Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog

Welcome to Blog #8
April 1, 2023

Happy April Fools Day!

Thanks for tuning in to Blog #8. It has been another amazing week with a lot of accomplishments. The wonderful thing about going to a new place is all the new and interesting people I meet. I meet someone new just about everyday.

Sunday morning I drove Haumana (my doogle) to the beach for a swim, but it was too rough for both of of us so we came back home. On the way in and out the driveway I noticed what a mess of branches were left from Saturday’s tree trimming. The tree trimmer tried to rationalize his leaving a mess is that it would be good for the soil once it decomposed. But is was a big mess right at my driveway entrance-a place that I want to look beautiful, a place where I want to plant native white hibiscus. I got the truck and started loading the branches.

Luckily about that time I got a text from Derek saying he was available for work. After several loads of putting the debrue in the back of the truck and taking to a designated dumping place we got the area cleaned up. Then we started attacking the hau branches on the next lo’i. Derek had the chain saw and we both were stacking branches in piles to chip. The chipped hau material is very rich and will go back into the soil for planting the coconuts, taro and breadfruit.

Besides four tons of sand being delivered for the pavers to sit on, the inside shed wall was completed this week that separates the tool shed and coconut processing room from the library and cataloging area. We are now waiting for the windows and doors to arrive at the end of April. The gutters will go on next and the water catchment tank installed.

This week I purchased the domaine name for the business which is Koali Niu. Koali is this area which was named for a vine that grew here and Niu is the Hawaiian word for coconut. I think was in next months will see a lot of clearing so we can start planting and get the show on the road.

Squash do very well in this area and I planted about twenty of the squash seedlings shown in an earlier blog. They make a great ground cover to keep weeds down so am looking forward to this plus all the food produced.

Sadly this week I lost one of my old cats found at a Makaha bus stop years ago. Blackie was suffering so I had to do something. Amazingly I found a vet just and hour away. The drive was through gorgeous, wild and scenic ranch country with old 17th century churches, cows along the road, and a goat herd ran across the gravel road. Blackie was in bad shape with a tumor in his mouth and kidney failure. The euthanization was a very peaceful, painless but sad experience. The vet was just the BEST-such a wonderful human being!

One of my favorite places on the property which has a row of huge rocks which might have been some kind of a special place in years past. Bradley pulled a tulip tree stump out last week so the soil is soft for digging. This is where my cat cemetery will be.

I am starting to think of landscaping and several weeks ago I met Julie and Alex who have a nursery. Yesterday they delivered some special trees that I am looking forward to planting. They are rare and interesting trees not found in a regular nursery.

This blog is going to be short as I just got back from a monthly book club meeting and company is coming. This month was the book titled the Last of the Moon Girls. I loved this book as it had some meaningful philosophy about living life. The book club members are a great group. One of the long time book club members is moving to Arizona and brought a box of pottery to rehome. She went around the circle and each woman choose a piece. Very touching!

Thanks for tuning in to Blog #8.
I am thinking there will be a lot of progress this next week….
Aloha Nui,
Vicky