A Cup of Tea

I have not been on the computer for a while. It has rained twice since the last time I posted on my blog. Rain is not too common at my house. So two rains in one week is unusual. The rain will be good for my flowers. I won't have to use a hose for a week.


I am working on a new jigsaw puzzle today. A 1000 piece one! These big puzzles take me a week to do. They take up the entire table. That I why I don't like 1000 piece puzzles. I don't have any room left on the table to work.

Sue and Bob came today. So I stopped to make some tea. I have to make sure that I remember to drink enough liquids. So I make tea or drink something between meals.



I like living here ok. Bob and Sue make sure that I have what I need. I think about my grand children. Sometimes I wish I lived closer to them. Sue says the this blog is a way that I can share a little of my life with them. I hope you like it.

Apple Pie

I made an apple pie for the market. It is always popular. Every piece sells. People like my apple pie a lot. I forgot to have Sue take a picture of it. I told her that next time we have to remember to take a picture to put on this computer so that you can see it.

I usually bake something for the market. I sometimes make a sour cream pound cake. Other times I make an apple pie or a cherry pie.

Funny Day Today

Today is a funny day. There is not a breathe of air stirring. Not a bird flying or singing. Nothing moving, and there is no sun and no rain. It's just still. I don't think we've had a day like this before since Daddy and I moved here. There is a thick mist on the hill so that I cannot see the cows, or the hill. Sue said that it may be raining up there. It is very pretty here but not today. There is no sun to make the flowers look pretty. I hope tomorrow is nicer.

Naalehu from Up Above

Just before we drive down off the mountain I can see my town. It looks so far away. I can not see my house because it is hidden by the trees. But I can see the shopping center and the school. And a few houses.

Bob and Sue own some land in Mark Twain. You cannot tell exactly where their land is in this photo, but it is on the plain beyond the town. It is in the trees. It is only a little piece of land and does not have a house on it. They plan to retire there. When they sell their present home, they will build a little retirement house there.

Retired Horses

There are a lot of horses here in Hawaii. We see horses all the time when we drive back from Pahala. Sue says that these two horses are very old and are retired. It is a very pretty place to spend  your retirement years. But there is no barn for them to get into in the bad weather. Sue says that they do not need a barn because it never gets cold and never snows. I guess she is right.

All the horses and cows are fat here. The grass in this part of the island is very good for the animals. That is why there are so many cows and horses here.

Cows

When we come home from paying the rent, Sue takes us on the upper cane haul road. It is a beautiful drive way up the side of the mountain. (Sue corrects me and says that it is the volcano, but I still call it a mountain.) It doesn't look like Hawaii up there. It looks more like New York to me. There are big pastures and lots of cows and horses. Not a palm tree in sight. Just cows and horses.

When Daddy and I first moved here this road was not paved. It was very bumpy. After a rain storm the road was washed out in places making it very hard to drive. Daddy would not drive up here, but Sue would bring us. She is not afraid to drive on a bad road. Sometimes she had to get out of the car to check the road to see if the car could make it. We never broke down or got stuck. It was a miracle.

Me in the VW

Here we are parked in the lot in front of the bank, where I pay my rent. We take Bob's car, his red VW. It is comfortable to ride in. It gets windy with the top down but it is fun. People sometimes walk by and ask me if the car is mine. I tell them no, it belongs to my son-in-law. I wonder if they really believe that I can drive? I turned in my drivers license when I was 82. So I don't drive anymore. Amyway, I don't think I could drive his car. I don't know how.

Kau Coast and Ocean

 Sue took some photos on my trip to Pahala. This is the coast from the road going to Pahala. The ocean is really blue blue, not like the Atlantic Ocean at all.  Sue and I like to stop here on the trip and look at the ocean. It is so pretty. Sometimes we get to see a whale, but not today.

Daddy's ashes were spread down in the little cove there. It is hidden by the hill so you can't see the cove in this photo. But it is very special. He liked this spot the best on the whole island. We use to stop there and eat lunch on our way back from Pahala. Sue would set up a cardtable and we would eat sandwiches and malasadas.

What I'm Doing Today

I have to go to Pahala, the neighboring town, to pay my rent today. Sue drives me over. We're going to take Bob's car, a VW convertible. It is a very pretty drive right along the coastline. The scenery is beautiful! The ocean here is very blue compared to the Atlantic Ocean. And very clear. You can see the fish along the bottom of the coast, many feet down.

My Kitchen

This is my kitchen. You can't really see it but I have a teapot collection on a shelf above the range area. There are 9 of them. The three plates on the wall are bird plates. And yes the floor is white, not brown like this photo shows. It must be the lighting and shade. I know because I'm the one that washes it.

Hello Cassidy!

Hello Cassidy. I'm glad that you like my dog. How is Angel doing?

Working on the wash.

I keep active doing the laundry. Here I am bringing in the wash. I'm all the go all day. I never thought I would be so active at 90 years old!

Flower Arrangement

This is one of the flower arrangements on my dining room table. I make about 3 to 4 arrangements a week. It cheers up the house.

Snow on the Mountain Bush

I think this bush is called Snow on the Mountain. The more water I give it the more colorful it gets. It was only 8 inches tall when I put it in. Now it's a big bush. 

My Living Room

Here's my living room. Again, it is much brighter than this picture gives the impression. That's Carmen laying on this sofa. The sofa is a white leather, and Carmen has a blanket and a pillow to lay on. The dark mat in front of the sofa it to give her traction so that she doesn't slip. At 12 years old, she needs a little help.

Those three pictures on the wall are the pettipoints that I did when we were living on Schoolhouse Road near the shore. I brought them to Hawaii with me. After spending months doing them, I couldn't bear to part with them.

My Dining Room

This is my dining room. It is very bright, not like this picture.

Blue Bush

This was only 12 inches tall when I put it in, and now it is about 5 feet tall. It has dozens of blooms on it all the time, almost continuously. I think I have the most colorful yard in the neighborhood.

It's hard to plant bushes here because of the lava. It is almost right on the surface. So it is very hard to dig a hole. Instead of using a shovel, I have to use a hand pick. Good exercise!!!!

My Hibiscus

This flower is big, it's about 7 inches across! It is one of the prettiest hibiscus, I think. It blooms almost all year around. In fact, it has never stopped blooming for me. It is right opposite my front door, about ten feet away from the house.