March 15, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #95
Last week I got busy working with a garden helper and had to skip the blog. It has been a catching up time for the last two weeks-a lot of little things to make things here more attractive and organized. I also wrote a story for the Hana news paper about Koali Niu coconut gene bank. The article will come out in the June paper. I have also been working on the web site and it is coming along slowly.
Right now we have Koaliniu.farm is our address. I am trying to get another address, but time will tell.
I have been using the Kawasaki Mule a lot and getting used to navigating the hills here. It is just what I needed to haul stuff around the property. I am still waiting to hear about the next grant for a much needed tractor.
We have been doing a lot of work on a recently cleared steep hill. There was a lot of debris left to clean up. For the last weeks we have been making piles for burning. I had two fires last week and will do a couple more in the next few days. And, speaking of fires this is how we cleared the bottom part of this property.
Then I will plant potatoes which will serve as a ground cover under the next batch of coconuts. The hill is deceiving in looks, but it is very steep at the top and very difficult to work on. With a new helper we have been gathering up unused weed cloth and laying it out to try and slow the weeds down.
We still need rain. There is not enough water in the tank to fill the pool so I am waiting anxiously. Also wanting to grow vegetables which all need water.
Years ago we had a large monkey pod tree in the yard which has had a long history. On one visit we arrived to find it toppled over with roots in the air. I have a picture and have been looking, but cannot find at the moment. Bob had the wood milled into some beautiful big pieces. Then the root started to grow in an odd and unsightly way taking up a lot of the yard. Last month I had the root ball hauled to the side of the yard waiting for the next plan. One thought was to have it hauled to the school where a wood carver would work with school children teaching them to carve. A few days ago my neighbor arrived with a batch of orchid cuttings. Months have gone by and I never heard back from the carver so this last week we trimmed off some of the branches and I started an orchid garden.
This tree has seen many reincarnations…..
It doesn’t look like much now, but when it is covered with orchid blooms it will make a beautiful entrance piece.
Speaking of beauty, the blood moon on Thursday evening was spectacular in the Hana skies! My first sighting of this kind of event…..
Okay, time to move on to the next projects that need doing. Thanks for tuning in and best wishes for a great week.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer by Vicky Durand 