Yesterday it was 92 degrees F. at the Honolulu Airport.  The last time it was that hot, for that date, was 157 years ago.
We did not notice, it rained for us both in Kailua-Kona and Waikoloa..
Kona got the biggest share. Everybody just walked around smiling....

The only umbrellas I saw were some that two boys were using for sword fighting and the others were the racks of umbrellas that get pulled to the front of the stores when it does rain.

Most Islanders have wash 'n' wear hairstyles.

We went down to DMV and got our truck license renewed... and the coffee pot.  

I have been spending some portion of my days cleaning.

The mysterious Mr Who did this..made another mess... You know... Who!
... Never pays rent but always is the one.  Who did this~ 

This one is the garden and paint cabinet.. 
It still looks messy, but it is organized. I know what I have again.
 

I have been told that we should touch everything thing every year..
and other things at least every two and at year three, if you haven't used it, toss it.
I feel good that I have tossed a truckload. Where does it all come from?  Probably
Who sneaks it in. 

Here is the latest garage sale bird house..
     

 While that was going up, we had at least three 'Curious George's. They like to see what is going on.
Most of the birdhouses serve as gecko houses.
    

Not to leaving out Mz. Daisy. Her palm tree ( top hair ) is growing... getting cuter by the day.
... so much energy and dreams up games that only she knows the rules.

Dat Bugga is swinging himself to sleep
   
I see the trade winds have downed a swinging coconut bird house and blown in some
plant/flower debris.

We must be really hard on coffee pots.. We had to get another one.
 

This one has it's own grinder. While easy to clean, it has more parts to be cleaned
before another pot can get made. 
I am sure it woke the neighbors this morning. Something that sounds like a jet engine
being tested is not to be ignored.

         It does make good coffee.. 
   

I hope that 'outside' parrot next door doesn't hear it 

 Yes, WE are addicted. Famous Dave's.

I like pickles. My grandmother made pickles of all manner. My favorite times were the ones like going downstairs into the food cellar and sneak a meal of them... or any of the goodies she stored there.  My grandmother 'put up' (canned) everything and the basement was the best place to hang out... and it was cool in the summer. I never did mind wrapping fruits and veggies or even changing the brine in the kraut.
My mind says her foods were the best, even today.

My grandmother never made these. It is okay to tell you, that if she had thought about it, she would have.

These are the best, the tastiest and totally addictive pickle chip going today.

Of course the jar is empty already, but we are heading to CostCo for more.

You know how they have the people handing out samples of the new stuff?
I like trying the new stuff... even though I get particular at what I'll try because I usually purchase
the good tasting items. Life is too short to not eat what is yummy.  
I really should have guessed how addictive these were going to be for the two of us.
We went back for seconds ....  

Heading home we usually throw something into the cab of the truck..as a snack for the 45 minute
drive home... and we cracked the pickle jar open...PICKLE CHIPS~ too funny! 

They are great for regular hamburgers, with steak, tops on a toasted bun with BBQ pork and cole slaw, 
and brats. Pile a bunch of them on your plate. Just by themselves is not a bad idea .... bedtime snack....
in potato salad... party treats
Crispy, tangy, both sweet and tart.. and a bit of spicy, but not hot. Is your mouth watering yet?
TRY this..  

No wonder they are gone already.
Once you taste them, you'll be coming up with your own ideas and I hope you share
your ideas with me~
Maybe I should ask he put a possible addiction warning on their label, but, already it is too late for that.

This painting has nothing to do with 'Famous Dave's Pickle Chips.

It is a water color painting I did a few years ago of a Fuschia that lived with me.
I am posting it for my friends that share my plant addiction.

I'm thinking I like my addictions. lolololol!
  

What with getting the wall built we are inspired. Project on the list for years are going down..

One  project is the gates.. This one on the lanai keep the little dog contained. 

This is one of 4 for the patio... we need another like this one for the steps on the other side of the house.

Other gates will be the large heavy entry gate and the other the vehicle entry gate and both those are larger projects and we have not yet agreed what they should look like... and you know what that means~

The three Lady palms are on in.. they replace a small grove of Papaya and promise to be a lot less work now that that HUGE boulder (center)  is out of the ground. maybe it should stay where it is now and be a feature.. lolol

Then there is the second Oleander area to say goodbye.

We had planted the most gorgeous pink and white Oleander as windbreaks.
The Trade winds get a direct shot at us and we desperately needed windbreaks. All too soon, my gorgeous Oleander became a chore cleaning up after. So, first the pinks had to go. I was saddened, but I replaced them with a row of mock orange ... cleaner and more easily trimmed and tamed . .. grows tall. hopefully it will make a fine choice for a windbreak. It has a nice hard tiny shiny green leaf that indicates a smaller water requirement, another big plus.

In the second area we had the gold Papaya and the white oleander. We had three other stands of Papaya, and they shed leaf branches at a work intense rate, so first they had to go... and when the white oleander came into their own we were pleased but very soon the stand of Oleander got so work intense.

I was spending hours just picking up after my plants.. and there were so many and so much,  it was overwhelming. I had no time to play or enjoy my plants.

We have another stand of the white Oleander.. also beautiful but messy.. It is in an area that I can ignore the messy....

I danced when I saw this..
 
Steve and I have literally gone toe to toe for two years about getting rid of these Oleander. They are very messy, grow so rapidly he was pruning them at least once a week. I was still left with the back breaking chore of bending over, picking up each leaf, blossom and stem by hand. There is no using a blower or rake in the in the 3 inch rocks.
The larger rocks keep the litter from moving so it just gets deeper and critters move in. 

Neither of us are happy with the nekked space. These Areca are well over 5 foot tall and still look tiny.
It is something we should have done years ago. They should go to 20 feet and the way our plants grow...who know...
Both Steve and I agree that we would have done things differently,  had we known how much work they would be and how fast things grow here. Neither of us like destroying perfectly viable plants.. but we thought we were on the right path. 
 
....and now it looks like this..

The Areca Palms will have a chance to grow into their potential as a windbreak. 

As you can see, we have more cleaning up.. I had dug the soil from around the Oleander, as an aid to getting all the roots.

But, all that work was not necessary for what we did today. Instead of digging, Steve left a bit of the trunk,
he then drilled holes in each and has filled them with something that promises to kill the rootstock.
Either you get roots or you will be fighting Oleander regrowth forever. 

Very soon we will be ordering truckloads of crushed gravel for months. 
Paths and walkways are already contoured and defined. They have to go in before the watering system for the grass....all part of the back yard project puzzle.
 
Right now it looks a bit strange.. but.. I can see progress and it is Sapporo time !

Through it all, guess who ( The Supervisor) had to be in the center of everything..
   
A rock for a pillow???  . 

  
These are some of the first tomatoes I have gotten in this year's crop. ( been in the 'fridge a few days) I had more but we have been eating at them.

Today, I decided to have grilled BLT's with Havarti cheese.. like my Cholesterol is not high enough. I did pass on the potato chips... if that makes any difference~ 

 
(I know, blurry... but no retakes as they have been devoured already)

We are lucky to have tomatoes. the first crop of three boxes were wind blown to death.
Every time I plant tomatoes they go into fresh soil and bleached cleaned pots. This time I purchased anti virus  stock and I still have probs.
First, I developed bud end rot. Though it is not a virus, it is a calcium deficientcy. When the first two tomatoes were redding up, I realized it and crushed some calcium tabs that I had around here and watered that in until I could get to town and get some lime.
Now I have something yellow leaf, but the tomatoes seem fine and they taste like tomatoes should.

I must have at least another two dozen on the vines, so, with or without leaves.....

I have been eaten out of my new crops.. I have those bathtub slugs and a huge overabundance of pill and sowbugs that have eaten away at everything that pops out of the ground.... not to mention loopers.
I have no idea what to do about getting rid of the sow and pill bugs, normally they are useful, but in these numbers.. they are so not welcome!
These pests have wiped me out over three plantings. No green beans, no peas, no radishes...
I don't usually spray food crops for obvious reasons except fruit trees. I have not put out snail bait because I am concerned about the birds. The bathtub snails are toxic to dogs and have decimated the 20 or so Amaryllis plants and even started eating the bulbs.

I have gone out in my yard with weapons.
No! not the bullet kind, but  gloves, a flashlight, large double seal baggie and a set of chopsticks for picking off the slugs, etc.    
I have met some 'interesting' critters... last night a scorpion was doing battle with a bug. In their life and death struggle too busy to notice they were first in the baggie. 2fer...

Besides being concerned about what the neighbors might think I am doing out there in the dark there has to be a better way.
Truthfully, I am overwhelmed! I have tried the beer bath dishes on the slugs...only two came to that party and I wasted the major part of two Bud Lights. Salt does not seem to be doing anything...epson salt spread around seems to have worked outside and sent the ants inside. Sigh! 
 
I am thinking I'll have to devise some poison station that the Francolin birds ( like huge partridge) cannot get into.  Francolins are loud,noisy and destructive in that they dig out plants looking for eats.. taking the plants out of the ground and digging up seeds.,, not at all cute like the partridges. ????

I am about ready to just spray and poison... Any ideas?

There are many Great Walls. We all know of the Great Wall of China. I hope to get myself over there and walk those stones. Then there is the Great Wall of Davis... belongs to fellow Xangan, Itzaroos. It was welcomed by the entire community and a known destination for grand landscaping.

On most volcanic Islands, we have many walls, but mine is the greatest. Everything needed for the back yard had to be literally put in a cart past the pile. Only things that could be physically handled because the way  mass transport to the back was blocked by the huge rock pile, for years. I cannot tell you how much has actually come through the house.

Note the stack on the right, that is how high the rock pile was and where it is now. 

Last week CeOny came by and introduced himself. Usually business is hammering his door down because he builds walls for the new builds. He and his family team are good and work fast. Hard economics have hit everywhere.
     
We have a saying here on the Islands, that if you want a good wall, hire a Tongan. It is believed that God gave  Tongans the Magic of the Rock. I believe it!

Watching these guys work was amazing!
They started the work on Friday morning, worked a half day Saturday and finishing touches on Monday morning.

Every day they cleaned up.. It was such a pleasure not hearing the loud radios and cuss words that too often seems to be part of the construction trade.

Serious tool of this business~
        
Steve's eyes lit up when he saw this baby.

If you live in my area, come by and see my wall. It is beautiful. ...and if you want your own beautiful rock wall, I can give you his number. 

Best of all, I have new friends and my wall. HOW GOOD IS THAT!  

I thought I'd pass this on .. some of us had not idea it was up for debate yet. I got this from Consumer's Union.
If you are tired of ever changing HIGHER credit interests and all the other negative things that are dragged into our lives because of it .. now is the time to step up and call. I told my senators that I had not forgotten them when I voted for them and now I expect them to remember me..  

... in part....

Ms. Daisy was neutered yesterday. That was a major ordeal for all of us.

She slept well last night after her major surgery... at least she slept better that Steve and I. Every time she moved, we'd be there, fretting and worrying. It is not easy being good 'parents'.  Even being surrogate parents for a little puppy there are huge responsibilities that we take seriously.

Last year when we were thinking of getting a pet for Holly. .
What kind of a dog, female or male was easy..because of what Holly has meant and been to us. But quality, price and would we be spaying her or not .
The Pro Spay argument included: Our lifestyle is fairly neat orderly, laced with periodic visits to the mainland.
We have ridiculously strict Hawaiian rules regarding pets traveling back and forth. Even the new laws instill fear when you have to consider your pet may have to be quarantined for many months. Boarding is expensive and there are not many privately licensed kennels. We are fortunate that we do have one licensed facility on this Island, but it is over on the Hilo side. Not many can qualify with all the states rigid rules.I will say that she and her help are very caring and good with the animals. It is, unfortunately, way over on the other side of the island. I would not be able to spend quality time with my girls. That issue alone makes taking them on vacation with me is unexceptable.

Our good friends, Kevin and Matt are people that have chosen to move so that they can be there every day to take good care of their pets.
Going through several 'seasons' with a house dog is... a chore to say the least.
A conscientious breeder will never breed good dogs their first seasons or again after the mommy dog has just had a litter without a 'season' break.
Solid healthy dogs are no accident. They come from healthy strong parents of good heritage. Otherwise, it is a puppy mill dog. While they are among the very much loved, but you are right to worry about the puppies from a too young or a physically depleted mommy. 

We do have wonderful friends that love my dogs and are willing and anxious to have my dogs stay over.  I am just not wanting to burden them if it is not an emergency. 
So, right there is a boarding issue...   other issues are the picking up messes, the chewing and the constant cleaning, Vet bills and the paperwork can be a nightmare. Having to research an appropriate partner for her will take time in getting knowledgable and selection.
I personally believe that we should never breed a dog because 'its cute' or 'my neighbor has a  male'. Responsible people are rightfully concerned about not bringing another dog into this world that might possibly wind up at the Humane Society to be euthanized.
I can tell you first hand that when you raise your dogs properly, you will not make money and it is just plain hard work. Breeding to a current standard, the betterment of the breed is what should determine whether to breed your dog or not.

The Pro Breed side:  Bringing more good/wanted dogs into this world. I know exactly how crazy people are for these little critters. I have only known one case of a Yorkie running loose.  

Anyway, we have been back and forth for a long time  While our Daisy comes from champion linage, we decided that there are people out there, engaged in showing and bettering the breed.
That said, they are much better at breeding good solid puppy stock than I.

Price and bloodlines are no guarantee of quality. 
I am no longer into the the show/breeding circle. My dogs are here for me to spoil , sleep on my bed and be happy. That is what makes me happy~ 

I am proud that we have made the decision to have her neutered. 

daisy Daisy DAISY

Yes, that is what you'll hear around here. We are definitely 'doting parents'.
It is hard to believe how this tiny dog has grown into full fledged Small (small but Mighty). She has totally taken over our hearts. She has the most space in our picture files.
She is one fierce player and eager to please.
Yesterday, Daisy seemed to be having a temper tantrum. I never heard that much racket from her. I discovered it was another dog outside... and on her patio, the space between the garage and the house. We can now add that she is territorial .

A little red Chihuahua had the audacity to be in her space!
This little guy obviously came through the open garage, right past Steve and was at the house screen door wanting her to come out and play. 

She was so mad she was not about to play.

Dat Bugga was there to be part of the excitement. Obviously that little dog has a cat of his own. He wanted Bugga to play.. but Bugga might have been holding out for a formal introduction.

I telephoned the number on his tag, it works, is a cell and I leave my number and a message. The address is from a town some 30 miles away..They may have moved or be visiting. I post a sign on my mail box.  I waited for 6 hours... but , still no call. .
In the meantime, I take the dog up and down the street.. looking to see if any one has a clue about this dog. Nothing.. one house thinks they have seen this dog before on the street below me.
I let the dog lead, in case he knows his way 'home'... that isn't working...

Thinking I may not have been clear, I call the number again, leave my number and a message.. several more times.   

I finally called animal control, they do not pick up 'after hours', 'leave it in the ( unlockable)  crate outside the facility', but be aware that some people shop the crates for smaller dogs and breed dogs and pretty cats. 
There is so many thug dogs ( pit bull types)  here and chicken fighting.
Chicken fighting here so I am thinking that she is trying to tell me that so is dog fighting. These inhuman creeps train fighting dogs pitting them against little dogs. (I report any newly sighted rooster ranch!...Another blog)
 
"Other types will also take the breed dogs. It is a way to get a nice dog on the cheap and some others will hold the dog for a possible reward. "

I decide this little dog is NOT going into an unlocked crate.  We will keep the dog over night. That is what I hope will happen if Daisy goes AWOL
By now, little dog realizes he is fenced and is noisy unless I am there with him.
He barely tastes the food, two offerings, takes a little water... He is a nice little dog, well cared for so I do not understand him being alone, on a busy street and no one not noticing he is gone.

Steve reminds me that while our own critters have their shots, there is no vet tags on his collar.
....so now I am also quarantined outside my comfort space with this playful little dog. 

We settle down on a swing for a long night. ( alas, still no TV replacement in the garage since the 'big one'.)
.. and that is another whole blog.
Morning comes and there is still no phone call.
Little dog is delivered into safe hands and promise myself  I will take up that battle of unlocked cages really soon.
 

# # #

As you know, I enjoy my little Gold Dust Geckoes..
   

 
   
Something not good seems to be happening.. they are getting more scarce.

Instead we are seeing these guys..
           

As the 'Gold Dust Kids are going AWOL, I have noticed an increase in these other lizards in the past 6 months along with the smaller long slender copper-y ones.
Seeing the red tail on these I am wondering whether the reddish brown/copper ones are the juveniles of these.

These are interesting, they bob up and down, either as a threat or a love call to the female.. and they have this flashing protuberance from their neck. interesting, but, no personality!

So far, no one I have spoken with seems to know that something is going on. I am certain someone does and I just have to figure out who.

I sure do not want to trade in my comical and friendly little Gold Dusts, after all they did make GEICO famous.