It has rained all morning, but right now the sun is bright and warming. This has been a cold winter for Hawai’i, at times going down the low 60’s. I purchased a space heater that has kept my tootsies warm when at the computer and has made taking a shower something I look forward to. Things are working out a little better this month. I found a wonderful yard man who cut down the tall saw grass, did my yard, trimmed my trees and it still cost less than before. I now have my circular driveway again which was previously block by a forest of 15ft. grass. He recommended industrial vinegar to at least kill the plant above the ground and it has slowed its progress. I only did half so now I have to do the second half after I cut the green tops off. After the initial cut in two days they were a foot tall again. If the vinegar doesn’t work, I’m going to resolve to using Round-Up and kill it! I hate doing this but I’m afraid I hate the grass more. In this pic the grass has been cut back quite a bit, the rest went the next day, but the yard has short grass now and is very green, my plumeria is no longer in danger, though I still plan to build a rock wall around it, fill it with soil and compost and cut the bag away.
My internet service sucks! I get the internet in the mornings from about 7:00am to 7:45am if I’m lucky, If I want to stay on longer, I have to pull the plug on my router, pull the plug on my modem, do the 1-10 count, plug back in and then restart my computer so it can realign with the satellite station which is in SEATTLE! This causes a disruption in everything including the TV so I have to time things if I don’t want to lose the last 10-15 minutes of a good mystery. I remember when I first built the house I had what was called Verizon Mi-Fi. I seem to remember that it worked well. Recently I checked it out on the web and it only had two stars by reviewers, so maybe it hasn’t kept up with technology. There is something with 5 stars called the Google Nest, but I’m not sure if it is its own Wi-Fi or if it is a booster for a current one. I will have to see. Today when the internet went out and I had to reboot, it was always raining hard so I also lost my DISH coverage which meant my TV went out as well. I was hoppin’ mad and had to do something during the long wait. So, I hung a mirror. Now this might not sound like much but I’ve had this mirror for about a year and have never had the courage to put it up. It is heavy and I have drywall. For about 5 years I’ve had a tiny 6×12 long skinny mirror in the bathroom. Why I’ve put up with it for so long is beyond me. It was time to go! The new mirror is big and can’t be hung with a single wire across its hooks. It needed two points to distribute the weight so I got out my measuring tape, hammer, drywall anchors and screws and went to work. The measuring was easy enough, but I don’t own a level so I had to eyeball it a bit. The first plastic anchor buckled as I hammered a little to hard…lesson learned. The two following went in easily, the screws went in easily. The hardest part was getting the two little hooks on the back of the mirror to stay open long enough for me to get them over the screws, but it worked, it looks so grand and I can see more than just my face in my new mirror. I have a small bathroom with little storage space, so my small counter is always crowded with the things I use every day.
Still mad and the TV still searching for the DISH satellite, I decided to rearrange my closet. In retrospect this might not have been the best tack. Before, all my dresses are at one side, then blouses, by color, then pants, by color. It had a little bit of a rainbow effect. Now, I have blouses that match particular pants together. The dresses are the same. I suppose instead of looking for a blouse that matches pants I want to wear, now I will look for a blouse I want to wear and miraculously the pants will be there. It’ll be a bummer if the the pants are in the wash
COVID19 wise, the Big Island is doing exceptionally well. We have been from zero to 2 or 3, one 7 for a couple three weeks at least. Last Saturday the Eagles Lodge opened up for country line-dancing. It was so much fun! It felt very safe. We all masked, distanced, signed a contact info list. We danced for 3 hrs. with little break. It was great to see friends again. There was a max of 55 allowed and I think 55 came. It was so festive. I’ve had my first vaccine so I wasn’t too worried. We’ve been dancing hula since October without any problems. I also feel safe there. It just feels like things are getting back to a new normal though I anticipate we will be wearing masks for some time.
I’m thrilled that we have a new White House. I was so sick of hearing the name Trump. For me, he has been pretty much an afterthought following the inauguration. I can’t believe our country had to suffer the insurrection of our Capital. What a sad day that will be another to go down in infamy. It is going to be a hard climb back into the light and I’m not stupid enough to think President Biden can do it all. It is going to be at least a decade before the country finds it way back to democracy, but Biden has empathy and compassion, experience and wisdom which will get a lot of us through.
My business has been off as many hula halau have been closed and are just now starting to open. A friend of mine gave me several pareo, or sarongs. They are two yards each so I’ve made a few really cute dresses. This has given me something to do that I enjoy. That and cooking. I’ve found a new love for cooking. For a while I seemed to be baking a LOT. But, after gaining a couple three pounds I’ve decided to channel my culinary aspirations into main dishes. A couple of nights ago I made Italian Lasagna Roll Ups. They were very time consuming to make and the bake time was an hour, but the were so worth the effort. They had a white sauce in the bottom of the dish, the noodles were rolled with ricotta, parm, spinach and prosciutto. Then, covered with a marinara and mozzarella. Oh my, a must-have for someone special in your life. I figured I was special enough! Last week I made an Italian Beef and Rice casserole which was delicious, not nearly as difficult, but very tasty. I generally don’t care that much for Italian foods, but so far, my record of yum is unbroken. Because there is only myself to feed these dishes make more than several meals if I pair them with a salad. If I freeze a good portion, I have them to go to when I don’t feel like cooking. I’m cutting my portions because, of course, Italian food isn’t exactly known for its low calorie count. Along with these meals I’ve kept desserts to a minimum. I’ve decided I will only eat dark chocolate. A life long friend from the Mainland sent me a package of See’s dark chocolate truffles which is the perfect dessert, especially for Valentine’s Day. A few days ago I also bought a box of Hawaiian Host dark chocolate/macadamia clusters which also hit the spot. Chocolate is especially good with Rooibos Nutcracker tea from Adagio Tea Co. The shipping, though, is far too expensive so I will have to check with the local Tea Leaf and Coffee Bean store and see if they carry anything like it.
Today is a lazy day. I’m going to watch a Hallmark movie, I know, I know, but sometimes you just need to feel like seeing a love story…then a nap. For dinner I’m having a good ole Hawaiian favorite–Kalua/cabbage.