Calamansi Pie Wars!

Actually more like Gecko Wars Over the Calamansi Pie. I have discovered that the Gold Dust Day Geckos (Phelsuma laticauda) also like my calamansi pie. I have had to resort to covering the pie with a fly screen, then blocking off the bottom edges with dishtowels to keep them out. Today it took a gecko 37 minutes to find out there was a pie on the table. Then for 16 minutes it searched for a way in before it found the deficiencies in my placement of the dishtowels. 

The gecko exclusion set up.

The intruder.

Looking for a way in.

That sure smells good!

Oh, oh! I've been spotted!

Let's try this way.

How about here?

Nope, this isn't the way.

Finally! I made it in!

New! Improved! gecko exclusion set up.

This morning, Tomiko went to Waimea to do an informal coffee talk at Kahilu Theater. Boyd & Becky, who were not able to make it to her opening due to being off-island, were able to make it to this event. Later they went out to lunch at Big Island Brewhaus. Tomiko ended up staying in Waimea to complete a catalog for another show she will be doing later in the year.

Boyd, Becky, & Tomiko. (Photo by Tomiko)

I saw Dolly & her chicks this morning; there are now only 3 chicks. But they are getting larger, hopefully they will make it to the next stage. I also saw Sugar & Spice, Henrietta's surviving chicks that are now fully feathered. I think they might be roosters; it looks like their tail feathers are continuing to grow. Any day now they might start to crow; it ranges from 2 months to 9 months but is typically between 4 & 5 months. Sugar & Spice are now almost 4 months old. 

Dolly & her chicks.

Sugar & Spice.

I needed a 9" graham cracker pie crust in order to make the calamansi pie. During the errand run to Takata, we also stopped at the post office to pick up Moʻo's new bag of freeze-dried beef food topper that I get monthly from Badlands Ranch. We also went to Rainbow Café; Kai said he wanted to check out their bubble tea but got a mango smoothie instead. I tried their li hing lemonade.

Mango Smoothie.

Li Hing Lemonade.

After the calamansi pie was completed, Kai & I took it to the Kohala Jodo Mission & placed it in the freezer for the potluck that will be held after the Obon service this Saturday. Although I have some space in my freezer for it, if I store it at the church I know I won't forget it on Saturday. I'm hoping it doesn't disappear before then; the freezer is in an unsecured, open air garage & there have been problems before with things disappearing. 

Hope its still here on Saturday!

Then we went to lunch at Gill's Lanai. We decided to try the Bánh Mì with the fresh catch of the day which was ahi; the other options were barbecue pork or tofu. I can wholeheartedly recommend the purple sweet potato salad that came with the meal. The bánh mì though was not very authentic; the bread did not have a crisp exterior with soft, airy interior, the pickled vegetables were just barely noticeable, there was very little cilantro & no jalapenos, & no option for a fried egg. Because I chose the fish option it did make for a good fish sandwich though at tourist prices. (I did not do the barbecue pork since it was western style, not Chinese style barbecue pork.) 

Its always been an open air venue, even pre-COVID.

I got an email this afternoon, notifying people that the July Leeward Planning Commission meeting has been cancelled. There will apparently be no quorum for the meeting. Our next meeting will be in August.

In the late afternoon I finally got around to setting up the LalaHome RealFountain; I had picked it up from the post office on the afternoon that Kai & Rei arrived so have had no time to work on it until today. I had backed it via Indiegogo for $200, if I bought it now the regular price would be over $300. Yes, it is expensive, but if it encourages the cats to drink more water, especially Hoʻokoa & ʻAlani, its worth it. About 18 months ago Hoʻokoa spent 3 days at the emergency vet for a blockage caused by crystals in his urine. He is now on a special prescription diet to change the pH of his urine to reduce crystal formation & I was told to do everything possible to encourage him to drink more water. I was told that ʻAlani & all male cats are prone to having similar problems due to their anatomy. It cost over $1000 for Hoʻokoa's hospital stay (& he almost went in to kidney failure) so I will gladly pay $200 for a water fountain that encourages them to drink more water!

Unboxing.

In operation, need a cat for scale.

We were going to have tamales for dinner, but Kai was not feeling well. He has a fever of 102'F, is feeling lethargic, & has a lot of muscle aches & pains. We'll test for COVID-19 tomorrow if he is still feeling under the weather. In the meanwhile, we are taking precautions against both COVID & the flu. Since it was only me I ended up eating the egg whites from the calamansi pie making. I mix the 4 whites with Tajin & a little fish sauce & pop it in the oven while the pie is baking. I top it with hoisin sauce so its not as bland as you would think it would be. 

The ramekin is only about 3" in diameter.

There is more visible activity at Kīlauea; it is especially visible at night. But still no precursory activity. We were thinking about heading to the volcano tomorrow but with Kai not feeling well & Tomiko possibly not being done with her work, we may have to skip it this week & hope for another chance next week.

Activity around 8:45 pm. (Screen shot from USGS livecam)

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Jessica, Zsofia, Jill, & Molly Mahalo!