Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas

According to the Costco displays, all of these holidays are happening NOW! That's too much for my head, so I'm trying to take it one day at a time.

We never have trick-or-treaters, so the only decision to make for Halloween is "do I buy candy for kids who will never come and then eat it myself?"

After Halloween, the next real holiday is Election Day. Will we survive this election? Will there be riots? Will we have to fumigate the White House to get the rats out? Actually probably only the one rat - the others will behave like grownups and leave when their time is up. I can just picture Seal Team One pulling Trump out of a hole in the floor, bin Laden style. I just hope there are cameras to witness it.

Thanksgiving for me is always a week off work to catch up on my gardening, and then on Thanksgiving Day, the Macy's parade and National Dog Show, a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and finally a visit to the dog beach where Sophie can swim to her heart's content.

Many of my regular holiday season art shows are still happening this year. I'm hoping they will feel safe, given that they are outdoors and likely to be sparsely populated with fewer off-island visitors. So maybe my Christmas shopping with be almost normal. I'm hoping to be brave enough to attend the local artists tour (right in my neighborhood) and maybe one of the monthly Kona Strolls down Ali'i Drive.

In case I don't get back here for a while...

Stay paranoid!
Wear your mask!
and
VOTE!

How did it get to be AUGUST????

Aloha!

I guess the good news is that I have NO news. Everyone here is staying safe. And all my mainland friends seem to be equally safe, albeit a little bored.

I've been reading the John Bolton and Mary Trump books. Bolton is dry; Trump is gossipy; so I alternate.

Here's some actual good news -- Thermo gave us a 20% paycut back in April, even though the company was thriving because of their involvement in COVID testing. And now they are giving it back. Not just reinstating our regular salaries, but they say they'll give back all the money they withheld. It's like getting a tax refund - it's not a gift, it's getting your OWN money back! But... still... good... news.

I'll use my back pay to put a new shower in the upstairs guest bath. We had a surprise leak back in February just before COVID blew up. I've been hesitant to bring workers into the house to fix it - and it's not as if anyone will be visiting until the world rights itself. It's not something I planned to replace anytime soon (or ever), but the new shower will be an upgrade and I'll try to make the most of it.

A couple of weeks ago, I had some worker dudes put a new cover on the lanai. Strong March winds (not hurricane related) blew off the old canvas cover. When the canvas got a small rip, the entire cover peeled like a banana. I figured as long as they stayed outside and Sophie and I stayed inside, we could safely manage that project.

In case you haven't been following... Hawaii is practically off limits to the rest of the world. Visitors are required to quarantine (essentially house arrest) for 14 days after arrival, and the police are serious about this. People keep violating quarantine and being arrested and/or fined and/or put on the first flight back to where they came from. Tourism is down to about 1% of what it would normally be. I don't see this changing until we have a vaccine, and then proof of vaccination will be required to come to Hawaii (and maybe anywhere else in the world).

Wearing a mask pretty much everywhere is the law in every county. Employees of the few retail businesses that are open are told not to confront people not wearing masks - just call 911. I personally have a lovely collection of colorful masks and I attempt to coordinate with my outfit when I go out -- which is RARELY.

That's all the news from Hawaii.

Stay safe! Stay home! And wear your mask!

Aloha y'all!

Aloha, dear Amy

Our dear friend Amy passed this week.

She was one of the old Cadence group and a member of my Bay Area book club. Or should I say that I was a member of HER book club. Amy was a voracious reader.

And quilter.

And adventurer.

Shortly before she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, she and husband Kevin were rafting on the Colorado River -  something they did regularly.

She will be missed.

Aloha, dear Amy.

Still here...

Still here...

Businesses are starting to reopen, but I'm staying away a little longer. It was a big deal for me to go to Home Depot last week. I was in and out as quickly as possible to get the paint I needed to finish my front porch railings. No browsing the garden department as I would normally do.

Strangely, it's rained here every day for over two weeks. Sunny in the mornings, but as soon as I get off work, the rain starts. That's put a damper on Sophie's walks and my gardening. My backyard is becoming quite the jungle. For several months, the green waste recycling was closed, so there was no point in tackling the overgrown growth with my machete. And now that they are open again, IT WON'T STOP RAINING! I just go with the flow. It could be so much worse; I could be in a mainland city with crowds everywhere and rioting and looting and zombies wandering the streets. The island is particularly quiet because 70% of our day-to-day population was tourists, and now there are virtually none of those.

In case anyone cares, Ironman won't happen this October. For now, they are saying they'll hold it in Feb 2021. Or as the Toyko Olympics now call it... 202One.

The mandatory 14-day quarantine for arriving visitors is still in effect on all islands.  The current expected end date is August 1st, but the Governor keeps saying things like "maybe by the end of the year."  They are keeping their options open and only officially announcing new extentions about 30 days at a time.

They are just starting to talk of how they will allow interisland travel without the required quarantine. Believe it or not, many workers hop between islands several times a week. The guys who installed my new kitchen would go back and forth to Maui and brought me Krispy Kremes from Kahului one day (it's the only KK in the state).

Lest you think that life is too good here, check out today's weather report:

Stay safe! Safe home! Stay paranoid!

And if you can, tip those essential workers who are keeping groceries on the shelves to keep us fed!

 



The Eye of the Hurricane

Some things are getting back to normal here. Beaches and parks are starting to reopen, and a select group of businesses are allowed to open with the obvious social distancing criteria.

I, in my natural state of paranoia, believe this is only the eye of the hurricane and a new wind will hit us hard after the eye passes. So during this time of calm, I'm stocking up on TP and water and masks. We actually had Clorox at Costco last week for the first time in months! I bought my 3-gallon limit.

I might even venture out to get a haircut before salons have to close again. I'm getting pretty shaggy. Hard to say which I fear more - COVID or my hairdresser's scolding when she sees the hack job I did to reduce some of the shagginess. I'm reminded of the haircuts that Megan gave Coconut back when she was barely old enough to wield real scissors. In all fairness, Coconut was adorable with wacky bangs; me, not so much.

It rained most of the weekend, so Sophie and I stayed inside and caught up on many unfinished projects around the house - painting, hanging artwork, repairing broken things... binge-watching Amazon TV.

I hope your Memorial Day weekend was happy and safe.

Aloha y'all!

Dana

Still Isolated in Kona

Yep, still here...

I've stuck to my guns and gone out amongst people only once every two weeks. I pretty much treat all humans as if they are radioactive. I hope they don't take it personally.

We are having a gorgeous Spring, but alas, all the beaches are closed. Sophie and I used to walk on the beach at least twice a week. We now walk on a long abandonded road near our house that leads to a college that's now closed. The few humans we DO see are at least 50 feet away. We often see goats and, fortunately, Sophie is interested but not crazed by them. All I need is for her to take off to play with the adorable little kids and Pappa Goat, with his massive horns, has to discipline her.

These fellows kept an eye on us yesterday.

 

Stay safe. Stay home. Stay paranoid.

All's Well in Kona!

Happy Passover or Happy Easter or whatever floats your boat!

We are doing well here. Today is my 15th day of isolation. After work, I'm going to gird my loins, glove up, mask up, and venture out into the world. I'm going to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and probably not go out again for another 2 weeks.

Thermo told everyone to work at home a few weeks ago. They hit us with pay cuts, and there were a few layoffs, but so far, I am still employed. Thermo is actually considered an essential business, as we are making the reagents for the virus test kits.

I hope you are all staying safe!

Aloha!

No More Beach Days for Sophie

During all this madness, I was grateful that I could still take Sophie to the beach. The ocean was great for my mental health, and the walk was good for both of us.

Until yesterday...

We went to multiple beaches and were met with signs like this everywhere we went:

 

 






A sign of the times...

... pun intended....

My friend, Barbara, has implemented Curbside Service at her veterinary clinic.

People can drop off their pets, but the humans cannot come inside.
She's keeping her staff safe without having to close the clinic. Brilliant!

Do whatever you have to do to keep you and yours safe!

We are all safe in Kona

It took a while, but the COVID-19 virus finally made it to the Big Island. The first case showed up on Monday. It's been making its way across the islands for a couple of weeks.

Because the news media told people to stock up on toilet paper, people hoarded toilet paper and now there is none to be had anywhere in the Kona area. Such a bizarre problem to have! I always have spare everything, so I'm not too worried.

We are pretty much in the same lock-down mode as the Bay Area.

• Restaurants and bars are closed (except for takeout).
• All public events are canceled (no Merrie Monarch this year).
• Group gatherings of more than 10 people are forbidden.
• One of the charming new situations is that grocery stores (not Costco) are opening an hour earlier some days just for kapuna!!! (That's the over-60 crowd if you don't speak Hawaiian.)
• Kauai is implementing a nightly curfew from 9PM-5AM.
• The governor and the county mayors are actually asking visitors to STAY AWAY.
• Looting and rioting and the zombie apocalypse can't be far behind.

My plan is to be appropriately paranoid and avoid people and public places. Sophie and I are happy to go to the beach and never get close to other people. I've intentionally been practicing social distancing for some time now. :)

Stay safe, everyone!

Aloha!




 

Barbara and Steve and Megan and Eddie

Barbara and Steve and Megan and Eddie are here for the week. They've been doing all the fun things: paddle boarding, snorkeling, hiking, eating, shopping, general beaching.

Last night, Steve, Megan, and Eddie did the nighttime manta snorkel.

Megan took this video (view in full-screen mode for total immersion):

Aloha, Gene

Last night, we lost our dear friend, Gene Yamasaki.
Gene and his wife, Betsy, were friends and neighbors in Avalon and will forever be friends in my heart.

Much love to you, Betsy. And aloha, dear Gene.

Happy 2020 !!!!!!!!!!

We made it to 2020 !!!

2019 seemed like a really busy year. My highlights:

• Ziplining with girlfriends in February
• Shooting over to Maui for a day with friends in April
• New neighbors in the newly built house next door
• New kitchen floor in September
• Lots of guests in September and October
• Redecorating the upstairs guest room
• Sophie's 7th birthday

... Nothing on a global scale, but it kept me pretty busy.

I was a good girl this year, and Santa brought me a WaterRower:

This should keep me busy for a while...

I hope you all had a wonderful 2019, and I hope to see you (either here or there) in 2020!

Here's the small (but exclusive) group that came for dinner on New Year's Eve:

Aloha y'all!

Dana