Tomiko Sends Her Love!

I got a text from cousin Tomiko this morning; she sent me a link to an Instagram post she made a week ago. When I saw it last week, I ❤️️ it, but also wondered which uncle that was; I did not know any of my uncles were that involved with photography. It turns out it was Uncle Kazu!


When I told her I didn't know he was in to photography, she replied; "He had a darkroom set up! When I lived there the summer of 1995 he called (the landline) and in his brevity of speech said, I get sumting fo you. You come down. Something like that! And I got an enlarger that I printed with for months in the sewing room! Also a camera that I made a picture with that was in "Passage". I've been thinking of him a lot and then today I called my mom for her birthday and made her a print while she watched on Face Time and am rinsing it in this tray now."

The sewing room today, as it waits to become a full sized room.

I told her I would be seeing him in an hour and would tell him about using the tray. She sent me another link to a post she put up today. When I got to the hospital I read the Instagram post that Tomiko put up this morning to Uncle Kazu and showed him the photos that were attached; I'm not sure if he was conscious of what was going on but I went ahead as if he was. You never know what the human mind is capable of perceiving in situations like this. Here is what Tomiko wrote, "Dear Uncle Kazu, I'm thinking of you today and hope you are feeling peaceful and not in too much pain. Kinuko @kinuko425 will see you soon and I asked her to say hello from me, from us all. This morning I called mom for her birthday and made her a lumen print of a flower in the sun while we chatted on camera. I know she is worried about you, but didn't say anything. As I placed the print in the enamel photo tray you gave me, and use the same tongs you must have once used, I think on your long life and feel so lucky I might continue a tiny part of it by using your old tools (and retelling your fishing stories and my own of riding in your Willys jeep!) I'm so happy I saw you in November and thankful David @davidwebstertucker was there to help me get you into the car. We went to Minnie's and we had just finished the mahimahi plate, so ono! You agreed to sit for a picture, but then surprisingly declined mango ice cream, but told me to get some for myself, like you always tell Kinuko. I hope you have a nice visit. I'm sorry I can't come visit you now but sending so much aloha.
-—
Here are four pictures-you, the one of us together, the flower print I was making for mom today, and the tray in its first use in the new “home studio”.

At Minnie's, November 2019. (Photo by Tomiko)

After rereading "Passage", I am inspired to walk through the house and yard and show you a photo of the area as it is now. Here's the first one, the kitchen, which was the hub of a lot of family activities. I'm not sure what year Tomiko's photo was taken but it appears to have been taken later in the day; mine was in mid-afternoon. I took the kitchen curtains down a couple years ago when Chris first started working on renovating the house; I washed all the curtains. A couple never made it out of the washer, they were so old they disintegrated. The napkin holder is still here and being used! As well as the dish drain rack. The mug is still here, I just wasn't using it today. You wouldn't know it by looking at these photos but the back door is brand new as well as the wood on the kitchen cabinets; Chris did a great job recreating the feel of the old plantation workers house. Of course, the laptop is new. And the microwave at the right edge, it's new, even though it looks like the one in Tomiko's photo! I think this will be an interesting project.

From "Passage" by Tomiko.

The kitchen today.

The Saffron Finch was at it again this morning! It must be nesting under the eaves at Jessie's house; there was a nest there a couple years ago.

Twenty-eight minutes before sunrise; it seems to like being the early bird!

Two minutes after sunrise.

I have been erroneously accusing the Common Mynas of making a mess of the cat food on the front porch. I discovered today that the culprits are actually the House Sparrows! They hop around in the food bowl and when they take off they kick a lot of the dry kibble out of the bowl. I wonder what other critters I would find at the food bowl if I had a wildlife camera? Note to Self: Fill cat food bowl in late afternoon rather than first thing in the morning so the birds don't make a mess on the front porch!

The House Sparrows making a mess in the morning.

The House Sparrows at lunch; I think they were working on it while I was gone!

The mountain apple harvest this morning overwhelmed my little blue bucket. I also have a 5 gallon bucket but that would be just too much fruit to try to process or find someone close by whom I haven't already given fruit to. When I was at the top of the ladder I stopped when the bucket was full over the brim but still nicely balanced. When I got on the ground there was a bunch of nice big, ripe, juicy ones that I could reach from the ground so I picked them also; a few would not stay balanced so they are on the ground in the photo. I carried a bunch back to the house in a sling I made with the hem of my t-shirt.


By the way, I have a pair of shorts and t-shirt that I have designated as my hospital-visit clothes. I put them on just before I leave the house and take them off as soon as I get back. I don't even sit and eat lunch in them; I'm trying to keep them as clean as possible since I don't have a washer here and I don't want to be going in to Waimea just to have one clean set of clothes to go to the hospital in.

The red stuff is the bits of mountain apple too small to put in the dehydrator.

After lunch I started on the mountain apples; there were 36 of them today. There would have been more but I gave a dozen to Laurel when I picked her up to go to see Uncle Kazu; she said that is one of the fruit trees that is not growing on Uncle Kazu's property. It took me a little less than 2 hours to slice and arrange enough mountain apples to fill 9 trays for my dehydrator; I prefer to fill all 9 trays if I can. With the larger mountain apples, it takes slices from 2 of them to fill a tray; by the end it was taking slices from 5 of them to fill a tray. The final 3 mountain apples will get added to tomorrow's harvest; if they still don't get used they will become part of someone's prime rib dinner!

I start by washing all of them with a non-toxic soap.

I didn't notice the bird damage on the one on the right until I was washing it.

Rinsed and ready for slicing.

These are the pits from yesterday.

All done with slicing & filling the trays.

The pits from today join the rest of them.

The fully loaded dehydrator.

I made a casserole with some of the eggs that Toto gave me. Their yolks were very high and firm indicating their freshness but the color was paler than the egg that Grey left for me. I think Grey's egg was from a hen that was free range and Toto's chickens are not free ranging.

While the casserole was baking I did some chores around the house. When I went to put some cat food out I was pleasantly surprised to find a kitten sitting on the ramp, it's back was towards the door. I usually put my phone with the camera turned on over the edge of the window opening to see if someone might be at the food bowl, so my first photo of the kitten is at an awkward angle; but I took it any way, in case it fled. I slowly turned the phone, snapping away, until I got a more normal angle. I don't think the kitten realized there was a human behind the funny dark rectangle that was moving around, it just kept looking over its shoulder, then it slowly turned its head and looked over the other shoulder. Then back again. I think it was waiting for Mom Cat to tell it what it should be doing in this situation. I decided to open the door and pour some food in the bowl, loudly, so it would associate the food and me with the sound. It fled as I opened the door.

What's that noise?

Why is that thing there?

Maybe it will go away if I don't look at it.

Nope, still there!

Mom! What do I do now?

Today 21 new cases were reported for a total of 486 known cases of COVID-19. Of these, 44 required hospitalization; the death toll remains at 8 but now 300 people (62%) are no longer in isolation. On Hawaiʻi Island, there are 3 new cases but of all 34 known cases, 25 people (74%) have been released from isolation; which means there are only 11 currently symptomatic people on this island. Or 1 symptomatic person per 366 square miles, social distancing made easier! I continue to feel optimistic about the epidemiological curve. As testing continues, the rate of COVID-19 positive results has stayed relatively stable at 2.6%; though only 1.3% of the population has been tested. Since only people who are showing symptoms are allowed to get tested I am sure the incidence is higher, though by how much is anyone's guess.

Although there is still no data for about 100 cases, I am still encouraged by this graph.

Here's the answer to yesterday's question. Could you tell which panes were cleaned? Should I clean them all, inside and out? What do you think? The long term plan is for all the windows to be replaced with impact-resistant windows so they are safer during a hurricane. They won't be as strong as hurricane shutters, but with the age of the house and termite-damage in the walls, the hurricane shutters would still be standing as the walls collapsed around them in a hurricane! Besides, I would be able to watch what is happening as the hurricane passes through.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e ʻAnakē Florence & Eva May! Me ka Hauʻoli lā Hoʻomanao e Joanie & Doug!