Nightmare on Lanakila Road

Thanks for not giving up on me! I haven't been writing regularly because it's craft fair season and I have fairs every weekend until mid-December PLUS as the story of my life goes, after months of very little work, I'm now getting more work assignments for my internet job. "When it rains it pours," "Feast or famine," etc. etc. 

I'm writing this in the parking lot behind the Hanamaulu gas station while waiting as Jordan exercises at Curves. I know I should be exercising too, but I'd much rather sit in the car and read, or in today's case, write my blog on my laptop.

Orange Grove Frozen Yogurt

This Halloween since Jordan's too old to go trick-or-treating, we let her dress up in her modest "Lady Gaghoul" get-up--she's just happy wearing a wig so I admit I spent minimum effort on this--and went to the Kukui Grove Halloween event to look at the kids dressed up, then our usual Costco shopping, then back to Kukui Grove for dinner. For the first time we tried Orange Grove's frozen yogurt shop: a bit expensive (over $12 for three smallish servings). What I liked was that it was fun to serve yourself and the delicious variety of flavors and toppings. Perfect for someone like me who hates trying to decide between flavors. I tried lychee, pineapple, coconut, chocolate, and mint..all in one bowl.  I would definitely go back!

After dinner we drove from Lihue to Wailua Houselots to see what Jordan calls the Boo House (aka Haunted Yard). The yard is haunted by the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Michael Jackson, and Gene Simmons, as well as pirates, headless creatures, zombies, and people you THINK are mannequins, but suddenly come to life.  I would love to give kudos to the family that shares their yard and creativity, but I admit that after visiting the "Boo House" three or four years so far, I don't know their name!  Shame on me.  Each year it gets better and more crowded as the word spreads. 

While at the Boo House, we ran into cousins Wes and Trinette who told us to be sure to stop at the haunted house on their lane, which is just down the road from our house. Earlier at Kukui Grove, Jordan had been disappointed to find that their haunted house had closed just minutes before we arrived, so it was perfect to find this "substitute" right in our own neighborhood! Again, I wish I had asked this family's name also because they did a fantastic job.  [Well hey, it's not like I'm a news reporter.  I don't go about my day thinking I'm going to need names to write in my blog  *LOL*] Anyway, they did a terrific job just using their garage and a lot of tarp and plastic sheeting to section it off into small spooky rooms and hallways. They even handed out 3D glasses for viewing very cool 3D displays along the route. Very very impressive!

Health tip for the week..somewhat related to the Halloween theme since it's about....err...nighttime:

Check out this article about the importance of sleep and how to optimize your sleep time:  Leonard recently had a change in work scheduling and has to wake up at 4 a.m. He and I are both nightowls--after all, I suspect we're together for 35 years because we both love staying up late. At our age, however, we have to acknowledge that perhaps getting to bed earlier is to our advantage--we need all the help we can get! From what I've heard from various sources (Dr. Oz, Dr. Mercola, our Ayurvedic Dr. Suhas, etc.), getting 6 hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. is much healthier than sleeping 6 hours from 12 midnight to 6 a.m. Read this excellent article to see why and for valuable tips on how to get the best sleep.

Speaking of which, I should be sleeping right now!