Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #12

April 29, 2023

Welcome to Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #12

After publishing last week’s blog I realized I jumped ahead a whole month with my date of May rather than April. I think this was due to a wish because the windows and doors for the agriculture shed are scheduled to arrive May 15th. This is a pivotal date for application for the final permit with the building department which is very important for this project to move forward.

The weeks are rolling around pretty swiftly now and it seems before I know it Saturday is approaching and it is time for another blog. It has been an interesting week here in paradise. I woke up early this morning to the pitter patter of rain on the roof and gentle breezes flowing through the wallless camp house. I welcome this rain for filling up the water tank and planting. In the next days I hope to get a bodi tree in the ground as well as five pakalana and the sweet potato plants my neighbors Nick and Sutton gave me last Saturday. I made a zinnia garden this week and the rain nurtures the young plants. I had to rig up some fencing as the cats were getting into the soft ground and digging the seedlings up. I have been trying to grow a red plumeria for years with no success. To my amazement this week a red flower opened up on a potted plumeria brought from Oahu.

I now also realize there is a need for a bigger vegetable garden so that is in the planning stage on where to put it.

After a nineteen year interlude I remet a neighbor Karen Davidson. Karen has been here for thirty years and spent some time as Bob’s brother Eric’s roommate when they were both renting a house. Karen is an artist and does beautiful paper sculpture. We have struck up a new friendship with meetings at her beautiful house and artist studio and here at my garden table.

Karen took me to her yoga class with Crystal on Monday and a delicious fish dinner at her house on Monday night. I had a big scarey surprise coming home in the dark after dinner. I had forgotten to take my flashlight and when I pulled up in front of the camp house the dogs were barking. I could tell that someone or something was here. For a few minutes I just stood by the back of the truck in the dark breathing deeply and hoping to heck it was not a person. Then I used the light on my phone to shine in the general direction and there was a big brown and white cow right at the front entry. Upon a second glance I realized the cow belonged to the neighbors Patty and Walt and it had broken through the neighboring fence in the pasture. Big relief, but it was eating my ti leaves. I called Patty and she came down but we both realized we had to wait till morning to get it back home. I got Mana contained in the house so she wouldn’t get kicked but the cow was outside all night munching on the leaves and the dogs were going crazy barking most of the sleepless night. Patty and Walt came early Tuesday morning and after him running all over the property (also pooing) They got him back through the fence into the pasture.

And, just as I had guessed after seeing various cow piles laying around, yesterday this bad smell emerged whenever Mana came near. I had to give her a bath as she was rolling in the in the cow dung.

We had a big two night rain and it was a short three day week for building, but the wooden window frames are now mostly all made and will be installed this next week. Then when the windows and doors finally arrive they can be just pop into the frames and voila! Nothing got moved this week, but I have high hopes for this next week with the promise of Bradley coming to move the plastic tool shed and then moving the water tank. Chris will bring his machine to grade the yard and take out a tree stump then the wooden fence can go up and the Brazilian cherry and Suriname cherry trees can be planted for a visual barrier on the ugly metal pasture fence side. It seems every project depends on another so it is a waiting game here. But, slowly but surely it is happening.

After much searching and quite by accident I finally found four kiawe posts to hold up the outer patio cover timbers. I had gone to meet a man named Jacob who is doing all kinds of interesting building (a drive through coffee bar and a food court) along with starting a water buffalo herd for clearing land, milk and the making of mozzarella cheese. Rich from Whispering Winds was there helping to build and after my asking both men about posts, Rich said he had four posts to sell me. I drove to his place to check them out and he tried to put two on top of the truck, but after multiple attempts we decided it was a bad idea. They will deliver this next week. I am finding the world opens up when one puts a need “out there”.

I finally emptied one of the two crates of cut coral pavers. The path from the house to the shower is now made waiting for small river rocks to fill the gaps.

Another “biggie” this week was an interview for the AARP national magazine. Yesterday I had a zoom interview with Marla Cimini, a free lance writer who I met after her writing about Wave Woman several years ago. She asked some interesting questions as the AARP editors want a dramatic narrative with some sort of struggle/tension and a resolution. I think this adventure definitely fits the bill. They might be sending a photographer out for some shots.

Enough for this week as I have a truck load to take to the dump and need to get moving in that direction. While in that area I am picking up four free metal chairs for the garden. Since I now have such a big garden I am collecting furniture for the different areas.

Thank you for tuning in and wishing you all a wonderful coming week.
Aloha Nui
Vicky