Fires in Hawaii

I'm sure you've all seen the news about the fires here that were driven by Hurricane Dora. In case it doesn't make sense to you that a hurricane -- that didn't even hit the islands -- would cause fires, here's what I think I understand about that...

Hurricanes affect the atmosphere for hundreds of miles around the center. First, they suck all the moisture out of the air and then they kick up winds in every direction. So Dora sucked all of the moisture out of the local area (drying out all the vegetation), and then something caused a tiny spark, and then there were 60+mph winds (gusts to 80mph) all across Maui, and that’s what created this perfect storm.
Every day, they find more bodies of people still in their homes, trapped in cars as they tried to flee, and even floating in the water (where some ran as a last resort)... it's truly truly horrible.

If you want to help, I encourage you to donate to the Maui Humane Society (https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/donate-olx/). FEMA and the Red Cross and many many charities will take care of the humans, but I fear that the homeless and injured pets might be overlooked.

On Friday, Mochi and I sent bags of dog chow to those pets who were able to escape with their families and aren't at the Humane Society shelter. One of the awesome things about refugee shelters here (usually hurricane related) is that they know people need to bring their pets, so they make accommodations for them. It warms my heart.

There are collection boxes all over Kona, and helicopters and boats make daily trips to Maui with donated supplies. Mochi and I are headed to Costco again today to get more supplies to send.

If you can donate, please do. If you can only pray for the poor people of Maui, that's good enough. They need all the aloha they can get.

Dana and Mochi

March Update

 Aloha, all!

This has been SOME winter! Hawaii and Bay Area mountains are covered in snow (video to follow). After about a month of dryness, Kona has now had rain 23 of the past 25 days... and not just a warm drizzle... sometimes it's a cold and windy downpour. I actually had to wear socks one day!

Mochi and I still have fun walking on the beach in the mornings (the rain usually starts at noon).  We pick up lots of trash and a few bonus dog toys. Still hoping for a wad of cash or a rapper's heavy gold chain.

My tomatoes and pineapples love the rain. I've even managed to grow jicama this year. The tomatoes are just starting to ripen, but the pineapples won't be ready until later in the summer. I've learn that both the pineapple plants and the fruit are slooooow to mature. 

Jen and Donna just left after a fun week. Mochi loved them and was on her best behavior. She loved Jen the most because Jen's leftovers were awesome. Mochi even ate steak one night!

This is what Mochi and I saw on our beach walk a couple of days ago...

Aloha, y'all!

Aloha 2023 !!

Aloha, y'all!

It's been a year since I've posted to this blog.

Here's what happened in 2022:

* Mochi grew into a lovely young girl. At 40 pounds, she's the most perfect cuddle buddy ever.

* On May 6th, I retired after 14 years at Thermo. I'm listed on LinkedIn as "Retired and living happily ever after in Hawaii"

* Lots of friends visited: Barbara/Steve/Megan/Eddie, Barbara/Steve/Megan, Emma, Colleen/Debbie, Megan/Eddie, (yeah, Megan visited a lot last year 😍 )

* I finally got a new upstairs bathroom after the Great Flood of 2020 followed by the Great Covid Delay of 2020..21..22.. (is it really even over yet?)

Looking forward to seeing some of you in 2023! 

Mochi and I aren't going anywhere. We'll be here working in the garden, cleaning closets, taking walks on the beach, and sleeping past dawn.

Aloha!

Mochi started Doggie Daycare!! It's the same daycare that Sophie attended every Friday for most of her life - Paws University. The staff there are awesome and treat the pups like the keiki they are. When you pick up your baby at the end of the day, they give you a report about who they played with, what activities they enjoyed... It's adorable.

Here's Mochi with Alan - the owner of Paws.

Mochi

The only way to find joy after losing Sophie was to get a new puppy. It was hard to think I'd ever love anyone like I loved Sophie, but I knew I had to try. 

So along came Mochi! She was 3 months and 10 pounds when she came home with me in October. She's now almost 6 months old and almost 30 pounds. She's going to be tall and long and skinny. She's so skinny, I have to put a huge blocking collar on her to keep her from squeezing through the posts in the backyard fence. She tolerates it quite well, and it's absolutely necessary for her to run free in the yard ... at least until her head grows.

Here's her wearing that collar I mentioned...

Happy New Year, everyone!Dana and Mochi

Aloha Sophie

It breaks my heart to tell you that my dear little Sophie went to Doggie Heaven in August. It's taken me this long to be able to talk about it. We aren't sure what happened, but it happened quickly. I'll never forget how much I love her or how much she loved me. She was the best dog ever!

Aloha, my sweet Sophie.

Summer in Kona

Aloha, all! Life is starting to return to Kona - and all of Hawaii. Air arrivals are almost back to 2019 numbers, but of course, still no cruise ships.

As long as you are vaccinated, you can pretty much jump on a plane and come to Hawaii! They actually have a wristband system that lets vaccinated people skip most lines and delays at the airport. I'm told you can fill out all the paperwork online so that you are good to go when you arrive at the airport. The biggest problem for visitors right now is the lack of rental cars!

More and more businesses and eateries are opening, mostly with just mask and distancing restrictions. Our dear friends, the Seidels, were here in May to celebrate Barbara's birthday. We met in restaurants with no COVID drama. Things went so well that they are returning to Maui in a couple of months!!!

My friends Carol and Gary will be here in August. I can't wait to see them!

The only sad news here is that our dear friends and neighbors, Steve and Luke, sold their house and moved to Missouri. Steve wanted to be nearer to his daughter, and Luke (a dog in case you didn't know) just went along for the adventure. He's now on a farm with alpaca and chickens and a couple of other dogs.

Poor Sophie has had a stressful month... Shortly after Sophie and Luke went to Paws for Luke's last visit, we had an outbreak of doggie flu here on the island. Paws had to close for a few weeks. Lots of dogs, including Sophie, caught it and had to be isolated. Big thanks to Dr. Barbara, who once again saved the day, making sure that Sophie had the meds she needed. Sophie was pretty sick (mostly just an incessant cough) for over a week, but she's fully recovered now.

We've dodged COVID and survived Canine Influenza... we're doing OK.

Aloha, y'all!

Dana