"Hymn to Silence"

"Some mornings, silence is counterpoint

to the usual cacophony,

softening energy’s intention

as the air gentles to reverence."

(From the poem "Hymn to Silence"
by Sherri Rose-Walker (c) 7-23-2010) 

This is a line from a poem by a dear friend of many years.  And this is the view from our dining room window.  While we sipped our morning coffee, we were delighted with our recent purchase of a beautiful fan shaped Fiji Palm.  Just watching the morning light creep across the land, we reflected on our own choice to participate in stillness and reverence.  We cannot wait for peace or stillness to come, or for lava to stop flowing.  We decided for a few moments to just shut up, listen to the silence, and look for the Light.

Matters of the Heart

In talking with friends and neighbors about this lava event, I find we are all experiencing the same thing -- days when we function rather normally, running errands, working the garden, going to work, etc.  Then, there are days when there is an identifiable withdrawal and a sort of hollowness.  I suspect this comes from the need to balance out all the thoughts and emotions in the face of such powerful uncertainty.

On one hand we are provided facts and figures about lava flow and its day-by-day progression like the factual but frightening chart that suggests (based on science and measurements) that Pele's flow will reach the ocean by ? Thanksgiving YIKES! or Christmas.  (At the same time two of our neighbors are supposed to be moving into their brand new beautiful houses.)

The facts then take on a more personal perspective -- echoed in the second photo of lava creeping through the Buddhist Cemetery in Pahoa.  As lava travels through this local landmark, please take a few moments to read the tender article by Molly Solomon with Hawaii Public Radio as she takes a tour and talks about the Pahoa Japanese Cemetery's 250 graves dating back to 1905. 

http://hpr2.org/post/searching-family-roots-pahoa

Seeing this picture reminds us there are lives at stake -- homes, people and pets. Sometimes it is hard to wrap our heads around the facts and figures, when our hearts are trying to take in the loss.

Be kind to yourself; be kind to others.  
We are all doing the best we can.

GOT MAIL????

Got Mail?   In the past couple weeks, when we asked about mail delivery we were given a variety of different answers from difference sources.  It is heloful to have the some information coming from our postmaster.  This does not address all concerns -- especially for people who may not have access to their PO Boxes or General Delivery.  Those issues and questions need to be raised by residents so we all get the best services we can.  

 

The Postal Service management in Honolulu is closely monitoring the flow, because the situation is fluid, we have not made any final decisions regarding how we might provide mail delivery to customers impacted by the flow.

In the case of Pahoa, our ultimate decision regarding whether to deliver via alternate routes would balance employee safety concerns, the availability of resources and customer service.

Should the flow require an evacuation of our Pahoa Post Office, our preliminary plans are to use the Hilo Post Office as our base of operations. We have taken actions to prepare logistically for that possibility.

The bottom line is that regardless of how this lava flow event plays out, the mail will be delivered. We will find a way to get it done.

Along with everyone else, we're hoping the flow threat will dissipate before it impacts our customers and our service.

Mahalo,
Michel Kaneda Pahoa Post Office OIC

ALOHA PAHOA!

ALOHA Pahoa! - MAHALO Pahoa!

The tone today at the Pahoa Farmers' market was quiet.  As lava quickly approaches our charming Village, we are all dealing with loss and grief in our own way.

It is the nature of life -- all things change, and most people I talked with acknowledge that; most of us are simply allowing the sadness to be in our hearts.

'Eha 'eha ho'i au! *

Impermanence is a good, if difficult teaching.  With the hurricanes and Madame Pele, we are being offered a crash course!



Aloha Pele!  Mahalo Pele!

(Yes, I stole all these pictures from a google search for Pahoa and mahalo to the photographers; please forgive me.)
 *"I hurt"

Ho'omakaukau!! (get ready!)

As lava makes its way into Pahoa Village, Mayor Billy Kenoi keeps everyone informed as the teams of specialists from the county and private sector ho'omakaukau!




Pictured from the air, lava headed to town.
Helco protecting power poles at risk.
Reopening Chain of Craters road

Here is a short (6 minute) video of Mayor Kenoi updating Puna residents.  It is short and very informative.  "It's gonna get tough."

This week there have been a few morning when smoke lingered in the air until trade winds blew it away.  The rain we've been having has helped keep the fires in check as the lava advances through the forest.

A few of us are trying to organize residents to encourage officials to rethink 9000 people trying to drive to Hilo for mail pickup with the limited access and long drive we will soon be facing.  Our working campaign is "GOT MAIL?"

In the meantime, we keep up with all the things that need doing -- mowing the lawn today, since we got a break in the rain, and Phil working on an beautiful ohia tree that will be used as a railing for our back porch off the new lanai.  Some of the work on the lanai has taken a back seat, but the hot tub IS working and we are enjoying morning and evening soaks. 

 

Lava on the MOVE

GO HERE FOR UPDATES: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php

Thanks to BigIslandVideoNews.com -- for the posting this USGS map.  BIVN is one of our favorite places to check for news, not just on the flow, but ALL things "Big Island."

The facts are that Mon-Wed this week the lava moved 405 yards and today moved another 425 yards.  Updated 10/24: Expected to cross Apa'a tonight.  Now we can only wait for it to go a short distance toward the Village of Pahoa -- this could be very sad.  Pahoa is one-of-a-kind -- a true plantation era community, with original wood buildings and wood sidewalks, and one of everything we Punatics need:  post office, health food store, market, drug store, theatre, olympic pool, used bookstore, tattoo artist, great bakery, community center, senior citizens center, farmers' market as well as a variety of restaurants, live music, banks, gas stations, churches and charming shops. 

While our house and subdivision may be safe (for now) we know many families and businesses will be devastated as this lava heads toward the ocean.  Just yesterday I stopped in at the bookstore, the bank and Post Office.  Mail delivery rates high on the concerns of those who live here and we are anxiously awaiting word of a (hopefully) proactive approach to USPS.

Our aloha and prayers to our island ohana.

Hawaii News NOW - USGS takes gps coordinates.

Follow the link below to a pictorial/story about the lava.

  While it is a mid-September date, it is a

 well documented story of what we are experiencing.

  While you are there, visit Kelleigh and

 Brandon's site and learn about  

PUNA BIG ISLAND COFFEE ROASTERS!!!  

Yeah Punatics!

http://bigislandcoffeeroasters.com/punas-lava-problem/

Rain from Hawaii

Here in the Puna District on the Big Island we were all were relieved that Hurricane Ana slipped on by the islands of Hawaii.  We were happy for the much needed rainfall she brought -- topping off our 10,000 gallon catchment water tank after a late summer heat spell that lasted for about three weeks.

Knowing that the Pacific Northwest needed rain, that is where she's headed next.

ALOHA FROM HAWAII

Death to a "Duck"

It's a WHAT?

In its former life, it was a hedgehog we bought for Dexter when we first got the new new family members, Reba and puppy Poko.   When Dexter dislodged and destroyed the cheap plastic squeaker, he had little use for it, but was neither was he willing to share it with the new kids.

"Look mom, I killed it (again.)"

So, as I have done for all the Corgi's favorite toys, I sewed it up repeatedly.  (This being next to impossible to do while it is slick with dog slobber.)  After numerous disembowelment events and subsequent surgeries, the hedgehog eventually turned into a sort of anteater.  However, after the amputation of the anteater's front legs, it took on the appearance of a prehistoric duck.

Poko's baby teeth did not come out like they should, so our last visit to the vet included the two infamous "procedures." -- the dental work being the least painful.  Yet, one stubborn baby tooth remained annoying both him and us.  After destroying one of Phil's books (a signed first edition too), shredding numerous pieces of hardwood scraps from the wood shop floor, and gnawing holes in the front porch, back porch and the deck, Poko finally settled on playing tug-of-war with Reba -- with the hedgehog-cum-duck.  At last!!  The baby tooth came out and the duck is finally dead!   Funeral services will be private.

Pig God - Kama Pua'a

Not without wounds and scars, Kama Pua'a power comes through!

Kama Pua’a II

By Phil Haysmer

In the legends of the native Hawaiian people, the intertwined lives of Kama Pua’a (the pig god) and Pele (goddess of fire) feature courtship and love as well as fierce arguments and fighting.  The elements of nature are represented by both in this tumultuous relationship. Pele’s power is seen in the heat of lava and fire and reflects the powerful creative and destructive force of the volcano; Kama Pua’a representing agriculture, rain and the sea, attempts to cool her ferocious forces with a deluge of rain.  One epic battle finds Kama Pua’a gathering the waters of the sea to quench Pele’s fire, but she escapes him by returning to her spirit home in the pit of Kilauea (Halema’uma’u crater.)  These legends, like those of many indigenous cultures, are not pitting good against evil, but recognizing the balance between opposing forces and the need to respect and appreciate both.

A generous hunter, woodsman and fisherman who lives on our street gifted Phil an outside slab off of an old mango tree.  Although Phil knew right away it was something special, he waited until Kama Pua'a peeked out -- and said "Can you see me?"  Phil did, and he will soon be delivering this new piece for display and sale at One Gallery in Hilo.

"Just Hold Still a Minute"

UPDATED 10/17 -(National Weather Service Upate 11am) Hurricane  Ana is located approximately 230 miles south of Hilo and moving west northwest at 14 miles per hour.  Presently the system is showing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour with higher gusts.  In addition to the high winds, high surf and storm surge may be expected as well as heavy rains and thunder showers.  Residents in the shoreline communities of Punaluu in Kau and the Kalapana, Kapoho, and Pohoiki areas of Puna are advised to take precautions and to move to higher ground.  Surf heights of 10 to 20 feet are currently forecast for the southeast facing shores of Hawaii Island.

"JUST HOLD STILL A MINUTE!"

ORIG POST DATE:  10/14 -- I remember my mother saying those words to me -- 'Just hold still a minute' -- and that's what we are saying here in Puna!  The hurricanes, the lava, the earthquakes -- everything is MOVING.  This land where we live is not a "continent" it is a living breathing island entity.  The lava flow is now only 1/2 mile from the transfer station (dump) and not much more than that to Pahoa Village.  And now, we watch the latest approaching storm front -- "Ana" that could become a hurricane as it heads directly toward the Big Island.  Anyone thinking of living here should be aware -- it is a "moving" experience.

And, Kate reminded me, "If it ain't one thing, it's your mother."  (gonna miss ya girlie)

Earth Moving!

Earth Move Under My Feet!               

http://earthquaketrack.com/r/hawaii-hawaii/recent

Here on the "Island of Puna" our lives just now are impacted daily by what is happening across the surface of the land. While lava is still flowing (with fits and starts) it IS flowing and while our focus is on what’s happening above ground, there’s also a lot of action happening just below ground too.  Earthquakes happen in Hawaii all the time, and rather than being deeply submerged at the base of tectonic plates, most of them are related to Pele’s constant movement. (Most are only 2-4 km below the surface.) 

Lilikoi Fruit and Red Potatoes

Yesterday, we had another kind of below-ground experience as we dug up our first potatoes!!  It was an experiment that my grandmother would have approved of; as a mid-west farmer in the early 1900’s the land supplied all their needs from cows to chickens, from fruits to vegetables and her daily life began at 4am and re-defines our notion of a 24/7 work week!

So I think of her as we begin to harvest from our own garden.  Yesterday we also picked another batch of lilikoi fruit from our fast-growing vine, and pulled up a small but handsome batch of potatoes.  Oddly enough, they were the same blush of color.  Yesterday I also trimmed the branches of our maple-leaf hibiscus – a deep crimson color, so our table is blessed with these beautiful hues for our fall harvest.  Malalo!  Malama ka ‘Aina!