Canned Foods Storage

Chris came by to take a look at the closet at the top of the back stairs, opposite the kitchen door. My intention is to clean it out & have him install shelves for storing the shelf-stable canned foods I will be working on with the Kohala 'Ono Food Hui next year. I will also have him put in 2 vents & a fan with a thermostat so that there can be good air flow to keep the storage space from overheating & shortening the life of the canned foods. He will also be insulating the ceiling & the east wall that gets full sun in the morning. He only took measurements today; the actual construction will likely start in September or so.

Shelves at back will be for storing canning pots & supplies. 

Shelves on this side will be sized for quart jars, fan will be at top left.

Shelves on this side will be sized for pint jars, intake vent will be at floor.

Floor space will be mainly clear for access.

When I fed Moʻo this morning, I noticed some movement in her water bowl. I looked closer & saw a bunch of mosquito larvae! I will have to empty her bowl out every couple days or so to keep them from maturing. Fortunately I can identify their pupal stage so I will know I had better empty her bowl or risk being bitten by the adult females!

The visitor profile at Lapakahi State Historical Park this morning was unusual. Up until about 10 am it was only swimmers! I saw Mia, Marona & Renee, Graham, Robert, & an unknown woman I had never seen before. Mia usually comes several times a week. Marona & Renee usually swim down from Māhukona but today wanted to explore the area south of Lapahaki so started from here. Graham & his wife Sherry come about twice a week & usually swim from Lapakahi to Māhukona, pick up their car there & drive back to Lapakahi to pick up their other car that is parked here. Robert comes to Hawaiʻi Island several times a year from San Francisco to volunteer at a soup kitchen & tries to swim somewhere every day while he is here. And I don't know anything about the unknown woman. 

Renee & Marona head to the water.

On Fridays, on my way home from Lapakahi, I stop at Our Founding Farmers & have ice cream for lunch! Mark uses fresh local fruit & does not use artificial sweeteners or food coloring. And its not a boiled vegetable so it is an allowed food for my diet... Besides, I only do it once a week.

Chocolate chocolate chocolate.

  

On Friday afternoons Marian & I get together so her dog Poppy & Moʻo can have a puppy play date! Marian has 4 acres, lots of fruit trees, & a large vegetable garden. Right now their ulu is starting to ripen so she gave me one to try. Ulu is a staple starch for many Pacific Islanders; since it is a carb I have not really sought it ought for my diet. But I always try things once; it should be ripe in a few days. FYI My standard carb is not rice, it is poi. I think that is due to spending a year in Kohala as a child & living in a place where kalo was grown by my grandfather & turned in to poi by a Hawaiian neighbor.

Young ulu fruit next to flowering bract.

Half-grown ulu fruit & flowering bract.

Mature ulu fruit near half-grown fruit & flowering bract.

Even though Guardians of the Ancient Oath does not have simplified Chinese subtitles, I can still recognize some Mandarin words & phrases. Today I heard "How about you?" & "Why?" in the conversations. 

你呢 （nǐ ne).

为什么（wèi shén me）.

Episode 51 of the eruption at Kīlauea is forecast to  begin some time  between the 9th & the 15th.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Marvetta & Michael!