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…

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.

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~

If the Scent-a-rama (although shouldn’t it be scent-a-roma?) ever becomes an app, today’s download would send you to teen heaven. Today’s Saturday selection at Po’ohala Lei & Flowers is a lei lovers delight. This photo does not do justice to these superb lei. Made today is the rare ilima twined with a single strand of pikake. We (remember I help out here at the lei shop) also made pikake strands, pakalana whose season is winding to a close, and awapuhi ke’oke’o in the Micronesian style. Can you imagine the delighted look on the face of your special someone when you present this skillfully crafted rope pikake? Just peeking below the rope pikake is the awapuhi in our inimitable feather style and right below the feather ginger is the purple crown flower a favorite of Queen Liliu’okalani. We give this lei a spicy hint of scent by twining it with a single strand of pakalana. Oh so sweet these lei. Come by the shop on Beretania St. between Smith and Maunakea in lovely downtown Honolulu right in Chinatown, our Hawaii. Or ring up. 537-3011. Served with Aloha.

Voting for the BOOKS FOR HAWAII contest is winding to a close at the end of this month. There are only 3 more days to cast your ballot for Hawaii. If our state wins, we will receive 50,000 children’s books from a national organization called First Book.  Voting is super easy! We are currently in 1st place so let’s all do our best to keep Hawaii on top. Gosh knows that our keiki need these books. Maybe we can mitigate the impact of fewer school days that will be affecting our kids due to the teacher furloughs.

Here is the link: http://booksforkids.firstbook.org/whatbook/about.php

All you have to do is visit the website once a day (3 days left) and choose Hawaii. Click to vote. Click Submit. You don’t have to fill in the other spots. Just go to the box that asks where you want 50,000 books to be sent, find Hawaii and click.  YOU ONLY HAVE TO PRESS ON  *WHERE DO YOU WANT THE BOOKS TO GO….ITS THE ONLY REQUIRED FIELD. That’s it. Like I said…easy peasy.

Here is the link again: http://booksforkids.firstbook.org/whatbook/about.php

Send the link to all your family and friends who will vote for Hawaii.  Our Hawaiian kids could surely benefit. One wee little act will make a huge difference.

Homows are what we call home owners, of which we are…as of last week. Official Home Owners. We paid off our mortgage!!!  The details of the experience will come at a later date because the agony is over and now it is a time for celebration not complaints.  My husband had started a fire in the hibachi and we needed something official to burn. Hmmm how about the NOTE? I searched through my files and found our copies of a refinance completed over 10 years ago. We danced the ‘Dance of Joy’, clinked our chilled martini glasses and proceeded to burn every page in our hefty house folder. Happy Homows are we. Yaaayy hooray!!

In the first days of the New Year a small group of fishermen gather in Haleiwa Harbor for the annual boat blessing. The priest from the Haleiwa Shingon Mission gives a traditional Shinto blessing for happiness, prosperity and safety. Offerings of a bowl each of  oranges, cookies and a white rice and rock salt mixture are arrayed on a table. We each extend our cupped left hand where aromatic incense is sprinkled and guarded like a guilded fledgling. The Shinto priest chants, mesmerizing yet energizing  us as we place our right palms over left then left over right three times. He speaks of our eternal Spirits and their passages through our various mortal life forms. Each of us are individually blessesed-we call it the ‘wacking.’ It makes me smile. We file onto the dock and throw the rice-salt mixture three times into the ocean as the priest continues his chanting. Our diverse group forms again as the Reverend reminds us of the harmonic nature of the ocean and its creatures including us. The blessing brings me freshness, reflection and energy.

Then the real fun begins…the sake toasting!! Here is how we do it. Each person pours a small cup of sake for another and then for themselves. You toast to health, the New Year whatever, then drink. Then the other person pours a cup of sake for you and then one for themself. You toast again and drink. You do this for EVERY single person there! Yikes!! And you must consume everything in your cup lest there be any good luck neglected from your toasting vessel. Did I mention e-v-e-r-y single person must toast each other? Did I neglect to inform you Dear Reader that the Shinto boat blessing takes place at 11 am.?! Of course we have an array of local food with plenty of sashimi and various ono fish dishes which helps in the inevitable nap. I try and get blessed every year regardless that I am not Shinto. Growing up in Hawaii exposes you to many different cultures and their respective beliefs. Surely it can only enhance your knowlede and perspective. And you know what, I have noticed an increased happier state and certainly a  level of newly energized prosperity.