Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #35

September 30,2023

Welcome to Blog #35

WOW! Life has settled down somewhat after getting caught up after last weekend’s big move. It has been a week of little, but important strives ahead. The office is getting organized and ready for work.

I now have a big heavy duty farm gate that is installed correctly so it easy swings back and forth to open and closes without falling off on the ground. The next step is getting the solar opener and closure installed so the remote will open and close from the truck.

The solar shed is built and the solar will be installed today baring no rain. Cory has to get on the roof to install the panels so it cannot be wet. I bought standing seam metal roofing so the panels just snap on without drilling holes in the roof. When this is up and running life will take on a new dimension. I now have to run the gas generator everyday for a few hours to compensate for the failing Eco Flo solar generator.

On Wednesday I made the trek to Kahalui to pict up small black stones for in between the patio pavers. At one point I thought about gathering them from the beach, but the locals do not like this so decided to purchase them from Indo Lotus. I had to drive back gingerly as the twenty bags of stones weighed 800 pounds. Luckily the truck is heavy duty and is built for heavy loads. The patio is now mostly finished except for the two ends which can be filled in after the gutters are on.

I also picked up two sheets of bamboo plywood to finish one wall. The yellow and white ginger were in full bloom all along the drive which is a beautiful site. The trip back gets long, but that is a small price for living here. And once the building is complete the trips will be few and far between.

Yesterday was a big day as I unwrapped my Speed Queen washing machine and did my first two loads. It has been eight months struggling with trying to keep clean.

The solar panels are going on the roof as I am writing this. I will soon have lots of needed electricity as the days are getting noticeably shorter

We have also been cleaning up all the paper and many boxes from the shipping that have littered the yard. The cardboard boxes are broken down and used as a first step on weed barrier for planting the coconuts. There were boxes and black garbage bags filled with paper everywhere. I found some African gardenias and yellow hibiscus at the farmers market yesterday so am getting space to plant them. Planting space is limited as there will be more excavator ground work needed before I have free spaces to plant.

Well, I think it is time to bring this to a close and get it out there. I keep getting distracted with things going on here and the afternoon is moving on.

The cats are all having a great time exploring all the newness happening here. My new friend Sharon from the Maui Humane Society came to visit this week.

Thanks for tuning in and best wishes for a great week.

Aloha Vicky