Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #47

January 20, 2024

Welcome to Blog #47

This has been an interesting week and a very different adventure, but mostly it ended in a very good way. And today is gorgeous as anyone would ever want.

With the huge deluge of rain on Monday and Tuesday along with other issues there has been no work on the project here. In fact no builders have showed up. This was after multiple daily trips to Hasegawa General store and getting Mr. Hasegawa to help find the needed parts. This is an amazing old fashioned store with a little bit of everything. This is the produce and luckily we have a farmers market every Friday.

The rain and Kona storm came straight in from the big island and and I spent two days shoring places up. I had to tent and drag wood to the front of my camp house as it was getting dark. The wind was bringing the water straight in and the cats were very unhappy. The green house tarp patio had huge puddles of water that had to be released before the entire frame broke. No one was around and I couldn’t push the water up and out so I had to cut the tarp and bungies. The next day that called for a new and improved covering which I was very lucky to get Derek, a life saver, to come and put a new tarp on. The windows on the ag shed are not sealed until the back patio is completed so water was coming in on my antique furniture. I had to gather every available towel and put the on the floor to mop the incoming pools of water. Luckily a day earlier I got the puunee up off the floor on a frame. It was all a big tiring challenge!

I have been looking into getting a WWOOFER to come here and help out. This is a world wide organization for people who want to volunteer on an organic farm. They are screened Willing Workers On Organic Farms. In exchange for room and board (food) they volunteer for 20-25 hours of work. Many of the farmers here use them and it can be a great situation for all. I have been in conversation with a German woman who loves cats so stay tuned.

Early Thursday morning I drove to Kahalui (what people here call “the other side”) and caught a plane for Honolulu where I had a whirlwind adventure visiting friends, a lunch and breakfast meeting, doing errands and eating some good food. The medical situation here on Maui is beyond bad so I am keeping my Honolulu doctors and dentist for maintenance work.

A highlight of the trip was revisiting my water aerobic class at the P Club. The women in the class were and are so supportive, and it was so great seeing them again and being in the water together. They were the ones that first encouraged me to do my adventure blog so they would know what I am up to. I was thrilled when so many of them told me they were reading and enjoying the blog.

I have always had an interest for social justice. Right after high school before I got waylaid I was trying to figure out how to get to the south to campaign for racial equality. So, besides the projects here I have been working on some social justice issues for a few women who are trapped by a biased, unjust and broken legal system. We are hoping to bring some media attention to bring public awareness to some situations. Linda Lingle has her Women’s Prison Project, but it is leaving some bases empty. I was able to meet with an attorney working on this issue and also a Civil Beat reporter which will hopefully expose some facts where a couple of women are getting unjustly crucified based on lies by officials.

The flight back to Maui was amazing as I had all three seats to myself and we went right over the backside coast of Molokai. To get to this side requires an eight hour hike or a boat ride. This is where Bob owned a couple lots and spent two summers filming his movie Molokai Solo. It is such a beautiful untouched side of the island. After Rell Sunn saw the movie she organized a kaiak trip that I joined. And, then years later I made one memorable trip with Bob by boat.

Time to close this up and move on. My thought for you this week is based off a conversation I had with a writer at the club when she told me she had trouble believing in herself.

I was surprised to hear this and the thought keeps going through my mind. To fulfill dreams and get stuff done Always believe in yourself-that you can do it no matter what! You might need some help along the way but once you get out there in the fast lane moving ahead I have found that help usually appears. I think this was my mother’s (Wave Woman) philosophy that allowed her to take on and accomplish such varied and difficult tasks.

Wishing everyone a lot of BELIEF.

Aloha Nui,
Vicky

Here is my little feral dog Ehui and Boki loves suitcases