise Penny series and started The Murder on the Links which is the 2nd book in Agatha Cristie’s Hercule Poirot series.

~ Watch - Same as above. Instead of watching just singular shows, start an interesting series so you’ve got the next one to look forward to. Or make your own theme like watch a bunch of movies all with the same actor, director, or genre. TCM does a great job with this and it’s interesting to see how an actor progresses over time with different roles.

~ Listen - Did you know there are over 900,000 different podcasts? And the great thing about it is that they are getting more niche, so whatever you’re interested in, there is a probably a podcast about it. New ones are constantly coming online so check the top charts in your favorite podcast apps frequently to see what’s popular. Here is a list of the most popular podcast apps and if you’ve never listened to a podcast here is an article on how to get started.

~ Take an online class