Delivery Day

Since Wednesday is HPM's day for deliveries to sites in Kohala, the holidays delayed things for 2 weeks! Materials for the renovation of the sewing room arrived this afternoon. Since the sewing room is closer to the front yard than to the garage, Chris had them drop things off in the front yard. Most of it is between the puakenikeni tree & calamansi & covered with a tarp; the footing blocks & decking are in separate piles that will be moved tomorrow. And I still have a place to park the car in the front yard.

This morning I met with Jaime & Dane at Lapakahi State Historical Park; Fred also met us there. Jaime is going to work with Fred to have the restoration area fenced off from the goats. Brad & Sam were also there to check out the proposed planting area. Based on input from Fred, the original footprint of the planting area has changed from what Jaime & I thought was a doable area; it is now larger.

(L to R) Fred, Jaime,  Brad discussing the new fence.

Looking along the tentative location for front of fenced area.

Later in the afternoon, I ordered a new Genie Hand for the Cat Genie; the scrubber that is under the rotating basin is added free to the order. I really only need the scrubber for both units so will end up with 2 extra Genie Hands. The cost for the hands & scrubbers is $50 which is a little steep but I really like how well the Cat Genie handles wastes from 4 cats. The shipping though is a killer: $117.44! I could not believe it; the customer service rep I got on the phone to complain that there must be a mistake said it was because it was being shipped to Hawaiʻi. I know shipping to Hawaiʻi is a little more expensive, but shipping for the entire Cat Genie, which weighs about 35 pounds & is in a very bulky box, was only $105.24. And the cost for the quarterly shipment of granules & cartridges is only $52.46 for about a 13 pound box. I still think there is a mistake since 2 Genie hands & scrubbers weigh only about a pound. But I really need those scrubbers to keep the Cat Genie from making a horrendous sound with the damaged scrubber that is currently being used.

For an item weighing a couple pounds at most.

For a 13 pound box.

For a 35 pound box.

In contrast, when I ship things I look for the least expensive way to send; I use Pirateship.com. It will give you shipping rates cheaper than the USPS Priority packages; & you can even use the USPS packages! The trade-off is that you have to print your own labels; but I can handle that for the savings I gain. (I use scrap paper & rubber cement which is much cheaper than ready-made self-stick adhesive labels.) Currently the USPS Priority letter size envelope costs $10.45 via USPS; with Pirate Ship it is $9. The medium USPS Priority box is $19.35 with USPS & $16.85 with Pirate Ship. The graphics below show what I did during the calendar year for 2024; the high shipping point in July is because Kai sent his friends some made-in-Hawaii commodities while while here (Kaʻū coffee & Honokaʻa chocolate). 

The NKCDP Access group held a joint meeting with the NKCDP Growth Management group to discuss 2 projects on the shoreline that have been in the works for 10 or more years. The issues for these adjacent properties is that there are an abundance of archaeological & historic sites along the shoreline including the Ala Loa Trail & other historic trails that are protected by kingdom law that has been incorporated into current law, i.e., those trails have been around  & in use for a long time! It was a very interesting meeting to hear the history of the projects, what they have been doing to meet all the criteria needed, & where they are currently at. Needless to say the meeting went a little longer than usual.

I went to the Night Market after the meeting; I had to pick up 2 North Kohala calendars from Kimi. The calendars have photos of North Kohala locations & events; it is also a fund raiser for The Kohala Reunion that is held every 5 years & will be this year! I also had a smoke meat bao for dinner.

I had the smoke meat bao tonight.

Kīlauea is still on pause.

Hauʻoli lā Hoʻomanaʻo makahiki hoʻokahi haneli iwakāluakūmālima of the 1st Okinawans arriving in Hawaiʻi in 1900!

Chris Takes a Break

Every other Tuesday, Chris takes a break from work & gets a massage. I think it is a really good thing that he is doing for himself. Especially since he has a job that requires a lot of physical activity. And also since his weekends are spent working on his house that still needs renovation so he doesn't really get a break on the weekends.

Because Chris was not working here today, his truck was not in the driveway. I asked Emily if she could switch her mowing to today instead of yesterday. It worked out great since her kids were still on winter break yesterday; school started up for them today. Win-win! Since Emily comes every other week to mow the lawn, we agreed in 2 weeks she should also come on Tuesday since I think Chris will still be working on the house then.

Before he left yesterday, Chris also finished the installation of the replacement window in the toilet stall out in the garage.When Grandpa had the garage built he included a window in both the toilet stall as well as the shower stall. I'm glad he did! 

I like to see the hapuʻu outside the window.

Yesterday I installed the planter I got from Kathy; I also attached the Neighborhood Watch sign on the uphill end. I had filled it up with 2 large bags of potting soil; I had calculated the amount needed from measuring the planter. But it looks like I still need more soil. 😕

In the evening, I went to the North Kohala Community Development Plan Advisory Group meeting. The NKCDP Advisory Group is not a County-sanctioned group; those are the Action Committees. In the beginning of the process, which I think was 2009, North Kohala did have an Action Committee. To be on it you had to be appointed by the Mayor & meetings were convened by county planning staff; if there was no staff available the meetings did not happen. In order for community members in attendance to speak they had to fill out a form before the meeting started; when it was their time to be called they had 3 minutes to speak. The action committees also followed Roberts Rules of Order & public notification protocols. Because the action committee could not meet without a planning staff person available, as things progressed & staffing became a problem, the monthly meetings became quarterly meetings. The North Kohala community leaders decided that was too long to wait in order to get things accomplished. So North Kohala withdrew from the action committee & formed the Advisory Group.

The Advisory Group is set up much like the action committees are; there is a chair & vice-chair, there must be a quorum for any actions the committee takes to be official, & actions are decided by a vote of the majority; but they do not use Roberts Rules of Order. For a community member to speak, you need to raise your hand & be called upon by the chair; you can speak for more than 3 minutes within reason. As for public notifications, every month there is an article in the Kohala Mountain News detailing what was covered in the meeting & provides the date for the next meeting of each subcommittee as well as the Advisory Group. Meeting dates are also included in the calendar published in KMN. Since every edition of KMN is distributed in each mailbox in the Kapaʻau and Hāwī post offices, as well as available for free at newspaper stands at the 3 grocery stores in North Kohala, the public notification is actually more widespread than what the action committees in other districts are able to accomplish via the county website email notifications. And the Advisory Group & subcommittees have accomplished quite a lot since 2009; some subcommittees more than others. In fact, the advisory group method has been so successful, several other districts are looking at the Advisory Group as a model for what they would like to see happen in their areas. 

The Culture & History group is included in Biocultural Stewardship.

Joe leads one of the early meetings. (From website)

Kīlauea is still on pause.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Ben & The Most Excellent Cook!

Back Porch Window Now In

Because of all the termite damage in the mid-1960's era back porch window, Chris had to remove the rotted & termite-eaten wood & rebuild the framing. He had started the removal last Friday & purchased more wood for the reconstruction. This morning he began the reconstruction. I had asked him to enlarge the opening & install a larger window to get more airflow through here; the hot air in the afternoon would collect at the top of the stairs near the kitchen door. The old single-hung window that only opened at the bottom has been replaced with a double-hung window so the top portion can now open & let out the hot air more efficiently.

Old window & termite damage removed & opening enlarged.

New window installed.

Chris' work area.

I moved Moʻo to the front yard; she was either too close & getting in Chris' way when he had to walk from the work area inside the garage to the outside of the garage to work on the windows. Or, when I moved her farther away, she would get herself wound around too many trees or snag the tie-out on the rocks around the jaboticaba. In the front yard there are not as many obstacles. She has still managed to get herself all tied up ... on the tie-out. I have no idea how she did this!

Got herself wound around the tree.

How does she manage to tie knots in the cable?

Kanani & Lehua stopped by to take a look at the wood & the crates. We have now revised the work for the Front Porch. Next week Boyd & I will disassemble the 2nd crate & pile all the materials where the 1st crate is. Then in early June, Kanani & Boyd will build the Front Porch in my garage. By then the windows should all be installed so I can move the car back to the east side of the garage & the west side will be available for the Front Porch construction. Stay tuned for updates! 

I did not post yesterday; not much happened. The Jachnun from Motek Bakery was the highlight of the day! It does not look like any of the photos you may have looked at on Saturday, but it still tasted as expected.

Kīlauea is still paused. The volcanologists have not declared the eruption over yet, they still seem to think it might have a little more left.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Kai's Subaru Outback! It is now 9 years old.

Why Am I Building a Cat Yard?

Because I woke up one morning to see this! In the 2 & 1/2 years that I have had the cats, they have totally ripped out the screen on the window & broken through the chicken wire twice. Building a completely fenced area to allow them time outdoors, but also keeping them safe from the road & wandering hunting dogs, is very important to me. This is Hoʻokoa, but I have also seen ʻŌhuna & ʻAlani doing similar things.

The sound of his left hind foot slipping off the window sill is what woke me up.

Boyd & I finished deconstructing one of the window crates. Not sure if we will be able to get together again tomorrow to start on the other crate. Our goal is to have both crates disassembled by the 13th when we have a meeting with Kanani, who will be building the Front Porch. 

Tonight's email from Motek Bakery about tomorrow's breakfast special introduced a new item: Jachnun. It sounds interesting; I will try it!

From Motek email.

Also from Motek email.

I found a really interesting series on Netflix called, You Can't Ask That. It is an Australian production highlighting people from marginalized groups. I am part way through Season 1 (of 7, though I don't know how many are available through Netflix) & intend to watch all of them. Since they are asking multiple people the same questions, there is a range of responses. All of which are correct. If you decide to check it out, let me know what you think.

I got my annual Duolingo "report card" today. I says I did pretty good in 2024. Don't know how I will do in 2025; some things have changed with the app. Like I can no longer choose to do a lesson to gain "hearts" so I can stay on the app longer; I am time limited. (Alternatively, I could pay real money to not be limited by hearts.) It also appears that they no longer give double points during certain hours which allows your ranking to increase so you don't get demoted to a lower level; or perhaps they have changed the hours & I haven't been on the app during that period. The data below is through November 30, 2024.

About 4 lessons a day.

Didn't sign up for those, wanted to concentrate on ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

Not sure if I can continue streak since it's harder to keep going in a lesson.

That's about 6 mistakes a day.

Yeah, let's see how long I can last with the new changes.

The eruption at Kīlauea is on pause. The slow down started last night & continues today. The crater can still be seen steaming & the surface is still quite hot but there are no active emissions of fresh lava.

This was the last day I was physically at work 8 years ago. I had an additional 4 days of leave time I used before officially being "retired". I went from a 40 hour work week to a 24/7 "work" arrangement helping look after Mom & Dad.