Hakamairi

I cut a bunch of heliconia this morning to take to the cemetery. Usually it is one of the first things I do, but with the quarantine things got a little messed up. When I went to Baban, Jichan, & Aunty Chiyono's grave I found the poinsettia that Leilani had brought last December had been knocked over and the plastic pot it was in had blown away. But it was hanging in there, growing on its side without a pot for a while; the new growth was about an inch long and very full & healthy! I set it upright and watered it; I will be getting a new, heavier pot for it.

The portulaca on Grandma & Grandpa's grave is doing well.

So is the one on Baban, Jichan, & Chiyono-san's grave.

This is an amazing poinsettia!

Can you tell which direction the prevailing wind is coming from?

The PVC inserts keep the flowers in place better.

I woke up at birdrise as usual. And went back to sleep as usual. I woke up again when my alarm went off. But unlike usual, I went back to sleep; I needed to recover from yesterday! Driving long distances does a number on my back, which affects my sleep. And is also why the red lava rock is still in the back of the car.

Birdrise, thirty-one minutes before sunrise.

Thirty-three minutes after sunrise; I hit snooze a couple of times.

Sixty-two minutes after sunrise; I finally get out of bed. Still kinda looks the same. Overcast.

Here's my list for yesterday. Red "X'" means I finished it. I always put more on the list than I can do.

The weather got a little nicer as I got out to cut the heliconia for the Ohaka. I harvested the stalks with flowers and also removed them from the center of the heavenly bamboo clump; I cut them down at the ground level. I chose the right time to start my outdoor errands, as I was finishing up and got back to the house it started to drizzle; another reason the red lava rock stayed in the car.

Looking out the back porch at 10:31 am.

The same view at 4:23 pm.

After the cemetery, I went to the transfer station. In the rural areas of this island they don't drop off your mail or pick up your rubbish; you are responsible for taking care of both of those things. But they make it easy, the transfer station is open from 6 am to 6 pm every day, including most holidays. And so is the area of the post office where you pick up your mail.

Here are people throwing their rubbish down the chute.

There are some limitations at the more rural transfer stations.

Here is where you take the recyclables that the county won't take.

I frequently pair my dump run with a visit to Sunshine True Value since its just down the hill. Today I needed a round point shovel and a bunch of other things. Including the red lava rock. In anticipation of me, Jake ordered more than his usual 10 bags. Today there were 15 bags; I was a little concerned about the weight. It turns out each bag is 18 pounds, so that's 270 pounds; about the same as one big friend or two scrawny ones.

The shovel selection; I got a D-handle one so the temptation to use it as a pry bar is gone.

Jake helps load the red lava rock; the cart has the rest of my purchases.

Jake loaded my box of other purchases in to the back seat of the car. He commented on how clean it was for a rental car! I told him the story about what happened the last time I was here and how the island manager found out and made sure the car was super clean for me this time!

Yesterday I saw a recipe for Cookie Dough Bread, which is apparently going viral. I think part of it is because it is made without flour which is apparently being hoarded by some people. I'm not sure why people are getting in to a baking frenzy while they are confined. May be they are baking comfort foods? At any rate, I decided to try it since it is low carb and I had all the ingredients: eggs, baking soda, nut butter, & chocolate chips. My chocolate chips are no-sugar added so they are very low carb.

Here's the recipe. My review follows.

They said to beat with whisk until peaks form. I don't think you can do that by hand with whole eggs.

After nut butter is incorporated, add chocolate chips; then bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

What happened to my chocolate chips?

They sank to the bottom since I could not get the eggs to form peaks.

I think this Cookie Dough Bread was a flop! It is definitely not decadent! I can whip egg whites with a whisk until they form peaks but the "contamination" by the yolks makes it impossible to do here. Maybe if you use a hand mixer you could do it; which is why my chocolate chips sank to the bottom. Also, since both my nut butter and chocolate chips are no sugar added, it was very not "decadent". (But I suppose they could be using a definition of decadent that I am unfamiliar with.) Next time I will add some no carb sweetener when I make this. With a hand mixer.

After dinner I decided to see how the Command hook worked. They advertise their products as damage-free. Its a very interesting product. The adhesive pad looks like a thick high quality double stick tape, which I guess it is technically. But to remove it you pull the special tab straight down the wall about 15 inches and it supposedly releases without damaging the wall. I place the hook on the frame of the window by the bathroom sink; the towel to dry your hands will be hung there.


Here is the calendar showing our cases of COVID-19 for the month of May (almost). I had quickly looked at the March page earlier searching for some other information; it looks quite different than this. Not only in the number of cases but in how I was tracking things then. I will have to go back and fill in all the days like I have been doing. I will also go back and complete April. When they're done I will show you what has happened over time.


There were another 3 new cases of COVID-19 reported today; but again due to a data correction, the total known cases is now 651. Two of the new cases are on O'ahu, 1 is on Maui. The number of deaths and hospitalizations remains the same. The number of people released from isolation also still remains the same at a little over 93%.

Area of residence for cases occurring in the past 28 days.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e George!