June 3, 2023
Welcome to Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #18
BLOG #18
June 3, 2023
Another beautiful week here in paradise, but with only minor progress making for little excitement and news. Monday was a holiday and then my builder Chris was out sick Tues. and Wed. And, then the third worker Ire was out all week. The guys seem to get the most done with all three here working as a team especially for the heavy window installation. Apparently all this stomach stuff starts with the kids at the school and just passes around through out the community almost continually. Even I got it a few weeks ago. It just lays you out for a couple of days. UGH!!!
Onward and up word….The septic work will start this next week so yesterday was spent moving all the building materials out of the way to make room for the major ground work. The stainless sink is resuced from the Wilder House. When Bob sold the Wilder House to pay the IRS tax bill and the new owners did not want it some men tried to steal it by telling me they took it to the dump. I called their bluff and managed to recover it and will put it to use here along with other recycled items.

We did do some hau cutting this week. Derek came and I spent some time with my extension chain saw. Every cut brings me joy. It is wicked stuff because a lot of the branches are under tension and will flip back and hit you if care is not taken. Beastly stuff really. Chris then came in with his excavator and moved the piles down to make room for more cutting. I am trying to get a couple of the lo’i cleared by hand and a small coconut planting for filming at the end of August.


Finally, yesterday something happened that I have long awaited. Years ago when Bob and I were here and we heard 10,000 Mexican workers had moved to Maui I tried to talk him into hiring a bunch to clear, but he would have no part of that. So, now twenty years later it is much worse. But the best part is Chase Miller finally showed up to tell me his excavator with a chipper can handle this hau clearing situation. As soon as the ground drys out and he finishes some work he is going to come and give it a day or two so we can see how it works. Since Chase is $300. an hour I am going to write a proposal for a large grant from the US Dept. of Agriculture to have the clearing work done on the invacives. Apparently quite a few farmers here on Maui are getting these grants and I am getting in line. Besides having areas to plant my dream has always been to have a nice walking trail to the pool and waterfall up mauka. Currently it is a miserable twenty minute bush walking hike winding around unnecessarily.

Meanwhile, I am finishing up writing a Dept of Ag Micro Grant application to start the coconut planting process. These monies are all for 2024 which would be perfect. Keeping fingers crossed.
On Wednesday I took Haumana in for another Xray at the Makawao Vet Clinic a beautiful place situated in the middle of horse pastures and started by a classmate Ted Cleighorn. She is healing but needs more rest time. We do have a pretty good routine where she has a nice cage with a show of cats passing by to see what is going on. Also the neighboring pasture cows coming to the fence line. And, Ehu dog comes by for some occasional licks and kisses.

I nearly escaped a computer hacking last Saturday when I thought I was on the Cannon site to hook up a new little Cannon printer. This man tried to tell me my fire wall was not up and all these sites had access to my computer, and for only $300. he could fix it. With that I promptly said goodby and backed out holding my breath that he could not do any damage.
Thanks to my new friend Karen I now have access to a local IT man who came yesterday and fixed it all. Clayton does IT work for the Hotel and is a great resource.
I did second washing in little KumIo washer and it works great.

Better end this now as there is lots of mowing and weed eating to catch up on. The past week’s nightly rains and short daily rains followed by sun has made the grass go crazy. Even though the neighbor Walt mowes every other week but there are just a lot of other spaces to work on. But the daily rains allow a nice long hot shower at night.


Closing with a shot of the zinnia garden and the taro patch which is really booming.


I have been thinking about work because a lot of people respond to what I am doing with “Wow, what a lot of work”! Sitting with my mother during her last hours on this earth and reminiscing about her best life memories she said it was the fun of work accomplished. And, as I think about it -nothing can really be accomplished without work. Luckily, I love work and creating dream projects to make it all “happen”.
Thanks for tuning in and I hope to have lots more news next week with some real progress. Don’t let fears and doubts throw rocks at your dreams.
Aloha Nui
Vicky