Tag Archives: air pollution index

Friday 4-3-2026

“Sunset” – Michael Hall – @mhallarts.bsky.social

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Caroline Gardner

Today would have been my parents’ 85th wedding anniversary. My dad, who had an amazing sense of humor, wanted to get married on April Fool’s Day. My mom looked him in the eye and said, “I’m not foolin’.” They married in Chicago in 1941, had my brother and me, moved to Levittown NY. My dad had a chance to do the advertising for a company in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was 5. We moved to Tulsa in 1952 when there was almost nothing there yet. I lived in the home they had built until Harvey and I got married in 1969. My dad had started a one-man advertising agency with my mom acting as an unpaid ‘do-everything-else-but-write-and-record-the-radio-ads’ person -ads that won The Silver Addy Award for Lifetime Achievement from the advertising community. They made a mark.

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This is my latest painted sketch.

I am now using one of the small backpacks we used to move here as my ‘Friday Pack.’ Every week I have crammed my carrier/tote full of what I needed for our afternoons at the cafe while Khun Nong cleans my place. I carried what wouldn’t fit in my carrier, trying not to drop or lose anything.

I had a “Duh!” moment when I figured out I could use the backpack, putting everything in it I wanted for Fridays at the cafe and just keep it packed. I’ve been working out of it this week and it’s working well. When we leave, I’ll just zip it up and carry it and my tote to the cafe! Sometimes it amazes me how long it takes me to figure out a solution to a ‘problem-I-didn’t-realize-I-had.’

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This is the reading of the air pollution index here now.

Yesterday it got my attention because the reading was 216 – into the ‘very unhealthy’ range. It has only been that high for that one day so far. I’ll just monitor things, keeping my windows closed and my air filters and a/c on.

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Pet Nurture

I got a massage this morning. Ahhhhhh! My regular therapist was back! With the magic of pantomime and determination, I figured out that Khun Weaw’s place was being remodeled, so she had to move EVERYTHING out, have the remodeling done, and then move EVERYTHING back in again. A lot of work!

She again mentioned my weight loss. I was able to show her the numbers on the calculator on my phone and pantomime, doctor/keeping my mouth shut/ and exercising.

I hugged her, and the nice lady, Khun Sulee, who substituted for her, today, thanking them for taking such good care of me.

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Good Housekeeping

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Sunday 3-22-2026

This is one of the many things blooming in Chiang Mai now. I would really love to have one of these in my place. I have NO clue whether it could be happy indoors, whether we can find one for sale or not, or anything, but I’m drooling…

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One of my two latest –

Second of my latest –

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I had my windows open this morning and truly enjoyed the nice breezes. Then it seemed to get ‘stuffy,’ so I closed up, turned on my air filters and my a/c. The Air Pollution Index is now in the ‘unhealthy’ range, so I guess my own body is a good indication of when I should close up now. Thankfully, I have two really good quality air filters and my a/c is working beautifully so I’m a happy camper as I type.

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My research shows that Tai people don’t celebrate Easter, as such, here. Of course, most of them are Buddist. There is a small pocket of people who do celebrate, but they are mostly expats. A few places do things like Easter eggs for the kids, but that’s it. The only real holiday coming soon is Songkran, which occurs in mid April, where people mark the beginning of the new year and the end of the ‘hot and hazy’ season with three days of water gun attacks, splashing, buckets of water poured on you, etc. No ‘cards’ are given. No one says, “Happy Songkran,” you just either participate in being hosed down, or try to avoid it and simply watch from inside, as Brian and I do. There seem to be no more “card giving” occasions, other than the “thank you’s” I do for my housekeeper weekly, and my massage ladies from time to time, until Christmas.

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Newport Daily News

Brian wanted to skip the gym this morning, so I slept more like a normal human being, rather than getting up at 4:30, and we shared breakfast as usual. I’m going to finish this post, and then do my water bottle exercises. I’m also planning to do my yoga stretches later, and later still follow those up with my new Qigong video. These and the stairs I’m using, instead of the elevator coming back from Brian’s place, should round out my exercise for the day. \

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123RF

Harvey’s nurse agreed to monitor, and help, if needed, with the celebrational eating of much-missed French fries this afternoon. The last I heard, the fries were on their way out to the nursing home…

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“Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” ―Ben Sweetland

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