And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

I’m becoming obsessed with the kittens. We bought them treats at the store in order to train them to love us, and so far it seems to be working. Luring them out from under the garage has gotten to be pretty easy, especially when Alani’s not around. Apparently Mama cat got her name because she’s had kittens before, but last time Alani killed them all.

Here’s a short video that Pete took with my camera of two of the kittens playing. I’ve named them Blackie and Junior, Jr. I think you’ll be able to tell which is which:


Tomorrow morning we’re getting up early (5:00) to walk down to Honounou and see the dolphins. Apparently if you go early enough and if you’re near deep water, it’s common to see dolphins. We’d hoped to see them while kayaking Kealakekua Bay, but so far no luck.

In addition to the animals on the farm, the fruit trees are also reproducing. Just the other day we discovered a star fruit tree that we didn’t know existed, and this morning we picked three stalks of bananas (about 12 “bunches,” or hands, as they’re called), and four ripe pineapples (one of which we ate). We also had a delicious mango on our break, which Pete declared, “Possibly the best mango I’ve ever had.” And, true to his word, he has managed to integrate avocados into every meal we’ve had since he began hording them a few days ago. No complaints here.

Abundance takes all forms here; unfortunately they’re not all welcomed. Take the mosquitoes, for example. We’ve been hearing them in our sleep, smacking them on each other’s arms across the table, and scratching like crazed maniacs. Another common nuisance is the weeds. Actually, it’s less the weeds themselves, and more the rate at which they grow. Once an area of grass is weed-whacked, it grows about a foot per week, particularly when it’s rainy. If you think I’m exaggerating, you should try weed-whacking around here. Sometimes it must seem so futile—you go on a three-week vacation and come home to find that your house has been swallowed by a sea of green grass.