Another Wildlife Uber

Alexis called yesterday; a Wedge-tailed shearwater chick needed a ride to the airport today. It works out really well for me when the cut-off time is around 9:30 a.m., which is what this morning's time was. This chick had been removed from its burrow in order to save it from the construction work that was going to destroy the burrow. It is now at the Hawai'i Wildlife Center, where it will be raised until it fledges, then released.


The 9:30 a.m. time works well for me; I can start my morning walk at my normal time. When I finish walking & doing my cool down stretches it is time for me to get on the road to Feather & Fur Animal Hospital in Kailua, about 30 minutes away; the freeway entrance is at the foot of the hill & I get right on. Today the pali was shrouded in clouds; thankfully there was no heavy rain last night to cause a landslide & block any of the lanes like there was yesterday. The other side of the Ko'olau Range was also cloudy.

My morning view.

On the Pali Highway looking northerly.

Looking at the windward side of the Koolau Range.

I made all my connections on time at the State Agriculture Department facility at the airport (where the animal is inspected) and at the Hawaiian Air Cargo facility (where the animal is prepared for shipment to Kona). From there I went straight back to Maunalani and got there in time for my mid-morning walk! There was a little bit of spritzing when I got there but it wasn't coming from the clouds in front of me, it was from the one behind me that was just coming over the Ko'olaus; I was probably looking at it when I was returning from picking up the chick. As I was walking on Maunalani Circle a large, noisy insect flew by me; it was a Carolina grasshopper, these were also in our mitigation sites in Washington.

The mid-morning sky.

The source of the drizzle.

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina).

When I am doing the evening shift I have lunch at home. Today I had a peanut butter & banana sandwich. But didn't take a photo of it. During the middle of the day I also take care of the laundry, I hung it out when I got back from my mid-morning walk; 2 hours later it was dry & I brought it back in & made my bed. Shiro got a bunch of fish-based cat food on my bedspread last night when he accidentally lay down in his food dish. I think he's legs were weak & he fell over rather than purposefully sitting in the dish. It was rather smelly!

Before I went to relieve Curtis, I did my afternoon walk. It's getting easier to do all my walks, so I must be getting more used to the physical exertion; and I am not feeling overly tired or sore the next day. Which makes me very happy! The only problem is I forgot today was Sunday, the day I switch to the new walking regimen as I increase my distances. This week I was supposed to start my 4.1 miles/day today; I only did 3.69 miles since my car was parked near the entrance for the upper parking lot. The Great Aloha Run course is 8.2 miles, so the 4.1 miles that I am trying to do daily this week is half of that distance. Even though I am not doing the entire distance at one time I think it is a good test to see if my body can handle the amount of exercise I am doing.

CNA Chivas is really great with Dad. Today is Bath Day and sometimes Dad gets cantankerous & doesn't want to take his shower. Chivas can usually cajole him in to taking his shower; but not today. They were able to get Dad up to use the toilet but after that he refused to take a shower. We'll try again on Wednesday.

For dinner Dad has an egg salad sandwich on order; tonight they also brought a regular dinner which consisted of Teriyaki steak, Steamed rice, Malibu blend veggies, Fruit salad with whipped cream, and Won ton soup. He said he wasn't hungry and ate nothing. But he drank all of both supplements; in about 10 days he will be weighed again so we can check how stable his weight has been.

Happy Birthday to Michael!