Theraputic Confinment

Ao Pokole "Poko" (left) and I'ilani play like brothers and sisters -- that is to say rough and ready at all times to pounce, and we think that may have been what happened a couple days ago.  We heard a "YIP!" but were unsure who.  Then on Thursday, the little princess was in obvious distress and didn't want to move or walk.

OH NO!  We gave her 1/2 of the "fireworks sedative" to keep her calm and called immediately for a vet appointment for Friday.  All we could think of was "it is too soon -- we just lost our beloved Dexter."  After an xray and exam, our vet concluded as we had, that she pulled a muscle in her back.  So, for a few days it is confinement, Rx anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant.  Poko is staying right by his 'lil sister!

"Solitary" is hard when there are three of them -- they are a real family...Poko and Lani litter mates and Reba "mom."

UPDATE:  Sunday she is moving a lot easier, and Poko seems to understand that she cannot play right now.  We have to put her on a leash to poop/pee so she won't "bolt" - but that is working ok.

 

And, here comes Ignacio AND Jimena!!

 Ignacio is shown on the right, headin toward Hawai'i

Tropical Depressions (TD) become tropical storms, become typhoons (over water) then are called hurricanes when they hit land -- like last year's Hurricane Iselle that did so much damage to the Puna District, where we live on the Big Island.

So far this year, partially due to it being an El Nino year for weather patterns, the Pacific Ocean, and in particular, Hawai'i Islands are being surrounded by weather events.  A couple weeks ago, as we reported on the blog, Guillermo was headed at us, but then veered to the right; days later, Hilda was coming in the same direction, but shifted to the left. Now, meet Ignacio.

Hawaii is represented by the GREEN dot (upper left)

Morning coffee lately has been spent at the computer, checking in with storm models via NOAA and WunderMaps.  We watch to see when they become official and are named.  Then we watch to see which ones are headed directly toward the islands, where they could easily hit the Big Island first.  The 5-day forecast has Ignacio arriving Sat/Sun Aug 29/30.  This is mid-hurricane season, and we are already at #12 (or 13?) which means they will keep coming for another few weeks at least.

Saturday - August 29th

8/29 UPDATE:  A couple days after Ignacio became "official," here comes JIMENA...and who knows how many more.  This double storm photo illustrates just how SMALL the islands look in comparison to the storms.  Hawaii.  This is the FIRST TIME EVER that three hurricanes hit the Central Pacific Ocean all at the same time!

9/1 UPDATE:  Whew (again) both Ignacio and Jimena have danced to the north -- we are very glad that they didn't spin in toward Hawaii!

Hawaii Home Boy Hits Humboldt!

When we retired and moved to Puna on the Big Island, we knew there would be things we would miss about Humboldt County?  Well of course we miss our friends there, we miss the wild and scenic rivers, hikes in the redwoods  We miss  HSU's OLLI program, and Center Arts performances!  (In fact, we still get both programs so we KNOW what we are missing!)

Go hear this guy!!  
JAKE SHIMABUKURO --

Jake is a world famous ukulele prodigy from Hawaii.  He's playing on October 27th!  He is such a star that he got BOTH the front and back covers of HSU's Center Arts mailer.  But since Jake is a local guy -- we get to hear him occasionally right here on the Big Island!    Hope you can catch his performance there!

In fact, the whole season looks amazing!!, Parsons Dance Company, Dark Star Orchestra, Joan Armatrading, Nickel Creek....and of course, Eddie Izzard!  OK, now we are jealous!  Have a great time Humboldtians!

Terraforming

In 2012 when we bought our retirement house and property in Puna on the Big Island, we knew that full development would have to be prioritized, so we chose to leave the front half acre untouched until we built the ohana, wood studio, and lanai. This photo of us walking up the driveway to the house was taken in February of 2012 -- the day we made the offer on our house! 

South side - before

North side - before

Over the past 2.5 years, while completing these projects, the invasive species in the front half acre have taken over, and crept out along the full length of the driveway. 

This week we contracted to have both sides of the driveway cleared.  Not ONE plant along the sides were worthy -- they were all hideous invasive and destructive species that choke out native forest plants.
 

North side- after

South side- after

The bobcat was able to root out the over-grown sections and push it all back so we how have places to plant the forest trees we purchased  (the blog of June 13 shows all the trees we will be planting.)  One  photo shows where some of our new trees (bright green) will go. It may look a bit ugly right now -- but to our artists' eyes, we see two gigantic palettes along the driveway for creative terraforming with other plants and cuttings we have been saving for two years.

"A 40 Year Wait"

For many years I have thought of owning a bobcat; I have longed to shape mounds of earth, and I have dreamed of creating large sculptural works... something that could be seen from the air like the beautiful "Serpent Mound" in Ohio.

A very cool birthday present for Lunel

Aerial view of Ohio's "Serpent Mound"

The journals I wrote in my 20's contain entries about owning 40 acres and using a bobcat.  And, this longing has continued to the present day.  So, for my birthday, I got part of my dream.  Of course owning 40 acres at this age, is not practical -- managing this wild and wonderful one acre on Hawaii's Big Island will be enough for a long time!  (The cat's owner, Danny, was kind enough to let me stage this photograph -- as a birthday photo op.)

A Very Bad Tree!

One of our 100' tall Albizia trees

When we bought our house in 2012, our realtor pointed out several lovely looking trees and warned us that we would want to have them removed.   WHY?  We asked.  Well, the Albizia is a fast growing tree that is invasive (weedy) in native ohia forests in Hawaii, especially in Puna on the Big Island. as well as on land disturbed by human activities. Albizia causes ohia to die off, and makes the environment more favorable for other invasive species (clidemia, guava, and possibly miconia and the coqui frog.)   (These trees were apparently imported from New Guinea or Solomon Island where they are cut down and used.)

Bad tree!  One tree can cover a whole acre!

Treated with poison, the tree dies fast.

Known as "The Tree that Ate Puna, "  the albizia's beautiful appearance is deceptive.  Their brittle wood and weak structure pose a hazard to nearby infrastructure. Cars and houses have been flattened, and people severely injured and nearly killed by these forest monsters.


This was particularly true in 2014 when Hurricane Iselle came ashore just a few miles from our house.  Hundreds and hundreds of these junk trees fell, causing power outages that for some residents lasted week
.
Recently the both the state and county agencies have united with Hawaii University and other concerned citizen groups to create programs to help eradicate these invasive trees.  Neighbors have attended seminars and have been provided with a new potent poison called "Milestone" that can kill a big tree in only one week!! This last week, we carefully applied just a few drops of this to another 100' tree, and in only a week, the top limbs and leaves are dying.

(Credit for aerial photos:  Big Island Now) 

 

Clowns to Left of Us...Jokers to the Right!!

HILDA on the way - never a dull moment!

'member that old song from the Stealers Wheel band....that was perhaps made more memorable as the song from "Reservoir Dogs" movie sound track??  (Hopefully someone besides me appreciates that dark cult favorite.)
 

Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,

 And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face, 

Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, 

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Grab the neighbors and go for a swim

Well ANYWAY -- that's how it feels out here in the middle of this BIG Pacific Ocean.  Last week, Guillermo headed right for us, then, veered to the RIGHT and after dumping a shit load of rain, moved on.  THIS WEEK, it is Hilda....and again, she's headed right for us, with a possibility of going off to the LEFT  (which of course we here in Puna hope...we hope...we hope.)

So, knowing this may all hit in 24 hours, we made two decisions:  First, get down to the ocean for a swim,  and second, come back and mow the yard before the storm hits.  Life is good!

P.S.  And, that's just what Hilda did -- veered left!   Whew!

 

Today's Harvest

Sometimes it is true:  A picture is worth a 1000 words. Today's Harvest is a good example; two white and one yellow pineapples, just in time for picnic gathering tomorrow with friends.

Out of over two dozen pineapples plants in our mini-orchard, we are delighted that more than half have been the coveted white ones.  Eat 'em, drink 'em, freeze 'em.   YUMMM!

Pineapple facts: Pineapple, Ananas comosus, is a tropical, herbaceous perennial and is the leading edible member of the Bromeliaceae family. During the seasonal bloom at 12-18 months of age, fruits start to grow from a central leader which puts forth an inflorescence of many small purple or red flowers.  As the stem continues to grow it produces at its apex a tuft of stiff, short leaves.

This will fully develop into the crown or top of the pineapple.  Hummingbirds are the principle pollinators of pineapple, which is why the importing of hummingbirds to Hawaii is forbidden. Pineapple that is not pollinated has no seeds and is obviously more desirable.  Propagation of pineapple is by new vegetative growth consisting of slips that arise from the peduncle just below the fruit, suckers that originate at the base of the plant and the crown of top of the fruit.   The core of some kinds of white pineapple are completely edible, and is not woody  like other varieties of pineapple.

Art, Music and ALOHA!!

Art by Donna Sellers - "Old Town Eureka Arts Alive"

Before retiring to the Big Island and applying for our "Punatic" citizenship, for 22 years we lived in Humboldt County's Victorian seaport -- Eureka, growing our gallery and art businesses.  We were there for the very first "Arts Alive" as well as the first Jazz Festival.




Many Hands Gallery is still located on the main corner (building is pictured above on the left.) We were thrilled to watch the revitalization of Eureka's Old Town district -- due in part to the participation of the community in the monthly "Arts Alive."

Now, we are here in charming Pahoa where the sidewalks are wooden and the amenities are stellar.  Rather than owning a gallery, we are enjoying retirement and still very much involved in creating art, tending our wild and wonderful one acre forest/jungle, and our three corgi dogs. 

We are encouraging our neighbors and friends to participate in Pahoa's VERY FIRST "Music and Art Walk" which will be the second Saturday of each month.


UPDATE:  We just got back from a fun few hours.  Great evening weather, music in front of all the businesses and restaurants, very nice selection of local art, shops and restaurants all open and busy.  We ran into lots of people we knew and a good time was had by all. 

MAHALO to organizers, artists, musicians and Pahoa Village merchants.

Blue Moon?

July 31, 2015 at Ahalanui - for moonlight swim

A Blue Moon, oddly enough, usually isn't really even blue, although it can be.  Blue Moons happen about every 2.9 years.  There was one in 2009, one for my birthday in 2012, and another just yesterday!!

Usually, however, the "blue moons" are not blue!  They are a glowing pale orange.  There are a couple of reasons that a moon will appear blue; one is related to volcanic activity.

WHAT?  Volcanic activity?!?  Maybe...because we live on Hawaii's Big Island, with active volcanoes, (one of which nearly divided our Pahoa Village in half!) we may get to see a TRULY  TRUE BLUE MOON in 2018 -- when there will be two in the same year!  Forest fires can also produce a refractive condition that can also cause the moon to appear blue.



One of our favorite places to enjoy the full moon is just a few miles away; a short drive down Mango Road, a turn onto the famous and beloved Red Road, to Ahalanui State Park -- a great place for a romantic night swim!  All three of these photos show were taken there -- some have been artfully adapted.  (Of course our other favorite spot for viewing the full moon is from our hot tub on the lanai.  :-)
 
A personal note about my infatuation with the moon follows:  My attraction began years before I discovered that the real name on my real birth certificate was spelled LUNEL!!  Just before I discovered this, however, I had made a series of five consecutive paintings, each symbolically illustrating my own waxing and waning during a difficult period of my life.  Shortly after that, I was invited to participated in my first one-woman exhibit that was entitled "I Sing the Moon." 

(There is a QUOTE that goes here....about the moon that I am looking for....and will insert it when I find it.  LUNEL)