Our chosen flower for today’s Flower Friday is another of my backyard beauties. This yellow rose is called Golden Showers and it is of the climbing variety. I have repotted 2 of the rose stalks in separate large pots. These, I had bought at the end of this past Spring from a mega store at a deep, dirt cheap so to speak discount. I also have one plant of this same variety in the ground, but it has not produced but 4-5 blooms in so many years. this lone little rose decided to grace me with its full bloom beauty this morning. Yesterday it was just a bud. Lucky Me! Roses the week before Christmas. I’ll say it again…Lucky You Live Hawaii…

These pretty yellow blossoms are only 3″ in diameter. I prefer my roses and most flowers for that matter to have a fragrance. These Golden Shower lovelies are no exception with a light yet spicy aroma.

The above shot is with a macro lens which has made every amateur photographer believe they are a pro.

Perhaps you have me confused with another exotic beauty I responded. I was speaking with a bit of puzzlement to the technician at my mammogram who was verifying the run of the mill questions on my form from previous years. Somewhere during my last check up two years ago a zealous someone had listed my ethnicity as Spanish, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Philipino. Yikes, sounds like a stunning mixture, but oh-so-not me. Two years prior to that, I had listed myself as I usually do, as  Hawaiian. That is true. Hawaii’s many nationalities and ethnicities have blended and mixed over the years to produce limitless combinations of gorgeous women and men that the above mentioned mix was not uncommon. It just was was not my particular stew-concoction. I began to wonder if that unknown someone two years previous had THOUGHT I looked like a dark skinned exotica therefore I WAS or at least should be listed as such. Or was she just confusing me with another patient. The answer to that question will remain a mystery. But now I will be alerted to paying attention to the mundania that should not always be taken as fact. And, for the rest of the day I tried to see myself as a beautiful if mysteriously mixed ethnic lovely, gliding through life as if it were her (my) gracious gift. It was fun.

As I sit here this lazy afternoon of a day off, my neighbors on one side are strumming a little no name tune on the ukulele. My other neighbor’s 12 year son is practicing the tumpet. Rather an interesting combination of sounds but none-the-less delightful. My neighborhood could be described as ‘working class’ on a good day(and that is generous). It can also range to teetering between deleriously loud and perilously stupid. But today the ukulele and trumpet duet is music to my ears. I am in love mode again with my neighborhood. I’m enjoying it for its brief moment of amusing tonal respite. Lucky You Live Hawaii.

Flower Friday is here again. The photos of flowers are so lovely that I have decided to feature them in the larger format. So much better to appreciate them. In this case, bigger IS better.

This dendrobium spray has been happily blooming in my house for a month now. It sits on my altar but I took the orchid plant outside for some fresh air and better light to snap photos. Unfortunately, the name of this dendrobium orchid has been lost to me. But here is its story. My great friend Kiyo knew the older Japanese gentleman who had recently potted up a whole slew of orchids in addition to various other plants. He died and Kiyo thought that my green thumb would nourish the little keiki. I commented that his death was most likely unexpected seeing that  she had passed along about 30 newly potted young orchid keiki. Orchids that would take a couple of years to healthy growth then eventual flowering. Plants that were newly potted say…1 month-2 months, max. Nope, she responded, he was 96.

I love that story! Regardless how old you are, you must have something to look forward to. Plan for the new begining. The old and tired and worn is behind you.

So here they stand so tall and pretty. The first blooms. And perhaps they have the old man’s longevity, because Lucky Me! they have been adorning my house for over a month!

These dendrobiums have no scent. And yes, some regard them as common. But I remember to adjust my attitude about life every time I see them.

My flower garden has pleasantly surprised me this week with a plethora of rose blossoms. Truely only 5 flowers but their colors are presented as a mini bouquet to me and now I can share them with you. Each rose bush gifted me with a single bloom. I don’t know much about roses but I feel extra special that I have these 5 flowers in 5 different colors, in December to boot. The individual flowers have their unique scent. Where’s that scent-a-rama application when you need it? This 1st photo was taken on my front porch where the light was true.

This 2nd photo was taken inside under artificial overhead light. These flowers were so pretty that I had to share them twice.

Is it usual for roses to bloom so abundantly in December? I’ll do a bit a research and report back. Have I mentioned yet how…

Lucky we live Hawaii…

We are getting ready for this weekend’s craft fair. The last big craft fair of the season is The Pacific Handcrafters Guild showing at Thomas Square. There is still a bit of sewing to be completed before tomorrow albeit not too much as sales at the past couple of fairs have been steady but not overwhelming. We have also sold a number of Hawaiian hardwood rice paddles and kitchen pot stirring sticks so we have been working on getting the inventory up to speed.

There was a time when this Christmas craft fair put on by the Guild was the premier event of the season with over 100 artisans and thousands of customers happily browsing and buying. Alas, times have changed but the entrepreneurial spirit inherent in us crafters and artisans have made us rose colored glassed amnesiacs. Therefore I continue to stitch without too much bitch. I have a couple of tablerunners to complete along with a few sets of placemats. I have also been working on napkins this week. Time was in the not too distant past that would find us all madly creating and filling inventory after the wild Sauturday rush. Late into the wee morning hours we would work to replenish our handmade gems that had flown out of our booth during that first Saturday madness. Sniff, those were the days. Now, it’s sometimes a nail biter hoping to ‘make booth’, meaning recoup your intial outlay for booth expenses. So good luck to all us handcrafters out there in Hawaii. Shoppers and the shopping atmosphere has changed. More Big-Boxers fewer artisans with the stamina or talent or optimism to keep on truckin’. And a whole generation of folks who don’t give a rip…never did never will– about the skill and love that goes into a hand finished creation. I need to end this session of grumbling so that I can redirect my thoughts to the positive and recognize my personal joy in creating.

Hope to see you this Saturday or Sunday December 5 & 6 at Thomas Square for the annual Pacific Handcrafters Guild Christmas Craft Faire.

Having a job is great. I am currently full of job however as my schedule had me working Sunday & Monday then Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The new week commenced with my schedule reading Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Yikes. that’s 6 days in a row. I like to stay busy and it’s smart to keep some consecutive days rolling so as not to forget cash register routines and such at a new job, but I am quite enjoying this day off. My next work day is the Friday after Thanksgiving. Gulp.

One of the 1st things I did upon being hired was go shoe shopping-yay! for comfortable business type shoes. For the past 4 years at Po’ohala I was lucky enough to wear running shoes at work but my wardrobe was sorely lacking in closed toe comfort footwear. We in Hawaii wear open toed sandals or slippahs. So off to Nordstrom Rack I go. Lucky me, I was able to find 3 pair that I thought fit the criteria of comfortable, able to pound that red tile floor and not look too dorky. So there goes my first paycheck before I even get my first paycheck. Two shoes are the same style in different subdued colors. Cute with a little heel. The third pair are red ballerina type flats with an athletic look and cool dragons swirling all around. Something else to be thankful for as I wear a sample size and can find shoes in my size every time.

Here’s the update… blisters and hot spots. Lots and lots of walking. Back and forth, up and down, here and there, to and fro, hither and yon. Next week I go back to the frumpy aunty-kine shoe store and get me a pair of REAL comfort cafeteria lady shoes…dorky or not. I plan to run not walk.

We closed the lei shop on Monday. With the help of our reliable friends and family, we had the shop thoroughly cleared and cleaned by Thursday. That is a story of course in itself  of which in due time I shall retell. What I will say now however, is that our landlord LR is an AWFUL person.

Baby Sister Dear meanwhile was experiencing the complete and total transition point; finalizing the closure of the business one day then celebrating a milestone birthday the next day. And C.E.L.E.B.R.A.T.E!!! she did! Talk about embracing change…!

Hauoli la Hanau Baby Sister Dear. You Rock.

Meanwhile, I started looking for a job the next day, Friday. A week later I had submitted an application and got a call back a couple of days later. OK let me horn-toot here—the call back was the next day. A formal interview was scheduled a few days subsequent and yeow, I’m hired and my 1st day was this past Sunday. Granted it’s a seasonal hire sales position(with a discount-yay), but I want a job not a career. I am just tickled.

I already have a trade remember. I am a seamstress.

15,000 is the magic number that I want you all to think. Collectively. Positively. Staunchly.

You can think more, bigger, grander, higher.

This 15,000 is a numerical thought experiment that I am putting out to the universe and I would like your assistance.

If we all want to put a dollar sign $ in front of that 15,000-all the better. It would look like this…$15,000.00

If this is successful, I’ll let you folks know.

Think…15,000

Mahalo~

Our Lei Shop is closing today…sob.

Po’ohala Lei and Flowers, the last of the Hawaiian owned lei shops in Chinatown Hawaii is shuttering the business. It has been a family owned business for 27 years. It has been a tough couple of weeks as our customers have been stopping in to say their farewells. Emotional for all.

These are photos of our windows displaying our stunning fresh Hawaiian sewn lei.

There are still a few left this morning. We invite you in to share our little bit of Aloha.

 Aloha… happy to report, we still have a lot of