Another Kona Low

In preparation for the Kona low storm that was predicted to arrive on Hawaiʻi Island early this morning, I closed all the south & west facing windows last night. It is so nice to have windows I can open & close effortlessly! Although it rained early this morning it was not the same intense rain event like they are having on Kauaʻi & Oʻahu. It was overcast but dry this morning, so I took advantage of the calm before the storm. I weed whacked the mālā kalo & lined it with cardboard. I watered the cardboard to get it to mold to the shape of the trench I had Fred dig for me over a year ago when he was putting in the cat fencing. I want the rain from the Kona low storm to soak it even more before I begin to add the mulch & plant the kalo.

Forgot to take photo before I weed whacked.

Hope cardboard keeps the weeds from coming back.

I want cardboard saturated before I add kalo.

I still had more charge left on the 1st battery for the weed whacker, so I cut the grasses around the edges of the planting area for the ʻohiʻa. I then spread out the cardboard to slow the weeds from crowding around the trunk of the ʻohiʻa. I will also let the coming rains soak the cardboard before I add the mulch.

Also forgot the before photo on this one.

I still had some charge left on the 1st battery & a fully charged 2nd battery, so I started on the driveway. There is an area just outside the garage that was covered with bricks; later David poured 2 concrete tracks for the tires from that brick pad out to the road. During the time that no one lived here, the bricks got covered with grass. Since I arrived a little over 4 years ago, my driving in & out has worn down some of the grass but a lot remains. Today I used the weed whacker to start to find the edges of the brick pad so I know how much work I have ahead of me!

Forgot to take a "before" photo for this also.

Seems over the years a lot of dirt has settled on the bricks.

Looking out at the brick pad from garage.

The Kona low storm had not arrived on Hawaiʻi Island by the time I went to bed. Today Kauaʻi got between 2.6" to 7", Oʻahu had between 3.8" to 4.9", & Molokaʻi had 2.15". Hawaiʻi Island had 1". Starting tomorrow evening there will also be a high wind watch on for the state. According to the weather report tonight the next round on Friday will be more intense. 

In the meanwhile, the eruption at Kīlauea has ended; it is not expected to be putting on another show until some time the end of March & into the 1st half of April. 

Hauoli lā Hānau e Ratna!   

IASA #4-4

Planted the 1st of the ʻohiʻa along the fence line.

 

IASA #4-3

With Mary Kay & Anne at Lapakahi State Historical Park.

 

Ten Years!

Wow! If I had not created a reminder on my Google calendar I would not have remembered that today is the anniversary of the start of this blog. I can't believe it has been 10 years since I started this. I also can't believe I am still doing this after 10 years! To go back to see the very 1st post that I put on this blog click here.

If you want to know what I have been up to recently, but don't want to read the details, go to the right hand column of the web page, scroll down to "Categories", & click on the one called "IASA". This is a weekly photo with a caption of the most interesting thing I did in the prior week. These posts started in 2022 when I moved permanently to Hawaiʻi Island. The current numbering system indicates that I have been here on Moku o Keawe for 4 years & however many number of weeks.

IASA #4-2

Practicing our knife skills in Extension Master Food Volunteer class.

 

IASA #4-1

Windstorm casualty; found it while cleaning up broken branches.

 

IASA #3-52

Windstorm on Monday broke off 4 branches from lychee.

 

IASA #3-51

A new niu has arrived! It will be put in the ground next week.

 

IASA #3-50

Desi from TX (L) & Janice from WA came for a visit this week.

 

IASA #3-49

 

Dr. Hicks checks Moʻo for her annual exam while Dana keeps her from moving too much.

IASA #3-48

 

New house number signage!

Persimmon Harvest

Jeremiah came over today & helped me pick the persimmons. He climbed into the tree again like last year. We got about 8.5 pounds this year. 

Small & not the prettiest looking but they taste great!

I picked up the dried grass clippings from Trudy's yard. I spread them out around one of the maiʻa; at the Super Soil Health Symposium in November they said to mulch the maiʻa heavily because that is how they grow best. I hope it works; they need to grow taller quickly so the cows can't reach the leaves & eat them.

When I went to return the tarp that the grass clippings were in, Trudy showed me some akulikuli starts that she was going to plant. She was a little disappointed that the flowers were single ones & not the thicker double ones used for lei. I wasn't sure what mine were, so I took photos of them when I got home & sent them to her. Turns out my dark pink one is single, the pink & light pink look like they are doubles. 

Dark pink.

Light pink.

Pink. That's what the labels said.

At this time of the year I am getting up about a half hour before the sun rises. It is still quite dark at that time. It was gray & overcast at sunrise & stayed that way for most of the day. A Kona low storm was supposed to arrive this afternoon but did not affect our part of Hawaiʻi Island. Before I go to bed tonight I will be closing all the south & west facing windows so if it arrives later tonight I won't have to jump out of bed & close those windows. Kona low storms usually blow in from the southwest with a lot of rain. 

Thirty minutes before sunrise, when I wake up.

Sunrise from my bedroom window.

The window for the start of Episode 40 of the eruption of Kīlauea has now been narrowed for between the 8th & the 13th.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Mary, Tom, Kristin, & Molly Mac! 

IASA #3-47

About a dozen of us helped make mochi for Oshogatsu at Kohala Jodo Mission.