Halloween in A-9

we did a close reading lesson on spiders, so

what better craft project was something to do with spiders.

The kids made some webs using marble painting and

cutting and accordian folding

these spooky spiders helped A-9 get into the Halloween mood

so on Halloween after the "Friday tests", the kids

are going to finish their torn paper pumpkins to go

along with the story "Pumpkins, Pumpkins"

Pahoa and Pele...

Pahoa, on the Big Island is right in the path of a major lava flow.

Madame Pele is marching straight towards the small town.

Pahoa is about 17 miles from Hilo and it's beautiful.

The flow has already crossed over one main road

the electric company has put these barriers around the utility poles so that they

can keep the power on.  They are supposed to be able to withstand the 2000 degree temperature 

of the lava (it will be interesting to see if they work)

15 yards/an hour doesn't seem fast, put if your in it's way it could seem

like a freight train

one of the saddest things is a closing of a school.  Keonepoko closed on Tuesday.  

They are right in the path of the flow.  I can't imagine what this must have been like...

or even what it will be like to see it go.

there's a Hawaiian legend about a princess that wanted a flow from reaching
Hilo.  The princess left Pele a note and placed red pieces of cloth in front of the flow
and it stopped and never reached Hilo.
The Keonepoko students did the same on Tuesday hoping to save their school.

The Puna district has really had a difficult last few months, 2 hurricanes (they are
the area that took the direct hit) and now Madame Pele.

I watch the news reports and just feel so bad for them, but the majority of the people
say that they knew this could happen someday and there's no way to
stop Madame Pele.

Only In Hawaii...

food at funerals

after every funeral here, there is food.

If the service is held at a church, the food will more than likely be donated by friends.

If the funeral is held at a mortuary, the food will be catered.  There are a couple of

restaurants that have contracts with the mortuaries, and their food is always pretty

much the same...sushi, noodles, mac salad, chicken, meat, namasu and andagi.

There are always "to go" containers so that people can take leftovers home with them.

It's nice to sit around afterwards and talk to friends about the person that you just

said good-bye to.  

Aloha My Sweet Elsie...

Last night family and friends said aloha to my dear, sweet Elsie.

94 years young and still dancing hula!

She was taken from us suddenly but I know she was ready.

Elsie loved a good party,

fretted about not remembering her hula,

worried that when we'd take her home, we'd get lost in Manoa

she loved Burger King and lunch after hula

we celebrated her birthday at a really nice restaurant this year

and just loved being with her

she still climbed those darn 31 stairs every week to dance her beloved hula...

we will miss her cool hands, warm heart and her sweet spirit...

I visited her the day before she left us and I know that she could hear me when I told

her how much we loved her and would miss her...

aloha oe my sweet Elsie

Poor Little Blog...

I've been writing this blog for 7 years!

I've never taken more than a week off from writing. Never...

until I got sick.

I went back and looked and since that day, I've written exactly 1 post.

So not like me.

I have been taking pictures, so I have something to write about.

I'm excited to get back to my blog/journal.

I've been also thinking I need to do a little changing...Bri?

looking forward to getting back at it.

Influenza...

the night of my last post (almost a month ago), I

got sick...

with everything in this cartoon.

It hit me that night and I laid in bed for 9 days suffering with it.

At the mid point, I drove myself to the ER early in the am, because

I was sure I had pneumonia (which I've had before).

I came away with a diagnosis...influenza.

They did ask me if I'd traveled outside the country (ebola?).

I was put on a strong antibiotic to prevent pneumonia, since I

was a prime candidate.  It was a case of the cure almost being worse

than the disease...nausea, etc.

I had a trip planned for the mainland and needed to get well.

I was finally released on the monday before and so while I've been here

I've tried to take it easy since apparently a relapse can happen.

Since hubby was gone for those 9 days, Arlette stopped by every morning to check on

me.  My dear neighbors brought diet coke (I couldn't drink it) and pho.

Ive always gotten a flu shot just to avoid this, but hadn't gotten it yet.

Both the hospital and dr told me it was early in the flu season to have such 

a bad case, but they'd been seeing some.

So I think I'm actually back to the living after this trip to SC and

the milder temps and cooler ocean breezes that have been 

gone at home.