Getting Ready to Go

I first visited the Hawaiian Islands about 25 years ago. The plane landed on Maui (at that time, you deplaned outdoors). I remember standing, waiting to get off the plane. The minute they opened the door, the air came rushing in. It smelled like flowers! Coming down the stairs off the plane, breathed Hawaiian air for the first time. It was fresh and fragrant with the scent of flowers. There was a soft breeze. It was unlike any air I had ever breathed before. I knew I was in a different place. It was the beginning of my love affair with these islands.


Since that first time, I have been back a handful of times. I have been to Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island called Hawaii. There are big resorts, but my favorite place has always been Hana, on the "quiet" side of Maui. Every time we go to Maui I talk my husband into making the four hour drive to Hana, on the narrow, twisting "Road to Hana". A few years ago we stayed in Hana, in a lovely cottage by the sea. I never wanted to leave.


This time we are returning to the Big Island. The last time we were there we didn't do much exploring, and stayed close to the beach. This time we are going to explore the summit, the volcano, and do some stargazing at the astronomy center. Last time we were there I got up in the middle of the night and went outside to look at the stars. I actually gasped! The sky was incredible! Alight with what looked like millions of stars. It's why there are many, many, large telescopes and astronomy stations on the island. It's a magical place!

Stormy Day!

Interesting day here in Kentucky! The tornado sirens have been going off. The power is out at the aiport. Rain is coming down in sheets and blowing sideways. Schools are delaying dismissal until the storms have passed. We have tied down all our outdoor furniture with cable ties and bungee cords.

Halloween decorations are flying all over the place. Someone reported seeing a Halloween witch flying by... without her broom!

More of My Little World

Yesterday I posted some photos of my autumn day drive around my home county. A few more here:

Farmer's Market. I bought some Winesap apples... my favorite!




A place to take quilting lessons:


I like the contrast of the tricycle with the motorbike. Father and son? Big brother and little brother?


You can see all the way through this house. They are getting a nice breeze today.


A real Halloween house?

My Little Corner of the World

I went for a drive today. It was a gorgeous fall day; bright sun, crisp air, light breeze. I had all the car windows open with the wind in my hair. I took some photos along the way:

How Do They Know?

How do all cats know when you want to take their picture? Every single one I have ever known gets up and moves the instant I point a camera at them.

Even this one, who is a feral cat that lives outside in my yard. She was just sitting on the ledge looking peaceful in the morning. I thought it would make a nice picture... but, sure enough, before I could press the button, she got up and moved!

How do they know?

Note: This one is a sister to Munchkin, who we adopted to live inside with us. They still talk to each other at the window.

My Reading Pile

These are the books I've either been reading or plan to read. I read Never Let Me Go last night. It was good, but very dark. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is funny in places and serious in others. The Age of the Unthinkable is non-fiction, and I've been reading it a chapter at a time. There is a lot to think about in there.

I don't read any one type of book. I like different things at different times, depending on my mood.

Guess Where I'm Getting Ready To Go?

Going through my usual pre-travel routine:

1. Get out all the clothes I think I might take, then try everything on and reduce it all to what will fit into my carry-on.
2. Check out all the stores to see if any of them still have swimsuits. (I found out that Spanx now makes swimsuits... they're great!)
3. Make plans to make sure the cats will be cared for (both indoor and outdoor).
4. Promising myself to exercise every day so I can wear aforementioned swimsuit (so far not too successful).
5. Visit my doctor to get Xanax for the flight.
6. Find all my favorite cosmetics in travel sizes.
7. Purchase a guide book with a map.
8. Type out my itinerary for mom, sister, and next door neighbor.

Go!

Mad Hatter Hat

This is the hat I made for Sarah to wear for Halloween. She is going as the Mad Hatter. The numbers on the hat refer to the price;: ten shillings, six pence.

My Busy Week

What have I been doing this week? Well, a lot of it has been involved with my nieces.

First, Sarah is going as the Mad Hatter for Halloween. She asked me to make her a Mad Hatter hat. The hat is almost finished. it looks a lot like this picture, except instead of blue and green, hers is orange and purple.



Then, I have been helping my youngest niece Molly with her homework. It involves these books:


She reads a story, then writes out answers to a series of questions about what she has read. Then she types the answers into her computer, saves it to a flash drive to take to school and prints them out to staple in the book.

A group of vocabulary words is built in to the story, and she has to use each word in her answers. She also has a spelling test on the vocabulary words.

She needs a lot of help with the typing. It takes a lot of patience on my part. She has trouble getting started, but once she gets going, she does really well. It makes me proud.

In the meantime, her older sister rushes through her own homework so fast that her mother has asked the teacher to give her additional work. We have to keep her busy; when she gets bored she spends her time teaching the other kids how to make their faces turn purple. (It's not good.)

My nieces have been keeping me busy!

Assertiveness

I like this cartoon! Sometimes (too often) I feel like this guy. Give in to get along... it only works for a while, then you either get angry or get depressed. I never learned to assert myself, to ask for what I want, then stand my ground. Oh, I ask... but then I back down when the going gets tough.

At my age there is so much that I still need to change. As another blogger recently said, I am a WIP... a work in progress!

Contemplation

This has been me recently. Not much to say. I've been busy, though, trying to move mountains in my mind. Everywhere I look are things I want to change. I am impatient with myself for not being able to do more. Losing weight, getting in shape, getting rid of clutter, organizing my life. You know... all those everyday struggles. I can't talk about it; I just have to do it.