'No New Years Resolutions..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York and has worked in
 the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.

 No New Years Resolutions

As I begin my last day of work in the year 2014, I start to reflect on what has happened during the year and how I can make 2015 a better year. No new years resolutions, just more careful planning and making more decisions that will give me a smooth year.  

We will welcome once again the New Years celebration with our friends, a nice dinner and champagne toast at the stroke of midnight.  Simple, safe and relaxing.  

Many years prior we have tried to celebrate with many different ways; watching the ball drop in the city of Buffalo, First Night, and other ways but we have found especially during mid week it is much less stressful to stay near home and stay warm. 

This year the temp is in the teens unfortunately and not inviting to travel anywhere.  So however you bring in the New Year make it a safe and enjoyable one with family and friends, watch out for the crazy drivers and enjoy. 

Happy New Years to everyone and to all a good night...

P.S.
Check out this heartwarming YouTube video of Derby the dog who has no legs...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRmoowIN8aY

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"Cleanliness is next to Godliness..." 'Tammy Ann VanderWende' (Live from Abu Dhabi #2)

Dakinetalk is excited to welcome our newest regular guest-blogger Tammy Ann VanderWende.

Tammy is a Kaua'i girl who recently moved to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emerites

 with her husband Tom, son Kyler and family dog Kealia.

Join Tammy on her adventures as she shares her experiences on life in the Middle East!

This is Blog #2 from Abu Dhabi...

Wishing every one a wonderful and awesome 2015!Hau`oli  Makahiki Hou! Tom, Tammy, Kyler and Kealia.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Well its been 2 month since we landed here in Abu Dhabi.
Our transportation has been the Taxi cabs, the speed demons of the roads.

Its interesting meeting drivers from around the world; India, Nepal, Pakistan, Jordan, Sudan and I am sure there are  many more nationalities that did not have the opportunity to shuttle us around.

They were all very courteous and polite. Twice I left my phone and twice they have answered it and returned right back to my front door step.
I was astonished at such honesty and respect to comply with laws here. Shariah law. I could blog about Shariah law, however  I think its fun to Google it for yourself and be amazed at the difference in laws here in the Middle East.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia

Bathrooms
First thing I did was use the bathroom at  the airport. I was surprised to see A water hose with a nozzle on the end, it  reminded me of the kitchen sink on the wall of the bathroom in each stall. I wondered if it was used to clean the bathroom or to clean ones self? 

 Trying  to  figure out how to position yourself to use it was funny.  Should I sit normal on the toilet, or should I straddle it like I'm riding a horse? Nonetheless being in the stall you want to minimize touching anything. I found this awkward.

Additional readings on the different cultures
and how they use restrooms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anal_cleansing

 I noticed that even the bathrooms in our homes have the same water hose on the wall  as does the master bedroom. There was a U shaped sink as low as the toilet.  I learned that it is called a Bidet.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness  in Abu Dhabi. To see water hoses in the mall restrooms, restaurants and your own home show how much care and concern there is for personal hygiene.

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A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi..." Obama Da Dog (Source)

Obama Da Dog  is a lifelong resident of the Garden Island of Kaua'i.
Obama can be seen around  the island with her master and best friend,
James "Kimo" Rosen

A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi

A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette . They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard - a real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment.
They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.
Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experience.

Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first. 'Well,' he said, 'I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.'

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next.. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, 'WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. Then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb.. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus Hallelujah!

The priest and the reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him.
He was in really bad shape.

The Rabbi looked up and said: "Looking back on it, .......circumcision may not have been the best way to
Start."

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"The Doctors Bad News..." 'Robert Bitos Gandia' (Source)

Guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

The Doctors Bad News

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, ‘I've got some bad news. You have cancer, and you’d best put your affairs in order.’

The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been waiting.

‘Well, daughter, we women celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don’t go so well. In this case, things aren’t well. I have cancer. So, let’s head to the club and have a martini.’
After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman’s old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating.

The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending end, ‘I’ve been diagnosed with AIDS.’ The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences and beat a hasty retreat.

After the friends left, the woman’s daughter leaned over and whispered, ‘Momma, I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS! Why did you do that??’

‘Because I don’t want any of those bitches sleeping with your father after I’m gone.’.

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

Facebook, Twitter & Instagram will not miss you‏---Happy New Year..!" 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James "Kimo" Rosen pictured above. with  his father Bernard J. Rosen
in Orlando Florida 1984.
Rosen is a retired professional photographer living on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i
often  wondering where did all the time go?

Kimo's World #50
Facebook, Twitter & Instagram will not miss you-Happy New Year!

You know your getting old when you can see the world functioning without you. You can see the local grocery store making money without you. You can see the gas stations and restaurants operating just fine if you weren't around.
Even the local paper making it without your letters to the editor. Believe it or not Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will not miss you.

Watching football on Sunday and seeing all these young faces, seeing policeman that look like they're 15 years old  and issuing tickets.Everyone looks young when your approaching 60.

My neighbors are all around my age, give or take. They  are starting to drop like flies. The past two years alone seven neighbors within a stones throw have passed. In the development where I reside people often have bets on who is next. 

The world will go on without any of us. We like to think we are special, some people even tell us we are special--- in some ways maybe, but as far as planet earth and the world are concerned we are like little frantic ants moving around from the day we are born until the day we die.

Live each day as it were your last, life is short. With that said I would like to wish every one a  Blessed New Year.

Happy New year or as we say in Hawai'i,"Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!"

 Another throwback photo;
Rosen in 1979 with his Sheepdog Kamala
in the foothills of Santa Barbara

This meme appeared on Facebook to promote this blog...

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

Sonny Days ahead... 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead live in the suburbs of Buffalo N.Y. and has worked
in the ophthalmology fired of medicine for over 30 years.

Sonny Days ahead

My house once again will be filled with visitors, commotion and smiling faces as my son returns for a visit from our West. 

Surprisingly we will not have a white Xmas this year as the temps are ranging near 50 degrees, go figure...that's Buffalo.

 It will be good to see him for the next week. He comes and goes doing his thing with friends and family but we do enjoy visiting with him for the extended stay.  

The frig is stocked with all his favorites and the car gassed up. The week will go fast I know. As soon as he comes, he will be returning to California.

Time to plan our winter trip out west as well, it's a nice break for us to do in the middle of winter.

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"Have a Cool Yule..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Vintage Bettejo )

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.

Bettejo is a regular opinion writer in the Garden Island news and is the author of the

famed novella, "The Scam."  Her latest fiction

 "Children of extinction" is now  released and available on Amazon!

www.bettejodux.com

www.amazon.com

Have a Cool Yule

As I’m sitting in my courtyard with long yellow legal and  pencil- as my friend and editor Kimo Rosen suggested – conjuring up ideas for a column, as all columnist must do, I am suddenly distracted by the thought of money. A dreadful distraction on such a drippy wet interesting morning.

My mind, and the zillion words there in, are supposed to  swing towards a total involvement in the trilling, tweeting, twittering song of the birds that flock and flourish in my jungle, sending delightful word-spinning, pencil scratching, lead ditters on the page.

The sweet scent of  fragrant frangipani  is supposed to scroll me a Pulitzer at the very least. Then lure me into a loquacious twittle, babble, gabble word crevice while chilly mini Yule raindrops falling on my head swell up to  fill my quota.

The taste of tinned Christmas cookies will fill my head, as well as my belly, with big fat nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs Kimo, and others, will be able to read on the screen.

Oh joy. Kalloo kallay…

But what pops up? Don’t look up. I better find some money to pay some guy to come and cut those branches before a wicked witch wind womps  them on my woof…er, drops them on my roof

“Stop it,” my creative mind screams and covers her ears. Unfortunately covering my ears when the words are coming from the inside out doesn’t cut the mustard  Don’t think about white elephants…

“…white elephants my foot. Where’s this money supposed to come from?”

“Shuddup.” The wind lifts a page of long yellow legal and its long flat tongue flutters back.

“The last guy you talked to wanted twelve hundred dollars  a day.”

“That’s more than I pay my dentist.”

“Teeth. How awful it must be to have a body.”

“You got one, too. You’re attached.”  I think about attachment. I’m attached to money.

Bird squawks, nose sniffles, Xmas cookie crumples and page flaps take a rumble seat as a walloping wind sends empty pages flying. Clutching pen and pad I scramble to my feet and head for a drier spot. I find one on a comfy wrought iron chair, plunk down, and giggle as dead branches gilded gold and dripping glittering dime store ornaments-my original contribution to an outdoor Yule- dance and  bob and bumble in the thrashing elemental wind and rain.

A war-whoop crash of thunder rapidly following a display of jagged blue brings my meandering mind to a jarring halt. No thoughts. No words. I am deafened. I am dizzy. I’m distraught. My head’s a blank.My teeth itch.

When my vision clears, what to my wandering eyes does appear? Not a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer but a  rampant raft of rubble large enough to build an ark that floats dinosaurs and unicorns, too, to safe anchor.

My mind whimpers…

…and that nasty noisy little voice that lives there sings, sweetly, "Have a Cool Yule".

Another version of "Have a Cool Yule," was published  one
year ago in dakinetalk blog on December 22, 2013
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2013/12/have-cool-yule-bettejo-dux-monday-in.html

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