This is going to be super short as I have family here and am waiting on some old friends to arrive.
One of the best things about this week is the chipper was here Monday and Tues and the hau piles are now mountains of hau chips. The chips will have to be raked out in between the rock walls for the planting. There is still a lot of wood Debre to be removed by Bradley’s backhoe.
The patio beams are going up and looking super gorgeous. Chris is fitting them together with notching so there is no ugly metal bracing.
Bradley came yesterday and took the pile of sand up mauna so the front yard is looking better.
There are still two big piles of beams covered with a tarp that we need to look beyond. I had hoped to get the front yard cleared out of building materials for the blessing day, but no luck.
My daughter Rennie and her husband Billy were here for two nights camping with me and so nice having some family around. They hiked up the new trail to the pool and waterfall yesterday.
Saturday our very old friend from Montecito days Keoki Raymond came out with his daughter Melissa. When Melissa was three years old and the girls were five and six they all played together. Now they are all in their mid to late 50’s and had not seen each other over all the years. My step daughter Sarah (who had also not seen Marcie and Rennie for years) joined us and we had a wonderful reunion lunch at the Ranch House.
So, now this is going out two weeks late due to all the company and activity. I am moving on to Blog #27 which is also late. It has been a whirl wind of fun and the next blog will tell about it.
This has been a wild week with all sorts of unknowns and surprises. As for the hurricane warning we prepared for the worst, but luckily the hurricane turned out to be just a tropical storm with breezes and rain. Chris did close up the back room on the ag shed so I was not sitting here in open buildings. I was very glad for the rain as it has partially filled my empty water tank. I still need the gutter from the other side, but it is like pulling teeth to get anything done here.
There have been a lot of graduation parties with a lot of preparation. Life here is very communal and they all help each other to make it happen. The food is all locally grown and wild caught. They gather opihe, fish and hunt for the pork, beef and venison. So, work stopped at noon yesterday for a party prep. Monday might be slow for weekend recovery. As I sit here with so much to do it is very frustrating to say the least, but I am trying to go with the flow and I might add a slow flow.
This blog is going to be short as I am pressed for time. My family is arriving in a few days and there is much to be done before next weekend when seven more friends arrive for the land blessing. Actually, the pictures did not load so it is now Saturday night.
Alex, who made Kumu Niu and another film producer are included inn the group. They will be filming the blessing, conversations, and our beginning work here. Stay tuned for the documentary.
We keep very busy clearing and uncovering more amazing rock work. I am constantly blown away by the extent of the work and wondering where everyone disappeared to. Along with the clearing we cut a guava tree for a better view of the beautiful white shower tree blooms.
Monday was spent getting work done on the truck. Luckily I was able to connect with a mechanic out here so didn’t drive to town. He did it the old fashion way up at Whispering Winds.
Indrajit and I finished work on an important and exciting reforesting grant which will hopefully pave the way for our coming bigger projects. We worked together remotely and it worked out great. He is currently witnessing the damage on the coconut trees in Waianae and figuring out a plan.
The workers put the kiawe uprights on and attached the first cedar beam. And, it looks amazing!
Looking forward to the rest going on this week. I am now starting to think about the inside and getting the library set up.
Thanks for tuning in. I heard this a couple weeks ago and I will pass it on as a thought for the week-Age gives us the chance to become the person we have always wanted to be.
Hard to believe it is the end of another week and we are half way through July. How optimistic I was when I pictured camping for just two or three months. Now it has five and a half months, but extremely happy months. The weeks are rolling around so quickly, but this has been a busy and productive week. Sunday I joined friends for a brunch at a new friend’s house on the bay. His sister had sent him a special food package from New York and he invited us to help him eat it. We gladly agreed and it was a relief from the usual Sunday yard work.
Monday morning I left at 5am for Kahalui to get the tires balanced and Mana sheared. A woman I met at Petco when they refused her due to heavy matting offered. It worked out really great and I will not let that happen again. For awhile I thought an expensive vet visit with putting to sleep while cutting would be in store. Luckily, we were saved and Mana seems much more comfortable with all the fur gone. She is acting up a bit more than usual and maybe due to the big change with her fur. She is always a total handful and I keep waiting for maturity.
The guys are working on the huge old growth cedar beams and kiawe posts. The beams are so heavy they drive the truck to where beams are stacked, load the beams and drive up to ag shed. All week they have been sanding and painting with stain and they are looking rich and beautiful. Monday they will start with putting the uprights for the patio and I can hardly wait.
Wednesday Indrajit and I worked on and finished the writeup for a Department of Agriculture reforesting grant which is due July 20 with an August 20th award date. I am hoping we can get this money as it will be a big step forward. This grant will set the stage for the next big project which is going to be very exciting and possibly a documentary film will be made about it. Meanwhile I am waiting for the micro grant results. Other government grants are coming down the pipeline which I am hoping to tap into for reforesting.
Bradley came yesterday to take out a tulip tree and remove many of the tulip tree stumps in our way for the next chipping date and planting. Those trees are a menace and there are about five more to go for the next phase. There is a lot of work to smooth out the terraces and distribute the chips evenly. I am working on getting things cleaned up for the property blessing in two weeks. A few people who have helped me here are coming for the event along with two film makers (Alex who made Kumu Niu and a friend). I hope you have all watched the Youtube short film Kumu Niu by now.
There are four lo’i cleared of hau and we have cleared right up to the back jungle. Now there is still a lot of work to do smoothing out the earth and chips for our planting. The area is looking pretty messy right now but, in about ten days this will change. At this point I am happy with the large area we have managed to clear in the last year. Some of the rock walls have been damaged by cows trampling over them and hopefully they can be somewhat repaired.
Wednesday evening I was weeding around some rocks out on the high point on the property and discovered another rock wall hidden by years of soil accumulation, grass and weeds. I was out there till dark with the pick gently uncovering this wall. There is more work to be done, but this is really fun.
They poured the back yard patio footings yesterday. When I returned from the farmers market the pump was humming and I realized they totally drained my 5,000 gallon water tank. Now I sit with no water until the next rain which hopefully will be soon. I am going to a friend’s house to fill up some jugs to eak along until the predicted storm on Tuesday. There is a hose at Karen’s and the beach also has a shower which helps. Meanwhile I am playing a water game repurposing every extra drop of used water and praying for rain. No hurricane-just the rain.
Well, I better close now, send this blog out and get to the garden work. Thanks for tuning in and hope you will be in touch next week when there will be some exciting steps forward with a front patio frame. The shower tree Bob and I planted is in full bloom and gracing the driveway entrance.
Wishing a great week for all of you. Please leave some comments.
This has been a very big and exciting week with an amazing step forward. My friends Edwin and Silipe arrived early Saturday morning via Mokulele Airlines flight into Hana.
Along with Derek they spent Saturday and Sunday cutting a new more direct trail (and one that Bob and I used eighteen years ago) to the waterfall and pools. Edwin and Derek chain sawed thru many years of overgrown hau while Silipei and I put the cut pieces on the side. It was a tricky situation but we had studied the land corded map and I got an arial photograph from Armon who has a business flying people around Hana in his gyro plane. The hau is dense so it is difficult knowing the correct and most direct direction to start chain sawing without wasting time and energy.
The land is all terraced lo’i with amazing very old beautiful stone walls used to separate the sections and hold the stream water for the kalo irragation.
We were all blown away by the manpower it must have taken to build these rock walls hundreds of yeas ago. This area fed thousands of Hawaiians and it is hard to imagine what happened and where they all went. More and more it feels like a sacred place here. My dream is to restore and replant these lo’i that have been invaded by invasive plants.
In ancient times, Hawaiians lived under strict laws. Commoners could not get too close to the chief, nor were they allowed to touch any of his possessions, walk in his footsteps or even let their shadows touch the royal grounds. The penalty for violating a sacred kapu (taboo) was death. Breaking a kapu was believed to incur the wrath of the gods. Hawaiians often chased down the offender and swiftly put him to death unless he could reach a puu’honua, or place of refuge. There he could be absolved by a kahuna (priest) in a purification ceremony, then return home with his transgression forgiven. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle.
And, speaking of this land, in the last weeks I have realized it is my puu’honua, a refuge for both my the cats and myself. It has been our safe place and that is one reason we are all so happy here in this tranquil if not sacred place. We did not escape from the gods as they were not gods by any stretch of the imagination (perhaps even vipers), but we transitioned to a higher place.
Over the past months there have been many piles of cut hau accumulating waiting to be chipped. Early Monday morning Ryan from Whispering Winds showed up on his John Deere tractor hauling his large chipper. Bradley’s four boys were here and seven men were pulling the hau out of piles and feeding the chipper. It was so great to see these the tangled hau piles turned into piles chipped compost. These chips will be raked back to the lo’s and will act as a weed barrier as well as nourishment for the soil where the coconuts will be planted. This was a long awaited day for me. Tuesday, inspite of a bandaged gash above his eye (from a hau branch) Ryan returned and there was chipping until the chipped stoped working. Chipping will be continued in a few weeks when the recently cut branches have dried out.
I am now waiting for Bradley to come and take out the hau stumps so we can move forward.
Meanwhile the post holes were being prepared with rebar for the upright kiawe posts. The first concrete pour took place on Wednesday.
Thursday turned rainy and stopped work. Friday there was no work as Chris had to prepare for his son’s graduation party which will be tonight. I am looking forward to going to my first Hana graduation party out in Kipahulu.
It has been a fun social few days. Thursday evening was magical at the Hotel Hana with Hawaiian music, hula dancing just like the good “old days” people said. Apparently things have been pretty quiet since the big lockdown during Covid. Many community members attended and it was a very special event with all the music, hula, and delicious dinner. Everyone wants more of these events.
Time to get going here, but thank you for tuning in to hear about my progress on this amazing adventure. Chris assures me he is “all mine” next week so there should be some amazing leaps forward.
People here are so friendly and welcoming and it is just “the best” experience. I leave you with a scene of these three sassy cows from this weeks drive to town. Apparently the hills are home to hundreds of cows who wander about as they like. I saw a bull climbing up a four foot wall Thursday eve on my drive home. They do get into people’s yards and cause havock with their fruit trees.
This has been a very exciting week as stuff is really starting to move. This blog is going to be a short one due to time limits this morning. Company arrived on Friday and I spent much of the day in preparation for the weekend work and cleaning up the construction mess. This morning two friends are flying in for a four day work-a-thon. Finally the big piles of cut hau are going to be chipped on Monday and possibly Tuesday.
Mana had a grooming appointment at Petco on Tuesday so we made the trek into town. When I took her in and they saw how matted her fur has gotten she got rejected. Luckily a woman there said she would come here to cut all this fur next week. But meanwhile I had Mana with me to do all my errands which was a real painnd some had to be cut short. I did manage to get a large roll of weed barrier which will go on the ground for the patios. It will be the barrier, sand and pavers. The real hassle with all of this big stuff is getting people to tie it down. They are all hesitant due to liability and I have to really do some fast talking and bribing, but after time they usually concede. I need to learn how to do this job.
Finally the huge heavy old growth cedar beams have come out from under the tarp in the front yard. The guys dug specific sizes out of the wood pile, sanding them lightly and putting two coats of Cetol stain on them. They are looking rich and beautiful just like I imagined. I bought a pile of these beams from a man who years ago had them milled specially in Vancouver. He built a gorgeous multi million dollar cedar house on Lanae. When he sold the house the extra cedar all had to go. Luckily through mutual friends I was able to buy the whole package sight unseen and I ended up with a treasure trove of building materials. These beams will be used for the patio uprights with four keawe posts to support them. All this has to be installed before the gutters can be put on the shed.
Guys pulling out keawe posts that will support beams
Bradley’s four nephews came for two days and cut hau so there is lots to chip and we are making way up the hill. While they were cutting Bradley pulled out six big tulip tree stumps. There are more stumps but due to the mud he has to wait for dryer weather.
It has been raining in the early morning just enough to make the loose dirt mud. It is a very messy time right now, but progress is being made inspire of weather constraints and machinery breakdowns. We are now waiting for Bradley to borrow a truck to bring up gravel for the concrete footings. Both front and back yards are prepared for the concrete pouring.
Sunday Derek came and cut an entrance tree that was blocking the yellow shower tree blossoms. Due to the frequent showers followed by sun and long days the grass has been growing like crazy. Chris came and did a lot of weed whacking and the yard is looking picture gorgeous.
Just about every evening I have been trapping mongeese so the cats don’t all move here to my tiny camp site. It is getting pretty crowded and hard to do desk work without a cat crawling onto my paper work or computer keyboard.
At times it feels like they are taking over. Even Mana now jumps easily up on my five foot high bed.
And, a friend called to ask a special favor of taking in Caruso who wandered in to her property and did not get along with her cat. After a couple of days slowly working his way closer he has moved in, hands out and eats on a shelf and is not problem.
OK workers have arrived and I am ready to get this out and work on today’s project cutting a better path to the pool. Thanks for tuning in and I think there will be some big changes by next week.
It has been an uneventful week compared with the last weeks. All the yard smoothing was finished last week so Ryan’s large Kabota machine left for home in Kipahulu Saturday evening via Derek’s hauling truck. The road is very narrow at the base of the drive so it was interesting as a line of cars showed up and waited while Ryan drove it up on the large flatbed. I don’t know how they made it back home in that huge truck with such a narrow road.
Monday was a holiday so only Chris showed for a few hours.On Sunday I worked with Derek clearing overgrown brush. We uncovered a lot of beautiful old rock formations.
Tuesday my new gate was hung and now am waiting for the solar panel to be installed so I can come and go without getting in and out of the truck.
In the last couple of days they have been laying out the patios. I just found out the patio beams and posts have to go on in order to put the gutters on. The gutters need to go on asap to start collecting water off the roof into the large tank before the dry season. Chris told me he is bringing in another helper to move this project along faster. That was good news because every other day one of the helpers has some thing going on and does not show up for work. A lot of decisions are having to be made and hopefully it will all work out.
A family of mongeese moved into the green house and the cats and I are not happy. They are real mean little varments and messy pests. All week I have been trapping them and relocating. I now have three Have a Heart traps and will probably be doing this on a continual basis. I use the same trap I used for cats and they are much easier to catch. Most people just kill them, but I cannot do that.
My new toaster arrived this week and so great to have toast after four months. Heating bread in a pan does not cut it. The simple kitchen pleasures are now pretty much in place. I remodeled my kitchen area with an extra book case so there is more room for cooking and storage and things are working pretty well. We have just enough sun to keep the solar batteries charged and just enough water to keep the little tank full.
Mana is a matted mess but is going to be sheared this next week. She jumps in the cooler full of water when she gets hot. I am going to get a little pool for her that will fill with rain water from the roof.
The cats are all pretty relaxed. A friend needed a place for one that had wondered on to her property and was not getting along so I took him in. A couple new faces have showed up and as long as there are no issues they are welcome to eat here.
I am looking forward to this next weekend when I have a team coming in to do clearing and chipping. This will give space for the first coconut planting in August after the property is blessed.
Got to go do some weed eating. Thanks for tuning in and wishing all of you a cheery week.
Welcome to Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog and thanks for tuning in this week. Hard to believe it is already up to #20.
It has been a good week progress wise.
Early Sunday morning I went to the bay with my mask and fins and had a great swim. Derek came later and we worked together to clear brush that exposed some beautiful old rock work. Makes me think the Kings Highway might have gone through here. I am planning on doing some research to see what I can find. The area overlooks Wailua Cove and the stones are each about a ton forming steps up a steep cliff. It has a special feeling and I will try to get some pictures.
Ryan from Wispering Winds came in his antique red truck on Monday and loaded up the big wooden box holding the metal roll up door and it is finally is out of the front yard. Turns out Shane who is doing the septic can use it so I was happy to see it go off to a good home. And, we did a trade for the extra materials he needed for the septic system. A win win situation. Turned out there were extra costs not figured in the original quote as Patrick had to deliver four loads (13 tons each load) of special gravel from town to spread out over the leach line. This was a necessary, but huge project that I am very happy to have behind.
Tuesday morning I turned in my application for a mini grant to kick start the first coconut planting in August. After that I watched a zoom for the next Hawaii Department of Agriculture government farm grant coming down the pike which I will also apply for in the next weeks. I am keeping fingers crossed for success. Indrajit has thought of another exciting plan for the coconut/niu project and I will be sharing this when things firm up.
Early Wednesday morning I took Haumana back to the vet for an Xray. She is healed up so can now be out of her cage. This is a big relief for both of us although she was an exemplary patient. Hopefully she will stay away from vehicles from now on.
The early morning drives to town are magical as there are hardly any cars on the road so we drive down the middle avoiding some of the twists and turns. The sun rise coming through the clouds over the ocean is spectacular.
However, the return home in the afternoon after endless errands and with sharing the single lane bridges with steady streams of tourist cars is less than wonderful. But that is the price for living here in this heavenly place. When the building is finished town trips will hopefully be very infrequent.
We had a big rain Wednesday night so the ground was pretty muddy Thursday and progress seemed so slow. And, it is now Friday morning 11:30 and the workers have not arrived. Every three months there is metal recycling and supposedly they are there in line. But, there is so much to do here I find it extremely frustrating…
On a positive note my new gate is on and waiting for installation of the solar unit. They have cut one hole for the six foot sliding door and are making the wooden frame. After much manual and machine work the piles of dirt and holes in the immediate yard are all smoothed overt now are ready for grass and gravel.
The cats are having a ball with all the loose dirt, heavy machinery and tree branches to play on. Since Mana has been out of the cage she is not chasing them as much. The mongeese have discovered the cat food are are making messes. I have been trapping them and relocating near the land fill.
I listened to an amazing zoom put on by the San Diego Writers Group put on with Rabbi Steve Leder. He has been the Rabbi at the Beverly Hills Synagog for thirty years and has written five books. Among many interesting ideas he said the happiest and most peaceful people are living both their professed values and their living values. Also that everyone has had adventure, love, sadness, loss and we just want to tell our story so our loved ones will know how to remember us.
This is one reason I am doing this blog, but also to document the story of my Niu Now movement here. Before moving to Hawaii for my first chapter in life, I grew up on a five acre farm with chickens, horses, dogs and cats. I was a member of Future Farmers raising animals. We all fell in love with Hawaii and that was the end of farm life in Southern California. But, now, I am happily back on five acres with my own farming adventure.
It was a great week for book sales and I am anxiously awaiting more books from Ingram Publisher Services.
Today is International Surfing Day and so cool that Wave woman was on the first International surfing team to Peru where she took first place.
Thanks for tuning in and best wishes for a great week.
June 10, 2023 It has been a BIG week with lots of movement and great progress! The week started early Sunday morning when Patrick came up the driveway with Ryan’s big excavator needed for the septic system digging and moving dirt. I was still drinking coffee and watching my favorite TV show Sunday Morning. But, as usual, I am always glad to see Patrick as his visits are associated with progress. And, he reminds me of a mini version of IZ.
Early Monday morning I made the big trip to Kahalui to pick up my new 16 foot farm gate shipped in from Miranda’s farm supply in Hilo. When materials arrive at Young Brothers there is only a short window for pick up before storage charges occur. Driving back to town was the last thing I wanted to do, but this gate will be hooked up to solar and will hopefully make a huge difference coming and going. No more getting out, opening gate, getting in, driving forward and then getting back out to shut the gate. And, it is on a hill so usually put the truck in park. And, it is a real hastle in the dark.
Being that it is now summer there are many more tourists on the road and some of them are a real pain. There are many variations of irratation….There are some that just freeze up in the worst places holding up a line of cars. They have to be yelled at to KEEP GOING. Then there are some that feel they own the road and take more than their share of the tiny spaces. Some drive so slow like they are the only ones on the road. And, some slow down and then speed up when we try to pass them. Unfortunately it will be like this for the next months. I feel for the guys in the big delivery trucks that make a regular trip almost every day facing these challenging drivers.
There have been holes, trenches and big piles of dirt everywhere for the septic system. The tank is just outside of the shed and a big hole had to be dug for that. Then trenched down to the leach field. So now the immediate yard is totally full of trenches and piles of dirt. At one point I could barely get out to the cat house. The hole for the leach field was the size of a swimming pool and I would have much preferred that. But, this makes things legal and I want to stay on the right side of things so Hana does not chew me up and spit me out.
They are finishing fitting the black framed metal windows into the wooden frames and they are all in. Just need the doors now. Another small trench was dug around the shed foundation for the six inch pipe (along with gutters) to take the water off the roof and into the five thousand gallon water tank.
The cats have been watching very cautiously from the far sidelines wondering what the heck is going on. Then, in the evenings when everyone is gone they are happily playing in the dirt. I enclosed the cat house outer patio with bamboo and that has given them an extra place out of the sun and rain.
We have a new unfixed male tabby that has joined the clan. He seems quite well behaved and I haven’t a clue how to deal with him other than just feeding.
Bradley’s “boys” have been here working on cutting the hau back. They will do another session before chipping that i is planned for July 1 weekend to clean the first area and return the chips to the lo’i for coconut planting.
Old Rock Walls covered in hau
I finally made it to the beach for an early morning swim with my new friend who works at the lovely I Love Hana Store. The Wave Woman books are selling like crazy there.
Gotta get Mana out of her cage for a little spin before Chris and Daylan arrive to work with their dogs Bella and Haole Girl. Mana seems to be doing great with her confinement. We go back for another Xray this next Wednesday and hopefully that will be it for the cage.
Thanks for tuning in and wishing everyone a great week. It is great to have summer here with longer days and the weeks are flying by much too fast. I savor each day in gratitude for being here.
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.
New shower curtin
Bathroom
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.
It has been another lovely week here in paradise with some long awaited and exciting progress.
Most of the bamboo fence is now up. It is gorgeous and I am very happy with the look and will soon plant the cherries in front. Just missing the two end panels as I did not get enough cedar on the last trip to town. I am going back in this Wednesday for Mana’s two week X-ray and will pick up needed materials and that project will be finished.
Besides the wicked hau here there is invading cane grass. The cane was also starting to take over the front lawn before I got here to get it backed off. Luckily I found Chris who comes with his weed hacker metal blade and is cutting it back. A few days ago I helped him hand cut this away from an old rock wall so the grass can be mowed right up to the wall and fence line. He also goes outside the fence to cut it back which has opened some of the views.
The garden continues and the string bean crop has been plentiful with just a few plants. Each week there are two or three dinner harvests. Cilantro is also doing well but something has gotten to the tomatoes. Unfortunately some little nasty bug stings them so they just rot. Hopefully I can find the culprit and do away with it.
There is continued work on the windows and by the end of today I should have four installed. After eight months waiting for arrival, the boxes were finally opened. Slight modifications on the wooden frames had to be made and this has slowed the process down a few days. The wooden framing had to be trimmed then primed and repainted before installation.
Since Mana has been in a cage the cats are having a wonderful time strolling around the property with no dog to chase them. And, speaking of Mana she has been an excellent patient with no barking, whining and seems like there is no pain. I take her out during the day and she is a tad rambunctious but I guess that is expected.
We have had some lovely nightly downpours so there is plenty of water for hot showers under the stars. I am just about to go and try out my mini washing machine to see how that works. The washer works great and I did my first load of wash yesterday. Happy now to not spend valuable town time and spent in the laundromat.
Big news-I now have three windows and they are gorgeous! They are black and will have dark green trim to match the roof. So glad my architect Mireille helped me pick out some high quality and beautiful products. It has been a long wait for delivery, but well worth it. The next two weeks should see completion of the rest of the windows and sliding doors. It was interesting to watch how time consuming each window is to install with the fitting, caulking, etc. Probably lots easier on a wooden building versus metal. Also the windows are super heavy so it takes all three men to install.
I am starting to sell books here and this attractive little store just bought a dozen and are planning a book talk and signing party. The store is located right across from a popular restaurant so there are lots of people coming and going. Several weeks ago I met Carol, the manager, at the beach and we immediately hit it off. Plans are to do book signings in front of the store every first Friday when the Farmer’s market has their concert series and artist booths. Carol is one of the really special, like minded and welcoming people here that I am lucky enough to continue to meet and have as a new friends.
Time to wrap this up and get the pictures on so we can head to Kipahulu for yoga. Wishing you all a beautiful memorial weekend with thoughts and appreciation for loved ones no longer in our lives. I am especially grateful for all of them with so many wonderful memories and what they have given to provide an amazing life for me.
Aloha Nui and thank you for all your comments.
Vicky
Makaha Birthday: Betty, Daughter Vicky, Grandaughters Marcie and Rennie
Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer by Vicky Durand 