Dear Family & Friends,
For my 1st full calendar year of living on Hawaiʻi Island, I spent it mainly figuring out the harvest times of the 13 fruit trees Grandpa & Grandma had planted. Being the nerdy science-type, I also kept track of how much they produced. So far in 2023 I have harvested 36# banana, 302# mountain apple, 142# jaboticaba, 10# dragonfruit, & over 128# calamansi (season still going). I hope to have my 1st harvest of persimmons this year; thanks to Google I found out the key is to pick them when they are still half green so the birds don't get them first!
Last year I learned how to make jam. This year I experimented with Pomona Pectin which uses a calcium solution to gel; it can eliminate the need for sugar & requires less boiling which allows the fruit taste to be more prominent. I made over 40 jars of jam. I also donated fruit to the Kohala Food Hub for the senior & low income food baskets. And I gave a bunch of fruit to Mark who sells yummy home-made ice cream at his shop in Hawi; in return I get free ice cream or sorbet when I stop by Our Founding Farmers. In all, I gave away 84% of the fruit harvested.
My 1st visitor this year was Chris in January. She had originally planned to stay for a week but she developed COVID-19 the 3rd day of her trip & stayed an extra week while in isolation. Later in January I visited with Will, Theresa, & their family who were staying in Kona. I also had a whirlwind visit with Lani who was in Kona for a day. In mid-March I flew to Moloka'i to visit with Crilly & Martha who were celebrating Crilly's retirement. In late March, Anne came with Catie to help her get established on Hawai'i Island. Catie stayed for about 3 weeks until she found a place in Kona; Anne stayed with me 2 more weeks while helping Catie find a vehicle & furnish her place. Yvonne & Josh stayed for a night in June while traveling around the island. I saw Nawo, Heidi, Carmel, & Eva twice in September when they were staying in Kona. In October Terri was here for a couple of weeks; the main goal was to attend the Hawai'i Island Festival of Birds. Among other things, we also did a couple of birding hikes, went to Pu'uloa petroglyph field, & Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the U.S.
Kai came for a short visit in February since he didn't really have a vacation last October when he developed COVID-19 the day after he arrived. I went to Washington with him to once again help him find new housing.; the previous place turned out to be a nightmare. The landlord liked him but had frequent screaming matches with 2 other tenants right outside Kai's bedroom window. He is now living in Anacortes in a much better situation with the landlord & housemates though it is far from his providers & friends. He came back in July for a longer visit during Obon. Here he is with Ellen waiting for the service to start.
During his February visit, Kai & I had dinner with CA cousins Mona & Mike just before we boarded the plane for Seattle; they were in Kona for only a few days so it was the only time we could get together. WI cousin Tomiko came in July shortly after Obon to do a ceremony for Uncle Orv's 7-year nenki. She made a yukata with help from friend Annie, then coated it with cyanotype reagents & later exposed it to the sun while walking in to the ocean. In early December, I saw cousin Beryl who was in Hilo helping Aunty Doris after cataract surgery; Beryl is now living in TX.
Since I got the harvest schedule figured out, I decided to do some volunteering. I spend 2 half days a week at the Lapakahi State Historical Park as a docent, am on the North Kohala Community Development Plan Advisory Group's subcommittee on Culture & History, & am on the Hawai'i Wildlife Center's Wheels 4 Wildlife and Wildlife Response & Rescue teams. The photo is of the Culture & History group visiting the pōhaku at a sacred site.
In late January the house was repainted, the home insurance company's continental office refused to renew my policy if it was not done. I went with the original color, British Racing Green, which is called Parker Ranch Green on this island. In June the house was fumigated for termites. I probably should have done it earlier since it had been 8 years since it was last done! Because I waited so long there has been some additional termite damage from the new infestation.
Just before the end of 2022, I got a 3-month old puppy! Mo'o is a Catahoula-Airedale-pit bull mix. She & the indoor cats get along well; though she is intimidated by the feral outdoor cats. Catahoulas were bred to hunt pigs & she does a good job letting the local feral pigs know she is here; they no longer come near the fence when she is outdoors. Catahoulas like to chew on wood; she has been learning that door jambs are not OK to chew. So far she has chewed through 3 collars, 2 cone collars, a leash, & a vinyl-coated metal tie-out cable (see photo). She is smart & has quickly learned to stay away from the driveway gate when the car goes in or out; she has chosen to lie down in the shade of either the kokutan bush or puakenikeni tree until the gate is closed again.
The feral kittens have become fairly well-adjusted cats over this last year. 'Ōhuna has warmed up to me & she even let Kai pet her briefly! Siblings 'Alani & Pa'ipa'i are a little chubby, while siblings Ho'okoa & 'Ōhuna are a healthy weight. Pa'ipa'i has subluxated kneecaps so she appears to occasionally limp & 'Ōhuna's nervous nature has caused her to have an idiopathic urinary tract irritation. I let them out of their room for short periods of time; they respond to voice commands in Hawaiian to return to their room when play time is over. Photo is of dog gate in foreground & 6-foot high metal cat gate in background.
Hope all is well with you & your family!
A hui hou! Mālama pono!
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