Last night, just before turning in, I saw a flash of light in the sky just out the window. The weather kahunas had forecast thunderstorms on the evening news, so I should have taken precautions then and slipped Hoppsy an herbal calmer. She hates thunder. At about 5:00 this morning, she was in the bed, shaking like a leaf, panicked. The thunder was rumbling. Within moments, Doc jumped in too. It was cozy, but a little cramped and very hot. So I got up to get her the herbal and found the cats all gathered in the kitchen, waiting for breakfast. I fed them. That rousted Crawford, who is none too fond of thunder herself, but can't hear it so well anymore. She is, however, very keen on the smell of cat food. Anyway, after all this, going back to bed didn't seem all that practical. I didn't think I'd get much sleep anyway. So, I brewed up a pot of coffee and here I am. Lucy has taken my place in the bed, right next to Doc and Ron. The three of them are snoozing peacefully. Crawford's on the rug next to me. Hopps is calmer and has sacked out in the hallway just outside the office door. Even Abby and Mr. Sox have curled up in their respective chairs. The only one awake is me!
Yesterday, I attended a luncheon sponsored by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In Gunnison, I had participated on occasion with the AAUW book club, so was kind of familiar with the organization. So when I inquired about a book club here, I learned they indeed had one and was invited to the luncheon. The home in which we all gathered was a restored 1880s plantation managers residents. There aren't many of those left in the islands. It's been beautifully redone. The lunch was catered and delicious. The women were spirited, smart and fun. I joined and immediately signed up officially for their book group and hiking group. I may help with their newsletter as well. The age range of the women was quite astounding. The oldest was in her 80s, a women who had served as a WAVE with the US Navy in WWII and who announced that she had been approached by the Library of Congress for an interview. The youngest was a local girl who just graduated from college in May. She looked all of about 23 years. She had been a recipient of an AAUW scholarship and decided to join in appreciation of the opportunity afforded her. Pretty cool. She was also the only truly local girl. Several of the women had been in the islands for many years, but many described themselves as fairly recent transplants. Several talked about the challenges they'd experienced in making the "transition" to the island. The local gal said that she had been feeling a little overwhelmed about her transition from Hilo to Kurtistown until she heard all the other lady's stories. That got a good laugh. (Kurtistown is about 12 miles from Hilo.) Most agreed, though, that a transition is a transition. Change is change and can be a challenge, no matter how far it takes you. It was a fun afternoon.
The only thing bad about yesterday was the weather. It did not rain, thank goodness, although a shower might have been nice relief. Instead, it was extremely muggy. The temperature was high, the humidity was higher and the tradewinds were - well, the tradewinds weren't. The air was dead still. Whew! This morning, it's raining. They've issued a flash flood watch for us and Maui. It's not a warning; just a watch. Nothing to sweat over. Did plenty of that yesterday.
I've got a column in this week's Gunnison Country Times. A photo, too! (The same you see below.) It's on page 2. Just go to www.gunnisontimes.com if you're in the mood for some rambling, which my columns typically do.
I'm off to the kitchen to refill my cup. A hui hou... Aloha!
Yesterday, I attended a luncheon sponsored by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In Gunnison, I had participated on occasion with the AAUW book club, so was kind of familiar with the organization. So when I inquired about a book club here, I learned they indeed had one and was invited to the luncheon. The home in which we all gathered was a restored 1880s plantation managers residents. There aren't many of those left in the islands. It's been beautifully redone. The lunch was catered and delicious. The women were spirited, smart and fun. I joined and immediately signed up officially for their book group and hiking group. I may help with their newsletter as well. The age range of the women was quite astounding. The oldest was in her 80s, a women who had served as a WAVE with the US Navy in WWII and who announced that she had been approached by the Library of Congress for an interview. The youngest was a local girl who just graduated from college in May. She looked all of about 23 years. She had been a recipient of an AAUW scholarship and decided to join in appreciation of the opportunity afforded her. Pretty cool. She was also the only truly local girl. Several of the women had been in the islands for many years, but many described themselves as fairly recent transplants. Several talked about the challenges they'd experienced in making the "transition" to the island. The local gal said that she had been feeling a little overwhelmed about her transition from Hilo to Kurtistown until she heard all the other lady's stories. That got a good laugh. (Kurtistown is about 12 miles from Hilo.) Most agreed, though, that a transition is a transition. Change is change and can be a challenge, no matter how far it takes you. It was a fun afternoon.
The only thing bad about yesterday was the weather. It did not rain, thank goodness, although a shower might have been nice relief. Instead, it was extremely muggy. The temperature was high, the humidity was higher and the tradewinds were - well, the tradewinds weren't. The air was dead still. Whew! This morning, it's raining. They've issued a flash flood watch for us and Maui. It's not a warning; just a watch. Nothing to sweat over. Did plenty of that yesterday.
I've got a column in this week's Gunnison Country Times. A photo, too! (The same you see below.) It's on page 2. Just go to www.gunnisontimes.com if you're in the mood for some rambling, which my columns typically do.
I'm off to the kitchen to refill my cup. A hui hou... Aloha!
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