Category: The DayBook

The time between Thanksgiving and  Xmas is the quietest time of year in the village. On Xmas day – as soon as the first planes land from the coast the island starts filling up.  Except for our usual Wednesday visit from the Pride of America, there will not even be any more ships until 2024. 

Today was “brisk” walking day. So, I briskly walked to Ace Hardware for some origami paper. I want to make some of those balls that I am learning to make to give to friends here and to anyone I meet on the trains. Assuming I make it to the train. The 12 hours between the arrival of my flight and departure of my train requires some magical thinking. 

Gratitude

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It is a wonderful life!
Filled with friends who are family and family who are friends.

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Now for the big decision of the day: Steak, poke, or barbecue for dinner?

It seemed like it should be the weekend. Nevermind that the weekend would be busier in the village. 

I am about the most boring old woman on the planet. Everything is going along nicely. Maybe it’s time to hang the blog up. I don’t mean that. How many old ladies have a 22-year-old blog?  And I do like looking back and realizing that I was always crazy. Frequently boring. And usually cynical. 

In this case, AI isn’t nearly as imaginative as real people! Score one for the humans. 

Billy stopped by this morning with two hands of bananas from their acreage. Looks like I’ll be enjoying peanut butter and banana sandwiches for the next 10 days. I went to the post office the other day and a stranger gave me several avocados. Fish shows up from time to time. Everyone is looking after old Auntie Peg. I am more at home in this drinking village with a fishing problem than I am at “home”. 

Don’t get me wrong. I have the finest accidental family that anyone could hope for back East. But this is where I find peace, tranquility, and simple pleasure. 

Just another winter day in Kona. Yoga, swim, origami, read, visit, drink coffee, the usual. 

The predator fish were absent this morning so the school was just hanging out and hoping that something to eat would swim into their mouth.

Nohu is one of my very favorite fish to accidentally find. This big one is doing a great impersonation of a rock. You don’t want to step on him. He has nice sharp venomous spines. Unlike some of his relatives in other parts of Polynesia, nohu’s string will not kill you. But it will run your day. He has nice red and orange fins that he flashes when annoyed. I decided it would be rude to disturb him just so I could admire his fancy fins. 

And that was about it for the day.

Nothing happening here in Kailua Coma. And there is nothing wrong with that. No earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, wildfire, storm or incoming missiles.  But that could change. You never know. 

There was jackhammering going on in the building all day. I put my earplugs in and it sounded like a HUGE cat purring. Not a problem. This place isn’t as fine as the SeaSide Hotel that Carlton and I called home for so many years. Speaking of the SeaSide.

Don’t think I ever saw the parking lot that empty.  It’s now a boutique hotel. Boutique isn’t necessarily better. They removed the TVs and replaced the TVs  with a “macro” bar. Stuffed full of merch. Things like sunscreen, coolers, beach towels, snorkel fins, etc. And the regular minibar crap as well. At vastly inflated prices I am sure. However, the joint still has window a/c units. I don’t consider window a/c units very boutique. 

Thought about looking for a new place to stay next winter. (Nobody is promised next winter). But, this is the only place that is close enough for me to walk to everything I want and need.  

Note the tree. Last year I donated serious money to have an arborist work on the banyan. 

As the story goes, an Indian prince gave a seedling from a 1,000-year-old tree from his home country as a gift to King Kalākaua. The tree was planted at ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu. A cutting from the new tree was planted in the 1880s at Hulihe‘e Palace by Queen Kapi‘olani.

You never know about these stories. But it was planted at about that time. 

Note to fundraisers: They didn’t acknowledge the donation. Donations have ended.  I don’t need a building named after me. I simply need a thank you.  And, I need to believe that my money is being spent wisely.  How’s that for being a grumpy old rich bitch? 

Grumping aside. I am glad that the tree is looking good.

This monster ship is supposed to spend the night and not leave until tomorrow evening. Wonder if all 3,600 passengers will come to our little parade this evening. I am guessing they will be safely onboard having cocktails and eating dinner. 

I decided that I needed a leisure day. And that is just what I have had. Barely 5,000 steps. Almost no cardio. Strolled around the village some. Sat on the seawall and watched dolphins. Folded some paper. Read some. Had a small nap. Leisure day. 

 

The video is OK. It’s just 60 seconds snipped from a longer run. 8 to 10 papio are sneaking around and through the school, trying to frighten a few unfortunates out in the open. Humor me, look at it in full-screen mode. 

Once again I am grateful that I can still get out in the ocean. It’s an effort. But worth it. 

“My” condo here in Kona needs some serious work. The building dates of 1971 and it is showing it’s age. The building HVAC died on Nov 1. And, it is unrepairable and too expensive to replace. My unit will need to have it’s circuit box replace before A/C units can be installed. And, as folks have had A/C units installed, it has become obvious that some of the circuit boxes are connected to the wrong meters. And have been for 50 years! Serious work is scheduled to begin after I leave. Apparently the folk who come after me might have to find somewhere else to spend January. I wouldn’t be a happy camper with that.

Next week, the restaurant that’s under me is having “Jack Hammering Done To Sewer. Sorry for the inconvenience” I hope the inconvenience is only noise. Not noise and sewer smells. Oh well, that’s wreckage of the future. Live in the moment.

Yes, Pearl Harbor still matters here in Hawai’i. Not as much as it did when I lived here 60 years ago, but, it still matters. 

Strange weather today. Don’t know exactly what is wrong except the wind is blowing from the northwest. Weather is boringly consistent in Kona. So I notice when something is “different”. 

And I have been very boring today. Long and fast (well old woman long and fast) walk this morning. Did some finance stuff. Lunch. Read. Rest. Small afternoon walk. And, now it’s 4PM and Carlton and I always stopped whatever we were doing and had a coffee at 4PM.  I recently started doing that again. Stop. Walk away from all the devices. And drink a cup of coffee.  So. I am going to step away from technology and enjoy a nice cup of 100% Kona coffee. 

Pūpūkahi I Holomua is primarily a paddling expression. But, in Hawai’i it carries over into a lot of things. The US Congress could do with a good dose of Pūpūkahi I Holomua.

No great adventures today. Some walking and a bus ride. The bus was packed. Mostly with people from the ship who were amazed that the bus was free. I am very easily entertained.

Wonder what I’ll make for dinner? Made excellent avocado and scrambled eggs for lunch.

After zoom yoga and a modest breakfast I have several choices. I can stay home and my back problems will get worse. I can go for a small swim. I can take a bus ride. OR, I can look for the bait school. I think the bait school is nearby and there is little boat activity on the pier today – so – find the bait school.

Right where I hoped it would  to be. The larger fish to the right are waiting for the predators to rip through the school leaving tasty fish bits in their wake. 

Gratitude

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Extemely grateful that I can still do this.

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I took a lot of video. But, video editing isn’t on my radar this evening. 

My backache could stem from a serious medical condition, but I’m more inclined to believe it’s the result of prolonged periods of lounging. This apartment is bereft of suitable chairs/beds/sofas for my back. And last week I spent way too much time lounging and slumping about. I am trying to do better today. And doing a couple of minutes of yoga stretches every hour or so.  I’ve brought this pain on myself before, and I’ll manage it again. And if it turns out to be something terminal, well, I’ve had a pretty damn good run.

Another boat today. This is the biggest and ugliest. It has 19 passenger decks.