Still Doing Good on LPG

I last filled the propane tank up in January 2023 or about 20 months ago so I checked it today & was pleasantly surprised by how much gas there was. But I probably shouldn't be so surprised; I had a demand water heater installed before I moved in so that water would only be heated when it was being used. Unlike the old heater which heated water for the 50 weeks of the year that no one was here as well as the 2 weeks when we would come for Obon. Both the heater & the stove also have piezoelectric starters so there are no pilot lights constantly burning gas while waiting for either one to be turned on.

On December 23, 2022.

Getting ready for a refill on January 28, 2023.

Today the 200-gallon tank was at about 45%. At the current rate, I could probably go for nearly another year before I need to refill the tank! I think I will check at the change of each season to see where its at. I'm calling this one the Fall Equinox check.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Kathy & Griffin!

Ridiculous Movies: Under Paris

I was tired when I got back from Lapakahi today. I had stopped at Aloha Burger for a keiki burger & also got a keiki size ice cream from Our Founding Farmers for lunch. When I got home I spent some time on my laptop replying to a bunch of emails from today that needed responses; that doesn't usually happen. It was like being back at work again! Auē! I nodded off towards the end I was so tired. I think part of it was being in the heat at Lapakahi; it really drains my energy.

At any rate, for whatever reason, I decided to watch a ridiculous movie after my impromptu nap. And Under Paris popped up as the number one pick on Netflix. The blurb said, "Hitting the Top 10 in 93 countries in its first week, this horror about a shark in the Seine is 'worthy of swimming in the wake of 'Jaws'" raves Variety." I assumed it would be about some very intelligent Great White like many of the other shark villain movies since Jaws so I was surprised to see a Mako when the shark finally appeared on screen; I thought it was just inaccurate shark footage until later in the movie when the protagonist identified it as a Mako. My bad for assuming it was going to be a Great White. 

Besides the shark developing very sophisticated organs in one generation, as well as extreme growth, parthenogenetic reproduction, & changing its reproductive strategy, it is also very intelligent & revenge-oriented. In the finale, as the military is trying to shoot the shark as it races down the Seine towards the ocean, they inadvertently hit some old World War II ordnance that is in the river, it explodes, setting off a chain reaction of explosions down the Seine, & a large wave comes racing upstream. Earlier in the movie they had alluded to locks on the Seine at the mouth, so I think they were implying the explosions blew the locks so now the sea is rushing in to Paris! At least the end of the movie shows Paris flooded so I assume that is what they were trying to convey.

The shark's "nest".

The sharks surrounding the protagonists in flooded Paris.

The Eiffel Tower standing in the flood.

One problem though; rivers flow down gradient. So locks at the mouth of a river would be to retain water in the river not prevent the ocean from rushing in. If the locks really had blown out, in the final scene the protagonists would have been high & dry & the multitude of sharks circling them would have been flopping around on a damp river bed. 

I did some fact checking later. Here is what I discovered. There are a series of 4 locks on the Seine before it reaches Paris which is about 277 miles from the mouth & about 79 feet above sea level. So, yeah, sharks definitely would have been flopping around on a damp riverbed. The movie did get it right that there are a lot of bridges in Paris crossing the Seine, 37 according to Wikipedia. 

As for the shark itself, Makos are pelagic sharks that do not live in freshwater or make 'nests' as suggested in the movie. They also do not reproduce parthenogenetically. What can I say, Hollywood biology & ocean science! My bad for watching a ridiculous movie & expecting it to adhere to reality.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Keith & Sumit! A me ka Hauʻoli lā Hoʻomanaʻo Makahiki ʻumi e Kai & Percy!

IASA #2-36

Helco upgraded service to all houses here; Nick hooks up new line.

 

IASA #2-35

Found this large opihi shell in remains of old compost pile by back fence.

 

IASA #2-34

At Kukuipahu Heiau celebrating Fall Equinox with Aunty Hope's halau & lineal descendent Lehua (far R).

 

First Maiʻa Planted

I planted one of the maiʻa (banana) this morning; that's as much as I want to push my back after 2 previous days doing a bunch of bending & squatting. One maiʻa a day means that they will all be planted out by Monday morning. It will also give me time in between to remove the weeds between the planting holes, cover the ground around the plant with cardboard, & then cover the cardboard with mulch without overdoing it.

Partially covered with cardboard; waiting for mulch.

The original photo I took of the mai'a planting had a problem so I went out in the early evening to take another photo. While I was outside I noticed a different truck on the Surety property. It was Stacyson & friends; some logs had dropped off of their trailer & they were reloading them. I gave him the pot of Bun Long kalo; he was very happy to get another variety for their lo'i.

Most of the fence has been installed along the back. The remaining parts are the 2 short sections to reconnect the side fence to the back fence & block the gap by the rock wall & chain link fence so that Moʻo can't squeeze through there.

Stretching the fencing material at about 10 this morning.

An hour later they were attaching the wire mesh to the fence posts.

They notched fallen panax log so bottom of fence would lay closer to the ground.

At end of the day, looking southerly at Jessie's back fence.

Looking northerly.

I have bundled up all the laʻi leaves; all 1050 of them! They are now hanging in the garage drying. And looking somewhat like bundles of tobacco leaves in a drying shed. There are 925 leaves from the large green Kamehameha variety laʻi & 125 from the narrow-leaved red laʻi.  This should last me for a couple years of school tours at Lapakahi!

The 1050 laʻi leaves.

These few will go in to compost pile when it is re-established.

This morning Owen had to trim back one of the laʻi in order to get the fencing material over the fence posts to stretch it. I just had him cut it in to 3 to 4 foot long lengths & stuck them in a bucket. I did not want to bundle more leaves to dry! After a couple of weeks they should have started to send out roots; I can just stick them in the ground since the fence should be completely done by then. Hopefully the wet season will also have started by then so I won't have to water them daily to keep them from dying.

Owen cutting the large Kamehameha la'i stalks up for me.

Dane called this morning. He needed someone to lock the gate at Lapakahi this evening; he was off & the private security company is no longer doing it while they renegotiate the contract. So I went and locked it about 6 pm.

I went that late because I went to sit in on Uncle Jeff's Kukakuka with Kalani program on KNKR 96.1 lpfm. Tonight his guest were Toni & Cheryl, talking about Mālama Māhukona.

(L to R) Jeff, Toni, & Cheryl.

That disorganized low that was moving southerly of us has totally disbanded & no longer shows up on the Central Pacific Hurricane Center map. But Hurricane Helene in the Atlantic is headed for Florida with sustained winds up to 130 mph which would make it a Category 4. And if it turns to the west & avoids Florida, it could still easily get Alabama, Georgia, & Louisiana. The nice things about hurricanes headed towards Hawaiʻi is that if it misses, it usually has nothing else to hit in its path. 

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Mimi, Bill, & Yvonne!

Posts Are In Place

The metal fence posts along the back of the property are in place; it looks like all the wooden posts along this section of fencing are also in place. I did see, however, that it looks like there will be a gap between the end of the side fences & the back fence; I will have to talk to Travis or Owen tomorrow. If you're wondering why the fencing progress is going so slowly, it's because this last section has about 1100 feet  remaining. I only account for about 80 feet of it so its not like they are going to drop everything & just do my part; I would prefer if they do it properly & close my part off when it is the right time in the process.

Looking northerly along the fence line.

The Mo'o-sized gap at the northeasterly corner.

A Google map with measurements overlaid to show about how much more remains.

I started tying up the laʻi in bundles of 25 & hanging them in the garage to begin the drying process. The greenest ones are being hung closes to the easterly wall which gets really warm on sunny days; it should enhance the drying. For today I bundled up 300 green & yellow leaves; there's still a bunch more to do.

The 300 Kamehameha la'i leaves drying in garage.

Tomorrow's task.

The pot by the maiʻa is galangal.

I put out flags to mark where I think I will plant the maiʻa along the back fence. I am leaving about 2&1/2 feet to the fence for them to expand in to.

They're about 3 feet apart in the row.

Sort of shows where they are in relation to the fence.

I took a break from gardening & looked over the details of the window purchase with Ryan. I later signed the purchase agreement; then sent a check from my HELOC account to Diamond Head Windows via certified mail. Once he receives the check, Ryan will send the purchase agreement to the manufacturer; then he will give me a tentative date that the windows will be delivered to the house.

Around here, hapuʻu grows like a weed! These are volunteer hapuʻu seedlings (sporelings?) along the path in the anthurium garden. I need to dig them up an pot them so I can easily move them & give them to people.

While in the garden area, I also checked on the Bun Long kalo. I had seen Loa about 3 weeks ago at the Night Market; he & Stacyson were selling the Go Kalo! cards that the Naʻau ʻŌiwi students had developed as part of their studies. When he found out I had Bun Long, he asked if I could spare some huli for their loʻi; they do not have that variety. Turns out I have 3 pots & one is very much in need of being repotted. That's the one I am donating to Naʻau ʻŌiwi.

I think there are 7 corms in there.

According to the CPHC, that low pressure disturbance is now about 550 miles southeast of Hilo. It is still moving westerly at about 10 mph. And still expected not to become more developed as a storm system.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Naomi & Roxanne!