Mountains and Islands

The other day Ron spotted the neighbor over the fence and offered him one of our giant cabbages. We certainly have plenty, after all, and have shared with two other neighbors as well. This neighbor, a Hawaiian, had a gift in return: two bags of freshly smoked pork! Onolicious ! It's really good just dipped in the sweet-hot Hickory Farms mustard we got for Christmas. Giving and sharing whatever you have is a strong part of Hawaiian culture. Once, at the airport, I commented on how nice a woman's lei smelled. She smiled and gave it to me. What a lovely custom. Not all cultural practices and customs are created equal, however. There was a front page article in the paper today about the impact of a new federal law making cock fighting a felony. Cock fighting is technically illegal in Hawaii, but it's fairly prevalent here, especially in the Filipino community. Arguments in favor of cock fighting in the paper came from frustrated chicken owners who feel their culture, customs...

They say that home ownership is the American dream. It's a bit more like a nightmare at times if you ask me. Sometimes, I really do pine for the good ol ' days, when any malfunction whatsoever could be fixed with a call to the landlord. We have a pipe that leads into our utility room and pump. That pipe is firmly embedded, ensconced and totally stuck in sidewalk cement outside. It is also PVC, which isn't supposed to be exposed to the elements. But it is, cuz copper costs plenny kala and we've pretty much concluded that our house was a no frills kind of construction project. Anyway, the pipe coming up from the cement elbows at a right angle then goes through a hole in the siding and into the utility room. Several weeks ago, I heard a hissing sound coming from what I thought were our gas tanks, located right next to the pipe. At first I thought it was a gas leak. Yikes. Thankfully, it was not. Instead, the elbow in the pipe had sprung a tiny leak and was misting wat...

A coworker and I polished off a fellow worker's bottle of Colorado Cherry Wine tonight, so it was an especially tasty (and tipsy) pau hana . It was hot today, especially in the tasting room, which doesn't have the best air circulation. With no trade winds, it's humid, too. But it didn't rain and the vog was a little less thick today, so that's good, yeah? With all the talk of buying local and sustainability as today's buzzwords for a better world, we are finding it increasingly difficult to do this. Today at Safeway, Ron found shrimp from China and Taiwan and Vietnam and scallops from Bangla d esh, but none from the U.S . Yikes! I'm thinking the waters off the coast of India are not the place from which to harvest filter feeders you actually plan to eat. Here in Hawaii, we're seeing tuna and mahi mahi from far away places like the Marshall Islands and Australia, when those fish can be readily caught off our own shores. Even the edamame they sell come...

The vog was thick as toolie fog today, so we spent most of the afternoon indoors. This morning, however, we ventured to the Maku'u market, where we had a taco and some Thai curry for breakfast. I love being a grown up. You can do or eat whatever you want, when you want, where you want. One of the local county council members was there. She actually holds informal town meetings and talks story with constituents at the market. That's a pretty cool idea, if you ask me. Some of my tea cuttings are beginning to grow. A couple of them are ready for slightly bigger pots. It won't be long before they'll be big enough to put in the ground. Once day, I may actually be able to brew a cup of tea from leaves I've actually grown. A very interesting Hawaiian man came into the winery Saturday. He was very knowledgeable about the island and encouraged us to pay attention to it; to learn what it is and what it provides. "Take some time to stop and smell the roses," he sa...

The lettuce is coming up.... A home grown salad is just around the corner.... Hawaii is the land of the lonely dog. For some reason, people think nothing of getting a puppy, playing with it while it's cute and little, then once it's bigger, tying it to a chain outside in the yard for the rest of its life. With the exception of food and water, the dog has no direct contact with people or other dogs. These miserable excuses for human beings take a social, active pack animal and isolate it for life. Tragic. Of course, not everyone in Hawaii does this. And Hawaii is not the only place I've seen this. But it is a more common practice here than other places I've lived. I see these poor dogs, tied out, alone, day in and day out. They bark when they see passers by. That's their only connection with the world beyond the chain. It breaks my heart. I really don't get it. Why have a pet if you don't plan to love and care for it like a member of the family? What's th...

Last week we watched Man of the Year with Robin Williams. It was OK, though a bit more serious than either of us anticipated. Anyway, the next morning when we woke up, Ron turned to me and asked why I had left the water running at Robin William's house and ruined his floor. "You had a dream about Robin Williams?" I asked in return to his question. "Me too," I said. I told him I had dreamt I was riding my bike not far behind another man, when the man fell. I stopped to help. It was Robin. He had skinned his knee, so I put a band aid on it from my first aid kit. "Well that explains how we got invited over to his house," Ron said. Kinda scary that my dreams explain his, don't you think? There were people from Poland at the winery today. That's really really far away. I could go for some good kielbasa right now.... Tomorrow, we'll be heading to the west side for a Costco run. Little thrills, yeah? A hui hou. Aloha.

I know, I know. What a slacker. The truth is, nothing earth shattering has occurred recently. Wait. I take that back. Today the earth literally did shatter, right into the ocean. I heard on the news today that a 16 acre shelf of lava recently formed by the current and ongoing eruption of Kilauea broke off into the sea today. It did so in chunks, sending steam plumes and debris from 200 to 1000 feet into the air. Pretty spectacular, huh? When the hot rocks fall into the cool ocean water, they do plenty of snapping, crackling and popping. I spent a few hours at the Hilo Library today. It's really nice there because it's so open to the outside. There are rooms and tables with absent walls and views out into a garden courtyard of sorts. Very nice. It was peacefully quiet too for awhile, until a group of kids came in and sat at tables next to me. They were chatting away. I think they were confused and thought they'd gone to the cafeteria or the beach or something. So, I moved. ...

Funny bumper sticker if the week: Honk if you're Jesus. I think the implication here is that if you are not Jesus, you should NOT be honking. Tomorrow, I get to go to lunch at the Hilo Yacht Club. The Yacht Club is interesting, because there are actually no yachts. There's no boat harbor. No slips for your schooner. It's just a restaurant, a bar, a pool and some tennis courts. It's a private club, so it'll be fun to check out the restaurant, which I've heard is good. The local chapter of the AAUW (American Association of University Women) is holding its annual luncheon there. Not much else is new. Winery work kicked my butt today, but it was still pretty fun. We had visitors from France who live in New Jersey and from Tahiti who also speak French. Tres bon. Oui oui. A hui hou. Aloha!

I've definitely got a nuckle - oma . Yep. I do. Let me explain. Some time ago, a dear friend of mine was complaining of some soreness in her thumb. The joint was stiff and had been troubling her. We jokingly decided it must be cancer and dubbed it her " thumbanoma ." My thumbs are fine (for now) but the first two joints on my index and middle finger, right hand, are acting up. They're stiff and sore and a little inflamed . Nuckle - oma . Friday, I started studying for the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test). Why, you ask? I guess my answer to that is, "Why not? I'm not dead yet." It's just an experiment really. If I study (or, more accurately practice) for the test and score miserably, then I'll know I'm not, nor was I probably ever law school material. If I score respectably, I'll apply just for giggles. If I get accepted, I might just go. Why not. I'm not dead yet. And the jobs in my field aren't exactly plentiful here. Ron conti...

Ron loves this place. That's ironic really, since we really never go anywhere or do anything. We eat out ever-so-occasionally. We never go to the beach. We never go hiking, even though we have a national park 12 miles from our house. We hang out here, in the rain, day after day. So I guess when he says he loves it here, he means literally here. This very spot. We take trips to town to make exciting purchases like a new tarp for the car port or a pressure washer to blast mold and algae off the driveway. Yesterday, we had to fix a leak under the kitchen sink, so we ventured all the way to Ace in Kea'au for pipes, tools and other assorted parts. Tools are a big need for us here. They have all been what Alton Brown of Food Network fame would call unitaskers. On this trip, we bought a tool designed to unscrew the place that goes over the big washer at the base of the sink. When we first moved here, we bought a wrench designed exclusively for removing the filter on our water pump. ...

Before I begin, I'd like to express my sincere condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of the Virginia Tech students. May their spirits live on in the hearts of those who loved them. Funny bumper sticker of the day: So many freaks, So few circuses So there I was, sitting at the salon getting a trim and some highlights, when three official looking men walked in. They identified themselves as inspectors from the State. After looking around then jotting lots of notes on pads attached to clipboards, they asked my stylist for her license. She has one, but did not have it posted or with her. It was at home. She had never bothered to bring it in because she was told by the salon owner that there was no hurry. Nobody had ever been in to ask for hers. The inspectors asked for my stylist's driver's license too. They also wanted to see her business license. She does not own the business. She just rents chair space from the owner. She did not know she needed a busines...

Hua li'i I ka waina Au hau'oli I ka wa au inu Hua ' li'i Wau haawi hoihoi A i'ini nui i ka wa au Nana ia oe Au kuuipo I nu ho'omahalo ka'ua I ko ka'ua aloha mau loa These words may not seem immediately familiar. But you have heard them before. Loosely translated, they mean: Tiny bubbles In the wine Make me feel happy Make me feel fine Tiny bubbles Make me warm all over With a feelin ' that I'm gonna love you till the end of time I read today that Don Ho added them after being hoodwinked into singing the song, which had nothing to do with Hawaii. Ho had everything to do with Hawaii. Yet Tiny Bubbles, his least Hawaiian song, became his biggest hit. Don Ho was an entertainer known the world over. More importantly, however, through all his years of fame and fortune, he remained a local boy, true to his island roots. I actually remember Don Ho's television show way back in the 70s. The great Don Ho has passed on and all Hawai...

What is it Doc? What is it boy? Is it a kitty? Is it a pig? A mongoose? This week began the 40th annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo Town. The Merrie Monarch is the Olympics of Hula, the premier hula competition in all the world. Halau (hula schools) from throughout Hawaii and the US come to dance, along with groups from throughout Polynesia. The event also celebrates the life of King David Kalakaua, who reigned from 1874-1891. While the king was a Christian, he was also a proud Hawaiian with a strong penchant for reviving Hawaiian cultural practices. Kalakaua insisted that hula be performed at his coronation. This may sound innocent enough. But at the time, hula had been condemned by the Christian missionaries, who had convinced Kalakaua's predecessors to ban what they deemed pagan rituals, and the lewd and lascivious gyrations of hula that were seen as an offense to God. Many Hawaiian cultural and religious practices, including hula, went underground, taking place only in the...

I am SUCH a SLACKER! Sheesh ! No excuses. Just lazy. Our veggie garden, as limited as it is right now, is going well. Here's a pepper I picked. Considering that bell peppers cost about $5 per pound at the supermarket here, it's a good choice to supplement the home food supply. We've also got cabbage and peas growing nicely. Friday was Good Friday. Thank goodness that venerable institution known as the New York Stock Exchange is so old school. They were closed. So Ron had the day off. We ventured over to Kona for a Costco run, thinking we would find short lines and thin crowds. Wrong. Apparently, lots of people in Hawaii have Good Friday off. Go figure. Anyway, we chose sushi for our lunch and happened into a place called Kenichi Pacific . We learned it was actually a chain, serving a Hawaii roll, an Austin roll - names taken from locations where they have restaurants. The review: so-so. It was kinda OK though not the most authentic sushi. The place was also way overpric...

It's not really my birthday anymore. That was yesterday. I had fully intended to log on last night to tell you all about it, but a) it wasn't all that eventful and b) I ate so much for dinner last night that once we arrived back home, it wasn't long before I was zonked. Dinner was lovely. We at at Kilauea Lodge. I think it's one of the best restaurants on the island. It broke da bank and broke the mout'! The soup was a delicious puree of peas, cabbage, cream and curry. It had a name, but I can't pronounce it. For our main course we had Duck l'orange and Seafood Mauna Kea. The seafood dish was scallops, shrimp, fish and calamari with an assortment of veggies, topped with a sauce of creme fraiche, on pasta. The appetizer was to die for; coconut crusted, fried brie served with fruit salsa and fresh bread. And the dessert? Onolicious. A custard with raspberry sauce topping. It was all good. The lodge is so cozy, with a big fireplace, vaulted ceiling and koa wood...

"Each time Honolulu city lights stir up memories in me. Each night Honolulu city lights bring me back again...." (Keola Beamer) Ron and I did something crazy on Sunday. We went to Honolulu for the DAY. "No we're not the jet set..... We're the old Chevrolet set....." (Tammy Wynette) Ah yes, life is just one song lyric after another. Anywho, we flew to Honolulu to have lunch with one of Ron's clients who was on vacation on that far away isle. It's just a one hour flight from Hilo. (I wonder if there's a Hawaiian word for boondoggle?) We spent most of our time on the bus, traveling between the airport and Waikiki. That's because we aren't even the Chev-ro-let set. We ride da bus, brah! Hey, isn't using mass transit one of the best ways to help curb our use of greenhouse gases and stem the tide of global warming? Besides, it only cost $2 each way rather that $40 by cab. So there you go. I used the money I saved to buy a new aloha shirt ...

Aloha from the biggest cyber-slacker in Hawaii. I know I've been remiss these past few days about posting. The weather's just been so nice that I just had to ride the tractor! We were finally able to get it back to the upper reaches of our property and it looks largely clearable, except for the forested part. That can be cleared too, but will take something a little bigger than my little John Deere to do it. Ah but first things first. Most of the open area is covered by tall ferns, not grass. The ferns are easy compared the the grass. So I've been mowing them into fern dust. Poof! It just started raining ten minutes ago. In fact, it's pouring. On Sunday, we made our quarterly pilgrimage to the west side to get some sun. We ate at a place called Quinn's Almost By the Sea, which served the best fish and chips on the island. It was ono. It was also ono; that is to say, the fish they fry is called ono, one of my favorites. You gotta appreciate a fish that's so good ...

I can't believe I actually forgot to mention our most recent homeowners' adventure. Last weekend, our hot water heater died. It sprung a leak, big time. So off to Sears we drove. Before leaving, however, Ron had the chance to talk story with our neighbor and tell him about our latest mishap. "You'll have to install the new one yourself," said Leonard. "Oh no," replied Ron. "I think this time I'll just pay a few extra bucks to have the guys at Sears install it." "You'll end up installing it yourself," insisted Leonard. Leonard was right. Sears is short-handed with very few employees available to perform appliance installations. Apparently, this is always the case. Sears has been short handed for the past 20 years here. So they said they had nobody available to do the installation any time soon. If we wanted to wait, we could, but it could be several weeks and the cost would be $250. Since the unit itself only cost $350, it seem...

Shine on me sunshine, walk with me world it's a skipidee do da day.... She's the happiest girl, in the whole USA.... Ah but the question remains; is she actually in the USA? Oh sure, Hawaii is technically a state. But there are those here who contest that, since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy was illegal. They've got a point. Bill Clinton officially apologized. It occurred to me after my last post that Lucy has, by far, gotten the most face time on the blog of late. So today it's Hoppsy's turn. Isn't she adorable? Speaking of sunshine, we've actually seen some throughout the last two days. I'm glad for the reprieve from the rain, however brief. Yesterday, Ron and I went to beautiful downtown Pahoa to check out their newly developing restaurant row. Funny thing is, most of them are closed on Sunday except for our old standby, the Mexican food joint. So, Luquin's it was. We had fish nachos. Never had those before. Very tasty. We also dropp...

No self-respecting cat can resist a box. Lucy is no exception. If she's not in a box, she's sneaking into cupboards or closets. She is quite the little explorer. Today at work a man came in to ask for the key to the lua . Clearly he was a local. One test of a person's knowledge of the islands is whether or not he or she knows the difference between a lua and a luau. A luau is a feast. The lua is where you go sometime after the feast. We are experience substantial rain lately. Or, as they say locally, "We get plenny da kine ua ." Not much is new. It's been raining so much and so hard we haven't even considered any yard work in weeks. The coffee trees are still doing well and the vegetable garden is protected by our Puna Style greenhouses. It's somewhat treacherous just getting to town and back. Yesterday, I actually slowed down to about 20 mpg along one stretch when the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see much of anything in front of th...